The nightmare shook her up more than she expected. She was staring at her untouched food, she was making a lot of mistakes in class and she almost lost another 30 points in Potions if it wasn't for Blaise.
"Are you alright? You're making a lot of mistakes lately and I can't save your ass for longer." Zabini muttered after class.
"Then don't. I'm sure Malfoy waits for a chance to make fun of me." She snarled as she grabbed her bag and walked towards the door.
"He's surprisingly silent when the girls talk about you." He informed, making her roll her eyes.
"Wow. I didn't even appear in the newspaper yet and spend precious time gossiping about me." She retorted sarcastically.
Blaise chuckled, "Not yet."
She wasn't worrying about that with how anonymous was her family name. Still, why was she having that nightmare? It couldn't be a memory because Ophelia was in hiding back then so who was the traitor? Who was spying on them?
"It's frustrating!" She moaned, stomping her feet on the ground.
"Are you alright?"
Eliza could recognize that voice anywhere.
"Cedric. I'm surprised you can see anything except your girlfriend." She started bitterly.
Eliza wasn't really angry but she was stressed and her nights were spent lately with Furvus, scratching him while waiting for the hours to pass.
"I can see you well in the halls. You're always hurrying somewhere. I also noticed the black kitten lurking around you." He said, sounding very pleased with himself.
The brunette calmed down and looked up into his sparky eyes, "Sorry. It's just really hard to sleep these days and Potions..."
That seemed to make sense. Cedric walked with Eliza until they got in front of the Great Hall. People were staring at a howler that was screaming stuff at Hermione.
"Well, see you around." Cedric muttered before going to his table.
Eliza went and sat down next to the bushy haired girl. The howler stopped by now and silence fell between them.
"So you're still getting hate-mail?" Eliza started like it was nothing.
Hermione sighed but Eliza noticed her hands twitching under the table, "That's not important. Last night, Krum was stunned by Barty Crouch and then he disappeared." The bushy haired girl whispered.
Eliza froze. She could still hear Malfoy's voice saying that name. Then, she remember Crouch's son had been locked in Azkaban for being in the wrong place at the wrong time. But what if he wasn't? What if he was supposed to be there?
For the rest of the day, she couldn't concentrate where she was going moreover what was being discussed around her. They had Divination later on and Eliza arrived there earlier than expected, by coincidence.
"Ah, my dear Eliza. Come in, come in. You're here quite early, had something happened?" Professor Trelawney asked as she tilted her head to the side and leaned closer, watching Eliza through her big round spectacles.
For a second, brief minuscule second, Eliza genuinely considered telling Trelawney about her dream but decided not to.
"Nothing happened, professor." She responded, taking a seat as far as possible from the professor.
The others came in a few minutes later and Seamus sat next to her while Neville and Dean sat in front of them. From their bored expressions, they were more than happy to get it over with and do something else. The room was warm and the whole atmosphere felt done for hypnosis. Professor Trelawney lifted from under her chair a miniature solar system, contained with a glass dome. It looked entrancing, especially when she was pointing out stuff between the planets.
"I think I'll fall asleep any minute now," Seamus said before he yawned. He glanced at Eliza but the brunette was staring at the miniature without blinking. "Hey. Are you alright? You look scary like that."
But Eliza didn't respond. She entered this mesmerizing corner in her mind and couldn't- or didn't want to wake up.
"You don't know anything! You have no idea what it feels like!" That was definitely Ophelia voice. She was screaming at a man that looked a lot older than she was.
The man didn't say anything but signed to two other men behind him, "Lock her in her room." He finally said.
Eliza shuddered at the coldness in his voice. It felt like he was breathing ice and instead of scattering through the room, it was going straight at Eliza.
Ophelia was squirming in their holds with amazing power but that didn't help much. The two men dragged her through a door in the far left and she started to scream.
"You won't have her! You won't have the chance to even look at her! I hate you!"
It was terrifying and Eliza was confused what was happening exactly. Her answer came when Belatrix Lestrange walked inside the room.
"She's not going to tell us anything about the others. Maybe we should try torture, my Lord. I would be more than happy to-" She stopped in her tracks and looked scared.
"You do not touch her." He hissed, showing anger for the first time. "What about Lucius? Has he found anything at the Ministry?"
