1stly: Thank you, to all those WONDERFUL people who reviewed!
2ndly: I've altered some of the earlier chapters so that this one makes sense.
Disclaimer: I, sadly, do not own any of the characters you recognise from the Harry Potter books, nor do I own any of Judy Garlands songs.
Chapter 4: Dark secrets
The weekend had finally arrived, and everyone was glad. Classes were over for the week and the teachers had been surprisingly kind in the amount of homework they had given. It was late in the morning and the great hall was half full. On the weekends the house elves served breakfast from 7 in the morning to around 11, then began lunch at 12. There were a selection of older students who had slept in, the younger ones seemed able to fully function early in the morning.
At the Gryffindor table, Lily, and Elle sat next to Monica and Jess and were eating breakfast. Their meal was accompanied by the singing of some of the Slytherins who had suffered from an overdose of the 'singing popping candy'. Lily was having trouble swallowing her blueberry muffin as she watched Narcrissa Black leave the hall singing, a rather talented version of Judy Garlands 'Some Where Over the Rainbow'.
"Somewhere over the rainbow
Way up high
There's a land that I've heard of
Once in a lullaby"
Narcrissa's voice faded as she swiftly left the hall.
"You know I hate to say it, But Black does have some singing talent" Monica said when she finally swallowed her muffin.
"I have to agree with you there" Lily said.
"Black?" Elle asked
"Huh?" Jess said
"You just said Black had singing talent, what do you mean, Black? Is she related to-" Elle explained but was cut of
"Yes dearest darling Narcrissa" Sirius sat down as he spat out the name, his voice dripping with sarcasm "Is my cousin"
James, Remus and Peter sat down around the Sirius and the girls.
"Yes Elle you see Sirius here is an oddity" James said
Remus took up the tale "He was born into the Black family, who believe the purity of blood determines the importance of a person, which is something Sirius disagrees with"
James continued "When our dear Sirius started at Hogwarts he was sorted into the best house, Gryffindor, which made his parents very unhappy. He made friends with whoever he liked, and pissed his parents off very much"
Peter began to join in as well "When Sirius parents learnt who he was friends with, they became mad at him and on the holidays, they had many fights"
Remus started again "Sirius parents hate him, and Sirius hates his parents, and both want to disown the other, but Sirius parents are still trying to turn him around, so…"
"Sirius ran away the summer just past and stayed with me" James finished.
"Yes they like to retell the sad tale of my life" Sirius said as he bit into some bacon.
"Sad tale it is" Remus muttered
"Pardon Remus" James said
"What?" Remus said
"What did you say?" James asked
"Nothing, nothing at all" Remus answered, before bending his head towards his plate and whispering quite audibly "Other than Sirius is a drama queen"
The group laughed.
"Well, if you're done Elle, I think now would be a wonderful time to show you the grounds" Lily said
"Sounds good" Elle said
The girls stood and left the Great Hall, leaving the boys to their meal.
They ate in silence for a while before James spoke "Do you think they got up especially early to avoid us?"
"Doubt it" Remus said
"Only Lily'd do that" Sirius said, "Elle seems to like us, besides this way Moony gets to watch that Ravenclaw girl"
Remus blushed while his friends laughed.
"Yes well we all know how much you seem to like Elle" Remus retorted "You do know that you talk about her in you sleep?"
"I do not" Sirius defended
"Sorry mate but you do" James said
"It's pretty funny actually" Peter said
Sirius scowled.
Remus rolled his eyes, "Are you guys finished eating, coz I'd like to go and catch the girls outside"
"Good idea moony" James said he, Remus and Peter as they stood up.
Sirius grabbed a few pieces of toast before following his friends.
The girls were on the opposite side of the lake, watching some 3rd years throw pieces of toast to the giant squid. They walked on for a few more minutes before sitting down.
"So Elle what do you think of Hogwarts?" Lily asked
"It's good. Better than my old school anyway" she replied
"Oh, Well Hogwarts is a great school. I haven't actually been to any others but they say Hogwarts is one of the best" Lily said
"Too right, Hogwarts is the greatest school in all of Europe" James pronounced as he sat down next to Lily.
Remus, Sirius and Peter sat down on the grass as well.
Lily moved away from James.
James just moved after her.
"Potter will you stop it?" Lily yelled
"Oh come on Evans, go out with me?" James asked
"NO" Lily said as she sat down between Elle and Remus.
"Didn't you like your old school?" Remus asked Elle
"How could anyone like a hell hole like that?" Elle laughed darkly as she threw a stone into the lake
"Hell hole?" Remus asked
"Hell hole" She repeated
"I take it you didn't like your old school" James said as he snatched a piece of toast off Sirius.
"Yes it wasn't the most pleasant place"
"Hmmm" Sirius murmured "I wonder what Malfoy's doing?"
"What?" James asked
All heads turned to the direction Sirius was looking and saw Lucious Malfoy walking towards them.
"Wonder what he wants" Brittney whispered
He stopped in front of the group.
