It was still dark out when Ellen's eyes fluttered open once more. She yawned quietly and stretched her arms out over her head. Peering out from behind the curtains she could see that everyone else in the room was asleep, or at least they appeared to be.

Ellen smiled softly at the sleeping creature above her bed and slowly slipped out to stand on the cold floor. She wiggled her toes with a shiver and opened her trunk to pull out her clothes. Her footsteps were quiet as she snuck out of the room and down to the baths below the common room. The entire lavatory was empty, the early morning light streaming through the windows. It brought her back to her days in the Order, the immense stone castle so similar to the one she had once called home. Ellen went about her business quickly, forcing all thoughts of the past from her mind.

She dried down and dressed in the Hogwarts uniform again, running her hands over the crest sewn into her sweater. In all the years that she had lived, she had never attended school of any kind. It was so exciting, yet terrifying with all the added dangers.

With a loud sigh she gathered her belongings and returned to the dormitory, smiling at the other girls who were now moving around sleepily. She listened to their quiet chatter for a while, just enjoying being around others. She examined her clawed nails in boredom and frowned when she saw that the polish on her right hand had chipped even more than it had when she arrived at Grimmauld Place.

Ellen grabbed her wand and pointed it firmly at her hand. "Vernis noir!" She watched the previous dark polish melt off her fingertips as newer, shinier black varnish covered them. She used a few charms to shape them to match the left, smiling at the result.

"Oh, what was that?" Lavender spoke up next to her. Ellen started slightly when she saw the girl standing so close. Shaking the nerves away, she grinned at the other witch.

"It's a nail polish spell." She wiggled her fingers for emphasis. "There was a French witch that lived across the hall from me in America. She taught me it when she found out that I was being so barbaric as to use muggle nail polish. It's quite useful, not much staying power though."

Lavender squealed and plopped herself down on the bed next to Ellen, holding her nails out expectantly. "Can you do mine?"

"What color do you want?" Ellen toyed with her wand, watching the other girl think.

"I want a bright red!" Lavender said cheerfully, "Princess Diana always has red nails and they look so classy!"

Ellen stared at her for a second and shrugged. "Vernis rouge vif!"

Lavender's nails were quickly polished to a bright cherry red color. The girl squealed and hugged Ellen tightly. "Oh, they look like so cute! Thank you!"

"It's no problem." Ellen smiled gently at her. Lavender flounced away to show her friend, leaving Ellen in blissful silence. She turned to her right where Hermione was getting dressed after finally putting down the book she had been quietly reading.

"Morning." She called out, moving to hang off the side of the bed.

Hermione glanced over at her. "Good morning, Ellen."

"Soooo," Ellen sang out. "Do you think you could maybe show me where Albus's office is today? I've got something that I need to talk to him about but I don't have time to get lost in this damn castle."

The frizzy haired witch agreed and they fell into silence waiting for Hermione to finish getting dressed. As she was tying her shoes on, Ellen finally slid her robe onto her body and let the doxy hop into the deep pocket. She had just finished clasping her wand holster onto her wrist when Hermione walked up next to her. The girls walked out of the dormitory in a pleasant silence.

They came downstairs to spot Harry and Ron across the room, the latter looking rather glum about something. Now that she thought of it, Harry always looked upset in some sort of way. It must be hard on him to have so much riding on his shoulders at his age.

"What's the matter?" Hermione asked when they finally caught up to the pair. "You look absolutely- oh, for heaven's sake..."

Ellen looked up to see Hermione glaring at a poster advertising some of the twins' products. She pulled back a grin at the warning in small script at the bottom. Those two certainly were a handful. Ron and Hermione began to bicker back and forth over whether or not they should do something about it while Ellen turned to face Harry.

"You doing alright?" She tried to look reassuring, but Harry just stared blankly and continued to watch his friends argue.

"Because we're prefects!" Hermione snapped as the group finally began to move through the portrait hole. "It's up to us to stop this kind of thing!"

"Anyway, what's up, Harry?" Hermione continued, as they walked down a flight of stairs lined with portraits of old witches and wizards, all of whom ignored them, being engrossed in their own conversation. "You look really angry about something."

"Seamus reckons Harry's lying about You-Know-Who," said Ron succinctly. Ellen frowned at the news. How could people not believe them?

"Yes, Lavender thinks so too," Hermione said gloomily.

"Been having a nice little chat with her about whether or not I'm a lying, attention-seeking prat, have you?" Harry's voice was loud and angry.

"No," said Hermione calmly, "I told her to keep her big fat mouth shut about you, actually. And it would be quite nice if you stopped jumping down Ron's and my throats, Harry, because if you haven't noticed, we're on your side."

There was a short pause.

"Sorry," said Harry in a low voice.

"That's quite all right," said Hermione with dignity.

Ellen looked at her oddly. "Lavender actually said those things? Such a shame, she seemed so nice.." The other witch nodded angrily and the four of them continued down the corridor in silence.

By the time that they reached the foot of the marble staircase there was a group of fourth year Ravenclaws crossing into the corridor. The group took one look at Harry and hurried on in a much tighter clump, almost as if they were afraid of him. Said boy only scowled and marched on.

