The Legend of Chime

Chapter seven Sixteenth Birthday

Elizabeth had gotten over her brief moment of hormonal imbalance. At least that's what she told herself it had been. (If in doubt, always deny!) The rest of the weekend was spent in much less compromising situations which had allowed her to sufficiently recover from her lapse in judgement. But deep down she knew the truth. Unfortunately, so did Hermione who now made it her personal responsibility to waylay any hanky panky on Elizabeth's part.

Hermione had conveniently forgotten that she also had an imbalance that night herself. But Elizabeth decided that Hermione's way of fixing herself was to make sure she didn't do anything with Harry that she wanted to do with Ron. They were their own virgin support team, in a sense, which was absolutely no fun at all. Every time Harry even came close to leading her off alone again, Hermione's radar had gone off and she had spouted, "Back in the closet, Elizabeth." She was worse than The Fat Lady.

Monday morning seemed to arrive way too quickly for Elizabeth's liking. In no time it seemed, she was walking with Harry, Ron and Hermione to Sixth Year N.E.W.T. Potions class. They walked silently down toward the dungeons where Professor Snape's class was held. Elizabeth gazed curiously at the shelves laden with jars filled with numerous vile ingredients floating in strange potions as she entered the room and took a seat next to Harry in the back.

Her eyes drifted over the dungeon taking in every detail. Professor Snape obviously didn't enjoy sunlight very much. She noticed the class was small in the number. Snape clearly only took the best into this class. She felt someone's gaze on her and turned her head slightly. Malfoy was on the opposite side of the room smirking as usual, surrounded by his fellow Slytherins. She noticed the absence of his ever-present gorillas and smirked herself. They were clearly too dense to make it this far. A wizard by the name of Montague was sitting next to him instead.

Harry leaned over and whispered in her ear, "This place is almost enough to make you homesick, isn't it?"

Elizabeth smiled and suppressed a laugh, slowly glancing over at Malfoy. His eyes narrowed at Elizabeth's expression and flicked momentarily to Harry. She saw the loathing flash across his handsome face as his eyes rested on Harry. Harry didn't seem to care and only smiled before turning his attention to the front of the class.

Hermione and Ron had taken the seats right in front of them and were relatively quiet while they waited for the arrival of Professor Snape. Hermione had warned her that Snape looked for any excuse to dock points from Gryffindor and had never given them any points in the five years prior to her arrival. Elizabeth couldn't resist a challenge and silently promised herself to squeeze the first points from Snape herself.

There was a sound of the door closing and the room immediately became quiet as Snape strode into the classroom. He stopped briskly as he passed Elizabeth and faced her with a

raised eyebrow and a bored expression.

"Ms. Fairchild, I have been made aware of your O.W.L. results and I expect you to remain focused throughout my class. Do I make myself clear?" His eyes rested on Harry as he continued, "Any sudden fall in your grades and I will be most displeased and will not hesitate to do what I deem necessary to encourage your immediate improvement." Elizabeth nodded her understanding as she heard sniggering come from the direction of Malfoy then Snape swept to the front of the class.

"Today we will be mixing an antidote for a commonly used poison, Macealege. Ms. Fairchild, what are the ingredients normally used to make Macealege?" Snape asked smoothly.

Elizabeth's expression never wavered. Snape was challenging her, either trying to purposely embarrass her or testing her knowledge base. She sensed Harry tense at the question not knowing if she knew the answer. Hermione was slightly bouncing in her seat. Elizabeth met Snape's gaze unflinchingly and replied, "Macealege requires dungbottom root, shrivelfig, asphodel, wolfsbane, lacewing flies, doxy droppings and, of course, the food or drink with which you intend to deliver it."

Snape looked down his hook nose at her and challenged her again. "So, what pray tell, are the ingredients for mixing the antidote, Ms. Fairchild?" He said her name as if it were a curse.

Elizabeth pictured the correct text in her mind again, kept her face void of emotion and replied, "The antidote referred to as Hound's Breath requires belladonna, essence of lionfish, fluxweed, black beetle eyes, monkswood, boomslang skin, and powered moonstone."

Snape flicked his wand and the ingredients that Elizabeth had just mentioned appeared on the blackboard behind him along with method of producing the antidote. He flicked his wand again and his store cupboard sprang open. "I expect nothing less than a perfect flagon from you, Ms. Fairchild," he sneered and went to sit behind his desk. "I will inspect your cauldrons ten minutes before the end of class. There will be no talking."

