Ella ○ Harry Potter

Ten: People Tell Me

A hand pulled at Ella's arm when she was dragging her feet from the Slytherin Common Room towards the stairs to the Great Hall.

"You got an O."

"A what?" she asked the grinning boy infront of her.

"An O. Snape told me I'm getting extra points on my essay, because you got your first O outside of Care for Magical Creatures," Cedric grinned widely. Ella, who woke up from a nap to go the dinner, blinked at him.

"O is the really good one?"

"O is the really good one," he agreed.

"IN POTIONS?"

"In potions!" She leapt on the boy in a hug, making him bump to the wall, and he picked her up with ease. "You got an O in Potions! And you're not wearing shoes."

She looked at her feet, that were cold and off the ground. "That's right, I didn't feel like lacing them up so I just left them under my bed. They like hiding."

"Aren't your feet cold?" he wondered, still holding her. She nodded. "Then why did you do it?"

"I'm lazy," she smiled.

He rolled his eyes, and moved one of his hands to the back of her knees, "come on, wrap your legs around me, we're gonna celebrate your O."

"By sneaking off from school?" she wondered, excited. Her favorite time of year was the weeks leading up to Christmas, and as her and Cedric spent the last month studying together, he was very used to her asking that question any time he grabbed her hand.

"By sneaking into the Kitchens."

"Oh," she said. "Oh, wait! That's breaking the rules. I like it!" she nodded, and wrapped her legs around his torso. Cedric shifted his stance, and carried her towards the painting of the fruits that was a few steps away from the entrance to his dorm.

"How do you know where the kitchens are?"

"Don't you see house-elves running around here every day?" he wondered, and she looked at him.

"Ced, this is the first time I actually see you. How am I supposed to notice house-elves?" He laughed, and tickled the pear.

"And how is the view?" he questioned, looking at her.

"Well," she turned her head to the kitchens, where the house-elves were watching them with a smile. "I really like hot-cocoa, and I can see a mug there. So I'm really enjoying the view," she jumped out of his arms, leaving Cedric to shake his head as she approached the house-elves. "Hey guys!" she greeted. "I'm Ella, how's your day been?"

He watched as a house-elf greeted her happily, and as the two started chatting as he prepared a cup of hot cocoa for her. Within moments, it was as though she was friends with the house-elf.

"Master, would you like hot cocoa as well?" another house elf asked Cedric.

"Can I get coffee?"

"Of course," she smiled, and bounced off.

He walked over to Ella, who stood with one foot on top of the other, protecting at least one from the cold. "Let's take a seat," he offered, and the two sat down.

"Let's raise a glass," she offered as the house elf gave her the mug.

"To your first O?" he asked as he was given the coffee he asked.

"To my first O," she agreed, raising the glass.

"The first of many," he assured.

::

"Miss Grey," Snape spoke up. "Stay behind, please," Hermione threw an anxious look at Ella as she bounced towards Snape happily.

"Hey Sev," she greeted with a grin.

"I'm not one of your friends," he reminded.

"But I am yours, Professor. Do you promise to always remember that?" Ella asked, very serious for her usual self. Snape looked at her for a moment, before he turned to look down at the paper in his hands.

"I wanted to personally talk with you about the grade I am sure Mr. Diggory has informed you about," he slid the O graded paper to her, and she nodded. "Take a seat, we've got some things to discuss."

"Okay, sir."

"You've never been star student here in Hogwarts," he pointed out. "You were forced to repeat your first year and your third year, where we are currently. I've spoken with the various professors you study under, and every single one is reporting a very positive change in grades. Not in behaviour, as I can clearly see."

Ella smiled. "Well, I believe I'm perfect as I am, sir."

"What I wasn't aware of," he continued, ignoring her comment, "is the fact that these are your grades from the muggle school your mum sent you to before you came here," he then slid another paper towards her. "I heard from the headmaster that as a muggle student, you were quite the prodigy."

"I wouldn't go as far--"

"I traveled to Royal Walwichckrod last weekend," Snape informed, "and your teacher did use the word prodigy."

"Well," Ella shrugged.

"Let me ask you, do you think that I, as a teacher and head of your house, failed you?"

"What?" Ella wondered, unsure of where did the question come from.

"Do you think I failed to notice you're having trouble adjusting?" he questioned, "that I did not recognize the need of my student?"

"No, sir. No!" she shook her head. "I really... really see things different now. I mean, Cedric's been helping a lot. Not because he's a good teacher," she shook her head. "I mean, he's a great tutor. Just... Cedric realized something after out first lesson. Um, he saw that I can do these things when I really get down to the logic behind the magic. I mean," she scrambled to get her notebook out, but Snape had one more paper to slide towards her.

"Diggory's shown me the physics behind Finite, the one you did," he informed. "The motions, the energy that is put into the spell. This is... Brilliant, although I never believed I would use that word to describe something you did. You're technically a third year, but you've been here for five years already." He nodded to himself. "Grey, first of all, if you need, I will speak to the other professors about this being your way of understanding magic and allowing you extra time to practice each spell, but let's talk about your future career."

"Future?" was the word Ella chose to echo.

"Yes, Ms. Grey, your future," he nodded. "If we're speaking of future, when I was in your home-town, I met a man called Selim."

"Oh," she nodded. "Selim, good for you. Was he nice?"

"He asked if I'm from Hogwarts," she nodded. "Is he a wizard, or...?"

"He is. Turkish," she nodded. "Um, he came to Royal Walwichckrod maybe, sixteen years ago?" she shrugged. "My mom's been married to his brother most of my life, he's a pure blood, but... Well, you've met him. He's more into muggle crime than to magic."

"Yes, so. Are you expected to help them once you are of age?" Ella shrugged. "May I ask why I've never known the things I recently found out about you?"

"No one's asked before."

"Ella," he used her first name for once. "I'm the head of your house, and only this week have I realized that I know nothing about you. You were very close to being sent away from Hogwarts, and then we would miss the fact that you're exactly what the Department of Mysteries are looking for. They want to open a new study for the relation between science and magic," Snape explained, handing her a paper from the Minister.

"Isn't that where the Unspeakables work?"

"Yes."

"So..."

"You'd be an Unspeakable," he confirmed. She turned to smile at him.

"Wicked."