Windows of the Soul

Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoat Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.

Author's Notes: This story ignores HBP and DH; it starts the beginning of the summer before Harry’s seventh year. Thank you to my beta Sometimeselkie for all her hard work.

WARNING: - THIS CHAPTER HAS SOME HET IN IT. IF YOU DON’T LIKE, THEN DON’T READ IT.


Chapter 17 – Oaths

Elli was up early the next morning, wrapping presents and plotting. She had been up for an hour when her arm started to get warm; she touched her bracelet and read the message. She had just put her cloak on and spoken to Canth when there was a knock on the door. She opened it, to find Neville stood on the other side.

“I’m sorry to come so early, Orri, but I really need to talk to you.”

Elli sighed. “Now’s not a good time, Nev. I have something that I need to do.” She started to walk out of the door.

“Oh, okay. I’ll see you later then.”

Elli could hear the disappointment and hurt in his voice. She turned towards him. “You can come with me, if you promise to keep it secret.”

Neville placed his hand on Elli’s hand. “I, Neville Francis Longbottom, do hereby pledge a Wizard’s oath to keep whatever Ellorra Minerva Lily Lupin-Black has to tell me in confidence a secret unless instructed otherwise by Ellorra.” With his other hand, he held his wand over their joined hands, and when he had finished speaking a blue light flared over their hands. He nodded. “It’s done.”

Elli smiled, “Thank you, Nev.” Elli took his arm and, letting Canth lead the way, the two of them both walked through the castle and out of the main doors towards the Whomping Willow. Whilst they walked Elli told Neville everything. She was very happy that she had a friend like Neville to trust with her secrets, she had her brother and Draco, but they had their own problems she didn’t feel right adding to them with hers, it was a big load of her shoulders telling Neville.

Neville always wanted to be part of a friendship like that of Harry, Ron and Hermione. Even though Harry was in a relationship with Draco, there was still a strong friendship between the three friends. Neville had never had that before, but now he did with Elli and he knew that he would anything to keep it and her safe.

When they got to the Whomping Willow, Canth ran ahead and under its branches, pressing on its trunk, stopping the tree. Neville guided Elli over to the trunk and down its secret passageway and into the Shrieking Shack. Neville heard movement inside as he guided Elli up the stairs and into the shack.

“I’ll be back in an hour. That should give you enough time,” he whispered.

Elli smiled and nodded. With a thought, Canth loped down the stairs, followed by Neville.


As Elli entered the room she could feel his magic, and then his hands around her from behind. He leaned and kissed her neck as his hands came to lightly cup her breasts. She turned in his arms, putting her arms around his neck, and turned her face upwards. He gently kissed her, his tongue making its way into her mouth. It quickly turned into a fight for supremacy between them. With a wordless, wandless spell, they were both suddenly naked. He turned her towards the Transfigured bed and pushed her knees against it until she fell backwards onto it.

He lay down beside her and gently kissed her again, rubbing his hands up her back and side. He kissed her neck where it joined to her shoulder, sucking enough to leave a mark. Elli moaned as he suckled one nipple, then the next. He allowed his hands to travel down her body. She tensed as he gently grazed a finger over her wet pussy; she writhed as he inserted a finger inside, then another and another until he had three fingers inside. He looked at her face, which was screwed up in passion, as he started to move his fingers in and out. Elli screamed and nearly came fully off the bed as he hit her G-spot with his every move.

He could just hear her pleading. “Harder...More...Oh Merlin, I need you, Zaytche...Harder...I need your cock...More...Fuck me...” With a vicious thrust, she screamed and he could feel the shudders of her orgasm. Before she could come down from it, he positioned himself between her legs, his cock at her entrance. With one hand placed on her hip and one caressing her face, he bent over and kissed her, thrusting into her body.

At the feel of his cock entering her combined with the last remnants of her orgasm, she screamed again as another orgasm hit her unexpectedly. Zaytche held still whilst he felt her orgasm, so he wouldn’t bring himself to completion yet. When he had enough control over himself, he started to move slowly until Elli grabbed his hips and thrust her body upwards to try and get him to move faster and deeper. Zaytche took the hint and with a growl, grabbed her hips and started to thrust into her body at a punishing rate.

Elli wrapped her legs around her lover and just held on. She could feel another orgasm coming and, couldn’t believe she’d had two already. Zaytche could feel he was close, so he reached down between them and started to gently rub her clitoris. Elli moaned when she felt his fingers on her clit and pulled him down for a kiss just as she felt the first waves of her orgasm hit. Zaytche moaned into Elli’s mouth as he felt her muscles clench his cock and he let his release come, flooding her warm channel with his cum. They both lay panting, trying to catch their breath. Finally Zaytche moved away, taking his cock out of Elli. She whimpered from the loss. He muttered a cleaning spell and leant down to place a kiss on her forehead.

He looked at his lover. Merlin, she was so young. He knew that he didn’t deserve her and when the war was over they would have to part, but by all that was holy, he had her now and he would keep her for as long as he could. He said another spell and all their clothes reappeared; he placed a piece of parchment in her hand.

“Come on, love. You have to go now.”

She turned her face into his shoulder and he strained to hear what she had to say. “I don’t want to go. I won’t get to see you until after Christmas.”

“Turn your gift on, love. I want you to see my face.”

He put each hand on either side of her face and looked into her eyes, which were brimming with tears. “I couldn’t be with you on Christmas Day even if you had stayed, even though I wanted to. I have bought you a present and it is already at Hogwarts with the rest of your presents, which will go with you. Spend the holidays with your family and friends, and enjoy it.”

Elli looked into the face of her lover and nodded. “I have put your present in your pocket. You can open it whenever. I will go and try to enjoy myself, but I will miss you.”

