Ella Longbottom never really knew her mother.
She supposed she did, when she was young, but Hannah Longbottom had been taken suddenly ill when Ella was no more than five years old, so she'd never really had the opportunity.
It was often said that she looked very like her mother, whose round face and blonde hair were soft and beautiful, but Ella found herself only able to agree with this sentiment based on the photographs that were all over the home she shared with her father, her sister, and her great-grandmother above the Leaky Cauldron. Her older sister, Sarah, took more after their father; round dark eyes and hair a warm brown that waved and fell down her back. It had taken both girls awhile to grow out of their baby fat, but Ella no longer found the faults in her appearance that she used to, save her continued displeasure in her small stature.
The loss of her mother wasn't something Ella tried to dwell on. She missed her as best she could, having hardly known her. Ella supposed she missed the maternal presence in her life more than anything else. But there had been plenty of mother figures that had more than filled a caring role, such as the many Weasley women. For that, she was grateful. And she was most particularly grateful for the presence of Anne Warren.
While only just old enough to be Ella's mother, Anne had come to work for the Longbottom family at the Leaky Cauldron shortly before Hannah had died. She'd stayed on and looked after things while the family grieved, and soon became indispensable. Not only was she a great help to Neville, but she doted on the girls. Sarah had gone off to Hogwarts two years after their mother had died, and Ella had spent most of her days living with her great-grandmother above the inn while her father was teaching. It was during these days that Anne was a savior to her. She loved her grandmother, but the older witch was not best suited to raising a small child at her age.
Anne had taken over much of the management of the inn, and so was able to spend the afternoons and evenings with Ella. It had been Anne who'd been with Ella when her father finally delivered her Hogwarts letter on her eleventh birthday. Anne had been Ella's source of advice and comfort when she'd been away at school, always an owl away when she had a question about boys or how to handle the girls in her dorm. And once Ella was done with school, Anne had taken her under her wing so she could learn the ropes at the inn. Ella supposed she could have always pursued another career like her older sister had, but she loved that old inn. She'd always been a bit of a homebody, and it was the only way she felt close to her mother. Taking over the running of the inn once she was old enough had always been her plan, and Anne and her father had supported the endeavor.
Days at the inn could be described as dull, but Ella found great pleasure in observing the people who crossed her path. Unlike Anne, who didn't much care for mingling with the patrons as she was of a rather timid disposition, Ella enjoyed taking shifts serving and at the bar. It was always amusing to listen to people's drunken ramblings and watch attempts at conversation and seduction. She'd learned to be able to tell who was actually going to succeed in their endeavors, and who had best leave off and pursue other options. On more than one occasion, Ella had taken the opportunity to prod and even meddle in the lives of a few friends and patrons. There hadn't been any instance of real success - other than a few couples leaving the pub together and more than one snogging session in corner booths - until about a year after she'd left Hogwarts.
It had been a typical summer day. Ella was taking the dinner shift - which was usually the busiest and she thrived in the hustle and bustle - when her sister had arrived in a state of aggravation.
"Rough day?" Ella asked as she set a glass of Sarah's favorite wine in front of her on the bar. Sarah closed her eyes and let out a sigh.
"Just some coworkers who can't seem to get along, and I keep getting caught in the middle. How're things here?"
Ella grinned and leaned on the bar, speaking eagerly to her older sister. "Penelope Jenkins was in here earlier. You remember her from school? She was a few years above me and below you. Laughed like a banshee."
Sarah snorted into her wine and nodded vaguely.
"She was in here earlier and got drunk off her arse before I realised it had happened - I think she nicked the whiskey from behind the counter - and she starts rambling on about how Eddie Finnigan dumped her."
Sarah's already large brown eyes widened in astonishment. "I didn't even realize they were seeing each other."
"Seriously?" Ella asked in surprise. "They were practically the golden couple of Hogwarts my fifth year, as obnoxious as they were."
"And I was working in London by then," Sarah reminded her. "I wouldn't have paid attention to stuff like that."
