Fight With Me | Hermione Granger x Female OC (Book 2)

22 - Protection Ring

Note: This chapter follows the book's timeline. In the movie, the group immediately goes to the Department of Mysteries (after the last chapter I wrote). In the book, it takes three months from the firework incident to get to the DOM scene.

It was now April 5, 1996.

Just three days had passed since Umbridge became Headmistress. It was also the first day of the Easter holidays, meaning most of the students were headed back to London, trying to avoid Umbridge's tyranny for their break.

Ellie sat with the Golden Trio in a compartment on the Hogwarts Express. Under normal circumstances, the group would have stayed, but staying under Umbridge's rule was not ideal.

"So... what are you all planning to do for Easter?" Ellie questioned, wanting to break the silence.

"Probably catch up on some reading and perhaps purchase a few books from the market," Hermione replied happily.

"Of course you are..." Ron muttered under his breath.

"And you two?" Ellie continued, gesturing to the boys in front of her.

Ron was the first to speak. "Well, I'll be at the Burrow, like always. Harry's staying with us for the break. I can't imagine leaving him with his wretched aunt and uncle and that boy Dudley. My family's never not up to something, so I guess we'll see."

Harry looked up, his eyes with a sudden twinkle. "You know, Ellie. It'd be a perfect time to work on your Seeker skills."

Ellie's face lit up but dropped quickly. "Yeah, that'd be great... but I don't exactly have the largest space to practice."

"You can practice at the Burrow. We've got tons of open land," Ron chimed in.

"Thank you, Ron. Send me an owl and I'll be there," Ellie thanked, sending a warm smile at the boys.

"And you better not come walking this time. They're a bit far from King's Cross," Hermione warned.

"About a 10 minute flight," Ron added.

"Flight?" Ellie questioned.

"By flying car. You've never heard of one before?" Ron asked in disbelief.

"Ronald. I'm American," Ellie joked.

"Oh, don't listen to him. We can take the Floo Network," Hermione reassured.

Ellie stared at them with a blank expression. Growing up around muggles, she never had the chance to learn about these methods of transportation.

"Don't worry about it. Your mum has some," Hermione said simply.

"How the hell does my mother have some of this Fleu Net-thingy?" Ellie asked with a raised eyebrow.

"First of all, it's Floo, not Fleu. And second, you're forgetting your mum is a witch," Hermione replied in a matter of fact.

Ellie had completely forgotten her mother was a witch. She hadn't said much about her life in the Wizarding World because it was always shrouded by her muggle job.

Ellie thanked Hermione, still trying to imagine the thought of her mother flicking around a wand. The rest of the ride back to London was quiet except for the occasional conversation.

After the train halted to a stop, Ellie said her goodbyes to her friends and gave a wink to her girlfriend, making her blush. The boys had promised to owl her when they wanted her to practice while Hermione made her way to her parents.

Ellie began her walk back home, not minding the distance or the time it took to get there. She shook off the dirt on her shoes as she entered her cozy home, only to be immediately greeted by the warm embrace of her mother.

"Mom! I didn't know you were home!" Ellie exclaimed with a hearty chuckle.

"I haven't seen you in ages, Ellie. I took the day off to see my daughter!" Amelia replied.

Ellie's face turned serious. A day off would mean a day's worth of money not earned. "The day off? Are you sure?"

Her mother's lips curled into a wide smile. "Well... I've been meaning to tell you. I got a promotion at work!"

"That's amazing! Congrats, mom," Ellie congratulated, embracing her again.

"Thanks, honey. Why don't you go get settled in? I made your favorite."

Ellie retreated to her room then came back down to the hot plate of chicken alfredo pasta. Ellie smiled at her mom, silently thanking her. As Ellie was just about to take her first bite, a thump was heard on the door.

Ellie stood up cautiously, making her way to the door, grabbing the bat placed behind the couch. She opened the door slowly to see the Weasley family owl sitting on the porch. Her posture relaxed as she petted the old bird and took the letter from its claws. She closed the door and returned back to her mom, who was curiously peering at the item. Ellie opened the parchment to find Harry's handwriting: Seeker training at noon tomorrow. Bring your broom. Hermione will be here in the morning - Harry

Ellie smiled to herself, the last part bringing excitement.

"What's that?" Ellie's mom asked curiously.

"It's my friends. They want me to practice being Seeker for Hufflepuff. Well, mostly Harry. But Hermione will be there."

"Seeker, huh? That's quite the brutal position," Amelia said to her daughter.

"You know about Quidditch?"

"Of course I know about Quidditch! Your father was the best Slytherin Seeker of his time!" Ellie's mom said excitedly.

"My father was a seeker?! And he was a Slytherin?! How come you've never told me?" Ellie asked with a wave of excitement.

"It's a dangerous thing to talk about. Your father was always getting hurt, I tell you. There was not a game where he didn't end up in the infirmary. He was damn good for a muggle-born," Amelia replied, a small smile appearing on her face.

Ellie smiled breathlessly as she took in this new information. The thought of her father being a Seeker baffled her. What baffled her even more was the fact that he was a Slytherin. How could a Slytherin love someone like her Hufflepuff mother?

"That reminds me, honey. I'll be right back," Amelia said as she excused herself. She came back quickly holding a gracefully-made gold ring with the initials S.E. engraved on the inside. She placed it in Ellie's hand for her to examine.

"It was your father's. A protection ring. Enchanted to protect the wearer from severe harm. It won't make you invincible, but it'll make sure you aren't severely hurt. He always forgot to wear it during his games. Your father wasn't wearing it either the day he died. They found it at the scene, but it was never proven to be on his finger," Ellie's mother trailed, her voice softening. "It's yours now."

Ellie looked up to her mother, her eyes filled with joy. She embraced her tightly, whispering a thanks in her ear.

"Well, I figured you'd need it for tomorrow. You know, training for Seeker and all," Amelia said with a smile.

"I'm sure I'll be fine. But I'll wear it just in case. Thanks, mom."

They talked for a little while longer. Eventually, Ellie retreated to her room, fondling with the ring placed on her middle finger. She stared at the ceiling, thinking about her father and grew more and more excited about the next day's events.