Summer at Malfoy Manor was a quite different matter than winter.
Aside from the green and healthy grass there were colorful flowers that made the whole mansion look friendlier.
It was still a little too hot for Elsa's liking, but inside it was significantly cooler.
There had been a few questions from a suspicious Lucius, of how Elsa managed to get them seats at the World Cup, but Draco was able to deflect by making up a believable lie.
Narcissa was quite happy to see Elsa again. To the princess it sounded as if the woman had always wanted a daughter, unfortunately only having had one son. And Draco was surely not the right conversation partner when Narcissa lost herself in her dream musings of balls.
"Oh, Draco, you really have to freshen up your dancing skills before the term starts. I don't want you to make a fool out of yourself and our family."
The silver eyes widened comically when Draco let his quidditch magazine fall onto his lap.
"I know how to dance, mother. I don't need practice. Sides, it's just a school ball."
"It's an international event!" Narcissa scolded. "And your last dancing lesson was when you were nine, since you so stubbornly refused to continue!"
"Dancing is not that hard, and there's no point-"
"No point?!" The woman gasped, acting as if Draco had just announced he'd go live under a bridge.
Elsa hid a smile behind her hand. Taking pity, she looked at her friend.
"I think your mother's right. Knowing how to dance makes men look good."
Draco gave her a deadpan look. "This is ridiculous."
"No, your defensiveness is ridiculous." Elsa teased. "One would think you're scared of dancing."
"Hardy har. Do you want me to play clown for you and dance with an invisible person?"
Narcissa pursed her lips. "Clown would describe you quite well, with how you're behaving right now."
"As much as I'd love to see that, I would help you if you want."
"You know how to dance?" Narcissa sounded surprised, and Elsa needed a moment to remember that she didn't know about her royal status.
"Oh, yes. The orphanage owner's daughter is a teacher, she taught us how to."
Sending her son a smirk, Narcissa got up from her armchair. "See? Elsa's going to help you."
Draco muttered something under his breath before getting up. "... I just need a little freshening up. Aren't they gonna give us a crash course at Hogwarts or something?"
"Won't hurt to be prepared, and if they don't you'll embarrass us." Narcissa hummed and led them to the music room. With a wave of her wand the piano there started playing a classical tune by itself.
Elsa watched him with an amused expression waiting for him to make the first move. It was fun seeing him insecure for once.
He hesitated, pressing his lips tightly together, before moving to stand in front of her.
Taking pity, Elsa took his hand and placed his other on her hip. With a smile she rested her own hand on his shoulder.
Draco cleared his throat started to move, willing a blush to go away.
At the beginning his moves were a little unsure and clumsy, but he gained more confidence with every step.
"Back straight, Draco."
Elsa turned her head to see Lucius had arrived while they were dancing.
"Look."
Narcissa was delighted when her husband grabbed her and began to move with her to the music.
xxx
"Are you kidding me? You've never caught fireflies before?"
Draco scrunched up his face and shrugged.
"No, why would I do that?"
Elsa tilted her head and raised an eyebrow. "Because it's fun. Back at the... uh..." she looked around shortly to make sure his parents weren't around, "at the castle, when I was little, we did it every evening."
As long as royal duties were done, of course. And even then the king and queen barely ever joined them. Most of the times it was only Elsa and Anna, and after some time of running around, they curled up to look at the night sky.
Sometimes Gerda would join them, making up stories to make them laugh.
It were good times, that ended after the accident, when Elsa had to stay in her room all alone and concentrate on queen training.
"Fine, if it makes you happy..." Draco sighed and shook his head before lifting himself from the armchair he was sitting in.
"It does. And it will make you happy too, believe me." Elsa nodded with a smile as she grabbed Draco's arm, dragging him outside.
It was already getting dark, the sun almost gone. It had cooled down considerably, which was a relief to Elsa.
Some of the fireflies were already visible, but hard to see. The difficulty of catching them like that only added to the fun. At least for Elsa.
"You're supposed to catch them, not crush!" The blonde laughed as she watched Draco mostly just clapping at them.
The boy gave her a deadpan look and cupped his hands to start catching for real.
"When exactly does the fun beg- HA! I got one! What do I do with it now?"
Elsa chuckled and shook her head. "You let it go."
"What? Why would I catch them just to set them free again?"
"Well... what would you want to do with it?"
