Unfortunately, Ronald was still in a very peculiar relationship with Lavender thus forcing Hermione to retreat whenever they were going all mushy.723Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTM6xNQglZ5
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“Do you think we should interfere?” Harry asked her the next afternoon, watching from afar.
Eliza raised an eyebrow and tried to find the right word for the sight but it was difficult to express that mess in words.
“I think it’s complicated enough as it is. If we interfere it may end up with them not recognizing their feelings to each other.” She reasoned before turning to him, “What about you and Ginny?”
Harry nodded before he registered what she asked, moment when his eyes widened and his head turned towards his friend, “It became so obvious? Did I say something that-”
Both wizards glanced at Ginny who was standing with Hermione, her eyes averting when she noticed them looking at her.
"You know, Dean told me yesterday that they had a fight. I'm not sure why but it seems like the stars are on your side." Eliza said in a mocking voice of Trelawney.
Harry chuckled and nodded, "I believe that as long as you don't say I will drown afterwards."
"Oh but I'm not sure. That would take all the fun from it." She joked, making Harry snort while containing his laughter. 723Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSwbZ2xRRze
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“The problem with Hermione is that she wouldn't admit her feelings and Ron is just...Ron." Eliza explained, like she was a grown up that has already been through so many love affairs.
The truth was that love was still a fairly new emotion, especially the passionate one. She wasn’t sure she wanted to try it after all the heartbreaks and misunderstandings she had seen.
“Anyway,have you told everyone what we heard that night?"Eliza changed the subject.
Harry sighed and grabbed a hand through his messy dark hair, “Yes, I did. And I will tell Dumbledore tonight at our private lesson. You can't deny what you heard, Liz. We both know Malfoy's been acting strange ever since the year begun."
"Yes, I know. I've been following him around."
For a moment, Harry looked stunned.
"Why didn't you say something?" He hissed, narrowing his eyes and at the same time trying not to draw attention to their discussion.
"Because I'm not sure what he's doing. I didn't really see him do anything, as a matter of fact. And Snape-"
"Do not repeat what everyone already told me. You know better than anyone just how sly he is." Harry interrupted, "I can't trust Snape."
Eliza bit her lip, thinking how to express herself, "That's the thing, Harry. I believe Snape and I trust him."
Eliza was sure that if Harry could, he'd make her explode before exploding himself with how red his face became.
"It's not because he taught me Defense against the Dark Arts. I don't think Snape would still be around if Dumbledore wasn't sure that he's not a Death Eater." Somehow she ended up saying pretty much the same thing everyone else did.
That was the end of the conversation and Harry looked more disappointed than angry.
As soon as she entered the common room, she noticed a few girls whispering to each other in front of the window while Dean and Seamus were playing some kind of miniature Quidditch game, including fans.
"Hey, Liz! Did you sign up for the Apparition lessons?" Seamus asked, his eyes focused on the game.
Eliza stared at him in confusion before shaking her head.
"It's been on the noticeboard ever since the term started. Do you really not look at the board for any news?" He continued before clicking his tongue as Dean was taking lead.
"No." She responded bluntly. Eliza never even glimpsed at the notice board before and had Seamus or Hermione tell her if something new was up.
"Well you better hurry. The list was pretty long last time I checked."
Eliza blinked sheepishly and nodded before she went into the dormitory. She found Hermione there, alone, and she looked very disgrunted.
"Ron again?" Eliza asked, passing the bushy haired girl to her bed.
"Harry has a lesson tonight with Dumbledore." She changed the subject.
Eliza chuckled, her back turned so Hermione wouldn't notice, "Yes, he told me. I'm not sure he will be willing to share the news with me tomorrow."
"Why?"
Eliza clicked her tongue and laid back lazily, "I might have told him my honest opinion. The one that I trust Snape."
"Well, Dumbledore trusts him and-"
"No, Hermione." Eliza said before she sat up and looked at her friend. "I don't care if Dumbledore trusts him or not. I don't care if anyone does, really. I trust him because mom trusted him."
Hermione didn't press that subject; she knew how hard was for Eliza to speak about her parents, especially after Sirius died.
Luckily, Harry did share the information with Eliza during a break. For some reason he wanted to speak to her alone and she realized why later on. Hermione and Ron were still fighting and the presence of Dean around Eliza was annoying Harry.
"So he wants you to find out what the memory is actually about? Doesn't that mean Slughorn answered Tom?" Eliza said, playing with Furvus while trying to catch a glimpse of Malfoy in the Hall.
