When El woke up Thursday morning, going to charms was not on the agenda, regardless of how close they were to exams. She wondered aimlessly around the castle, the corridors being empty since everyone was in their respective classrooms. After a few minutes of walking, she ended up in the dungeons, a part of the school she rarely found herself in since being head girl. Other than the distant mumbling of professors teaching their classes, the only sound was the thudding noise of her boots hitting the stone as she took each step.
As she continued her stroll, El could see just the legs of a student sitting in an alcove a few metres away, accompanied by soft whimpers as they cried. El strode forward, intending to just ignore the student, only when she had almost fully walked past, the girl in yellow robes sobbed even louder
Eleanor stopped walking, gritting her teeth and reluctantly turning around. "Hufflepuff," she greeted, "You're crying."
Morgan wiped her eyes and ran a hand through her hair, the red dye had faded a little since El had last seen her, and her roots were beginning to grow through a dark bluish black. "Yes thank you, i noticed."
El bit her tongue, fighting the urge to make an equally as snarky comment in return. "Why're you crying?" El said, her voice lacking the sympathy she probably should have around around someone who was upset. She remained standing, but stood directly in front of where Morgan was sitting on the floor, leant against the wall with her knees pulled up the her chest.
"It's nothing, it's fine," Morgan shook her head, wiping the fresh tears from her eyes.
"Look, Hufflepuff, i don't like you—like, at all—but you're crying, and if this was any other day, i wouldn't care why, but i'm feeling nice, so tell me," El sat down opposite Morgan, folding her arms across her chest.
"No," Morgan sniffed, cleaning her nose with her sleeve, "It's nothing."
El sighed and massaged her forehead, "I'm very close to not caring anymore," she snapped.
"F-fine, it's Evan, we had an argument and he said some stuff—some mean stuff," Morgan's tears got heavier as she explained, "-and now i think he's gonna break up with me."
"Really?! You're crying because of a boy?" El raised her voice, clearly not having the reaction Morgan had expected. "There's a war going on, people are dying and you're crying because of boy problems?!"
Morgan's lip began to shake as she tried to hold in another sob, "I know, but-"
"No, no buts. Get a grip and get over it, there are bigger issues in the world that your boyfriend saying some mean shit to you."
Morgan had gotten over the slight shock and was now wiping away the last few tears from under her eyes. El stood and instructed the Hufflepuff to do the same.
"Okay, we're gonna go to my dorm, fix your mascara, have some firewhiskey and then you'll go to your next lesson and stop crying, got it?" El said decidedly, having a dry lack of kindness in her voice despite this probably being the first time she was being semi-nice to Morgan.
The redhead nodded and wrapped El in a tight embrace, "Thank you."
El awkwardly patted Morgans back, "Yeah, i don't hug, but you're welcome." They began to walk down the corridor when El turned to talk to the taller girl, "I have punched Evan before though and im not opposed to doing it again."
***
The last full moon at Hogwarts fell just over a week before exams and, as always, El spent to night in James' room, switching between having a cigarette on his windowsill, or laying on his bed, drawing whatever came to mind.
Soon after the sun came up, James returned to the common room, tired, but overall fine. When he entered his dorm, El was asleep perpendicular across his bed, her sketch book and pencil sitting beside her. Letting his curiosity get the better of him, James picked up the sketch book, cautious not to wake El in the process.
He flicked through the pages, there were drawings of Ben, Marlene and even a few of him—more than he expected. Grey drawings of his face, eyes, hands, littered several pages at the back, drawings that he evidently had not noticed she was doing at the time. He marvelled at them for a while, too engrossed to notice El wake up. She didn't say anything, only reached up and snatched to book from James' hands.
"You're snooping," she said, giving him a playful glare.
"Not snooping, just looking," he shrugged, placing the book on his bedside table. "Y'alright?"
El nodded, adjusting her position so there was room for James to lay next to her, her eyes wilting with remaining tiredness. "How was Moony?"
"Fine—good actually," James gave her a small smile, moving the covers to get underneath them. He yawned, removed his shirt, then flopped down against the pillows. El joined him under the covers, throwing her jumper off to the pile of dirty clothes on the floor before James pulled her into his side.
El nuzzled her face into the crook of James' neck, her eyes closed, half expecting James to already be asleep.
"That was the last full moon at Hogwarts," he said, she could feel like vibrations of his voice against her forehead.
"Where's he gonna go next month?"
James exhaled thoughtfully. "I dunno, i offered that we could all stay on the grounds at home, my parents could set up certain enchantments, but y'know what he's like—thinks he's a burden. Even then, i think him 'n' Padfoot are planning on buying a flat in London and Moony doesn't like apparating normally, i doubt he'd enjoy it near a full moon."
James felt El's head move as she nodded against his chin. "It's good that they've thought about it, i have less than a month to try find enough money to rent a flat," she laughed humourlessly.
