𝐜𝐫𝐮𝐞𝐥 𝐛𝐢𝐧𝐝, 𝐚𝐜𝐭 𝐨𝐧𝐞.
. . . .
"𝙔ou know, most people tend to just eat their food." Brianna whispered to Elena that night as they sat at the Hufflepuff table. Jake was beside her, Amir flanking Elena's right-side with Cedric on her left. Elena had looked up from her plate of spaghetti and meatballs.
"It's her." The girl whispered and her friends, including Amir ❨ who was actually in Gryffindor ❩, furrowed their brows in confusion. "Dolores Umbridge, my parents told me she had been my aunt's lover of some sorts."
"Now that's disturbing." Brianna concluded.
"I could've gone my entire feeble existence without knowing that but yeah, tell us more." Jake mumbled to himself, really disturbed.
"Savannah escaped again." Elena revealed, holding up a neatly written letter from her mother. Brianna was first to read it, then Jake, who handed it Cedric and the Head Boy neatly folded it, placing it in his pockets. It was clear not one of them liked Amir, except Elena of course, but they only sucked it up for her.
"Is your mother alright?" Cedric asked, in his usual kind tone and Elena nodded.
"I believe she is, I don't know how safe I am here though. With Umbridge being here and all." She sighed, pushing around her food again.
"It's just an empty threat El, I don't think Savannah will really come here, and tor ━"
Something snapped in Elena. She rarely got angry, she tried to be kind most of the time to avoid being angry. "You weren't the one being tortured by her! You weren't being the one told how worthless and unlovable you are!"
Brianna's mouth hung open as she tried to form words in her brain but when none came, Elena stormed out her seat and marched over to the Slytherin table, forcefully sitting beside Draco and Theodore.
"Eve." Pansy greeted, a bright smile on her face. "How was your summer?"
Elena forced a smile at the enthusiastic girl. "It could've been better. How was your summer?"
Pansy's eyes lit up and beside Elena, both Theodore and Draco let out little groans. "It was amazing! My parents and I went to Paris, then we went to Munich. I daresay, traveling by Portkey is rather fast but so chilling, I don't like it..."
"You don't like anything or anyone." Blaise reminded the girl with a grunt and Elena giggled a little, the little argument she had with Brianna being pushed to the back of her mind.
"But she does like anything with a you know what between their legs." Theodore added and Elena nearly laughed when Pansy turned red, already reaching over the table to strangle the boy but he had swiftly shifted and she nearly planted down on the bowl of meatballs.
"Make that a big you know what." Draco hummed and seconds later, a meatball landed right on the bridge of his nose and everyone laughed. "Parkinson, what in Merlin was that for?"
"Oi! It wasn't me." Pansy defended herself and Elena could see Vega hurriedly hide away the spoon she used to flick the meatball at Draco. "It was Vega."
Vega Lestrange was absolutely gorgeous in Elena's point of view. She's seen the looks Theodore gave her whenever he thought she wasn't looking, and the looks Vega have him when she thought Elena wasn't looking. But Elena was naturally kind at heart, so she didn't say anything about it. Besides, if Theodore said they were nothing more than friends, then it has to be true. What reason would Theodore lie for?
"You must be going blind Parkinson, that wasn't me." Vega said, trying with all her might not to laugh. Elena didn't miss the way Theodore looked at her.
"This is why we can't have nice things." Blaise muttered bitterly, shaking his head and Elena giggled a little, shaking her head. Out of everyone in Theodore's friend group, Elena bonded the fastest with Blaise, then Draco ❨ again ❩ and then Pansy. She didn't really like Crabbe, Goyle or Vega that much, but she wasn't going to say anything about it.
"I think the reason we can't have nice things is because of Brianna." Elena shrugged, looking at the Hufflepuff table and she saw Cedric, Jake and Amir cheer the girl on as she juggled five meatballs, and Elena watched with a slightly broken heart as they each landed in her open mouth and the entire table cheered. Brianna had grinned despite her face being smothered in tomato gravy.
"I can't argue with that." Draco nodded. "Why'd you even come sit here?"
