They'd been back at school just over a week when the Marauders all started to get restless. Not just because the next full moon was around the corner, which meant the Animagus project was nearly ready for action, but because everything had turned rather mundane.
Rainy days, miserable attitudes and nothing remotely interesting occurring - the group had never been so bored.
After the excitement of the Christmas holidays, doing nothing but causing mischief and laughing wildly, the steady pace they were moving at seemed dull and almost lifeless. None of them could remember a time when they hadn't been so active, most of their days spent moping around doing nothing. When they decided they'd go exploring in the Forbidden Forest, it absolutely chucked it down so they were forced to stay indoors; when they came up with a potential prank idea, they were given three essays for homework that had to take priority; when someone suggested putting on a record to liven the mood, someone else would complain they just wanted silence.
Having lulled into a form of depression, they all found it very difficult to get motivated to do anything, for the mood of one of them seeped into everyone else too. It only took Peter despairing over a new spell he was struggling with, for them all to fall into a hopeless state. And it only took Remus complaining he was tired, for them all to feel under-slept. With not even Quidditch to look forward to, the group spent most of their free time lounging in front of the fire in the common room, annoying everyone else who wanted to sit there because it was never available.
And that's where they all were now - James sat on the floor with Peter, talking through the Transfiguration homework; Remus curled into a ball in one of the armchairs, nose stuck in a book; and Ellie and Sirius spread out across the sofa.
Listening to James explain and then re-explain concepts to Peter, Sirius drummed his fingers on one of Ellie's shins across his lap, staring absentmindedly into the flames of the fire. Without anything interesting to occupy his mind, he found himself contemplating nothing at all, head completely void of all thoughts. He, even more than the others, wanted to get back to their old ways, for he felt like the only one with nothing else to do. Remus had his books and Ellie had her sketching; James was planning things to do with the next full moon and Peter was keeping up with his studies. Whilst Sirius didn't particularly have a hobby, nor was he interested in doing schoolwork. He couldn't go off and socialise with anyone else for a change, because he didn't like anyone else, and he didn't want to do anything on his own either, as that required a lot of energy he didn't have.
All the quiet and the calm was sending him slowly insane, craving something even vaguely exciting so feed his soul again.
After twenty long minutes of watching the fire dance, Sirius finally came to the conclusion that if he didn't do anything soon, he might stay boring for the rest of his life - something that was totally out of the question. Though, James and Peter were still discussing Transfiguration intently, and Remus looked far too comfy to be convinced to move, so his only option was Ellie.
Not that that was an issue one bit.
He pushed her sketchbook away from where it rested on her stomach, allowing space for him to crawl lazily to lie in between her legs with his head on her chest. When Sirius shuffled to get himself comfortable, tucking his head under her chin, he sighed, making Ellie chuckle a little.
For all Sirius liked to pretend he was grumpy most of the time, he became very needy on certain occasions. You were playing a dangerous game, disturbing him when he was even vaguely tired, but if you caught him in the right moment, he'd get extremely cuddly. Ellie didn't mind at all, only setting her sketchbook on the back of the sofa so that she could wrap her arms around him tightly. For a moment, Sirius was sure she might actually make him drift to sleep the way that she was tracing patterns on his back, but before she could, he moved his head to be able to see her properly.
"Let's do something interesting." He whispered, their faces so close together that their chins were almost touching.
Those big sea green eyes of hers, were significantly duller than they had been just over a week ago. There was no spark of mischief, no ocean ready to rage - just flat green, and Sirius didn't like to see her like that.
"There's nothing to do." Ellie replied, not seeming as enthusiastic as she once would've been, "It's been pissing it down all day and it's going to get dark soon."
She brushed hair out of Sirius' face gently, fingers lingering on his cheek, and he resisted the urge to give in and stay like this for the rest of the afternoon.
"That's very boring." Jutting his bottom lip out dramatically, Sirius scowled, "Where's my impulsive Cubby gone?"
