If I May Be So Bold (A Harry Potter Universe Fanfiction)

22.

November 2034

ELLA

Thursdays were Ella's patrol night. Each of the prefects had a night where they were required to spend two hours patrolling certain parts of the castle. It started after dinner and went right up to curfew, when they were all meant to be back in their common rooms. Near the end of the shift, they were supposed to make sure anyone still out and about after nine thirty was headed back, and then they had to check-in with the professor on duty that night and let them know which students they'd seen still up at their last check.

It felt like a big waste of time to Ella. She usually just brought her homework with and found various benches and alcoves to sit in and get something done. Then every twenty minutes or so, she would wander a little ways further and change locations so it would look like she was actually pacing around looking for trouble.

She'd have felt bad about this, but the Head Boy and Girl had told them at their first meeting on the train that it was what everyone did.

Ella was typically assigned to patrol the corridors near all the main classrooms, and that was where she was tonight. She'd sat in her dad's room with the door open so she could hear any commotion for a while, but she'd wandered out when she finished her astronomy assignment and now found herself near the staircase that led to the choir room.

It was faint, but music echoed down the stairs: a violin.

Ella's heart sped up. She glanced up and down the hall and then started to climb the stairs, careful to keep her footsteps quiet. She was positive it was Logan, but if it wasn't, she wanted to be able to sneak back away unseen.

It wasn't time to send anyone back to their dorms yet.

The song became clearer as she walked up, and she knew it was him. It was her song.

At the last curve of the staircase, she tried to step a little louder so she wouldn't startle him. Luckily, he stopped playing just as she reached the top and he glanced out the door, spotting her.

"Ella," he said, looking surprised but pleased.

"Hi," she said. She stood inside the doorway. It was the best time of night to be in here. The sun was setting and light flooded in through the stained glass. Patterns of red, blue, green, and purple dotted the floor like they were standing inside a kaleidoscope.

"What brings you up here?"

"Prefect duties," she said with a shrug.

"Oh," he glanced at the clock. "Are you kicking me out?"

She shook her head. "No, you've still got an hour. I just heard you playing."

"Ah," he said, nodding seriously. "And you had to investigate what all that racket was."

Ella smiled. "It sounds good."

He glanced down at his violin like he was surprised to hear that. "Thanks," he said. "I've been practicing every night." He paused then added. "You can come in, you know. You don't have to stand in the doorway. Unless you have to get back to prefect stuff..."

Ella shook her head. "It's pointless."

She stepped into the room.

"You wanna hear it for real? See if you think it's improving?"

"Okay," she agreed.

Logan set his violin down and pulled up a chair for her. "My first official audience," he said. "Since I was ten anyway. That was the last time I played in a recital."