I'm sorry for the long wait, I had a lot of work to do with uni and all, but I'm here now! And at the pace I'm going, we'll have the 'Christmas' chapter out on Christmas!
There will be an explanation for unknown terms at the end of the chapter.
Bolded parts belong to the original books.
When the notice about the flying lesson appeared, Ellie fled to the only sane Weasley in the castle, Percy. Hermione and Neville had retreated to the Library, Lavender and Parvati were gushing about what technique of flying looked the most flattering and the boys were gone beyond any reason, debating things, like if soccer was better than Quidditch.
"Aren't you excited?" The older boy asked her one afternoon, and she groaned in response, throwing her balled up essay at his head.
"I'm barely keeping still, can't you tell?"
"You did go at your Potions essay with more fervour than usual. Do you dislike flying that much?"
"I don't see the point of it. When the people around you usually just...travel by other means, you have more options."
"Understandable."
Huginn followed the Longbottom owl to their table, landing on her outstretched hand. He let out a soft caw, dropping a letter into her lap.
"Good bird. Did you have a safe flight?" He fluttered his wings in response, jumping slightly when Hermione let out an excited gasp.
"Your parents use ravens?" Ron asked her, dangling a piece of bacon in front of Huginn. Neville also looked up from his package, rolling around a glass ball absent-mindedly between his goblet and plate.
"Yeah. This is Huginn and he belongs to mum," said raven jumped onto the table, and Ellie piled some bacon onto an empty plate for him. "He has a mate too, Muninn."
"Were they named after Odin's ravens?" Lavender asked, also adding some bacon to the plate.
"Yep. Mum got them when they were just chicks while she was attending St. Lucia's in Hungary. They don't really use owls there."
"But isn't St Lucia a Christian saint?"
"Yeah, but that doesn't exclude her being a witch too."
"Exactly, young lady. Even Queen Jadwiga of Poland is considered a pious member of the Catholic Church and some even consider her a saint."
"Thank you, Sir Nicholas," she told the ghost appearing through the table, then motioned him to read the letter her Mum had sent her. "Would you help us out with this experiment?"
"Only if you promise you'll introduce them one day."
"Are you hiding from your flying lessons?" Ellie was loitering around the arch leading the courtyard, watching her year-mates mill around, when someone speaks behind her, making her jump. There was a Hufflepuff boy there, older than her with dark hair and pale features.
"Maybe?"
"Afraid?"
"It's not my cup of tea," she told him, stashing Neville's Rememberball into her pockets, and held up her now empty hand. "Ellie Potter. Gryffindor first year. Nice to meet you."
"Cedric Diggory, Hufflepuff third year. You too."
"I'll help him, Professor!" Madam Hooch stares at her, hand placed on Neville's shoulders and she only smiles back, trying to hide the broom behind her back. "An uncle taught me how to fly a while ago, and besides, leaving a bunch of kids unsupervised would be...bad."
"Then give us a presentation, Miss Potter, and I'll let you go."
"Yes!... Wait, I meant 'right'!"
"Are you using me to get out of flying?" Neville asks the moment they enter the castle, giving Ellie a knowing smile.
"Exactly!"
"Think you're so clever, Potter? Do you think you can show up and act all high and mighty without consequences? If you continue showing off like this, you'll get many enemies."
"Do you still think I'm a mirror, cousin?" Ellie told Draco coolly, nodding at Neville when he placed an arm around Ron. Hermione was also nearly vibrating in her seat, her glare making Crabbe and Goyle shiver. "Besides, who would I anger by proving I can fly? You?" She looked him up and down, scoffing at the sight. "My apologies, but you are not exactly threatening. Or will you run crying to your father?"
"I'd take you on anytime on my own," said Malfoy. "Tonight, if you want. Wizard's duel. Wands only - no contact. What's the matter? Never heard of a wizard's duel before, I suppose?"
"Of course she knows!" Ron piped in, finally shrugging of Neville's hand. "I'll be her second. Yours?"
"Crabbe," he said. "Midnight all right? We'll meet you in the trophy room; that's always unlocked."
"I can't wait to see you then, cousin," she gave him a tight-lipped smile, waving her hand in the direction of the Slytherin table, "Now scram, I have a dinner to finish."
Face red, Malfoy stomped away and Ellie watched him with barely hidden amusement, waiting for Hermione to finally erupt.
"Are you two mad?! You could get in big trouble if you get caught!"
"And that's why we won't be going anywhere," she had to duck to avoid Ron flailing around. The redhead looked angry, while both Neville and Hermione deflated. "If he wanted to keep things fair, he would have cornered us in private, with no witnesses. But he'll incriminate himself if we get caught, so this wasn't really well thought out."
