Say It Again

Ellie sat patiently as Ginny finished braid her hair into a single long plait. “There, finished.” Twisting her neck elegantly, Ellie assessed the final product.

“It’s perfect, thank you.” She beamed at Ginny, fingering the delicate braid.

“I’m glad you like it,” Ginny said, bending down to pick up her satchel. “Though I can’t figure out why you want to bind your hair. It always looks so nice down.”

Ellie shrugged, hoisting her bag onto her sweater covered shoulder. “I wanted a change.”

She followed Ginny down to the Common Room and out through the portrait hole. Only in her own mind was Ellie willing to admit that her new hair had less to do with fashion and more to do with a specific boy who used to run his fingers through it.

“What class do you have?” Ginny asked stopping before the moving staircase.

Ellie frowned. “Dark Arts.” The whole of Hogwarts had dropped the wording “Defense Against” after their first class. It was obvious the Carrows had no interest in defending against the dark arts. Instead they ravished them.

Ginny pulled a face. “Good luck with that, see you at lunch.”

The two parted ways, Ellie descending to the third floor. Upon entering the classroom her eyes swept the already seated students. It was the absence of others that struck her most. Even now, two weeks in, Ellie had trouble grasping the lack of Harry, Hermione, Ron, and even more shockingly, Dean Thomas.

Keeping her gaze fixed forward and her head held high, Ellie walked to the middle of the room and took her seat beside Seamus. He shot her a sideways smile, both of them ignoring the derogatory remarks and vicious whispers circulating around them. With the loss of so many of their House mates, the Gryffindors were receiving more than their fair share of verbal and physical abuse from the Slytherins.

Seamus was currently supporting a gash on his cheek from a duel the previous weekend with Zabini. “Did you put more Mugwart on it this morning?” Ellie asked, gesturing to the cut.

Before Seamus could answer, the two were pelted with flaming blue sparks. Ellie leapt from her seat as the sparks landed on her hands and across her books. Seamus ignored the flames touching him, instantly batted the blue sparks off of Ellie. The Slytherins surrounding them laughed sadistically. When he was finished, Seamus briskly brushed the flames from him, setting his jaw as he did so.

“Too pathetic,” a cold voice drawled from behind them. Ellie swiftly checked over her shoulder fixing Draco with a look of disdain. “The Frog and the Fool can’t even tell the difference between Muggle flames and magical ones? It makes me wonder about their blood status. Surely no Pure Blood could be that thick.”

Seamus’ hands had begun to shake with anger. Not wanting Seamus to put himself in the face of another fight, Ellie placed both of her hands over his whispering, “It’s not worth it.”

His eyes darted from Ellie to Draco who had flounced gracefully into the empty seat in front of them. His malicious grey eyes taunted Seamus. “Scared, Finnigan? Don’t want to be embarrassed in front of your worthless froggy girlfriend?”

Seamus’ hands clenched beneath hers. “Ignore him,” Ellie instructed calmly.

“Where’s Thomas, Finnigan?” Draco’s mouth curled up in a cruel smirk. “Oh right. On the run. Poor Mummy must be so worried about her –“

But what Draco thought Dean was, neither Ellie nor Seamus waited to find out. Seamus punched Draco in the jaw with his left fist at the same time that Ellie hexed him, sending his eyes crosswise. Draco curse loudly going for his wand.

“What’s this?” a voice like nails on a chalk board instantly prevented the fight from progressing further.

“The Gryffindors attacked Draco, Professor,” Pansy explained breathlessly as she hurried to Draco’s side.

“He was taunting them!” Neville shouted angrily. “He got what he deserved.”

“Oh my,” the female Carrow said wickedly. “This does call for punishment. You three have just become the perfect volunteers for today’s lesson.”

Ellie’s pride flared. Whatever happened, it would be worth having had the opportunity to hex Malfoy. He was an utterly abhorrent creature for having taunted Seams about Dean like that. As she and Seamus stood, he wove their fingers together. Ellie knew it wasn’t a romantic gesture. It was one of solidarity. During the last two weeks the Gryffindors had learned that no matter what, they needed to stick together.

“Malfoy instigated it! Ellie and Seamus were just defending themselves,” Neville argued in earnest as he joined the two in front of the classroom.

Amycus Carrow’s shrewd eyes glittered with anticipation. “You won’t be needing your wands.” They each held out their wands which she greedily received and cast back on their desks.

Clenching Seamus’ hand tightly in her right and Neville’s in her left, Ellie swore to herself that no matter the pain, she would not cry out. She knew the boys beside her were trying to offer a protection that was non-existent. Lavender Brown and Parvati Patil looked on nervously at their House mates, their own hands held tightly together. The rest of the class grinned callously.

“Today’s lesson is on the Furnuculous curse. Does anyone know what this curse does?” Amycus asked, pacing anxiously before the student’s desks.

