- Rating:
- PG-13
- House:
- Schnoogle
- Genres:
- Action
- Era:
- Multiple Eras
- Spoilers:
- Philosopher's Stone Chamber of Secrets Prizoner of Azkaban
- Stats:
-
Published: 03/27/2002Updated: 05/28/2002Words: 28,855Chapters: 10Hits: 6,057
Eleni's Missing Years
MCMISH
- Story Summary:
- Eleni arrives at Hogwarts at the commencement of 5th year, with no memory before the age of nine. She tries to settle in but is plagued nightly by a mysterious reoccurring dream. Is the dream memories trying to surface and what is that Snape knows about her past? And why does Lucius Malfoy become so concerned?
Chapter 03
- Chapter Summary:
- Eleni arrives at Hogwarts at the commencement of 5 th year, with no memory before the age of nine. She tries to settle in but is plagued nightly by a mysterious reoccurring dream. Is the dream, memories trying to surface and what does Snape know about her past?
- Posted:
- 04/02/2002
- Hits:
- 538
Chapter 3
Eleni knew that the constant interruptions to her schooling had placed her in a disadvantageous situation. Her knowledge and ability in certain subjects like potions and transfiguration, was limited and at times as naïve as a first years. Eleni had to admit, that in some ways Snape had been right. If she was to catch up to the others, she’d have to work extra hard.So during the first few months at Hogwarts, life consisted of classes and cramming in the library. Little time was devoted to exploring her surroundings except when the staircases chose to move, causing her to get lost.
In fact Eleni was so busy, that at first she didn’t notice that the dream that had scratched her subconscious at “Melvin” had begun its insidious march. From a once a week occurrence, it increased its frequency to every second night and when it was sure it had caught her in its tentacles, it came every night. And no longer was it a dream with benign images but a dream brimming with malevolence and darkness.
One night when the bloodcurdling screams were like razors scraping at her insides, Elena shot up in bed with the sudden realisation that this wasn’t just a dream invading her subconscious. This was something that had happened, that she had witnessed and somehow had caused. Those people were screaming and begging for their lives because of her.
Eleni recoiled in horror at the insight and remained awake for the rest of the night. She replayed the dream over and over in her mind searching for clues, desperate to unravel the dream’s secrets and learn why she had landed on the orphanage steps with no memory of the past.
Who were the people screaming? Had she known them? And what about the creatures with the reptile faces? What sort of creatures were they?
From that night, a full nights sleep was a thing of the past. And consequently the lack of sleep began to wear her down. The inroads she had made with her schoolwork began eroding away. Staying awake in class or indeed the library took every “awake and alert” charm she knew but soon not even these charms were strong enough. It was left to sheer will power to keep going.
Eleni stifled her yawns while listening to Snape’s instructions. He was in a particular acid mood that day, deducting points for the tiniest infraction. Everyone kept silent, concentrating on what he was saying. Not even the Slytherins felt safe from his wrath.
‘Come on,’ Eleni urged herself, when her eyelids began falling, ‘stay awake and concentrate.’
She knew that if there was one place she needed all her wits, it was potions and especially today with Snape’s mood.
After that first terrible class with Snape, Eleni made sure that at every lesson she sat in the back row, hidden behind Harry and Ron. That way she mused, Snape would forget that she existed.
So far she had been lucky. Each time he did move towards the back of the class, he’d be diverted by Harry and Ron, who he loved taking points off. And sitting across them was Neville, someone else that distracted Snape and stopped him from wandering too close to her.
The ploy worked beautifully. Snape hadn’t looked or spoken to her since that day.
Although Eleni had to admit that something strange was going on that day. Each time she had tried to hide behind the others, Snape moved, so she’d once again be in his line of vision. As yet he hadn’t looked at her but Eleni had a sneaking suspicion, he knew exactly where she was and what she was up to. She had to wonder whether the rumour of his reading minds was true.
‘Begin,’ she heard him snap.
Eleni gathered in her ingredients for the stomach-curdling potion and began cutting, stopping intermittently to rub the weariness out of her eyes. She was slicing some “bayberry” root, when a loud noise startled her.
Her head whirled round looking for the source of the crash and to her horror she saw her cauldron in pieces on the ground.
‘Oh my God I’m done for,’ she moaned inwardly. ‘How can I be so stupid? Fancy knocking my cauldron over.’
‘Miss Devon,’ whispered a deadly voice from the front of the room.
But Eleni made no sign that she had heard him. Not the first time Snape said her name, nor the second time or even the third. Instead she sat transfixed, staring at the shattered pieces on the ground, as if she couldn’t quite believe that she had caused it.
