Thank you everyone for sticking with me until now. I don't know where this story is going but I really have fun writing it.


The world of In-Between.

This is what she named this strange area of infinite gray covering the horizon as far as your eyes can see. The same place she's woken up in after her last breath in the real world. Time doesn't exist here. Seconds, hours, days, months and years. All of them are non-existant in this kind of place that seems to have absolutely no meaning.

Laying on her back, Eileen stares at the gray sky up there, monochrome as well as the rest of this odd land. No sound except her own breath is existing here. No colour other than her own slightly tanned skin, black hair and brown eyes. She is totally naked but strangely, Eileen isn't covering herself in shame. Shame doesn't belong there. It's like living in a mirror that doesn't reflect anything but yourself. A mirror inside which Eileen wanders endlessly as if she has to find some kind of destination despite knowing there is nowhere to go.

Emotions are null too. The only thing she feels is void. There is no peace. Only void. No fear either, but simply void. Sometimes she thinks she sees flashes of pictures in the unending gray screen all around, like a way from an unknown force to implement awareness in her. But it quickly fades away, leaving Eileen with nothing else than the bottomless bare sky.

She closes her eyes.

"...a."

There is no point in being here. All she has to do is wait. For what, the answer is unclear. But somehow it's the only fact Eileen is aware of; waiting. And that simple fact is what awakens something in her consciousness. Something that stirs a semblance of life inside her and makes the inner buzzing sound louder and louder.

"...ia..."

What is she doing here? For what purpose? Where is this? What is she supposed to do? Where is she supposed to go? Is she dead? Alive? What is the meaning of death if her conscience is still there? How did she end up here, with nothing, no one, not a single identity to wear, not a single thought to ponder? Where is everyone else? WHO is everyone else— Who...

...Who is she.

"Mia."

The gray world collapses.


Her lungs fill with air and the first thing she sees is the white ceiling of the Hospital Wing plunged in the dark.

The familiar surroundings is enough to soothe her pumelling heart. She is panting like she just ran a marathon, tired like she hasn't slept for years. It's the middle of the night but the full moon bathes the room in a bright light wrapping everything here as well as the few students sharing the wing with Eileen. All of them still as rocks.

Sitting up abruptly, she tries to swallow as much air as she can while putting the rest of efforts in recovering the memories of the last recent events that has apparently put her in this hospital bed. What the hell happened!?

A kaleidoscope of images and sounds rewinds all the actions she forces herself to remember. Myrtle running in the Great Hall, crying. The duel. Hornby losing, the caretaker they all ran from, the bathrooms...

The bathrooms.

The sink, them hiding, the Basilisk's hissing, Riddle, the fight and then... Then... No way. Myrtle. Where is Myrtle? If Riddle was going to finish her when she blacked out, that means...!

"S-Sorry! I didn't mean to wake you up!"

The voice comes from her left. Sitting a bed away from hers, a small silhouette hidden in the shadows is visible where the moonlight can't reach, wearing the same ugly pajamas. She doesn't recognize the little form on the spot but this voice... she admits she has missed it a little.

"Harvey..?"

She sees him flinch in the dark. Oh, right. Not Harvey.

"Sorry," she quickly corrects herself.

"No... it's alright." He looks like he wants to say something but resigns himself not to do it. His face is constricted and the body language he is displaying right now says a lot about the possible anxiety he must be feeling rushing over him like a second skin. The more the silence stretches, the more Not-Harvey looks nervous.

That's right, the last time they spoke to each other was the moment this boy vented out all the hostility he felt for Eileen. He had been shouting, saying he didn't want to talk to her ever again, or something like that. No wonder the atmosphere seems so tense.

Time to remedy to that, she guesses.

"What did you mean when you say you didn't intend to wake me up?"

"Oh. Um– My wound hurt all of sudden so I let a curse out without thinking and... that's when you woke up in panic."

Oh. That explains it all. However...

"What wound?" she asks a bit too sharply, because the boy gazes away for a second, looking ashamed. Crap, another mistake. He's told her he didn't want Eileen to butt into—

"It's not what you think. No one did this to me. There was an accident in Potions and... hm. Let's say I added too much porcupine's pins. It transformed the liquid into some kind of acid that has splattered all over my arm," he finishes, showing the said appendice covered with bandage.