"I don't know, I guess"
She sighed, and that was enough to breathe some life back into the handsome boy who so desperately wanted to do something exciting. Sirius would now do anything he could to get Ellie laughing hysterically again, her lifelessness not sitting right with him. That wasn't the person he knew her as at all. Suddenly shuffling to sit up, he pulled her up too, loosening her tie from around her neck to wrap around her forehead instead. Shoving her hands at him in complaint, Ellie frowned, confused as to why he was fussing with her so much, but he only deterred her attacks.
"Go put your denim flares on."
Once her tie was firmly around her forehead, making her look considerably more unruly, Sirius pointed towards the girl's dormitories stairs, his tone undebatable. She huffed loudly, rolling her eyes, but doing as he said regardless, snatching her sketchbook to take to her room with her.
Five minutes later, she was dragging her feet back down into the common room, adorn in denim flares, but her expression no more enthusiastic. Sirius was stood waiting, his tie now around his forehead too, but he smiled wide when she reached him. He hadn't entirely decided what they were going to do yet, and she was right, it was raining heavily, and it was nearly dark out, but they were going to do something even if it turned out to be pointless.
She needed to smile again, and he needed some excitement.
"Since you lot are being so bloody boring, we're off." Sirius announced loudly, none of the others having noticed the pair moving around at all, "You're not invited, so don't bother getting up. This is an excursion for the ridiculous among us, and not even you Jamie, qualify."
And with that, Sirius dragged Ellie out of the portrait door.
It really was pouring. Complete and utter torrential rain, the sky angry and grey. Perhaps it was a reflection of the dull moods of the Marauders, or perhaps that was the cause of them. Either way, the clouds looked like they were going to rain until the whole world flooded.
Sirius led Ellie down the wooden bridge, across to the stone circle, but they stopped right before they stepped into the weather. Hagrid's hut looked like it was taking a significant beating from the rain, barely visible at the bottom of the grassy hill, but it wasn't necessarily intimidating. If it were a proper storm, Ellie would be first to go rushing outside, for there was something about thunder and lightning that was so exciting to her. Unpredictable and pure chaos, there wasn't much more that felt truly uncontrollable, and that, to her, felt like freedom.
Yet, this was just rain. Normal heavy rain with nothing exciting about it at all. In fact, it was rather mundane, just like the rest of the lives at the moment. Endless streams of water falling from the sky with no lull in intensity and no crack of lightening insight. Ellie would've said it was quite boring, if Sirius hadn't dragged her out into it already.
Without any warning, she was tugged into the centre of the stone circle, where Sirius stopped dead. Rain already seeping through their clothes onto their skin, and hair already mattered as water streamed down their faces. Ellie wasn't sure she'd ever been outside in rain like it, and Sirius was just standing there casually, staring at her like it was any other dry, sunny day. Blinking away the rain threatening to fall from her eyelashes, Ellie desperately tried to see Sirius eyes, but their stormy colour was engulfed by the weather. With the sky just as grey, she hadn't ever seen the handsome boy looking so in his element.
A random person would say he looked cold, but Ellie knew he was just shaking from anticipation; a random person would scoff at how stupid it was to stand in the torrential rain unnecessarily, but Ellie would reply with a mischievous grin; a random person would tell you that the hair sticking to his face was unattractive, but Ellie hadn't ever seen him so beautiful.
And, oh, how he was beautiful.
Standing in front of her looking so calm amongst all the angry weather, she couldn't help but stare. If there was one thing that Ellie had to say was the only thing she cared about, it would be having a soul that was free. And Sirius had that. It didn't matter he was burdened by his last name; it didn't matter his family tried to force him to conform - he had a wild spirit that no one could contain, and Ellie thought it was so spectacular.
Perfect, was the only thought she could form, everything right now is perfect.
"Do you feel anything yet?" Sirius asked, having to raise his voice over the almost deafening sound of rain hitting the ground around them.
"Alive."
Heart thumping, mind racing, and senses completely overwhelmed, this type of chaos was what she craved all the time - there was nothing as thrilling as feeling the adrenaline coursing through her veins.
