(HBP) CHAPTER NINE: Liability

"Weird that Harry isn't here yet, isn't it?" Ellie asked Ginny, Ron, Hermione, and Neville thirty minutes later in the Great Hall as she nibbled disinterestedly on a slice of bread.

"You tell me," grumbled Ginny. "I thought he was you at the Slug Club."

Ginny's jealousy wasn't over petty teen romance, Ellie knew; it had more to do with the fact that Slughorn hadn't included her in his invite list. "He was, but he peeled off at the end. Where'd he say he was going again, Neville?"

"He didn't," said Neville, looking anxious. "What if something happened? Should we have—"

But before he could finish his question, Harry burst through the doors of the Great Hall and stormed up to their table, looking absolutely livid—and covered in blood.

"Harry!" Ginny exclaimed, jumping to her feet to examine him. "What the bloody hell happened to you?"

"I'll tell you later," he said, eyeing the rest of the table carefully. Ellie knew his secrecy probably had more to do with the Deans and Seamuses of the table than with her, but she still felt a little hurt.

Dumbledore got to his feet at that point, and, everyone in the room quieted to listen.

"Good evening, everyone!" he said, spreading his arms in his usual welcoming gesture.

"Look at his hand!" gasped Hermione. "What happened?"

Ellie followed her gaze to the headmaster's right hand, which was blackened to the point of looking dead. She glanced at Harry next, who looked completely unsurprised by the sight—probably because he had already seen it when he took this little field trip with Dumbledore to see Slughorn.

Dumbledore began his usual annual speech, and Ellie tuned most of it out—until he got to the bit about Filch's blanket ban on Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes products.

Excellent, said Fred in her head. I was hoping that would be the case.

How is the ban a good thing for you? she asked him, confused.

Oh, you know how it goes. People want what they can't or aren't supposed to have. Why do you think our sales were so high last year at Hogwarts? Umbridge hated us, and people hated Umbridge.

You can say that again, Ellie grumbled as she turned her attention back to Dumbledore's speech.

"Those wishing to play for their House Quidditch teams should give their names to the Heads of House as usual. We are also looking for new Quidditch commentators, who should do likewise."

Ellie thought of Lee Jordan, whom she had rather ruthlessly kicked out of the B.A. last year, and felt a pang of guilt. He had, after all, been a damn good commentator.

"I heard you made captain, Harry," Katie whispered to Harry from the other side of Ellie. "Congratulations, mate."

Harry had been made Quidditch captain? Ellie had almost forgotten that their previous captain, Angelina, had graduated. How could she have missed this?

And what was she going to do about Quidditch, anyway? The last time she had tried to play, her shield had activated and gotten her disqualified. Would it continue happening now that she had things with her shield in order?

She made a mental note to talk to Harry about it later.

"We are pleased to welcome a new member of our staff this year, Professor Slughorn," continued Dumbledore. Slughorn stood up and gave a jovial sort of bow. "He is a formal colleague of mine who has agreed to resume his old post of Potions master."

"Potions?" everyone at their table echoed at the same time.

"Professor Snape, meanwhile, will be taking the position of Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher."

"No!" Harry said—so loudly that it was almost a shout. He looked furious; he looked gutted.

Ellie, too, was surprised. She was concerned, too—Defense was one of her favourite subjects, and Snape one of her toughest teachers. But a part of her actually felt happy for Snape. Personal prejudices aside, he was a good teacher who had wanted the position for so long, it was nice to see him finally get it.

Unlike Slughorn, Snape did not rise or bow at the mention of his name. He did look pleased, though—which only seemed to make Harry more furious.

Good on your uncle, Fred said in her head as Harry muttered something about the jinx on the job and hoping that Snape might die a painful death like Quirrell. Maybe he can celebrate by finally washing his hair?

Ellie did her best not to snigger out loud. Her smile instantly faded, of course, when Dumbledore changed the subject to an even more serious one.

"Now, as everyone here knows, Lord Voldemort and his followers are once more at large and gaining in strength. I cannot emphasize strongly enough how dangerous the present situation is, and how much care each of us at Hogwarts must take to ensure that we remain safe. The castle's magical fortifications have been strengthened over the summer…"

I think that last bit was directed at you, Miss My-Shield-Defies-the-Laws-of-Pysics-and-Helps-Me-Apparate-Out-of-Hogwarts.

