Elowen could not stop crying.
It almost seemed as if everything she been bottling up for the past couple of years simply came spilling out in exhausting shivering sobs.
"I-I'm so sorry," she tried to stop the tears, but they didn't seem to have an end. Professor Lupin sat on the edge of his desk simply observing the poor girl. She sat on his chair wiping away the tears with a wet hand. Lupin had dismissed Harry the moment he woke up. Harry had wanted to linger when he saw how hard the girl was crying, he had never seen anybody cry so hard before.
"Eat it, come on. It'll make you feel better," The professor encouraged signaling to the chocolate bar that she had been holding in a hand. She obeyed and took a small bite.
How mortifying was this. Crying in public and worst of it in front of a professor. She didn't want to burden him with his emotions. He probably had better things to worry about.
"I feel like there's a lot to unpack here Ms. Saintday," Lupin spoke in a calm voice. "First and foremost - Who did this to you?"
She remained silent as fewer tears sliding down her face.
"Nel," Lupin licked his lips. Despite her silence he was patient. "If you want me to help you, you have to cooperate with me. As a professor I have to report this. I can give whoever did this to you detention."
It was sweet of Professor Lupin to want to make things right, but a petty detention wouldn't do it. She was going to make them suffer just as much as they had made her suffer.
"Unless, of course, you'd rather take this up with Professor Snape."
Merlin. No. Snape would probably make Nel clean toilets for the rest of the year for this. Of course, it would only be a matter of time before Snape and the rest of Hogwarts found out just what had happened at the Three Broomsticks.
"I'll take care of it professor," she mumbled.
At this point she didn't care if she was cursed. She was sick and tired of those Slytherin bastards. She was sick of being looked down upon. She was sick of being told she didn't belong in the house. Of being the misfit the class. To make matters worse she felt so stupid and more than anything naïve forever trusting Malfoy. The arsehole probably didn't even know who had abandoned her in the abbey to begin with.
"Did they hurt you?" he asked concerned.
She remained silent. He could see the hurting reflected in her expression. The lust for vengeance that blazed in her dark eyes. She had spent the entire trip back to Hogwarts plotting the horrible things she would do to those boys. She'd make them with they were dead. She thought dramatically.
"Vengeance is not always the solution Nel. Fighting fire with fire is not going to solve anything," he said wisely. "Vengeance both poisons and drains the soul," he advised.
She fought the urge to scoff at his words. Of course, Lupin wouldn't understand. With his kind smiles, chocolates and easy nature. What would Lupin know about vengeance? The scars on his body made her want to think otherwise but his nature was contrasting to his rough appearance.
"I couldn't help it professor. They made me so angry. I was so, so angry. I was so embarrassed. I didn't even realize when - I closed my eyes and the next thing I knew. Everything blew up and everything and everyone was on fire," her voice cracked as she spoke.
Lupin gathered her ragged appearance and her words and her words and putting two and two together put together an idea of what had happened. He had a feeling it wouldn't be long before found out.
"Does this happen to you a lot?" Lupin leaned down so that he was at eye level with his student. Magical outbursts induced by rage… His eyes focused on the moles that doted her face. There was something odd about them. He couldn't help but wonder if…
She nodded weakly.
Lupin seemed deep in thought still looking at the constellation of dots on her face. That was no ordinary birth mark. She had been branded with it. With this very powerful curse.
Considering the third-year's boggart was herself…
Lupin sensed there was a hindering darkness inside of the girl. He knew she was a Parselmouth. He knew that her wand was made up of terrible omens of death and then there was the hushed-up fact that she could see Therstals. There was no explanation for it. The most Lupin had at this point was a weak theory that could explain the source of her curse.
"Your Patronus," he cocked his head brushing over to a different subject. "What memory did you use?"
She shook her head slightly. There wasn't one particular memory that brought overzealous love and joy to her. Maybe the first time she made magic at Ollivanders or the first time she walked into Diagon Alley. She could've thought of Lucy but thinking about her was too painful. Knowing she had left and never returned or even bothered to contact her had left a deep wound that was still fresh and aching. "I don't think I have one that's good enough."
Lupin hummed for a moment deep in thought. "Try focusing on maybe not on the memory itself, but on the emotion you felt. Seize that emotion and thwart it."
"Professor," Her eyebrows knotted in fear. "That black thing that came out of my wand- what was that?"
"I believe it was a corrupted Patronus," He began. "It's rare but some witches and wizards that are unable to cast Patronuses can instead sometimes cast these dark energies. I did warn you we were dealing with very advanced level magic."
She butted asking what that was. "I believe a corrupted Patronus has the opposite effect that the spell intends. Instead this creature drains the energy of a person and manifests darkness instead of light. It's what Dementors are made out of. Which would be why Harry fainted." He explained.
The two shared an uncomfortable silence.
"What if I can't cast one?" She asked weakly wiping her nose.
