Once out of the eye line of any Ravenclaws, James was happy to let Ellie and Sirius be as they pleased. He kept a hold of the beautiful girl's hand for a little while longer though, keeping her by his side as they made their way to Transfiguration (by-passing their dorms to collect their books for the day). She gave him an odd look when he didn't explain himself, squeezing his hand once as if to ask if he were alright, and on this, he finally looked at her.
It was a strange emotion in his eyes, one Ellie didn't really understand. Annoyance? Maybe mild panic? It wasn't exactly clear to her.
The messy haired boy wouldn't know how to explain himself if he wanted to. He didn't believe that Ellie wasn't capable of standing up for herself, for he knew she'd ruin anyone that gave her a reason too. And it wasn't for any element of control over the beautiful girl either. Instead, he was just worried that she'd end up caught in the middle of something she didn't mean to end up between.
Having grown up with Ellie, he knew how utterly oblivious she could be. For saying she was so caring, noticing when any of her friends needed comfort or support, she could be so unaware of what was happening to her. James knew it probably stemmed from her confidence, the fact she was so sure of herself, that other's opinions didn't matter. But this wasn't always a good thing. She never noticed if someone was muttering about her; she never noticed when she was being cast looks, whether they were good or bad; she never noticed anything that didn't happen outside of her little bubble.
It wasn't that she was unobservant necessarily, because on the odd occasion, she did notice something. And she wasn't stupid enough to keep herself ignorant to the presence of others either. However, the beautiful girl had a tendency to miss things that could potentially be an issue. Something to do with her love for risk-taking behaviour, she'd just learned to block out the warning signs.
It was in situations like this, where she could often fall behind socially, as a result of her living entirely in her own world.
There would be no showing her that Jessica and her friends had probably taken a disliking to her already and James didn't want Ellie being dragged in-between Sirius and the Ravenclaw. For both of his best friends' sake. That meant he'd have to act as Ellie's barrier against the ugly glares that she missed, and he was sure Remus would be on board too.
"Do you think it'll be bad?" James asked the lanky boy, both of them watching Ellie and Sirius charge down the hallway, laughing wildly and engaged in the second intense race of the year.
"Not if we don't let it be." Remus replied with a sigh, both the boys sharing a pointed look.
"Jessica isn't going to like Cubby, is she?" None of the boys wanted to expect the worse, for they didn't know Jessica and so couldn't speak on behalf of her character. However, neither of them could deny Peter's statement either.
"We can't stop them being like that." Eyes fixed on Ellie and Sirius as the beautiful girl caught up with him in their race, barrelling into his back and nearly sending them both toppling over, James pushed his glasses up his nose in a nervous tic. The pair erupted into fits of laughter, clinging onto each other in a bid to stay upright.
Smiles like the ones they wore in moments like that, were something nobody had the right to take away from them.
"They've got to learn how to let other people in on what they've got. We understand it, because we've watched it grow. But they'll come a time when they can't carry on like that." Remus spoke in his ever-thoughtful manner, "What happens when one of them wants to get married in the future? I'm not talking about Jessica Arnell either. I'm talking, serious relationship that calls for them to put other people first. Friendships have to evolve as people get older."
It almost pained Remus to say it, but he knew it was truth. Right now, it wasn't fair on Jessica, if Sirius wasn't going to put the right amount of effort in. And then when they got older, when everything got more mature, Ellie and Sirius couldn't still go chasing each other like lunatics when they had separate families of their own. He never wanted to see the day their spirits died, nor a time when they weren't as close as they were now, that's not what he was saying. Remus just wanted them to try and figure out how they would move forward, if they were both so adamant about not being together as anything more than friends. Because that's what it looks like. Like you two are in love.
"They're good like that." Peter said with a frown, not fully comprehending what Remus meant. He'd always believed that nothing would ever have to change between the group, because they worked so well as they did now.
It was a scary thought, what the future would hold, that was.
"Too good." Remus replied solemnly.
"We could try, but they wouldn't change..." James rubbed eyes in slight frustration, knocking his glasses wonky, "We're just going to have to do some damage control."
Whether it was their place to intervene or not, James and Remus would.
It wasn't a case of splitting the pair up, or telling them they couldn't be friends, for that wouldn't do anyone good. In fact, that would probably only make the Jessica problem even more difficult to handle, because they knew Ellie and Sirius would only rebel against them and end up going behind everyone's backs.
That would look even worse.
Instead, they were just going to have to make sure Sirius was happy in his relationship with Jessica and Ellie was well out of the way whenever the Ravenclaw was around. It perhaps wasn't the healthiest way to help relationships stay stable, but the boys believed Sirius would need space to figure out his and Jessica's dynamic without Ellie as a distraction. Because that's what the beautiful girl was - a distraction. One who didn't even know she was doing it.
Peter stood firmly by his point of leaving them be and wouldn't be involved in trying to change things. He'd never seen two people like Ellie and Sirius, and he knew they could only be a good thing. How can two people who look so happy together ever be bad? Not that he'd voice his opinion on the subject, but Peter believed that his two friends might only cause more conflict by intervening and he really didn't want that. Having to deal with whatever Jessica Arnell was going to cause, would be enough. A conflict within the group wasn't needed on top of that.
