A/N: I know the last chapter paralleled Harry's experience with the Mirror of Erised, but that was intentional. As far as I'm concerned, that will be the only parallel between the books and this story. Creating that scene in the last chapter establishes key elements in both the plot and Eloise's character, so doing that was instrumental. However, I am in no way the owner of the Mirror of Erised, or that plot point of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. Also, this is another trial run, just to see how much interest it gathers. I am still editing and adapting future chapters, despite the time it took to publish the first official chapter, aha.
Disclaimer: I only own Eloise and her family.
Thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoy!
1 Sep 1976
If there was anything that Eloise was not, it was a social butterfly.
As she lugged her trolley cart behind her carefully, she found herself reflecting on this. It was another dreary day to be boarding the Hogwarts Express, but she paid it no mind. All around her, people bustled with everyday conversations and yet, Eloise found herself grateful for the solitude. Just the idea of actively trying to sort out a conversation in this mess of sound exhausted her.
So, as she crossed onto the platform that held her train only to be met with hoards of her classmates greeting each other, Eloise simply plowed through. While other students socialized, Eloise found a nice compartment to settle in, and she was perfectly fine with that.
It wasn't like she was opposed to socializing by any means. No, Eloise loved chatting with others, but she didn't actively seek it out. She wasn't the type of person to approach another simply to say Oh, hello, nice weather, yeah? and move onto the daily gossip. Instead, she kept out of it all together.
The hand on her wristwatch ticked forward to 10:58. The students on the platform finished their goodbyes, and the noise began to make its way down the train corridor. Just as she opened her battered copy of The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 6, keen on doing some advanced reading towards nonverbal spell casting, the compartment door slid open to reveal three girls. They appeared to be the same age as Eloise, yet did not spare her a side glance, instead choosing to lob their trunks beside hers and plunking down around her. Through it all, their gossip did not cease.
A sigh passed her lips, and Eloise shrank down into the seat. She was not sure of their names, but a quick peek to their robes confirmed that all three belonged to Hufflepuff house. Eloise had never disliked anyone from Hufflepuff, and would never ask for them to leave merely for some peace to study, but she rather hoped that their conversation would not be too disruptive. Yet, as she peered down to the torn page once more, she could not help but overhear the chatter between the three.
"Oh, but did you see—"
"He was so thin, and his robes are almost falling apart—"
"I felt so bad, d'you think he's alright?"
"I hope so, but the poor bloke looks like he hasn't been well for ages."
Unwillingly, Eloise's interest peaked. While it was true that students at Hogwarts may come from all different types of backgrounds, only one that she knew of fit those particular ailments. Though he was the kindest person Eloise had ever met, Remus Lupin had many unfavorable circumstances thrust upon him. He was constantly in the Hospital Wing for various injuries, and held a certain haunted look in his eyes that spoke of hidden demons. Despite this, he remained unselfish and helpful, even if he was a tad tired on certain days. He was also the person Eloise related to the closest, as they both came from an impoverished background.
Eloise's parents, while phenomenal, had been older in age when she was born. Her mother, a kind woman who was welcoming to anyone who came across her, had worked as a librarian for the majority of her life. It was there that she met Eloise's father, a quiet man with a penchant for reading, and their story began. Her father worked as a cashier for the local supermarket at the time, and would frequently visit her mother on breaks or bring food from the store to eat lunch with her. Time passed, but they felt no rush to marry until their mid thirties, and by then, they knew that the chance of having children was decreasing more by the year. However, just before her mother's forty-fifth birthday, she discovered she was pregnant, and the rest was history.
Growing up, in a way, was a very lonely experience for Eloise. Her grandparents lived a few hours away, so she rarely saw them. Her father was an only child, and her mother had one sister that lived in America, so Eloise had only seen that side of her family a scarce amount of times. She tended to help her father in the garden instead of go to the park, so friends were few and far between. It wasn't to say that Eloise and her family were dirt poor - they could afford a house and basic necessities such as food - but in order to make ends meet, certain sacrifices had to be made. When Dumbledore arrived, announcing that she was a witch, those priorities had to be shifted in the slightest bit. This meant that her robes were shabby, and a bit short in terms of length, and her books were falling apart at the seems, yet she was able to attend Hogwarts.
There was no part of her that blamed her parents for her upbringing, however. Eloise was grateful for all the sacrifices her parents had made for her, and she firmly believed that having to work for what she had made her independent and mature for her age. However, Eloise wished more than the entire world that her parents could have had a more comfortable life. She'd give anything to take away the worry lines by her mother's eyes, or the pain in her father's back from hunching over the garden for all hours of the day. If it meant her parents could be healthier and happier, she'd move a mountain.
So, after she had settled into life at Hogwarts, she made it her mission to accomplish that. If she did anything during her time at this school, she'd make a name in academics, showing her to be an essential addition for any profession. She threw herself into her schoolwork, and ensured that she was doing nothing but the best work for her professors. In very little time, she became one of the top students of her year. Among these top students was Remus Lupin, the boy she had befriended that first day on the train.
Remus had made his own name at Hogwarts, but for a very different reason than she had. He was a part of a group at Hogwarts that was notorious for pranking other students, particularly unwitting Slytherins. They called themselves the Marauders, and were well respected throughout the school. Even Eloise had a certain respect for them, despite having very few conversations with the foursome. They could be immature, without a doubt, and some of their pranks were questionable in terms of fairness, yet she respected their ability to bring humor into the darkening times.
