The terrible Truth
Lilian was really looking forward to seeing all her friends again, especially the ones from the DA. And she also had to ask Ron about his father. The Achuras hadn't received any other news concerning him, so she wanted to know whether he was safe or not. But since none of the Weasleys looked as if they were mourning his passing, she assumed he was well.
Upon revealing what she already knew of the matter (though she didn't mention that they had a portrait of Rowena Ravenclaw at home), Harry and Ron told her the whole story. And just as Lily had guessed, Harry wasn't exactly thrilled about having Occlumency lessons with Snape.
Lilian was so occupied with those news that it took her a while to notice that someone hadn't returned refreshed from the holidays. Elinor seemed paler than usual, and she was even shyer around others than before. She avoided company, no matter whose it was, and she stopped paying attention in classes. When Lily finally decided to talk to her, the other girl literally fled before her. Shaking her head, Lilian made her way to the common room, thinking she would never understand the other girl.
Elinor looked down at the grounds, far below. The snow made the earth look soft, but she knew it wasn't. A fall from this height would hurt a lot, enough to kill a person. All right, she was higher up when she was flying, but then she had her broom to hold on to. Up here, it would only take her one step to end everything.
Why not? It's the only way. The only way to be free from them. Forever free...
She was standing on the roof of the Astronomy Tower, right next to the balustrade. It wouldn't take much to take the one step to end everything.
It was cold up here, the wind tore on her hair and cloak. She hadn't brought her winter cloak; after all, she was planning to kill herself. She didn't need to feel warm for that.
This is it. Goodbye, miserable life... death can only be better. Worse than this – is simply not possible.
Elinor grabbed the sides of two pinnacles and put her foot onto the lower section between them. The same moment, arms in black robes wound themselves around her torso and pulled her away from the balustrade.
Elinor let out a startled sound and tried to break free from the black arms' grip, partly because it hurt. But the arms wouldn't let go and she was dragged farther back.
“Miss Shiras, for heaven's sake, stop struggling!”, a rather breathless voice begged.
It didn't belong to the person holding her, it came from farther behind. As the black arms propelled her towards the door, she could see Professor McGonagall.
Elinor let out a whimper. McGonagall frowned.
“Severus, I think you are holding her too tightly.”
The grip around her body loosened a bit, but not much.
“We should better go inside before questioning her”, Snape suggested. “She's shaking. Most likely from the cold. She could have been quite some time up here before you spotted her.”
“Agreed.”
Once inside the tower, both teachers positioned themselves so she had no hopes of escaping. Not that she would have tried, anyway. They had wands and could stop her within seconds. As a matter of fact, she was surprised Snape hadn't used a spell on her. That would have been way faster.
Standing as close to the wall as possible without touching it, Elinor stared at her feet. She knew what would come now. Endless questions...
“Miss Shiras, why were you trying to kill yourself?”, McGonagall asked.
Elinor didn't reply.
“Was that your first attempt on suicide?”, Snape inquired.
Elinor hesitated, then shook her head. Why hide that.
“I-I w-was twelve.”
Both her teachers looked shocked.
“What happened back then?”, McGonagall finally asked in a surprisingly gentle tone.
“I-I wanted t-to jump o-off a b-bridge”, she explained in an emotionless voice. “A M-muggle w-woman saw me... sh-she got h-help and they st-stopped m-me... I was t-taken to a Muggle h-hospital and th-the healers tried t-to m-make m-me talk...”
“But you didn't tell them either”, Snape guessed.
She nodded.
“Well, this will do for now”, McGonagall said. “Let's just take her to the hospital wing so Poppy can give her something against depressions.”
She turned and started to descend the staircase. Snape gestured for Elinor to follow.
“After you, Miss Shiras.”
She didn't really like the fact he was walking behind her, but he probably wanted to make sure she didn't try to jump from here. How bothersome...
If only I had acted sooner... then they wouldn't have gotten to me in time... now I'll have to go back, they'll make sure I won't get a chance to end my life again... this is torment...
Madam Pomfrey came to meet them as soon as they entered the infirmary, a frown of worry on her face.
“Professor Snape, Professor McGonagall... has something happened?”
“Indeed”, Snape replied. “Miss Shiras just tried to kill herself.”
