Blackeyed Girl

Thanks again Pensieve, for the betaing and reviewing: You know I kind of like Trelawney. And she is just absolutely terrified of Eleanor. I feel sorry for her because of it. But yeah, it doesn\'t make things easier for Eleanor, that is true. And Draco is way to pretty to not be in the story :)

I am glad you liked chapter 6! You know I think Snape\'s worst fear when it comes to Eleanor is that she could become friends with Harry or even they could become an item. I can not handle the pure thought if that at all. Of course Dumbledore would never mind them being friends but ultimately Snape is in control here as he is her guardian. I am not sure if he would really take her out of Hogwarts if she did become to good friends with Harry, you know probably actually would! -But I have no idea. I think at the moment it is just some kind of crazy last resort he has in the back of his head just to calm himself down that there is a way to keep them apart if it comes down to it. And you are right, she needs a parent, she needs Snape and she does like him. Well so far anyway. She did not know anything bad about him and she is comfortable with his distance and she respects him and recognises his genius. And she desperately wants to like him because ultimately she knows she depends on him to have normal and positive life experience now. Question is if it will work out...



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Chapter 7

A Matter of Choice



Eleanor spent the next few days in that bathroom when she didn\'t have classes. Whenever she noticed a little insect crawling or flying her way she killed it with a well-practised Killing curse. It came easy to her these days. It was familiar. This was how she had spent all those long days and nights locked in her attic room back in Romania. And yet this was different, she had made an effort, she had tried to take a chance and change her life. But it had not worked, and now she was back in the dark, but the door was not locked. She did not even have an excuse to be here, it was not like she couldn\'t leave. She chose to be here on her own, away from life, and killing. She chose her old life above this huge opportunity. It was a lot harder to forgive herself, now that it was a matter of choice.



But one day the door opened and someone entered. Eleanor only then realised how strange it was that no one seemed to use this bathroom. Maybe it was because of that annoying ghost.



She looked up slowly to see who was disturbing her. It was Harry Potter.



“This is a girl\'s bathroom,” she said emotionless.



“This is Moaning Myrtle\'s bathroom,” Harry corrected her.



“I\'m sorry, would you mind going away?”



“Yes, I would mind actually.”



She got to her feet, “Then I need to go.”



He held out his hand when she passed him and held her back.



“What do you do when you\'re down here?”



“I am sure Ginny told you. I am not supposed to be seen with you.”



“Yeah well. I am sure we are safe here. Just give me five minutes. Snape won\'t see us here, nobody will. You know nobody ever comes in here.”



She looked up at him and inhaled deeply, “Okay. Five minutes.”



Harry looked around, “Do you actually like spending time here alone?”



“How did you know I was here?”



“Myrtle told me….We’re old friends.”



“Really?”



Harry grinned, “Well, she wishes.”



Eleanor formed the most remote smile.



“I used to spend a lot of time here actually.” Harry started again, “In Second year. Hermione stole ingredients from Snape\'s store cupboard and we used this place to brew Polyjuice potion. Well, Hermione brewed it mainly.”



“Polyjuice? She managed that in Second year?”



“She\'s good, you know.”



“And did Professor Snape find out?”



“Well, I think he suspected me, he doesn\'t like me much.”



Eleanor smiled slightly again. “So I hear. What does he have against you?”



“He\'s a git. He doesn\'t need a reason to hate anyone.”



Eleanor looked down. She still didn\'t like to hear people talk nasty about Snape. She sighed and resumed her position against the wall, staring at the sink. Harry looked at her for a moment, “Is that how you\'ve been spending your time here?”



Eleanor didn\'t answer. She would never tell anyone about her killing.



Harry sat down beside her and stared against the sink too.



“I have some really idiotic family I am forced to live with every summer. They used to make me sleep in a cupboard under the stairs. And in Third year they refused to sign the note to allow me to go to Hogsmeade. Everyone could go, except for me.”



Eleanor knew he was trying to make her feel better by relating to her, but she did not feel that what he was telling her had anything to do with her. Yet she appreciated his effort. It suddenly felt so comforting to talk to someone, and not only anyone. The Chosen One himself had decided to go and see her.



“You shouldn\'t be here. You should spend time with your friends.” She remained silent. “Don\'t you think we noticed? We\'re not going to let you isolate yourself like this. Not for Snape. Not for him.”



