[ 1 ] EXPLODE ( r. black ! )

one || news to me

                As she drunk the potion, her eyes wandered to Sirius who was rooting through the many 'Get Well Soon' cards laid on the desk next to her. "How long was I unconscious? And why are my cards already open – do I sleep open-cards or something?"

                "No, you sleep-don't-tell-me-not-to-open-cards." Sirius stated. "So I opened them."

                "Thanks, Sirius."

                "And it's only been like three hours since the match." Peter added quickly.

                Remus nodded. "Though, being in Hogwarts for seven years, you can't wonder why people already have these sorts of cards ready and waiting, can you?"

                If the cards had been addressed to somebody else, Eleanor wouldn't have missed a beat before adding to the Hogwarts is actually super dangerous train. But they were her cards and that meant the possibility of something. She also knew the possibility was what had gotten Sirius so curious that he'd felt compelled to open those cards – he'd had the same one many times but it had never happened for him.

                "Is there one from... them?" Eleanor asked him hesitantly.

                Solemnly, Sirius admitted, "Not yet."

                When Eleanor got Sorted into Slytherin she'd happened to bond with, of all people, Sirius Black over their similar situation. Sirius had been Sorted into Gryffindor and he was therefore disowned by his very Slytherin family – Eleanor was going through the same thing in her First Year, which was Sirius' second, apart from her family was very Gryffindor. Over the next few years they'd confided in each other and told stories about the horrors of their family until eventually Eleanor got shunned and Sirius got kicked out. After that the stories stopped, because there was nothing to tell, but the confiding still continued.

                However the reason she'd found herself lucky enough to have Sirius Black in her life was because of Remus Lupin, one out of three of Sirius' best friends. From birth, Eleanor had known Remus as they'd grown up together – Remus' father and Eleanor's father happened to be the best of friends, totally inseparable. So inseparable that even a werewolf attack on Remus (and almost Eleanor) was not enough to drive a wedge between them. It made both father's and, in turn, son and daughter closer than ever because nothing brings people together like fear.

                Then, after befriending two Marauders, Eleanor instantly became friends with James Potter and Peter Pettigrew as well. After all, with a friendship like the boys it was almost impossible to find one of them alone so you simply had to know all of them so not to cause awkwardness. It was because of that that Eleanor and James began their Quidditch obsession together and Eleanor helped Peter with his homework, despite being a year below.

                That was why the four Gryffindor boys – who notoriously dislike Slytherin's, especially one by the name of Severus Snape – was visiting one of the most known Slytherin's in Hogwarts on her hospital bed... because she was the only one who they liked. However, even recalling that was not enough to wipe away Eleanor's sadness.

                "Anyway, big news, El!" Sirius beamed, noticing Eleanor's look resembled his own every time he checked his cards after a prank went wrong and he ended up where she was. "We're planning a major prank for Jordan Rickson."

                "Odd person to prank, we know." James joked.

                Peter shrugged. "Totally unsuspected."

                "Even more confusing as to why we chose him, when you remember we're going to change his skin to be green for a while." Remus added.