Ah, of course. Not everything bad happening to this one is linked to some sort of bullying. Since Eileen kind of claimed herself as the official protector of the boy and Myrtle, it was like a mission to do everything in her power in order to help them, including feigning to be magically lacking as that has been the root of the purpose she entrusted herself with the day she went to Hogwarts for the first time.

Now that she is looking at the past events from his point of view, everyone would have felt like shit in his stead. To be considered weak by someone as weak is okay. To be considered weak by a friend who was lying all along about themselves... Nah. Terrible. Not-Harvey was right back then.

"I apologize," she says suddenly.

"What for?!" The other looks genuinely confused.

"For everything. For lying to you since the beginning, for butting in your life when you never asked for it. Sorry for not kicking Parker's ass way sooner because that twat deserved it and- Sorry for calling you Harvey. I know it's not your name but I just..."

"Stop, stop! You didn't do anything wrong!"

She blinks stupidly. "I didn't?"

It hard not to notice the red creeping up his burning cheeks, even in the shadow. He looks panicked, trying to find how to formulate words that end up barely intelligible. He grabs onto the sheets.

"I was not really angry at you- Well, not only at you. I was more hating myself than anything else because Parker's taunts affected me more than I thought. He's right you know... I-I'm weak. I can't fight stronger people by myself. I had enough of being picked on by these brutes but I knew they wouldn't stop as long as I was not stronger."

Eileen listens with rapt attention.

"When you appeared to defend me for the first time I thought I'd found someone like me. Weak, unable to do anything but run away like a coward. But the more I saw you, the more I became aware that something was wrong. There's always been a mystery around you that you don't seem to be conscious of. But I was determined to bury the thought deep down and let things go with the flow. Then it happened again, you appearing like a savior fallen from the sky. You came and got rid of Parker's friends just like that in the blink of an eye. It showed me how pathetic I was all along. How much of a coward I was for not aknowledging the truth about you because I was afraid of being alone again. Of being considered the weakest Slytherin all my life."

There is a crack in his voice that doesn't go unnoticed by Eileen.

"I knew you didn't do this out of pity. You weren't looking down on me. But something bitter within me blowed up that day. Because I was jealous, so jealous of you. Of Black. Of everyone else in the bloody castle. I admired you for staying true to yourself without a care in the world. I wanted to possess the same nonchalance you have, the same mental strength to overcome any obstacle in life."

"I thought you were angry because I never knew your name."

A light chuckle rises in the darkness. "Yeah, that too. But I quickly figured out it was just you being you. You didn't care about my name because all you saw was me. Not a random third year being constantly bullied, not some feeble little boy you casually encounter in the hallways by chance. Not someone with a big or unknown name in the House of prestige. Only me, 'Harvey.'"

There is a moment of lull where none of them utter a word for what seems like an eternity. Only then, Eileen lays back on the mattress and stares ahead blankly. She'd been worried for nothing. This boy doesn't need to be protected in the end. He has a strong heart, and against physical strength, this is far more impressive. He's definitely bound to do great things in the future.

"So... what's your name?"

She hears him shift on the side but doesn't move.

"... oore."

She blinks. "Sorry, what was that?"

"... Moore. Austin Moore."

"..."

"What?" Austin asks when the silence streches too long.

Eileen makes a face.

"...I wanna stick with Harvey. Shorter, cuter."

The chuckle Austin releases impregnates the hospital wing with a lighter mood. She lets herself be lulled by this sweet melody until both of them are finally taken away by sleep.


When they woke up, Mrs. Pearstick has shown delight over Eileen's good health. She was given sets of potions to help her get better and soon after, the mediwitch explained what she was told has occured. Apparently, Eileen had been chased by a boggart that led her to the Forbidden Forest where she got lost and was only found two days after. The confusion she showed at the story made the mediwitch and Headmaster Dippet believe the trauma was tougher than it seemed. She was not only diagnosed as mentally unstable but also semi-amnesiac... Riddle must have been firmly confident she wouldn't spill the real facts of this "accident."

Of course she wouldn't. What a jerk.

While she was bedridden with a diagnostic of many broken bones and a fatal magic exhaustion, a bigger problem had taken place in the castle.

A student died.

They don't know how, but they discovered the corpse near the Runes classroom three days ago. That is when the Ministry seriously considered closing Hogwarts for good, until the great Hero of Slytherin showed up and managed to discover the culprit that has been using the castle as its hunting ground all this time. A giant spider, a dangerous classified creature that unfortunately had escaped Riddle with the help of the third year half-giant– Rubeus Hagrid.

