Ellie had woken up with a terrible headache that morning. She abruptly awoken, jolting up in a sitting position. In front of her blurred images swirled in front of her and she could feel the dream still lingering in the cusp of her imagination. A flash of dark hair and a pair of cold, wild eyes. It had been her mother. The dream had put Ellie in a foul mood. It had been some time since she had last had a dream about her mother and her return to her most vulnerable state of mind had been not a pleasant one. With an annoyed growl Ellie had gotten out of bed and gotten ready for the day.

Hogwarts. It had been her brother’s idea to change schools. Ellie couldn’t understand her brother’s motives to move in with their father again and change school, what had been so bad about Durmstrang anyway? The teachers had been strict and skilled and she had been allowed to learn the crafts of dark magic. Ellie was well aware that dark magic was like a double-edged sword, but if she managed to control it she was sure she would be able to use it for good. Hogwarts did not teach the dark arts, which annoyed Ellie. It had been one of her most favourite subjects at Durmstrang. Here she was barely allowed to whisper the words in fear that someone would get offended or hurt. Ellie scoffed at the idea. Only weak people thought that way, she thought as she rushed down the moving stairs. It had taken her months to learn the complexity of these idiotic stairs. Honestly, what was the point of moving stairs, did it not encourage tardiness and confusion? Oh, another element of annoyance to her day. The brunette rolled her eyes and hissed in frustration as the stairs moved again. Much to her chagrin it took her another 7 minutes to get to class. Good thing she was always early.

As the day dragged on her headache got worse. The day just seemed to be one of those days where everything was stressful and wrong. After the first lessons she decided to try and take it down a few notches. Environment was important for a balanced day, and although she rarely ever took advice on silly health issues regarding mental stability or environment, she felt that a change in phase might do her well. She ended up at the corner café and instantly felt a little more relaxed as she smelt the scent of coffee drifting in the air. She sighed audibly and got her coffee. She turned around and was just about to leave when she felt someone step on her. “Bloody Merlin’s beard! Watch where ya goin'!” Ellie snapped ferociously, tinged with her Scottish accent. She gave the younger boy a harsh look. There was just something about her eyes that seemed to chill the very core of people. Her cold, emotionless eyes, it was eerie. No matter how angry she might seem, or how annoyed she feel, her eyes remained a cold, dark void.

Elinor had not been brought up in a home that encouraged coldness or emotionless expression, quite opposite in fact. The people she considered her family, her aunt and uncle, were the most loving and caring people she knew of. Unable to have children of their own they had gladly taken in the two siblings when they had appeared at their doorstep. The emotionless expressions (save for annoyance and other pleasantries) had simply become a defence mechanism. Her brother on the other hand was her opposite. Despite their past he had turned out of the better, a friendly and outgoing type of fellow. Elinor was not that lucky. In fact, she deemed herself unable for such luxuries. She couldn’t afford to be cheerful and trusting of every person she met. She saw it as a self-righteous thing, and the most selfless act she could ever do. In her eyes nothing was more important than her brother, he was the last real family that she had, and she would do anything for him. After all, wasn’t that why she had moved to this stupid school? She could’ve stayed behind at Durmstrang and finished her last year there, but to what cost? She couldn’t stand being separated from her brother, and he knew it. So, she hadn’t really had a choice when he had announced that they would go live with their father in England. A new chance, he’d said. A new start, he’d said. Ellie had frowned and furrowed her brow at this. She couldn’t protest. She couldn’t do anything to change either person’s mind, so she had grudgingly followed.

The tall brunette composed herself after her outburst towards the younger boy, who seemed to cringe just by looking at her. It was how she liked it. Why bother with silly pleasantries? This was not a soap opera where eyes met over steaming coffee and their heart leaped with lust and love. No, this was real life and in real life nothing mattered. Elinor looked up just in time to catch a pair of eyes looking her way. Elinor paid no attention to it but looked for a place to sit. The little café was already starting to fill and Elinor felt that for some reason sitting next to the person who had glanced her way would be the best for her. And so she did.

Elinor made her way towards the other girl, whom she now recognized as someone she had seen the common room, but aside from that she didn’t know nor cared whom she was. “Is this seat taken?” she asked. Pleasantries. She would sit down regardless of the other girl’s answer. It was just the polite way to do things. Elinor sat down and minded her own business. Honestly, this school, so full of English snobs. Elinor somewhat senses that this other, younger girl, was a snob by the way she held herself. Probably one of those stuck up pureblood, she mused to herself. But, normally in these kinds of situations purebloods would ignore those they deemed unfit for their presence. Snobs. But at least you were left alone, for the most part.

Elinor had not bothered taking the time to get to know anyone yet, not that she normally made it her quest to find someone to share an afternoon with, no, afternoons were mostly best served alone or with her brother. However, she knew her life choice was sometimes brining her brother down. He was so unlike her in every single way, from his personality to the way he looked. She was dark, he was blonde, he was outgoing, she was isolated; she was not surprised that most people couldn’t even imagine that they had come from the same parents. Sometimes even she wondered. Sometimes she was in awe of him. Sometimes she was ashamed of herself for doing that to him. Elinor knew that her way of handling life was not exactly the easiest, but it was the safest, in her opinion. It was her choice to isolate people from her life, and it wasn’t really that hard considering that most people annoyed her just by existing. Like this snob here, sitting in front of her like she was so much better than her. Elinor had never understood the societies’ need to glorify a few individuals who were more or less just born into something than to have earned the glory that they took upon themselves. Glory and respect was not inherited through blood, it was earned through achievement and individual accomplishment and power.