For the first time in his school career, Crabbe raised his meaty hand. “Boils,” he grunted once called upon.

Ellie’s skin crawled. She couldn’t prevent her eyes from running up and down her porcelain skin soon to be covered in – she perished the thought before it could overtake her resolve. Forcing herself to look up, she found herself staring defiantly at Malfoy. Her expression was blank, not betraying emotions; his, on the other hand, belied a touch of trepidation.

Amycus stood before the class enumerating the damages the Funuculous curse induced when cast correctly. The breathy excitement behind her words could not be masked. She mentioned nothing of how to defend oneself from the curse, which, of course, was not her concern. In her hand, Amycus twisted her wand frantically, palpably desperate to curse Ellie and her friends. Behind the three Gryffindor’s chalk smacked and scribbled against the blackboard, detailing her lecture.

Eventually the chalk dropped and Amycus took a gleeful step toward them. Across the room Lavender and Parvati looked on in horror. Clasped in their hands, they gripped their quills with white knuckles.

Ellie straightened up, stiffening her spine. She would not let this sadistic woman win. She wouldn’t let Draco and the rest of the Slytherins defeat her.

Amycus hurried in front of Seamus, her eyes wild with vicious delight. She raised her wand, Seamus clutched Ellie’s hand tighter. Jabbing her wand at him, Amycus shouted “Furnuculous!”

Immediately, angry red boils burst out over every visible inch of Seamu’s skin. His stony expression did not falter, but Ellie saw the sweat beading on his forehead. He was clearly fighting with his very soul not to react. That frightened Ellie slightly; Seamus was a very strong and determined person. If he almost faltered, how would she bare up?

“Draco, choose your ‘partner,’ please,” Amycus said as though imparting him with a precious gift.

Fighting her own anxiety, Ellie waited to be called upon. She heard Draco’s chair scrape back, watched as he strolled confidently up to them. Last minute courage rallied and Ellie brazenly stared down her ex-boyfriend.

He lifted his wand. With a lazy flick he said coldly and clearly, “Furnuculous.” Ellie gasped in shock.

Beside her, Neville groaned quietly as the horrible boils erupted all over his body. Draco slid his gaze from Ellie to his victim and back again. He raised one eyebrow, then turned abruptly and walked away, leaving Ellie to wildly contemplate what she had believed Draco would do.

“Pansy.”

Smiling ecstatically, Pansy scampered up before Ellie. She raised her wand, her entire presence bearing down on Ellie who steeled herself for the blow. All too soon Pansy shouted, “Furnuculous!”

A painful scream ignited the classroom. Pansy sank to the floor in front of Ellie. Unable to understand what had happened, Ellie marveled at the lack of pain she felt. Both of her arms felt as though they had been ravaged by wasps, but otherwise, she felt fine! Releasing Seamus’ hand, Ellie gingerly felt her face and found it to be boil free. Pansy, in sharp contrast, was completely covered in boils.

Amycus rushed over, peering critically down at Pansy. The class broke out in rampant murmurs of disbelief. “She—she cursed me!” cried Pansy, covering her face with her boil ridden hands.

Ellie’s eyes widened at the accusation. “No – I didn’t! I couldn’t –“

“Quiet!” screeched Amycus, reeling upwards and glowering at Ellie. “Thought you’d teach dear Pansy a lesson, did you? Well, we’ll see whose worse for wear!” She lifted her wand brutally, pointing it at the center of Ellie’s chest. “Cru-“

Seamus and Neville pushed Ellie out of the way as Draco’s lazy drawl drifted over the class’ shock. “Professor, as much as I desire to see the Frog cursed, I do find it incredibly hard to believe that she cursed Pansy without a wand.” He sighed empathetically, pointing to Ellie’s wand resting benignly on her unoccupied desk.

Collectively, the class turned its attention to Ellie’s harmless wand then instantly broke out into new whispers. Amycus was at a loss. Her wand wavered before falling to her side. From her position on the cold castle floor, Pansy whimpered helplessly, “She did it. I know she did it.”

“Class dismissed.” Amycus barked, helping Pansy to her feet.

Draco hoisted both his bag and Pansy’s. “I’ll take her to the Hospital Wing.” He didn’t spare a glance for Ellie.

As the rest of the class moved toward the doors and Seamus and Neville moved to their desks, Ellie attempted to escape. But Amycus latched onto Ellie’s arm before she could. The four Gryffindors moved to the doorway, Seamus clutching Ellie’s bag.

“Yes?” Ellie asked emotionlessly.

“Detention,” Amycus hissed. “You still need to learn today’s lesson.”

Wrenching her arm free, Ellie winced at the aching pain Amycus’ rough grip had caused on her cursed forearms. Ellie stumbled out of the classroom with her friends, but her mind was still locked on the classroom. Who had cursed Pansy to protect her?