"That's my Cubby."
For a second everything shifted. Sirius' words hung in the air between them, refusing to be washed away in the rain, and refusing to be drowned out by any other noise. They demanded to be heard, like a sacred oath or an unbreakable promise. Nothing existed but those words, filling them both up with thousands of subconscious feelings that were nothing like anything they'd ever felt before.
The ground swayed under Ellie's feet, threatening to give way any moment and leave her as a crumbled heap, collapsed under the weight of those words.
What Sirius had said wasn't particularly profound, nor poetic. They weren't eloquently spoken, nor carefully crafted, but they felt so real. So raw and vulnerable, and Ellie was sure for the first time ever, she was looking at him with all his walls down. No matter how good she was at getting him to speak, there would always be one last wall she couldn't break through, but now it was gone. Emotions pouring out of him like the weather was cleansing his soul, and they engulfed every part of her. She could feel everything.
He was letting her feel everything.
Never in his life did Sirius think he'd ever get to truly be himself, there was always some mask to put on, regardless of who he was with. There was always some part to play, even with the Marauders. He had to be the hot-headed one, or the impulsive one; he had to be the rebel, or the reckless one; he had to be the heartbreaker, or the emotionally immature one. As Sirius Black, there was no room for being vulnerable or soppy, for showing any sign of weakness usually got him into even more trouble.
But with Ellie, things were so different.
He'd admit that he wasn't always open with her, and he still kept secrets, but he didn't feel like he had to, and that was why she was so special. He still did put up walls, but she didn't make him feel like he should. That's why he clung onto her so tightly, because without her, all that was left were the hollow facades.
"Can you remember that thing you told me in the Astronomy tower the first night back? About the light and dark inside of us?" Sirius stepped closer to the beautiful girl as he brought his hand to the side of her face, "You told me I was full of light... but I think you're even brighter."
Ellie took a breath to let the moment in which everything had shifted consume her. Right now, everything was as it should be - new and deeper than they usually were, but as they should be all the same. Perfect in that adrenaline-induced, chaotically impulsive way that screamed new adventures. New adventures that had been waiting to be explored for a very long time. But Ellie knew, by the morning, by the time the rain stopped, they'd slip back into how they always had been. Nothing would change and they'd return to charging down the halls and nearly kicking each other out of bed each night.
And so, she let the moment consume her, for she wasn't sure there ever would be one like it again.
They were out in the rain for hours, until their skin was stinging they were so cold. Screaming, laughing, losing themselves to the winds and the rain that swept them up in their storm. Swirling constantly and only being whipped up more by the pair's hysterics. They danced in puddles, and they ran down the grassy slopes, clinging to each other so they didn't go sliding to the ground. Never had Hogwarts seen such excitement in two people who were just out in the rain. All of their boredom was washed away with the storm, leaving behind the spirits they'd lost with the miserable days that had passed. Now the weather wasn't an enemy anymore, they'd welcomed it in, accepted whatever it wanted to bring, and laughed anyway.
By the time they couldn't run anymore, they couldn't dance anymore, the only thing they returned to the castle with was hearts that couldn't be fuller.
With their newfound enthusiasm, Ellie and Sirius set out to bring their friends back to the land of the living. January was a rubbish month for everyone, but now that they were grinning again, everyone else had to be too. Sirius started with the boys, as Ellie endeavoured to breathe some life back into Lily and Marlene, for they too had lulled into a joyless haze. Marlene's N.E.W.T subjects were proving to be extremely difficult, and Lily barely left the confines of the library. Everyone was somewhat miserable, even if they couldn't see it, and so action needed to be taken.
"You're seriously telling me that you'd rather sit doing homework in the Library with Snivel-" Lily shot Ellie a foul look, "With Snape, than have a dance party with me and Marls?"
Wanting a break from studying, Marlene had been more easily convinced to do something fun, but Lily was adamant about keeping up her studies.