Madam Pomfrey went pale.
“What?!”
Then she seemed to remember what her job was. She hurried over to her office and returned soon afterwards with a small bottle and a glass filled with water. She counted 30 drops into the glass and then handed it to Elinor.
“Drink”, she ordered.
Obediently, Elinor did as she said. Resistance would be futile, anyway.
“So, what exactly happened?”, the matron asked.
“I was just doing my round when I noticed that someone was on the Astronomy Tower, so I went to check”, McGonagall explained. “When I had reached a certain height, I could tell it was Miss Shiras, and I also noticed something was strange... so I hurried to get to the roof. I stayed out of her sight and noticed she looked like someone who is about to commit suicide. I didn't want to use magic to incapacitate her, since I was worried she might fall off the tower if I did, so I went to get help. Luckily, Severus was close by. We just got back when she was about to climb onto the balustrade... just one minute later, and she would have been dead.”
“And did you already question her as to why she wanted to do that?”
“We did, but she wouldn't tell us. She did tell us, however, that she tried to kill herself when she was twelve.”
“I see... Miss Shiras, take this with you. Drink 30 drops of it, three times a day. And someone should keep an eye on her, just in case.”
“I'll accompany Miss Shiras back to Ravenclaw tower and tell Miss Achura to make sure she drinks her medicine and to look after her”, McGonagall replied.
The next day, the whole school was talking about the fact that Elinor Shiras had been trying to kill herself. Suicidal students weren't normal here, after all. Elinor reacted to that with the same stoic indifference she always displayed, but most of the teachers were deeply worried. And no matter who asked her, she refused to tell her reasons.
Lily had arranged with her classmates that they would always try to keep an eye on her, and Lilian had also devoted herself to reminding Elinor that she needed to take her medicine. It was a rather strong drought, so chances were very low that she would try anything again as long as she was drinking it.
Elinor had, so far, not attempted not to drink her medicine, apparently, she had resigned herself to her fate. Lily was glad about that. She didn't really want to have to worry about that, too.
Elinor seemed still out of spirits, however, and didn't pay much attention in classes that day. Every teacher (including Umbridge) had decided to be lenient with her, however, and refrained from asking her any questions.
I can only wonder what must have happened to her she was desperate enough to attempt suicide twice...
After finishing today's homework, Lily went into her dormitory to gather her stuff and then made her way to the showers. Opening the first door, she found it wasn't vacant – as she had believed. And what she saw in there made her stop dead.
Elinor had already pulled off her blouse and for the first time Lilian could see what she looked like underneath. She sucked in a ragged breath. Elinor's skin was covered in bruises, some of them black and rather big.
Hearing the sound behind her, the other girl spun round, pressing the blouse against her chest as to hide behind it.
“Elinor”, she finally managed. “Give me that!”
She took a step forwards and snatched the blouse away. Making a scared noise, Elinor backed away, but there was nowhere to run – unless she wanted to try and hide in the shower.
Lily was shocked to see that her front side didn't look any better, the skin on her neck was reddened as if someone had tried to strangle her.
“Who did this to you?”, she asked indignantly. “Tell me!”
Elinor just looked utterly horrified, and Lilian guessed she was going at it the wrong way. She hung the blouse onto the hook next to her, then she pulled out her wand.
“I won't hurt you, I promise. Look.”
She placed her wand on the ground.
Elinor didn't look much less scared, though.
“Listen, I know this didn't happen by accident. Someone did this. It's not right, it has to stop! Just tell me who it is, and I'll make sure he gets punished! Elinor, please, I want to help you, but I can't, if you won't let me! Just tell me, please. Who did this to you?”
Elinor lowered her gaze and looked down at her feet, while she seemed to be struggling to come to a decision – probably the hardest in her life, from the look of it.
After what seemed like eternity, she finally looked up.
“My parents.”
“They did that?”, Lily asked, shocked.
Elinor nodded.
“Why?”
“I-I don't know”, Elinor replied. “I-it's always b-been l-like this. E-ever since I-I c-can remember.”
Lily just stared at her for a while, unable to grasp what she had just learned.
“Elinor, I'm so sorry...”
“Wh-what f-for? I-it's n-not like you di-did anything...”