Riddle was congratuled for the great help. Of course. What would have happened to Hogwarts without this incredible boy?

Eileen couldn't find herself rejoicing with the mediwitch. A student has died. A no-name second year with no friends, not important enough for people to remember for long. But grief isn't what gets Eileen so shaken. It's the fact that despite having saved Myrtle, another innocent guy took her place as though the story line needed a corpse to proceed. Meaning all her efforts to avoid death and saving others was and will be bound to remain useless in the future.

Why Fate has to be such a bloody shithead?

"Eileen!"

Her bed is invaded by a blue robe and a two-braids head. Myrtle is the same as ever. Having absolutely no memories of the lavatory incident, the ravenclaw has found herself waking up from a big nap in the kitchen almost a week ago. Rather a poor choice coming from Riddle, because a bookworm like this girl fits a lot better in the library.

But the most shocking thing about Myrtle remains this one: she is alive.

She is ALIVE. Riddle let her live and Eileen as well. Both of them got out still breathing even though the psychopath was going to end the ravenclaw that day. What changed? Did he listen to Eileen's pleading? Haha, as if.

"Today is the day! You're finally discharged from the hospital wing!"

"Yeah, at last."

She's slept for days in this bed. Mrs. Pearstick said it was normal because of the magical exhaustion. Rather, she found it really impressive that Eileen woke up only five days after her coma. At her age, a minimum of two weeks would have been expected apparently. She's been so lonely since Harv–Austin has healed faster than she did.

Actually, Eileen is a little scared to leave the healing sanctuary. Because once outside, Riddle could finish what he started before. Her memory intact, she remembers most of what was told during the duel. She remembers inadvertently telling him she knew about the giant snake after falling in his trap. And now that he surprisingly didn't kill her in the end, Eileen doesn't know what are his devilish schemings for her because there is simply no way he's just going to let the matter go like this.

"Everyone has been talking about you, you know."

"Great."

"They all thought you were the culprit when Hagrid was actually the criminal! Now they feel kinda bad. Well, except for some Gryffindors who wish you died back then."

"They're too kind," Eileen jeers while putting on normal clothes, not bothered by the persistant ravenclaw's presence. "What will happen to the rest?"

Mrs. Pearstick takes the trolley full of potions and ointments to her bed. "They're gonna be alright. They will wake up in two weeks, right on time for the exams and as healthy as before. You don't have to worry."

"I'm not worried."

"Here, take this," the mediwitch orders while holding a vial to the ex-patient. "This is a pepper-up potion. And this one is to be sure you regain all of your magic in no time."

Grimacing like a kid, she swallows the two vials in no go.

"Don't forget, Miss Floquet. Come see me once a week for your check-up. I still think you need more magical rest after your incident."

"I'm fine, Ma'am."

"This is not a suggestion."

After another two potions she almost vomitted due to the horrible taste, Eileen is now dressed up and ready to tolerate people for the rest of the day. She lets herself be dragged by the other girl far too enthusiastic for her liking. Before they can reach the door, it opens from the other side where a familiar face appears in a joyful mood.

"Oh, you're awake. Great."

Thankfully it's not Riddle. But unfortunately, the guy is not one of her favourite either.

"Black."

The name is almost venomous on her lips. His smile doesn't fade, on the contrary. "Welcome to the world of the living."

Myrtle is so shocked she can barely take her goggling eyes off the Black heir. Eileen sighs dramatically. She was ready to deal with people, not that bloody clown coming straight from Hell. "Funny for you to say that given the fact a boy is dea—"

"Oh, Mr. Black. How convenient for you to be here," the mediwitch calls out. "Can you accompany Mrs. Floquet to the Great Hall safely? I'm afraid she might collapse on the way because of the potions' after effects."

"I'm fine!" Eileen presses quickly. "I'm not even going to the Great Hall anyways so—"

"What are you saying?" Mrs. Pearstick tuts. "You're in dire need of nutrients. I insisted that you take all your meals everyday until the end of the school year."

"But I..."

"Don't even think of skipping them because I already informed your head of house. He agreeded to take all the precautions in order for you to have three meals a day."

"WHAT?!"

"Now Mr. Black, if you must."