Draco shrugged, hands still cupped tightly to keep the bug in it.
"I don't know. Put it in a glass so I can look at my achievement whenever I want?"
Elsa tilted her head a little with a frown. That was so typical for Draco.
"Don't you think that's a little cruel?"
"It's not like I'm torturing or killing it... It's just a bug, it's going to die soon anyways."
"Maybe, but if you had the choice to live the rest of your life in joy and freedom or to wither away in a cage watched as a trophy, what would you choose?"
Draco's face pulled into a frown as he looked at his hands.
"But it doesn't really have a choice."
Elsa nodded, stepping a little closer.
"No it doesn't. But you do. It's your choice if you let it be happy or sad."
The girl was surprised by her own choice of words, suppressing a shudder. She was sounding so much like her foster mother, the queen.
However, the words had Draco thinking. With a frown he let the firefly go, watching it tumble in the air a little before joining a few others, dancing around them. Seeing the bright smile Elsa gave him, Draco decided it had been worth it.
They continued to catch the fireflies and let them go again, making a contest of who could catch more of the bugs in one grasp. It occupied them until it was completely dark and the sky was illuminated by stars.
"Woah." Elsa breathed as she noticed the sight above them. It was one thing to watch the stars in Astronomy, but in real life it was way more beautiful.
Draco stopped and followed her gaze, smiling softly.
"It's breathtaking, isn't it? Out here we have the greatest view. Though I haven't really enjoyed it much the past years..."
"Back in Arendelle we see the Northern lights every night. It's pretty, too." She noted, sighing up at the dark sky.
"Have you ever thought about flying up there and just grab a few? I've always imagined I could fly higher and higher, just escape everything down here, leave all responsibilities and expectations behind..."
Draco let out a small sigh and tilted his head slightly.
"Unfortunately it's not that easy. It never is."
Elsa gave a small sad smile towards the sky. It was so true. It was never easy.
"You know, Anna and I always made up stories about the stars. Some of them were real tales from books, but it was funnier when we gave them our own twist."
Draco chuckled softly and stood a little closer to Elsa.
"My mother used to show me some constellations when I was little."
The Ravenclaw's face lit up at that. "Can you show me?"
Of course they've learned a few in Astronomy, but it had always been rather dry and theoretical.
He laughed at her enthusiasm and nodded, laying down on the grass. It was dry, so he didn't worry about getting his clothes dirty. It was soft enough to be comfortable.
The blond waited until Elsa laid down next to him, before pointing at a certain set of stars.
"Do you see that big bright star? That's Alphard, the brightest star in the constellation of Hydra." He traced the constellation with his finger. "It means 'the Solitary One'. One of my mom's uncle was named after it, but we don't talk about him anymore."
He pointed his finger to another direction.
"This constellation is Cygnus. It's said to be a swan, but I really don't see it." Draco frowned a little, tilting his head to see the resemblance to a swan.
Elsa chuckled, also tilting her head.
"Anyways, it's my grandfather's name. Cygnus Black."
"Black? That name sounds familiar... Are you related to Sirius Black?" Elsa asked, eyes wide but never leaving the stars.
Draco shrugged and nodded. "He's my mom's cousin, but he doesn't really belong to the family anymore. Mother said he's a traitor, always been the black sheep, no pun intended. There. Sirius is the brightest star in the sky, closest to the sun, in the constellation called 'The Great Dog'."
Draco didn't want to talk about being related to a serial killer, so Elsa kept her questions to herself and rather concentrated on the stars. Though she found it kinda ironical that 'The Great Dog' was an animagus with the animal form of a big black dog.
"I see your family has a knack for naming their children after stars." she noted with a small chuckle, making Draco smile.
"We kinda do. My aunt Andromeda, also a traitor, was named after a constellation that holds a whole galaxy, the one nearest to our Milky Way."
"Wow... Hey, is your name a constellation too?"
The blond boy nodded, concentrating to find it among the stars. "There. It's one of the earliest to be defined, I think. It means 'Dragon' in Latin, but the Greeks defined it as a serpent."
"It does resemble a snake more than a dragon." Elsa noted, and Draco shrugged.
"I'd rather be called a dragon than a snake though."
The Ravenclaw laughed and playfully nudged his arm. "Yeah. A dragon is way manlier." She agreed jokingly, making Draco roll his eyes and grin.
