CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT: A Change of Decorations
The six teenagers (and preteens) were soon the most popular kids in school. Gryffindors hovered around them constantly over the next week, Hufflepuffs cheered whenever they spotted them in the hallways, and Ravenclaws grinned and nodded to them every time they passed them in the halls. Even a handful of Slytherins complimented them on their bravery.
The only bad news was that of the Gryffindor Quidditch team's grim defeat by Ravenclaw that had occurred during Ellie and Harry's absence from the team. Ellie hadn't spoken to Oliver yet, but she had a feeling he must be devastated, despite the nice gifts.
The twins seemed to glue themselves to her side whenever possible, and she didn't exactly mind; the near-death experience seemed to have scared them all.
The last few days of class were fun; with exams already out of the way, the teachers mostly just played around with easy spells and let them goof off. By the last day of term in Transfiguration, McGonagall actually let them have a free period.
"I still can't believe it," Dean said during the free period, shaking his head. "You and Harry, actually facing You-Know-Who."
"I still can't believe he was at our school all year," chimed in Seamus.
"You know what else you won't believe?" asked Ellie with a grin. "Snape's my uncle."
She hadn't exactly intended to share that tidbit of information with the masses, but she liked the idea of cleansing herself of all secrets ahead of her second year.
"No," breathed Dean and Seamus at the same time, eyes wide.
"Yeah." She exchanged grins with Harry, Ron, and Hermione as Dean and Seamus looked like they might die from the shock.
"So," said Hermione to Ellie, "how's Oliver these days? That was quite the shrine he left at your hospital bed."
"You sound unusually Lavender-y," Ellie said suspiciously. "Should I be worried?"
Hermione laughed. "No—just heard he's been asking about you."
"Yeah—asking anyone who will listen," grumbled Dean. "Didn't we already establish that he's too old for you?"
Ellie wasn't entirely sure what the word we meant in this context, or what business it was of Dean's. "He just feels bad about how we left things, I'm sure."
"Or," said Seamus with a grin, "he realized you'll be thirteen this fall and decided that's less creepy than twelve."
"It's not," said Harry and Dean at the same time.
Ellie rolled her eyes. "Enough, already. I think I prefer talking about Voldemort."
Despite the annoying conversation in Transfiguration, Ellie still had a smile plastered to her face when she and the twins piled into the Great Hall that evening for the final feast—at least, until she saw that the banners and décor around them were all green and silver for Slytherin.
"Whatever," said Fred when he saw them. "We're still the favourite."
She laughed grimly and tried not to look up as they took their seats.
Dumbledore took his place at the podium a few minutes later. He didn't even have to clear his throat to silence the room; they were more than eager to hear what was going on.
"Welcome, welcome," said Dumbledore. "It has been a fantastic year, and I would like to congratulate all of you—and to thank our staff, portraits, and ghosts for all of their hard work this year."
Everyone cheered at that, despite the fact that some of the ghosts were rather less popular than others.
"Now, as the House points currently stand, Gryffindor is in fourth place with fifty-three points."
Everyone in the Gryffindor table cast their gazes downward; a few Slytherins even booed. As Dumbledore ticked off the rest of the scores, Ellie felt herself start to droop.
"However, recent events must be taken into account, and I have some last-minute points to announce."
Everyone at their table glanced up hopefully.
"Firstly, to Mr. Ronald Weasley, for the greatest game of chess our world has ever seen, I award fifty points."
The Gryffindor table burst into applause, but he didn't stop there.
"Secondly, to Miss Hermione Granger, for her incredible wit and the power of her knowledge, I award… fifty points."
More applause. A hundred points already? At this rate, was it possible they might actually catch up to Slytherin?
"Thirdly, to Fred and George Weasley, who, to the shock of us all, actually are capable of being in two different places at once—fifty points."
"Each?" shouted Fred hopefully.
Dumbledore chuckled. "Total. And finally, to Mr. Harry Potter and Miss El… Ellie of Gryffindor…" He cleared his throat, and his voice darkened. "I do not know the extent of the stories that have flitted about this school over the past week, but I expect that the majority of them are true: Ellie and Harry went on that night to face a very dark, very real enemy."
