That Year We All Changed...

Chapter Three: Do I Have to Go to Hogsmeade?

"With the way this day's been going, I'm about ready to stab myself a couple hundred times, and then throw myself into the lake and drown," Ellie admitted to Lily.

"Why's that?" her redheaded friend asked, reclining on her bed and reading a book.

Because in the course of the past day, I've been caught passing notes to Remus, flirting with Remus in the library, and having a tickle flight with Remus, alone, in the astronomy tower." Ellie sighed and stopped brushing her hair. "Do I have to go to Hogsmeade tomorrow?"

"Ellie, what's wrong with you?" Lily asked, staring at her. "You love the weekend! You live for the weekend! I cannot, for the life of me, understand why you don't want to go to Hogsmeade!"

"Because Remus is going to be there!"

"What about Remus?" Alice Lewis asked, trotting into the room in her usual peppy manner. A lot of people would have said that she and Ellie were twins, or at least sisters, because they acted and looked so much alike (except for the hair - Alice's was blonde).

"Ellie's going to drown herself in the lake over him," Lily replied, in a 'She's in one of those moods,' kind of way.

"I am not!" Ellie exclaimed, looking away from the mirror. "I just said I'm about to! It just means I'd fancy doing it, but everyone knows I'm too happy to commit suicide."

One of the second year girls ran to the open doorway. "One of the boys tried to come up the stairs! It's turned into a slide!"

Ellie threw a cheeky grin at her friends and rushed out the door, right behind the girl. She sat at the top of the staircase-turned-slide and prepared to go.

"Wait!" Alice called, running over to her and brandishing a blanket. "Let me come! We can use this!"

They two girls sat on the blanket and pushed off, giggling all the way down, as the blanket slowly turned around and they coasted the rest of the way down backwards.

At the bottom the two collapsed into a heap beside the boy who had tried to climb the stairs - a third or fourth year. Also, at the bottom, stood about half of Gryffindor house.

"Uh... hey... guys..." Ellie grinned sheepishly and sat up on her knees, brushing the dirt off her pants, which she had changed into when she had gotten back to the dorms, after the little "astronomy tower incident".

"Hey, kid!" Alice exclaimed, glaring at the boy sprawled beside them. "What's your problem? You can't just sneak into the girl's dormitories like that! Why, if Professor McGonagall knew what you were doing..."

"Uh... Alice?" Ellie asked, feeling very lightheaded from her trip down the stairs. She clambered to her knees, gave a little groan, and fell backwards, which left her in a very awkward position of having her knees trapped underneath her. Unfortunately, everyone was too busy listening to Alice rant, so she was pretty much ignored. "Alice?"

"Here..." Remus seemed to come from nowhere and leaned forward, grabbing her hand and pulling her back up to a comfortable, non-stressful position on her knees.

Ellie thought for a moment he was going to kiss her, but, instead, he cleared his throat loudly and asked, "Do you need help getting up?"

"No, no... I'm fine." Ellie stood (by herself) and found herself face-to-face with Lily.

"Uh... hey, Lils."

"Oh! Ellie, I didn't even notice you there." Lily's eyes narrowed in a knowing look. "Having fun?"

"Yes, quite." Ellie grinned back at her astounded friend.

Yeah, I know, short chapter, sudden ending... live with it.