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"WELCOME TO HOGWARTS!" The woman, who Hagrid had introduced as Professor McGonagall, spoke. "The start-of-term banquet will begin shortly, but before you take your seats in the Great Hall, you will be sorted into your houses." Ariel was very keen on listening to the stern-faced woman clad in emerald-green robes, but was distracted by the hubbub going on behind the closed doors of the Great Hall.
The Professor went on explaining the eleven-year-olds about Hogwarts and its houses, when Ellie felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned around to see a taller, sandy-haired boy looking at her with a tensed look on his face, craning his head down a little, whispered, "Hi, we met earlier," Ellie could not hear him on top of McGonagall's voice and she was having a hard time concentrating considering she had never had a boy so close to her ( playing with babies at the park didn't count ) and could not remember where she had seen him before. So he continued, "When I accidentally crashed into your trolley? Back at the station?" A bulb went off in Ellie's head and she instantly remembered the boy who had "accidentally" embarrassed her by making her fall on her butt.
She wasn't mad at him but went on with a pout on her face, "Of course I remember! You made me fall."
"Sorry about that, really." His nervous stance was making it very hard for her to act mad at him and unknowingly, a smile had crept up on her face as he said, "I think my book fell there, any chance you picked it up?"
It wasn't a very clear memory but she did remember scurrying up and putting in something she thought had fallen out of her bag. "I think so? I'll check afterwards and give it to you as soon as possible." During this brief conversation, Lily's tugs on Ellie's arm had gone completely unnoticed by her, but it was too late now, the boy's cute smile couldn't have saved her from McGonagall stopping mid-sentencing and calling out, "Perhaps students can wait until we reach the Great Hall to complete their very important talks?" She immediately turned her head towards the teacher, flinching and quickly replying with an almost inaudible, "Sorry, mam."
McGonagall hadn't particularly called Ellie or the boy's names out, but Ellie knew by the way the Professor was staring daggers at the two, raising her voice in their direction, and if that wasn't enough, all the children went completely quiet and were looking at the two now.
Great. She thought to herself. School hasn't even started and I've already made the worst impression on my teacher.
She didn't dare look back at the boy, who had gone completely red himself, and was instead focused on her very interesting looking shoes now with her heart pounding in her ears as she took in slow breaths. Trying her hardest to ignore Severus' huff of disappointment or someone stifling their laughter in the background, or even the small sorry the boy had whispered, she instead focused on Lily moving her foot towards Ellie's, touching it slightly, as if trying to tell her it's alright.
