Unusually, Ellie was the first to wake up that morning, but she put it down to nerves. She hadn't played Quidditch properly since around this time last year, and so flying out on to the pitch later seemed like a daunting prospect. But she pushed that away when she heard Sirius starting to stir beside her.
Dislodging an arm that he was lying on and picking her left leg back up into bed, she rolled over to face him. He was lying on his stomach, taking up most of the room in the bed, but his head was still angled in her direction. Ellie smiled as he wiggled around restlessly, hair falling into his mouth that hung open, and she gently brushed the strands away so that the half of his face that was visible could be seen perfectly. He looked so peaceful, that it was easy to forget that he still got night terrors, and Ellie let her fingertips linger on his cheek a little too long.
Sirius woke at her touch, though he only opened one eye briefly to see if she was staring at him - he was very happy to find that she was. When a smile curled up the corners of his lips, Ellie brought her hand away from his face, waiting whilst he wriggled and grunted some more as he shuffled to lie on his side. Only when he was facing her properly, one of his legs was looped around hers under the duvet, did Sirius open his eyes properly, and he wasn't sure he'd ever smiled so wide this early in the morning before.
"Happy Birthday, fool." Ellie whispered, eyes fixed on the stormy grey ones that always captivated her so.
"Happy game day, Cubs."
Their little bubble of serenity was burst very quickly, as James woke, not stopping to grab his glasses as he charged to jump on top of the pair. He couldn't see, but that didn't matter, for this was going to be one of the best days they'd had in a long time. Despite Ellie and Sirius groaning on impact, they both found themselves laughing quickly as James squished his way in between them. Even if there wasn't enough space for him.
"You're sixteen today, and we're going to wipe the floor with the snakes! We'll party like kings later and already I can't wait!" James flailed his arms around in the air as he spoke before reaching for Sirius' face, "Happy Birthday, mate. This is going to be a good one."
Sirius barked out laughter as Ellie just rolled her eyes.
"You're talking to me Jamie. Not Sirius."
It appeared it did matter he couldn't see, and so James climbed off of the bed again, making Sirius groan as he took an elbow to the stomach. Grabbing his glasses off of his bedside table and setting them on his nose, he smiled wide again.
"That's better. Happy Birthday brother!"
Sirius was out of bed like a shot to attack James in a big bear hug, both of them ruffling each other's hair up dramatically.
"Quit making such a racket!" Remus' voice could be heard coming from behind his curtains pulled around his bed, "I didn't fall asleep until four in the morning 'cause Cubs was blabbering away about shit all, and now you want to wake me up before eight?!" The full moon was a couple of nights ago and the lanky boy was still recovering, though James, Ellie and Sirius all found themselves clapping hands around their mouths to hold in their giggles, "Happy Birthday Siri..." The end of his sentence was lost, presumably because Remus had drifted back to sleep, and so they left him to it.
Since they needed to be up and ready early for the match later, presents were going to be done in the Great Hall over breakfast this year, and that also gave the group an opportunity to let everyone know about the party they were planning in the common room later.
Peter rose not long after Ellie left to go and get dressed, and Remus was irritated again, when the smallest Marauder burst out into a badly performed rendition of 'Happy Birthday'. After that, Remus gave up, and decided to get up too - albeit begrudgingly. Spirits were higher than they had been in a long time as they all readied themselves for the day, Led Zeppelin records being rotated so that the handsome boy could scream the lyrics as he brushed his hair.
When Ellie returned in scarlet and gold robes, her hair braided back into two plaits, and a wrapped gift in her arms, they were ready to head down to the Great Hall, and even Remus was livening up.
Much like last year, the beautiful girl wouldn't let go of Sirius' hand, and this time around, he couldn't be even more overjoyed by that fact. She skipped at his side as they made their way to breakfast, and whilst he refused to skip with her, he very much enjoyed watching her bounce up and down with excitement. James and Peter were well ahead of everyone else, the smallest Marauder being carried in a piggyback as James charged through other students also walking down the corridors. And so, that left Remus in charge of Sirius' presents - he had seven in total.
"MAKE WAY! MAKE WAY!" As soon as they were heading into the Great Hall, James was shouting, drawing the eyes of almost everyone, "THE BIRTHDAY BOY MUST HAVE THE BEST SEAT IN THE HOUSE!"
That of course was their usual spot at the Gryffindor table, and they all marched up the hall as if they ran the school. Ellie dished up a pile of pancakes even bigger than normal for Sirius whilst Remus set the presents down in front of him, before him and Peter climbed over the table to sit in their places. Sirius' eyes lit up so bright, that it was very clear why he was named after the brightest star in the night sky, and everyone waited eagerly for him to get to their gift.
He received copious amounts of all things sweet, more pranking supplies than he could imagine, and even homemade brownies from Euphemia and Fleamont. However, the last present confused him greatly, because there was no one else to receive one from. Each of his friends had gotten him something, and then James' parents had Cyrus had too - they were the only people that would give him presents. Though the gift tag attached to the flawless wrapping said otherwise, for it read 'Happy Birthday, Sirius. Love your favourite cousin.' Andromeda had never given him anything for his Birthday, she'd always made sure to send him a letter, but never a gift. He was shocked to say the least, but the most excited yet to see what he'd been brought.
When he pulled back the wrapping paper carefully, Sirius instantly burst out laughing, rendering all of his friends thoroughly bemused. Ellie leaned over his shoulder to see what he'd been brought, and a huge grin graced her features. Reaching for the gift and holding it up for everyone, the boys fell into heaps of laughter too, making everyone around them cast them funny looks.