"Yes Ma'am!" Orion sings happily, dragging her outside in Myrtle's stead. The poor girl can't come out of her shock. Black is her third crush after all. Just after that twat in her own House. What is it again? Justin? Austin? Something like that and frankly, she really has the gig for falling in love with red flag bastards.

They walk in the corridor like nothing is amiss. The few people they pass by have to double-check their eyesight in front of the funny picture they must make right now. A half-dead girl back to life (again), with one of the most prestigious name by her side followed by a nobody Ravenclaw rumoured to have beaten another slightly stronger nobody girl in a duel. Yep. Nothing out of the ordinary, alright.

But what Eileen feared the most at this moment becomes closer and closer as the three are approaching the doors of the Great Hall at the end of the corridor. It's lunch time. All the students would be gathered in there, especially on weekends. It includes Tom Riddle and Dumbledore. Probably waiting for her to show up so that they could interrogate her as they wished. Dear God, what did she do to deserve this?

"You know what, I think I'll rather go grab a snack in the kitchen and..."

Before she can finish, Orion pulls her through the double doors. The noise is instantly unbearable for Eileen who spent the entire week in the quiet haven of the Hospital Wing, and now she has to endure the living world once again with its loud residents existing in it. Come on, it's the worst torture an introvert soul has to go through!

Murmurs die down as soon as hundredth pairs of eyes look up at the trio. The silence is loud, louder than the previous chaos the room bathed in a second ago. Eileen can feel the stares and the silent questions from everywhere, the hostility of some and the curiosity of others. It's so embarrassing. She is glad Myrtle is there too. Because the best option right now would be to sit with the eagles in blue that are showing far less animosity than the other houses.

As though Orion predicted this very thought, he grabs Eileen by the sleeve and makes a beeline for the Slytherin's table.

"Hey!"

"Don't lag."

She passes some recognizable faces that only stare at them with awe. When Harvey pops in her range of sight, Eileen is about to go for the opposite seat only to get dragged further ahead.

"What are you doing?!" she hisses.

She seriously considers getting away from the hold but is forced to give up that plan as they stop. Eileen is facing an empty seat, just between Black and Elizabeth. Confused, she takes in the scrutiny she is prey to from around the table. Sadell looks grim. Orion, Atheis and Abraxas remain true to themselves but the others...

It's like they were eyeing someone they've never encountered before.

"Sit."

The order comes from Riddle, who has yet to look up from some parchments. Gulping in anxious anticipation, Eileen obeys. She slumps on the bench, trying hard not to pay attention at everyone else in the Hall. Her mistake however was to gaze up ahead the Teachers table where she locks eyes with twinkling blue orbs.

Oh. She forgot this one. The eventuality of Dumbledore having the knowledge of the truth about the real beast of Hogwarts like she does is a big problem. Because he would be suspecting something about her, thus leading the manipulative deputy headmaster to associate Eileen with Tom Riddle. Ha. The irony.

"My dear students," Dippet begins as he stands. The sonotorus is effective as always. "I would like to express my sincere apology for the trouble you had to endure. The stress you were subjected to and the constant fear the Beast of Hogwarts spread into every one of you... The death, too, that have fallen upon your precious comrade Jonas Clearwater. May his soul rest in peace, may his Magic join the stars."

There is a morbid pause for a moment. Clearwater... where had Eileen heard of this name? She sincerely hopes it wasn't someone important for the future.

"Now, everything has come to an end. The beast is no longer a threat within these walls. Thanks to Tom Riddle, the prodige of Howgarts and a proud wizard who stood up against the creature in order to save the students and the school. He bravely confronted danger and helped us fix the chaos. It is also with deep regret that I announce to all of you the expulsion of Rubeus Hagrid, who was the culprit that took the deadly threat in all along. Let's thank Tom Riddle for the bravour he showed us and for the great things he's bound to achieve in the future!"

A round of applause rises in the Great Hall among cheers everywhere. Eileen watches with revulsion as the boy gets up from the bench and politely inclines his head to the crowd. If only everyone knew the same guy they were hailing caused all of this. If only they knew what he becomes thirty years later, an angry shell obsessed with immortality creating horcruxes over horcruxes like an hungry vulture whom lucidity has long be done for.

