Four days before the next full moon, there was a Hogsmeade trip, and initially, Ellie had been very excited to spend the day with the boys. Well... Spend the day with Sirius in particular. She hoped that maybe they'd be able to slip off for an hour or two, or just get some undisrupted time to spend with each other. It seemed like the perfect opportunity for them to do something where they weren't being scolded by their friends for not studying.
Regardless of the fact that Ellie was harbouring seemingly unrequited feelings for the handsome boy, she couldn't help but let him consume her with his everything. It was somewhat pathetic - or at least that's what Ellie thought it was. Because the healthy thing to do, would probably be to put space between her and Sirius, for then she'd be able to get over her feelings. If he didn't feel the same way, she'd have to respect that.
But, of course, these things are always easier said than done, and at this point, Ellie didn't care if he didn't like her back. Sirius still wanted to spend his every waking moment with her, and that was all she wanted for now. Ellie was happy being a lovesick puppy trailing after him all the time, if that's what it took to not lose him.
But then Darren Wayne had asked her if she'd like to go to Hogsmeade with him, and that ruined her plans completely.
Ellie was screaming loudly as her and Sirius darted around one of the trees by the Black Lake. She was in possession of his Defence Against the Dark Arts textbook, trying to avoid being caught by the handsome boy who wanted it back. The others were sat on the grass, wrapped in scarves and thick jumpers to combat against the icy wind, but they'd didn't entirely mind the cold, for just getting out of the castle for a while felt good. James had been attempting to help Peter and Sirius with revision on Boggarts whilst Remus interjected with extra details here and there. Until Ellie had interrupted that was.
The pair ran circles around the tree, getting dizzy quickly, but as the beautiful girl shouted wildly, Sirius only started laughing. It wasn't long until they were a crumpled heap on the grass, having both fell over, clutching their heads as their eyesight went back to normal. Tangled together so they looked like a discarded pile of laundry, Sirius still tried snatching for the book, but of course, Ellie wouldn't give in.
And that's how Darren Wayne found the beautiful girl - in a tussle with Sirius Black as he pinned her on her back to retrieve his textbook.
Clearing his throat to make his presence known, the sixth year shoved his hands in his pockets as he waited for her attention. Sirius didn't seem fazed by Darren interrupting them, ignoring him completely as he continued to grin in Ellie's face, but she'd shoved him off quickly to sit up.
She was slightly embarrassed he'd found her like he had, for she didn't know whether it was really obvious she was making it difficult for Sirius to get his textbook just so he stayed an inch in front of her face. Having Darren in particular know about her feelings for the handsome boy was something she didn't want, for she knew he'd get bored with her if she wasn't available. In many ways, she was using Darren for the attention he liked to give her, just as much as the sixth year was using the Youngest Descendant of Godric Gryffindor to boost his reputation a little.
The only difference was that Darren had actually found himself falling for the beautiful girl now that he knew how spectacular she was.
"Hiya." Raking her hands through her hair and setting her clothing right again, Ellie knew she must look a sight, flushing slightly. Darren smiled wide when she finally looked him in the eye, for her pink cheeks only made her look even prettier.
"There's a Hogsmeade trip this weekend..." Sirius rolled his eyes very obviously, picking himself up off the ground to go and sit between James and Remus instead. His foul attitude didn't go unnoticed by anyone, and the boys sent him tight smiles whilst Darren's expression only turned a little cockier, "I was wondering if you wanted to go?"
"With you?" Perhaps Ellie was being cruel, rubbing salt in Sirius' wounds, but Darren's invite was only another reminder that there were people out there that would be openly affectionate with her.
The sixth year nodded and waited patiently for an answer, whilst Ellie casted a look over to see Sirius sending daggers in Darren's direction. If it bothered him so much, Ellie wanted him to speak up - to give her a reason not to go. But like usual, the handsome boy stayed silent.
"Hogsmeade is a Marauders only event. Sorry Darren, Cubby's got plans." James interrupted, taking matters into his own hands, but it only made Ellie scowl.
She didn't need other people speaking on her behalf, making decisions for her. It was none of anyone's business whether she went to Hogsmeade with Darren or not. In fact, Sirius' radiating anger and James' intervention, only made her want to defy them even more. Even if it wasn't nice stringing Darren's feelings along, even if she was hopelessly in love with Sirius, she still enjoyed the sixth year's company, and going to Hogsmeade with him would be something new and exciting. And that's why she found herself saying the words she did...
"Yeah, I'll go to Hogsmeade with you Darren." It was as if James' words hadn't been spoken at all, "You've been going longer than us, so I don't doubt you know some cool spots. It'll be good. I'm excited." She beamed up at the sixth year, who ran a bashful hand through his hair.
Lily and Marlene had helped her get ready, before sending Ellie down to the common room to meet Darren Wayne. They were going to go up to the village in one of the carriages, so then, they'd be able to maximise the amount of time they spent there, and for once, Ellie was glad she didn't have to walk. The boys would be walking, and they'd refused to talk to her about her decision to go off with the sixth year, so running into them would be more than awkward. Though it seemed the universe was against her that day, for as soon as she stepped foot in the common room, four familiar faces were staring right at her.
