good things fall apart • sirius black

Tell me

Sirius got twitchy, debating whether to fake a stomach bug to give him the chance to leave and go find her, but James assured him she'd be along any second. There wasn't enough time between the Professors sentences for Peter to even think about Ellie, scribbling away too fast on his notes for Remus. However, all of them had their heads turned when the beautiful girl finally materialised.

She didn't come crashing in like they expected, nor did she even announce herself to Professor Binns. Slinking around the door like a cat, Ellie made absolutely no noise as she took the seat between Lily and James, and if you weren't paying attention, you'd probably not notice she'd even arrived. Everything was off about the way she just snuck in and started getting her books out, not a word uttered or even a chair scraped on the floor. In any normal circumstance, she would've burst through the door, disrupting everyone and making a scene which would involve lots of loud excuses made on her part. The Marauders would've been stifling giggles, and Lily would've scolded her for being late, but none of that happened. Ellie didn't even make eye contact with any of her friends as she sat down, merely grabbing a quill and starting to take notes as the Professor spoke.

James and Lily exchanged a worried look, Peter made a rather indiscreet comment about her unusual behaviour, and Sirius was desperately trying to lean around the messy haired boy to get Ellie's attention.

Pushing Sirius' arm away from reaching across him towards the beautiful girl, James instantly knew something was wrong. It was only when she was upset that she would go quiet, and Sirius' obnoxious arm waving in her face to get her attention, probably wasn't going to help. Desperately wishing he was the one sat in James' seat so he could see the beautiful girl properly, Sirius scowled when he was shoved away from her. A silent conversation passed between the boys as James told his best friend to not interfere, but Sirius protested, believing he was the best person to comfort her.

Lily just stared at the uncharacteristically quiet girl, unaware of how to ask if she was okay, for rarely did Ellie behave like this. Her long hair acted as a barrier, dropping down in front of her face as she wrote, not allowing any of them to see the tears welling in her eyes. She knew one of them was bound to ask any moment, and the awful anticipation was making her stomach churn.

    "Cubby..." Placing a hand gently on her shoulder, James kept his voice low so no one around them was alerted to the situation unfolding.

Ellie jumped when his hand made contact, head snapping up in his direction, and it was then that he saw her blood shot eyes. Sirius saw them too and he about leaped over the desk towards her, his heart being ripped right out of his chest.

    "Please don't. Not now." The simple words came out strained and uneven, her voice pleading with everyone to drop it until later. The last place Ellie wanted to discuss this was in the middle of History of Magic, and she could already see the people sat behind them giving curious looks.

Pausing a moment to assess what he was going to do next, James stared at her beyond concerned, knowing whatever Dumbledore had told her had made her this distraught. He wanted to storm out of the classroom right then and there, march up to the Headmaster's office and demand to know what he'd told her. But instead, he knew Ellie needed him to be there with her - her best friend, her rock, and first and foremost family. Wrapping an arm around her shoulders, James pulled her into his chest, and they stayed like that for the rest of the lesson.

Sirius gripped the edge of his desk, anxious to know what had happened, and Lily gave her looks of sorrow, but Ellie didn't even notice as she buried her head in James' shoulder. That was all she needed, and she would forever be grateful for him understanding that.

Dumbledore had requested Ellie to his office that morning to talk to her about her mother. When he made this known, she had frozen up, having only just started to be able to talk about Adelaide without feeling the need to break down and cry. It was a big step forward for her, and when the Headmaster brought the topic up, it panicked her that maybe he was going to set her back in her grieving process. Sitting her down in the chair opposite him, Dumbledore offered her tea and Ellie politely declined, but he poured her a cup anyway.

    "I suspect you are very confused as to why I want to discuss your mother. Professor McGonagall has been telling me you've shown great strength this past year, particularly in the new term. Your Christmas was joyful I hope?" Ellie nodded, crossing her arms in an attempt to make herself look comfortable. Yet, it was clear she wasn't succeeding as Dumbledore looked over his half-moon spectacles, expecting the girl to speak. She didn't and focused her gaze on the spoon the Headmaster was stirring in his tea, "I've been in correspondence with your father and he has granted me permission to divulge some information to you surrounding your tragic, tragic loss."