As they swiftly walked down the staircase just outside of the common room, El asked her burning question, "Does this have something to do with Hermione, Professor?" McGonagall looked briefly back around at El with a displeased look on her face, "You should be glad that you are alive, Miss Black! For goodness sake, we all thought that you and the rest of your friends had possibly gotten yourself killed before Professor Lupin made a note that you were in the common room." She tutted her head and carried on walking. El remained quiet and realised she was in deep, deep trouble. Remus had quite clearly found her on the Marauders Map but what had Hermione even told them? That she was seeing a ghost-like woman strutting about the seventh floor? If only they knew what was currently sitting in her pocket! She swiftly guided a very silent El towards Dumbledore's office on the second floor. A place that she seemed to frequently visit... 
                          
The golden bird that was at the entrance to his office turned almost immediately as if Dumbledore was watching her. El turned back to look at McGonagall with dread in her eyes but she was not having any of it, instead, she simply raised her arm and motioned to the stairs that had revealed themselves. With a deep sigh, El started to climb the stairs until she reached a brass door handle to his office. When she had gone there during the summer, the door was wide open in a welcoming manner but now she could hear the muffled voices of many people coming from inside. McGonagall caught up and strode straight to the door, knocking a few times and paused briefly before it had swung open. She walked inside and as El did the same, the faces of Professor Lupin, Dumbledore, Professor Snape and Hermione all stared back at her. El was beyond furious. How could she! She would never in her wildest dreams tell on Hermione... and after everything she had gotten up to with Harry and Ron in their first year. This wasn't fair. 
                          
"Take a seat, Miss Black." Dumbledore's naturally calm voice called out from his desk as he pointed to the seat in front of him. She noticed the piercing stare of Snape, the unbelievably disappointed and just as furious Remus staring down at her as she moved into the room. She glanced at a nervous-looking Hermione, "You're not my friend, Granger." El spat, looking her up and down with disgust. She couldn't help it! Anyone who broke Elektra's trust was no more than a wimp who liked to sweet talk their way to the top. El couldn't stand the sight of her. Dumbledore intervened quickly before the tears that had formed in Hermione's eyes could run down her face. "You should be thanking Miss Granger, rather than treating her as an enemy, Miss Black. If something had happened to you and your friends, without our knowledge, we would never have been able to retrieve your bodies." Dumbledore told her, placing his hands onto the table. El's temper had risen and she snapped again, "Do I look dead?" Remus, as fast as a lightning strike, raised his voice, "Do not speak to your headmaster like that." Dumbledore's hand raised slightly at Remus, asking him without words, to let him handle the situation. El was too worked up on the fact that a friend had betrayed her trust to care about how she was acting. "Hermione, thank you for your brave honesty. You may go straight back to your common room now. Do not speak of this with anyone." Dumbledore asked a sniffling Hermione who was stood in the corner. She hesitated to speak but Dumbledore smiled and nodded his head, understanding whatever she had tried to come out with. She swiftly ran out of the room and back down the winding stairs. El was also on the verge of tears, but not sad tears, more like anger was the only thing she could feel running through her veins tears. 
                          
Elektra glanced at the bright red Phoenix that Dumbledore had in his office, noticing his resemblance to how she was feeling on the inside. The colour of a fire. El took in all of the birds features, studying it as she had never seen one before (the last time she was here it was merely a baby bird) but now it was fully grown and beautiful. It made her start to feel more calm the more she looked at it, which caught the attention of Dumbledore. "He's quite the bird, is he not?" He didn't move his eyes from El, studying her as she was with the bird. "He's amazing..." She breathed out, letting go of all the negativity she was holding inside of her. Why did creatures have this effect on her?