Elizabeth silently seethed as she glared at Professor Snape. There was no way that didn't deserve at least ten points for Gryffindor. Damn him! Hermione glanced at her as she passed and gave her a sympathetic smile. Harry relaxed as he stood to retrieve his ingredients and flashed her a brilliant smile. No one said a word as they measured their ingredients and simmered their potions and occasionally poked the fire beneath their cauldrons with their wands to insure the flame remained at the right level.

True to his word, Snape began making his rounds, inspecting the students' cauldrons, making rude comments if the color wasn't the perfect shade of burnt orange. He paused at Elizabeth's cauldron and briefly glanced at the contents then moved on.

After class, Elizabeth received several impressed looks from a few Slytherins on her way out and even Malfoy inclined his head to her as she passed. When they had made it to the staircase leading up from the dungeons, Hermione finally felt free to compliment her.

"You were brilliant. There's no way he expected you to know all that," she said unable to disguise her delight.

"He was just testing me to see if he could catch me off guard, is all," Elizabeth said shrugging. "I still didn't get any points from him, did I? What is Professor Sunshine's problem anyway?"

Hermione gave her a sympathetic grimace while Ron and Harry exchanged looks over her head. "He's very good at holding grudges, it seems. Sirius and Snape weren't the best of friends and he must know you're his daughter. He does the same to Harry."

Elizabeth rolled her eyes. "Great! What did my father do? Pick on him at every possible moment in school or something?"

Ron nodded his head and grinned,"Yeah, pretty much. Along with Harry's dad." He shrugged. "But Hermione's right, Elizabeth. You were brilliant. If you try to hold out for points, you are bound to be disappointed," Ron said, throwing a casual arm over Hermione's shoulder.

Elizabeth glanced at Harry, he had been unusually quiet since class and she gave him a questioning look. He threw his arm around her shoulders and said nothing as they entered the Great Hall.

They enjoyed their shepherd's pie in relative silence except for the occasional request for condiments. Elizabeth was brooding about not getting what she felt she deserved. Harry had become withdrawn and contemplative. Hermione and Ron didn't seem to notice much. They had started to make eyes at each other over their food. When they had finished, they picked up their school bags and headed for Defense Against the Dark Arts class.

Elizabeth's mood brightened somewhat at the prospect of seeing Professor Lupin again. She had missed seeing him as much as she had at The Three Broomsticks. He had been like a father to her. She frowned at this thought thinking that she hadn't told him personally about her O.W.L. results. She hoped he wasn't offended since he was the one who had helped her the most.

They arrived early for class and found that all of the students had done the same. There were only four seats open in the back of the class so Elizabeth sat down along with Harry, Ron and Hermione. They chatted amongst themselves while they waited. Harry had seemed to come out of his withdrawn mood.

 Elizabeth noticed there were smoldering goblets on a side table next to Professor Lupin's desk, the contents of which were all the same murky brown. I wonder what that's all about.

"Good afternoon, class," said Professor Lupin as he entered the with a slight smile. "I'm glad to see none of you have your books out. We won't need them today. You probably guessed that."

He paused as he spotted Elizabeth and gave her a subtle wink before continuing on. "Now, then, Today's lesson involves learning a very handy spell that enables the user to tell if someone of a dodgy nature has added something unwelcome to their drink, be it a sleeping draft or a poison of some kind." He turned toward the smoldering goblets. "All of these goblets contain hot chocolate laced with one of these so I would advise you not to actually drink it," he said pleasantly. "Now can I have a volunteer?"

Elizabeth looked around. No one seemed to be too interested in being a guinea pig so she put her hand up slowly, hoping she wouldn't regret it later.

"Ah, excellent, Elizabeth. Will you please choose a goblet and place it on my desk?" said Professor Lupin looking quite pleased.

Elizabeth felt everyone's eyes on her as she walked forward and chose the first goblet she came to and placed it on the Professor's desk.

"Very good. Now if the rest of you will gather around so that you may see better, we will proceed."

There was a loud shuffling of desks and feet as everyone moved closer to her and the goblet.

"Right then," said Professor Lupin as the room noise settled down. "Elizabeth, this spell is called the Exursi spell. You need to point your wand at the goblet and think about what you imagine might be in it. When you're ready, you simply say Exursi!"

Elizabeth nodded her head and fixed her gaze on the goblet then pointed her wand and said, "Exursi!" The contents immediately turned a bright Purple.

"Excellent! Ten points to Gryffindor, Elizabeth. You were right. It was a sleeping draft," said Professor Lupin smiling. "Now if the goblet had contained a poison, the spell would not have worked. Yes, Hermione?"

Hermione lowered her hand and asked, "If she had thought of a poison and it had been a poison, what color would the hot chocolate have turned?"