"Being an evil mastermind is really not his forte," Neville finally spoke up, handing Ron a goblet of pumpkin juice.
"She's no Azula, that's for sure," Hermione added, staring at Ellie's raised palm. "What?"
"High-five?" Ellie asked, raising an eyebrow. She knew for sure she had high-fived other people in front Hermione before. She had even taught Percy to do it.
The whole castle smelled like baked pumpkins on Halloween morning and Ellie left two ornate candles lit on the windowsill, leaving a note behind for the elves to keep the flame going until midnight.
"Aren't you afraid the curtains will catch on fire?" Hermione asked her as they left the room that morning, stopping in the hallway so Parvati could catch up.
"Nope. The elves will watch out for them."
"Elves?"
"Yeah, House-elves. Haven't you heard of them?" Lavender joined in, hoisting her bag higher on her shoulder.
"No. What are those?"
"Magical creatures that work in magical households. I heard Hogwarts had an entire army of them."
"They're not exactly 'magical creatures'," Ellie corrected her, trying to dig up their exact origin. "If I remember correctly, they're the product of a spell gone wrong."
"Wait...the legend is actually true? I thought Nānī made those stories up!"
"Mum has a book on them. Leather with very nice gold lettering on the cover. I had to beg her to read it to me for at least a month."
"Let me guess, it had very pretty pictures in it?" Lavender asked, waving at Susan Bones when the Hufflepuff pointed at a book then at the stairs behind her with an eyebrow raised in question.
"Exactly. Hand-painted, even."
"Guys! Back to the topic!"
"Oh right. So this wizard was really, and I mean really, done with cleaning, so he decided to animate a pair of statues and have them do it for him. However, animation spells were still in the works, so he messed up, and thus, the house-elves were born. They feed on the magic of their 'masters' and of the world around them. But mostly their master, so it's a co-dependent relationship. So they are obsessed with cleaning, because of their origins, and need a magical household to remain alive."
"Can...Magic actually do that?"
"Both Mum and my old man have some very interesting books on spells that should be impossible, but only need a lot of power, so it's not out of question," Ellie told Hermione, shrugging.
They rounded the corner to the Charms classroom, Parvati looking ready to say something when Pansy Parkinson ran into her, then muttered an apology and ran off again.
"Any idea why she was crying?" Lavender asked, helping their room-mate up.
"Dunno. Maybe she got tired of Malfoy and decided to evacuate," Hermione shrugged, stopping so that the boys could catch up with them. "What took you so long?"
"Ron forgot his textbook and Neville forgot his wand," Dean informed them as they entered the classroom, the whole Gryffindor first year moving as one unit.
"I am not sitting next to Seamus ever again!" Ellie complained, trying to rinse out the soot from her hair. Hermione nodded empathically, trying to balance both of their heavy bags while Lavender burst into the bathroom, panting, with one of her hands held out. Ellie took the offered bottle, and poured some of the potion out onto the charred ends of her hair.
"Thanks, Lav, you're a godsend…" she trailed off, holding up her free hand when her friend tried to respond. Now, that the tap wasn't running and none of them was talking, she could hear someone crying quietly in one of the stalls.
"Is everything okay, Parkinson?" She asked, voice raised, Hermione letting out a small gasp in realization.
"Go away, Potter!" Came a muffled reply, her voice wavering slightly. Lavender winced and started looking through her bag, muttering a little to herself.
"We'll leave in a minute, promise! I just wanted to tell you that we'll be happy to share our notes with you if you don't feel like going to class."
"Why in Merlin's name would I accept your help?"
"I don't see any of your friends offering. And besides, no one takes notes like Hermione. They're the best!" Said girl blushed, hiding her face in her hair. Lavender, meanwhile, let out a triumphant 'a-ha' and walked over to the stall Parkinson was in.
"You can reject our notes later, but at least take these, They'll make your face hurt less!" Hermione and Ellie shared a glance behind her back, both a little confused. Lavender was holding something that looked like a regular pack of tissues, which were promptly taken by a pale and shaking hand.
"Thanks, Brown."
"Anytime, Parkinson. Now, give us a minute and we'll leave you alone, okay?"
"Okay."
"Good," the blonde nodded, then turned back towards her friends, stopping when she saw their expressions, "What? They have special cooling charms on them!"
"Magicals, am I right?"
"Hermione, we belong to that category too."
"The bonfire was a good idea, Ellie. Shame we couldn't stay out longer," Neville declared when they sat down to have dinner, their cheeks still red from the heat.
"Next year, maybe."
"And we should invite more people!"