Andromeda had brought him a plain white t-shirt with the words 'The Black Sheep', written in big letters across the front. No doubt, it was meant to be a joke, but Sirius was more than chuffed.
"You lot are rowdier than normal today." Darren Wayne appeared behind James, Ellie and Sirius, interrupting all of their laughing, but he didn't seem to care. The Quidditch Captain looked completely in game mode, his scarlet robes smarter than the trio's combined.
"It's Sirius' Birthday." Ellie set the t-shirt down, before patting the handsome boy on the head twice, her smile never faltering, "You wouldn't know he's the oldest."
Sirius shoved her in the side of the head playfully, and she just giggled, completely forgetting about Darren Wayne momentarily.
"Oh, Happy Birthday then." The Captain flashed his perfect smile, before running a hand through his curls when the pair's eyes landed back on him. Sirius sent him a smile and a nod in thanks, "Just came to give you all a fifteen minute warning, is all. Nothing major. I guess we've definitely got to win this match if it's Black's Birthday on the line."
And with that, he waved them all goodbye as his eyes found Ellie's once more.
"I'm sorry, but why's he always hanging around?" James complained, "He has nothing actually to tell us, but comes over like there's some huge announcement anyway. It's just weird."
Ellie opened her mouth to defended Darren, for she could see he only cared about doing a good job as Captain, but Sirius beat her to it.
"I don't want any negativity on my special day. Shut your gob Jamie."
Even with all the hype around the day, nothing could have stopped Ellie's nerves as they waited for the game to begin. Sat on her broom, high up in the air and waiting for the bludgers to go flying, she could feel her hands shaking. Whilst she'd been training this year, Quidditch had taken a back seat after Adelaide, and she didn't have much faith she'd be any good. The roaring crowds and the intimidating looking Slytherin team made it difficult to think straight, but she forced herself to focus. James was eyeing her suspiciously from the middle of the pitch, she could tell, even from so far away, and she sent him a thumbs up as reassurance. He wasn't entirely convinced she was ready to play again, but Ellie had been adamant her mind was in the right state - taking some frustration out on bludgers would do her good.
Thirty minutes into the match and things weren't looking good for the Gryffindors, but they wouldn't let the Slytherins get one over on them. Mable Munro had been barged into the Hufflepuff stand one too many times, the Slytherin Seeker had seen the snitch twice, and Gryffindor were down forty points already. The only positive was that Ellie and Sirius seemed to be hitting the snakes with bludgers left, right and centre.
There was even a time where one of the Slytherin Beaters took one hit to the arm and one hit to the tail end of his broom at the same time. He'd gone spiralling out of control for a good minute before his teammates had to intervene to set him straight again.
With such success, Ellie found herself growing more confident as the game went on, and when Amy North and the other Seeker were jostling for the snitch after being neck and neck for ages, she finally managed to knock the Slytherin off course. Amy caught the snitch, and regardless of Gryffindor been down on points, the lions still won the match.
To say Sirius was pleased, would be an understatement. Not only had they managed to beat Slytherin, the snakes of all people, but on his Birthday too. All of it celebrated with a party like no other. And the Gryffindors really did know how to party.
The common room was dressed in red and gold streamers with bunting and huge banners; the radio was turned to full volume so that music was blasting out loudly; the tables usually used for studying where crammed full of cups of butterbeer and firewhisky (most people drank a mixture of both); and everyone from fourth year up was invited. The younger students were filtered out by the seventh years who refused to have 'children' ruining their fun, and so they were all forced to stay in their dorms.
A few Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs gained entrance through Gryffindor friends, but even fewer Slytherins did - though none of them would be celebrating tonight, not after their team's defeat.
Despite him not necessarily being favoured by everyone, there wasn't one person who didn't cheer for Sirius Black when he came racing into the common room to find the party already in full swing. No one would ever give up an opportunity to throw a party, and so it wouldn't have mattered whose Birthday it was, every Gryffindor was singing loudly. Sirius got hoisted onto two particularly tall seventh years' shoulders, raising him above the crowd as everyone continued to scream his name, girls jumping up to get his attention. He was positively glowing, and the attention on him didn't stop when cheers erupted for the Quidditch team.
"As if he needs any more of an ego boost." Remus had to shout in Ellie's ear so she could hear him, and she spun to give him huge grin, rolling her eyes dramatically.
Sirius looked absolutely in his element, and Ellie wasn't sure she'd ever seen him so comfortable in a crowd of almost strangers. He was lost as soon as his feet were set back on the ground, but his voice could still be heard shouting loudly.
"You played brilliant today!" Marlene about barrelled Ellie over when she went crashing into her back, hugging her tightly, "I knew you were the team's star player. That's why we did so shit last year."
"Don't let James hear you say that."
Ellie pulled out of Marlene's grip to avoid having drink sloshed on her from one of the two cups she was holding. The blonde passed one to Ellie wordlessly, and she recognised the liquid as soon as it hit the back of her throat. Warm but with a slight burn, it was definitely the butterbeer/firewhisky combo. Marlene smirked when Ellie took two big gulps, drinking the liquid like she'd been dehydrated for months - all the years sipping fancy champagne at pureblood events had somewhat built her up a tolerance. Even at fifteen.
"Where's Lils?" The music managed to get impossibly louder, and Ellie found herself raising her voice into a shout.
"Amos Diggory has cornered her about the ball already. I think she's gonna say no though." Marlene took a sip out of her cup, "I'm not sure why, I thought she thought he was fit."
"James." Ellie said simply, a knowing smile curling up the corners of her mouth.
"You know she's never going to agree to go with Potter."