They followed the Ravenclaws into the Great Hall, looking instinctively at the staff table as they entered. Tyki Mikk was sitting at the end of the table chatting away to a blonde which who was staring dreamily at him. Ellen had to force down the stirrings of jealously she felt .

"Dumbledore didn't even mention how long that Mikk guy's staying," Harry mentioned as they finally sat down at the Gryffindor table.

"Maybe he didn't want to draw attention to Hagrid not being here." Hermione said pensively, drawing a snort out from the Noah sitting next to her.

"What d'you mean, draw attention to it?" said Ron, half laughing. "How could we not notice?"

She was about to say something to him when the owls began to swoop inside of the Great Hall, delivering packages and the like. Hermione had a newspaper land in front of her and she, Harry, and Ron jumped into a discussion about 'knowing ones enemy' and the like. She thought about joining in but before her mind was made up an envelope was dropped onto her plate, the name Allen written in beautiful script.

Ellen broke the seal with trembling hands and unfolded the letter, brow furrowing as she read the poem inside.

I wish I could remember the first day,
First hour, first moment of your meeting me;
If bright or dim the season, it might be
Summer or winter for aught I can say.

So unrecorded did it slip away,
So blind was I to see and to foresee,
So dull to mark the budding of my tree
That would not blossom yet for many a May.

If only I could recollect it! Such
A day of days! I let it come and go
As traceless as a thaw of bygone snow.
It seemed to mean so little, meant so much!

If only now I could recall that touch,
First touch of hand in hand! - Did one but know!

-T

The parchment crumbled in her fist as she realized the meaning of the poem. How dare he? She turned furious eyes towards Tyki who was staring at her with a satisfied smirk across her face.

Ellen smiled sweetly and motioned for him to pay attention. 'Fuck you.' she mouthed at him across the Great Hall, delight filling her at the angry look that flitted across his face. She defiantly turned away from him and looked down at the schedule Minerva had placed down in front of her.

"Look at today!" groaned Ron. "History of Magic, double Potions, Divination, and double Defense Against the Dark Arts... Binns, Snape, Trelawney, and that Umbridge woman all in one day!"

"At least it's not Care of Magical Creatures.." Ellen grumbled. "Doubt I could handle that today too."

Fred and George made their way over after hearing the sound of complaining to offer some of their little tricks. Hermione instantly began arguing with them over their advertisement. Ellen blocked them out, staring dead at Tyki Mikk. The whole hall went quiet, only the sound of their heartbeats echoing in her ears.

Suddenly a smaller, faster heartbeat began from somewhere in the corridor. Ellen jerked her eyes away from Tyki, wildly looking around to find the other Noah that had to be near. She was pulled back into reality as she realized that everyone around her was standing up, Harry staring at her like there was something wrong with her.

Ellen leapt to her feet and walked out of the Great Hall with the three, trying to shake the feeling of being watched. She quickly shoved Tyki's letter into her pocket right next to the snoozing doxy. "Do you know what you want to do after Hogwarts?" She heard Harry ask the other two.

"Not really," said Ron slowly. "Y'know, except, well..." He looked slightly sheepish.

"What?" Harry urged him.

"Well, it'd be cool to be an Auror," Ron's tone was a shallow attempt at sounding casual, the slight shake betraying how he really felt about the subject.

"Yeah, it would," said Harry fervently. He reminded Ellen so much of his father in that moment that she could feel the beginning of a knot forming in her throat. She forced it away quickly, trying to tell herself how proud her friends would be of their son.

"But they're, like, the elite," said Ron. "You've got to be really good. What about you, Hermione?"

"I don't know," said Hermione. "I think I'd really like to do something worthwhile."

"An Auror's worthwhile!" said Harry.

"Yes, it is, but it's not the only worthwhile thing," said Hermione thoughtfully. "I mean, if I could take S.P.E.W. further..."

Ron quickly moved on. "What you think you'll be doing after all this, Ellen?"

"Oh," She jumped slightly. "Er, I'm not really sure. I think Albus is going to have me stick around until you lot graduate, but after that I'll probably just stay in London. Have a chance to be close to Sirius, y'know?"

The boy simply shrugged in response and they spent the rest of their walk to class in complete silence.

As soon as their Professor began to talk Ellen suddenly understood why Harry and Ron were so dismayed to have him on the first day. Professor Binns was a ghost and he possibly had the most boring voice that Ellen had ever heard. The ghost droned on and on about history that even Ellen found boring, and she had been there for some of it! If this is what school was like, she was glad that she had never been before.

It wasn't long into the lesson that Harry and Ron had both drifted away to sleep and if she was being completely honest, she wished that she could too. Only the persistent presence of Hermione kept her from dozing off, even if she did spend the entire class period doodling all over her parchment. Even as they were leaving, Hermione was shooting them all venomous looks.

"How would it be," she asked them coldly, "if I refused to lend you my notes this year?"

"We'd fail our O.W.L.s," said Ron. "If you want that on your conscience.."