Green, murky liquid that had been brewing before the cauldron met with the unfortunate accident, was bubbling and spreading like lava across the floor, giving out a rotten egg smell.
‘Pooh,’ cried Draco Malfoy at the top of his voice. ‘What is that smell.’
Eleni fingered her wand, making a quick search of her mind for a cleaning and repair charm but her mind had gone blank like an empty nest.
‘Miss Devon.’
Eleni looked up and was startled to see that Professor Snape had swept down the aisle and was now leaning over her desk, like a serpent ready to pounce. He usual sallow complexion had turned blacker than the storm clouds she had seen that morning from her window.
‘Miss Devon,’ he said yet again, when certain he had her full attention. ‘How many times must I call you? Or is that you think I have nothing better to do?’
Eleni’s entire face and head burnt with shame and humiliation. ‘I’m sorry sir, I didn’t hear you.’
‘Obviously not.’
Through the corner of her eye, Eleni saw Harry and the others nod support. Draco meanwhile was sniggering at her discomfort.
‘It was an accident Professor Snape,’ she said.
‘Oh really,’ he said, his voice biting with sarcasm, ‘an accident. Apparently Professor Blockmarble never bothered to address your clumsiness.’
Eleni wanted to argue her defence, insist that it was an accident, that she hadn’t done it on purpose but by the look of Professor Snape’s face, she decided it was safer to keep quiet.
‘Fifteen points from Gryffindor and detention tonight,’ he said sharply, his mouth barely moving. ‘Now clean up this mess before I give you a weeks worth of detentions.’
Eleni reached for her wand but stopped when she saw the sneer on his face.
‘Oh no Miss Devon,’ he said, ‘no unnecessary wand waving in this classroom, you should know that.’ He moved his own wand and manifested a dirty rag, which he threw at her. ‘No, I rather you clean it the way a Muggle would.’
Eleni took the rag and got down on her knees to clean up the mess. She was conscious of Snape watching her and was thankful that her face was facing the ground, so he couldn’t see the tears in her eyes. Why oh why couldn’t she own an invisibility cloak like Harry, so she could throw it over herself and make a run for it?
After a few moments, obviously satisfied that she was doing as she was told, he turned away, his black robes swishing with the sudden movement.
‘No Longbottom,’ Eleni heard him snarl as he walked away. ‘The potion is not meant to be purple. Five points from Gryffindor.’
She heard the murmur of dissent from the Gryffindors and the triumphant chuckles from the Slytherins.
Eleni mopped up the green caustic liquid, holding her breath each time a splash of liquid bit into her arm. Better to suffer in silence she decided than draw any more attention to herself.
Just as she was finishing the bell sounded. Luckily Snape dismissed the class and immediately left for his office. Eleni quickly washed out the rag and deposited the remains of her cauldron on Snape’s desk for him to repair.
‘Bad luck about your detention,’ said Harry, as they later sat in Transfiguration, waiting for Professor McGonagall to arrive.
‘I’m certainly not looking forward to it,’ she said. ‘The less I see of Snape the better.’
‘Last time we had detention,’ said Ron, ‘we had to pickle rat’s brain. Aaaarg. It was vile.’
‘Thanks, now I’m really looking forward to detention,’ she said. Hogwarts, she thought, was certainly not turning out to be that nice, comfortable place she was hoping for.
There were no classes after Transfiguration, so Eleni went to the library to study. Because of her tiredness, she had become behind in her work and was desperate to put in a couple of good hours before she had to go to detention.
However her eyelids were swollen with fatigue and she wanted nothing more than to sink her head down on the desk and fall asleep.
Except for a few 2nd Years who were reading an adventure story about a dragon, that accidentally went through a Portkey and landed on an uninhabited planet, the library was empty.
Eleni took out her parchment and quill and opened her History book. She began reading about the Goblin wars but she was so tired that the letters began moving like a jigsaw puzzle hit by a tornado.
This is useless she decided. I might as well shut my eyes for a few minutes, otherwise I’m not going to get anything done.
Eleni gratefully put her head on her history book and sighed with relief as she closed her eyes.
A hand was shaking her.
‘Go away,’ she mumbled, ‘leave me alone. Can’t you see I’m sleeping?’
‘Eleni you better wake up,’ said a voice.
‘I don’t want to.’
The shaking increased. ‘Eleni you better wake up. Aren’t you supposed to be at detention?
Eleni’s eyes flew open. Hermione was standing, watching her with a quizzical look.
‘What are you talking about? I just closed my eyes about a minute ago.’
‘I think it was longer than a minute. Dinner was over ages ago.’
Eleni jumped off her chair knocking it over. ‘I’m done for,’ she said, throwing her books and things together. ‘He’s going to kill me for this.’
