Working in peace ... for now

The clock chimed the last class of the day and Elija ran a hand through his dark hair as the students left his classroom. After the incident in his first lesson, the following classes had been much more well behaved, words had probably got around that he didn't hesitate to hand out detention on the first day already.
Gathering his stuff, Elija got up and walked out of the room and down the corridor towards his office, which luckily was located close by.
Once there, he got comfortable behind his large wooden desk with a glass of wine and a huge tome about Dark Arts. The headmaster had assigned him to research a certain dark ritual which he suspected the dark lord might use to gain more power and Elija had been leafing through books the last past weeks.
Taking out a piece of parchment, he dipped his quill into the dark blue ink and started to write. From time to time, he would take a sip of his red wine, savouring it in his mouth before turning back to his task.

Jocelyn's heart was beating really hard and she needed to catch her breath. She ended up at the third floor corridor who was strictly forbidden for first year students. She didn't know why she was on that floor but she did know that she was in trouble if a teacher found her. With her book bag around her shoulder she was walking through the long hallway with offices from teachers. Jocelyn stopped leaned against one of the doors and closed her eyes make herself clam down, she ran her hand through her hair and accidently banged against the door.

"Blood, Bones, Body fluid... sounds like a sacrifice is needed to complete this step..." he muttered under his beath, his neat script filling several feet parchment already.
Elija was ripped out of his thoughts when something banged against the door. An annoyed frown slipped onto his face and he got up to stalk to the door. Athough, he was normally quite calm and restrained, he hated to be interupted while working on something important.
Pulling open the door with such forcfulness that the girl that was leaning against it almost fell into his room, Eija scowled down at her. "What, pray tell, are you doing here, Miss Grimm?" he asked the girl testily.

Out of nowhere the door was forced open and Jocelyn stumbled backwards but could hold her balance to not crash into the person who opened the door so roughly. Jocelyn turned around to see professor Prince standing in the doorway asking why she was here, before Jocelyn said something she glanced at the door seeing his name on the door and then she looked back at him.

"Sorry professor, the stairs changed and suddenly i was on the third floor corridor and i didn't notice because i was busy hissing under my breath and when i did noticed i ran away to find the staircase and i ended up here in this hallway i was pretty out of breath and i needed to stop to catch my breath." Jocelyn talked and talked without taking heaps of breaths in between the lines.
"I'm sorry i didn't want to disturb you, i was looking for a quiet place to make my homework because they were annoying me and i needed to have it done." Jocelyn looked over his shoulder into his office and saw it was empty, she looked at him and put a sweet smile on her face.
"Can i make my homework in your office please, i won't be annoying i just want a quiet place to do my homework properly." she asked him.

Observing his student, he noticed how confused she looked at seeing him here. Obviously, she hadn't even realized where she had ventured on her way through the castle, though he wondered what might be on her mind this time.
Drowning out her rambling, he studied the girl in front of him. She seemed to be completely out of breath, as if she had been running and Elija pinched the bridge of his nose at her endless talking. Why children always were so excited when something happened, he didn't know, although he knew enough adults that also acted that way. Shaking his head, he focused back on his student who was still talking to him without even catching her breath.
"Miss Grimm, surely there are other places you can go to to do your homework? The library or your common room perhaps?" he asked her, sighing. "and who was annoying you and why were you running through the castle like that?"
He wouldn't just let a student into his office because they felt like it, especially not while he was working on an assignment from the headmaster.

Jocelyn looked at the professor, her strategy for studying in his office didn't work.

"The common room was full with other years and i didn't had a seat to just do my homework and the library is a distraction, i avoid the library or else i would have sitting in your office for not keeping my word to you professor, i haven't been in the library since you told that i couldn't study the Dark Arts anymore. I wanted to study them again before i had detention because i saw the restricted section and there i would deffinitely find some books about that type of magic. Please sir i won't bother you, i have plenty of work to do myself." Jocelyn said thruthfully.