"Don't be fucking stupid, you're staying with me, so are Pads and Moony. None of you would survive five minutes without someone to cook for you."
"You make a fair point," El chuckled, her eyes beginning to droop again. "But i can't rely on your parents, i'll just stay there a week or two until i find a job."
"Shut up, i'm not letting you move out, what's the point? I don't wanna have to apparate somewhere every time i want a shag."
"Who says i'll be shagging you even if i live with you?"
"Oh please," James scoffed, tightening his grip around El's waist, "you can't resist me."
***
NEWTs were dull. El sailed through with the comfortable assumption she had done well enough, she even had enough time on her transfiguration paper to take a half an hour nap on her desk. The line between Remus' eyebrows was more prominent than ever and Peter began to sweat profusely whenever someone mentioned receiving their results.
With exams out the way, it meant one more week at Hogwarts for the seventh years and everyone was now beginning to realise that the rest of their lives were about to start. But before that could happen, a leavers ball was being held as something that seemed like a distraction from the world they were being sent out into.
Attacks on muggleborns were increasing by the day, and although the whole thing was heartbreaking, El was thanking her lucky stars that all her friends were halfblood or more, although Sirius, James and herself were considered blood-traitors by many.
As head girl and boy, El and James were called into Dumbledore's office several days before the ball to discuss their roles in the preparations. They sat down in adjacent chairs opposite the headmaster, who tried to entertain small talk for a good few minutes before actually getting onto the intended topic of conversation.
"The ball," Dumbledore began, "i assume you're both attending?"
James nodded, El reluctantly doing the same when James nudged her ankle with his foot.
"Very good, as head boy and girl you will be acting as compares, if you will. You shall introduce everyone and give some kind of farewell speech," Dumbledore explained.
"Sorry, sir, but i'm not giving a 'goodbye everyone, love you all' speech," El interjected, "I'm not gonna stand up there and say that when we all know i'm lying," she folded her arms, her body language displaying that there was no room for persuasion.
Dumbledore pondered for a moment, his fingertips joined together. "Very well," he mused, "Then that duty falls entirely to you, Mr Potter."
"This is gonna be the best speech you've ever heard, sir," James smirked.
El's face showed her clear doubt, but she chose not to voice it.
"Very good," Dumbledore's eyes twinkled with amusement, "The pair of you will also help with decorations, i trust that will not be a problem with you, Miss Burke?"
"I think i can manage."
The headmaster nodded. "You may leave," he dismissed, his right hand gesturing towards the door.
"Could i talk to you for a minute, sir?" El asked as her and James stood from their seats. "I'll see you in the common room," she said, this time aiming her words at the head boy.
The two males both nodded, the younger striding towards the door.
"What was it you wanted to say?" Dumbledore looked over his glasses at the girl with a small smile.
"Why did you make me head girl?" she said after a moment of silence, "Why not Evans, or someone who'd actually be good at it?"
"That's a good question," Dumbledore stood and began to wonder around his office, "And i think the true answer was for my own amusement, i thought it would be funny, really. What's the point in making someone head girl who already acts so? I thought maybe you'd grow into the role but apparently not."
El bit her lip to conceal a smile, "Yeah, my bad."
Dumbledore remained with his back to her, still wondering around so El chose to dismiss herself, exiting his office to see James waiting for her at the bottom of the stairs.
"I said i'd see you in the common room," El muttered, walking down the corridor at a relaxed pace.
"Well i chose to wait for you," James smiled, throwing his arm over her shoulder.
"Why?"
"Because i wanted to," he stated simply. "Also because i needed to tell you that i'm not going to the ball with you."
"I wasn't expecting you to," El looked up at him, a single dark eyebrow raised.
"You're meant to be more upset by that but i'll let it slide. Are you not gonna ask why?" James stared at her expectantly, waiting for her to ask.
"Fine," she huffed, "Why?"
"Because i'm going stag!" he stated proudly.
El winced at the terrible pun and removed his arm from her shoulder.
"You aren't allowed to find a date though," James added, "I get very pissy when people touch what's mine." His hand slipped back around her and landed on her arse, giving it a possessive squeeze.
"I'm not yours," she corrected, however let James' hand remain in its position, "But i wasn't planning on going with anyone anyway."
"Good, because by the end of the night they'd end up dangling from the astronomy tower," James said with faux severity as they turned a corner. "But i am expecting to get at least one dance with you."
"You planning on sweeping me off my feet, Potter?" El looked at him out the corner of her eye with a smirk to rival his own.
He leant down so his mouth was level with her ear, pulling her even closer, if possible. "Planning on putting you on your back, my darling."
***
a/n: word count 2k
hey baes, sorry updates have been kinda slow recently but iv got exams coming up.
thank you so much for 150k
i also made El in art breeder
plz vote if u enjoyed the chapter x