Thick Smoke

Expecto Patronum

Days weren't going well. Weeks were passing with nothing but stress for Eliza. The interview she read in The Quibbler didn't affect her at all but when Harry caught her alone in the common room and told her his recent dreams with Voldemort, Eliza's reaction was peculiar.

"Who was there with him? Rookwood, you said?" She asked with a poker face.

"Yes. You don't seem surprised." Harry said a bit taken aback by her behavior.

"I have no reason to be. We both knew this would happen from the moment he surfaced."

It was quite worrying how she wouldn't express her emotions anymore. If anything, it looked like she was secretly doing Occlumency.

Eliza tried. She asked Snape to teach her too but he was vehement on not touching her mind.

"Is it because you'd see mom's face again? Or maybe you're scared of what I dream?" She snapped after one of their lessons.

Snape glared at her but didn't give her the response she wanted, "If you want to do something reckless then you may as well use Potter's mind to give the Dark Lord a glimpse of where you are and what you do." He said in a low, dangerous voice.

"I'm not Harry. My mind doesn't work like his. I can take Occlumency ser-"

"No." Snape hissed. He looked like he was ready to use the cruciatus curse on her just for his personal enjoyment.

Eliza glared at her professor and slammed the door shut behind her. She was so angry that she hoped she'd meet a Slytherin and curse him until she calmed down. No one was around yet; she glanced once or twice over her shoulder, feeling like someone was watching her.

Next day, she was feeling ready to curse some Slytherins. Her dreams of her mother became slightly different as if she was seeing it from a different point of view. That was a very good cause for stress in her case because she was sure the new point of view was Voldemort's yet she was sure she wasn't going through the same dream state as Harry.

McGonagall was quite worried when she saw Eliza's pale face in her class.

"Molley, stay behind."

Eliza gathered her books and walked to her professor's desk, her right leg still in pain from her last training session. McGonagall looked at her student with a soft, motherly glint and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, grasping it softly.

"Are you alright? You look exhausted."

"I'm fine professor," She started softly, her tired eyes showing the opposite, "This year's been very hectic from reasons you know."

It wasn't a secret that McGonagall probably knew what was happening in her house.

"Don't force yourself, Molley. You are not your mother and will never be."

The Transfiguration professor seemed genuinely worried. The green eyed witch smiled and nodded.

The same day, during dinner, she was listening to Dean and Seamus discussing about the ten Death Eaters when noise from the entrance Hall became louder and louder. Students walked out, curious what was happening but Eliza stayed in the back. Professor Trelawney looked horrible and two large trunks were standing at her feet. Umbridge was there as well and she looked incredibly content with herself.

"She's crying." Eliza mumbled, feeling dejected for not having any power to fight back against that pink buffoon.

"I believe she's doing a favor to the school, actually." Malfoy sneaked behind her, watching everything like it was soap opera, "We weren't learning anything useful anyway." He continued, laughing when McGonagall hurried to her colleague's aid.