Sirius,
Thank you for your offer to babysit, but I'm not sure I could condone you dropping out of school before you've even done your O.W.Ls. However, you're always welcome to visit, and I know it's a long way off yet, but what about summer? Perhaps you could come for dinner one night, maybe bring Ellie? I do miss seeing her now I've graduated.
Ted is well and sends his regards, as is Dora. I am convinced she grows a centimetre a day and last week when she got the hiccups, it sent her hair changing colour every time. I'm sure she'd love to meet you.
As regards to your last letter though, I suggest maybe you speak to Ellie about how you're feeling. I know you don't like to express your emotions, nor is it your strong suit, but I do believe it might help clear the air. The last thing you want is for something like this to come in the way of your friendship.
Friends are family to people like us.
Please do make amends with Regulus, for I'm sure he meant no harm. Dealing with emotions can be tricky at your age and remember he's that little bit younger than you are too. I'm sure he's very confused about how he feels for Ellie - Merlin knows what your mother would do if she finds out. The only way you'll understand his intentions is by asking him directly, I know what your rash assumptions can be like.
I also ask you to reflect on your own feelings, because by the tone of your letter, the idea of Ellie kissing anyone would upset you. Consider what this means on your behalf? Perhaps there's another reason why Regulus liking her doesn't sit right with you?
Keep writing to me, you know I like to know you're well. And tell Ellie that if she wishes too, I'm always here for her to send a letter to every now and then.
Stay safe.
Your favourite cousin,
Andromeda
Sirius didn't entirely take her words on, not endeavouring to reconcile with Regulus any time soon, though he was grateful for her advice all the same. He didn't know what she meant by 'reflect on your own feelings', for he was sure he knew what his emotions were doing. It felt like his cousin was insinuating something else, like she thought he might be jealous of his brother's feelings for Ellie, which of course, was ridiculous. There wasn't a lot he knew about relationships, even after being Jessica Arnell's 'boyfriend', but what he did know, was that the only thing between him and Ellie was friendship.
She was one of his favourite people in the whole world, but that didn't mean anything romantic. Cubby says she doesn't want a boyfriend.
It didn't matter how hard she tried, Regulus wouldn't speak to Ellie, or even walk down the same corridor as her. He'd actually turn on the spot and dart off in the opposite direction. All she wanted was him to make her understand how he felt, for them to talk about it and mend what was broken. Losing him as a friend wasn't an option, but he continuously made it difficult for her to believe they'd ever return to any form of normal.
She tried every day on the run up to the Christmas holidays. And every day he avoided her like the plague.
Perhaps things will be different after Christmas - she hoped.
But Regulus wasn't convinced they ever could be. What he'd done was a mistake, a momentary lapse of judgement, and if he'd been in his right mind, he'd never have kissed her. It was wrong, for more reasons than one, but being able to think straight round the beautiful girl was always difficult for him. In fact, it was a near impossible task. Regulus had no idea what would happen if his cousin got wind of what he'd done, for Narcissa would no doubt tell her mother, who'd inevitably then tell his, and then all hell would break loose. Quite literally. He'd seen what happened to Sirius for just stepping a toe out of line, so who knows what would happen, if Walburga Black found out he'd been harbouring secret feelings for a 'blood traitor'.
She'd never be able to look at him again, the whole family would cast him aside - just like Andromeda.
No matter how desperately he loved Ellie Gryffin, Regulus would never be able to leave his whole family behind for her. Risking everything wasn't worth it. He'd rather never love anyone else again, than suffer the same fate as his favourite cousin. He'd rather wallow in unhappiness for the rest of his life, than end up alone. Because that's what would happen. Even if he picked Ellie, she'd never pick him, and then he'd have absolutely no one.
So, staying surrounded by his family and sacrificing his selfishness, was what he had to do.
That meant burying his feelings, locking them away in a chest and forgetting all about the beautiful girl he loved so dearly. Amends would have to be made, for Sirius' wrath was one he couldn't stand against. But never would he be able to have Ellie Gryffin as anything more than his brother's best friend.
Waving Peter off on Platform Nine and Three-Quarters felt very odd with the rest of them spending Christmas together, and the smallest Marauder was reluctant to go, but his mother almost dragged him away.