His student's words made sense, he couldn't blame her for escaping the buzz of her common room and was pleased to hear that she was trying to follow his orders. Elija glanced back into his office towards his desk. He didn't want her to see what he was working on, but then again, she already knew about this, so what harm could it do.
Finally, he made up his mind and said slowly "Very well, Miss Grimm. You may work on your homework in my office. I trust you to stay true to your word and keep to your own business."
He stepped back from the door and waved her inside. With a flick of his wand, another chair appeared in front of his desk and he closed the door behind his student. "Take a seat then and keep silent, I also have some work to do..." Elija told her and went back to his chair.

Jocelyn nodded and walked into his office, towards his desk and settled down, she grabbed her Transfiguration book first, just to let him know she was working on it. Jocelyn grabbed her parchment and started to read about vera verto silently as the professor asked for. She scribbled down some notes to remind herself from the topic.

After a couple of minutes she had her whole parchment full of notes and then she started to read more because it was quite interesting. sometimes she glanced up at the professor looking what he was doing but she kept herself silence.

A short glance towards his student before he started on his work again, told him that she would be starting with his homework, a fact that brought a small smile to his lips. At least she was working hard to make his impression of her in his lesson change into something more positive.
When she was immersed in her task, he returned to his study of the ritual. There was a part of it that really disturbed Elija a bit and if the Dark Lord wanted to go through with it, the order would be in quite some trouble.
A worried expression had slipped onto his face without his notice, but he couldn't help it. Voldemort was already immensely powerful, with the help of such a ritual, his power would rise to an even higher level and that spelled trouble for the rest of the wizarding population.

Jocelyn looked up at professor Prince and saw his worried expression. What would make him so worried? Jocelyn thought.

"Professor? What are you reading that made you look so worried?" Jocelyn asked him hoping he would not send her off for minding his business. Jocelyn could help him, she was a quick learner.

Ripped out of his thoughts by his student's inquiry, Elija forced his expression into a more neutral one as he looked at the Slytherin. How should he answer her question? She was just an eleven year old girl and should be kept away from such horrible things like a human sacrifice.
He rubbed his temple and sighed. "I'm sure you remember what I have been working on during your detention with me?" he asked her slowly. "I have been reading up on a ritual which is of the darkest kind and the possibility of someone using it makes me feel sick." he told her honestly.
Still, knowing of her family background, he couldn't tell her that he suspected that Voldemort might try this ritual. She could be on his side one day, especially as she was trying to hang out with the Gaunt sisters.

Jocelyn nodded and felt relieved that he not shoved her off.

"The Dark Arts you mean? An ritual?" Jocelyn kept herself silence for a couple of minutes, scanning through the books she read in the early years of her life. At the moment nohing came up in her little mind. She looked up at him again.

"I read a lot about rituals sir but i think you need to be quite more specific about it so i can figure it out which one you mean." Jocelyn said calmly like it was the most common thing to talk about. For Jocelyn the Dark Arts books for learning to read but she wouldn't tell anyone about it until she saw the list of the professor.

Elija listened closely to his student as she asked him to be more specific. Should he really tell her about this? He knew that he shouldn't, especially if the headmaster found out about it, but maybe she had read something about it in one of the books. Then that would help all of them.
Clearing his throat, he spoke intently "You must not repeat any of what I tell you to anyone else. Under no circumstances, understood?" Eyes gliding to the door, he swallowed before continuing.
"There is a dark ritual which centers on a human sacrifice. If the victim is killed the caster of the ritual will gain the sacrifice's power, if not the caster can posses the victim." he explained in a low voice.

Leaning back in his chair, he judged his students reaction and then decided not to tell her about Voldemort, yet. First, he would have to see her reaction to such a ritual.

Jocelyn watched the professor, it looked like he was struggling with telling her something more but then he told her and Jocelyn listened quietly to every piece of information she got from him, she nodded, recognising parts of the ritual he told her.

"most of the rituals i have read are sacrificing humans or muggleborn people because for the Dark Arts that are the people who are not worthy of living in the magical world. Possession there is only one who can do that better than anyone else. I never met him but i heard my father talk about it." Jocelyn told him but not revealing who that man was. It was quiet for a couple of moments and when Jocelyn wanted to tell him something more but hesitated and decided not to tell him.

