CHAPTER THIRTY.
( HAPPINESS.. )

     Monday rolled around quicker than Ella would have hoped and as she rolled over in bed, she realised that the door was very much empty. She knew that she has slept in but she didn't realise how much she had actually slept in. That was until she saw James sat on the edge of her bed. A smile on his lips as he looked down at her sleepy figure.

     "Hey, sleepy head," He said softly as he reached out to stroke her hair. He pushed her hair out of her face and let his hand rest on her cheek. Ella leaned in, letting out a soft groan as she tugged him closer. James chuckled and managed to keep himself back despite his overwhelming want to get into bed and cuddle with her, "You can't hide from classes, Ella. Come on," He said softly as he pulled the covers back a bit. Ella groaned and rolled over. James chuckled and leant forward and poked his cheek. Ella sighed again and turned back over to face him.

     "Why can't ya just cuddle with me today?" Ella asked softly as she opened her arms, wanting a hug from him. James shook his head and moved to stand up. He opened his arms up for her when he was stood, indicating that he would hug her if she got up. A soft whine escaped her lips before she pushed herself to sit up. She ran her hands over her face, a yawn passing through her lips before she managed to pull herself out of her bed fully.

     She then nuzzled into James' chest and he smiled softly. His hands ran through her hair as he rested his chin against hers. But he pulled away before she could get more comfortable and he pulled out his wand, bringing her uniform to his hand. He then held it out to her, a pout appearing on her lips before she took them from him.

     "'elp me get dressed." Ella begged softly as she looked up at her. He rolled his eyes at her and glanced to see that the door was closed. He then helped her take her shirt off and passed her her button-up shirt. Ella let him do it up as she pushed her shorts down and off her legs. She made sure to subtly cover the mark on her thigh and James noticed but didn't say anything. He understood the insecurity and just let her continue as she reached out for the skirt.

     Once he was done with the shirt, she pulled her skirt up and zipped it up at the side. He moved his hands to make sure the shirt was tucked in enough and he smiled softly at her. Ella couldn't help but smile back sheepishly. After everything that they had done, just him simply helping her made her stomach flutter with butterflies.

     "There you are, perfect," He said softly before he grabbed the tie. He put it around her neck and tied it for her. Making sure to be careful and precise as he put under her collar. He straightened it out for her and Ella just grinned as she watched him. She then sat down, pulling her socks and shoes on before standing up. He passed her her cloak and she put it around herself, "and since breakfast is over. I snook you a croissant," He said as he pulled it out of his pocket. It was in a small bag and Ella grinned. She grabbed it and began to munch on it as she flicked her wand. Her school bag packed quickly and she pulled it over her shoulder.

     Just having him around in the morning was a pick-me-up enough for Ella to feel a whole lot more comforted. He then offered his hand out to her and Ella walked out holding his hand. She continued to eat her croissant as they headed to class together. He had a completely different class to her that morning but they were all basically discovering whether or not Professor Landon had been removed or not.

     When they got to the door and saw that a different teacher was stood there, Ella's shoulders suddenly felt so much lighter. A grin spread across her face as she shifted the bag over her shoulder. She looked up at James and then pulled him into a kiss. Her arms wrapping around his neck as she pressed a soft kiss to his lips.

     "I may or may not have spoken to Dumbledore a little more about Professor Landon. Well, we all had to. Dumbledore wanted to keep you out of it to prevent any more harm," James whispered in her ear once they had pulled away. Ella looked at him incredulously and then smacked his chest. She couldn't believe it. She was gone from terrorising Ella at school. At least she was gone from this place, her father was gone too. She was free from them.

     "What did you say?" She asked and James shrugged. He held onto her hands and intertwined their fingers, pulling her close again. He glanced over at the new Professor at the door who seemed to be talking with students inside. She wasn't paying any attention to them.

     "I just told him the truth. Lily and Layla came forward too. About the bruise and I showed Dumbledore your test papers that we did together. To show that there was clearly something wrong. He even got the papers you did and he graded them himself and found that suspicious enough. From what Dumbledore told me, he spoke to Professor Landon and your father. They were both fired. Professor Landon for misconduct and assaulting a student. Your father... I'm not entirely sure what happened with him," James explained. Ella tilted her head, looking into James' eyes. She had a feeling that was coming. His behaviour had struck Ella as odd. Now that she looked back on it, it was very odd. He wanted to be around her yet passively allowed her step-mother to do what she did. Ella didn't know how to explain that. It seemed illogical.