"Very good question. Another ten points to Gryffindor. It would have turned a deep red color similar to blood, Hermione. Any more questions?" Professor Lupin briefly looked around at the students. "Yes, Harry?"

Harry thought of his tea with Professor Umbridge the year before and asked, "Will the spell work if a truth serum is hidden in your drink?"

Professor Lupin gave him a knowing grin and said, "Yes, it does in fact. The color would then be yellow. Take another ten points for Gryffindor. Anything else?" Professor Lupin again scanned the students' faces then said, "Good, now each of you will need to take a goblet and return to your desks to practice. I'll be around to check your progress."

By the end of class, almost everyone had successfully discovered what was hidden in their hot chocolate. Even Neville had unearthed the poison lurking in his, which he seemed very proud of. Everyone left talking excitedly. Elizabeth had just stepped out into the hall with Harry when Professor Lupin came up behind her.

"Elizabeth? Could you step into my office for a moment?" he asked his eyes falling on their entwined fingers. "I have something I would like to give you. Harry may come with you if you like."

Elizabeth turned to Hermione and Ron. "We'll meet you back in the common room, okay?" Elizabeth watched as they nodded and disappeared up the stairs then she and Harry followed Professor Lupin into his office.

The office itself was decorated sparsely, with only a large empty tank and a few Dark Arts books lying here and there.

"Please, have a seat, you two. Can I get you a cup of tea?" Lupin asked hopefully.

Elizabeth gave him a wicked grin. "As long as it's not in a goblet, I'll have one.

Lupin laughed while looking around for his kettle. "I've missed your quick wit, Elizabeth." He thought for a moment. "It reminds me of . . . well, I've missed it is all." He gave her a heavy-hearted smile and lightly tapped his kettle with his wand bringing forth a blast of steam.

Harry knew what Lupin was unwilling to say. Elizabeth, although she looked nothing like Sirius, was very much her father's daughter. He saw it in almost everything she did and said, from the stubborn set of her chin to the sometimes haunted look on her lovely face. He had recently noticed the gleam in her eye as she challenged Snape in his classroom. She had a certain recklessness about her and she put her whole heart into whatever she was determined to do. But she was also very careful not to cross the line, only nudge it a bit to see how far it could be pushed. He admired that about her. There were many times he did the same. There were also times when he completely jumped it.

Elizabeth accepted the chipped cup of tea from Lupin and delicately sipped from it. She studied the Professor for a moment before asking curiously, "You said there was something you wanted to give me? Did I leave something behind at The Three Broomsticks? If I did, I must confess, I haven't missed it."

"No, you didn't leave anything behind," he said turning to his tattered briefcase. He pulled out a box wrapped in brown paper and tied with a simple string. He handed it to Elizabeth with a smile. "Happy Birthday, Elizabeth. You didn't think I'd forget, did you?"

Elizabeth set down her cup and looked down at the gift, taking it in her hand and said quietly, "Thank you, Remus. I have to admit that I had forgotten what day it was myself." When she looked up, her eyes were sparkling with unshed tears. She went around the desk and gave Lupin a hug and kissed him on the cheek.

Lupin was slightly embarrassed but mostly pleased with her response. "Well, open it. It's not much but I know it's something you will treasure."

Elizabeth sat back down, removed the brown paper and opened the box and found three diaries: one that had belonged to her mother, one that had belonged to her father and an empty one with her name embossed on the front in gold letters, Elizabeth Danae Fairchild.

 

"Every girl should have a diary," said Lupin softly as he watched her expression turn to a mixture of joy and anguish. "You're sixteen today, Elizabeth. You should be happy, not sad. I've been so proud of you. You've come so far in such a short amount of time. You will do great things in the future. I am sure of it. But everyone needs roots, so they can grow into the person they are to become. I hope these journals will bring you a certain peace and help you find who you are and where you came from. I hope you will never doubt that you were loved by both your parents . . . anyone who truly knows you can't help but love you, after all."

Elizabeth wiped her eyes and took a deep breath. She was speechless. There were no words to explain how wonderful his gift was to her. These were her parents' deepest thoughts and feelings, something she had never dreamed to actually have in her possession. She glanced at Lupin hoping her expression told him everything she was feeling for she couldn't herself.

Professor Lupin seemed to sense how deeply she was touched and leaned over and patted her hand. "You're very welcome. But I don't want to keep you. I'm sure you have some celebrating to do with your friends," he said smiling at Harry.

 He walked them to the door of the classroom and Elizabeth turned and wrapped her arms around him one last time before she disappeared up the stairs with Harry.

