Tomorrow was not better.
Somehow while she was eating breakfast Ron and Hermione had managed to start some other fight between them, ending with the witch refusing to speak to him. Then they had Charms, which was lovely but she had never viewed that branch of magic as anything but a means to an end.
Double Transfiguration was probably the highlight of her morning. Minerva handled her classroom with such finesse that Ellen couldn't help but admire her. They spent the majority of the class working on Vanishing Spells, something that Ellen had mastered over 70 years ago. She tried her best to help the boys along, but all of her efforts fell short when they could not even vanish their snails. Hermione was successful as always and it was her and Ellen that managed to get away with not having any homework assigned.
Sadly, the class had to end. She ended up sitting in the library reading up on defensive magic with the boys as they worked on their homework for Potions. The other witch was still angry at Ron and avoided all three of them in her effort to stay away from the ginger boy.
Then it came time to go where Ellen had most been dreading. Care of Magical Creatures.
The cool wind blew across their faces as they made their way down the sloping lawn to the edge of the Forbidden Forest. She felt a pang of longing when she saw Tyki there standing so comfortably that it was hard to imagine him anywhere else. A large trestle table was sitting in front of him with what appeared to be sticks gathered on it.
Everything slowed down as Ellen grew closer to him. The sounds of laughter rang dully in her ears, drowned out by the sound of their beating hearts. She could feel the bright yellow color flickering just behind her eyes when she resisted the urge to throw herself in the man's arms.
"Is this everyone?" Tyki's voice was still deep and accented, pulling sighs from the teenage girls around him. "Might as well begin. Hello, I am Professor Tyki Mikk. I have come from Castelobruxo to teach you the beauty of magizoology. So, who can tell me what exactly these are?"
He swept his hand in front of him, grandly gesturing to the pile of twigs. Almost immediately Hermione's hand went up, the blonde Slytherin from the train mocking her as she did so. The pug nosed girl shrieked in laughter at the blonde's antics, screaming when the twigs leapt into the air.
They looked like tiny pixieish creatures made of wood, each with knobbly brown arms and legs, two twiglike fingers at the end of each hand, and a funny, flat, barklike face in which a pair of beetle-brown eyes glittered.
"Oooooh!" Lavender and Pavarti squealed, causing the smallest wince to cross Tyki's face.
"Settle down ladies" He purred, scattering food among the creatures who immediately began feasting. "So, do any of you know what these are? Miss...?"
"Hermione Granger," Hermione introduced herself. " They're bowtruckles. They're tree-guardians, usually live in wand-trees."
"Five points for, hmm, Gryffindor," He said, quickly checking the color of her tie. "Sim, these are bowtruckles and, as Miss Granger rightly says, they generally live in trees whose wood is of wand quality. Who here can tell me what it is that they eat?"
"Wood lice," Hermione said eagerly. "But fairy eggs if they can get them."
"Correct, my dear, take another five points. If you are ever going to get leaves or the wood of a tree a bow truckle inhabits, it will do you well to have a gift of wood lice for the creature. They do not look so very dangerous, but it is always the small ones that you must watch," His eyes flickered over to Ellen, "The bowtruckle has very sharp fingers and they will gouge your eyes out if you are not careful. So if you'd like to gather closer, take a few wood lice and a bowtruckle — I have enough here for one between three — you can study them more closely. I want a sketch from each of you with all body parts labeled by the end of the lesson."
The whole class surged forward, pulling Ellen along with them. She watched Harry deliberately move around the table until he was next to Tyki. She carefully picked her bowtruckles, trying to linger long enough to hear their conversation.
"Where's Hagrid?" Harry asked, looking up at the tall professor.
"I do believe that Senhor Hagrid is off taking care of his família," Tyki answered smoothly and walked away from the table to begin speaking to individual groups.
Ellen saw the blonde brat lean in across from Harry and grab a large bowtruckle. They muttered something harsh back and forth, ending with the blonde walking looking satisfied while Harry just looked concerned.
She moved to go join Harry, but was quickly yanked into a group with Lavender and Parvati who seemed more interested in Tyki's looks than they were the bowtruckle.
"Isn't he just gorgeous?" Lavender sighed. "I could just look at him all day."
Ellen snorted in response while she struggled to get the damned creature to sit still long enough for her to draw it. The nasty thing clawed at her, almost swiping a cut across her hand. The thing went to attack her again before it went very still. She could hear a faint hissing noise from her pocket and when she looked down she spotted the doxy baring its teeth at the bowtruckle, snarling every time it moved.
