THE agony that shot through Elisabeth's left hand was nearly unbearable. A moan of pain left her as she stirred awake. It took her a few minutes to manage to open her eyes and it took everything within her not to groan again as her entire body felt stiff and sore.
Her hand began to burn as a horrible tingling numbness swept through the nerves in her hand.
Whatever was happening to her, it was burning her insides hotter than Fiendfyre ever could, and it took every ounce of self-control she had not to scream. For a long moment, she was frighteningly disoriented.
There was always fear. Everything came back to her suddenly. No holes were missing in her mind.
None that she could remember anyway, and as she shakily lifted her bandaged left hand, she was stunned to see that her left ring finger was already beginning to grow back.
It was only when she attempted to flex the new digit that was in the process of growing back and almost finished that there was a horrible blinding pain in her hand. She winced and let out a little cry but stopped moving once the worst of the pain had subsided. A little sound left the witch's lips, a cross between a loud breath and a sigh as she collapsed back against the mountain of pillows piled behind her.
It was as she was lying back down that she was stricken with a sudden bout of warmth that began to slowly move up her injured left hand and spread throughout her body, numbing her completely.
The warmth eradicated the pain in her left ring finger as it was in the process of growing back, and strangely enough, the sensation had Elisabeth feeling oddly relaxed and almost at peace.
She could not even begin to explain away the peace that had started wallowing in her soul. Her eyelids fluttered closed as they still felt heavy, and she wanted nothing more than to sleep.
Though before she could let her mind drift once more to pleasant thoughts and dreams as she secretly dreamt of a life with Quirinus, a sudden sharp inhale of breath, not her own, caused her to startle awake, her dark brown eyes flashing wide open.
Alarmed, she sat upright and desperately made a frantic scan of the Hospital Wing in search of the source of the sound. A wave of coldness washed over her, and her chest began to constrict, almost painfully tight. Her heart was in her throat, not knowing who or what might be in the otherwise deserted ward with her.
That was until she angled her head down and to the left and spotted Quirinus lying on the side of the mattress and felt the tempered strength of his right hand clutching onto her knee while he appeared to be sleeping.
"Quirinus?" she whispered hoarsely, and cringed at how her voice sounded waxy, almost barely audible after screaming her throat raw when she'd cut off her finger.
She angled her head slightly to the left to get a better look, wanting to see him more clearly.
The poor man was nestled underneath one of the covers and looked to have fallen asleep beside her, sleeping on his side, just enough that he was facing her, allowing Elisabeth to make out the details of his fast. Quirinus was fast asleep, his head nearly resting in her lap.
The lines of stress and worry that always seemed permanently etched into his brow vanished, leaving the skin of his forehead smooth and wrinkle-free. His mouth was curved upwards in a faint ghost of a smile, and now and again, the hand that rested on her thigh as she struggled to sit up straighter in bed would give her leg a squeeze of reassurance, as though he wanted to reassure Elisabeth that he was right here where he was sitting, and he was not anywhere else.
Yet, at the sound of his name, the young man grunted awake and slowly opened his eyes to reveal exhausted pools of dark brown that were cracked and red-rimmed. He had been crying, she realized with a jolt.
"I-I'm so sorry," Elisabeth whispered, shamefaced, suddenly feeling immensely guilty for having woken him. He must be exhausted, she thought, chewing on the wall of her mouth, and wished she'd not called his name. "I-I didn't mean to wake you. Go back to sleep," she said soothingly.
"E-Elisabeth?" he questioned, his eyes still hooded and heavily lidded from sleep, his voice was hoarse.
Still not relinquishing his grip upon her injured hand, he lifted his free hand and let it ghost down along the twisted side of his face, the pads of his fingertips caressing the burn mark underneath his right eye. His face was already showing signs of a five o'clock shadow, he would need to shave soon. His nose was rather nondescript, his lips were thin, straight, and pink. His eyes were stunningly thoughtful as he ran his fingers down along the length of his twisted flesh. She watched the movement of his finger, the way his eyes moved as his gaze lingered over her face, as though he were still half-asleep in some dream and not seeing her.
The way his jaw would occasionally clench, the way his lips twitched, everything about him, she found handsome. Elisabeth wished Quirinus could see it for himself. He only looked up again when she rested her good hand on his shoulder and she saw the genuine surprise on his face, so much so that it was almost childlike, in a way. It was as his hand reached his nose and mouth that his movements suddenly stilled, and his eyes widened in realization, as though he were only just seeing her for the first time.