Though Ellie wasn't convinced Marlene was correct. There was no other possible explanation as to why she'd say no to Amos Diggory otherwise - like Marlene had said, Lily did fancy the Hufflepuff a little. She had to be waiting for someone else to ask her, which would be soon if it was James she was counting on.
Marlene was swift to drag Ellie to dance, as soon as they'd both finished their first cups, and at one point the messy haired boy showed up. He was grinning like the Cheshire Cat, hair wilder than usual, and definitely already tipsy, for James was always bad at holding his drink. Laughing loudly, him and Ellie danced until they were so out of breath, both needing to sit down, and Marlene left them as soon as she saw Ivanna Elms coming through the portrait door with some Gryffindors.
With some liquid courage in her, the blonde was determined to spend the night with the Slytherin she liked so much.
Getting roped into some drinking game by Darren Wayne, Ellie and James found themselves getting through cups of the butterbeer/firewhisky mix faster than their bodies had time to catch up. Though, quickly the pair found themselves squished between an awful lot of people they didn't exactly know as more and more alcohol was passed around.
There was a Hufflepuff girl that practically sat on James' lap, and two older Ravenclaw boys loomed over the back of the sofa by Ellie, both with smirks that never faltered. It wasn't that either of them felt unsafe, James was actually loving all the attention he was getting from the game, it was more that they weren't used to having to get to know so many people. Their tight nit group of friends had them falling short on the goings on in the rest of the school sometimes, and so when they were asked about couples who were going to the ball together, they never had opinions - everyone seemed to find this boring.
Ellie and James may have been putting away the alcohol, but both of them felt themselves getting more sober the more people joined the small group of people in front of the fireplace.
"...And then Bertha Jorkins found them snogging in a broom closet before Charms yesterday! Andrea was balling her eyes out."
A sixth year Ravenclaw girl was telling a story about a couple of Slytherins that had recently broken up, and everyone appeared on the edge of their seats. Everyone apart from Ellie and James who shared confused looks as to who was even being spoken of. With one small head movement, Ellie suggested they leave and get back to enjoying the party, but the group they were with had other plans.
"Where are you two going?" Darren Wayne demanded playfully, flashing his perfect smile.
"Yeah? I want to hear what pureblood royalty does for dates to these types of things."
The Ravenclaw girl who'd been telling the story, who also looked pretty cosy with Darren too, made everyone's eyes fall on Ellie, and James took a hold of her arm protectively. Though this backfired as the Hufflepuff previously sat on James' lap dragged him back down to the sofa, which made him take Ellie with him.
"I don't even know if I'm going yet." The beautiful girl told them all quickly.
Admitting such a seemingly embarrassing thing to a group of almost strangers could've had the potential to kick Ellie's confidence completely, but instead she kept calm. Channelling all the ways Adelaide had taught her to gain the respect of others, she straightened her posture, stuck her chin up a little, and forced herself to radiate an air of importance. There was an ounce of mocking in the Ravenclaw's words, that was something she didn't miss, and she wouldn't be made fun of by the eagles again.
If she wants pureblood royalty, that's what she'll get.
James hid his smirk when he noticed the subtle changes in Ellie's persona, for he knew them all too well - the group they were sat with were now in the presence of Persephone Eloise.
"What do you mean you're not going?" Darren Wayne generally looked deflated, but the Ravenclaw jabbed her elbow into his side.
"The event is nothing special." Even by just the tone of Ellie's voice she had all of their attentions, "If I don't want to go, I'm not obliged to."
"But don't you have people lining up to ask you to go? I mean... you're-" Darren waved a hand in the air haphazardly, "You're the Youngest Descendent of Godric Gryffindor, you must go to these things all the time. Not to mention you're very-" The Ravenclaw elbowed him in the side again.
"Well, when the Daily Prophet writes lies about you that everyone believes regardless, it tends to put people off a little."
There was a lot of truth in Ellie's words, even if she was using them in a dismissive way. People did still avoid her, and people did still send her odd looks. They're were easier to ignore now that she expected it, but that didn't mean it hurt any less for people to be saying awful things behind her back. She'd not had one person ask her to the ball yet, and whilst she'd probably say no to them at the moment, it had left her wondering whether anyone ever would.
"You don't have a date?!" The Ravenclaw scoffed.
"Do I need one?" Ellie snapped in reply, getting frustrated with everyone prying into her personal business. No one else was being put under scrutiny.
"If you don't want to look like a prude."
By this point, Ellie was ready to pull her wand out and hex the girl, and so was James. People in the little group were starting to snicker, whispering with each other, and Ellie felt her chest constrict. The messy haired boy grabbed a hold of her hand tightly, ready to drag her away, but an unlikely hero swooped in before he got chance to.
Squishing himself onto the sofa in between his two best friends, Sirius Black wore a grin so wide his cheeks must hurt.
He'd been somewhat lost the whole party so far, getting swept up in all the celebrations and drinking far too much alcohol as he went. The handsome boy was swaying slightly, and he swung an arm around Ellie's shoulder as his put his lips close to her ear. She would've pulled away, for his breath fanning across the side of her face replaced the tight feeling in her chest with a giddy one, but she just couldn't bring herself to. Already, the way he was acting felt very similar to the way he did when they went to visit Andromeda in the summer, and as if on cue, Sirius wrapped an ankle around hers.
"Where've you been? I've been looking for you for ages." His words were slurred as he whispered them in her ear, and Ellie couldn't help but giggle, which only made Sirius grin impossibly wider.
Everyone sat around them was watching with wide eyes, and James leant back on the sofa with a satisfied smirk on his lips. The Ravenclaw's words no longer felt like a valid statement, not with the way Sirius' eyes were about rolling into the back of his head at the sight of Ellie Gryffin.
