CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT.
( MADAM POMFREY.. )

     As Ella collapsed into his arms, James was quick to pull her closer. A few of their friends weren't stood too far away but they all knew what had happened. James let one hand support her body while he lifted her face up. The tears streaked her cheeks but no noise escaped her lips despite how her body shook. He knew what happened and leant forward. He rested his forehead against hers and took out his wand.

     "Sonorous," He whispered softly and Ella could suddenly be heard. The sobs escaping her lips were unavoidable as she gripped onto James' body. His frown only deepened as he allowed her to climb to him. His hands staying around her as he whispered sweet nothings to her. The Slytherins at the top of the stairs but with a glare from Sirius and a shout from Kalia, the group seemed to walk off. Ella walked the last few steps down as she held onto James.

     Her cheeks were red and puffy as her sobs slowly died down. Her hands coming up to rub the tears from her cheeks. Layla was frowning as she watched Ella before pulling her into a hug. Her arms wrapping tightly around her, keeping her close. Ella relaxed in Layla's arms and let her eyes close. The comfort from Layla was always immense. She felt safe with Layla.

     "What happened?" Layla asked as she pulled back. Ella's eyes were still red and puffy but she at least looked a little better. Her arms were still covered in scratches and marks from her step-mother but they would be easy to take care of. James or Remus knew the healing charms and they didn't have to go to Madam Pomfrey. But then the idea came to Ella's head. Maybe going to Madam Pomfrey was a good idea. It would give her a source to back up the marks. It could mean that if they did go to Dumbledore, it wouldn't be her word against the teachers.

     "We should go to Madam Pomfrey," Ella said, ignoring Layla's question. The whole group seemed confused by her suggestion and then she gestured to her arms that were covered in scratches, "This was Professor Landon. If Madam Pomfrey has seen them and treats them, it won't just be my word against Professor Landon's," Ella explained. James nodded and Remus seemed to agree as he watched her.

     "I don't know, El," Layla said hesitantly but Ella shook her head. She had to go. She needed to go to Madam Pomfrey. It couldn't be a secret among the nine of them anymore. An adult needed to know, an adult that wasn't her coward father. People needed to know and that would start with Madam Pomfrey.

     "I can't rely on James or Remus to heal me. I need to go. You guys can go to class but I need to go there," Ella said as she adjusted the satchel over her shoulder. James then crossed to her side and reached out to take her hand. He wasn't going to let her go alone it seemed.

     "Guess it's my duty to tell them you're at the hospital wing?" Sirius asked, cocking an eyebrow. James nodded, sending him a small smirk. Remus then leant down and pressed a soft kiss to Kalia's lips. A small smile spreading across her face before they said goodbye. It seemed Remus was coming with them too. The trio then said goodbye to the group before heading off.

     James ended up giving her her robe after a moment, pulling it over her shoulders to cover her arms until they got to the hospital wing. Remus was familiar with Madam Pomfrey so he knew that it was probably good that he was with her. He could explain the situation more clearly even though he was sure that it would cleared up within a few minutes. Poppy was good in that way.

     They appeared at the door and walked in. Madam Pomfrey seemed to be with another student, administering them a potion when she saw the trio walk in. She raised an eyebrow at the appearance and Ella smiled nervously. Remus was the one to step forward and talk to Madam Pomfrey. Their conversation was quiet and hushed and she seemed almost relieved to find out it wasn't something wrong with Remus.

     But then she heard what it was and she rushed over to Ella. Ella took her outer robe off and Pomfrey frowned at the marks on her arm. She lifted both her arms up, twisting them around so she could get a good look at them. Her frown deepening a little more before she ushered Ella towards the bed. James followed behind her. Remus wandering over too but he was more reluctant to stay by their side. The marks looked too familiar to him and it was making his thoughts go down dark paths that it really shouldn't go down.

     "Would you care to tell me where you got these from?" Pomfrey asked as she bustled over, a bottle and cloth in hand. Ella looked up at James who was stood at the end of the bed. He nodded in confirmation and Ella sighed softly. She hated admitting it, it felt weird telling anyone what had happened but someone had to know. She just had to say it.