Elija realized that his student was keeping something from him, but her words alone confirmed what he had also suspected. The Dark Lord would be sacrificing muggleborns for his means and he would probably sacrifice a lot of them. Elija needed to tell Albus at the first possible moment about this, so the headmaster could alert the auror department as well as the other order members. They needed to find a way to stop Voldemort before he killed to mayn of the muggleborns.

Raising his eyes to his student, he said "That just confirmes my suspicions. Do you by any chance remember the book you read which features this ritual?" It would do him a lot of good to read it up himself. Maybe then he could find a way to prevent this from happening.

Jocelyn nodded at the professor. It was onvoorstelbare she was a good use to him. Jocelyn was happy about it.
"You can buy this book at Borgin and Burkes in Diagon Alley, it's called the Dark Arts mysteries volume 2. There is also a volume 1 who can be quite interesting as well." Jocelyn stated, it was quiet for a moment and Jocelyn turned back to her homework. The question was burning inside of her but she didn't dare to ask him.

Noting down the title of the book, Elija already planned in his head when he would have time to purchase the book. Maybe in it they could find a way to counteract the ritual or even prevent it from happening in the first place. He needed to talk to the headmaster and perhaps some of the other Order members. He knew that Alastor had a vast knowledge in that area as well.
Looking up to his student, he asked her "The man your father spoke of ... do you happen to know his name? Did your father ever mention it?"

Jocelyn looked up at him and nodded. "He talks about him every day when I was still home, he is their leader but I don't like him very much." Jocelyn turned her head to her book as quickly as possible, hiding her expression. The grief who didn't stop after losing her grandma the only who cared about her and the most learning came from her, the only one who made her unreachable but now that she was gone Jocelyn was extremely vulnerable.

Jocelyn ducked down to her bag and rummaged through her bag, she held up another tiny bag and then she grabbed her wand and flicked it pointing it at the wand. The bag became a size bigger, Jocelyn pointed her wand in it and did another flick with her wand murmering some words quietly. Jocelyn held her wand away and out of nowhere there was a book popping out of the bag, she grabbed it and settled it down in front of the professor

"You can borrow it, but i must warn you that it is not a very friendly book, use protective gloves and don't talk while your reading." Jocelyn looked at him, into his eyes and let him see how broken she really was and how unprotected she was. There was only sadness in her eyes. Jocelyn broke off the gaze and stood up grabbed her study book and held it tightly to her chest and walked towards the door.

Elija watched his student intently, as she talked of the man her father had spoken of. A leader, who obviously knew a lot about the dark arts and the rituals... to him that sounded a lot like the Dark Lord himself and it confirmed his suspicion that the girl's parents were involved with him, if not death eaters themselves.

He focused his attention back to his student who seemed to be troubled by something and he hoped that it was the man himself, as that might actually prevent her from following in her parent's steps by joining the Dark Lord. When she handed him the book, he was surprised that she had actually been able to bring it to school. On the other hand, he was glad that he could start studying it right away and he flicked his wand to send it flying onto a small table by the wall. He would start checking it out later, but for now he listened to his student's words of explanation.

Before she walked towards the door, she gave him a serious look that unsettled him somewhat. Before she could walk out of his office he called out to her. "Miss Grimm! Is there anything else you would like to tell me? Or something I can help you with?" Elija asked her. "I realize that I'm not your Head of House, nevertheless I am your teacher and would be willing to listen."

Jocelyn stopped and turned around, she was surprised to hear he wanted to talk to her so she decided to walk back to him.
"When I was younger you could always find me with my grandma and she learned me everything I needed to know, she was the greatest person in my life. I was very different, more brave and not as weak as I am now. We had my birthday I was nine years old when a sudden fire destroyed the party tent, my parents were nowhere to be seen only my grandma and she gave her life for me." Jocelyn looked at the professor, her lips trembling and her hands were shaken. "I saw her burn to dead I wanted to save her and then they came people in black, I was so scared that I crawled under the table, when it was done my mom was looking for me and in the house I saw the same clothes, my father ruined everything. They were jealous that I had a fantastic relationship so they murdered her, I've never been the same since then and I hate fire." Jocelyn looked at her hands as the tears streamed down her cheeks. After a couple of minutes she looked up.

