Eyes

Days passed incredibly fast and Eliza's skills in Potions became more and more evident and surprising for Slughorn. Harry's manual was incredibly helpful as well and not only for potion making.


"So you see I found this spell called Muffliato and-" Harry stopped when he saw Hermione's disapproving face.


"Seriously, are you still reading that? Are you going to try every handwritten spell of this unknown person?" Hermione snapped but Harry didn't look affected at all.


"Yes. Just because they are handwritten spells doesn't mean they are dangerous."


Hermione wasn't buying that. She scoffed and turned to Eliza, "Would you use every note in your mother's diary knowing that it wasn't her who wrote it?"


Eliza nodded without a second thought bringing a winning smile on Harry's face.


"You two- really! It's dangerous!"


"That's up to us, who use the spell. Maybe this Half Blood Prince was intending on helping kids who are bullied in school. Besides, there are spells that everyone know."


Ron and Harry nodded eagerly to everything Eliza said. She had a very solid point that not even Hermione could fight.


"Well, if that's everything I'd like to go back. I have a few boys to watch jinxing each other without speaking. Oh and Ron-" The ginger's head snapped towards her, "You know Ginny is dating Dean right?"


Ron nodded slowly, a frown on his face.


Eliza glanced at Hermione before catching a glimpse of Lavender. "Well, you should look around yourself too." She advised but it didn't look like he got it.


It was during the Hogsmeade break in October when Eliza wandered the village for a while, searching for Tonks. It should have been very easy to find her but it felt like she was avoiding Eliza on purpose.


In the end, Eliza retreated into the Three Broomsticks. She noticed Blaise talking to some friends of his and Slughorn drinking at the bar. She turned towards the professor quickly, avoiding another curious discussion with Blaise.


"Professor," She started, startling him when she suddenly appeared to his right.


"Ah, Eliza. I shouldn't be surprised to see you here." He laughed.


"Professor, I have been very curious lately about my mother's family and her heritage." She started, like the subject was as casual as the weather.


Slughorn's smile dropped and he looked uncomfortable, "Curiosity can lead you to dangerous grounds, my dear. What you will find out might disappoint you."


His wise words weren't leaving any impression on her and she made it clear by straightening her back and leaning towards him.


"My mother had secrets that not many knew of."


"Yes, Ophelia was very secretive. But she did use to tell her friends everything, the three Slytherins." Slughorn responded, his grasp on his Butterbeer tightening.


Eliza nodded along, "My mother was friends with Slytherins?" She asked, ignoring the fact that she knew already.


Slughorn nodded, "Yes. Especially Lucius Malfoy, if I remember well. My memory may be a bit rusty but I will never forget that odd friendship between your mother and Malfoy. He was the leader of Slytherins, much like his son is right now. And Ophelia was-"


"A vague character among many others." Eliza completed, surprising the professor with the boldness, "What about the others? I didn't have the chance to ask her because she died when I was young."


Slughorn's eyes widened and he looked down at her with pity.


"Yes, yes. Such an unfortunate death. Your mother was excelling in other subjects, especially Transfiguration."


Eliza was sure her mother had more talent for Defense against the Dark Arts but Slughorn looked like he didn't want to give that away.


"Oh, as we speak I should ask you personally. You know, I have this supper parties now and then and I would be very pleased if you'd join me. Your friend, Mr. Zabini is invited as well. I'd love to see both of you, maybe Monday night?" He asked with a bright smile on his face yet it didn't seem to reach his eyes.


"I'm not sure I can make it. My -um- schedule is very tight. Besides, I have a-um-detention with professor Snape on Monday." She said quickly, her mind working continuously to find a believable lie.


Slughorn's smile seemed to crack a bit around the corners, "Yes, yes. It seems professor Snape likes giving detentions.Well now, I'm sure you can come some other time."


On the way back to the castle Eliza couldn't think of anything but how to get detention in DADA. It was quite a well known fact that she was good in it and Snape wouldn't even glimpse at her during the lesson.