Ella rolled her eyes and refilled her sister's glass. "Anyway, Roxanne Weasley was here, and she had to Floo her home. She was a ghastly mess."
Sarah was barely listening as her eyes stared blankly ahead. She gave a nonverbal response as she took another sip of her wine.
"You alright?" Ella asked in concern. Sarah shrugged before focusing on her sister.
"Just tired. It's been nothing but work for ages and it's wearing on me. Nobody can agree on what to include in the agreement with the Egyptian Ministry, and Franks and Ellicott won't stop having a go at each other. I swear they were both about to pull their wands today."
Ella grimaced in sympathy. This was exactly why she'd forgone a job at the Ministry. Sarah enjoyed her work in the Department of International Magical Cooperation, but scarcely a week went by when she didn't come into the pub and complain to her sister about one thing or another.
"You should take a break," Ella suggested. "Go on holiday or something."
Sarah practically snorted into her wine. "Where would I go? You know how much Dad hates it when we travel anywhere outside of London or Hogwarts."
"So?" Ella argued. "You're twenty-two years old, Sarah. You could do with some time away."
Sarah didn't respond and went back to studying the wall behind Ella. With a sigh, Ella moved on to a few other patrons who'd taken seats at the bar, asking Matt - her fellow bar keep - to handle most of the work while she tended to Sarah. By the time she was able to return, her sister was no longer alone. Ella smiled as she approached Sarah and her dark haired companion.
"Hello, Ello. Give us a pint, yeah?" said Albus Potter with a charmingly crooked grin. Ella rolled her eyes as she grabbed a tankard from under the bar and filled it with Al's favorite brand of butterbeer.
"I told you to stuff it with the stupid nicknames," she said good humoredly. Al chuckled as she placed his drink in front of him.
"Come on, El-Bell. You secretly enjoy it."
Ella just placed her hands on her hips and shook her head as Al chuckled. The younger Potter boy - as well as his siblings - had been something of a constant in Ella's life. Al and Sarah had been the same year at Hogwarts, and all three of the Potters had been something like siblings to her growing up. Both of their parents had always been close with her father, and they even spent many holidays with the Potter family. This teasing from Al was nothing new.
"If you keep it up, it's Albus from now on," Ella threatened, and Al looked fearful for a moment before smirking at her.
"I make no promises. You're a lot easier to tease than Sarah. It's not like I can be as creative with her name."
He looked at Sarah with a teasing grin, but her gaze was focused on her almost empty glass of wine. His expression softened and turned concerned at her demeanor.
"Those stubborn prats still refusing to back down?" he said in a surprising show of understanding. Sarah quickly glanced at him and nodded.
"Daniel Ellicott's always been a prick, but I never thought he'd let it go this far. Everyone knows that Franks will have nothing but his way. He's just making it worse."
Al shook his head and took another pull from his beer. "So much for so-called cooperation," he mumbled into his tankard, and Ella was pleasantly surprised to see this entice a slight smile out of Sarah for a moment.
"Exactly," she said, slightly more at ease now. "They're setting a horrible example, not only for the department, but for all of the delegates from Egypt who've graciously sat through the proceedings all week. And I've tried so hard to keep the peace, but they're chauvinistic pigs who won't listen to a witch. Even if she is the one who's responsible for bringing about any semblance of an agreement between us and the Egyptians in regard to fair trade for the past ten years. This could really change things," she said emphatically. "And they want to waste that because neither of them can see past their own noses and let the past go?"
She was growing slightly heated in her frustrations, and Al turned to face her, his arm draping over the back of her chair.
"Hey, you've done brilliantly," he reassured her. "Just don't blame yourself if this goes south. You've done great work and you know it. And so does your boss."
Sarah gave him a small, grateful smile. Al worked in the same department, but while Sarah was in the International Magical Trading Standards Body, he worked for the International Magical Office of Law. This meant that they saw quite a lot of each other, and Ella vaguely remembered Sarah going over her work with Al before handing in her proposal to her boss a few months ago. He wasn't just blindly reassuring her, and she could tell that Sarah appreciated his words, especially knowing they came from an informed perspective.
