Disclaimer: You know the drill. I don't own anything, except maybe the
plot, so don't sue me.
Stranger
"Mum . . . . Mum . . . . Mum . . . . Mum, I'm pregnant," 16 year old Ella Granger told her mother.
"WHAT!?!?" screamed her young mother, Hermione Granger, her eyes as wide as tennis balls. "How could you be so irresponsible? I just can't believe—"
"Mum, I'm not pregnant; I was just trying to get your attention." Hermione breathed a sigh of relief. "You were just so wrapped up in your work, that I didn't know how else to get your attention."
"Sorry, sweetie, work's been a little hectic lately, so sometimes I drift off into space, without my knowing it." Hermione worked at, and was co-owner, of a small bookstore in the center of Hogsmeade. It got pretty good business, but this week was hectic because her partner had gone on her honeymoon, and so Hermione had to handle everything herself. It was a little difficult, but she was managing. "Hey, why don't you come down and work with me today? I know you want to." Hermione was always trying to get Ella to help her down at the shop, because there weren't enough employees.
"Thanks for the offer, mum, but I think I'll have to refuse. Now that I think of it, there is this party tonight at Sarah Clementine's house, and I really, really, really wanna go. Please, please, please, mum." Sarah Clementine was the most popular girl in the 6th year at Hogwarts. Her parents were extremely rich, and so she had the nicest house in town. Ella wasn't really friends with her, but some of her other friends were going to this party, and so she thought it would be fun. Also, Jordan Weasley was going to be there, Ella's big-time crush. He was a very good looking Gryffindor 6th year. Hermione found her daughter's crush very amusing, because Jordan was Charlie's son, whose brother was one of Hermione's best friends.
"Fine, you can go to this party, if and only if you promise to finish at least some of your homework." Hermione was always very strict when it came to homework assignments, as she always had been. "Don't you have an essay for Professor Snape about illegal potions to do?" Another thing about Hermione was that she was always on top of her daughters' assignments.
Hermione loved the summer. It was the best time of the year for her, because she got to see Ella as much as she wanted. During the year, she only saw her daughter on Hogsmeade weekends, which was more than most parents, but it was still too little for her. Ella and Hermione were very close. Maybe it was because Hermione had had her when she was so young, and so they shared some of the same interests. Although it was a mistake to have a child so young, Hermione would never trade Ella for anything. Alright, they had their disagreements, but didn't all parents have arguments with their children.
Dean was no longer a big part of the picture. He had been there for the first year of Ella's life, but had gotten an opportunity for a job in London, which was a few of hours away from Hogsmeade. Hermione had told him to take it, he should still get to have a big future, and she was happy where she was. Although there were times that Hermione would have liked to have him around, Ella didn't seemed too disturbed by her father's absence from her life. Every couple of months, he would come to visit Ella, just to catch up with her, which was nice for Ella.
Hermione and Dean had been in love, but with his absence from Hermione's life, she seemed to fall a little bit out of love with him. They were still friends, good friends even, but it wasn't the same as before. There was something lost. Hermione was glad, though, that he did get to see Ella a little bit. She always looked forward to his visits.
Besides Ella, another thing that kept Hermione going was Harry. Although they weren't romantically involved with each other, he was a great friend, and always seemed to be there when he was needed. He played seeker for the local quidditch team, the Hogsmeade Hippogriffs. He had gotten many offers from other teams such as the Chudley Cannons and Puddlemere United, but he had chosen to stay with the Hippogriffs. Hermione suspected that he didn't leave because he thought he needed to support Hermione, which she was very grateful for.
Hermione's other best friend, Ron, had moved to the states a few years back, and now taught Charms at an American Witchcraft and Wizardry School in New Jersey. He had married a young woman named Amber 3 years after graduation, and they had an 8 year old son named Josh, and a 5 year old daughter named Cassandra. They were planning to have them attend Hogwarts, when they each turned 11, but currently they were going to schoolin New Jersey. The three of them (Harry, Ron, and Hermione) had kept in touch over the years, and were still good friends.
So all in all, Hermione's life was going pretty well. She had a wonderful daughter and two wonderful friends, who she wouldn't give up for all the galleons in the wizarding world. Even her 16 year old daughter got along with her, which was a good thing, she guessed.
Over her 6 years at Hogwarts, Ella had made a few steadfast and loyal friends. First, there was Ashley Johnson, daughter of Alicia Spinnet, who was also a Gryffindor. They had met on the train during first year, and had become great friends. Another good friend was Michael Moore. They had become good friends during Ella's third year. He was a very sweet boy, but could oftentimes be a little mischievous. Hermione was fond of him, but sometimes disapproved of his pranks and jokes. Her third good friend was James Wood, son of Oliver Wood. He was a relatively quiet kid, compared to the other three, but was amazing at quidditch, just like his father. The four of them were always together, and nothing could separate them. Hermione had grown very fond of her daughter's friends over the years.
