Hello!
This is a standalone, requested alternate perspective story of a scene from Chapter 48 in my story Far Beyond the Stars. You do NOT need to read that story to read this one.
Because the character of Elias Greene is from the United States, he uses some American English expressions not common in British English. However, instead of having him use "No-Maj" to refer to non-wizards, he refers to them as "Muggles." I made this choice for the following reasons:
1. Readability. I actually found that using "No-Maj" over "Muggle" impeded my ability to smoothly read this, so I suspect that this would be the case for others as well.
2. Not everyone is familiar with the Fantastic Beasts movies, so the term might be confusing for some without any other explanation.
Thank you, and enjoy!
"Off you go, Miss Bagman, and best of luck facing your fears."
Professor Elias H. Greene sank down in his chair in the quiet Charms corridor as the seventh year headed into the empty classroom, nearly knocking over the tall stack of essays he needed to grade as he watched her all but run in. The girl was about to face a Boggart- likely for the first time in her life- but Elias was unsurprised by Aloisia Bagman's courage and determination: she was a Gryffindor, after all.
Rolling up his sleeves, Elias cast a few Muffling Charms on the classroom and corridor. He took a brass stopwatch out of the pocket of his itchy wool robes and pushed the silver button at the top to start timing Aloisia Bagman's Boggart encounter, placing the watch back in his pocket once he saw its hand begin to move. He then took one of the essays off the pile, determined to make at least some progress on grading while his seventh years tackled the creature.
When Elias had agreed to take Hogwarts' annually vacant position of Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, he never expected that he would be dealing with such catastrophically inept students. He'd been under the impression that the British Ministry of Magic took young wizards' schooling far more seriously than the Magical Congress of the United States, but almost immediately after crossing the pond from Washington, D.C. to the Scottish Highlands, Elias realized that that was not the case.
For some odd reason, after Galatea Merrythought retired from teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts in 1966, Albus Dumbledore had been unable to permanently fill the position. While Elias had his own suspicions that perhaps Dumbledore was far too paranoid to approve of any reasonable curricula for the subject- indeed, his own syllabus for the course had to be significantly revised and adjusted to receive approval from the headmaster- it was strange that no one seemed to want to take the job permanently. Unfortunately, Elias himself would be added to the ever-growing list of temporary professors, as at the end of the year, he would have to return to his post at MACUSA's Auror Office.
He was, however, quite indignant at how the magical youth of the British Isles had been failed by the Hogwarts Board of Governors and the Ministry. If no permanent professor for the subject was hired, Britain would soon find themselves in danger, with very few wizards able to defend themselves and their families properly. Based on the notes left by his plethora of predecessors, no consistent curriculum had been followed, and Elias found that his seventh years in particular had neither been exposed to many of the most common magical creatures in the world nor learned key spells that could protect them if they ever found themselves in harm's way. Hardly any of the class of 1972 could cast a passable Shield Charm, and Elias was honestly afraid that most of them wouldn't survive should they ever find need to defend themselves from nefarious wizards. They were all at completely different skill levels, and trying to plan lessons where he didn't either bore his top students or leave his struggling ones behind was nearly impossible.
It was a miracle that they'd passed their O.W.L.s, and Elias legitimately concerned that they wouldn't pass their N.E.W.T.s, no matter what he did to prepare them. Realistically, Elias knew he was being unfair; of his eighteen seventh years, three of them were certainly going to do fine. Gideon Prewett's obsession with becoming an Auror meant that he was diligent in both his spellwork and reading, Antonin Dolohov seemed to have outside knowledge or tutoring that caused him to be far more advanced than the rest of the class, and the always studious Andromeda Black was so detailed in her essays and masterful at Charms that she would excel in both the written and practical sections of her N.E.W.T. examination. Additionally, there were several other students that could probably pass their Defense Against the Dark Arts N.E.W.T. if they put in the time to study more, such as Lucius Malfoy, Hestia Jones, and Ted Tonks.
