Chapter 5

Elora was grateful she was able to convince Granny to always be the one to bring her to the park when Tom would be there. Her parents were still suspicious of her, but they never had any proof. Occasionally, they would threaten or punish her for her insubordination, but other than that, they left the issue alone.

Elora was glad. She loved spending time with Tom. She had never had a friend stick around for so long. Maybe it was because he was in a similar situation. He had a similar life as her own, and he could understand what she was going through. He was not big on words, but he was always there to be with her when she needed him. Plus, he enjoyed her stories and took part in her games. And she would already have a friend when she finally got to go to Hogwarts. What more could she ask for?

The new school year soon approached. Elora would be left alone with her parents again. The situation was not as bad as she had initially thought it would be because she now had Tom. Still, she felt a sort of longing as the family got ready for her siblings' departure.

Elora stood outside Emile's door, silently observing her pack. After awhile, Elora spoke up, "Emile, what's it like to be in Slytherin?" That was where her sister had been sorted the previous year.

"It's fantastic, of course," Emile said with an air of superiority. Her reddish-brown screech owl chirped from his cage. The girl walked over to him, pulled out a treat, and held it out to the bird. When she was finished, she turned to look at her little sister with a slight frown. "Don't bet on getting in, though. You're not well-suited for Slytherin."

Elora's face fell at these words. This was not what she wanted to hear. She hesitated as she tried to formulate another question. "What about Ravenclaw?"

"Ravenclaw?" Braeden piped up as he happened to be walking by. He stopped and turned to face his sisters. "Ravenclaw is for those who have gifted intellects."

"Slytherins are smart too," Emile said quickly. "Just in a more practical way."

Braeden nodded. "That's a good way to put it. Ravenclaw is more focused on books. And we have clever minds." He smirked, seeming pleased about something.

"Could I get into there?" Elora asked. She was not sure about Slytherin, but Ravenclaw seemed pretty good. That was her Granny's house! Wouldn't it be wonderful if they could share that as well?

Braeden looked at her with uncertainty in his eyes. "I don't know. I'm not sure you've got what it takes."

"Don't worry," Emile said in a condescending tone, "I'm sure Hufflepuff or Gryffindor would pick you up."

Braeden smiled wickedly. "I would love to see what Mum and Dad do if that happens."

A look of horror crossed Elora's face. She knew they were right about their parents. She could not allow this to happen. She did not need to give her parents any more reason to hate her. But could she really change who she was?

"You mean when," Emile said. She and Braeden broke out laughing.

Elora felt her face heat up as she left them. Talking to them had not been a good idea at all. Maybe she needed a second opinion.

Once again, Elora was not allowed to see off her siblings at King's Cross, which was another place she had never been. She was fine with it, though, because she got to visit Granny. Her parents were quick in dropping her off; they did not even take time to say hello. Elora briefly wondered what Granny had done to offend them.

After being treated to milk and cookies, Elora sat down next to Granny on the couch in the petite living room, which was decorated with blue and bronze. "Granny," she said, "which house do you think I'm going to be in when I go to Hogwarts?"

"I do not know, dear," Granny said. "It's not for a long time."

Elora let out a short sigh. "I know. I just…" She bit her lip as she thought about what to say. She knew she could trust her Granny. "I'm afraid. What if I don't get into a good one? What if I'm not good enough?"

Granny chuckled lightly. "You worry too much, Elora. All four of the houses are fine. They cannot be divided into good and bad. Besides, all of us have a little of the traits of each of them in us."

Elora's eyes widened in wonder as she looked up at her. This was not something she had ever heard before. Could it be true? "Even me?"

Granny smiled. "Yes, even you, shining light. Do you want me to show you?"

Elora nodded. If she could possibly be put in any house, then she was going to be fine!

"Alright. Let's see…" A thoughtful expression crossed Granny's face. When Elora snuggled into her side, Granny lifted her arm and put it around the girl, who smiled up at her. "You're kind, caring, and loyal like a Hufflepuff. Wouldn't you say so?"