"Do you have a favorite constellation?" Elsa asked finally.
"Not really. Well, technically, yes. It's a constellation too, but I like the x-ray better."
Elsa raised an eyebrow. "X-Ray? In space?" She was pretty surprised that a pureblood wizard with no real connection to nowadays' electronic devices was interested in things like x-rays.
Draco chuckled. "Yeah, Scorpius X-1 is the first x-ray source outside the solar system. That's way cooler than the sign." He paused for a minute. "Well, mom thinks the sign is cooler, since it's hers. She's a Scorpio."
He rolled his eyes good-naturedly. "Oh, and I also like Hyperion. It's one of the moons of Saturn. Don't ask me why, though. I just think it sounds cool."
Elsa laughed, shaking her head. "Well, it does have a nice ring to it." She agreed. "What's your sign?"
"Gemini. Riiiight... there." He traced the constellation, hesitating for a moment. "Do you want to hear a story about it? It's one of the rare cases astronomy and mythology actually agree."
Elsa smiled and nodded eagerly.
"Two stars in the constellation are called Castor and Pollux. They were twins back then, known for their adventurous behavior. They had different fathers. Pollux, whose father was Zeus, was immortal, while Castor was a mere human."
Elsa nodded, listening closely. She didn't bother with the oddity of twins from different fathers, as it was only a story.
"They fought in many wars and battles together, were inseparable. But when Castor, being mortal, eventually died, Pollux was devastated. He didn't want to continue living without his beloved brother, but there was nothing he could do, since he was immortal. He went to his father, Zeus, and asked for help. Since he didn't want to kill off his son, Zeus decided to just make Castor immortal too. So they could live together forever as the constellation of Gemini."
"That's so beautiful..." Elsa breathed, watching the constellation in awe.
Draco nodded and turned his head to look at the girl next to him, smiling involuntarily. She looked absolutely stunning with the stars glimmering in her wide eyes, face full of wonder and awe.
"Yes... beautiful..." Elsa smiled too, unaware it was directed at her.
xxx
"Oh, I don't know..." Narcissa sighed. "I don't think I like it anymore. It looks so plain!"
Elsa had given in to Mrs Malfoy's begging and tried on the dress she had gotten for Christmas.
She'd have to shorten it a little, she noticed, with how the hem dragged on the floor.
"But the color suits her." Draco mused, tilting his head at her.
"It will suffice for the ball." Elsa waved her off. She was rather annoyed by the slightly puffed out sleeves, but she hasn't quite learned how to change that yet.
Besides, she didn't want to insult Narcissa by completely changing the dress that's been so thoughtfully picked out for her.
"Maybe something with a little lace... no. No lace. Something flouncy, perhaps... We need to go shopping."
"That's really not necessary. I can put a few designs on it."
"You need a glittering necklace at least. An eye catcher."
"She is the eye catcher, mother."
Both Elsa and Draco blushed when the Slytherin realized what he just said.
Narcissa couldn't fight off a grin.
xxx
Elsa tightened her grip on Draco's arm as they followed Lucius through a sea of tents and people.
Despite not liking the noise and smell of what appeared to be a million sweaty wizards and witches, it was fascinating all the same.
The logistics would be quite interesting.
Lucius was held up by two ministry workers and held a pleasant chat with them.
"This is disgusting." Draco scrunched up his face as they watched a wizard with green paint all over himself run around half naked.
"I don't get why they're already celebrating, the game hasn't even started yet."
"Team spirit, I'd say."
"Elsa! Oh wow, good to see you here!" Elsa blinked at Anthony, who fought his way through to them.
He had dyed his hair green and wore a shamrock covered cape. When he talked you could see his green colored tongue.
"Hey Anthony." Elsa greeted him with a smile, hiding a giggle behind her hand at his appearance. "Supporting Ireland?"
"Aw, what gave it away?" Anthony posed dramatically with his cape. His happy demeanor faltered a little when his gaze caught Draco's.
"Malfoy."
Draco's arm came up automatically to rest over Elsa's shoulders, making the princess raise a brow at the gesture.
"Goldstein."
"What's your team?"
"Sorry to disappoint, but I'm all for Bulgaria."
Anthony scoffed. "Psh, Ireland has a team of experts. Bulgaria is completely dependent on Krum."