Elias tossed the now graded essay on the floor adjacent to the tall stack of the others. He pulled out his stopwatch again to see how much time had elapsed since Aloisia Bagman had entered the room.
Two minutes.
He yawned and stretched his arms behind his head. On average, Elias found that it took around seven minutes for students to face their fears and vanquish Boggarts, but he was fully expecting that due to their inexperience in Defense, his seventh years would need more than double the average time to complete the task.
On the rare occasions that Elias had been working out of MACUSA's offices in Albany, Worcester, or Springfield, he'd often simultaneously instruct at Ilvermorny in some capacity, usually teaching more specialized and advanced Defense Against the Dark Arts classes. Occasionally, though, he would teach the core class itself.
Over the years, he'd learned that he much preferred exposing children to Boggarts as soon as possible, ideally at age eleven. Although the required spell to defeat Boggarts was somewhat tricky for first years, he found that it was much easier to deal with the aftermath when his students only had mild worries in their lives. Eleven- and twelve-year-olds were usually scared of things like thunder, the Grim, and the dark: all things that Elias could rationally explain to a terrified student as being harmless and unlikely to hurt anyone. Older children better understood their mortality and had much more realistic and terrifying fears. Elias could hardly tell a sixteen-year-old that their mother might never die or that their boyfriend would never cheat on them. In his experience, when students older than fifteen faced a Boggart and ended up in tears, there was very little he could do to calm them down. Additionally, he preferred to have his pupils face Boggarts alone; having multiple people face a Boggart at once would not only confuse it, but also put students in a position where they might be bullied if they had somewhat embarrassing fears.
Given that a dark wizard calling himself Voldemort was on the loose and attacking Muggles and muggleborns, Elias was especially concerned that this group of seventh years might be unable to best the Boggart. Would muggleborn students such as Ted Tonks and Rachel Luria see their families murdered when they faced it? How was Elias supposed to help ease their worries when they themselves might become victims of such gruesome genocide?
Worse still, there were rumors growing among the rest of the faculty that some of the Slytherin upperclassmen intended on joining Voldemort immediately upon graduation. And since he always swore to his students that he would never divulge their fears to the headmaster, Elias couldn't even inform Dumbledore if one of the Slytherins' Boggarts revealed that they were in fact already allied with the dark wizard.
Elias leaned back in his chair and strained his ears, trying to listen for any sounds coming from the empty classroom. Despite the Muffling Charm, his hearing was acute enough where he would be able to hear any conversations and sounds coming from within, and decades of being an Auror meant that Elias was usually able to tell what sorts of creatures, people, and objects terrified his pupils based on sound alone, which allowed him to monitor the situation and intervene if necessary.
Concentrating on the classroom, he heard a piercing screech that sounded somewhat like a cross between an infant, a cat, and parakeet.
A Banshee, he thought as he split the stack of ungraded papers to find his third years' essays on Werewolves. No sooner had he thumbed through one of them when he heard Aloisia Bagman cry "Riddikulus!" Elias yawned again and rose from his chair, pulling the stopwatch out as he entered the classroom.
"Three minutes and forty-seven seconds, Miss Bagman," he announced to the girl as he pushed the top button on the stopwatch to reset it. She was standing in the middle of the room, amidst rows of wooden desks that had been haphazardly jostled around, either by the Boggart's transformation or Bagman's counterspell, the latter of which had transformed it from a Banshee into a bouncing Unicorn-shaped Quaffle.
"Very nicely done," he continued, casting a Tickling Charm on the Boggart to force it back into one of the empty desks. "You are dismissed."
Bagman curtly nodded and took off, her brown hair bounding behind her. Elias followed her out of the room, settling back down in his chair and taking his gradebook out from its place underneath. He flipped through to the page listing his seventh years and crossed Bagman, Aloisia off the list. Lightly, he tapped his wand on Black, Andromeda to notify her that it was her turn to face the Boggart.