With a shrug she went back to sketching, doing her best to drown out the other girl's gossiping. She was almost finished when the two went oddly quiet. Ellen looked up from her parchment and straight into the eyes of Tyki Mikk.
She flinched back putting space between them. He simply arched a brow in return and held his hand out to help her up which she promptly ignored.
"What all have you observed about the bowtruckle today?" Tyki looked between the three of them, causing Lavender and Parvati to giggle furiously.
"Bowtruckles are gits." Ellen said flatly, avoiding meeting his eye. "And they don't like doxies."
Tyki looked slightly surprised at her. "Tell me menina, how did you figure that one out?"
She reached into her pocket and scooped the doxy out, frowning when it flew over to Tyki to nuzzle his face. "Doxies tend to follow Noah around, but you would know all about that, wouldn't you?"
"I am a magizoologist, after all," He said smoothly. "It is my passion to know all about the Beasts that live in our fine world."
"Really?" Ellen mocked him, "I'm sure it's just one of many...passions."
The girls next to her made noises of outrage while Tyki simply narrowed his eyes. "Detention, Miss Walker. I will not allow disrespect in my class. I expect to see you outside of the Great Hall at 4:30 tonight."
The bell echoed distantly over the grounds before she could even speak. With a scowl she snatched her doxy off his shoulder and stormed off towards the greenhouse where Harry, Ron, and Hermione were headed. Harry had his hand wrapped in a handkerchief and a furious expression on his face.
"Wow, I wonder what it'd be like to have a difficult life?" said Harry sarcastically as she finally caught up. Ron was laughing, but she and Hermione just frowned. The group moved over to the vegetable patch, carefully eying the dark grey sky.
"I just wish Hagrid would hurry up and get back, that's all," said Harry in a low voice, "And don't say that Mikk bloke is a better teacher!" he added threateningly, earning a laugh from Ellen.
"I wasn't going to," said Hermione calmly.
"Because he'll never be as good as Hagrid," Harry said firmly.
"Don't kid yourself," She remarked, "Mikk is an excellent teacher. It's everywhere else that he's lacking."
She felt a strange prickling behind her eyes as she pushed back the fourth years that were leaving the greenhouse, shoving her way inside. The others waited outside for a moment, taking the time to speak to those that were just leaving. Ellen leaned against a planter and rubbed her eyes harshly.
Seeing Tyki had been one thing, but being so close to him? It had been hell. Every memory they had shared together was rushing through her mind, both the good and the bad. And the way he looked at her had been so tender that it made her heart ache.
Ellen sat through the entirety of Herbology without saying a word to anyone. She moved through the motions of the class, planting things and writing down observations as needed. She was completely lost in her own mind that if someone had even tried to speak to her, she wouldn't have heard a word.
Once the bell echoed through the grounds once more she all but ran out of the greenhouse and up to Gryffindor tower. She placed her pet in the small nest she had made for it and put her robe and bag on the bed, leaving her in just her uniform.
With a quick muttering of Tempus she swore and took off running again. Tyki had been cruel when he gave her detention for only half an hour after her classes were finished. The thought of skipping crossed her mind but she forced herself to think of Harry. It could mean the difference between life and death for the boy if she could convince Tyki to help the Order.
"Oh.." She breathed out when she spotted him. Suddenly he looked so familiar, his dark curls swept back into the low ponytail he had been so fond of and his clothes clean and polished. Tyki met her eyes with a small smirk, and motioned for her to follow.
It took a few moments for her to catch up to his long steps but soon they were walking next to each other, only the sound of their hearts filling their ears.
Tyki led her to a nondescript door that unlocked with a gentle wave of his hand. It was a regular office, she realized. There was a desk and bookshelves lined with books all about magical creatures. Different trinkets and relics were scattered throughout the room, there was even a set of picture frames resting on his desk. But what truly caught her eye was a large map hanging on the wall, black string connecting different points.
She stepped closer to examine it, her breath catching in her throat as she traced the path. It went from the island where Headquarters once were and the place of the Holy War, to Paris where she had first fled. It went from Paris to a small town in Italy, then Germany. Everywhere that she had run since the war had ended was on the map with the final location in England.
Warm arms wrapped themselves around her, pulling her into Tyki's warm chest. He rested his chin atop her head and did not move for what felt like an eternity. "You are very good at running, Allen." He pressed his lips to the top of her head. "Always one step ahead of me, always a different face, a different name. I wonder, what mask are you wearing now?"