"Elisabeth! You're awake!" he whispered, nearly overcome with relief and happiness. "I-I've been waiting for you," he confessed, his features twisting into a pained grimace as his lips trembled badly. "Y-you're going to be alright now," he told her, trying to convince himself, though even he heard that his tone lacked the conviction to sell the argument to his friend that he wanted to make as he held her good hand.
He immediately dropped his hand and sat upright and scooted closer so she would not have to squirm so much trying to see him more clearly. His eyes hesitantly searched hers, though for what that thing might be, Elisabeth could not say. He raised his free hand and tucked back a wisp of her damp bangs that clung to her forehead. Her skin was clammy and her cheeks felt warm all of a sudden the moment his fingers touched her face, it was as though a jolt of lightning spiraled throughout her entire body.
"Y-you're awake," he whispered. Quirinus was looking at her as though he had never seen anyone quite like her before.
Elisabeth smiled shyly and bashfully lowered her gaze.
"Well, I didn't plan to stay asleep forever, Quirinus," she told him, slightly teasing.
Though her hopeful little smile faltered as she eyed him out of the corner of her lowered gaze as Quirinus was suddenly frowning, his expression looking placid and thoughtful. The wizard's eyebrows furrowed in concentration as he ran a hand through his wavy dark hair and let out an exhale. Elisabeth immediately sensed something was not right and did not like the shift in her friend's countenance.
"Wh-what is it, Quirinus?" Elisabeth asked, confused. Her stomach formed an uncomfortable pit and began to churn, rendering her feeling as though she'd swallowed Gobstones as uncertainty twisted in her heart, taking hold of the weak muscle, and causing it to flutter painfully against her ribs. "What's wrong?" she questioned, growing more alarmed.
She grunted in frustration as another sharp shooting pain shot up her hand though she tried to ignore it. Her friend's emotional distress and pain were more important at the moment than her discomfort.
"Please, Quirinus, j-just tell me what's wrong, I can help you! Please, just talk to me for a second, I—"
Though she was cut off mid-sentence as one of his arms shot out and wrapped underneath her shoulders.
Quirinus lifted Elisabeth slightly into a more upright sitting position as he pulled her right shoulder towards him and suddenly, Elisabeth was firmly in Quirinus's arms, her head tucked securely just underneath his chin as he rested his head on top of her hair. Elisabeth sat as still as an owl for a moment, feeling as though Quirinus himself had Petrified her, frozen, and unable to move, much less form a coherent thought in her mind. She did not fully understand why her dear friend was in such a shocking state.
She managed to free her bandaged hand from his and tenderly wound both of her arms around his neck, pulling him down slightly. She let the fingers of her good hand run through his thick dark wavy coarse locks in need of a good trim soon, if he would let her trim his hair, she thought a little haircut would look quite nice on him. She did what she could to relay any sort of comfort to the man who was in obvious distress.
She rubbed soothing circles into the small of his back, wanting to relay as much comfort as she possibly could. She whispered gentle nothings into the shell of his ear in hopes of calming him somewhat.
She thought it should have come as no surprise. If there would have been any other way to rid her finger of Barty's stupid bloody ring, then she would have done it, but there hadn't been.
For her to cut off her finger had been the only viable solution. They had both been through so much in the past few days, let alone the past year. It was a wonder they'd managed to hold out this long.
She grew alarmed as his tears soaked through the shoulder of the blouse she was wearing, though she could not even manage to pretend to care about that right now. It physically hurt her to see him in pain, the agony she felt in her heart now hurt worse than when she had cut off her finger.
She clung to him firmly and rubbed circles in his shoulders, trying to ease the tension from the knots there, and stroked his hair, running her slender fingers through the dark wavy locks and whispering to him soothingly that she was just fine, she was right here, always. Yet even as she continued in her efforts to attempt to comfort him, the witch felt her bout of tears threatening to break free, and they did. Without Quirinus noticing, she wiped them away with the heel of her hand.
She needed to be the strong one now. He needed her, and she needed him.
"I am here, Quirinus," she whispered, hating how she heard the faltering crack and dip in her voice as she spoke the name of the wizard she thought she was falling in love with. "I am right here, my friend. Always. We're safe now."
