Better - The Marauders

EIGHTY-FIVE

"That's fine." Remus smiled, a soft one that made her smile too as she looked away from his captivating brown eyes and down at her porridge bowl to avoid flushing red and having to answer questions about it. "It'd be nice to hear the reactions you have to the plot."

"I'm sure they'll be justified." She smiled, refraining herself from asking whether or not they were going to be reading it in private or not. When they did, Elladora would be sat by his side, head on his shoulder and his arm looping around her waist to hold the book but at the same time making it a comfortable position to be in.

It was blissful every time they did so, Elladora had rarely ever been that close to someone in that way and it wasn't at all weird, it was comfortable and easy when he was reading and she wanted to follow along instead of her just having to prop herself on her knees and read over his shoulder. But it wasn't a lot that they did that since they often read together in the presence of the others at break when she just has to look over his shoulder whilst he murmurs softly.

"What are you two talking about?" James butted in, making her look up to him as he and Peter stared at them.

"I have to go and visit Dumbledore in a minute so I was just telling him about that."  Elladora gave him a look, one that let him know it was about Remus and the full moon the following week. "I also need to go and find my moon cycle that I left somewhere in the library."

"Ohhhhh." James dragged out, nodding his head and Elladora shook her head amusedly as she scooped up the final bits of porridge onto her spoon and shoved it into her mouth. "You going now?"

Elladora hummed in confirmation, her spoon clattering down into her bowl as she dropped it and got out from her place at the table. She hadn't brought a bag with her since it was Sunday and once again, she was practically dying from the sun that was filtering in from the large windows whilst everyone else was wearing summer clothes or dresses. James and Remus waved to her as she left for Dumbledore's office in her usual long-sleeved shirt and a pair of Remus' sweatpants that she had stolen from him ages ago but had to roll the legs up of.

The familiar route to Dumbledore's office that she had walked many times came easy to her and she was in front of the stone statue in no time, saying the password and watching as it twisted around and moved out of the way to reveal the stone staircase that lead up to her destination. She made quick work of getting to the top, knocking softly a couple of times until a greeting alerted her and let her push open the office door to reveal Dumbledore stood in front of a stone basin that Elladora recognised to be a Pensieve.

"Hello, Miss Hargreaves." He greeted quietly, almost as if shocked or deeply disturbed by something he had just seen; Elladora stared at the Pensieve suspiciously. "I expect you're here for Mr. Lupin's potion, yes?"

"Yes." Elladora nodded, speaking in a matched tone to her headmasters in order not to disturb the atmosphere of the office. "The full moon is next week."

"Yes." Dumbledore nodded and turned away from the Pensieve, striding across the room to his desk and standing there for a moment before picking a piece of paper up and shutting it away in a drawer. He was emotive, sad...Elladora stood awkwardly. "I won't be a moment."

As he disappeared into a different room in his office, Elladora waited around awkwardly for his return, her eyes scanning over his large office and looking at all the silver instruments he had that consisted of lunascopes and odd fan things sat on different wooden tables. The Pensieve had a mist swirling inside of it and an empty bottle lay on the floor beside the basin; Elladora walked forward to pick it up and place it on his desk but paused at the sight of the label attached to the small bottle neck.

SH DEATH - don't look, it will only cause you anguish

It seemed like a note that Dumbledore had written for himself as a warning and Elladora looked back at the Pensieve, this must've been the memory he had been looking at...the one that was still in the stone basin and the one that had caused him to act quite distant. SH, there was only one person she knew with the initials SH and he was someone very close to her who was coincidentally also dead. But why would Sebastian's death cause Dumbledore anguish? Sebastian hadn't ever talked to her about any type of close relationship they might've had.