Elysian Potter: The Forgotten Queen

Chapter Forty-Two: The Yule Ball

"So, who are you going to go with Ely?" asked Daphne.

Thinking for a moment, Elysian smirked: "I may try and convince Potter to go with me. Who knows? It would be free points to Slytherin and I may be able to sneak a peak at what Dumbledore has planned for me in the future."

It was a lie, pure and simple. In truth, she wanted to see Harry again and find out if he had reverted back to his old ways. She didn't like the feeling of betrayal that was welling up within her when she thought of Harry turning his back on her once again and wanted to squash those feelings as quickly as she could. After all, she couldn't be feeling betrayal from Harry because if she was then she would have had to have trusted him in the first place, and she knew better than that... right?

~EP~

Walking down the corridor towards the library, Elysian spotted Harry running towards her with Hermione hot on his tail. Ronald was nowhere to be seen and Elysian could only assume it was because they were near the library and Ronald never set foot there.

"Elysian! Hi!" called Harry, huffing and puffing from running.

"Hello Potter," said Elysian, her Slytherin poker face sliding into place in a second.

She could see that it bothered Harry until he noticed Hermione standing slightly behind him and nodded. Hermione waved at her, signalling that Harry knew that they were acquaintances and therefore it was safe to let the mask slide.

"How are you?" the warm tone she took brightened Harry's mood considerably and the three of them were soon hidden inside an empty classroom.

"I...um, I know you said you'd drop me the minute mum and dad were looking after me again... but I was wondering if maybe..."

"Harry is asking if you'd teach him how to dance," said Hermione, seeing how bored Elysian was getting under her warn demeanour. Elysian hated hesitance.

"Why can't Hermione do it?" asked Elysian with a raised eyebrow.

"Because-because I wanted us to bond again! Like we did when you were helping me with my spells for the first task. I wanted to feel like I had a sister and I wanted to use it as my way to apologise for the horrible things I did and said to you when we were younger. I was an entitled brat and this is my way of apologising and trying to gain brother status instead of blood relation status."

That was the most Harry had ever spoken to her. Smiling softly – and internally rearranging plans with this new development – Elysian agreed. Harry's smile was as bright as the Sun as they began the lessons, with Hermione watching from the side-lines.

After four weeks of private lessons – each time convincing Ronald that Harry and Hermione were going to the library – Harry finally decided to ask the question he had been burning to: "Will you go to the Yule ball with me?"

"Pardon?"

"I know it's sudden," said Harry, "but I figured we could go as siblings..."

He was holding something back.

"And..."

"Mum and dad have been trying to regain custody of you," said Harry after some prodding.

"They can't, lady magic is a binding force," said both Hermione and Elysian together.

"Apparently there's a loophole. If it can be proven that Uncle Sirius has... poisoned the relationship between you and me then lady magic's decision can be reversed. By going to the Yule ball with me, it will stop the custody thing from being an issue..."

"Oh."

Elysian and Hermione shared an angry look.

"I know you don't want to come back to Potter Manor, and recently Hermione has been helping me to understand why. What mum and dad are trying to do to you is wrong and I don't want to force you to be my family, by going to the ball with me it gives you the chance to make a choice... mum and dad told me to make sure I stay away from you but I didn't want to do that without at least an explanation and your input."