Stay with Me | Hermione Granger x Female OC (Book 4)

Theory

After breakfast, the the quartet and Luna sat at the table, all eager to listen to Ellie's escape from the manor. Having been the first real meal Ellie had eaten in weeks, the Hufflepuff gratefully scraped her plate, though it seemed to be a competition between her and Ron.

They had cleaned up rather quickly, leaving Bill and Fleur with appreciative hearts as they returned back to their room, giving the group privacy.

Luna suddenly stood up from the table, patting down her clothing as she headed for the door.

"Where are you going?" Ellie questioned with a raised eyebrow.

"Paying my respects, of course," Luna chirped as she began to skip out of the door, not waiting for a response from the Hufflepuff.

"She does that every morning, right after breakfast," Ron explained.

"Who is she paying respects to?" Ellie questioned once more.

Ron, Hermione, and Harry fell quiet as they looked to each other with solemn faces.

"Dobby," Harry answered with a sigh, a seemingly heavy weight falling upon his shoulders.

"Oh, I'm so sorry," Ellie quickly apologized, looking to Harry as he avoided eye contact.

"He saved us, Ellie. He died with honor. That's all that matters," Harry finalized as attempted to brush away the conversation.

Hermione placed a hand on Ellie's thigh under the table, caressing it slowly with her thumb. Ellie brought her hand below, lacing their fingers together to rest on her lap.

"So, how did you escape from the manor? I mean, you've got to tell us all of it. Not many come out of there the same," Ron started, bringing the conversation into light once more.

Ellie exhaled with a sigh, squeezing her girlfriend's hand in preparation.

"I met my father," Ellie responded, wincing at the mere thought of him. "He's exactly what I expected him to be. A coward, that he is."

"I thought he died," Harry incited, leaning forward on the table with interest.

"I thought he did too," Ellie spat in disgust at the events replaying in her head. "Besides, he wasn't the reason I escaped."

Ellie turned to Hermione, a small smile presenting itself on her lips.

"Thank you, love. For sending that letter to Draco, of course."

"What letter?" Hermione blurted with a clear expression of confusion.

"W-What do you mean 'what letter'? You sent him a letter of your whereabouts, remember?"

Ron and Harry shared similar looks of bewilderment as they listened intently.

"I never wrote to Draco," Hermione claimed.

"Well, that's not what Narcissa said. She helped me escape. Told me she intercepted a letter meant for Draco," Ellie explained. "It doesn't make sense why she'd lie. Or how she knew where you were."

"That's odd," Ron commented with a muffled voice, though his mouth was full with the leftover muffins.

Harry, Ellie, and Hermione looked at him with identical frowns, clearly displeased with his actions.

"What?" Ron shrugged his shoulders.

"Ron, did you not just eat breakfast?" Harry acknowledged.

Ron merely shrugged once more, stuffing the last bit of the muffin in his mouth. The group rolled their eyes, brushing away Ron's inattentiveness.