All Gryffindor and Hufflepuff fourth years filed into Professor McGonagall's classroom ready for their first lesson of Transfiguration that school year. It was fair to say the Gryffindors were greatly outnumbered, the mere six of them, swarmed in the crowd of yellow and black. But the Hufflepuffs were good classmates, their hardworking nature making them easy to get along with. Even if the Marauders weren't exactly on the same page as that. It was just the fact there was so many of them, it was rather daunting. To Peter especially - him not liking lots of pairs of eyes on him when he was doing schoolwork. All of them so bubbly and chatty, they were the complete opposite to the group of friends who only really liked to socialise within their circle. Sirius in particular found it rather annoying when they tried to speak to him, which made his open acceptation of Jessica an even stranger event.
"Evans!" James shouted at the red head as she rushed by him, towards her seat, her eyes kept on the floor to try and avoid him seeing her. But of course, the messy haired boy would never miss Lily Evans, and her flaming hair made her stick out immediately in a crowd.
"What do you want, Potter? I've already had to speak to you once today." She replied with a sigh, clutching the strap of her satchel a little tighter.
"I didn't get to say earlier, you look beautiful today." There was a cocky edge in James' voice, but he still looked a little embarrassed, ruffling up his hair some. Ellie and Sirius smirked at each other beside him, stifling their laughter, "Did you get a haircut over summer?" James actually reached out to her, like he was going to try and touch her hair and Lily just took a quick step back, making him drop his hand with an awkward cough.
"I might have had it trimmed." Lily replied vaguely, her cheeks flaming slightly as she turned on her heal and rushed a way. As soon as she were gone, Ellie and Sirius erupted into fits of laughter, James scowling at the pair.
"You can't just snatch at her Jamie." Ellie said through giggles, but the messy haired boy sat back in his chair and crossed his arms in annoyance.
"I think he was going to grab and try to keep her." Sirius replied, leaning around Ellie and shoving James' shoulder playfully. He just grunted in response.
"I was trying to be nice." He mumbled.
"I think it'll probably take more than compliments to win Lils round." Ellie told him with a pat on his shoulder.
Three small first years squished themselves at the back of the classroom, all on one table. The desks were only designed for two, but that wouldn't stop them, for their budding friendship was far more important. It was just the three of them at the moment, a little while before Remus and Peter were introduced into the group properly, and so no man could be left behind.
This meant that Ellie had been crammed in between the two black haired boys, forced to sit over the gap in the chairs and being given no room to move.
James was wriggling eagerly in his spot, not helping the matter of them all being squished together. But both the boys keeping an arm looped around Ellie's just in case she happened to slip to the floor.
They were convinced they'd get away with it. That Professor McGonagall would take no notice and begin her lesson. It was their very first after all. However, of course, that didn't happen and the Professor's beady eye noticed them straight away.
"Only two per table." Her authoritative tone would've been non-negotiable in any normal circumstance, but this was the always dramatic James Potter and overly confident Ellie Gryffin who were involved.
"We couldn't possibly sit apart." The beautiful girl's voice stopped her in her tracks whilst she made her way to the front of the classroom, and every student seemed to do one big in-take of breath.
It was already known that you didn't speak back to Professor McGonagall.
"Could you please enlighten me as to why not?" Her reply was generally filled with curiosity, having never had three students try to sit together before. And she'd really seen it all in her time teaching.
"Jamie gets ridiculous separation anxiety, I'm sort of co-dependant these days, and Sirius is just lonely." Ellie finished her explanation by patting the handsome boy on the head and he jutted out his bottom lip for dramatic effect. Even in first year, the beautiful girl found it easy to lie, but McGonagall wasn't convinced.
"YOU CAN'T SPLIT US UP!" James made everyone jump as he shouted, half of it a genuine plea to let them sit together and the other half him playing his role. Professor McGonagall's brow set in a hard line, not best pleased by not only the interruption of her beginning the class, but also the messy haired boy's yelling. However, she seemed somewhat intrigued by the trio and narrowed her eyes in deep thought.
Of course, she'd watched Sirius Black be sorted into her house, the boy destined to be Slytherin, now amongst the lions. Of course, she knew of the next Gryffin to join the school, her memories of Cyrus fond ones. And of course, she wasn't oblivious to the rumours flooding the school already about the pair's friendship. It had come as a surprise to her, as much as it had come as a surprise to everyone, for she too, couldn't understand how such expected polar opposites would get along.
Yet, here they were, sat together in her lesson for the first time and begging not to be separated.
The other boy could only be James Potter, knowing about his excellent display of flying skills in the Gryffindor's first lesson yesterday. Madam Hootch had said she told the messy haired boy to talk to her about being Gryffindor's new Seeker, but James had told her no. He'd only ever play Chaser.
The confidence of all of them was astounding, usually first years were so timid and quiet their first term. It made it difficult to actually want to split them up, for they seemed so adamant about staying put. She didn't have all lesson to argue with them and she also had no desire to have the three in detention either. Something told her they would be far too much of a handful. So, with that thought, she did something she'd never done before.
"If there's any foolish behaviour, of any kind, I will move all three of you." Swishing her wand once, another chair appeared and Professor McGonagall didn't wait around to see their reaction, a nagging feeling in the back of her head telling her she'd probably just caused herself bother by letting the three have their way.
The trio couldn't believe their luck and James threw his hands up in celebration, whilst Ellie wrapped Sirius in a big bear hug.
The handsome boy still wasn't accustomed to all the affection that came with his two new friends and so just patted her arms awkwardly. Ellie already knew him well enough to know that was his way of hugging back.
For now, at least.
