Thick Smoke

Back to Hogwarts

"Have you packed already?" Remus asked as he entered her room two days later. She nodded, checked her watch, then grabbed Willy's cage and hurried downstairs.

"I'm leaving!" she called before using Floo powder to travel to Platform Nine and Three-Quarters.

Just like last year, the station was crowded with students and their parents, all saying goodbye for the school year—or at least until the first break. Eliza had grown taller over the holidays, likely because she had reached another stage of puberty. The change was evident in her posture and the way her body had begun to develop.

"Excuse me! Excuse me!" she repeated, just as she had the first time she stepped onto the platform, searching for somewhere to hide. This time, however, she was looking for her friends, her face bright with an enthusiasm that hadn't been there the previous year.

Once aboard the train, she went in search of Hermione, eager to tell her everything she had learned about Muggles and their ingenious ways of getting work done without actually doing it themselves. She had also spent a considerable amount of money on utensils and electronics, starting with her new phone—something she didn't really need but thought was fun.

"Have you heard? They say they still haven't found the culprit from the World Cup."

Eliza heard someone whispering from one of the compartments she had just passed. Now that she was paying attention, she noticed that many of the students were discussing the same event.

"What happened?" the brunette asked when she finally found the trio.

"Eliza!" Hermione exclaimed, pulling her friend into a warm hug.

After spending so much time with Sirius, Eliza had loosened up considerably and had grown to welcome human interaction. She was happy to accept a hug from anyone.

"So? What happened?" Eliza asked again after sitting beside Harry, across from Hermione.

"The Mark of You-Know-Who appeared at the Quidditch World Cup, and Death Eaters attacked everyone there," Harry answered, still feeling a chill run down his spine at the memory of the sign.

"And what did the Ministry do about it?" Eliza asked curiously.

"They're stressed. My father's been working overtime because of it," Ron replied before slumping in his seat.

Eliza studied Ron's face, then looked over at Hermione.

"What's wrong with him?"

"Malfoy passed by."

That suddenly made sense. From what she had heard and seen at Hogwarts, Draco Malfoy loved flaunting his pure-blood status in front of half-blood and Muggle-born students. He also seemed to take particular pleasure in annoying the Weasleys.

A heavy silence settled over the compartment, so Eliza quickly changed the subject.

"The Quidditch World Cup, huh? I heard it was amazing. Dad complained for a while, but he couldn't really attend—not even as an Animagus."

"How was summer with him?" Harry asked.

The green-eyed girl sighed and rubbed her back, remembering how proactive her father had been.

"Remus dropped me off at the beginning of the break. Dad really wants to make up for the time he was gone, but I feel like he's gone about it the wrong way... Sudden duels, sudden lessons, and a lot of other things based on his reasoning that I should be prepared, just in case," she replied.

Harry grinned at the thought, while Hermione and Ron exchanged a glance.

"Just in case of what?" Hermione asked, confused.