Mrs Pettigrew, a small and plump woman, waved to the other Marauders, but made no effort to come over. Ellie, James and Sirius unnerved her with their complete magical upbringing, and she was convinced there was something almost extra-terrestrial about the trio because of it. Remus, she was happier that Peter was friends with, him having a Muggle mother too - though why the boy had so many scars, also unsettled her. Immersing Peter back in the Muggle world when he returned from school, was always her main priority, so having him spend his entire Christmas holiday surrounded by even more Witches and Wizards, was never going to happen.
All was well with the group of friends now that Sirius was speaking to Ellie again and the four stood patiently waiting for the Potters and Gryffins to arrive. They'd disappirate out of the station, something Remus was slightly nervous about, because he'd never done side-along appiration before. He was used to the long drive back to his house, after getting off of the Hogwarts Express, and just appirating to where they needed to be seemed like a much more efficient mode of transport, but he'd heard it took a little getting used to.
"Oh, my children!"
Euphemia Potter could be heard before she could be seen, and James and Ellie were victims of a surprise attack. Bundling the pair into a tight hug, the loving woman looked as if she might cry, Fleamont appearing close behind her chuckling. Before James or Ellie got a chance to greet her, she was already hugging Sirius tightly, placing her hands on his cheeks as if to check him over.
"Hi Mia." The handsome boy greeted her, a smile on his face that only the Potters could elicit.
"Remus! How are you, sweetheart?" The lanky boy wouldn't be missed out and his eyes went wide when he was pulled into Euphemia's arms too.
"Fine, thank you, Mrs Potter." He replied politely, "It's very kind of you to let me stay."
Whilst the group of friends were extremely close, during the holidays they didn't often spend masses of time together. Remus and Peter had only ever visited the Potter's for the odd day here and there, and neither of them had visited Ellie's home before. Part of it was because there was usually a runaway Sirius to contend with at an unpredictable time, and Remus and Peter didn't ever want to be an extra burden. It was perhaps strange, considering the group's usual inseparability, but everyone liked to see their relatives when they'd been away from home for so long too. This summer, everyone had visited Remus on the Welsh border for a week, and it was exciting for them all to be able to be together without the confines of the castle walls.
It gave them all a new perspective on how much time they should spend visiting each other in the holidays, for they were family after all.
However, it was because of this that Remus felt rather nervous to greet James and Ellie's parents. Because whilst he'd met them before, he'd never had to spend so much time in their company, and he wasn't even sure he'd ever spoken a word to Ellie's mum and dad the more he thought about it. James was always quick to whisk them away on the days he'd had spent at the Potter's, and so he wasn't sure he knew his friends' parents at all.
"It's no trouble. Never. And there's no need to be so formal either. Call me Euphemia, or just Mia. Either is fine." Her warm smile reminded him of melted chocolate, and he couldn't help but beam at her in return, "James' father, Fleamont, but I'm sure you already know. And Cyrus too." She pointed at each gentleman respectively, both of them giving Remus just as kind greetings.
Already, he could see just how alike James was to his parents - loving, accepting, bright eyed. It was comforting to know that at no point during the holidays we he ever be intruding. The Potters were far too inviting for that.
"Guess where your mother is?" Cyrus asked his daughter with a slight smile, after giving her a loving hug.
"Stress planning?" He pointed at her as if to say she were exactly right, before they both started chuckling.
At a glance, Cyrus appeared to be formal and business-like, dressed in a smart dress robes. There were lines around his eyes and on his forehead, that someone would probably think were from work stress and frowning. But that wasn't the case. As soon as Remus saw Ellie speak to her father, his face morphed into one that was creased from laughter lines instead. He assumed the stern projection of the man was as a result of his noble heritage, but as soon as he smiled, he radiated warmth immediately. There was only kindness in his eyes, though something gave Remus the impression that if you got on the wrong side of Cyrus Gryffin, or his family, you'd be in big trouble. He could now understand why Ellie carried the demand for respect that she did, for Cyrus too, felt like a privilege to be in the presence of.
Remus couldn't imagine what it was like when they were with Ellie's mother as well.
The beautiful girl was beyond excited to introduce Remus to everyone properly, even though they knew who he was of course, and she kept them stood on the platform an extra five minutes to explain just how amazing her friend was. James also added a few points and Sirius just stood smiling wide; all the adults were rather over-whelmed by the speedy introduction.