"Will Potter be there?"
"Hopefully."
"Then I'm not going." Lily's tone was final, but Ellie pouted dramatically, batting her eyelashes. Pulling out all her powers of persuasion, Ellie rested her chin on her hands, leaning over the Gryffindor table as close to Lily as possible, "I won't be submitted to Potter's poor attempts to seduce me all night. It's annoying and shows just how full of himself he really is."
Shovelling a spoonful of mashed potatoes in her mouth, Lily scowled, but despite the harsh words against her best friend, Ellie wasn't fazed. She'd get Lily to agree to go, if it was the last thing she did.
"What if I put a silencing charm on him?" Ellie wouldn't, but the red head didn't need to know that. Lily's eyebrows raised as if the proposition was starting to become one that she might agree to, "You can avoid him all together and just dance with us."
"Yeah, come on Lils. They've got so many records and I'm so fed up of that boring radio in the common room." Marlene pouted too.
With both her friends against her, it seemed Lily was starting to struggle to find an excuse as to why a dance party wouldn't be a good idea. It'd mean cancelling on Snape, but one time wouldn't do anyone any harm.
"You promise to put that silencing charm on him?" Nodding furiously, Ellie's face broke out into a huge grin, and even Lily started to smile a little too.
"You won't regret it!"
Jumping out of her seat, desperate to tell Sirius the news, Ellie pointed theatrically at the red head before darting off down the table towards the boys.
From across the Great Hall, one particular Slytherin had been watching the girls and his steps faltered when Ellie dashed back down the Gryffindor table. Regulus had decided that trying to speak to her when she wasn't with the boys was a better idea than getting caught up in some drama with Sirius. It was bad enough that he'd made a fool out of himself as it was, but he didn't need his brother screaming at him, because Regulus knew Sirius would. How there hadn't been an argument about the incident yet, he had no idea, but the fact Sirius didn't return to Grimmauld Place for Christmas was probably the main reason. But the youngest Black really had expected his brother to come storming to find him as soon as what he'd done was made known. Sirius would never forgive him, he knew that, and he'd braced himself ever since for some form of explosion.
Now though, the time had come for Regulus to try and make amends - not with his brother, but with Ellie instead.
One stupid mistake, one momentary lapse of judgement, had lost him the one true friend he had. And that was all the beautiful girl was, a friend, Regulus knew that now. He'd had Christmas to wallow over his unrequited love, and now he'd returned to Hogwarts having locked away all and every emotion that was tied to Ellie Gryffin. Whether he'd ever truly be able to get over her, was a different matter, but for now, he knew that he needed to right the wrong he'd created by letting his feelings consume him. Regulus wasn't entirely sure of himself again yet, just seeing Ellie from across the hall sent his knees weak, but he had to apologise. That was the first step to his healing at least.
However, his plans to approach the beautiful girl when she was with Lily Evans and Marlene McKinnon, had been ruined by her racing back over to the Marauders.
Regulus was already out of his seat, ready to walk over to the Gryffindor table after psyching himself up, and turning back now felt cowardly. But that's what youngest Black thought he was, a coward. He wasn't able to explain to Ellie that day he kissed her how he felt, or that he understood that what he'd done was over-stepping boundaries; he wasn't able to face Sirius and tell him that he'd been in love with the beautiful girl for two years and it was eating him up on the inside. Instead, he'd kept everything to himself, and now he was in an even bigger mess.
And so, deciding that he needed to just get it all over with, he began walking again.
Once he was actually before her though, all his confidence dissolved in an instance. Regulus forgot how to talk, how to even stand, and he placed a very tentative hand on the beautiful girl's shoulder to get her attention.
"Ellie..."
It really didn't help that she was squished between his brother and James Potter, it felt as if they were a united army against him - which, effectively, they were.
Remus and Peter on the other side of the table, had seen Regulus approach, shooting wide eyed glances at their friends, terrified for how this was all going to play out. James had been too preoccupied with the new information that Lily Evans was going to be joining them in their dorm later, that he hadn't noticed the subtle signals being sent his way by Remus. But neither had Ellie and Sirius, for they were in the middle of a heated debate as to what records they were going to play in which order.