A choked sob ripped its way past his lips, and he began to shake. Elisabeth could not tell if he shook out of fear or relief or perhaps sorrow. Perhaps it was a combination of the three. When he spoke, his voice along with his body shook.
"I—I am so sorry, Elisabeth," Quirinus whispered hoarsely into the shell of her ear. "F-for everything, all of it."
Keeping her head still firmly tucked under his chin, letting him have another moment, Elisabeth shook her head.
"Quirinus, don't, oh, please don't," she begged. "There's nothing to apologize for. None of this is your fault. You were not the one who cut off my finger. You did not put that ring on my finger. The fault is mine and Barty's."
Though the wizard must have disagreed with her sentiment, for the man's next words sent a violent cold chill down her spine.
"It is, Elisabeth," he snapped, an angry bite to his voice that made her pull away and look up in surprise. "I-if you h-had never k-known me, none of this would have h-happened to you. You would not have had to resort to such extreme measures. Y-you would not be hurt. Because of me."
"Stop this, none of this was your fault, Quirinus, do you hear me?" she demanded, her tone shrill and her words came out much sharper than she intended them to, for she saw her friend flinch away in both hurt and surprise. His lips parted to speak to her, though no sounds came out.
He seemed to be too taken aback by the shift in her tone. She realized she was presenting herself completely wrong and willed her temper to cool a little before trying again.
Elisabeth pulled away and though she knew Quirinus needed to hold her, and she wanted his comfort as much as he was willing to give, she could not let the man she thought she loved to continue to talk about himself in this manner. She looked up into his reddened and tear-stained face and the pitiful sight nearly had her crying alongside him, too. Yet, she furiously blinked them back and by a miracle of Merlin, managed to keep them at bay, for his sake. Quirinus was the one who needed her to be strong.
"How could you possibly think that what happened to me is your fault?" she demanded, staring at him with incredulous disbelief brimming behind her eyes. She was shocked and deeply hurt he thought so. "If I had never known you, I would never know the kind of wizard you are, Quirinus. You are a good man, with a kind, kind heart. I wish that you could see yourself as I do, Quirinus. You're amazing, one of the kindest and most gentle souls I've ever met. You understand the world better than anyone I've ever known. Never knowing you, despite what happened between us, would have left the biggest hole in my life. I don't want to be without you," she confessed.
The truth left her lips without much thought, which surprised her and caught her unaware, just as it had him.
"B-but you would be unharmed. You would be safe."
"I wouldn't!" Elisabeth immediately countered, shaking her head as she fought to send Quirinus's words away. "Barty would have found me anyways, it was likely only a matter of time," she snapped, her expression and voice almost cold as she spoke to him. She could not believe the turn their conversation had taken.
If her words had any effect on Quirinus whatsoever, the wizard was good at hiding it. His expression was blank, and his voice was flat as he spoke.
"I think I would rather you never knew me, Elisabeth, than to see you laying here growing back a finger that you cut off, just to spare my life," he growled lowly.
Elisabeth could only blink owlishly at Quirinus, feeling certain she had misheard the wizard.
"Wh-what?" she stammered, feeling her eyes go wide with shock and horror.
He lifted his gaze to hers, his expression solemn.
"Your life," he told her, gently removing his arms from around her and clasping both of her hands in his and resting them awkwardly in his lap. "Means more to me than…anything I've ever known, Elisabeth, I—I wish I could remember our time together. I-I promise to you that you will never be hurt by me again," he paused painfully to draw in a breath, tears welling in his eyes once more, and she heard him sniff as he fought against them.
"Wh-what are you saying? A-are you going to leave?" she demanded, willing him to stop, but Quirinus angrily cut her off.
He nodded. Elisabeth felt her heart drop to her stomach, though as he sensed her opening her mouth to protest, he angrily cut her off.
"I have no choice, Elisabeth, Barty needs to be dealt with, can't you see?" he pleaded, with emphasis on his words. "He did this to you, he forced you to cut off your finger and now you are laying here in the Hospital Wing injured and in pain because he could not control his jealousy. Because…of me. It's because of me that you're hurt, because of my existence, he almost killed you and because of me, you've now hurt yourself! I don't even deserve your acceptance, much less your friendship! Not after what I've done, and I can't even remember what I've done!" Elisabeth gaped at Quirinus for several moments, unable to formulate a coherent reply as her mouth went slack in surprise.