     "Dumbledore believes that he may be under the imperius curse. He couldn't find anything conclusive but it was strange. Layla told him about the conversation the two of you heard and Dumbledore had his own suspicions. But he had to fire him for the betterment of the school," James explained, keeping it brief and his voice quiet. Ella's eyebrows pulled together before it hit her. She didn't say anything, just pulled James into a tight hug. She buried her face in his chest and inhaled his scent. The imperius curse made so much sense. She had threatened to control Ella. The Imperius curse was the main way to do that.

     "I love you," She muttered before lifting her head. She pressed another kiss to his lips. James then grinned and pushed her towards the door. The new professor seemed to instantly recognise Ella and approached her before Ella could even get to the door.

     "Hello, Ella. I'm Professor Franklin. I'm replacing Mrs Landon. You're Ella-Rose Woods, correct?" Professor Franklin asked quickly. Her dyed red hair was messy and it was a completely different aura to what Mrs Landon had held. There was no more formal tone and even more formal appearance. Instead, it was open and just held a different aura which Ella much preferred.

      "Yea', that's me. Did you need to speak to me?" Ella asked quickly. Professor Franklin nodded and then gestured for Ella to walk in. When she did, she saw Remus and Lily were talking across the room. A grin on their faces as Layla pulled a stupid face. They then all noticed Ella and sent her a mischievous grin. Somehow she knew that they all had something to do with this removal of Professor Landon too.

     "I wanted to fix some issues that Mrs Landon created through her misconduct and cruel words," Professor Franklin explained as she led Ella to the desk. There was a pile of exam papers on the desk and on the top was the Ancient Runes test, "It seems she had stolen your real test papers and I'm working on redistributing them so you can be truly graded but I took it upon myself to have your Ancient Runes paper graded this morning. And you got an O," Professor Franklin said as she picked up the exam. Ella glanced at the paper and then back to her three friends. Her eyebrow raised slightly. Lily nodded her head to Professor Franklin and Ella looked back.

     "What? You're jokin' right?" Ella asked as she tentatively reached for the paper. Ella stared down at the bright red 'O' on the paper and almost didn't believe it. Professor Franklin shook her head and then glanced down at the other papers on the desk.

     "I'm not. There is a lot of promise for you, Ella. Your friends have been telling me how hard you are working. I think you'll pass this class with flying colours," Professor Franklin grinned. Ella couldn't help but grin just as widely back at her. She stared at the exam paper and chuckled, not quite believing it. Her eyes turning glassy at the praise. It was like everything she was told didn't make sense anymore. Everything that Mrs Landon had said was wrong and it was more of a relief than anything else.

     Ella grinned and thanked Professor Franklin before she walked over to her seat by Lily. The redhead clearly wanted to know what Ella was so dumbstruck by and when she saw the paper, Lily squealed and shook Ella's shoulders. Remus leaning over to see the grade, a proud smile on his face. Layla clambered from her seat, wrapping her arms over Ella's shoulder and seeing the grade made Layla shake Ella.

     "Oh my Merlin! I told you, look!" Layla grinned as she tapped the grade. Lily had a grin plastered across her face and Ella was sat in total and utter disbelief. Not sure what to say or how to react. She had received the highest grade in the class for her mocks for the NEWTs. She had a chance of passing the class. Ella could have cried and she did... as soon as class was over.

     Lunch came soon and Ella came bounding into the Great Hall to her friends. She slammed her paper on the table, this one from another class. It seemed she also received an O in it. Ella couldn't help but rave about it, her grin widening even more. James was happy for her, his smile only broadening when he watched her flip through it. Pointing out the mistakes she thought she had made but actually turned out to be perfect points.

     Most of the lunch was spent discussing the grades and what Ella had actually received. Everything felt good again and Ella just couldn't help but feel amazing. That night she even wrote a letter to her mother and walked to the owlery to post it. Before she met up with James in the Astronomy Tower. The two ranted the night away, their words being carried off into the wind as the stars shone above their heads.

