2 years ago
The end of year exams were fast approaching, Teddy had asked Riley if she would like to study in the great hall with him and grab a bite to eat while they were at it. Riley never knocked back food so she allowed Teddy to drag her along to waste away the beautiful spring day on boring old study. After about an hour Teddy started to fidget, he seemed.. off.
"Are you Okay?" Riley asked.
"What? Oh, oh yeah no I'm fine I just-" he trailed off not finishing his sentence.
"Ted if something's wrong you know I will be here for you right?" Riley tried to reassure her best friend.
"Yeah, yeah I know Riles." Teddy took a deep breath before starting his next sentence.
"Its just, well, I've told my family a lot about you and they're all really excited to meet you-" Riley started to protest. "-and I know, I know you go away with your family when you go home for school break but.. I don't know I thought maybe we could make time to visit each other these holidays." Teddy said hopefully.
Riley sat staring at Teddy who was looking down fiddling with his fingers. Each year he asked what she was doing, each holiday. And every time it got harder and harder to lie to her best friend.
"Teddy, I'm so sorry. Dad owled a couple of days ago, he has booked a surprise trip for mum and I to go with him to America! I didnt know how to tell you, I knew you would be disappointed-" Riley started
"You're lying" Teddy said looking up at her.
"Ted what-"
"You haven't had mail in weeks HELL you never get mail at all! Teddy had gotten to his feet now on the verge or screaming at her.
Riley hated lying to him, she hated fighting with him. But she would much rather fight a couple of weeks a year than lose him forever.
She couldn't back down now.
"You- you've been going through MY MAIL?! HOW DARE YOU! You're suppose to be my best friend! And this is how you treat me!? FOR YOUR INFORMATION MY DAD GOT HURT AND IS IN HOSPITAL IN AMERICA, MOTHER SPOKE WITH MCGONAGALL LAST NIGHT! I WASN'T READY TO TALK ABOUT IT BUT GOD FORBID POOR TEDDY LUPIN DOESN'T GET HIS OWN WAY!" Riley stormed out of the great hall and almost ran to where the lake met with the forest. Still nicely situated in school grounds but far enough away from anyone wanting to chat Riley sat down, put her face in her hands and cried.
A couple of minutes later Riley heard footsteps, she didn't think she had another screaming match in her so she drew her wand and rounded on who she assumed was Teddy.
Instead of Teddy stood her Slytherin 3rd year classmate Elanora Killick. She was by far the most attractive girl in their year. Riley constantly told herself that the reason she'd never spoken to her in their first 2 years was because she was Slytherin and Slytherin and Gryffindor were suppose to hate each other. But Riley found herself laughing multiple times at the silly jokes Max Fawley cracked. Most of the Slytherin's in Riley's year were actually really nice so the excuse to not talk to the most popular of the Slytherin's seemed lame after a while. It wasn't until their first 3rd year trip to hogsmeade did they finally talk to each other. Riley had never grown up around snow and what snow they got around the castle seemed to be extremely well kept. The paths outside were always clear, I guess she had Hagrid to thank for that.
Teddy had mentioned wanting to see the shrieking shack so they made their way down trudging through knee deep snow. Riley was already struggling and falling behind when out of no where a snow storm rained down on them. Riley got swept over head first into the snow. For a moment she was terrified that she would drown in the snow. She felt hands grab her and attempt to haul her up.
"Max! The boys fine! A little help!"
The two managed to move Riley to a big hollowed out tree.
"Stay here with her I'll go check that Teddy is okay." Said Max.
Riley wasn't sure if she was awake or not. Her whole body felt heavy but she could hear the pair talking.
"Teddy.." Riley croaked out.
The arm snaked around her abdomen tightened.
"He was okay the last I saw of him, Max is checking to make sure he's okay." Elanora soothed.
Riley couldn't find the energy in her voice to say thanks, she managed to gently squeeze the girls arm before she lost consciousness.
"Poppy?!" McGonagall said desperately.
"She will be fine Minerva, according to these three there was a snow storm and young Riley here got trapped and then knocked unconscious." Madame Pomfrey motioned to the 2 Slytherin's and Gryffindor.