Through the corner of her eye Elinor saw a flash of the girls haste to hide her letters. Like she had any interest in other people’s business. Elinor restrained a roll of the eye and took a sip of her coffee instead. As she sat she became aware of the quick glances that were thrown their way. She could see some glance at the girl and some glance at her. What an odd pair the two of them were, she thought. However, the stupid ogling of other people had never bothered Elinor. Let them look their fill! She did not control the space, however, if any of them dared to touch her or even speak to her in a manner she found unfit and quite frankly a waste of her time, she had no issue with letting that person know exactly how insignificant said person was.

For the most part Elinor minded her own business. In fact, she minded her own business so much that it made it hard for her to relate or care about anyone’s troubles but her own. In some ways that made her an incredibly self-centred person; apparently she was devoid of compassion or the ability to love or care about anyone but herself. In many ways it was partly true. She did find other people’s tedious troubles irreverent to her well-being or interest, and she did find most people unworthy of her time and affection. In a way she did set herself a little higher than most people. She was proud. She was mean. She was stubborn. She was ferocious, and intimidating. All of those things, she was. But she was also compassionate. Her weakness in life was her brother, whom she cared so much for she felt the need to sacrifice her own happiness just to make sure he would never see or feel the sadness she had seen or felt. Above all, his life was worth more than anything.

Elinor closed her eyes for a brief moment. She was tired. She hated to admit it. It made her feel weak to admit it, but she was. So tired. She was tired of pretending, of fending off people even though she mostly hated them all. No one seemed worthy of her time at all. They were all pretentious and born with ulterior motives. But it got lonely on this side of the fence. She was lonely. And selfish. And not selfish.

The voice of the girl sitting opposite of her broke through her silence and she tried not to glare as she opened her eyes and looked at the girl. Try to be civil, at least, Elinor scolded herself. She attempted a small smile, a mere flicker of a motion in the crease of her mouth. It was rather unsuccessful and it probably looked as if she had supressed a sneer. “Elinor,” she managed to say with a smooth, calm voice. Nothing of her inner turmoil ever did show. She simply looked jaded. “Are you a seventh year too?” Elinor inquired, not really interested in whatever house or year the girl belonged to, but social convention dictated her to at least keep a small appearance until it got intolerably tedious.

(ooc: Elinor is already sitting down, so I'm just going to pretend that Alice didn't ask her to sit down.)

Elinor could only smile, ever so slightly at the other girl’s inclination of the pleasure of meeting her. It was a half concealed and half amused smile. Surely, she had not heard of anyone who had found her presence pleasing as of late. In fact, she almost made it her prerogative to make her presence as chilling and disenchanting as possible. The whole statement made Ellie feel like this girl was full of bullshit and she was inching away from either leaving or letting the girl knew exactly how far off the wagon she really was. Instead Elinor did something a little unusual. She was intrigued. How long this interest would last no one could tell, but for the time being she was amused and was half curious how far this girl would take social dictations of civility and charms.

The brunette kept her face devoid of emotion, although it might appear a little milder than usual. She was after all intrigued to a point where she refrained from raising a snide eyebrow in derision. “No,” the girl affirmed. “Hogwarts is confusing and people are too attached to these so-called houses,” Elinor said sternly. She had no taste for the rivalry between the houses, and found it ludicrously childish and unnecessary as it did not serve any educational purpose. Elinor had felt nothing of importance towards her own person being thrown into the masses and emerged as a Slytherin. The only thing that mattered to her was her grades and her little brother’s well being.

Elinor did not really pay attention to the other girl, she had no interest in getting to know her wher they ended up sharing secrets in the dark and braiding their hair. How depressing. No, the only reason Elinor had for sitting down next to this girl, Alice, was because it was the only one available. Elinor wanted to drink her beverage alone and sit silently, musing, or brooding, however you like it. Truth was, perhaps she was brooding, a little, about how incredibly unfortunate she had been with her life, but then again she didn’t feel right brooding, it didn’t come naturally to her. She was just strong, just strong, nothing brooding about that feature. She was strong for her brother, and herself. She didn’t have time to be bothered with angsty teenage drama about how neglected you were or how fucked up things were. God! That was just depressing and not like Elinor at all.

The brunette did not intentionally set her mind to be something, she just did what she wanted, and what she wanted was for this conversation to cease. “They had different arrangements*,” she replied without feeling. She missed her own school. She had actually managed to get something of a friend there, someone who cared enough about her to see past her icy exterior. Elinor wasn’t sure if they would ever see each other again, or even remain in contact. She knew she could be hard to reach, not that she made it any easier knowing this. Elinor let her mind drift, and she took a sip of her beverage again while her eyes wandered about the crowded room.

*OOC: I actually don't know what Durmstrang had, so I'm just gonna leave it at that.