| Dugbog
Join Date: May 2010 Location: Iowa , United States
Posts: 141
Second Year | 
Yes, that was a reference to LOTR =)
Disclaimer: Everything Harry Potter belongs to Jk Rowling
Chapter 20!!!!
“Wingardium Leviosa” Ella smiled as her plaque began to float above her.
Everyone but her was sleeping. She was too excited to lie down, and there was something about being alone in the common room. She had accomplished something great. Now, of course came the hard part. The lessons, she knew would not be easy. She still had so much to learn, and this time she needed to memorize instead of being able to read the instructions.
“ A great potion master simply does not just read the instructions, he or she knows them by heart” Snape’s voice echoed in her mind. The hard part was going to have to balance everything. Because, Not only did she have the upcoming lessons, but Harry’s last task was soon approaching, and unlike the last task she would help.
“Oh jeez its One in the morning” She spoke out loud.
“Ella Greene.” “Is Ella Greene here?” Ella jumped up from the couch and stood still all the while turning ghost white.
“Umm.. WHO IS THERE?” Ella couldn’t help her voice ended up screeching!
“Its me!”
“Who is me?” Ella was breathing hard at this point.
“ From the painting , from the great hall.” “Remember?” “Right before you took your test?” Ella paused.
“Where are you?” She began to look around. There weren’t as many portraits as outside the Gryffindor Common room, but still there was enough to get Ella searching.
“What are you looking at?” Women dressed in pajamas yelled.
“ Sorry, Wrong painting!” Ella said apologizing to the lady.
“Over here!” Out of the corner of her eye an elderly man was waving her his way.
“ Ok, jeez!” “All this yelling will wake someone up.” Ella said still walking
toward him.
“ I really don’t like when paintings call for me.” “ Just a heads up.” Ella said still shaken up.
“This isn’t the time!” The man said panting.
“ Do you know how far I had to walk?” “ And at this time of night??” The man stood there.
“Ok . Ok. Why are you here?” Ella said getting more and more frustrated.
“You must warn Professor Snape.” “The headmaster from Durmstrang.”
The man began to take deeper and deeper gulps of breaths.
“Calm down. Just breath.” Ella said trying to calm the man down.
“There suspicious of Snape.” “They say he is hiding something or someone.”
“Who was with the headmaster?”
“I don’t know.” “I only heard voices, and awoke.”
“There is another thing.”
“Well?”
The old man’s worrisome face turned grave.
“You need to stay away and make yourself virtually unknown.” “The headmaster said that there was a Gryffindor student who looked peculiar and that he is going to find out why she sticks out in his mind.”
'Were those his exact words?” Ella began to shake
“Yes.’
Ella thought she was going to faint.
Igor Karkaroff was a dangerous man, and she knew he meant what he said.
“We have to see Dumbledore.” Ella spoke softly.
“Ok, I will rest here until the morning.”
“ No. We must go now.” Ella said reaching for the painting.
“ Now?” The old man fell in the chair.
“ I will carry you.” Ella said sighing.
“ I will be right back.”
Ella ran up the stairs to her dormitory. She quietly found her robe and placed it around her.
She prayed that she wouldn’t run into anyone on the way to Dumbledore’s office.
“Now, I am going to cover you with this blanket, and hold you under my sleeve.” “Good thing you are in this little frame, I would have made you walked if you were in a large one.” Ella said wrapping up the painting in a large blanket.
“Good thing indeed.” Came a muffled voice.
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Ella was very nervous, never had she been out this late in the castle. The latest had been after ten and that was for potions. To say the castle scared her was an understatement.
Taking a step out of the portrait hole was torture. Her nerves played a key role in not allowing the rest of her limbs to work.
“ Ok, Ella you can do this.” Ella took a step out and took a deep breath.
“ Lumos” Ella spoke softly.
Ella ventured into the dark hallways. Everything was asleep and even the paintings snored.
“Ok, I think I go down this set of stairs.” Ella spoke softly to herself.
“You think?” Came the old man’s muffled voice.
“ I have only been at Hogwarts for a short time , nd never have I wondered into the night!”