"Is this true?" McGonagall asked.
"Yes Headmistress. I couldn't see much but I believe these two saved her." Teddy said quietly.
"We weren't too far behind them when the storm kicked in, we saw Riley get knocked pretty hard and saw she wasn't moving. We carried her to an empty hollow where El stayed with her until it was safe to bring her here." Max concluded.
"You both showed bravery and quick thinking in the face of danger, 20 points to Slytherin, for each of you." McGonagall chimed.
The two Slytherin's stared at McGonagall, their mouths slightly agape.
"Thank you Headmistress." Max said slightly shocked.
"Nonsense. It is the two of you who I should be thanking." McGonagall said matter of factly.
"Miss Alton should be waking shortly, I would like to keep her in overnight for observation, Minerva." Madame Pomfrey said.
Minerva nodded. "Mr Lupin, would you please inform the house elf Winky that Riley is in the hospital wing and will need supper once she wakes."
"Of course Professor." He replied, leaving at once.
McGonagall turned to the Slytherin's.
"Riley here will be looked after and tended too, once again I thank you both for your efforts today. You can go to dinner now if you wish."
Max turned to look at his friend, El hadn't taken her eyes off Riley's sleeping form.
"I think, if you don't mind professor, we might stay a while longer." Max said with a small smile. Minerva followed his stare and saw the young witch was watching over Riley quite contently.
The sound of coughing made them all jump.
"Tut tut that won't do, here m'dear take this, we can't have you getting sick now can we." Madame Pomfrey said smiling down at Riley.
Riley downed the potion handing the cup back.
"Thank you Madame Pomfrey, you're a life saver." Riley said with a grin.
"Well I wouldn't go that far, these two are the ones that saved you." She said nodding her head in the direction of the Slytherin's.
Riley looked around Madame Pomfrey and saw three people staring at her. Professor McGonagall, Max Fawley and- Riley's jaw dropped. Elanora Killick.
"How are you feeling?" McGonagall asked as she felt Riley's forehead. Riley swore she was trying to embarrass her so she swatted her hand away, eyed the woman suspiciously and answered "As fit as a pickle." McGonagall burst out laughing while everyone else in the room looked on confused, even Madame Pomfrey shrugged at the two Slytherin's.
McGonagall, satisfied the girl was alright, retreated from the room announcing "I'll get the elves to bring all 3 of you meals."
Riley looked at the two Slytherin's not sure exactly how to proceed.
"Thank you. For, you know.. saving me." Riley said with a small smile and shrug.
"No worries. You would have done the same for us." Max shrugged back.
"I would have, you know." Riley said seriously.
Max smiled at her "We know."
"What was the joke?" Enquired Elanora.
"Sorry?"
"She means you and Professor McGonagall, although apparently she didn't realise we had skipped past that conversation." Max said rolling his eyes at his friend.
"Oh! Um. Well it's just sort of an inside joke. One of the holidays I stayed back, there was only a few of us and way too much food. I ended up over eating and made that really awful joke.. while eating a pickle. Professor McGonagall found it hilarious for some reason, it's stupid really." Riley said, blushing.
"I think it's adorable." Elanora said smiling at Riley.
"Riles?" Elanora had her hands raised up in surrender, trying not to laugh.
"Huh?" Riley blinked a few times.
"You've been standing with your wand raised for a good thirty seconds, staring at me. Sickle for your thoughts?" Elanora asked.
"Oh, sorry. I was-" Riley started blushing. "-well I was thinking back to the hogsmeade trip at the start of term."
"Zoned out thinking about my heroic actions? Can't blame you." Elanora winked.
"You wish, Killick."
Elanora loudly gasped. "You only use my last name when you get shy, Alton." Elanora held onto the L while pronouncing her last name, causing a shiver to run down Riley's spine. Finding the need to change the subject Riley sat down on the lakes edge.
"What are you doing all the way out here anyway, El?"