“What am I supposed to do?”



Harry shrugged, “Just do what the rest of us do: Do whatever you wanna’ do and make sure Snape doesn\'t catch you.”



Eleanor laughed aloud unexpectedly and became serious immediately again. “I don\'t want to lie to him.”



“Nobody wants to but he is bringing it on himself, isn\'t he? I mean, you cannot seriously consider hiding in here to bond with Myrtle, can you?”



Eleanor looked at him innocently. Harry shook his head, “Oh my God you were considering it?! Right, that\'s enough of this nonsense! Ginny says you\'re a friend, so you won\'t have a choice but to have us as friends back. And we are not going to let you hang out here anymore.”



“But...”



“My God, and I thought I was proper! In public we will make a big walk around each other. I\'m just going to stay away from you anywhere where Snape could see us. But there are plenty of places where he won\'t see us, or anyone who could tell on us. Mind you Hogsmeade weekend is coming up and while we are in the castle I have the Marauder\'s Map, which tells us where Snape is all the time.”



“I don\'t know...”



“That\'s what people do, Ellie! Life is never fair, but you just have to find ways around the problems. You can\'t take it all so seriously! Now, I am going to leave this bathroom and walk right towards Gryffindor Tower and you wait ten minutes and then you come out and walk left. Luna has been missing you, I think she desperately wanted to show you something she taught your cat. And I\'ll see you soon, okay!”



He smiled and left.



Eleanor looked after him. She smiled at herself. She looked around. Suddenly she could not believe how she had been able to stand being in this place all the time, not doing anything, just staring at the tiles on the wall, looking out for unfortunate insects. The entire situation suddenly seemed ridiculous. She felt embarrassed for being such a drama queen. How could this whole thing knock her out like it did? The way Harry had explained it; it all seemed so simple. Like it was no problem at all, on the contrary, it felt as though this whole thing was helping her to bond with him and his friends. They had a secret now, and she was wondering if Harry Potter only bothered because he liked the challenge, because he did not want Snape to get his way. After all Harry was a fighter, a hero for the good. Sudden guilt hit her, he believed her too proper to lie to Snape. She wasn\'t that proper, she was no way as good and honest and proper as he was. But he could not know that. A feeling of betrayal crawled over her and she pushed it aside quickly. She had another chance. She had to take it.



During the next days Eleanor did not see much of Harry, Hermione and Ron. Snape seemed to be always near. It didn’t help that Snape now took over Defence against the Dark Arts as well. And Ginny, Luna and Eleanor found themselves stressing over their O.W.L.s. Although they were far ahead, they all knew it was wise to make sure not to fall behind.



But Eleanor was more excited at the prospect of spending time with her friends in Hogsmeade when she heard about the trip coming up. Ginny had sneaked up to Eleanor during Charms and told her she had arranged for Eleanor, Luna and her to meet with Harry, Hermione, Neville and Ron at the Three Broomsticks. Snape was not a sociable man and had hardly ever been seen there. And should someone else be around that would likely tell on them, they would relocate to the Hogshead, which was surely as good as deserted but also rather dusty, especially the drinks, as Ginny explained.



Eleanor could not wait. She had never been to a café or anything like it without her parents. She almost felt like a normal girl who was growing up together with her friends.



Snape had signed her admission form with a distrusting look on his face, but this had turned out to be a rather frequent expression when he looked at Eleanor. She wondered what he was worried about. Could this all be about Harry? She could not understand why it seemed to trouble him so much.



When the Saturday came, Eleanor and Luna left the castle side by side and followed other students who descended the way down to the village.

As Eleanor looked up she saw billowing robes far ahead, passing by the other students.



“There is Professor Snape. Looks like he is in a hurry,” Eleanor said and nodded ahead.



“Yeah”, said Luna, not too interested.



As they reached the village, Eleanor saw Snape slipping into a narrow path just off the main road.



“Luna. Could I meet you later?”



“Sure. But why?”



“I just want to find out where Snape is going. Just to make sure he won\'t be near us.”



“Alright. Be careful though. Three Broomsticks is just straight ahead in the centre. You can’t miss it.”



“Okay. I will be there in a few minutes.”



