I can have patience for anything but it's waiting for love that kills me a little each day- Anthony Liccione
Harry woke up with pain in his neck that shot all the way down his back when he attempted to move. He had fallen asleep in his study, in his chair, and he was now reaping the consequences. Harry rubbed the back of his neck with a grimace as he slowly stood up. He popped his neck which helped but didn't completely alleviate his sore and aching muscles.
He knew he had to go apologize to Ellie for everything that happened yesterday but for some reason, he was absolutely terrified of facing her again. Maybe he was just trying to save himself from seeing the look of disappointment or hurt on her face after he told her that what happened yesterday was him in a moment of weakness; that he didn't fancy her; that she shouldn't get her hopes up.
"But why would she get her hopes up?" Harry asked himself. "She told me herself that she didn't fancy me."
"People can lie," the other half of his brain said.
And then Harry realized; Ellie fancied him. You didn't look at someone the way she had looked at him if you didn't fancy them. Harry wasn't the smartest when it came to reading people's emotions, but even he could look into the eyes, and see the fire and passion inside. Ellie fancied him, and if he was being honest with himself, it scared him a little bit.
Now he was going to have to break this young woman's heart who had become a really good friend to him just because he had been dumb enough to give her hope that something more would ever happen between them.
"Good job, Harry, you dolt," he said out loud to himself. "Way to inadvertently get yourself into a horrible mess that you could have just avoided had you been a little bit smarter."
But wasn't that what made Harry, Harry? Was he not thrown into situation after situation, time and time again, where everything could have been avoided had he just planned ahead of time? Been more careful, more cautious? With a sigh, Harry exited his study and made his way down the hall to Ellie's room, the door to which was ajar.
Harry knocked softly, and pushed open the door to reveal a bed that hadn't been slept in last night with a missing comforter and pillow. Harry frowned as he turned around and pushed open Isabella's door. The bed was also missing its blanket and pillow and looked like it hadn't been slept in.
Anxiety welled up in his chest as he rushed down the stairs two at a time and into the kitchen. Everything was as he had left it. Nothing had been disturbed except there was a bowl with remnants of popcorn at the bottom by the sink.
Harry slowly made his way through the kitchen and into the sitting room where he sighed in relief.
Both Isabella and Ellie were asleep on the floor in front of the telly on a pallet they had made. Harry looked to the table by the couch and noticed the empty Dreamless Sleep Potion bottle with a smile. He had been afraid that she'd never take it. She was so dead set on dealing with her problems herself. His friends would say he was the same way.
Harry made his way back upstairs for a quick shower and then back down to the kitchen to make breakfast since Ellie was probably going to sleep in due to the potion. Just as soon as he started cooking, Isabella walked in and sat at the table.
She flashed him a small smile, "Good morning, Harry."
"Morning, Bella," Harry said as he pulled the eggs out of the refrigerator. "Did you sleep okay last night?"
"Yep," Isabella said, "Mummy did too. I don't think she had a single nightmare."
"That's good," Harry said as he started cracking eggs in the skillet.
They fell into a comfortable silence as Harry cooked. Harry was thanking Merlin that Ellie had not had a nightmare last night around Isabella. He wasn't sure if the young girl knew how to handle a situation like that and for a six-year-old, it could be quite scary.
Harry rolled the sausages in the pan over as Isabella piped up from the table, "So, why were you and my mum about to kiss?"
Harry gulped but didn't turn around. He had been hoping that they pulled away fast enough to not grab the young child's attention but apparently, she was very sharp and picked up on things rather easily.
"I…Um... that is to say," Harry stammered. "We weren't kissing."
"Please, I'm almost seven now," Isabella said, "I saw how close you two were. Adults don't get that close to each other unless they've been kissing."
Harry was at a loss as to what to say; defeater of Voldemort, future Head Auror, silenced, by a six-year-old girl.
"It's okay, you know," Isabella said, "You do need to talk to Mum, though. She was all over the place last night when you ditched us."
