Eliza loved that her life seemed to fall into a quant routine about a month into starting her new year at Hogwarts; the sprinkling of snow had swept through the bright grassy fields and left everything in a sheet of white. The visit to Hogsmeade was fast approaching and every student was eagerly looking forward to the trip away from the chilled classrooms; though every student was required to have a signed permission slip that many ended up forgetting and crying about as their friends trotted along to Hogsmeade.
Though that trip wouldn't be for a few weeks, so there was always time to get that signature.
Like always, Eliza had fallen into routine; Classes Monday through Thursday and every Friday she had to herself, though she usually spent the few lonely hours trying to find some way to keep from dying of boredom. There were days where she would find herself in front of Snape's classroom, offering assistance to his younger classes and trying to resist a grin whenever his black eyes softened at her offering of her services.
It was calming to help the younger years brew simply potions, and feel Snape's gaze on her back the entire time. He normally only let her help one class at a time before sending her away with a glare, though it was never with any of his normal malice.
Other days she visited Hagrid out near his small hut by the edge of the Forbidden Forest; the most fun she'd had been meeting Buckbeak. The Hippogriff was stunning up close, and she'd been furious to hear that Draco Malfoy—the annoying 3rd year and son of Lucius Malfoy—had seemingly approached the Hippogriff and been 'attacked'.
While she was not allowed in the Forbidden Forest, though that was merely Dumbledore trying to protect the students from the dangers that lurked in the trees, she was allowed in with Hagrid at her side. The forest wasn't nearly as frightening during the day, though creatures still lurked in every corner.
There had only been one incident so far; a much larger than regular tarantula had approached her—well, more like scared the absolute daylights out of her—and Hagrid had seamlessly come to her rescue. He hadn't done much but coax the arachnid away with calm words and outstretched arms. `
She was much warier to go into the forest after that.
Though on this very specific day, she did neither of those things and instead found her footsteps lingering through the main castle corridors, taking every staircase and turning every corner. There were few students out and about, most with free periods either slept in or hunkered down in the Library.
The Divination Classroom was wide open and allowed a peek inside at the wide eyed first years, watching them tap their crystal balls with confusion. The Astronomy Tower was far out of her normal routine of walking, but found it a nice change of pace. She was gone before Professor Trelawney could spot her and offer a future sight that would no doubt require the next few hours.
Her feet continued on the un-planned path, a slow pace down multiple sets of moving stairs and eventually stopping at—
Oh.
It was Professor Lupin's classroom with the door shut closed. The last time she'd been here had for the riveting lessons from Gilderoy Lockhart, and that had been a time she'd rather not remember. Taking a Defense Against the Dark Arts this year wasn't necessary, so she really saw no point.
Her feet stopped their walking and she nervously bit on her nails; was knocking at demanding his attention too much of her? What if he was busy teaching and would sneer at her rude interrupting? There were students in there that were hungry for all he had to offer.
But you seem quite hungry for him eh?
She swatted away the thought that sounded weirdly like Jean and made to leave the empty corridor, not wanting to interrupt Remus Lupin from his important teachings. There was no fault in trying again later; besides, she needed to ask about the Patronus lessons.
The silent tactic she'd tried to use to quietly escape the hallway had gone unsuccessful, as the door to the very classroom she'd tried to avoid burst open with a loud bang, the face of one Professor Lupin smiling at her as brightly as the morning sun.
From what she could see from the doorway, all the chairs had been moved away and a single closet stood in the plain sight. She had not the slightest clue as to what they were doing, but she could say she was slightly interested.
"Elizabeth! Darling! I thought I heard you! Please, come in, we were just getting started."
She had barely had time to question how exactly he heard her for she was sure she hadn't made a sound when he reached forward and gripped her slightly smaller hand in his, tugging her in and shutting the door with a flick of his wand.
A shallow red embarrassment flooded her senses as all eyes turned to watch Professor Lupin drag her across the classroom floor. Hermione look concerned while Harry Potter and Ron Weasley just stared in shock; Draco Malfoy masked his own curiosity with a sneer.
Professor Lupin released his hold on her—was it odd that she found herself missing it—and he bellowed to the class, "Now, repeat after me. Riddikulus."
"Riddikulus!"
