"Hey."

"Are you and your sister alright?"

"Yes, thanks to your timely actions. You have my gratitude."

She nods. "I couldn't do anything else."

"Thank you for warning me."

"This Voldemort of yours is now an international problem. What do you intend to do next?"

"...Fudge will probably keep being useless. But - me and Ellie and Fay, we're going to take the fight to Voldemort, as best we can." She bites her lip. "Is this a safe place to talk?"

"I have not yet dismantled my wards. I am reasonably confident no one is eavesdropping at the moment."

Nod.

"I... Want to know if you'd be interested in helping us oppose him, first. There's stuff you should know either way, but..." She hugs herself a bit. "We. Could use allies."

"Yes. I am. He has insulted me and threatened my family. He must die."

Nod.

"He's done the same to us."

She sits down.

"So."

"To start - I was being misdirecting when I implied I couldn't possibly be descended from Slytherin. I am." Her hands clench the fabric of her robes, tightly. "Voldemort is my father. My mother was one of his Death Eaters. I've hidden this, from everyone but Fay, Ellie, and now you, though I'm pretty sure Dumbledore knows."

"This is important, because - strategically, he can get at some of the things Slytherin left behind. I've seized some of those from him, and I can fight him over the others - yesterday, he went after the portion of the wards Slytherin was responsible for, I think mostly related to keeping Hogwarts secret and unplottable. If those came down, the castle would be visible and findable to everyone - muggles included - and I think it'd also bring down the anti-Apparition wards. I reversed his changes to the wards and kept him out. Two years ago, a - artifact or something - that he left behind possessed a classmate of mine and tried to set a basilisk on the school. I convinced the basilisk to side with me instead, and we destroyed the artifact, but - there's a lot more ongoing threats like that I don't know about yet."

"And..."

"My mother is Bellatrix Black. She escaped from Azkaban last year. She - "

Deep, shaky breath.

"She wanted to side with me over him. There was - we were attacked by Dementors, and she led them off, and we lost track of her, and - Voldemort's got her again, we think he might've Obliviated her or. Something. So I want to rescue her."

"Strategically - Voldemort has some way of making... Artifacts that can act like him. The thing that released the basilisk was one. We think the thing that let him possess your headmistress was another. We encountered one in my first year. Voldemort possessed me, and put a circlet on Ellie that tried to possess her. It failed because of a ward Ellie's mother laid on her, and Fay drove Voldemort out of me, but. The circlet possessed the house elf that tried to secure it, and we lost track of it, and we don't know if Voldemort has more things like that."

"And, yesterday - Ellie wasn't safe in the maze. The. The cup was a portkey. It took her to a graveyard where Voldemort was - which means he's able to be in two locations at once now, since your headmistress was definitely interacting with the Chamber in a way only Voldemort can. Voldemort tried to use Ellie in a ritual, possibly sacrificially, though we don't know for what. My mother was there - that's how we know she's still alive, and she didn't recognize Ellie or my name. The ritual failed kind of explosively, though we don't know why, and Ellie managed to get back to the cup, which was set up as a double portkey apparently, because it dropped her back at Hogwarts."

"He keeps threatening us. Keeps trying to hurt or kill me and Ellie. He killed Ellie's parents, and he's enslaved my mom. We can't live until he's dead."

"I see."

"I need to assist in setting up protections at home, but once that is done, I will be available to assist you here."

She nods, sharply.

"Thanks."

"I - thanks."

She's been crying a lot since yesterday and she would like to not start crying again now.

Elodie pats her on the shoulder.

She leans a bit. "I - shouldn't keep you too long."

"I can spare a few moments more, if you need them."

"Thanks."

"You're a good friend, and. I'm really glad I started talking to you."

"Likewise."

She grins. "I wanna keep up as friends, not just as - soldiers in the same war. You're neat."

"That would be enjoyable."

Hee. 

"Yeah."

" - Owls are kind of inconvenient for talking internationally, but - I could get us some paired mirrors." Like what she has with Ellie - and Anathema needs to get used to those existing, she's always with Ellie and keeps forgetting about that gift from first year...

"Those are convenient, if you can get them."

"I can, yeah, though we'd need slightly bigger ones for good reception... I'll see about sending an owl with half of a pair, though."

"I will await it with bated breath."

Giggle. "I'll try not to take too long finding a good one, then."

"Indeed. But I must return to work. A pleasure speaking with you, as always."

"Same."

And back to find Ellie.

There's - not much, now, other than making sure their friends are okay - Serpens has already left, Anathema makes a note to owl her - 

School's already over.

It's time to go home, she thinks.