Ella was a very smart teenager, and got good grades. The only difficult subject for her was potions, probably because Professor Snape was still harboring unkind feelings towards her mother. The feeling was mutual though, so it was alright. Her favorite subject was Defense against the Dark Arts. Amazingly enough, Hogwarts had actually had a steady DADA teacher for 6 years. His name was Professor Mitchell, and was very knowledgeable about the Dark Arts. Ella loved his class, and often talked about it during her visits on weekends with her mother.
At 7:00 that evening, after Hermione had gone for the evening shift at the bookshop, Ella headed out to Sarah Clementine's house for the party. She was a little bit nervous about talking to Jordan Weasley, but she had made a decision earlier that she would.
Sarah Clementine's house was the largest house on the block, and was definitely at least twice as big as her own house. Ella thought that Sarah was a extremely stuck-up, but she was going to her party anyway, for Jordan and for her friends.
Parties in the wizarding world were very similar to teenage parties in the muggle world, with lots of food and lots of music. Ella's favorite group was The Weird Sisters, like everyone else her age. She often argued with Michael about it, claiming that they were so much better than The Silver Snakes, his favorite band.
When Ella arrived at Sarah's house, she looked around to spot any of her friends. Soon enough, she noticed Ashley waving to her from around the back of the house, and ran to catch up with her. "I'm so glad you could come, I would've been so lonely without you," claimed Ashley, while her gaze was wandering towards a tall blonde boy who was looking rather handsome from the back.
"Snap out of it, Ash, that's Terry Flint. You hate him." Ella reminded Ashley. Terry Flint was a Slytherin who had become Ella's sworn enemy. Like all Slytherins, he hated anyone who wasn't a Slytherin, and was extremely exclusive in choosing his friends. Of course, he was also a jerk to Ella and her friends. Unfortunately, he was also very handsome. Ella wasn't fazed by that though, because she knew his real personality.
Just after Ella said that, Michael Moore, their other friend, came by and greeted them. Luckily, the three of them lived in the same neighborhood. James was the only one who lived farther away. "You two are looking awfully terrible today," Michael Moore kindly told Ashley and Ella. They glared at him.
"Oh thank you, and might I say that you're looking very despicable today yourself, Michael Moore," retorted Ella. She was glad he was here, though. It was nice to see some familiar faces among all these strangers at Sarah's party.
The three of them made their way towards the inside of Sarah's house. They were all simply amazed at the size and magnificence of it. It was in a different part of the neighborhood where all the rich purebloods lived. Ella had never been very comfortable around this part of town, probably because she felt intimidated by it. She and her mother lived in a small apartment on the other side of town. They weren't poor, but they definitely weren't rich. Hermione had chosen the humble lifestyle, instead of the life of the rich and famous, and Ella didn't mind.
Ashley, Ella, and Michael walked toward the room with the food in it, mostly because Michael never stopped eating, and was steering them towards that room. When she walked in, a strange smell reached her nostrils.
"Looks like someone snuck in some Fire Whiskey," whispered Michael, his nose screwing up at the thought.
Ella inwardly tightened up. Her mother had told her what alcohol could do to a person, especially if it was magically enhanced, as this Fire Whiskey most definitely was. She would just have to careful, and only drink Butterbeer. She was a responsible girl, and had never gotten into much trouble. She was very different many of her classmates, because she actually thought about consequences, instead of acting upon impulse. In situations like these, that instinct often came in handy. Unfortunately, her friends usually depended on her to be the voice of wisdom in situations like these.
Ashley and Ella left Michael alone and wandered off to find Jordan.
"He better be here," whispered Ella excitedly.
"He will, Ella, don't worry about it. But when you do see him, make sure to look him straight in the eyes and just be yourself. The eye contact is really important though. I read about it in Teen Witch." Ash assuredly told Ella.
"Okay, okay, I'll try." At precisely that moment, Ella spotted a bright red head of hair in the corner of the living room. "There he is, Ash. Wish me luck."
"Good luck," Ashley whispered excitedly to Ella as she started to make her way toward the other side of the room, where Jordan was.
As she walked toward him, her heart started beating so rapidly that Ella didn't know if it would ever settle down again. 'I guess this is what love feels like' she thought as she got closer and closer. She had almost reached her destination when Jordan turned around and saw her with his big chocolate brown eyes. She melted. It was if a spell had been cast on her.
"Hey Ella, come over here." Thump, thump, thump, thump.
"Oh, hey Jordan, I didn't know you were gonna be here tonight." Ella told her crush nonchalantly. Thump, thump, thump, thump.
"Yeah, my cousin is good friends with Sarah." The cousin he was talking about was Kelsey Weasley, daughter of Bill Weasley. It was common knowledge at Hogwarts that Sarah Clementine and Kelsey Weasley were best friends. They were always seen together. Ella didn't know what Kelsey saw in Sarah, but didn't choose to ask.