"I'm sorry," Harry replied, "I shouldn't have done that."
"It's okay," Isabella said, "You had a lot on your mind, still do if I'm reading you correctly."
"Reading me correctly? Harry asked in befuddlement, "What does that even mean?"
"Nothing," Isabella said, "I do hope you talk to Mum, though; it would be sad if you guys couldn't be friends anymore."
"We'll still be friends Bella," Harry said, "At least, I hope so."
Harry waved his wand to start the coffee as he stirred the beans on the stove and the tomatoes and mushrooms in a pan.
Harry waved his wand again as plates, cups, and cutlery flew from the shelves and onto the table. The coffee zoomed from the coffee pot and gently poured itself into two cups on the table. Harry poured orange juice for Isabella. With one last wave of his wand, the items on the stove flew to the table and landed with small thuds.
Isabella was grinning the entire time. "Man, I don't think I'll ever get tired of watching magic."
"I'm still amazed by it myself some days," Harry admitted. "I grew up Muggle just like you. I didn't even realize I was a wizard until I turned eleven."
"Really?" Ellie said as she stumbled through the doorway. She paused to put a hand over her mouth as she yawned before depositing herself haphazardly into a chair beside Isabella as Harry chuckled, "I mean I knew you grew up with your aunt and uncle who didn't like magic, but I thought they would've told you or you would've known somehow."
"Nah," Harry sad as he sat down and started scooping stuff onto Isabella's plate, "they told me my parents died in a car crash. When my Hogwarts letter came, they ripped it up."
The memory made Harry chuckle.
"What's funny?" Ellie asked as she started to load her plate.
"Well, when they ripped it up, Hogwarts just sent another letter, and another, and another," Harry grinned. "They even hid letters in all the eggs my aunt had bought. My uncle just kept ripping them up or burning them. And then hundreds of letters came out of the fireplace while my aunt and uncle were sitting down for tea and Uncle Vernon freaked. He took us to some old remote shack in the middle of nowhere, hoping that they couldn't find us. That's when I met Hagrid."
"Hagrid?" Isabella asked, "That's a funny name."
"It is," Harry said, "Hagrid was my first friend from the magical world. He explained that I was a wizard, how my parents really died, and even took me to Diagon Alley and bought me my first owl."
"He seems nice," Ellie said.
"He is," Harry said, "I mean, he might seem scary to some since he's half-giant but really, he's just a big teddy bear."
"Um, what? Did you say he was half-giant? Giants are real?"
"Yeah," Harry said, "So are dragons, unicorns, hippogriffs, and all other manner of magical creatures you might have read about."
"Even vampires and werewolves?" Isabella asked excitedly.
"Indeed," Harry replied as he took a sip of coffee, "My dad and Godfather's best friend was a werewolf. He was rather special to me as well."
"Was?" Ellie asked.
"He died," Harry replied, "at the Battle of Hogwarts two years ago. He was the last living tie to my parents."
"I'm sorry," Ellie said.
"It's okay," he said. "Remus died protecting those he loved. He died fighting next to his wife; which reminds me, their son, my Godson just turned two a few months ago. His grandmother should be letting him come over here pretty soon."
Harry saw Ellie open her mouth to reply but was interrupted by a silver weasel that ran into the kitchen.
"I'm coming in, Harry," he heard Mr. Weasley's voice say as the weasel faded away.
Harry heard the front door open and close, and the sound of soft footfalls before Mr. Weasley appeared in the kitchen, "Sorry I'm late, Harry. Molly wouldn't let me leave until I ate breakfast."
Harry chuckled, "It's okay, Arthur. I honestly forgot you were coming over today."
"Why is Mrs. Weasley always trying to feed everyone?" Isabella asked.
Arthur laughed heartily before replying, "My wife believes that the key to a happy and healthy home is a full stomach. Molly got so used to cooking for seven children that she just never could stop, and she hates for food to go to waste."
"She's a lovely woman," Ellie said.
