Dark child

8

The Easter holidays weren't nearly as much as fun as the Christmas ones, because of a pile of homework teachers were giving them. Elara knew everything by heart but writing long essays were a waste of time and energy for her. Draco however, was busy with something that for the first time, he didn't seem to like to share with others and Elara didn't mind asking him. She was doing her best to finish her homework in order to make free time for visiting Severus. She stayed as much as possible around him to make sure he was safe. One morning Elara sat beside a very upset Draco, and was about to ask what's wrong when suddenly saw the house cups and her jaw fell off. Gryffindor was the last one while it was the first last time she checked out. Draco told her all about the Dragon story he'd found out from spying on Potter and his friends, and also about the detention Draco, Hermione, Harry and Neville had received.
"Now that explains the house cups." She muttered.
Several days passed and all that happened was Harry, Hermione and Neville getting shamed by the other Gryffindors for losing 150 points. One morning, notes were delivered to Harry, Hermione, Neville and also Draco at the breakfast table about their detention. Draco kept nagging all day long about the detention and all Elara's tries to cheer him up was in vain. She spent the night at Snape's office and didn't see Draco's white face when he came back from his detention and he never mentioned anything about the detention ever.

The exams arrived soon after the detention night. It was sweltering hot, especially in the large classroom where they did their written papers. They had been given special, new quills for the exams, which had been bewitched with an Anticheating spell.
They had practical exams as well. Professor Flitwick called them one by one into his class to see if they could make a pineapple tapdance across a desk. Professor McGonagall watched them turn a mouse into a snuffbox — points were given for how pretty the snuffbox was, but taken away if it had whiskers. Snape made them all nervous, except Elara, breathing down their necks while they tried to remember how to make a Forgetfulness potion.
Elara seemed to be passing all the exams with full marks. Now she had a week off before the results came out. She was cheerful to be free of exams and specially, to be able to stick to Severus more often. Severus totally gave up on trying to send Elara off and accepted the fact that she is not going away as long as Quirrell is lurking around the castle, making evil plans, at least, Elara thought so. They were walking in the corridors when they saw Potter, Granger and Weasley talking privately about something unknown.
Hermione saw them first and gasped. Harry and Ron wheeled around to face Snape.
"Good afternoon," Snape said smoothly.
They stared at him.
"You shouldn't be inside on a day like this," he said, with an odd, twisted smile.
"We were —" Harry began, without any idea what he was going to say.
"You want to be more careful," said Snape. "Hanging around like this, people will think you're up to something. And Gryffindor can't afford to lose any more points, can it?"
Harry flushed. They turned to go outside, but Snape called them back.
"Be warned, Potter — any more nightmare wanderings and I will personally make sure you are expelled. Good day to you."
Then Snape suddenly turned to face Elara and said "I was talking to you, too Miss Riddle. You should go outside and enjoy your free time."
Then he strode off in the direction of the staffroom.
Elara's jaw fell at how he just ditched her in front of other people and left the place after a couple of seconds.
"At least I can keep looking for the chamber of secrets I couldn't find by now." She thought. Hours passed without any success and Elara almost gave up. She entered an empty girl's bathroom to freshen up when she saw a little snake on the pipe...

Elara was amazed and also terrified at what she had just seen on the chamber of secrets on her way back to Slytherin's common room when she heard the news about Harry's fight with professor Quirrell over the sorcerer's stone. She was surprised that Harry had managed to kill Quirrell but released at the same time. Now she could stop body guarding her dad and the stone was destroyed. What could possibly go wrong to destroy her joy? But that question was answered much sooner than she thought, when at the next night she made her way with Draco down to the end-of-year feast.
Dumbledore started talking when Elara was thinking about whether she should tell someone about the chamber of secrets she had just found or not.
"Another year gone!" Dumbledore said cheerfully. "And I must trouble you with an old man's wheezing waffle before we sink our teeth into our delicious feast. What a year it has been! Hopefully your heads are all a little fuller than they were... you have the whole summer ahead to get them nice and empty before next year starts...
"Now, as I understand it, the house cup here needs awarding, and the points stand thus: in forth place, Gryffindor with three hundred and twelve points; in third, Hufflepuff, with three hundred and fifty-two; Ravenclaw has four hundred and twenty-six and Slytherin, four hundred and seventy-two."
A storm of cheering and stamping broke out from the Slytherin table. Elara saw Draco banging his goblet on the table after he gave her a high five.
"Yes, Yes, well done Slytherin," said Dumbledore. "However, recent events must be taken into account."
The room went very quiet. Elara exchanged confused looks with Draco.
"Ahem" said Dumbledore. "I have a few last-minute points to dish out. Let me see. Yes...
"First — to Mr. Ronald Weasley for the best-played game of chess Hogwarts has seen in many years, I award Gryffindor house fifty points."
Gryffindor cheers nearly raised the bewitched ceiling. When there was science again, Dumbledore continued "Second, to Miss Hermione Granger... for the use of cool logic in the face of fire, I award Gryffindor house fifty points."
Gryffindors up and down the table were beside themselves — They were a hundred points up.
"Third, to Mr Harry Potter ..." said Dumbledore. The room went deadly quite. "... for pure nerve and outstanding courage, I award Gryffindor house sixty points."
Elara added up quickly and found out Gryffindor now had four hundred and seventy-two points — exactly the same as Slytherin. They had tied for the house cup — if only Dumbledore had given Harry just one more point.
Dumbledore raised his hand. The room gradually fell silent.
"There are all kinds of courage," said Dumbledore, smiling. "It takes a great deal of bravery to stand up to our enemies, but just as much to stand up to our friends. I therefore award ten points to Mr Neville Longbottom."
Elara was feeling so mad at Dumbledore that she wanted to slap him in the face. Draco and Severus were so mad as well. She couldn't believe what just happened.
"Which means," Dumbledore called over the storm of applesauce, for even Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff were celebrating the downfall of Slytherin, "we need a little change of decoration."
He clapped his hands. In an instant, the green hangings became scarlet and the silver became gold; the huge Slytherin serpent vanished and a towering Gryffindor lion took its place. Snape was shaking professor McGonagall's hand, with a horrible, forced smile. Elara wasn't able to stand this madness anymore and left the feast immediately to the destination of her dad's office. Later that night, Severus came to her with bunch of food and dessert to eat together and forget about their terrible night.

At least she was happy to be back to their peaceful home again, where she was far away from all the noises of other students and could listen to Severus reading bedtime stories to her and cook meals and practice dancing with him, something she could never do at Hogwarts. She truly loved living with her dad and all she had ever wanted in her life was for Severus to love him, which luckily for her, he did so much <3