𝐒𝐈𝐋𝐄𝐍𝐓 𝐖𝐇𝐈𝐒𝐏𝐄𝐑𝐒

「 we are who we believe we are」

chapter forty two

「 we are who we believe we are」

♱

   HIS OFFICE WAS far more intimidating than she remembered, that was probably due to the Auror peering over her shoulder as if she was a ticking time bomb. Her leg bounced up and down as she waited for somebody to say something. She couldn't let this get to her but everything was so overwhelming recently that she wanted the void to claim her once more. This was her life now, well it always had been. That book she was gifted had told her that it was going to be her or her friends, it had clearly chosen the latter. Maybe it had even chosen the former, it was really the only way to get to her by hurting her loved ones. Her hurting her loved ones was an inexplicable pain. She did it. Nobody to blame but herself. The fear in Lily's eyes was haunting her as she stared straight at the ticking clock. She scared herself. That anger burst out of her and she couldn't even control it.

"I thought that it would perhaps be wise of us to talk alone, Miss Westbrook." Dumbledore began after excusing the Auror and returning to his desk, taking a seat opposite the visibly nervous girl.

"What would you like to talk about?" She replied softly, knowing full well what this meeting was about.

"You've shown some exemplary magic." It took everything in her to not burst into laughter. That was certainly one way to describe her actions. Honestly, it was borderline psychotic of him to condemn her actions. If she was successful then that would've been a lot of paperwork. Her mother was right, she couldn't trust him. Well, she already knew that.

   "I lost my temper, not exactly top student material." She retorted, bluntly. The old man smiled sympathetically as she folded her arms across her chest, not impressed.

   "No, but that doesn't mean that it wasn't an extraordinary showcase of power, much above that of any of your peers and even faculty. You're very special, Miss Westbrook." Dumbledore explained.

   "Yes, almost killing multiple people in the process." She reminded him, eyes lingering on the phoenix. The man said nothing else, just examine the blonde's thought process. "That's not a talented witch, that's the actions of a ruthless..." Eleanor paused, thinking over her next words. "Monster." Lily's words still haunted her thoughts because she wasn't wrong. In fact, she had proved the redhead correct.

    "We are what we believe we are. Good or evil. In one person's story, you are the hero, and in another's, you are the villain. We live on the line, you are not one or the other except a combination of the two. Which you choose to act on, is who you are. Miss Westbrook, I don't believe you have ill intent - only through accidents." Dumbledore advised, inflicting his wisdom upon her.

   "What I intended to do and what I actually did are two separate things. Even though I could have had good intentions, that doesn't matter because Lily was still hurt!" She vented, already sick of this conversation.

   "Miss Evans will be perfectly okay, everything has been taken care of." He reminded her, that wasn't good enough for her though.

   "Everything?" She was reminded of what Remus had suggested and her blood was boiling once more. It wasn't hard to do that lately.

   "I had to make a tough decision, Miss Westbrook. It was in your own interest that I told your friends, it will help you greatly." He tried to justify his actions but Eleanor wasn't having it, she wouldn't be easily manipulated by him. She'd had far too much of that from her father to last a lifetime.