"You will," Lupin encouraged gently. "With time. Next time focus on something that elates you. Something that brings you joy." He placed a hand on her shoulder. "But you can't focus on hatred when you do. You can't choose anger and despair over love and joy. I know that sometimes we can't change our natures, but the few choices that we have, we must choose good and make do with the best we can be. Play at our strengths."
She marinated the professor's words taking them in. Looking into the advice he had given.
"Professor, why are you telling me this?" She asked confused. It almost sounded like he actually cared. Like he knew what he was talking about.
"Because like you, I know what it's like to want to be something else."
Nel was about to ask why he had specifically chosen to use the word something, instead of somebody. What did Lupin know? With his easy charm and kind eyes? Why on Earth wouldn't he want to be himself? Everybody (except Slytherin house) seemed to like him just fine.
"Professor Lupin!" A Hufflepuff prefect just barged into the office while rapidly knocking. "All students and teachers are to report to the Great Hall. Sirius Black is in the castle and has attacked the Fat Lady's portrait."
All students were gathered in the Great Hall and instructed to spend the night there. Females would all sleep on the right and males on the left of the divided hall. The moment a swollen faced Nel walked into the hall she saw Theodore and Tracey exchange a look and rush to her with concern but before they could get close Snape seized the girl by the arm roughly and dragged her down the dungeons to her office.
"Two students are in the Hospital Ward and it is all your fault!" He scolded roughly as they walked his demeanor completely contrasting to Professor Lupin's.
Snape didn't let her go until they were inside his office. He walked around his desk and picked up a folded newspaper that had a moving picture of the destroyed wall of the Three Broomsticks.
"Because of you two of my students were injured. Three if you include yourself!" He reprimanded. "Blew up the Three Broomsticks!" He shouted.
She looked at his angry face, at the way his pupils seemed to shrink with anger, and she could feel the tears beginning to swell again.
"It-It wasn't my fault," she protested weekly her voice cracking.
"What were you thinking?!" He shouted once again slamming the newspaper loudly against his desk.
"I didn't mean to," She said weakly, eyes scanning around the room seeking for a way out. Almost praying somebody would pray come save her from Professor's Snape wrath.
"Madame Rosemerta is not pleased. Because of you the school has to pay for severe damages that were made to a historical landmark! You inconsiderate, thoughtless, irresponsible girl. You could've killed someone!"
She felt it again. That hot anger pulsing through her body. The type that made her hands shake and her head hurt.
"IT WASN'T MY FAULT!" She finally snapped.
Several vials in the room that held potions and other ingredients rattled for a second before exploding making glass shards fly everywhere. She looked at them fearfully. Her breathing harsh, small chest heaving as she was confused by her brief moment of rage.
"Just as I thought," His shoulders relaxed, and his tone became smooth. Just what was he playing at with his sudden behavioral change.
Once again, the tears had begun to stream down her face. She wiped them away furiously.
"It seems like your outbursts lead to an abrupt destruction of your surroundings… And those in them…" He lowered his head deep in thought a curtain of dark hair hiding his face. "I expect it has to do with your lack of self-control over your woeful adolescent emotions."
"I didn't mean to…" She said more quietly. Her arms rounding around her body as she hugged herself.
Snape leaned over his desk. "Control your emotions," He said rather harshly.
"I'm just so angry all the time!"
"Apply yourself Saintday," He said sternly. It was a harsh slap back to reality after having come from Lupin's warm office.
"Sir, why am I like this?" She cried.
As always Snape dismissed her without another word. "We'll finish this conversation later. Elowen from now on you are to report to my office after class every Tuesday and Thursday." He said reaching inside of his dark robes and pulling out a handkerchief and handing it to her.
"I have also already heard Mr. Malfoy and Mr. Zabini's version of the events that transpired at Hogsmeade. As a punishment they are to report to detention with me for an insufferable amount of time..." He almost made it sound as if it was more of a punishment for him instead of the two boys.
"As to you, you are banned from all future trips to Hogsmeade and from the Three Broomsticks until further notice. Thank your lucky stars Madame Rosemerta has chosen not to bring this up with the Ministry of Magic or press charges and surprisingly neither has Mr. Malfoy…" Snape trailed off suspiciously as he looked down at his hand and opened and closed it in the oddest fashion.
It was no shock that Mr. My-Father-Will-Be-Hearing-About-This had already written to daddy dearest to inform him of whatever had happened at Hogsmeade. What was shocking was that Lucius Malfoy, the man who had personally made it his crusade to have Hagrid's hippogriff executed, was not suing her. This man had decided to have a government serve capital punishment to a magical creature because it bruised his only son's arm and he wasn't going to do anything to the girl that actually set him on fire and almost killed him?
It was unsettling and out of character. So was his odd behavior towards her. His intrigue and fascination towards the young Slytherin. Which lead Ned to question and wonder just what exactly did Lucius Malfoy know that she didn't?