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...
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The Great Hall was Ellie's favourite place when it came to Hogwarts. Food and friends, what more could she ask for? The only thing missing, were her friends. She was so miserable being surrounded by these Slytherins all the time; they didn't even like her.
She missed Lavender and Parvarti, and Silas most of all. For the last fortnight Ellie had been sitting in class with Nikolai and his Slytherin friends and only ever got to catch up with Lavender and Parvarti when they were in Gryffindor Tower, during which time Lavender and Parvarti mostly had attitudes toward Ellie. Silas was giving her the cold shoulder and turned away from her with a look of sadness and a little shake of his head whenever they caught each others eye.
But Nikolai just wouldn't let go of her.
However, this was the first time they were eating together in the last week, owing to the fact that Nikolai had been spending most of his time sucking up to the teacher's and trying to earn extra House points for Slytherin. Not that it worked, which Ellie liked to have a giggle at on the inside.
The weight of his arm over her shoulders made her want to shiver and shrug it off. He had been somewhat nicer to her this past fortnight, but since it felt so forced and pretend it made it feel worse than his rude attitude. Ellie felt his fingers glide softly against her chest and her skin instantly grew cold. She looked down, confused, to find that he gripped the chain of the necklace he had gotten her and pulled it out of her top.
"I want everyone to know you're mine," he whispered to her, and she cringed at the feet-like smell of his breath. She almost asked when was the last time he brushed his teeth, but knew she would never hear the end of it if she did.
"Pretty sure everyone already does," she raised an eyebrow at him.
"What's that?" he said, pretending he hadn't heard what she said. He may have been speaking nicer, but the way he did made it sound like he was her parent.
Ellie almost rolled her eyes. "Nothing," she muttered, and sat beside him at the Slytherin table while Pansy, Draco and Theodore sat together on the opposite side.
Her stomach rumbled as her eyes scanned all the food in front of her. She wanted almost everything - from the toasted sandwiches, to the sausages, and the macaroni, the roasted potato, and the chicken. Mouth watering, Ellie reached for a plate and began to grab at anything she could reach and put it on her plate. She felt like she hadn't eaten in weeks and wanted to scoff it all down.
The prickling sensation of a pair of eyes watching her like a hawk stopped her from grabbing a bread roll, and she turned. Of course . . . Nikolai was watching her. Perhaps he was admiring her, hoping she wouldn't notice. She offered him a small smile, one which he did not return. He looked almost . . . revolted . . . yet he plainly tried his best to hide it.
But not when he spoke to her.
"Er - is everything okay?" he said slowly in quite the uneven voice. He eyed her plate of food before searching her eyes.
"Yes, just terribly hungry," Ellie chuckled, grabbing the bread roll she was reaching for and putting it on her plate.
"Oh. Well what did you eat for breakfast?" said Nikolai in a kind voice, one that Ellie couldn't help but smile at. "Surely you've eaten today? I hope you have. You need food to think properly and for energy."
"Oh, yeah. I had eggs on toast with a side of bacon," Ellie replied, reaching for a fork and stabbing her roasted chicken with it. "Then I had two mini sausages, since I was still hungry. I usually try to have a big breakfast anyway, since it's the most important meal of the day."
Nikolai nodded slowly at her, still eyeing her plate of food. She grew confused by this.
"Is that . . . not okay with you?" she said, frowning. What was his problem?
"Oh . . . er . . . well the breakfast part is, but this? Right here and now on your plate . . . it's got to go, Elyssa."
"What? Why?" Ellie whined, glancing around her.
Pansy was rambling about something nobody was paying attention to, while Theodore and Draco were listening in to what Nikolai and Ellie were saying. They played it off by reaching for a goblet when they caught Ellie staring at them. She felt so humiliated now . . .
"This is too much of a meal for a girl like yourself, love. Here - let me fix your plate for you." Nikolai pushed Ellie's precious plate of food aside and grabbed a fresh one, on which he scooped up a handful of peas, a slice of banana bread, and some sliced apple, before placing it down in front of her. "There, much better. This is the amount of food you should be eating daily, Elyssa. You must keep fit and petite."
Ellie blinked at him, horrified. "Fit and petite?"
"Well, of course, silly. You're a girl . . . ladies must be petite, so you need to watch what you're eating and how much. While lads like myself need to bulk up and be strong enough to protect you."
"I wouldn't need protecting if I'm not fit and petite, Nikolai - what, you're going to starve me now?" she snapped, pushing the plate he'd given her away.
Pansy was slowly taking triangular-cut sandwiches off her plate.
"Oh don't be so dramatic, Elyssa, please - now, eat what I've given you --"
"No! I want chicken, not peas! This isn't a meal - what is this?" Ellie complained, pointing to the small amount of food on her plate. It was fixed for a small child, not a growing teenage girl. "And I need bread or I won't be happy."
"No, I don't want you eating chicken anymore. And you have bread. I've given you some."
"That's banana bread, it's not the same," Ellie frowned at him. "I need meat, and bread, and --"
"Stop your complaining otherwise I'll be picking out what you drink, too," Nikolai growled, silencing Ellie immediately. Theodore Nott coughed awkwardly. "I see you like your juice and your butterbeer. Be grateful I'm allowing you to continue to consume such sweetened drinks when really you should be sticking to water."
Ellie suddenly lost her appetite, instead feeling very self-conscious -- especially after looking at what she originally had on her plate. Maybe Nikolai was right . . . maybe it was too much. She reached down and rested a hand on her stomach -- there was a squishy bump she hadn't at all paid any attention to.
"You must watch what you're putting in your body, Elyssa," Nikolai was saying. "You wouldn't want to look like you're floating when it comes to our wedding now do you?"
Incredibly and beyond hurt, the Gryffindor pushed her plate further away and began to stand. Nikolai instantly gripped her wrist with such a force she almost yanked it away.
"What do you think you're doing?" He demanded, and Ellie began to tug her wrist away from him.
