A few days later and Elle sat in the Gryffindor common room when Luke burst through the entrance.
"Elle! There you are!" He huffed out at the girl, trying to catch his breath.
"You found me!" She playfully sighed as he sat on the couch beside her.
"Did you hear?" He asked her as she looked at him confusingly.
"Hear about what?" she asked him as he gave her a bewildered look.
"Sirius Black was spotted in a nearby town!" He told her as her eyes went wide.
"Really? That's freaky, I wonder if my Mum and Dad know..." She thought out loud.
"They were all friends, weren't they? When they were in Hogwarts?" Luke asked the blonde as she nodded.
"Uncle Remus, Mum, Dad, Sirius, Harry's Mum and Dad and some guy named Peter. I grew up with them for the first few years of my life before James and Lily died, Nathan and I called them all Uncle and Auntie, my Uncle Remus used to go by Uncle Moony but as we got older, I guess we just stopped using it. It was really sad when Uncle Sir- Sirius ended up to be a murderer, my parents were so upset and distraught." Elle explained with a small sigh.
"That's so cool though! You knew the notorious Sirius black!" Luke chimed out as Elle rolled her eyes.
"He and Remus are my godparents, it sucks Sirius is a murderer." Elle said.
"Well it's Friday night, what shall we do?" Luke sighed, changing the subject, leaning back into the couch.
"I guess we should go eat? Dinner should be served soon." She suggested as he nodded. The two made their way down to the great hall and took a seat on the benches across from each other. As they sat down, Jackson came walking fast towards them.
"Hey, Jack!" Elle cheerily greeted him.
"Hey- Dumbledores looking for you Ellie, and your brother. He said it was a very important message from home." he told her as she looked worriedly at Luke.
"Is everything okay?" She asked, quickly standing up.
"I'm not sure, I would just get your brother and go." Jackson told her with a light shrug as Elle started walking towards the Ravenclaw table.
"Nathan!" She quickly called, grabbing his attention as he saw his distressed little sister.
"Ellie? What's wrong?" Her brother asked.
"Dumbledore is asking for us, a message from home." She quickly explained as the blonde siblings made their way to Dumbledore's office.
"What could they need to tell us? It's only been a few days." Nathan wondered as the two made their way down the hall. They soon arrived to see the door already open as Professor McGonagall ushered them up the stairs.
"Professor? What's going on?" Elle quickly asked Dumbledore.
"Do not fret, no one is sick or injured but your parents had an urgent message and thought it would be better to address it in person. You have been given permission to stay at your home tonight, returning tomorrow." Dumbledore told the siblings.
"What? Why? I have quidditch practice tomorrow evening!" Nathan quickly argued.
"And you shall be back after lunch tomorrow, do not fret Nathanial, you need to be with your family tonight." Dumbledore instructed before using his hand to signal to the fireplace.
Nathan and Ellie quickly walked to the fireplace, taking some powder before both ending up at the Mackin Manor.
"Mum? Dad?" Ellie quickly called, walking farther into her large home.
"There's my favorite girl!" She heard a voice call as she turned, looking down the hall.
"Chrissy!" She called before taking off down the hall, jumping into his outreached arms.
"Hi Munchkin, how have you been?" Elle's cousin, Christopher, also known as Chris or Chrissy asked.
"I've been good, why are you here? Where are Mum and Dad?" She asked him.
"In here darling, come Nathan!" Mary called the kids before they all went to sit in the living room.
Elle, Nathan, and Chris sat on the couch across from Mary and Ben.
"What's going on?" Nathan asked.
"Well, Christopher will be living with us from now on." Ben told his children.
"Why? I mean I'm excited but why?" Elle asked.
"Christopher's father gave him an ultimatum, either he follows him in support of the Dark Lord or he leaves the home, he chose the latter." Mary explained as Elle gave Chris a comforting look.
"So that's it huh? Uncle June the loon wants nothing to do with you?" Nathan asked Chris as he nodded, laughing slightly.
"Jonathan is hardly your Uncle." Benjamin said, scolding Nathan's thoughts.
"Well, we are glad to have you here Christopher." Mary said, giving him a smile.
