CHAPTER TEN: The Third Floor
Despite Dumbledore's parting words to her, Ellie didn't ask her mother the question about Snape, or any other, in the coming days. The truth was, she wasn't sure she wanted to know the answer. Whatever relationship her mother had had with Snape would surely make her feel sick to her stomach.
She did tell Fred and George, of course—about everything.
"I don't get it," said George, frowning. "Your dad wasn't a Death Eater?"
"Snape said he was a 'cowardly traitor,' but not a Death Eater. What could that mean?"
Fred frowned, looking pained. "Well, it could mean that he gave up his friends or allies to You Know Who—you know, for money, or immunity, or what have you. Then got arrested for it."
Ouch. That was somehow almost worse.
"No way of knowing, though," Fred added quickly. "I mean, it's Snape we're talking about. Probably a pathological liar. And, from the sound of it, also some sort of ex-Death Eater himself."
"Speaking of which," said George. "Do we think he was banging your mum?"
Ellie cringed at that. "New topic. Now."
The first years' "first" flying lesson felt like a bit of a bore to Ellie—at least, until Neville accidentally launched himself into the air.
"Longbottom!" shrieked Madam Hooch, the flying instructor. "We aren't flying yet! Touch back down!"
"I—I don't know how!" Neville stammered as his broom took him higher into the air.
"Just push down on your broom!" Ellie shouted. "Steer it back down!"
But it was no use. He was going higher and higher, and picking up speed, to boot.
"Bretherworth," Madam Hooch said to Ellie, the only proven flyer of the group. "Go and fetch him!"
Ellie did as she was told, mounting her own broom to fly up and help him.
"Just hold still!" she shouted when she reached him. They were easily two stories up by now, and rapidly approaching the outer walls of the castle. She reached out to grab the end of his broom and managed to steady him, but he was wriggling too much for her to successfully steer him back down. "Calm down!" she shouted through gritted teeth. But it was no use. She only managed to guide him about halfway down before he fell off his broomstick entirely and landed hard on the ground.
"Are you okay?" she asked with wide eyes as she touched back down next to him.
"He'll be fine," Madam Hooch said dismissively as she shoved past Ellie to help Neville up. "Longbottom, we're going to the hospital wing. Everyone else—feet firmly planted to the ground until I return."
And with that, they were gone.
"Nice job," Draco sneered at Ellie as soon as Madam Hooch was out of hearing range. "Wood must be really desperate for Chasers this year to put the likes of you on the team."
"Drop it, Malfoy," said Harry. "Jealousy doesn't look good on you."
Ellie raised her eyebrows, surprised and a bit impressed.
"Jealous?" scoffed Draco. "Of the girl whose own mother doesn't want her?"
Ouch. How did Draco even know about that? She tried to think of a return insult, but before she got the chance, Draco reached down to pick up a glass orb with a reddish gas inside it. "Huh," he said smugly. "Neville's lost his Remembrall."
"Give it here, Malfoy," said Harry quickly, taking a step closer to Draco.
"No… I think I won't. Neville needs a better place for his things—how about up a tree?"
And without further ado, he kicked into the air.
Harry reached immediately for his broom, but Ellie stopped him. "He's not worth it. Neville can get a new one."
"You go, El," suggested Ron. "You'd have him in a heartbeat!"
But Ellie shook her head. There was no way she was getting in trouble over the likes of that blond little git.
"It was a gift from his grandmother," Harry said, shaking his head. "It matters."
And with that, he zoomed up after Draco.
Ellie was even more impressed now—not only by Harry's astonishing skill at flying, but also by his moxie. It was rare to see someone their age so righteous and brave; it was, frankly, something to aspire to.
Not only did Harry catch up to Draco, but he even managed to catch the Remembrall when Draco threw it hard in the opposite direction. Ellie whooped appreciatively along with her classmates as Harry flew back over and touched down.
"I didn't know you could fly like that!" she exclaimed to Harry.
"I didn't… know," he stammered.
"Well, they haven't found a Seeker yet. Oliver's still—"
But she was interrupted by McGonagall as the shrewd-faced witch power-walked over to them like a woman on a mission.
"Potter," she barked, "come with me." She glanced at Ellie and added, "You, too, Breth—"
Ellie cleared her throat.
"—Ellie," McGonagall amended, looking amused. "Follow me."
