It was December 18, 1995.
After Ellie's interrogation with Umbridge, the students grew more cautious than ever, taking extra precautions to ensure that Dumbledore's Army remained a secret. Some went to extreme extents to stop attending the meetings altogether, but Ellie's coaxing brought them back slowly.
Most of the students had improved under Ellie's guidance, and even Neville finally produced the Disarming Charm. As their progress climbed, Harry's trust for Ellie slowly increased, and the two eventually reached a point of casual greeting.
The DA stood for the last meeting of the term, Harry closing it out with a happy holidays to the members. The students gave themselves a round of applause, shuffling out of the room after his speech. Some wished Ellie a good break while others merely smiled at her, the Hufflepuff enjoying the kind gestures the upcoming holidays invoked.
Ellie and Hermione split in their respective ways, but only after their routine of goodnight kisses. It wasn't long before Ellie had company as she faced the redheaded twins whose cheeks were flushed from their escape.
"Fred. George," Ellie nodded, her eyes narrowing suspiciously. "What did you guys do now?
The twins shared identical beams of triumph, grinning from ear to ear in amusement.
"Oh, nothing really," Fred replied casually.
"And by nothing, we totally didn't slip Umbridge a Puking Pastille," George finished.
"Seriously? I would've loved to see that," Ellie laughed, imagining the professor's reaction.
"It was wicked," George recalled, his eyes diverted upwards as he remembered the event.
"Anyway, we wanted to catch you before you left to your common room," Fred started.
"We want you to spend Christmas with the family. Of course, it was all my idea to invite you—Freddie didn't even think about you," George proposed, his head tilted with a smirk.
Fred elbowed his brother in the ribs, causing George to hunch over with raucous laughter. Ellie cracked a smile while she thought about their offer, watching as the two finally calmed themselves enough to stand up straight.
"As thankful as I am, I couldn't. I wouldn't want to impose on your family, especially during Christmas," Ellie declined as she shook her head.
"Oh, come on. Don't be a buzzkill," Fred teased.
"I don't even know your parents," Ellie reasoned as she surrendered her hands in the air.
"But they know you," Fred countered with a tilt of his head.
"As I said before, Mum will love you," George added in attempt to convince the Hufflepuff.
"Look, I wouldn't be comfortable with spending Christmas with you all, especially considering how little the rest of the family knows me."
"Okay, fine. Have it your way. But Hermione's going to be there," Fred shrugged casually.
"What about Hermione?" Ellie questioned eagerly.
"Yeah, it's kind of tradition for Harry and Hermione to spend the holidays with us," George explained.
The corners of Ellie's lips curled upwards slightly, but she was quick to conceal it with a serious face.
"I'll see if I can make it."
"Told you she'll say yes," the twins grinned at each other as they shared a fist bump.
"We'll have Dumbledore owl you the address. He's the Secret Keeper, you see."
"But we'll see you there! And if you don't, we'll have Hermione drag you from your doorstep."
Ellie smiled with a subtle exhale, knowing that she had fallen victim to the twins' convincing powers. The twins left Ellie with nothing more than cheeky grins as they raced each other down the corridors, the Hufflepuff simply watching with amusement.
—
The next week passed quickly, and soon, it was Christmas Day. At promptly seven in the morning, Ellie hugged her mother one last time as she stood by the front door, Amelia warning her to keep safe.
Though Ellie felt guilty about leaving her mother alone on Christmas, Amelia had assured her that she'd be just fine. In fact, Amelia practically pushed her daughter out the door upon finding out that Hermione would be there, claiming that it'd be nice to spend time with her friends.
The snow crunched beneath Ellie's shoes, the freezing cold weather stinging her face as her nose grew red almost instantly. The walk to 12 Grimmauld Place would take just under an hour by foot, if Ellie had calculated correctly. Although she didn't have a ride to get there, Ellie didn't mind as she had insisted that her mother use the car to get to work on time.
She began to walk quickly in attempt to arrive at her destination faster, but the weather seemed to get colder with each step. Before leaving, Ellie had donned a multitude of layers underneath her coat, but the stacked fabric proved defective. The blistering wind pinched her skin, forcing Ellie to pull her scarf over nose, shoving her red-tipped fingers deep within her pockets.
After another fifteen minutes of cold suffering, Ellie finally turned into the neighborhood. It appeared to be inhabited by Muggles, considering the normality of the street. She stepped in between townhouses number eleven and thirteen, shifting her feet as she waited for number twelve to appear. Upon Ellie's presence, the neighboring houses slid apart, creaking and grinding against the stone. A handsome, dark townhouse pushed itself into light before her, its steps weathered down from years of apparent use.
The Hufflepuff stepped in front of the door, the silver knocker the only indication that it was the entrance. She rang the doorbell that was placed to the side, patiently waiting for entry. There was no answer. She paused before ringing it again, but there was still no answer. The cold only worsened her chattering teeth, and her shivering body intensified. Deciding that the Weasleys would understand her situation, Ellie pushed on the door.
Surprisingly, the entrance swung open with ease, letting the Hufflepuff inside the long, lamp-lit hallway. Once inside, the door shut behind her, trapping Ellie inside the gloomy and cobweb-filled house. An enormous portrait caught her eye, the name plaque reading Walburga Black.
"Halfblood! Halfblood! Filthy witch!" The painting screamed at the top of its lungs, seeming to be offended by Ellie's presence.
Ellie's eyes widened slightly, immediately rushing down the hall in attempt to escape its sights. She heard the loud chatter near the end of the hallway, and Ellie approached it cautiously, being mindful of the peeling wallpaper that hung by her head. She turned into the dining room, finally meeting the source of the sound.