Hair braided back into two plaits and adorn in one of Marlene's tight turtlenecks with Lily's denim jacket, Sirius wasn't sure he'd ever seen Ellie look so beautiful. There was a spring in her step as she hummed something to herself on her descent of staircase, but she came to a halt as soon as her eyes landed on them.
Her low singing of a song he recognised as 'Come and Get Your Love' by Redbone, ceased immediately, and a slightly guilty expression washed over her features. As she began moving again, clearly not wanting to look like a fool, she bowed her head slightly to avoid their gazes. Sirius wanted to rush forward and drag her out of the common room before Darren showed up to whisk her away, but he knew she'd only complain, and having her mad at him was something he really didn't want. Though when Ellie finally came over to them, a longing pooled in his chest.
"I thought you'd have left by now, don't want to miss the carriages." James was the first to speak, the tension palpable.
"We're going in a sec. Lily shoved me down here early, you know how she is."
No one else said a word and the minutes seemed to linger for far too long as they waited for the sixth year to appear. Never had the Marauders been so awkward, and just when Sirius decided he was going to try and convince her to go with them instead, Darren came jogging into the common room. Smile as perfect as ever, and curly honey coloured hair tousled more stylish than normal, he strode over to the beautiful girl, and her (in his opinion extremely annoying) friends.
Darren didn't even cast the boys a second look as he threw an arm around Ellie's shoulders in greeting, and she only got a moment to wave them goodbye before she was being led through the portrait door.
They sat in a carriage full of Darren's friends on the way to the village, and quite surprisingly, Ellie liked them all a lot - even the Ravenclaw girl called Ebony Lockheart she'd had a run in with before. The only strange thing was that all the boys seemed to very much look the same and remembering the names of each other them posed difficult because of this. She was used to having to tell the difference between two lots of raven hair, but four blonde boys was more of a tricky task.
Ellie was actually quite surprised to find Darren with a group of friends that so broadly stretched over all the different houses, because with him being so passionate about Gryffindor's Quidditch team, she expected him to be quite defensive about being a lion. But instead, the group consisted of just two Gryffindors - him and another boy called Fraser, who was only identifiable to Ellie because he had a thick Scottish accent. Then there was Ebony and a big eyed boy called Casper, who were both Ravenclaws, and Hufflepuff had a representative in very petite, Indian girl called Darika, whilst Slytherin gave a boy with a faint French accent called Tiberius.
Ellie didn't feel out of place with them at all, but she didn't know whether that was because they all knew of her putting Ebony in her place, so they all stayed polite. But the ride up to Hogsmeade wasn't as painful as expected, and she actually found herself forgetting about the band of mischief makers she'd felt so guilty over before. Fraser made a point of telling everyone they weren't allowed to ask Ellie lots of questions though, for they all had plans to meet in the Three Broomsticks later, and so they need to get to know her then instead.
Whilst Hogsmeade was never as wonderful as it was in the snow, she still enjoyed visits to the village a lot, even when she wasn't with her usual group of friends. Darren took her hand to guide her down the streets, making enough small talk for the both of them, and dragging her in every shop possible.
The first stop was Honeydukes, so Ellie couldn't complain, and as soon as she were munching on a chocolate frog, everything seemed to fall into place. She'd been slightly worried things might turn uncomfortable if they both ran out of things to talk about, but that didn't appear like it was going to happen, and despite Darren not being Sirius, she was having a good time already. They laughed hysterically when Darren flushed pink after taking her in Tomes and Scrolls, thinking that she might be the bookish type, and they talked for ages in Spintwitches about the newest line of Keeper helmets.
Ellie suggested that Darren should splash out for a new one, but he said that they looked like upside-down plant pots, and so they were laughing again.
She was having a better time with the sixth year than she thought she would have, especially after the boys being so blatantly unhappy about it. Her mind kept wandering back to a particular handsome boy she'd wanted to come to the village with in the first place, and every time, her cheeks would flame violently, but luckily Darren appeared to think it was because of whatever he was saying.
"Here's the happy couple!" Fraser announced loudly when they finally entered the post popular pub in the village, all of Darren's friends already sat at a table waiting for them.
Darren punched his best friend in the arm violently when he saw Ellie's cheeks go pink with embarrassment, but luckily the beautiful girl recovered quickly when Darika got up so that she could slide into the booth they were sat at. Ellie found herself squished between Darren and Ebony, but thankfully, it looked as if the Ravenclaw didn't hold any grudges about their previous encounter, and she just smiled warmly in greeting. Darika slid into the other side of the booth next to Casper and Tiberius, whilst Fraser was sent to get drinks, and the group soon slipped into comfortable chatter.
Resting his arm on the back of the booth behind Ellie, Darren kept sending her flirty smiles, and this time, she did find herself blushing because of the sixth year. It didn't matter that she didn't like him like that, Darren Wayne had a smile that could woo anyone.
