Ella woke up from her bed in the attic to a crash coming from downstairs. Her eyes popped open as her stepmother was yelling something incoherent. Pulling the blanket off of her body, her eyes began to adjust, and she realized that her stepmother was calling for her. She glanced around the room, and saw the clock bearing the time 5:30, the sun only just beginning to peek through the small crack in the roof. Her stepmother's yelling started to grow in volume, and Ella hurried out of her bed to throw on her clothes.

When she saw her apron and her favorite dress that she laid out last night, she smiled, remembering that today was the day. Cedric would be picking her up later that day to take her to the Quidditch World Cup tomorrow. She had been waiting for this day all summer, and now it was finally here. Her bag was all packed, because she would be staying with Cedric for the rest of the summer. Her stepmother's yelling snapped her out of her daze. She quickly threw the dress on, which framed her slim body nicely, and looked in the mirror. Snatching the apron off the chest, she ran down the stairs. "I'm coming!" She had just finished tying the bow on her apron when she found her stepmother.

"Well, guess who finally decided to get up? What took you so long? Get to work!"

"Sorry! I'll get going straightaway," Ella squeaked out.

"Good," Her stepmother growled as she sat down on the intricately decorated head chair in the dining room. Ella hurried out of the dining room, and into the kitchen. She started the fire on the stove, and prepared the kettle with some fresh water. As she set the kettle on the stove, a wave of tiredness ran over her. She walked over to the sink, and opened the curtains up, the sunlight glistening through the window. While the water began to heat, Ella started to hum. The kettle began to whistle in response to her. She picked the kettle up off the stove, and after pouring the water into a glass, she dropped a couple of tea leaves in, and let it sit.

While waiting for the tea to steep, she began to work on breakfast, still humming away. After starting the stove, she put a skillet on and cracked a couple eggs in it. She got the cutting board out and cut up some spinach and some of the leftover ham she had cooked for dinner the previous night. When everything was chopped to her perfection, she slid them in with the eggs, and start to mix them up. By the time she was done cooking breakfast, the tea for her stepmother was ready. She scooped out the leaves, and began dishing the plates out. One for her stepmother, and two for both her stepsisters. After checking the room, she prepared a small plate for herself, not wanting to eat the bland oats her stepmother always gave her before her big day.

She jumped as her stepmother screamed out, "Cinderella! Where's my tea?"

"It's on the way!"

Ella took the cup of tea in one hand, and held the plate in the other as she walked out into the dining room and served her stepmother. As she went back into the kitchen, she heard some commotion at the front door. Ella quickly grabbed the other two plates and laid them out for her sisters, Anastasia and Drizella to eat. She went back into the kitchen and wiped her hands on her apron, checking her reflection in the sink. She smoothed out her blonde hair, trying to reduce some of the frizziness, but to no avail, for her hair had a mind of its own.

After hearing Anastasia's cackle coming from the entryway, Ella hurried over to see who was there, for Cedric could have been early. Her stepmother had noticed the commotion that Anastasia making, and Ella saw her approaching the door. After craning her neck to see who was there, she ran back up to her room. She had seen a glimpse of the iconic yellow and black Hufflepuff colors, and immediately knew it was Cedric. Ella grabbed her bag and took her apron off, laying it on her trunk for when she came home.

She winced as her stepmother yelled, "Where's that witch?" Get her out of my house!"

"I'm coming!" She yelled as she ran back downstairs. When she arrived in the entryway, she saw her stepmother's disapproving look as Anastasia was flirting with Cedric, giggling at something he had said. Cedric was a tower in comparison to Anastasia, about a foot taller than her in height. Ella laughed at the height difference, Cedric was only a few inches taller than her, and she was medium height. She rolled her eyes at her sister's attempts at flirting when her stepmother noticed her presence.

"Good," her stepmother said while walking away. "Get out of my sight.  Come and eat your breakfast Anastasia and leave the witch with her own kind," she drawled. Anastasia looked back and forth between her mother and Cedric with puppy dog eyes. "Now, Anastasia. And quit lingering, Cinderella, just go," her stepmother snarled. Anastasia turned away from Cedric with her head hung low, and followed her mother like a scolded puppy. Cedric noticed Ella and smiled, offering to take her baggage for her. Ella handed it over and opened up the ornate front door, gesturing Cedric out.

"Thanks Ced," she said with a smile.

"Never a problem, Ella."

Cedric walked down to the street with Ella's bag in hand, where his father, Amos Diggory, was waiting. Ella followed him, the corners of her eyes crinkling as she smiled, hiding the scar that ran down the right side of her face. Cedric looked over at Ella and smiled, "Well wasn't that just a lovely goodbye," he said while laughing.

Ella's laughter filled the atmosphere in response, along with a smile that shined as bright as the sun. Her green eyes brimmed with happiness, sparkling with the joy that accompanied leaving, even if it was only until summer break. When they reached the road, Amos smiled at her.

"Hello Mr. Diggory, how are you today?"

"Good morning, Ella. I am doing splendid today, thank you for asking. Shall we get going?" Mr. Diggory asked, holding out his arms for Ella and Cedric to grab onto when they apparated. The two held onto Amos as he spun around, "Off we go!" One moment they were outside Ella's stepmother's mansion, and the next they were in front of the Diggory household. Ella smiled when she opened her eyes, happy to be away from her "family," happy to be in a place where she felt like she truly belonged.

