Thick Smoke

Next morning she woke up all alone. Furvus was gone and so were the girls. It was Sunday so she spent more time in bed, doing nothing but thinking of her pets. Both Willy and Furvus were very smart and were given by the same man so it was only normal that she would start to question his ways.

Of course, once she got into the Great Hall  people, especially Gryffindors, were still talking about Harry and his mischievous ways of getting into the competition.

“Don’t you think something is weird?” Neville interrupted Ron, who seemed to be the most affected by it. He was really stubborn and talked only about how betrayed he was for the whole time.

“Nothing’s weird. He didn’t even tell me, his best friend,”

Eliza rolled her eyes, exchanging a knowing look with Hermione, already getting fed up with Ron’s constant complaints. 

“I mean- I’m his best friend or at least, I was- I don’t know what we are anymore,” He continued.

“He speaks like they were in a relationship,” Hermione mumbled, making Eliza chuckle under her hand. “Have you talked to your father?” The smart girl changed the subject.

“No. I got a letter from Remus in which he tells me not to interfere with the tournament but I’m sure dad found out what happened with Harry and they will probably have a quick chat about it,” Eliza responded like it was nothing, really.

“You’re not angry. Why are you not mad with him?” Ron suddenly asked Eliza, who was ignoring everything. “Or he told you about it,” He trailed, narrowing his eyes at her.

Eliza blinked and stared at the ginger blankly. Those were moments she could actually be ruthless and get away with it.

“I’m not mad because I actually believe him. We're friends, remember?” She started, Ron’s eyes narrowing into a deadly glare. “Now, you can get over it and give him the presumption of innocence until proven wrong or you can be a big baby and go boil with jealousy in a corner." She finished.

Her words got everyone at the table to turn at her in awe because she sounded cold and insensible and she was taking Harry’s side in Ron’s point of view. 

In the end, the ginger jolted from his seat and left while fuming. She bit her lip and realized she only aggravated the situation instead of softening it up.



That was how Ron begun to avoid Eliza, just like she used to avoid Harry, or even worse. Every class they had together, Ron would stay with Seamus and Dean or anyone whose name wasn’t Molley or Potter. 

However, that didn’t mean Eliza and Harry were hanging out together. They were spending time with other people and would only talk when they were in need of something, which wasn’t often.

She was all alone in Potions because of the circumstances –Harry snatched Dean while Ron snatched Hermione, Neville and Seamus teaming up out of need thus leaving Eliza with Blaise Zabini.

Unlike what the Slyhterin expected Eliza was very gifted at potions and finished rather fast and without really asking for help. He just stood there, watching her do everything with a peaceful expression.

“Molley, Zabini,” Snape trailed, glancing at their potion before looking at them, “Very well done. Ten points for Slytherin, one for Gryffindor.”

Zabini blinked, taken aback by how well their team turned out to be. The Slyhterin turned to Eliza with a smile and leaned against the table.

“I heard about you,” He started, trying to seem imposing in a way.

“I haven’t heard about you,” She responded bluntly, her eyes scanning the pages of her potions book.

Since he didn’t say anything afterwards, she glanced at him from beneath her eyelashes, seeing how he was at loss of words.

“I suppose your name is Zabini?” She urged him to continue by giving him a hand.

“Blaise Zabini. And you are the Gryffindor that Snape approves of.” He continued, going towards taboo subjects; like her sudden pet-professor relationship with Snape. She seriously didn’t know where that came from because if anything, Snape was glaring at her and would hardly give her points.

“I do not agree with that presumption. You cannot imagine how much Snape hates me,” She started, putting the book down and crossing her arms in front of her chest.

“It doesn’t seem so. You finished the potion and got praised by him, adding 1 point to your house,” 

Eliza rolled her eyes, "1 point. Wow, what an achievement! Just because I am gifted in potions doesn’t mean I have a good relationship with the professor. Believe me, he hates me.”

And he had every reason to after Eliza got into trouble.

“You’re usually with Potter yet right now, you are here and he is there. Are you angry that he got into the tournament?”

He was too curious and she wasn’t in the mood to give details to a boy she barely talked to.

“I will be if you continue to bug me,” She snapped, yet still sounded nice.

Blaise raised an eyebrow and chuckled lightly while staring at her.

“You do know you’re talking to a Slytherin and I could easily-“

“Bully me? I think Malfoy already covered that part.” She continued his sentence, startling him with just how bold she was.

Eliza felt a pair of blue eyes stare at the back of her head before something got thrown at her feet. She glanced at Harry before looking down, seeing a piece of paper folded messily with a message. She grabbed it discreetly and read it.

We need to talk.

The class finished once Snape checked Ron’s potion. As soon as Eliza got 1 point, Snape took it back (not that it made much difference). 

As soon as she walked out the door, Harry grabbed her arm and pulled her aside, making Ron glare at the two until he walked around the corner.

"Have you spoken to Sirius about the Tournament?" He asked anxiously.

“No. Willy sends everything I write in Hogwarts to Snape so I can't trust him."

That was the sad true. Remus used Furvus every time he had something important to say and Eliza was curious how the heck could such an adorable kitten go around so fast.

"I sent him a letter a few days ago and he wants to speak face to face on 22nd November. Maybe you should come as well and-"

Eliza shook her head, "That's your business. I'm sure you have a lot to tell him so you may as well be alone. I have enough time during summer and believe me, my back still hurts." 

They stood there, looking at each other in silence until Harry asked something he wanted to know for a few days.