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"Where's Elizabeth?" asked Hermione as Harry plopped down on the sofa beside her and Ron.

"She went upstairs to put her presents away. Did you know that today was her birthday? Her sixteenth Birthday. How horrible a boyfriend, am I? I never even asked when her birthday was," said Harry pitifully, throwing his head back against the sofa and staring at the ceiling.

"Oh, don't beat yourself up, Harry. She probably isn't the kind of person who even likes making a big deal about her birthday. Hermione doesn't. Hers was last week. We just threw some gifts at her and were done with it," said Ron. He thought for a minute before adding, "Of course we did wish her a 'Happy Birthday' though and even Elizabeth made her a card."

Hermione rolled her eyes and said, "It's not the gifts or the cards that are important. It's the actual remembering that matters, Ron . . . though the presents are nice." She turned to Harry giving him a sympathetic smile. "Don't feel bad. She never told me either and I sleep right next to her every night. Elizabeth has a tendency to keep certain things to herself even when she probably shouldn't. Not that she does it on purpose. She's just probably not use to having people around whom actually care about her, is all."

"I know she isn't. That's why I want to do something for her. . . something special. . . something she'll never forget," Harry said rather desperately, tugging on his hair. He thought for a moment then a brilliant smile crept across his handsome face. He jumped up from the sofa and swung around to Hermione. "I need you to go upstairs and stall her for as long as you can," he said and when she didn't move quickly enough for him, he added, "Now, please!"

Hermione sprang up from her chair and raced up the stairs.

He jumped on top of the nearest table and shouted, "Your attention, please! I need your help." He waited until almost every face was watching him then continued, "Elizabeth's sixteenth birthday is today and I would like to give her an impromptu surprise party. Anybody willing to join me?" Harry smiled as most of the room responded with a "Yeah!"

Neville came running over and so did Ginny dragging Dean with her. Harry sent Ginny, Ron and Dean down to the kitchens to 'nick' some food. He asked Neville and the rest of the crowd to put up the streamers across the common room that had been used for the Quidditch cup party last year. Then he sat down and made her a card. When he finished writing, he looked up and was amazed to find everyone was pitching in. Even Parvati Patil had started levitating the chairs and tables out of the way so that they could dance to the songs on the WWN (Wizarding Wireless Network). After a few more minutes, the room looked sufficiently decorated and Ron, Ginny and Dean had returned from the kitchens loaded down with food. They had even procured a cake and had convinced one of the house elves to write 'Happy Birthday, Elizabeth!' across it. Colin was clicking away with his camera, but for once Harry didn't mind. He hoped he got a picture of Elizabeth's face as she entered the common room. Then suddenly somebody whispered, "She's coming!" and the whole room got quiet and waited.

The footsteps on the staircase got closer and Harry heard low whispering coming from the girls then suddenly Hermione and Elizabeth appeared in the doorway. Everybody yelled, "Surprise!" and Harry and Ron started belting out, "Happy Birthday to you! Happy Birthday to you! Happy Birthday Dear Elizabeth! Happy Birthday to you!" in a very off-key sort of tune and by the end of the song, everyone had joined in, even Hermione.

Elizabeth just stood there, completely motionless through the whole song, her eyes round as saucers. Then as the song ended, her face broke into a brilliant smile as she took in all the streamers and food lying on the tables and all the happy faces. She laughed as her eyes fell on Harry and Ron who had both jumped up on a table to lead the singing. Hermione hugged her neck and so did several other people including Neville as she made her way through the crowd.

Harry jumped nimbly back down off the table as she reached him and he wrapped his arms around her as he whispered in her ear, "Happy sixteenth birthday, Elizabeth."

Elizabeth pulled slightly away and kissed him in front of everyone, eliciting several hoots and whistles from the crowd. When the kiss ended, she stared up into his eyes and said, "I can't believe you did all this just for me. Thank you."

It was in that moment that Harry realized . . . he was falling in love with her. It was like a blow to the chest; something so unexpected, something so wonderful that he never even thought it possible. This was how his father had loved his mother in the beginning. This was what it felt like to be in love. It was a terrifying feeling but exhilarating at the same time.

She glanced over at Ron who had jumped down next to them. She hugged his neck too and whispered, "Thank you," into his ear. Ron blushed and Harry found himself feeling a little jealous which was ridiculous, he knew.

"It was Harry's idea. I just nicked the food," Ron said, sounding quite proud of himself in spite of his words.

Music had started to play and people filed onto the makeshift dance floor. Everyone seemed to be having a great time. Hermione led Ron onto the dance floor. Ron seemed slightly embarrassed but moved to the music with Hermione.