As soon as Ellie felt a hand on her shoulder though, she whipped around to whoever was demanding her attention, grin faltering when she came face to face with the curly haired boy. She was glad to see Regulus, she'd been desperate to talk to him ever since the incident occurred and it felt like a weight lifted off of her shoulders knowing that he was able to face her again.
After recovering from the slight shock, she let a kind smile grace her features, recognising that the youngest Black looked absolutely terrified. His voice had been meek and mild, and there was no sign of the perfect posture he always carried himself with. Instead, he was hunched and uncomfortable looking, dark circles rimming his eyes.
"Go back to the snakes, Reg." Without even turning in his seat, Sirius spat his words, tensing in an instant, "Seems you fit in better with them than I thought."
There were no words to explain his anger in that moment, the way his blood boiled with just the presence of his brother looming over them. Sirius had no desire to forgive Regulus any time soon, despite what Andromeda told him, he still believed what his brother had done was unforgivable. And the worst part, was that Regulus had never told him how he felt, that he didn't trust him enough. That was worse than the betrayal of him kissing Ellie in the first place.
"Um... I- I just wanted to-" Regulus tried to ignore Sirius as best he could, but it wasn't easy, even with him refusing to look at him.
"Just wanted to weasel your way in? Just wanted to see if you'd made her fall in love with you? Just wanted to-"
Ellie cut Sirius off by placing her hand on top of his. The gentle gesture, caught him off guard, silencing him immediately. His ranting was doing no one any favours, and the beautiful girl wanted to hear Regulus out - it was only fair. Sirius however, stared at her hand resting on his, an unreadable expression passing over his features. Regulus tried to not let it bother him, but he found his confidence only being knocked further, for it felt like just another reminder that she'd always pick his brother over him.
"Please continue Reggie." Ellie kept her voice calm, trying to avoid any unnecessary conflict, feeling the waves of rage radiating off of Sirius by just touching his hand. She understood all the bravery it was taking Regulus to come and do this, and she sent him an encouraging smile.
"I'm sorry." He suddenly blurted out, "I'm really sorry. I should never have... And I won't again. Ever. I just-."
Sirius scoffed loudly, completely cutting his brother off and turning to face him for the first time.
"You say sorry for accidents and what you did was no accident."
"It was, I promise! I just- I just thought..."
"You just thought you could steal yet another thing that's mine." Sirius spat venom, and Ellie quickly withdrew her hand from his, not liking being spoke about as if she were someone's possession, "You're jealous that I've got all these friends that actually care about me. That actually like me... And Cubby's beautiful. And she's interesting and exciting..." Regulus cowered back, physically taking steps away when his brother paused to take a breath, "But this time, you don't get to just snatch them off me. Mum and dad aren't here to give them to their precious, little, perfect Regulus. So he's got all upset because no one really likes him at Hogwarts. No one cares about him when he's at school and he's all lonely..."
He wasn't finished, but he didn't need to be for Regulus to go rushing back down the hall and as far away from them as possible.
All the Marauders were shaken by the wrath of Sirius Black, left silent and bemused by how everything blew up so quickly. No one had any words to diffuse the tension hanging in the air from his fury, but Ellie was particularly unsettled, frustrated with how brash he could be. He'd barely given Regulus two seconds to explain, before he tore his head off, leaving him a wounded animal stood before them. She knew she had to hear the curly haired boy out, for the sake of recovering their friendship which had been lost in the wake of everything, and so she swung a leg over the bench to go after him.
"Don't go."
Grabbing the beautiful girl's arm tightly, Sirius' tone was somewhat desperate, rather than demanding - something behind his eyes that Ellie couldn't understand. But what she did know, was that he was being selfish and controlling, and had no right to interfere the way he did.
"Why not?" She scowled, "You just humiliated him! I want to see if he's okay."