"Apparently, Cubby's a prude."
Perhaps James was stirring the pot on purpose, but if anyone was going to put someone in their place over speaking badly about Ellie, it'd be Sirius Black. No doubt the amount of alcohol in his system would only be making him act even more hot-headed than normal, and James wanted the Ravenclaw (and anyone else that was laughing) to know what happened when they made fun of his family.
"Cubby that sleeps in my bed every night?"
The words fell so casually off of Sirius' lips that they rendered everyone speechless, and the rest of the party seemed to fade into background noise. He hadn't taken his eyes off of Ellie yet, twirling a piece of her hair around his finger as he kept his arm wrapped around her shoulders tightly.
"I only said it because she said that-" Sirius cut the Ravenclaw off by just raising a hand, finally dragging his gaze away from the beautiful girl.
"But you still said it." Even in a somewhat drunk state, the handsome boy was able to comprehend when his friends were being mocked, and he would never stand for it, "Who even are you?"
"Ebony Lockheart."
The Ravenclaw, who was older than them, barely got the words out so they were in-audible. She'd frozen under the perfectly crafted sneer of Sirius Black, something everyone was intimidated by - he'd learnt from Walburga after all. None of her friends stepped in to back her up, Darren sending apologetic looks to Ellie as he shuffled away from Ebony.
"Do you have a date to the ball, Ebony?" Ellie turned on her next.
There was no mistaking that Ellie Gryffin and Sirius Black were a force to be reckoned with. Years of pureblood etiquette and stiff postures; practice talking to snotty people, and last names that came with power - they had everything at their disposal to intimidate. Separately they could shake a person, but together they'd swallow someone whole. It was a combination of the importance and effortless elegance that radiated off of Ellie, and the cold expressions and unpredictability of Sirius. Anyone could see it when they were with each other, just like Adelaide always did, and Camille had done at Christmas last year. But when they were put into a situation where someone had threatened them somehow, their power almost tripled.
James just crossed his arms casually and continued to watch. This was always his favourite show.
"Um, not yet. I'm looking for one though..." The Ravenclaw replied and Ellie gave her pitting look.
"What a shame. To be that desperate and still not have anyone to ask you."
The beautiful girl didn't like to be cruel; she didn't get off on it like some people did, nor did she believe it was cool to be the girl that didn't get on with other girls. But she did believe in putting people in their places, and it appeared every Ravenclaw she came across at the moment was destined to turn her into some form of laughingstock. She wouldn't be disrespected, and you reap what you sow in Ellie's books, so Ebony would get what was coming to her.
"But you just said that you-" Sirius didn't let Ebony finishing again.
"Ah, but there's a difference." He removed his arm around Ellie's shoulders so he could rest his elbows on his knees, "Cubby doesn't want a date to the dance, but you clearly feel like you need one."
"I don't-"
"Definitely sounds desperate to me." Turning to Ellie with a solemn nod, Sirius sent her subtle wink, before addressing the Ravenclaw again, "What do you say for being rude?"
Ebony mumbled something that couldn't be heard, her face turning beet red as everyone stared at her. Sirius Black making the girl older than him cower was something that shocked anyone who was aware of the situation. It was a known fact he was intimidating, but Ebony looked like she might explode she was turning such a vivid maroon colour out of embarrassment.
"I didn't hear you." This time Sirius spat the words.
"I'm sorry..." There was a shake in Ebony's voice that was unmistakable as she bowed her head like a scolded child.
A satisfied smirk graced Sirius' features as he laced his fingers into Ellie's.
"Thank you for your apology Ebony, and your company has been... wonderful, but I think it's time we leave." Sending the Ravenclaw a passive aggressive smile, Ellie kept her tone sickly sweet, her and Sirius standing in unison, "Let's not have your Birthday ruined Sirius."
And with that she dragged the handsome boy away.
Left still smirking to himself, James sat forward on the sofa, suppressing his laughter at how bemused everyone appeared. Already, one of Ebony's friends was trying to comfort her, but the Ravenclaw was too proud, and now Ellie and Sirius were gone, she looked angry for letting people younger than her push her around. This only had James pleased, for that meant she really knew where she stood with his friends, which was somewhere right near the bottom of the food chain. Brushing himself off dramatically as he stood, James addressed everyone before he left the group too.
"And that, ladies and gentleman, is why you don't mess with pureblood royalty."
Ellie had helped James with trying to get Lily to go to the ball with him, but that was because she was being a good friend. In reality, she hated the idea of the whole thing. They were supposedly on the brink of war and now everyone had dismissed that for a dance. Even Sirius, who was against it initially, had given over, and she thought him, out of everyone, would protest - he certainly hated anything remotely connected to being pureblood enough.
But it appeared she was the only one worried about what the rise of this dark wizard meant. It was infuriating feeling like the only one taking it seriously, and even when she wrote to her father, Cyrus would say she had other things to focus on.
O.W.Ls weren't important if they were all going to be attacked before she could take the exams.
This frustration had only been made worse by the Ravenclaw poking her nose in Ellie's business, and she found her head spinning as her and Sirius stood the other side of the room. He was staring at her with a sloppy grin as he swayed on the spot a little and his eyes wandered all across her face. Only when she realised that he was getting closer and closer did her mind catch up, and she took a small step away, trapping herself against the wall. Sirius pouted, much like he did at Andromeda's when she moved away from him, though now he looked less like a grumpy toddler and more like a lost puppy. As if trying to prove a point, he took one very definite step towards her, and Ellie just shuffled to the side slightly.
"What's changed-" Sirius didn't get to finish his sentence for James came rushing over, slopping three cups of drink around as he did so.
