(CoS) CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR: DON'T SWEAT IT
"Ellie!" Fred shouted the second she and Harry reappeared in the real world. "Thank God. What the bloody hell—"
"I told you," Ellie interrupted, fixing her eyes on Harry. "Fred and I already figured that out. But it wasn't Hagrid."
"You saw that thing, didn't you?" Harry demanded. "That spider was the size of me and you, combined!"
"Can someone please catch me up?" demanded Fred impatiently.
Ellie sighed, backtracking long enough to tell Fred about the memory, including the conversation with the previous headmaster and, of course, Hagrid and Aragog.
"I believe Hagrid," said Fred when Ellie was finished. "This Riddle guy sounds dodgy—which tracks, considering the emotional state of my little sister at the moment."
"You're probably right," Harry admitted, deflating slightly. "I can't imagine a giant spider being able to Petrify anyone, anyway. The question is, did Riddle set up Hagrid on purpose, or did he genuinely believe that he was guilty?"
"No," said Ellie. "That's a question. The question is, what did he do to Ginny, and how do we make sure there isn't any residual damage?"
Fred seemed pleased with her answer. "Well, I certainly don't think we should be writing in it anymore. If it sucked you in like that within a few minutes, it's no wonder it started messing with Ginny's head."
"You said no one knows about this room except Dean, right?" Harry asked her.
She nodded. "It should be safe here."
"Good—then I say we leave it here for a few weeks and keep our eyes on Ginny. If she seems to be getting better, problem solved and job done."
"We're sure we don't want to bring it to McGonagall and Dumbledore?" Ellie asked, eyeing the diary hesitantly.
"It could mean getting Ginny in trouble," Fred pointed out. "Not to mention, betraying her trust. I think Harry's right—at least for now, this could work."
"Thanks," said Harry, and Ellie was relieved to see that whatever bits of animosity had briefly existed between them were gone—at least, until Harry added, "Mind giving us a minute alone, mate?"'
Fred didn't seem to like that question much. He glanced at Ellie, who gave him an easy nod, before reluctantly leaving.
"Are you okay?" Harry asked her when it was just the two of them.
She blinked, a bit surprised by the question. "Well… yeah. Nothing happened in there, right?"
"Right." His dark eyebrows were still furrowed with concern. "It's just, first there was this whole is-your-dad-guilty-or-isn't-he thing, and now it's happening all over again with Hagrid. I'm just… worried about you."
He seemed nervous, in a way—like he wasn't entirely sure he had the right to be worried about her, but he was, all the same. And the words he'd spoken—fearing that she drew parallels to the situation with her father—were touching, if unnecessary.
"Thanks, Harry," she said, reaching gently out to take his hand and squeeze it. "But I'm a bit tougher than I look."
He laughed at that. She started to release his hand, but, to her surprise, he hung onto hers. "I saw you jump through fire to help me, remember?" he asked softly. "I know you're tough, Ellie. I'm still allowed to worry, right?"
"Y… yeah," she stammered as her heart started to pound. "Of course, you are."
For a split second, she thought he might kiss her. The way his green eyes bored into hers—no one but Fred had ever looked at her that way. Harry might not be Fred, but he wasn't Dean or Oliver, either. The thought of kissing him, at least in this moment, was… nice.
But he didn't kiss her. Instead, he dropped her hand and said, "We should get back."
Things with Harry got no less strange over the next few weeks. Neither of them explicitly mentioned kissing, dating, or anything else in the realm of romance, but their connection was almost palpable—constant deep, meaningful looks; long, drawn-out conversations about everything from Sirius to Hagrid; even stolen moments of privacy off in the shadows. Ellie still hadn't quite wrapped her head around all the emotions she was feeling towards him, but she was pretty sure she liked the majority of them.
Fred never confronted her about Harry, but he did seem to notice certain things. On Valentine's Day, Ellie made no attempts to take things to the next level with Harry, though they hardly spent the day apart. But when Ginny handed him a valentine, she immediately grew rigid and stiff. She felt Fred's eyes on her as if he was debating whether or not to tease her; ultimately, he must have decided against it, because the teasing never came.