Zaytche hugged her one more time, and with a sigh got up and helped Elli up. Elli cocked her head to one side , a gesture that Zaytche recognised as her talking to Canth.

“Neville’s returning. I have to go.”

He helped her straighten her clothes and placed the parchment in her pocket with a last hug. He watched as she walked through the door without turning back. He placed his hand in his pocket and felt a small bag inside. He smiled, and with a wistful look at the empty doorway, he Apparated away.

Neville was waiting for her at the top of the stairs. He saw that she had tears running down her cheeks, but he knew not to say anything. If she wanted to talk then she would. They both heard the telltale crack of Apparition, and he saw the look of devastation on Elli’s face. Neville hugged her and guided her to sit on the top step; they sat there for quite awhile, not saying anything, until Elli looked at Neville. She gently laid her head on his lap and he stroked her hair away from her face.

“I just wanted to be with him. Why can’t I be with him, whilst we have time? I won’t have him for long and I just want whatever I can get,” Elli whispered with a tear-thickened voice.

Neville sat looking at his best friend and thinking over what to say to comfort her, all the while stroking her hair.

“You will be with him again soon enough, Orri. You have to have patience. If you rush things, then you might blow his cover and that is not something you want to do, is it?”

Elli shook her head, still on Neville’s lap. They sat like that for a few minutes, until Elli sat up and faced Neville. “I’m sorry, Nev, you came to talk to me and all I’ve done is concentrate on me. What did you want to talk about?”

Neville smiled nervously at his friend. “I didn’t know how to tell you something. Something that I have tried so many times to say, but just couldn’t do it.”

Elli frowned. “Oh, Neville. You can tell me anything. I am your friend and anything you say I will understand.”

Neville nodded and took a deep breath. “Okay. I’m gay.”

Elli let out the breath she was holding and smiled. “Did you think that I would go against you when you told me? My brother is gay. I have two fathers and a step-father. Oh, Neville.” She pulled him into a hug and just held him as she felt his body shudder as he let his fear of rejection go.

Elli lifted his head and used one hand to wipe his tears away and the other to wipe hers. “We make a right pair, don’t we?” Neville chuckled and with a last sniff, stood up and helped Elli stand.

“It’s nearly breakfast time; we’ll have to hurry to get there in time, Orri.” Neville held Elli’s hand as he guided her down the stairs and into the secret passage.

She smiled at him.

“There are only three people allowed to call me that. One is my best friend in the world, the second is my Zaytche and the third is my cousin who is more like a sister to me. It’s nice hearing you call me that.”

Neville squeezed her hand. “I’m honoured to be one of the few people to call you that.” With that, he led her out of the passage and they made their way back to the castle and to breakfast.

They entered the Great Hall and made their way to the Gryffindor table, where a space was made for both of them to sit next to Harry and Draco, opposite Ron and Hermione. Neville whispered something into Elli’s ear and she smiled at him. The food arrived and everyone tucked in. The conversation centred on the Christmas holiday and what people were going to do.

Dumbledore stood up and motioned for quiet, The Hall fell silent. “I have an announcement to make. In earlier years we have sometimes had a Yule Ball unfortunately, not this year. But in part to the upcoming darkness of our world, it has been decided that on New Year’s Eve there will be a masquerade ball for fourth through seventh years. All students partaking of the festivities will arrive the day before and stay until the new school year starts. With that I wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year for those I won’t see.” He sat down and resumed his breakfast, all the while looking over at the Gryffindor table.

All the students were buzzing with the news. Elli had never been to a ball before and had always stayed in her room at Durmstrang, as she had felt self conscious about her blindness and there had been no-one to help her, but she was excited about going to her first dance. Neville leant over and told her that he was going and he would ask his secret crush to go with him. Elli smiled and squeezed his hand. Harry and Draco sat with their heads together, discussing what they should do. They decided to go and of course they would go together; they just had to decide what to wear. Harry told Draco he could choose their outfits. Draco smiled and hugged Harry tightly.

They only had three days left before they left school and it was only six days until Christmas. Everyone was excited. Hermione wasn’t spending the holidays with them this year as her parents were taking her to Switzerland to visit some of her mother’s relatives. Pansy had to go to her parents’. As not everyone knew that she was still friends with Draco, she still had to keep up the pretence. Hermione and Pansy had become friends the last few months and they decided that for their present for Elli they would find an outfit for her and give her a makeover for the New Year Ball, (Hermione had a good fashion sense and Pansy knew all the beauty Charms to us). She had protested, but nothing she could say would make them change their minds. Even Harry and Draco thought it a good idea, so in the end she stopped protesting and said thank you to the girls.

The day arrived to leave and everyone was excited, but sad to leave their friends. Presents were exchanged, bags and trunks were collected and everyone seemed to go on the coaches, except Harry, Draco, Ron, Elli and Neville, who were Flooing later on to Grimmauld Place with Remus and Severus. The five decided to collect their stuff and wait for the two professors in Elli’s rooms. They were all spread along the furniture when Remus came three hours later to collect them; he smiled as he looked at the scene in front of him. Harry and Draco were seated on the smaller sofa with Draco’s head on Harry’s lap whilst Harry was drawing in his pad. On the larger sofa, Elli was curled up on one end, reading with Neville’s legs over her, and Neville’s head was on Ron’s lap. Neville was asleep whilst Ron was reading a Quidditch magazine. Remus coughed and then laughed when he saw Neville jump. “Come on, guys. We’re ready to go.” He moved to Elli and helped her up; they then collected their things and walked to Severus’s quarters to use the Floo to get to Grimmauld.

A/N: - I bet nobody can guess who Nevilles crush is? He he...