Their eyes meet. Eileen's glare turns sharper while she feels like a smirk is about to crack on his irritating lips. But what stops her from giving the jerk the finger is the strange glint within those piercing orbs. They were brown last time she saw them and now... Now a flicker of red adorns the round shape of the irises. What the...? How could he...

Eileen feels the blood in her veins freeze.

Oh. Hell no.

He couldn't have...!

Ah, yes. Yes he could.

He did it with Warren's corpse in the original scenario. But since Myrtle never died here, he had to take another prey in order to execute his murderous schemes. Jonas Clearwater. He used Jonas Clearwater to create the first Horcrux. She can't believe it. Ever since the moment she decided to step in the bloody story line to save innocent kids from gruesome death, it was like everything finds its way back to the original scenario again. That is crazy. Unbelievable. What a waste of efforts...

Now an even more dangerous psychopath is roaming the ground of Hogwarts.

And all of them are acclaiming him as a hero.


The rest of lunch passes normally and contrary to her beliefs, Riddle hasn't done anything to her. Yet. It was as if he chose to ignore the Slytherin outcast like he was used to. That's even better for Eileen.

Avery keeps bickering with Malfoy about something totally uninteresting for her. Atheis is talking to no one, Sadell exchanges a few words with Riddle and Mulciber, and starting from this moment Eileen does everything in her power to become invisible.

"Good morning to everyone I haven't greeted until now!"

All hopes she had evaporate instantly at Slughorn's approach. Of course. The man was in tears when the entire Hall was applauding earlier, it's obvious he couldn't end the meal without greeting his favourite students. Or to be more precise: his Golden Prodige.

"Tom, what a delight it is to be your Head of house. I am really proud of the man you're becoming. I want to witness the day you'll make a name of yourself, although you seem to be already attracting the attention of big fishes out there!"

"You honour me too much, Professor."

"Ah, what a pity. Hagrid was a fine boy. A naive one, but fine nonetheless... I am really sad about the poor Clearwater though. I knew his father. They were good buddies too. What a strange world we're living in, I tell you."

"Sir, what will happen to Jonas' family? Are they going to sue the school?" Abraxas asks with fake concern.

Slughorn shakes his head. "Unfortunately, Clearwater was orphaned after his Father succombed to the Dragon Pox. No one is left of the Clearwater family, as the last generation descended from a half-blood line."

An orphan without anything left in the world, not even dignity nor real acquaintances to defend his death. How truly convenient.

"That's sad," Malfoy sighs, more to hide the mockery behing the words than anything.

"Indeed," Slughorn nods solemnely. "But this is the cycle of life. No one could have predicted such tragic events in the most secured place in Britain..."

Eileen wants to laugh at this. And then, as if the man's got a glimpse of the mental thoughts, he abruptly rotates towards her like he became aware of her presence all of sudden. "Miss Floquet! What a pleasure to have you with us at last. How many days has it been since we last saw you?"

Oh God.

"Um... A week?"

"My poor dear. Alone, lost and wounded in the Forbidden Forest. You are very, very lucky that Tom found you before you became a goner too."

"Yes... indeed."

"Are you alright? I hope you could have enough rest before the Owl's."

It's hard not to notice how the others are paying rapt attention to the casual convo.

"Don't worry professor, I am more than ready." It's half the truth, because there are still two or three subjects she hasn't revised at all. Like History of Magic for example, which she is sure to Fail with capital F.

"Make sure you eat well too. Mrs. Pearstick gave me the mission to supervise your meals, so I will— Oh. Is that all you have in your plate?"

She glances down. She generally eats more than this, but the anxiety she is feeling since the appearance of Orion Black makes her stomach turns with dread. "I- uh. I just recovered from shock so it's hard to have appetite right after sleeping for days...?

"That won't do," he says more seriously. He goes for the large bowl on the table to pick the ustensile and serve Eileen more food. "Here, take more of those delicious potatoes. And don't forget to add meat, it's really helpful for anemia."

"Professor, I..."

"Don't worry Sir, we will make sure she eats properly from now on," Black flashes a toothy smile that automatically puts the man in blind trust.

"I'm counting on all of you then. Merlin, I am so happy to see the bond between every one of my little snakes. Keep going, my children. You're gonna be stronger than anyone else!"

On those last cheering words, Slughorn leaves the Hall. All is left at the table is some snickering coming from the boys, and a very frustrated Eileen Floquet who wants to dig a hole deep enough to dive into it and stay hidden for eternity.

