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Elaine Black was never a person who gave in to threats.

Let alone let people push her aroun. The woman has always been a girl with fire to sell, all her fellow Hogwarts classmates were aware of it.

So finding the inscription 'The Chamber of Secrets has been opened enemies of the heir beware!' was not quite a surprise, but finding Mr Filch's cat paralyzed and hanging next to the writing in blood was much more than a surprise.

Also because Harry Potter was in front of the scene and Elaine cannot help but think that the boy is always in the wrong place at the wrong time. 

When Elaine, alongside Professor McGonagall, arrives in the hallway, her eyes point towards Filch and Harry, the adult holds on to the 12-year-old's collar.

"Argus!" Dumbledore exclaims, making his way through the crowd of students. Elaine narrow's her eyes on the caretaker's hand. "Argus, I-" The principal begins, but stops to see the writing on the wall of the corridor.

"Everyone will proceed to their dormitories immediately." Dumbledore orders, all the students start leaving, "Everyone except you three..." The elder adds, pointing to Harry, Ron and Hermione.

Elaine sighs, meeting Hermione's desperate gaze. The woman wishes she could help them, but this whole situation is more serious than it turns out and she has no power over it.

"She's not dead, Argus. She has been Petrified." Reassures the old principal. Gilderoy Lockhart decides to intrude, "Ah, thought so. So unlucky I wasn't there. I know exactly the counter curse that could have spared her." Elaine can't stop the annoyed scoff, but no one notices her except for the three kids and Professor McGonagall.

Minerva looks at her with a raised eyebrow and the brunette shrugs innocently.

"But how she has been Petrified, I cannot say..." Muses Dumbledore, Filch points at Harry, "Ask him. It's him who's done it. You saw what he wrote on the wall." Says the caretaker, Elaine rolls her eyes and crosses her arms.

"It's not true sir, I swear. I never touched Mrs. Norris." Replies Harry, Elaine carefully looks at his emerald green eyes, trying to find a lie, "Rubbish!" Exclaims Argus, Elaine glares at him, clearing her throat, ready to defend the boy but Snape beats her to it.

"If I might, Headmaster? Perhaps Potter and his friends were simply in the wrong place at the wrong time." Says the Potions Master, Elaine's eyes go wide and she look at the man surprised, "However, the circumstances are suspicious. I, for one, don't recall seeing Potter at dinner." He concludes, the 30-year-old woman huffs in annoyance.

It wasn't in Snape's habit to give the benefit of the doubt.

"I'm afraid that's my doing, Severus. You see, Harry was helping me answer my fan mail." Lockhart says, Elaine hums and everyone's eyes look at her, "I personally gave the punishments for the Womping Willow incident, Ron was with me in the library, and Harry was meant to help Professor Lockhart." Explains the brunette.

Severus looks at her with a cold and annoyed glare, she replies with a victorious smirk.

"That's why Ron and I went looking for him, Professor. We'd just found him when he said..." The 12-year-old halts herself when she met Harry's gaze. Elaine raises an eyebrow, looking at the three kids suspiciously.

"Yes, Miss Granger?" Snape says, "When I said I wasn't hungry." Finishes Harry.

"We were heading back to the common room when we found Mrs. Norris." The boy adds, Snape raises an eyebrow and looks at Dumbledore, "Innocent until proven guilty, Severus."  

Elaine grins, while Snape's lips fall in a flat line.

"My cat has been Petrified. I wanna see some punishment!" Cries Filch, Elaine rolls her eyes again, "We will be able to cure her, Argus. As I understand it, Madame Sprout has a very healthy growth of Mandrakes. When matured, a potion will be made which will revive Mrs. Norris." Reassures Dumbledore.

The Headmaster turns towards the trio, "And in the meantime, I strongly recommend caution..." His eyes fall on Elaine, "To all."

All the adults go away, except Elaine, who keeps eye contact with the trio.

"I don't know what happened here, but I'm not blind yet. You three are like a magnet for trouble, you can't avoid them. But I'm warning you now, you will not be able to get away with everything, you have to be more careful." Warns the woman, waiting for the three to nod before going away down the hall in a quick pace.

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The next day Elaine is in the Viaduct Courtyard. Besides her there's Luna, her pink glasses on her forehead.

The two have been in silence since they got there.Elaine is undertaken in the memory of episodes from her past, a method to try and dismiss the current situation, without success.