Eliza had never heard of this spell, but wanted to snort at the name. She watched Professor Lupin look around the classroom before setting his gaze on the shy 3rd year Neville Longbottom.
"Now Neville, what is it that frightens you?" Eliza's head snapped up to give the man a surprised look, but he gave her a smile in return.
Neville mumbled something that left everyone with raised brows, "Please, Neville, speak up."
"P-P-Professor Snape." Everyone in the room laughed, aside from Eliza, as she knew that he wasn't that bad.
"Now Neville, I want you to picture your grandmothers' clothes all right? Just her clothes." Neville nodded, "She has a red handbag..."
Professor Lupin held up a silencing hand. "We don't need to hear it. Just picture it in your mind."
The young boy nodded and closed his eyes, and she watched as Professor Lupin walked over and whispered something in his ear, ignoring the feeling of coldness in the hand that had been previously engulfed in his much warmer one.
"Ready Neville? On my mark…" He counted down before pointing his wand at the closet glass door, watching the handle turn and release whatever was inside.
The whole room watched eagerly as a pale hand gripped the doorframe for a moment before stepping out, revealing a figure that left Eliza dumbfounded.
It was Professor Snape donning his black coat and all; his hair even looked as shiny as the real deal. Now even Eliza could admit that he did look quite frightening. He took two steps forward before Neville cast the spell right at him.
"Riddikulus!"
It was quite magical, and dare she say funny, to watch the malevolent looking Snape suddenly engulfed in what she could assume where Neville's grandmothers' clothes.
"Excellent, Neville, Excellent! Next up, Weasley!"
It turned out Ron was terrified of spiders, which Eliza will admit are a bit scary, but he had just as much luck as Neville, as the massive spider went from terrifyingly snapping its teeth at the red-haired boy to trying its best to stand on roller skates.
She let out a hearty laugh as Professor Lupin started up fun beat on his record player, prompting the next student to take their turn. It was exciting to watch each student walk up, to see the creature take a new shape, and for the student to overcome their fear turn their fear into laughter.
It was Harry Potter who was next, and Eliza felt a sense of dread at what shape the creature would take. She, as well as everyone at Hogwarts, knew the stories and fame that surrounded Harry. It would be no surprise if the creature became Lord Voldemort or some other morbid creature.
So when the young, slightly shaggy haired boy walked up and stared at the boggart, they all eagerly watched. It took a few moments for the creature to size up Harry and take its new shape, and Eliza would find that her guesses were both wrong.
It was a Dementor with a cloak as dark as night—so much like the one from the train—and they all watched it breath in deeply and swoop down towards Harry. She held her breath as though it were a real Dementor, seeing Professor Lupin jump in front of the young 3rd year in a protective stance. The creature began to change once more.
Her eyebrows furrowed when it became a cloudy full moon, wondering why above all things he feared the moon.
"Riddikulus!" The moon popped like a balloon and weaved its way back into the closet with a slam, effectively ending the lesson. Professor Lupin smiled at his students and bid them away with a smile, looking to Eliza with a sharp gaze that spoke to her to stay behind.
When the door slammed shut and the last student was gone, Eliza started her questions. "What was that thing?"
Remus looked at her as she stared at the closed closet. "That, my dear, was a boggart. Mostly harmless but, as you witnessed with young Harry, sometimes they can get out of hand."
She nodded. "Can I ask why yours was the moon? I didn't think the moonlight would scare someone like you."
He paused in his step and stared at her, eyebrows creased in the middle. "Sometimes our fears are not practical nor sensical to others, but that does not make them any less of a fear."
She made to ask another question but he tutted his finger, beating her to it. "May I ask as to why you did not find yourself signing up for my class? I truly tried not to take offense when I witnessed your friend Daisy here but not you."
Shuffling around the room looking at nothing in particular she pondered her answer. "No reason in particular, though the history of Defense Against the Dark Arts Professors was not on your side." A chuckle followed her statement and she smiled when Professor Lupin joined in on the laugh.
"Will you tell me why you wanted me in your class, Professor?"
"Please, when we are alone, call me Remus." His request sent butterflies to her stomach, fluttering up into her throat and tickling her insides. It made her feel special to be allowed to call him simply Remus, breaking the Professor/Student barrier.
He started walking to clean up the classroom when she remembered her main concern and slowly walked up to him. "Remus, I wanted to talk to you about the Patronus lessons."
