Do You Trust Me? [Elenore]

January 2025

The Holidays were over and everyone was slowly coming back to Hogwarts. Odysseas, this year, did not return home to celebrate with his family. Instead, the Grecian had spent Christmas at Hogwarts, making sure that the students who had decided to stick around remained out of trouble. After all, he had Leni to take care of, since Miss Clement would be returning to her Palace, in France. The man didn't really mind that the witch was leaving, but habits died hard, and Elenore's presence around him had become... almost a necessity.

This was the reason why he had been able to notice the sudden darkness in her eyes after she had come back. The first lesson of the new year had been... interesting for more than one reason, but what made it even more interesting was the fact that Elenore seemed to be kind of lost and moody. During the time they had spent together, Elenore seemed to constantly be smiling, a happiness that was now missing and in its place were only dark clouds. The question was, who had managed to make such an angel so.. sad?

Odysseas, not wanting to be obvious, had allowed a few days to pass, before he had sent a letter to the Huflepuff witch, asking her to meet him in his office, under the pretense he was in need of help to do some research. The Grecian knew Elenore would never turn him down, therefore, he did not expect a letter in return with her answer.

The clock showed seven p.m. on a Saturday, the last time Odysseas checked his watch. Casting his eyes away from the hundreds of books that were spread open on his desk, the older wizard took some time to relax before Elenore made an appearance. She wouldn't be long now, and the last thing he wanted was to look tired. No, Odysseas had to be ready. Ready to learn had had caused so much pain to the Clement Princess.

The man had spent a good amount of ten minutes with his eyes closed, elbows on the desk as his head was hidden in his hands. Reading was always a nice way to pass the time, but too much of anything wasn't good. And Odysseas had spent way too long studying about all these types of Dragons, and whether he would be able to bring one for demonstration. So far, it was obvious that there was no possible way to bring one to his lessons, for more than one reasons.

Though, it wasn't just the research that was slowly giving him a headache. Work had been rough, who would have known that correcting homework would be so time consuming? But it wasn't the only thing running through his head. The Grecian was still running a business back in Greece, which required part of his time, and over the Holidays, his presence had been requested. Sadly, Odysseas had decided to stay, therefore all the work had been sent here, making his schedule a total nightmare.

And last but not least, his mind was consumed by thoughts of none other than Elenore Clement. Odysseas did not know the girl very well, but he was a man experienced in women, therefore, making it easy for him to notice if she was happy, excited, worried.... or sad. Elenore knew how to guard her feelings, her title as the heiress of the Clement name forced her to, but there were always small signs. Signs that Odysseas had been able to pick up. He had seen her happiness, when he had showed her Leni. Her excitement during his lessons. Her worry, when he had asked her to accompany him in the Forbidden Forest late at night.

And now he had noticed her sadness.

Though the man couldn't possibly know where this was coming from.

Three knocks on his door shook her out of his thoughts, and Odysseas pushed his chair back, fixing his tie and shirt, before moving towards the door to his office. A small, polite smile touched the Grecian's features, who motioned for the young Hufflepuff to make her way inside. After closing the door quietly behind her, Odysseas moved towards the small table, where a bottle of Bourbon was sitting, pouring some to himself before turning to Elenore. "I am afraid I can not offer you a drink, my Lady. Alcohol is not what I imagine you consuming, and I have currently ran out of any other refreshments." The man admitted, sipping some of the amber liquid and sighing in pleasure as it ran down his throat.

"Forgive me, but it's been a long day, and I am in need of a drink." Walking back towards Elenore, Odysseas took a seat opposite of her, his smile never faltering. He wanted her to feel safe with him. "How have you been, Elenore?" It was a simple question, but the answers were endless. Elenore could lie, tell him that everything is fine and move on. Odysseas would of course not believe her, but he would find another way to broach the subject.

Or she could speak the truth, and confide in him. How much of the story, he didn't know, but Odysseas would wait. Because good things came to those who wait.

Perhaps it hadn't been wise to drink in front of a student. Under any other circumstances, Odysseas would have never poured himself a drink, in the presence of a student, neither would he dare to offer him or her one. But Elenore... she was different from the rest, and being a Pureblood, she would understand that he was not meaning any harm. The past days had been extremely busy for him, and the man had barely had any time to sit and relax. Elenore didn't seem to mind though, at least openly, since she waved his words away with a small 'don't worry', but Odysseas knew better than that. Of course he was making her uncomfortable, women of such class did not feel comfortable drinking without someone escorting them. Not to mention that Bourbon was not at all appealing to them.

Deciding that he did not have the energy to pretend he didn't need the drink, Odysseas sipped some of the sweet liquid, enjoying the fire it left behind. Hie eyes remained on the younger witch, taking in details that he had not seen before. It was amazing how each time his eyes landed on her beautiful form, he always seemed to pick out different little things that he hadn't noticed. Every time he learned something new.

Would this time be any different?

"Well, thank you. The return to Scotland has been much colder than any year I have known here in the castle. You're quite fortunate, or perhaps unfortunate, to have experienced it."

The well rehearsed lie, followed by the casual questions of how Leni and his holidays were, made Odysseas jaw set. It was obvious that there was something wrong, and Odysseas did not like being kept in the dark, especially if it involved Elenore and, well, the Clements. The sadness was prominent in her eyes, no matter how well the young witch held herself. Odysseas was older, far more experienced than her, and very good at reading people.

Elenore could try all she wanted, but she would never be able to fool him.