Almost on cue, the four boys crossed in front of the compartment she and the three Hufflepuffs were in. They were led by James Potter, a boy with messy hair and crooked rectangular glasses. He was smiling broadly, gesturing with wild hands towards his counterpart, Sirius Black. Sirius was widely considered as the "hottest guy to ever walk the Hogwarts grounds," which Eloise always snickered at. Not because it wasn't true, but of just how many girls said it. However, Sirius paid it no mind, appearing either unaware or uninterested in the attention. Slightly behind them was Remus, who was indeed looking more ill than normal, and with a visible deterioration in the robes he was wearing. He was smiling kindly at the fourth, a small boy by the name of Peter Pettigrew, who most perceived to simply be a devoted follower of the other three. Eloise thought slightly different of him; he certainly had the lost look to his eyes when his friends weren't around, but she'd seen the attachment the other boys had with Peter.
As the four were passing, the three Hufflepuffs quieted, regarding Remus with cautious eyes. Eloise felt concern of her own rise within her - she'd have to check in with him at the feast. She and Remus weren't close by any means, but there had always been a certain acknowledgement between them. As a result, she considered them to be acquaintances - not quite friends, but not unfriendly. It was the closest thing Eloise had to an actual friend at Hogwarts.
"Merlin, I hope he feels better soon," one of the Hufflepuffs murmured. Eloise couldn't help but agree.
The rest of the ride to Hogwarts was uneventful. The Hufflepuffs continued to chat as if Eloise wasn't there - ooh, Sadie, did you know that Michael has a thing for Angie? No way, what about Katherine? - but Eloise managed to get work done, so she couldn't complain. When Hogwarts appeared in the distance, the three girls vanished to change into their robes, and Eloise donned her own in peace. By the time the train pulled to a stop in Hogsmeade, they hadn't returned, but Eloise paid it no mind. Instead, she grabbed her book, disembarked, and nabbed a carriage headed for the castle.
It was time for another year at Hogwarts to begin.
The next morning, Eloise found herself sitting down with the rest of Gryffindor House for breakfast in the Great Hall. She had no books out, instead choosing to sit and enjoy the joy of the people around her, content with being at Hogwarts once again. Around her, people were buzzing with conversation, catching up from the months apart and yet, Eloise sat alone. Simply being around her housemates was enough for her.
"I'm telling you, Lils, you have to visit France sometime. It's absolutely gorgeous there, and the boys aren't too bad, either!"
Lils, who was actually a redhead by the name of Lily Evans, laughed in response. "I'll try to sometime, Marlene, but I have a feeling Petunia won't like being away from her new boyfriend for that long."
Eloise chuckled under her breath. Lily Evans, for lack of a better term, was one of the wittiest girls Eloise had met. She was also one of the nicest, and was well liked by most of the teachers for her pure intelligence. Eloise had never interacted with her much, as the amount of sixth year Gryffindor girls meant that they were in separate dorm rooms, and Eloise was hesitant to approach her outside of the classroom setting. What does one say to an individual who is so obviously superior to you? Oh, hello, you may not know me, but I've been in your year since Hogwarts started and I was just wondering — No, while Eloise admired Lily highly, she had long since accepted the fact that she would probably never be friends with her. So, instead of dwelling, she would remain acquaintances, and she was perfectly content with that.
Before Eloise could dwell on her thoughts any longer, McGonagall appeared with the timetables for the year's classes. Eloise peered eagerly down to her own, anxious to get started with the year's workload. She had chosen to incorporate as many subjects as she could within her schedule, dropping those that she didn't take a fancy to and including the electives that she had. That morning in particular began with Charms, quickly followed by double Transfiguration. She had just began to put away her schedule when a loud shout rang from the opposite end of the hall.
It didn't take long to discover the source of the noise. Across the hall, a Slytherin boy sat soaked to the bone. Scattered on the floor around him were tiny pieces of rubber; the remains of a balloon presumably. Before the boy could unleash his rage on whoever had thrown the balloon, a hoard of them soared through the doors of the Great Hall and began pelting various people in the room, the vast majority of which being other Slytherin students. Eloise smiled despite the shouts of outrage, casting a quick charm to shield her from stray droplets. She found the source of the prank rather quickly; as students began fleeing from the hall to save themselves, four boys stayed relatively still. Sirius and James were letting out boisterous laughs, while Peter and Remus were more refined. All four seemed to be enjoying the general chaos.
A small part of her couldn't help but be jealous of their carefree attitude. Eloise had already determined that being successful in life meant being purely devoted to her academics, and she was reluctant to stray from that, but she couldn't help but consider the possibilities. Just what would happen if she were to completely switch her personality to match that of the Marauders? Would she still be able to achieve the things she wanted to? Perhaps, yet it was better to not risk it. Safer to stay to the routine she had developed. She had devoted so much time to building her future that one mistake could become her demise, no matter how entertaining their perspective was to her. Her parents needed her to be the best she could be.
Instead, Eloise grabbed her things and stood to leave the Hall. Around her, students and teachers were casting drying spells, and McGonagall was berating the four boys for such an unnecessary prank. Eloise smiled to herself. She may be quiet and withdrawn, but at least she had a clean record.
She just couldn't help but wonder what life would be like if she didn't.