"If-"
"Okay, cut it out you two. It's enough I have to watch the game, I don't need any more quidditch talk today."
"You act as if it was a punishment! This is the world cup!" Anthony exclaimed.
Elsa rolled her eyes. "Whatever."
"Where are you sitting? My grandma got me and my dad a seat last minute, unfortunately only way low. My neck's gonna be killing me from looking up all the time."
"Elsa and I got prime seats, right in a box with the minister himself. He personally invited us." Draco bragged, wincing when Elsa elbowed him.
"At least you're gonna have the best view when someone crashes. I heard that happens quite often when Bulgaria plays." She told her fellow Ravenclaw to cheer him up a little.
Anthony glared at Draco, but smiled when he faced Elsa again. "I guess so, yeah. Anyways, have fun, I'll see you in Hogwarts."
When he was out of sight, the two had to catch up with Lucius. Elsa glanced sideways at her companion.
"Was that really necessary?"
"What's wrong with showing off a little?" Draco rolled his eyes. "And your secret's not endangered. Father is a high position ministry worker, he could've gotten the tickets, that's what they're gonna think anyway."
"There's no need to make him feel inferior just because you're in a better position." She crossed her arms.
The possessive gesture of putting his arm around her shoulder would've made Anthony feel a little down too, since she knew he had a crush on her.
However, she wouldn't tell that to Draco.
"It was not about that."
"Really, because to me it sounded like you were showing off with your prime seats."
"It was necessary to show him he doesn't stand a chance." Draco glared back to where Anthony had vanished to.
Elsa frowned up at him. "What are you on about?"
"Oh come on, don't tell me sharp and observant Miss Winters hasn't noticed he's got the hots for you."
"The...?" The princess sighed and rubbed the crease between her eyes. "I know he likes me, but he's just a friend. I don't have time for crushes and such."
She reached up to flick Draco's forehead. "And I don't have the patience for over-protective friends."
The Slytherin's lips vanished to a thin line, but didn't say anything to that. He wouldn't have to, either way, because they reached the gigantic stadium then.
Elsa considered questioning his sudden silence, but was rather captivated by the magical built seats. So high they should've tilted or fallen completely by now, and yet able to hold so many people.
When they found their box, the Weasleys were already there with Harry and Hermione.
Ron refused to look at her, but her other two friends waved. The twins were making a bet as far as she could see, while Ginny playfully stuck her green-dyed tongue out to Draco, laughing when he scowled.
Arthur and Lucius were having a little not so nice chat, judging their expressions, but all in all it was okay. Elsa had feared the confrontation would've been worse, especially between Draco and Ron.
They were behaving, though.
Elsa wanted to talk to her friends badly, but it could ruin Ron's mood even more, which would drag them all down, so she opted to sit with Draco and observe the pitch instead.
"So is it true what Anthony said? That Bulgaria only relies on Krum?"
He took his time to answer, shrugging eventually. "The Bulgarians are too single-minded during the game, while Ireland is way more flexible and diverse. With Krum as their seeker they can win, though. He brought them to the final single-handedly, literally."
"Is he really that good?"
"He definitely is that good. You'll see in a few minutes. He's an artist on the broom."
When there was a signal that the teams were arriving, Elsa noticed the majority of the male audience cover up their ears.
She frowned at that, but didn't have time to wonder for long because suddenly a group of breathtakingly beautiful women entered the pitch.
Elsa leaned forward to see them better and wished she had brought binoculars.
They had silvery blonde hair, similar to hers, and creamy pale skin that seemed to glow. Their singing and dancing was mesmerizing.
Seeing those men, who hadn't covered their ears, about to do stupidly dangerous things made Elsa sure that she was seeing real-life veelas.
That gave her a burst of excitement. Isabelle Flocon had been a quarter-veela, so Elsa had at least some veela blood too.
She had no idea how pronounced the line was, either way it was interesting.
The Bulgarian team flying in was startling her out of her thoughts. When Viktor Krum was introduced, Elsa tilted her head. He didn't quite look like a seeker in build, with quite thick muscles as if he was doing weight-lifting, and he appeared rather tall.
"Blaise said he's totally brooding and quiet in school, despite being swarmed by girls permanently." Draco informed her.
"He's still in school?"
"He'll start his last year in Durmstrang in September. He's the youngest professional seeker in history... he's just that good."
Elsa gave him an amused glance. "Sounds like you have a little crush on him."