Eleanor followed Snape down the path. The path became more and more overgrown with white thorn bushes. She did not dare to catch up with him too much. She kept her distance as much as she could to not loose sight of him. The bushes disappeared and now the path was lined with the back walls of houses, leading into another part of the village. It was very cramped and muddy. She passed a few villagers. They looked poor with their often sad faces and wrapped in thick, black cloaks. It had turned autumn and the wind brought cold air down from the north.



Eleanor spotted Snape walking past some villagers. He stopped and seemed to ask a man a question. Then he continued. Eleanor caught up with him carefully and followed in the shadows of the houses. She saw him reach a short cloaked figure that was standing in the street. It was a girl, a lot shorter than herself. On first sight she looked very young but then Eleanor saw the roughness of age and sorrow in her plum little face. Wrapped in a hooded cloak she looked up at Snape with somewhat weary and yet longing eyes. Her hand reached out to stroke down the front of his robes. She said something Eleanor didn’t hear and Snape answered equally quiet. He took her hand and they retreated down another narrow path to the back of another small house. Eleanor followed. They reached a low wooden door, with a small window. The girl opened it and let Snape enter first. They disappeared inside. Eleanor came closer now. Through another window she could see Snape and the girl enter a room. The door seemed to be the front door of a tiny flat, possibly just existing in that one room. Everything the girl owned seemed to be in this room. A bed, a small dining table and a fireplace, apart from that there was a lot of old dusty clutter all over the place. The girl pulled back her hood and Eleanor had a better view on her face now. The girl was a young woman, with the body of a robust child. She was plum but short. She had big, but tired eyes and full dark lips against her pale complexion. She was not beautiful, but she had a certain self-assurance about her. To Eleanor she looked like someone who was used to living on her own and living a hard life without complaining. The girl looked at Snape questioningly. Snape opened his robes but did not take them off, neither did she.



Eleanor found it odd that they didn’t talk, yet it seemed like they were communicating in a silent way. The girl was communicating at least. Her look towards him was attentive and questioning, but also tense. He looked back at her but didn\'t focus like he was not actually there with her. Eleanor noticed that the girl did not take her eyes off him once as he walked across the room. She kept her eyes fixed on him. She was alert but did not seem frightened. She leaned against the dinner table. He walked towards her. He stopped right in front of her and glowered down at her with that odd vacant look.



The girl looked up at him sadly and her hand moved up to his robe once more to stroke it.



“Are you going to be nice to me today for a change?” She asked tiredly. But before she had finished her question Snape had smacked a few coins on the table next to her with unnecessary force. Her eyes shifted to the money. Snape grabbed her hand that was still clinging to his robe. He moved her hand away and turned her roughly around so that she was facing the table. He forced her to bend forward. His hand was holding her down by the neck. She did not fight. Her cheek was pressed against the desktop right next to the money, which she kept in sight passively.



Eleanor was puzzled by what was happening. Why was he so harsh with her, what was he doing? The feeling that she was overlooking something private came to her very quickly now as she watched Snape roughly pull up her robes and the scruffy dress underneath. Snape unbuttoned his trousers. There was too much loose clothes in the way for Eleanor to see anything indecent, but still a knot formed in her stomach about what she was looking at. She felt a little sick. This looked so cruel. From all she had been told, this was supposed to be a pleasurable event that two people shared when they were in love with each other, wanting to make each other feel good and possibly to create a baby. Or was she mistaken? Was this something else?



Eleanor bit her tongue in order not to make a shocked noise as Snape thrust himself inside the girl. Naked body parts were still hidden but it did not help that it seemed Snape could not be bothered to undress, or to undress the girl. The girl clung her little childlike hands around the edge of the table; her eyes still fixed on the money beside her. She seemed to suppress cries of pain, her face was strangely empty; her eyes fixed on the money.



Her knuckles turned white as she clutched the table harder. Oddly enough Snape did not seem much happier. His eyes were closed his face seemed more pained than hers. A restrained grunt escaped him, as he bent over her, gripping her hip hard. She quietly moaned in pain or relief that it was over and closed her sad eyes.



Eleanor was frozen to the spot. This was something she had never seen, something she would have never imagined to happen between people. She could not fathom it. Why were they doing this? It seemed an utterly awful experience for both of them. As Snape paused in his motions the girl slowly opened her eyes again and as though in slow motion reached out her hand to gather the money and held it tightly in her little fist.