"He's still looking my lord." She responded, her wide eyes looking down at her hands. She was really submissive now.
A sudden crash upstairs surprised Eliza. She let the two in the hall and walked up the stairs, the same way they went with Ophelia. The noise was getting louder as she was getting closer, until finally Eliza arrived in front of the door towards the attic.
Ophelia was leaning against the locked door, crying, "I hate you, Tom. I regret ever meeting you. I regret everything, so much blood, so much!"
Eliza froze. It was heartbreaking yet at the same time, hearing Ophelia say Tom's name was even more shocking. That meant the man downstairs was Tom but Belatrix was completely submissive and terrified of him. Tom's voice was so cold and it reminded her of the voice she's been dreaming for her whole life.
Eliza turned around quickly and ran back into the large hall. No one was there anymore and the curtains were drawn. Eliza felt a chill down her spine and spun around, coming face to face with those icy blue eyes.
"Voldemort." She whispered before a flash of green blinded her.
Her green eyes suddenly opened, surprising whoever was standing beside her bed.742Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8jJoPsPcwt
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“You scared me, Molley.” He mumbled, his eyes scanning the room like he wasn’t supposed to be there.742Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNWFQjW1wIq
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“What are you doing here?” She asked, looking around. "Where am I?"742Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9x19hyyTBb
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“You fainted during Divination. You should have seen Potter's face when you called for me.” He mumbled bemusedly, shifting in his seat. “You were saying my name in your sleep.” He continued, feeling extremely uncomfortable now that she was awake.742Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoVUkKXRlID
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Eliza’s eyes moved on him, remembering her dream and what Malfoy she was probably calling out for. But she couldn’t tell him that and from what she could see, he didn't know anything.742Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwBNWc7WVva
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“Well, you can leave now. It’s not like what happens to me matters or bothers you in any way.” She sighed before getting up and leaning against the mattress.
He left but her Gryffindor classmates entered a few minutes later. Lavender sat next to her while the rest scattered all around the bed.
"You should have seen your eyes...not blinking and staring ahead as if you were stunned. And then, you just screamed and fainted on my shoulder. Besides, Harry-"
Eliza's eyes widened, "What happened to Harry?"
"He fainted too, " Neville answered, looking far more worried than the rest. "But he woke up unlike you. He's fine, only got a headache."
She licked her lips and lied back, feeling mentally tired.
"By the way, exams are coming and we thought we could, you know, borrow your notes in Potions." Seamus added, getting a light hit from his best friend. "We are very desperate to pass without getting poisoned or worse." He continued, everyone nodding along.
Eliza chuckled and agreed.
Eliza got back in the common room a lot later, it was almost midnight. She found the trio still speaking and Harry filled her in with everything new. Of course, that meant she had to tell them why she fainted as well.
"It was my mom. I don't know what's her connection to Voldemort. She got dragged and locked in her room because she wouldn't agree with him. She was crying so much, it was heartbreaking."
Harry seemed to understand that better than anyone. He didn't say anything afterwards but wrote her dream in his letter as well.
Exams really came quick and the last one was right on the day of the third Task. Eliza saw Harry researching hexes in the library and chuckled to herself.
On the day before the third task, something strange happened. She had the same dream as the one in Divination but instead of going back into the hall, Eliza walked right through the door, entering Ophelia room.
She gasped when she saw how blank it was. She had absolutely nothing which only meant she hadn't lived there for more than a few weeks. Ophelia was pacing in front of the window instead of crying and she looked worried. At long last, an owl flew inside through the window and Eliza had to raise on her tip toes in order to read it over Ophelia's shoulder.
I find it outrageous that you did not inform me first about your pregnancy. You can come and hide here for the time being but I expect you will not expose me. That fickle minded boyfriend of yours already knows and I will not accept him inside my house. For me to be your Secret Keeper, you need to follow exactly what I say. I'll be waiting- Severus.
Severus?!
Eliza gasped. She looked at her mother's relieved face before reading the letter again. That fickle minded boyfriend of yours already knows. He must have meant Sirius. What did he know? That she was pregnant? Was that even a secret?
Eliza woke up with even more questions and she couldn't even revise properly. She walked past a classroom and heard someone rambling about a solution or something. The brunette was ready to sneak in and eavesdrop when she saw blond hair walk around the corner.
