The Letter
The day her letter came, Marie-Gabrielle "Ella" Asplund was having lunch at the Burrow.
The hot July sun was streaming through the open windows and the sky was a clear, cloudless blue. The twins and Bill were competing to see who could filch the most strawberries from the bowl in the center of the table without being caught by their mother. Percy looked up from the book he had smuggled under the tablecloth and eyed the decreasing pile of fruits suspiciously. He caught Ella's eye, and they grinned at each other. Eight-year-old Ginny pulled Ella's sleeve to catch her attention. "Are we going to your house after lunch?" asked the little redhead. Ella ruffled her friend's hair. "Maybe we are. Or we could go strawberry-picking again if you like." Charlie leaned discreetly over the table towards them. "You might need to." he said, nodding at the now nearly empty bowl. Following their gaze, Mrs. Weasley swelled ominously. "Boys - " she began.
A scratching sound from the windowsill interrupted her and made them all jump. A quartet of tawny owls, one of which was carrying two letters, had just landed in various positions around the window. The largest one gave a polite sort of hoot to Errol, who ruffled his feathers sleepily. "Those must be your Hogwarts letters." said Mrs. Weasley, collecting them. "Yours is here too, deary," she added to Ella, handing it to her. Ella thanked Mrs. Weasley politely, feeling a tremor of excitement as she opened her letter. It was identical to Fred and George's, who were also starting that year, except for the name. It felt odd to receive such a formal letter, and odder still to be referred to as "Ms. Asplund", but it was also a very pleasant sensation. Ella allowed herself a small smile as she scanned the supply list, which she had first read (or rather, struggled to read) at the age of three, when Bill had gotten his first letter.
"I wonder who the Defense teacher is this year." Percy murmured. Ella looked up in surprise. "You mean we get different ones each year?" she asked, dismayed. Percy nodded glumly. "It's been terribly inconsistent, and I've had to work a lot independently to make up for it." he said. "Not that anyone else does." he added in an undertone. Ella grinned. "I will. I'd hate to fall behind." she told him earnestly. Percy scoffed. "You've been perusing all of Bill's old textbooks since you were old enough to read. Take my word for it, you'll have top grades." Ella felt her cheeks become very warm and hoped against hope that she wasn't blushing. "Tell me more about the Hogwarts staff." she said, in a brusque attempt to change the subject. Percy furrowed his brows. "You never told me why we get a new Defense teacher each year." she prompted. Bill spoke from behind them, startling Ella. "The job's cursed." he said, brushing his hair out of his face. "Rubbish." scoffed Fred - or was it George? No, it was Fred, Ella decided - with a scornful expression on his face. "How could it be?" asked George, looking equally skeptical, though Ella thought he seemed a little less convinced.
By now the whole family was listening to their conversation, even Ron seemed interested. Bill turned to his father. "Dad, how many teachers have been employed at Hogwarts for the DADA post?". Arthur Weasley chuckled, rubbing his nose as he thought about it. "I'm not sure, but none of them lasts any longer than the school year." Ella thought about it for a moment. "They are good, though?" she asked uncertainly. The Weasley parents exchanged a glance. "Well… For the most part." said Molly, looking suspiciously like she was trying to hide a smile. "Anyways," she continued, changing the subject, "do you think you could meet us in Diagon Alley tomorrow?" Ella nodded. "I'm sure my parents could drop me off there on their way to work." Ella's mother was a Romanian-Canadian muggle engineer, and her father was a Swedish wizard who worked at the Department of International Magical Cooperation. They had been neighbours and close friends with the Weasley family for as long as Ella could remember.
A/N:
Hello, I'm Elle and in case you haven't figured it out, I am the co-author of this story and Ella is based on me and I am the writer for all of Ella's POVs. I'm sorry for this short and abrupt AN, but I am very tired.
Bye
-E