"Well, you'd deserve it," she snapped. "You don't even try to listen to him, do you?"

"We do try," said Ron. "We just haven't got your brains or your memory or your concentration — you're just cleverer than we are — is it nice to rub it in?"

"Oh, don't give me that rubbish," said Hermione. She went to say something else when Ellen gently tugged on her arm.

"Do you think you could take me to Albus's office now since we have some free time?" Her big silver eyes stared up at the witch. "It's really important."

Hermione frowned at her, looking back to the boys. "It's up one staircase and down the corridor to the left. There's a gargoyle statue in front of it."

She thanked the other witched quickly and immediately began sprinting up the stairs. Shoving past all the students that she could, she soon came to a crashing halt in front of a gargoyle statue. That wasn't moving. At all.

Passwords. She groaned loudly. Why did everywhere in this bloody school have to have a password? She just had to figure it out. This was Albus after all, she knew him better than anyone. It wasn't a riddle or it would have already started talking to her... What could it be?

It hit her like a ton of bricks. With a deadpan expression on her face she looked dup at the gargoyle and muttered. "Lemon drops."

The thing leapt aside, revealing a winding staircase. She rushed up it and swung the door open. Her mouth dropped as she took in the room. It was a large and beautiful circular room, full of funny little noises. A number of curious silver instruments stood on spindle-legged tables, whirring and emitting little puffs of smoke. The walls were covered with portraits of old headmasters and headmistresses, all of whom were snoozing gently in their frames. There was also an enormous, claw-footed desk, and, sitting on a shelf behind it, a shabby, tainted wizard's hat.

Albus was sitting at the desk writing something, completely unbothered by her barging in. She flicked her wand and conjured a stuffed armchair, settling in in heavily.

He looked up from his writing a moment later, confusion written across his face. "Is there something wrong?"

"Yes there bloody is!" She snapped at him. "I told you they were dangerous, but do you listen to me? No, why would you do that? Best thing would be to bloody hire one of them!"

"Whatever do you mean, Ellen?" He looked genuinely bewildered, causing all of her righteous anger to flow out of her.

Ellen slumped in her chair and ran a hand over her face. "You really don't know who he is, do you?"

"Are you speaking of Professor Mikk? Because I assure you that he has excellent credentials and has been a great addition to our staff." Albus said.

"Oh my god, you really have no clue." She forced out. "Tyki Mikk is Joyd. He's a Noah and you've given him access to every man, woman, and child in this castle."

His eyes widened and for the first time in a long time, Albus Dumbledore truly looked his age. "What kind of danger are the children in?" He asked quietly, his expression full of self loathing that Ellen had not seen since Gellert's betrayal.

She reached out and grabbed his wrinkled hand in her own smooth one. "All he's done so far is make vague threats and send bloody love poems. I can't decide if he's actually here to hurt anyone or if he's planted himself here to make sure that I follow through with Rhode's demands."

"Ellen, I hired Professor Mikk at the beginning of the summer before I even thought to contact you."

"What?" Ellen all but shrieked. "But, how? Why? Why would he want to teach anyone?"

Albus squeezed her hand tightly. "I was not lying when I said the man had excellent credentials when he applied. He has over five years of experience teaching at Castelobruxo, something that I verified with their Headmistress. Unless he can see into the future, I promise you that he had no way of knowing that you would be here."

"This is why I don't talk to bloody Noahs." She grumbled, taking everything in. "They're the most confusing group of people that I've ever met. Tyki could barely read last time I saw him and now he's a bloody teacher?"

"Ellen, my dear, I know that you said it was dangerous to contact them but now that your Joyd is here, do you believe that he could be persuaded to join the Order?" Albus urged her

Her mouth dropped open and she flinched away from her old friend. "Tyki will never be truly loyal to anyone but his family. He'd sooner rip out Harry's heart if he thought it would be for the best of the Clan." She ran her hands through her tangled hair. "And he isn't the only one here. I'm almost positive that it has to be Rhode, unless there is a new incarnation of Lustol. This is serious."

The old friends sat there insolence, Ellen's words of condemnation echoing in their ears. She could feel every mistake and misstep crashing down around her, every stupid decision that led to this moment. If she had been a little wiser, a little less forgiving, he wouldn't have even survived the Holy War.

"I-I think I can sway him though." Ellen finally forced out. "Do you have a spare Pensieve?"

Albus nodded and turned his wand on a cabinet, the glowing copper bowl floating to sit on the edge of his desk. They both rose to stand in front of it, Ellen taking a deep breath. "What I am going to show you is something that I have never told another person. I beg of you, please don't think any less of me for it."

She took another deep breath and placed her wand on her temple. As she pulled it away several glowing silver threads followed it, settling like water into the bowl. Ellen placed her hand in Albus's and together they leaned into the Pensieve.

They were falling headfirst into blackness, spinning about until they landed in front of what appeared to be a tiny church. Ellen motioned for him to follow, leading him behind the church to a hillside covered in flowers. Sitting at the edge was a small girl with white hair leaning against a man with long curly purple hair.

