Make Me.

Book 3 - Chapter 21

The day after Christmas Ellie spent her evening at Hagrid's hut, helping him prepare a bonfire full of salamanders so they would be ready for the first class back from break, now that the flobberworms were dead. Ellie was poking in and out of the edge of the Forbidden Forest collecting dry wood and leaves to keep their fire blazing, while the flame-loving lizards scampered up and down the crumbling, white-hot logs they were nested in. Hagrid didn't seem to be too worried about Ellie being out of the castle after dinner hours or about her going deeper and deeper into the forest, as the entire time Ellie was helping him, he was stood by Buckbeak in his pumpkin patch, cooing at him and feeding him dead ferrets.

Ellie was determined to help Buckbeak's case, and after finishing with Hagrid, she wandered towards the library to look for more dusty volumes that could help his hippogriff. Ellie was surprised to see Hermione there, without Ron and Harry by her side.

"What're you doing here?" Ellie asked lightly as a heavy volume slammed down on the table across from Hermione.

Hermione looked up at Ellie with tear-filled eyes.

"Hey -" Ellie scurried around the table and opted to sit in the seat next to Hermione rather than the one across from her. "What's happened? What's wrong?"

"It's Harry - and R-Ron," Hermione choked out through muffled sobs. She had thrown her head into Ellie's armpit, her body heaving up and down as she cried. It was a few minutes of shushing and telling Hermione that everything was okay before Ellie got a straight answer out of her.

Hermione took a deep breath in and wiped her eyes on her sleeves.

"Harry got a Firebolt for Christmas, and I thought -"

"Hold on," said Ellie, already stopping Hermione and putting a finger up in the air. "What's a Firebolt?"

"It's a broom," said Hermione. "It's supposed to be the best one you can get - the fastest broom on the market."

"Who sent Harry a Firebolt?" Ellie asked, not letting Hermione tell her story.

"That's the thing," Hermione articulated. "There was no name on it. Anyone could've sent him it! I thought it was odd - what if the person who had sent it had it out for Harry? What if Sirius Black sent it to him!?"

Ellie squinted at Hermione.

"Sirius Black has been in prison for twelve years, how's he got money for a -"

"He broke out of Azkaban and into Hogwarts! I don't think he'd be against stealing a broom from a shop," Hermione tutted.

"Fair enough," Ellie mumbled.

"What if Sirius Black got the Firebolt, jinxed it, and sent it to Harry? It would be the perfect opportunity to get Harry seriously hurt! He gets hurt during Quidditch all the time already!" Hermione cried. "That's what I thought - so - so I told Professor McGonagall. And, she agreed with me. She confiscated it. To strip it down. To make sure it's safe."

"And Harry and Ron shouted at you?" Ellie asked.

Hermione shook her head and tears began to fall down her face again. She flung herself into Ellie's jumper.

"'Mione, you were looking out for your friend. There's nothing wrong with that," Ellie cooed into her ear. Hermione's fluffy curls were getting into Ellie's nose, tickling it.

"Harry and Ron think I've committed some sort of - of c-criminal offense!" Hermione squeaked out.

"Ron thinks it a criminal offense to look at him wrong. He shouts at me all the time. He'll get over it. And Harry, Harry doesn't understand that other people have feelings too. Everything's about him and how he feels. You've done nothing wrong. I promise."