"So, what have you been up to this summer?" Jordan inquired. Thump, thump, thump, thump.
"I, well, you see, I've just been, you know, hanging around here, with my mom, you know, doing stuff." Why did she just say that? Who hangs out with their mother during their summer vacations? Why was she stuttering so much? 'I forgot to look him in the eyes. Now he probably thinks I'm a total loser. Maybe I could charm his memory.'
Ella quickly let out some sort of farewell, and then, as fast as she could, Ella ran out of the room, looking for Ashley. Luckily, her friend spotted her and came running.
"How did it go?" Ashley inquired of Ella, hoping for the best.
"Terrible, awful, despicable, dreadful . . . ." Ella rattled off to her best friend, clearly in a state of frenzy.
"It's okay, honey, take a deep breath, it'll be fine," comforted Ashley, while helping Ella find a couch or chair to sit down in. "So you got a little flustered. Well it happens to everyone. I'm sure he doesn't think you're a total loser. He probably didn't even notice."
Although Ella knew that Ashley was just trying to be supportive, it didn't help. She felt like a fool, and was positive that Jordan thought she was the dumbest witch on the planet. 'Why was I so stupid? Why can't I just be normal?' After she thought that, though, a tiny voice in the back of her head said to her, "Honey, that is normal." She felt a little bit reassured but still wanted to get out of there. Then she remembered Michael and the Fire Whiskey. Uh-oh, she thought. That's definitely not a good combination.
Quickly making her way back into the kitchen, Ella forgot her shame about Jordan and thought only for Michael. She just hoped he didn't have too much. She had been so preoccupied about Jordan, that she had completely forgotten Michael's problem with not thinking about consequences.
As Ella entered the kitchen, she realized that her protective instincts had come out a little too late. Michael was standing on the table, dancing and singing The Weird Sister's song Cast A Spell. It was obvious that he was very drunk.
"Michael, get down from there," shouted Ella just as he was finishing up the last verse of the song.
"Just five more minutes, baby," slurred Michael as he started the song up again.
"No, we're leaving, right now," Ella demanded as she pulled him down from the table, very forcefully, and went to find Ashley.
"You're not very nice. I'm gonna tell on you," Michael accused Ella while she dragged him through the kitchen and out the door.
"If you don't watch it, I'll tell on you," Ella retorted; she was obviously a little ticked off at his behavior.
As they were leaving the house, though, Ella had the strangest sensation that someone was watching her. While the hairs on the back of her neck started to stand up, Ella Granger whipped her head around the room, and noticed a dark head of hair ducking out of the room. 'Who was that? Why was he staring at me?' Ella was a little spooked, but decided to ignore it. 'Maybe I'm just paranoid' she thought absently.
Once she had found Ashley, they decided that they should take Michael somewhere safe before he passed out. Both girls were afraid to bring him to either of their homes, because they didn't want their parents to tell on him.
"But what are we gonna do with him?" Ashley asked Ella as they were walking away from all the hustle and bustle of the party.
"Good question, Ash. And I have no idea." But just, then, Ella did come up with an idea. 'Harry!' she thought. "We can take him to Harry's house, hopefully Harry won't tell, and maybe he'll understand."
"Alright, let's go."
Harry lived just a few blocks away from Hermione and Ella in a small 2 bedroom flat, very similar to Hermione's apartment. Ella had walked to the party in the first place, so it wouldn't be that hard to get Michael to Harry's place.
Ella couldn't help feeling a little disappointed in Michael on the walk to Harry's house. Her motherly instincts often appeared in situations like these. She wasn't exactly like her mother, but she had received a few traits from her, such as worry. Ella guessed she was more like her father, but she didn't see Dean enough to know if that was true.
Climbing up the stair to Harry's flat, Ella realized how lucky she was to have someone like Harry. He wasn't her father, so he didn't mind as much when she got into trouble, which seemed to happen a lot. That was probably because when he was in school, he always got into trouble also. Knock, knock. Ella hoped Harry was home. He usually was at this hour of the night, but he could've been out. 'That would be a disaster' Ella thought. She didn't know who else she could bring a drunken friend to without getting in much trouble. Luckily, she heard movement inside and sure enough, the door in front of her opened and she saw Harry's big green smiling eyes.
"Ella! What are you doing here?" Then he noticed Michael. "Is he . . . drunk?" Ella nodded solemnly. "Let me guess, you were afraid to bring him to your mother and so you decided that you would bring him here, because I won't tell." Sheepishly, Ella nodded again.
"Well, bring him in then," Harry took hold of Michael's shoulders and led him over to the couch. "How many did he have?" The girls shrugged. "At least it wasn't you, or I might've been forced to tell your mother." Harry smiled, but Ella knew that Harry probably wouldn't tell.
