good things fall apart • sirius black

Curly haired boys

Placing her hands on his cheeks affectionately, Adelaide kept her voice low so that only he heard, knowing that only he'd be able to understand the French too. Sirius beamed wide, nodding once to indicate he understood. Never would he be able to express just how thankful he was to have James and Ellie's parents be there for him.

"Je ne pouvais pas rester à l'écart." Adelaide shook her head with a chuckle, before releasing him so that Ellie could drag him off to the train.

"I wish my mum was like yours."

Sirius hadn't entirely intended Ellie to hear, his words being more of a subconscious thought, but the beautiful girl just smiled kindly at him. There wasn't really anything she could say in response, for she knew her parents, and James', cared for Sirius as an extension to their family. He was always welcome, no matter what state he was in, and if they could have it their way, he'd never go back to Grimmauld Place. Adelaide and Euphemia, especially, doted over him like he was the most important person in the world. It was somewhat overwhelming for Sirius sometimes, but it made his heart swell after he'd spent a good chunk of his life thinking it was his fault his parents didn't care for him as much as they did for Regulus.

But with the Potters and the Gryffins, there was no doubt, Sirius was treated just as Ellie and James were.

James and Remus were already well on their way to finding a compartment, whilst also checking each one to make sure Peter wasn't already on the train. With the messy haired boy leading the way, they filed down the thin corridor, squeezing by any students blocking their path. They hadn't been any later than usual in arriving on the platform, but it seemed the train was significantly fuller than it normally was, and they found themselves travelling further and further towards the back.

Most of the time, they avoided being anywhere near the end of the train, because most of the Slytherins sat together in one of the open carriages down there.

The Marauders liked a compartment to themselves, but it seemed there weren't any available. Remus suggested they double back, when they got only a few compartments up from the Slytherin carriages, but their decision was made by the nasty yelling of some other students.

"Answer my question!" Someone shouted.

It seemed to be coming from two compartments down, though no one could be seen in the corridor. James knew it probably wasn't wise to get involved in other people's business, but the tone of whoever was shouting made his stomach churn. Someone had to need help, and he couldn't just ignore it.

"Are you always this much of a quivering reck? Quite frankly it's pathetic."

The messy haired boy was striding towards the compartment without a second thought, his wand drawn as a precaution, whilst Remus followed, him being less enthusiastic to intervene. Somehow, he knew this wasn't going to end well.

However, intervening like they did, seemed to be just what needed to be done.

Four Slytherins were crowded in the compartment, all dressed in black and very much resembling that of Dementors, but that wasn't what James and Remus were concerned about when they entered. Peter was sat huddled against the window, cowering from the boys who were intimidating him so.

The smallest Marauder had also struggled to find somewhere to sit and had inevitably ended up a little too close to the end of the train. All had been well as he waited for his friends to join him, until Lucius Malfoy and his goons has decided to take a stroll up the train. When they'd noticed Peter sat alone and too close to their 'territory' for comfort, they'd jumped at the chance to bully the boy who was always shielded by his friends. An easy target now isolated, and Peter was absolutely petrified.