Sirius Black is in the castle or at least he was.
Eleanor touched the ruins of the scratched up painting that guarded the opening to the Dormitory where the fat lady used to be. Her eyes slowly fell to the ground as she did. The scratches looked to be made by some wild beast. A monster.
Eleanor knew Sirius Black was coming when she was at Hogsmeade village, she knew it but she was too late as he had raced faster than she did to come back. If it wasnt for Remus who took her nephew for a walk, Black could have gotten Harry. He could have been killed and she wouldn't have been there to protect him.
"Professor Adler," Said filch from behind her. "Headmaster Dumbledore sends you to your chamber immediately."
Eleanor turned around staring hardly at the caretaker of Hogwarts. "I'm not tired."
"Its not a request." He spits out with an annoyed tone.
With a frown Eleanor passed by the scraggly man, even though she didnt want to belive it, she knew why Dumbledore would send her to her chamber unlike any of the other staff members. If Sirius Black was in the castle he could easily be hunting for not just Harry but her as well.
Eleanor walked as Filch walked behind her under dumbledores orders to make sure she gets to her room safely. Once she reached her door he was grateful to leave as his cat followed behind.
It was unnoticed until Eleanors eyes had dropped to the door that was already creaked open.
Her door was always shut and locked.
Why was it open?
In her mind, she was telling herself to get filch who already left the corridor completely, but her actions did the opposite. As her wand was in hand and the other pushing open the door.
The slow creek of the door had risen her anxiety, eyeballing the room before stepping in completely.
She looked around, everything seemed to be in place but there was a sense of movement with her belongings.
Someone had definitely been in her room.
Her eyes followed a trail of clues, the usual neat bed spread looked to have an indent at the end of the bed, like someone was sitting down. Across from the bed was a dresser where a framed photo had been misplaced by lying down instead of standing up, it was a photo of Her and James, James was giving fourth year Eleanor a piggyback ride. Eleanor squinted her eyes, seeing a dirty smudge across her imageon the picture, like someone had wiped it with their finger.
The aroma was different, like a ghost of presence that had belong to a familiar soul.
Sirius Black had been in her room.
"He was in here." She whispers, Placing the photo back up she felt a breeze and now realized that her window was wide open letting in the cold air in as the curtains blew with the calm wind of midday.
She walked to the window, looking down to see that it wasnt that steep of a jump, if someone where to leap out of the window they would get that hurt, maybe a sprained ankle depending on how they handed, but nobody was outside than her and the silence.
Sirius Black was already gone.
But why was he here? Was he looking for her? Was he looking for something? Was he here to kill her but the plan had failed? He would have left a message if an insane prisoner were here for murder... unless.
She looked back to the photo of herself and her brother... maybe theres something different.
"What are you really here for?" She asked
"I'm here to see if you're doing alright."
Eleanor who was scared straight spinned around out of fright to see Remus standing at the doorway with his hands shoved in his pockets. "Sorry, didn't mean to give you a fright."
Eleanor retreated her hand from her beating heart. "Its fine." She said letting out a sigh of relief. Remus smiled at her reassuringly than raised his eyebrow.
"Something wrong?" He asked
Eleanor debated in her head if she should tell him that Sirius had broken into her room, that he jumped out the window to escape but something about it didnt seem right to her. So she just decided not to tell him. "No, just tired."
"Its been a long day, make sure you de-stress yourself." He tells her, before doing his famous gesture by breaking off a piece of chocolate.
"What is everyone else to do?" She asks him, curious of what was going on.
He turned around, "Keep guard around the castle, Dumbledore is having the students sleep in the great hall and staff is securing the place, you can never be too careful, but you don't need to worry about a thing." He says, "Rest. You'll feel better." He winks to her before stepping out to shut the door, but his head pops back in, "Might want to close the window, we dont need you to catch a cold or anything." Then he finally left the room completely.
Eleanor felt a small smile pull on both sides of her lips, dropping it softly.
The next few day everyone had been talking about Sirius Black and how he could have gotten into Hogwarts. Rumors, Conspiracies, theories. Eleanor Potter has heard it all within classes.
But that didnt stop her from wondering herself as well, how did Sirius Black get into the castle?
Eleanor walked into Defense Against the Dark Arts, finished practice quizzes in hand which was to be given to Professor Lupin... who wasnt in the classroom.