"Yes," Elora said. These were some traits she had already noticed in herself, and it was one of the reasons she feared being put into that house.

Granny smiled. "Good. Your sense of daring and adventure is just like a Gryffindor."

"Adventures are fun," Elora said with a grin. This, too, she had already known. Was Gryffindor where she would be sorted?

"I'm sure you have the potential for great courage as well," Granny said. She paused. "As for the other two… I see aspects of Ravenclaw in you as well. You're much more intelligent than your parents give you credit for. You have a love of learning, and you seek knowledge and truth, which is why you're constantly in combat with your parents. You're very unique and original as well."

Elora's eyes had grown wide again as she listened to her speak. "Do I really have so many of those traits?" she nearly whispered. She could not believe it; all this time she thought there was no chance she would get into Ravenclaw. But now… Everything seemed to change.

Granny smiled warmly at her. "Of course. You remind me much of myself when I was your age. I think you have a good chance of being sorted into Ravenclaw, but it would be fine if you were put into any of the others. The important thing is to focus on the good qualities of your house. Be proud of wherever you are sorted."

A slight smile formed on Elora's face. She was feeling much better now. She had been too worried about what her parents thought and wanted. It did not seem like anything she did could please them, so why not go after what she wanted? There was one last piece of information missing, though. "What about Slytherin? Do I have any of those traits?"

Granny instantly smiled. "You know how you're determined to be friends with that boy Tom no matter what anyone says?"

"Yes," Elora said, not quite understanding.

"That determination and perseverance is exactly like a Slytherin," Granny said.

Elora brightened. "Oh!" She smiled, pleased that her Granny had shown she was right. Maybe everyone did have some traits of all the houses after all. "Thank you."

"Of course, dear."

"I wonder where Tom will be sorted," Elora said, thinking out loud.

Granny smiled. "Can you assess his traits?"

Elora thought about it for a minute, but it made her brain hurt. She shrugged. "Not Gryffindor or Hufflepuff, I don't think. Probably Ravenclaw or Slytherin." She was sure he did have traits of the other two houses; she just did not recognize them yet. She hoped they would be in the same house. It would be just great if they had all of their classes together.

"I'm sure he'll be fine wherever he is place," Granny said. "Just like you."

Elora smiled. "I can't wait." Why was the date not coming any sooner?

The days were growing colder. Elora bundled up in a neon yellow coat and matching hat as she made her way outside. She wanted to go out and explore the world! There was so much to do and see; she wanted to take in as much information as possible. She was grateful that her parents let her roam the streets of the mostly-wizarding neighborhood.

She noticed and interesting-looking rock on the road and had just bent down to inspect it when she heard a condescending female voice say, "What are you wearing?"

Elora stood up to come face-to-face with the speaker, Laurie, who was her long-time nemesis. Her squad was there as well. There was Jean, Marjorie, and Mildred. They were witches of the neighborhood, and they were constantly harassing Elora. She did not know why they could not just leave her alone. "They're pretty," she said in defense of her jacket and hat. She liked neon. It made her stick out.

Laurie snorted. "It's blinding us."

"Yeah," Marjorie said, sticking her nose in the air. "Besides, it's atrocious."

Elora's face fell. She knew she should not care about their opinion, but it still hurt. "I like it," she mumbled.

"Get out of our way," said Jena. "We've got somewhere to be."

"Where are you going?" Elora asked, unable to help her curiosity. She knew these girls always did exciting things.

"There's a giant oak tree with hole that has been enchanted with magic to become larger," Laurie said as she puffed out her chest. "We're going to check it out. Maybe we'll get our names in the paper."

"I'm sure we're going to learn a lot," Mildred said, her eyes bright and animated.

Elora thought it sounded pretty interesting as well. "Can I come with you?" she asked hopefully. She gave them her best smile in an attempt to convince them.