Draco's face heated up with indignation. He faced the pitch again when Ireland's team entered. "Shut up, Winters."
After the surprising outcome of the game, Krum catching the snitch but Ireland winning, the Malfoys and Elsa made their way out of the stadium.
Lucius was held back by Minister Fudge to talk about one thing or the other.
"You take Bulgaria's defeat pretty well."
Draco shrugged, scowling at a few loud green-colored fans shoving past them.
"Krum was still great."
A few louder screams that had nothing to do with cheering were startling them.
There were masked figures by the tents, casting spells that created chaos.
Fudge began to panic and hurried towards the commotion, while Lucius' face blanched so suddenly Elsa was sure it had happened magically.
"Father, what-"
The two teens were grabbed and apparated with then, Lucius disappearing right after again without a single word.
Elsa rubbed her shoulder, wide eyes on Draco. "What was that about?"
"No idea... maybe mother knows more..."
Narcissa did know quite well what was going on, but opted to pretend she didn't. If Elsa hadn't studied people's reactions and tells of lying, she probably would've believed her clueless attitude.
xxx
The mood at Malfoy Manor was pretty dampened then. Lucius was gone for most of the time, and when he was there he was a weird mixture between scared and ecstatic.
Narcissa had an intimidated air about her, but tried everything in her power to mask it by busying herself as much as she could.
And while Draco had already brushed off the weird ending of the World Cup fiasco, he had started to distance himself from Elsa.
Elsa didn't quite dare to question his sudden weird behavior, figuring he got tired of having her around 24/7. It was different, of course, than being in school, where they could also spend time with their other friends.
So Elsa played more with Marshmallow and wrote to her friends. She also used the extra time alone to catch up with her queen training books, since she couldn't quite do so with others around.
She was almost through with them all and had a hard time deciding whether she should write her foster parents to send her the next stack.
Maybe she could use the few months until Christmas break to start learning french.
As much as she didn't want to get back home again, she missed Anna. And she needed to search through her father's study to maybe find out where the evil kingdom was located to know which country's magical law she needed to study.
There was also a chance the king had a copy of the dreaded contract.
She really wanted to ask Harry about Buckbeak, but since Sirius Black was on the run, she of course couldn't just write about it. And she didn't even know if Harry was in contact with Black.
However, Buckbeak was a capable hippogriff, he could take good care of himself, she figured.
Narcissa had distracted herself and Elsa by taking her shopping, finally having a girl to shop for. She wouldn't take no for an answer and had the time of her life browsing through various dresses.
"I already have the dress you got me for Christmas, I wouldn't know when to wear these." Elsa said with a smile.
"I know... but we could get you other clothes. For casual wear." Narcissa sighed longingly at the women's section of Madam Malkin's.
Elsa could tell her mind was very clouded and weighed down by whatever was going on, so she held up a long-sleeved purple blouse with a black ribbon at the collar.
"I like this one."
Narcissa looked like a kid on Christmas morning and so they spent the day picking out various clothes for Elsa.
"My, these would look so good on you!"
Elsa raised an eyebrow in amusement while she turned around to see what else the woman had found.
They were silver earrings, with a white gem in them. According to the price tag it wasn't a cheap gem.
"The gem changes color, depending on your mood."
"I don't even have my ears pierced, I wouldn't be able to wear them."
"Then we just have them pierced, every young girl should be able to wear earrings!"
Elsa was starting to regret humoring her. Apparently not having had a daughter has left a hole in Narcissa's chest that she intended to fill with the princess.
"I'm not sure I want to." What would the king and queen say?
On the other hand, did she care what they thought? There were no rules about earrings. And the ones Narcissa was holding up were really pretty.
"You know what, sure. Let's do it."
xxx
On the morning of their departure, Draco took Elsa aside.
"Okay, you remember that Blaise has transferred to Hogwarts, right?"
"Yes?"
"Thing is, I haven't really seen him or talked to him in ages, only ever written. And just because I am totally cool with you being muggleborn doesn't mean he will, too..."
"It's fine, you can just tell him my cover story." Elsa tilted her head. "Or is there another problem...?"
Draco scratched the back of his head. "I think it would be good if I check out his stance first, so I can judge his reaction... and..."
Catching on, Elsa patted his shoulder. "Alright. I'll keep to my other friends. Let me know when you're sure we are allowed to be friends again."