"Yeah! We could dance around the fire, too! Pass me the peas, Ellie?"
"That's an amazing idea, Hermione! I can't wait!" Said girl blushed, taking what looked like a strategic drink from her goblet.
Ellie shared a look with Neville, stealing some of Ron's carrots when he got distracted by something Seamus said. He was in a heated debate with Dean, their discussion drawing in the attention of almost everyone around them.
"I personally prefer Yu-gi-oh over both," she told Hermione, who was trying to explain everything to Neville.
"I never played any of those games. But Pokemon are very cute."
"Point to them. And remind me to teach you how to play later."
Just as Ellie was gearing up to join the discussion Professor Quirrell came sprinting into the hall, his turban askew and terror on his face. Everyone stared as he reached Professor Dumbledore's chair, slumped against the table, and gasped, "Troll - in the dungeons - thought you ought to know."
He then sank to the floor in a dead faint.
There was an uproar. It took several purple firecrackers exploding from the end of Professor Dumbledore's wand to bring silence.
"Prefects," he rumbled, "lead your Houses back to the dormitories immediately!"
Percy was in his element.
"Follow me! Stick together, first years! No need to fear the troll if you follow my orders! Stay close behind me, now. Make way, first years coming through! Excuse me, I'm a prefect!"
They were just exiting the Great Hall when Hermione let out a surprised yelp, and dragged Ellie away from the crowd, Ron and Neville following them.
"Parkinson was not there! She has no idea about the troll!"
"Shit!"
Ellie thanked every god out there that she had kept her senbon sharp and on her person. The troll lay in the remains of the stalls, neck bleeding sluggishly from where she had managed to stab it. Ron was supporting Neville, both pale and covered in dust. They had managed to levitate its club over its head, but the blow was not enough.
She stumbled back, sinking to the ground next to Hermione and Pansy, who were holding onto each other for dear life.
A sudden slamming and loud footsteps made the three of them look up. They hadn't realized what a racket they had been making, but of course, someone downstairs must have heard the crashes and the troll's roars. A moment later, Professor McGonagall had come bursting into the room, closely followed by Snape, with Quirrell bringing up the rear. Quirrell took one look at the troll, let out a faint whimper, and sat quickly down on a toilet, clutching his heart.
"What on earth were you thinking? Going after a troll without any help or knowledge!" McGonagall asked them, voice full of cold fury. "You're lucky you weren't killed. Why aren't you in your dormitory?"
"We're sorry, Professor. We were on our way to our dorms, but realized Miss Parkinson was still here, and we had no time to alert anybody."
"But you still had enough time to grab some deadly weapons and carry them around on your person? Surely, Minerva, we should punish her for endangering the students around her. And smuggling in said weapons," Snape interjected, pulling out her weapons from the neck of the troll.
"I knew about those, Severus. Her guardian contacted me right after the start of the term to inform me about those." Finally, McGonagall's glare was turned away from them, and Elle felt her shoulders slump in relief. She tried standing up but fell back onto the ground when pain shot through her arm, making her fall back onto the rubble.
"I believe we should punish our students tomorrow after Poppy had the chance to look them over."
"Your students maybe, but Miss Parkinson…"
"I cut my arm when I got away from the troll." Pansy raised up said arm, wincing slightly. She was still leaning against Hermione, who was breathing a little heavier than normally.
"Very well. Will you manage with them, Minerva?"
"Certainly. Now, come on, let's go. Will you manage with Mr Longbottom, Mr Weasley?"
• Huginn and Muninn, or 'Thought' and 'Memory', are two ravens that accompany Odin, and fly over the world, or Midgard, bringing back the learned information to him
• Why ravens? They are more common than owls and have a close connection to Hungarian post. They are connected to king Mathias I, who was also called 'Mathias Corvinus'. There's also a legend about how his mother sent him letters with ravens while he was imprisoned in Prague. And this was the story that inspired the Hungarian Post to take on the raven as their mascot for a while
• St Lucia, or 'Luca', may be a Christian saint, is someone synonymous with witches and witchcraft for Hungarians. Starting from her day, December the 13th, to some of the traditions practised on that day(like witch-spotting and trying to influence the future), she was one of the best candidates to name a school after
• Jadwiga/Hedwig/ Hedvig of Poland was the youngest daughter of a Hungarian king, Louis the Great (we had an entire lesson just about this guy), who was married off to Władysław II Jagiełło and helped in the conversion of the Polish to Christianity. Even her husband was Pagan before marrying her. I headcanon her as being the witch 'Hedwig' got named after since she was a queen in the Middle Ages.
• Nānī is the Hindi translation for 'grandmother', however, I'll change it if I get some better information