“Do you believe the rumors? Do you think I put my name into the-“

“No. I read that article in the Daily Prophet and I can't say I see you as the type to cry to sleep." She chuckled, seeing him sneer at the memory. "It doesn't really matter anymore. It already happened and they let you participate. Important now is for you to survive the three tasks. Don’t even think about winning, think about surviving.” 

She gave her encouragement before patting his head awkwardly and running out of there. Eliza had to go to the library for another essay when she noticed Cedric.

"Hello," They started at the same time. "It seems I got selected in the end. I don't know how Harry did it but-" Cedric continued but Eliza interrupted.

"Aren't you scared? You don't even know what you're going to face." She hissed.

The Hufflepuff Prefect chuckled and leaned against the shelves, "Are you worried? Or is this the Gryffindor method to intimidate me?" 

That really surprised Eliza. She couldn't even express how offended she felt so she pushed him harshly, making a few books fall over his head. Her fingers were tingling so a lot more books fell over Cedric. 

Eliza ran out of there just as Cedric's fans rushed over. 



It was a few weeks later when Eliza met Cedric again, at Hogsmeade. She was going around with Seamus since Ron got Dean. 

"Doesn't this look weird? Us, I mean." 

That got him a light slap over the back of his head.

"Don't think too much. We're friends and we're hanging out. Stop blushing, Seamus!" She hissed when his cheeks colored a faint pink. 

"Fine, fine." He mumbled but that got him another hit. 

They passed Zonko's and Seamus saw a friend of his from Hufflepuff walking out of the joke shop. It was Ernie Macmillan so of course Cedric was with him. 

He made a sign that pretty much grabbed everyone’s attention and she didn’t have a choice but to follow Seamus to Ernie. 

Cedric only glanced at Eliza from the corner of his eye but Eliza was facing the opposite direction. 

"On a date Finnigan?" Ernie started jokingly but Eliza's eyes narrowed.

"No, no. Nothing of that sort. We're just going around telling everyone how Harry will win the first task." Seamus responded smugly.

Both Cedric and Eliza felt awkward so the brunette scurried Seamus away, repeating again and again that he should wait for it to happen before saying something.

"Well, I'm sure Harry will win. He won us the Quidditch Final last year, didn't he?"

That was true but the Quidditch Final wasn't the Triwizard Tournament where half of the contestants died.

It was later that day when Eliza got back on her own because Seamus ran to his best friend. She was scowling the whole time. 

“Trouble in paradise, ay?”

“Professor Moody,” She whispered, feeling very uncomfortable.

“Come on, I’m sure we can find something for you to soften up.”

That was an invitation to a dark place and she wonderfully accepted.



That dark place was actually his classroom. It seemed darker because the curtains were drawn and he wasn’t exactly a nice man so the atmosphere was the mirror of his personality: uncontrollable.

“Eliza Molley, that’s your name right?” He started in a rough manner, like he was in a hurry.

Eliza watched him walk towards his desk, his style making him look like a penguin before suddenly turning towards her. 

“Well? Haven’t you grown up just like your mother?”

The brunette frowned, “What?”

Moody grinned, making him look like a hyena trying to trick her prey. She licked her lips and took a step forward, keeping her hands close to her wand, just in case she had to make a quick turn and defend herself.

“Ophelia Molley had the same green eyes as you do.”

“How do you know her? I’m sure you’re quite hoary to have met her in Hogwarts,” She just made him old yet he started to laugh.

“And the same vocabulary,” He added, walking towards her slowly. “What’s left is your mother’s talent of doing magic without a wand,” He whispered, leaning in making her automatically lean back. “Well? Let’s see it, girl!”

“Now? I can’t just spuff things out of nowhere!” She exclaimed, looking quite offended that she had to prove something to him. “Mom probably needed a while to control magic without a wand and I’m sure she still used one even then! That’s high level magic!”

“Exactly!” He sounded and looked too excited for her liking; it was crazier than Sirius. 

Moody swung his wand towards one of the leftover spiders from the lesson yesterday and levitated it in between them, on a student’s desk.

“I’m not going to kill it,”

Besides, she couldn’t. That wasn’t something she wanted to learn from Remus.

“Entertain me then,”

She frowned, looking at Moody before shifting her attention on the innocent spider. Eliza noticed Moody lean against the desk, in a manner that seemed ignorant yet he was getting some kind of thrill out of what was going on.

“Go for it!” He urged her, his single normal eye widening while the other one rolled twice.

Eliza had never been in that kind of situation when someone was forcing her to do magic forcefully.

The brunette took a deep breath before she reached out towards the spider,

“Wingardium Leviosa,” She mumbled, the spider slowly rising into air.

She smiled nervously when she heard him laugh in glee. Suddenly, he pointed his wand at the spider and muttered something, making the spider bigger and angrier. Seeing the beast come towards her with bad intentions, she lost herself and raised her hands in front of her face, defending what was left of her dignity.

“Say it, Molley!” Moody screamed, amplifying the fear.

The spider was two steps from her, somehow walking on his own because someone else broke her spell. Eliza could hear him getting closer and fell on her knees, ready for the hit when she finally screamed it out,

“Avada Kedavra!”

That was it. She opened her eyes and saw the spider coming back to his original dimension a few feet from her.

“He’s dead? Blimey, he’s dead!” She breathed out, narrowing his eyes at Moody, who looked quite proud of himself for forcing her into actually killing without a wand.

“You’ve done well, Molley. I’m expecting great things from you,” He stated like it was nothing, making her fall back on her bottom in shock.