What could this be about? Ellie wondered as she and Harry slinked after McGonagall. Sure, it made sense for Harry to be in trouble, but what had Ellie done?
McGonagall led them to Quirrel's classroom, which was even more confusing.
"May I borrow Wood for a moment?" she asked the stuttering professor.
Harry looked horrified, but Ellie only laughed. Now she understood what was going on. "He's the Quidditch captain," she whispered. "She's thinking the same thing I was."
Harry's eyes lit up with excitement as Oliver Wood joined them in the hall. Ellie tried not to melt as Oliver gave her that swoon-worthy smile of his.
"Wood," McGonagall announced, "I have found you a Seeker."
Ellie squealed, drawing attention from the class inside. She blushed as McGonagall pulled the three of them further down the hall.
"Really?" asked Oliver, glancing at Harry. "Who're you, again?"
Ellie grinned. "He's Harry Potter."
Oliver's eyes widened.
"I think he'll do excellently," McGonagall told him. "Saw him catch a tiny ball midair from clear across the courtyard. Why don't you spend the rest of the period training him up? Ellie can help."
Ellie squealed again, causing both boys to grimace. She couldn't help being excited—now she wasn't the only first year on the team! And more importantly, Harry deserved this. He'd proven his virtue back there in the courtyard.
She followed closely behind the boys as Oliver led them to the Quidditch field, which was empty. He explained everything to Harry before turning him loose, and they played a three-player game that was equal parts fun and strategic.
"You'll be great, Harry," said Oliver when the game was over. "Thanks for helping, Ellie. I'd better get back."
"I suppose we should, too," Harry said once Oliver was gone.
"We should," she agreed. "Or we could stay here and revel in it a bit longer. The choice is yours."
He chose to revel, of course.
The attention Ellie had gotten from her classmates over being made Chaser was nothing compared to the attention Harry got over being made Seeker, but she didn't mind. To her surprise, it was Ron who did.
"It's just so constant," he whined as he sat with her, Fred, and George in the common room one evening as they practiced their instruments. "Harry this; Harry that. Don't people ever get tired of talking about him?"
"He did save the wizarding world from the darkest wizard who ever lived," George pointed out.
"When are we going to have a concert?" Fred asked Ellie, clearly not interested in his brother's envy.
She laughed. "When start sounding good."
"We're never getting anywhere, then," joked George.
A group of second-year girls walked past them at that, heading toward the stairwell and gushing about Harry being made Seeker.
"Oi!" shouted Fred at the group. "There's another first year on the team, you know!"
Ellie felt herself turn crimson as the girls turned to glare at Fred. Had he said it for her sake or for Ron's?
Before she had the chance to figure out which, Hermione and Harry approached them, in the midst of a heated argument.
"You can't be serious," Hermione said dramatically as she plopped onto the couch next to Ellie. "It's going to be awful, not to mention breaking a thousand rules—"
"I can't exactly say no, can I?" Harry demanded as he took the open armchair. "Let him think I'm some sort of… of…"
"Any chance you might let the rest of us little people in on the conversation?" grumbled Ron.
"Ten bucks says it's about Malfoy," Ellie said with a grin.
Harry grinned back at her. "Am I that obvious?"
"He challenged Harry to a duel," Hermione explained. "Tonight."
Ron sat up straighter, seeming to forget that he was mad at everyone. "Really?"
"If you say yes," said Ellie, knowing perfectly well that he would, "can I come?"
"Us, too," said Fred and George in unison.
"Guys, six people can't come," Harry said. "The whole point is to go without being seen, remember?"
"It'd be five," sniffed Hermione as she rose to her feet again. "I'd rather not get expelled in my first month at Hogwarts."
Ron rolled his eyes as Hermione pranced away. Ellie only grinned; she liked that Hermione didn't succumb to peer pressure.
"Fred, George," said Harry, "you're just a bit… tall."
Fred didn't look discouraged. "We're your bodyguards now, Harry—on or off the field."
Harry laughed, though Ellie was pretty sure she caught a twinkle of emotion in his eyes at that. "Okay—fine. We meet outside the common room at midnight."
When Ellie stepped out of the common room that night, Hermione was waiting with her arms crossed.
"Kind of defeats the purpose when you break the rules to yell at us for breaking the rules," Ellie teased her. "But I admire your tenacity."
