good things fall apart • sirius black

Fancy who you want to fancy

Head fuzzy and ears pounding, Ellie buried her face in James' pillow when she woke up. She was uncomfortable still in last night's clothes which had all twisted in her sleep, yet it seemed there was nothing she could do about that when she felt so weak. Not only did she regret drinking as much as she did, but memories of everything that happened last night came flooding back in an instant. Groaning, she balled the duvet in her fists and tried to focus on anything but the fact that Flora Buchanan was probably sleeping soundly in the next bed over.

The swooshing sound of James' bed drapes opening made her stir again, but the light they let in had her cringing with more groans. Bed dipping next to her, someone placed a careful hand on her side to try and coax her awake.

    "I've got something for your head." James kept his voice gentle, "From the seventh years. It's even brought Wormy back from the dead."

Ellie wanted to laugh, but she didn't have the energy - from the looks of Peter last night, he'd have needed the strongest potion known to man to prevent his hangover. With a little help from James, she managed to get herself sitting up, knees tucked into her chest and head resting against the headboard. She felt rough, but a majority of that was emotional drain. As soon as the subtle queasiness in her stomach settled, Ellie downed the purple coloured potion quickly, praying that the seventh years were skilled in brewing. She shut her eyes again as she waited for it to dull her thumping headache.

    "Don't look at me like that." Ellie could feel the pity rolling off James in waves even if she couldn't see his expression.

She wanted nothing of the sort. No sympathetic glances, no words of comfort. What had happened, had happened, and all Ellie knew was that it hurt. But no one could know that, the handsome boy who'd shattered her heart in particular, for that meant she'd cast aside her Aunt's words.

Camille had made it clear that pining wasn't the way forward, and she understood that, but that didn't mean it was easy to follow through with. Sirius meant everything to Ellie, and even with them so young, she was sure he always would in some way or another, so letting him go was never going to be easy. And loving him when he was snogging other girls seemed even harder. But 'I know it's difficult, honey, but relationships like this always are. Give it time and then if you think that he's moved on, you will have to as well. You have been friends for a very long time, that will never change, but you might have to find another boy to love in that romantic way' is what Camille had said, and Ellie was starting to believe that's what she might need to do.

    "They've not emerged yet. Still sleeping I think." James told her, "I can wake him up. Get him to kick her out if you want. He'll be pissy with me, but I'll hold his potion hostage until she's gone. I think he'd rather no headache than his new girlfriend."

    "Maybe she can make him feel better by snogging his brains to mush." Ellie grumbled, trying to pretend she was more annoyed than heartbroken. That looks less pathetic, she believed.

    "I don't know what to say to make this better..." Her messy haired best friend had never been so gentle, the no-filter James Potter she knew was nowhere in sight.

    "It's not your responsibility to do his damage control. "

    "But I don't want you feeling like crap."

    "You're too good for this world, Jamie." Ellie grinned slightly, the potion starting to take effect, "Besides, me and Padfoot aren't together, so it's not like he's cheated on me. He can do what he wants, Godric knows half the school would jump at the chance to get with him."

    "Yeah, but you know why he shouldn't have."

    "Why's that?"

    "Don't be like him." James shoved his glasses up his nose with a scowl, he'd had this denial talk too many times, "You guys are- Well, you're it. He's messing you around."