Ellie had never heard the Hall so quiet.
"The courage they both showed in the face of that enemy is truly staggering. To Ellie, who walked through fire toward certain danger twice, and to Harry, who remained steadfast even when faced with the cruelest of temptations, I award sixty points."
"Each!" Fred shouted gleefully.
"We're tied with Slytherin!" exclaimed Hermione.
"And lastly," Dumbledore sighed, "it takes a great deal of courage to stand up to your enemies, but far more to stand up to your friends. For this, I award ten points to Mr. Neville Longbottom."
For several seconds, no one spoke or clapped. Neville looked stunned, and the rest of the Great Hall looked like they weren't sure whether or not Dumbledore was joking.
Finally, Ellie jumped out of her chair and shouted, "Yeah, Neville!"
Fred and George leapt up behind her, and before long, the entirety of the Gryffindor table had. Shouts of "You rock, Neville!" and "You're my hero!" emerged from all over the place.
"I believe a change of decorations is in order," said Dumbledore, and with a clap of his hands, the green and silver around them changed to red and gold.
Ellie had never been happier.
"I can't believe it's over," said Ellie the next morning as she, the twins, and the trio walked together toward the Hogwarts Express. "I mean… what a year."
"Nah—first year's nothing," said Fred. "It's your third year you've really got to watch out for. Some first year kid might just sneak up on you and become your best friend."
"What a drag that would be," George agreed, ruffling Ellie's hair affectionately. But they didn't get far before Ellie heard a familiar voice calling her name.
"Ellie!" Oliver shouted, jogging over to them. "Can I borrow you for a minute?"
Ellie nodded, stepping away from the rest of the group to join Oliver. She glanced down at herself, feeling more aware of her age than usual; she was wearing pigtail braids and a pair of Converse, and he was, well… him.
"I just wanted to see you off," he said. "Make sure things are all right between us."
She smiled. "If they are with you, then they are with me."
"They are." His expression was kind, but persistent. "Just… tell me there's a chance. Someday in the future."
She sighed. "Sure, there's a chance. But I wouldn't hold your breath for it, Ollie. I'm still figuring out… things." Her mind flashed briefly to Fred, but she wouldn't let it linger there. "Why are you so adamant about this, anyway?"
"You kidding? You're the coolest girl I know. There's no one else like you. When I heard you were hurt, I freaked. I've never felt this way about anyone."
Well, that certainly did the trick of charming her. She gave him a shy but sincere hug, mostly to conceal her bright pink cheeks. "You're cool, too, Ollie," she said into his ear. "See you next year."
She turned to leave before he could try anything he shouldn't, and he let her go. But as she was striding off, he yelled, "I forgive you, by the way!"
She turned back toward him, raising an eyebrow. "For?"
"Missing Quidditch!"
She laughed and kept walking, but he didn't stop there. "Ellie!" he shouted. "Write me!"
She laughed again and waved an arm in acknowledgement. The truth was, she probably would write to him; he was a weakness of hers. But writing him and dating him were two very different things.
She stopped in front of the train with Fred and George, who were both waiting with teasing grins on their faces. She shoved them playfully as they stepped onto the train and joined Harry, Ron, and Hermione in their compartment.
"So," Harry said to Ellie. "You're going home with the Weasleys, right? Lucky you."
Ellie smiled, but she felt a stab of pain for him. She knew how hard it was for him to go back to the Dursleys'; she wished there was a way for him to come, too.
"I can't believe it's over," said Hermione, staring out the window at the castle as the train pulled off.
"It's not over, though," said Harry. "Not really."
Ellie knew exactly what he meant.
It was just beginning.
One book done, six more to go! As Ellie learns how to navigate the strange abilities her father left her with - okay, and as she navigates her complicated relationships with boys - this story will grow more and more complex and stray further from the original. So, I encourage you to stay with it! I'll update the CoS chapters right into this same story, so just stay tuned, and as always please leave a review to show your support if you're enjoying it!
