ADDICTED | j.p x oc

38

As expected, the sleeping draught worked wonders for Eleanor's sleep as she slept peacefully through the night and into the next morning. James had decided not to wake her as he knew she needed the extra sleep, so he put the kettle on and waited patiently for her in the common room.

When El finally woke, she was pleased to see that the dark circles under her eyes had disappeared and that she didn't wake up screaming or sweating.

She walked out to the common room and was surprised to see not one, but two people sitting on the couch. James, sitting with his back to El, and witch with red hair and hufflepuff robes sitting opposite him.

"El! You're actually the person i came to talk to."

El recognised her instantly as the girl Rosier was found with the night before. Her and James both stood up from the sofa and walked over to El.

"Why?" El said coldly.

"I'm Morgan, by the way, Morgan Fenwick" she held out a hand as she introduced herself.

"That's nice." El folded her arms over her chest, ignoring James' disapproving gaze at her blunt behaviour. "Why are you here?"

"I wanted to see you before the easter holidays. I'm sorry about what happened to your mother," Morgan said, appearing unbothered by El's lack of basic manners.

"How do you know about that?" El's stance seemed defensive, surprised at how much this girl knew about her when El had only just learnt her name.

Morgan shrugged, "Word gets around, she knew my father."

"Poor him," El muttered.

"I was told you're in the order, i'm joining, so is my brother, that's actually why i came. Dumbledore said we'll be partners for our missions when we get out of Hogwarts. I know you'd rather go with James, but couples aren't allowed to be paired together—Moody's orders." Morgan explained, gesturing to James when she mentioned him.

"He's not my boyfriend," interjected El, "And anyway, if you're joining the order why were you shagging Rosier in a broom cupboard last night? He's friends with Snape, that's not a good sign." she raised an eyebrow in expectation of an answer, her mind going back to the conversation she'd overheard in The Three Broomsticks.

"It's no worse than shagging him in the quidditch changing rooms," Morgan mirrored El's body language in attempt to look as intimidating as the Slytherin.

El could see James' body go tense at the mention of El and Evan earlier on in the year, clearly not pleased to be reminded of it.

"Besides, Evan hasn't even got the mark yet," the Hufflepuff stated casually.

"Yet?!" James shouted, "I knew i was right to not trust him!"

"Bambi, you didn't like him for a different reason," El sent James a glare, then turned her attention back to Morgan. "So you joined the order but have a death eater boyfriend? Not very Hufflepuff of you."

"He's not a death eater!" Morgan began to raise her voice.

"Yet!" James repeated.

"And he's not my boyfriend."

"Oh well that makes everything better!" El shouted, her sarcasm void of any humour.

"I came here to tell you we would be working together, not to talk about Evan." Morgan said, far more calmly than before. She turned to leave, "Have a good easter break." she muttered as she left.

There was a few moments of silence, neither James nor El knowing what to talk about first.

"What did she say her last name was?" El asked, curiosity evident on her face as her eyebrows were furrowed into a concentrated frown.