She and Albus crept closer until they were standing in front of the couple. "I wish we didn't have to hide," The memory of Ellen snuggled further into her love's side. "I wish we could just leave and find a place where we could be normal and happy."

"I know, menina." Tyki pressed a loving kiss on top of her head. "But you know it cannot be. The Earl will find us where ever we go."

"I love you," Ellen whispered to him. "I love you so much, why doesn't that change anything?"

Tyki turned to her and grasped their hands between them. "It changes everything. You can leave the Order behind and join me. I love you."

Her memory's eyes filled with tears. "Oh, Tyki..."

"I love you," He repeated, reaching into his pocket. "I want you to be my wife, menina. Say you'll marry me."

The white haired girl pounced on him in a hug, whispering yes between every kiss.

She and Albus stood there for a moment before the memory blurred, landing them outside the same church. Snow was falling all around them in the darkness.

Ellen and Albus stood there for a moment before the doors swung open, the memory of Ellen and Tyki exiting through them. The young exorcist was wrapped in a simple blue gown and coat, her eyes shining as she looked up at her groom.

The groom swept her into his arms, pressing a passionate kiss to her lips. "Lady Allen Mikk. Such a beautiful name for a beautiful woman."

"My husband.." Ellen ran her hand down his cheek. "I am yours and you are mine. I love you so very much."

The memory blurred again as the two raced off in the darkness, laughter echoing around them.

Now they were in a shabby hotel room. The sound was muted but they could see Ellen rubbing her stomach and nodding before being pulled into a loving kiss by her husband. Their faces were filled with wonder as they looked down at where the life they had created was growing.

It blurred.

This time Ellen was alone in a dark stone room, clutching her rounded stomach and sobbing.

There was blood all over the bed and her lower half. A man with a blonde braid was standing over her completely emotionless, just watching her suffer. The girl wailed in the darkness, having nothing to do but wait until it was over.

Then they were in a cave somewhere cold. Albus could see Ellen in her exorcist uniform standing with Tyki and a small girl with navy hair. Her face was hard and emotionless as she handed them a bright, glowing green crystal.

"It's the Heart." Ellen said, her voice just above a monotone. "I can feel it."

The small girl took it from her and disappeared with it through a set of floating checkered doors, leaving Ellen and Tyki alone.

"Allen.." Tyki trailed off, eyes saddening at the way she flinched away from him. "Allen, love, you don't have to do this. We can defeat them some other way.

"No." Her voice was full of ice. "I want the Order crushed beneath my feet. They took our baby, Tyki. They killed our Nicholas. I want them all to suffer how I did."

The other Noah pulled her close and kissed the top of her head gently, just as he had done that day on the hill. "Then they will pay in blood, menina."

Her face finally softened as she leaned into his embrace. "I want you to be the one to destroy it. The second that bastard Adam takes his last breath and the oh so righteous Order thinks that they have won, I want you to crush it to pieces."

"For you, anything." Tyki hugged her tighter.

As the scene moved to a destroyed battlefield, Ellen yanked them both out of the Pensieve. She turned away from Albus and sat down in the chair she had conjured again, rubbing her eyes. They both sat there for what felt like forever, soaking in everything that they had just seen.

"I cannot express how sorry I am, Ellen." Albus said quietly, seeing her in a whole new light.

Ellen pressed her lips together thinly. "It was a long time ago, it doesn't hurt as much anymore."

"But," she continued, "I know Tyki. He meant every word of the vows that we made. He'll do anything if he thinks that it will make us a family again."

Albus's eyes softened as he looked at her. "I will not force you to go through that kind of hurt again. You are far too dear to me for me to watch you break your own heart."

"I still love him." She said quietly. "Every beat of my heart is his, but I can't hurt people just because of my selfish desire to be near him."

"Then I leave the decision up to you," Albus stood. "Love is the most precious thing we can experience. Hold it close."

Before she could reply the bell sounded throughout the whole castle. Her eyes widened and she went to grab her bag, relief flooding her when she realized how perfect an excuse she had. "I'm sorry Albus, I've got Potions and you know how much Severus hates me. He'll kill me if I'm late."

The old man chuckled and wrote down something on a piece of parchment. "Give this to Severus if you do not make it there on time."

"Thank you, I'm sorry, I have to go." She moved quickly, waving goodbye to her sprinted across the campus trying to clear her mind before she got to the classroom. She had another mission now, one that could break her in a way no other could.

She came to a screeching halt when she saw the crowd standing in front of Snape's door. She easily spotted Harry, Ron, and Hermione and made her way to stand next to them. She was breathing slightly harder and her face was a light pink with exertion. The four of them filed into the classroom, settling in at a table somewhere near the middle. Hermione and Ron seemed rather irritated with each other while Harry just seemed unhappy to be in the class, which she completely understood.

"Settle down," Snape spoke coldly, shutting the door behind him. A hush had fallen over the class the second that the door closed, his mere presence enough to ensure their silence.