"After that, I think we all need a drink." The messy haired boy was completely obvious to the slight panic written on Ellie's feature as he thrusted a cup at her. Sirius finished his in three big gulps, eyes never leaving Ellie's face, making James cheer loudly as he threw up his hands, "We'll have to get you another!"
"Have mine." Ellie shoved her cup at Sirius, "I'm going to go get some air."
The two black haired boys watched her go, James shrugging nonchalantly before chugging back his drink, though Sirius' brow screwed up in confusion as he stared at her retreating figure. He could see her biting her fingernails even if she wasn't facing him, and by the way she nearly fell through the portrait door, it was clear her mind was spiralling somewhere dangerous. Too intoxicated to take proper action, he tried to forget about it, for she'd be back once she'd cleared her head. He hoped at least.
It felt like all the alcohol she'd consumed had turned to water inside her body. She didn't feel tipsy in the slightest, she certainly hadn't lost any of her inhibitions, and quite frankly Ellie was annoyed by that. If she was drunk, it might have been easier to forget about everything that darted around in her mind, it might have been easier to just ignore it and continue partying.
She should be celebrating, it was Sirius' birthday, and they'd beat he Slytherins at Quidditch for another year running. But Ellie no longer felt like celebrating in the slightest.
Her feet carried her down the staircase, not bothering when one of them decided to change on her, for she didn't particularly have a destination. Instead, she just wandered aimlessly, something the beautiful girl found herself doing a lot these days. It was nearly dark outside, but some sunlight was scattered into the corridors, making walls a warm orange and the sky a mosaic of a sunset. The peace was heavenly, it really was, and Ellie found her mind settling the longer she paced the halls. Just her footsteps colliding with the stone floors and the odd distant shout of another student let her thoughts drift away.
Though there would always be one thought that stuck with her, that was something she couldn't control.
If Adelaide was still here, she'd know exactly what to say to calm Ellie's worries about what the world was falling into, and right now, that's what she needed. She needed people to stop trying to ignore the problem still and tell her what it meant. Ellie wanted answers, answers that no one seemed to be able to give her, and that was worse than being stuck in ignorance.
As she rounded a corner into a third floor corridor, however, the peace she had fell into was shattered by someone's demanding voice. Stumbling back around the corner so she couldn't be seen, Ellie prayed her footsteps hadn't been too loud, because she really didn't have the patience to argue with anyone else.
"Get a grip of yourself..." She recognised the voice as Lucius Malfoy's. He was hissing his words violently, seemingly trying to keep his voice low, but Ellie hadn't seen who he was talking to.
"That's difficult when my arm is bloody burning!" Michael Avery, his scratchy voice was unmistakable.
Why the two Slytherins were whispering in a random third floor corridor, Ellie didn't know, but it intrigued her no end. They'd have to be getting back to their common room soon, night-time creeping closer as the minutes ticked by, so why weren't they just talking in there? What was so important the other snakes couldn't hear?
"It's a small price for the privilege." Malfoy drawled, and Ellie creeped closer to the corner so she could hear a little better.
"Feels like a pretty big price to me."
"Do you regret it?" An unfamiliar voice made her ears prick up, but Ellie knew there was no way to get a look at the stranger without making herself seen. Regret what? "The stinging only lasts a few days..."
In her bid to try and get a closer position to hear, Ellie's hand slipped on the wall, sending her stumbling to the side slightly. Her foot stopped her from falling, but her shoe colliding with the stone made a noise that wouldn't be missed. Shutting her eyes tight, Ellie cringed, knowing any second now, they were going to gang up on her. Clearly the alcohol had taken some effect on her coordination after all.
"Who's there?!"
Malfoy hissing made her role her eyes, and Ellie knew she'd have to give herself up. Coming out from behind the corner, her eyes fell on the three Slytherins huddled against the wall in a tight circle. They were definitely being suspicious, Ellie could confirm that now, and she crossed her arms across her chest, annoyed with herself that she'd failed to hear anymore.
"Ah, our pretty little pureblood princess... How are you Persephone?"
The third Slytherin, who's voice she couldn't recognise, was Barty Crouch Jr. He was the year below them, but was almost never seen anywhere in the castle, and Ellie would say he was perhaps the shadiest person she'd ever come across. There was a madness in his eyes, a real madness, and it was completely unsettling. Whenever Ellie had seen him around, he was always lurking in dark corners and ducking into the crevices of walls - he was definitely the type to eavesdrop on people's conversation, and she didn't doubt he knew more about the students at Hogwarts the anyone else.
Perhaps his only redeemable quality was that he was quite good looking. Or he could've been if his eyes weren't rimmed with dark circles and his cheeks sunken in from self-malnutrition. In another life he would've been handsome, but in this life, he resembled that of a reptile (nothing to do with his house either).
"I didn't know you ventured out of the snake pit Crouch?" Already exhausted from having to deal with Ebony Lockheart, Ellie had no patience left for pleasantries.
"Only for special occasions..." Crouch came forward, closing in on her like she was pray, "And the fact you're back is a very special occasion indeed."
His tongue darted out across his lips and Ellie turned her nose up at him in disgust.
"Were you spying on us?" Malfoy was next to turn on her, sneering like he always did, but now Ellie was just rolling her eyes again.
"Surprisingly, Malfoy, the corridors are free to be walked by anyone."
"Don't be clever with me. You're not so protected without your entourage."
He closed in on her too, but Ellie held her ground. Malfoy wasn't intimidating, for he got everyone else to do his dirty work, but the combined insanity of Crouch and Avery was something to be unsure about. However, Avery appeared more concerned with whatever was going on with his forearm, rubbing his skin through his robe like it was on fire.