Admittedly, Elias was curious as to what form the current Head Girl's Boggart would take. There were rumors running rampant throughout both the school and British Auror Office of what Andromeda Black's older sister, Bellatrix, was currently up to. By all accounts, Bellatrix Lestrange had sworn fealty to Voldemort, and was running amok with him and the other Death Eaters as they traversed the British countryside, leaving violence and destruction in their wake. However, Elias found it hard to believe that the middle Black sister would have been selected as Head Girl if she too was predisposed to such prejudiced aggression, and from the quiet and polite behavior she expressed during his class, Elias had observed that her temperament was not dissimilar to her uncle, Alphard Black.
Elias had become acquainted with Alphard Black nearly a decade ago, while the former was on assignment in New Orleans. A wizard had been summoning and controlling Inferi to pilot fishing boats out on the bayou in an elaborate scheme to terrorize Muggle fishermen, and after three weeks of the local authorities failing to catch the perpetrator, Elias had been called in to assist the investigation.
He'd encountered Alphard while patrolling, when the latter's boat triggered detection spells that the Louisiana Auror Office had set on the bayou to catch the Inferi. While Alphard wasn't the wizard responsible for the undead beings, upon searching his boat, Elias discovered several stolen cursed objects, including a silver necklace, a Hand of Glory, and an Aeroscope that he recognized from a notice in the Auror Office as having been stolen last week from the nearby tomb of Marie Leveau.
"I'm planning on taking these a couple of miles out to sea before I try to destroy them," Alphard explained to him, his expression unreadable in the pitch-black night. "A friend in Baton Rouge has reason to believe that someone high up in MACUSA intends on trying to smuggle these to Britain in an attempt to kill the Muggle Queen."
"Your 'friend' could have contacted the Auror Office," Elias sternly remarked, his wand at the ready.
"Maybe, but my associate doesn't trust you," he replied in his crisp accent. "Look, I'm not here to cause any trouble, and you're more than welcome to join me in getting rid these. I'll even put a good word in for you when I get back to Britain. Might even net you a commendation or promotion."
"I'm not interested in flattery and bribes. I'm confiscating these items and taking you into custody."
"What if I gave you the identity of the Inferi summoner you're looking for? That's what brought you out here in the first place, right?"
Elias was taken aback by Black's words. How did he know about that?
"That investigation is currently ongoing and classified," he remarked, stepping closer to the man. "You shouldn't know anything about it."
Alphard Black let out a dry laugh. "I know about it because the individual responsible pulled the same stunt last year off the coast of the Isle of Man," he explained. "Our Ministry- and other interested parties such as myself- have been tracking him. His name is Beauford Travers, and he's suspected of running an illegal beast fighting ring in Cornwall. Travers' anti-Muggle sympathies are also well documented. So, how about it? I've now helped you, so how about you help me?"
As he had no other leads, against his better judgment, Elias took Alphard up on his offer, navigating a few more miles out to sea. He had just finished helping Alphard destroy the cursed objects when the mysterious man disapparated, leaving behind additional notes on Beauford Travers on the boat, which Elias found upon searching the vessel once he was back on shore. Within three days, Elias and his colleagues in the Auror Office apprehended Travers, and true to Alphard's word, Elias received a commendation for his efforts when he returned to Washington.
After that, Alphard Black became an occasional pen pal, and every time either he or Elias was in the other's respective country for work, they would briefly meet up. They had developed a sort of quasi-friendship dealing in a currency of favors; if one of them needed assistance in finding and destroying an object or locating an undesirable individual, the other would render aid. It was an unlikely alliance, and not one that Elias was particularly proud of.
Still, though, deep down, Elias Greene had to admit that he was rather fond of Alphard Black.
Elias's ruminations were interrupted by the light footsteps of Andromeda Black walking down the corridor.
