𝕝𝕖𝕘𝕒𝕔𝕪 ⟡ ᴊᴀᴍᴇs ᴘᴏᴛᴛᴇʀ¹

seventy five: explained

-ˋˏ ༻❁༺ ˎˊ-

ELLA SETTLED INTO her seat, bringing the mug of hot chocolate to her lips. Lyra was next to her, the young girl quickly leaning into her best friend out of comfort. Mason and Regulus were sitting opposite of them on the other couch. They were all huddled in the living room, the fireplace crackling to fill the silence.

Mason's initial shock after seeing his ex girlfriend for the first time since her leaving, wore off rather quickly. Lyra had thrown herself into Ella's arms, not letting go for almost two minutes. That gave the Burke enough time to adjust to everything that was happening.

While the outside of the cottage appeared almost run down, the inside was a whole different story. It was properly furnished and Christmas decorations were hanging everywhere, including a tree set up in the corner of the living room, still bare, however. The place truly did feel like a cozy little home, just like the one Ella had always described wanting to have to him. It fit her perfectly.

"So, you've been here the whole time?" the seventh year asked, taking a sip of his own hot chocolate. Ella hummed in response. "It's only been a few months, but I've managed to adjust" she smiled, looking around at everything she's accomplish. She was so content with the life she was living.

"I'm glad this place worked out for you, Ellie" Lyra chipped in, thinking back to all of the work that went into getting her there. "And I owe everything to you, my sweet best friend" the older girl replied, leaning her head against her shoulder. "But enough about me. I haven't been able to contact you in months. How is everything?"

Lyra, Regulus, and Mason all shared sharp looks with each other. Ella didn't miss the subtle action, raising an eyebrow at the trio. There was no telling how this would go. Lyra moved so that she could sit up more, turning slightly to face her friend. "You've missed a lot" she began, pulling up her sleeve and whispering a quick spell to undo the magic placed on her arm. The dark mark appeared slowly.

Ella's eyes widened as she gripped onto her, rubbing her fingers over the inked skin to make sure that it was real. "But you're still in school" she breathed, not able to comprehend why this had happened. "You're sixteen!" This time her voice was much louder. She could feel the anger within her beginning to build up.

Lyra placed her hand over Ella's, trying to tell her that it was okay, causing the older girl to look up at her. Her eyes were watery with both fear and anguish. "After you left, Voldemort realized that it was too easy for us to simply run away" Both Regulus and Mason shot their heads up, never having heard her say his name before. They've always referred to him as 'The Dark Lord'. "He wanted to mark us before we had the chance" Ella jolted back in shock once she realized that this was her fault. She moved away from Lyra, her heart breaking at what she's done.

"How many?" she asked, her voice shaking in fear. "The three of us" Regulus spoke up, gaining her attention. Ella looked over at him with a sad expression, letting her gaze then slowly drift towards Mason. They had spent countless of nights together simply in each other's arms, talking about how they wished to run away from all of this. How he didn't want to end up like his parents.

Mason only set his lips in a thin line, sending her a nod. He of course didn't blame here. None of them did. This was always going to happen one way or another. "Along with Rabastan, Jaxon, and-" the Black paused, hesitating to say the last name. He wasn't exactly sure how much his 'sister' wanted to reveal tonight. Little did he know, she planned to tell them everything, even the things that he didn't know.

"And Evan Rosier" Lyra finished for him. "Whom I am engaged to" Ella blinked, thinking she didn't hear the young girl correctly. "Engaged!?" she shouted. "But you're a child! You're both still underage! How could they marry you off!?" She was so overcome with rage, feelings she's never really felt before so she didn't know how to control them. All she could think about was that her friend's lives were being ruined all because of someone with an unnecessary need for power. And Ella always did have a temper. She never bothered to fix it.