✓ Dragons #wattys2016

five

❝'What do you know about dragons?'

'They're big scaly, four-legged creatures with wings who terrorized small villages until a virgin was offered up as a sacrifice.'

He grinned again. 'I do miss the virgins'❞

-Kate MacAlister, You Slay Me

The rest of the night was spent partying and chasing Maggie around. She refused to drink any water, so when she woke up late Sunday morning she was moaning with a hangover. And so Sunday was spent in the library and the Hogwarts kitchens. They avoided the rest of the school.

"Guys be quiet," Maggie moaned slamming her head down on the table.

"We weren't even talking," Ellie sighed flipping the page of her book. At the same time Devon leaned over and said a little too loudly, "I'm sorry what did you say?"

"Shut up," Maggie mumbled in response rolling up to her feet. "I'm going to the kitchens."

They all sighed, but grabbed their stuff and headed out, following her through the twisting hallways. Ellie was trailing slightly behind the rest of them.

"Elisha!" They all stopped and turned to see Charlie Weasley bounding up the stairs. Once he reached them he began to speak again. "Hey, sorry. I've been looking for you."

"Here I am," she said with a small smile. He grinned back.

"Yeah so I see. I was just on my way to Hagrid's. Would you like to come with me?"

"Um," she looked over her shoulder at her friends. Maggie was not paying attention, Jane was giving a thumbs up, and Devon was rolling her eyes (hopefully at Maggie). "Sure, I guess. Yeah."

She waved goodbye to her friends and followed Charlie down the stairs, her book still in her arms.

"I've never been in Hagrid's," she said as they were crossing the field from the Castle to Hagrid's Hut.

"It's kinda cramped. But you know Hagrid, right?" She nodded. "Right. Of course. Um, I, uh never got an answer from you about Hogsmeade yesterday?"

He was rubbing at the back of his neck as he asked this.

"Oh yeah," Ellie said, hugging her book tight to her chest. "Yes. I'd like to go to Hogsmeade with you."

If Ellie would have looked at Charlie she would have seen him grinning. "Sweet. Cool. Brilliant."

Now she had a small grin as they walked in silence. They reached the hut and Charlie knocked on the door.

"Come in!" a gruff voice shouted and the entered. Hagrid was bent over a stove.

"Hey Hagrid," Charlie said bending down to pet a big slobbery dog who was sitting by a large couch.

"Hullo Charlie," Hagrid said standing up and turning around. His smile brightened slightly when they saw Ellie standing in the doorway. "And who's this?"

"This is Elisha Wood," Charlie said standing up and grinning. Hagrid held out an oven-mitten covered hand and she shook it.

"It's just Ellie."

"Well just Ellie, it's nice to meet you," He said gesturing to the couch. She inched past the huge dog and sat on the couch, placing her bag on the floor and her book in her lap. "Would you like some tea?"

"Yes please."

Charlie pulled out one of the chairs from the table and sat down across from her. The large dog stood up and walked over to her. She shrunk back as it place its enormous head in her lap, droll getting on her book. With a grimace she tugged it out and whipped the slobber off, placing it on the small table next to her.