"That she is. I was lucky to have found her," Mr. Weasley said before clapping his hands and turning to Harry with a grin. "So, are you ready to put this Muggle contraption together?"
Harry couldn't help but grin at the excited look on Arthur's face as he led him into the back garden.
Harry leaned up to wipe the sweat from his brow. He and Arthur had been putting together the swing set and the sun was just now reaching its apex in the sky. Arthur was having the time of his life using the hammer and screwdrivers and Harry was having the time of his life watching Arthur use the hammer and screwdrivers. His childlike wonder at anything that was Muggle related never failed to put Harry in a better mood. That wasn't to say that he was in a bad mood now, but all morning his conflicted thoughts had been bothering him. He was dreading the inevitable conversation he'd have to have with Ellie and just hoped that he would say and do all the right things to ensure that he didn't hurt her feelings.
Isabella had come out for an hour and helped him and Arthur by handing them tools and bolts or screws, and to check on the progress, which was very slow going. They had just finished the swings and were now working on the slide and mini pirate ship.
"You seem awfully quiet there, Harry," Arthur said.
"Huh?" Harry asked.
Arthur repeated his comment and then added, "Something on your mind?"
"There's always something on my mind, Arthur," he replied.
"Maybe it would help to talk about it?"
"I don't know," Harry said as he positioned the plastic slide. "I have so much going on up in my head that it's hard to pick it apart."
"I feel it's always best to start with one problem at a time," Arthur said with a smile as he began to screw in a bolt. "These Muggles really are ingenious. Did you know they have something called a power drill?"
"I did," Harry said with a chuckle. "We can't use them due to the wards. Although, we might be able to get some battery-operated ones. The electric corded ones wouldn't work with the wards.
Mr. Weasley screwed the bolts in all the appropriate spots and stepped back to admire their work, "Just the pirate boat thingy now."
"Let's take a small break," Harry said as he sat down in the grass with a huff.
Mr. Weasley sat down beside him and for a few moments, neither of them spoke. The day was warm, and they had accomplished more than Harry thought they would. Harry thought building Isabella's swing set and slide was going to take all day and yet they had managed to have most of it done by noon, granted, the pirate ship on top that was built into the slide was the most difficult part.
"Does this have anything to do with a certain Muggle woman taking a fancy to you?"
"Wha... How did you know that?" Harry asked.
"Please, Harry, I'm old not blind," Arthur said with a laugh. "All one has to do is see the way she looks at you."
Harry's brow furrowed in thought. He had seen one instance where he had felt like maybe she had feelings for him as more than just friends and that had been when they almost kissed. He didn't see how everyone else was seeing something that wasn't there, or was he just completely oblivious?
"The thing is we almost kissed yesterday at the Burrow," Harry started but was interrupted by Mr. Weasley's beaming smile. "Please stop grinning"
Arthur chuckled before he adopted a serious and patient expression, "Sorry, Harry, continue."
"Anyway, I don't think I fancy her. I've never had the urge to kiss her before, or even thought about her romantically for that matter. I'm afraid that we both just had a moment of weakness," he said as he picked at blades of grass. "I'm afraid that I went and botched things all up by leading her on and making her believe that there could be something between us when there isn't and there can't be."
"Why can't there be?" Mr. Weasley asked.
"Because I still love Ginny," Harry admitted, "I'm still not over Ginny and it wouldn't be fair to Ellie, even if I did fancy her, to agree to anything more than friends. I mean, don't think I haven't noticed Ellie, because I have. She's nice and funny and beautiful but she's..." Harry trailed off.
"She's not Ginny?" Arthur asked with a small smile.
"Yeah," Harry said.
He looked through the kitchen window and could see Ellie bustling around as she prepared lunch.
"It's hard to love again when you lose someone you cared so much about," Arthur said, "especially when that someone was Ginny. I know you feel conflicted. You constantly ask her for advice hoping she'll answer but she never does. You wonder if she'd be proud of you and you feel ashamed that you may or may not have feelings for Ellie."