"Before we begin today's lesson," said Snape, moving over to his desk in a way that reminded her of a bat, "I think it appropriate to remind you that next June you will be sitting an important examination, during which you will prove how much you have learned about the composition and use of magical potions. Moronic though some of this class undoubtedly are, I expect you to scrape an 'Acceptable' in your O.W.L., or suffer my...displeasure."

He lingered slightly on Neville, who gulped loudly. "After this year, of course, many of you will cease studying with me," Snape went on. "I take only the very best into my N.E.W.T. Potions class, which means that some of us will certainly be saying good-bye."

His gaze stayed between Harry and Ellen, his lip curling with displeasure. It took everything that the Noah had not to make her usual rude gesture at the man.

Git.

"But we have another year to go before that happy moment of farewell," said Snape softly, "so whether you are intending to attempt N.E.W.T. or not, I advise all of you to concentrate your efforts upon maintaining the high-pass level I have come to expect from my O.W.L. students.

"Today we will be mixing a potion that often comes up at Ordinary Wizarding Level: the Draught of Peace, a potion to calm anxiety and soothe agitation. The ingredients and method are on the blackboard. You will find everything you need in the store cupboard. You have an hour and a half...Start."

Ellen scowled deeply. The git of a man had chosen one of the most finicky potions that she had ever had to brew. Everything had to be added at the exact right time, every measurement had to be perfect. It was a pain in the arse for anyone to brew, much less a group of fifth years. She gathered her ingredients with the same scowl across her face and set to make the potion.

"A light silver vapor should now be rising from your potion," called Snape, with ten minutes left to go.

She looked around at the other's potions, wincing at what she saw. While Hermione's seemed perfect, Harry's was steaming gray and Ron had managed to make his spit bright green sparks. Her own was a slightly darker shade of silver than Hermione's was, as she hadn't lowered the temperature of the flame enough before she added her final ingredient.

"Potter, what is this supposed to be?" Her head shot up to see Snape standing over Harry, a sneer etched deeply on his face. She clenched her fist in anger.

"The Draught of Peace," Harry sounded like he was holding back his anger and frustration.

"Tell me, Potter," said Snape softly, "can you read?"

"Yes, I can."

"Read the third line of the instructions for me, Potter." Ellen resisted the urge to toss her cauldron at the git's head.

" 'Add powdered moonstone, stir three times counterclockwise, allow to simmer for seven minutes, then add two drops of syrup of hellebore.' "

"Did you do everything on the third line, Potter?"

"No," said Harry very quietly.

"I beg your pardon?"

"No," said Harry, more loudly. "I forgot the hellebore..."

"I know you did, Potter, which means that this mess is utterly worthless. Evanesco." Everything that was in Harry's cauldron disappeared, leaving him with nothing to show for all of his work.

"Those of you who have managed to read the instructions, fill one flagon with a sample of your potion, label it clearly with your name, and bring it up to my desk for testing," said Snape. "Homework: twelve inches of parchment on the properties of moonstone and its uses in potion-making, to be handed in on Thursday."

Ellen angrily filled her flagon, waiting until the last of the students had placed theirs on Snape's desk before she approached him. She set it down heavily, glaring into the greasy git's eyes. "I will not sit there and watch you treat Lily's child this way. Pull something like that again and I swear you'll regret it."

She stormed back to her seat, smiling at Harry when he gave her a questionable look. "Don't let that git bother you." She nudged him with her elbow, coaxing a small smile out of the boy.

The moment that the bell rang, she and Harry were out of their seats and rushing out of the dungeon. They got to the Great Hall before Ron and Hermione did and were enjoying their lunch when the two finally sat down next to ceiling had turned an even murkier gray during the morning. Rain was lashing the high windows.

"That was really unfair," Hermione tried to comfort Harry. "Your potion wasn't nearly as bad as Goyle's, when he put it in his flagon the whole thing shattered and set his robes on fire."

"Yeah, well," Harry said angrily, "since when has Snape ever been fair to me?"

It snapped them all into silence, Hermione obviously not having an answer. "I did think he might be a bit better this year," said Hermione in a disappointed voice. "I mean...you know..." She looked carefully around; there were half a dozen empty seats on either side of them and nobody was passing the table. "...Now he's in the Order and everything."

"Poisonous toadstools don't change their spots," said Ron sagely. "Anyway, I've always thought Dumbledore was cracked trusting Snape, where's the evidence he ever really stopped working for You-Know-Who?"

"I think Dumbledore's probably got plenty of evidence, even if he doesn't share it with you, Ron," snapped Hermione.

"Oh, shut up, the pair of you," said Harry heavily, as Ron opened his mouth to argue back. Hermione and Ron both froze, looking angry and offended. "Can't you give it a rest?" he said. "You're always having a go at each other, it's driving me mad."

The boy stood up angrily and stormed out of the Great Hall, leaving the other three sitting in silence. Ellen glared darkly at Ron and Hermione. "Albus is the most brilliant man that I have ever met. He has his reasons for trusting Snape, he just doesn't have to share it with a bunch of teenagers!"

"And," She hissed at them, "You two need to stop forcing everyone around you to deal with your bickering! I don't give a fuck if you have it out every time you're in private, but no one wants to hear it."