With a deep sigh, the brunette closes her eyes, "I'm sorry. I don't know what happened to me, I wasn't myself, I think. My responsibility is to protect you, not to scare you."

"But I feel like I failed on that too," The woman adds, passing a hand on her face, Luna does not meet her gaze, "I don't think you failed, aunt Lainy." Says the little girl, finally meeting the 30-year-old's eyes.

Luna reaches a hand out for the woman, Elaine esitantly looks at the 11-year-old's hand before holding it lovingly.

"Mum used to say that is normal to scare and be scared, every now and then." Adds the blonde, a grin on her face.

Elaine smiles too, Pandora Lovegood said a lot of thing in her short life and everytime she managed to reassure the people she cared about.

"Forever in our hearts," Say the two in unison.

"I'm sorry. Like nothing happened?" Asks the brunette, Luna smiles, "What happened?" Elaine laughs and rolls her eyes.

After a few second Elaine squeezes her niece's hand one last time, "Come on, I've got work to do and you've got lessons to attend to,"

The two part ways after bidding eachother goodbye.

The brunette heads to the library, where she finds Hermione engaged in studying a book in a very interesting way. Elaine approaches and looks at the page. 

"The Polyjuice potion?" Curiously questions the woman, Hermione jumps and looks at the brunette with wide eyes, "Professor Black?!" She exclaims, Mrs. Pince glares at her and immediately silences her. 

Elaine sits in front of the 12-year-old, an amused smile on her face, "You seem to have seen professor Snape," The woman whispers, chuckling , Hermione wields a small forced smile and a fake chuckle.

"What do you need the Polyjuice potion for? It's not that simple," Asks the teacher, moving her eyes on the ingredients page.

Hermione clears her throat, "Um, I want to excel in all the subjects we're taught here at Hogwarts. And I want to get on with the work." Lies the curly haired girl, not encountering Elaine's inquisitive gaze.

"You should learn to lie better. If not, you will be exposed immediately," The brunette recommends, sighing and praying that all this will not lead to further trouble in the future. Hermione opens her eyes wide and opens her mouth to respond, but Elaine stops her, "I don't want to know anything."

"I warn you, this potion is complicated for many reasons. And watch out for the hair you will use..." The woman recommends. Remembering an episode that happened in her time at Hogwarts, where James and his friends tried to use that potion for a prank, gone wrong.

Hermione sighs, "Why do you do it?" The 12-year-old asks, Elaine raises an eyebrow, "What?" She questions, the little girl looks at her carefully, "Why do you help me with these advices? Shouldn't you punish me for what I did?" Asks the little girl.

Elaine keeps her gaze on the 12-year-old, the image of Lily Evans popping into her head.

"I trust you..." Says the brunette, her voice wavers slightly, the hazel irises are flooded with guilt and pain. Hermione is about to ask what she meant, but the professor stands up, "Excuse me, dear." Announces the woman, rushing to the library doors.

Leaving behind a perplexed and even more intrigued by the person who is Elaine Black, Hermione.  

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The screams of the students in the stands of Quidditch are audible up to the office of Elaine Black. In a few minutes the game would have started.

The woman cannot help but think about her time in Hogwarts, the brunette never went to the games between the houses, finding them boring and a waste of time.

James tried to convince her otherwise, in vain. Why spend hours watching two teams play when she could use that time to her advantage for her experiments with Pandora?

The blank sheet in front of her brings her back to reality. Before she can start writing again, the sound of an elf appearing in the room distracts her.

Elaine raises her eyebrows in surprise at the sight of the little elf, "Dobby?" 

The elf smiles and bows before the woman, "Lady Black," Elaine smiles embarrassed, not fond of formal customs. " What are you doing here?" Asks the 30-year-old.

Dobby looks at her with his big green eyes, "Dobby is here with Master Malfoy." The elf explains, Elaine's face grimaces annoyed, "Lucius is here?" She asks with disdain.

The elf smiles and nods. Elaine holds back a huff, the woman excpects an unwelcome visit from the man.

"Dobby wanted to see Mistress Black before he left," Explains the elf, Elaine smiles softly, "Thank you Dobby, it's always a pleasure to see you."

Dobby is about to leave when Elaine calls him back, "Dobby, can I ask you something?" The woman asks. The elf bows once again,"Dobby will answer whatever Mistress Black asks."

