Make Me.

Book 2 - Chapter 3

Thankfully, the not so gracious visit from Dobby the House-Elf hadn't thrown that big a wrench in Ellie's plans of returning to Hogwarts. After the elf had left, Ellie had spent the next thirty minutes explaining to her father why he had walked in on her danging a house-elf from it's ankles in the middle of the night. However, it was quite late by the time the whole ordeal had ended and Remus was half asleep during the conversation. Ellie was pretty sure that her father had dismissed the story as a figment of his imagination, simply, an odd dream that his worried mind had conjured up after deciding to let his daughter return to school against his best judgment. 

By the time Ellie's school letter had arrived, Remus had completely dismissed the memory of the small house-elf sitting in his arms, clinging to his shirt. 

"Your letter from school, darling," said Remus as he ducked his head into the open doorway of his daughter's room. 

Ellie was sat at her desk, scribbling something onto a loose piece of parchment but quickly turned in her seat at the announcement of his presence. Remus was holding a thick yellowed envelope with green curly writing inked on the front, just as he had done a year previously. A smile spread across the girl's face as he walked over and dropped it onto the desk. 

Ellie quickly tore the letter open. Her eyes skimmed over all the announcements, looking for her second-year school list. Her eyes stopped on the paper that read: Second-Year Students Will Require. 

Remus had already crossed back across the room and was halfway through the doorway when Ellie's voice caught him. 

"The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 2 by Miranda Goshawk. Break with a Banshee by Gildeory Lockhart. Gadding with Ghouls by Gildeory Lockhart. Holidays with Hags by Gildeory Lockhart." 

Remus had stepped back into the room to listen to the rest of the list. Ellie's voice was becoming more and more sarcastic sounding with each book she listed off and she was putting an ever growing dramatic pause before reading the author of each book. 

"Travels with Trolls by Gildeory Lockhart." Ellie lifted her eyebrows before reading the next one. "Voyages with Vampires by Gildeory Lockhart." She slightly nodded her head, licked her lips, and looked straight at her father before reading the next. "Wanderings with Werewolves by Gildeory Lockhart." 

Remus chucked at the girl. 

"And, last but not least, Year with the Yeti. Can you guess who it's by?" Ellie tilted her head up at her father. "Gildeory Lockhart," she whispered, earning another chuckle from him. "Well I guess we know who is replacing Professor Quirrell, then, hm?" 

"At least he seems qualified to be teaching?" Remus choked out between giggles. 

"Right," said Ellie, shooting her father a sarcastic look. 

"Hey. You're the one who wanted to go back," said Remus with the wave of a hand before leaving the room. 

~~~

With a crack, Remus and Ellie had landed in a small yard next to a tumbledown garage. The pair looked around at the sights in front of them. Remus was standing with one hand in his slacks pocket, the other gripping the handle of a tattered briefcase, looking quite pleased, a faint smile on his face. 

"Uhm," was all Ellie could say as she looked around at her surroundings, adjusting the bag on her shoulder. 

In front of her was what looked like an large, old stone pigpen but behind it were a bunch of extra rooms. They looked like they had been added here and there. The house, Ellie was unsure to call it that, was several stories high and was so very crooked. Ellie was sure Muggle architecture had not been taken into account when building the thing and it was purely being held together by magic. The red roof had four or five chimneys perched precariously upon it. A lopsided sign was stuck in the ground near the entrance to the house that read: The Burrow. By the front door sat a jumble of dirty rubber boots and a very rusty cauldron.