good things fall apart • sirius black

No more hiding

When Sirius was younger, there wasn't much running he could've done. Confined to the walls of Grimmauld Place, Kreacher lurking silently around every corner, there was never far to go. So he'd learnt to hide instead. And hiding was what he was doing now.

Despite what Andromeda had said, she'd let him stay for the rest of the holidays after Christmas, and so Sirius hadn't seen Ellie, James, Lily, or anyone else since Christmas Eve. The disappointment on everyone's faces as he'd told them about his wish were expressions he couldn't forget - the beautiful girl's in particular. But he'd felt it was better that way, to take a step back. For it had allowed him to clear his head of all those self-pitying thoughts whilst giving the Potters and Gryffins a break from having to look after him.

Yet he did acknowledge that everyone was probably very much worried for him still.

Christmas had been great though. Calm, cosy, just simply easy. Sirius had spent most of his time entertaining a very excited Nymphadora, because she loved Christmas anyway, but having him stay with them had made everything ten times more overwhelming for the toddler. They'd wrapped up in their warmest clothes and huddled together outside waiting for snow; stayed up much later than Nymphadora is allowed, sat by her bedroom window and looking up at the stars; they even set mince pies out for Santa Claus on Christmas Eve as some Muggle tradition Ted insisted on keeping to.

When she'd asked if Ellie was staying as well, Andromeda had told her that Christmas was family time, and Ellie wasn't family. But this only had Sirius guilty about abandoning the Potters. They were his family too. 

But now, Sirius couldn't hide at his favourite cousin's anymore, and it was time to return to Hogwarts. Nymphadora was clinging onto his legs as they stood on Platform Nine and Three-Quarters, a good distance away from where he knew the Potters and the Gryffins always stood, both Andromeda and Ted there to wave him off.

"You'll see Sirius at summer, little one." Ted told Nymphadora with a fond smile, but the toddler shook her head with a sniffle.

"The time will go really fast, Dora." Sirius patted the top of her grey hair, "I'll write to you if you want?"

"Yes please." Nymphadora wailed, starting to cause a scene as she sobbed. "With colourful pictures, and- and stars?"

"With thousands of stars." Sirius promised.

"Who is that I here crying?" Someone called from the crowds around them, and Nymphadora unattached herself from Sirius in an instant, her head snapping back and forth trying to get sight of the familiar voice.

Andromeda and Ted, however, didn't miss the way the handsome boy tensed immediately.

"ELLIE!" Nymphadora screamed as soon as the beautiful girl could be seen, charging at her and clinging onto her legs instead.

"What a greeting that was." Ellie chuckled, "Did you have a great Christmas, Dora?"

"Brilliant!"

"She doesn't want it to end." Andromeda explained, "Sirius has been the perfect babysitter."

"I'm sure he has been." There was an unexpected shirtiness in Ellie's tone that caught them all off guard. She refused to actually look at the handsome boy, as if the last time they'd seen each other hadn't been right after his breakdown, and she hadn't been worried since, "We need to go though. Prongs was worried you'd miss the train." Even when she addressed him directly, she didn't look at him.

So Sirius said his goodbyes, and thanked Andromeda and Ted one last time for letting him stay before giving Nymphadora a big hug too. Ellie did the same, minus the thanking, and strode off down the platform without even checking he was following. James and Lily had already gotten on the train in pursuit of their friends, and the beautiful girl was eager to see other people's faces - there was no way to describe her annoyance in James when he'd told her to go and find Sirius alone. The way he trailed behind her, reluctant to even greet her, was exactly what she'd been afraid of.