CHAPTER EIGHT
↳ encouraged criminal

Despite how insignificant Draco's scratch was from Buckbeak, he found himself overexaggerating the events that had occurred hours prior. Pansy Parkinson, a smug, horrible git played along with this, asking him loudly in the effort to bring awareness to the fact Buckbeak had attacked a student. "Does it hurt terribly, Draco?" Elara held herself back from marching up to the table and stabbing Draco herself just so he has a reason to be whining.

"It comes and it goes," the boy's arm was wrapped in a cast. Seemed rather muggle in Elara's perspective and she was surprised he hadn't gone off on a rant about the fact a muggle method of healing was being used on him. "Still, I consider myself lucky. Madam Pomfrey said another minute and I could've lost my arm."

"Ceddie," Elara whined. The boy, who was buried deep in a text book, looked up at her, his eyes wide and filled with questions he dared not ask as of yet. "Are you sure I can't kill him?"

"Unless you want a one way ticket to Azkaban, then no, you can't," before Elara could even stand up, Gaia grabbed onto her sleeve and yanked her back down onto her seat, the curly haired girl letting out a small oof when she fell back down. "Personally, I won't be paying your ransom,"

"Pretty sure other parent is pretty rich, use his," she'd never actually say Sirius Black's name in front of so many people, so she often just referred to him as "other parent". Most of her friendship group were very well aware of the man's name being engraved on her adoption certificate and, surprisingly, weren't disturbed whatsoever about her connection to him. Morgan, who's head was resting on Cedric's shoulder, straightened himself up and gave Elara a look. "What?"

"I condone murder," he said simple. Cedric gave him a look, which Elara cleverly dubbed the 'I love you loads and I'd die for you but can you be a better influence?' look. "Don't give me the look, it's way too weird on your pretty face,"

Elara found it painful how much Morgan flirted with Cedric.

It was, indeed, very painful for her,

"Stop encouraging murder and flirting," Cedric pushed his head off his shoulder, a hearty laugh escaping his mouth.

"You know you love it," Elara laughed out.

"So I can murder Malfoy, yes?"

"No." "Yes." Both Cedric and Morgan said at the exact same time. Everyone in the group laughed out. Both boys quirked their heads to the side, turned to each other and beamed brightly.

"Ced, it's Malfoy, please let her kill him,"

"I won't have Elara deal with the consequences!" He cried out in protest rather firmly. "She will not be getting a family reunion any time soon!"

"Family reunions are fun!"

"Not for Lars!"

"Actually," Elara piped up, her face bright and eyes wide. "I'd imagine I'd get an award because I'm doing the world a favour," Cedric closed his book, placed his head on it and groaned about how he was trapped where his "little sister" would be a convicted murderer and his boyfriend would pay the ransom. Morgan, who was about a few inches taller than Cedric, placed a kiss on his forehead and the boy leaned on him.

"You guys make me feel single," Elara sighed exasperatedly. "Too single for my liking,"

"Yeah because Hermione Granger," Lois sang, making kissing noises at Elara and Gaia hit her across the head with a novel she was reading. Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley. "Ow! Gaia!" She whined out, her hand rubbing the back of her head with a pout.

"Deserves you right, you loser."

"But I'm your loser,"

"I feel even more single now!" Elara cried out, whacking her head against the table, a loud thud echoing in the hall as a direct result. She could hear Wisteria's timid snickering, as well as Lois' loud snorts (that Gaia was scolding her for). Thankfully, no one paid any attention though, mostly because it was rather unnoticeable to be on the Hufflepuff table. Not that they cared, being overshadowed did have the perks of not having to deal with constant attention. Elara failed to notice Hermione's warm gaze on her, etching her into the Gryffindor's mind permanently like a memory she'd cherish for centuries to come.

It was a moment that Elara missed. A moment that Hermione would never miss.

"Larie," Wisteria placed her head on Elara's shoulder. "Lois and Gaia are just friends, they're single too!" Elara gave the two girls mentioned a small side glance, then looking at Cedric and he shrugged his shoulders.

If you looked closely, you'd see Lois holding back her laughter.

"He's been sighted! He's been sighted!" Elara heard Seamus exclaim, the boy running to the centre of Gryffindor table where Harry, Hermione and Ron all sat. Elara politely excused herself and rushed to see where the infamous Sirius Black had been spotted.

"Who?"

"Who else Ron?" Elara asked, her voice hushed in the effort to not scare the first years who looked nervous. "Sirius Black, the only convict to escape from Azkaban to date,"

"Dufftown?" Hermione's eyes were wide with shock as she read what the paper had to offer. Elara's eyes found the information that laid underneath the haunting photo of the convict screaming. "That's not far from here."

"You don't think he'd come to Hogwarts, do you? With dementors at every entrance?"

"Dementors?" Seamus said, as though they were nothing more than a joke. Elara knew he shouldn't joke about them, even if they had failed their job. "He's already slipped past them once. Who's to say he won't do it again?"

"That's right. Black could be anywhere. It's like trying to catch smoke. Like trying to catch smoke with your bare hands." Everyone let out a breathe, tension thickening so much that a sharp blade would be blunt the moment the thick blade would come into contact with it.

Elara felt as though the photo of Black was piercing her skin, as though the paper was giving her a paper cut despite her hands being inches away from the edges. His haunting, scarred eyes pierced as the hysteric man screamed whilst being refrained. She involuntarily shivered, the thought of that man she knew to only be warm passing her though like how the water washed through sand. For a moment, she didn't see the screaming convict, she saw the man who'd spin her around to muggle music and tickle her stomach when she was going. These memories were borrowed from the small moving photos she owned that remained hidden in a box under her bed at home. Those photos became her replacement for the man who left her. Those photos were her only grace of believing that there was a small chance he could be innocent. For in her heart, deep down, she believed that a man so passionate about his family would never leave them. He wouldn't. Never.

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Okay so like, another update! Yay! Small Elmione moment that our pure Elara didn't notice. honestly I'm a sucker for elmione 🤧