It was Saturday evening, and Eleanor's heart was pounding in her chest as she waited in the common room. She tried to study for Monday's exam, which would be Charms, but the words just danced in front of her eyes.
Sirius had gotten himself in detention again with professor Pitt. Although he usually behaved very well in Astronomy class, James told her, he had been acting like an utter know-it-all. Eventually, Pitt had enough and sent him to McGonagall's office. He had to scrub the Owlery on Saturday after dinner.
"But that's perfect!" James had said, "You can wait for him until he gets back and then you two can just, you know, snog or whatever to make it up again!"
Eleanor groaned. "Why do boys think the only thing we do is snog?"
"Because that's practically everything you did," Amelia huffed. Peter nodded in agreement.
"Nah, that's just what you wanted to see," Eleanor retorted with a grin.
The five of them had secretly been plotting a scheme to get Eleanor and Sirius to talk to each other in private, which was a challenge because Sirius was always with someone.
"We'll just have an early night in," Remus reassured her.
Eleanor had agreed a bit reluctantly. But after doing some thinking, she reckoned it probably would be best. She didn't want either of them to take that stress with them into their exam week. Especially not Sirius, who had his important OWLs coming up.
Her head snapped up when the clock struck ten. He could walk in any minite now - detentions usually only lasted until nine-thirty, but he had to walk all the way back so it took a little longer.
She closed her books and collected all of her stuff. Then she just sat and waited a little longer, staring into the fire.
Her thoughts wandered off to the last full moon, when Sirius hadn't been there. The boys weren't talking back then.
Her lips curled up into a grin as she got an idea. Eleanor closed her eyes and concentrated as much as she could. Eventually she felt her bones shift as she turned into the majestic white wolf she could be.
Her white ears twitched when the door opened. Instinctively, Eleanor leaped of the couch and hid in a corner behind a table.
"Prongs?" Sirius' voice came from the portrait hole.
Her heart beat faster when he came into sight. He looked really tired, and Eleanor could clearly smell the owl droppings on his hands, making her sick.
"What a mate," he sighed and then plopped onto the sofa.
Eleanor watched him as he kicked off his shoes and put his feet up on the table. He lay his head back and closed his eyes.
Very quietly, Eleanor slipped out of her hiding spot and slowly made her way over to him. But as she reached the sofa, she took a moment to take in the sight.
Sirius looked so beautifully peaceful when he had his eyes closed. His chest rose and fell slowly, and she could hear him breathe out through his nose. He had cut his hair again. James told her he had been complaining about it because of the heat. But he still looked great, whichever way his hair was.
His brow turned into a frown and he opened his eyes. Eleanor tilted her head a little. Sirius gave her the biggest smile she'd ever seen.
"Hey beautiful," he said softly, sitting up straight.
Eleanor jumped up next to him on the sofa and rested her head in his lap. Sitius chuckled and stroked her back.
Then his face turned a bit nore serious. "M'sorry Ella, for everything. I've been a real prat I know, I'm really sorry," he said, looking down at her.
Smiling a little to herself, Eleanor slowly changed back. Her head was still in his lap and she was looking up at him now.
"It's okay Paddy," she said, staring into his eyes.
Sirius smiled and pulled her up into a hug. Eleanor sighed deeply and wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him as close as possible.
"I've missed you so much," she mumbled, running her fingers through his hair.
"Me too love," he whispered, kissing her on her head. Her heart fluttered at those words.
She felt her cheeks burn as he started to trail kisses from her head down to her neck. "I love you so much," he murmured, rubbing circles on her back.
Sirius pulled back when she said, "I love you too."
There was a look in his eyes Eleanor had never seen before. The usual light grey seemed to have turned a shade darker, and she felt a little tingle in her stomach.
He licked his lips. "Can- Can I kiss you?" he asked, his voice a little low.
Eleanor chuckled and nodded. Sirius grinned and then crashed his lips onto hers. It was just like their first kiss, when she felt like the air had been knocked out of her lungs as well.
He deepened the kiss, pulling her onto his lap. Eleanor smiled against his lips and put her hands on the sides of his face.
They pulled back, both a little out of breath. When Eleanor looked into his eyes, Sirius winked, and the two of them started laughing.
Eleanor pecked him on the lips again, making Sirius chuckle. "Not had enough yet?" he said, cocking his eyebrow.
"Like I could ever get enough of you," she grinned, climbing off his lap and sitting down next to him again.
Sirius laughed and shook his head. Eleanor sighed happily as she leaned against his shoulder. Instictively, Sirius wrapped an arm around her.
She had missed this. She had missed him, even though she didn't want to admit that at the time.
"Are you nervous?" she asked him.
Sirius frowned. "Yeah, s'all getting a bit too much now isn't it, bloody war," he mumbled.
There was a tense feeling in her chest. "I meant your exams actually, but yeah, I suppose you're right," she sighed. "Hadn't really thought about that a lot lately."
He turned to her with an apologetic look on his face. "Oh m'sorry love," he rubbed his thumb over her shoulder. "I'm not that nervous actually, not more than usual anyway, you?"