"Have you seen Kreacher lately?" Asked the brunette with a raised eyebrow, Dobby thinks for a few seconds before answering, "Dobby hasn't seen Kreacher these days," 

Elaine nods and smiles, "Thank you anyway, Dobby."

As soon as the elf disappears, the woman's smile turns into a straight line, the eyes bring a feeling of annoyance. Elaine grabs the pen from the ink and writes on the blank sheet in front of her.

The letters, though hastily written, are elegant and composed. The brunette comes to the end of the parchment, adding a signature.

After a few hours, someone knocks on the office door.

"Come in." The woman responds monotonously, too busy analyzing the Astronomy book.

Lucius Malfoy makes his elegant entrance inside the office, his cane clasped in one hand, "Elaine," greets the man in a cold tone.

Elaine stops and puts her eyes on the blond in front of the door, "Lucius..."

This would have been a long talk... not necessarily pleasant.

"To what do I owe this unexpected visit?" Asks the brunette, Lucius Malfoy sitting in front of her, back straight and resting on the back of the chair, raised head and stoic look.

The real image of a snake ready to attack with its fangs.

"I have come to personally deliver documents from the Wizengamot. Necessary for your signature." Explains the blond, disdain evident in his words, he passes the documents to the woman who grabs them and reads them.

"I feel like you're not here just for these documents. What are you criticizing me about this time, Lucius?" Asks the brunette, signing the documents and looking at the man with a knowing look.

Lucius smiles. Not a genuine smile or a grin. A forced smile, which hides resentment and other negative feelings. 

"You've discovered me. I'm here to redeem Lady Black's place in the high court of magicians. It seems only fair, given your position here at Hogwarts, that someone else should take your place. To stir your work, of course." The man communicates.

Elaine chuckles, an amused smile on her face, "You want to take my place in the Wizengamot?" Questions amused the woman, Lucius does not answer and just looks at her.

"Lucius," begins Elaine, "That place has belonged to the Black family for years. And you think you can just come and take it?"

The blond glares at her, "Elaine. For over a year, I've been sitting in that place because you don't have the courage to show up because you're grieving. Do I need to remind you that you are a Black only by marriage?" Snaps Lucius, raising his voice slightly. The professor's face starts to blush from anger. 

"At least I still keep the last name. You're married to a Black who changed her last name to Malfoy, remember that. Walburga Black personally gave me the title of Regent Lady Black. I hold that position. Not you. The only reason you're even standing in for me is because Narcissa asked me to. You have the glory of being able to witness and participate in trials, get the salary that should end up in the Black family safe. What more do you want?" Replies the brunette, Lucius stands up.

"Why do you need to keep that seat, knowing you probably don't want to step foot in it again? Elaine, hand the seat over to me, I will be able to preside without having to wait for your confirmation, so you don't have distractions from your work and your nephew."

And here does the woman snap.

Elaine rises from her seat, "I'd rather receive a Dementor's Kiss. Be grateful that I care about your wife and that I am not taking away your office right now. If I do not go to the Ministry it is because I have my reasons. No one forces you to stay, you may as well go back to being a board member." Lucius narrows his eyes and tightens his cane with more force.

"It was good to see you again, Lucius. If you have nothing else to say, you can go, take the documents and close the door behind you." Dismisses Elaine, pointing her hand towards the thick wooden door.

Lucius stares at her for a few more seconds, wrath shines in his eyes, before heading towards the door, Elaine sits down, "Oh and Lucius?" Calls the woman.

The blond turns one last time, "Say hello to Narcissa for me, of course." Greets the brunette, a mocking smile on her face, Lucius grimaces and disappears from the room, slamming the door behind him.

Not a few seconds later and someone else knocks on the door, "Come in." Elaine replies in an annoyed tone. From the door appears Professor McGonagall, slight concern can be seen in her face.

"Professor McGonagall, what happened?" Asks the brunette, approaching the teacher, "Elaine... something happened to Harry..." Explains professor McGonagall slowly.

Elaine's slightly tanned skin pales, her pupils dilate, and her breathing shortens, "Where?" Whispers the brunette, the old teacher sighs, "He's in the Hospital Wing right now, but-" 

Professor McGonagall doesn't have time to finish the sentence that Elaine Black already started running. 

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