The pair was stunned into silence, but finally agreed. They ate their lunch in relative silence before they split up, Ron heading to Divination while Ellen and Hermione went to Study of Ancient Runes.

Professor Babbling was an old woman with a razor sharp wit. They spent the entire class period going over extremely complicated Nordic Runes and she always had some sort of snappy reply to anyone that complained about the work load.

She and Hermione sat next to each other and worked quietly, consulting each other on a few of the more difficult runes. For all the years that Ellen had lived, she never had the chance to just sit down and learn all of the things that she was interested in. She was so focused on living in the moment that she never slowed, never stopped. It was almost nice to be able to take a breather and learn something for herself.

The class ended much too soon and before she knew it, they were walking into the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom. Professor Umbridge was sitting behind her desk with an overly sweet smile, all wrapped up in a fluffy pink cardigan and a bow atop her head.

The room was quiet as if they were all unsure of what they were supposed to do. Harry and Ron walked in moments later at sat down next to them, smelling strongly of incense.

"Well, good afternoon!" Umbridge chirped once they had all sat down. A few people mumbled "Good afternoon," in reply, but most of the room was still silent.

"Tut, tut," said Professor Umbridge. "That won't do, now, will it? I should like you, please, to reply 'Good afternoon, Professor Umbridge.' One more time, please. Good afternoon, class!"

"Good afternoon, Professor Umbridge," they chanted back at her.

"There, now," said Professor Umbridge sweetly. "That wasn't too difficult, was it? Wands away and quills out, please."

The majority of the students looked upset at having to put their wands away, but they obeyed and pulled out their quills and parchment. The toad like woman reached into her purse and pulled out her wand, tapping the blackboard sharply. Words began to appear across the board:

Defense Against the Dark Arts
A Return to Basic Principles.

"Well now, your teaching in this subject has been rather disrupted and fragmented, hasn't it?" stated Professor Umbridge, turning to face the class with her hands clasped neatly in front of her. "The constant changing of teachers, many of whom do not seem to have followed any Ministry-approved curriculum, has unfortunately resulted in your being far below the standard we would expect to see in your O.W.L. year."

"You will be pleased to know, however, that these problems are now to be rectified. We will be following a carefully structured, theory-centered, Ministry-approved course of defensive magic this year. Copy down the following, please."

She rapped the blackboard again; the first message vanished and was replaced by:

Course aims:

1. The principles underlying defensive magic.
2. To recognize situations in which defensive magic can legally be used.
3. The use of defensive magic in a context for practical use.

They all dutifully copied down the course requirements, earning a sickly sweet smile from the woman, "Has everybody got a copy of Defensive Magical Theory by Wilbert Slinkhard?"

They all muttered their answers. "I think we'll try that again," said Professor Umbridge. "When I ask you a question, I should like you to reply 'Yes, Professor Umbridge,' or 'No, Professor Umbridge.' So, has everyone got a copy of Defensive Magical Theory by Wilbert Slinkhard?"

"Yes, Professor Umbridge,"

"Good," The woman said. "I should like you to turn to page five and read chapter one, 'Basics for Beginners.' There will be no need to talk."

The room was quiet as they all read, the atmosphere just as boring as the one had been in History of Magic. No one was even paying attention to what they were supposed to be doing, the majority just absentmindedly staring at one page. The only different one was Hermione, who hadn't even opened her book. The frizzy haired witch was just staring at their professor, her hand high in the air.

Minutes passed as Umbridge decidedly ignored her student, who was quickly catching everyone else's attention. When more than half the class were staring at Hermione rather than at their books, Professor Umbridge seemed to decide that she could ignore the situation no longer.

"Did you want to ask something about the chapter, dear?" she asked Hermione, as though she had only just noticed her.

"Not about the chapter, no," said Hermione.

"Well, we're reading just now," said Professor Umbridge, showing her small, pointed teeth. "If you have other queries we can deal with them at the end of class."

"I've got a query about your course aims," Ellen felt a pit of dread forming in her stomach. Hermione could not be doing what she thought she was.

"And your name is — ?"

"Hermione Granger," said Hermione.

"Well, Miss Granger, I think the course aims are perfectly clear if you read them through carefully," said Professor Umbridge in a voice of determined sweetness.

"Well, I don't," said Hermione bluntly. "There's nothing written up there about using defensive spells."

"Using defensive spells?" Professor Umbridge repeated with a little laugh that she must have thought sounded cute. "Why, I can't imagine any situation arising in my classroom that would require you to use a defensive spell, Miss Granger. You surely aren't expecting to be attacked during class?"

"We're not going to use magic?" Ron blurted out, shock across his face.

"Students raise their hands when they wish to speak in my class, Mr. — ?"

"Weasley," said Ron, thrusting his hand into the air.

Professor Umbridge turned away just as Harry, Ellen, and Hermione lifted their hands in the air. She turned back around, ignoring Harry and Ellen.

"Yes, Miss Granger? You wanted to ask something else?"

"Yes," said Hermione. "Surely the whole point of Defense Against the Dark Arts is to practice defensive spells?"