Ella snapped out of another one of her daydreams when Cedric nudged her. She noticed that his dad was already at the front door, opening it and gesturing the two of them in. Cedric was smiling as he had caught Ella in another one of her daydreams, "Another sickle Ella, you were definitely daydreaming," he said while beginning to walk towards the front door, holding his left hand out expecting payment.

"I was not daydreaming, but nice try Ced," she said with a grin on her face, following Cedric inside and pushing his hand down to his side.

"Then why were you just standing there, staring? I say you were daydreaming. But now I'm curious, what about? Was it about me?" Cedric turned around to look at her, and winked.

"Oh my gosh, no! Cedric!" She playfully hit his arm, wearing a horrified expression on her face. Cedric laughed, mocking a hurt expression in his face when Ella had hit him. "I was admiring your house," she said while rolling her eyes, walking past him and into the house.

Cedric followed her, shutting and locking the door behind him. After he set Ella's baggage down, he turned towards Ella with a quizzical look on his face, "You've been here like a thousand times, and we didn't change anything. Why do you still find it so fascinating after all these years?"

He watched her as she was standing in awe once again, turning slowly around in her place, trying to take everything in. "You know what my family is like, Ced. You've witnessed how I live there, like a slave. It used to be fun, when my dad was around. But when he passed, it went downhill." Ella stopped, her eyes glistening with tears, and looked down. "Imagine being a house elf, but for Bellatrix Lestrange. That's what life became when he died, I kept to myself, and had no one to talk to. Well besides Lucifer, but a cat can't talk back." Ella paused to laugh, regaining her composure. "It was when I came to Hogwarts that I found my true home again. You were the first to reach out to me, and I knew I found a family with you. You're like the brother I never had, and you're dad is like the father I had lost. You guys reminded me what I true family was like, filled with loyalty, laughter, and some arguing in between. And this house brought that all to me, Ced. You are my true family, and this is where I belong." She looked him in the eyes, her own eyes sparkling with the joy of being with her true family.

Cedric watched her, speechless. He ran his hand through his messy brown hair, "I-I didn't know you felt that way Ella." I Gently, he reached out and grabbed her hand, squeezing it between his fingers. "I'm so sorry about your dad, Ella."

"S' alright, Ced. It's a thing of the past. I've got you now," she smiled while trying to hold back the tears, "and that's all that matters." Ella gently squeezed Cedric's hand back, and pulled her hand away. She wiped away the tears from her eyes, and grabbed her baggage from by the front door. A mischievous smile made its way onto her face as she giggled. Quickly, she took off to her right, running up the grand staircase. "Last one to your room's a rotten egg!" she yelled halfway up the staircase down to Cedric.

"Hey, that's cheating Ella!" Cedric laughed, chasing after his best friend.

Amos was standing in the doorway  between the kitchen and the front entryway, watching the kids and laughing. "Oh, those two." He turned around back into the kitchen and began to work on making lunch.

The two raced up the stairs and into Cedric's room. Because of Ella's head start, she beat him, throwing her baggage on the floor, and plopping down on his bed. When Cedric came through the door, Ella smirked. "Ha! I finally beat you!" She panted, trying to regain her breath.

Cedric stood in the door frame, unfazed by the physical activity. "Finally is the key word there. And you got a head start, so don't get too worked up about it." He smiled, going to sit down next to Ella.

She pushed him lightly on the shoulder, "You're just too full of yourself to accept defeat, because I clearly beat you," Ella said while shaking her head. Cedric gasped, feigning hurt. He laid back on the bed, putting his hands beneath his head, and staring up at the stars painted above his bed. Ella joined him, laying on her back, watching Cedric. "Sooo... how was your summer?" She asked him, expecting to hear an hour long story of some kind, or at least some juicy gossip.

But all he said was, "It was alright, I guess," still staring up at his ceiling. Ella didn't believe him, and knew he was hiding something from her.

She turned over on her side to look at him. "Are you being quiet all the sudden because something happened with some girl??"

Cedric's cheeks began to give it away as a faint blush grew on them. "No..."

Ella gasped, "Oh my gosh, did something happen with a guy? Ced, is there something you want to tell me??"

Cedric's face grew redder, as he responded, "No, Ella!!" He seemed to have an inner debate within himself as he looked like he was going to talk, but didn't.

"Well come on then and spill like my mop bucket did yesterday." She laughed at her own joke, but Cedric's mouth didn't even flinch. "Come on now Ced, you don't want me to have to tell you about my summer, do you?" Cedric sighed, running a hand across his crimson face.

"Okay, fine! Yes, there is a girl. And yes, I like her. Calm down! We talked a little over the summer." Cedric smiled to himself just thinking about said girl.

Ella wiggled her eyebrows at Cedric, "Ooh, who is this girl?"

"Uhh, no one. And don't tell my dad, he's gonna freak!"  Cedric dodged the topic, sitting upright to avoid eye contact with Ella.

"Don't tell your dad what?" Amos said and he walked in, wearing a quizzical look.

Ella sat upright and both of them simultaneously exclaimed, "Nothing!"

Amos raised his eyebrows at the two, laughing. "Alright then. Lunch is ready by the way," he said as he walked back downstairs. The two of them followed suit, Ella watching as Cedric's face began to go back to its normal shade. She laughed, knowing that while Cedric was a pretty handsome boy and had a good reputation amongst the girls, he was terrible when it came down to him actually liking one.

Ella smiled as she followed Amos and Cedric downstairs into the kitchen, happy that she felt like she belonged. Happy to be at her true home, with her true family.

A/n: Hey guys, I hope y'all are enjoying this story! If you like it, don't forget to vote and comment, and don't be afraid to leave feedback!