Make Me.

Book 1 - Chapter 12

With the start of November came frigid temperatures, icy gray skys, and howling winds sweeping across the school grounds from the Black Lake through the warm bodies of students who called Hogwarts their home for 10 months out of the year. The ground was covered in frost every morning and was aptly decorated with Hagrid dressed in furs, defrosting doorknobs of the castle and broomsticks out on the pitch, for the start of November marked the start of Quidditch season. 

The first week of November, Ellie felt particularly alone. Hermione's newfound friendship with Harry and Ron, who Ellie was still holding a tight grudge against, left her trying to split time between her friends. As the Gryffindor boys were closer in proximity, Ellie felt herself being left behind as Hermione and Ron began prepping Harry for his first Quidditch season as Seeker on the Gryffindor Quidditch Team. 

As Ellie wanted nothing to do with either Harry or Ron after the events that unfolded on Halloween, she therefore was not planning on being a supporter at Harry's first Quidditch match and quite frankly, wanted nothing to do with it. The first Quiddtich match of the season was to happen on Saturday, between Gryffindor and Slytherin. As of that Friday, Ellie had planned to sleep in the next day, maybe explore the castle, maybe go to the library, she wasn't sure, but she was sure she wasn't walking out to the Quidditch pitch in the frozen November sunshine. 

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As Satudray morning arrived, Ellie's first activity for the day, sleeping in, seemed an inconceivable idea. Even in the first year Slytherin girl's dormitory, the air was positively buzzing with energy and excitement for the day's match. 

Ellie groaned in annoyance as she dragged herself up and out of bed, leaving the warm, soft blankets behind, wondering how anyone would want to get up at the crack of dawn, leave the castle, and sit out in the freezing cold air for an undetermined and possibly un-ending amount of time. She pulled on a jumper as she brushed her teeth, but the sour taste of discontent lingered as her feet took her up the dungeon stairs and into the Great Hall. 

Ellie walked on her usual path, leading to the one seat at the Gryffindor table that was always occupied by a Slytherin, opposite of Hermione and diagonal to Neville. However, on this particular Saturday morning, her two friends were not in their regular seats. She paused, standing in the middle of the Hall, assessing the situation. Another groan of annoyance escaped her lips as her feet began to move again. 

As Ellie took her seat, Hermione now seated on her right and Neville on her left, she stared at the boy who was seated opposite of her. It was silent for a moment as the apathetic look on Ellie's face was read by the seat's occupant. However, quickly the silence was broken when a small huff escaped her nose as she turned her head to look at the occupant of the seat next to the one opposite her, to her diagonal, across from Hermione. Ellie's apathy quickly contorted into antipathy, and the feeling seemed to be mutual. 

The four students sat there, accompanied by Neville Longbottom, unaware that this would be the first of many vehement conversations that would take place between them all. 

The first words came from Hermione. 

"Oh, Come on! You can't hold a grudge forever!" Hermione nudged Ellie in the side and motioned to Ron, the pair of them still holding each other's eye contact fervently. 

"Are you sure about that Hermione?" replied Ellie, her face hardening. She turned her gaze from the red-head to her best friend. "Because I'm pretty sure that wouldn't be too hard."

Hermione huffed. Stubbornness seemed to be a quality each of the four of them possessed and a quality that would cause many of their arguments. 

"I can forgive him." Ellie motioned to Harry, sat across from her looking slightly green. Whether it was caused by the unfavorable conversation or the imminent Quidditch match, she did not know. "But I would rather spend every meal sitting with Malfoy at the Slytherin table than forgive that toerag." Ellie motioned to Ron, not looking at him, but making sure the others knew how much she did not want to be near him.