"You girls should probably call your parents. The phone is over there."
Ashley looked embarrassed. "We don't have a felytone," Harry and Ella tried to suppress their grins, not because she didn't have a phone, but because of how she said it.
"That's alright, then just use some floo powder." Harry told her.
After Ella and Ashley had told their parents they were staying at Harry's for the night, they looked at Michael. "We should probably call his dad, too," Ella commented. Ella was positive that Michael's family had a telephone, because his father was a muggle.
"Hello, Mr. Moore. This is Ella Granger. . . . . I'm fine. How are you? . . . . Well, good. The reason I called is that Michael is staying at Harry's house tonight, with us girls . . ." Harry was very well known in the neighborhood, and most parents were very fond of him. "Yes Harry is here . . . . Of course I'll say hi to him for you . . . . . okay, thank you Mr. Moore, Michael will see you tomorrow." Ella hung up the phone and let out a sigh of relief. She was thankful that Mr. Moore had picked up the phone, because Mrs. Moore could often be rather strict.
"You girls can stay in my room, and I think I'll just leave Michael on the couch. I'll go in the guest room." The girls nodded, but Ashley giggled.
"Ash, he's like a second father to me, don't even think about it" Ella told her friend.
"Oh, but he's so . . . handsome. Just look at those beautiful emerald eyes." Ashley sighed, but Ella rolled her eyes.
"You're so obsessed with boys, Ash, you need a hobby or something," Although Ella was interested in boys now that she was 16, Ashley was just a little too boy-crazy.
Ashley and Ella walked together toward Harry's bedroom. It was decorated in scarlet and gold and there was a huge king size bed in the center. The girls went up to the huge bed and crawled under the covers. They were both pretty tired, and fell asleep almost immediately.
The next morning, when Ella woke up, she quietly got out of the bed and went to the kitchen. Harry was there conjuring up some eggs and bacon with his wand. He had his back to the door.
"Smells good," Ella commented from the other side of the room.
"Oh, good morning, Ella," Harry replied with his back still turned to her.
"Thanks for doing this, Harry. I don't know what I would've done without you." Ella smiled at him.
"That's what I'm here for, right?" Harry laughed. 'She's such a great girl' he thought inwardly. "Are your friends up yet?"
With a glance in the other room, she saw that Michael was still out cold. "Michael's still out." At that moment, though, they heard footsteps coming from the other room and Ashley came out, rubbing her eyes.
"Good morning Ashley," Harry said. "Do you want some breakfast, girls?" They eagerly nodded their heads while Ella got out 3 plates from the cabinet.
"I wonder when he'll wake up," Ella told her companions.
As they sat there eating breakfast of scrambled eggs and bacon, Ella thought of her mother. "I hope mom is doing okay at the bookstore. Maybe I'll go help out a little after I leave here."
"We can walk over there together; I was planning on going down there anyway." Harry told his best friend's daughter. She nodded.
A little bit later, when Ashley, Ella, and Harry were playing exploding snap in the den, Michael walked groggily through the entrance way. He didn't look too good.
"Ugh, where did this stupid headache come from?" he complained as he walked in and sat on the big armchair.
"It's called a hangover. I've had them a couple of times myself," Harry responded.
"Really, you've gotten drunk too?" Harry looked sheepish. "Just a couple of times. Your mother was there every time. The first time I got drunk though, she got drunk with me." Ella gasped. Her mother wasn't the type to get drunk.
"Oh yeah, she was dancing around the tables like you wouldn't believe." Harry laughed at the thought. Ella tried to picture her mother drunk. She couldn't.
"Speaking of your mother, now that everyone is up, I think we should walk down to the bookshop." Harry told the three of them.
"Okay," they said in unison, before Ashley and Ella grabbed their bags. They were still in the same clothes from the night before.
The walk down to the bookshop was only about 10 minutes long. The store itself was called Witch Spell. Although it was small, it got good business from the people in town, especially during the school year, on Hogsmeade weekends.
They had almost reached the entrance, when Ella felt the same sensation she had felt the night before. As the hairs on the back of her neck stood up, she whipped her head around and once again saw a dark head of hair turning around the corner. Once again, she was a little spooked out. It must have shown on her face.
"What's wrong Ella?" Harry asked. "You look like you've seen a zombie, and they are really rare."
"Nothing, its nothing." She stated, shaking her head. 'I'm just paranoid,' she told herself, but somehow she knew that she wasn't paranoid, and that there was someone lurking in the shadows. She would have to find out, but not now. Now she didn't have time, but later, she would solve this mystery.
A/N: So what did you think? If you liked it, please review, if not, go away. Thanks soooooooo much to all my reviewers. You guys are so great.
Also, I'm going on vacation tonight, and I won't get back until next Thursday, and then I'm going to be gone for the weekend, so I won't be able to update. Sorry about that.