Once she got inside the castle, there was a rumor going around about a cursed object. As she entered the common room she heard the victim was Katie Bell and the object was a necklace given to her in the bathroom.


Hermione and Ron were discussing that at dinner but Harry seemed very sure that Malfoy had something to do with it.


"But professor McGonagall said he was in detention with her. How would that work? Admit it Harry, Malfoy is not the culprit." Hermione said, aware Harry was scowling the whole time she spoke.


Suddenly, Eliza remembered something very random, "Did anyone get an invitation to Slughorn's supper party?"


The trio was silent as Ron's ears reddened.


"Harry and I did. I went every time and it's not so bad..."


Eliza wasn't so sure about that with how Hermione sounded.


"Blaise is there as well." The bushy haired girl added but regretted it as soon as she mentioned.


"Blaise is not my friend. How would that convince me anyway?"


Ron raised an eyebrow and glanced at the Slytherin table, "He sure acts like you two are friends. Maybe it's a scheme for Malfoy? He's gotten silent lately."


Eliza and Harry exchanged apprehensive looks and nodded. Hermione rolled her eyes, already foreseeing what the two were thinking.


"Don't ask him about Malfoy. He doesn't look like he'd give you any insight."


Eliza chuckled, "Oh but he does. He thinks I am Malfoy's distraction. But I won't ask Blaise. I will ask Malfoy himself."


Hermione was worried and Ron was confused. Harry looked like he had a slight idea what she was speaking about. Malfoy did ask Eliza at the Yule Ball and there might be a chance she'd find something out.


Monday came around and Malfoy was nowhere in sight. She was sure he was avoiding her after she told him she knew about his mission.


"You know, I was merely bluffing when I said you like Malfoy but it seems like that opened your eyes for real." Blaise said while walking to the Great Hall for dinner.


"That's not the case." She muttered narrowing her eyes at him.


"We'll have more to discuss at the supper party tonight. Slughorn mentioned he will invite you last time. I thought that would make it more appealable." He grunted, remembering just how was the last supper party.


"I have detention with Snape. I won't come." She said innocently.


Blaise raised an eyebrow and chuckled, "You don't have detention at all. How will you-"


But right as they entered the Great Hall, Snape walked past them, glowering at Eliza.


"It seems you have detention this evening, Molley. I'll expect you straight after dinner. Don't be late." He said coldly before leaving.


Blaise was confused and Eliza was intrigued. It was strange how Snape genuinely went along with her lie.


Just as instructed, Eliza walked into the dungeons right after dinner. It was getting colder outside and the weather was making the dungeons look like a torture house.


Snape was at his desk when Eliza entered. She closed the door quietly and sat in front of him expectantly.


"So, will you teach me Legilimency?" She asked hopeful.


Snape looked at her for a moment before he pointed at a large shelf of nasty looking flasks and cauldrons.


"You will clean until I can see my reflection in them. You will do it without any kind of magic. Get to work." He said before his attention returned on his book.


Eliza blinked and looked at the nasty cauldrons before turning to her teacher. He was dead serious and wasn't even bothering with her.


"But I thought-"


"You wanted detention, didn't you Molley?" He interrupted, sneering at her.


She sighed heavily and grumpily started cleaning. Eliza promised herself she will never lie about detention with Snape ever again, not even if it was to save her life.


She was so tired that by the time she got in the common room she hoped she'd never see cauldrons for the rest of her life. Her back hurt and her hands looked like some spell went wrong. She was tired and she couldn't wait to go to sleep.


She was walking up the marble stairs when she heard footsteps behind her. They were coming closer in a haste so whoever was that was in hurry. She looked over her shoulder in time to see a very bothered Draco Malfoy rush to the dungeons.


Next morning Eliza was wondering if she should tell Harry about Malfoy sneaking around late at night. It was suspicious and he looked tense. But then, maybe it was better to keep it to herself for now.


