good things fall apart • sirius black

Rabastan

Ellie wasn't exactly settled yet. She still stared at the ceiling for the majority of the night or, if she could sleep, wake up fumbling around for where Sirius was only to remember he'd never been there in the first place. But she was trying - trying her hardest to speak to everyone she came across, trying her hardest to keep up in lessons, trying her hardest to act confident.

It was working for the most part, except the third night when Léa found her crying in one of the toilet cubicles in the shared bathroom, but thankfully her new friend didn't judge and simply held her hand as she sobbed.

Léa was kind like that, supportive and easy to talk too. They got on like a house on fire. She felt like a breath of fresh air as someone who knew nothing of the Order of the Phoenix, nor anything that Ellie had gone through. The beautiful girl was still waiting for the questions about her scars to come. But something told her that Léa didn't care whether she knew or not, those types of things weren't important to the girl who was so headstrong. If Ellie was willing to share, then she'd ask, otherwise it wasn't important. Everything was weighted on confidence with her, she seemed to like people with fierce personalities - 'it takes a lot to get up everyday and smile when you feel like this', she'd said when she'd found Ellie crying, 'I value your bravery'.

Which was all the more reason to keep her mask on, Ellie quite liked the idea of keeping Léa as a friend.

The only problem was the fierce girl's boyfriend, or more, Ellie's reluctance to meet him. She knew that she shouldn't judge people on pretences, but Rabastan was a Lestrange, she'd met two of them now and she didn't fancy meeting another. That family were in league with the Blacks and undoubtably more involved in Lord Voldemort's vendetta on just the awful things Ellie had heard Bellatrix spout. Only someone just as sick could've married her. And thus, Rabastan had to be the same, which was unsettling to say the least, because Léa doted on him. Ellie liked Léa, she really did, but it had instilled a sense of wariness in her that this new friend of hers could so openly adore one of the Lestranges.

And why is Rabastan even here? There were too many questions that she didn't want answers to, but she'd put off the meeting for too long now. Léa was desperate to introduce her, suspicions as to why she was so hesitant as well, and so Ellie finally decided enough was enough and gave in. Things would be better once this was over with.

It was to happen over breakfast, sat just the three of them on one of the small round tables that filled the dining chamber as they tried to ignore the wood nymph song to have a conversation. As soon as Ellie sat down, she was reaching for a croissant from a bowl in the centre of the table in a bid to keep her head down, but of course, Léa was very excited to introduce everyone. Whilst the beautiful girl avoided eye contact where possible, Rabastan, just as tall as his older brother with the same aristocratic facial structure she was so familiar with, seemed to stare at her like she was a complete novelty. When Ellie finally challenged his gaze, she sent him a brief smile that probably looked no more than a twitch before Léa had cut in with a frown.   

"Do you know each other already?" She asked, clearly put out by a lack of a warm first meeting.

"We know of each other, I suppose." Rabastan replied with a shrug, one too casual for the likes of a Lestrange, "She is the Youngest Descendent of Godric Gryffindor, after all. Persephone, no?"

Now he was smiling, it was Ellie's turn to stare as she tried to figure out how he made it look so genuine.

"It's Eloise here." She told him, guard up but tone still even. She didn't want to make Léa feel bad. "Persephone Eloise Adelaide Gryffindor. My friends call me Ellie, but here, Eloise will do."

"And why are you here?"

"My father believed I needed a change of scenery."

"What about Sirius?" Ellie's posture stiffened and she gripped her knife with jam on the end so tightly her knuckles began to turn white, "The last communication I had with home said that I must prepare myself for two more Black family weddings. Narcissa and-"