"Bloody hell! It's packed in here, Rosmerta's about run off her feet." Fraser announced when he set the tray of pints of butterbeer in front of them all, before grabbing a stool to perch on the end of the table.
Everyone was quick to grab a glass, Darika seemingly trying to drown herself in the butterscotch flavoured liquid. When she eventually came up for air, everyone was chuckling at her huge frothy moustache which she seemed completely unaware of, a panic in her eyes as to what she'd done that was so funny.
"You got a little..." With his thumb, Casper carefully wiped away the froth on top of her lip, making Darika look suddenly very flustered.
"Thanks." She squeaked, and everyone else just shared knowing looks.
"That's a really cool ring." Grabbing Ellie's wrist carefully, Ebony brought the beautiful girl's hand closer to her face, inspecting the bit of jewellery, "Where'd you get it?"
"It's a family heirloom. My dad gave it me just before Christmas." Ellie replied simply, though everyone she was sat with seemed rather in awe.
Not usually socialising in groups outside of her friends, Ellie wasn't used to having to explain her family heritage, nor was she used to people gazing at her as if she was the most important person they'd ever met. It was different when she met posh Ministry officials and old accomplished witches and wizards, but these were her peers, and she didn't want them thinking any different of her. Whilst she was enjoying all of their companies, Ellie partly wished that she was back with the people who didn't look at her with wide eyes and open mouths because of her last name.
Though it appeared she didn't have to wish so hard.
Somehow, her attention was drawn to the entrance of the pub, and as if by magic, four boys were traipsing in. All of them scanning for an empty table, Ellie screwed up her face at something that was, no doubt, not a coincidence. The four boys pretended as if they didn't see her sat amongst the group of sixth years, but when Peter's eyes lingered a little too long, and James subsequently dragged him over to a table, she knew.
Ellie knew they'd come to spy on her.
"What's the matter?" Darren noticed her frustrated expression, and he tried to follow her eye line, but the pub was so crowded that it was difficult to see who she was looking at.
"They can't leave me alone for one fucking day." Darika blinked rapidly at Ellie's use of foul language whilst Fraser stifled laughter, "Sorry... My friends have just come in. They're trying to be nosey."
Sinking into her seat and hiding behind her glass of butterbeer, Ellie avoided looking in the direction of the Marauders, but where she sat meant she had a direct line of sight - another thing that wasn't a coincidence. The sixth years all turned in unison towards where Darren was trying to look, something that made Ellie groan internally, for they'd have inadvertently started a war with James Potter. The messy haired boy would be the instigator of all of this, she knew that, and if he thought the sixth years were trying to steal her away, James would kick up a fuss.
"Do they think you're like... their property?" Ebony asked with a disgusted facial expression, the Ravenclaw thinking back to the way Sirius Black had gotten so protective over the beautiful girl that night of the party in the Gryffindor common room.
"No, we're just close, is all." Despite Ellie being frustrated with her friends, she could still hear the way Ebony was trying to play them off as the villains, and she'd not have that. Ellie knew that if any of them were in her place, she'd be roped into doing the same - bloody James Potter.
"But they spy on you when you're not with them?"
"It's complicated..." Ellie replied quickly, "Me and James, we've been together since birth, he's actual family. He's just looking out for me as a brother, and it definitely will have been his plan. And Remus and Peter will have gotten roped in, because that's just how it works. Then Sirius-"
"Is jealous." Fraser cut in.
An annoyance bubbled inside of Ellie for Darren's friend out of nowhere. It wasn't the fact a part of her wanted Sirius to be jealous because then that would hopefully mean he shared some feelings for her, but it was more because this sixth year thought he knew exactly who Sirius was. Fraser didn't understand her relationships, nor did he even know anything about Sirius Black. Whilst Ellie's frustration seemed irrational and blown out of proportion, she couldn't help but send an icy glare at the sixth year who wore a cocky grin, sending smirks at Darren. He'd also interrupted her, which she hadn't liked at all.
"Would it matter if he was?" Ellie asked, raising her eyebrows.
She didn't miss the way she seemed to permeate the air around them with awkward tension, but Ellie didn't care. Ebony had frozen stiff at her side, sending wide eyed looks at Fraser, for she knew what it felt like to be on the receiving end of Ellie Gryffin's wrath. She didn't need Sirius at her side to be intimidating, the beautiful girl was powerful enough on her own.
"Well, it's just a bit pathetic really, isn't it?" Fraser replied, chuckling to himself and completely unaware of the awkward expressions of everyone else, "You're here with us, with Darren, he needs to get over himself. Besides, isn't he basically cast out from his family anyway, what's he got to offer?"
With how fascinated the group of sixth years seemed to be with her, Fraser should've known better than to disrespect Sirius Black in the presence of Ellie Gryffin - she was pureblood royalty after all.
"And you?" Ellie sat forward, the sight of Remus raising from his seat across the room catching her eye.
"And me what?" Fraser replied casually, still smirking.
"What do you have to offer?" The group were unknowingly sat with Persephone Eloise now, "It must be a lot if you think it's more than the Black family heir?"
