Truth Revealed, Advice Sought

[Lapis Lazuli]

Lapis stood outside Elodie's office, trying to summon the courage to go in. This day had sent her on an emotional rollercoaster the likes of which she had never known before, and she had finally realised that she was way out of her depth. She needed help. Adult help. After the fiasco in the Great Hall . . . Lapis didn't want to think about that. She had come to Elodie as the only teacher who already knew the truth about Esmerelda- and exactly how Lapis felt about it. So she wouldn't have to struggle to convince her that she didn't take after her mother. Nevertheless, it was difficult to face this problem. Lapis wiped residual tears from her eyes, and knocked.

 

[Elodie Kesslar]

Elodie Kesslar was doing some last minute tiding, it was nearing the ending of the school year and the young professor had been procrastinating. Hearing the knock on the door she exhaled in relief for the welcome distraction and walked past the stacks of books to answer the door. Pulling it open she was shocked to find a teary Lapis. She had never seen the girl upset before and she knew it was going to be something bad. "Lapis! Come in, what's wrong?!" she asked ushering the girl in and shutting the door behind them. Pulling out a box of tissues and producing a chocolate chip cookie from the tin on her desk she offered both of them to the girl and indicated her to sit. "What happened?"​

 

[Lapis Lazuli]

Lapis started when Elodie opened the door; she hadn't expected her Charms professor to come so quickly. She entered the cluttered office slowly and awkwardly, sitting down where Elodie gestured and blowing her nose on the proffered tissue. She hadn't realised it was running. "I- I really need your help." Lapis paused, unsure of where to begin.

"A few weeks ago, Annalie Darkhart stole a letter from my Mum, talking about . . . well, about the fact that she's a Death Eater. I shouldn't have kept it, really, I should have known something like this would happen. Anyway, she used it-" Lapis took a deep breath- "to blackmail me. It started out with small stuff, carrying her bag, bullying people she doesn't like. I thought I could handle it. But then, yesterday, she told me to use the Cruciatus Curse on Aimee. I couldn't do that, there was no way I would agree to it! And so, she did what she threatened. She announced it to the whole Great Hall." Lapis buried her face in her hands. Her voice came out, muffled, from between them. "What am I supposed to do?"

 

[Elodie Kesslar]

"I'm always happy to help Lapis." Elodie said. She was already concerned for Lapis. She had never seen Lapis so upset and it automatically set alarm bells ringing in her head. For someone to be this upset it had to be something big. Sitting down on the corner of her desk Elodie gestured for Lapis to start her story.

Elodie listened quietly taking in the entire story and mulling it over before saying anything. This Annalie Darkhart character sounded like a right cow. Honestly who had so little compassion for people that they would even think of blackmailing some one else. There was talk among the other staff about this Annalie, from what she had heard she was nothing but a trouble maker who seemed to have some vendetta against all the students and teachers in the school. "Firstly I wish you could have come to me earlier, I know Annalie would have said something about telling Professors but at least we could have dealt with it. Secondly, this is not your fault and I don't want you to blame youself for what this messed up girl has done." Leaning over she put a comforting hand on Lapis' shoulder. "Also from what I here of this Annalie girl she is nothing more than a trouble maker and she seems to be spreading plently of rumours around, most of them lies. I don't think many people are even going to believe what she said. If they do, then they aren't worth your time. You are stronger than this Lapis. Don't forget that." Seeing Lapis cry made Elodie's blood boil, if she wasn't a Professor that had standards and rules to adhere to she would of easily given this girl a piece of her mind.
​

 

[Lapis Lazuli]

Lapis looked up and almost smiled as Elodie (definitely Elodie now, not Professor Kesslar) told her exactly what she thought of Annalie Darkhart. Lapis agreed with most of it, and more. She had never hated anyone as much as she loathed Annalie, and surprised herself with the intensity of that feeling. "I don't blame myself," she said. "I don't even blame Mum. This was all Annalie's fault, but . . ." Lapis paused, unsure of how to say what she meant. "But what she said is true- well, mostly true- and half the school knows, and I can't deny that she's a Death Eater, so no-one will believe that I don't want to be like her, so-" Here Lapis stopped herself. She realised that she'd been speaking far too fast, pouring out all her fear and anxiety, and that Elodie probably hadn't understood a word of that garbled panic. She forced herself to take a deep breath. "Um, what I mean is that I'm scared people will think I do want to be like her. I don't."