elanor// s.b.

III

~Kate Stonewall~

Elanor was greeted with a hug from the boy sitting nearest the window, a cigarette from the pretty girl, and a few nods of greeting from the other Slytherins when she slid into the familiar compartment in the back of the train. The window was open, allowing the warm summer air in and the smoke from the many cigarettes out. Elanor lit hers and deeply inhaled, propping her feet up on the lap of her closest friend at Hogwarts, a girl one year her senior. "I've missed you very much Elanor Kensington", her lips curled into a smile, as she turned her nose up in mock aristocratic ease. 

    "And I, you, Kate Stonewall", Elanor let out in the stuffiest voice she could muster. Giggling, Kate plucked the cigarette out of Elanor's mouth and took a drag. The girls were as close as two people could be. Kate's raven hair was cut just above her shoulders, and her wide eyes always shone with ambition. Her upturned nose was completed with a silver ring. Her long eyelashes almost touched the thin arch of her brow, always drawn together in thought. While her steely exterior may seem intimidating to some, Kate was the owner of one of the kindest souls at Hogwarts.

When little eleven year old Elanor was sorted into Slytherin, she was overcome with emotion. Pride, apprehension, disbelief, excitement, but most of all fear. Fear of what her parents would think, fear of what her siblings would feel having a sister in the "evil house". She was all too aware of the stereotypes following the house she had just been doomed to live in for the next seven years. However, she couldn't help but feel a sense of pride and excitement in herself. She had done something all for herself. The first Kensington to be a Slytherin! That made her special. However, she couldn't help but be nervous about how the others in her new house would act.

    While she was a pureblood, she refused to waste her time on bigots who judged on anything other than character. So she sat tight lipped at the welcome feast, staring at the roast chicken and piles of rolls in front of her, not feeling like eating. When they all stood to adjourn down the common room, a girl with hair so black it looked almost blue approached her with her arm stretched out in welcome. "Hello, my name is Kate Stonewall. Stick with me and you'll be okay. I can prove to you we aren't all bad". Then with a wink, she produced a small dinner roll saying, "I think you'll want this later when you're feeling a little bit more at home".

    And from that day on, the pair were inseparable. The next year, they befriended another Slytherin boy in Elanor's year. Jasper Quinn was proud and tended on the arrogant side, but with Kate and Elanor's constant teasing, they shrunk his head down to proper size. His sharp bone structure and dark hair made him very popular with the girls, however Elanor never was able to see him as anything but the skinny boy she had been partnered up with in first year Potions. Jasper's eyes were a beautiful blue, and when the light hit them they reflected what seemed like an infinite number of colors. He was outgoing and cool and confident, but underneath it hid a want to be adored by all and a burning desire to not disappoint those he loved.

    A few other Slytherins that were Jasper's friends filled the compartment, but Elanor didn't enjoy their company as much as he did. Rosier, Avery, and another boy who Elanor hadn't seen before played cards on the other side of the compartment with Jasper. She found the lot to be the worst of Slytherin, and detested them for enforcing the stereotypes of their house. Elanor watched them as they dealt the cards out, one leaning over and whispering in the other's ear. They let out a snort and continued with the game. Elanor rolled her eyes, unaware of Jasper's gaze.

    "Care to join us?", he said, throwing a card in her direction. Elanor deflected it with her wand and said, "I don't think your ego could handle it if I joined your little game". Kate handed her the cigarette back and Elanor inhaled, blowing the smoke up towards the window, where it drifted out into the open pasture speeding by. The group laughed collectively and Jasper narrowed his eyes, "It just sounds like you're too scared to play, Kensington". It was her turn to laugh, "Whatever you have to think to make yourself feel better, Quinn".

They went back and forth in their verbal chess match until Kate voiced what everyone was thinking and announced that she would fling herself into the lake if she had to hear their petty arguments for one more moment. They raised their hands in surrender, and ended the argument. Elanor glanced out the window at the countryside flying by. The sound of the train against the tracks mixed with the laughter of Jasper and the soft turns in the pages of Kate's book began to lull her to sleep, her body rocking with the subtle movement of the train.