Elizabeth Lily Potter (A HP fan-fiction)(Book 1)

Chapter 16~~ Back to School

I chew anxiously on the inside of my cheek, pushing my trolley slowly in front of me.

"Would you stop that, it's making me nervous," Harry hisses.

"Sorry," I stop and pick up my trunk, rolling it towards the train. Immediately, my finger flies to my face and I bit on my nails. I hear him sigh and send him an apologetic look, climbing onto the train and dragging my luggage behind me, looking for an empty carriage. Harry and I got here fairly early to avoid any prying eyes or reporters. I spot a carriage a couple of doors away and my face lights up with delight. My feet seem to move of their own accord, taking me closer and closer to it. A door swings open on my left and an irritated breath of air leaves my mouth unwillingly.

"Well, well, well. Look what we have here, girls." Jemima's shrilly voice rings in my ear, making me groan internally.

"You know, I'd love to insult you right now," I retort, levelling her glare. "But Mother Nature did a pretty good job herself." I push past her and slam my compartment door shut. Heaving my trunk onto the overhead railing, I sit down and stare out of the window, waiting for someone I know to get on. The door slides open and I sigh, mentally preparing for another of Jemima's bad insults.

"Hey," Ginny whispers.

"Hi!" I smile brightly, relieved it wasn't anyone else.

"You look really tired." She remarks.

"Well, yeah. I was just looking for anyone I know. Not that no-one knows me. I get stared at all the time now. Most people look at me and my brother like we're heroes as if they've forgotten my family literally died protecting us. I've gradually got used to it, though sometimes people can be really nosy and just keep looking, which annoys Harry." She sits opposite me and I fight back a yawn.

"Did you get any sleep last night?" She laughs. I shake my head.

"Too excited." She rolls her eyes.

"Sleep," She chides me. "I'll be fine." She pulls a book out of her trunk. I shake my head.

"I'm okay." I yank a book out from deep inside my bag on the overhead railing, standing on the seat. The train jerks forwards and I fall of the cushioned chair onto the hard floor. "Oompf." Pain shoots up my back. I look at the ceiling of the carriage and start laughing. Ginny joins in and soon we're just a pair of girls laughing on a train. After five solid minutes of giggles, they subside into chuckles and I look out the window, surprised to see the snow-white fields and countryside already.

"We should probably get dressed." Ginny wipes some tears out of her eyes. I nod, standing and grabbing my uniform. Ginny pulls the blinds down and I change quickly into my palid grey skirt accompanied by grey tights, my Gryffindor tie and a plain white blouse. I throw my robes onto the seat and turn to find Ginny struggling to tie her tie. I move over and help her.

"I went through a phase where I didn't want to wear dresses, so Dad taught me ties. I stood out a lot in the crowd, not that we ever went out. My parents were adamant about not letting us, me particularly, be seen in public. Now I know why." I explain, tugging the tie taunt. "There," I snatch my robes and slip them over my body. I look outside again, suddenly teary at the mention of my beloved father. I look down to find my fingers playing with a loose splinter in the wooden sill. Tears splash onto the grains beside my hand and I hurriedly wipe them away. "It's just been hard without them, either of them." I shrug. Ginny comes and wraps me up in a comforting, warm hug.

"I know just who to get." She hums.

"Please don't get Harry," I whisper.

"I won't," With that, she leaves me alone, staring at the empty ranges of land before my eyes. I sit down and try and compose myself before she brings in this mystery person. I try to stem the flow of tears but fail miserably. The door quietly opens and I turn my attention to it. Ginny comes in followed by a blond haired boy. The tears are still running and a mangled sob echoes from my chest. All he does is hold me close and murmur soothing words into my hair, and I cry all my tears into him. He smells of pine and mint, and I breathe him in deeply when I'm done.

"If you're not ready, you don't have to talk."Draco looks at me. I twist my neck so I'm facing him and wipe my cheeks with the back of my hands. Slowly, I spill the truth, what really happened on the 21st of December last year, not whatever Rita Skeeter wrote.

"Mum woke me up at 1 o'clock in the morning, and she was randomly packing things into my trunk. I was really confused and tired, but she told me to hurry up and I asked her what was happening, but she just said to be quick. Then Dad ran down the corridor and shouted for Mum to go to Harry's room, which she did. He mentioned something about someone being there, and Mum looked really worried. Dad threw some spells at my doorway, the shield and silence charms. He told me he loved me and that I was his little doe, he hasn't called me that since I was six."- I choke up and take another deep breath. "I can't really remember much after that, just the door at the end of the hallway exploding and Voldemort killing Dad. I couldn't really see much as I was wedged between my bed and wall. I heard Mum scream. Merlin, it was the worst scream I had ever heard, it seemed to go on forever and pierce the air like a knife. Before I knew it, I was out of my hiding spot and pounding my fists on the shield Dad had set up." - I rub my fingers over the scabs on my knuckles absently, looking down as more tears well in my eyes. "I heard Harry yell in pain and that's when the tears came. My hands were slick with tears and blood and they ached so bad. The last thing I remember before passing out is Uncle Mooney, Profesor Snape and Dumbledore running through the corridor. Then I woke up in a car near my aunt and uncle's house. I read what Rita Skeeter wrote, too, about how it was all planned and everything. And how I'm only a 'mere ten-year-old'."

"I really hate Rita Skeeter." Ginny remarks as soon I've told my tale. Draco nods.

"I can-" He starts.

"No, let's not get your family into this, she's just some stupid reporter." I interrupt. "You should be getting back to your carriage, anyway, people will get suspicious." I wipe my eyes again and send him back to his carriage, apologising for his wet shirt.

"It's fine, I needed to change it anyway." He stands and I wrap my arms around him in thanks.

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The train pulls to a close at Hogwarts and I rush out of my compartment to get lost in the crowd and avoiding the pitiful stares. I drag my trunk behind me and clutch my brother's hand so I don't lose him. At least five people pile onto one of the horse drawn carriages. I lift the hood of my robes up and focus on the skeletal creates pulling the cart.

"Harry, what are they?" I point to one.

"What? Nothing's there, Ellie, they're pulling themselves with magic." He answers, not really looking at them. I shrug and look down at my fingers, fiddling with them. Slowly the carriage stops outside the grounds of Hogwarts and we all jump out, beginning our hike back to the castle. Pausing, I glance at all the light windows, feeling a strange, familiar sense that I've never felt here before. I certainly hadn't felt it back at the Dursleys'. The sense grows stronger as I walk up the hill, past Hagrid's hut, and with it, a small thought gets larger and larger. I feel at peace, at rest, like I have just climbed into my soft, warm bed at the end of a long day. Snow gently falls, coating my hair and clothing. I feel at home.