Stranger
"Mum . . . . Mum . . . . Mum . . . . Mum, I'm pregnant," 16 year old Ella Granger told her mother.
"WHAT!?!?" screamed her young mother, Hermione Granger, her eyes as wide as tennis balls. "How could you be so irresponsible? I just can't believe—"
"Mum, I'm not pregnant; I was just trying to get your attention." Hermione breathed a sigh of relief. "You were just so wrapped up in your work, that I didn't know how else to get your attention."
"Sorry, sweetie, work's been a little hectic lately, so sometimes I drift off into space, without my knowing it." Hermione worked at, and was co-owner, of a small bookstore in the center of Hogsmeade. It got pretty good business, but this week was hectic because her partner had gone on her honeymoon, and so Hermione had to handle everything herself. It was a little difficult, but she was managing. "Hey, why don't you come down and work with me today? I know you want to." Hermione was always trying to get Ella to help her down at the shop, because there weren't enough employees.
"Thanks for the offer, mum, but I think I'll have to refuse. Now that I think of it, there is this party tonight at Sarah Clementine's house, and I really, really, really wanna go. Please, please, please, mum." Sarah Clementine was the most popular girl in the 6th year at Hogwarts. Her parents were extremely rich, and so she had the nicest house in town. Ella wasn't really friends with her, but some of her other friends were going to this party, and so she thought it would be fun. Also, Jordan Weasley was going to be there, Ella's big-time crush. He was a very good looking Gryffindor 6th year. Hermione found her daughter's crush very amusing, because Jordan was Charlie's son, whose brother was one of Hermione's best friends.
"Fine, you can go to this party, if and only if you promise to finish at least some of your homework." Hermione was always very strict when it came to homework assignments, as she always had been. "Don't you have an essay for Professor Snape about illegal potions to do?" Another thing about Hermione was that she was always on top of her daughters' assignments.
Hermione loved the summer. It was the best time of the year for her, because she got to see Ella as much as she wanted. During the year, she only saw her daughter on Hogsmeade weekends, which was more than most parents, but it was still too little for her. Ella and Hermione were very close. Maybe it was because Hermione had had her when she was so young, and so they shared some of the same interests. Although it was a mistake to have a child so young, Hermione would never trade Ella for anything. Alright, they had their disagreements, but didn't all parents have arguments with their children.
Dean was no longer a big part of the picture. He had been there for the first year of Ella's life, but had gotten an opportunity for a job in London, which was a few of hours away from Hogsmeade. Hermione had told him to take it, he should still get to have a big future, and she was happy where she was. Although there were times that Hermione would have liked to have him around, Ella didn't seemed too disturbed by her father's absence from her life. Every couple of months, he would come to visit Ella, just to catch up with her, which was nice for Ella.
Hermione and Dean had been in love, but with his absence from Hermione's life, she seemed to fall a little bit out of love with him. They were still friends, good friends even, but it wasn't the same as before. There was something lost. Hermione was glad, though, that he did get to see Ella a little bit. She always looked forward to his visits.
Besides Ella, another thing that kept Hermione going was Harry. Although they weren't romantically involved with each other, he was a great friend, and always seemed to be there when he was needed. He played seeker for the local quidditch team, the Hogsmeade Hippogriffs. He had gotten many offers from other teams such as the Chudley Cannons and Puddlemere United, but he had chosen to stay with the Hippogriffs. Hermione suspected that he didn't leave because he thought he needed to support Hermione, which she was very grateful for.
Hermione's other best friend, Ron, had moved to the states a few years back, and now taught Charms at an American Witchcraft and Wizardry School in New Jersey. He had married a young woman named Amber 3 years after graduation, and they had an 8 year old son named Josh, and a 5 year old daughter named Cassandra. They were planning to have them attend Hogwarts, when they each turned 11, but currently they were going to schoolin New Jersey. The three of them (Harry, Ron, and Hermione) had kept in touch over the years, and were still good friends.
So all in all, Hermione's life was going pretty well. She had a wonderful daughter and two wonderful friends, who she wouldn't give up for all the galleons in the wizarding world. Even her 16 year old daughter got along with her, which was a good thing, she guessed.
Over her 6 years at Hogwarts, Ella had made a few steadfast and loyal friends. First, there was Ashley Johnson, daughter of Alicia Spinnet, who was also a Gryffindor. They had met on the train during first year, and had become great friends. Another good friend was Michael Moore. They had become good friends during Ella's third year. He was a very sweet boy, but could oftentimes be a little mischievous. Hermione was fond of him, but sometimes disapproved of his pranks and jokes. Her third good friend was James Wood, son of Oliver Wood. He was a relatively quiet kid, compared to the other three, but was amazing at quidditch, just like his father. The four of them were always together, and nothing could separate them. Hermione had grown very fond of her daughter's friends over the years.