Remus hovering by the entrance to the gent's toilet, close enough to hear, but not too close, wasn't something that went unnoticed by the beautiful girl. He'd no doubt been sent over because the boys noticed things getting tense, but now he stood with a proud smirk pulling up the corners of his mouth. Even though he had been sent to intervene if he needed to, Ellie was fine on her own. Once again, she found herself going against everything she stood for about pureblood stereotypes and using them to her advantage instead. Fraser need to be put in his place.
And already the sixth year looked flustered.
"Come on Ellie, he was just-" The beautiful girl cut Darren off with just a raise of her hand.
"Alright then, you can't answer that question, answer my next instead." Her eyes narrowed and Fraser shot looks at his friends for help, but none of them wanted to intervene, "What do you know of Sirius' family?"
"Well, um, Tib knows Narcissa Black..." He stuttered, pointing at his Slytherin friend.
"Oh, okay then. Tiberius, please enlighten us."
At this Remus wandered away, knowing full well that he wouldn't need to do anything - Ellie had herself handled. Though when he got back to the other boys, they all looked panicked, glancing between him and where their other friend was. Sirius jaw was severely clenched.
"What going on? Why does Cubs-" But Remus didn't let James finish, interrupting with a huge grin.
"I think Persephone Eloise has herself covered."
They all relaxed.
"You know, I don't half think she's wonderful our Cubby." James sighed dramatically.
Remus' words still found themselves being an understatement though, for Ellie Gryffin was well and truly putting the sixth years to shame. She had no regard for been polite anymore, and she didn't care if this would ruin her time with Darren either, because no one got to disrespect her friends. Her rage may have been fuelled by her newly acknowledged feelings for Sirius Black, but that didn't mean Fraser shouldn't have kept his mouth shut about the handsome boy's family. What went on behind the walls of 12 Grimmauld Place was nothing to speak lightly about, and whilst Ellie knew none of the people she was sat with would know that, Fraser had struck a nerve anyway.
"Come on Tiberius, tell us all the gossip. You are clearly the fount of all knowledge." She waited patiently for the Slytherin to reply but he looked just as flustered under her intense gaze.
"Well, they're sort of really pureblood aren't they..."
Ellie clapping loud and slow drew everyone's attention, including a few people on neighbouring tables. Though she wasn't clapping for long, because all in one movement, Darren grabbed one of her hands and swiftly dragged her from the table.
"Give that boy a trophy!" Ellie snarled wildly, as she was pulled out of the rowdy pub.
They didn't stop until Darren pulled Ellie down onto the nearest bench, sighing with an exasperated look. He ran a hand down his face, but the beautiful girl wasn't bothered by his dramatics - Ellie was still fuming. She knew she'd been harsh, cruel even, perhaps blown things out of proportion. But it had happened now. There was nothing she could do to take the moment back, but she could try and let it wash over her. Turning to face Darren properly, she hoped she hadn't ruined everything, but by his balled fists, she could tell she probably had.
"Why were you being difficult? I thought you'd like my friends." He said eventually, no sign of his perfect smile in sight.
"I wasn't being difficult, I'm just defending my friends. Besides, Fraser was the one that opened his mouth in the first place." Ellie defended herself, for she wouldn't be submissive the way she thought Darren was expecting her to be, but her tone wasn't as firm anymore either.
"He was only taking the piss because you were frustrated they'd followed us in there." Leaning back on the bench, the sixth year ran a hand down his face again, "Look, let's not let it ruin the day, alright?"
And as fast as that, everything was resolved, all brushed off nicely with a flash of Darren's pearly white teeth.
Though whilst Ellie had agreed to move past the incident, she was no longer as comfortable, and was starting to regret agreeing to come with him to Hogsmeade in the first place. They'd had a good time initially, but conversation wasn't flowing as easily as Darren tried to change the subject. In the moment of awkwardness, he'd resorted back to talking about Quidditch, and Ellie wasn't sure what more she could say on the topic - there was only so many times she could debate her favourite game tactics.
"We've been following them for nearly three hours, can we stop now?" Peter complained, trailing at the very back of his group of friends as his head lulled back in boredom.
They had, in fact, been following Ellie all day so far (and not just in the Three Broomsticks) keeping a far enough distance away to not be seen and darting in the back of shops the pair went into. Though now it was getting boring for the smallest Marauder, for the brief excitement of Ellie causing a bit of a scene in the pub, had fizzled out immediately.
It was James' idea, after he saw the truly deflated expression on Sirius' face after the sixth year dragged Ellie out of the common room. What they were trying to achieve, none of them knew, but keeping a watch to make sure Darren didn't try to make a serious move on their friend seemed to keep James and Sirius occupied. Nothing had come of their spying so far, for they hadn't ever gotten near enough to to actually hear the pair's conversation, but the Invisibility Cloak was in tow, so they still had some options left. Remus tried to tell them that this was an invasion of Ellie's privacy, but as ever, the two black haired boys couldn't be told, which meant they were all roped in.
"They're on the move!" James cried suddenly, pointing at the pair who'd been sat on a bench for a little while.
