ALOHOMORA | CEDRIC DIGGORY

52〝fifty-two〞

DUMBLEDORE'S WORDS SEEMED TO REVERBERATE in the dungeon as Ellis gawked at him. She was so stunned she had forgotten to be annoyed. It had not dawned on her that the distorted and alarmingly cold voice could be in her head, though that would very much explain the unsuspecting portraits and Rolf's unawareness.

"I...I suppose...?" she said tentatively.

"Ellis," said Dumbledore, fingers intertwined, blue eyes fixed on her, his smile no more, "I would like your assistance to recall if you have ever had a similar experience, whether it was here—at Hogwarts—or before. Any at all..."

Ellis frowned at him. She seriously disliked the way he just decided he could be on a first-name basis with her. Ever since Ellis discovered her heritage, she starkly detested her labeling last name, particularly in the wizarding world, and that only made her first name all the more special. It was reserved for special people—people special to her. Luna Lovegood, who was guilty of the same arrogance as Dumbledore, had surprisingly managed to make the cut; admittedly, the Ravenclaw was unique in many respects. Dumbledore, however, plainly had not, and never would.

Grudgingly, Ellis began to mull over the task at hand... After several minutes, she was convinced she had never encountered anything like this before. No, she had hitherto never heard voices in walls or floors. And if this was indeed Legilimency at work, she had certainly never met anyone who could exist in either of those places.

"I don't believe so, sir," Ellis told Dumbledore, firmly but as politely as she could.

"Are you sure?"

The injustice she felt not so long ago was rekindled as though a barrel of whiskey had been doused upon withering flames.

"Why bother asking if you're not planning to trust me?!" shouted Ellis.

Dumbledore didn't even blink.

"Once again," he said calmly, "you have misunderstood me. It is possible, of course, that I had not made myself incontrovertibly clear; I was merely seeking confirmation for my own understanding. It is in my experience that one would be unwise to assume, you know how the saying goes..."

To Ellis, however, regardless of how Dumbledore was spinning it, it seemed as though she was the one who hadn't made herself "incontrovertibly clear."

"...but that is all very well now that we have cleared things up. Might I ask, in addition, that you let myself, or Professor Snape, or any of the teachers know, at once, should you come across this voice again?"

"Yes, sir," said Ellis, pronouncing each word with incontrovertible clarity. Dumbledore smiled benignly; Ellis struggled to suppress an impending eye-roll.

"Now, tell me, how have you been?"

It was not only that Ellis was not very often posed with this question, but that Dumbledore—the great Professor Dumbledore, of all people—was interested in something as inconsequential as her well-being.

"I beg your pardon?" said Ellis, affronted. Dumbledore, however, let out a series of chuckles.

"Dear me," he said, though more to himself, stroking his beard, "old age must be diminishing my ability of expression. I meant: How are you enjoying yourself at Hogwarts? Are you enjoying yourself here? As I have mentioned, your teachers consistently describe your work as exceptional. Nevertheless, they note that you tend to be reserved around your peers."

On that prompt, he paused expectantly. Defiantly, Ellis sat, saying nothing. Obviously Dumbledore would love to hear that she was enjoying herself—that would take the edge off his conscience, and she wasn't about to give him that satisfaction. She glared, and he plowed on.

"Incredible though it may seem, I am familiar with what it's like to be in your shoes—and I don't mean those delightful sneakers of yours"—Dumbledore chuckled some more; Ellis glowered blatantly—"though they do look comfortable, but perhaps are a tad too trendy for someone of my years...yes... As I was saying, I do understand your situation: having to carry the weight of a name so evocative of infamy it defines you before anything else."

Ellis snorted unabashedly. Dumbledore understand her situation? Renowned, acclaimed, popular Dumbledore... Oh, sure he did. Ignoring her insolence, he pressed on.

"Many, many, years ago, more than I would care to admit, I, too, arrived here at Hogwarts bearing the similar burden of my family's disrepute. In my case, it was far fresher in everyone's mind; barely twelve months before my admittance here, my father had been at the center of a high-profile and intensely-circulated crime.

"I count myself lucky to have, on my very first day, met a friend who was bound to suffer from the same exclusion that awaited me. You see, he had recently recovered from dragon pox. A face of abnormal coloration and marked by blemishes and scars, as you can imagine, cannot be any better received by most eleven-year-olds than a boy whose father had taken up residence in Azkaban after being convicted of cruelly murdering three Muggles.

"Elphias' companionship made navigating these new, uncharted waters much easier, much more pleasant, and, if truth be told, much less frightening than if I had to negotiate them on my own. And I say 'on my own' because, back then, even some of the teachers were averse to being near us. I do not fault them, of course, now that I am older and wiser and in full comprehension that fear is but a naturally-occurring trait deeply ingrained into our systems to keep us alive. Eleven-year-old me, however, would tell you a very different story.

"It was devastating not to have access to the counsel and support of an adult who wasn't your parent, and which otherwise could not be fulfilled by even the best of friends. Gratefully, things turned around for me by the end of my first year, by which time Elphias' disfiguration was nothing but the past. The difference it made"—Dumbledore's wrinkly face held a look of longing—"if I could describe it in words, Ellis, I would tell you."

"Is that why you have all the teachers pretend not to be fazed by my presence in their class?" sneered Ellis.

"They are not pretending," assured Dumbledore. "But, as headmaster, it is my very duty to ensure the welfare of all my students. The losses you, young as you are, have been subjected to are—if you ask me—much too harsh. As I cannot compel you to make friends, I sought to provide support in another department. The teachers (apart from Professor Snape) do not know, for this is a matter of your privacy—you have my word. I merely advocated that they treat you the same as any other student."

"Treating me like any other student is treating me differently," snapped Ellis. "People expect me to be treated differently—when I'm not, it attracts attention, and they talk. You call that help?"

"I was under the impression that you did not care for other people's opinions," replied Dumbledore, cool as a cucumber, "or has Mr. Diggory finally managed to unlock your sympathetic side?"

Ellis stood up so abruptly her chair fell backward with thundering clamor. Next second, her legs were marching her towards the doors, which bolted the moment she laid eyes on them. She spun around; Dumbledore, too, was on his feet, his wand aloft.

"I am afraid I cannot permit you to return to the dormitories alone, Ellis," he said grimly, stowing his wand. "In light of today's misfortunes, we've had to enact new safety measures, which, incidentally, dictate that students traversing the castle grounds are to do so under the supervision of a teacher.

"But, of course," he continued brightly, "there is always a choice. I daresay you have two options at the present: one, and perhaps more efficiently, you can allow me to be your chaperone; alternatively, you may elect to linger here, in my company, as I cannot, in good conscience, leave you in the absence of guardianship lest we suffer another setback today—that is to say, lest you be attacked—until Professor Snape returns, at which time he can walk you back to the Slytherin common room, no doubt whence he would have just journeyed."

Without another way out, Ellis reluctantly made her choice. It just so happened to be the wrong one.