"Thanks," she said with a smile. "It's just a bit exhausting."
"I was just telling her she should take a holiday," Ella jumped in. Sarah rolled her eyes, but Al looked intrigued. "Maybe take a few days off once this is all over and get out of the city for a bit. It could really do her some good, don't you think?"
"Absolutely," Al said with a nod. "You deserve it. And it's the perfect time of year to visit the seaside."
Sarah rolled her eyes. "I've never traveled, Al. I'd have no idea what to do with myself."
"Come on," Al reasoned. "There's a perfect place in Devon where my family used to go. It's peaceful and small. I could look into it for you."
Sarah's front of refusal seemed to crack at this, and she looked at him curiously.
"I'm not sure," she said. "Dad would hate it."
Al rolled his eyes. "Neville could handle it. Especially when he sees how haggard you are."
She seemed almost offended by this, but he continued on.
"Come on. They have these cabins you could stay in. And there's this great little inn as well, which would be cheaper. It's within perfect walking distance from the shore."
"Al, it sounds lovely," Sarah assured him, "but I don't think I'd be comfortable traveling on my own. I'd maybe go with someone, but Rose never gets time off, and Ella can't leave during the summer. She's way too busy."
Al deflated as his attempts to help his friend seemed to have failed, but Ella's mind had been whirring as she watched her sister and their childhood friend sitting next to each other. It had been growing as an idea in the back of her mind all year that the two might actually be compatible beyond friendship. They'd spent many nights over the past year sitting exactly as they were now, and Ella had been able to observe them more than she ever had before. She'd been looking for an opportunity to work some matchmaking magic over the past month, and she now had the perfect opportunity.
"You should take her."
Al looked at Ella in confusion, while Sarah seemed completely shocked by her sister's words.
"What?" asked Al, and Ella rolled her eyes at his innocent expression.
"You should take her. You know the area, and you're obviously eager for her to take some time away for her own good. Who better to get away with than your best friend?"
This statement wasn't even a stretch. Sarah and Al had each referred to the other as their best friend on various occasions, and best friends could spend one-on-one time together, couldn't they?
Al seemed to consider the idea for a moment before he shrugged and grinned at Sarah.
"Sounds alright to me. I've got some time off coming my way as well. When should your proceedings be over?"
"As soon as my coworkers can pull their heads out of their arses," said Sarah, "but are you sure about this?"
"Why not?" asked Al. "El's right. I know the area, it was my idea, and we're best friends. Why can't we go on holiday together?"
"Plus, Dad will probably be more likely to let you go if you've got a nice, strong, respectable wizard going with you."
Ella grinned cheekily at her sister, who seemed irritated by the insinuation that she needed protection.
"Come on, Sarah," said Al. "It'll just be for a couple of days. We can make it a long weekend."
As Sarah looked between her sister and Al uncertainly, Ella saw the moment she relented. She knew her sister well enough to know when she stopped fighting and gave into what she really wanted, and it was obvious she wanted to go away with Al, even if it was just as friends.
"Fine," Sarah eventually said with a sigh, "but we're getting separate rooms."
Al grinned in triumph and began throwing out ideas for travel. It was a few short minutes later when they were joined by another member of his family, and Sarah was eagerly making plans with Al by that point. Ella smiled at James as he sat next to his brother, who was so engrossed in his conversation that he didn't notice his older brother's presence, even when James said hello to him.
"What's with them?" he asked Ella with a quizzical bent to his brow. Ella couldn't help but grin mischievously.
"We're moving to a booth, Ella," Sarah informed her sister before she could respond to James. "Could you send over two plates of fish and chips?"
Ella nodded as Sarah and Al made to move through the growing crowd at the bar to an empty booth at the back, both of them finally noticing James and saying a quick hello to him before continuing to their destination. James looked back at Ella in question once they were gone.
