good things fall apart • sirius black

In style

     "Meet us in the Three Broomsticks at one and don't forget to have fun!" James waved Sirius off as the handsome boy ran up ahead to meet Jessica.

Every student from third year upwards, always buzzed with excitement when the first Hogsmeade weekend rolled around, somewhere near the beginning of October. It was a big occasion, being released from the castle grounds for a change. However wonderful Hogwarts was, being stuck there for over half the year sometimes got claustrophobic. Going off to the village was like a breath of fresh air, a chance to relax more, somewhat away from the watchful eyes of teachers. There weren't ever a lot of students that didn't take the opportunity for an excursion - being able to browse in shops or sit with a butterbeer in the pub. An opportunity to ditch the school uniform entirely and mess around for a few hours.

It tended to be another one of those Marauders only events, no man left behind and no one extra. They'd splash out on all things sweet in Honeydukes and restock pranking supplies in Zonko's; Remus would buy new books in Tomes and Scrolls, and James would goggle idly at any new Quidditch equipment in Spintwitches.

Despite there being carriages to transport students there if they wished, the group would often walk to avoid the crowds. If they were feeling particularly antisocial, they'd venture down one of their secret passageways to the village that went straight from the castle - it was slightly quicker, and one of them even came out in Honeydukes' cellar. Though, they had to be careful, for the group just popping up in the village when no one had seen them leave the school drew unwanted attention. Lily and Snape had spent countless hours last year, trying to figure how they did it, but the pair weren't aware of James' Invisibility Cloak and so never got anywhere with their suspicions.

They were always an eclectic mix of random fashion statements and Marlene complained that the group shouldn't be allowed out of school uniform, but none of them really cared. Hogsmeade meant nothing remotely formal and no pesky ties to deal with, so they all milked every occasion.

Of course, Ellie never went anywhere without her favourite denim flares and often wore a pink floral poncho - the hippie look was really her thing, regardless of the fact it was becoming rather 'last decade'. She'd drag out the floaty clothes as long as possible.

Having a love affair with bright colours, James refused to wear any top that wasn't a satin shirt. There had been a moment last year when Lily had made a particularly disgusted face at one of them and he'd considered finding a new style, but when he'd gone to throw them all out, he just couldn't force himself to do so. He was also permanently glued to a pair of drainpipe jeans, for he was convinced he'd seen the red head staring at him once or twice in them - anything for Lily Evans' attention.

Remus was always clad in knitted jumpers or vests, no matter how hot it got, sporting corduroy trousers in complementing tones. He was perhaps the best dressed one of them all, and Marlene often complimented him in how he styled himself. Something the blonde didn't take lightly

If Peter wasn't in dungarees paired with funny graphic t-shirts, he was in double denim, looking as if he'd walked off the page of a bad fashion magazine. Though he never quite got the shades of blue the same, and so often looked a little strange too.

There was no doubting that Sirius was fully on board with the beginnings of the punk-rock scene, his combat boots a clear nod to the style. If it was a muggle band t-shirt he could wear to annoy his parents, then he would, and he'd always be open to anything that had 'rock' in the title - especially if it came in dark colours.

Marlene really despaired with them, for they looked like an advert for five completely different clothing stores and together, it was a mess. But the Wizarding World had always struggled making themselves blend in with the muggles, so they weren't the worst looking ones out there by any means. However, as purebloods, it was somewhat expected of Ellie, Sirius and James to adorn more formal attire, so seeing them immersed in muggle fashion was odd anyway. Regardless of how well they could put an outfit together.