"In that?" Jean sneered.

Elora frowned. "I can take it off. I can change into something else."

"No," Laurie said, taking a firm step forward. "You're not invited."

"We wouldn't want you with us if our lives depended on it," Marjorie said haughtily.

"Go play with your imaginary friend," Laurie said as she led the group forward.

Elora felt crushed by the harsh treatment, and she was at a loss for words. Mildred and Marjorie passed her on either side roughly shoving her as they did so. Elora shut her eyes tightly to keep the tears from falling down. Only when she was certain the girls were gone did she open them again.

It was a beautiful afternoon the first Saturday of May. The sun warmed up Elora's skin and made her feel happy and content. This was going to be a good day; she could just feel it. Looking up at the sky, she could not see a single cloud. This was just how she liked it. She was not fond of winter; it was too dark and cold. She was excited that summer, her favorite season, was fast approaching. In the summer, she could escape her family much more often due to the nice weather.

Elora hugged her Granny before skipping off to find Tom. This day, she had not brought any items to use for her games. Recently, she had found her imagination to be enough to crowd out the need for props.

She could see the orphanage children on the playground, so she knew he must be there. Looking around their usually spot, however, she could not find him. She frowned as she wondered what had gone wrong. She jumped up in fright when she felt a tap on her shoulder.

She spun around to find Tom standing there with an amused expression on his face. "Oh, hi," she said.

Tom smirked. "Hi." He pulled his arm out from behind his back to reveal a handful of daisies. He held them out to her. "Happy birthday, Elora."

It was not her birthday until a couple of weeks, but she knew what he meant. She gasped in delight as she accepted the daisies. "Thank you, Tom!" She pulled him into a hug, smiling when he hugged her back. It felt so good to be around him. Her parents did celebrate her birthday. They gave her expensive gifts and had an elegant meal with delicious deserts, but it lacked the caring that was in Tom's actions.

Elora wanted to show him how much she appreciated his friendship. She could use words, but she thought actions would be better. Besides, she was feeling a bit impulsive. As she pulled away from him, she kissed him on the cheek.

Tom's eyes lit up in surprise, but then a small smile formed on his face, making her happy. "Do you want to go play on the jungle gym?" he asked.

"Ok!" she said brightly. She glanced down at the flowers in her hand. "I'll just go give these to Granny."

A little while later, Elora and Tom were lying in the grass side-by-side. Elora had her eyes shut because it hurt to have the sun shine on them. She did not even mind the silence between her and her friend. She was perfectly content where she was. Like she had anticipated, the day had been perfect. The only bad part would be when she had to leave. Still, every day that went by was one more day closer to Hogwarts.

"Tom," Elora said, "can we get married someday?" Maybe it was too early to be thinking about it but she did not want to be apart from him ever. It hurt too much to be away from him most days of the month.

"Of course," Tom said in a matter-of-fact tone. "I would not think about marrying anyone else."

Elora smiled at his answer. It made her feel warm inside. "Good." She sat up in the grass and turned to look at him. He seemed very peaceful as well. "Tom, you're the best friend I have ever had." Well, he was her only true friend, but that was beside the point.

Tom sat up as well. They were very close to each other, and Elora could see the dark brown of his eyes that usually appeared black. "You're my best friend too," he said.

Elora smiled again. "Promise me we'll be friends forever."

Tom gazed at her with a look that was hard to read, but she had a feeling that it meant he cared deeply about her. "I promise," he said firmly. "But I will promise more." He took both of her hands in his.

She was startled by action, for it was unusual of him. It felt good, though. She found herself unable to look away from his eyes.

"I promise to make a better life for you," Tom said. His tone was resolute. He meant what he was saying. "I promise to take you away from anyone who would hurt you. I will make sure you are safe. And I promise we will live a good life together."

Elora could not comprehend everything he was saying, but it sounded pretty good to her. It was everything she wanted, and she knew the two of them could make it come true. He had promised.