Her pace was quick and her face was blank, but from the dark circles around her chocolate eyes, he could tell that the Head Girl was exhausted, likely from a combination of her duties and her schoolwork. Black met his gaze for the briefest of seconds, and a hysterical panic behind her penetrating eyes caused gooseflesh to appear on his skin. Her expression was one that Elias had seen countless times on his colleagues right before a dangerous mission: Andromeda Black knew exactly how her Boggart was going to appear before her, and she was terrified of it.
"Miss Black," Elias stiffly greeted. He gestured to the classroom behind him. "Please go inside and face the Boggart. You have ten minutes. Good luck."
Black nodded curtly and entered the room, and Elias started the stopwatch before taking another ungraded essay off the top of the pile.
Seconds later, he heard crying coming from the classroom. However, Elias was unfazed; it wasn't unusual for people to cry when faced with their fears, and he'd found that it was better to let his students work through their discomfort alone for a short time rather than assisting them immediately. Even if they were ultimately unsuccessful in overcoming their fears, it was nonetheless important that they were given the opportunity to try.
He turned his attention to the essay in front of him, confident that Black would be able to compose herself within the next several minutes.
Werewolves are commonly found in Mongolia, and can be distinguished from regular wolves by the color of their fur, the high pitch that accompanies their howls, and the shape of their paws.
Elias groaned as he skimmed the rest of the page. Nearly all of the information was so obviously incorrect that it was obvious that the essay's author- a bubbly third year named Selina Auerbach- had neither opened her textbook nor paid attention during his lecture on the topic. He made a mental note to speak with Auerbach the following day to find out what exactly had happened regarding this assignment.
Over the next couple of minutes, Black's crying grew louder. Elias shook it off, ignoring the sounds of desperation and fear that were coming from the classroom. In his experience, most of his students overcame their trepidations and successfully subdued the Boggart shortly after the fourth minute. However, Black's whimpers didn't seem subside at all; the fourth minute came and went, and she was now sobbing hysterically.
He attempted to continue grading Selina Auerbach's essay- Elias really didn't want to give the poor girl a T, but he had no choice- but soon after, Andromeda Black's sobs were too gut-wrenching to ignore any longer. As he rose from his chair, he checked the stopwatch: six minutes and thirty-two seconds into her encounter with the Boggart, she was still crying. Whatever her fears were, Elias was going to have to talk her down from them.
Elias entered the classroom, freezing in shock at the sight in front of him.
Andromeda Black was kneeling on the floor, clinging to what appeared to be the body of another student. Elias moved closer to her, noticing that the figure had several large, bloody gashes on their stomach. As he moved behind Black, he exhaled sharply. The body's blood-stained golden hair and athletic form belonged to one of his students: Ted Tonks.
It was obvious to him that this illusion was the work of the Boggart. Tonks was currently alive and well downstairs, waiting in the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom for his turn at the creature. Black seemed to have forgotten this though, pulling the false Tonks' lifeless body to her bosom and burying her head in its shoulder.
"Relax, Miss Black," he said gently. "It's not real. Mr. Tonks is back in the classroom, and he's fine."
Black wiped her eyes and took a deep breath. "I know," she choked out. "But… but… I can't…"
She trailed off and started sobbing again, holding the Boggart's form even tighter.
He sighed. "Boggarti Propello," he murmured, pointing at the phony Tonks' body. It was a spell that Elias had developed when he had first started teaching, designed to irritate a Boggart enough for it to break its illusion and retreat for several minutes. He found that it was easier to control the creature with it than trying to dispel it with a weaker version of the Riddikulus counter-curse or something like a Tickling Charm. Sure enough, the Boggart morphed into a wispy mauve blob and flew into one of the desks with a violent thud.
Black let out a pained cry and slouched against the wall, hugging her knees tightly. Her ash brown hair fell in and out of her face as she shook and whimpered between her continuing sobs. With a sigh, Elias sat down next to his student as he attempted to puzzle out what he had witnessed.
