Elyssa Greer came from a Pureblood family, a Pureblood descent of Serbians. She was the outcast of her family; the only Gryffindor after centuries of the Greer and Banović family being sorted into Slytherin. Ellie felt like an outcast before she was...
Over the last few days, Ellie had been receiving silly comments from the male students, ever since Professor Umbridge had stupidly humiliated her in front of Trelawney's Divination class, assuming that because Ellie was late, she was off doing inappropriate things. Umbridge should have handled things a little more professionally and appropriately, since, now, Ellie had been putting up with stupid comments and terrible name calling.
None of the fifth-year Gryffindors seemed to care about what Umbridge had to say to Ellie, seeing as none of them could really stand her, that or they've got common sense. But everyone else - not so much.
Seamus Finnigan may have made a little, harmless joke, but it drove Ellie mad and she shoved him right in front of Professor McGonagall, landing herself in detention and a letter sent home.
I wish I could do that to Nikolai, thought Ellie. But for some reason she just couldn't. She didn't know why she couldn't defend her own honour when it came to Nikolai, she didn't know what she was so afraid of, and it irked her. It made her question herself, made her hate herself.
For now, though, she had managed to avoid him. At least kept him at bay, kept him away so that he wouldn't approach her in the Great Hall or during classes. She knew he had a lot to say, most likely. That, or he was stupidly supporting what Umbridge implied and was enjoying the attention. Ellie did see him getting a couple slaps on the back, but all Ellie was getting was curled lips, whispers, rumours and insults.
She couldn't stand it.
There was not allowed to be any bullying at school. But Umbridge, who seems so keen on sacking teachers and coming up with stupid rules, has just made Ellie the perfect target. McGonagall wasn't even mad about what Ellie had done to Seamus, not after Ellie had explained everything that had been going on. She had offered Ellie a biscuit and sent her on her way.
Still, it was hard to fathom out why everyone was making such a big deal over something so small and stupid that Umbridge said. Umbridge.
"Thank you for coming with me, Silas," Ellie said as she exited the Hog's Head with a golden coin in hand, clutching onto Silas's arm and keeping her head down.
Learning a few things from Harry Potter didn't sound too bad, but if she knew that a whole bunch of people were to be there . . . she mightn't have gone. Silas seemed to take pity on Ellie and sought her out himself, telling her that he had heard about meeting with Harry, Ron and Hermione in the Hog's Head, and she suggested that they go together.
"Hey, don't worry about it," Silas said, using his free hand to tilt her head up. This made her realise that he was not responding to what she said. "Forget them. Let these idiots say whatever they please, they'll stop eventually. I mean - I know it sounds stupid coming from me. Pansy and everyone else always took the piss out of me and I thought if I just let it go they'd eventually just forget about me. But this time it's different."
"How?" Ellie whispered as they headed down the street together, looking around wearily. "Silas, have you not heard a thing that people are saying about me?"
"It's different because they hated me for being me," Silas shrugged, wiping his long hair from his face. "They don't hate you for . . . that. They don't hate you at all. What I believe is that . . . they just needed someone to behave stupidly to and Umbridge gave everyone the perfect opportunity, whether it be knowingly or unknowingly."
"You really think it'll stop?" Ellie questioned, looking into the stores as they walked. "Sucks being called a slag every twenty seconds."
"Believe me, I know what it's like."
No you don't, Ellie wanted to say. Only a few Slytherins taunted you - everyone is taunting me.
After throwing on a jumper, Ellie left Gryffindor common room for the Great Hall to eat dinner, hoping she would bump into Lavender and Parvarti along the way, or even Hermione so that she could ask about learning defence. Anything so that she wouldn't be alone - being alone seemed to give the idiot students more confidence to spit profanity at her.
Seeing no one around, Ellie scoffed loudly, looking around, and said aloud, "I don't deserve this. I really don't. What did I do to - ow!"
There was a sudden burning pain in Ellie's forehead, and she staggered back to clutch it hard. Opening her eyes, she saw Draco Malfoy doing the same to his nose. He must have come from the library, given that he wasn't near the Dungeons.
"Again? Really?" he grumbled, rolling his eyes.
Ellie almost apologised, but Hufflepuff Zacharias Smith had just began to walk past the pair, and began to holler.
"Slagging him off now, are you? When's it my turn?"
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The Hufflepuff made a very rude gesture before bursting into laughter and disappearing into the Great Hall. This made Ellie's face burn red and she grabbed her arm self-consciously, becoming suddenly interested in Malfoy's shoes, hoping that he would just go away now.
"Well . . . your favourite teacher gave him these impressions," Malfoy said awkwardly, taking a step back. "And all the others."
Could have said something worse, but didn't.
Malfoy began to turn.
"Malfoy, wait," said Ellie, desperately. He turned back, an annoyed yet confused crease in his eyebrows. He looked around for a moment before he shrugged, silently asking her what the hell she wanted. "Er - I know that - um - this is really weird and all, but could we talk in private for a second? Just a second."
He stared at her for a moment before he said a long, "Why?"
"It's just for a second, please."
"Why me?"
"Malfoy."
"You really want to give these people more of a reason to believe -?"
Ellie didn't waste any time in grabbing him by the sleeve and dragging him behind a statue, where they were out of view.
"Ahh, so this is what you did with Nikolai, huh?" Malfoy said smugly. "Not interested, Greer."
He began to walk away, and she knew this was his nasty attempt at a joke. So she grabbed him and pulled him back.