Ella walked a little further to the sounds of snoring. Her body shaking in fear.
After walking further down the corridors, Ella became a little more relaxed.
“We will soon be there.” Ella said whispering to her sleeve.
“WHO IS THERE!” Ella stopped in terror.
“ I said who is there!” The voice from the darkness appeared.
“ Ella Greene.” Her voice cracked. She looked around, not seeing anyone in sight.
All she could here was foot steps and with each one she felt tears well up.
“ Ella , what are you doing out this late?” A calm voice came from the shadows and Ella could see Snape walking towards her.
“ It is one in the morning, and there better be a good explanation” His voice grew more stern with each word.
“ I have to talk to Dumbledore” Ella said relief covering her face like a veil.
“ It couldn’t wait? It is very dangerous in these halls.”
“What are you doing up?” Ella spoke softly.
“Don’t try to reverse the situation. I am still your teacher.” Ella nodded at his stern voice.
Snape lead as they walked down a few more halls before reaching the entrance to Dumbledore’s office.
Snape didn’t even have to say the password out loud.
“ I want to learn to do spells without saying them aloud.” Ella said in awe of his abilities
“ It takes time, patience, and the ability to clear your mind, as if the only thing you are thinking about is the spell itself.”
“Now, listen to me.” He stared directly at her. “I worry about you, you are my flesh and blood. No where is safe. Do you hear me? not even Hogwarts.”
“ Do you understand?” Snape said in a whisper.
Ella nodded touched at the sincerity in his voice.
“ Stay in here.” Ella waited in the foyer, almost forgetting she was still carrying the painting in her sleeve.
“ Jeez he is not very sensitive is he!” The old man said in a whisper.
“ Oh for heavens sake I forgot about you. Shh.”
“ How the heck did you forget about me?, your carrying me!”The old man was getting more and more annoyed.
“I said shhh.”
Suddenly, the door began to slowly open, and Ella walked in at a slow pace.
“Mrs. Greene.” “ It is late.” Dumbledore said with a smile.
“ I know , but its urgent.” “ Umm. I don’t know how to explain it.”
“UH HUM” Ella felt her arm shake. She reached in her robe and unraveled the painting.
“He can better explain it.” Ella said pointing at the old man.
“ Professors, sorry to bother you , but I have to tell you what I heard.”
The old man told the story in verbatim, as he told it to Ella. She stood there watching the expressions of Dumbledore and Snape.
“ Good work, sir” Dumbledore said with a smile.
“ Now, For tonight you can rest here with the Headmasters of the past. Then
I will take you back to where you belong.” Dumbledore grabbed the paining and took it over to another table .
“Thank you sir, I am quite tired.” The old man fell instantly asleep.
“ Now, for you Ella. I am afraid that you must be cautious. Your potion lessons will be here in my office on Fridays from 6pm till 9pm. After your lesson , I will take you back to your common room.” Ella nodded her head.
“ Now, I will take you back to the common room” He said ushering her towards the door.
“ Sir, is someone out to get me?” Ella said still having questions.
“ I think there is suspicion , but nothing to be too worried about.” There was a slight pause in his voice, which made Ella nervous.
“ Now, lets be off.” He guided her through the corridors of the castle.
“ The castle gives me the creeps.” Ella said shaking nervously.
“Nah, you must learn to live with all sorts of creatures.” “ I think the surprise of running into one of them is half the fun.” Dumbledore said chuckling.
Ella smiled.
“Gets some rest, goodnight, or should I say good morning?” “ Hmm.. Well goodnight and good morning.”
Ella laughed walking into the common room. The fire had gone out and she didn’t care. She walked strait up to the dormitory and passed out. Too much had happened the night to care about a fire that was supposed to never go out….
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“ Ella wake up!” Hermione said shaking Ella from side to side.
“What time is it?” Ella said looking around.
“ I seriously just went to bed.” Ella said trying to roll back over.
“The fire in the common room has been put out.” Hermione said frantically shaking Ella even more.