"We can see that." Rolling his eyes, Remus sighed, completely exasperated by them all trying to huddle behind a display board outside of Madam Puddifoot's to not be seen. They were right in front of the steamed-up window, and it was very easy to see all the couples inside snogging and drooling at each other, so it just felt weird being permanently placed as if they were trying to peer into the shop.
"Please say we're not going after them." But Peter's words fell on deaf ears as Sirius struck off without warning.
He'd been unusually quiet about the whole thing, silently observing the beautiful girl and not replying to James' stupid comments. It was the only way he was able to keep a lid on his frustration, annoyed at himself for not intervening when he had the chance, as much as he was annoyed Ellie had said yes to Darren in the first place.
It didn't take long for James to catch up with his big strides, the messy haired boy stumbling after him quickly, and clutching to the bundled-up Invisibility Cloak a little tighter. Remus and Peter shared another eye roll as they too followed on, all four of them starting down the track which led up to the Shrieking Shack a good ten metres behind Ellie and Darren. When the shack came into view, the pair stopped, looking up to the building as if they were talking about it, and Remus sighed.
"I hate that bloody place. Why does it have to be that bloody place?"
Though before he could linger on the topic for too long, Sirius yanked him behind a particularly large rock, closer to the pair than they'd got for the whole trip. James threw the Invisibility Cloak over their heads that peaked out above the rock, allowing them to listen in without being seen.
It was ridiculous and invasive, they all sort of knew that - there was no need to eavesdrop on their friend. But there they were, all crouched uncomfortably behind a rock as they strained their ears to listen to exactly what Darren was saying as Ellie shrugged her shoulders in response.
Peter wasn't interested in the slightest, sinking down as low as possible, and pulling out a liquorice wand from his pocket to chew on. He didn't even watch the scene the rest of them were studying, staring out at the trees behind them instead. However, James and Sirius were poised impatiently, leaning their arms on the rock in a bid to get just a little bit nearer, and even Remus couldn't deny his curiosity now they were close enough to overhear Ellie.
"I'm telling you, it's definitely not haunted." The beautiful girl stated with a scoff, earning raised eyebrows from Darren.
"Oh really? And how would you know?" Remus tensed slightly, but he knew she'd never give his secret up just like that, and he focussed on her lie instead.
"I don't know." Ellie mocked playfully, "But you really can't believe that ghosts live there?"
"Maybe it's Nearly Headless Nick's summer home." They both started chuckling, and Sirius' face mangled into an ugly mess of features, "Do you want to go nearer?"
When Darren tugged on Ellie's hand slightly, nodding up to the shack, she froze up. She was sure students dared each other to go closer to the supposedly haunted building on a regular basis, but the situation wasn't a joke to her. It wasn't a reckless bit of fun, nor a challenge to show who was the bravest.
The Shrieking Shack was something she had very conflicted views about, the first one being its name. Whilst she understood no one knew the truth and rumours spread easily, Ellie couldn't imagine what Remus thought the first time he heard someone refer to the building as that. And then, as pleased as she was that Dumbledore had made allowances for Remus to be able to stay at school for his monthly transformations, she also hated how it became a prison for him - as if it wasn't enough that he had to go through torture every month, but he also had to get locked up during it too.
Though, at the end of the day, she was able to somewhat relax knowing that her friend would always wake up safe the next morning, and not somewhere random in the Forbidden Forest, nor under the control of the Werewolf Capture Unit at the Ministry.
"I think it's best we head back up to the village." Plastering a smile onto her face, Ellie refused to be dragged closer by Darren, but the sixth year just started smirking.
"Are you scared?" He was teasing, but Ellie's face dropped completely.
Am I scared of one of my dearest friends? She wanted to ask. The answer's no. Pulling her hand from Darren's grip, she tensed immediately, her light-hearted demeanour dissolving instantly. Ellie was starting to think the sixth year was purposely trying to get her defensive about her friends.
The boys watched on with even more interest, even Peter sitting up properly to see her reaction. Remus paled slightly, understanding what Darren was asking, even if the sixth year didn't understand the real weight to his own question, but Ellie's reaction gave him a little faith. They watched her become very stand-offish in almost an instant, and Sirius couldn't help but let a proud smile curl up the corners of his lips. He was happy to see the 'date' falling apart slightly (even if that was him being a bad friend), but he was even happier to see Ellie still standing on their side.
"Why would I be scared?" She asked forcefully, brow creasing, but Darren was still seemingly reading the situation wrong.
"'Cause it's haunted!" He lurched forward wiggling his fingers in her face playfully, a huge grin on his features as he tried to make her giggle, but Ellie just took a step away.
"It's not bloody haunted!" She snapped, making Darren become serious very quickly.
His arms fell limply by his sides as his smile dropped too, posture becoming stiff. He wasn't quite sure what he'd done wrong, but whatever it was, it seemed to have permanently set her features into a frown - he cursed Fraser for putting her in a bad mood.