"I can protect myself perfectly fine, thank you." Ellie kept her voice as calm as possible, ignoring the way Crouch was eyeing her up like a piece of meat, "Now are you going to let me be on my way?"
"Why would we do that?"
When Crouch came even nearer, Ellie found herself actually backing away now. She would've shoved him hard, the way his tongue kept darting out across his lips, but she knew that would only start something she couldn't finish.
"Because it's late and I can't be arsed with your suspicious bullshit."
"I don't like your tone..." Malfoy interjected, pulling his wand out as a threat.
"Well, I don't like your face, but by the way you're trying to keep me around, clearly you like mine. Should I break the news to Narcissa, or you?"
That seemed to silence the Slytherin quickly, and Ellie took her chance to rush by them all. She was cautious about staying alert, for she wasn't stupid enough to turn her back on them and not except to be hexed. Or potentially tackled to the floor with the way Crouch's hands had been itching to grab her. Casting one last glance over her shoulder as she darted around the next corner and out of sight, all three Slytherins were staring at her - Malfoy with a sneer, Avery with a screwed-up face, and Crouch with pure mania written all over his features.
"That was your chance..." She swore she heard one of them say before she was out of earshot.
Mind swirling over what she'd just heard and why the three were being so suspicious, Ellie wasn't entirely concentrating on where she was going, and she went crashing into someone before she'd had taken so much as four steps.
Stumbling backwards, disorientated and thoughts completely frazzled, Ellie found it difficult to set her balance right again, but two hands curled around her shoulders to do it for her instead. She met familiar sparkling onyx eyes and sighed, relieved to have come across Regulus, and not any other Slytherin doing something suspicious. The corners of his lips curled slightly at her confused state, keeping a tight hold of her until she didn't look like she might fall over any second. Regulus waited for her to catch up with the present before speaking, and he was glad to see her begin to smile when she recognised his face.
"Why do I keep finding you stumbling around the corridors on your own?"
There was some playfulness in his tone, but mostly concern, and when Ellie looked stable again, he let go of her carefully. She was still staring at him, and it rose a heat up the back of his neck, but Regulus pushed the fluttery feeling in his stomach away.
"My head gets so crowded sometimes, I take walks to sort everything out, but this time I keep bumping into people." Ellie rubbed her eyes as she tried to focus properly, taking deep breaths to let Regulus' calming aura surround her.
"My head gets crowded too." He replied, understanding on a level Ellie would never be able to comprehend, "You didn't bump into Malfoy and his goons by any chance?"
"He was with Avery and Crouch... Right creeps the pair of them." She suppressed a shiver and Regulus nodded his head in agreement.
"I saw them leaving the common room acting suspicious, so I decided to see what they were doing."
"Very sneaky of you Reggie."
"I think you'll find, the word is cunning."
They both started chuckling a little, but instead of Regulus receiving a sassy reply like he excepted, she just flung her arms around his torso. He froze momentarily, but when she squeezed him even tighter, burying her face in his chest, he hugged her back. It didn't help him suppressed his butterflies, but for a moment he didn't mind. She clearly needed this hug, and the selfish part of him let himself revel in it too. It felt like she was clinging onto him for dear life, and all Regulus wanted to do was make everything in her world okay again. His heart ached at her sorrow, more than it ached at his own misfortunes, but he knew apart from hugging her like he was, there was nothing else he could do.
"What do you do when your mind gets crowded?" Ellie whispered, her words muffled as she spoke them into his shirt.
Regulus had the same sort of scent as Sirius, a woody smell, and it helped her feel safe. Not safe like the smell of bonfires did, because this woody smell was fresher, like pine needles, but it being similar helped more than the hug did.
"I write it all down. Collate my thoughts and try to make some sense of how I'm feeling."
"That sounds very mature." Hearing that Regulus had such a healthy method to deal with when things got overwhelming, made her feel weak almost. As if she wasn't blessed with the tools to combat such heavy topics, "Like a diary?" She wanted to tease, but her words came out more serious than anything.
"Like a diary I suppose." Regulus agreed, still keeping a hold of her tightly, "Mother always taught us that emotions make you vulnerable, and vulnerability makes you susceptible to manipulation... They make you weak... I don't really agree fully, but writing everything down gets it out of my head so I think clearer."
Now, Ellie wasn't sure his coping mechanism was as healthy as she believed it was to begin with.
However weak and helpless she felt, she knew that emotions weren't something to suppress and be afraid of. Vulnerability was what made you human, was what forged relationships between people - she believed others were their most beautiful when vulnerable. She trusted people that were brave enough to be vulnerable with others, for it showed that they had a deep understanding of themselves, that they knew what their emotions meant.
Her parents and the Potters had always encouraged her and James to let emotions out as children, whether it was anger or joy or sadness. They comforted and then talked through with their children why they felt that way. That was healthy. Ellie wasn't exactly good at doing that on her own yet, but she was trying to work towards it.
Hearing Regulus talk about how Walburga took such a different approach to teaching her children about emotions, made it very clear to her why Sirius had such a hard time being vulnerable. The information wasn't a surprise, but it just solidified how toxic of a household 12 Grimmauld Place was.
However, before the pair could continue their conversation they were interrupted very abruptly.
"Merlin! Please don't say this is some ravioli?"
Almost as if the handsome boy had been called by her thoughts, Sirius' voice boomed down the corridor, making Ellie and Regulus jolt away from each other. They both turned to see him coming staggering towards them, practically tripping over his own feet and waving his arms in the air to help keep himself upright. The pair wanted to laugh, but they held it in when Sirius nearly did go tumbling over, catching himself on the wall before continuing his journey. Ellie mouthed 'there's a party' to Regulus and he nodded his head in understanding.