Ella was a very smart teenager, and got good grades. The only difficult subject for her was potions, probably because Professor Snape was still harboring unkind feelings towards her mother. The feeling was mutual though, so it was alright. Her favorite subject was Defense against the Dark Arts. Amazingly enough, Hogwarts had actually had a steady DADA teacher for 6 years. His name was Professor Mitchell, and was very knowledgeable about the Dark Arts. Ella loved his class, and often talked about it during her visits on weekends with her mother.
At 7:00 that evening, after Hermione had gone for the evening shift at the bookshop, Ella headed out to Sarah Clementine's house for the party. She was a little bit nervous about talking to Jordan Weasley, but she had made a decision earlier that she would.
Sarah Clementine's house was the largest house on the block, and was definitely at least twice as big as her own house. Ella thought that Sarah was a extremely stuck-up, but she was going to her party anyway, for Jordan and for her friends.
Parties in the wizarding world were very similar to teenage parties in the muggle world, with lots of food and lots of music. Ella's favorite group was The Weird Sisters, like everyone else her age. She often argued with Michael about it, claiming that they were so much better than The Silver Snakes, his favorite band.
When Ella arrived at Sarah's house, she looked around to spot any of her friends. Soon enough, she noticed Ashley waving to her from around the back of the house, and ran to catch up with her. "I'm so glad you could come, I would've been so lonely without you," claimed Ashley, while her gaze was wandering towards a tall blonde boy who was looking rather handsome from the back.
"Snap out of it, Ash, that's Terry Flint. You hate him." Ella reminded Ashley. Terry Flint was a Slytherin who had become Ella's sworn enemy. Like all Slytherins, he hated anyone who wasn't a Slytherin, and was extremely exclusive in choosing his friends. Of course, he was also a jerk to Ella and her friends. Unfortunately, he was also very handsome. Ella wasn't fazed by that though, because she knew his real personality.
Just after Ella said that, Michael Moore, their other friend, came by and greeted them. Luckily, the three of them lived in the same neighborhood. James was the only one who lived farther away. "You two are looking awfully terrible today," Michael Moore kindly told Ashley and Ella. They glared at him.
"Oh thank you, and might I say that you're looking very despicable today yourself, Michael Moore," retorted Ella. She was glad he was here, though. It was nice to see some familiar faces among all these strangers at Sarah's party.
The three of them made their way towards the inside of Sarah's house. They were all simply amazed at the size and magnificence of it. It was in a different part of the neighborhood where all the rich purebloods lived. Ella had never been very comfortable around this part of town, probably because she felt intimidated by it. She and her mother lived in a small apartment on the other side of town. They weren't poor, but they definitely weren't rich. Hermione had chosen the humble lifestyle, instead of the life of the rich and famous, and Ella didn't mind.
Ashley, Ella, and Michael walked toward the room with the food in it, mostly because Michael never stopped eating, and was steering them towards that room. When she walked in, a strange smell reached her nostrils.
"Looks like someone snuck in some Fire Whiskey," whispered Michael, his nose screwing up at the thought.
Ella inwardly tightened up. Her mother had told her what alcohol could do to a person, especially if it was magically enhanced, as this Fire Whiskey most definitely was. She would just have to careful, and only drink Butterbeer. She was a responsible girl, and had never gotten into much trouble. She was very different many of her classmates, because she actually thought about consequences, instead of acting upon impulse. In situations like these, that instinct often came in handy. Unfortunately, her friends usually depended on her to be the voice of wisdom in situations like these.
Ashley and Ella left Michael alone and wandered off to find Jordan.
"He better be here," whispered Ella excitedly.
"He will, Ella, don't worry about it. But when you do see him, make sure to look him straight in the eyes and just be yourself. The eye contact is really important though. I read about it in Teen Witch." Ash assuredly told Ella.
"Okay, okay, I'll try." At precisely that moment, Ella spotted a bright red head of hair in the corner of the living room. "There he is, Ash. Wish me luck."
"Good luck," Ashley whispered excitedly to Ella as she started to make her way toward the other side of the room, where Jordan was.
As she walked toward him, her heart started beating so rapidly that Ella didn't know if it would ever settle down again. 'I guess this is what love feels like' she thought as she got closer and closer. She had almost reached her destination when Jordan turned around and saw her with his big chocolate brown eyes. She melted. It was if a spell had been cast on her.
"Hey Ella, come over here." Thump, thump, thump, thump.
"Oh, hey Jordan, I didn't know you were gonna be here tonight." Ella told her crush nonchalantly. Thump, thump, thump, thump.
"Yeah, my cousin is good friends with Sarah." The cousin he was talking about was Kelsey Weasley, daughter of Bill Weasley. It was common knowledge at Hogwarts that Sarah Clementine and Kelsey Weasley were best friends. They were always seen together. Ella didn't know what Kelsey saw in Sarah, but didn't choose to ask.