From that moment Ellie, Sirius and James had sat together every Transfiguration class, all squished together on one desk. Remus and Peter sat together in front of them and usually the group all ended up chatting most of the time. Much to Professor McGonagall's dismay.
She was a stern teacher, with a glare that could strike fear into anyone. But for some very unknown reason, she liked the Marauders a lot. It shocked her, for usually she was good at putting teaching first, but there was just something about them. Perhaps it was the fact she knew Ellie's parents and knew they were good people; perhaps it was the fact James was an exceptional Quidditch player; perhaps it was the fact Remus was a very good student, all things considered; perhaps it was shy Peter Pettigrew and his constant look of worry.
Or maybe it was Sirius Black and the way he flinched the first time she ever addressed him by his last name. Or maybe it was because he should've been in Slytherin, but ended up in her house instead.
There were lots of potential reasons for her taking to the group, all of which, she'd never be let known. If they knew, for just one second, she cared about them all more than she let on, they'd abuse the knowledge and run amuck. They already caused her enough grief as it was and she didn't need to give them the power of knowing that she never punished them as harshly for what they did, for she didn't want to see them in detention all the time. Instead, she projected a demeanour that was no different than the one she used with everyone else.
The Marauders were a nightmare and caused more trouble than she'd ever seen at Hogwarts, but it would be a sad day when they all graduated.
"Books out and wands on your desks!" Professor McGonagall came striding in as she always did, briskly making her way to her desk at the front of the classroom as everyone did as they were told, "Before we begin, I will remind you that any messing around in my class this year..." She sent a pointed look at the mischievous five in the back corner of the classroom, "Will still have you removed, regardless of the fact you've been here for three years already. With that though, you've all made it this far, so I believe it would be a shame to see any of you leave us."
And with her words, they began the lesson.
There was never any time wasting in Professor McGonagall's lessons. She made them take detailed notes as she spoke and then practice their practical skills nearer the end of the lesson.
James' favourite subject was Transfiguration, so it was the lesson he tried the hardest in, and he was good at it too - the best out of the group of friends, picking up the spells with minimal effort. It was fair to say this annoyed Lily Evans from across the classroom on a number of occasions.
Remus and Peter spoke quietly as they reminded each other of the things McGonagall said, both of them taking scribbly notes, for neither of them could ever quite remember properly.
Sirius took a few notes, but not many, always taking an approach that very much was based on an 'I'll wing it' philosophy. To everyone's surprise it often worked too and he was quite apt at wordless magic, if he wanted to be bothered to put in effort. Instead, he'd usually be distracting Ellie from being able to listen, but it wasn't ever really an issue, for she'd never be paying attention anyway.
Rather than taking notes, she'd be doodling in her sketchbook, which cleverly looked like she was thoroughly invested in the lesson. When it came to practicing practical skills, she actually got involved, but otherwise struggled to concentrate during the lecturing. She also found it far more enjoyable to sketch Remus' side profile as he kept turning to talk to Peter, or Sirius' look of boredom. Sometimes it was even a picture of Lily, if the red head could be seen easily and she'd done some intricate braid with her hair. Sirius spent half his time watching her and his other half giving her pointers, which Ellie never took on board. He picked up on this quickly, finding it funny to make more and more ridiculous comments as the lessons progressed through each year.
"James doesn't have glasses, are you blind?"
"I've got a buzz cut now, you know?"
"Pete's got a huge top hat on."
"Moony grew an extra head overnight."
They were just a few examples.
By the time the practical part of the lesson came round, James had made extensive notes and already had the pronunciation of the spell down, wriggling in his chair he was so excited to have a try.
McGonagall delivered a small hedgehog to everyone from a number of cages that were sat on her desk and Peter squeaked when his started moving. It's spines unnerved him and Remus spent the first five minutes they were supposed to be practicing, trying to contain his laughter. The smallest Marauder nearly jump out of his seat every time it made even the tiniest of movements, and it was absolutely hilarious.
Of course, James had managed the spell in just three attempts, his hedgehog transforming into a perfect pincushion. Once he'd stopped laughing, Remus wasn't far behind in mastering the spell, but Ellie and Sirius were having trouble. The beautiful girl may now have a detailed sketch of Sirius sticking out his tongue with his eyes rolled, but she had no idea what was needed for the spell. And the handsome boy had no more luck, for every time he tried, the hedgehog just curled up into a ball and did nothing else.
"I think it could count as animal cruelty..."
Their lack of success led to Ellie and Sirius having a heated discussion instead. James listened on, happy with his performance of the spell and deciding he didn't need to practice any more, Remus also turned around in his seat to be involved. Peter was still trying his hardest, all whilst being as far from his desk as possible, resulting in him now standing against the wall as he pointed his wand at the hedgehog.
"They don't feel anything though." Sirius shrugged, "We turn them back to hedgehogs once we've done."
"You don't know they don't feel anything. I think you'd be a little shaken if I turned around and transfigured you into an inanimate object." Ellie had a love for all creatures, magical and non, and she'd always had reservations about practicing spells on them. It seemed somewhat unethical, but she hoped that if it was, they'd take it off the learning specification.
"They don't think the same way as us though. They don't have the same emotional range." Sirius was trying to reason with her, but the beautiful girl clutched her hedgehog to her chest, carefully as to not get prickled.
He thought that fact she was sticking her finger in its face constantly, probably constituted as animal cruelty too, but he didn't dare tell her that.