James pumped his fist in the air from under the cloak, silently celebrating his best friend putting Darren in his place, and Remus warmed with gratitude. Though now Ellie looked very stranded, her and the sixth year standing looking at each other with nothing to say. She needed rescuing now, and fast, for she didn't have an escape plan, and it didn't appear that her and Darren would be returning to the joking and laughing either. Without a word, Sirius made move to get up and go over, but before he emerged from underneath the Invisibility Cloak, Remus grabbed his arm.
There was a familiar face walking down the track towards them, their curly black hair unmistakable, and it seemed they'd noticed Ellie stuck in an awkward situation too.
Wrapped in the same expensive looking black trench coat he always was in when not in school uniform, the curly haired boy's steps faltered when he got near to the pair. He hadn't been seeking out Ellie Gryffin, simply taking a walk by himself, but now he'd stumbled across her, he didn't really know how to react. It was the first time he'd seen her since the train journey after Christmas, and where they stood now that he'd been rude to her, he didn't know.
However, as his steps faltered, he drew attention to himself, and Darren's gaze snapped to him. Hovering awkwardly, he knew it looked as if he were spying on them, but just by Ellie's stance he knew something must be wrong, and so his feet wouldn't carry him away.
"Go on Reg!" James whispered, all four of the boys pleading for Sirius' brother to intervene.
When she realised that Darren was staring at someone, Ellie rounded on the spot to see who it was, and a wave of relief washed over her immediately. Visibly relaxing, she rushed towards the Slytherin boy to wrap him in a tight hug, pretending she was just greeting him.
"Save me please." She mumbled into his ear so that Darren couldn't hear, and Regulus had to ignore the way her breath fanned down his neck.
Squeezing her tighter briefly, something the curly haired boy never did, Regulus indicated that he'd make an excuse for her, though it panicked him that she was in this situation in the first place. He had so many questions as to why she was so isolated with the sixth year, and what had happened to make her look so uncomfortable. As she pulled away from the hug, there was an unhappiness clouded in those sea green eyes of hers, and Regulus' jaw tensed protectively.
It appeared Darren would face the wrath of two purebloods today.
It wasn't difficult for the youngest Black to intimidate, even with Darren Wayne being two school years older than him. He had a glare which was taught by Walburga Black, and a carefully crafted composure that demanded respect - he wasn't a part of the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black for nothing.
Turning on Darren Wayne, Regulus made sure to keep his expression cold and sharp, sticking his nose a little higher in the air. He was no match for the sixth year Keeper physically, but already Darren was cowering slightly under the intense glare of the Slytherin he'd never taken much notice of before. Uncharacteristically, Regulus reached out for Ellie's hand, making sure it was very obvious that he laced their fingers together, and Darren's eyes focussed on the movement instantly.
He wasn't sure how the beautiful girl knew this boy who looked the picture of a wealthy pureblood upbringing, his emerald green jumper visible from beneath his trench coat - he didn't get the impression Ellie associated with the snakes, for Darren believed Tiberius was different than the rest of the Slytherins.
"Who's your..." Regulus paused briefly, looking Darren Wayne up and down, "Friend?" The word was said as an insult, tone clear and commanding, and Ellie squeezed his hand once in thanks.
"This is Darren Wayne." Inclining his head to the side slightly so that it was clear he was listening, Regulus never tore his eyes from Darren, "He's the Gryffindor Quidditch Captain."
Ellie had to suppress her smiles as Regulus just nodded once in recognition, still looking Darren up and down as if he were the scum of the earth.
She didn't want the sixth year to think that she didn't like him at all, because Darren was nice and she enjoyed his company most of the time, but the day had only opened her eyes as to how much. She was in love with Sirius, really in love with him, that wasn't anything entirely new, so Ellie was aware she'd never like Darren the way he liked her. His attention was nice, for Sirius always backed off when anything that was classified as 'more than friends' was about to happen, but Ellie was certain she'd never be interested in taking up Darren's implied suggestions about their 'relationship'. As much as she sometimes wanted to make Sirius jealous, she'd never go to extremes such as that. She had more respect for herself, and for Sirius, and for Darren's feelings.
It was bad enough she was letting him stay interested as it was.
She decided that Darren was good in small bursts - a chat over breakfast or someone to walk you to your next lesson. That meant it'd never get to the point where it looked like she was leading him on, but they could still stay friendly too.
As much as they'd been able to keep up conversation during their trip to the village, Ellie's attention span had worn thin, and him hitting a nerve about the Shrieking Shack straight after things had turned foul with his friends, had just made her want to call it a day. Regulus had been a guardian angel sent to give her a getaway car, a good excuse to say that she'd seen Darren some more another time.
"And Darren, this is Regulus." Ellie kept up with the formality her Slytherin friend brought to the conversation, "Regulus Black." Without making it obvious, she emphasised his name so that Darren caught on to the fact that this was Sirius' brother.
It was obvious he didn't like her best friend, or any of her friends for that matter, so she hoped this might put him off a little. Especially after what Fraser had said about the Blacks. Because whilst Sirius, Regulus and Andromeda were the only ones of the family that weren't evilly corrupt to the beautiful girl, Ellie believed Darren had more sense than to disrespect them again in front of her.