"Yes. Tom asked Slughorn about horcruxes. However, the memory has been tempered with, or so Dumbledore believes."
Eliza licked her lips and nodded, "So, what about this Gaunt family? They were descendants of Slytherin?"
Harry sighed desperately, "Yes. Voldemort killed his father and grandparents and blamed Morfin Gaunt for it. He was very happy to confess his crime."
"I have to say I was a bit surprised when you first told me that Tom is Voldemort. But I guess I should have imagined. Now, this Gaunt family appears again."
Harry was surprised, "Again?"
"Yes. I was searching for something when I found two articles, very old and seemingly unimportant. One was about Morfin Gaunt getting into Azkaban for killing the Riddles. The second one...it was noted a few months afterwards. A woman dropped dead in the square and they found a muggle responsible. That woman was pregnant and they all imagined that the child probably died as well." Eliza explained, frowning now that she got to say it out-loud.
"Morfin didn't mention anyone, especially not a woman. You think Voldemort killed her too? But why?"
"I don't know. Maybe it wasn't Tom-"
"Voldemort." Harry emphasized.
"-but I believe she was stunned not dead. There was the testimony from the muggle who got arrested for it and he said she looked at him in the eye before she just fell. I don't think she was looking at him though. Maybe someone else was there."
"Well, I don't see how that matters now. You shouldn't bother with it." Harry mumbled, feeling like he was the only one who was taking everything seriously.
But Eliza was taking it very seriously. She didn't know why but that woman's death just pestered her. She was aware that Voldemort was just a teenager back then, moreover a student under Dumbledore's watchful eye. So why?
That problem bothered Eliza for the rest of the week and by the time the first Apparition lesson came up, she had hundreds of scenarios made in her head.
"So you signed up, in the end?" Seamus asked on the way to the Great Hall.
Eliza nodded and smiled, hiding the fact that she already knew how to Apparate.
The first lesson was horrible. Eliza waited for the teacher to explain and for the students to perform, all the while watching from the very back. Snape glanced at her once or twice and she was more than sure he knew.
As soon as the lesson finished, Harry grabbed Eliza aside and told her what he heard between Malfoy and Crabbe. His paranoia was growing each passing day and Malfoy wasn't good at hiding things.
"I know you believe me. You followed him this whole year and really haven't found anything?" He whispered.
"He vanishes. I don't know where he goes and I'm sure he doesn't Disapparate. His performance in the lesson was more than disappointing." Eliza answered bluntly.
Harry agreed but didn't shrug it off. For the next weeks, he started to look after Malfoy wherever he'd go but unlike Eliza, he was using the Marauder's Map.
Getting that bit of information, she stopped following Malfoy and stopped lingering in the dungeons. That proved to be in her benefit because she had a lot of homework to finish and there was still that case about the nameless woman. Finding no clue whatsoever in any book or old document, Eliza went to ask someone who was with Tom in Hogwarts.
"You don't know anything about him? You two were in the same school, it was hard to not notice." Eliza urged but it didn't look like the ghost -Myrtle, as Eliza found out was her name- knew anything.
"I can only tell you what I saw. I never saw Tom and Ophelia. I only saw her with the Slytherins." She said, mopping around since she was lonely.
"But you said that me and Tom are made from the same blood. I don't think we are alike at all."
"I never said anything about that~" She moaned, flying right in front of Eliza. "I said you share the same blood."
"But that would mean relatives right?" Eliza was more confused and terrified than ever before. "Relatives?" She repeated but the ghost shrugged.
"I don't know."
Myrtle clearly wasn't telling Eliza anything and Eliza had the slight idea Dumbledore interfered.
"What do you know?"
"You have to be kept away from him. What if he finds out where you have been hiding? What if he finds out you betrayed him?" Myrtle mumbled softly, her face too close for comfort.
"What?"
But Myrtle only chuckled and flied away, doing some flips before going straight into the toilet.
Having no ghost to tip her off, Eliza decided she should just concentrate on school for the moment. Of course, searching for Malfoy around the Hall became a reflex and she could hardly hide it anymore from Harry.
"I've been keeping an eye out for him and you're right. There are times he just vanishes from the Map." He whispered while they were going to Potions.
"Then you should just drop it. As long as we can't see whatever it is that he does, it's hopeless."
But he didn't. Harry continued following Malfoy, growing quite obsessed with him. It was everything he'd talk about whenever he could and he'd ask her if she saw anything strange about the blond lately.