"You don't need to, he'll recover."
The almost nonchalant attitude Sirius was projecting as he tried to pretend what he did was justified, lit the fuse of Ellie's anger, and her face grew cold.
"No, I don't think he will." Tearing her arm from his grip, she spat her words at Sirius as violently as he'd spoken to Regulus, "He came to apologise. He was trying to do the right thing, but you didn't give him the chance to!"
"Well, he doesn't deserve the chance to explain himself." Sirius paused in his hasty reply, not wanting to look like the one most effected by the situation, "Anyway, why are you defending him? I thought he kissed you. Not the other way around." Physically turning away from him, Ellie refused to talk to him when he was so riled up. What he was insinuating was completely uncalled for, "Unless you liked snogging him? Maybe you want him to stick his tongue down your throat again?"
"Says the one who had three girlfriends at once!"
Her vow of silence against the handsome boy didn't last long, for he knew how to push all the right buttons.
"I didn't have three girlfriends at once, it was a mix-up..." Sirius mumbled almost incoherently for a moment, trying to piece together all the irrational thoughts swirling in his head, and he spluttered out the first thing that became vaguely coherent, "But this isn't about that. This is about how you're sneaking off to seduce my brother!"
"So one minute I'm the victim, but when it's suitable for you, I'm the one in the wrong?"
The argument seemed to have escalated quickly, faster than any of the other Marauders were able to intervene. All the suppressed emotions that always seemed to bubble between the pair were starting to come seeping out - but more violently than that.
It wasn't a steady trickle of annoyance, this was a raging frustration which neither of them could contain. The more they went back and forth, the more Sirius couldn't see reason and the more Ellie wanted to scream in his face. If Sirius hadn't been so cruel about Regulus, Ellie would've perhaps been able to let his anger wash over her easier, for they were all used to his outbursts. But instead, he'd hit a nerve and she'd come to the end of her patience with him over her relationships with other boys. She refused to be treated or spoken about as if she were something he got to control, and if that meant they needed to re-evaluate their friendship, then that's what she'd do.
Ellie was right to believe that the moment like they had out in the torrential rain was one to savour, for now, all of that emotion had dissolved away. There was none of that beauty in him that she saw then, none of that perfection. Instead, his attitude seemed to make him ugly and unbearable. She would give anything to go back to then, rather than being stuck contemplating whether she could tolerate another one of his unnecessary arguments.
"Regulus is my friend. Just like you're supposed to be."
"Yeah, well you can't have us both!"
Sirius slammed his hand on the table. The whole Great Hall seemed to silence for a moment as his words echoed off of the old stone walls, but Ellie just stared at him with glassy eyes.
It was the ultimatum she'd been waiting for. Ever since Regulus started Hogwarts, she'd been expecting Sirius to make her choose at some point.
But to Ellie, it felt like she was always choosing.
Between the boys and Lily and Marlene; between James and Sirius, or James and Remus, or even James and Lily. She'd been sharing herself around, in an effort to please everyone, for as long as she could remember. And being asked to pick between the Black brothers felt no different.
It was exhausting, and Ellie wondered when she'd run out of herself to give away, when moving back and forth between people would wear her down completely. It seemed none of her groups of friends were willing to get along for her sake, but were completely happy when she was spreading herself thin instead. There was always a compromise, whether it was missing out on a prank, or having to put silencing charms on her friends. Someone was always left upset with her, even if they didn't openly express it, and it created cracks in her heart every time.
Ellie hated Sirius' selfishness, but she also wished she could be more like that too - be able to say 'no' and make decisions because it was what she wanted. Yet, it seemed as independent as she liked to be, she was also an inherent people pleaser. Probably her worst character flaw.
It was that which made it next to impossible for her to let go of Regulus' friendship. She valued him as much as she valued all of her other friends, and seeing him so shot down, felt like taking a knife to the gut. Making things right with him was important, but there was an uncomfortable ache in her soul for what that meant with her and Sirius. Losing him wasn't an option either, but he was the one making her decide; he was the one that was forcing her to question whether their friendship was really worth all the frustration; and he was the one still waiting for her to reply, a desperation masked carefully in his eyes.