     "Professor Landon," Ella said simply and Pomfrey paused before the cloth even touched Ella's skin. She looked up before going back to Ella's arm. The cloth was now dowsed with liquid and Pomfrey began to clean the wounds with the liquid. A soft hiss escaping Ella's lips as she winced. James was quick to move over and he sat next to her. Taking her free hand.

     "Mr Potter, do you not have class to attend?" Pomfrey asked as he looked to the brunette. James shrugged and she tutted before continuing to disinfect the wound. Pomfrey usually would have used episkey to heal the wounds but with the number of them, it would risk going wrong. It was better to heal them with potions than a spell.

     "Don't ask him to leave, you know how he gets," Remus said as he walked over to them. Ella chuckled softly, nodding her head. Pomfrey smiled a little at that and continued to apply the disinfectant before she switched arms. James' losing his hold on Ella. So, instead he wrapped an arm around her waist. She leant into him slightly.

     "I do. Now, leave this disinfectant to dry for a few minutes and then come to me and I can put the potion on top. They should be healed in no time," Pomfrey said as she finished with the scratches. She placed the cloth and bottle to one side and Ella let her body rest fully against James. The brunette keeping his arm tightly around her waist.

     "Why did she do this?" Remus asked as he moved to stand in front of the two. Ella sighed and kicked her feet slightly. She didn't want to go into it but she knew that she'd have to tell someone. It was either tell the two of them now or wait until later and tell everyone. This certainly seemed more appealing to Ella.

     "Professor Landon thinks it's my fault that my father has been ignorin' their kids. Failin' me is what will make 'im pay attention again. S'just some revenge plot and I tried to leave before she could force me to drop subjects. She didn't like that..." Ella muttered as she glanced down. Remus frowned and James' jaw clenched. Ella could feel it and she reached out to take his hand. She pressed a soft kiss to the back of it and he calmed down a little.

     "You've had her for seven years. Why did this start now?" James asked, trying to seem normal. His body was tense despite his attempts to relax for her. Remus paused for a moment and Ella watched his expressions contort as he paced back and forth. He seemed to know something and Ella wanted to know what exactly he knew. What she wasn't being told.

     "That's not entirely true," Remus said. Both of the friends looking at him, seeking the answer he suddenly seemed to have, "I heard her ranting to Slughorn about her husband caring more about his other daughter than his own children. Slughorn didn't care really but I remember the conversation. I wasn't even supposed to be down there. It was past curfew," Remus added, explaining the situation. His words didn't make her feel any better though, it only made her realise the truth. She had been hated her entire school life by one of the teachers she loved the most.

     "So she has always hated me. Good to know," Ella muttered under her breath. Her gaze switched to the scratch marks on her arm. They looked almost animalistic in how they were scratched, the patterns of five streaks. Ella didn't know how they had made such a deep impression so easily. It was odd but Ella just tried to put it to one side. It was probably just some spell or her nails.

     The boy didn't know what to say after that and James decided to try and distract them with healing her wounds. He touched her arm and the disinfectant was dry so he was quick to stand up. He then crossed the room to Madam Pomfrey's office so she could put the last thing on. Ella was just kicking the air as she waited for the woman to come over.

     Remus frowned as he looked down at her and he moved to sit down next to her. He nudged her slightly with his elbow and she looked up at him. Her frown still prompted but her lips quirked up just a little. There was something about Remus that always made her feel that little bit better.

     "Who cares if she hates you? You're wonderful," He responded. Ella shrugged and let the frown reemerge. Remus sighed and glanced up at James who was coming back over with Madam Pomfrey. They exchanged a worried look before they both stood and walked away. Ella was then left along with Madam Pomfrey who was quick to apply the potion. The cuts slowly healing over in front of her eyes. The skin stitching itself back together as she watched. Pomfrey noticed Ella's distant look but didn't comment until she was done.

     "All healed, if you experience any issues or rashes, come to me and I can fix that up. But you should be all cleared up," Madam Pomfrey said as she gently patted Ella's shoulder. Ella nodded and then stood up and reached out for her robe. James - however - was quick to grab it for her when he appeared. Ella smiled up at him and wrapped an arm around her waist, leading her away.

     "Where are we goin'?" Ella asked, noticing that they were not being led towards lessons. James smiled softly at her and she cocked an eyebrow at him. She then noticed that they were heading towards the Astronomy Tower. It was never really used during the day and they both loved being up there. Though she was more hesitant to skip class, "James." She warned softly. He smirked at her and then nudged her up the stairs. With a reluctant sigh, she began to climb.

