good things fall apart • sirius black

My Cubby

They'd been back at school just over a week when the Marauders all started to get restless. Not just because the next full moon was around the corner, which meant the Animagus project was nearly ready for action, but because everything had turned rather mundane.

Rainy days, miserable attitudes and nothing remotely interesting occurring - the group had never been so bored.

After the excitement of the Christmas holidays, doing nothing but causing mischief and laughing wildly, the steady pace they were moving at seemed dull and almost lifeless. None of them could remember a time when they hadn't been so active, most of their days spent moping around doing nothing. When they decided they'd go exploring in the Forbidden Forest, it absolutely chucked it down so they were forced to stay indoors; when they came up with a potential prank idea, they were given three essays for homework that had to take priority; when someone suggested putting on a record to liven the mood, someone else would complain they just wanted silence.

Having lulled into a form of depression, they all found it very difficult to get motivated to do anything, for the mood of one of them seeped into everyone else too. It only took Peter despairing over a new spell he was struggling with, for them all to fall into a hopeless state. And it only took Remus complaining he was tired, for them all to feel under-slept. With not even Quidditch to look forward to, the group spent most of their free time lounging in front of the fire in the common room, annoying everyone else who wanted to sit there because it was never available.

And that's where they all were now - James sat on the floor with Peter, talking through the Transfiguration homework; Remus curled into a ball in one of the armchairs, nose stuck in a book; and Ellie and Sirius spread out across the sofa.

Listening to James explain and then re-explain concepts to Peter, Sirius drummed his fingers on one of Ellie's shins across his lap, staring absentmindedly into the flames of the fire. Without anything interesting to occupy his mind, he found himself contemplating nothing at all, head completely void of all thoughts. He, even more than the others, wanted to get back to their old ways, for he felt like the only one with nothing else to do. Remus had his books and Ellie had her sketching; James was planning things to do with the next full moon and Peter was keeping up with his studies. Whilst Sirius didn't particularly have a hobby, nor was he interested in doing schoolwork. He couldn't go off and socialise with anyone else for a change, because he didn't like anyone else, and he didn't want to do anything on his own either, as that required a lot of energy he didn't have.

All the quiet and the calm was sending him slowly insane, craving something even vaguely exciting so feed his soul again.

After twenty long minutes of watching the fire dance, Sirius finally came to the conclusion that if he didn't do anything soon, he might stay boring for the rest of his life - something that was totally out of the question. Though, James and Peter were still discussing Transfiguration intently, and Remus looked far too comfy to be convinced to move, so his only option was Ellie.

Not that that was an issue one bit.

He pushed her sketchbook away from where it rested on her stomach, allowing space for him to crawl lazily to lie in between her legs with his head on her chest. When Sirius shuffled to get himself comfortable, tucking his head under her chin, he sighed, making Ellie chuckle a little.

For all Sirius liked to pretend he was grumpy most of the time, he became very needy on certain occasions. You were playing a dangerous game, disturbing him when he was even vaguely tired, but if you caught him in the right moment, he'd get extremely cuddly. Ellie didn't mind at all, only setting her sketchbook on the back of the sofa so that she could wrap her arms around him tightly. For a moment, Sirius was sure she might actually make him drift to sleep the way that she was tracing patterns on his back, but before she could, he moved his head to be able to see her properly.