Ink and Parchment ~ blood and bone

9

"The attacks have continued even though you have assured me before Eliza, surely you understand why I must do this" he said almost pleading her to understand, she was sure he would rest easier if she agreed.

"Do what?" Eliza asked her confusion not actually faked. Dumbledore heaved a sigh and Eliza didn't think she'd ever seen him look more his age than in that moment.

"For the safety of Hogwarts Eliza, I must expel you"

"What!" Eliza shouted feeling panic flood through her "you can't expel me sir, this is, Hogwarts is my home" she pleaded not even faking the tremble in her voice nor the terror in her eyes.

"You leave me with no choice-

"Under what grounds!" Eliza exploded standing up "because I'm a Slytherin? I'm not even related to the Slytherin lines, I have alibis, I-

"Please listen to me Eliza-

"No" Eliza said strongly and watched as he reeled back in shock. She wondered what he had seen in her to shock him that much. Probably something far away from the distraught little hero he had hoped for.

"You listen to me sir. If you expel me headmaster and then the attacks continue, which they will, you will be forced to come to terms with your own inherent bias and the fact that you expelled a completely innocent girl and left her to the wolves stripping her of the only place she had ever found a home" she said insidiously calm and watched his face pale further "And I don't think you want to do that" she finished lowly as he shook his head.

She smiled then and she knew it wasn't a pleasant one, it was a nasty thing with too many teeth and with too much threat of violence for a twelve year old. It had a bestial quality to it but at least that way Dumbledore would know it was real.

"Good day sir"

Eliza stormed out of the office releasing a shaky exhale of air as she calmed her racing heart. That had been too close. She would have to speed up some of her plans concerning Dumbledore, no doubt he would not be trusting her again after that.

So consumed in her thoughts Eliza didn't notice the Gryffindor girl in front of her until they barrelled into each other. The Weasley girl (could only be a Weasley with hair that red) let out a yelp when they banged into each other. Eliza tumbled back regaining her footing and feeling more annoyed by the minute. Weasley must have seen the growing murderous ire in her eyes and squeaked grabbing her fallen books and rushing down the corridor.

Eliza let out an exasperated sigh stopping in the corridor as she tried to calm herself down, it would do no good to return to her Slytherins angry, when she noticed the twit of a girl had left a book in the corridor. Eliza was debating whether or not to just leave the book where it was when she noticed something unusual about it.

Now Eliza wouldn't say she could see or sense most magic but she was intimately acquainted with her own, the way it snapped and coiled around her, the way it wrapped around her friends bringing comfort to all of them, the way it felt coursing through someone else's veins.

But she had never felt her magic react to anything the way it did about that book. It leapt and crackled through her veins, surging through her with such an intense curiosity Eliza didn't think she could ignore it if she wanted too. She picked up the black leather book from the floor and felt it almost pulse in her hands when it came into contact with her magic.

Eliza checked the empty corridor and then slid the book into her messenger bag. Right now she had to go and reassure her house that Dumbledore would certainly not be getting rid of her anytime soon. Her court always teased her on her mothering tendencies but they always conveniently forget that they were just as bad. The curious book was a problem for later.