Restoration

Chapter Ten

***

-Then-

It was slightly suspicious when Nymphadora Tonks made a sharp turn, away from the Ministry of Magic. But Elara didn't question her, as she was taught to respect her elders. They had been swishing past the cloudy night sky for a while now, and Elara sleepily blinked into the moonlight behind her. She kept looking at Hogwarts until it seemed so distant, she couldn't tell anymore if the mighty castle even stood there in the first place.

They were escorted by fellow members of the second Order of the Phoenix, created by none other than Albus Dumbledore. Elara felt special for a moment, thinking they had all been sent for her, that she was something special, something too important to be kept at Hogwarts. She chuckled to herself, thinking she was as important as The Boy Who Lived.

Landing at what appeared to be a deserted and poorly kept house, they entered a mansion of some sort. The outside appearance concealed its glamourous inside decor, which made Elara feel as if she had entered a different era.

"I didn't know the Ministry...looked like this," she stuttered as she was takin it all in.

"It's not exactly owned by the Ministry," Tonks apologetically smiled at her, "but we will keep you safe nonetheless."

"Keep me safe? From what?" Elara turned around, noticing the concerned expression on Tonks face, who was trying to come up with an answer.

"Those who want to raise you differently," softy spoke Remus Lupin, a professor at Hogwarts. She hadn't even noticed he arrived with them, flying closely to Tonks at all times. Other members exchanged worried glances at each other, unsure how to speak with the young witch.

"Let's leave that for another day, shall we?" Lupin smiled at her, guiding her to her new chambers, which she didn't have to share with anyone else but her owl.

She spent the first few days exploring the never-ending house, secretly opening doors she wasn't meant to. Nothing interesting ever appeared to be stored inside, except for the kitchen, which magically worked on its own. The adults, who brought her there, watched over Elara day and night, whilst trying to teach her everything she would normally have been taught at Hogwarts. She grew to like Professor Lupin the most, as he would occasionally tell her the tales that spread at Hogwarts, giving crumbs to her hungry imagination. The others didn't tolerate her questions about the school, except for Tonks, who would always whisper her the current gossip and Quidditch results.

She begged and pleaded with them, wanting to send an owl to her friends at school. But every time they would come up with an excuse, mostly saying she can't tell anyone about her location. That didn't stop the red-haired child, as she vigorously kept on trying to sneak past them with a letter to one of the owls. It was none other than Professor Lupin who had taught all owls to bring the letter to him first, before flying away, and he intercepted all possible communication between Elara and the outside world, keeping the letters safe in one of his cupboards.

But Elara didn't have the slightest clue about it. It took her weeks to finally give up, thinking her friends had either forgotten about her or were angry with her because she never said her goodbyes. Her source of entertainment was restricted, as she was constantly surrounded by adults.

Closely following everyone and their routines, she knew exactly when they would change their turns of 'babysitting her', to the minute. She also knew that a visitor from outside her group of guardians would visit late at night for a meeting. They often discussed the Ministry of Magic and Hogwarts matters after she was sent to sleep, so she resorted to eavesdropping, which she perfected alongside her Slytherins. Quietly lowering an enchanted ear, attached to a string, she was able to listen to conversations held on the ground floor, while she secretly sat in the third floor's hallway.