Eunoia | Sirius Black

|25|

Hogwarts, Scotland Highlands, 1978
December 16th, Extremely cold

I finish healing Remus for the fourth time this year and wipe my brow. 

He looks fine but there were considerably more scratches than the last three times. He must've had a bad tumble. 

"I'm going to retire for the day, sweetheart," Madame Pomfrey tells me and I smile at her. 

"I'm going to be fine, thank you."

"Are you sure?" She looks concerned. "I'll be back in a few hours."

"I'm fine, I promise." I blow her a kiss and she rolls her eyes. 

I chuckle and bend down to bandage one last wound on Remus' shoulder that didn't entirely heal from the spells. 

He's going to be fine once he drinks all the potions I've lined up on his bedside table. I sigh, I've been working for two hours now. 

He came here early morning at 5 and it was close to seven. Students are going to be waking up soon enough. 

Though they're all very lazy during December so it would be safe to say I'll have to be back by 8.

I have one hour. Exhaling tiredly, I sit back on the armchair that Madame Pomfrey brought for me. She's given this bed to Remus permanently and the marauders have started bringing their cushions and chairs along. 

I smile at the thought, and then the smile drops. I haven't spent time with any of them in a month and a half. 

Everything was alright after the Hogsmeade trip we had in October. Even though I had no recollection of the entire day afterwards, I had slivers of memories where I recalled walking with Remus and shopping with Sirius. And also most probably getting drunk with him. Though it was mostly a blur.

But then the next day Ella was furious at me. She said a few things that made me have a smoking session with Regulas that night. She claimed that I was a pathetic loser incapable of making her own friends. 

That even after she'd told me, I went and spent the entire day with 'Siri'. 

I didn't know how to react. I told her I will distance myself from tomorrow and she finally recoiled. I spent lesser and lesser time with them then. Though on November 3rd, I had to be there for Sirius' birthday. 

Ella was mad at me that day, too. She said she was done with me, but I have a feeling it was because Sirius loved my gift the most. 

I'd gotten him a wristwatch with his favourite constellations engraved on the back. I had to ask Miss Sinistra about it, our Astronomy teacher but I was so excited. And then he opened it and looked at me as though he'd hug me but he didn't. Though out of all his presents, everyone could see he loved mine the most. 

Things went downhill after that day, Ella wouldn't let me talk to any of them. She'd make an excuse and change paths when she'd see me, dragging them with her. 

I was done, too. She'd said such mean things about mother and grandfather that I didn't want to talk to her anymore, either. There was only so much I could take and my vow of not letting anyone have control over my emotions was weakening so much that I needed to strengthen it back up. 

I reclined on the chair and shut my eyes, I'll just rest for a few moments before leaving . . . 

⚕⚕⚕ 

I groan when someone calls my name for the umpteenth time. 

"FIVE MINUTES!"

"Elena."