"I'll remember that when you're an Animagus." She hissed the last part, making sure no one around them would hear, "When you're chewing your own tail and chasing imaginary sticks, we can just blame it on your stupidness." Ellie nodded once, pleased with herself when Sirius gasped in outrage.
"Dogs are very clever, I'll have you know!" The handsome boy cried, loud enough to make an impact, but not so booming that he drew the attention of others.
Their plans surrounding Animagi, the Patronus charm and werewolves too, was all strictly top secret.
"They also often eat their own shit."
Ellie didn't miss a beat and Sirius just blinked at her a few times. James and Remus erupted into hysterics, whilst Ellie just shot Sirius a sickeningly fake smile. The handsome boy retaliated quickly by shoving her shoulders violently, nearly sending her hedgehog flying in the air. Ellie went crashing backwards into James, the messy haired boy catching her as he continued to laugh.
"Don't forget them sniffing each other's arses too." Remus earned himself an angry glare, but Ellie rolled her head back in humour as he took her side. The handsome boy wasn't finding the situation funny at all and he couldn't even say anything equally as offensive back, for what could he say against a lioness?
"You both take that back!" If he were a petulant child, Sirius would've stomped his foot. But instead, he crossed his arms and kept a disgruntled look on his face. He much preferred being the one making fun of people, not the other way around.
"You're the one that said animals aren't as good as humans." Ellie defended, satisfied she'd wound him up enough, and placing her hedgehog back on their desk so it could scuttle around a little. Sirius would've corrected her over the fact that that wasn't exactly what he'd said, but he didn't have the patience to argue with her. She always wins anyway.
By the time Potions rolled around, all five of the Marauders were exhausted from their first day back. Not being used to the long days again, spending most of their time over summer doing as they pleased, it was a big shock to the system being back. When they had study periods helped, for even though they were supposed to be working, they just used them to relax instead.
Sirius was whisked away in their study period after lunch by Jessica, the Ravenclaw telling him that she had something to show him. They were gone for most of the hour and when he returned, he said, despite making it a few feet out onto the grounds, all she wanted to do was snog. He seemed completely happy with that fact, but now was still slightly dazed as they sat in Professor Slughorn's lesson. His eyes were off somewhere distant and his cheeks still slightly flushed.
James asked extensive questions about it and Ellie and Remus figured the messy haired boy was taking notes for whenever Lily let him within two metres of her.
They also attempted to drown out the two black haired boys' conversation, when Peter started making faces as if he were about to thrown up. It was no surprise though, Sirius was using wild hand gestures and going into immense detail. Ellie wondered what happened to the 'don't kiss and tell' rule.
They were straight into Wit-Sharpening Potions, with next to no introduction from Professor Slughorn. He didn't really take much notice of the Gryffindors, for they had this lesson with the Slytherins, which he was Head of House of. Lily Evans was the only exception, for she had a natural flare for the subject and excelled at a great pace. She was one of Slughorn's favourites and the man was rather a shallow one, so her enjoyment of the subject also made her more likeable. In fact, the Professor had an elite club he liked to invite students into, where they had fancy dinners and he threw small parties for them - Slug Club.
Sirius had been sort after to join, for all the Blacks had an affinity with potion making and he was no exception. Regulus was even a part of it, but the eldest Black had no desire to sit around in fancy clothes and discuss meaningless topics with a group of people he wasn't so fond of. He was forced to do that too much when he was at home. Slughorn was very put out when he declined the offer and now didn't take as much notice of Sirius as a result. It was probably a kick to his ego.
Sirius wasn't the only reason Professor Slughorn didn't take much notice of the Marauders, for in reality, he'd actually quite like to say Ellie Gryffin and James Potter were a part of his special group too. But despite Fleamont's famous creation of 'Sleekeazy's Hair Potion and Scalp Treatment' and Euphemia's background in healing, James wasn't the best at potions, nor wanted to join the Slug Club either.
When the Professor had learnt about the next Gryffin starting Hogwarts he'd been filled with excitement over the prospects of saying he knew another. But then Ellie turned up to his class and exploded her cauldron on the first day, and she didn't improve at all. It was her worst subject and she hated it for that reason. She spent most of her time in the lessons putting out accidental fires and carefully disposing of failed attempts of potions that suddenly became deadly poisonous. She was a disaster and no matter how hard he tried, Slughorn couldn't look passed that.
Ellie had never received an invite to Slug Club.
The Marauders always crammed themselves onto one workbench and whilst that meant they were often bumping elbows and mixing up who's ingredients were who's, they could also be there to help each other when assistance was needed. James had to be as close to Lily as possible, often boasting loudly about his precise slicing skills as to grab her attention, and Peter was usually right next to him, so the messy haired boy could help him keep his cutting neat. Remus was next round the table, with his wand out on the desk, ready to shoot a spell at Ellie's cauldron next to him. The beautiful girl spent most of her time drawing in her sketchbook once again, chucking her ingredients into her potion without much thought, (probably why she was so bad at the subject). And Sirius was between her and James, making everything look second nature and usually finishing first.
"It's just ridiculously specific." Ellie complained, watching Sirius' hair fall in his face as he leaned over the top of his cauldron. Remus was trying to get her to at least have a go, as he always did, but she was being as stubborn as ever, "Why does it matter which direction I stir it in? It gets mixed up either way."
"All you've got to do is follow the instructions. You're literally told everything that needs to be done, Cubs. It's not hard." Sirius cut in with his signature smirk.
"Not hard for you!" She retorted with a huff, "Anyway, why would I try? It's not like I'll ever be as good as Lily or... Snivellus."