She understood what his words meant though she fiercely chose not to believe them. She could not. Perhaps for the first time since being reunited with Quirinus after all this time, Elisabeth began to feel the familiar fire seed of anger welling in her belly and slowly seeping its way up into her chest, tightening around her heartstrings.
It took her a moment to realize that what she was feeling now towards him was rage.
She was angry with him.
"Don't you dare leave me, not again," she growled, her dark eyes turning even darker, looking almost black in the dim light of the Hospital Wing as the storm outside only worsened. She curled her fingers around fistfuls of the thick blanket covering draped over her lap as another painful spasm shot up and down her left arm at that moment, cutting off whatever she had been about to say next.
She squeezed her eyes shut and threw her pained, contorted face to the ceiling and then opened them, searching the ceiling for relief from the pain as her finger finished growing back and Elisabeth could find none at all. Her back arched as the spasm loosened its grip on her and she was able to relax, the tension in her body slowly dissipating.
Right beside her, Quirinus could only watch, so very close to her, and yet, he felt as if he were hundreds of miles away. He felt useless and powerless to help.
What was even worse was the thought that he was adding to Elisabeth Raywood's torment now.
Though before he could say anything, Elisabeth angrily spoke, her voice lowering an octave and going dangerously soft. As she spoke to him, she spoke to him in such a tone that he would only later describe to Professor McGonagall as a low growl. She was furious.
"I know you can't remember us, what we went through, not yet, but after everything you can remember that's happened, how could you possibly think that you are the cause of my pain, Quirinus? I am the one who chose to cut my finger off, not you! It was the only way Barty's stupid ring was coming off. You did not force me to do it, I was willing to do it, and I made up my mind. I made my own choice! It's my fault for not thinking things through, I—I cut my finger off so he wouldn't be able to track us, Quirinus!"
Her voice was steadily rising now to match her angry mood. Quirinus flinched as her voice reverberated throughout the empty Hospital Wing, and he was grateful that they were alone for the moment, as Madame Pomfrey was nowhere to be found. He prayed she'd gone to the Great Hall if the end-of-term feast was still occurring, or perhaps she was assisting the rest of the staff in seeing the students home. Whatever the reasons were for her absence, he was glad.
This was difficult enough as it was without prying ears listening into their private conversation.
"He would have killed you, Quirinus, back home, a-and I don't think I could live with myself if he came after you and murdered you! I had to do something to stop him!" she cried.
She was crying now, she could feel the wretched tears slipping from the edges of her eyes and soaking her cheeks as they dripped onto the blankets draped over her lap, but she managed to ignore them.
Quirinus's grim-as-a-grave expression instantly faltered in response to her fury, and his dark eyes softened somewhat, though the furrow of confusion between his brows deepened.
He had seen her frustrated in the short time he had known the witch since learning his memory of her had been modified, but it was rarely ever directed at him. Until now.
"Elisabeth, please," he pleaded, hoping to supplicate her temper some. He reached for her bandaged hand and then pulled back, uncertain if she would allow it or if it would hurt her to have him hold her hand. He let out a little breath he had not realized he'd been holding as he stared at her newly regenerated finger.
It looked as good as new, because, well, it was. He shakily raised a hand to hers, yet she pulled away, far too angry with him to want his touch or his comfort or pity, or whatever else she thought he intended to try to give her now.
"What was I supposed to have done, Quirinus? Do nothing and let Barty find us? Allow him to just…kill you?! Just stand by and watch, just go on and toddle along with our lives while he catches up to us?" She shook her head as she openly sobbed. "I—I care about you too much to just stand by and watch one of our old classmates hurt you, Quirinus. Why is it so damned bloody hard for you to accept that I did what I did because I care about you?" she shouted.
"B-because I-I don't want to see you hurt," Quirinus replied softly, averting his gaze. He either could not or would not turn his head to look at her.
A wave of guilt flooded through her insides, both burning and freezing her to the bone and Elisabeth looked away, hanging her head in shame and a lock of her dark red hair hung in front of her face like a curtain, effectively shielding the look on his face from her.
She knew that her words had to be said just now.
She wished the man could remember, back when they were in their sixth and seventh years, how many times she had told him he was not a failure, not a coward, that he was smart.
How many times had she reiterated to Quirinus that she was his best friend?
But it seemed that even now, even after his memory had been Obliviated, she knew that nothing she said or did would be enough to override the years of mental torture he had been dealt due to severe bullying.