“No, but – I should have noticed! There were enough signs indicating you had problems...”
Elinor just shook her head.
“W-we were g-good at h-hiding i-it.”
“So this is also the reason you were trying to kill yourself.”
“Y-yes... I – I couldn't bear it any more...”
“This is – outrageous. No-one noticed anything, all those years... This has to end.”
“B-but how?”
“You have rights, Elinor. Your body, for example, is yours, and yours alone. No-one has the right to even touch you without your permission.”
“R-really?”
“Yes. Of course your parents wouldn't tell you. Come, put this back on. We're going to the hospital wing.”
“Why?”
“You're in pain, right? Madam Pomfrey can help you. Would you prefer it if I kept the reason secret for now?”
Elinor nodded.
“All right. But you'll have to tell the teachers eventually.”
She handed Elinor the blouse and then picked up her wand.
Madam Pomfrey was rather shocked when Lily revealed to her the reason Elinor had to come to the hospital wing again, but Lilian refused to answer her questions. As soon as she knew that Elinor would be taken care of, she left for the owlery to write to the only person she thought capable of handling this issue.
Alice was relaxing in her favourite armchair, a glass of mulled wine in her right hand and enjoying the warm fire when an owl came almost racing towards her. Catching the letter with her left hand, the matriarch of the Achura family placed the glass on the low table and reached for her wand. She quickly summoned a house elf to take care of the bird and ripped open the envelope. Only one word had been written onto it: urgent. And Alice knew her daughter's handwriting.
After reading the letter's content, Alice jumped up and strode towards the door.
“Riki!”
“Yes, madam?”, a house elf squeaked.
“I am going out. Keep an eye on everything here.”
“Yes, madam. Has something happened? Are Miss Lilian and the master all right?”
“My daughter is safe, and I have so far heard no news of my husband. This is a different matter, but it is urgent nonetheless. I might be long.”
Throwing a cloak over her robes, she strode out through the front gates and then hurried across the snow-covered grounds until she reached the spot from where she could apparate.
She appeared right in the Shiras' living room, not caring if that was rude or not. This was no time to be thinking about etiquette.
As expected, both Timothy and Lydia were there, and both of them looked rather startled. They relaxed a little when they saw who their visitor was.
Not exactly a good idea.
“Mrs Achura!”, Lydia exclaimed. “What do we owe this honour to?”
“I don't think you will long consider my being here an honour”, Alice replied icily. “I just received some very disturbing news from my daughter, concerning your daughter.”
She held up Lily's letter.
Their reaction to this was most peculiar. They didn't look concerned, but rather worried. And a little angry.
“Lilian surprised Elinor in one of the bathrooms, so Elinor had no time to hide the many bruises covering her body. Elinor finally admitted that you had done this to her. Explain yourselves.”
“With all due respect, I see no reason to discuss our family-intern matters with you!”, Lydia exclaimed.
“Family-intern matters, indeed! What you have done to this child is a crime, and you are very well aware of the fact!”
“We have nothing to say to you.”
“Like it or not, as a member of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement it is my duty to protect the people – from the likes of you!”
Alice drew her wand.
“This is my final warning: tell me what I want to know right this minute, or I will take the information by force. The choice is yours.”
“You must be out of your mind to think you can threaten us!”, Timothy exclaimed.
“This was not a threat, but a warning, for your own good. All right, then. Let us have it your way.”
She pointed her wand at Lydia.
“Legilimens!”
Moments later, she had entered the other witch's mind. Lydia didn't stand a chance against her, and her husband didn't dare to interfere. Soon, she would know the truth.
Madam Pomfrey entered the headmaster's office to find him having a discussion with the head teachers and Umbridge. They all looked up upon noticing her.
“Poppy! Has something happened?”, Dumbledore asked, rising from his chair.
“Yes, as a matter of fact. Miss Achura just brought Miss Shiras to me – she told me she had found out the reason Miss Shiras has been trying to kill herself.”
Instantly, she had everyone's full attention.
“Miss Achura made Miss Shiras take off her blouse – it was terrible. Her whole body was covered in bruises, and it looked as if someone had been trying to strangle her, as well... the injuries were a couple of days old. Miss Achura explained that they were part of the reason, but refused to tell me anything else. I applied a salve on Miss Shiras' injuries and gave her a strong sedative – she is asleep now, she needs time to recover.”