"Good, now I have someone to practice quidditch with." Nathan said with a small smirk on his face.
"Hey! I play with you!" Elle said, swatting his chest as her brother and cousin both laughed.
Christopher Mackin was Elle and Nathan's 22-year-old cousin. He and Nathan could pass as twins, with Christopher looking more grown-up, being able to fully grow a beard. He was training to be a dragon trainer, and after one more year, he would be able to go overseas, helping with people like his best friend Charlie Weasley.
"Elle, show Christopher to the quest room beside the balcony would you?" Ben asked as Elle nodded, standing up as Christopher followed. The cousins made their way up to the said guest room as she opened the door.
"So this is your room, closet there, bathroom there." Elle told her cousin as he nodded.
"Hopefully that means I get to see my favorite cousins more now." Chris joked.
"We're your only cousins." She teased him.
"Still my favorite's, how's Hogwarts?" He asked her.
"Same old same old, Jackson might try out for his house's quidditch team." She told Chris as he nodded.
"That would be good for him, let out some aggression." Chris said with a small laugh.
"I agree, how are you, about your Dad and everything?" She asked, taking a seat next to him.
"He made his bed, he gets to lie in it. I would never follow that noseless bastard, if he wants to, that's on him." Chris said with a scowl on his face.
"Well, you made the right decision, were all proud of you. I'll let you get settled in, I'll be downstairs." She told her cousin before walking back down the stairs where the rest of her family sat.
"Ellie, please sit." Mary said as Ellie took the seat beside her Father.
"Now we need to discuss Remus." She once again spoke to her children.
"We understand he is teaching at your school and he brought up the order to you?" Ben asked his children with a serious look on his face.
"He didn't bring anything up to us, we overheard you two arguing about it at Grampy's funeral." Nathan told his parents.
"Well you guys are old enough now, I suppose it's time to tell you. The Order is an organization formed to fight against the Dark Lord. Your Uncle Remus was a part of it, as well as Sirius, James, Lily, a few others, and your Father and me. Your Uncle Remus and I fought because well, Grampy died for the order and I was worried about your Uncle's safety as he plays a huge part in it. He told me to mind my own and that he would be fine and I got upset. He's the only family I have left, besides you guys of course." Their Mum spoke to them as their Father rubbed her back in comfort.
"Mum, don't you think you and Uncle Remus should talk things through? We are all he has left." Ellie spoke softly to her Mum as she nodded.
"I suppose I will go Owl him now then." Mary spoke, before standing up and walking towards her parents' shared office.
"Dad, are you guys still a part of the order?" Nathan asked him.
"Technically, yes. There is just no need for us to form due to Voldemort not being alive anymore." Ben explained.
"What if he were to ever rise again?" Elle asked.
"Then the order would once again form, but kids, do not worry about that happening please." Their Father sighed.
"What do you know about Sirius?" Nathan once again asked their Father.
"He was a very good friend to us, especially to your Uncle and James. He sold them out to Voldemort and killed our other friend Peter. He's a mad man." Ben told them.
"Did we ever meet him?" Ellie asked their Father and Nathan both nodded.
"Ellie, you were very young, maybe two? Nathan was three but the two of you loved him, called him Uncle Siry. He loved you guys as well, a lot." Ben informed his kids as they both sat there, slowly nodding and taking in the information.
"Do you believe he did it?" Elle asked her Father as Nathan gave her a look of disbelief.
"Of Course he did it, Elle! Don't be a dumb ass!" Nathan yelled at his sister.
"Shut up Nathan! I just asked a question!" Elle defended herself.
"Nathan language. Elle, all evidence points towards Sirius being guilty. Now both of you, off to bed. I'll get Mum to bring you guys up some food." Ben instructed as both blondes sighed, but made their way to their bedrooms.
//
The next morning, Elle woke up to Chris knocking on her door.
"Are you awake? Can I come in?" He asked through the door as she yelled back, 'Come in!'
Chris walked through and stood at the end of the bed.
"What do you want? It's so early!" She groaned.
"Actually sleepyhead, it's already noon, you leave to go back to Hogwarts soon." Chris informed her as she once again groaned.
