WARNING: UNDER REWRITING AND HEAVY EDITING
Read at your own risk!
Life started off complicated for young Eleanor Ross after being born to a muggle mother while showing her magical capabilities at an early age. Growing up in a household where her mot...
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Under normal circumstances, Eleanor would have been thrilled at the idea of her mother accepting the Diggory family invitation to spend the holidays together. In fact, it was something she had longed to hear since she was a little girl, just having her mother make the effort to understand part of who she was. However, while Cedric and Marnie rejoiced in the progress Margaret was making, Eleanor found herself to be wary of the whole thing. The last thing she wanted was for her mother to make a scene in front of her friends and their families.
Margaret had made it very clear over the years that she did not approve of witchcraft and her love for Eleanor was only great enough to tolerate it but still express fear. She hoped with Marnie's parents, who came from muggle families, would be able to relax her nerves a bit more, but that was asking for a lot.
But there was some light at the end of the tunnel as Professor Lupin returned to his classes, meaning the students didn't have to suffer under him Potions and Defence Against the Dark Arts. Eleanor was pleased to see his return but suddenly felt awkward in his presence, remembering the last conversation that had taken place. She was still trying to make sense of what was taking place between her and the Weasley twins, but she felt like her explanation of the entire thing had left her with an odd reputation in Professor Lupin's eyes.
The way he looked at her during the class made her feel like an idiot, even if it wasn't his intention. She wished she had never opened her mouth because while she knew she was probably overreacting in her mind, she still felt like a git.
At one point, at the end of one of the classes, Eleanor assumed he was about to approach her as she was gathering her belongings, but one of her peers stopped to ask him a question. It was enough that she was able to make a quick escape, disappearing among the heads of her classmates in the corridors.
However, Professor Lupin aside, it was announced that the last weekend before the holidays, there was a scheduled Hogsmeade trip. Eleanor was thrilled at the idea of being able to finish up some Christmas shopping, getting a couple of sweets for her mother, while figuring out what exactly to get Marnie and Cedric. She was hoping to come up with an excuse so that she didn't have Cedric and Marnie in her company, wanting to actually surprise them with her gifts.
And it turned out, fate had a better plan for her.
Cedric announced that Cho had asked him to spend the day with her in Hogsmeade and unfortunately, Marnie had drawn the short straw, ending up with getting sick as her excuse as to why she could not go.
"Marnie, I don't know why you insist on torturing yourself," Eleanor told her the very morning of the Hogsmeade trip, "rather than sitting there, sniffling like mad and coughing up a lung, you could go to Madam Pomfrey and she would give you something to get over that cold of yours."