"Please help me to duel again, I've been so scared and u
I only do it when I'm in danger." Jocelyn bit her lip waiting for him to react.

Elija was quite glad that his student had decided to turn back to him and speak of what bothered her that much. Still, nothing could have prepared him for what she was going to say.
The girl's word, saddened Elija immensly. That a young child like her should have to watch a loved one die, was hard to accept. But that it had to be in such a way was even harder to understand and he could only now begin to imagine what kind of hardship his student had went through in her young life.

After an awkward pause, he cleared his throat and said honestly "I'm truely sorry for your loss, Miss Grimm."
So her father really was a death eater and obviously one of the vicious and ruthless kind, if he had killed a family member in such a fashion.
Shaking his head, Elija thought over her request. Private lessons were not common, but it might help her regain some confidence he knew was lurking beneath the surface. Making up his mind, he looked straight into his student's eyes and gave her a short nod. "Very well, Miss Grimm. I will help you with your request." he told her.

Jocelyn did not look at him at first, she wiped away the tears but they kept coming and coming. "I'm sorry." She sniffed. The horrible dead of her grandma was a topic that she couldn't quite handle without sniffing althought it was quite a time ago. When Jocelyn finally able to look at him she looked a bit embarrassed.

"Thank you that you wanted to help me, Professor. Can we keep it between you and me, I don't like it when other people know about my weakness." Jocelyn asked him calmly. She felt more and more comfortable around him.

A small smile slipped onto the Professor's face and he shook his head. "There is no need for you to feel sorry. Tears are not a weakness, even if you might think so." he told her honestly while she was trying to stop herself from crying.

"Rest assured that what we have spoken of will stay between us." Elija said calmly. "Nevertheless, I need to ask a promise from you as well, and that is that you will not use what you learn from me here at school. This is only for selfdefense and not for showing off." He needed to be quite clear on that.
"If you are agreeable, then we can meet twice a week for practice." he suggested.

Jocelyn listened to his words, she felt relieved that there was someone that could and wanted to help her with her problems. She gave the professor some detailed information that she could easily be tortured to insanity and then be killed if someone on the dark side knew about her giving the indormation, Jocelyn does know that only her father saw her read two books but not more than that, her grandma saw the most of her learning proces. Jocelyn could use the private defence against the dark arts lessons and Jocelyn didn't dare to ask her head of house as she would not understand why she was acting the way she did.

"Professor i will promise you that i will never show the defence i learn from you to make me feel good and gain friends, i will only use them when i'm in great danger without someone responsible near by. I know you are studying the Dark Arts right now and i want to help you. I know a lot about the Dark Arts." Jocelyn said quite surprised with her sudden decision but it was true, she handled things very well when everything was fine at home until her grandma died then all the events turned to a dark and sinister side of the wizarding world, in her family. Jocelyn was known to a lot of people who were friends with her parents as a little rebel because she never let see them her face even when her father practically yelled that she had to come down.

Elija waited for his student to think over his proposal with patience. He didn't mind teaching her a bit more advanced defense, especially with the dark lord on the rise it would be important for the children to defend themselves and the more they knew about what was awaiting them, the better stood their chances of surviving the war.
On top of that, he might actually get some useful information from the girl regarding the dark arts and lord voldemort. The fact that she seemed even eager to help him in bis studies was an added plus. This only strenghtened his solution to tutor her in private.
When she promised to obey his wishes and not use her knowledge without reason, Elija relaxed slightly in his chair. So that was one less thing he would have to be worrIng about in the future.

"That's good to hear, Miss Grimm. I see we have come to an understanding then." he said nodding to himself thoughtfully. "I will be expecting you on Tuesdays and Thursdays eight o'clock from now on. Is that exceptable for you?"