"I followed you actually. I saw.. well actually, I more heard the fight between you and Lupin. I thought maybe you needed someone to talk to." Elanora sat down next to Riley, she laid back and rested with her hands behind her head. "Beautiful day isn't it?" She sighed.
She looked up at Riley and smiled. "Join me?" She asked.
Riley laid down next to her, focusing on the sounds around her. The stillness of the lake and the whole other world going on behind them in the forest.
"Hagrid said Harry Potter fought off a bunch of giant spiders in the forest, his second year." Riley said idly.
"And 100 dementors his third year, can you imagine?" Elanora asked.
"Do you know the spell?" Asked Riley.
"Course not, no teacher would teach a third year that spell."
"Remus Lupin taught Harry in his third year. Harry thought it only fair he returned the favour. Teddy showed me. It's incredibly hard, I've barely made whisps shone out of my wand but Teddy, Teddy's produced a full fledged patronus! It's a great big wolf." Riley announced proudly.
"That's impressive. Will you show me one day?"
"Of course. Although Teddy is probably the one you want to talk to." Riley's face fell as she said this.
"Is your father alright?" Elanora asked sincerely.
Riley faltered. She turned her head to look at the girl.
"We don't have to talk about it if you don't want to. I hope you know that you can talk to me if you want to." Elanora said earnestly.
Riley wanted nothing more than to tell the girl her every secret. A part of her believed whole heartedly that she would protect her secret but she couldn't. No matter what her heart said her brain told her she knew nothing about her and to definetly not trust her with any secrets.
"My mother and father were Death Eaters." Elanora boldly stated.
Riley felt her eyes try and bulge out of her sockets. This woman was crazy, why would she ever announce that?
"My mother was a proud pureblood. My father would have followed her to the ends of the earth. He was also pureblood but he didn't care that much about status. Just my mum. And eventually me. Mum saw Voldemort for who he was in the end, she wanted a better world for me to grow up in than the one he would ravage. She supplied information to the order with dad's help. Voldemort found out. He tortured my mum and made dad watch. He killed her and it almost broke my dad to watch. They threw him in the dungeons, thinking he wouldn't be a threat. He took 3 out during his escape. He found me and my aunt, put the fidelious charm on my aunt to hide us away and promised to avenge my mother. He died during the battle of Hogwarts. Death Eaters tried to shame the Killick name by saying how loyal my family was until the end. But Harry knew. The members of the order who ran the radio station, they told Harry of my mum. A few of the order members were with dad when he died. They said he was helping get the underage students out. Harry visited one morning just before I started for Hogwarts. He told me everything he knew." There was pride in her voice as Elanora spoke. Riley also noticed a hint of tears that she tried to hold back. "Your parents were... brave Elanora. It sounds like they had a lot of love to give."
"I wish I had gotten the chance to know them. But I think in the end they both realised the sacrificices that they had to make. They tried to make up for the horrible they had done. They still do, each day I am here. I will make sure the Killick name goes down in history as the good guys." Elanora said smiling at Riley. She really believed in who she was. Riley wished she could have that kind of pride in her parents.
"My grandmother was the best. She didn't go out and fight wars but she had to fight the over grown plants in her garden and let me tell you that was no easy feat. One time I accidentally got too close to a huge plant that had like tentacle arms, my grandmother had to wrestle me out of it while trying to charm it. What a day that was." Riley laughed and smiled towards the sky. She was proud of the woman who brought her up. She taught Riley everything she knew. About magic and about humility.
"My parents are also dead." Riley said quietly.
Elanora kept quiet knowing Riley was trying to find the courage to talk.
Riley took a deep breath, sighed and continued.
"I don't know who my father is, grandmother said most of his life he was cold and cruel but in the end he was brave. I think grandmother must have been his mum, she was so kind. She would say he was cruel and cold but would always say nice little things about him whereas my mother..." Riley stopped. Could she really do this? Could she trust this girl with her deepest darkest secret?
"It's okay." Elanora took Riley's hand. "You don't have to talk about her if you do not wish to."
"I never knew my father's name. But my mother's. Hers I know." She looked Elanora in the eyes and whispered "Bellatrix Lestrange".