good things fall apart • sirius black

Stay away

Not even twenty-four hours into their actual relationship Ellie and Sirius were arguing, and really, it wasn't either of their faults. It had all stemmed from the fact that Dumbledore had told the handsome boy nothing, had said that things were to go as they always did on the full moon, Werewolves in the Shrieking Shack. But with the current rift between all of the Marauders, that wasn't an easy option. Sirius had tried to tell his Headmaster that, Dumbledore had insisted that Ellie and Remus would need to be in the same place tonight.

So the beautiful girl had devised her own plan - her and the big black dog would do this on their own out of the way and leave Moony be with Prongs and Wormtail by his side. Werewolves were solitary beings usually anyway, so having two confined in a small space didn't sound practical, even without this being Ellie's first time transforming.

Where the argument had come though, was over logistics and the finer details that had taken multiple months to iron out where keeping everyone safe was concerned with all of the Marauders, and neither of the couple were willing to compromise, for it was extremely important they got this right.

    "I'm not letting you take off into the forest at nighttime alone." Sirius scowled as they huddled together in his dorm's bathroom.

James, Remus, and Peter were preparing to head down to drop the lanky boy off with Madam Pomfrey, and they didn't fancy causing any more tension with them before the full moon rose, so were hiding out of the way until the boys had left.

    "Funnily enough, I'm not asking for your permission." Ellie argued back, "And besides, I won't be alone, you'll be right there!"

She was also supposed to go down and meet Madam Pomfrey, for under Dumbledore's orders she was to do exactly as Remus did. But, of course, the beautiful girl would do things her own way.

    "So why did you say I couldn't be with you?"

    "You're not listening!" Ellie threw up her hands in exasperation, "I said that I don't want you to be there at the beginning, just like with Moony, or right before I transform back. The rest of the time you better not leave my sight."

    "Now I think you're the one not listening to yourself, 'cause there's no way on Merlin's earth that I'll just abandon you to drag yourself back up to the castle when dawn breaks."

    "It's not your call. I don't want you there and you've got to respect that."

    "But why?!" Sirius hissed, wanting to shout but conscious the fact that James was probably stood with his ear pressed against the other side of the bathroom door, "Why won't you let me be there once you've transformed back? We're always right by Moony's side."

Ellie's glare hardened.

    "You might be, but I'm not allowed!"

For a moment Sirius was lost over what she meant, confused as to when she'd ever been turned away part way through a full moon. But then realisation hit him like lighting. Until then, it hadn't been something he'd even considered, which was ridiculous when he'd spent so many transformations with Remus, and it had his frustration melting in an instant.

    "Cubby, it's not-" Sirius began, reaching up to cup her cheek. Ellie cut him off and batted him away, backing up as far as she could in the tiny bathroom.

    "I don't want you there after, I don't want anyone there. I'll manage on my own."

    "The full moon is a part of your life now, we'll-" He tried again.

    "I'm not debating it anymore."

    "With Moony we don't care 'cause-"

    "Well, I care!" Ellie roared suddenly, her voice too loud for the space. Sirius blinked rapidly, rooted to the spot, "I care and I don't want to be humiliated like that."