elanor// s.b.

VII

~James Potter~

"I'm sorry!". "Shove off, Potter", Elanor rolled her eyes, her steady pace not wavering. Potter jogged behind her. "I don't know what else to do, I actually feel really bad", he darted in front of the girl, cutting her off. She folded her arms across her chest, the folds of her Slytherin robes tangled in her long hair. "Can you move?", she said in a flat tone.

    "Not until you say that you forgive me", he batted his eyelashes at her in a joking manner, a sentiment that was not well received by Elanor. "That may work on Lily Evans, but it won't on me", she shoved past the boy and without looking back called, "And tell Sirius Black he can go fuck himself". A few people snickered as Elanor passed, but they immediately stopped as she passed, shooting them a steely look.

    She knew she had been unnecessarily harsh towards James Potter, but her pride was hurt. When she went down into the Slytherin common room the following morning, Jasper had pulled her into a tight hug, whispering, "I'm gonna kill them". Elanor had pulled away and pressed a small kiss to his hallowed cheek, "They aren't worth it". She knew that she was probably being overdramatic, and the prank was just stupid fun. It was the look on Black's face that had caught her off guard, had bothered her more than anything.

Digging around in her pocket, Elanor rifled through the various mints and finally found the cigarette she had been searching for. The cool evening air hit her as she pushed the doors open, making her way down to the lake. Lighting the cigarette, she inhaled deeply. Her body relaxed and she took in the smell and sound of Hogwarts. The scents of flowers reminded her of the gardens at home and she smiled. She missed home, and hadn't had a chance to see her siblings very often as the term pushed forward.

"What are you smiling about, princess?", a voice snapped her out of thoughts. A dark figure stood at the edge of the Black Lake, his silhouette surrounded by smoke. Elanor squinted her eyes, trying to make out the unfamiliar voice. When she drew nearer, she couldn't help but roll her eyes at who was standing before her. "What are you doing here, Black", Elanor said, leaving a solid six feet between the pair.

"Same reason as you, Kensington", he smirked, stepping forward so his face was no longer cast in shadow, "A smoke". Elanor dropped her cigarette and stomped it out. She was on the verge of turning on the heel of her black combat boots when Sirius smoothly let out, "Oh come on, Ella. You don't wanna join me?". "Don't call me that", she snapped. "Why not, princess?", his voice infuriated her.

She didn't validate the question with a response. The boy in front of her wore a loose black jumper, and she could see tattoos poking out where the collar dipped. She couldn't help but wonder what they were, as Elanor had several herself. His demeanor was lazy, as if he didn't have a care in the world, but she could tell that was far from the truth. No one had that many witty comebacks ready if they weren't trying to compensate for something.

Making a snap decision, Elanor pulled out another cigarette, lighting it. Why should Black ruin a perfectly good night for a smoke. "Excuse me", she brushed past him. His eyes followed her as she threw her bag down and sat by the edge of the lake. She kicked off her white converse and sock, dipping her feet into the water causing ripples to cascade around her. Sirius stayed silent for a moment.

When the bomb meant for Snape had gone off on Elanor, his immediate reaction was a sense of pleasure and justice. Until he saw the look on her face. She looked lost and hurt as her sister dragged her out of the Great Hall. He knew how hard it was for any Slytherin to show weakness, and that she must have been extremely hurt to look like that.

Elanor's eyes gazed across the lake, enjoying the feel of the water between her toes. She shut her eyes and inhaled. Her muscles relaxed and she almost forgot Black was there until water splashed up, hitting her legs and splattering across her skirt. Her eyes snapped open. Black sat with his feet in the water next to hers, his boots discarded next to her shoes. Neither of them looked at each other. A tense silence settled between them as they smoked.

Elanor stole a glance to her side at the Gryffindor boy. His gaze was fixed on nothing, and his jaw clenched. Elanor pursed her lips, and popped a peppermint into her mouth. "Well, this has been fun", she said, standing. Black's eyes met hers and words played at his lips. "See you around, Kensington", he finally let out. She narrowed her eyes in confusion. She was moving to leave when she paused, throwing him a peppermint. He caught it and she half smirked, "Unlikely".