By the time they were ready to leave, they knew: his middle name, date of birth, favourite food, favourite subject, and even a story about one time when Remus corrected Professor Flitwick on the pronunciation of a spell. The lanky boy just stood blushing the entire time, desperate for Ellie to be quiet, for he was convinced them learning his entire biography was probably just an inconvenience. However, none of the adults minded, them being used to the beautiful girl and her chatty ways, and some of the information was useful - Euphemia made a mental note to stock up on chocolate bars as soon as possible.
Then James took his mother's arm, as Sirius took Fleamont's, and Ellie grabbed Remus' hand as she looped her arm around her father's. In an instant they were gone, disappirating out of the station and spinning into darkness.
Feet crashing back to the ground, legs wobbly and head spinning, Remus stumbled around as they all appeared in the Gryffin's entrance hall. It was as if his whole head had been shrunk and re-sized again, like his lungs had been torn from his body only to be replaced with new ones, and he gripped Ellie's hand tighter to keep himself steady. Suddenly his stomach went queasy, but he resisted the urge to hurl, deciding perhaps that wasn't a very good first impression. The whole group, watched the him carefully, waiting for him to collapse or maybe pass out - appiration was nasty until you were practiced at it. Feeling slightly foolish for not being able to shake the nauseous feeling as quickly as everyone else had, Remus tried to straighten his posture and take deep breaths, but no one rushed him and just let him recover before attempting any more conversation.
However, the lanky boy only righted himself, to be caught completely off guard once more. When his eyes refocussed, they nearly bulged out their sockets, as he took in his surroundings.
They were stood in a room that he could quite confidently say was bigger than his whole house and besides from Hogwarts, Remus wasn't sure he'd ever seen anything so grand. Everything was trimmed in gold - ornaments, light fittings, doorhandles and even picture frames - all of sparkling so brightly it was almost dazzling. There was a polished oak staircase beginning in the centre of the room and leading up to an endless maze of rooms above; high ceilings with an enormous glass chandelier; enough floor space to rival that of the Great Hall, he was sure; and paintings hung that looked decades old.
However, it wasn't daunting, but light and open - homely.
Either side led off into even more grand rooms, scarlet carpets leading the way through gold encrusted doorways. Remus knew his jaw must've been on the floor, but he couldn't help it. The space was magnificent, and this was just the entrance hall. Suddenly he wanted to venture around the whole house, his curiosity getting the better of him, as his eyes scanned and re-scanned what he was looking at.
Ellie was rich, richer than James and richer than Sirius, he knew that. But this was something else. This was a palace. Fit for royalty and regal enough to hold such a namesake. On seeing just how wealthy the Gryffins were, he was more surprised that someone like him had even been considered as a friend to Ellie. Never once had she boasted or bragged about her privilege. Never once had she acted as if her status put her above everyone else. In fact, it was easy for Remus to forget his friend was the Youngest Descendant of Godric Gryffindor, for she really didn't act the part. She wasn't snotty, like someone would expect, nor conceited in the slightest and he'd never heard her demand for anything. How she was so normal was beyond him, especially if she'd grown up in this golden wonderland.
Remus didn't know what he'd expected of the Gryffin's home, but whatever it was, he'd been blown away regardless.
"Woah..." Was the only word he could formulate, eyes blinking rapidly to focus on his new reality, "This house is brilliant!"
"Wait until you see the library. You'll shit yourself." Ellie squeezed his hand tightly, a huge grin plastered on her face in excitement. Her house wasn't a big deal to her, she'd never known any different, but watching Remus' eyes light up made it feel like a whole new space.
"Watch your language, Missy."
Being so caught up in his surroundings, Remus hadn't noticed anyone join them, none of them had, and for the third time that day, the he was taken aback. When he saw who'd just spoken, once more, he felt like his eyes nearly rolled out of his head.
Saying Ellie was her mother's doppelgänger, didn't do their resemblance justice enough. The same chocolate waves, the same perfect smile, the same silky voice. Remus was sure he must be seeing double, that perhaps something had happened to his head during the appiration. Even the way the pair greeted each other in a tight hug, was exactly the same, and Remus found himself blinking quickly again. Ellie was giggling loudly in being reunited with her mother, whilst Adelaide engulfed the whole entrance hall in elegance.