"Oh, right." The sixth year seemed to recognise the Slytherin now, stepping forward and letting a friendly smile grace his features, "Sirius' brother? I didn't know you were friends with him too. It's nice to meet you, mate."
Darren stuck out a hand in greeting, but Regulus made no moves to take it.
"Pleasure." He drawled.
Darren's smiled faltered slightly, and he shoved his hands in his pockets rather awkwardly, shuffling his feet. He didn't get a very nice impression off of Regulus, so why the beautiful girl seemed so friendly with him, he had no idea. If it wasn't shock enough that Ellie Gryffin, the Youngest Descendant of Godric Gryffindor, was friends with Sirius Black, but his Slytherin brother too. He found Regulus' cold composure one that was almost intolerable.
Ignoring Darren's existence, the youngest Black turned to face Ellie properly, grabbing her other hand and bringing them both up towards his chest. When he stepped nearer to her too, Darren contemplated whether he'd completely messed up, and not realised Ellie was in a relationship with this Slytherin. The way Regulus was looking at her certainly implied so. But of course, he didn't know it was all for theatrical flair. Though, Regulus didn't actually have to do much acting, because even just pretending to be like this with the girl he cared so much for, was more than he was allowed to do normally - he'd milk it as best he could.
"I was looking for you." Regulus' voice softened when his eyes were solely on Ellie, and she smiled at him.
It took everything in them both not to laugh over how bemused Darren appeared, and Regulus looked away briefly as he hid the corners of his lips curling up.
"You were?" Ellie spoke in the airiest voice she could conjure up.
"I wanted to talk to you about the train. I didn't mean those words I said, I was just frustrated." There was truth in what he was saying, and Ellie was able to gain some seriousness, "You know how tense things are between me and my brother."
"Don't worry, Reg, it's fine."
"But I was so cruel when you were just trying to be kind." Ellie shook her head gently, smiling lovingly as Regulus furrowed his eyebrows together.
"I understand." Her words made him relax in an instant, but then he remembered Darren Wayne watching them, and his posture straightened again.
"I'll buy you a sparkly piece of jewellery to apologise. Come and pick something out." Regulus didn't need to phrase his sentence as a question, for this was the escape she'd asked of him, and Ellie squeezed his hands once more.
Though his words were getting rather ridiculous, and she was struggling to keep her laughter in now, more than ever.
"Do you mind?" She turned to Darren, who still look baffled, watching them both with careful eyes, "I do love a good sparkly necklace."
Darren shook his head, not being able to think of anything that would convince her to stay anyway.
That was all it took for them to set off down to path back up to the village, leaving the sixth year completely by himself. They both wore victorious grins when Ellie looped her arm around Regulus' as they walked away, taking their air of superiority with them.
Darren watched them go, still confused by the situation, and half contemplating if he needed to get his hands on a sparkly necklace to give to her as an apology of how the day turned out. However, something told him that the type of jewellery Regulus could afford, would be far fancied than anything he could buy. It annoyed him greatly that she'd been stolen away by yet another one of the Blacks, but he couldn't doubt that the pair were the picture of all things perfectly pureblood. It was rather intimidating, the way they looked so aristocratic and noble, (even if Ellie shunned that part of her life away.)
Darren perhaps underestimated the status that Ellie Gryffin held.
"I love your brother sometimes." James exclaimed solemnly, clapping Sirius on the shoulder as the four boys all snuck back up to the village too.
Naturally, Regulus had question after question about what was going on with Darren Wayne before he arrived, and so, Ellie explained (leaving out the section about Remus' lycanthropy of course). He was glad to hear that it had been nothing serious exactly, for initially he'd been terrified the sixth year had lured her away from the village on purpose. It seemed though, that his appearance had been greatly appreciated regardless, and Ellie went on to tell him why she was even there with Darren in the first place.
It was no surprise to him that Sirius was the cause, and it was also no surprise to him that his brother was being dismissive either. However, he could see how uncomfortable Ellie was discussing the topic, cautious of saying too much in wake of the kiss incident last year, and Regulus was very glad of this. As much as he'd accepted Sirius would be the one that the beautiful girl would pick, he still didn't like to be reminded of it.
They wandered back through the streets of Hogsmeade, catching up after not having spoken for a good while, but it wasn't long until the group that had been following them, finally caught up.
"Cubby!" James Potter's voice was louder and more enthusiastic than his normal greetings, and Ellie knew instantly he was covering something up, "Fancy seeing you here."
"What have you done?" Turning on the spot to face her four friends, Ellie narrowed her eyes at the messy haired boy as she unhooked her arm from Regulus'. Of course, she knew this was about them following her, but she wanted them to admit it.
"We've done nothing." Lies, "Anyway... Where's Darren?"
There was something suss, Ellie was sure. Peter looked exhausted; Remus at his wits end; Sirius was smiling wider than usual; and James' tone said it all. She also didn't miss the Invisibility Cloak wedged under her best friend's arm, which was a sure sign they'd probably been hid underneath it watching her awkward encounter with Darren just. This made her groan internally, for she didn't want them to make a fuss about it, but by the way James was trying to act as if it never happened, it appeared they wouldn't.