     "You deserve to skip first period. We can come back down for second lesson. You need to relax," He said. A pout appeared on Ella's lips but she just continued to climb. James holding her bag and robe as they headed up together. She didn't like skipping lessons especially considering this was her last year but going into a class late didn't exactly seem appealing either.

     "Fine," Ella muttered. James grinned and they continued. He was glad that he could at least bring some mischief out of her. It was nice to see that side of Ella again despite what had happened. It was nice to see the real her again.

***

     The weekend rolled around and after her encounter with Professor Landon, Ella was throwing herself into work a lot more than she normally would. It wasn't entirely bad thing but it was all she was focused on. She needed to do well and it was the only thing she could really focus on. Her relationship with James was still important and they basically spent every second together but Ella spent a lot of her time working. Going over spells and studying.

     Burn out was likely to come soon and that at least meant Ella would get a break from everything but as she worked into the afternoon hours on a Saturday morning, she didn't care. She just needed to get these Herbology practicals down. She needed to make sure she knew them and what they would do and what could happen. It had been her weakest point in the subject but she was hopefully able to fix it now.

     Ella finished dropping the potion onto the leaves and analysed the effect. Watching with baited breath, biting her bottom lip in hope. When she saw that it had shrivelled just as she expected, she let out a squeal of enjoyment. She grabbed her quill, dipped it in the ink pot and then quickly began to scribble down the notes on what had happened. She had followed the method perfectly and it had done exactly what she needed it to do. She was finally getting it after three hours of trying.

      Her friends had come in a few times to annoy her and question her. James distracting her with kissing for half an hour but now, she had done it. She had actually done it and she had never been more proud. The grin on her lips didn't seem to want to disappear as she wrote down her notes. She then grabbed a new piece of parchment and began to note down the method from memory. She needed to test that since it was likely to come up as part of the NEWT. It had in previous years.

     As she was doing so, she heard the greenhouse door but didn't look back or question it. She just scribbled down the method the best she could. It was nearly there and just as she was about to finish writing the last step. Whoever had came in decided to speak.

     "Hey, kiddo," The voice of her father made her pause. The ink from the quill bleeding all over the page and Ella cursed under her breath as she pulled it away. She glared down at the ink spot before she looked up at her father, frowning.

     "Hi," She said shortly before she looked down to the method. Thankfully, it didn't affect any of the writing and she quickly grabbed her quill again and began to scribble down the last step. She wasn't going to let her father put her off. She was finishing her studying, she needed to do well in this subject. She needed to do well in everything. The mock exams were not going to affect her confidence.

     "I spoke to Professor Landon and how you snapped at her yesterday. I understand you do not like h-" He began but Ella was quick to slam her hand on the desk. That made him stop and Ella turned her head to look at him. The anger appearing on her face as she watched him, pursing her lips as she cocked an eyebrow. She was daring him to go on but he went silent.

     "I didn't snap at 'er. She scratched my arms. Ask Madam Pomfrey, I went to 'er yesterday," Ella muttered as she turned back to her work. Trying her best to ignore the overwhelming presence of her father. He was most of the time insufferable and right now, he was only making that worse. The way his jaw dropped and the scoff escaped his lips made Ella angrier. Her hand clenching against the edge of the table as she lifted the nib of her quill up, waiting for his words.

     "And you so conveniently have them healed? I know you do not like her after what she did but that does not mean you can accuse her of attacking a student," Her father said quickly. His voice lowering as he glanced around. His eyes darting around the greenhouse. There was nobody but the two of them and Ella just wished that James or Layla was here. Anybody but just the two of them. He wouldn't be saying any of this if someone else was here.

     "She already attacked me, dad. She assaulted me," Ella said simply as she went back to writing out her step. It was just a few more words and once they were done, she placed her quill down. Her hand reached out for the cork of the ink pot and she slipped it on. She then glanced at her father who had narrowed his eyes at her.

     "That was discipline. Do not twist this against her," He said harshly. Ella rolled her eyes at him and then began to put everything back into a satchel. She just needed to go back to her dorm. At least then she would be saved from her father's defence of his wife. His wife who had tried to get her to stop taking NEWTs and claimed at her skin like some sort of deranged animal. Ella couldn't listen.