"Are you a Ministry-trained educational expert, Miss Granger?" asked Professor Umbridge in her falsely sweet voice.

"No, but —"

"Well then, I'm afraid you are not qualified to decide what the 'whole point' of any class is. Wizards much older and cleverer than you have devised our new program of study. You will be learning about defensive spells in a secure, risk-free way —"

"What use is that?" said Harry loudly. "If we're going to be attacked it won't be in a —"

"Hand, Mr. Potter!" sang Professor Umbridge.

Harry thrust his fist in the air. Professor Umbridge promptly turned away from him again, but now several other people had their hands up too.

"And your name is?" She turned to another Gryffindor.

"Dean Thomas."

"Well, Mr. Thomas?"

"Well, it's like Harry said, isn't it?" said Dean. "If we're going to be attacked, it won't be risk-free —"

"I repeat," Umbridge was still smiling, "do you expect to be attacked during my classes?"

"No, but —"

Professor Umbridge talked over him. "I do not wish to criticize the way things have been run in this school," she said, an unconvincing smile stretching her wide mouth, "but you have been exposed to some very irresponsible wizards in this class, very irresponsible indeed — not to mention," she gave a nasty little laugh as she looked over at Ellen, "extremely dangerous half-breeds."

"If you mean Professor Lupin," Dean said quickly, "he was the best we ever —"

"Hand, Mr. Thomas! As I was saying — you have been introduced to spells that have been complex, inappropriate to your age group, and potentially lethal. You have been frightened into believing that you are likely to meet Dark attacks every other day —"

"No we haven't," Hermione said, "we just —"

"Your hand is not up, Miss Granger!"

Hermione put up her hand; Professor Umbridge turned away from her.

"It is my understanding that my predecessor not only performed illegal curses in front of you, he actually performed them on you —"

"Well, he turned out to be a maniac, didn't he?" said Dean Thomas hotly. "Mind you, we still learned loads —"

"Your hand is not up, Mr. Thomas!" trilled Professor Umbridge.

"Now, it is the view of the Ministry that a theoretical knowledge will be more than sufficient to get you through your examination, which, after all, is what school is all about. And your name is?" she added, staring at Parvati, whose hand had just shot up.

"Parvati Patil, and isn't there a practical bit in our Defense Against the Dark Arts O.W.L.? Aren't we supposed to show that we can actually do the countercurses and things?"

"As long as you have studied the theory hard enough, there is no reason why you should not be able to perform the spells under carefully controlled examination conditions," said Professor Umbridge dismissively.

"Without ever practicing them before?" said Parvati incredulously. "Are you telling us that the first time we'll get to do the spells will be during our exam?"

"I repeat, as long as you have studied the theory hard enough —"

"And what good's theory going to be in the real world?" said Harry loudly, his fist in the air again. Professor Umbridge looked up.

"This is school, Mr. Potter, not the real world," she said softly.

"So we're not supposed to be prepared for what's waiting out there?"

"There is nothing waiting out there, Mr. Potter."

"Oh yeah?" said Harry. His faced was tinted red with anger and Ellen grabbed his sleeve to try to signal to him that he needed to be quiet. That awful woman was obviously baiting him into a reaction and he was falling for it completely.

"Who do you imagine wants to attack children like yourselves?" inquired Professor Umbridge in a horribly honeyed voice.

"Hmm, let's think..." said Harry in a mock thoughtful voice, "maybe Lord Voldemort?"

Several students reacted with horror at the name. Professor Umbridge, however, did not flinch. She was staring at Harry with a grimly satisfied expression on her face. Ellen felt the urge to punch that satisfied look away.

"Ten points from Gryffindor, Mr. Potter." The classroom was silent and still. Everyone was staring at either Umbridge or Harry. "Now, let me make a few things quite plain."

Professor Umbridge stood up and leaned against the desk, her hands splayed across the surface. "You have been told that a certain Dark wizard has returned from the dead —"

"He wasn't dead," said Harry angrily, "but yeah, he's returned!"

"Mr.-Potter-you-have-already-lost-your-House-ten-points-do-not-make-matters-worse-for-yourself," said Professor Umbridge in one breath without looking at him. "As I was saying, you have been informed that a certain Dark wizard is at large once again. This is a lie."

"It is NOT a lie!" said Harry. "I saw him, I fought him!"

"Detention, Mr. Potter!" said Professor Umbridge triumphantly. "Tomorrow evening. Five o'clock. My office. I repeat, this is a lie. The Ministry of Magic guarantees that you are not in danger from any Dark wizard. If you are still worried, by all means come and see me outside class hours. If someone is alarming you with fibs about reborn

Dark wizards, I would like to hear about it. I am here to help. I am your friend. And now, you will kindly continue your reading. Page five, 'Basics for Beginners.' "

Professor Umbridge sat down behind her desk again. Harry stood up angrily, staring down the professor. Ellen yanked hard at his sleeve, hissing at him to sit down. He managed to tug his arm away from her and raised his voice.

"So, according to you, Cedric Diggory dropped dead of his own accord, did he?" Harry asked, his voice shaking.