Believe me—I'm not interested in finding out the hard way that these "strengthened magical fortifications" are strong enough to make me lose another strip of stomach flesh.

Don't forget the intestines.

Dumbledore released them at that. Ellie rose to her feet, but, rather than following the rest of her table to the Gryffindor Tower, headed instead for the staff table.

When she stopped in front of Snape, she wasn't sure who was more surprised—Snape, Fred, or herself. She wasn't even sure why she had done it, exactly, but she knew it had something to do with Kreacher and something to do with the fact that Snape had made her year from hell just the smallest bit bearable.

Hang on, said Fred. What does Kreacher have to do with any of this?

"I just wanted to say congratulations, Professor," Ellie told Snape. "I think you'll make a great Defense teacher."

Snape raised an incredulous eyebrow and asked her, "You do?"

"I do. When you helped me last year with…" She glanced carefully around to make sure none of the other teachers were listening before continuing, "…things, it helped me a lot. If I never said thank you… well, I meant to."

He watched her for several seconds, as if trying to determine whether or not this was some sort of prank.

I'm sort of wondering the same thing, said Fred. Is it too soon to ask about Kreacher again?

He treats us badly because we treat him badly. I think if we tried to be decent to him, we might find that he can be decent back.

Wow. I'm not sure who that's less likely to work on—Snape or Kreacher.

"Thank you, Ellie," Snape finally said. "I'm glad you managed to escape this summer—and that you've healed."

Well, I guess that answers my question, said Fred, sounding dumbfounded.

"Miss Black," said Dumbledore as he strolled over to them. "So sorry to interrupt, but I wonder if I might also steal a moment of your time?"

Ellie smiled politely at Snape, who returned it with a facial gesture that, while not quite enough to be called a "smile," was still an improvement over his usual grimace, before rising to his feet and leaving.

"I have been corresponding with your Mr. Weasley for several weeks now," Dumbledore informed her once Snape had gone. "Do you know what about?"

She brightened immediately. "It's about him coming to visit, right? Or vice versa?"

"Indeed, it is. Mr. Weasley seems to think that, after all you've been through in the past few months—and, to that end, in the past year—you need a higher degree of stability than you'll be getting by being in a long-distance relationship with him. Do you agree?"

Pretty solid argument there, Johnnie Cochran, she quipped to Fred as she said out loud, "Yes, sir. I do."

Dumbledore nodded. "Very well, then. I shall agree to allow him to travel to my office via Floo Powder once per weekend, during daytime hours only. He will schedule the exact arrival times with me in advance via owl post. He will not be permitted to spend any nights here at Hogwarts, nor will he be permitted to bring any additional guests with him."

Are you hearing this? Ellie demanded.

Yeah. Kind of a shame about the daytime only thing.

Who cares? Once per weekend?! Fred, that's incredible!

"Thank you, Professor!" Ellie said out loud, resisting the urge to throw her arms around Dumbledore and hug him. Once a week, compared to the once a month or less that she thought she'd be able to see Fred? It was a game changer.

"You're very welcome, Ellie," said Dumbledore. "Just try to focus on saying healthy and safe this year, would you?"

She knew he meant well, but the suggestion only served as a reminder of the visit Harry and Dumbledore had taken to Slughorn's—and of all the things neither one of them were telling her.

Returning to the Gryffindor common room for the first time each year was usually one of the best parts to Ellie about returning to Hogwarts. Seeing those comfortable scarlet couches and armchairs, the bright, crackling fire, and the dozens of faces of people she (mostly) loved had always brought a smile to her face. Now, though, it did just the opposite. It reminded her that she would never be here with Fred again.

I'm not dead, love, Fred said in her head. If it really means that much to you, I'm sure you can bring me there on our little weekend dates.

She had been a bit dramatic about that thought, she supposed. Still, they wouldn't have any more nights here together, which had always been their thing. Before she could explain this, though, Harry approached her.

"Hey," he said, sounding just as nervous as he had earlier that day. "Do you have a minute?"

She glanced at the corner he had just come from, where Hermione and Ron were still seated, watching them. Ginny, she noted with surprise, was nowhere to be found.

