Potions class was dismissed, the ever jovial Professor Slughorn excitedly telling them that next class they would be working on a fire potions. If they're successful, he said, he would let some of the students stick their hands in a cauldron of flames. Elpis was amused by his excitement, if not slightly alarmed, a small smile coming to her lips as she slung her bag over her shoulder and turned to leave the room. Her eyes met Blaise Zabini's from across the maze of students for a second that seemed to last an hour, an occurrence that was becoming a habit. She let no reaction show on her face as he subtly nodded at her, a smirk flickering across his handsome face.
The two young wizards were subtle in their peculiar exchange, but Blaise's friend was a clever boy with keen eyes. Packing up his supplies, Theodore glanced at the caramel skinned girl across the dungeon as she disappeared out the doorway in the small crowd of students as they ascended the stairs. When she was gone, he looked back to his friend beside him, studying his placid face.
"Is there something on my face?" Blaise inquired, an challenging tone in his voice. Theodore only smiled knowingly at him, shaking his head as he pushed past his friends. Soon the room was clear of students out as footsteps and chatter echoed up the stones steps and off the walls.
Elpis sighed to herself as she emerged to the first floor of the castle, the sunlight from the windows a warm change from the cold dungeons. Admiring the fairies that waved at her in one of the stained glass windows, their wings gently beating, she wasn't paying the attention she should have been to walking through the hallway, and a pair of startled huffs escaped from her and the girl she bumped into.
"Sorry-"
"Sorr- Oh. I know you."
Hermione Granger stopped halfway through their apologies, looking at Elpis with a cheerfully curious look.
"Oh," she replied lamely, not sure what else to say.
'You don't know me,' Elpis corrected in her head, a passive look on her face. 'You just recognize me.'
"You're the one from Puddifoot's, right?" Hermione clarified.
"Yeah," Elpis answered softly.
"Well," the Gryffindor girl replied, disarmed by her unreadable tone, "I'm Hermione Granger."
"I know," Elpis replied simply, not shaking the girl's outstretched hand and glancing at Harry and Ron, standing and watching the conversation. "We've all been going to school together for 6 years now."
"Oh, of course she's playmates with Potter and his pets," a rude voice spoke behind Elpis. She spun around to see Draco Malfoy sneering at her, shaking his head with disgust. She had no words. She wanted to run.
"Sod off, Malfoy," Harry spat back the silver-haired boy.
"Why don't we leave that to the resident referee?" Theodore joked, placing his hand on Elpis' shoulder and giving her a playful shake. She snatched herself away from the boy, a fire burning in her eyes.
"Maybe if you didn't fight like such children a woman's intervention wouldn't be necessary," she said calmly, a storm hidden behind her mask. Hermione laughed at this.
"And what are you snickering about, Mudblood?" Malfoy snapped, turning his cold eyes on the girl he was cursing. Elpis' stomach sank and she felt acid in her throat.
"You're a real twat, you know that?" Ron barked, stepping forward to the boy, dropping his things on the ground. Blaise stepped forward, placing his hand on the boy's chest, a smirk on his face. Elpis saw the proud look on his face and felt a heavy weight of shame fall upon her.
"Settle down, mates," the tall, dark skinned boy said condescendingly. "Nothing to get riled up about."
"I'm sure you're used to being pretentious wankers," Harry rebutted angrily, "but here in the real world there's a thing called decency."
"And what would you know about decency then?" Theodore replied, an amused look on his face. "Look at the company you keep. A ginger traitor and a mud-"
"Don't you dare," Ron halted the Slytherin boy. "Another word and I swear I'll-"
"Enough!" Hermione spoke up, an appalled look on her face. She handed Ron his bag, stepping between him and the others, breaking the venomous eye contact the boys held. "How many times to I have to tell you? They're not worth it."
Blaise sighed, as if he was tired of watching a child's performance.
"I'd take a lesson from Potter here," Theodore said, looking at Elpis, much to her displeasure. "Choose your company carefully. You wouldn't want to wind up like that lot."
"Leave her alone," Harry said, coming to Elpis' defense. Gathering all her courage for the sake of her dignity, she finally spoke up.
"You sicken me," she said defiantly, looking at Draco and Theodore in turn, her eyes lingering on Blaise a moment longer than the others. When he looked into her eyes, he thought he was something more than the heat of the argument. He saw disappointment, and pain.
The smirk on his face faltered ever so slightly.
Turning around to leave, Elpis met Harry's stare.
"People don't always need a hero," she said, shaking her head at the boy, walking away from all of them. She knew he meant well, feeling almost a little guilty for reprimanding him. But she felt even more strongly that it was time people started thinking past their own need to start wars.
They only led to casualties.
Before she turned the corned to leave the scene, Elpis felt a urge to look back, see him one more time. But the heavy weight in her heart advised her against it, and for the first time in a long time since she had met Blaise Zabini, Elle listened to her head.