𝖮 𝗂𝗌 𝖿𝗈𝗋 𝖮𝖻𝗌𝖾𝗌𝗌𝗂𝗈𝗇 ʰʲᵖ

• ℭ𝔥𝔞𝔭𝔱𝔢𝔯 𝔗𝔴𝔢𝔫𝔱𝔶 𝔗𝔥𝔯𝔢𝔢 : ℑ𝔫𝔱𝔯𝔦𝔠𝔞𝔠𝔶 •

• Chapter Twenty Three : Intricacy •

[••• ––– •••]

Elaine was never the girl who backed out in a fight or in a war. Despite the embarrassment, she remained still and determined — which unfortunately caused a lot of raised eyebrows and sharp glares.

She knew to herself that fighting (Y/N) was never good as the Heather girl was known to be one of the best witches that took Hogwarts as a magic school. But, she also knew to herself that fighting for Harry will always be worth it. And so, she never gave up.

Once she began, she could never end.

Her dark brown eyes scanned through the crowd of people eating and chatting inside the Great Hall for a very long time — hoping to see Harry. Her eyes lit up once she caught a very timid-looking raven-haired boy at the Gryffindor table.

She wadded her way towards the group on the Gryffindor table, eventually catching sight of Pansy's glare and Ginny's whisper to (Y/N), yet she didn't give a fuck about it.

Elaine sat down on the empty seat beside Harry (only because (Y/N) was forcefully sat between Draco and Hermione) and innocently grabbed a few of her breakfasts.

Once she looked up, she met gazes with Draco Malfoy who could literally be killing at that moment if it hadn't been at the foot that was smashing his shoes. Groaning, he looked away and stared at (Y/N) while whispering something — which caused the Heather girl to chuckle.

Elaine thought that Draco was insulting her and (Y/N) went along with it — she scoffed and rolled her eyes.

"She has the audacity?" Elaine heard Ginny say.

"Yes? You were saying something?" Elaine said sharply.

Ginny didn't respond immediately as she got a little surprised at how Elaine replied. As she was about to say something, (Y/N) beat her into it.

"She wondered if you had the audacity." she said calmly.

"And what does that mean?"

"What do you think that means?" (Y/N) asked, looking up to meet gazes with her. "You aren't stupid."

Elaine's heart swelled for a moment. She was flabbergasted to hear that from (Y/N), one whom she was trying to compete with, one whom she wanted to be down beneath her.

"You know, I wondered so many times what was wrong with you that you can clearly smash me literally and anytime you liked just to get what you want..." (Y/N) continued, shrugging. "... but, to be honest, I don't see any threat."

It wasn't an insult — everyone in the group knew that. (Y/N) barely could let out a direct insult even in a life-and-death situation. Draco even had an impressed huff after she said that. Pansy, who had the foulest mouth, was smiling so proudly as though she had just taught her daughter to say 'fuck you'. Harry looked a little more satisfied at (Y/N)'s comeback than he had ever felt.

Elaine, however, thought and felt that it was an insult.

"Excuse me?" said Elaine, her eyebrows raised.

"You're excused." (Y/N) shrugged once more, then tilted her head. "You always have been."

She looked down at her plate, dismissing Elaine's further retorts. The Aurelio girl scoffed, and turned, pale-faced in irritation, to Harry, who was — to add her annoyance — smiling towards (Y/N)'s direction.

It would have been painful to watch, but Elaine forced herself not to react to it.

(Y/N) stared at how Elaine moved while Harry was sitting there. She couldn't understand what she was feeling. Her heart was sinking into the bottom of her stomach, then being crushed afterward. It was a horrible jolt that compelled her to glance down once more.