Harry handed Elizabeth a plate of food that Hermione had fixed for her and led her over to a nearby table. He watched her eat for a moment before turning to watch Ron and Hermione on the dance floor. Harry had never seen Ron dance before. He was actually quite good at it. He was definitely a lot better than his brothers, Fred and George, who were known to injure innocent bystanders while throwing themselves around.

 He didn't care for dancing himself. He'd never done it much except during the Yule Ball when he had to lead the first dance with the other school champions. He wished he could have taken Elizabeth. He wouldn't have minded being gawked at if she had been in his arms, he imagined. Of course, he had been hung up on Cho at the time. Harry mentally shook himself. He glanced back over at Elizabeth who was also watching Hermione and Ron gyrate on the dance floor.

"Hey, you want to dance?" Harry yelled over the sound of the music, his word surprising himself.

Elizabeth nodded and as they walked to the dance floor, the song changed to a slow ballad. Harry placed both of his arms around her waist and she placed her arms across his shoulders and they moved slowly and gracefully to the beat of the song.

Harry smiled to himself, it was actually very easy to dance to a slow song. It was sort like flying around on his broom trying to catch the snitch, all you had to do was anticipate the movement of the snitch, the snitch being the beat of the music, of course. Then again, it could just be Elizabeth's dancing ability. But come to think of it, he was actually leading this time. She moved closer to him and laid her head on his shoulder. She smelled of lilacs and vanilla and her scent subtly surrounded him as they moved to the music.

The song ended and Elizabeth lifted her head and smiled. Harry led her back to their table to find Ron and Hermione already there. They all sat and watched as Ginny and Dean started to do their Fred and George impersonation on the dance floor, much to the people closest to them dismay. Elizabeth winced as Ginny accidentally whacked Neville in the back of the head as he was dancing with Natalie McDonald. Neville turned around and Ginny gave him an apologetic smile but continued to dance quite exuberantly.

After about another hour of dancing on and off, Harry contemplated Elizabeth. "Do you want to take a walk with me, to get away from the music for a bit?" he yelled over the music which had grown in its intensity.

Elizabeth smiled at him and shouted, "What?"

Harry flicked his head toward the portrait hole and grabbed her hand. Elizabeth understood. She stood up, glanced around for Hermione and walked with him quickly out of the portrait hole.

The Fat Lady muttered, "No funny business now," to their retreating backs which they chose to ignore.

Harry led her up to the Astronomy Tower that wasn't too far away from the noise of the common room but just far enough away. He had heard it was the place to go if you wanted some privacy and he could definitely use some right now.

As they stepped out into the cold, starlight night, he watched as Elizabeth made her way over to the edge of the turret and he silently closed the door behind them. She gazed up at the dark sky, a wistful expression on her face. "I love it out here. I came here as often as I could after my tutoring sessions with Hermione. But usually . . . it was otherwise occupied like the tree close to the Quidditch pitch was the other night . . . and the rosebush," She gave him a sly look over her shoulder. He grinned roguishly as a slight tinge became noticeable on his face and she laughed. "It's okay. I don't mind. Sleepless nights don't bother me much."

She turned her attention back to the stars. Her face took on an otherworldly expression. "Some say the stars hold our future in their mystical depths as well as they hold our past. I don't know if I believe that or not. The idea that I'm held captive by something so completely out of my control, disturbs me a little." Her gaze intensified as if she were trying to read the hidden meaning in the celestial bodies above.

"Some say, a person's eyes are the windows to their souls . . . that you can see their past and future just by looking into them," he said softly, coming to stand next to her.

She turned to him, a slight curve to her lips. "Is that what you've learned from your Occlumency lessons, to read someone's soul?" she asked her voice barely above a whisper.

His mouth went dry and he felt his heart start to race. He took a steadying breath and responded, "I've never thought about it in quite that way before." He looked into her face, stepping closer to her, needing to be closer to her.

"Does it hurt when you look into someone's soul? Is it be like taking part of them?" she whispered.

"I don't know I've never tried. I'm usually the one trying to block out my mind."

She watched him for a moment her expression unreadable."Would you like to try? I mean . . . I'm willing if you would like to know what it's like," said Elizabeth seriously, meeting his gaze.

Harry was momentarily stunned. Elizabeth was offering to let him look into her innermost thoughts, in a sense, offering herself completely to him, unafraid. He started to deny her request and then realized he really didn't want to. He reached for her hand and pulled out his wand from inside his robe pocket. "Are you sure?" he asked, searching her eyes for any trace of fear. He could find none. He lifted his wand.

"Legilimens!'