Why was Black afraid of Tonks' body?
There was a distinct possibility that Andromeda Black was afraid that just like in the outside world, muggleborns would be targeted and killed at Hogwarts. In that instance, the Boggart's depiction of Tonks would represent all muggleborn students.
Perhaps, though, he was wrong, and the answer was something much more dangerous: they were friends.
Had Black defied the ridiculous and prejudicial traditions that the conservative pureblood elite were supposed to adhere to? Had she become Tonks' friend? He was Head Boy- meaning that the two of them spent quite a bit of time together- but Elias had assumed that any conversations between them were strictly related to their duties as Head Boy and Girl.
No, that's probably unlikely, he thought to himself. She was raised to think of people like Tonks as less than dirt. It's doubtful she even speaks to each other beyond what is required of her.
He had finished convincing himself that Tonks was a representation of her fear that the Hogwarts student body might be attacked when Black surprised him yet again.
"You can't tell anyone," she whispered, her brown eyes wide with fear. "Please… if they find out… my family… they really will kill him! Please… they can't… If that happens… I don't know what I'll do…"
Black looked at him with an expression of such anguish that Elias was caught off guard. She searched his face for some sort of reassurance, an acknowledgment that he would in fact keep her greatest fear a secret, trembling when he did not provide any such affirmation. Biting her lower lip and clenching her fists, she slumped further against the wall as she continued to silently cry. Black was rocking back and forth as she muttered under her breath, every now and then quietly mentioning Tonks not by his surname, but as "Ted."
These were not the actions and feelings of someone concerned for a large group of people, but of someone who was afraid that something might happen to a specific person- one that she cared about. Intriguing, Elias mused. It seems that our stoic and aloof Head Girl might have a bit of a crush on Ted Tonks. A pity she can't act on it- it might do her some good to experience some of Muggle and muggleborn culture for herself.
"I promise that I won't tell anyone," he assured her. "Take a deep breath, Miss Black, you'll feel much better after. And once you're feeling up to it, you are dismissed. Visit Madam Pomfrey for a Calming Draught once you leave."
Ignoring Elias' instructions to breathe, Black slowly rose and quickly strode out of the room. Her hands covered most of her tear-stained and puffy face, and out of concern, Elias followed her for several paces before stopping himself. As much as he wanted to escort her to the Hospital Wing, he could not in good faith forsake his obligations to the rest of his students for more than a few minutes. Reluctantly, he walked back to his chair in the corridor, all while trying and failing to convince himself that Andromeda Black would be okay.
If she did have a crush on Tonks, seeing his bloody and mutilated body must have been heartbreaking. Because of his responsibilities as an Auror and the possibility that he might be killed while on assignment, Elias had never allowed himself to fall in love with anyone. However, he was still sympathetic to Black's apprehensions. Given who her family was and the ideals that they had pledged to uphold, it wouldn't have surprised him if Black had already experienced losing someone in the name of blood purity. Elias pitied her, hoping that one day she could live her life as she desired as opposed to being trapped in the suffocating cage of archaic pureblood ideology.
Elias sank down in his chair again and crossed Black's name off in his gradebook, relieved that he didn't have to give her a grade for the day beyond participation. Whenever he forced his students to interact with Boggarts, he never graded them; it was wrong to penalize children for being unable to face their fears when many adults were incapable of the same- and yes, seventeen-year-olds were children, no matter how much they insisted otherwise.
He let out a long sigh and pointed his wand at the next name in the book, ready to move on from Andromeda Black's disturbing encounter with the Boggart.
The rest of Elias' students faced the Boggart in turn, and much to his surprise, Lord Voldemort made no appearances among their fears. However, he was frustrated that he could not report any of his students' greatest frights to Dumbledore, because for some pupils, the Boggart's form had been incredibly alarming. For instance, Alecto Carrow- whom Elias was certain was involved with the Death Eaters and their terrifying machinations- had come face to face with her father, who threatened to beat, abuse, and defile her. Just like Andromeda Black before her, she had left the classroom in tears.