Eleanor shook, realising they might be finished and that they could spot her in the window. She stumbled backwards, now also becoming aware that she was standing alone in a deserted little court. She turned and ran back to the road, a little dizzy in her head.



She thought quickly of what direction the Three Broomsticks would be and then started to run. She wanted nothing more than to be with her friends now, to be normal…like a person who did not have such pictures in her head.



Shortly later she entered the Three Broomsticks and spotted Ginny and Luna. She hurried to them and sat down, looking at them as though they had caught her doing something bad.



“What’s with you? Where did Snape go?” Asked Ginny.



“He\'s...elsewhere. ...I just had a look around. Are Harry and the others here yet?”



Ginny turned to look at the door. “there they are.”



Hermione hurried forward and whispered at them, “Hi! Is it safe?”



“Yeah, it’s fine,” said Ginny and they all sat down at the large round table.



“Hey, what you think of Hogsmeade, Eleanor?” Asked Harry, with a friendly smile at her.



“Uhh,” said Eleanor, trying to focus, “I haven\'t really seen much of it yet.”



“I thought you had a look around,” argued Ginny.



“Yes… well…I got distracted.”



“By what?”



Eleanor looked round at them all. She felt interrogated. Her heart started beating hard against her chest.



“A vampire,” said Luna suddenly. Everyone looked at her. She was gazing over to the bar where a tall, pale figure was sucking up a Bloody Mary through a straw.



“You could be right,” said Hermione focusing on the figure.



“I have never seen a real Vampire before,” said Neville nervously, “What do you think he\'s doing here?”



“He’s not alone. He’s with that man,” said Harry and he nodded to the short man beside the vampire.



It was quiet for a moment as they all looked at the vampire. Then Neville said, “Do they really drink human blood?”



“Well, they are not allowed to obviously,” Hermione explained. “They are like addicts. It is hard for them to stay away from human blood, but they don’t actually need it. Better to stay out of their way. You can never know how good they are at controlling themselves.”



“Must be lonely to be a vampire,” said Eleanor quietly.



In that moment the vampire looked up from his drink and seemed to catch Eleanor\'s eye. Eleanor instantly turned away flushing slightly. She looked at the others. Hermione seemed to realise her embarrassment and since nobody else made an attempt to help her, she pushed her butter beer over to Eleanor and said with an encouraging smile, “You should try this. It\'s brilliant!”



Eleanor gratefully took the glass and tasted from it.



“He\'s leaving now,” said Luna who was still looking over to the vampire. Everyone except Eleanor looked up again and saw the short man usher the vampire to the door.



“Anyone seen Malfoy recently?” Asked Harry suddenly. Perhaps to distract from the vampire but the question had possibly been on his mind for some time, as he seemed somewhat desperate.



Ginny, Luna and Eleanor looked at him.



“I didn\'t really look out for him Harry. Why? Something wrong?”



“It\'s just, he is behaving very strangely...” Harry answered more to himself.



Ginny shrugged, “Don\'t know. He seems the usual ponce.…Perhaps more brooding than usual.”



“I just know he is up to something. And I believe Snape is in on it.”



Eleanor looked up. “Professor Snape? In on what?”



Hermione shook her head in Harry’s direction but Harry ignored her.



“I’m not sure. Malfoy is messing with dark magic.”



“Does it have something to do with his father being a Death Eater?” asked Eleanor.



“Well, maybe not directly but… I am sure Malfoy is following in his father’s footsteps, yes. And he is up to something now. Ron and ‘Mione and I have seen him in Knockturn Alley this summer. He was behaving very suspiciously.”



“And what does that have to do with Professor Snape?”



Everyone else at the table started looking elsewhere, like their surroundings were becoming increasingly more interesting.



Only Harry looked at her and then said, “Well, have you not noticed that Malfoy is like his puppy?”



Eleanor shook her head. “No, and is that your only reason to suspect him of helping Draco with his dark magic or whatever?”



Harry looked at her a bit perplexed. “Do you not know?”



“Harry…” Hermione interrupted but Harry ignored her again.



“Snape used to be a Death Eater. Draco’s father and him are still best buddies. And if you ask me, he still works for Voldemort.”



Everyone at the table shook as though a ball of lightning had blasted right into the middle of the table.