Severus Snape: a Slytherin and one of Lily's oldest friends.
Sworn enemy of the Marauders.
None of them could really tell you how the rivalry came about, but it definitely was something to do with the red head stuck in between them. James didn't like Snape because Lily preferred him, and Snape didn't like James because he liked Lily. It was all rather a mess and Lily hated it all. If you thought about it logically, all the boys were doing, was vying for Lily's attention. But neither of them would admit that and blamed it on other petty issues instead.
The rest of the Marauders disliking Snape then came from solidarity, and as a bigger group, they usually could gang up on the Slytherin easily. Remus and Peter often had no active role in the jarring, but they'd still stand by their friends' side, for sometimes it wasn't always about Lily.
There was an incident in second year, and still to this day no one knew how it happened, where Ellie had ended up passed-out in a first floor corridor. Luckily, Professor McGonagall found her and was able to get her to the Hospital Wing quickly, but even Madam Pomfrey couldn't understand what had happened. The beautiful girl had no injuries and looked perfectly well, apart from the fact she'd been splayed out in the corridor like a rag doll.
It took Ellie only minutes to come round, but when she had, the only thing she could remember was having talked to Snape.
Apparently, they'd gotten into a scrap in Potions earlier in the day, over Ellie despising the subject and then he'd confronted her about it later in the corridor. Apart from that, nothing was known. Snape was questioned and Ellie was questioned again, but with no solid evidence that the Slytherin caused her any harm, Dumbledore couldn't expel him. And really Ellie didn't want him to, because she also didn't know what had happened and therefore couldn't blame him for it. For all anyone knew, it could've just been low blood sugar, or something similar.
When James found out, he was fuming. No one had ever seen him so angry and he swore Snape must've hexed his best friend. He became obsessed over that being the truth and it only fuelled the growing hatred between the two. Any opportunity James got, he'd send cruel words at the Slytherin, steering Ellie as far away as possible from him. He was convinced it was some form of jealousy. Maybe to do with her family name. Yet, no one could really be sure.
The whole incident had blown over by the end of the year. James no longer screamed at Snape every time he saw him, and Ellie worried not about what had happened.
There hadn't ever been an incident like it since, but she just viewed it as a wobble and moved on. It did no one any good to dwell in things like that and it all still remained a mystery. If you asked any of the Marauders about it, they'd tell you Snape must've done something awful and then wiped the memory of the beautiful girl. But that was complicated magic and didn't seem plausible for a twelve-year-old to be performing.
Unless he'd been doing extensive amounts of extra learning, that was.
Even Lily had her doubts over it all, for it seemed an odd coincidence that Ellie and Snape had been arguing, and then she just mysteriously appeared passed out in the hallway after a conversation with him.
It was never brought up now, Ellie sticking with her beliefs over it being nothing. Innocent, until proven guilty. But that didn't mean she hated Snape any less. And the Slytherin also didn't thank Ellie ever for being part of the reason he wasn't expelled. Instead, he just seemed to hate her even more.
Hexes were thrown back and forth, pranks were pulled, and nasty words spat at each other. Most of the time it was playground drama. Just insignificant scraps that amounted to nothing, with the only consequence of keeping the hatred alive. There had never been anything that called for serious intervention by teachers, and it seemed it would probably stay that way, for it was just normal behaviour for them to dislike each other now.
"It's not about being as good as them. It's about learning a transferable skill." Remus told Ellie firmly. She thought he sounded very much like an adult.
"Of course! Transferable skill. How could I forget, Professor Lupin." Sarcasm oozed from her words as she teased him in response, not being convinced that attempting the potion would be beneficial in any way. Remus rolled his eyes at how immovable she could be. He was surprised she'd made it this far at Hogwarts without being kicked out of most of her classes.
"Fine forget, learning new skills. You'll still have to do an O.W.L in it, and you don't want to be held back do you?" Ellie didn't answer, knowing he wouldn't like her reply.
She did want good grades, but there was no way she was ever going to learn to love Potions. To her, it was an unnecessarily complex subject and her lack of talent in it, didn't make it any easier to enjoy. Why would I slave away for hours over a hot cauldron, when I could go and buy this somewhere else?
"Do all my essays for me and I'll always bottle you up a phial of my potion to be handed in and marked. Sluggy will never know." Having listened to his friends' conversation carefully, Sirius knew Remus would only continue to go round and round in circles with the beautiful girl all lesson. She's too stubborn, Moony. He decided he had to intervene, and what better way, than coming up with an idea that would benefit him too?
"Really?!" Sirius nodded, "All of your essays? Just for this subject?" Ellie eyes lit up as soon as Sirius suggested it and he couldn't help but smile wide at her.
"For the rest of time."
"Deal."
Ellie didn't even take a breath before she answered, looking as if she were going to leap forward and hug him. Which of course, she then did, making him stumble at the impact. She squeezed him tight and then pulled away to see his face, a goofy grin plastered on his features that mirrored hers perfectly. His hair was blocking most of his face, having been sent wild by the heat of the classroom, but she could still see his stormy grey eyes in there somewhere.
"You're not helping her learn to be motivated Sirius." Exasperated, Remus sighed, but the pair both just wore blank expressions when they looked at him. They'd already made their deal, "Fine! Do whatever you like. It's not like I'll be able to sway your stupid little best friend pact. Stubborn sods."