“Um.. Yeah it was when I came back in around two.” Ella never one to wake up too early started to swat at Hermione to leave her alone.
“Why were you out that late!” Hermione said shrieking.
“Seriously, how many times have you and the boys snuck out.” Ella’s eyes were closed and if opened would have been rolling.
“ Plus it was important, I will tell you later.” “Night..”
“Ella the fire , never goes out.” Hermione said with a look of terror on her face.
“What?” Ella decided that she should pay attention to Hermione.
“ No student can put it out! It only goes out around summer time.”
Ella sat strait up in her bed.
“ When I left it was still going.”
“ Come one. McGonagall is here.” Hermione said throwing Ella’s rob towards her.
“Who was the last one to bed?” Ella heard McGonagall speak using her wand to amplify her voice. The Gryffindor students shook there head as the crowd grew.
“I was, I left to see Dumbledore, around one in the morning.” Ella didn’t pay attention to anyone else other than McGonagall.
“ Was the flame out?” McGonagall said
“No, it was when I came back though , but I did not raise alarm because I did know that it never goes out.” Ella felt all the eyes on her.
“ Carry on.” “ Get ready for your classes!” McGonagall spoke with her wand still at her throat.
“What’s going on?” Ella said.
“ I have no idea, but why did you need to speak to Dumbledore!” Harry said
“Follow me.” Ella got to a corner that wasn’t inhibited by any other student, and told them what the man in the painting had said.
“ We have to look out for each other.” Ron said.
“ The next task announcement should be coming this week.” Ella said “ We need to help you get through this Harry.”
“ What about you?” “ Someone was here while you were gone.” “ And I have a feeling it wasn’t for me” Harry said.
“ The fat lady.” Hermione said aloud.
“ Wouldn’t she know?” Ella said.
“ Unless the person slipped in when you were leaving.”
Ella sighed. The thought of her allowing someone in the common room scared her. If anyone would have been hurt, it would have been her fault.
“ Well we cant fret anymore. McGonagall has canvased the common room, and the castle.” Hermione said reassuringly.
“ It was good thing you were gone.” Ron said.
“ I wonder why they didn’t see me?” “Sometimes the opening stays open for a few minutes, he could of slipped in then.”
“ I don’t know something doesn’t feel right.” Ella said trying to think
“ Well, like Hermione said we cant get all worked up.” Harry said trying to comfort Ella.
“ Your right .” “ Lets get ready for breakfast. Ella was the first to get up and get ready.
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The whole castle seemed abuzz on why Ella needed to see Dumbledore.
“ Maybe I shouldn’t of announced to the entire common room that I left last night .”
“ Yeah, maybe you shouldn’t of .” Ron said chuckling at all the looks and whispers they were getting .
“Easter eggs!” Ron said at the sight of all the owls.
Ella saw Hermione glance at the lack of gift Mrs. Weasley gave her.
“ Yeah, we are staying here this break to help out Harry.” Ron said.
“ Yeah, I do not want to go home.” Ella said eating her biscuit.
Ella sat there fumbling with her breakfast until Chauncey brought her a letter.
Ella,
Every reporter here wonders how she gets her information. Don’t fret, I will try and figure it out. Its like she has the powers of shrinking herself or invisibility. Ok SB is looking at me weird. Its like Rita is one of those villains we used to watch on Saturday mornings. Hmm maybe she is….
Lots of love,
Jenny.
Ella handed the letter to Hermione who studied it for sometime.
“ Maybe she has a recorder” Harry said.
“No, muggle electronics wont work here in Hogwarts” Hermione said trying to read further into the letter.
Hermione stood up. “Maybe Jennifer is right.”
“Right about what? That Skeeter is a villain?” Ella said laughing.
“ Hmm I think I might need to go to the library after classes.” Hermione got up and took her bag and left breakfast early.”
Ella shook her head. “ She should own a library”
Ella felt mentally drained , and her long classes didn’t help. She not only had to focus on her classes which weren’t getting easier, but she had to help Harry, figure out what Rita was up to and be cautious of the people around her.
“The last class of the day.” Harry said.
“Finally” Ella whispered. |