After meeting with Nixie and Sirius in the cave, Eleanor made sure to assist Harry in providing his godparents with the proper necessities they needed in order to live somewhat comfortable. Initially, she had brought the trio into the kitchens, so they could deliver their gift of socks to Dobby, unfortunately, Hermione spoke to the other house-elves about seeking better treatment. It led to the house-elves wanting to shoo her and the others off as quickly as possible to avoid further confrontation. While Ron insisted that Hermione leave the house-elves alone, Eleanor knew that Hermione meant well.

The issue remained that the house-elves themselves had been conditioned for so long to believe that they were inferior to the witches and wizards they served. It had become their way of life and they only saw Hermione as harmful because they didn't believe there was a world out there for them outside of work, mainly because there wasn't. There were those that didn't even believe that other witches and wizards were equals because of their blood, it would be a complete shitstorm if house-elves started to demand better treatment. Eleanor believed it could be done one day, but it would involve a complete overhaul of the Ministry.

In the meantime, Eleanor prepared some knitted garments, including a knitted blanket for Nixie and Sirius. With the use of her wand, she made sure to compact the materials to make it easier for the owls to carry. While Ron offered his owl, Pigwidgeon, Eleanor offered Harry to also use Dermot as well since he was a much larger owl in comparison. They all created a care package of sorts, including food, and by Eleanor's suggestion some hygienic products, before sending it off one evening.

Upon Dermot's return, Eleanor would send a letter home to reassure her father that his friends were well taken care of.

Until then, Eleanor had her hands full, still trying to deal with the drama of her own friends and decided once and for all that they needed to sort through it, rather than running off every time things got awkward. It was easier for her to get a hold of Marnie since they shared the same dorm and it was one night before bed that Eleanor planted herself at the bottom of Marnie's bed, refusing to move until they addressed what was going on.

"Come on, Ellie," Marnie groaned, trying to pull at her covers," can't this wait until the morning? I'm tired."

"You're tired? What about me?" Eleanor huffed. "Do you know how tiring it is going back and forth between you and Cedric? Marnie, he doesn't know what he's done wrong and ignoring him is not helping the situation. He knows you're upset with him and he keeps asking me but I can't tell him! Why can't you two talk this out?"

Marnie was quiet for a moment before sitting up in her bed. "There's nothing to talk about," she said, "is there?"

"What do you mean? Clearly, there is-"

"No, there isn't," Marnie shook her head. "It's obvious that I was reading into things way too much. If he doesn't know what's wrong that means I was wrong. It just hurts, alright? I thought I was over him and then all of a sudden, he starts paying attention to me more than ever. Telling me to stop talking bad about myself, he called me beautiful the night of the Yule Ball. I kept trying to tell myself that it was nothing, that he was just being a good friend. But I still let him get into my head."

"Marnie, I'm sorry-"

"What are you sorry for? You didn't do anything. Cedric didn't do anything either. I'm the stupid one! I've always known my place, knowing that I can't be with someone like Cedric. I told myself that over and over, that someone like him would never look that way in my direction. I told myself that I was lucky when Lee Jordan decided I was good enough to look at. He treats me so well, but at the first hint that Cedric was even remotely interested, I went crawling back to my old thoughts."

Eleanor reached her hand out and covered her friend's mouth to stop Marnie before she could proceed with belittling herself any further.

"Stop telling yourself that you're not good enough, Marnie, because that's not true. Anyone should consider themselves lucky if you look in their direction, not the other way around. You're absolutely beautiful and it shouldn't take Cedric telling you that to realise it. Stop being so mean to yourself."

"I can't help it!" Marnie exclaimed. "It's all I've ever heard practically growing up! I've never been good enough in my parents' eyes. Long before I got sorted into Hufflepuff, I wasn't as smart as my siblings, or as skinny as they were. I stupidly told my sister over the summer about me fancying Cedric, and you know what she said to me? She told me to give up because I would never get a boy like him, looking the way I do. It was then I realised that I had to give up."

Thinking back to when Marnie had first mentioned on the Hogwarts Express that she no longer fancied Cedric made her words sting even more.

"Your sister is wrong and stupid," Eleanor argued, "and so are your parents. You're an absolute gem in this world. And even if Cedric doesn't see you in the romantic sense, I know he values your friendship, Marnie. We both do. I know he misses you and your company. I miss having both of you around. I adore Fred, but I miss having both of my best friends around too. But if it's too much for you to be around him, I understand."

Hoping things would somewhat go back to normal the next day, Eleanor kept her fingers crossed until she fell asleep.

Since Eleanor had given him flowers, Fred found himself absolutely smitten with the idea of returning the gesture. He had made it a point to walk around the castle grounds as the spring weather settled in and more flowers came in bloom. He picked a handful, delivering them to Eleanor at lunch, and from that point on, it almost became somewhat of a game between the two of them.

Whether they would find each other between classes they didn't share or at meals in the Great Hall, they would make it a point to deliver one or a bunch of flowers. His brothers and friends could tease him all they wanted but each flower managed to make Fred feel special because Eleanor didn't pick flowers for anyone else.

It was during Defence Against the Dark Arts where Fred was already in the classroom, talking to George as he waited for Eleanor to arrive. He had been sitting down, saving her a seat beside him while George leaned against the table. He was just about to discuss something regarding the order forms they had to fill when he felt something come sit on the top of his head. Immediately following, Eleanor appeared to have arrived as she settled down next to him.

Curious as to what she had placed on his head, Fred reached up, only to end up with a flower crown in his hand. As he looked at Eleanor, she wore a grin, perhaps wondering if he would dare to wear it.