"Molley!" He screamed, looking quite please about something.
Eliza glanced at the classroom but it became silent.
“Well? Is Potter ready to lose?” He asked, making small talk for some unknown reason.
“He’s done well until now. He will definitely not lose.” Eliza mumbled, biting her bottom lip in concentration.742Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqRXmtpArih
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Now that she was thinking about it, it did go quite smoothly for Harry. If anyone wanted to kill him, they were doing a very poor job because everyone around him were trying to help.
“It’s been suspicious from the day his name got picked by goblet.” Malfoy continued, sneering at the end yet he wasn’t wrong at all.742Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4tG3lP4Pg8
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Eliza’s eyes widened, “You’re right. It is suspicious how everyone suspicious did nothing.”742Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdqiSHkLTfc
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She was moving around, pacing back and forth actually, sharing her ideas and getting Malfoy entangled into her little web. Someone was playing with Harry, making him a pawn in a wicked game.
"What if he didn't mean for Harry to die?" She wondered, "What if there's something else going on? He's not stupid at all and if he has orders, he'll act exactly like his master wants." She continued, rubbing her chin thoughtfully. "Suspicious things happen around the castle that are not connected to Harry at all..."
"What are you talking about? Have you finally gone bonkers after spending time with Weasley?" Draco chuckled but Eliza couldn't hear him.
“I have to see Snape,” She stated out of nowhere.742Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5FJlgCPsM4
That was the sole reason why he followed her when she ran, her intention to get as fast as possible to the dungeons. Unfortunately, having Draco right behind was grabbing unnecessary attention. Eliza was ready to turn the corner towards the stairs when someone grabbed her hand and pulled her back harshly.742Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv3AOMocY5y
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“What are you doing Malf-“742Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfu7I2HfYUk
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Once she turned her head around, she didn’t see a boy but a man, one that had one eye roll while the other was glaring at her.742Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4CTYwF5ra7
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“Let’s have a chat, shall we?”
“You’re not Alastor Moody, are you?” She started, being roughly taken into the Astronomy Tower.742Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVNoLK76MW6
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“We’re not there yet, little girl,” His voice was definitely different from the usually angry voice of Moody. If anything, he sounded quite crazy, more like a psychopath than before.742Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHdj6D0XVlT
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Because he was pushing her from behind, Eliza couldn’t see him well until the moment he literally threw her inside the Astronomy Tower. That was the moment she took a good look at his face and saw skin differences. Clearly, whoever he was looked nothing like Moody.742Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVRVnSsLiGG
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“I tried to keep you safe, you know,” He started, using the closest object as a seat. “But you are just so keen on finding out the truth.” He searched inside his jacket for the bottle he was carrying around before taking it out and drinking from it.742Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdG9sARR2LI
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“That’s a potion, isn’t it? That’s why you need to drink it regularly,”742Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuFw6iGHLTp
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He stopped and sighed heavily, “Polyjuice Potion; never disappoints,” He commented before putting the bottle back and getting up. “Your relationship with Draco Malfoy surprised me, I have to say. After all, his father helped find Ophelia during her little runaway. I had high hopes for you, Eliza, but it seems you don’t want to live a long life.”742Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4rR40X4Fey
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“Because I don’t want to kill? Excuse me for not being a cold blooded Death Eater.” She hissed, looking just like a cat ready to lash at a stranger. “You did it, didn’t you? You got Harry’s name in the goblet for some sadistic reason.”742Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8kAcXTcRoI
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“You still don’t know who I am, do you?” He asked bemusedly, his tongue again licking the side of his mouth while his nose got back to Moody’s. “Does the name Barty Crouch tell you something?”742Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj2d6b6DcKI
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Eliza’s green eyes widened yet not because she was surprised but because he told her that himself. He wasn’t stupid so why was he openly giving out his real identity?