     "You don't know anythin' about her, Professor 'ollander. She's a psycho," Ella muttered as she walked towards the door. Before she could get there, she felt a hand grip her wrist. A soft sigh escaped her lips and she twisted around to face him. Her arms crossing over her chest as she waited to see what he'd say. He just looked down at her.

     "She did nothing to you." He said and Ella opened her mouth to shout. But a knock on the door stopped her. She glanced back and Layla was there and she pulled the door open. There was a wide grin on her face and she grabbed Ella's arm pulling her out of the greenhouse. It left Ella's father inside dumbstruck and stopped Ella from growing more angry.

     "Me and Lily are going on a date!" Layla squealed excitedly. Ella's anger dissappeared in a snap at the words and she grinned wider. Ella grinned widely and stepped back away from the greenhouse. The pair heading away towards the entrance to the school.

     "O' really? And where are ya goin'?" Ella asked curiously, bumping hips with the brunette. Layla grinned wider and directed them back into the castle. The two stepping inside. The corridors were bustling with people but not enough that either of them would feel comfortable talking about it. Most people were too busy with themselves.

     "She said we're gonna go for a picnic later today," Layla grinned. Ella couldn't help but squeal a little too. Her grin wider so much that her faced ached from happiness. Ella had never really asked about Layla and Lily's relationship status but it seemed that they were making it offical. A date was exactly what Layla deserved especially considering she had spent most of the week dealing with a stressed out Ella.

     "Are you gonna take anythin' with ya?" Ella asked curiously as she adjusted her satchel over her shoulder. Layla pulled her eyebrows together in thought, pursing his lips before she shrugged. She hadn't really thought that far ahead and as they walked to the grand staircase, the worry began to appear.

     "Do I have to take something? I don't have anything," Layla said quickly. Ella shook her head and pulled Layla into a hug, chuckling softly. Clearly this was Layla's first time on a date and Ella reminded herself that she needed to be careful what she said. It was later that day, Layla did not have much time to prepare.

     "No it's fine," Ella said as she pulled back. The two of them then walked up the rest of the stairs and they reached the portrait pretty quickly, "You don't have to do anything other than be there and look pretty," Ella shrugged. Ella didn't exactly have much experience with dates either but she had read enough romance novels to know what it was like.

     Layla grinned at that and they went into the Common Room. The boys were sat down when the came in and James looked over at her. Ella didn't want to disturb but as she was walking, she grabbed the notes on Herbology from her bag. She shoved them to him and James grinned before settling back down. The two girls then ran up the stairs and into the dorm.

     "What do I even wear?" Layla asked as she looked down at herself. Her outfit was a simple comfy casual one that she would usually wear and Ella had the idea that maybe she should get Layla to wear a dress. Ella strolled over to her trunk and hummed to herself as she rifled through the clothes, "What's that look for?" Layla asked as she watched over her shoulder.

     "I'm pickin' an outfit. You should wear that casual dress you have. The summer one," Ella said as she tried to search for it. A pout on her lips as she searched but had yet to find it. Layla knew exactly what she meant and found herself grinning at the idea. The two then knelt in front of the trunk in search of it. It wasn't long until they got it and Ella grinned, "Wear that and whatever you usually would," Ella shrugged. Layla nodded and held up the dress. A grin on her face.

     The thought of exam and the stress of the day had left Ella's mind as she watched her friend get ready and mull over choices of shoes and accessories. It made Ella grin, maybe she could get James to take her out on a date at some point. She needed it. Some time away from the world and people. A date with him sounded like a dream come true.

***

𝐀𝐔𝐓𝐇𝐎𝐑'𝐒 𝐍𝐎𝐓𝐄 ! okay first thing i wanna ask is, would you like to see this like series move into the golden trio era BECAUSE i have some pretty big ideas for it if any of y'all would want that!! okay and now that aside, this chapter was a fun one, ey :) well, it's actually kinda a big thing, ella finally admitted to an adult and then confronting her father... which layla stopped from escalating cause honestly SHE IS A LIFESAVER and i will fight anyone who tells me differently, i hope you enjoyed this chapter <3