"I don't know." Ellen felt her voice break. "I'm just...Ellen."
Tyki pulled her closer, treasuring the feel of his love in his arms once again. "Why did you leave." His voice was quiet, heartbroken.
She closed her eyes and leaned against him. "I couldn't handle it anymore. Nicholas, then Mana... Losing my Crown Clown was just the breaking point. I didn't want to be alive, Tyki. I spent months trying to end it, but I always healed before I could die. I just..."
"Shh," He pulled her left hand up, gently kissing it. "It's okay, I'm here."
Tyki turned her to face him, his eyes shining with emotion. "Allen, I meant every word I said when we became man and wife. Eu sou seu e você é minha. Don't you know that?"
All she could do was stare at him in those beautiful golden eyes that she had always loved. She watched his eyes flit down to her lips then back up to her eyes, making it obvious what he was asking. Ellen bit her lip and looked away for a moment before nodding ever so slightly.
That was all that Tyki needed. His mouth was on hers, hot and demanding. She felt his hands slide down her waist to grip at her thighs, lifting her up then pressing her against the wall. Ellen wrapped herself around him, her legs locked behind his back while her hands tangled in his long hair. He pulled away from her, his lips trailing down her neck. Ellen heard herself moan loudly, pushing herself against him harder. He bit her neck hard before moving back up, pressing gentle kisses to her lips.
Tyki pressed his forehead against hers, their breath mingling. "Oh, how I have missed you, my dear Allen."
"Please don't call me that." She kept her eyes closed. "That girl, she doesn't exist anymore."
He slowly let her down, never moving his hands from her waist. "I know, menina. But that does not change my feelings for you. I have looked for you for over a century, nothing can keep me from you now."
"Except Voldemort." She muttered looking away from him.
Tyki's brow arched in amusement. "You cannot tell me that you really see him as a threat."
She shoved him away, pacing to the other side of the room. "You don't get it Tyki," She said frustratedly, "I'm not the only one that I'm worried about. I have friends in this world, people I consider family. Voldemort may not be able to hurt me but I don't know if I could recover if he took more loved ones from me."
He moved to lean against his desk, his messy hair the only sign of what they had been doing moments earlier. "What do you mean by more?"
"I was part of the resistance against him in the First Wizarding War. I know," She held a hand up to halt him. "I know, it was reckless but I owe Albus so much, I couldn't just tell him no when he has always been there for me. But when I was fighting, I met the most amazing people. Tyki, they knew I was a Noah and they didn't care. They saw me for who I was, not what I am."
Ellen swallowed hard. "Two of them, James and Lily, they had a son. I don't know why, but Voldemort decided to go after their whole family. He killed my friends and he would have killed Harry if his curse hadn't rebounded. I owe it to them to stop Voldemort for good."
"You've always been such a bleeding heart." Tyki reached out and grabbed her hand, pulling her close enough for him to place his hands on her hips again. "These people, they are truly important to you?"
"They are." She nodded, staring up at his grim expression.
Tyki shook his head and smiled down at her. "Then they are important to me. What do you need me to do, dear Allen?"
"First off, I want you to call off the ridiculous threat you sent a few weeks ago," She scowled when he laughed at her. "Second, I want you to join the Order of the Phoenix."
He burst out into laughter, shaking his head at her. "Oh menina, you know that Rhode has always had a flair for the dramatic. I promise your friends will not be harmed. Now tell me, what is the Order of the Phoenix?"
Ellen's eyes gleamed with excitement as she explained, never moving from her place in Tyki's arms. The other Noah was uncharacteristically serious while he listened to every little detail. She finally finished, her eyes shining and her cheeks flushed. Tyki could not help but lean in and place another heated kiss to her lips.
"I will join your little Order on one condition." He spoke with determination.
"Anything." She breathed out.
He removed one hand from her hips to reach across his desk, picking up a small wooden box. It sat in his hand between them before she reached out with trembling hands and opened it. Ellen gasped, staring down at the very ring Tyki had given her that day on the hill so many years ago. Tyki held it out to her, a genuine smile across his face. "I want you to be my wife again."
"You idiot," She whispered while he slid it onto her finger, "I never stopped being yours."
They held each other for what felt like a small eternity, whispering sweet nothings. The spell was finally broken when he reached out and ruffled her hair. "I have to say, I prefer the white."