She didn't find the opportunity and on their way to Herbology she got the insight of last night's private lesson with Dumbledore. That changed the order of issues in her mind as Voldemort was far more important.


"I sympathize with him though. My mother's real parents died as well and she lived in the orphanage for a few years before Molley adopted her." Eliza mumbled from the side.


"But he became the definition of evil, in case you forgot." Ron hissed, looking at Eliza as if she had two heads.


"But was that his fault or were the circumstances that brought him to what he is today?"


Ron and Hermione exchanged worried looks.


"Are you seriously pitying him?"


"No! Of course not. I'm just saying." Eliza defended herself.


Harry had to agree in a way with Eliza but he couldn't quite pity the creature that killed his parents and a lot more people.


During Herbology Eliza partnered with Neville and was very pleased that she did. Later on she was walking around, looking for a silent spot so she could read more carefully the Potions manual of the Prince. She took a turn and noticed professor Slughorn coming from across the hall. Eliza's eyes widened and she panicked. She turned around and ran up the stairs, colliding into someone when she made the final step.


"What are you doing, Molley?" A familiar voice grunted.


Draco Malfoy looked the same, maybe more mature and his features sharper and he was taller than her but still the same annoying sneering prat.


"What are you doing, Malfoy?" She retorted with a glare.


The blond raised an eyebrow and looked at the place she just came from. No one was there but she certainly looked panicked.


"What I do is not your business." He responded coldly as he pushed her aside and descended a few steps.


"Oh really? What about the mission? Is it going well or should I search the Daily Prophet for your murder in the next few weeks?" She taunted with a gleam of playfulness.


He froze and tensed. The blond scoffed before he glanced at her over his shoulder.


"Did Potter order you to question me? You'd do anything for him, wouldn't you?" He snarled, reminding Eliza of Furvus when she was forcing him to take a bath.


"He thinks you have something to do with Katie Bell's cursing incident." Eliza said, clearly not affected by it.


The blond chuckled and walked back in front of her. "What if I am? What if I'll curse you right now?" He whispered, leaning in to intimidate her.


Eliza only blinked and kept a blank face, "I'd like to see you try." She whispered tauntingly.


The blond looked into her eyes for a few seconds, those sly entrancing green eyes and he couldn't help but remember what the Dark Lord said himself.


"Mesmerizing green eyes deceiving those she cares about but also those who do not know her. Death follows those who look twice at her. Look into her eyes, Draco, and she will crush you using your own secrets and fears." The snake himself said that, his own stare making Draco tremble in fear.


With those words echoing in his head, Malfoy turned around and walked away.


She knew she shouldn't interfere because something bad might happen; moreover, Lucius Malfoy warned her not to get involved but that only amplified her curiosity. Eliza started to search for Malfoy's blond head wherever she was going and would think only about that when he wasn't there.


During the Potions class, Slughorn smiled warmly at Eliza, making her feel uncomfortable.


"Is there something wrong, professor?" She asked.


The man laughed and shrugged her off.


"He probably wants me to tell you about the Christmas party. He told us about it during the last meeting. He would often mention you and Potter and how he will make sure you two will come." Blaise mumbled while stirring counter-clockwise.


Her eyes moved towards Harry unconsciously and saw him working with a serene smile on his face. That book was a miracle for him.


From the brown haired boy, her eyes drifted towards the blond. His eyes were on his cauldron, adding stuff here and there but not registering what he was doing.


"I won't be able to make it. I have more urgent matters to attend." She started, her green orbs falling over the black boy.


He raised an eyebrow and smirked when professor Slughorn glanced their way once again.


"I don't think you have a choice."


Getting closer to Voldemort through his minions, that was her plan. Eliza started by watching Malfoy from afar but he wasn't stupid and noticed her right away. He didn't say anything at first but she was growing more and more obvious.


