It was a crisp autumn day as Elise treaded down towards theGreatLake. She ruffled her dark bangs and tightened her blue and bronze scarf, hiding her cold nose into the warm wool. As much as she loved how beautiful Hogwarts seemed during this time of season, she could have done without the bone snapping chill in the air.

Elise had grown accustom to her house, if not, she'd come to love being a Ravenclaw. It was embarrassing to believe the fuss she'd first made when not being sorted into Gryffindor. After all, being separated from everyone seemed torturous at the beginning, but as she'd adjusted to her life as a Ravenclaw she found herself making new friends and belonging to another group. But that isn't to say she didn't manage her time for the boys; every week and after class they'd all get together and somehow find each other.

She walked past the students lounging around underneath trees or near the banks of the lake, often narrowing her eyes in search of the gang. It wasn't until she heard the loud and familiar voices of her brother and Sirius did she hurry her pace and make her way towards the tall oak tree where she also believed she saw the back of Peter's head poke out from.

"Watch it!"

In her hot pursuit of the boys, she'd completely bumped into somebody and knocked over his books.

She meekly apologized and bent over to help even when she didn't appreciate the arrogant and presumptuous tone to his voice.

"It's alright' he sighed annoyed, hastily grabbing the few books before Elise's hand could even touch them. "-just don't touch anything" he annunciated each word loudly as if to emphasize how much he didn't like the girl causing this mess and just being in his presence. His orders were loud and aggressive enough to catch James' attention from behind the tree.

"Well…I-I said I was sorry!" Elise had managed to at least pick up his Charms textbook. She angrily outstretched her arm to give it to him but it was when she noticed his shockingly familiar grey eyes did she stop herself midway.

It was Regulus, crouched down and glaring at Elise through his dark bangs. He had been wearing a stern expression but it slowly dropped once his eyes meet upon the girl's cool blue ones.

"Eli?" James had already begun to stride towards the two with Remus and Sirius and a shy Peter Pettigrew closely behind wishing that this wouldn't result into a confrontation.

Regulus snapped at the sound of his voice, suddenly rubbing his mouth and returning to his stolid composure.

"Hi…Uh…"

Regulus had ripped the book from her hand and abruptly stood up. "….thank you" he harshly muttered and with that he started to make his way around the stunned girl but before he could, James had already grabbed him by the shoulder.

"James really…. It's quite alright" Elise stood from her spot and tried to reason, but her brother completely ignored her and glared at the Slytherin boy, who had turned around to return the irate glare he was receiving from Gryffindor's own self-proclaimed hero.

"…It was my fault, entirely; I was being awfully rude to him"

Peter and Remus had made their way besides Elise watching the scene unfold silently; it was actually Sirius who had interrupted the two in the end. "Regulus?" His voice was stately and strong, something new for Elise.

James and Regulus' pupils flickered towards Sirius, as if in sync.

"Brother…."

James slowly loosened his grip until he'd entirely removed his hand from Regulus' shoulder. He nervously fixed her glasses, pushing them harder again the bridge of his nose and when Sirius noticed this, he simply nodded to his best friend, signaling that it was alright.

His brother scoffed, pushing his dark black bangs away from his face.

"Did you need something?" The two Black brothers stood there staring at one another. They almost seemed like twin in appearance but it was clear that the two were very much different. Sirius was lively and much more loose and rugged; his Gryffindor tie dangled around his neck, his slightly curly hair was scruffy and unkempt and his eyes were a sparkling grey. Regulus was different then that; he was properly dressed in his Slytherin attire right down to the tie around his collar and his hair was a little disheveled as well but side parted enough to make him look a lot cleaner cut then his older brother. And while Sirius's eyes were the wide gates to his soul, Regulus' grey eyes were guarded and stone cold, matching that haughty persona he seemed to carry.

"No." he uttered with his fist clenched before turning on his heel and hurriedly making his way to the trail that lead up to the castle.

Elise watched the boy leave, his shoulders squared and his form uptight.

"I'm sorry about my brother, Elise. My brother could just come across as rude at times" Sirius shoved his hands into his pockets of his trousers, walking off back to the tree.

She didn't know what to say to that or rather she was at a lost of words at what had just happened. She'd glanced and met that boy's strange gaze before he left, and that had left her confused, a little anxious, nervous and above all somewhat embarrassed.

"how was your vacation?"

The light brunette was walking along with Elise through the snowy streets of Hogsmeade. It had been quite a long Christmas vacation and even though the vacation was over, the town was still hanging onto the effects of the last blizzard that had buried the town only a few days ago.

Elise's eyes narrowed. She knew exactly what Remus was trying to get at, she just wished he'd just ask directly of the whole Sirius situation rather then subtly walk into it. "You know just as well as I do how my Christmas vacation went"

The boy laughed lightly "So your mother and father didn't take it well when they found Sirius hiding in James' room all that time?"

"It wasn't that they didn't take it well …" She clearly remembered how her parents had reacted; they were disappointed yet accepting -Disappointed with James for not simply letting them know that Sirius had ran away and decided to live in their house, but accepting in that they had an idea of the tensions of a Slytherin family trying to accept their Gryffindor son. "… It was Sirius' mother who didn't take the news well…" she was in a rage. Of course, Sirius wasn't there to witness it, but he'd received a very animated letter from his mother explaining how he was no longer a 'Black'.

Remus nodded because he understood that complexity and that was what made Elise curious, for she didn't have the slightest idea of what went on at the Black household.

The girl looked up at the boy, a little embarrassed to ask "hey…" her voice was softer now "…does Sirius like his brother?" she knew the question was out of place even if they were talking of the Black family before, but she knew Remus would never judge her for her questions. He tried to answer any of her questions being the older of the two, but this time he didn't know what to tell Elise because for such a question, one didn't need to be wise just …understanding.
"Eli? Do you like your brother?"

The tension dropped between the two and she sighed with a slight laugh at what he was trying to make her realize "Remus…"

They had walked past so much farther than the bustle of the town and slowly descended down a hill towards the woods, closer to the Shrieking Shack. "The same love you have for your brother, Sirius carries for Regulus" she hadn't expecting him to say his name and so it was all so innerving to her. "…the two just show that love a little differently"

"…a little?"

"He's just disappointed with his younger brother"

Elise jumped up and over the snow covered log Remus had already made his way over. "With what? I thought it'd be the other way around because Sirius was placed in Gryffindor…." Her voice started to trail when she noticed the boy slowly stop in front of her and gaze at the scenery ahead.

The two had made it out of the forest and to the wire fence of the Shrieking Shack, watching that lonely and dark house resting in the middle of the eerily untouched snow covered hill. Even though the rumors of this place were placed in order to protect Remus, the house still frightened Elise every time she saw it.

"Regulus has a bigger heart then he thinks and for that Sirius is disappointed in him…." The boy then turned to look down at Elise who was listening carefully "…Sirius sees himself in him and so he expected Regulus to follow him, but it would seem Regulus has chosen not to…."

"Did he choose not to? Or was he forced?" her question wasn't meant to be answered and so it wasn't by Remus. In return, he'd simply sighed a faint breath

Eli lightly sighed along with him, trying to smile "Come on" she gestured back towards the direction of the Whomping Willow "we'd better return, you have a long night ahead of you"