Harry turned to look at Arthur and saw a twinkle in his eye, almost like Dumbledore's. He wondered if it just came with age.
"The thing is, Harry, you'll never get over Ginny; you'll never stop loving her. When we choose to love someone, we give them a piece of our heart and that's something that we never get back. It's why we feel so empty when things like this happen. That doesn't mean that you won't find something as equally beautiful and possibly even better in the future. That doesn't mean that the love you shared with Ginny wasn't just as important."
Arthur turned to the kitchen window and smiled before he continued, "I know you are scared about letting someone else in, that you'd be betraying Ginny somehow or that we'd all hate you for moving on so fast, but the truth is, there's no real answer for how long is long enough. Love is an infinitely beautiful thing, and it would be a shame if you never experienced that again because of what happened to my daughter."
Harry sneaked another glance at the window. Ellie caught his eye and smiled before turning away again. He wasn't just scared, he was terrified. He found it hard to see life before and after Ginny. He never really thought he'd have to go through life without her. It's like she had always been there, even when she hadn't been.
And then Ellie had come into his life like a hurricane. As much as he told himself and others that he didn't fancy her, he had to admit, something about her drew him in. He didn't really know what it was exactly, perhaps it was the fact that they were two broken people just trying to get by in life.
"I just want to make Ginny proud," Harry said softly. "I don't want her to be looking down on me from wherever she is with disappointment."
"Harry, I might not know everything, but one thing I'm absolutely sure of is that Ginny would be so proud of you for the man you are trying to be. In fact, do you know what she would say to you right now if she was here?"
"Probably to stop being a prat and actually try to live my life," Harry replied.
Arthur laughed, "Good, so you really do know my daughter."
Harry laughed, "It's just hard, y'know."
"Harry, I don't know if anyone has ever told you this, but life isn't easy and love, as amazing as it is, is even harder. It takes time and dedication."
"Someone might have mentioned it to me once or twice," Harry said with a grin.
"You know, you're a far cry from that boy in the baggy clothes that we met on the train station almost ten years ago," Arthur said as he started looking through the toolbox before he took out a wrench to inspect it, "Molly and I have watched you grow up and neither of us could be prouder of the man you've become. You might not be our blood, but I want you to know Molly and I considered you a son long before you married Ginny."
Arthur's words somehow comforted him in a way that he couldn't explain. Arthur Weasley usually had that effect on people. He felt immense gratitude for his father-in-law and counted himself lucky that Ron had asked to sit with him on his first train ride to Hogwarts.
"Let me just give you one piece of advice," Arthur said as he replaced the wrench he had been holding back in the toolbox. "Whether it's now with Ellie, or in the future with someone else, if your heart is pulling you to someone, let it; don't fight it. You might not be ready and that's fine but when it does happen, embrace it, because I can promise you that your heart wouldn't lead you to something that you're not ready for."
Harry knew Arthur was right, deep down, at least. He still had many reservations about life and love and knew he'd have to work them out eventually, but Arthur's words gave him a sort of clarity that he hoped would help him along the way.
It was at this time that Ellie poked her head out of the back door and grinned at the pair sitting on the grass, calling, "Come inside. Lunch is ready."
Harry stood up and offered a hand to Mr. Weasley to help him up off the ground. "Well, shall we?"
Arthur took his hand and smiled brightly. "We shan't keep the lady waiting."
After lunch, it took him and Arthur four more hours to complete Isabella's swing set and slide. In that time, no more was said about Ginny, Ellie, or her crush on him. Harry thought he had enough advice floating around in his head to be able to have the inevitable talk with Ellie. Instead, they talked about the case surrounding the Death Eaters.
After finding out Rowle's real identity, no other information had come to them to help the case along, and it was grating on Harry's nerves that they were no sooner to finishing the case than when they had first started. Despair and hopelessness were starting to sink into him like rolling fog. He had never been able to bring Ginny's killer to justice; what if he was never able to get justice for Ellie as well?