"So, what have you been up to this summer?" Jordan inquired. Thump, thump, thump, thump.
"I, well, you see, I've just been, you know, hanging around here, with my mom, you know, doing stuff." Why did she just say that? Who hangs out with their mother during their summer vacations? Why was she stuttering so much? 'I forgot to look him in the eyes. Now he probably thinks I'm a total loser. Maybe I could charm his memory.'
Ella quickly let out some sort of farewell, and then, as fast as she could, Ella ran out of the room, looking for Ashley. Luckily, her friend spotted her and came running.
"How did it go?" Ashley inquired of Ella, hoping for the best.
"Terrible, awful, despicable, dreadful . . . ." Ella rattled off to her best friend, clearly in a state of frenzy.
"It's okay, honey, take a deep breath, it'll be fine," comforted Ashley, while helping Ella find a couch or chair to sit down in. "So you got a little flustered. Well it happens to everyone. I'm sure he doesn't think you're a total loser. He probably didn't even notice."
Although Ella knew that Ashley was just trying to be supportive, it didn't help. She felt like a fool, and was positive that Jordan thought she was the dumbest witch on the planet. 'Why was I so stupid? Why can't I just be normal?' After she thought that, though, a tiny voice in the back of her head said to her, "Honey, that is normal." She felt a little bit reassured but still wanted to get out of there. Then she remembered Michael and the Fire Whiskey. Uh-oh, she thought. That's definitely not a good combination.
Quickly making her way back into the kitchen, Ella forgot her shame about Jordan and thought only for Michael. She just hoped he didn't have too much. She had been so preoccupied about Jordan, that she had completely forgotten Michael's problem with not thinking about consequences.
As Ella entered the kitchen, she realized that her protective instincts had come out a little too late. Michael was standing on the table, dancing and singing The Weird Sister's song Cast A Spell. It was obvious that he was very drunk.
"Michael, get down from there," shouted Ella just as he was finishing up the last verse of the song.
"Just five more minutes, baby," slurred Michael as he started the song up again.
"No, we're leaving, right now," Ella demanded as she pulled him down from the table, very forcefully, and went to find Ashley.
"You're not very nice. I'm gonna tell on you," Michael accused Ella while she dragged him through the kitchen and out the door.
"If you don't watch it, I'll tell on you," Ella retorted; she was obviously a little ticked off at his behavior.
As they were leaving the house, though, Ella had the strangest sensation that someone was watching her. While the hairs on the back of her neck started to stand up, Ella Granger whipped her head around the room, and noticed a dark head of hair ducking out of the room. 'Who was that? Why was he staring at me?' Ella was a little spooked, but decided to ignore it. 'Maybe I'm just paranoid' she thought absently.
Once she had found Ashley, they decided that they should take Michael somewhere safe before he passed out. Both girls were afraid to bring him to either of their homes, because they didn't want their parents to tell on him.
"But what are we gonna do with him?" Ashley asked Ella as they were walking away from all the hustle and bustle of the party.
"Good question, Ash. And I have no idea." But just, then, Ella did come up with an idea. 'Harry!' she thought. "We can take him to Harry's house, hopefully Harry won't tell, and maybe he'll understand."
"Alright, let's go."
Harry lived just a few blocks away from Hermione and Ella in a small 2 bedroom flat, very similar to Hermione's apartment. Ella had walked to the party in the first place, so it wouldn't be that hard to get Michael to Harry's place.
Ella couldn't help feeling a little disappointed in Michael on the walk to Harry's house. Her motherly instincts often appeared in situations like these. She wasn't exactly like her mother, but she had received a few traits from her, such as worry. Ella guessed she was more like her father, but she didn't see Dean enough to know if that was true.
Climbing up the stair to Harry's flat, Ella realized how lucky she was to have someone like Harry. He wasn't her father, so he didn't mind as much when she got into trouble, which seemed to happen a lot. That was probably because when he was in school, he always got into trouble also. Knock, knock. Ella hoped Harry was home. He usually was at this hour of the night, but he could've been out. 'That would be a disaster' Ella thought. She didn't know who else she could bring a drunken friend to without getting in much trouble. Luckily, she heard movement inside and sure enough, the door in front of her opened and she saw Harry's big green smiling eyes.
"Ella! What are you doing here?" Then he noticed Michael. "Is he . . . drunk?" Ella nodded solemnly. "Let me guess, you were afraid to bring him to your mother and so you decided that you would bring him here, because I won't tell." Sheepishly, Ella nodded again.
"Well, bring him in then," Harry took hold of Michael's shoulders and led him over to the couch. "How many did he have?" The girls shrugged. "At least it wasn't you, or I might've been forced to tell your mother." Harry smiled, but Ella knew that Harry probably wouldn't tell.
