Thick Smoke

Furvus

The Quidditch game began an hour after she got her fair share of bullying that afternoon. Everyone was watching while the weather conditions outside kept worsening.

Eliza wasn't a huge fan of Quidditch, even if she liked playing and loved flying around; no, she chose to stay inside and wander the castle on her own. That was how she met Nearly Headless Nick again, right in front of the Great Hall.

"You knew my parents, didn't you?" she asked, taking a seat on the stone floor outside the Hall.

He nodded and floated in front of her.

"Who was my mother?" she asked curiously.

"She was a good witch, a good friend, done her fair share of mischief, but she also kept everything to herself." He stopped, knowing he shouldn't tell her any more than that, just as Dumbledore had requested.

"Sirius Black, James Potter, Remus Lupin and Peter Pettigrew. These names... what do they mean now compared to what they meant back then?" she asked slowly, putting her thoughts into words.

"Now, they are forgotten names of wizards who either fell victim to the Dark Lord or became traitors. Back then," the ghost chuckled bemusedly, "they were four young boys having fun and learning magic, just like you and the rest of the students are doing now."

"What about the Slytherins who became Death Eaters?"

That question came a little too close, and he wasn't prepared to disappoint Dumbledore. He tilted his head to the side before silently drifting through the wall, leaving the conversation behind and avoiding any questions regarding the Slytherins.

Eliza was on her way to the Common Room when she heard her name being called from the hall. Her head turned faster than her body, making her dizzy for a moment before she met Hermione's frightened face.

"Harry got attacked by a dementor!" she blurted out, speaking so quickly that Eliza barely understood her. "He's in the Hospital Wing now, but his broom broke," she continued while grabbing Eliza's hand and dragging her along.

"That is unexpected." Eliza wasn't particularly touched by Harry's unfortunate encounter with the dementor, and that was obvious from her tone. Hermione rolled her eyes before continuing towards the Hospital Wing.

There, the brunette wasn't quite sure why she had been brought along since all the other members of the team were already gathered around Harry's bed. Besides, he looked rather well for someone who had just encountered a dementor.

However, judging by the grateful smile that appeared on his face the moment she walked in, her presence seemed to mean far more to him than she had expected.

*****

It was the next day, when Harry got discharged, that he went looking for her. He was confused when he found Remus instead, who led him outside for a chat. The professor looked exhausted and seemed to want nothing more than to sleep.

Meanwhile, Eliza was writing her essay on the Second World War, which was a major event for muggles. From what she had found out, Russia and Germany represented a threat from the early stages, and Hitler was the man with the mustache who had killed more than half a population simply because they were Jewish; it was called the Holocaust.

"This man should have been hexed out of the picture," she mumbled while writing down a shorter version of what was written in the book.

"That would've been impossible." Someone responded, taking her by surprise.

Eliza quickly raised her head and looked around for the person who had spoken to her. It was a boy dressed in normal clothes, probably preparing for the upcoming break. She still couldn't believe how fast time had passed and how close Christmas already was.