Ellen giggled and tugged on one of his curls. "I liked the purple better too."
He kissed her in response, leaning back only to kiss her again. Things had only just begun to get heated when the wand in his holster began to vibrate violently, tearing a loud groan from its owner. "I hate to cut this short, but it is my turn to patrol the corridors. However, I am so very lucky that my path takes me by Gryffindor tower."
She rolled her eyes playfully and pulled away, allowing him to lead her out of the office that they had apparently been in for hours. They found themselves in the same position they were in earlier, yet it could not be more different. The atmosphere was relaxed and Tyki had his hand firmly planted on the small of her back, so low that it could almost be called indecent.
The corridors were completely empty as they made their way to the tower. Conversation flowed easily between the couple as though a century of separation had never happened. Finally they came to a stop in front of the portrait, the Fat Lady's snoring filling the air.
Ellen mumbled the password, never breaking eye contract with Tyki. The portrait swung open but Ellen hesitated. She took a deep breath and leaned in to lightly kiss the man. "Goodnight." She murmured, slipping into the common room. Warmth flooded her cheeks as she brushed her fingertips against her lips.
Today had been better.
The next two days passed in bliss for Ellen. Her classes didn't bother her at all and she even got to end the first day by seeing Tyki in Care of Magical Creatures. She had strung the wedding ring along a chain and slipped in beneath her shirt, hanging down to where her heart lay. Not even having to sit through a Potions class could dampen her mood. She continued to have 'detention' with Tyki every night, finally slipping into the common room just before midnight.
She had managed to avoid being spotted by any of the other girls, though she had an extremely close run-in with Hermione who was up knitting hats of all things! Ellen was so caught up in her bliss that she had barely even noticed what was happening around her until the Quidditch players burst into the common room on Friday night, the whole lot of them cheering and patting Ron on the bag.
The ginger rushed up to her and Hermione, joy clearly written across his face. "I did it! I'm Keeper!"
Hermione set her book down and wrapped Ron in a hug, "Oh Ron, that's amazing!"
"Good job, mate." Ellen nodded at him, getting a wide grin in return. It was only a few moments later when the older Gryffindor boys came stampeding down the stairs carrying cases of butterbeer and a few bottles of what looked suspiciously like Firewhisky.
The boys filled a goblet full of butterbeer and passed it to Ron with a cheer before handing out individual bottles on butterbeer to those that had come downstairs. One of them went to hand Ellen a bottle and received a raised eyebrow instead.
"Oh, no," She laughed, "I want the good stuff."
He laughed loudly before summoning one of the bottles of Firewhisky. Several of the older teens gathered around to drink it, despite all of Hermione's protests. Ellen conjured a good dozen shot glasses and went about filling them. She called Ron over and shoved one in his hand. "To our new Keeper!"
"To Ron!" They all yelled in response, downing their drinks. Ellen snorted loudly when a puff of fire burst out of Ron's mouth, leaving the boy's face bright red. She patted him on the back roughly. "It'll put some hair on your chest, that's for sure!"
Laughter filled the air as they passed the bottle all around, the older students merrily drinking away. For once, it was like all the pressure on them had been lifted. There were no exams, no games, or points. Just a group of teenagers living their lives. Hermione protested loudly about underage drinking, but it seemed that no matter what she said they just ignored her. The prefect sat down with a huff and returned to her knitting, her face pink with anger.
Ellen looked over at her like she wanted to say something before shrugging and downing another shot. She had something to celebrate for once, and by god was she going to celebrate. The Weasley twins came bounding up a second later slightly swaying where they stood. They reached down and grabbed her by the arms, tugging her up.
"C'mon Ellen, let loose!" Fred waggled his eyebrows at her as he held his hand out in an invitation to dance.
She snorted out a laugh but accepted his hand anyways. The twin spun her around the room quickly, leading her through a silly dance that had her blood facing and her face hurting from laughter. He handed her off to his brother who danced with her somewhat similarly. Alcohol rushed through her head making her dizzy and giggly.
Alicia soon joined the fray and before they knew it, most of the house was up and dancing around the fireplace, singing loudly and off key to Weird Sisters songs. It was the most fun that Ellen had had in a long time, just letting herself be human for once. As old as her mind was, her body was still young and had the craving to do stupid, reckless things.