Grumbling, the lanky boy went back to focussing on his potion, leaving both Ellie and Sirius very pleased with themselves. She no longer had to slave over a cauldron (apart from faking it here and there) and he no longer had to put effort into another lot of essays. It was a win-win situation, and no one would convince them otherwise.
"Fifteen minutes left everyone!" Professor Slughorn announced to the class as all the students started to compare the colour of their potions. Remus' looked next to finished, slightly off the right shade of purple, but very nearly there. James' wasn't far off either, but he'd rushed in a bid to beat Snape on the next table over with Lily, and so his looked more a dark blue than a purple. Peter's was still yellow, indicating he'd still got a few steps to go. And Sirius' looked perfect, as always.
"Armadillo Bile, another reason to not want to take part. I mean, how do they even get this stuff?" Ellie muttered to herself, leaning casually on the table and watching Sirius make sure he was done. Her cauldron was filled with a thick dark green substance after she'd just chucked in the rest of her ingredients and called it a day, "It's looking very good, Mr." She commented as Sirius filled one phial full of the bright purple liquid. She wasn't entirely sure how he was seeing clearly enough through all his hair on his face though. He looks worse than James in a morning.
"For you." With a big grin he held the phial out to her, but when she reached for it, he snatched his hand back a little, "And my essay?"
"Will be completed whenever mine is." Ellie replied simply and he let her have the potion, pushing his hair up out of his eyes, "You should get your hair cut if it's in the way." She added, speaking her thoughts out loud.
"Do you not like it?" He replied with a dramatic pout and Ellie had to chuckle.
He'd been growing his hair out ever since the beginning of last year, deciding it was a great way to rebel against his parents, who had strict opinions on appearance. It was an important part of his identity really - having been the first thing he did that properly defied his parents and no one would be able to convince him that it should be any shorter than to his jaw line. Walburga Black despised it, for she thought he looked dishevelled and unruly and that's exactly what Sirius was going for. Most of the time though, his hair was rather perfect. Soft waves on top of his head that framed his features nicely and softened the sharp edges on his aristocratic ancestry.
Now though, he looked like he'd been dragged through a hedge backwards.
"You know I like it." Ellie rolled her eyes when he shook his head around, making a show of himself, "I'm just saying, that it's all in your face and quite frankly, it's not as attractive." He was about to comment on the words that had just fell out of her mouth so casually, when she continued to speak instead, "What would Jessica think?"
Ellie was teasing, but Sirius didn't smile, staring at her with an expression behind his eyes she couldn't place.
Attractive. Attractive. Attractive?
The word lingered in his head a little while longer than the rest of them, as if his brain needed to test it out.
"At least tie it up or something..."
The atmosphere shifted uncomfortably around them, so Ellie tried to bring them back to normality, but Sirius just kept staring at her. Squirming slightly under his intense gaze, she moved away. Pretending to look at Remus' potion, her eyes kept darting back to him, but he didn't move for what felt like lifetimes. And then when he finally did, she watched a completely different emotion wash over his features suddenly as he went back to filling a phial for himself.
Ellie didn't acknowledge it, but she'd just watched him put on that mask of fake emotions he was so accustomed to wearing.
It was always a mad dash out of Potions, because it was in the Dungeons where the Slytherin common room was, and none of the Gryffindors ever liked to encounter the snakes. The Marauders were usually first out of the classroom, followed closely by Lily Evans, with Severus Snape on her heals of course. All six Gryffindors would scurry away as fast as possible, the boys going on ahead and Ellie hanging back with Lily (after she'd said good bye to Snape).
The girls would chat about pointless nothings, the brunette often complaining profusely about lesson whilst the red head told her how amazing it could be if she just tried a little harder. Lily would never be able to convince her friend, just like Remus couldn't, and so she'd always change the subject quickly before Ellie spiralled into a pit of despair over the subject that they had such differing opinions on. This always worked, for Ellie was easy to distract. And today, her mind was significantly vacant on their walk out of the Dungeons.
When she didn't loop her arm around hers as she always did, Lily knew instantly something was up and waited patiently for Ellie to say something about it. She didn't however, only staring in front of them at the four boys pushing and shoving each other. The red head thought maybe it was something to do with James, as the messy haired boy kept turning round to glance at them, but then she remembered he was probably just looking at her.
Lily stopped taking notice of him then, her cheeks flaming slightly.
"Is something the matter?" She eventually asked, when Ellie nearly went tripping up on an uneven section of the stone floor in her absent-minded state.
"I don't know." The brunette responded, her face contorting into a look of great confusion, "Sirius just went... weird, is all." Once she'd said it out loud, Ellie realised just how dramatic she was being and shrugged it off, "It's probably nothing." She mumbled as an afterthought, Ellie finally looping her arm round Lily's as her pace picked up a little.
"When is Sirius Black not weird? I'd go as far to say he's a lunatic." Happy to see her friend's mood lighten, the red head bumped Ellie's side slightly as they walked, a small smile on her lips.
"He's not a lunatic, he's..." As she spoke, Ellie's eyes caught a flash of black hair coming at them, but it wasn't James and it wasn't Sirius either. The boy's hair was far too curly for that, "REGULUS!" In instant recognition, she called out loudly, the youngest Black having not been paying attention and watching the ground as he walked.
"Regulus Black? No that's his brother Ellie, we're talking about Sirius..." Lily hadn't noticed who Ellie was shouting at, but she didn't get to be enlightened on the subject, for the brunette had already took off down the corridor.