"They're going away on holiday together," Ella said eagerly. "Sarah needs a break and she didn't want to go on her own, so I conveniently suggested Al go with her since he seemed so keen to see her take a trip to the seaside in Devon."
She was beaming at James, who looked back at her uncertainly.
"Alright. I'm sure they'll have a nice time."
Ella gave him a look of astonishment when he didn't seem to grasp what this all could mean.
"James, don't you see it?" she said enthusiastically. "They'll go away together to the nice, peaceful seaside, and before you know it, they'll be sitting down to a romantic dinner, the mood will be just right, and it'll all fall perfectly into place."
The look on James' face betrayed his inner thoughts, and it was evident he believed she'd gone mad.
"Al and Sarah? You're barking."
"I most certainly am not," she assured him, grabbing a bottle of firewhiskey from under the counter and pouring James a glass. "I've been keeping my eyes very open all year, and I know for a fact that all it will take is a bit of prodding and the right circumstances, and they won't be able to resist each other."
James rolled his eyes as she grinned at him in triumph, his dark hair windswept from Quidditch training.
"They've known each other their whole lives, Ella. We're like family. It's not going to happen."
Ella glanced at the booth that their siblings had adjourned to before smirking at James. "Trust me. I know what I'm doing."
"Doing?" James said with a laugh of disbelief. "You're taking credit for whatever may or may not happen between our siblings?"
"I most certainly am," Ella assured him, nodding so vehemently that her blonde ponytail waved through the air. "It was my idea they go away together in the first place, and I've made sure to drop subtle comments about the other to both of them at various points over the past few months."
"You've been meddling?" James asked in astonishment.
"Don't think of it as meddling," Ella said with a roll of her eyes. "Think of it as merely reading the signs and helping the inevitable come about."
James shook his head and laughed disbelievingly. "Whatever you may think, Ella, you can't make two people fall in love with each other. It doesn't work like that."
"I'm not saying it does," she said. "But two people who've known each other their whole lives are less likely to act on their feelings than those who meet by chance later on in life. They need all the help they can get."
James merely sighed and gave her a sympathetic smile, obviously convinced she was being ridiculous.
"Mark my words, James Potter," she said with authority. "We're going to be family one of these days, and there's nothing you can do about it."
He laughed heartily at that and chanced a glance over his shoulder at their siblings. Ella followed the direction of his gaze and was pleased to see that Sarah was sitting rather close to Al, who had his arm draped over the back of the booth as they laughed and talked animatedly.
"See?" she said victoriously as James turned to face her once again. "All in a day's work."
"It doesn't mean anything," James reasoned with her. "It takes more than a look and a word for a relationship to work. You'll understand when you're older."
Ella scowled at him. "I hate when you talk to me like I'm a child."
"Well, you've always been one to me," he said with a smirk and a sip of his whiskey.
"You're only six years older," she said with disdain.
"And wiser."
She shot him a look, but it was impossible to stay mad at James when he grinned at her like that.
"Is this going to become a habit of yours?" he asked. "Matchmaking?"
"It just might," she said with an evasive air. "If I'm shown to have a knack for it."
James chuckled once again.
"Merlin help us all if you do."
It was less than a year later when Al and Sarah announced their engagement, and Ella had grinned cockily at James when Sarah thanked her younger sister during a toast at their engagement dinner.
The pair had gone on their holiday a month after it had been initially discussed, and while they hadn't come back from their trip as a couple, it was only a few short weeks later that Al finally mustered up the courage to make his move.
He'd walked straight up to Sarah at the bar one night and kissed her before either of them could even say hello. Obviously, Sarah had responded eagerly, and later explained to her sister that she had actually kissed Al the last night of their holiday. This also explained why Sarah had been a little out of sorts and Al had been a bit absent since they'd returned. That first kiss had been brief and rather impulsive, and she'd hastily apologized before escaping back to her room. Neither had said or done anything about it until that night at the Leaky, and there was no going back after that.
