(CoS) CHAPTER TEN: Quick and Painless

"So," said Dean to Ellie a few minutes later. "Excited about this Deathday Party business?"

"Yeah, but I think I'm the only one. Thanks for agreeing to come, by the way."

He laughed good-naturedly. "No worries—I think it sounds fun, too, and anyway, I wouldn't miss the chance to hang out with you on your birthday." He reached into his robes and pulled out a small, tightly wrapped present. "I wanted to get you something nice. I hope you like it."

She accepted the present, but before she had a chance to open it, he disappeared.

She stared down at it for several seconds, contemplating it without opening it. She knew now more than ever that the girls had been right—Dean did like her. And it probably wouldn't be much longer before he did something about it.

But did she like him back?

She thought of Oliver, who had kissed her so deeply and intensely when she was just a young, innocent first year. Even now, he still intimidated her; she knew she wasn't even close to ready for being with someone like him.

And Fred? What was the point in even considering that one, with how blatantly and simply he had shut down any possibility of them ever becoming a… them?

But none of that quite answered her own question about whether she liked Dean back.

She sighed and opened the gift, hoping that perhaps she'd derive some answers from it.

It was a necklace—not charmed or magical the way the one from Fred was—just a simple piece of jewelry. It was pretty, though—studded with some sort of fancy gemstone, not too long or too short, and probably went with anything.

She liked it. She just didn't love it.

And it hadn't helped her answer her question.

"Hey," said Seamus from her right, coming over to join her. "Happy birthday, Ellie!"

"Thanks," she said easily to her friend. "Coming to our concert tonight?"

"Wouldn't miss it. And you know who else wouldn't?" He grinned. "Dean."

She forced a smile, though she didn't much care for where this was going. "Yeah, well, Dean and I are close."

"I've noticed—think everyone has. But I think he'd like to be a bit closer… if you catch my drift."

She crossed her arms. "I'm not daft, Seamus. Of course, I catch your drift. But if he likes me so much, why doesn't he come and talk to me about it himself?"

She probably shouldn't have said it; she wasn't entirely sure she wanted Dean to come and talk to her about his crush on her, considering she hadn't figured out her own feelings for him yet. But she definitely didn't like that he was sending his best friend over with the message.

"You're right," said Seamus, frowning. "Sorry." And with that, he headed back over to Dean.

Ellie was overcome with the urge to run away, but forced herself to stand still. Dean would come and talk to her, and she'd know what to say to him when he did. Whatever she decided, it wasn't the end of the world, right? She was only thirteen, after all. It wasn't as if she'd end up marrying whomever she chose to "date."

A moment later, she was joined by a very nervous-looking Dean.

"The necklace is beautiful," she told him, smiling politely at him. "Thank you."

He nodded, but he still looked like he might be on the verge of fainting. She felt bad for him. No matter what her romantic feelings for him were or weren't, she liked Dean a lot as a friend, and didn't want him to feel scared or embarrassed.

"Hey," she said gently, reaching out to squeeze his arm. "It's just me, Dean. I don't bite."

"I know. It's just… Seamus told me what you said. And you were right. I should never have sent him over to you."

He wasn't looking her in the eye much. She thought of Fred, whose warm, brown eyes always seemed to shoot straight into the depths of her soul. Then she remembered to stop thinking about Fred, smiled, and said, "It's okay. We're all still figuring it out, right?"

He laughed a bit at that. "Actually, I think the bulk of us aren't even close. My dad always said I had an old soul, though, and I think you do, too."

It was pretty apparent to Ellie that she had an old soul—at least, a few years older than she was. She wasn't entirely sure that Dean did, though.

"S'pose I'd better just get right out with it," said Dean, clearing his throat. He finally looked into her eyes. "I like you, Ellie. And I'd like to go out with you—that is, y'know, be your boyfriend—if you'd like me to."

There it was. Quick and painless. Mostly painless, anyway.

"Yeah," she heard herself say before she could fully process what she should say. "I'd like that."


Seamus and Ron had eavesdropped, of course, and before long, everyone in the common room had heard—everyone except the twins, anyway, who seemed to have disappeared around the time she and Dean started talking. Ellie spent as long with Dean as she could stand before hugging him and excusing herself, exiting through the portrait hole, not sure where she was headed. The concert wasn't for another hour, and she'd have all the time in the world to hang out with her new boyfriend afterwards at the Deathday Party.

She wandered out toward Hagrid's hut, but didn't knock on his door. Instead, she posted up at a small picnic table nearby, pulled out a quill and parchment, and got to writing.

My Sweet Time, the song she'd written for the concert, was supposed to be about frivolity and freedom—the excitement of being young and having the world at your fingertips. Now, though, she wanted to alter it. It would still be about those things, but it would also be about something else—the knowledge of what's waiting for you at the end of that journey. The feeling of coming home.

She was so immersed in the songwriting that she didn't even realize she was singing out loud—at least, not until she heard Fred say, "Wow."

She shrieked, whirling around to face him. "Fred! Way to sneak up on a girl! How'd you know I was here?"

He laughed. "Checked the Map. Thought we could get some last-minute practice in—but it looks like you're already doing that."

"Oh—yeah." She bit her lip. "I changed the lyrics a bit."

"Any reason?"

She held his gaze, sensing the question he was really asking—because of Dean?

It wasn't really even about Dean, was the funny thing—at least, not entirely. Dean might have been represented by the aspects of the song that were about frivolity and fun, but alterations to the song were undeniably about Fred.

But how could she even begin to explain that to him?

"You heard?" she asked instead.

He nodded. "Wasn't really that surprised. Things were sort of heading in that direction already."

The indifference of his words stung, but she tried not to notice. "Right."

"You should be happy, no?" he asked, probing her with those warm, brown eyes of his. "What's the matter?"

What's the matter? she wanted to scream at him. Even at thirteen, I know what love is supposed to feel like. And it's what I feel for you, not him!

"Nothing," she muttered instead, running a hand through her hair and looking away from him. "I'm just… confused."

He was silent for several seconds, then said, in a frustratingly bright voice, "Well, that's because you're only a second year and are already navigating sexual tension between multiple guys. You'll figure it out. Now, can I tell you what your present is?"

Multiple guys? For a second, Ellie half-panicked—until she remembered that he was probably referring to Oliver, not himself.

"Sure," she managed, forcing a smile.

He pulled a notebook from his robes. It looked like the sort of leather-bound journal one might keep a diary in, but when he opened it to shower her, she saw that it was filled with spells, ingredients, and equations, not entries.

"It's my Animagus Book," Fred explained to her as she scanned the pages. "George has one, as well. We're still in the preliminary stages, of course, figuring out what will and won't work, but we're getting there."

She wasn't sure whether to feel terrified or excited. She was flattered that the twins loved her enough to attempt something so risky just to be able to transform alongside her, but the last thing she wanted was for either of them to get hurt for her. "This is crazy, Fred. It's dangerous. Are you sure you know what you're doing?"

"No," he admitted cheerfully. "But I promise we won't actually do anything until we are sure, if that helps."

"It does," she said, reaching out to hug him. However much he frustrated her, he also made her happier than anyone else ever seemed to be capable of. "Now, come on. Let's get that last-minute practice in."


Before you judge Ellie too hard for saying yes to Dean, try to remember what it's like to be thirteen (or maybe some of you ARE thirteen? It's been a minute for me...). She's just trying to figure it all out, and Fred isn't exactly helping! Anyway, we still have some more Halloween shenanigans to get through, so stay tuned, and please keep those reviews coming if you're enjoying the story!