It was clear why the family hadn't heard her doorbell or the painting's screeches. The band of redheads were too absorbed in the fuss of the arrival of their father, Arthur Weasley, which Hermione had earlier explained was attacked at the Ministry.
Hermione was the first to see her girlfriend, who stood underneath the archway of the dining room's entrance. Her eyes lit up with joy as she hurriedly made her way to Ellie, nearly knocking over a few chairs in the process.
"Ellie! You came!" Hermione squealed with delight, embracing her girlfriend tightly.
The attention diverted to the Hufflepuff, who merely smiled politely at them over Hermione's shoulder.
"Hello, everyone," Ellie greeted with a polite tone, watching as warm smiles were projected in her direction.
"Is this the Ellie Evans?" Mr. Weasley spoke from his chair as he gave a welcoming smile. "While you're here, I'd love to have a conversation with you—just about Muggle items and—"
"Arthur! Stop berating the girl! She just got here!" Molly scolded to her husband as she approached Ellie, her arms outstretched in front of her. "Come here, dear. It's good to finally meet you."
"Lovely meeting you too, Mrs. Weasley," Ellie smiled into the embrace before Molly pulled back with a frown.
"Merlin's beard, you're freezing! How did you get here?" Molly questioned.
"Uh... I walked," Ellie replied simply, slightly ashamed by her method of transportation.
"Now why would you do such a thing? Are you trying to freeze yourself to death? We could have picked you up!"
Molly immediately took off her own shawl and wrapped it over Ellie's shoulders to warm her, ushering the girl towards the table. Ellie sat beside her girlfriend, who smiled widely at her presence. Hermione promptly laced their fingers together underneath the table, warming them with her palms.
"Please, make yourself at home. Sit down, everybody, sit down," Molly urged, gesturing for her children to settle down. "That's it. Now, presents."
Molly began handing out a multitude of boxes and parcels, leaning over the table to hand them to the appropriate child.
"And a nice big box for Ron.... Big box for you. And um... Fred and George. Come on, open up. I want to see your faces."
"Yes," Arthur agreed as Molly clapped excitedly.
"Try it on."
"Thanks, Mum. It's perfect," Ginny thanked.
"Just what he wanted, actually," Molly beamed as Ron tried on the clothing with a plastered smile of gratitude.
"Yeah. Right. Thanks, Mum," Ron trailed, slightly displeased.
Ellie chuckled as the events unfolded, helping Hermione unwrap her present, the Gryffindor not wanting to let go of her girlfriend's hand.
"Oh, my! I forgot to give you your gift, Ellie. Here it is," Molly remembered as she reached over to hand Ellie a wrapped parcel bound by decorative twine.
Scribbled on the front read: Welcome to the Family! Merry Christmas! With love, the Weasleys.
Ellie raised her eyebrows, her smile growing even wider as she held the present in her hand.
"Wow, uh... you didn't have to. But thank you, Mrs. Weasley," Ellie replied with a grateful expression.
"Don't be silly, dear. Go on. Open it."
Ellie gently let go of Hermione's hand to open the parcel, the Gryffindor's palm moving to rest on her girlfriend's thigh. She tore open the paper to reveal a hand-knit sweater with her initial on the front. The black initial contrasted against the pale yellow fabric behind it, its material soft and cozy.
"Thank you again. I absolutely love it," Ellie beamed as she clutched the sweater to her chest.
Ellie turned to her girlfriend, placing her cold hand on top of Hermione's as she squeezed it gently.
"Come on, then everybody. Let's clear this away."
Harry entered the room with a soft shuffle of his feet, catching the attention of Molly. She greeted the boy with a hug as she handed him his present while the others passed around glasses. Hermione and Ellie stood up, letting go of each other's hands as Arthur spoke. Arthur raised his glass, the rest following suit.
"A Christmas toast. To Mister Harry Potter... without whom I would not be here. And to Miss Ellie Evans... to whom we welcome as family. To Harry and Ellie."
The family rose their glasses and recited their names, taking a sip of their beverages as they stared the two down.
After everything had been cleaned up from the dining room, the group migrated to the living room and sat down at the couches and various chairs. The room was not as bright as the previous, but Fred and George lit the lamps above with their wands. Arthur spoke up, his figure slumped down on the couch as he eyed the Hufflepuff.
"So, Ellie. I've been told you're quite the fighter. Defending Harry on your first day, surviving a detention from that measly excuse of a professor, helping teach the DA, resisting the Veritaserum potion... I mean, the list goes on and on. And you did all that while grieving your friend. That Diggory kid was a good one, indeed."
"No, no. I'm really not all that," Ellie declined with a light chuckle, her cheeks growing a deep shade of red.
"She's just being modest. She is incredibly strong, you know," Hermione chirped as she gave her girlfriend a small smile.
"It's true. You should've seen what happened one meeting. Disarmed Hermione like a pro. And that's saying something," Ron added, earning himself a glare from Hermione.
"That was bloody brilliant," the twins agreed in unison.
"She's got a knack for spells. She might even beat me in a duel," Harry shrugged.
"I—uh... I'm just trying to do my best to help out, that's all," Ellie blushed, flustered by all the compliments.
"Well, you're doing amazing, sweetie. The boys and Ginny have been talking about you since summer. Seems like what they've been saying is true," Molly revealed.
Ellie couldn't hold back the grin that had crept to her face, her expression meek as she looked around the family with gratitude.