The thought ate at him well after Arthur had left. While Ellie had started preparing dinner, and Isabella was outside playing on her new jungle gym being carefully watched by her mother through the kitchen window, Harry had locked himself in his study, pouring over documents from the case.
He knew that there were around twenty Death Eaters still unaccounted for since the fall of Voldemort. He also knew that they had kidnapped Ellie and Isabella because Isabella supposedly had some sort of empath powers that had yet to be revealed. Harry couldn't help but wonder if there was another reason to their kidnapping. He couldn't help but shake the feeling that they had been captured for more than just Isabella's empath powers.
He growled in frustration as he pulled out a quill and started marking a map where possible Death Eater hideouts could be.
Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. "Um, Harry, dinner is ready."
"Thanks," Harry called out, "I'll be right down."
He waited until Ellie's footsteps receded back down the hallway before he sighed loudly. There was nothing for it, he'd have to face her eventually.
He finished marking the map before he lay his quill down and made his way slowly out of his study and to the kitchen downstairs.
When he arrived, Isabella was already seated looking at the roast hungrily. "Thank God," she said upon seeing him, "I'm so hungry."
"You didn't have to wait for me," Harry chuckled.
"Mum said I had to," Isabella said as she glared at her mother.
"It's not polite to start a meal without everyone being at the table," Ellie said with a smile.
"Great, cool," Isabella said. "Can we eat now?"
Harry chuckled as he sat down at the table.
Conversation was light. They mainly talked about Isabella's new jungle gym and if she liked it to which she agreed, it was very cool.
Harry could see Ellie peeking glances at him throughout the meal when she thought he wasn't looking. He tried to read her emotions, but she was keeping them under wraps well enough, although he could sense her nervousness.
When they were done eating and the table had been cleared away, Harry spoke up, "Bella, why don't you go spend some time on your new jungle gym while your mother and I talk."
"Okay!" Isabella said as she shot out the back door. Harry laughed at the young child's excitement.
"She has a lot of energy," Ellie said.
"That she does," Harry replied before turning to her with a questioning stare. "Why did you lie to me?"
"Lie to you?" Ellie asked as she frowned. "When did I lie to you?"
"Ellie, you're a very smart woman. Don't insult your or my intelligence by playing stupid," he said. He ignored her gob-smacked expression as he continued, "You lied when you said you didn't fancy me, and I want to know why?"
Harry watched as she moved to the kitchen window to stare at Isabella for a moment before she turned back to him. He could see the bitter sense of longing in her eyes as clear as day now.
"I would think that it's quite obvious why I said what I did," Ellie replied softly. When Harry went to retort she interrupted him, "I already know what you're going to say. I know how you feel. That's why I lied."
Harry stared at Ellie. "What do you think I was going to say?"
"Nothing I don't already know," Ellie said bitterly. "You think I don't know how this ends? I know you're still grieving Ginny's loss. I know you don't really fancy me. The walls you put up make sure of that."
"So, this is my fault?" Harry asked angrily. "My wife gets murdered and it's my fault that I put up walls that prevent me from returning your affection?"
"No Harry, that's not what I...," Ellie trailed off. "Look, it's no one's fault. I don't blame you for not returning my feelings. I understand, probably more than you'll ever know, why you can't; it's fine. I knew when I realized that I fancied you that nothing would come from this. I never wanted to make this uncomfortable so, yes, I lied. I lied to try and keep us from ever having this conversation. Once you capture all those horrible people who kidnapped us, we'll go back to our old lives, and you'll be nothing but a memory to us."
Ellie turned back around to look out the window. Through the slightly muddled reflection in the glass, Harry could see the tears falling down her face now.
He was torn between wanting to comfort her and keeping his distance. How would he even comfort her when they were talking about his unrequited feelings. He felt guilty; guilty and angry, not at her, but at himself. He was no stranger to self-loathing, having had plenty of it throughout his largely abysmal life.