When he turned to her there was a concerned look on his face, "Is something wrong?" She shook her head and tried to throw out his concerns with a smile.
"Not a concern, per say," she twiddled her thumbs and pondered aloud, "When exactly would we be starting our lessons?" He rose a single questioning brow as she rambled on, "I just want to be sure I have the time sorted out and all…"
"Hmm, I guess you're right," Remus leaned against a desk that had just moved to its original position on the classroom floor. "What works best for you, my dear? You seem to not have classes at this very moment and I have just finished the last class of the day. Would now be alright?"
She tried not to let his choice of words flutter her insides and nodded, "Of course, right now works perfect." They stared at one another and she felt her throat close up, even biting her lip as his eyes remained on hers.
The spell was broken as a bird squawked loudly at one of the windows, prompting Remus to let out a nervous chuckle.
"Let's not keep waiting, follow me." The pair trailed up the stairs to his office, allowing the door to swing shut and lock behind Eliza. The office looked no better than before, though a few more things seemed to have found their proper places, such as his green cloak from the train now rested on a hook, and she spotted a lone tea seat resting on a trunk that had become a small table. This was probably the most organized it would ever look.
Remus walked behind his desk and removed the light brown coat from his shoulders, lowering it to cover the back of the desk chair with ease. He stood tall and adjusted his buttoned up shirt, smiling at Eliza. "All right, first things first, what can you tell me about a Patronus?"
"Well," she shrugged her shoulders, "Not much, really. I think I've heard that they're based off of your most happy memories, or something like that."
"A good start but there's more to it. A Patronus is a something that even the strongest wizards have trouble with; it's a projection of your happiest memories, which is typically what a Dementor feeds on, though it is immune to any such harm. It's one of the strongest forms of magic out there, and its one of the only thing Voldemort was never able to produce."
Eliza's eyebrows shot up to her hairline, "Voldemort can't create one? W-Why?"
"One's Patronus is a reflection of their fondest memories, but someone must have even a shred of happiness to create one."
It was unspoken but she understood his point; Voldemort had no happiness, not a single positive memory inside, meaning that he'd never been able to conjure one. But that had her thinking—
"Do you have one?" And he nodded with a smirk, "Let me guess, you'd like to see it?"
Her head shook with unadulterated enthusiasm, and Remus found he was unable to resist the eager look in her eyes, "Alright, alright, stand over there and watch."
They took their places and she watched him inhale deeply with shut eyes, probably concentrating deeply and searching for his happiest memories; it made her wonder what it could possibly be.
His wand lifted and pointed above towards the ceiling, "Expecto Patronum."
It was magical to watch the silvery wisps of light flow from the tip of his wand, strand after strand, eventually forming a full shaped creature that had her gazing in awe.
It was a wolf.
"It's beautiful," she whispered into the air, not aware that Remus heard her soft words and felt his own heart flutter. The Patronus stared at Eliza in the corner of the room, its unseeing eyes watching with an emotion she couldn't discern. Remus watched her from his position behind the Patronus; the wolfs tail wagged and started a run around the room, fading at last with one look at Eliza.
Remus started to pocket his wand and shuffle to the back of his desk, "I do think that's enough fun for one day, don't you?"
"What? No, of course not." Eliza wanted to shake him silly and hug him even closer. "That was amazing! Can I do that too? What do you think mine will be?"
One of his hands lifted to silence her onslaught of questions, "I promise you, we will start practice next week. For now, I'd like to grade some papers."
There was no room for argument and Eliza visibly deflated and scowled at Remus, but he simply smirked. "Farewell, Elizabeth."
"Goodbye, Remus."
He watched her leave his office and shut the door, rough nails scratching at his scalp as he heard her footsteps fade. Elizabeth Jones was going to be the death of him.
The classroom door had just shut behind Eliza when a cough echoed through the hallway
"You know, I didn't take you for much of a dog lover." Silas showed her wretched self with a sneer, fingernails tapping a beat against the concrete wall. There was an air of superiority surrounding the Slytherin, and if attacking a student didn't end in suspension, then Eliza was sure she'd had been thrown out of Hogwarts ten times over.
