The Marauders: Year Six #Wattys2017

Tell Me About Faere Dhu

Elphinstone looked truly concerned. "Well. That does sound like the Gaunt family, but... I'm afraid they're all either dead or imprisoned already. Last blood descendants of Slytherin, that family... so inbred, the last generation was... rather mad, really." He mused a moment, then, "But there's really no way Mr. Gaunt is of the same family. As I've said - they're all either dead or imprisoned... But muggle haters, the lot of them. Purists. Knew the wizard who arrested the last of them - he was the head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement before I was. Morfin Gaunt was the last of the family... killed a whole muggle family down in Little Hangleton and had the audacity to brag on having done it... He died in Azkaban back in '43."

Minerva murmured, "A true shame such a bloodline died out." Her voice dripped of sarcasm.

Elphinstone smirked.

That smirk nearly unseated her - the way it made his features crinkle and brought about the boyish charm she remembered him having when they were younger...

"I s'pose I ought to go to the headmaster with all of this. I appreciate your time, Mr. Urquart," she said, standing up stiffly.

"Of course, Minerva," he replied, nodding.

He stared at her and she back at him. She should be leaving, they both knew if she was going to that she should have by now, but there she sat, on the edge of that ottoman, staring at him, both their hearts beating a bit wildly and Elphinstone took several long moments before he got up the bravery to do it but he finally reached up a palm and stroked her cheek, his eyes staring right into hers and he whispered, "I am here for you. Anytime. Anything you need. Always, Minerva."

She closed her eyes.

He whispered. "I always have been. I always will be... This you know."

She opened her eyes and stared back into his.

Minerva whispered, "You know I canna do this, Elphinstone; you know what I've left in Faere Dhu." She touched his face gently and tears collected in her eyes. "I'm verra sorry, I shouldna have bothered ye with this... I shouldna have bothered ye at all!" She stood up, drawing her herself away from him.

If only she could snap her heart in two - if only she could stop the guilt that filled her whenever she thought of her past.

"Minerva, I --"

"No, Elphinstone. No."

Minerva hurried from the room, pulling closed the door behind her.

Elphinstone stared at the door and sighed heavily, turning back and grabbing his book from the table and flipping it open to the dogeared page, only to find that he could no longer concentrate.

Pleiades Gaunt had been in the room when Minerva McGonagall had been there. He had. He'd just returned through the floo, just stumbled in and had not yet had time to prepare himself for company. So he had stood in the shadows, having whispered nihil vedere and became utterly invisible, watching as McGonagall looked around the room. He'd seen the suspicion in her eyes, seen the lines of worry...

He followed her, afraid she would go to the Headmaster, afraid he'd be found out, sticking close to the shadows, his invisibility spell keeping her from spotting him... and he followed her into the office of Elphinstone Urquart, whose senses were too caught up with Minerva to notice the disturbance of the silent, invisible figure lurking there... but Pleiades Gaunt heard it all.

And it would never do to have Minerva McGonagall nosing about asking questions...

He had to see to it that she had reason to depart the school before he set his plans into motion.