"Is that what you think?"
"That's what I know."
Harry moved closer to her but still kept her at an arm's distance. "Ellie."
She didn't turn around. He watched as she wiped at her eyes with the front of her shirt.
"Ellie," he tried again, "look at me."
She slowly turned around to face him. He tried ignoring the multitude of emotions he could now see in her eyes but was finding it rather difficult.
He didn't know what made him do it. The vulnerability in her eyes was crushing him and he just wanted to make it go away. He closed the gap between them and enveloped her in a hug. He felt her stiffen in his arms, but he still held on tight.
After a few seconds, he felt her relax as she returned the hug. They stayed that way for many moments, neither one of them saying anything.
When they broke apart, he spoke up again, "I wish I could give you what you wanted, Ellie. You're an amazing person. I can't promise you that I'll ever be able to return your feelings but I can promise you that I'll always be there for you as a friend; if you want me to be, that is. I wouldn't abandon you and Isabella like that. When this is all over with and you go back to your Muggle life, if you want me to be, I can still be your friend."
Ellie stared at him in contemplation before finally speaking, "You would do that?"
He nodded, "The truth is, you and Isabella have become a part of my life and no matter how much I fought it off in the beginning, I'm glad it happened. While I can't return your feelings, you have helped me a great deal in accepting a lot of things. I know it doesn't seem like it but I will admit that you've started breaking down the walls I've put up and I can't thank you enough for that."
Ellie smiled at him. "But won't us being friends be awkward?"
"Only if we let it be," Harry said as he finally returned her smile. "Nothing has to change, Ellie, and if in the future being my friend becomes too much, I won't hold it against you if you have to remove yourself from my life."
"That won't ever happen," Ellie said.
"Good," he said with a grin, "because I like having you as a friend."
"So, how did it go?" Hermione asked as they both sat in chairs outside watching Isabella swing as she giggled.
Ellie turned to Hermione in confusion. Shortly after Ellie had talked with Harry, Hermione and Ron had shown up so Harry and Ron could go over the case in Harry's study.
"How did what go?" Ellie asked.
"Have you and Harry not talked yet?"
"Oh," Ellie said, "yeah, we talked.
"And?"
"It went better than I expected but not as much as I had hoped."
Hermione nodded sympathetically. "You just have to give him time Ellie."
"I'm not going to just pine away after him," she replied as she watched Isabella jump off the swing and run up to the pirate ship. "Sure, I fancy him and he doesn't fancy me, but I'm not going to let that dictate how I act. Just because he's closed his heart off, doesn't mean I'm going to. Do I secretly hope that it will happen one day? Yes, but that doesn't mean I'm going to stop living my life just because he can't return my feelings. I'm going to find love again one day, Hermione, whether it's with Harry or someone else."
"Good," Hermione said as they both turned to watch Isabella again.
Her talk with Harry had left her with mixed emotions. On one hand, her heart felt heavy at Harry's rejection. Even though she knew he would reject her, it still stung. On the other hand, she was relieved to still be friends with him. She would rather have him as a friend than not at all. At least, that is what she kept telling herself.
It was going to be hard being his friend knowing that she was always going to want more, but what else could she do?
Hermione let out a laugh and Ellie turned to her, "What so funny?"
"I can't help but think yours and Ginny's situations are almost identical."
"How do you figure?" she asked, "I haven't fancied him since I was five."
"No, you haven't," Hermione said, "but both of you fancied someone who didn't notice you from a romantic standpoint."
Ellie had to admit that their situations were eerily similar. "So how did they finally get together if Harry never noticed her?"
"You mean how did Harry pull his head out of his arse long enough to notice Ginny?"
Ellie giggled, "Yeah, I guess."
"She moved on," Hermione said simply.
"I'm not sure I follow," Ellie said, "If she moved on, then how did they end up together?"