There was no other way to describe her - she was just simply graceful.
All three Gryffins together had proven to be an overwhelming force of regality, that was enough to make someone feel as if they should bow when they greeted them.
"And that's a lovely thing to say Remus, though we can't really take credit for it. It's been in Cyrus' family for years." Remus' cheeks flushed pink when Adelaide addressed him directly, realising he'd been staring at the elegant woman for some time - James and Sirius hid their snorts, "You're welcome to explore as you like, but after the party if that's okay? A house this huge takes a long time to clean."
Now he'd met all the adults that Ellie and James (and even Sirius sometimes) called parents, there was no questioning why his friends were the way they were. Everything about the two families oozed safety.
Fleamont stacked the boys' trunks by the door, so they'd be out of the way, until they could take them over to their house. Despite not meeting the children at the train, Adelaide had asked for them all to return to the Gryffin's, for she had last minute plans she wanted to discuss with Euphemia, and to greet their guest, of course. Though no more greetings were able to be had, for the whole group were interrupted by the loud crack of someone else appirating into the room.
Remus was the only one that jumped at the sudden noise and Ellie giggled at his reaction. Shoving her shoulder gently in retaliation, he shot her a playful glare, but she only stuck her tongue out at him rather childishly.
"Mrs Adelaide! Mrs Adelaide! Clementine has a letter from the Ascot's! They can't come to your party!"
A tiny house elf appeared before the woman she was shouting for, waving a piece of parchment in the air as if she were trying to waft out a fire. Big eyes full of panic, her voice was much higher than its usual tone and her startled appearance made the nature of her words seem five times more dramatic than they were. Remus wasn't aware Ellie had a house elf (he knew for sure James didn't) but he wasn't surprised that they did, in a house this huge.
Clementine was a sweet creature, dedicated and hard-working. She'd give her life for the Gryffins, for they were her family and she'd serve them for as long as she could. Though she wasn't actually obliged to. Clementine wasn't bound to the Gryffins as a servant, but a part of the family. She'd been free for decades, but was so kindly treated by the family that she hadn't wanted to leave, and no one ever made her. Instead, she worked with the family, rather than for them.
Every anniversary of Clementine's 'freeing', the family would buy her a new pair of boots as a present, but she refused to wear any other pair than the fluffy brown ones she were freed with. They were the most special to her after all.
A companion to Ellie whenever James wasn't around, the beautiful girl was very fond of the sweet elf, though she did wish that Clementine wouldn't get so worried about things easily. The loyalty she had to serving her family wasn't something the Gryffin's could coax out of her. They'd frequently reminded her that there was no need to rush in aiding them and her assistance alone was enough, but Clementine was still one of the hardest working house elves out there.
"I knew they'd cancel last minute! So unreliable that family. I just won't invite them next time." Adelaide shook her head in despair, "Now we're over catered and it's far too late to invite someone else..." Spiralling into stress planning mode once more, the elegant woman shifted her weight from foot to foot.
"Three extra servings won't be difficult to shift, Adelaide. We've got four children hear that I'm sure could stomach an extra slice of cake." Cyrus chuckled at his wife, rubbing her back gently.
"Even still, how inconsiderate." She mumbled, "And to think, I brought extra Champaign flutes too!" Ellie rolled her eyes at her mother's dramatic ways.
"Oh don't be silly! Come on, I want to see your plans for decorating." Grabbing Adelaide's arm and starting to pull her off towards the rooms on the left (which Remus assumed was where the living room was), Euphemia smiled brightly, "And don't think you're getting out of helping!"
She pointed at her husband, Fleamont looking very flustered all of a sudden. He knew he had no expertise in these types of areas and shot a panicked look at Cyrus for help, but he just looked as if he was going to crack up laughing. Inevitably, Fleamont got dragged away too and Adelaide's voice could be heard diving into discussion about colour schemes and flower arrangements.
Just as Ellie assumed, this 'little' party was nothing of the sort. She could see that already. In forty-eight hours, the house would be swarmed with people, either guests or hired to help decorate - magic could only do so much.
