The Choices We Make ∆ Harry Potter Sister

Chapter 4.15

It took about half an hour for Ellie to come to her senses, and by that time, she was half asleep, her head on the armrest, her feet on the older Slytherin's lap, one hand tucked under her head, the other grazing the enscribbed letter on her dog tag. She had killed a person, a death eater but a person nonetheless. She told herself she did so to save her friend, to save someone who deserved a life more than a death eater. She was fooling herself out of the guilt, but she did not care. She needed something to justify herself, and she came up with a half decent reason, the last family that death eater would tear apart was his own. That was the reason she held onto as her eyes fluttered close and her heart slowed its beat. She would not lie, running across the castle ground, battling with death eaters, and bringing someone back from the dead were more tiring than any quidditch practice she had ever had.

She was about to doze off when the older Slytherin shook her gently, causing her to stir and blinked away her tiredness. Sitting up, she could hear the faint voices of two men, one of her godfather and one of her Headmaster. She sat up just as the elderly man entered the sitting room, a few cuts on his cheeks, perhaps from something miniscule but sharp, but other than that he looked Just as tired as she was feeling. His eyes did not twinkle as much as they used to, perhaps months of running away from the Ministry took a toll on his well being. Nevertheless, he still had the amused smile he almost always had on his face. "Mr. Morozov, it's a pleasure to have you in the realms of the living again."

"It's a pleasure to see you in this realm, Headmaster," Xenyk greeted the elderly man back with a curt nod, his lips pressed into a thin line, eerily reminding Ellie of Professor McGonagall. There was something in the way that he addressed Dumbledore that unnerved the young Potter. She could hear the fire begin to flicker in the fireplace before dying completely, the smoke sent a chilly gust through her bones. She was fully aware it was not her magic. She could feel it in her bones that something was not quite right, as it was the very first time she had seen her friend let his control on his magic slipped. Furrowing her eyebrows together, she gently reached for his hand and gave it a light squeeze, and the fire came back to life as quick as it was gone.

Dumbledore, however, did not seem perturbed by any of it. Instead, he turned to the young Potter and smiled nostalgically. "And you, my dear, you fought as bravely as your father used to."

"Thank you, sir."

"Of course, but on a more pressing matter, the whole wizarding world would know that Lord Voldemort is finally back tonight through the Evening Prophet. You, my dear Eleanor, are quite fortunate none of the death eaters realised what you did there-"

"Believe me, Professor, I did not fancy the idea where I have to take a live," blurted the young Potter wearily. The knowledge still sent shivers down her spine, but she had come to terms to it. It was the death eater, or her friend, it was not a difficult choice. "But Voldemort already knows I'm a Reaper."

"He speculates, from the words passed on by Wormtail," corrected the Headmaster. He was not letting her into all of the facts, but there was no need to worry the girl for now, there was no need for him to put more weight on an innocent boy's shoulders for something that was far too big for him to hold. Both Potters had been through enough for the day, and if the elderly man could carry some of their weight, he might as well do. "Now, as luck would have it, no one had truly grasped your temporary death, for lack of a better term, so we should have no problem of you walking around, Mr. Morozov. There are some things I need to take care of, but the two of you need to return to the castle."

He digged into the pocket of his robes, and took out what seemed to be a keychain in the shape of Big Ben. It was odd for a wizard to carry such muggle affiliated object, but knowing Dumbledore, she would consider it somewhat normal. It would not surprise her if he had carried a bunny in his robes, maybe he did. "This portkey will take you straight to the Hospital Wing, where your friends are resting at the moment."