***

     The sun was shining high above the group as they enjoyed the sun. Mulitple other students were dotting the shore of the lake but Ella's friends were the main ones in the water. It was only a few weeks until the NEWTs began now so they had decided to enjoy one last day in the sun before they left school. Ella had reluctantly agreed and even though she was wearing her bikini under her clothes, she had yet to get into the lake.

     Instead, Ella was sat on the shore, her head rested against the tree as she read her book. The shade was preventing her from getting too warm and kept her cool on the hot summer day. Her back was still sticky from sweat and the air was still thick with heat and the smell of sea water but it was pleasant enough. Ella wanted to get some last minute revision done.

     She had spent most of her weeks holed up in the library, studying between her cuddling sessions with James and dance parties with Lily, Marlene and Layla. The dance parties had even grown to include most of the girls in the year. The group just enjoying the time they had together. Ella had also taken to staying up a lot later than she usually would have allowed.

     She found herself exploring the castle in the middle of the night with Sirius and James. The trio walking and finding things they weren't supposed to. They had even discovered a painting that had yet another secret entrance out of Hogwarts. None of them dared go all the way down to find out where it went but it existed. The boys - however - didn't bother to add it to the map. It was the trios little secret that they promised themselves they'd explore one day when they returned to the castle.

     But now Ella was sat outside, enjoying the sunshine while she could. Every now and then she lifted her head to watch her friends in the lake. They were splashing each other, swimming around and seeing who could hold their breath for the longest. Sirius seemed awful at it from what Ella had witnessed and between his constant attempts to leave and Marlene pulling him back in, he didn't seem to enjoy the swimming all that much.

     A grumpy pout on his face now as Marlene hugged him from behind. His hair was slicked back too and it made him look just that little bit more handsome to Marlene. Not that she really minded how he looked. Ella watched her friends for a moment before she went back to reading. Her chin resting on her hand as she took in the information. The relaxing state she was in was making studying easier but James soon found the opportunity to ruin that.

     The brunette let out a whine when he noticed that she was still reading, a pout appearing on his lips as he moved to lie down next to her on the blanket. His wet hair drinking a wet patch onto it. Ella looked down at him, cocking an eyebrow as she grinned a little wider. He looked adorable like that, wet hair and a pout on his lips. Ella wanted to kiss it away but she didn't give him the satisfaction yet.

     "What?" Ella asked before she moved her gaze back to the book. Her finger placed where she needed to continue reading from. James sighed as he moved to push her legs down. He then rested his head on her lap and Ella let out a whine as she gently hit his face with her book. It was barely even a hit, more of a tap but James groaned nonetheless.

     "I want you to come swim with us. You promised you would," James said as he wiped his wet hands on the blanket. He then reached out and grabbed the book from her hand. Ella looked down at him and shook her head slightly. Her fingers finding his hair as she ran them through his messy locks. Her smile only widened as she admired him.

     "I'll come later," Ella said and James shook his head. He was not taking no for an answer that was clear enough but Ella was worried. She didn't like anyone seeing the marks on her thighs. They made her feel insecure and imperfect despite James' constant reminders that she was perfect with or without any marks. Ella just didn't want to embarass herself.

     "Please, the rest of us our out there. They want to see you. Layla has been complaining about you joining us for the past hour. Just come on, one swim?" James asked as she looked into Ella's eyes. The brunette shook her head and he sighed again. He rolled over so his face was pressed against her legs, a soft groan escaping his lips. He then shoved the potions book into the grass and Ella let out a huff in annoyance, staring down at him.

     "Jamie, come on. I will later. I sai-" Ella began but James cut her off by sitting up. She very nearly whacked heads with him but pushed herself back in time. His pout grew as he crawled onto her. He had decided to change his tactic. They barely had any time left together and he just wanted to enjoy this moment. Enjoy the sunshine with their friends.

     "Please, we might not be able to do this again. This is our last year. Just for half an hour. Come with us and I'll never ask you for anything again," He begged, giving her puppy eyes. The look made Ella melt in an instant and his words caused her to crack. A soft sigh escaped her lips and she just gave him. She pressed a soft kiss to his lips, keeping him close.

