Second chapter in two days because I'm feeling super motivated to write for some reason. I loved all the inline comments on Chapter 9! Keep them coming, and don't forget to vote!
       

Ellison sat on the window seat in her room, staring out at the cars as they drove past on the street below. She had retreated upstairs after that afternoon's events, and a million thoughts had been racing through her mind ever since.

It was as though a switch within her had flipped on when she had seen Lestrange. She hadn't thought, only acted ... and her actions had saved him ... a Death Eater, who had killed countless people, including the person responsible for that blasting curse if she had to guess. Should she have let him die? Watch as he bled to death right in front of her?

She shook the thought away. Of course she shouldn't have. She had sworn to 'do no harm' when she had taken her oath as a healer ... that meant helping anyone she could, including people who'd harmed others. She had taken care of countless criminals while working at Saint Mungo's, had even saved a few of their lives. So why did this feel different?

She stared down at the bustling street below. Men in suits and ties hailed cabs while women huddled together in groups, walked along the sidewalk, pointing at the various shop windows as they passed. Her mind traveled to Calla and Ella. Where were they? Was her mother keeping them inside, or were they walking along a sidewalk pointing at the shop windows they passed as well, desperate for some sense of normalcy in Ellison's absence. Was her father, and The Ministry any closer to discovering who had truly been behind her disappearance? Ellison laughed bitterly at the irony of it all. While her father was heading up the investigation at this very moment, she had been right here in London the whole time, not even ten minutes away from her flat.

The door opened, pulling Ellison out of her thoughts. Tom stood in the doorway, the exhaustion from that afternoon evident on his face, though he still somehow looked like his usual calm and collected self.

"How is he doing?" She asked.

"Resting," Tom replied. Ellison nodded, watching as he stepped inside, closing the door behind him. "Thank you ... for stepping in this afternoon."

"I did what anyone else would have," she shrugged.

"If you hadn't been here, he would've died," Tom said matter-of-factly. Ellison glanced away. The sun was beginning to set, casting hues of orange and red across her face as she stared out the window again.

"Avery said Lestrange had cast a killing curse..." she began after a moment.

"And you're wondering who it had been intended for," Tom cut in, finishing the question for her.

"Would you tell me if I asked?"

"Probably not," Tom replied simply. Ellison laughed softly. Of course not.

"Those people ... who've disappeared," she continued. "Was there a killing curse intended for them as well?"

"Would you really want to know if there was?" Tom asked, studying her, a smirk forming at the corners of his mouth.

"No..." she shook her head, looking back out the window, "I suppose not."

"I wanted to give you something," Tom said, changing the subject. Slowly, he walked across the room towards her. Reaching behind him, he pulled something from his back pocket, and placed it on the desk next to where she sat. Turning her eyes from the window, she looked down to find her wand lying before her. "Take it as a sign of ... good faith," He added at the puzzled expression she wore.

"You're not worried I'll use it against you?" She asked, raising an eyebrow. Tom chuckled as though her words had been a joke. Maybe they had been, she thought. Still ... the thought had crossed her mind on several occasions since she'd been taken prisoner. 

"You already know your family is safe so long as you stay here," he replied, turning towards the door. "So ... I trust you won't do anything stupid." 

Picking up her wand, she rolled it over in her fingers, examining it. "Avery ... Lestrange ... all the others," she called, causing Tom to stop just short of the door. "Why are they so willing to die for you?"

"Everyone's willing to die for something Ellison," Tom replied matter-of-factly, turning around to face her.

"What about you?" She began, pocketing her wand. "What are you willing to die for?" Tom fell silent, as though he was giving her question thought. After a long pause, he looked back at her, his eyes traveling over her face, studying her intently. A knowing smirk turned up the corners of his lips.

"Nothing."

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Hope you guys liked this chapter! I already know what Chapter 11 is going to entail so hopefully I'll have that written sometime tonight! Btw, did you catch Tom's little nod to his Horcruxes at the end of the chapter? *smirks just like Tom* ;)

Vote/comment & I'll love you forever! <3