Chapter Fifteen

Throughout the lesson, Elaine could feel Harry's gaze on her. She'd tried brushing it aside, but finally she called for the class to be dismissed. As she expected, Harry lagged behind the rest of the students until the two of them were left by themselves. Elaine ignored him for a moment, gathering her lesson plans together before finally speaking, not looking at the boy. "How can I help you, Harry?"

"What happened to Cho?" he blurted out. She turned to look at him, surprised. In the three days since the Ravenclaw had been poisoned, rumors had flown around the school, until she'd eventually been taken to St. Mungos. The poison had lingered in her system for far too long before an antidote had been received, and the poor girl hadn't woken from her comatose state.

"Why are you asking me this, Harry? Another student's health is not your concern." Elaine let her voice be cold, and he flinched back. She softened. "Harry. I cannot tell you about another student. Even if I am-"

"My sister?" Elaine let out a sigh as he turned to the door. "I know. It was stupid of me to ask but I had to see if you'd tell me. I have theories, but-"

"What kind of theories?" Elaine questioned, sitting on the corner of a desk.

"Nothing. It's ridiculous." He headed to the door. "Thanks though, Elaine. We'll speak later?" And after a half hearted nod, he was gone.

Elaine sank into her bed later that night, her energy spent. The days since sending Rowan away were empty. She'd found herself living in a grey haze, every moment spent alone disappearing out of her reach. There would be no way of contacting Chester when the war was over, and there was no way he could contact her if something happened to Rowan. She'd known that losing her son was a very strong possibility, but if she let herself think of the future too often, she felt herself sinking into a deep blackness that had no escape.

Yet there was an escape, and that was Severus. She spent every moment she possibly could in his bed, and while they had no words to define what they were to each other, both had acknowledged they needed the other to survive the war.

She slowly turned over, facing the wall. She had been tempted to beg Dumbledore for different rooms, somewhere she hadn't stayed with Rowan, but she hadn't had the courage to. But being here - it made it worse.

She stood up hurriedly, tossing her blankets aside and dressing quickly, heading down the stairs to the dungeons. She couldn't stand being alone, but when she knocked on the potion master's door, there was no answer. Elaine turned to leave, but a small noise from inside caused her to turn back. "Severus?" she called through the door. No response, but she took the wards down anyway, slowly creaking open the door.

Severus was sprawled in an armchair, an empty bottle of firewhiskey in the carpet beside him. He looked up at her entry, and sneered. "Come for more, have you?"

"I - what?" Elaine said, taking a step back. The room stank of liquor, so much so the smell made her nauseous. "Have you been drinking all day?"

"Had no lessons," he slurred, feeling for the bottle and attempting to take a swing. "To correct that, I had lessons, but I canceled them."

"To get drunk? Seriously? Does Dumbledore-"

"That man probably knows, yes, but I don't care," Severus snapped at her. "I've been through hell these last couple of years, I think I deserve one fucking day don't you?"

Elaine could say many things about Severus, but she'd never heard him curse. It made her take another step back, looking at him. "Well. I guess I'll leave you to it then, shall I?" She was half expecting him to say no, to correct her, but he sneered again.

"Yeah. You do that." He threw the whiskey bottle across the room and it hit the wall, and Elaine took one last look at him before leaving.

Climbing back into her own bed, she pulled the covers over her face and let the darkness take hold.

Friday finally rolled around, to Elaine's relief, and she was heading back to her rooms when she heard Severus call her name. She turned to look at him, before shaking her head and continued on. "Elaine, wait. I have a message for you."

She whirled on him, eyes flashing, and went to respond. Then she hesitated. "You know what? It doesn't matter. What's the damn message?" Her voice came out blank, no emotion, exactly how she'd been feeling for weeks.

"Meeting tomorrow at noon, Malfoy manor." He looked at her as if he had something else to say, but Elaine gave him a short nod before marching away.

She let herself sink into her bed upon arriving in her rooms, running in her head everything she had wanted to say to Severus, but didn't. She'd always done that; gone over everything she should have said, after the fact. She tossed and turned all night, and when morning came, she made her way slowly to the Great Hall for breakfast.

Harry was seated next to Ron, a wrapped package in between them. Elaine vaguely remembered Molly mentioning Ron's birthday being in March, and she assumed that today was the day. She looked around again. Hermione was seated at the end of the table, and Elaine wondered what had happened between the three friends.

"Good morning Elaine," Minerva said as she took her seat. She smiled at the transfiguration professor, piling her plate with breakfast. "How are you doing?" Elaine shrugged, not wanting to speak. Minerva lapped into silence, but as they ate, Elaine could feel her eyes on her. Done eating, she stood, intending to get ready for the meeting with the Dark Lord. As she began walking away, she felt a hand lightly touch her arm. She glanced over to see Minerva watching her with sadness in her eyes. "I was sorry to hear you sent Rowan away," the older woman said gently. "Just remember, he is safe now."

Elaine swallowed. "Thank you," she responded, then walked away. She'd made it partially down the hall when Dumbledore stopped her. "Yes, headmaster?"

"When you see Severus, let him know Miss. Chang has woken," he informed her, before continuing on his way without waiting for Elaine to respond to his request. The redhead just shook her head, letting it go.

Severus met her by his office, and when she passed along the message, he gave her a short nod. "Good. I was worried about the poor girl." Elaine scoffed and he looked at her. "What?"

But Elaine just shook her head. "It's nothing. Let's just go."

Severus grabbed her wrist. "I am not a teenager. You will tell me what's going on, Elaine, before we go to this meeting. I am not allowing you to be with other death eaters with your mind not in it."

"Fine. You know what? We had sex. Lots of it, in fact, but then you act like you don't give a damn and it pisses me off. Can we go now?" Elaine yanked her arm away, eyes flashing in anger. Severus simply shook his head, exasperated, and they continued on.

Elaine was sick of these meetings. Standing in a circle around the dark lord, faces covered by masks and bodies by long robes; it got HOT. She was tired of it being hot.

As the dark lord paced around the circle, speaking to various members of his following, Elaine kept her focus on the boy standing across from her. She knew it was Draco; when the dark lord had spoken the poor boy had responded with fear evident. She felt for him; only sixteen, and forced to do as the dark lord commanded for fear of being killed. It was a lot to take in for someone of any age, yet alone a teenager.

She struggled to focus. The dark lord was discussing what to do with Ollivander, who he had apparently been holding in the Malfoy's cellar. Elaine resisted a shudder at this; all the times she'd been to Malfoy manor, she had never suspected a prisoner was being held beneath her.

The dark lord finally dismissed them, and Elaine went to leave, but was stopped by Lucius. "Narcissa wants to have tea," was all he said before walking away.