The entire class gasped, staring at Harry in shock. Obviously the boys' death was not something that any of them had talked about before and here Harry was bringing it up like so. They stared avidly from Harry to Professor Umbridge, who had raised her eyes and was staring at him without a trace of a fake smile on her face.

"Cedric Diggory's death was a tragic accident," she said coldly.

"It was murder," said Harry, his whole body shaking with rage."Voldemort killed him, and you know it."

Professor Umbridge's face was quite blank. For a moment he thought she was going to scream at him. Then she said, in her softest, most sweetly girlish voice, "Come here, Mr. Potter, dear."

He kicked his chair aside and stormed up to the woman's desk. Professor Umbridge pulled a small roll of pink parchment out of her handbag, stretched it out on the desk, dipped her quill into a bottle of ink, and started scribbling. Nobody spoke. After a minute or so she rolled up the parchment and tapped it with her wand; it sealed itself seamlessly so that he could not open it.

"Take this to Professor McGonagall, dear," said Professor Umbridge, holding out the note to him. Harry took it without saying a word and left the classroom, slamming the door behind him. He had not even looked at Ron and Hermione when he left.

Ellen raised her hand delicately, letting her polite mask slide over her face. "And your name is?" Umbridge asked her with a smile plastered across her face.

"Ellen Walker, I'm part of the new C.O.P. program," She said firmly, enjoying the disgust in the professor's eyes. "I was guaranteed a complete and hands-on education as part of my program, and that included being able to actually perform spells. Is there any way I can contact the Minister to get clarification? I'm sure that the Ministry would not be so discriminatory as to refuse to fill the terms of the program."

She smiled just as sweetly as the professor was. "As I said, Miss Walker, the Ministry has devised this new course. The C.O.P. program is a very," She giggled girlishly, "new program. There are some issues that need to be worked out within it. I'm sure it will be much more selective of certain aspects in the future."

Professor Umbridge turned away from her. "Page five, 'Basics for Beginners.' " She repeated.

Ellen looked at the woman in shock, her mouth slightly gaping. How dare that toad imply that she wasn't worthy of her scholarship? The Noah had been around longer than Umbridge could even begin to fathom. She was an ancestor of Noah!

She angrily looked back at her textbook, not reading a single word until the bell rang dismissing them. She all but threw the thing in her bag and stormed out of the room, determined not to speak to anyone for the rest of the night.

Ellen could hear Hermione calling her name but she ignored her. Slipping into an empty classroom, she opened an Ark gate to the atrium she had gone to last time. It was still drizzling steadily in the Ark, the once bright town washed with grey.

She waved her arm and allowed the rain to increase. Looking over at the sparkling pond she flung off her damp uniform, mindful of the doxy that was relaxing in the still dry pocket. She stepped into the pool, deepening it until she was floating on top with the rain pouring down on her.

Her mind drifted as she lay there, all the way to the bright white room she kept locked away inside her mind. She blinked hard when she found herself standing there, fully clothed. A deep chuckle sounded through the room, forcing a frown on her face.

"And what do you think is so funny, Neah?" She turned to face the Noah that was chained to a pillar in the room, the same place he had been for over a hundred years.

Neah had the same smug look he had had since the day she first saw him plastered across his chains wrapped across him tightly, binding his arms behind him. The glowing yellow eyes that they shared were staring straight at her, no sign of weakness or hesitation.

"You think you can keep running." He laughed at her, "The Clan has caught up to you, it's time to finally face them."

"Oh, fuck off." She made a rude gesture at him.

"You used to be such a lady, Allen." Neah said mockingly. "What would dear Mana think?"

She stiffened. "He's dead, he doesn't think anything." Ellen stared at Neah. "And I learned a long time ago that being polite and proper gets you nowhere in life, so why keep pretending to be something that I'm not? I'm a street urchin, it's what I am."

"Lady Allen Mikk." Neah breathed out, "That doesn't sound like a street brat to me."

Ellen stormed over to him, fist clenched in the effort not to punch her Noah. "I'm no more a lady than you are a person. You're a memory Neah, it's time you accept that. You will never have control for as long as I'm still breathing."

She pulled herself out of her mind with a gasp, still floating in the pond. Irritation filled her as she thought about the conversation with Neah. He hadn't been able to pull her into her own mind like that for years. Why did all Noah have to be so annoying?

The rain slowed while she swam to the edge of the pond and climbed out, shivering where she stood. Ellen dressed as fast as she could, eager to warm up. Had it ever been cold like that in the Ark before? She heaved a heavy sigh. It must have been hours since she disappeared into the Ark, she'd probably already missed dinner.

A gate opened itself up at her command, the bright white glow of it illuminating her dormitory. She looked around carefully before hopping out, closing it firmly behind her. A smile flitted across her face when she finally lay down.

Tomorrow would be better.

Not going to lie, I cried a bit writing this. Why am I so mean to poor Ellen :(

"I am yours and you are mine.": I totally stole that from Game of Thrones. I loved that line so much and considering Ellen and Tyki met in the 1800's I don't think it's too strange that they speak a little more formal at times :)