Riley swore she could feel someone puncture her chest with their bare hands, rip her heart out and stab it repeatedly in front of her.
She heard a woman wailing as her knees hit the floor. The wailing was loud, too loud. It wouldn't shut up. She thought about the muggle movies she had seen. The worst was when a mother lost a child, their wailing ripped at her through the screen. She wonders if Andromeda wailed when she found out about Tonks. Tonks. Teddy. The wailing. It was Riley. She was the one screaming in anguish. She was the one who could hardly breathe because the life felt like it had been sucked from her.
Riley's head felt hot, like someone had tipped her upside down and the blood was rushing. She felt arms around her. "Shh, it's okay Riley, you're okay, I've got you love. I'm not going anywhere." Elanora repeated into her hair.
She felt a hand on her shoulder and a light kiss on the top of her head. "He will come around." McGonagall said. She wasn't sure how to comfort. She never needed too. She never had children of her own, she felt overwhelmed. McGonagall tried to think of anything she could to cheer Riley up. But she couldn't. So she knelt down and kept her hand on the girls shoulder.
For the second time that night now gone on day Riley had cried herself into exhaustion and sleep.
"I am taking her to the Slytherin common room." Elanora said matter of factly.
She stood up and carried Riley out bridal style.
An elf appeared next to Elanora half way down the stairs. The elf tugged her robes.
"Take my hand friend Elanora." The elf requested.
Elanora did just that, the next thing she saw was dimly lit Slytherin common room.
A sixth year prefect jumped up with his wand raised, clearly startled by the apparation.
"El? What's going on?" The sixth year asked.
"Please find Max for me." Elanora said as she put Riley down on the couch.
The sixth year nodded and ran off to the boys dorms.
A couple minutes later Max ran into the common room in black and green boxers. And no shirt.
"Its urgent but it's not run in without a shirt on urgent, Max." Elanora laughed, partly at her own humor and partly at Max without a shirt on.
"Hey, just because you don't appreciate the merchandise doesn't mean everyone else doesn't." Max winked at her. He saw Riley on the couch. "What happened? She looks like utter shit."
"Well good morning to you too, handsome." Riley said with a smirk on her face.
"Ah the zombie rises!" Max and Riley laughed. Elanora on the other hand was a bit taken back.
"So what's up? I know you love our kind and all but on our couch at 7 in the morning? Never! Our Riley is a good little girl." Max said quite pleased with himself. Elanora rolled her eyes.
"Teddy found out." Riley said defeated.
"Teddy found out... what exactly? That you're attracted to women and have been madly in love with this one-" he pointed his thumb at Elanora "-since the first day you saw her?"
Riley went beet red and stared with her mouth hanging open. "I wasn't- you couldn't- wait-" Riley was trying to piece together what was happening.
"You didn't tell him?" Riley asked Elanora.
"You think that little of me, Riley?" Elanora asked sounding hurt.
"I think the world of you, it's just.. I'm sorry. I just figured Max is your best friend and well.. that he wouldn't care all that much about it to be honest. In my own mind I assumed he already knew. It had nothing to do with my thoughts and trust in you Nora, I guess it's my reflection of Max actually. I trust him." Riley blurted out.
"Aww that's cute, trust you too Gryffindork. Now, tell me. What's the big secret that Teddy has now just found out." Max sat on the armchair of the couch and put his hand under his chin imitating 'the thinker pose'.
"My mother was Bellatrix Lestrange." Riley said, she felt too easily. She didn't know why it was easy to say it to Max but it was. She felt relieved.