Whilst Ellie was happy that Remus had been able to come and stay for the Christmas holidays, she was disappointed that this was the world he got a glimpse of. She hated this side to her family name, and she hated all the fake smiles and meaningless conversation with people she didn't know or like. Instead, she wished that Remus had visited when they could all run a rampage through the woods all day and perhaps visit the village. That was what she wanted to show him of her and James' life. Now though, he'd been roped into the party mania like the rest of them and would have to endure the probably boring night too. He hadn't voiced any opinions opposing this, but to her, it felt like not doing their freedom from school justice enough.
Cyrus was left in the entrance hall with the children, all four of them looking eager to go off and do their own thing. But Ellie's father had something he needed to check first, something that he hadn't wanted to speak up about until it was just him and his daughter's friends, for he didn't know how they would react. It was an important bit of information he needed to ensure that everyone had a comfortable Christmas, for that's what he wanted and the thought that someone was suffering in silence was something he couldn't cope with.
"I say, you don't know when the last full moon was, do you?" He wasn't very subtle, he knew that, but Cyrus hadn't wanted to blurt out his knowledge in case not everyone was aware.
He knew Remus was a werewolf, he'd known since before the boy started Hogwarts that Dumbledore was considering ways to accommodate him, but whether the others were aware, was unknown. Instead, he decided to gage their reactions, before speaking to Remus directly.
"Six days ago." The speed and accuracy in which his daughter replied, gave him all the answers he needed, and a small smile pulled at his lips.
Of course, Ellie had never said anything to her family about Remus' lycanthropy, because it was supposed to be a secret from all, and so she was thoroughly baffled by his question. As far as she knew, her father wasn't an avid Astronomer, and so had no reasoning for his random question, unless he knew. But how that was possible, she had no idea.
Cyrus also didn't miss the way Remus completely tensed, turning a sickly shade of grey. He hadn't wanted to panic the boy, but knowing whether Remus would need anything during his stay with them and the Potters, was important, for the last thing he wanted was their guest feeling unwelcome.
"Why'd you ask?" James tried to sound casual, but he was far from it, all the children panicking just as equally.
"I just want to make sure we're all okay." Cyrus replied with a shrug, "We are all well, yes?" They all nodded, wide-eyed with worry, "Because if there's anything you need whilst you're here, none of you should be shy to ask. We don't ask questions in the Gryffin household." Once again, Cyrus knew he wasn't being discrete, but he didn't have to be now he knew they all were privy to Remus' condition.
"Does he know?" James moved to tug Ellie's arm and whisper in her ear, as Cyrus pretend to not be watching them. The beautiful girl just shrugged.
"Did you tell him?!" Remus demanded, with a strained voice and Ellie shook her head, eyes watching her father carefully.
"Well how'd he figure it out?"
"Is there something you four want to discuss or are you already planning trouble?" Acting as if he hadn't heard every word of the children's conversation, Cyrus turned back to them all, voice just as casual as he'd been using from the beginning.
Ellie glanced at Remus beside her, who was staring at her father as if he'd seen a ghost, complete fear written all over his face. She had no idea what her father was trying to achieve, if he was attempting to humiliate her friend or perhaps discriminate against him. That wasn't the type of man she believed him to be, but as far as she was aware, Cyrus had never actually met a werewolf before, so could have a number of false prejudices against them. If that was the case, she'd be furious. Her father or not, she'd have words, because Remus feeling unwanted and frightened, wasn't an option.
Ellie would return to Hogwarts with her friend if she had to.
"Do you know?" Narrowing her eyes, she demanded an answer from her father, no regard for whether she was being respectful or not. Her tone was dark, dangerous almost, but Cyrus's composure didn't falter. No stranger to his daughter's protective fury, Ellie didn't intimidate him and in fact, he was rather pleased to see her react in such a way. It displayed just how loyal of a friend she was.
"Know what?" There was a twinkle in Cyrus' eye, the same one Ellie got in hers when she knew she had the upper hand. His slight playfulness made it clear in an instant what was going on. Ellie diffused, her shoulder's slumping and face falling into an unamused expression.
"You know." She said firmly, answering her own question, "How do you know?"