But it seemed Ellie had already made up her mind, and without a word, she swung her other leg over the bench and raced down the Great Hall after Regulus.
Head still swirling, it wasn't easy for her to think straight now she'd actually committed to an answer, and as soon as she was out into the corridor, she had no idea where to go. Regulus was nowhere in sight, probably long gone by now, and if he was in the Slytherin common room, he was unreachable. She wasn't even sure what she was going to say to him, if their relationship could ever return to what it was in the wake of the incident - whether Regulus wanted to be 'just friends.' But she had to know.
Feet moving without much thought, Ellie began her search of the castle for the curly haired boy, but she didn't get far before she ran into someone. Actually ran straight into them, sending her stumbling back in a dizzy haze. It wasn't until she regained some form of composure that she realised who it was, eyes going wide in horror.
"I'm- I'm sorry, I wasn't looking where I was going."
The look on Professor McGonagall's face was one not of annoyance, but of pity, and it sent Ellie spiralling into even more confusion.
"I was, in fact, looking for you Miss Gryffin, and though I didn't expect to go running into you quite so literally, I am glad I did so soon." Whatever was so pressing, Ellie had no idea, but she was sure it couldn't be any more important than finding Regulus. Not when she'd done who knows what to her and Sirius' relationship for him, "I need you to follow me to Professor Dumbledore's office."
"Oh, um, I was actually looking for someone." Ellie wasn't sure she'd ever been so lacking in confidence around her Head of House, usually her and boys were always being cheeky with her, "It's really, sort of, important..."
"I'm afraid no more important than what Professor Dumbledore has to discuss with you."
McGonagall didn't give Ellie another chance to argue, ushering her down the corridor as quickly as possible.
There was something unsettling in Professor McGonagall's hasty strides in the direction of the Headmaster's office, and Ellie didn't miss the grave expression clouding her features as she refused to cast a look down at her. She couldn't understand what would be so important, and everything she'd done to step a toe out of line this year rushed through her head.
The Marauders had hardly pulled any pranks, it can't be that, they were far too caught up in the Animagus project... Perhaps he knows.
Panic flooded all her sense in an instant. It made complete sense that Dumbledore would know, he was such a powerful Wizard that Ellie didn't doubt that he was well skilled in Legilimency. However, it seemed odd she was being the only one pulled up on it. Why not the boys too? And so, she entered Professor Dumbledore's office without even an inclining as to why he needed to speak with her, trying to keep herself as calm as possible.
She just hoped it wasn't anything too taxing, for her mind was already on the verge of exploding as it was.
"Ah, Miss Gryffin, please take a seat."
As soon as they were in the cluttered office, Dumbledore gestured to the chair that was opposite his as he sat behind his desk. Ellie noticed instantly that the usual slight playfulness behind his eyes was absent and his lips pulled into a hard line, something that was even more unsettling to the beautiful girl. She did as he asked though, sitting down tentatively as her eyes flicked to Professor McGonagall still hovering nearby.
There hadn't been many times that Ellie had spoken to Dumbledore one and one, even with the strong friendship the Gryffins had with the old Wizard. Cyrus always spoke fondly of him, and they had to stay in touch regularly regarding the school, but not many instances had called for Ellie to have to speak with the Headmaster directly. Three times she'd been in his office before: once when she'd begged for him to kick her out in first year, just so she didn't have to endure all the snickering and awful comments about how she couldn't do magic initially; the second time when Remus had told his friends he was a werewolf; and a third when she was questioned by him about the incident with Snape second year.
Even in so few visits, she was able to feel how different to atmosphere in the cluttered office was. She'd only ever spoken with Dumbledore about serious matters, but none felt as solemn as whatever he wanted to discuss now.
"I'm afraid I've got some terrible, terrible news..."