How could she possibly come to make Quirinus understand the extent of her feelings for him without pushing him away or frightening him? She thought for a moment, wanting to choose her words carefully.
"Quirinus, look at me," she spoke his name after a moment, and she was surprised at how the man's name sounded funny on her lips but speaking his name so softly as she did now, sent a pleasant tremor down her spine, a welcome distraction from the pain in her regenerated finger as her body continued to heal it.
She leaned forward and took his face in her hands, letting her gaze linger on the man's burn mark sadly before flicking her eyes up to lock eyes with him.
"That's what someone does for someone they care about. When that person is in any kind of trouble or danger, you try to do everything in your power to protect them. Even if…even if it hurts," she confessed.
She tried to smile at her lame attempt at a joke to diffuse the tension between them, though her smile turned into a pained grimace, and she was unable to stop the sigh of pain from escaping her lips as another painful spasm caused her finger to twitch.
If Quirinus noticed it, he gave no indication, for which Elisabeth was grateful, as she continued trying to make her point to him, hoping he understood her.
"You did the same thing for me when you saved me from Barty. When you brought me here. You took a risk in saving me when I needed your help the most. So…why is it so wrong for me to do the same for you, Quirinus?"
"You shouldn't have to, Elisabeth," he told her sadly, gazing deeply into her eyes and becoming temporarily transfixed by the awe and admiration she held for him in those dark brown eyes of hers, though he felt as though he wholeheartedly didn't deserve it.
"I-I'm so sorry," she begged, mortified. "I…I don't…I never…f-forgive me, Quirinus." She suddenly felt the need to flee and attempted to get up out of bed, though she grimaced in pain as she struggled to try to swing her legs over the edge of the bed and could not manage to do it, still too weak from blood loss. Quirinus shook his head and reached for her hand, desperate to keep her in bed and by his side.
"Stop moving," he admonished her angrily. "You're only going to make it worse, Elisabeth," he snapped, causing her to look up in hurt and surprise.
Upon realizing his concern had manifested itself in the form of his anger, he felt the blood drain from his face as he realized Elisabeth had mistaken his meaning and he quickly began to scramble to try to correct his mistake.
"Y-you need to be resting, a-and…" He hesitated, suddenly so unsure of himself, and yet, he knew she needed to hear what he had to say. He wanted Elisabeth to have no doubts about his growing feelings for her. "I-I just want to be close to you, to be with you," he told her, his dark eyes meeting hers, shining with the beginnings of affection and love. "B-but…a-are you sure? Is this…is me…what you want?"
Elisabeth blinked owlishly at Quirinus as she processed the wizard's words.
For a moment, she could not even speak. The only thing she could do was nod, unable to tear her gaze away from his. She was amazed by the depths of the wizard's caring for her, even now.
It took her a moment to realize that the reason he had not met her kiss in the way that she had hoped for, was that Quirinus had wanted her to be sure of her feelings for him, and comfortable around him. She thought she loved him even more for that. Elisabeth smiled affectionately, happy tears coming to her eyes as she brought her hands to Quirinus's face.
"Yes. I've never been more sure of anything in my entire life, you silly man," she told him, teasing him.
Quirinus held his breath as she held his face in her hands, her right thumb caressing his burn mark with such love and tenderness, it made him want to weep. He held his breath.
He did not want to lose the moment. Her features softened in the dim lighting of the Hospital Wing, and he knew, suddenly, that she understood. That she loved him, that she wanted to stay with him, and if she did, then he would consider himself the luckiest wizard in all of Great Britain.
He leaned towards her again as Elisabeth seemed to call to him without a single word, beckoning him to want to kiss her again with just the power of one look.
His lips were almost touching hers when she let out a startled scream that ripped through the air and made him jump back he was so flustered and caught off guard that his equilibrium failed him as he plummeted off the edge of her mattress in surprise and fell to the cold stone floor.
A wave of cold washed over them both. A yelp of surprise left his throat as the blood in his veins ran cold as he realized what had happened. Peeves the Poltergeist had materialized out of the Hospital Wing's floor and was now eyeing Elisabeth in her bed and Quirinus felt what little color was left in his face drain as the mischievous poltergeist's mouth stretched so wide, it almost resembled a Cheshire Cat-like grin.
If Peeves had been human, he might have been a good-looking chap, though it was the mischief in the poltergeist's eyes that kept the creature from being something you could truly like.