Thankfully, the new Quidditch match between Hufflepuff and Gryffindor was just a few days away and Harry got busier. Another event that was coming up was Ron's birthday and Eliza asked Furvus to get something for her from Hogsmeade.
"What's that?" Hermione asked, confused what was wrapped in bright pink paper.
"Ron's birthday present."
"Which is what?" Hermione asked.
Eliza chuckled to herself and shrugged, "Nothing much. A device that shows you what you're thinking about. Something he'll find useful"
Hermione frowned, "How will seeing what he's thinking useful? He only thinks about food and Quidditch."
The brunette smirked, a sight Hermione found suspicious, and shrugged.
When she gave the present to Ron, he was just as confused as Hermione. Their Apparition lessons were getting harder and everyone was getting splinched. Ron hoped Eliza would give him something for that not something that looked like it belonged in Trelawney's office.
Eliza left the common room afterwards. Furvus was strutting behind her, looking ahead with his head held high. She could feel him following her until she rounded the corner towards the library. Furvus suddenly stopped and followed someone else.
"Hey, come back!" She hissed but Furvus wasn't listening.
In the end, she became the follower. Furvus led her up the stairs until they got on the seventh floor, in front of a large empty wall. The black kitten placed one paw on the wall and meowed.
Eliza raised an eyebrow and thoroughly searched the floor. There was nothing.
"Let's go back, Furvus. No one is here."
But Furvus hissed and touched the wall with both his front paws. He looked up at her once again and meowed. Eliza sighed and touched the wall as well. It was warm and cold at the same time. For some reason, she put her ear on it and listened. She couldn't hear anything but something was definitely strange about that wall.
Apparition lessons were getting harder and she had to Apparate once just to amuse the professor. She heard Snape click his tongue behind but chose to ignore him. The test was only for students who'd be of age which meant Eliza couldn't take it because her birthday was in June.
When Eliza got in the common room later that afternoon, Harry was just walking out with Ron.
"What happened to him?" She asked when they passed her.
"I'll tell you later. Now I have to get Ron to professor Slughorn." Harry said quickly before rushing out.
They didn't return and Lavender was in a cranky mood. She's been talking about how Ron just walked past her and even mentioned Romilda Vane. Eliza's head was aching and she was tempted to use a jinx just to shut Lavender up.
"Liz! It's-" Hermione stopped when she saw Lavender.
Eliza took that as a sign to move and grabbed Hermione before dragging her into the corridor.
"It's Ron. Ginny just told me Ron has been poisoned!"
Eliza was pulled towards the Hospital Wing before she could mutter a response. Harry was already there and he looked relieved. He told them everything and Eliza was surprised to hear Slughorn had a poisoned beverage.
"And he said he wanted to give it as a present to Dumbledore?" Eliza asked once again, just to be sure she heard right.
Harry nodded, "Yes. It's suspicious how the cursed necklace was supposed to be delivered to someone too."
"But whoever sent these objects isn't very smart, is he? Neither objects were delivered to their destination." Hermione added.
Ron was indeed fine. Fred and George came right after their parents and Harry, Eliza and Hermione retreated for the night. The next morning everyone knew about the poisoning but more people were bothered by the Quidditch match against Hufflepuff.
The brunette was walking out of the Great Hall when she heard Lavender shouting after her. Eliza's eyes widened and she searched for an escape. Luckily, someone grabbed her hand and pulled her aside.
"Need saving, Molley?" He whispered.
"I need something to stuff in my ears when she starts talking. It's annoying already." She mumbled before turning to see her savior.
Draco Malfoy looked horrible. His skin was so pale that it looked like he's been locked in a dark room for most of the year. His eyes were swollen and he looked tired.
"I didn't poison the drink, if you are curious to know." He stated, knowing she'll ask.
"Have you cried recently?" She asked, taking him aback.
Malfoy looked down before he sighed and leaned against the wall in what he wanted to look like a cool pose.
"You look like you've had a terrible disease and have been locked in St Mungo's for the weekend. Very, very bad." Eliza said, just as blunt as usual.
"Well I haven't. I'm fine." Even his voice was hoarse.
"It's the mission isn't it? You're using the Room of Requirement to hide and plan it." Eliza was stating facts and Draco was smart enough not to deny it.
"Glad to see you acting like yourself. Enjoy it for a bit longer." He mumbled before he pushed her back into the crowded corridor.
Walking back to the common room, she couldn't help but think of what he said last. Enjoy it for a bit longer. Was that a threat or an advice? Besides, his whole behavior was peculiar. The mission wasn't going well and Eliza heard that already but what exactly was the mission?