"Woah, that's not what I meant! We're still- I mean-"
Elsa laughed at his flustered reaction. "Relax. Like I said, it's fine. I haven't really talked to my friends all summer, I'm gonna catch up with them and won't bother you until you're able to 'judge his reaction'."
In the train, she sat with Ginny and Luna in a compartment with Becky and Cho.
She wasn't sure whether Ron was ready to forgive her yet, so she decided to stay on the safe side.
The topics of the girls were rather grating on her nerves, though, which was why Elsa rather tried to figure out how to pronounce a few french words with the help of a book.
Quidditch was a big conversation point, of course, and now there were also boys coming up.
"Viktor Krum is so hot." Becky sighed dreamily.
"Oh please," Cho scoffed, "he's bulky and not all that smart. Plus, he has these gigantic eyebrows."
"Yes, they give him character. Not everyone fancies a pretty face like you, Miss Chang."
"Cedric is not just a pretty face, he's a genius and has a great personality."
"Maybe Viktor has a great personality too, you don't know him personally, do you?"
"Neither do you. And you won't get to know him either."
"Let a girl dream, will you?"
"How are things going with Draco, by the way?"
Elsa looked up from her book. "Huh?"
"Duh, you spent the summer with him? I bet Anthony's heartbroken."
Raising an eyebrow, Elsa blinked. "It wasn't anything special. He's my friend..."
"Oh come on, he's not just a friend. Even a blind man can tell he's all over you."
"I have no idea what you're talking about."
Cho and Becky exchanged a look. "Friends don't plan sweet scavenger hunts on Valentine's day for each other."
"He only wanted to distract me so I'd relax a little."
"How can you be so clueless?" Becky's dark eyes were wide.
"I'm not clueless, we're friends. Could we please talk about something else now?"
However, the girls were quick back on their track when the train arrived at Hogsmeade station.
There were lots of girls gathered around Draco and a dark-skinned boy, quickly identified as Blaise Zabini.
"Look, how he just lets those pugs cling to his arms. Totally enjoying the limelight." Becky hissed.
Elsa rolled her eyes. "He can talk to whoever he likes. If he wants them hanging onto him, he can."
"Don't tell me you're not jealous at all."
"I'm not."
She couldn't quite deny that there was a little annoyance, though that was more because Pansy was among the fan club.
Just a few months ago Draco had threatened to kill her for her mean pranks and the thing with Buckbeak, and suddenly he didn't mind her clinging to him anymore.
"Well, I knew he wasn't as perfect as everybody thought. Just a player." Becky waved off. "Anthony will be happy to hear the news."
Elsa didn't comment on that. Let them talk, who cares?
Even if she was interested in anyone, which she wasn't, there was no time for it either way.
It had no future, with the arranged marriage. And even if she found a way out of it, there was still the whole princess thing going on. Not everyone was cut out to be a future queen's king.
Really, the sudden gnawing feeling in her gut had to be her dislike of Pansy.
In the Great Hall, Elsa was kinda relieved that the Ravenclaw table was at the far right side this year. She sat with her back towards the rest of the hall so she didn't have to see the Slytherin or her Gryffindor friends, or more like the scowling of Ron.
The Sorting was quite interesting this time, since Draco's friend Blaise, a fourth year, would be sorted too.
So far, Ravenclaw had the least new students, and it didn't seem to change.
"How are we supposed to gather enough housepoints with so little students? It's not fair." Becky pouted.
"Less people to mess things up." Cho cheered her up. "Oh, look, it's the fourth year's turn."
"Mh, he looks good." Alice giggled along with Padma.
As expected, he was sorted into Slytherin and took his place at the table with his classmates.
Dumbledore officially announced the Triwizard Tournament for this year, and that their guests, a few 17-year-old and over students from Durmstrang and Beauxbatons, would arrive in October.
The news were enough to for the students to overcome the disappointment of the quidditch season not taking place.
Since Lupin's werewolf-secret had been uncovered by Snape, he couldn't be their DADA teacher anymore. That's why an auror and friend of Dumbledore, Alastor Moody, would take over this year.
Elsa was quite creeped out by his gaze and appearance. The magical eye was moved freely around, focusing on the Gryffindor table before swishing again.
There was a flicker towards her, but Elsa quickly turned to her food before she could see any more. A creepy DADA teacher was not what she needed this year.