His thick tuft of wild orange hair stuck up in every direction. His clothing was tousled, a wild array of colors that was almost offensive to the human eye, and none of which were matching. His nearly transparent skin was a light shade of blue. Quirinus swallowed a lump as Peeves said nothing at first by way of greeting, though the mischievous poltergeist's eyes narrowed in suspicion as he flitted his gaze between them.
Quirinus's face turned beet red as he rose to his feet and awkwardly cleared his throat as he struggled to think of something to say to break the silence. Peeves must have been able to connect the dots and figure out the romantic interlude he had interrupted, for Peeves studied the coloring of both Quirinus and Elisabeth's cheeks with almost critical interest, and his impish grin only widened.
He cackled with glee and clapped his hands in delight, Quirinus jumping from the unexpected sound as a hand shot to his heart. He turned towards Elisabeth and leered at her, his voice a buttery purr laced with judgment as Peeves chuckled with mocking, a thing he did so naturally.
"Lovely Lizzy, Old Peevsie wondered if he would ever see you about these drafty halls again. The witless wonder Nearly Headless Nick was heard talking to Professor McGonagall, the Headmaster was thinking of asking if you would stay on as assistant Healer to the Head Matron here, but Peevsie thinks you came for a completely different reason, didn't you?" he teased.
Peeves' smile widened and the look he shot them both was devilishly predatory. It quickly became clear to them both that Peeves was enjoying watching them squirm.
But Peeves continued, not caring how uncomfortable he was making the two of them now.
"So, what, you're dating Quirky Quirrell now, Red? Quirrell, you always did have a strange way with witches. A very strange way indeed. I thought for the longest time you swung the other way. A sword swallower through and through, I thought you were. I guess not. At least with Lizzy, it doesn't seem to be a pity shag, though you ask me, this one's not quite right in the head, Lovely Lizzy isn't, Quirky Quirrell, if she's fallen for your ugly mug, or perhaps she's just blind, what do you think about that, eh?" Peeves cackled, throwing back his head to the ceiling and letting out a deep boisterous laugh from his gut.
Quirinus's cheeks flushed red and nearly choked on his tongue, though before he could say anything, Peeves rounded on Elisabeth and floated lazily in midair a few precious feet from her.
Within seconds, his nose was almost touching hers. Elisabeth shirked away from Peeves in discomfort, pressing herself as far back as she could against the pillows and the bed's headboard, though to no avail.
"What's wrong with you, Lovely Lizzy, are you blind? Or can't you see what an ugly mug Quirky Quirrell's got these days?" he snorted, scrunching his face in disgust.
Elisabeth hardened her expression in response to the poltergeists' aggression towards Quirinus as one glance over at him was more than enough. His cheeks were flaming bright red.
Poor Quirinus looked as though he wanted nothing more than for a hole in the floor to open beneath where he stood and swallow him whole. She turned towards Peeves with a quest to defend the wizard she loved. Elisabeth addressed the poltergeist with a penchant for mischief and gossip in a clipped tone.
"Disrespect Professor Quirrell again or even me, if I do wind up taking the job as an assistant Matron, then I'm sure the Bloody Baron would only be too delighted to hear how you're treating the staff, Peeves. And Peeves, if you breathe a word of this to anyone, then you're going to wish that you could be killed by the time I'm through with you, I'll jinx you so hard you won't even remember your name," Elisabeth threatened coldly, her eyes darkening until Quirinus swore that her eyes almost looked black.
The poltergeist's face, if it was at all possible, paled a shade further as all boasting and bravado fled from Peeves at the mention of the only Hogwarts Ghost who could control him. Elisabeth was surprised as Peeves immediately floated backward away from them as though the space around Elisabeth and Quirinus as Quirinus moved to sit in the chair by her bedside had personally offended him.
He began to correct his mistake and addressed the new couple through gritted teeth.
Though it sounded as though his begrudging apology to both of them was causing him great pain.
"My…apologies, Lovely Lizzy, Professor Quirrell, sir." His tone was oozing sarcasm and contempt. "Old Peevsie was just having a bit of fun, but I can see you're a killjoy here just like Quirky Quirrell," Peeves whisper-hissed through his teeth. Malice and contempt dripped from his voice as he spoke. "Peevsie will go, pretty little witch, no need to call for the Bloody Baron," he stammered. He began to float towards one of the walls, hopefully off to pester some other poor unsuspecting soul and leave them in peace.