"Ravioli?" The youngest Black questioned when Sirius came to some form of stop in front of them. He swayed as if aboard a ship, but his feet were firmly planted to the floor.
"Rendezvous. Come on Reg keep up." Sirius clapped dramatically, and this time they both did laugh at him.
"Are you drunk Sirius?" Ellie questioned, bending down a little to capture his gaze, and as soon as she did, he smiled so wide she couldn't help herself but return the expression.
He was definitely merrier then when she'd left the common room, and at the rate he was drinking, she wouldn't be surprised if he'd doubled his alcohol intake in the time she'd been gone - by the way he was slurring his words too, she was sure this was the case.
"I am more drunk than I think I am, and less drunk than you think I am." He pointed a finger at her, but it circled in the air as he continued to sway, "Sirius Black knows how to carry his alcohol."
Regulus raised his eyebrows unconvinced.
"Yes, but how many drinks have you had?" The beautiful girl questioned.
Surprisingly, all the patience she'd lost over the night, was restored for him. Ellie was able to put up with his nonsense, but if it was anyone else, she probably would've left them to stumble the corridors alone. When Sirius swayed a little too much to the left, he went stumbling to the side and she reached out to grab him, but he batted her away as he righted himself.
"Too many." He sounded as if he was asking her for an answer, "Now I think about it, I really need to piss..."
"Delightful." Regulus commented, shoving his hands in his pockets, "I think I'll leave you with that."
He nodded over to where Sirius was trying to steady himself against a wall he'd stumbled to, his hands fumbling with his trousers at the same time.
"Goodnight Reggie."
Ellie wasn't pleased to be left to deal with Sirius alone, and the smirk on Regulus' lips made her want to curse at him for being so cruel.
"Happy Birthday brother."
"You too!" Sirius cried at Regulus' retreating figure, and the youngest Black's chuckles could be heard as he waltzed back down the corridor, "Right... Piss, piss, piss..."
Turning back to the wall, Sirius started fumbling with the button on his trousers again, fingers not cooperating with his needs, and Ellie rushed over with wide eyes.
"Unbutton your trousers and I'll hex you." She threatened, grabbing his wrists and making sure she wasn't subjected to anything she didn't need to see. Sirius just wiggled his eyebrows at her suggestively and she shook her head, "Come on."
Dragging the handsome boy back down the corridor, Ellie kept a hold of both of his wrists, for she didn't trust he wouldn't try and reach for his trousers again. He stumbled behind her blindly, crashing into her back on multiple occasions, and mumbling words that didn't appear to have any meaning. It was quite amusing to see him in such a state, and he had every right to enjoy himself on his Birthday, but why'd he'd strayed so far from the party she had no idea.
Having to slow her pace so that Sirius was able to keep up, they were taking longer than she wanted, and soon it'd be passed curfew. Trying to avoid Flitch and the Perfects with a drunk Sirius Black, didn't seem like an easy task, so she wanted to get him back to the common room as quick as possible, but they had one stop first.
"Ooo. Where are we going?" The handsome boy's excited tone made Ellie roll her eyes.
Sirius bumped into her back once again as she stopped just inside the first bathroom they came across. It happened to be the girls, but no one was around at this time, so it didn't really matter. She finally let go of his hands, but Sirius stayed standing right behind her, his chest pressed against her back.
"Right, go to the toilet." Ellie gestured for him to go further into the bathroom, and Sirius rushed round to stand in front of her straight away.
"Yes Sir!" He saluted with a childish grin on his face and Ellie found herself chuckling as he rushed into one of the stalls, "I came to find you 'cause you've been gone so long. I didn't want my favourite person missing on my Birthday, it's rude..." Ellie screwed her face up, not particularly wanting to have a conversation with him whilst he was going to the toilet, "I was worried, your face was all sad when you left, like an unhappy puppy... poor little puppy... Where'd you go? Moony is nowhere and Peter's missing too. Jamie said not to panic but he wasn't listening to me, stupid boy all goggly eyed for Evans. She's a ginger! It's not fair he gets to be goggly eyed and I've not got anyone to be goggly eyed at... So I came looking for you."
In all honesty, Ellie wasn't listening to his rambling, and some of his words were lost altogether to his slurring. Instead, she just wandered over to the sinks, watching what little light was left throw patterns on the floor as it bounced off all the different mirrors. Only when the toilet flushed did she look up again.
"All done." Sirius threw his arms up in the air in some form of celebration when he emerged from the stall, and Ellie couldn't help but think it looked very much like a toddler. Brighter eyed than usual, and his smile all crooked, his usual grumpy expression was completely lost.
"Wash your hands." Though acting like this toddler's mother was something that wasn't enjoyable.
Sirius still obeyed her though, staggering over to the sink right next to her and running the tap. Ellie's patience was slowly slipping as he seemed to take a long time doing everything, but the smile on his face couldn't make her mad at him for it.
Especially when he cupped some of the water in his hands, launching it at her with a string of giggles that was so far from his usual bark of a laugh. He was utterly giddy, his head rolling back in hilarity, and Ellie found herself laughing too when he went to splash more water at her.
Before he could drench her through, she intervened with her hands held out in defence, pushing him from the sink and turning the taps off.
Sirius only seemed to smile impossibly wider, enclosing back in on her until she was trapped between him and the sink. Flushing pink, everything sensible dissolved as his breath fanned across her face, and Ellie forgot for a moment she was supposed to be being the responsible one. The smell of firewhisky and butterbeer was radiating off of him like he'd bathed in it, and his eyes were sparkling brighter than they had all evening. He was so close they were touching and Ellie's throat went dry as he placed a finger under her chin.