‘Look,’ said Hermione, ‘you better go, don’t worry about your things, I’ll take them back to your room.’
‘Thanks, I really owe you one,’ Eleni called out, tearing out of the library and racing in the direction of the dungeons. Some days she thought, aren’t worth getting up for.
She almost slipped and fell down the stone steps leading to Snape’s classroom. Eleni didn’t even bother knocking on the thick wooden door when she reached it. She just opened it and ran in, hoping that Snape had forgotten about the detention too.
But he was there. Sitting at his desk doing corrections.
‘Well Miss Devon,’ he said, not even bothering to lift his head, ‘how nice of you to finally arrive.’
‘I’m sorry Professor Snape, I really am but I must have been tired and I closed my eyes for only a minute and then…’
‘Enough,’ he snapped. ‘I don’t want to hear another word.’
‘I just want to explain.’
Snape looked up. ‘I said enough.’
Eleni stood quietly while he scrutinized her.
‘Now Miss Devon,’ he continued quietly, ‘you know how I value and expect punctuality in my classes?’
She nodded.
‘I expect the same punctuality when I give out detention. This infraction will cost you a week’s detention.’ He voiced lowered as he watched her. ‘And if you’re late again, it will be another week’s detention. Do I make myself clear?’
Eleni tried to say yes but her throat had dried out like a parched desert. All she could manage was a nod.
‘Very well,’ he said, standing and moving to a shelf bursting with bottles of all sizes and colours. ‘Now come over here.’
Eleni moved cautiously towards him.
‘I’ve had many commitments over summer,’ he said, ‘and haven’t had a chance to take an inventory of this mess. I want you to take everything down, get rid of them empty bottles and date and catalogue the rest. Clear?’
‘Yes Professor Snape.’
Eleni breathed in relief when he returned to his desk and to his corrections. She began to unpack the shelf, trying not to think about the week’s detention and trying to ignore the many peculiar things floating in the bottles.
Tails, eyes of different shapes and colours, what looked like some sort of prehistoric fish, brains of every size imaginable and liquids or every texture and colour. Once the shelves were cleared and the empty bottles discarded to one side, Eleni began to catalogue the rest in her neatest writing.
Perhaps she thought, she could ask Snape to defer the detentions for a while until she had caught up with her work. However one look at Snape’s determined look as he slashed his quill across someone’s homework promptly changed her mind.
A sudden knock at the door startled her.
‘Come in,’ Snape said curtly.
Eleni’s eyes opened wide with surprise. Professor Dumbledore.
Snape appeared surprised too, jumping to his feet.
‘Headmaster.’
‘Severus I need to talk…,’ Professor Dumbledore began but stopping when he saw her.
‘Eleni,’ he smiled. ‘How nice to see you.’
‘Hello Professor Dumbledore,’ she said shyly, wishing he taught potions and not Snape. Life would certainly be easier. Noticing Snape’s glare in her direction, Eleni turned and continued cataloguing.
‘Severus,’ she heard Professor Dumbledore say, ‘I have news; I need to talk to you. Can you come to my office later tonight when you’re free?’
‘Of course headmaster.’
‘Very well I’ll expect you. Goodnight Eleni.’
‘Goodbye Professor Dumbledore,’ she said, turning and noticing a bright glint in Snape’s eyes, a contrast to his usual dour look.
She went back to her work wondering what news Professor Dumbledore had. It had to be something important for him to come all this way to the Dungeons. Eleni was so immersed in her thoughts, she didn’t notice that Snape was standing behind, looking over her shoulder, checking her work.
She jumped and took a sharp breath, which made her cough in pain.
Snape clicked his tongue in irritation.
‘Miss Devon, contrary to what you might believe, I don’t bite.’
‘Sorry I just didn’t realise you were there,’ she said. Yeah right you don’t bite, she thought.
‘Alright,’ he said, seemingly satisfied with her work. ‘That’s enough for today. You can continue tomorrow. There are shelves in my office that need to be catalogued too.
‘Oh and Miss Devon,’ Snape said, as she moved to the door, ‘don’t think I don’t know what you’ve been up to.’
Eleni turned and looked at him.
‘Hiding behind Mr Potter and Mr Weasley, thinking that I’ve forgotten you exist.’
Eleni couldn’t even look at him. He had known all along and she thought she had been so clever.
‘And another thing Miss Devon,’ he continued. ‘I suggest you retire early tonight and get a full nights sleep. How are you going to learn anything in my class, if you can’t manage to stay awake?’
Eleni was momentarily lost for words. She wondered how much more he knew about her.
‘I’ll try Professor Snape.’
‘Good. Now you better go.’
Eleni almost ran out the door.