"I don't like that Darren Wayne." Regulus spoke out of turn, something he rarely did, and Ellie hit him on the arm.
He was never so rude, and whilst she had wanted to get away from the sixth year, that didn't mean he wasn't nice. James, however, looked more than pleased.
"Join the club Reg." Putting his hand forward for a high-five, James sent the Slytherin a lopsided smile, but Regulus wasn't really the high-fiving type, and so left him hanging.
"Can we not be mean about my friends?" Ellie interjected, "He could have you kicked off the team, you know?" James just scoffed, puffing out his chest a little.
Sirius had been quiet the whole time, but he was more than pleased to see the beautiful girl out of the clutches of Darren Wayne. Even if his brother had to be the one that she went off with instead. Whilst he'd gone along with James' spying plan wholeheartedly, it had felt somewhat like self-inflicted torture, for watching Ellie spend time with another boy was more than tormenting - an older and more popular boy at that. Yet now she was standing before him again, she felt back within reach, and it settled all his panic. There was no hiding his elation, and it was clear to anyone just how quickly his mood had shifted within the past minute.
Reaching out his hand towards her, Sirius made sure he had Ellie's whole attention before he spoke. Though, it didn't take much when she was so infatuated with him like she was.
"We were going for a butterbeer. Are you coming?"
"We were all in there earlier." She replied raising her eyebrows, an amused grin pulling at the corners of her mouth.
"Yeah, but we didn't get to have a drink together, did we?"
Wiggling his fingers at the beautiful girl with a smirk, Sirius didn't have to ask twice before she about leaped into his arms. He didn't mind though, wrapping both his arms around her shoulders as he brought her into a hug. It was almost worrying how much they'd both missed each other in the short period of time they'd been apart - Sirius had been miserable she'd ditched them for Darren Wayne, and Ellie had gotten bored quickly without those stormy grey eyes to gaze into.
"Thanks again Reggie. Truly. You're a saint." Twisting her head to face the youngest Black as she spoke, Ellie rested her head on Sirius' chest as he pulled her even closer.
Things were still tense between the brothers, for they hadn't spoken since the train, but they were able to share a nod in recognition. A silent conversation passed between them where Sirius thanked Regulus for stepping in to give Ellie an escape, and Regulus told him he was glad to see him so happy with the beautiful girl.
"I try." Was all he replied, shoving his hands in his pockets as he bid them all farewell.
All was well in the world again now that the Marauders were reunited, and Ellie and Sirius were hugging each other close to their sides as they walked. James led the way with more enthusiasm than normal as they made the short walk to the Three Broomsticks, managing to coax some energy out of Peter as they started a very out of tune rendition of the messy haired boy's current favourite Queen track.
They drew the eyes of many Witches and Wizards as they burst through the doors of the pub, halfway through singing the chorus loudly, though the boys took no notice and they followed Remus to a table in the window. It was rather small, and James had to drag an extra chair from nearby, but they all managed to huddle round all the same. Remus set himself in the booth in the window, with Ellie and Sirius squishing together tighter than needed to fit too; James slumped in his uncomfortable wooden chair, and Peter was sent to order drinks. It meant when he returned with five pints of the warm nectar, he was forced onto a rickety old stool, which looked as if it may collapse any second.
"Why'd you cause a scene in here earlier? I mean it was funny, looked pissed out of your mind. But did they say something?" Sirius asked Ellie his question when he noticed her looking to see if Darren's friend were still in the pub. Thankfully, they weren't.
"The other Gryffindor, called Fraser, he said some bullshit about you. I put him in his place."
Sirius really did about lean forward and kiss her - he was itching to the way she was gazing at him was so much sincerity. She was his own personal Patronus, he was sure of it now. He was sure he didn't deserve someone who cared so much, in fact, he wasn't sure what good deed he'd done to receive this guardian angel in return. It would've had to be a huge good deed, the most pure-hearted deed anyone could ever do. And Sirius was sure he wasn't pure like that. He wasn't pure like Ellie Gryffin was; he was tainted by cruel and deranged relatives, a family name that seemed to only come with sorrow.
But not to her. Sirius Black was a soul worth saving in the beautiful girl's eyes.
"To nearly a month of mouth torture complete!" James announced, not too loudly for a change.
They all raised their glasses in the air before chinking them together and sloshing liquid on the table. With chuckles they all took a sip of their drinks, giving them all frothy white moustaches, which only made them laugh a little more.
"You know I'll never be able to repay you lot for this." Remus turned the joyful atmosphere very solemn suddenly, but he was only returned with big grins.
There was no questioning that they would do this for him and expect nothing in return. It was the type of thing that family did, and Remus didn't deserve to suffer alone. Peter patted him on the shoulder affectionately, and Ellie grabbed his hand briefly to give it a squeeze, whilst they all toasted again.
"To the Marauders, future full moons, and scandalous misdemeanours!"