"I like this." He whispered, so low that his words were almost lost in her heavy breathing.
The quick change in his mood was faster than when he was in his right mind and it had sent Ellie's mind spinning. Two seconds ago, he was laughing hysterically, and now his grin had completely fell as his eyes clouded over with something that wasn't hilarity. It was unfamiliar, and her lips parted slightly to ask what he was doing, but the words wouldn't come out. Sirius chuckled when he saw her struggling to grasp reality, and it sent the alcoholic scent wafting over Ellie's face again - that managed to remind her that the handsome boy was very much drunk.
"And I like when you're sober." She replied swiftly, pushing him off as she strode over to the door of the bathroom, desperately trying to put some space between them, "I don't want to babysit so can we go back to the common room?"
As she waited for him to reply, she watched the toddler return, and Ellie was starting to get whiplash from his mood swings. Sirius practically skipped over to her, a cheeky grin replacing the cocky expression he held when he knew he had her wrapped around his finger. When he stopped in front of her, his arms swung around at his sides and he scrunched up his nose for a second.
"Does baby get a kiss?" Sirius pouted dramatically as he spoke, "For his Birthday?"
There was a flash in his eyes that Ellie didn't miss, but it wasn't the same cloudy-ness from before. His facade had slipped momentarily, and suddenly Ellie could tell he wasn't as drunk as he once appeared. She narrowed her eyes at him briefly, studying him carefully for any more signs that he was just playing a game with her, but if he was, she didn't want him to know that she was in on his secret. Ignoring the way that he stayed waiting with his lips jutted out in a pout, she just grabbed his arm as she began to pull him out of the bathroom.
"Not tonight." Ellie replied with a frustrated expression Sirius didn't get to see.
He continued to protest all the way back to the common room, but Ellie was sure now, that he really wasn't as drunk as she thought he was. Why he was acting so strange, putting on a show to pretend he was, she didn't know, but now her patience had been completely exhausted. She wouldn't play stupid games with him - if he wanted something, he was going to have to ask her for it. And Ellie had more respect for herself than letting him mess her around, drunk or not.
The party was still raging when they returned, and Ellie wasn't sure what the time was, but she was sure Sirius needed to go to bed. It may have been his Birthday, but clearly, he'd partied enough.
Thankfully, James emerged from the crowd dancing in the middle of the room as soon as their faces could be spotted coming through the portrait door, and he rushed over to greet his friends. Now James really was drunk, Ellie knew that. He'd been tipsy two drinks in, and now, she had no idea how many he'd had. James wasn't stumbling about like Sirius had, instead, he seemed like someone had put him in hyperdrive, even more energetic than usual. He bounced on the spot in front of them, waving his arms around like he was still trying to dance to the music.
"She won't kiss me Jamie! Cubby won't give me a birthday kiss!"
Sirius didn't waste any time on greetings, and he broke free from Ellie's grasp, to claw onto the front of James' shirt dramatically. In one smooth movement, the messy haired boy grabbed Sirius' face, placing a long, sloppy kiss on his cheek, before pulling away absolutely beaming. Ellie was left bewildered.
"All better?" James asked with a cocky smirk.
"All better." Sirius agreed with a goofy grin.
Before James could drag the other black haired boy back into the party, Ellie took a hold of both of their arms tightly, preventing them from going anywhere.
"Come on lovebirds." She mumbled, dragging them through everyone and towards the boys' dormitories stairs, "MOONY! It's bedtime!"
Shouting as loud as possible once she reached the staircase, she waited for the lanky boy to emerge from the crowd, hopeful that he was able to hear her over all the ruckus, for he was her best bet at getting the two black haired boys to bed. And about fifteen seconds passed before he came jogging towards them, shaking off a fourth year that had been holding him hostage by the drinks table.
"Oh thank Merlin!" He cried, not having to be asked to help Ellie get Sirius and James up to their dorm.
Peter, who had been missing most of the night, was already fast asleep in his bed when they got up there. Chocolate was smeared on his face and he was still dressed in the same clothes he'd had on all day, but he looked peaceful enough, and Ellie and Remus were glad to see him alright. Though he got disturbed when it became a battle to get the two back haired boys in bed, and he groaned, covering his head with his pillow.
James only eventually settled after wrestling with Remus on the floor for a solid five minutes, when apparently the lanky boy challenged him to a fight - Remus did nothing of the sort and collapsed in his own bed utterly fed up once James was finally snoring.
Sirius complained profusely that Ellie had not only ruined his Birthday celebrations by refusing to kiss him, but by sending him to bed early too. He tried to argue with her, but Ellie refused to retaliate, which only left Sirius confused, and in that vulnerable state, she managed to shove him into bed. But that wasn't the end, for he then proceeded to sing a made-up song which he titled 'Cubby's shitting up my mood', and even James rose from dead to harmonise for the second rendition. Sirius was extremely proud of his creation but, of course, it was just complete rubbish.
Ellie gave up and crawled into Remus' bed for the night, falling asleep as soon as she'd buried her head in the pillow to block out the noise.
"Cubby's shitting up my mood,
Cubby's shitting up my mood,
She won't admit I'm a pretty groovy dude!
All I asked for,
Was a snog on the third floor,
But she wouldn't look my way!
Not even for my Birthday!
Lying in bed,
Now I want to kiss her head,
But she's asleep with Moons instead!
Cubby's shitting up my mood,
Cubby's shitting up my mood,
I hope she sees that I want her soon!"