"We had a little spat concerning my aunt ━"
"I heard she escaped again, are you alright?" Pansy asked and Elena reminded herself to breath as she felt tears well up in her eyes. She might be a little dramatic but this was the first time Pansy Parkinson, a pureblood Slytherin student, asked her if she was alright. Let her be dramatic.
Elena smiled. "I'm fine, a little scared considering the fact that Umbridge is here and all, but overall, I'm fine."
"What does Umbridge have anything to do with your aunt?" Theodore asked, raising one of his god created brows and Elena could feel herself fall in love with him all over again.
"She had been my aunt's lover ━"
Draco, Blaise and Vega all chocked on their spaghetti. "What?" They simultaneously asked.
"My reaction as well. I know. It's disturbing." Elena shuddered, trying to imagine her aunt, who was an exact copy of her mother, kissing Dolores Umbridge, who had the face of a toad and zero fashion skills. She nearly puked in doing so.
"I could have gone my entire life without knowing that." Draco groaned and Elena giggled, shaking her head at him. "What's Potter doing here?"
Elena looked up and indeed, Harry was heading her way and she furrowed her brow in confusion. Why was he coming here? Did something happen? What if her aunt contacted him? Why would she even do that? Is she going to try and kill him? Elena didn't know if Savannah was a Death Eater, but she probably was, considering how evil and mean she was.
"Potter, lost are you?" Draco sneered and Elena gently hit him on the shoulder. The blond didn't tear his glare from the bespectacled boy however.
"Shut up Malfoy, I'm not here for you." Harry growled and his green eyes landed on Elena. "Elena, I need to tell you something. It's important."
"Um ━ okay?" The girl in question was very confused, but she stood up nevertheless, and followed Harry towards the entrance of the Hall. "It's about her, isn't it?"
"About who?" Harry asked and Elena sighed in relief. He doesn't know about her stupid, crazy aunt. Thankfully. "I wanted to tell you something, I don't know how to say it."
"It's okay Harry, you don't have to rush." Elena smiled softly at him.
Harry took a deep breath in. "Elena, I ━ um ━ I think I ━" Harry stopped shaking his head as he noticed the children filling out. "Never mind. It's not that important."
. . . .
𝙃ermione, in Elena's most honest opinion, was scary when she was angry, which is exactly why she was slightly panicking the next day after the classes ended. The fuming bushy haired girl was marching her way, her face a deadly shade of red and Elena wanted to hide behind her friends. Brianna was talking with Hannah outside the Charms class, meaning she only had the Slytherins.
"What did you do to him?" Hermione asked, ignoring the looks of disgust the Slytherins gave her and Elena blinked.
"What did I do to who?"
"To Harry! I know it's you!" Hermione growled. "You might be a Hufflepuff but I know you're just as bad as your aunt!" Okay, that stung.
"I didn't do anything." Elena replied, trying to keep calm and her voice kind. "He said he wanted to tell me something but he told me to forget about it and walked off."
Hermione whipped her head towards Draco when he said, "He's a bloody coward anyway."
"You! You can't just ━"
"Hermione, I think we should all just leave. You can go ask Harry what's wrong because he didn't tell me anything. It's kind of you to be so concerned for your friend. See you later." Elena smiled politely at her and she interlocked her arms with Draco's and Blaise's, seeing as that Theodore had already gotten detention on the first day of school.
"Why are you still so kind to her? Isn't it tiring?" Pansy asked, twirling a lock of her long jet black hair and Elena shrugged.
"She means well." She smiled at her. "Now come on, I'm starving. Let's head down to the kitchens."
Vega's eyes lit up. "Last one there has to kiss a house elf." And off she went, with Pansy right on her heels and Elena giggled a little when Draco and Blaise followed, each yelling profanity after profanity. She had quickly whipped Brianna away from Hannah and the two Beaters set off after the four Slytherins.
Elena will never forget the look of utter disgust on Draco's face as he was forced to kiss a house elf on the nose, followed by Pansy, who looked like she was constipated.
Maybe Elena didn't need her deranged, and somewhat weird family because she had one right there ❨ including Cedric and Jake ❩ , and they might be an odd bunch, but she'd never trade them for the world.