(CoS) CHAPTER ELEVEN: My Sweet Time

An hour later, Ellie found herself on the makeshift stage in the Great Hall that the teachers had set up, facing a much larger audience than she had faced at the little Christmas concert they'd held the year before.

They started with covers, which weren't so bad—first with an upbeat We're Going to Be Friends by the White Stripes, then an amusingly fitting Is There a Ghost by Band of Horses, and finally, a slower, sweeter New Slang by the Shins.

And then it was time for Ellie's original.

"Alright, everyone," said Fred to the crowd. "We know you're all itching to get to the eating part of the feast, but before we go, the birthday girl has a special song she wrote just for you all. It's called My Sweet Time."

Everyone burst into applause as Ellie smiled nervously back at them and started to strum. The song began with a guitar duet, which she and Fred banged out flawlessly before she started to sing.

At first, she was nervous. The introductory lyrics were undeniably personal—all about her inability to sleep properly at night, her intense friendships, and even her band kicking in to help her play. But when the chorus came in, and she sang her heart out.

"I don't know where the next road goes, but I feel the wheels rolling down below me; I'll take my sweet time getting back again. What matters most will carry me through the night to where I want to be; I'll take my sweet time, but I'll be home again."

By the second chorus, she was having the time of her life. They sounded great—the contributions the twins and Ginny had made to the song were huge—and they had the whole crowd on their feet, dancing and singing along. But it was the final bridge that really captured Ellie's investment in the song: "Maybe when this is over I'll understand what I've got right here in my hands."

As she stared into the warm eyes of Fred Weasley that she had come to know so well, though, she decided that her lyrics weren't entirely true.

She already understood what she had right there in her hands.

He just didn't want her back.


"You're late," grumbled Nearly Headless Nick to Harry about fifteen minutes after the concert ended. Their group had hung back long enough to scarf down a bit of food before heading to the Deathday Party, and it had put them behind schedule.

"Sorry, Nick," said Harry, not sounding particularly apologetic. "Do you know everyone? Ellie, Ron, Hermione—"

"Yes, yes," interrupted Nick impatiently. "All Gryffindors. Hullo again. Now, Harry. Come with me."

Nick led Harry over to meet a group of terrifying, headless ghosts who could only be the Headless Hunt as Fred headed off to talk to the most grotesque-looking ghosts he could find. Ron and Hermione wandered off to scan the selection of absolutely inedible food, leaving Dean and Ellie alone together.

"That song was awesome," he told her eagerly. "How long did it take you to write?"

"We've been playing around with melodies like it since the summer, but I guess it's just been the past few weeks that I locked in the lyrics."

"Are they based on anything in particular? Life experiences, or…?"

"Nothing specific," she said a little too quickly. "Just, you know… having fun. Being young."

Dean nodded. He looked a bit disappointed, though Ellie wasn't entirely sure why. Her lyrics hadn't been that obvious, had they? Surely no one else at school knew that she had deep-rooted feelings for Fred?

As if on cue, Fred approached them at that, looking bored.

"I thought this would be a bit more exciting," he admitted. "It's certainly one to check off the bucket list, but beyond that…"

Ellie knew the feeling. Nick seemed rather depressed about the Headless Hunt ignoring him—Harry didn't seem to be making any leaps and bounds with convincing them how frightening he was—and the rest of the ghosts mostly ignored them.

"Well, I think it's cool," said Dean, sounding surprisingly ornery. He glanced at Ellie and asked, "Don't you?"

Ellie was getting the suspicious sense that Dean was testing her—and she didn't much care for it. "Sure, it's cool. But I wouldn't mind heading out soon, either. It's been a long day."

"You don't have to leave just because Fred wants to," said Dean firmly. "Fred, why don't you head on back, and we'll catch up with you later?"

Ellie stiffened, liking this conversation less and less by the second. Maybe Dean meant well, but she sure didn't like his tone. "Come on, Dean. That's not what I meant."

"It's cool," said Fred, whose expression suggested that it was anything but. "You two have fun. I'll just see you tomorrow."

"Fred—"

"Happy birthday, El."

And with that, he was gone.

Ellie wanted to be furious with Dean. She wanted to leave him behind in the dust and chase after Fred. What right did Dean have to chase her best friend off like that?

The right of the boyfriend, an annoying voice in her head pointed out. You chose to date him; now you have to live with the repercussions.

Taking her sweet time was starting to feel like the wrong approach.


The next morning, after Parvati, Lavender, and Kellah headed down to breakfast, Ellie hung back with Hermione to ask for her advice. She told her friend pretty much everything that was going on, save for the part about her confusing feelings for Fred.

"I don't understand," said Hermione when Ellie was finished. "Why did you agree to date Dean if you don't even like him?"

"I never said I don't like him, did I?"

Hermione laughed. "You didn't have to. It was implied by the sour look on your face the entire time you talked about him."

Ellie reddened at that. "I think I'm just getting used to this whole 'dating' thing, is all. I do like Dean. At least… I think I do. I wasn't a fan of how he shooed Fred away last night, though."

"Rightfully so." Hermione frowned. "I think I can sort of understand that part from his perspective, though. I mean, Fred and you are so close. It's hard to blame Dean for feeling a little jealous, isn't it? And then there's Oliver…"

Ellie groaned, flattening herself back down on her bed and covering her head with her pillow. "Maybe I should just become a nun."

Hermione giggled, coming over to Ellie's bed and rubbing her on the back. "It's going to be fine, Ellie. Just give it a little bit more time."


For those of you who don't know this from That Girl, all of Ellie's "original songs" are actually songs from "Instant Star," the old Canadian show starring Alex Johnson. Sadly you can't even find all these songs on Spotify or Apple Music anymore, but you can usually find them on YouTube. I highly recommend looking them up as you read for the most immersive experience - My Sweet Time, for example, really fits Ellie's circumstances to a T, as will others in the future. If you'd rather not, that's fine too - I'm sure you'll still enjoy the story all the same! Please be sure to leave a review if you're liking what you're reading!