“So – someone inflicted these injuries on her, then”, Snape guessed.
“Yes, I agree”, Poppy replied. “They were not the result of an accident.”
“If this has happened before, it would explain Miss Shiras' fear of people”, McGonagall mused. “And her first suicide attempt.”
“We must talk to her, as soon as she wakes up again”, Dumbledore said, striding toward the door.
“It might take some time”, Poppy warned him.
“No matter. This is urgent, we need to find out what happened to her.”
"Are you certain?", Lily asked in disbelief.
"I am quite skilled a Legilimens. I dragged the information from their minds. There is no doubt about it", her mother replied.
"This is – do you have any idea how she'll take it? By telling her this, we will turn her world upside-down – no, shatter it."
Lilian had received a message from her mother via Patronus and had met her at the gates. On their way up to the castle, Alice had told her what she had discovered.
“Most likely”, Alice agreed. “However, I believe this is something she will have to face. And she deserves to know the truth – why she had to suffer so much. She might hate us afterwards, but I fear that is a risk we must take.”
“I understand. Just – try to do it in a kind way, all right?”
“I will.”
Alice strode into the hospital wing, her long cloak billowing behind her. The teachers clustered around Elinor's bed looked up when they noticed her approach.
“Alice!”, Dumbledore exclaimed. “Why are you here?”
“My daughter wrote to me about what has happened. I have solved this mystery for you. I need to talk to Miss Shiras – in private. Please leave.”
While McGonagall and Sprout immediately left the room, the others hesitated and Umbridge actually decided to try and stop Alice.
This is going to be fun.
“You can't just come in here and give orders!”, Umbridge protested in her girlish voice.
“I believe I can.”
Umbridge gasped for air while Lily tried hard not to laugh.
“I am, as by decision of the Minister himself, allowed to supervise anything happening inside this castle!”
“Your authority, Dolores, is restricted to matters that concern the school and teaching. I, however, am charged with the protection of all the people in this country – including Miss Shiras. I would not advise you to stand in my way, for if you keep me from doing my duty, I will simply have you arrested. I am sure the Minister will find a replacement for you.”
Umbridge looked absolutely thunderstruck. Alice raised an eyebrow and looked at her expectantly. Fuming, Umbridge left the hospital wing, the other teachers following her. Dumbledore seemed amused.
“I begin to see why nobody likes her”, Alice muttered as she approached the curtain that separated Elinor's bed from the others to give her some privacy.
Drawing out her wand, she cast a Muffliato on the area to make sure no-one could listen to them.
Elinor was awake, a cushion stuffed behind her back so she could sit upright. She was pale and looked awfully breakable. The same moment, Lily doubted that her mother's decision to tell her everything was a good one. Elinor wasn't exactly someone who would cope well with something like this.
“Elinor Shiras, I presume. I am Alice Achura. My daughter wrote to me about your situation.”
Elinor eyed Alice with a mixture of awe and fear.
Alice pulled a chair over to sit down next to the bed, while Lilian remained standing.
“After receiving her letter, I went to see your parents. They were – let's say uncooperative, so I read their minds. I'm afraid you have been living a lie.”
“Wh-what do y-you mean?”
“The person 'Elinor Maeve Shiras' never existed. This is merely a name the Shiras gave you when they adopted you.”
Elinor gasped.
“They a-are not m-my parents?”
“They are not.”
“I-is that why - ?”
“No, I'm afraid the situation is much more complicated that that. They didn't hate you for your sake – it was because of whose daughter you are. They knew, and they hated you for it.”
“I-I don't u-understand.”
Alice sighed. “I suppose there is no putting this off. In order to understand why they hated you so, you first need to understand and accept who you are. Your real name is Maeve Abigail Macnair, and your parents' names are Walden and Abigail Macnair. Since Lydia and Timothy Shiras hate Death Eaters, they hated you as a result.”
Elinor gasped, her face draining of all colour.
“N-no... th-this c-can't b-be... I c-can't be - “
Alice reached out to take her shaking hands.
“I can imagine how you must feel”, she said compassionately. “But I have good news as well... apart from your father, you still have other family – family not related to the Dark Side at all.”