They quickly became one of those typical couples who couldn't do without each other and were soon so undeniably in love, that Ella had a hard time believing it had taken as long as it had for them to get together.
"They're still young," Anne Warren had pointed out to her one day. "It only feels like it's taken a long time because they've known each other forever. If they'd only met a year ago, we'd all be commenting on how fast it's all gone."
Ella wasn't complaining about the speed with which her sister was working her way towards matrimony, and she was tremendously happy for her. It did sadden her a bit to know that things would be different now, and that her mother wasn't there to see her eldest daughter so happy. But the joys of the occasion far outweighed the momentary glimpses of melancholy.
They were married in a beautiful and intimate ceremony that it seemed the whole of the wizarding world had been invited to. The reception that followed was full of life, but Ella found herself to be more somber than she'd anticipated. She'd smiled and been truly ecstatic for her sister and new brother-in-law throughout the day, but Sarah had accepted a position as a delegate for her department, and Al had found a way to be transferred to Cairo as well, so the two of them would be moving to Egypt in a few weeks time.
"Chin up, Ella," James said as he approached her during the reception, taking in her rather melancholy state. "They'll visit often, and you know my mum won't stand for them keeping away once the grandbabies start popping up."
She managed a smile as he stood next to her, both of them watching as their siblings held each other on the dance floor. The love they shared shone brightly as they beamed radiantly at each other, completely lost in the moment.
"I know," she said with a sigh. "But I'll still miss her."
Ella leaned against James gratefully when his arm came around her shoulders in a comforting embrace.
"It's all your fault anyway."
Pulling slightly away, Ella looked up at James in shock. "What on earth do you mean?"
James grinned down at Ella, pulling her closer so his arm was around her neck and he could point at their siblings.
"I seem to recall you saying you prodded quite a bit to make that happen. I'd have thought you'd be gloating about your lucky guess."
"There was nothing lucky about it," she assured him, her spirits returning with the reminder of her success. "That takes talent and intuition, which I happen to have in spades."
James laughed heartily. "Keep telling yourself that, love."
Ella just rolled her eyes at him before turning her attention back to the room at large as Sarah and Al's first dance ended and they were joined by more couples on the dance floor. She fruitlessly asked James if he had any interest in dancing together, knowing full well he'd say no. She'd never seen him dance in his life, and he wasn't about to change his ways for her, as he so graciously reminded her.
As she and James stood observing the crowd of people, Ella's eyes eventually landed on Anne Warren, who was seated at a table with Ella's father and the Potters, watching the dancing almost wistfully. She'd never married and barely dated, and Ella was never sure why. Anne was caring and hard working, not to mention rather pretty. Her features were delicate, her hair cropped short but still feminine, and her figure slight but healthy. She wasn't quite thirty-five, and she still had plenty of life to live.
Watching her sitting there on her own gave Ella a sudden idea, and she quickly scanned the crowd. It was with a jolt of shock that she noticed someone close by Anne who was paying a great deal of attention to her. Draco Malfoy was standing a table away and talking with George Weasley, but his attention seemed to keep drifting to where Anne sat.
Ella had known Draco for most of her life, and he'd gone through some rough times. After the role his parents had played during the war, his family had fallen from grace and lost their entire fortune, but Draco Malfoy had done his best to turn his life around. He'd fallen in love and married Astoria Greengrass, who'd never had the strongest disposition. She'd died only a few years after their son was born, and since Draco was still struggling to make ends meet, Astoria's older sister Daphne had offered to take young Scorpius to live with her in France so he could have proper schooling and be well provided for. Draco had had no other choice, and though he'd gone to visit his son every year, Scorpius Malfoy hadn't been seen in London in twenty years.
But Draco had managed to do well for himself. He eventually made amends with the Potters and the Weasleys to the point where they were even friends, though he and Ron Weasley would probably never been on wonderful terms.
The Malfoy name no longer carried the same stigma it had before. He'd managed to dedicate his life to work and climbed the ladder until he was able to make his own business investments. He now owned his own inn not far from the Leaky Caldron, which Ella had been thankful for. The population had grown since the war, and she constantly found herself having to turn away guests. They'd needed the growth in the market.