“You know I can go to Dumbledore and tell him the truth right now,” She started, taking one step towards the door. He copied her action only he walked towards her rapidly and hovered over her.742Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEKh10QEOE4
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“You won’t. You want to find out who was your mother, don’t you? And most importantly, what was her connection to Voldemort.” He was taunting her.742Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW1TXajdGfw
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“She wasn’t a Death Eater. She hated him.” At least she knew that for sure.742Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu7bK0RJLgM
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“She didn’t have to. Ophelia was never supposed to be a Death Eater as long as she would accept every mission given to her. And then, she ran away when he found out the truth.” He was very chatty for a man who was trying to mess with her life.742Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFK9ip0cyhO
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“What is the truth?” She asked, getting lured into his words.742Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfi84ZK02kn
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The false Moody chuckled and leaned back, grabbing his wand before pointing it at her. 742Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRtsufhQK8w
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“That is a story for him to tell you,” He smirked before screaming, ”Crucio!” Sending her a few feet back, her eyes widen in horror as she just got hit with the Cruciatus cruse.742Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmQsbley4CB
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Eliza’s spine bent upwards, her hands trembling and her legs feeling like jelly. The pain was real and unknowingly to her, it was only the beginning.
Eliza Black was unconscious for the whole time of the third and last task of the Triwizard Tournament. She wasn’t aware of anything that might or might not have happened during the maze because she has been unconscious for the next five days.742Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRXufkwbVZO
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“Do you know who attacked her?” Hermione asked, sitting next to Eliza’s sleeping body.742Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡifmZpnl4ib
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“Probably Barty Crouch Jr.” Ronald mumbled, getting one jelly from the multitude she had at her feet. "Sirius must be really mad. He looked like he was going to bite someone when he saw her on the bed, unconscious."742Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0jrwj6Cpht
"But why did he attack her? Is it possible she found out the truth?" Hermione asked Harry who looked as confused as everyone.742Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgAzpy7Ek4B
When Harry Potter got in the Hospital Wing, Eliza was already there, found in the hall by Dobby. That took everyone aback, especially Sirius. However, if he looked mad, Harry was surprised to see Eliza's black cat look ready to kill whoever attacked her.
“Do you think she knows?” Hermione asked warily.742Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡipz10gJ58Y
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“I know what I have seen, Hermione. It was him. He’s back and Pettigrew told him she’s alive.”742Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPOgrkSswrf
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Harry’s eyes were locked on Eliza’s face. He could still hear Dumbledore’s words:742Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡui10xplf9l
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Eliza shall never know her connection to Voldemort, especially because it is not hers but her mother’s.742Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM2iMn7vZME
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He wasn’t sure what that was supposed to mean but he wanted to find out. Eliza was his friend.
“Eliza, Eliza please wake up.”742Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqd6it6EnB6
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That was a voice she almost forgot she knew: Ophelia’s. Once Eliza opened her eyes, her mother’s face appeared in front of her with a bright smile.742Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3HXAjG43fW
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“My daughter, you look just like a mix of me and Sirius.” She chuckled, her own green eyes beaming with happiness.742Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡujnK3W3Dx1
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“What happened to me?” The younger girl asked her mother, her chest hurting like nothing she ever felt before.742Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHOUf53nfQc
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“You had been hit with the cruciatus curse but you’re alright. It just takes your body longer to forget the pain but the actual pain is gone,” Her voice was soft. “Listen to me Eliza, you have to protect yourself because no one else will. You are alone no matter how many friends you make. You will always be alone.”742Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyQT7YVaYX5
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“That doesn’t sound positive at all.”742Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQcbE5Evr7I
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Ophelia couldn’t help but chuckle at her daughter’s response. It was like looking at herself in the past. If Eliza was going to take the same path she was going to live through bigger pains than the deadly curses.742Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs1q5CQAXn3
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“Do you trust me, Eliza?” Ophelia asked just like in the other dreams, her voice echoing around.742Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡywHb2euqci
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“Vaguely,” The student responded, her mother frowning. “How can I trust you when everything I know about you for sure is that you are my mother?”742Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT47nz3hwMF
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“Then trust Severus,” She started, her eyes narrowing slightly in concentration. “Trust Severus and Lucius; they have saved you before and will do it again. But Liz, you only protect yourself - no one else, not even Harry. You are alone and no one can help you but yourself.” She was careful to emphasize that word that Eliza disliked: alone.742Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxeOzSafn2N
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It was a gloomy morning when Eliza opened her eyes. The trio wasn’t there unfortunately, no one was. Then her mother's advice rung through her ears:Trust Severus and Lucius; they have saved you before and will do it again. Now, how did that happen?