But Hermione only turned up her nose at Ellie until the rest of them emerged, then announced, "I just came to tell you that this is a nasty plan that will get you all kicked out, and that I urge you to change your minds."
"Thanks, Hermione," said Fred easily, "but George and I do loads of things that could get us kicked out already, so it's really no sweat off our backs."
Hermione heaved a dramatic sigh as she turned back to the portrait of the Fat Lady and said, "Gingivitis."
The Fat Lady glared at her. "That is correct, but given that you six broke the rules by sneaking out after hours, I'm afraid I can't let you back in until you have gone to see your Head of House and self-reported your indiscretions."
Hermione's eyes widened in horror. "But—"
"Rules," the Fat Lady interrupted, "are rules."
Hermione whirled to face the rest of them, looking murderous. "Now look what you've done!" she wailed. "How am I supposed to get back?"
"Guess you'll just have to come with," Ron said with a shrug.
Harry led them down the hall, lighting his wand with a hesitant Lumos. They crept down the hallway, ignoring the portraits' complaints, until they reached the staircase above the Great Hall—the location of the duel. Draco was nowhere to be found.
Hermione sighed. "Okay, he chickened out. Can we go now?"
Harry glanced at Ron. "What time is it?"
"Past midnight. He doesn't seem the type to be late, does he?"
"Come on," Hermione insisted.
"The Fat Lady isn't going to let us back in, anyway," Ellie pointed out. "Where will we even go?"
"Slumber party in the Great Hall?" Ron suggested lamely.
Fred and George glanced at each other, then said to Ellie, "Come with us."
She followed them curiously away from the others. Once they were out of hearing range, Fred pulled out a piece of parchment, tapped it, and said, "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good." The parchment spread with ink that displayed a map of the castle with dots and names.
"Here's us," he said, pointing to the clump of six. "We want to make it to a first floor window and climb our way up to the dorms without getting caught. Filch is…" His eyebrows shot up. "Right behind us!"
Without farther warning, he took off up the stairs. Ellie and George followed, and Hermione, Ron, and Harry behind them. Finally, George stopped short.
"Where are we?" Harry whispered.
"Nice one," George said to his twin. "You took us to the third floor. I've been meaning to check it out…" He eyed a rather grotesque statue and added, "Then again, the first floor's nice, too."
"Mrs. Norris will be along any minute," said Fred. "Try and find a room we can sneak into. Run!"
They followed him deeper into the third floor until they reached a locked door. Ron frantically yanked at the handle as if hoping he could man-handle it open.
"Oh, move over!" Hermione yelled exasperatedly, shoving him out of the way. She pointed her wand at the lock and said, "Alohomora."
Just like that, the lock sprung open.
"Rock star," Ellie breathed as she reached to open the door.
"Legend," the twins agreed as they all piled inside and closed the door behind them.
It took them all a moment to register what was in the room, but once they did, the panic set in: there was a giaint, three-headed, drooling monster staring back at them.
"Bloody hell!" Ellie shouted as Harry, Ron, and Hermione all screamed.
Ron reached for the door handle, eyes wide. "D'you reckon they're gone?" he asked. "Filch and Mrs. Norris?"
"I'd rather face Filch than that!" Harry snapped, and yanked the door open. Thankfully, Mrs. Norris and Filch were nowhere to be seen. They sprinted down to the first floor and snuck out the first window they found.
"What was that?" Ron demanded as they slowed to a walk toward the Gryffindor domitories' side of the castle.
"A three-headed, jumbo-sized dog, from the looks of it," said Ellie. "What could Hogwarts want with a fanged, drooling monster like that?"
"It was guarding something," Hermione said quietly.
"Guarding what?" demanded Ron. "How could you tell?"
"It was standing over something—a trapdoor, I think. Something important must be down there. Something…" She glanced at Harry pointedly. "Very important."
Ellie glanced at Harry, who seemed to be following whatever Hermione was suggesting. "I think you're right."
"Should we tell them?" asked Ron blatantly.
"Tell us what?" asked Fred.
"Nothing," said Harry, running a hand through his hair. "Forget it."
And they climbed their way up to the dorms in silence, leaving much left unsaid.
The golden trio, hiding things from the other trio? This can't be good... The next two chapters will cover Halloween, which if you remember from the first book, is quite the exciting evening. Stay tuned!