Ella had only heard good things about the Emerald Inn, and had even been by a few times herself to dine at the restaurant attached to it. Malfoy had truly seemed more settled than he had in awhile, and Ella had an inkling that he was now anxious to share his life with someone else, having been alone for so very long. And if she was reading things correctly, he might not mind if that someone was Anne Warren.
"What are you staring at?" James asked, removing his arm from around Ella's shoulders as he tried to gauge where her sight was locked.
"Give me a moment," she told him quickly, before making her way around the edge of the dance floor and towards her intended target. She dodged wellwishers and those desiring to question her about her own relationship status, before she finally found herself at Draco Malfoy's side.
"Ella," George Weasley said when she approached them, bending down to kiss her cheek. "You look fetching."
She smiled graciously at him. "And you're as charming as always, George."
He laughed in delight.
"I believe James is looking for you," she invented easily, and George rolled his eyes.
"Probably having issues with the fireworks. I never should have left it to amateurs."
And with that, George was quickly off to find his nephew, and Ella was left to play out her scheme.
"It's a beautiful wedding," Draco said to her, and Ella thanked him with a kind smile as his gaze continued to flicker towards Anne.
"Are you not much of a dancer, Mr. Malfoy?" Ella asked. He looked at her in surprise.
"I don't mind it, when I get the chance," he said with a slight smile.
"Well, now seems as good of one as any," she said encouragingly. "And I happen to know that Anne is rather fond of dancing as well. It's a shame no one's asked her."
She looked despondently at her friend, who happened to glance their direction at that moment and blushed before looking away. Ella glanced up at Draco to see his gaze fixed on Anne. He was a good foot taller than Ella, which wasn't saying much, and his hair was starting to thin and streak with white. She knew he was the same age as her father, but the trouble of his younger years had aged him a bit. He was still handsome, and he wore his age well.
"Do you think she'd… " he began to say, but seemed to remember himself and stopped.
"I think she'd be very happy to stand up with you, Mr. Malfoy," Ella assured him. And Draco nodded, only hesitating for a moment before confidently striding towards Anne. He stopped by her chair and spoke to her in a low voice. Ella watched in delight when Anne smiled shyly at him and accepted his extended hand before they moved to join the crowd of dancers. She was only able to unabashedly enjoy her success for a few moments before James found her again.
"Are you at it again already?" he asked with a roll of his eyes, but Ella wasn't to be deterred.
"I told you. Sometimes people just need a slight prod, and the rest will work itself out in due time."
James chuckled as the music slowed and Ella watched Anne and Draco swaying slightly and talking easily.
"Here's hoping your meddling doesn't come back to haunt you one of these days," James said knowingly, but Ella didn't heed his warning. Things with Al and Sarah could not have gone better. This day was proof of that. And Anne and Draco seemed to be getting on splendidly already. She wouldn't have ever said something so cocky out loud, but as far as Ella was concerned, she truly believed she could do no wrong in the ways of matchmaking.
A/N: Welcome to a new story! I'm happy to report that I currently have the whole thing written and it stands at twenty-one chapters plus prologue and epilogue. I'd love to hear your initial thoughts so make sure you leave a review, especially if you follow!
As far as the story goes, this is in a world all of its own and not at all connected to anything else I've written. Aside from working on various stories in my NextGen cannon Show a Little Faith world, I have a handful of ideas for putting some of my favorite films and movies into the world of Harry Potter. I've already done a Scorose You've Got Mail called Falling For You?, and this particular story is a retelling of Jane Austen's Emma, a story that I absolutely love. If you're familiar with it, I hope you enjoy! If not, enjoy the ride :)
P.S. I'd like to go ahead and apologize for killing off both Hannah and Astoria. I thought about reworking the story a bit so I didn't have to since it truly pained me to do it, but I found this to be the way the story works best. Thanks for understanding.