However, the other suspected Voldemort-sympathizers had relatively normal Boggarts. Antonin Dolohov was scared that his pet rabbit would die, and Lucius Malfoy was terrified that his father would view him as a disappointment that would forever disgrace the House of Malfoy. When compared to the other two Slytherins' unsettling apprehensions, Dolohov's and Malfoy's fears were mundane and simple, which Elias was grateful for.
After Gideon Prewett vanquished his dragon Boggart, Elias pointed his wand at the next name in his gradebook: Ted Tonks.
As he took yet another essay off of the slowly decreasing stack while he waited for Tonks to arrive, he pondered what form the Head Boy's Boggart would take. After seeing Andromeda Black's greatest fear, Elias was curious as to whether Ted Tonks' Boggart would include her in some way. He immediately dismissed the idea; although she obviously viewed him as more than an acquaintance, given that her parents would have drummed intolerance and prejudice into her head from a young age- as well as the consequences should she reject their beliefs- Elias doubted that Black had ever given Tonks any indication of her true feelings. No, he mused, unless he was worried about Lord Voldemort and the Death Eaters, Tonks' fears were probably about as ordinary as Dolohov's and Malfoy's, and wholly unrelated to Andromeda Black.
Hearing Tonks' heavy footsteps meandering down the corridor, Elias looked up from his essay.
"Mr. Tonks," he said, reaching for the stopwatch in his pocket once more. "You are all set to go in. Good luck, and I'll speak with you once you finish."
"Alright, sir," Tonks nervously replied. His hands shook slightly, and dewy perspiration lined the edges of his forehead. With a curt nod, he went into the classroom and Elias returned to his grading.
It didn't take long for Tonks' Boggart to become a distraction.
"I didn't realize you'd still be here. How did your Boggart go?" Tonks murmured. His tone was soft and gentle, and Elias deduced that the form the Boggart had chosen was someone who Tonks cared for greatly, likely a close friend.
"It was fine," a familiar voice responded. "I was actually just about to leave."
Elias inhaled abruptly. The second voice belonged to none other than Andromeda Black.
So they are closer than they want people to believe, he thought. But they're just talking normally. Why would the Boggart appear as someone Tonks isn't afraid of?
"Where did you get that ring?" Tonks continued, his voice taking on a more panicked tone. "I've never seen you wear it before."
"Willie gave it to me this morning," Black answered. "His betrothal with Mariah has been called off. He asked me for my hand in marriage instead."
Elias drummed his fingers on the side of his chair as he pondered what he was hearing. Tonks' greatest fear was finding out that Andromeda Black was engaged to another sixth year Slytherin, Willard Selwyn. Not only was Elias oddly intrigued by this revelation, but he also felt quite bad for the boy; it was clear that he liked Black a lot, and she would probably never reciprocate; she could never act on any of the buried feelings she had for him without her family punishing her for it. Elias still thought that Black solely viewed Tonks as a close friend, but given the boy's feelings for her, he had to admit that the probability that Black and Tonks had a relationship beyond mere friendship was rapidly growing more and more likely.
"And you said yes?" Tonks furiously shot back. "Why, Andromeda? Why? Has everything that's happened between us meant nothing? What was the point in all the secrecy then? Why are you doing this?"
"It seemed like my best option," the fake Black answered. "And frankly, Ted, I don't think you're capable of loving me in the way I deserve."
And there it was: they were a couple. Elias let out a quiet sigh and dropped the ungraded essay back on the stack, far too invested in the potentially fatal teenage drama that had unfolded before him.