"Of course," she said, smiling politely at Harry. She followed him to a quiet corner of the room, where even Ron and Hermione were out of earshot.

"I feel like we haven't had a chance to talk since… everything that's happened to you," Harry told her as they took their seats. "I'm really glad you're okay, Ellie."

"Well, thanks, Harry. Everything okay with you?"

He ran a hand through his hair, looking pained. "I'm okay. I'm just… there are things I'm starting to learn that I'm not… that I can't…"

She didn't have to read his mind to know what he was trying to say: that I can't tell you. "It's okay, Harry. I get it—I'm a liability."

"A… what?"

"A liability. I pissed off Voldemort and Aleks by escaping, and there's a high likelihood they try and capture me again, so I can't know any secrets."

He looked incredibly frustrated by that. "That's not what I'm saying at all, Ellie. Even if they did capture you again, I wouldn't worry about you telling them my secrets. I trust you."

His words brought a smile to her face for the first time since she had stepped into the common room. "Well… great. But you still don't want to tell me?"

"Of course, I want to. It's just… there are things Dumbledore doesn't want me to share with anyone except Ron and Hermione."

She thought again of Ginny, who was nowhere to be found. This had to have something to do with it, right? "And you haven't shared with your girlfriend, either?"

"No, but it's different with Ginny. I don't want to share any of this with her—it all puts her in too much danger. She's already in too much danger just by being with me."

Ellie thought of Fred. If Harry was a target and Ginny was a target by association, did that make Fred a target by association, too?

I sure hope so, Fred said in her head. I still owe Aleks a very painful death.

Ellie didn't much care for the thought of Fred and Aleks facing off, but after everything that had happened, she'd put her money on Fred in a fight. He was a stronger wizard than anyone gave him credit for, and he had a whole lot of fury and vengeance on his side.

"Then what is it with me?" Ellie asked Harry. "If it's not about protecting me?"

"I don't… know, exactly. Dumbledore seems to think your shield is a potential liability when it comes to some of the things we'll be working on this year. I wish I could explain it better than that, but I don't really even understand it myself."

So she was a liability—just not for the reasons she'd thought.

This reason, though, she was struggling to understand. How did added protection create risk?

"There are some things I still want to tell you," Harry added, sounding no less anxious than he had before. "If you still want to hear them."

"Oh," she said. "Uh… of course."

She couldn't exactly be cross with him, could she? Harry was just doing as Dumbledore commanded, and Dumbledore knew what he was talking about. Whether it made sense to her or not, if she really was a liability, she certainly didn't want to hold anyone back or cause problems.

Fred, to her surprise, remained silent. Whether it was because he was confused or concerned, she wasn't sure.

Harry proceeded to fill Ellie in on two different things: the explanation for his visit with Slughorn, and his suspicions that Draco—the perpetrator of Harry's attack on the Hogwarts Express—was a Death Eater.

The story about the Slughorn visit was simple enough, and was about what Ellie had expected: Dumbledore had used Harry as an incentive for Slughorn to return to his post at Hogwarts and get the chance to induct him into the Slug Club. Nothing nefarious there. She simply quipped that she Slughorn must be an exceptionally good teacher for Dumbledore to drag a student out of his summer vacation to convince him to return, then moved on to the next subject.

It made sense to Ellie for Draco to be a Death Eater—or at least in line to be one. His father, whom he clearly idolized, was the epitome of all Death Eaters, and he was rapidly nearing adulthood. Regarding Harry's fear that Draco was trying to do something terrible within the walls of Hogwarts, though, Ellie was less certain. Sure, he was a bully and a prat, but infiltrating Hogwarts—a school he probably loved nearly as much as the rest of them, despite his claims?

She promised Harry she would keep an eye on Draco, mostly to appease him.

"I wish I could tell you everything, Ellie," Harry said as they rose to their feet. "I hope you understand."

She assured him that she did, despite the fact that she didn't.

And judging from his continued silence, Fred didn't, either.

Hopefully you can see the seeds I'm starting to plant for books 6 & 7... It won't be as simple as Ellie being fully involved with Harry and Dumbledore's Horcrux Hunt! More to come on all that, and don't forget to review and follow to show your support!