Chasing Love

Chapter Thirty-Eight - Patronus

Eliza cleared up all of her belongings and placed them into her bag, looking around she realised that her and Cedric were the last in the room. "Are you coming, El?"

Shaking her head, she told him, "I need to talk to professor, I'll see you later."

"That works out well, I need to sort out some new Quidditch tactics." Cedric smiled at her as he walked out of the classroom.

Smiling weakly, she waited a few minutes before knocking on Lupin's door where he was sat writing. "Eliza! Is there anything I can help you with?"

"Yes, Professor, sir I was hoping you could teach me the Patronus charm."

Lupin's smile fell as he stared at the girl in front of him, "I cannot Eliza, only powerful witches and wizards can do that charm."

"I know you're teaching Harry." Eliza told him.

A chuckle escaped his mouth as he walked round his desk, "You are very like your aunt."

"I keep hearing her screams. I have nightmares about them every night, I wake up scared, I can't fall asleep most nights. Please Professor."

He stared at her, pain in his eyes, "Evelyn was a marvellous woman, she was strong and stubborn, she was very good at the charm." Lupin then pulled a large cupboard out and closed the office door. "Are you sure you want to do this?"

"Yes, I am certain that I want to do it." Eliza pulled her wand out and stared forward.

"Think of you happiest moment and then you should be able to produce your patronus." Suddenly a dementor came out and Eliza thought about the day her and Cedric became girlfriend and boyfriend - nothing came out of her wand and the dementor got bigger and bigger as it came towards her. "Expecto Patronum." Lupin shouted and it disappeared, "Have some chocolate." 

The two of them sat down as she ate a couple of pieces of chocolate. "I was thinking about Cedric." Eliza admitted to him.

"Your boyfriend?"

"How do you know if you love someone?" Eliza asked him.

"When you can't stop thinking about them, that you fill up with happiness whenever you're around them, that when you're busy doing something you still think about them . And most of all you know it, you know with your entire body that you love them."

Nodding, Eliza stood up, "Come on, it's time I do it again."

"Are you sure Eliza? You can do it again another day."

"Absurd, I'll do it now." Eliza held her wand out in front of her and waited for the dementor to appear. "Expecto Patronum." She thought about making pranks with the twins, the three of them laughing loudly at each other, and then a small wisp of light came out of her wand. Eliza smiled to herself and then at Lupin, "Almost there!" 

Lupin passed her some chocolate, "Are you going to leave it now?"

"Give up? Give up when I'm so close to succeeding? Of course not." Eliza shook her head. "How dare you say that!" Under her breath she repeatedly muttered "Give up! Hah, never."

"Don't tire yourself out Eliza!" Lupin warned her.

"One more time!" She shouted to him before yelling "Expecto Patronum." Eventually she thought about flying around the Quidditch pitch, her hair being blew back by the wind, and then flying towards her was Wood - Oliver Wood. He was laughing and grinning at her as the two quickly flew around the pitch. Eliza opened her eyes and saw a bright lioness come out of her wand and make the dementor fly away. 

Lupin clapped his hands loudly and grinned at her, "You've done it! Well done Eliza, that was brilliant."

"What was Evelyn like?" Eliza asked as the two sat down on the steps.

He chuckled as he thought back to his days at Hogwarts, "She was something different. She didn't care that she was put in Gryffindor, whenever someone said anything bad about one of her friends she would defend them with everything she had. We were the best of friends, Evelyn, Lily, James, Peter, Sirius and I."

"Did Sirius love her?" 

Lupin stared at Eliza, "I believe he did, you should have heard him - he was always talking about her, about how beautiful she looked, about how clever she was - I believe he was very much in love with her."

"Do you think it was him that betrayed her?"

"I don't know, I hope it wasn't. But he betrayed Lily and James so it wouldn't be much of a surprise if he did."

"Then he didn't truly love her." Eliza told him. "If you love someone then you would never betray them, no matter what." 

"Is that how you feel about Cedric?" Lupin asked her, "Or did you have someone else in mind?"

Eliza stood up and smiled at him, "I should go, I need to go to the common room and finish all my homework. Oh and by the way Professor, I know the full moon is coming up, so I wish you luck with that." 

Remus smiled as she walked out of his office and into the corridor, the similarities between the two Gryffindor Dawlish's were astonishing. All he hoped was that Eliza had a different outcome to her aunt. 

Sat in the common room, Eliza completed her homework but her mind was elsewhere. Oliver walked into the room and glanced over at the brunette and sent her a small smile. She missed him, her heart longed to be near him again. They were once great friends and now they were nothing but teammates. 

Oliver sat in the corner and watched her, he wanted to talk to her, he wanted to tell her everything, but he couldn't. He had promised himself he would let her be happy, she would live her life and he would live his.