good things fall apart • sirius black

Good times, bad times

Ellie settled back into Hogwarts life quicker than she expected after her initial wobble. Cyrus wrote on three different occasions after Godric informed him of the state he spoke to Ellie in, and then he wrote twice the second week too, but after that, he vowed to let his daughter forget about the tainted memories left at home.

Workload was greater than it ever had been, especially for the first few weeks back, for all any of the teachers would talk about were their O.W.Ls. No one was safe from the extra studying, nor the complicated homework, and so the year started out steady really. But Ellie was glad of steady, for it helped her get into a routine better, which then kept her distracted at the same time. It also helped that all her friends were constantly doing things with her to make her smile. Whilst sometimes it got a little overbearing, she knew they all meant well and so she let them be.

The Marauders blasted music in their dorm louder than ever before, and Lily and Marlene chatted constantly when in Ellie's company. Even Regulus carried a poem book round with him all the time, just in case he bumped into the beautiful girl and she needed something to take her mind off things.

But even falling into a steady rhythm, Ellie found herself getting restless as September breezed by, and so when Lily and Marlene suggested they finally have their night of celebrations for the blonde, she was more than happy to let loose.

She smiled more these days, laughed more, found herself outnumbering the dark thoughts that embedded themselves in her mind with happier ones instead. It was easier to move passed something that was determined to put a bump in the road. Though that didn't mean she was completely back to normal either. She'd gotten into a bad habit of biting her nails when she got anxious, and most mealtimes her plate was rather scarce of food - she ran on coffee most of the time.

And so, Lily and Marlene endeavoured to make her have the best night she'd had since they returned to school, emptying their stashes of chocolate and sweets on the floor in the middle of Ellie and Lily's dorm. Marlene even got out bottles of butterbeer her mum and dad had sent her with, making it feel like a real party. Even if it was just the three of them. The boys refused to let Ellie move the record player into her dorm just for the one night so that they could have music, and so they all had to sing instead, which proved to be the funniest thing any of them had ever heard. Ellie always knew all the lyrics but was often out of time; Lily made up the lyrics as she went along but was by far the best singer; and Marlene couldn't carry a tune to save her life.

By the end of a rendition of 'Lean On Me' by Bill Withers, their stomachs ached and none of them could breathe properly, but that was the best type of laughter there was.

Coordinating a midnight excursion for her and the girls was something that had kept Ellie busy all afternoon, and it had felt good to get back some of her mischievous spark, and so once they were sufficiently giddy, she got her friends to follow her down to the common room. She wouldn't tell them where they were going and Marlene grumbled that they were in pyjamas, but otherwise the blonde was excited for whatever was in store. Lily however, had many reservations as soon as Ellie lead them towards the portrait door - she was always a stickler for the rules.

    "We can't be out after hours!" She exclaimed in a hushed voice, despite there being no one around.

    "Oh don't shit yourself Lils, this'll be fun I promise." Ellie's cheeky smile made its first appearance this school year, and the way her eyes lit up was spectacular.

    "Are you sure going out-"

    "Yes, now come on!"

Neither girl could say no to their friend when they hadn't seen her so enthusiastic for so long. The way she was almost wiggling out of joy, and the playful edge to her tone made it seem like the old Ellie Gryffin was on her way back.