Memories flashed through Harry's mind like that of a fast-moving SlideShow. The images were so clear and vivid, they stunned him at first. He focused his mind.

He saw a very small girl with dark red curls standing defiantly in front of a large, angry bearded man who was shouting obscenities at her, and her heart was breaking but she refused to let him see it . . . The same girl, a little older, held up her hand and froze another girl in midair before she could hit the ground as she fell from a tree, the same bearded man came up behind her and yanked her up by her ponytail and threw her into a car . . . The girl, taller this time, was standing in front of a stern-faced school teacher with her hands outstretched, allowing them to be hit painfully with a ruler for finding a lost wallet then being accused of stealing . . . a prepubescent girl was grabbed by a young boy behind a tree and kissed on the mouth . . . A teenage girl in a kitchen staring down at a deep cut on her hand and feeling the immense pain but seeing the cut heal before her very eyes, the traces of pain still lingering as she flexed it . . . A handsome young blonde-haired man pulling the girl into an intimate embrace and kissing her, her stomach churning because she does not feel the same but to stunned to move . . . a young boy laying lifeless in her arms as she tries desperately to heal him, she collapses in exhaustion, trying to absorb death itself . . . The girl walking gracefully into the Great Hall, allowing no emotion to show on her face, but feeling sheer panic . . . Her heart numb with grief as she looks down at the photograph of her parents, feeling their loss so deeply . . . The girl being kissed by himself, wanting to be kissed and feeling whole for the first time in her life . . . The girl waking up from a nightmare drenched in sweat and gasping for breath, as the fingers of fear etch their claws into her heart . . . Professor Lupin handing her a gift that touches her soul . . . himself on top of a table singing 'Happy Birthday Day' completely off-key, the girl laughing and feeling completely loved as she watches.

Harry felt her kiss. The images faded from his mind. Her lips were so soft and sensual, her tongue sliding slowly across his bottom lip. He let out a low moan and dropped his wand and pulled her toward him. His need for her flaring instantly at her touch. Her hands drifted over his arms and up to his face, fingers resting in his hair, holding him to her. He felt her knees buckle and he lowered her gently to the ground and settled himself half over her, partly covering her form with his own. He caressed her face, not breaking the kiss, and slid his hand down to her breast, cupping it gently before teasing and rubbing. Both were breathing heavy now. Her hand moved down his lean, muscular back to rest on his backside, stroking his desire even more. His hand moved lower, across her abdomen, brushing the top of her thigh before hesitating then proceeding even lower.

She quietly gasped and turned her head as the door to the Astronomy Tower swung open and another couple craned their heads out looking around the turret. She heard a muttered, "Damn!" and the sound of the door closing again. She turned back feeling his weight shift from her.

Harry rolled over onto his back, trying to gain control of his breathing. He understood now why his parents married so young. This is bloody torture!

After a few minutes, he pushed himself up from the ground and chanced a look at Elizabeth as he retrieved his wand. She had pushed herself up to a sitting position and had started to undo the rest of her hair, a smile playing about her lips. Her skirt was still slightly skewed and her robes were hanging down around her arms. She looked like she had just been pleasantly compromised. He must admit, he liked the look.

"I think I understand now why my parents had me when they did," she said seriously then smiled up at Harry. "If we're not careful, we'll end up going down the same path."

Harry tilted his head thoughtfully as he watched her brush out her hair with her fingers. The thought of being a father didn't scare him, surprisingly. A slow smile crept across his flushed face and he knew she would probably run away screaming if he told her that. So he kept his thoughts to himself and reached for her hand to help her up.

"So . . . who was the blonde guy?" Harry asked as nonchalant as possible.

Elizabeth thought for a moment before answering. "Ross . . . Mrs. O' Neil's son."

"So did you break his heart when you left?" he asked, unable to stop himself.

She looked at him curiously, trying to read his thoughts. "Do you really want to know?"

Harry shrugged. "Maybe I don't," he said as he walked away and headed toward the door.

Elizabeth watched him closely then smiled at his retreating back. "We were friends, that's all. He just thought he would see what it felt like to kiss me one night. I was too shocked to do anything but let him," she said unable to keep the mirth from her voice. "You're not jealous of a memory, are you?"

Harry turned and glanced at her but his face was cast in shadow, his expression unreadable. "Well, Hermione and I are friends but I've never had the urge to kiss her . . . just to see what it felt like," he said in a way too casual voice.