Remus was almost shaking; James and Sirius having adopted defensive stances either side of their friend. His eyes were distant, and all the colour drained from his features - if Cyrus didn't explain quickly, it appeared he might faint.
"I'm Head of Department of Magical Education, and Chairman of Hogwarts' Governors, you don't think Dumbledore consults me with his decisions that impact the school?" They all just blinked as his casual formality returned, "They also don't plant potentially violent trees on the school grounds without some signing off on my part. Dumbledore is kind enough not to insult my intelligence with a silly story of wanting to 'liven up' the view from his office window. In the same way I'm sure all your teachers are aware of Remus' lycanthropy, I am too."
"Don't shout about it then! Moony doesn't like people knowing." James shushed immediately, but it seemed most of the tension has dissolved.
Remus still wasn't happy about yet another person being aware of his condition, but seeing as though Cyrus Gryffin had known about him for three years already and hadn't told anyone, there was some form of trust there.
"Well, if you're going to call him Moony, I'm sure nearly everyone knows already." None of the children acknowledged his jokey remark.
"If you knew all along, why didn't you tell me?" Ellie demanded. For all the times that she'd spoke of Remus, her father had never given any indication that he too, was in on Remus' secret.
"Because it's not my right to share Remus' personal information. Just like I wouldn't share that you used to cry when James got called for dinner by Mia..." There was silence as Cyrus lightened up even more, "Whoops! I guess I slipped." Ellie wasn't amused by her father's ways, though Cyrus seemed very pleased with himself.
Sirius started laughing wildly at the new information, and the beautiful girl smacked his arm in a mixture of annoyance and embarrassment.
All discussion of Remus being a werewolf had been lay to rest and he couldn't be more grateful. Regardless of people's reactions, he never liked to dwell on the matter too long, for then it became too much of a reminder as to what he had to go through every month. It spoke a thousand words, that Cyrus had let Ellie be friends with him (knowing about his condition) and then invited him into his home as well. Despite Cyrus not openly stating he accepted Remus as a werewolf, the lanky boy knew he did - the green eyes of the man, who's were so similar to Ellie's, said it all.
"You used to cry?" James was oddly touched in finding out his best friend used to miss him so much when they were younger.
"Hysterically." Cyrus didn't miss a beat and Ellie would've stomped her foot in frustration if she were petulant enough to behave in such a way.
"That's so sweet Cubs." Shoving the messy haired boy off her, as he went to wrap her in a tight hug, Ellie just scowled at her father. Cyrus was more than amused he'd embarrassed his daughter in front of her friends, but his chuckles were overpowered by the howls of laughter coming from Sirius.
"Now Remus, come and walk with me." Leaving Ellie and James to it, whilst Sirius doubled over in hysterics, Cyrus caught the attention of Remus and beckoned him over. Slightly unsure of himself, the lanky boy matched his steps with Cyrus' as the man led him off to the right, "My daughter tells me you're quite the bookworm and I was wondering if you'd ever read..."
They dived into an in-depth conversation about books the others had never even heard of, by both magic and Muggle authors. Remus had never met someone that had read as much as he had and with all the panic put behind him, he enjoyed Cyrus' company immediately. Spouting off opinions he'd never been able to discuss before, Remus found himself more confident than ever, waffling away about the lack of fiction written by Witches and Wizards. When Cyrus only had similar views to express, it made him even more enthusiastic on the topic, so much so, he wasn't paying much attention to anything else.
Remus had an unquenchable thirst for knowledge, but he wouldn't say he was nerdy like Lily Evans was (an opinion he wouldn't say to her face, or James' for that matter). Instead, he read as a form of escapism, for when he was off in another world in his head, it was easy to forget his sometimes torturous reality.
In books, he could be the courageous hero, when in real life, he sometimes felt like nothing but a coward. In books, he was the one all the other characters swooned over, when in real life he just felt like a mess. Remus didn't read because he wanted to be quiet and reserved, he read because being disconnected was sometimes better than sat wallowing in his own thoughts.
Being welcomed so unconditionally by both the Potters and the Gryffins, was a completely new experience and he tried to wrap his brain around it all as Ellie's father showed him the way to their library. Living a life believing that he'd always be cast aside by people, Remus wasn't entirely used to being so social. He thought it better to just isolate himself as much as possible and then people would never be able to reject him, because they didn't have him to reject in the first place. Now though, four more people had welcomed him with open arms, and it made his heart swell. That safe feeling he was given by the two families, was something he was sure would never melt away.