The Boggart's words were so chilling that they caused Elias himself to shudder, and his fingers clenched around the stopwatch. For Tonks to be afraid of his girlfriend saying something so callous meant one of two things: either their relationship had serious problems, or he loved Andromeda Black more than anything else. And while the former was a definite possibility given the Black family's politics and traditions, having been a hormonal and lovestruck teenager some decades before, Elias suspected that the latter was also significantly likely. But petty engagement drama aside, Elias didn't think that Tonks had to worry about Black not loving him. The terror and desperation in her eyes and her refusal to leave his lifeless body were clear indications that she felt the same way about him.
Although Elias had initially thought that she was just being compassionate toward all muggleborns, he had been utterly mistaken. No, not only was she afraid of Tonks' death, but she was probably terrified that their relationship would be the cause of it. If the Black family found out that one if its members was in love with someone they deemed as "lesser," at best Andromeda would be disowned, and at worst, Tonks would be killed. Either the two of them were reckless enough to want to take that risk for a fleeting teenage romance, or they cared for each other so deeply that they felt there was no other option for them.
Elias thought that Tonks and Black were interesting as a couple. Ted Tonks was incredibly social, friendly, athletic, and- as many of Elias' female students often pointed out- very handsome. He was not only Head Boy, but also the captain of the Hufflepuff Quidditch team. Tonks had many friends and was well-liked by his peers, and until now, Elias had never seen him without a smile on his face. By all accounts, Tonks was a kind person with a big heart, always helping those who asked for assistance, even if their problems were beyond the scope of his duties as Head Boy or Quidditch Captain.
Black, on the other hand, was remarkably distant, quiet, and always had her head in a book. Most of the other students gave her a wide berth, although Elias did not know if it was because they were afraid that she would be as violent as her older sister, or just that they simply didn't like the girl. Black almost always had a blank expression on her face and had such a frosty demeanor that on more than one occasion, Elias had heard her peers refer to her as the "Ice Princess." Apart from her younger sister, she seemed to have no friends; every time Malfoy, Dolohov, or Carrow approached her, Elias noticed a subtle crinkling of her nose, indicating to him that Black did not particularly enjoy their company.
Black and Tonks seemed to be complete opposites of one another, but perhaps, Elias contemplated, that was what attracted them to each other. Or maybe underneath her cold exterior and towering walls, Black was actually very similar to Tonks. Regardless, they obviously cared for each other.
"Ridikkulus," Tonks cried out. Quickly, Elias pressed the button on his stopwatch and ventured into the classroom.
"Nicely done, Mr. Tonks," he said, leaning against the doorframe as his eyes were drawn to the Boggart's new form, a seal bouncing around on a pogo stick. Tonks, clearly still preoccupied with its prior form, jumped at the sound of Elias' voice.
Elias glanced at the stopwatch. "Four minutes and three seconds," he continued, holding the timer up for Tonks to see. "Not too shabby. Boggarts that look like people can be quite difficult to deal with."
Tonks nervously ran a hand through his hair. "Er, thanks," he mumbled. His breathing was shallow, and Tonks' eyes darted around the room, eventually gazing past Elias and focusing on the vacant corridor behind him. The poor kid was terrified, likely because he thought that his deepest secret had been revealed to the world.
Elias stepped forward, shutting the door behind him. Admittedly, he was far too invested in this whole situation for his own good, and he decided to discreetly probe for more information. "Out of curiosity, what convinced you that it wasn't real?" he asked.
"The conversation didn't make any sense," Tonks replied stiffly.
The two of them stared at each other for a long moment. Tonks gripped his wand tightly, drawing Elias' eyes down toward it.
From the moment that Elias had seen Tonks' wand during class, he had been fascinated by it. It wasn't intricately carved, and its wood wasn't all that unusual; if Elias' memory of wood grain patterns was accurate, Tonks had a wand constructed of hornbeam. No, what made Tonks' wand fascinating was its almost identical appearance to another one- the wand possessed by Andromeda Black.