"You're lying, Miss Clement." The Grecian spoke, giving the witch a small smile, showing her that he was not actually accusing her of anything, but also proving that he was well aware that her words had not been sincere. "I know that I am your Professor, mademoiselle. And even if I weren't, I would still not push you to talk to me, but I can't lie. Sadness is swimming in your eyes. You can tell me that I am wrong. I am sure everyone else either didn't notice, or your words reassured them. But I am not them."

Odysseas placed his glass away, giving Elenore the time she needed and waiting for his words to sink in. Had they been outside of Hogwarts, Odysseas could have used his charm on her, in order to learn what he wanted, but he was in no place to push her. Not here. Carefully standing from his seat, the wizard extended his arm and gave Elenore an encouraging smile, showing her that everything was okay. That he was not going to hurt her. "I suggest we take a walk? Some fresh air might help." The Grecian offered, his eyes staring deeply into Elenore's, not allowing her, in a way, to look away.

"We can go see Leni, if you'd like. She's missed you dearly, I can tell you that much." Elenore would never pass on an opportunity to see the small creatures, and Odysseas needed more time to get her to walk. Hopefully, this would give him the time he needed.

The dark look that took over the witch's features, after Odysseas had called her out on her lies, did not go unnoticed by the older man. Elenore had not taken his comment lightly, and that was obvious by her stance, and even though she had not stormed off, or spoken harshly to him, the man could sense how angry she was at him. Though, the fumes seemed to slowly die out, leaving a vulnerable young witch behind. Yes, Elenore had been severely hurt, by what the man did not know yet, but he hoped the young woman would eventually share. It was so easy to see that the Hufflepuff witch needed nothing more than someone to care for her. To be there, support her, notice when she wasn't okay and help her through it.

She needed him, even if she didn't know it yet.

As Elenore rose from her seat, taking his offered arm and following him outside of the dim lit office, a sense of victory overcame the Grecian. Yes, the witch had been extremely angry at him for daring to call her a liar, her out of all people, but after he had made sure to show her that he cared for her, Elenore softened once more. She was not a mean person. No, on the contrary, Elenore, in Odysseas' opinion, was one of the kindest people he had ever met. Her soul was pure, and she meant no harm to anyone. She was intelligent, elegant, beautiful... So many virtues in one body... but she was being used for it.

And Odysseas would find out by whom.

"I'm sure Leni hasn't missed me half as much as I have missed her, Monsieur."

A chuckle escaped the wizard, who led the Hufflepuff witch away from the castle grounds and into the Forbidden Forest. The route he had taken was the usual route they both used to take, when visiting Leni. Odysseas did not want to spook the witch, especially not after he had been so forward with his comments. "My Dear, you'd be surprised how much a creature can love you. You see, creatures are not like human. They are not mean and spiteful. If you give them love, they will forever love you. But, if you hurt them, they will not hesitate to hurt you. Humans... they don't need a reason to cause pain. Some just do it for fun."

His words had been picked carefully, knowing that if Elenore was truly hurt by someone close to her, these words would lead her straight to his face. It was very easy to manipulate someone, when he's been broken over and over again, each time worse than the last.

And it was obvious that this was not the first time, for Elenore.

The evident relaxation of the witch next to him, as soon as they approached familiar territory, brought a small smile to Odysseas' lips. The man had no intention of hurting the witch, even though she was a Clement. Elenore was probably the only Clement that seemed to be... tolerable. She was intelligent, well-mannered, and shared his interest for creatures. She was an excellent student to have, and great company, even though he would never admit to the latter.

"I know, they're the only ones who don't judge."

Her answer was met with a small nod from the older wizard, who carefully led the witch farther into the Forest. Creatures had always been the closest to a friend Odysseas ever had, and truthfully, he was in no rush to change that. Creatures never meant any harm, if you treated them love and respect, and just like Elenore had said, they were the only ones who didn't judge. They don't care whether you are rich, or poor, tall or short.. If you love them, they will love you back, and if you earn their trust, they would probably never betray you. But what surprised the man was her answer about people.

Hearing that Elenore knew enough about people who hurt others for fun brought a frown to the Grecian's face. Even though she obviously was not going to talk to him, at least not yet, her walls were slowly crumbling around her, leaving signs that, perhaps, she hadn't meant to leave. A small comment, such as the one she made, was enough to prove to the wizard that he had been right. That the witch was actually hurt, though mentally or physically he wouldn't know -- a glamour charm would be enough to hide evident bruises--, but he had no idea who was her attacker.

"Is there anything I should know of Leni's health from the winter break?"

Odysseas had to clear his throat, feeling speechless for the first time in a while. He didn't want to answer right away, slightly worried of how much emotion his voice would betray. No, he was not happy at the thought of Elenore being hurt, that was too cruel, yet, here he was, trying to find a way to destroy not just her, but her whole family. This was beyond ironic.
"Leni has been... slightly aggressive. She has a bond with you, therefore, in your absence, she felt abandoned. Of course, I treat her with care, you are aware of that, but you're like a mother to her. She sees you that way. I am just someone who... cares." Odysseas explained, giving her a smile of reassurance. Leni was okay, but the small creature had seen something in Elenore that made it impossible to stay away from her. And when the Hufflepuff witch had not visited, the small creature felt scared and alone. Odysseas had tried to calm Leni down, always being careful with her, and she had never once hurt him, but it was obvious she was on edge.

Leni wanted Elenore.

And she wasn't the only one.