Elizabeth let out a giggle and strode over to him. "You are jealous," she said and laughed harder at the glare she finally made out on Harry's face. "Who would have thought the famous Harry Potter could be so insecure over a mere memory? It's actually quite sweet." She wrapped her arms around his waist and peered into his sullen face. "Oh come on, Harry. I was just teasing. It's not like Ross is even at this school. I'm the one who has to deal with the looks of contempt tossed at her by that Ravenclaw girl and the constant sneers of Parvati behind my back," she said, incredulously. Then added at Harry's puzzled look, "Yes, I know all about the girl you dated last year. Are you forgetting where I sleep every night? Girls can be very vindictive when they want to be. Lavender and Parvati were very happy to inform me of your past conquest. It seems they just kept forgetting I was in the room."

Harry reluctantly smiled down at her and said, "You make it sound like Cho and I were hot and heavy. I never even held her hand."

Elizabeth arched an eyebrow. "So you never kissed her?" she asked and then rolled her eyes at Harry's guilty look. "I thought so. Please, spare me the details." She dropped her arms and made to open the door.

Harry put his arm on the door to keep it closed and reached for her face. "I never kissed her like this."

 His mouth covered Elizabeth's and he gently sucked on her lower lip then slid his tongue across it then deepened the kiss. Damn, he was a good kisser. He slowly pulled away from her and she opened her eyes.

"Then how did you learn that? A pillow?" she asked quietly, a smile appearing on her face.

Harry gave her a sly smile and chuckled. "From you actually. You did the same thing to me that night in front of the fire. I just mimicked it."

"Oh," she said, remembering. "You're a fast learner." She stepped away from the door as Harry pulled it open.

"By the way, I forgot to give you this earlier," said Harry, handing her a piece of parchment.

Elizabeth took the card and leaned against the doorway as she opened it then read :

Dear Elizabeth,

Happy sixteenth birthday!

 I hope this party tells you how much you mean to me.

 I wish you had mentioned it was your birthday

earlier. I would have gotten you a better present.

Save me the first dance.

                                                                  Yours Truly,

                                                                      Harry

Elizabeth looked up at Harry and smiled. Harry shrugged. "It sounded better earlier."

"It's perfect," She leaned forward and kissed him again.

Harry looked down at her, his eyes turning dark. "We'd better go or I'm going to put you on the floor again."

Back in the closet, Elizabeth!

She looked at the floor longingly.

Harry growled. "For Merlin's sake, don't do that!" he said as he pulled her through the door.

They made their way back to the common room, but not before suffering The Fat Lady's scrutiny. "Wasn't your hair up before, my dear?" she said innocently, as she swung open.

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Professor McGonagall's Transfiguration class was one of the toughest so far. She had the class practice conjuring bandages on each other for two hours and the unfortunate students, who weren't successful, were given homework to complete, four feet of parchment on how to do it correctly.

 Elizabeth wasn't sure how safe this type of practice was, teaching a bunch of hormone-crazed teenagers how to bind each other just didn't seem like sane thinking in her opinion. But she had to admit, it was definitely fun. Hermione was able to do it after the first few attempts. Elizabeth followed right behind with Hermione's help then they spent the rest of the time chatting but occasionally conjuring a binding around each others wrist to appease Professor McGonagall. Poor Neville was able to conjure the correct bindings, but sadly, tied himself to his desk. Ron and Harry started trying to trip each other and eventually had a mock duel to see who was the fastest at binding. Harry came out the victor but only just. Ron was able to get a lock on his foot and drag him down with him, knocking over a desk which caused them to receive quite a telling off from McGonagall.

The next class after lunch was Care of Magical Creatures class. Elizabeth had heard a lot about Hagrid but had never gotten the chance to meet him until now. He was a massive wizard, about twelve feet tall and quite intimidating. Until you spoke to him that is.

"All right, Hagrid," said Harry as they approached the hut on the grounds close to the Forbidden Forest.

Hagrid turned around smiling. "All right, Harry. 'ello, Hermione. Ron." He paused when he came to Elizabeth but gave her a massive grin. "An' who've yeh got 'ere, Harry?"

"Oh sorry, Hagrid. This is Elizabeth Fairchild. She's new here to Hogwarts," said Harry smiling.

Hagrid's big hairy face took on a slight sadness momentarily then he said gently, "Is tha' who yeh are now. Dumbledore told me, yeh was found an' goin' ter come ter Hogwarts. All grow'd up now aren' yeh?" His eyes grew misty and he sniffed which seemed to remind him of where he was. "Yeh should come aroun' fer a cuppa tea later," he quietly said before turning to the other students who had arrived.

"C'mon, gath'r aroun'. I got somethin' rare I been saving fer this year. Somethin' yer gonna really enjoy," said Hagrid beaming as he waved them over to the paddock.