The day before, he had placed a flower in her hair, without her knowing and she had walked around quite a bit before someone had pointed it out. He looked it over carefully, making sure not to damage any of the petals, to see the woven stems that Eleanor had braided together.

Without a word, he placed it back on his head, lifting his chin in the air with a proud stance.

As other students piled into the classroom before class was set to begin, their eyes travelled over to Fred wearing the flower crown and the whispering began, paired with some muffled giggles and some pointing.

"You don't have to wear it," Eleanor told him after a few moments, "I was only teasing you with it-"

"I want to wear it," he replied firmly, moving away before she could take it off of him, "the rest of them are just jealous that they don't have one. I actually pity them."

Before she could say anything else, the classroom fell silent as Professor Moody walked in. He made his way to the front, only to stop briefly as he went to pass where Fred and Eleanor were sitting. He eyed the flower crown for a few seconds.

"Nice flower crown, Weasley," he said in a gruff voice.

"Thank you, Professor," Fred said before playfully flipping his hair. "Would you like Ellie to make you one as well?"

The class erupted with giggles as Eleanor turned bright red, although Moody's silence gave enough answer that he wasn't interested as he walked away. Eleanor was prepared to elbow Fred for putting her on the spot, only to look over and notice that Marnie and Cedric were sitting together in the class. There was such a sense of relief to see the two of them together again, even if it wasn't in a romantic sense, Eleanor didn't care as long as they were friends again.

Maybe it wasn't the easiest for Marnie to sit with him as she still harboured feelings, but it seemed she was willing to try and move on, in hopes of just saving a friendship.

Throughout the class, Professor Moody discussed Dementors, in a rather harrowing and very detailed way. All the students in the classroom could vividly remember the creatures that had spent the entire previous term roaming the grounds, in hopes of capturing Sirius Black and return him to Azkaban. The way Professor Moody discussed the Dementor's Kiss, made it sound like had spoken from personal experience, but Eleanor assumed there was no reason for him to have been punished in such a way.

When class was dismissed, there wasn't a smile left in the room, with everyone looking rather pale. Fred went to ask if she was heading to lunch, but Eleanor told him she would catch up with him later, she wanted to stay behind and talk to Professor Moody in private. There was a flash of concern that appeared on Fred's face, knowing very well that his girlfriend did not like Moody very much, but she offered a reassuring smile that everything would be okay.

Moody remained at the front of the classroom, eyeing Eleanor curiously as she approached him.

"Professor, I was wondering if you had a minute? I wanted to discuss something with you, something regarding your previous lectures regarding Mr Crouch."

"What about Mr Crouch?"

"Well, you've spent a great deal of time talking about Mr Crouch's methods during the wizarding war," she began. "The way you spoke about him using fire to fight fire and how he was willing to legalise the Three Unforgivable Curses to counter the dark forces. You said he would stop at nothing to make sure every last Death Eater was put away. I'm guessing that also included his son."

She rubbed under her nose as she was nearly overwhelmed by the familiar but unpleasant smell as Professor Moody visibly tensed.

"I heard that he put his own son in Azkaban and his son died there. That was when he fell from grace in the eyes of the public, especially after his wife died too. They thought he was too cruel in his methods and thinking."

"What point are you trying to make, Ms Ross?"

"I'm not entirely sure," Eleanor said, "but after the Dark Mark was placed in the sky at the Quidditch World Cup and his house-elf was accused of being the one to cast the spell, it left me wondering. He's been missing for most of the Tournament and the media is already suspicious that he's up to something, rather than being ill."

"Do you think he's up to something?"

"Part of me thinks that it wasn't a coincidence that the Dark Mark was cast at the Quidditch World Cup and Harry's name was placed in the Goblet. After all, Harry is the Boy-Who-Lived, and the Dark Mark is the mark of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. Maybe Mr Crouch has made the same connection and maybe he's not ill but suspicious. He's waiting for someone to make a move, but I guess that leaves the main question."

"Which is what?"

"Who does he suspect?"

For a moment, Eleanor believed that she had said something wrong or maybe her theory was actually quite stupid without her realising. She was ready to apologise for wasting his time, but suddenly, Professor Moody started walking around her as if he was circling Eleanor.

"You're extremely observant, Ms Ross," he began, "I'm impressed. Do you plan on entering the Ministry?"

"I plan on reforming it."

Moody let out another hoarse laugh that was nearly high-pitched at the end. He dug into the pocket of his robes, pulling out his flask and guzzling down whatever he had stored in there. Eleanor watched, scrunching up her face as the smell grew stronger.

"You plan on reforming the Ministry," he repeated, in a somewhat condescending tone, " did I hear you correctly?"

"I don't remember stuttering, Professor."

Initially, Eleanor thought she and Professor Moody were coming to an understanding, at least, after he mentioned that he was impressed. But as soon as she heard the mocking tone after her plans with the Ministry, she decided the conversation was over. Perhaps realistically, it would be difficult for one person to change an established government, but she refused to believe that she couldn't make a difference. With people like her grandfather and Amelia Bones encouraging her ambitions, Eleanor decided that was all she needed.

She gathered her things and went to leave the classroom, but still feeling a slight sense of bitterness of the moment, she turned around in the doorway.

"One more thing, Professor, if you would kindly stop using fluxweed and knotgrass so much, the smell is highly distracting in your class."

Eleanor didn't wait for his response as she left the classroom but she swore after she took a few steps down the corridor that she heard the sound of his flask hit the floor.

A/N: Another beautiful piece, this time of Frellie! Thank you, cendriia!