They must have gone through four bottles of Ogden's Finest by the time Harry slipped into the common room, looking oddly tired. Ron immediately ran up to him, sloshing butterbeer down his own front. She heard him loudly proclaim his news, getting only a tired smile in response. She couldn't help but drunkenly giggle, swaying in place where she sat.
"Have a butterbeer." Ron pressed a bottle onto him. "I can't believe it — where's Hermione gone?"
"She's there," Fred pointed to an armchair by the fire, a cup of Firewhisky in his hand. Hermione was dozing in it, her butterbeer tipping precariously in her hand.
"Well, she said she was pleased when I told her," said Ron, looking slightly put out.
"Let her sleep," George slurred out, drunkenly patting Hermione's shoe. He laughed loudly when Ellen tried to move his hand and ended up falling onto her face.
Katie Bell managed to drag herself up and pulled Ron away to try on their old Keeper's robes, leaving Harry vulnerable to Angelina's scolding. The Quidditch captain droned on and on before Harry was able to escape, moving over to sit by Hermione. The witch woke with a jerk when Harry set his bag down, yawning widely.
Ellen's ears perked up as she focused completely on trying to listen to the conversation going on behind her, straining against the loudness of the common room.
"...you ought to tell Dumbledore your scar hurt."
"I'm not bothering him with this. Like you just said, it's not a big deal. It's been hurting on and off all summer — it was just a bit worse tonight, that's all —"
"Harry, I'm sure Dumbledore would want to be bothered by this —"
"Yeah," said Harry, "that's the only bit of me Dumbledore cares about, isn't it, my scar?"
"Don't say that, it's not true!"
"Hey!" Ellen slurred, squinting her eyes at Harry. "Albus cares about you so much, he's just not good at sharing."
Hermione looked at her like she was deeply concerned. "I think it's time we got you in bed Ellen."
Harry ignored the drunk girl on the floor. "I think I'll write and tell Sirius about it, see what he thinks —"
"Harry, you can't put something like that in a letter!" said Hermione, looking alarmed. "We just can't guarantee owls aren't being intercepted anymore!"
"All right, all right, I won't tell him, then!" said Harry irritably. He got to his feet. "I'm going to bed. Tell Ron for me, will you?"
"Can you help me get her to the stairs at least?" Hermione asked, motioning to Ellen. Harry reluctantly agreed and helped get the Noah on her own two feet, walking next to her in case she stumbled. Once they were at the staircase he all but stormed off, ignoring any attempt Hermione made to keep him downstairs.
The witch huffed and started helping Ellen up the stairs. She all but shoved her onto her bed, yelping when Ellen dragged her down with her. Hermione felt her tiny hands sink into her hair and attempt to braid it. "You got such pretty hair 'Mione." Ellen hiccuped. "It's all curly an' it's got so many colors. Mine is so boring and straight and white. I wish I had pretty curls like you an' Tyki."
"Your hair is brown Ellen." Hermione pointed out, pulling a giggle from the drunk girl.
"That's what you think~" She abandoned the braid in Hermione's hair. "I'm a Noah, I got lots of secru-secrets. You wanna hear a secret?"
Ellen leaned in to whisper in Hermione's ear. "I'm not the only one here." She patted the witch's nose softly. "Don't tell anyone, 'mmkay?"
Hermione's eyes shot open in outrage but before she could even begin to react she heard the gentle sound of snoring in her ear. She sat up as far as she could, frowning when she saw that Ellen was completely passed out. Hermione moved the girl into a more comfortable position and pulled the curtains shut around the bed.
She settled into her own bed, more questions than she had the answers to running through her mind.
Eu sou seu e você é minha = I am yours and you are mine.
And yes, the Gryffindors got drunk because I believe that it's totally ridiculous that there was apparently no alcohol at any of the house parties. Teenagers love doing stupid things and Ellen loves Firewhisky. ALSO, it is literally proven that people under 25 are more likely to make impulsive decisions when they're emotional (i.e. ELLEN) so there is biological component to why she acts the way she does despite her age.
To those who are concerned that Ellen is forgiving Tyki too fast. Almost 200 have passed since the incident that broke them apart. Ellen has had plenty of times to come to terms with everything and was just to stubborn to seek the other Noah out on her own. I like to think that they are a lot less evil without the Earl's influence. By no means are the Noah good people, but they aren't trying to destroy the world anymore. All they want is to live out their long lives in peace and happiness, even if that happiness includes a little violence.
If you have any other questions, I try to respond to almost every review so just review away!