"What? You don't want to go back?" He asked her, leaning against the bedpost.
"I do, I'm just pissed off with Nathan." She told her cousin as he nodded.
"Well I'm sure you guys will make up soon, now get ready to go, Mummy's orders." he teased his younger cousin before leaving her alone in her room. Elle sighed before standing up and quickly slipping some clothes on before entering her bathroom and brushing her hair and teeth before heading down towards the kitchen. She was shocked to see her Uncle standing there.
"Uncle Remus? What are you doing here?" She asked him.
"You're Mother wrote to me last night and I figured I shook come speak to her in person. I also thought I could accompany you two back to Hogwarts." Remus spoke to her as she nodded.
"Are you two on talking terms again?" She asked him as he nodded, offering a small smile in return.
"Well, I'm glad you are." She said, giving her Uncle a hug before walking farther into the kitchen to grab an apple to eat.
"Ready to go?" Remus asked his niece and nephew as they both nodded.
"Bye Mum! Bye Dad!" Ellie said to her parents, bringing them both in for hugs.
"Bye Ellie, be good!" Her Mum said, giving her a light kiss on the cheek as she turned to her cousin.
"Bye Chrissy, be good!" Ellie teased her cousin as he playfully rolled his eyes, but picked her up in a big bear hug before setting her back down, saying goodbye to Nathan.
They then went through the fireplace and ended up in Remus' office.
"I have to go, quidditch stuff!" Nathan said to his Uncle before running off.
"What's going on between you two?" Remus asked the girl as she sighed.
"We yelled at each other last night, and now he's being childish." She told him as he nodded.
"What did you guys argue about, if I may ask?" Remus asked, sitting at his desk as she sat in the chair opposing it.
"Sirius Black..." She trailed off as he gave her a curious look.
"Go on..." He prompted her.
"All I did was ask Dad if he was sure Sirius did all the crimes he was accused of doing." She told him.
"And what did your father say? Nathan?" Remus asked once again.
"Father said all the evidence pointed towards Sirius being guilty and Nathan yelled at me, saying it was stupid of me to ask." She sighed at her Uncle.
"It's not stupid Ellie, you've always wanted to see the good in people and just asked a simple question. " Remus comforted his Niece as she nodded, with a small smile on her face.
"Thank you for talking with me, Uncle Moony." She smiled, using her Uncle's old nickname as he had a big smile about this.
"Anytime Ellie." He smiled at his Niece as she swiftly left his office, bounding down the corridor.
She walked into the Gryffindor common room to see George sat on one of the chairs.
"Oi Ellie! Where have you been? Luke has been a worried mess." He told her as she playfully rolled her eyes, sitting in front of him.
"I'm sure he could survive one day without me, but I was at home." She told him.
"Everything alright?" He asked with a concerned look on his face.
"Oh yeah, everything was fine. My cousin is coming to live with us and they wanted to tell us in person." She told him as he nodded.
"And do you and your cousin get along?" He asked the blonde as she nodded her head.
"Oh yeah, Christopher and I are really close. He's a few years older though, 22. He's friends with your brother, training to go off and train dragons with him." She said as he nodded.
"Oh, Chris! I've met him, he's one of Charlie's best friends. I just never put together the connection that he was your cousin." George told her as she giggled.
"Hm, it's almost like we have the same last name or something." She teased him as he playfully rolled his eyes.
"Yeah, yeah. Where's your Slytherin boyfriend?" George teased her back as she rolled her eyes at him.
"Jackson is definitely not my boyfriend."
"Well with all the time you spend with him, rumors fly." Elle heard a voice behind her say as she turned her head around to see Fred coming down the stairs.
"Well, Georgie, my queue to go. I'll see you later." Elle said, standing up to return to her room.
"What? Still hating me Mackin?" Fred teased her as she rolled her eyes in return.
"I just think you are a player. Cheating is vile!" Elle told the redhead as he playfully rolled his eyes.
"Just say the word Ellie, and I'd change that all for you." He flirted at the girl, giving her a wink as she felt her face go slightly pink.
"Oh shove off Fred!" She called behind her as she made her way up the stairs to her dorm as both twins laughed at the flustered girl.