"Ugh." She groaned, feeling like she was being kept in the dark by more than just Draco Malfoy.
The Quidditch game between Hufflepuff and Gryffindor was a joke and not because of the match and result but by the Gryffindor Keeper, McLaggen. He literally hit a Bludger at Harry.
Hermione ran to his side while Eliza glared at Cormac.
"What the heck was that? Are you aware you're not going to make the team for the rest of your pathetic years at Hogwarts?" Eliza hissed as soon as she got him in the castle.
"He wasn't listening to what I was saying! If only-"
"Harry is the Captain. Last time I checked you were only a one time player." She said that with so much hatred that Cormac pushed her lightly.
"Take care what you say, Molley. You're just a half blood girl." He threatened.
Eliza raised an eyebrow, ready to show him just how half blood she was but someone interfered.
"I'd like a word, if I am not interrupting something of utter importance." Snape's voice was dripping with sarcasm.
Eliza glared at Cormac before she followed Snape.
"Snape's pet, aren't you Molley?" Cormac whispered when she walked past him.
In the next second he found himself with the ugliest stomach ache Eliza could master. Cormac ran away, to the bathroom probably, while Eliza followed Snape silently.
The dungeons never looked so inviting before and Eliza had a lot of questions for Snape. Interestingly enough, he had a few questions for her too.
"What do you mean I shouldn't show my face around? Are you talking about Malfoy?" She hissed, walking closer to his desk. "And what about that Unbreakable Vow you made with Mrs. Malfoy?"
For a moment she swore she saw him surprised but changed quickly in hatred. He probably hated her more than ever before.
"I don't know what you're talking about. If you could refrain from acussing me of-"
"I think I won't refrain anymore. I know for a fact that you are not stranger to Unbreakable Vows. You did several with mom, didn't you?"
It looked like Snape was seizing her and his options because he didn't say a word for the next few minutes.
"Are you going to tell me that's a lie too? You were my mother's friend. You vowed to protect her."
Snape scoffed, "I vowed to protect her secrets."
Eliza sighed and rubbed her forehead, "Then tell me something. Why did my mother call Voldemort Tom? Why did he lock her away when he found out she was pregnant and why were you the first person she ran off to? What made you so special that she'd make you her Secret Keeper?"
"That doesn't concern you." He responded with a poker face. If she didn't know better, Snape was avoiding that subject like Ron was avoiding his feelings.
"Fine. Then tell me why is Voldemort showing me all these memories from all sorts of views?" She asked, knowing that definitely involved her.
He blinked owlishly but didn't say a word. Eliza grunted and rubbed her eyes, feeling like the faint throb in the back of her head will only increase with how annoyed she was.
"Fine. You made several Unbreakable Vows and you treasure your life. I will ask you differently. You were friends with my mother. Is that true?” She continued, that question already having a clear answer.
Snape sneered but answered anyway, "Yes."
She took a deep breath of air before she continued, “Does my mother have any connection with the witch that died several years ago, murdered by a muggle?”
Now, that question was tricky. She saw him narrow his eyes at her, thinking. In the end, he gave her the response she was looking for, "Yes."
“Are Ophelia and Tom Riddle part of the same family?” She started, the professor tensing visibly under her stare.
He opened his mouth but nothing came out. She was aware that he promised her mother not to divulge her heritage and agreeing or denying their family connection was exactly that.
Eliza raised an eyebrow and chuckled, grabbing her ring and playing with it while pacing around, “I shouldn’t be surprised that you do not have an answer to this question. Let me rephrase it. Did my mother have any connection to Tom Riddle?"723Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡabhHBzpALo
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"She did and she wasn't the only one."
That response was vague but Eliza was already halfway to the truth.
"Now that you finished this petty game, I'd recommend you to stop following Potter in his endeavors and leave Draco alone. He does not need your interfering."
"I heard Dumbledore is quite mad with you." She suddenly said, making Snape throw her a vicious look. "You tell me to stop interfering but that's exactly what you want to do. You offered assistance and Draco denied it. Now, it seems like whatever your role is in the Order is not enough. Are you losing your calm, professor?"
Snape tensed and he was very angry. She touched a very sensible subject without knowing the details and she was doing the opposite of what he advised her to. that was enough for Snape to throw her out.
However, going back to the common room, Eliza felt a sense of achievement. Maybe he didn't give her clear answers but she was smart enough to read between the lines. Unfortunately, she was almost sure her mother and Voldemort were somehow connected through blood and if that was true, Eliza hoped it was through a very, very distant family bond.
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