good things fall apart • sirius black

Let's fight this together

It wasn't right, the Youngest Descendent of Godric Gryffindor packing away her belongings in preparation to leave Hogwarts for Beauxbatons instead. The castle was as much hers as it had been her ancestor's, and now she was being torn away from it too soon. Ellie hadn't always liked the title her family name gave her, but it had always been important, she'd always respected it - only now, she couldn't help but feel like it was being taken from her.

In many ways, her whole identity was being stolen as she was stripped of her title as Gryffindor Quidditch Team Beater, house, and uniform. Something that didn't bode well when she already didn't recognise herself in the mirror anymore now that she was a Werewolf.

Slowly but surely, all she knew was melting like the dripping watercolour of the art she hadn't painted in a long time, just a lot less beautiful. This was perhaps a smearing of oil paints instead, the type that turns all the colours a dull grey or brown, the picture lost and difficult to recover. And how was Ellie supposed to recreate the beautiful girl that once was, find herself amongst the smudged images, without those who knew her best by her side? How was she supposed to become a Marauder again if they continued in their world as if nothing had happened whilst she was transported to a new one? How was she supposed to have anything in common with them once more if she had a whole new set of social conformities to subject to?

    "We'll write to each other at least twice a week." Lily had said, but multiple letters couldn't be sent back and forth in one day when it was overseas.

    "Moons and Wormy are coming for the whole summer so we've got loads of time to catch up." James had told her, but that didn't make her feel any better about missing out.

She was going to be angry with her father for a very long time.

Even though Ellie wasn't leaving until tomorrow, she'd had to pack everything into her trunk already, and her quarter of the girls' dorm room now stood empty. Lily had helped her whilst Alice and Mary had been lost between when everyone had made up and why on earth the beautiful girl was moving schools, but they'd been sympathetic all the same and even a few tears were shed. However, there was no way Ellie could spend her last night at Hogwarts in a bed that had become so unfamiliar, and the boys' dorm had always felt more like home anyway, so her and Lily had said that they'd both crash in there instead.

James had suggested they throw a party as one last big hurrah, but no one's spirits were high enough to rally together, let alone allow others in on their last moments at school all together.

    "Hey, beautiful." Sirius hummed as he stood off his bed to greet the girls, mainly his girlfriend, as they entered the dorm room without knocking.

He scooped her up into a tight hug, and already Ellie felt like sobbing.

    "Don't." She said, backing away so he dropped his arms, "Don't be all mushy and make me feel even worse about leaving."

    "Cubby?" James interrupted carefully, coming forward from where he'd stood at the side of his bed, something bundled up in his arms. He stopped right beside Ellie and Sirius, offering the thing up as Lily gently touched his arm to move to sit on the end of Remus' bed, "I want to give you my Quidditch blanket to take, like a going away present of sorts... And as an apology for being a shit best friend recently."

No one had spoken about the arguing yet, how they hadn't so much as said one civil word to each other for a whole month, and that fact had everyone a little tense. They'd managed to set it aside for the sake of the beautiful girl's going away, but conversations need to be had now before she did - things needed to be fixed.

    "Thanks, Prongs." Ellie nodded awkwardly, simultaneously taking the Quidditch blanket into her arms and hooking her little finger around Sirius' and scooting a little closer to him again for comfort.