"You girls should probably call your parents. The phone is over there."
Ashley looked embarrassed. "We don't have a felytone," Harry and Ella tried to suppress their grins, not because she didn't have a phone, but because of how she said it.
"That's alright, then just use some floo powder." Harry told her.
After Ella and Ashley had told their parents they were staying at Harry's for the night, they looked at Michael. "We should probably call his dad, too," Ella commented. Ella was positive that Michael's family had a telephone, because his father was a muggle.
"Hello, Mr. Moore. This is Ella Granger. . . . . I'm fine. How are you? . . . . Well, good. The reason I called is that Michael is staying at Harry's house tonight, with us girls . . ." Harry was very well known in the neighborhood, and most parents were very fond of him. "Yes Harry is here . . . . Of course I'll say hi to him for you . . . . . okay, thank you Mr. Moore, Michael will see you tomorrow." Ella hung up the phone and let out a sigh of relief. She was thankful that Mr. Moore had picked up the phone, because Mrs. Moore could often be rather strict.
"You girls can stay in my room, and I think I'll just leave Michael on the couch. I'll go in the guest room." The girls nodded, but Ashley giggled.
"Ash, he's like a second father to me, don't even think about it" Ella told her friend.
"Oh, but he's so . . . handsome. Just look at those beautiful emerald eyes." Ashley sighed, but Ella rolled her eyes.
"You're so obsessed with boys, Ash, you need a hobby or something," Although Ella was interested in boys now that she was 16, Ashley was just a little too boy-crazy.
Ashley and Ella walked together toward Harry's bedroom. It was decorated in scarlet and gold and there was a huge king size bed in the center. The girls went up to the huge bed and crawled under the covers. They were both pretty tired, and fell asleep almost immediately.
The next morning, when Ella woke up, she quietly got out of the bed and went to the kitchen. Harry was there conjuring up some eggs and bacon with his wand. He had his back to the door.
"Smells good," Ella commented from the other side of the room.
"Oh, good morning, Ella," Harry replied with his back still turned to her.
"Thanks for doing this, Harry. I don't know what I would've done without you." Ella smiled at him.
"That's what I'm here for, right?" Harry laughed. 'She's such a great girl' he thought inwardly. "Are your friends up yet?"
With a glance in the other room, she saw that Michael was still out cold. "Michael's still out." At that moment, though, they heard footsteps coming from the other room and Ashley came out, rubbing her eyes.
"Good morning Ashley," Harry said. "Do you want some breakfast, girls?" They eagerly nodded their heads while Ella got out 3 plates from the cabinet.
"I wonder when he'll wake up," Ella told her companions.
As they sat there eating breakfast of scrambled eggs and bacon, Ella thought of her mother. "I hope mom is doing okay at the bookstore. Maybe I'll go help out a little after I leave here."
"We can walk over there together; I was planning on going down there anyway." Harry told his best friend's daughter. She nodded.
A little bit later, when Ashley, Ella, and Harry were playing exploding snap in the den, Michael walked groggily through the entrance way. He didn't look too good.
"Ugh, where did this stupid headache come from?" he complained as he walked in and sat on the big armchair.
"It's called a hangover. I've had them a couple of times myself," Harry responded.
"Really, you've gotten drunk too?" Harry looked sheepish. "Just a couple of times. Your mother was there every time. The first time I got drunk though, she got drunk with me." Ella gasped. Her mother wasn't the type to get drunk.
"Oh yeah, she was dancing around the tables like you wouldn't believe." Harry laughed at the thought. Ella tried to picture her mother drunk. She couldn't.
"Speaking of your mother, now that everyone is up, I think we should walk down to the bookshop." Harry told the three of them.
"Okay," they said in unison, before Ashley and Ella grabbed their bags. They were still in the same clothes from the night before.
The walk down to the bookshop was only about 10 minutes long. The store itself was called Witch Spell. Although it was small, it got good business from the people in town, especially during the school year, on Hogsmeade weekends.
They had almost reached the entrance, when Ella felt the same sensation she had felt the night before. As the hairs on the back of her neck stood up, she whipped her head around and once again saw a dark head of hair turning around the corner. Once again, she was a little spooked out. It must have shown on her face.
"What's wrong Ella?" Harry asked. "You look like you've seen a zombie, and they are really rare."
"Nothing, its nothing." She stated, shaking her head. 'I'm just paranoid,' she told herself, but somehow she knew that she wasn't paranoid, and that there was someone lurking in the shadows. She would have to find out, but not now. Now she didn't have time, but later, she would solve this mystery.
A/N: So what did you think? If you liked it, please review, if not, go away. Thanks soooooooo much to all my reviewers. You guys are so great.
Also, I'm going on vacation tonight, and I won't get back until next Thursday, and then I'm going to be gone for the weekend, so I won't be able to update. Sorry about that.