Eleanor shrugged. "Nah, not really, should be alright," she smiled a little.
"Good," he said, squeezing her shoulder gently.
Her mind wandered off to the headlines they'd seen not long ago in the Prophet and the Muggle newspaper. There was no denying anymore that there was a war going on, everyone could feel it.
Eleanor had even overheard some other students in the hallway saying that their parents would maybe keep them home next year. She really hoped that wouldn't be the case for her and Remus.
"You haven't been speaking to Regulus have you?" Sirius suddenly said, frowning a little.
She shook her head. She couldn't even remember the last time she spoke with Regulus, although it certainly had to be before Dooms Day.
Eleanor tilted her head a little. "Why? Have you?"
Sirius bit his lip and nodded. "I have, yeah. Saw him last week," he said.
She turned a little to him, curiosity getting the better of her. "Did something happen?"
"No, I just wanted to try one last time to get him out of the shit he's in," Sirius mumbled, looking down at his hands.
Eleanor pursed her lips and looked at the side of his face. But Sirius didn't look up at her, so she just grabbed his hand and squeezed it.
"He'll be fine Sirius," Eleanor spoke softly.
He nodded weakly. "Let's hope so," he said.
It went silent for a little as the two stared into the fire, merely enjoying each other's company that night.
She honestly couldn't be happier they were reunited again, that she could finally act normal around her boyfriend again.
But now there was this anxiety creeping up on her again. The boys had made the war a pretty general topic lately, saying they want to fight along with the others when they were of age.
So now that Sirius was back, there surely would be more of that. And she had her first taste of that that very evening.
It was half past ten when the silence was disrupted by a a loud group of seventh-years entering the common room. Oblivious to the couple on the sofa, they sat down together at the table and startes to play a drinking game.
Sirius threw an annoyed glance over his shoulder, causing Eleanor to chuckle.
"S'alright, we should go to bed anyway," said Eleanor, patting him on his leg.
He looked at her with puppy eyes. "Already?" he pouted.
Eleanor laughed and shook her head. She kissed him on the lips one last time and then got up.
"Goodnight Paddy," she smiled.
Sirius winked, "Night love."
She hoped she'd sleep the best she had in months that night, but Eleanor drifted off to sleep only three hours later, tossing and turning as her mind raced with worry and fear.
***
Monday was hectic. Eleanor's first exam was History of Magic, which she found great because that meant she could get it out of the way.
She had a pretty good feeling about it. After all, she'd spent hours trying to memorize all the important names and dates concerning the Goblin Rbeellions. Although she had to admit that when the name Paog Eidranog came across, it didn't ring a bell.
Doris was convinced she had mixed up two goblins and thought she was going to fail the exam. It took the other three girls half an hour and a bunch of biscuits to cheer her up again.
The fifth-years had Charms that day. The written exam in the morning, and the practical exam in the afternoon.
Eleanor was very eager to hear what OWLs were like, and bombarded her older friends with questions when they were sitting on their usual spot by the lake that afternoon.
"The writing part was easy," James said, waving his hand at her. "S'just a shame I turned my rat blue instead of red, but I bet Flitwick will let me off the hook for that one."
"Bet you did just fine Prongs," Peter reassured him.
Lily rolled her eyes and looked up from the book she was reading. "You're not perfect you know, Potter," she huffed.
James took off his glasses and looked at her. "Right, like you'll ever let me forget. I know you love me Evans," he grinned.
Lily snorted and shook her head, then looked back down at her book. Eleanor thought it was fairly evident she did so to hide the blush creeping to her face, but apparently none of the others noticed.
"Way to get a girl Prongs," Sirius said, flicking James across his head.
The boys ended up in a sort of wrestling match and rolled around on the ground. If she didn't know better, she'd have thought they were two little children.
Eleanor chuckled and leaned back against the tree. She watched as Remus fiddled a bit on Andrew's guitar. He'd been playing it non-stop lately, claiming it helped with his exam stress.
Remus played a little, softly, and then leaned over to write something on a bit of parchment.
"Watcha writin' Moons?" James said, trying to fix his hair when he and Sirius broke apart. He edged over a little, nudging into Remus' shoulder.
"Nothing, shove off," Remus mumbled as he slid the paper further away from James.
Peter, who'd just been watching all this time, pursed his lips together. When Remus didn't pay attention, he leaped forward and snatched the parchment from his hands. James and Sirius stood up as well as they cheerd him on.
The blonde boy grinned proudly and held the parchment up in front of him. Remus shot up and tried to get it back, but there was no use.
"Tell me how to be in this world!" Peter cackled over Remus' complaints. But as he read on, his happy expression turned into a frown.
"How to breathe in and feel no hurt, I believe in us," he ended.
He lowered the paper and looked down at his friend, now sitting on the ground again, guitar laying helpessly by his side.
Eleanor's smile faded as well and she gave her brother a sorry look. Remus only glanced quickly at her. Bummed, James and Sirius sat down again.
