Happy Christmas and back to Hogwarts

The next morning was almost a mess by Ella, she woke up at 5 A.M. because of her excitement. But Remus told her to go back to sleep.

After having breakfast, Ella finally get to open the Christmas presents from the Tonks family, she got one from Seraphina as well.

Tonks gave her a hairpin, it was enchanted to change color according to their emotions like her hair. Seraphina gave her Fudge Flies sweet, knowing she loves chocolate like Remus Lupin.

Andromeda made her a scarf with the color Black and Yellow. Teddy gave her a normal snow globe, it wasn't enchanted at all.

Remus usually brings her outside where she can play with the snow. She would build a snowman with him. 

"People would always look at me as if I'm a killer." She sigh and flopped herself on the couch next to Remus. Remus raised an eyebrow. "Well just hexed them," Remus smirked jokingly.

"I would definitely do that to Avery... he was calling someone mudblood." Remus's eyes widen but Ella shrugged with her innocent smile. "Don't tell aunt Andy!" She grinned cheekily and Remus shook his head.

"But seriously! They always thought I am up to no good. They give me looks just because I got sorted into Hufflepuff."

Remus leaned his back on the couch. "Does it really matter? Your father was sorted into Gryffindor, in fact, he was the first one in the family of Black that was sorted others than Slytherin."

"I don't really care what house I got sorted into, it's the people."

For a few minutes, Remus gave his attention to Ella who was telling him stories about Hogwarts. To her, Remus is the person she can rely on and she trusts him.

Remus's again eyes widened when Ella told him the story where she and the twin found a passageway in the Whomping Willow but the girl didn't tell him about the map. "That place was locked so we can't go in."

He cleared his throat, "I think its a good thing that it was locked. Who knows if there is something in there."

"Like what?" At that point, He had no idea how to answer her questions. "Haunted?"

Ella nodded her head, understanding Remus's answer. "You're right, it's a good thing the twins were there, well technically they pushed me down the tree and thought they actually killed me."

"Yes, well, don't ever go there again, got it?" Remus warned with his finger pointing at her. Ella pouted with a frown, "Alright, alright. It's weird looking anyway." Ella muttered.

___

The Christmas break was only two weeks so Ella had stayed with Remus for only three days and back to the Tonks's.

Christmas was like the old-time, she spends time with Remus after a long time. sitting next to the fire, drinking hot chocolate with a blanket on each of them.

For 5 years, Ella didn't even mention her father to Remus. As much as he want to know about him, she didn't mention it. When it was mentioned, she would feel upset. Even upset when someone brings up her mother. She didn't really know much more about the Black Family, Andromeda never told her much, just about her sisters and Regulus Black. Sirius had promised himself that he would never let his daughter live the life he grew up in, which is believing that Pure-blood is more powerful because we are just the same.

Remus gave her one last hug before Ella took Andromeda's hand to apparate back to their house. It was sad to leave, knowing she might not see him much longer. She wish she could stay there and spend more time with him, but she also need to understand that Remus and Andromeda were busy. 

____

The train started to move slowly, more students walk past the compartment. A Raven-haired girl with blue eyes entered the compartment, not realizing Ella was there. She flinch when she saw Ella sitting next to the window and gave a tiny wave.

"It's just you.." She sighed in relief, looks like she was running away from someone. "Helena Allen." she took a seat across the other side of the compartment.

Ella recognize her well, she was the first girl who was sorted in the sorting ceremony. "Estella Black." she gave a nod with a small smile at the girl. She had a small cute rat on her shoulder. "What's her name."

Helena was surprised how she knew it was a female, "Maple. How do you know she's a female without looking at her closely?

"The Weasley twin showed me his brother's male rat, I can tell the difference." 

The Twins once showed her Percy's rat, Scabbers. Ella somehow found the rat odd. It's like something was odd about the rat, the rat kept staring at her and she didn't know if the rat acts the way he acted. "He's creepy looking." She commented. When the twin requested her to hold the rat, she decline politely. But still, they held Scabbers close to her, causing her to run away while claiming that their rat is creepy.

"Would you like to hold her?" Helena asked taking her rat off from her shoulder. Ella nodded with a happy smile, sticking her hands out to hold the rat as Helena passed it to her. 

"She's lovely," said Ella as the rat started to sniff her hands. Helena chuckled and took an apple out of her pocket. "I love apples, do you?" she asked all of sudden.

Ella thought it was awkward to answer the question, "Yeah, but I prefer mangoes."

"I love mangoes too!" Helena exclaimed after taking a bite of her apple. Ella put down her rat which ran to her owner on Helena's lap, trying to dig itself into her pocket. "Maple! Sorry, she really loves going inside my pockets. It's warmer."

"I can tell." She chuckled looking at the female rat peeking from Helena's pocket.

Helena leaned back, "You're a Hufflepuff, am I correct?"

"Yes, why?" The girl frowned. She knew Ella was a Black and a Hufflepuff, but she didn't insult her at all, unlike her fellows Hufflepuff year. "That's nice, I don't have many friends cuz they think I am talk-active. Am I talk -active?"

"What? No! I find you quite friendly." she gave a reassuring smile at Helena. Helena sighed in relief again, she was afraid if people would think she was annoying.