"What'd you want? Don't you have some first years to torment?" Eliza tried to simply side step the girl, but a manicured hand put a quick stop to that. And it was then the anger at the other girl insulting Remus flooded in, "And besides, it's rude to insult a Professor."
"Who ever said I was talking about Lupin?"
The two stared at each other; Silas looking unimpressed and Eliza ready to kill.
"Look," Silas explained, "I wouldn't be here if I had to, so just hear me out so I can leave. Alright?"
Eliza nodded and Silas continued, "I have a request from Snape—"
Eliza reared back like she'd been hit, "What the hell does Snape have to do with anything?"
"He says to stay away from Lupin; that he's bad news and I'll be honest in saying I agree. There's something about those scars that isn't right."
A fury bellowed in Eliza's veins at everything that left Silas's mouth, not wanting to believe that Snape would ask his Slytherin to say such things. There was nothing wrong with spending non-class time with Remus. It wasn't like they were doing anything wrong by practicing spells that she'd asked to learn.
It wasn't like she was going to kiss him or anything.
"And Professor Snape told you to tell me this?" Silas nodded and added, "Said I'd even get out of our next essay. But only if I told you, which I have."
She pulled back from Eliza but kept her gaze solely on her.
"Let's be clear; I don't like you and I really don't get what Snape sees in you. We're not friends, and I'm not doing this for you." She watched the Slytherin stalk away with a hard face, own confused look on her face.
Why was Snape doing this?
"And she just walked away? I guess I wouldn't put it past Silas to be working for Snape." Daisy scoffed at her brother, watching as her shoved another buttery biscuit into his already squirrel-cheeked mouth, seemingly ignoring her.
"I think she's been hit on her broom one too many times, you know it messes up the brain and all that." Jean reached across the table for more pumpkin juice, "I wouldn't be surprised if they were all actually mad."
Eliza looked at her friend with slight intrigue, "What'd you mean by that?"
"Well, at least from what I've heard round here, is that her father and You-Know-Who were quite close. He's never been outed as a Death Eater but I wouldn't be shocked if the whole family took his mark."
The group of friends turned to the Slytherin table, staring at the girl in question as she laughed with Draco Malfoy.
"And don't even get me started on the Malfoy's." The group of friends finished their meal after that and made their way to the common rooms.
Jean and Eliza lay in their separate beds, staring at the ceiling in the pitch-black room. Silence surrounded the dark room and most of the girls had already drifted off to a peaceful sleep. There was no moonlight shining in from the outside sky, only the black shapes of Dementors floating about, still searching for Black.
Eliza whispered into the night, "Do you think she's right, that Snape cares about me?"
"I think he looks at you in a way he looks at no one else." Jean whispered back and turned her body to face Eliza.
Silence once again suffocated the Hufflepuff Dormitory, and Eliza was surprised she eventually found sleep.
Eliza watched as Hagrid cried tears of agony for Buckbeak; the news of Buckbeak's fate had reached the weeping Hagrid, and it hurt her to watch him be so broken over the foreboding death of his Hippogriff.
She had been horrified to learn that Lucius Malfoy had felt that after Draco had provoked Buckbeak and been barely scratched that the Hippogriff was a feral beast and deserved death. This just fed into the assumption that the Malfoy's practically owned the Ministry, seeing as it was no shock that Cornelious Fudge had agreed and now—
"Oh Buckbeak! I'm so sorry! I never wanted this for you!" Eliza patted his back and let him cry some more, knowing that he needed as much consoling as he could get.
"And you're certain Dumbledore can't change their minds?" He let out a louder wail that had her cringing. "Not even Dumbledore could stop Lucius Malfoy!"
She went to offer another suggestion—it was terrible of her to think that there might not have been a way out of this for Buckbeak— when the door to Hagrid's Hut was thrown open with Daisy talking a mile a minute. The slightly younger Hufflepuffs hair was a frizzy mess that even donned a few stuck twigs and a light sheen of sweat.
"Hold on," Eliza led Daisy to sit down and take a few deep breaths. "Alright, what's wrong?"
"It was Quidditch practice for the big game and we don't know who did it yet, but someone threw Jean off her broom."
It was similar to an electric shock, the feeling of hearing those words from her friends mouth and not really understanding exactly what she was hearing. The words went in one ear and directly out the other, leading her to simply stare at Daisy, mouth open in a confused gape.