Studnets silenced as she walked in, she looked around. "Is he not here? How long have you been waiting for him?" She asked the class
"We've been waiting for ten minutes." Replied Dean Thomas
"Well, let's just take out our journals, review on your recent lesson, which was... red caps and hinkypunks? Correct?"
"Correct." Replied the class as they did so.
The door creaked open, revealing Harry who stood awkwardly and confused looking up to Eleanor that sat on Lupins desk.
"Ten minutes late?" Eleanor questioned to Harry who's face became a bit red.
"Sorry Professor, it won't happen again." He says taking a seat next to Ron who played with his feather quill. "Wheres Professor Lupin?" He asks and Ron shrugged.
After that there was another approach from the back of the classroom where the doors swung open which caused everyone to stare as Professor Snape walked in.
"I've got this class covered Professor Adler." He says, his wand immediately going to action by the projector screen coming down forcefully.
Eleanor hopped off Lupins desk, beginning to leave but Snape sugguested that she stayed. "Professor Adler, you might want to take notes... for studnets who are sick perhaps." He said with a hint of taint in his voice.
"Professor, where is Professor lupin?" Harry had asked what everyone was thinking.
Even Eleanor had turned to Snape waiting for an answer.
"He says he's feeling too ill to teach today." He said with a twisted smile Eleanors direction. "Now turn to page 394. All of you, now!"
Hermione Granger who had appeared sitting at a desk that she wasnt before a exclaimed out, "Werewolfs?" She asked confused at the new lesson, "Professor, We have barely started out last one."
Eleanor chipped in, "I was just about to have them review their notes from yesterday, having them take a small quiz on what they have learned—" she tried to explain.
"I'm the one that's teaching today's lesson." He said out of pure frustration of what he was trying to do. The whole class looked between Professor Adler and Professor Snape. Everyone was silent, Harry felt his bloody boiling the disrespect Snape was sending his aunt.
"Fine." She said calmly being the mature one, "Carry on."
"Gladly." Snape smiled and reached his hand out for her neck, easily ripping her necklace off of her.
She gasped as he walked away with it, using it as an example next to the prejected screen for everyone to observe. "Now, which one of you can tell me the difference between a werewolf and a true werewolf?" Snape asked the class but fully knew Hermiones hand was up. "No one? How disappointing."
"Please sir," Hermione raised her hand up higher, "The werewolf differs the true werewolf in several different ways, such as the snout of the werewolf—"
"That is the second time you have spoke out of turn, miss granger." Said Snape coldly, "five points from gryffindor."
"You asked a question and she answered it, how is that so bad?" Asked Ron defending his friend.
"Detention Weasley." Snape said
That was the last straw. Eleanor had turned off the projector and flicked back on the lights with a flick of her wand. Snape turned to Eleanor who stared at him coldly.
"That's enough." She said, having the upper hand. Some kids gawked between the two Professors who starred at eachother, especially Eleanor for standing up for them, but they expected that. Professor Adler was by far the most generous teacher at Hogwarts. She couldn't kill a fly, but the look in her eyes to the potions teacher could kill a whole village.
Eleanor walked passed Severus, narrowing her eyes at him as she passed. She took her necklace off the display and marched out of the class.
She hated the way he was treated those kids, he was so despicable for no reason to give. Lupin was right about him. James was right about him. Severus snape was a complete areshole.
Just on cue Severus had walked out of the classroom.
"No." She said as he approached, "You stay the hell away from me."
"Let me explain—"
"NO! Let me explain something to you Severus, you're vile and vain. I thought you were different, that you were just as broken as me and needed help, but you manage to change my mind every time. You're not good. You're not kind. You're nothing, compared to what I thought you were." Eleanor began to tear up. "If you have any kindness at all, use it, use it to stay away from me, because that's all I want from you right now." Eleanor walked away leaving Severus alone, like always.
AN: It's been so stressful moving and unpacking, I've barely gotten time to write but managed to push through this chapter. Also can we please appreciate this poster my boyfriend made for the story, he's a graphic designer. Even though we are over 3000 miles away he still manages to amaze me. Yes, he knows I write this story and yes, he does actually read it. (He's always asking when I'm going to update) I'm deciding if I should use this poster instead of the one I have up now, thoughts? Also, added a few more songs to the soundtrack on spotify!!