D-Day
Ella admired her reflection in the bathroom mirror. She ran a hand through her pixie-cut, ruffling her mousy hair. "Mousy". She let her hand drop from her head and bit her lip. Her hair was healthy, thick and neat, but the color was an indefinable in-between of blonde and brown. Ella liked to think of it as "dark blonde", as it sounded rather less dull to her.
She looked at her eyes. Ella's eyes were, in her opinion, her best feature. She liked how unique they were, two large grey-green-blue puddles set just perfectly apart (in her opinion anyway). On her worse days, Ella would think them to be squinty and too small, but she rarely had "worse days" as far as her face was concerned. Why would she? Many people complimented her looks, and after spending some time in front of a mirror, Ella could see why. She began to be more mindful of how her peers looked and dressed and constantly compared herself to them.
Ella had never thought herself to be a stunning beauty. Indeed, she was not. Pretty, yes, with her button nose and rosebud lips, but not attractive in the haughty, angular way she yearned to be. Her short hair and large glasses, with their thin silvery frame, weren't exactly flattering either. They went surprisingly well with her clothes though, she thought as she smoothed her dress lovingly down over her knees. With one last look at the girl in the mirror, she grasped the door handle and stepped out of her bathroom for the last time that year.
She tried to be especially mindful of the hall as she walked down it, to take in every last detail of her beloved home. For eight years, Ella had dreamt of this day, of her departure to Hogwarts, she had almost forgotten that she would be leaving a large chunk of her life behind. A small smile played at her lips at the irony of it, but her chin trembled a little. Her eyes prickled uncomfortably as they travelled over the familiar books and ornaments on the shelves, and when they landed on her parents' beloved snow globe, her throat tightened painfully. A warm hand squeezed her shoulder and Ella looked up into her mother's warm brown eyes. "I love you, mommy.", she said and hugged her tightly.
What felt like an eternity later, she made her way down the stairs, clutching her trunk. She would go to King's Cross with the Weasleys because her parents were too busy that day to do so themselves. Her eyes were bloodshot and her face pale, but she was already feeling a little better than before. She glanced at her reflection in the entrance hall's mirror and pushed her glasses up her nose. This small gesture was so familiar it almost brought her comfort.
Slipping on her favorite pair of black flats, Ella felt some of her old excitement trickle back into her heart. Yes, she would miss her home. But she'd return soon enough. At Hogwarts, a whole new world awaited. Well, she corrected herself, almost entirely new. Ella had to admit, she was quite glad the Weasleys also attended Hogwarts. Even the twins, evil little rascals that they were with their crazy pranks. The thought of a certain bespectacled redhead actually managed to lift the corners of her mouth.