     "Fine but one swim and then I'm comin' back to my studyin' 'cause I'm not failin' Potions," Ella said as she rested her forehead against his. James grinned wider and peppered a few soft kisses to her lips before he stood up. Ella then stood up too. She glanced down at the summer dress she was wearing and debated whether to just pull it off.

      She decided to just do it. She was wearing shorts underneath that she could take off near the shore. So, she just pulled it over her head. Her bikini was simple and covered a lot of her up but it still showed off enough for James to grin. He noticed the shorts but knew she would take them off in a minute. So, he held it hand out to her and she took it.

     The two of them sprinted down the hill together, a giggle escaping Ella's lips as she finally let herself loose. She ran down the pier and while James slowed, Ella jumped forward and canon-balled into the lake. Soaking all her friends in the process. She didn't even realise she still had her shorts on until she reached the surface, laughing heavily as she looked at her unimpressed friends. Sirius who looked much more miserable now, swam over to her and wrapped his arm around her. Pushing her head under water for a moment before she pushed him away. Her head coming up again as she laughed at his, shoving him. James looked down at her from the pier and Ella realised that she still had her shorts on. She reached down and pulled them off under water. She then held them up, giving them to James.

     A 'ooo' came from the girls and Ella rolled her eyes. She swam over and jumped at them. A giggle escaping their lips as they all began to swim around and play their games. Ella turned out to be the girl who could hold her breathe the longest and James managed to beat her by a few seconds when they went head-to-head.

     But as the evening slowly began to settle in and the water began to get cold, the group got out of the lake. Ella had completely forgot about her insecurities as she walked up the hillside. She grabbed the blanket, book and dress and rather than putting the dress on, she just wrapped the blanket around her. She bundled her dress up and put it in her satchel along with the book.

     James was waiting for her halfway up the hill. Her sandals in his hand and Ella rushed up towards him. She grabbed them from him but didn't bother putting them on. The pair trailing water up the stone flags as they grinned widely. Discussing the day with a grin on their lips. How she was still the better swimmer and how breathing under water wasn't going to save him from studying with her later that day.

      The pair had been spending more and more time together and though much of that was spent thinking of things other than school. The main one being their possible future and what they were going to do with their lives after Hogwarts. It was something that Ella never thought she'd talk about with James but they did.

     Often the nights in the Astronomy Tower were spent cuddled up with blankets wrapped around them as they talked about what they wanted to do. If they were going to get married and where they would live, if they'd have kids. What they would do. James - of course - wanted to be an Auror and Ella was sure she wanted to be a Healer. Becoming an assistant to Madam Pomfrey seemed like a fun idea to her though she did have some ambitions to actually be the first female Wizarding Prime Minister that century. Though those thoughts were often put to one side during those discussions. James would support her but Ella wasn't sure she was ready for the world to hear of such a plan.

     There was still a lot of things that would need to change before she felt comfortable enough to admit to those ideas. Because one idea could change the world and Ella wasn't sure she was up to changing the world. She was only one girl in the grand scheme of the universe and Ella wasn't sure whether she had the power to do anything other than helping the few.

THE END.

***

𝐀𝐔𝐓𝐇𝐎𝐑'𝐒 𝐍𝐎𝐓𝐄 ! okay, hello, so this is the last chapter and author's note of this book and to tell you, i am an emotional mess is an UNDERSTATEMENT, this book weirdly means so much to me and the fact that it's now finished updating is fcking scary as hell but HERE IT IS! i do have a few criticisms of this tbh, i don't really enjoy how i dealt with the 'main' antagonist off-page but at the same time, it makes sense for reasons i can't disclose right now but I really enjoyed the like end summer scene. just them being teenagers and being stupid makes my little heart happy! but, i must say, this is NOT the end of ella's journey! she will return in her sequel that should be up on my profile when this is published so yeah!! 

i really hope you enjoyed this story and ella's journey! thank you so so so much for the support on this book, all the comments and reads and votes have motivated me and made me feel so inspired and happy!! they mean the world to me honestly and i really hope you all have enjoyed this journey! ella and james have become my babies this past like three months since i first started writing them and now they are moving on to being adults and that's scares ME, but yeah, okay i will stop gushing now but THANK YOU SO MUCH!! i appreciate you all more than i could EVER express <3