“How do you know that?….You’re lying,” Eleanor asked completely stunned.



“It’s true,” said Hermione quietly. “Well, it is true that he used to work for You-Know-Who. But he works as a spy now for Dumbledore. He probably only pretends to be still friends with the Malfoys.”



“Are you saying he was like…a killer?”



Eleanor looked around at them all but nobody answered, they only looked back, somewhat pitying her. Eleanor jumped up.



“And you never felt like telling me this minor trivia?! While constantly nagging me about what he is like you could have mentioned this somewhere… or did you find it funny to watch me unknowing around that Death Eater-guardian of mine?!”



“No, Ellie, no! It’s not important, that’s why no one mentioned it. He works for Dumbledore now. He is on the right side.” Said Hermione soothingly.



“Not important?! He was a Death Eater! And …and you think he still is one, don’t you?! That’s what you just said wasn’t it?!” she shouted at Harry.



“Yes but…”



”I’ve got to get out of here. Sorry…” She turned and stormed out the pub. She slammed the door behind her.



“Did they kick you out too?”



Eleanor turned around. The vampire was leaning against the wall in the shadows, quite comfortable as it seemed and chewing on a mint leaf he had taken from the bar.



“What?” Asked Eleanor.



“Your friends.” he said, observing her. Eleanor noticed that even though his skin was pale and dry his face looked very young. He had possibly been in his early twenties when he had been bitten.



“No,” Eleanor said, struggling not to show her embarrassment. She was not good with boys. “I just had to leave.”



“Kind of the same isn\'t it?”



“I don\'t know.”



The vampire nodded to the door, “He told me to go outside cause I was looking at you.”



“What?….Who?” Eleanor said confused by what she was hearing.



“My chaperone. He saw me looking at you and…”



“What\'s a chaperone?”



“He takes care that I behave.”



“Oh. Do you tend not to behave?” She asked, frowning as she was not sure what she was saying.



He only continued looking at her, chewing on his leaf. “Do you?”



“Uhm...”



He smiled, but it was a friendly smile. “It\'s okay. I can smell you, you know.”



Eleanor instantly sniffed at herself. His smile widened.



“Not like that. Never mind.”



She got the notion that he was making fun of her so she straightened up and asked, “Why where you looking at me?”



“I heard what you said.” Eleanor rose a questioning eyebrow. “Vampire... good ears... Well, thanks anyway. People don\'t usually care about how we feel, you know.”



“Oh,” Eleanor said quietly and flushed again, remembering how she had said being a vampire must be lonely.



“Well, I am not supposed to look at young girls in particular.” He continued and he threw the chewed mint leaf away.



Eleanor wanted to ask why that was but she feared she knew the answer and did not want to hear it, so she asked instead to change the subject. “What were you chewing on?”



“Mint…numbs the desire for blood.”



“Oh...Do you…Do you want blood right now?”



“Why? Do you have any?”



Eleanor stepped back startled. But then the vampire smiled and looked away innocently as though slightly ashamed to show that he was a little pleased he scared her.



“Did you ever drink someone\'s blood?”



He looked up and suddenly seemed very honest, “I prefer not to answer that question.”



“Oh,” Eleanor said again.



The vampire smiled again and reached out his hand, “Sanguini.”



Eleanor looked at him and his outstretched hand, terrified.



“That\'s my name.”



Eleanor composed herself and took his hand half-heartedly and said with a shaking voice, “Eleanor.”



“Nice meeting you,” he replied and let go of her hand and stepped back, quickly realising he terrified her.



But Eleanor focused quickly again and observed him, her curiosity coming back to her. “Are you dead then?”



“I think the term is undead,” Sanguini said and nodded.



“Right.What is that like?...Did you die before you undied?”



Sanguini frowned. “You ask very morbid questions.”



“Sorry,” Eleanor looked down; realising these questions might be very personal for a vampire.



But Sanguini considered her. “Will you walk with me?”



“Where?” Asked Eleanor, distrusting again.



“Around? Like... for a walk.”



“What about your chaperone?”



“Well he told me to go outside...he said nothing about staying close.” He smirked. Eleanor found his smile rather charming and nodded. Together they walked into the next dark alleyway as the sun started to go down.



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please anyone reading this, leave me a word or two, thanks!