“I-Is that s-so?”
Elinor looked a little more hopeful now.
“Yes. Your mother was my cousin, you see. And since you are a member of my family, I now consider it my responsibility to look after you – if you want me to. You and I share the same blood – the blood of Rowena Ravenclaw.”
Elinor had listened to this with growing amazement, a look of disbelief on her face again. But this time, she seemed more inclined to accept it.
“I – am d-descended f-from R-rowena R-ravenclaw?”
“Yes. This is something else you must know – we keep this legacy secret. If Voldemort ever found out, we might be in danger. You must not let anyone know of this.”
“Do – they know?”
“No. I do not know, however, if your father knows. So far, no-one has aimed for me or Lilian, but we must still be cautious. If Abby ever told him, and he should remember, he would surely tell his lord about it.”
“B-but that would p-put m-me in d-danger, too.”
“No-one knew the child the Shiras adopted was the missing Macnair-child”, Alice replied. “Walden just left you in the orphanage and never cared about that matter again. As far as we know, he never even attempted to find out who had taken you in. So, he might believe you are out of harm's way, or simply not care what happens to you. I think the latter rather likely.”
Elinor now looked shocked.
“Why d-did h-he d-do that in the f-first place? Why didn't m-my m-mother stop h-him?”
Alice closed her eyes. “Abby was already dead by then, which was the reason why he abandoned you in the first place. Walden couldn't bear it – so he rid himself of anything reminding him of his wife – including you.”
“W-well... what e-else sh-should I expect from a D-death Eater?”
“Elinor, there is a lot to be done. First of all, we have to remove you from the Shiras' influence and power, or this is never going to end. It might even get worse, if they should feel betrayed by you. However, the only way for us to do this is to take them to court.”
“S-so – others w-will find out?”
“Yes. This cannot be helped.”
“C-could you – k-keep quiet about m-me b-being - “
“Of course, and I doubt the Shiras will mention that. They would never admit that of all the children they could have adopted they chose a Death Eater's child – if unknowingly.”
“Th-thank you.”
Alice smiled.
“No need to thank me. Now, I suggest you get some rest, while I will take care of the formalities. I will also discuss this matter with the teachers and Dumbledore. If you should have any questions, just ask Lily. She will look after you.”
Alice got up and left. Lily took the now vacant chair.
“You keep this up and you'll steal Harry the prize for the student who ends up in the hospital wing most often”, she said, winking.
Elinor smiled weakly in return.
The following day passed in a blur. Seemingly endless talks with the teachers, who had tons of questions to ask (despite the fact that Alice hadn't told them about their relation), whispers and odd looks from other students, and then the hearing. Alice had managed to get an appointment within a couple of days.
Alice summoned Lilian and Madam Pomfrey as witnesses, and also offered to call on the teachers as well, but the Wizengamot didn't need any more convincing than that and Elinor's terrible story. As Alice had guessed, the Shiras refused to tell their reasons for treating her in such a manner, which only made their situation worse. The guardianship was taken from them and passed on to Alice, who – given the fact she had already raised a daughter of her own and had lots of money – was considered capable of taking good care of her.
When it was finally over, Elinor – whose name actually was Maeve – breathed a small sigh of relief.
“Well, that's that”, Alice said on their way out. “Now listen, both of you: from this day on, you are sisters. Lily, if Elinor should need anything, you will make sure she gets it. And Elinor, don't hesitate to ask if you have questions or need someone to talk to. We're there for you.”
Maeve nodded.
“Good. You will travel back to Hogwarts via Portkey, as I need to get to work. I'll see you both in the Easter Holidays.”
Alice turned on the spot and disappeared in a swirl of cranberry-coloured cloth.
“Ever travelled by Portkey before?”, Lily asked as a ministry clerk held out a rusty cauldron to them.
Maeve shook her head.
“It's fun”, Lily told her.
“Touch it on the count of three”, the clerk said. “One, two, three!”
Both of them reached out and the next moment Maeve felt as if a hook somewhere around her navel was dragging her somewhere far away. Seconds later, the materialized in Dumbledore's office.
“N-not sure I-I l-like your k-kind of f-fun”, Maeve muttered.
