The One That Got Away| Sirius Black

009| Knockturn Alley

December 22, 1974

"Mum would love this," Elliots insists as he holds up an assortment of chocolates.

"Mum doesn't even like sweets," Lance counters with a brow raise.

"Okay fine, it's for me!" Elliot caves placing the box of chocolates back on the shelf. "I haven't bought anything for myself all day!" Elliot's hair began turning a light blue shade, indicating he was genuinely sad about this.

"Isn't that kind of the point?" Victoria asks, flipping her hair behind her shoulder. "It's like the season of giving and all that."

The Wright children and Isabella were in Diagon Alley shopping for last-minute gifts. It wasn't proving easy since the children had to get presents for each other without them seeing. They also had no clue what to get their parents. What do you buy people that don't have any interests?

"I've got it!" Elliot clucks his tongue as his hair turns a bright yellow shade. A few people on the street glanced at him as he walked by.

"Your hair's yellow," Lance points out, interrupting Elliot's idea.

"And? I'm a metamorphagus," Elliot asks with a sassy shake of his head.

"I thought you had it under control," Lance says, looking at the people who were watching them.

"It's not something you can always control, Lance; leave him alone," Isabella snaps.

She hadn't been sleeping much since she'd been home. At night, her mind was always swimming with Regulus's words to her. During the day, her mother had her helping out picking out outfits, picking up things to bring to the Malfoy's, and anything she could think of to make sure their family looked perfect for Christmas Eve.

Her mother hadn't even mentioned that it would be Isabella's birthday the same day. She wondered if her parents even remembered.

"Calm down, Bells," Lance says in a mocking tone. He shoots her a look, telling her not to start a fight here. Isabella just glared back.

"Anyway, we should look down Knockturn Alley. If you ignore all the dark objects, they have some cool stuff!" Elliot says enthusiastically, ignoring the tension between his two older siblings.

"That place gives me the creeps," Victoria protests, scrunching her nose. "Wait, how do you know what's in Knockturn Alley?"

"Ask me no questions. I'll tell you no lies," Elliot shrugs with a cheeky grin.

"You have a way of weaseling yourself out of everything," Isabella notes, observing her younger brother. "Who taught you that?"

Elliot's grin spreads even wider as he pretends to zip his mouth shut and throw away the key. He can only remain serious for a second longer before he bursts into laughter. His goofy laugh, mixed with his hair morphing through the rainbow, caused the girls to laugh along with him. Lance just glanced up and down the street uncomfortably.

"We can't go to Knockturn Alley with you guys behaving like this," Lance grits through his teeth.

"Okay, you have a point there," Victoria agrees, nodding her head as she thinks something up. "No offense, little bro, but you can't exactly go flashing your amazing rainbow head down Diagon Alley. The dark wizards will quite literally kill you. So why don't we go get some ice cream, and we'll let these losers get the gift?"

Elliot looks between the four older teenagers as he ponders this. His hair had turned a light grey color, and his eyebrows were slowly turning to match it. Isabella bit back a smile at this. She hoped Elliot could stay so beautifully pure forever. "Fine," he grumbles, giving in. "We have something else we need to do too." He goes on his tiptoes and whispers something in Victoria's ear. His eyes were glued on Isabella the entire time he was talking, letting her know the conversation was about her.