Ginny seemed to be in better spirits, at least. She came up to Ellie a few times, asking for the location of the diary, but Ellie just smiled, assured her it was in a place where no one would be finding it again, and left it at that.
Before long, the second Quidditch game of the season was nearing. It would be against Hufflepuff, whom Oliver considered the easiest opponents, but that didn't mean he took it any less seriously. They were out all the time practicing, and Ellie loved it. It was her only real escape from the castle; with all the attacks, the professors didn't otherwise allow students to leave without escorts.
She still thought about Sirius, of course. After what Draco had revealed, it was hard not to. She knew she was more or less tapped out of ways to find out more about him, but she was also long overdue to write her mother a letter. So, the evening before the big game, she wrote out a final request for answers—whatever Serena might be willing to give.
Mum,
Sorry for waiting so long to write to you. (Not that you really seemed to notice or care, but still.) It's been nearly two years since I last saw you, and while I miss you very much, I also wanted to let you know that I'm really happy—that I really love it here.
It's been a long time since you told me your version of what happened to Dad, and I get that you don't like talking about it. But I think I'd like you to share it with me one more time, if you don't mind. I don't care about names; I just want the story, start to finish, from your perspective. In as much detail as you're willing to give.
I know that Snape's your half-brother, by the way. Don't be mad, but Ringo brought me your letter for him last year, and I was too intrigued not to read it. I'm sorry about that, but I also wish you would have told me the truth. You said that family are the only ones I can trust, Mum, but sometimes it feels like the one family member I've got keeps the most secrets from me. You know?
Love and miss you, as always. Assuming I'll be staying with the Weasleys again this summer, and that's okay. But if you ever want to see your daughter again, just let her know, and she'll come running.
Love,
Ellie
Hermione, Lavender, and Parvati were all awake when Ellie got up; she had actually slept in for a change. They all squealed good luck to her as she quickly changed and headed down the stairs. The twins were waiting for her before going to breakfast, but she had them continue to wait with her for Harry.
As usual, Harry ate nothing at breakfast. Ellie had a little cereal, and the twins stuffed themselves with eggs and sausages.
"It's just Hufflepuff," Ellie reminded Harry with a grin as breakfast came to a close. "When have they ever won anything?"
George groaned. "They won the year before you got here."
"Shh," Fred whispered to his twin. Ellie and Harry both laughed.
Just as they rose to go, Ellie spotted something that made her stop short: Ginny was seated across from Percy, looking white as a sheet.
"That's odd," she said, gesturing to the two of them. "Isn't it?"
The twins and Harry followed Ellie's gaze over toward Ginny. A look of concern flashed over Fred's eyes, but George and Harry didn't look too worried.
"The diary is safely stowed away, remember?" Harry asked her gently.
"Yeah—Percy's probably just told her he's dating Penelope Clearwater and she's trying to process how anyone in their right minds would ever date him," said George cheerfully. They had shared their concerns about Ginny with him, Ron, and Hermione once the diary was safely stowed away so that everyone could help them keep proper eyes on her. "Don't sweat it."
They started to head out to the Quidditch pitch, but Harry stopped in his tracks as soon as they reached the hallway.
"What is it?" Hermione asked him, seeming to sense the same thing Ellie did: that he was hearing voices again.
"That thing," said Harry. "I think it's going to attack again. The hissing…"
Suddenly, Hermione gasped.
"What?" Ellie demanded.
"Idea," Hermione explained shortly. "Library. I'll catch up with you lot at the game, okay?" And with that, she ran off to the library.
Well, we all know what comes next for poor Hermione... but things won't be playing out exactly as they did in the book, so you're in for a few exciting new treats! We've got some tender moments in the next chapter, so make sure you stay tuned, and as always, PLEASE leave a review if you're enjoying the story. Thanks for reading!