"Spend as much time in here as you'd like, Remus. Merlin knows Ellie doesn't give books a second glance. You can borrow any of them, whenever you'd like. I'm sure my collection will be satisfactory."
Remus had never seen as many books together outside of the Hogwarts library before and he nearly let out an excited giggle.
Beaming wide, his feet carried him further into to the huge library without any thought, eyes scanning every corner of the room. The ceiling was so high, he was sure it must be over two stories and the solid oak bookshelves went all the way to the top. There wasn't one empty gap in the collection and Remus couldn't even imagine how many books were all tucked away neatly. At the far end of the room, there was a huge grand piano, and a couple of sofas in front of an ornate fireplace in the centre; windows that nearly stretched from floor to ceiling, looked out onto the gardens, allowing sunlight to spill into the space. It was wonderful. More wonderful than any library Remus could think up in his mind, and he wasn't sure he'd ever be able to bring himself to leave. He'd be able to while away his life in this one room alone, lost in all the worlds of the different stories he could read.
"Of course you're in here." After collecting themselves in the wake of Ellie's embarrassment, the other three children went off to find where Cyrus had shown Remus too, the beautiful girl rolling her eyes.
"When I die, put my ashes in an earn in this room." Remus replied dramatically, still gazing around as if tearing his eyes away, would make it all disappear.
"I'll leave you to it." Cyrus said with a chuckle, exiting the room and shutting the doors behind him.
Ellie and James raced up the room to dive on the sofas, both spreading themselves out so there was no room for the other two. Remus didn't care, wandering over to the nearest bookshelf and running a finger across the spines of the novels, carefully inspecting the title of each one. But Sirius was more disgruntled, hanging over the back of Ellie's sofa to poke her face obnoxiously, until she made room for him.
Inevitably she didn't, batting his hand away violently and pulling his hair in retaliation. The handsome boy gasped loudly in horror, taking her assault as a declaration of war and Ellie saw the mischief spark behind his eyes.
Leaping over the back of the sofa in attack, Sirius attempted to grab at her hair, but she was too fast at rolling off of the sofa and getting to her feet. They were darting around the library in no time, screaming at each other, as Ellie tried to evade capture. James laughed wildly, his head titling back in amusement as he watched their intense game of chase.
At one point, Sirius got Ellie cornered, but she made a break by crawling through his legs and toppling him over in the process. Yelling profanities, the handsome boy scrambled to his feet as Ellie raced to the other end of the room. Nearly crashing into Remus, she leaped over the piano bench, but caught her foot at the last second, sending her flying onto one of the low window ledges. Sirius was at her side in an instant, wrapping his arms around her tightly as she tried to run off once more. Ellie's screams mixed with uncontrollable laughter as she clawed at Sirius' arms, but it was no use, he had her trapped.
"Is this the real Sword of Gryffindor?!"
Their play-fighting was interrupted by Remus gasping, the lanky boy stood gazing at a glass cabinet, stood proudly on top of one of the lower bookshelves.
It housed the most magnificent silver sword, with the founder of their house's name written down the centre. The hilt was encrusted with rubies that seemed to sparkle, despite no light reflecting on them, and Remus was left gobsmacked.
"No, it's just a replica. Still proper silver, but not goblin made." Ellie answered her friend's question whilst wiggling free from Sirius' grip so she could point at the large portrait hung above where the sword sat.
It was of Godric Gryffindor himself, the proud man swaying slightly as he smiled down at the children with a nod. He wasn't much of a talker, and they were lucky to catch him, because he had multiple portraits he split his time in - two of them being at Hogwarts. When Ellie was younger, Cyrus had him explain the history of their family to her on multiple occasions, but the girl's attention span didn't cater for lengthy speeches and so Godric never got very far.
"The real one can only be pulled out of the Sorting Hat."
"Yeah, but not by just anyone." James interrupted, "You have to be a 'true Gryffindor'."
"I know, but even I don't know what that constitutes as." Ellie said thoughtfully, "Besides, when is anyone ever going to need a sword anymore? Wands are perfectly handy."