Ella ○ Harry Potter

Sixty Two: Of Death and Men

His hand was nothing short of a lifeline for her as they entered the Headmaster's office. Dumbledore peered at them curiously, like the duo was a mystery he was still trying to figure out. He gestured for them to step farther into the office, and without a second thought the two sat down at the chairs in front of him.

"Hello Ella, Sirius. What brings you into my office at this time of the morning?"

The early morning's sun rays streamed through the window, and Fawkes was still lazily sleeping behind Dumbledore. The sun has just risen, Sirius figured, yet the two were tired as though it's been the longest day to ever rise upon this Earth. He'd feel like that in Azkaban, too.

"What brings you, sir?" Ella tilted her head, trying to sound casual. 

"Well, your father," he stared at her with electrifying blue eyes, his half moon spectacles sliding down his crooked nose. Her eyes widened, and she nodded silently. "Do you want me to get Severus?" Ella glanced at Sirius, and he shrugged, so Ella nodded.

"If he's awake, please," she said in a small voice.

Dumbledore turned to Fawkes and requested of him to get to Severus. Fawkes idly fixed his feathers, nibbled on Dumbledore's fingers, and took off. 

The trio sat in silence for a few moments, before Dumbledore turned to Sirius. "In the meanwhile, how about you finally get it off your heart?"

Sirius furrowed his eyebrows, but did, at last, say it. "Why the fuck did you not say a thing about me all these years in Azkaban?"

Dumbledore's lips twitched, and the two felt their blood boiling. "That is a good question, Mr. Black. Why do you think?"

"Honestly? I thought for a while that you didn't know any better, but then I realized you knew Peter was the secret keeper. You could've fought harder. You could've asked for proof I cast a killing spell. You sat there and let me rot there. You are--"

"I understand how you feel-"

"No! You don't! Ella told me everything, you ran off when they wanted to take you to Azkaban, Malfoy bragged how his father scared you off, so you have no bloody idea what I lived through! What Hagrid lived through and you allowed it, because your arse is more important than ours! You could've done more for me, for Lily and James, for Remus, for Harry! You must care for him!"

And at that moment, the trio all knew the truth. He didn't. They saw it in his eyes. 

"What game are you playing, Albus?" Sirius hissed through clenched jaw. Dumbledore lowered his gaze, and at that moment Snape hurried in. 

"You called, Headmaster?" he paused, looking at the two. "Ella, Black, what are you doing here?"

"Ella's dreamt about a man we all know well. All but her," Dumbledore disclosed. "She's dreamt of Regulus."

::

Ella was disturbed, they knew about her mind more than she did. They could dig freely through it, and they did it right then and there. 

"You know of your parents by now," Snape spoke softly, in a way Sirius never saw him do, not even with Lily. And Dumbledore's concern risen with every soft word, he did care for this girl, perhaps too much to allow her to be what they needed her to be. "But there are things you still don't know."

"I taught your mother," Dumbledore stated. "She was talented, in many ways. She spoke many languages, she traveled the world since she was young with her parents, and she had an inkling to dark magic. Much like your father did."

Snape glanced at him, "are you aware of what Inferi are?"

"They're kind of like zombies," Sirius replied to her next question. Ella nodded, eyebrow furrowed.

"Your father had an army of Inferi, but after creating a few realized how hard it is. It took a lot of power and time. But your mother..." Snape trailed off.

"She was a necromancer," Dumbledore informed. "Naturally very gifted in that area. She could speak to dead people, I found out around her sixth year," his eyes seemed to think of something beyond what any of the people in the room could grasp. "She used it against me, and other people, and of course, young Tom loved that. He'd send her letters almost everyday, and I saw her growing to love him more and more, to know that she will do anything for this man."

"Your father... The Dark Lord," Snape stammered, "he wasn't shy about the fact he allowed her to love him, we'd sit in meetings, and she'd always be by his side. Closer than anyone else. She'd be there along with his snake, and follow him anywhere. Your cousin, Bellatrix Lestrange," he gestured at Sirius, "she was jealous of how highly he regarded her. None of us know how physically close they were, but we all know, they were... intimate, at least once. To conceive you. When your mother became pregnant, though she was on the older side, she was regarded as a queen amongst us. He wanted us to treat her like that, and she prospered.

"One day, I was called upon them, and he asked me to take inferi to a mission. He asked her to create how many I see fit for this mission. I saw it then, I learnt about the process. It takes a lot more than your mother has done to create one Inferius. She created a dozen in minutes."

"But..." Ella couldn't say much more, trying to wrap her head around it.

"What does that have to do with her seeing my brother?" Sirius demanded.

"Well, it seems that just like her father wanted, she is a necromancer as well." Dumbledore stated easily. "And I still don't know why, but apparently, your brother is her gate to the other world."

All of their eyes snapped to Ella, who stood up shakily. 

They all knew what she was thinking about.

"I must warn you, Ella, this magic comes with a price. At best times, it chips away at your sanity--"

"I have became insane long ago, sir." Was all she said, before she smiled happily. "If this magic takes away my sanity for good, all the better."