"Did you get new powers over the summer?" Luna asked her quietly.
Elsa raised a brow at her. "... Why would I?"
"You powers got stronger, didn't they? Maybe they're still growing."
"I didn't even use them at all. Too dangerous."
"That's a pity... I'd want to use them as often as I could."
"... I do miss it." Elsa admitted. And she really did.
Maybe she could sneak outside more often, now that the dementors were gone. Though it could be more difficult with the foreign students roaming around.
xxx
In a way, Elsa felt like a coward. She had found herself hoping she'd share as little classes with Gryffindor as possible, to avoid confrontation with Ron.
It was stupid. He was her first friend, and just because of something silly like this the friendship wavered and morphed into something difficult.
Staying apart in Herbology, Care of Magical Creatures and Potions was easy with so many students, but it was difficult with only two houses sharing a class.
When she studied her new timetable the next morning, she found she only shared DADA with the Gryffindors alone. That was good, maybe she was lucky and Professor Moody would leave her alone with Harry in the same class.
As inconvenient as it was for her friend, Harry tended to draw attention to himself.
Transfiguration and Charms were shared with the Slytherins this year, which was okay. McGonagall would put an end to stupidly giggling girls that clung to Draco.
Charms was a different matter, but there she could distract herself just fine from it.
Elsa was glad Pansy didn't choose Arithmancy last year, so at least she didn't have to put up with her there.
That morning she had an evilly triumphant grin on her face, getting a sick satisfaction of one-upping Elsa. As if the princess would stoop to that level.
First on today's list was Herbology, followed by Care of Magical Creatures.
Eyeing the raining ceiling, Elsa sighed unhappily. The whole morning spent outside in this weather, just what she needed.
At least she had a double dose of Arithmancy this afternoon, so she had something to look forward to.
And that was something she desperately needed, with what Professor Sprout had in store for their first lesson of the year.
They were to squeeze pus out of plants that looked like black slugs and fill it in little bottles. It was sickening, and more than once Elsa felt her stomach rebel, causing her to gulp multiple times to keep the queasiness at bay.
Unfortunately Hagrid wasn't any more merciful and introduced them to Blast-Ended Skrewts. They were pale and slimy, with legs sticking out in weird places of their winding bodies. From time to time there was a little explosion from one end of them, propelling them forward.
If this was going to continue like that, Elsa thought, she'll might have to drop Care of Magical Creatures.
"You look like you're about to throw up."
Elsa looked up, unable to normalize her disgusted face, when Harry sat down next to her, eyeing their crate with the Blast-Ended Skrewts.
"I just might. First Herbology and now this..."
"Herbology was definitely worse."
They worked in silence for a while. "Harry?" Elsa whispered, leaning a little closer. "Are you in contact with Sirius Black?"
Harry blinked. "Yeah. He's fine... at least he was. I'm still waiting for his reply."
"Is Buckbeak with him?"
"Yes, though he's pretty restless from what Sirius told me."
"At least he's alright..." Elsa smiled in relief.
xxx
Elsa could only stare when Hermione blabbered on about house elves and their non-existent rights during dinner.
"... What?"
Hermione pulled out a box with buttons, parchment and a writing feather.
"Here, you're going to be my co-president. Just sign here, and I need two sickles for the button."
"I thought house elves want to work..."
"Yes, but not under horrible conditions. Did you know that they cook our food? Every day, every meal. No single day off!"
"Oh wow, I haven't even thought about that..."
Hermione nodded gravely. "Exactly. Nobody stops and thinks, and that's why we need to work together."
She tapped the parchment with a finger.
Shrugging, Elsa put her name under Hermione's and gave her two sickles to receive a S.P.E.W.-button, which she pinned to her robes.
"I doubt you're gonna have much luck with the Slytherins, but maybe you can persuade Draco to pull a few strings."
"At the moment we're keeping a little distance, to be honest. He wants to make sure his friend is okay with me being muggleborn."
The Gryffindor frowned. "How stupid is that?"
"To him it's important, and I don't mind. I'm gonna talk to the Ravenclaws about S.P.E.W."
Hermione shrugged. "Thanks. By the way, I think you could sit with us again. Ron won't react too badly, you've been friends for years."
"Mh. Maybe I will tomorrow. As long as he doesn't bite my head off."