"Sod off Malfoy, you're blocking the view" James growled
"I haven't come here to fight with you Potter" the blonde boy said.
"Then why are you here" Sirius said.
"I want to talk with Smith" He said
"Why?" Sirius said. He wasn't very happy with having Malfoy talking to 'his' girl.
"None of your business Black" Malfoy said. He then nodded his head at Elle.
She stood and walked a little way away with Malfoy.
"I don't like this" James muttered
"Nor do I" Lily said
The others agreed, except Sirius who was glaring at Malfoy.
"I'm Lucius Malfoy" he said as he extended his hand
"Elle Smith" she said as she briefly shook his hand. She folded her arms across her chest. He smirked at her. "What do you want?" She asked
"You could have been a Slytherin you know" He said
"But I'm not" She answered
"You're 'dark' enough to be"
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"I know where you come from"
"Your point?"
"A lot of dark wizards and witches come out of that school"
"Not many people come out at all"
"You have to admit though; you know a lot of Dark Magic, you are a 'Dark' person"
"I left the 'darkness'" Elle said putting quotation marks around the word darkness with her fingers
"You can't leave what is a part of you"
"I have"
"You haven't. It is still with you"
"I don't have to deal with this Malfoy, get to the point"
"You should really be a Slytherin"
She glared at him.
"My point is, if you ever need help with your 'darkness' I'm here. I know of a very powerful person who will bring about the ultimate darkness and could use helpers such as you."
They stared at each other for a minute before he walked off. "If the 'darkness' ever becomes too much" He called over his shoulder.
Elle glared at his receding back before turning and walking towards her friends
"What was that all about" Sirius demanded
"Sirius" Lily exclaimed "You don't have to be so blunt"
"I want to know. We all do and I think we deserve an explanation." Sirius said.
"Sirius is right. I do owe you an explanation. Just, please don't judge me on my family and what they do." Elle said. She stared across the lake before starting her tale. "Yes this is the story of my life, I'm a pureblood. My family is a lot like Sirius', the exception being, my parents, and my brother all agree with my point of view. It's the rest of my family that's the problem. "
"My Grandfather is a very powerful man. He has connections with powerful people all over the world, Including Mr. Malfoy and Mr. Black. He has a lot of control over my family and has a say in a lot of what we do. But more about him later"
"I went to a small school in the middle of the Australian bush. On the outside it looks like a derelict, run down building. On the inside it is like a manor. It's called, 'The school of Binding Darkness for Dark Witches and Wizards'" Elle paused
James and Sirius started at her in shock.
"That sounds like a dark school" Peter said
Lily and Remus were looking puzzled and were shooting confused looks at James and Sirius.
"The school of binding darkness?" James asked
"You went to the school of binding darkness" Sirius exclaimed in a loud and urgent whisper.
"I'm confused" Lily said "What all the fuss about this school, it sounds kind of spooky but why such a fuss"
"Why such a fuss, why such a fuss?" James spluttered.
Elle began to talk again "The school of binding darkness is a dark, dark place. Only a few people attend every year. Less leave the school." Remus, Peter and Lily still looked confused, so Elle continued "It's a school which teaches dark magic and creates dark witches and wizards."
Lily gasped.
"Why were you there?" Peter asked
"My grandfather made my father send my brother and I there" Elle answered "It's a horrendous place. Not a drop of joy in any of the people there. The only person I could talk to was my brother, and his friend Callum, who's in the same situation as us. They were the only ones who understood what I was going through.
"The classes were made up of people of all different ages. Some old, some young, like myself. They tortured you if you didn't complete the homework they set. Have you ever been put under the Curaticus Curse? Have you ever been made to put the Curaticus Curse on someone else?"
They all looked at her with shocked expressions.
"Do you understand what it's like to be able to perform illegal curses that many adults cannot do, at the age of 12? Can you imagine learning the killing curse when you are 13 years old? No you couldn't. No one else can. No one."
"This is what I went through, more even, and I cannot begin to explain how that feels. How much worse you feel knowing you left you TWIN brother there, when you are here, safe.
I hate my grandfather for forcing us there. Going against our free will. Crushing my fathers spirit. Hurting his own family to get what he wanted. I would love to see him punished. But no, he is too cunning to be caught. I HATE HIM" Elle screamed the last words in a rush of anger. "I have to go." She said as she stood up and walked away. Leaving them to comprehend what she had told them.
"That's horrible" Peter said.
"The killing curse" Lily whispered "At 13"
"It's a horrible place." James said
"It sounds unbearable" Remus said
"Many cannot bear it" Sirius said.
"I'm still confused" Peter said
"The school of binding darkness for dark witches and wizards. It's main purpose is as the name says to bind those who attend to the darkness. Dark wizards and witches teach those who want to learn the ways of the dark. Or, in Elle's case, those who are forced to learn. Many don't survive in there, and are scarred, physically and mentally for life." Sirius explained, whilst staring at Elle's retreating form.