Sirius had seen his brother, along with the rest of the boys, and when Ellie had called out, it made all of them look in her direction. With that, Regulus lifted his gaze from the floor and noticed his brother and his band of mischief makers, nearly adjacent with him. He felt he'd been rather rude, having not noticed Sirius, who had stopped dead in the corridor when he'd seen Regulus coming.
But the youngest Black had other things on his mind. Specifically, the other students in his house and having to spend so much time with them.
"REGULUS!" Ellie had gone colliding with his chest before he'd even had sufficient enough time to speak, the beautiful girl wrapping her arms around him tightly.
Regulus wasn't as conditioned to to her affectionate ways as his brother now was and still struggled whenever she got like this, but he also couldn't deny that her hugs were very comforting. His face went bright pink, something none of the boys missed, and Ellie pulled away to look at him properly, placing her hands on his cheeks. This didn't help stop the heat rising up the back of his neck.
"Where the hell have you been? I've not seen you at all yet." She said in an accusing tone.
"Just doing stuff." He replied vaguely, desperately wanting her to remove her hands from his face, his eyes darting to her friends behind her.
"That's no excuse. I've wanted to talk to you." Ellie sent him a playfully smile, not noticing Regulus' stiff posture and finally dropped her hands to her side. The curly haired boy internally sighed with relief.
"About what?" He was generally curious, for he didn't think they had anything pressing to tell each other. Nevertheless, he wouldn't give up an opportunity to talk with the beautiful girl.
"Come with me." Not directly answering his question, Ellie looped her arm around Regulus', "I want to hear all about your summer." Once again, his cheeks flamed.
"I told you about our summer." Watching the conversation with an unreadable expression, Sirius cut in rudely, stepping forward as if her were about to pry Ellie away from his brother. He didn't, but Regulus noticed his reaction and tensed, a sickening feeling an argument was about to ensue.
"Well then Reggie can tell me again, but from his point of view. I don't doubt he's more observant than you and probably will fill me in on the details you missed." Ellie was trying to tease, but her words didn't seem to relax either of the brothers.
Sirius had purposefully left out details of his summer, to keep her from worrying, but he didn't know whether Regulus would think to tell her or not. He couldn't let that happen and so he couldn't let her speak to Regulus alone. Not without making sure his brother was on the same page. Yet, as stubborn as she was, Ellie wouldn't let his opinions sway her decision and she tightened her grip around Regulus' arm. Once again, she was unaware that maybe Sirius' panic may have come from more than one place, rather than him just not liking her relationship with his brother.
And so, she dragged Regulus away, faster than Sirius had time to react, leaving all the boys behind without a word.
The youngest Black couldn't hide the smile tugging at the corners of his lips briefly, for she'd picked him over his brother, something that didn't happen often.
They wandered out onto the grounds, lapsed in a comfortable silence and walking closely side by side. Regulus watched her eyes picking a spot for them to sit down of the grass, their feet moving in synchronisation without any thought, and eventually they made it to near the edge of the Black Lake. Nothing had to be exchanged for them to know they'd reached their destination, both sitting down on the grass crisscross and facing each other. Ellie nearly laughed at the serious expression he wore, the same way his features always rested, because she didn't really know what he had to be so pained over all the time. Not when he was at Hogwarts at least.
Regulus though, did have a lot to be pained about. Secretly, that was. For the Blacks may not be very good at acknowledging emotions, but Regulus was sure about one thing...
He was desperately in love with Ellie Gryffin and he had been ever since he was eleven.
But of course, she was completely oblivious.
She was the first real friend he'd ever had and only ever showed him kindness and compassion, something he didn't believe you were supposed to display so openly before he met her. Confident, passionate and so, so, beautiful - Regulus was thoroughly bewitched. She might be a year older, but he just couldn't help himself.
There was definitely no questioning, in his eyes, why she'd been named after a Goddess.
The youngest Black hadn't known what had happened to him when he started to get this strange fluttery feeling in his stomach around her, or just when he thought of her face general, and initially he thought he was probably getting ill. But then she became all he could think about. All-consuming and completely unconditional, there was nothing he could do. He fell head over heels, and he hated himself for it.
Every time he looked at Sirius, he felt guilty. Every time he went home to his parents, he felt guilty. Every time one of his family members asked him if he'd taken a fancy in any nice Slytherin purebloods, he felt guilty.
He knew it was wrong to be in love with her, for she was the Youngest Descendant of Godric Gryffindor, and his family had nothing to do with anyone who was a Muggle sympathiser. But this was something he had no control over and a huge part of him didn't want to suppress it either.
The way she smiled and always looked at him as if he were the only one around, made him feel like the luckiest person alive in her presence. It was very difficult to keep all his emotions contained, his lips constantly threatening to spill everything he'd ever thought. She just had a way of making him feel so seen. It was a different type of attention than when his family were doting over him and his achievements. Ellie made him feel as if she were seeing the real him - the him that wasn't draped in emerald green.
She engulfed him in her raging seas and swirling chaos, unsettling his carefully crafted composure. The only one that could separate him from the Black's beliefs and stature. His walls crumbled down for her, much like how Sirius' did, his sparkling onyx eyes telling her everything she needed to know. And for once, he didn't care. He wanted her to know everything, he wanted her to see his soul the way she saw his brother's. He wanted her to know how he felt.
He just didn't know how to tell her.
"Sirius said you guys spent lots of time together this summer?" And that was another issue - she was always talking about Sirius.