"Eat, Floquet. It's gonna get cold."

"..."

It takes exactly until the end of lunch time for Eileen to finish the whole plate. Mulciber and Black were a pain in the ass all along, trying her patience each time they pointed a piece of meat in the middle of the sauce, still untouched. The only salvation she got was when Riddle rose from the bench and started walking to the exit. He was immediately followed by the usual group of conceited heirs, themselves followed by the girls.

Strolling past the slytherin table, she stops in front of Austin-Harvey who is calmly enjoying the dessert. "Hey, Harvey. Long time no see."

"Not Harvey," he sighs but lets go of the matter as quickly as it came. "How do you feel?"

"Great. I feel like I've slept a whole year."

"It was five days," he corrects with a deadpan. She shrugs.

"Anyway, how are you? Is Parker sill around looking for a fight?" She would be sure to break a bone or two next time they meet otherwise.

He smiles at that. "No. Parker hasn't bothered me since then. Thank you by the way."

"If anyone tries to pick on you just tell me, okay. I will make them understand—"

A hand wraps around her wrist. Eileen is abruptly pulled backwards, away from Harvey whose expression is akin to confusion. Sadell drags her across the Hall until they reach the corridor. Eileen seems puzzled as well, because it's the first time the other initiates such a direct contact between them two. What's going on?

They catch up to the rest of the group. Eileen isn't released until they arrive at the slytherin's entrance which Riddle opens with the weekly password pronounced like a murmur. They enter the common room and the group doesn't waste time heading for the couches near the only fireplace, making those who were already settled scatter like an unspoken order. The place is crowded with students of all years like every Saturday. Sharing the space even though the place is huge is still a pain for Eileen who is ready to sprint in the dorm as she couldn't wait to procrastinate all the weekend long.

"Everyone, leave."

Sharp. Short. Effective.

Those two words are like a simple hush amongst the hubbub of the common room and yet, as soon as the order is spoken, all of them take action almost right away. People go straight to the dorms, others decide to move to the exit as if the command came from their head of house whereas it only came from the fifth year prefect Tom Riddle.

Something is wrong, she can feel it. The inner instinct screaming to run pummels through her head. It doesn't take a genius to comprehend an imminent danger was going to wreck havoc. But the moment she starts walking towards the stairs, the grip around the wrist tightens.

Riddle takes seat in the single sofa while Black, Malfoy and Avery settle on the bigger couches. Laying back like he owned the place, Orion let a content breath out.

"Beautiful day, isn't it? Makes me want to be lazy all the afternoon and spend time finding out secrets."

"Right," Riddle smirks. "Seems like it's time to get to know each other a little bit more, don't you think?"

The last sentence isn't addressed to Orion. Tom is staring right at her without losing the damn smirk that suddenly drains blood from her face. The dreadful feeling making her stomach go heavy since Orion picked her up at the hospital wing comes back at full strength without warning. She has a hand suddenly gripping on her shoulder as she initiates a step back. Mulciber and Nott are standing behind. Elizabeth and Atheis are located in front of the dorm stairs, ready to hinder anyone with the idea of fleeing the common room.

In this case, meaning: Eileen.

The moment she feels like the trap is set, Eileen reacts. She has her wand out, prepared to get rid of any obstacle to get away from

this place. However, all cause is lost when Mulciber is faster to wrap his arms around her waist while Nott snatches the wand away before she can utter a single spell. Eileen rages and struggles in the boy's hold even though the mountain of muscles that monster is gifted with was definitely not just for show.

Mulciber easily carries her to a green chair adjacent to the sofa that Riddle conjured a second prior. As soon as her back hits the support, thin, small snakes emerge from the wooden armrests and come twist their long bodies around Eileen's wrists like remasterized shackles.

"What the fuck?!"

"Language," Riddle calmly chides.

"I don't know what you're playing at Riddle, but it's not funny."

"Watch your mouth," Sadell chastizes but surprisingly the tone lacks bitterness.

"I don't understand! What is going on?!"

The red glint in Riddle's eyes gleams brighter. When the words come out of his mouth, Eileen feels all the blood leaving her face:

"This, my dear, is the moment where you tell us everything about you without omitting any details, starting with the first question we're all curious about: who are you?"

He leans forward a little, not breaking the stare locked into hers.

"Because you are clearly not the real Eileen Floquet."