Ella ○ Harry Potter

Thirty: It's a Parade

"Ugh, this rain was the worst. What's with it? It's like every year it's getting colder and colder."

"Climate change," Ella stated, still smiling at Snape happily.

"You're so weird," Pansy told her.

"Thank you, babe," she grinned, turning away from Snape and winking at her. Pansy raised an eyebrow, about to reply, when the doors to the Great Hall opened and the sorting ceremony started.

The sorting hat sung a relatively boring song (on Ella's first year it sung something about impending doom), and Malcolm Baddock became the first Slytherin of the year, and Ella shot out of her wand some confetti.

"GREY! STOP AT ONCE!" Snape hissed at her.

"I'm sorry sir! It's a parade!" she shrugged, and he seemed like he could whop out his wand and Avada Kedavra her any moment.

"Detention! Again!" he hissed as the first Gryffindor was sorted, and she sighed.

"I love you," she said simply. Though he gave her detention for throwing confetti, Ella kept doing it through the sorting ceremony, and she could feel a burning glare at her neck.

Graham Pritchard was the last Slytherin to be sorted, and Snape walked down to the table.

"Ah, this is Professor Snape, the head of our house," Zabini introduced the professor, who placed a hand on Ella's shoulder. "Hello sir!" he greeted.

"You," he hissed at Ella. "Are in detention for the rest of the year," she frowned.

"With you, my favorite person in the whole wide world?" she questioned, and he rolled his eyes. "Because, if so, I am more than willing."

"Grey, if I'll deal with you a whole year alone..."

"You'll fall in love?" Snape walked off with no answer, and she frowned, looking at Malfoy. "He loves me, right?"

Professor Dumbledore had gotten to his feet. He was smilingaround at the students, his arms opened wide in welcome."I have only two words to say to you," he told them, his deepvoice echoing around the Hall. "Tuck in."

The first years asked a lot of questions as Ella filled her plate with mashed potatoes ("My fantasy is filled with cholocate and potatoes. Not together. Maybe together? Hey, Veronica, pass the chocolate cake!"), and the Slytherins all enjoyed a rather nice chat about Hogwarts, when the Bloody Baron floated by.

"Hello," he greeted mournfully, his voice hoarse.

"Hey!" Ella greeted cheerfully. "I haven't seen much of you last year," she admitted. "How have you been?"

"Ah, you know me," he said rather seriously. "I've been wandering around the Astronomy Tower a lot. You get alone with Peeves, correct?"

"That I do," she nodded, and smiled at the ghost. He dressed in robes covered in silver bloodstains, and carried chains for a reason Ella never figured out.

"Could you try and get him to stop bothering the poor house-elves?"

Ella's eyes sparkled, "I mean, I could always go to the Kitchens and speak with them."

"I'd rather you talk to Peeves," Ella's eyes turned to look at the Bloody Baron, as she took another bite of the mashed potatoes.

"You can control him just fine though, can't you?"

"I'd rather it if the kind of convincing would come from a friendly place, and not one of intimidation."

"I see," Ella nodded. "Yeah, I can drop by at the Kitchens, and speak to him too."