"Peeves? One word," she warned, "Then you're—"
But Elisabeth was already too late.
Peeves was already floating out of the Hospital Wing with a mischievous impish grin plastered all over his slightly transparent face, her earlier threat to get the Bloody Baron involved already the furthest thing from his mind.
"Hey everybody!" he bellowed at the top of his lungs to the gathering crowd of students and staff as the staff was rounding up the students to take them to the boathouses to prepare to go home.
The staff among them included Professors McGonagall, Snape, Madame Hooch, Hagrid, Filch, and Dumbledore, much to Quirinus's and Elisabeth's abject horror.
"Guess what? Quirky Quirrell is in looove with Lovely Lizzie!" Peeves stuck his hand in his mouth and feigned being sick.
"Oh, my God," Elisabeth moaned softly and ran her good hand down along the side of her face in exasperation and buried her head in her hands to hide her blush. "I-I am so sorry, Quirinus, I—I didn't know he would…"
But she trailed off, unable to finish her thought as she peeked between her fingers at her new lover's face.
Quirinus was blushing a deep cherry red as he rose to his feet and strode towards the open doors of the Hospital Wing and found a group of heads, staff, and students, all collectively turned in his direction.
All of them were now seemingly eager for a look at their soon-to-be-reinstated Muggle Studies Professor and the witch who had stolen his heart before he'd even known it was gone.
Quirinus let out a low moan and clamped a hand over his mouth to hide his blush and immediately turned and slammed the door to the Hospital Wing shut, embarrassed. Though it did them little good, as the collective murmurs of the crowd outside as the students and staff launched into gossip at Peeves's outburst, and most probably about them, could be heard, muffled, just outside the oak-paneled door.
Quirinus felt Elisabeth's questioning stare burning a hole in the side of his skull, but he couldn't bring himself to turn and look into the witch's eyes.
Quirinus stood stock still by the closed door to the Hospital Wing for a moment, wondering what on Merlin's green earth had happened to his quiet and isolated existence, it was better that way.
What on earth had he done to deserve such torment and teasing, and from Peeves, no less, and better yet, what had Elisabeth done to set him off? Then, he thumped his forehead against the door once, twice, three times, as if he thought he could come up with the answers that way, but it did not help.
"I-I'm sorry, Elisabeth, I—I d-didn't know that Peeves would tell the whole school, and now everyone will know that I…that we… that I..." Quirinus growled, his cheeks still flushed red in his embarrassment, and leaned back against the wall and put his head in his hands. "I'm sorry, I—I know this is strange and highly inappropriate, but…" he trailed off as she chuckled. He stared, amazed she found this funny.
"It is a little strange. Peeves might be a problem for us going forward, but we'll handle him," she admitted, a tone of amusement in her voice. "But if you like where this…where we're going, it will make it less so," she added, almost as an afterthought, a note of hope in her voice as she bit down on her bottom lip playfully.
Quirinus rose a brow and opened one of his eyes to look at Elisabeth ruefully. There was a hopeful glint forming behind the witch's deep brown eyes that he was not sure what to make of.
"You're smart, handsome, and brave. You should have been in Gryffindor," Elisabeth complimented wistfully, a devious glint forming in her eyes that had Quirinus swallowing. "What am I going to do with you?"
Love me. Marry me, is what he wanted to say, though he feared if he opened his mouth at this exact moment, he would blurt out those words verbatim, and then she would pull away from him for good.
Quirinus exhaled a shaky breath and nervously stared into Elisabeth Raywood's dark brown eyes that reminded him of a bar of sweet dark chocolate, the finest Honeydukes had to offer. He took it as a good sign that she had not flinched or looked away in disgust, though her gaze was lingering on his mark.
He found himself wishing that he had been Sorted into Gryffindor as he summoned every ounce of courage he had within himself to ask and nervously suggested, "Y-you could…let me take you to dinner?"
A/N: I hope you've enjoyed the chapter! I've wanted to feature Peeves in fanfic for quite some time. I always thought it was a shame that they cut Rik Mayall out of Philosopher/Sorcerer's Stone as Peeves, and wanted him back in the role, so including him in this story is something of a treat. We have not seen the last of Peeves, lovely readers, and I hope you are continuing to enjoy reading this odd story of mine :)