Eliza watched him leave the Great Hall and walked after him, careful to stay a few feet behind just in case he would glance over his shoulder. She learned how to hide and sneak granted to her werewolf godfather and it proved to come in handy quite a lot.


The brunette followed him up to a point where he just vanished. She looked around and inspected every corner but Malfoy was not there.


Returning to the common room with a sense of defeat, she grumpily said the password and fell on the nearest armchair. Not many people were there but she did see Harry standing on his own, his eyes flickering with jealousy.


"The green monster's oozing out of you, Potter." She started, not moving an inch from her comfortable position.


"What's that supposed to mean?" He asked, straightening in the next second.


Eliza chuckled darkly and pointed to the chimney. "You're burning with jealousy."


At that word Harry jumped on his feet and moved closer to her. "I'm not."


"I'm not blind, Harry. What's going on with you watching Hermione and Ron so carefully lately? Have you woken up one morning and saw Hermione in a new light?" Eliza joked but Harry looked like a bucket of freezing water just fell over his head.


"Not Hermione." He mumbled.


Eliza tilted her head to the side and waited for him to continue. When he didn't, she felt like she probably hit some disappointing memory regarding girls. From what she recalled, Harry and Cho Chang had what was a very complicated relationship last year.


"Did Ron wake up with a revelation then?" She asked, knowing she was getting closer.


"I do thing something's going on but even they don't know it." He said, laughing at the memory he suddenly had.


"If something does happen, Hermione has a rival. Lavender asked me if Ron is available and I'm sure she will act sooner or later." Eliza explained with a grin on her face.


Harry looked genuinely surprised before he too grinned. "As long as it could help him during our upcoming match against Slytherin. Katie is still at St Mungo's and I had to ask Dean to replace her."


The way he said Dean's name, sneering as if he just saw Malfoy uncover his Dark Mark, was very funny. From the looks of it, he didn't even realize he did it.


"So it's Dean?" She asked, lowering her voice to a whisper. "You're jealous of Dean? Really? What does he have that-"


Harry's face looked redder than when he got angry that Ron wouldn't believe him during the fifth year. He leaned back so much that he looked like he was melting into the armchair.


"It's alright, Harry. We don't choose who we like." She mumbled encouragingly. "And don't say I fancy Zabini because I'm sick of saying no so many times a day." The brunette added when she saw Harry turn to her.


"What about Malfoy? He might be a Death Eater, Liz."


Eliza groaned and threw her head back in annoyance, "I don't fancy Malfoy either. Why do people even get that idea? He only asked me to the ball because he wanted to torture me."


"You sound disappointed."


Eliza scoffed and threw a quill that appeared out of nowhere at him. It hit him straight in the head and he glared at her.


"I see you're doing well with charms." He muttered, rubbing the side of his head.


No matter what Harry told her, she couldn't give up on following Malfoy around. She was doing rather well in every class and postponed homework for later. She was curious where he was going when he was alone and how could he vanish so suddenly.


"Are you seriously not ashamed of you, Black? Following me is foolish." Draco's voice resonated through the empty corridor as he got out from his hiding spot and walked towards her.


"What is the mission? What do you have to do to show your loyalty to Voldemort?" She asked straight away, annoying him with her bluntness.


"Why are you so persistent? Is has nothing to do with you." He sneered, narrowing his eyes at her. She was taller than he remembered but he was still standing one head above her.


"Does it? My mother's name seems valuable."


She was so calm that it felt strangely familiar, like Draco was looking into those cold blue eyes. When she blinked, he saw the same malice swirling in her green orbs, at a lower scale but darkness was there under one form or another.


Malfoy sighed and rubbed his head in frustration. She wasn't aware of what Voldemort was planning but he was; he had already seen the torture and felt the chill of death in his home.


She took one step forward and widened her eyes a bit, looking like she has lost her mind, "Come to me, Eliza. Everyone else is bound to die sooner or later. I am the only one who can mend your pain. Come to me. That's what he said. Now you tell me that it doesn't raise a few questions."

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