Golden Girl- James Potter Love Story

The Aftermath

Ella tried to conceal her smirk as she strolled into the Great Hall in her multi colored robes. Hogwarts was alive and bustling with preparation for the first day of classes. Some students were already anxiously pouring over their textbooks while others gave more attention to their plates. Ella decided to walk over to the Ravenclaw table and slid into a spot. As she turned to a girl next to her, she blinked in shock. The student looked like a mirror image of the future Ginny Weasley. Freckles dotted her cheeks in the same places and she held her shoulders proudly. Ella held out a hand "Hi, I'm.."

"Ella Connelly, yes I know," the redhead offered a polite smile and a handshake. "Portia Elm, but everyone calls me Tia."

She's a lot more subdued than Ginny, Ella thought. But she supposed Gin had to have gotten her brains from somewhere as Ella remembered Ron's less than impressive work ethic.

"What class do you have first?" Tia began, expertly smearing jam on her toast.

Ella stabbed a sausage ruthlessly. "Herbology." She worked hard in the subject, but plants weren't her area of expertise.

Whooping was suddenly heard at the back of the hall. Ella turned and sighed as James and Sirius strutted in followed by Remus and Peter, basking in their popularity. James winked at her as they walked toward the Slytherin table. She rolled her eyes with a grin and leaned forward to watch the action as Portia gazed at her curiously.

"Oi mates!" Sirius began. The Slytherins looked up with their faces twisted with displeasure.

"How's the pumpkin juice? Nice and sweet?" James raised an eyebrow mischievously. The Slytherins begin to inspect their drinks swiftly but it was too late, the potion had taken affect.

"I love your robes James, " Rodolphus Lestrange giggled, his eyes rolling sideways. Ella stifled her laughter while James looked revolted.

"Remmie, that look is a good one on you, you know all those scars," Bellatrix batted her eyelashes before standing up and knocking down the pitcher of juice on her friends. Ella winced as it crashed to the floor.

"McGonagall's got steam coming out of her nose," Sirius chortled.

Ella looked up to see McGonagall standing from her chair swiftly, face tight.

"Let's ditch this joint," Sirius encouraged and he quickly strolled out of the Great Hall, dragging Ella with them.

"Looks like you have a secret admirer, Little Remmie," Ella teased as James snorted and Remus rolled his eyes, his cheeks slightly pink.

"Bellatrix would hardly be pleased if she knew what she was saying," Remus looked rather serious as he examined his schedule and Ella was reminded of his Lyrancothy.

"Who cares?" James clapped his friend on the shoulder. "She hangs around Lestrange so her taste is rather horrible."

"I even agree and she's my family," Sirius pointed out, dancing ahead of them.

Peter squinted. "You don't like any of your family's tastes Padfoot."

"Good point," Ella's cousin sniffed before turning to her. "You still have to earn a permanent place, but we have decided you are now officially the Marauders assistant."

Ella punched his shoulder, "Excuse me? I worked just as hard as the rest of you and besides, who's going to help you pass all you classes?"

Sirius and James spun around "WE CAN CHEAT?"

Ella snorted "Absolutely not. But I promise I'll help," and she turned to the Hufflepuff common room, ignoring their protests.

Ella sat in the library a few days later, putting her books in her bag to leave when a shadow fell across her table. Bellatrix Black stared at her with her lip curled in displeasure and Ella randomly had a sudden flashback to when she stole her twin's stuffed dog as a child and hid it. "Yes?" she asked hesitantly.

"What's with you?" Bellatrix hissed "You show up out of nowhere beat up and then get sorted in all of the houses. That seems pretty suspicious to even me, a slimy Slytherin."

Ella's eyes widened and her fingers slid off the book she was grabbing "I never said.."

"Then you go and prank the Slytherins and betray your own house," Bellatrix continued, ignoring her. "Just who do you think you are, muggle? You need to set your priorities straight and go back to the Gryffindorks where you so obviously belong."

Ella shrunk back, her confidence and pride draining. She felt a urge to apologize, despite her sister's poor treatment. "Listen I'm really sorry, I get ahead of myself and.."

"I don't need to hear some fake excuse.."

"It's not fake," Ella snapped and Bellatrix's eyes narrowed further. "I'm sorry. But you could be a bit more friendly."

Her twin sniffed and dug her nails into the cover of a book. "The only reason I'm standing here is to warn you to stay away from things your ignorant mind wouldn't understand. Or you'll get hurt." With one final glare she spun and Bellatrix was gone.

Ella stood up shakily from the table and, with trembling fingers, finished putting her things away. She didn't understand why the hostile encounter had affected her so highly, but seeing her sister now with all the memories of what they once had as children made Ella feel extremely guilty.

"Hey, El! You have to.." Sirius' voice trailed off when he took in her expression.

James looked at her cautiously "What's up?"

Ella met their gaze uncertainly before explaining about Bellatrix. Sirius' eyes darkened and he turned to her and James, "I trust you so I'm going to tell you one of my family's most shameful and buried secrets." Ella tensed. "Bellatrix had a twin."

"WHAT?" James eyes widened and Ella put on a look of shock.

"I know, my family doesn't like to talk about it much, but I had a cousin named Elizabeth Black. I remember her faintly and she was always so happy, sometimes she was too charming when she wanted her way," Sirius gave a gentle roll of his eyes. "Anyway, us cousins were actually rather close until one day she just disappeared. My aunt and uncle, who acted like the typical cold purebloods, were distraught and Ellie's sisters sort of sank with them. Especially Bella, she got caught up in the dark side of my family. She doesn't get excuses for her filthy attitude, but she hasn't been the same since."

Ella sat in silence before she looked up, running her hand along the polished shelves. "What she said is true though. I am part Slytherin and I need to remain loyal to them too, maybe I can even help them," she added at the boy's skeptical faces.

Sirius looked at her. "Trust me, I know from experience. They make the decisions for themselves. It's not up to you to choose for them." After James and Ella stared at him in surprise, Sirius grinned, "That sounded pretty mystical, didn't it?" He shrugged. "Now the adventure must go on, let's go Prongs, El!" and the boy bounded away eagerly

"He's right you know, he's been through a lot." James' grew solemn before he bumped her shoulder playfully. "Don't let the slime balls get you down."

"Thanks for your great advice," Ella teased "It's barely a spark to Sirius' eloquence.

"Whatever," James pouted. The boy snatched a quill as he sprinted out of the library and shivered "That place always scares me. How can a room be so quiet?"

Ella shook her head as she adjusted the strap of her bag. "You know, some people enjoy it when they're trying to learn."

"That's just sad." James skipped as they entered the courtyard and turned to face her, running a hand through his hair. "Come on, real experiences are right out there waiting for us."

(EDITED 7/24/18)