Elektra Black I

Chapter 4 | 12 Long Years

Remus carried her into the Antechamber of the Great Hall soon after being told to do so by Dumbledore. Potter had joined at the request of Remus himself. If he could have them both in the same place, in a quiet and safe spot, that would help lower Remus' stress levels dramatically and give Dumbledore one less thing to deal with. Sirius Black in the castle, he thought angrily, carefully putting down Elektra onto the nearest cushioned seat. Harry sat down next to her, tugging on his school jumper in frustration. If there was one thing that Harry and El had in common, it was the same sort of fire inside them that burned so bright, a fire that wanted to burn Black to the ground.

"Will she be alright?" Harry asked hopefully, glancing at Remus, who paced next to the line of paintings that hung on the stone wall. Remus did not know the correct answer to that question. Of course, she was to wake up, maybe feel a little light-headed, but in the grand scheme of things- he had no idea. 

"Yes." He bluntly answered, swiftly pacing back over to El. "Are you alright, Harry?" Remus asked, looking directly into the eyes of someone he once knew. Lily Potter's eyes. Sadness overwhelmed him instantly, and he felt his heart grow increasingly heavy. Harry nodded slowly, just as El started moving. "She's waking up!" Harry stuttered, moving his body round to watch her. Remus delved deep into his brown trouser pocket and pulled out something triangular shaped and wrapped in shiny foil. 

"Chocolate. It'll make you-" Remus began talking, shoving the piece of chocolate into El's view, "Feel better. Thanks, Willy Wonka." El fluttered her eyes open and gently smiled at Remus. Harry laughed subtly at El's sarcastic remark about a Muggle film character as Remus rolled his eyes. "Just eat it, would you?" He chuckled, watching her unwrap the sweet delight. Remus always had the best chocolate on hand, and to El's sadness, he never let on where he had got it from. "Sorry for fainting. I- I suppose I panicked! I was in detention, and Filch let me out late hence my arrival. I was scared that maybe if I had been a few more minutes later, I would be-" Remus quickly shushed her, putting a hand on her knee to comfort her. "It does not matter anymore. You are here. Safe. Both of you are." He smiled up at her as she glanced towards Harry. Perfect. "Ah, Potter...Fancy seeing you here. Is this the 'I have a murderous family member club'?" She smirked, leaning back against the plump red couch. She was back to her usual tricks, at least!

After what seemed like a lifetime, Dumbledore had finally come down to retrieve them all, smiling with glee. "He is no longer in the castle. Nor is he in any common rooms or classrooms. He has simply..." He clasped his two hands together and then pulled them apart straight after, "Vanished!" Harry sighed with relief before momentarily getting up off of the couch. "I will kindly ask you, Remus, to walk them both back to their common room. The Fat Lady has been found, hiding within another painting." Dumbledore oddly chuckled to himself. "He is no longer here. I shall cancel classes for the next few days, and as I have told the Head of Houses, pupils are required to stay in their common rooms until further notice." Remus nodded his head in agreement, but El was not pleased. "WHAT? You can't do that! I need fresh air and-" Remus glared at her, which worked wonders for shutting El up. "Sorry." She mumbled, sitting up in her seat. "Right, you two. Up and out!" Remus sighed, motioning them towards the door.

The walk back up to the Gryffindor common room was quite exciting. Her father had just been sighted on these very stairs only an hour ago. The question on everyone's minds- how did he escape unnoticed? Only one person knew just how Sirius Black may or may not have escaped from not only Azkaban, but now Hogwarts itself was Remus Lupin. Remus was troubled inside of his mind. Fighting demons of his own every day. He held valuable information, and as selfish as it was, he couldn't tell anyone. Although his friend was monstrous, a small part of him swore to keep the secret. All three of them were Animagi. All three could turn into an animal at will. Remus had every plan to keep a lookout for a rather large black shaggy animal, but that was something he wanted to do alone for a strange and selfish reason. Guilt was an emotion that overcame him often. These were friends that turned themselves into animals for him! For his welfare and the sake of brotherhood, they went through a long tiresome transformation of their own. Sirius may have been a traitor, but he meant a great deal to Remus once upon a time.