"She stopped treating him like the Boy Who Lived and started treating him like a real person, like a friend. See, she used to be so shy around him, could never get two words out of her mouth before she did something to embarrass herself. I talked her into letting go of her childhood idolization of Harry and that's when she started dating other people. Mind you, she still had feelings for him, but she didn't let them control her anymore. It still took some time for Harry to notice her but when he finally did, it was like everything fell into place."
Ellie nodded, not knowing what to say. Would history repeat itself? Would Harry ever notice her the way she wanted him to?
"The thing is, Ellie, if two people are supposed to be together, then they will be. Life will put them together exactly when they're meant to. You can't do anything to change it. I know that doesn't help the hurt you feel right now, but it's true. That's why you just live your life as you want to. If you and he are meant to be, he will notice you eventually and if you're not, at least you didn't spend all this time waiting for nothing. It will be impossible to not think about it every now and then and not want more, just don't let it consume you."
"Has anyone ever told you that you're really smart?" Ellie asked.
"Once or twice," Hermione replied back with a grin.
Ellie knew it wasn't going to be easy, but she was damn well going to try.
"So how did you and Ron get together?" she asked, "What's the story there?"
"It's a very long story but I can give you the short version."
"I'd love to hear it."
"Well, the first thing you have to realize is that Ron is as thick as they come, even thicker than Harry and that's saying something," Hermione said with a smile as if she were reliving old memories. Ellie giggled as Hermione continued, "I've loved that boy since I was fourteen years old, probably longer than that if I'm being completely honest. I don't know if Harry has told you, but we went on the run during our seventh year to find these objects that would help us defeat Voldemort."
"Harry mentioned it in passing, I think," Ellie said, "He said something about the objects having pieces of his soul in them and that's why Voldemort was immortal."
Hermione nodded, "We needed to find them all and destroy them. We finally figured out one was in Hogwarts, so we snuck back in the castle. Voldemort found out and that's when the battle took place; that night and into the morning. Anyway, While Harry was searching for the last one in the castle, Ron and I had to go into the Chamber of Secrets to retrieve basilisk fangs."
"Basilisk?" Ellie asked.
"It's a giant fifty-foot magical snake that can kill people with its eyes."
"Well, that's not terrifying at all," Ellie said with a laugh. "Why was there a basilisk in your school to begin with?"
"That's a story for another time," Hermione replied, "Anyway, thanks to Harry killing the basilisk in our second year, we didn't have to fight it ourselves. Basilisk venom is one of the only things that can destroy a Horcrux and we had brought one that we broke into a bank to get and then we needed to destroy the one that Harry was looking for. I destroyed the Horcrux, and we met back up with Harry. Ron mentioned the house-elves and Harry thought he wanted to get them to fight but Ron said we should order them to evacuate because it would be wrong to order them to die for us."
Ellie was on the edge of her seat now, listening to Hermione's story with rapt attention.
"Ron comes from a pure-blood magical family. House-elves are seen as a normality but all through school, I just saw it as slavery. Ron used to poke fun that I wanted to free all the house-elves when they didn't want to be freed. In that moment, I was surprised by his compassion for the house elves and I couldn't help myself. I dropped the basilisk fangs, and I just kissed him."
"In the middle of a battle?" Ellie asked
"Yeah," Hermione smiled. "We've been together ever since, and everything is perfect even though he annoys me to no end."
Ellie sighed, "That's so romantic."
"I like to think it is," Hermione replied. "Does that child ever run out of energy?"
Ellie turned to Isabella, who was zipping down the slide and laughed, "No, not really."
Ellie thought back to Hermione's tale and felt a stab of jealousy that was soon overpowered by an intense longing. She wanted a beautiful love story like that; like what Ron and Hermione have; like what Harry and Ginny had. She just had to be patient and love would find her. That's what her mum always said.
As if reading her thoughts, Hermione said, "Don't worry Ellie. You'll find your love story someday."
Elli nodded but didn't say anything. She couldn't help but feel like she had already found him. It just so happened that he took the form of a green-eyed, raven-haired man that was currently in his study in the house behind her.