Remus met Peter's eyes for a second before grabbing the parchment from his hands.
"M'sorry Remus, I didn't mean to-"
"It's fine Wormtail, don't worry," Remus said, folding up the parchment and putting it in his back pocket.
Eleanor sat a little closer to her brother to try and comfort him, but he just shrugged her hand off.
"D'you wanna talk about it?" James asked, looking up at Remus.
But Remus shook his head, curls falling slightly before his eyes as he looked longingly at the guitar next to him.
The rest of their two exam weeks passed by quickly, quicker than Eleanor had expected them to.
She thought she did quite alright in all of her exams. Except for Astronomy, which was at night, and because Eleanor wasn't sleeping well lately, she had a hard time focusing on the task ahead of her.
Sirius had done a good job as well, even in History which he hadn't studied for at all (not like he'd done any studying anyway).
Amelia and Eleanor ran up the stairs enthusiastically after they checked the Map to see where the boys were. She knocked on the door.
Nothing.
She looked over her shoulder. Amelia shrugged, so Eleanor decided to open the door and poke her head around the corner.
Remus was sitting on his bed, guitar in his lap, gently playing a song. The other three boys were sat on the ground, admiring every little thing he was doing.
A smile crept to the girls' faces. They stepped inside a bit more, being very careful not to make any noise. Eleanor leaned against the doorframe and listened to her brother sing, and she immediately recognised the song.
Andy
Just one more thing boy
You give back your ring to me
And I will set you free
Go with him
Eleanor was astonished when James started to sing along. How on earth did he know the words?
All of my life
I've been searching for a girl
To love me like I love you
Oh now
But every girl I've ever had
Breaks my heart and leaves me sad
What am I, what am I supposed to do
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh
His eyes shot up when Eleanor moved her hand to her mouth in surprise. Remus stopped singing and cleared his throat. The others turned their heads as well to see what was going on, looking a bit flushed as well.
"How long have you been standing there?" Remus asked shyly, his cheeks turning read.
"Long enough to know that that was bloody brilliant!" Amelia said with a huge grin on her face.
Eleanor chuckled and nodded. Remus couldn't help but smile a little at that. He put away his guitar, indicating the session was over. On cue, the boys got up and went over to their own beds.
"I didn't know you liked The Beatles James," said Eleanor, crossing her arms over her chest.
"Like? It's the only bloody thing he'll listen to!" Sirius said.
The girls giggled as James pushed Sirius in his side, nearly knockinf him over.
"What! They were legends!" he defended himself.
"They still are," Eleanor added with a smile.
James gave her a nod and glared at Sirius, "Thank you Ella, good to know I've at least got one mate with good taste in music."
Sirius snorted. "Oh fuck off, they're ancient they are," he joked.
"Can you both just shut the fuck up," Remus said, looking annoyed.
Eleanor had to laugh at her brother's sudden cussing, and James looked at him with raised eyebrows.
"Why are you here anyways?" Remus asked the girls while he changed into some normal daywear.
Much to their dismay, they were still expected to wear their school uniforms during their exams.
"We wanted to ask if you wanted to come sit outside, celebrate the end of the schoolyear and all that," Amelia said casually, throwing glances every so often at Remus' bare back.
James nodded. "Sure, why not," he said.
He only took off his jumper and opened the first few buttons of his shirt. Peter didn't care much for clothes and only took off his robes. Sirius did the same as James but also loosened his tie a little.
"Right you lot ready or do you also need to do your make-up first?" Eleanor sighed. She grinned as James threw a pillow at her.
The six of them were outside within the next half an hour, because believe it or not, James wanted to fix his hair first 'in case he saw Lily'.
It was a very sunny afternoon, and the Gryffindors took refuge in the shade under one of the biggest trees next to the Black Lake.
They had brought a deck of cards with them to play Exploding Snaps. So once they had situated themselves, that's what they did.
She'd just started to get into the game when her focus was disrupted by a loud 'Oi Evans!' coming from James.
Sirius groaned and fell back into the grass as Lily, Mary, Marlene, and Alice approached them.
"You look nice today," James complimented Lily when they had reached them.
Her cheeks turned a bit pink, but she didn't say anything. It was true, Lily was wearing a lovely light blue dress which came just above her knees.
"Why! You all look great! Ahw, thanks James that's so nice of you to say!" Mary said sarcastically.
"I know, gentleman through and through," James grinned.
The girls sat down as well and played along with them for a bit. Peter had already won twice by the time they had enough of the game.
"Ah come on you guys, you're just quitting cause I win all the time," he whined.
Sirius rolled his eyes. "No Pete, it's cause we've been already playing for an hour," he said, putting the cards back into the cardboard box.
They were just hanging around when suddenly there was a scream coming from behind them, followed be the low laughter of a group of boys.
All ten heads turned to see what was going on. Eleanor's eyes widened when she saw a group of Slytherins laughing at a second-year who was upside down by his ankles.
"Is that-"
"Fucking Snape," James growled.