Harry, Hermione and Ron exchanged identical looks. It had never been a good sign when he had to keep whatever it was locked up in the paddock. Harry hoped he didn't have Gawp tied up back there.

"Now then, stay 'ere while I go an' get 'em," he said holding out his hands as the class stopped short of the fence. Hagrid had put up a chicken wire fence on the outside to fill in the gaps of the larger paddock fence.

Before long, Hagrid had returned with a huge wooden crate. "These 'ere are Holilocks. They are real sociable creatures, with humans once they get use ter yeh. Tha's why they are all in this 'ere crate, but they don' usually live near humans. They very rare mind yeh an' I had ter get a special permit from the Ministry of Magic ter let yeh work with 'em. If they think yeh threatenin' 'em in any way they'll spit acid at yeh an' claw yeh somethin' fierce so no sudden moments until they're use ter yeh," he said, eyeing Malfoy suspicously. Then he turned around and opened the crate slowly allowing the creatures to become adjusted to the bright sunlight.

It looked like a huge Holly bush at first, all in a big clump in the middle of the crate. Then slowly one by one, tiny, green furry heads started to emerge from the clump and waddle their way out of the crate. They resembled little, green teddy bears plastered in holly leaves and red berries with tiny yellow fangs just visible through their fur around their mouths and menacing red claws sprouting from their cubby paws. They were moving so slowly, Elizabeth couldn't ever imagine them moving quickly anywhere.

"Oooooooo! They are so cute," squealed Lavender, squeezing Parvati's arm.

"Now these are jus' babies and not as testy as the adults can be, but they can still put a hurt in yeh if yeh aren' careful with 'em," warned Hagrid. "Who wants ter be the firs' ter try an' interact with 'em?"

Much like Defense Against the Dark Arts class the day before, no seemed willing to volunteer for a moment. They shuffled their feet and tried not to make eye contact.

"I will," said Elizabeth, putting her hand in the air.

Harry realized she didn't know enough about Hagrid to be leery. "Er. . .Me too," he said, wanting to keep Elizabeth in one piece.

"Following her around like she's a bitch in heat, aren't you, Potter? Is she really that good a lay?" hissed Malfoy, under his breath.

Malfoy was suddenly hit in the head with a flying water pail and fell backwards. Harry laughed out right as he put his wand back in his robes and so did Hermione and Ron. But Elizabeth's steps never faltered as she made her way to the front and stood next to Hagrid.

"We'll start off with jus' one person fer now, Harry," said Hagrid, ignoring the fact that Malfoy was on the ground. "Now, 'lizabeth. What yeh need to do is climb over the fence and get as close as yeh can ter 'em and jus' have a seat and allow 'em ter come ter yeh. Once they're use to yeh, I'll have Harry come in with yeh. Remember no sudden movements. Their claws are poisonous."

Now, he tells me! Elizabeth suppressed a look of horror, nodded her head, grabbed the top rail of the fence and hoisted herself over. The Holilocks took notice of her and eyed her suspiciously. She crept slowly toward them, not blinking. When she noticed they were becoming agitated by her nearness, she took one step back and sat down. She remained completely still for a few minutes, waiting for the Holilocks to do whatever they were going to do, hoping it wouldn't involve their claws.

One of the Holilocks started to slowly waddle toward her sniffing the air every few steps. It reminded Elizabeth of a rabbit she had once seen in Mrs. O' Neil's garden. It finally was close enough to sniff her hand and Elizabeth fought the urge to lift it and give it a pet. It waddled its way around to her back and stuck its nose in her hair and sniffed loudly, sending a shiver down her spine. Seeming to be encouraged by the first one, two more waddled its way over to her. After about ten minutes of this, she was surrounded by five Holilocks, each sticking their nose in her hair and robes inspecting her curiously. Then one crawled into her lap and sniffed her face and let out a rattling noise which made Elizabeth slightly nervous. But it seemed to be nuzzling her face with his nose and dragging his sharp, cubby paws across her cheeks in an almost loving manner so she allowed it, resisting the urge to push it away.

Bang!

Elizabeth jumped and her head was flung to the side as the Holilocks instantly disappeared back into their crate. She was disoriented and felt a sharp, stinging sensation spread across her cheeks and her hands were burning. She pushed herself up from the ground, feeling weak and lightheaded. She looked down at her hands. They were covered in oozing blisters. She put her hand to her cheek and saw it covered in blood as she pulled it away.

 

People were screaming and she saw Hagrid scrambling over the fence with a horrified expression. She stumbled, her vision blurring, her head starting to throb then she fell and knew no more.