Ella Kierston, Minerva McGonagall's goddaughter, begins her 6th year at Hogwarts as the Wizarding World is on the high alert for the notorious Azkaban escapee, Sirius Black. There is much more to Ella than meets the eye, something that quickly catch...
Ella couldn't formulate any proper words for a moment, bracing herself to tumble to the floor. Instead of making contact with the cool stone floors, two hands settled on either side of her waist in the nick of time. She felt her heart hammering against her chest as the scent of tea, woolen jumpers, and spice washed over her senses. On instinct, Ella placed a hand on her rescuer's chest for a moment in an effort to steady herself. Her hand lingered on the soft switched sweater for a moment as she glanced upward to apologize for the collision. Though the last person she expected to see was her new DADA professor.
To say she was embarrassed was an understatement. Yesterday, he had her spilling tea down her front. Today, she nearly runs him over. Well done, Elle. You've certainly shown how capable a witch you are. She chided herself as she locked eyes with Remus' warm green ones.
Ella quickly retracted her hand from her professor's shirt as she muttered, "shit," under her breath.
Before she could begin to apologize, she was cut off with a soft chuckle.
"We've got to stop meeting like this," Remus said, a soft smile pulling at his lips.
He looked Ella over quickly and was satisfied to see there wasn't a hair out of place. Again, he was struck by the familiarity of her--how she wore her shirt sleeve rolled to her elbows, her tie missing, and those peculiar eyes. The way she looked at him, doe-eyed and cheeks flushed, was enough to get his own pulse racing. Remus quickly shook his head at the thoughts and took a step back to allow a more appropriate spacing between them. He knew he hadn't broken any rules, but he felt better knowing that any passers-by wouldn't think there was more to the situation than a professor saving a student from a fall.
"Shit...no not sh-..." Ella placed a hand over her mouth to prevent any further cursing while she tried to formulate a more eloquent apology.
"I'm so sorry, Sir. I should've watched where I was going!" Ella managed to get out amidst her sputtering.
Her face felt hotter with every passing second. She smiled at Remus sheepishly for a moment, before casting her eyes down in embarrassment. If a giant hole should ever appear in the middle of the castle to swallow her up, now was the time.
"Quite all right, no one got hurt," Remus reassured her with a smile, hoping to meet her eyes once more.
Ella let out a sigh and nodded up at him. "I suppose thanks are in order. I'd probably have a few bruises if it weren't for your quick reflexes."
"No thank's necessary, Ella. Though I am curious as to what's got you rushing through the halls like a bat out of hell. Lunch has only just started." He stated curiously, placing his hands in his pockets and raising his brow.
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Ella let out a breathy chuckle, tucking a few loose strands of her hair behind her ears. "You aren't that far off, actually. I just came from double potions."
"Yes, I've heard Professor Snape has established quite a rapport with his students," Remus said with a professional nod, though he was struggling to keep a large smirk from settling across his features.
Ella couldn't help but laugh at this.
"Potions is an important subject, don't get me wrong. But I always struggled with it in school, having to know so many conversions and properties...just wasn't high on my list of priorities." Remus trailed off, smiling for a moment at the image of his younger self trying to make sure Peter wouldn't set fire to their potion again or egging James to ask Lily out again in Slughorn's class. He quickly gestured for Ella to start walking down the hall before the memory could get away from him.
"I've always had the feeling Snape doesn't care for me much, another Griffindor who's abysmal at potions. It's hard to say who the class is more painful for, truly." Ella laughed.
Remus smiled at the warmth her tone carried as he looked down at her. Her eyes had their sparkle to them once again. The pair continued towards The Great Hall, passing snoozing suits of armor and bickering portraits along the way. Soon the topic shifted to Defense Against the Dark Arts, Ella curious as to how his first classes had gone.
"I've been nervous, of course. But everyone has done quite well so far. Besides, not assigning homework the first day back certainly helps a professor's reputation." He joked, though there was detectable pride accompanying his words.
"Something tells me you'd have gone over well with the students regardless." Ella complimented with a smile as they approached the entrance hall.
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Remus' cheeks flushed at her words and he looked away momentarily from her gaze bashfully. He hadn't been one for compliments even in his youth. But here was this brilliant young witch always ready to build him up with her praise and gentle smiles...it was more than he could comprehend.
"I guess we'll find out if your kindness is warranted after lunch." He murmured, trying to limit the blush from spreading across his features.
"I usually have a good sense for these things," Ella responded with a wink before bidding her professor goodbye with a wave.
Once again, he couldn't help but stare after her in a daze. As much as he was looking forward to getting to know Ella better over the year, he was already having reservations about the memories she stirred up in him in the short time that they'd met.
...
Ella made her way over to the Gryffindor Table, waving to Katie Bell and Ginny on her way over. She was quite excited to have DADA after lunch, but she was hoping she could keep from embarrassing herself long enough to enjoy the lesson. There were whispers from the Ravenclaw table as she passed, so she instantly wondered if anyone had seen her near-fall. But her worrying was quickly derailed as she started hearing Harry's name be mentioned.
Ella furrowed her brow as she spotted the Boy Who Lived sandwiched between his best friends. He had Divination for Godric's sake, how could he have gotten into trouble with tea leaves and crystal balls? As she neared the table, the answer became clear: the Grim.
A\N: As usual, these beautiful gifs are not mine. But thank you for being patient with me as I get these next chapters up! I hope you like this short filler, next chapters have much more action with the first DADA class with Lupin! Any guesses as to what they will be learning? And still to come, Ella's lessons with Dumbledore, First Hogsmeade Weekend, and the Halloween Feast.