"The poor thing" Remus sighed
"Well, we are certainly not judging her. None of us, none of you are to say anything to offend her about this. Understand?" Lily ordered. "Should we follow her or do you think she needs some time alone?"
"Time alone, for a while, we'll go find her when she's had time to calm down" Remus said, a hint of sadness evident in his voice.
Gryffindor, 7th year girl's dormitories.
Elle sat on her bed writing on a piece of parchment. The dormitory was empty as everyone was outside enjoying the good weather. Elle was writing a letter to her brother, telling him about how she had told her friends about her past and how she was unsure if they would still be her friends.
Dylan,
I need your advice. It's our first weekend here. The homework's alright. I wish you were here. This isn't helping you though. I've made these friends, 1 girl & 3guys. They're really nice. The guys are pretty cute actually, 1 of them I think I really like.
Today hasn't gone well. Lucius Malfoy, came and spoke to me. He's the son of the man, granddad does business with. My friends don't like Malfoy's so they wanted to know why I spoke to him, and I had to tell them about the school. Sirius & James knew what I was talking about. They were really shocked. I don't know if the others really understood.
I know it'll sound silly when I write it down, but I'm afraid they won't be friends with me anymore, that they'll abandon me because of where I've been, and who I'm related to. How are you doing? Are you coping ok? How's Callum? Can you tell him I say hi, and that I miss him and that I'm thinking of him? Thanks
I hope you're alright. Tell me what's happening to you, I need to know you're relatively ok. I need to know.
I miss you so much, you know that. I hate being away from you. I love you. You mean so much to me; I want you to know that. I know I say it so often, but I don't think I could survive without you. You do so much for me. Thank you.
I love you.
Elle.
Elle put the scroll down on her bedside table; she would take the letter to her owl, Imogene, later in the evening. She then curled up on her bed, buried her face into her pillow and fell into a restless sleep, filled with nightmares of the place she once called her school.
After Elle had left them at the lake, Lily had left the boys to wander around the castle and talk. They had been to dinner, and Elle hadn't showed up. Sirius had asked them if they'd seen her, he seemed worried about her. When Lily told him they hadn't seen her, he seemed to become even more worried.
Lily had returned to the Gryffindor common room and headed up to the girls dormitories. There she found Elle curled up on her bed asleep.
"How long do you think she's been here?" Jess asked as she and Monica walked through the door
Lily shrugged.
"Look, she's written something" Monica exclaimed. "Do you think we should read it? Maybe it'll explain why she's got tear stains on the pillow"
"No way" Lily said "It's hers. Its personal."
"You can just see the end I know I say it so often, but I don't think I could survive without you. You do so much for me. Thank you. I love you. Elle. Who do you think she's writing to? He sounds special; maybe she has a boyfriend she hasn't told us about"
"I don't think so" Lily said. "I think we should tell Sirius that we found her"
"Yeah he seemed pretty cut up when we came in" Jess agreed.
All three headed out of the dormitory, and down to the common room. Elle sat up in her bed. They didn't seem to hate her and what did they mean Sirius was cut up about it? They couldn't mean her, could they? Maybe she shouldn't have been so. Oh well it was done now. She'd go downstairs and see them in person.
Elle got out of bed, unruffled her clothes and attempted to gain control of hair, which was now in a skew-if ponytail.
She walked down the stairs, into the common room. Lily was talking to Remus, Sirius, James and Peter. She was talking and the boys were nodding. Elle sat down in the armchair beside her. She wasn't sure if they wanted her or not, so she thought she'd wait. She watched them. Lily had said what they she come to say, and was walking away. Lily really did hate spending time with James. Then she saw her and began walking towards her.
"Hey Elle, how are you feeling?" Lily asked
"A little sleepy" Elle said
"Sleepy! Haven't you been sleeping all day!" Lily exclaimed
"Yeah" Elle answered a little sheepishly.
"You know we'd still be you friends, no matter what your family did." Lily said. "I mean we still keep Sirius, sorta"
A pair of hands clamped over Elle's eyes, while someone whispered into her ear "Guess who"
Elle smiled, "I give up" She said.
"Well you're no fun" The person said, releasing her and sitting on the arm of her chair.
"Yeah Sirius, I'm the fun killer" Elle said to the person now sitting on the arm of her chair. She shoved him off the chair.
"Glad to see you're not angry with us" He said with a grin. He and the rest of the boys walked up the stairs to the boys dormitories.
"Night Lily flower" James called as he walked out of the portrait hole, towards the head dormitory
"Go away Potter" Lily growled
"Love you too" He shouted
Lily shook her head.
"It's late" Elle said "I think its time we went to bed"
"Yeah" Lily agreed
"Night" Elle called as Lily stepped through the portrait hole and into the hallway.
Elle walked up the stairs, showered and went to bed, When she finally drifted into the land of sleep, she was greeted by a certain Maurder.
(A/N: Ha finished. Lucious Malfoy sure has an obsession with the 'dark' hey? Lol. But I should have the next chapters up soon. Please review. It makes me ever so happy)
The Fairy in Black.