Regulus was well aware he got the measlier portion of her time, and his brother was always the cause of that. Ellie would say she stood firmly in-between the two, because there was no way she could pick a favourite when they were so different, but the youngest Black knew otherwise. If it came down to it, she'd always pick Sirius. And it was absolutely maddening.
Sirius didn't make it any easier either, for he was always trying to put a spanner in the works, and with Regulus being younger and in a different house, he was often the one that got left out.
He couldn't compete with the way Sirius knew exactly how to get (and keep) Ellie's attention. The handsome boy did it in ways Regulus could only imagine of. The pair were just far too similar for anyone else to even get close to what they had. Regulus couldn't see inside Ellie's head the way his brother could; Regulus couldn't understand her emotions the same way Sirius did in an instant; Regulus just couldn't captivate her being in the same way. He knew they frequently debunked the rumours of them being together, and the way both their faces scrunched up in disgust when anyone mentioned it to them, said loud and clear they weren't interested in each other. But still Regulus felt like the beautiful girl was so far from reach. Like she was constantly playing a game of 'catch me if you can' with everyone, and no one, not even James Potter, could keep up with her.
No one, except perhaps Sirius Black.
"Not lots, but a fair amount. Mother and father visited some friends for a couple of weeks, and they left us in the house alone. Well with Kreacher too, of course. It was very strange, but kind of relaxing." Regulus spoke as he watched her flick through the pages of her sketchbook. She was looking for a blank one, her pencil stuck in-between her teeth, and the curly haired boy couldn't pull his eyes away, "Sirius isn't a git all of the time, I guess."
"Are you sure about that?" She teased in response, flicking her gaze up to him momentarily as she took the pencil out of her mouth.
"Not entirely." Regulus fired back, not missing a beat, and Ellie chuckled - melodic sound that rang in his ears.
And oh, the way she spoke as if everything was an inside joke. As if she held all the secrets of the world and were challenging you to figure them out. It was entirely overwhelming.
"You know I don't like it when you two fight. You're brothers." The beautiful girl's voice became very solemn all of a sudden, eyes fixed on the page of her sketchbook as she started to draw the outline of Regulus' face. He was used to her doing this whenever they talked, but she had a way of making him squirm under her gaze like no one else could. Mother would kill me if she knew.
"It's not as simple as just being brothers." Regulus replied bluntly. And it wasn't.
The Black brothers had a very complicated relationship for a number of reasons, not just the fact Regulus was favoured by their parents. Their polar opposite personalities just didn't mesh well together very often, and both of them found it difficult to be in the presence of the other when they were around their family. Regulus thought Sirius became disrespectful and uncivilised, and Sirius thought Regulus became stuck-up and snobby. There was an air of truth in both of those judgements, for the youngest would always stand by his parents' side and the eldest never could.
However, when given the opportunity and things were calm, the brothers found a way to meet in a happy medium. All controversial topics would be avoided and both of them would tone down their personalities slightly, and then things seemed to click.
But there would always be tension, and even with the same blood running through their veins, the brothers would never truly feel like family.
"I understand that." Ellie replied, "I'm just saying, it upsets me when you argue. Don't you think the stories of going to get ice-cream together are much more pleasant?"
"I guess so." Regulus mumbled in reply, having not took his eyes off of her yet. He found it difficult to discuss such serious matters when she was sat so close and looking so perfect, "What about your summer?" He had the same talent of redirecting the conversation away from himself that his brother had.
Despite what Sirius might worry about, Regulus had enough brains to not bring up what happened after his parents visited their friends. Talking about his mother's screeches and Sirius' wails of pain didn't seem like something to discuss in polite company.
"Just the usual really. Mayhem and chaos... Summer really is my favourite season." She stretched her neck back to look up to the sky, it was still a bright blue with the sun casting rays everywhere. Basking in its warmth, Ellie always felt like the sun recharged her, putting golden sparkles back into her veins.
And Regulus about stopped breathing.
What he would give to see her during the summer holidays, when the long days were at their peak and the temperature soared. James Potter didn't know how lucky he was to have the beautiful girl's presence as the sunlight danced on her skin. There were the remnants of it now, tanned and glowing, a light dusting of freckles on her nose that you had to look closely at to see. Regulus had no doubt she must be ten times more gorgeous when home for the summer holidays, he'd just never get to see it.
"I bet..." He mumbled, mouth going slightly dry.
At his quiet words, Ellie's gaze drifted back to him, those big sea green eyes boring holes into his soul. She was silently asking what had caused the change in his mood and Regulus found himself flushing pink again.
"You and Sirius are both so pale and the dark hair just washes you out even more... It's not a bad thing, but I'd like to see what you'd look like after soaking in the sun for a while." The beautiful girl spoke out loud, making the heat up the back of Regulus' neck rise further. If it hadn't been for her mentioning his brother too, the curly haired boy may have collapsed. He had no idea that she payed so much attention to his appearance. But then, he figured, she was drawing him.
As much as Regulus adored Ellie's company, he struggled to be in it for very long. That guilt eventually seeped in as all his emotions swirled. He dreaded to think what would happen if his parents found out of his feelings, or what Sirius might do for that matter. She was just so intoxicating; it was difficult for him not to lose himself in her everything.
But he knew he couldn't, for he'd been told - no taught, that feelings were just a form of weakness. And in his case, they were. If Ellie asked him to jump of a cliff for her, he would without question, and that power she held over him made his stomach churn.
He was hopelessly in love with her, but he knew he definitely shouldn't be.