Ella didn’t want to be here. The blonde was a lot of things, a lot of good and positive and nice things but brave really wasn’t one of them. Especially not when it came to this, facing a creature who could turn into her worst fear. She knew what was going to happen when she faced this thing. She knew who it would become and it terrified her. She was here, though. Mostly because she felt that if she faced it head on maybe she could get over it? They said that helped sometimes, yeah? The facing your fear thing? So maybe just maybe… Yeah.

Gulp.

There it was, the trunk. Ella’s grip on her wand tightened considerably, her knuckles white. She could do this. She could totally do this. And the fact that the trunk was shaking didn’t mean anything. She knew this was a boggart. She could handle this. She just needed to remember riddikulus. Riddikulus. Riddikulus. Breatheeeeee.

And then it happened, the lid opened, quicker than she’d expected and quieter too. The sixteen year old took a step back as a woman emerged, a small child in her arms. She was pretty and blonde, face full of joy as she admired the small brunette little girl in her arms. Ella hadn’t seen her mother since she left for her first year at Hogwarts so to say the sight of her was a shock would be an understatement. They looked a lot alike, Ella and her mom. They had the same hair and hands and eyes. The older woman had harsher features, though, that and a harsher heart. Stifling the urge to reach out for her, Ella took another step back and watched as her Mom cooed at the little girl in her arms, rocking her and smiling at her and loving her. The sight sent Ella’s heart into her stomach. And then she looked up, the boggart form of Ella’s mother. The smile faded and the woman stared right through Ella as if she wasn’t even there. And then she smirked. Ella blinked back tears and shook her head. That was enough of that.

Swallowing hard, Ella focused all her energy on changing her mother. She closed her eyes for a moment and concentrated, hard. Then with force, she squeaked, “Riddikulus!”

Suddenly her mother wasn’t her mother anymore but a dancing flower with sunglasses, the muggle toy kind that her Gran used to keep on her desk. It danced when it sensed movement and that’s what this was: a giant dancing, sunglasses wearing flower. Ella’s heart rate slowed and a faint smile formed on her face. She’d done it. And then she laughed. It was a sad sort of laughing. Filled with relief rather than humor but it was there. And then the boggart was gone, trunk slammed shut, room empty save for Ella.

The blonde blinked hard and without a moment’s hesitation she headed for the door without looking back. If she never saw a boggart again it’d be too soon.

She wanted ice cream. And Alec.