a little bit of love || elena & hermia || 1 september 1997

by **thegirlnamedcrow** Tue Feb 17, 2015 1:13 pm

Even as she had been engaged in conversation with several of her housemates, Elena had kept her attention focussed on the twins' fight, as had become her habit. She did not attempt to interfere; she had learned long ago that anything like that only served to further escalate the situation, but she made sure she knew enough of the specifics to be able to help with the clean-up effort that would surely be required after a confrontation of such scale.

The twins had never had what could be called an easy relationship, but this fight was so far beyond the intensity of anything that had come before that Elena was unsure if the situation could be remedied. It certainly would not be resolved tonight; this would take weeks of careful diplomacy to smooth over, if it was even possible to reconcile her sisters.

Oh, Phoebe. Why must she say such provocative, caustic words, words so clearly intended to wound? They had been raised better than to be so recklessly horrid in their interactions; what was it about Hermia that raised Phoebe to such levels of cruelty?

As Phoebe departed the Hufflepuff table, Elena automatically looked to her eldest brother, catching his eye from across the Great Hall. They may have been at Hogwarts, they may have been divided into three separate houses, but they were still a family, and the same conflict resolution protocols remained in place. Their strategy was rapidly, silently communicated with a series of quick glances towards their sisters. Hermia first, Phoebe next. Gus would take Phoebe first, Hermia next. Though Elena knew that she would have as little success would Phoebe as Augustus would with Hermia, it was important to show the girls that they were not playing favourites, that they were not taking sides.

As much as was possible, it was important to maintain neutrality.

With a quiet excuse to her housemates, Elena excused herself from the conversation, rising from her seat and settling instead next to Hermia. Casting her a shy smile, she reached up to squeeze the girl's shoulder encouragingly.

a little bit of love || elena & hermia || 1 september 1997 Distan10

She said nothing, but simply sat there, hand resting on her sister's shoulder, hoping that simple gesture could say all that Hermia did not want to hear.

by **lindarkness** Wed Feb 18, 2015 8:30 pm

Every single pair of eyes in the Great Hall was piercing through her, like a million imaginary needles, drawing invisible blood from her skin, drawing sharp holes into her lungs, robbing her of any sound. The tears were silently falling into her hands, her face buried deep in her small, fragile hands, and while her violent sobbing had ceased for now, he stream of her tears seemed endless to her.
She should have known.
The chatter, the noise, the laughter around her was ear-shattering, drumming inside her skull, mirroring her memory of her sister's words, repeating them in her head until it was all that was left for her to hear anymore. Her eyes remained closed, but still, she could see it all play out in front of her, see her sister's expression shift into one of anger and hatred as she looked at her.
Phoebe was right.

No matter how harsh and violent her words had been, the girl knew they were true, despite all that. That's why they had made her cry, why they had hit her so hard, opened up her wounds and made her vulnerable. The way they were delivered didn't matter, not really, as long as she could confirm them.

What had she been thinking, arriving at Hogwarts and expecting everything to be easy, expecting to know how to fit in and do well in one instant, expecting for it to fill the blank spaces of failure that her life had left her with so far? Now that she knew what stood before he, the young girl was forced to realize how easy she had had it so far, with only her siblings to have around, and only her parents to teach her. And even then, with all the accommodations she had, with all the love and support she received from her family, Hermia never quite managed to fit in completely, never quite managed to be as good at the work as she knew she should be.
How could she have ever expected it to get better?

a little bit of love || elena & hermia || 1 september 1997 Jordan11

When she felt a weight on her shoulder - she didn't know how long it had been, but by the time the hand brushed her skin, her tears had already dried - she didn't need to open her eyes to know who had come to comfort her.

It was Elena.

And with that simple gesture, all energy seemed to have left her body, all fear and anxiety were left floating from her lungs. All she was left with, then, was her sadness, her sorrow, heavy and dry. She was so tired all of the sudden. Really, Hermia just wanted to go to sleep.

Without a word, she rested her head on her older sister.

a little bit of love || elena & hermia || 1 september 1997

a little bit of love || elena & hermia || 1 september 1997

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