Elias wondered if they had noticed the similarities themselves. If so, had they spoken about it? Were they curious? And most importantly, what did it mean? Were Tonks and Black tied together not just by their feelings toward one another, but by some other magic? Or was everything just a coincidence?
Regardless, it didn't matter, and frankly, was none of Elias' business. He let out a long sigh and shook his head.
"Relax, Mr. Tonks," he said, deciding that the best course of action right now was to calm the frightened teenager down. Elias could speculate on Black's and Tonks' relationship later. "No one- apart from myself of course- could hear anything coming from this room. Your fears, and what I'm assuming is probably your biggest secret, are safe with me."
"You don't seem very surprised about this," Tonks replied, his brow furrowing as he lightly tapped his foot on the stone floor.
The recollection of Andromeda Black sobbing over Tonks' bloodstained body flooded Elias' mind and he instinctively shuddered. "You forget that I saw Miss Black's Boggart earlier," he grimaced.
Tonks' expression changed from apprehensive to one of tender care and concern. He was obviously able to bury his feelings for Black when in class and around others, but upon hearing that she was in some distress, Elias could see that Tonks' emotions were starting to seep through the defenses protecting his heart.
"Was it that bad?" Tonks weakly mumbled as he clenched his fists.
As much as Elias wanted to tell Tonks exactly what Andromeda's Boggart had depicted, it would have been wrong and unethical to reveal such a thing. "I'm not at liberty to say," he answered slowly, pushing all images a of dead and mutilated Tonks out of his head, hoping that he would have time to extract and store them in his Pensieve before his next class. "But I suggest that you try to find her when once you leave here."
That way you can comfort her, he thought to himself. That way she'll know that you're alive.
Tonks nodded and bolted out of the room, presumably to find his girlfriend. Elias banished the Boggart to one of the desks and sighed, resetting the stopwatch as he sauntered back into the empty corridor.
If Black and Tonks wanted to remain together, the future was going to be very ugly for them, especially given the Black family's open support of Lord Voldemort. While Elias hoped that the two of them could persevere in the face of such terror and prejudice, he wasn't naïve enough to think that they would easily be able to carve out a future together. In fact, he half expected that one or both of them would end up dead once everyone found out about them- and there was no question in Elias' mind that the secret would be found out.
Elias stretched and sat back down in his chair to cross off Tonks' name in his gradebook, pausing briefly to watch the Fat Friar heartily laugh as he glided through the corridor. As he pointed his wand at the next student to summon them, he exhaled; the knowledge that Andromeda Black and Ted Tonks loved each other and were secretly in a relationship was going to be on his mind for the rest of the day, and the plausibly lethal consequences would race through his head for weeks.
Maybe they'll succeed, a tiny, yet optimistic voice said in his mind. Maybe this is more than a teenage romance and they'll get their happily ever after.
It was possible, but Tonks and Black would need help and support to secure their future together once they left Hogwarts, assuming that that was what they both wanted. But for now, Black and Tonks were safe. Elias could only hope that they brought each other happiness, because once they were done with school, they would be tossed into two similarly cruel and unforgiving worlds: Andromeda Black would be betrothed and married to someone who likely cared little for her aspirations and feelings, and Ted Tonks would have to live life quietly, constantly looking over his shoulder to ensure that he did not become a victim of yet another senseless Death Eater attack on muggleborns.
Regardless, Elias was now privy to their secret. Perhaps it was simply because he found the whole situation tragic, but he was compelled to assist his two lovestruck students should they ever need his aid. If Andromeda Black and Ted Tonks came to him for help, Elias Greene would not turn them away. He would do what he could for them, and hopefully, if Alphard Black ever found out about his niece's relationship, he would her help too.
And maybe, with at least a few adults in their lives on their side, Andromeda Black and Ted Tonks would never have to see their worst fears become a reality.
Thank you again, and I hope you enjoyed this little story!