Late December 1976

Four leeches…one scoop of bilborn—no, one pinch of bilborn…ten lacewing flies..wait no…blast!

Ellie threw her quill down in exasperation. Lily, Mary and the others had only been gone for two days, and already she was resorting to her Potions essay to keep her occupied. Hogwarts was essentially empty; only a handful of students and even fewer professors having stayed behind for the holiday.

The winter storm that had brought in several of inches of snow was still keeping everyone indoors and Ellie was near losing her mind. She didn't know any of the younger Gryffindors who'd remained and she sure as hell wasn't going to strike up a conversation with Black to keep her occupied.

Suddenly, Ellie was jarred from her position on the couch when the devil himself leapt over the back of it and into the empty seat next to hers. Well, not entirely empty. Her potions book and several other tomes from the library were now under her guest.

"So…just you and me here, huh Stroud?" He asked, laying back against the couch and spreading his arms behind him.

Rolling her eyes, Ellie yanked her Potions book from under the intruder's leg. "Yes, Black, besides the three second years, two third years, and the fifth year, it is just the two of us."

"Oh bugger off Stroud, you know what I meant." Sirius shot back, "What're you doing anyway? Our Potions essay isn't due until term starts back."

If I ignore it, maybe it will lose interest. If I ignore it, maybe it will lose interest. If i—

"Stroud? Helloooo?"

Damn.

"Well Black, unlike you who somehow seem to know everything despite having never opened a book in your life, some of us have to work a little harder at getting good marks."

An incredulous look came across Sirius's face, "That's not true! I have opened a book." The boy replied indignantly.

"Oh yeah? When?"

"Well…there was one time in third year—," Laughing Ellie hit Black with her rolled up parchment.

"Really though," Black chuckled and continued, "I do study. I just…don't have to study as much as everyone else I suppose."

"I'm not upset about you being more book smart than me, Black. I'm just surprised by it is all." Ellie cut him a smug look.

"Oh ok. Wait…hey! Why is that surprising?"

Chuckling Ellie replied. "Oh come on, really? You get the smarts, the personality, and the looks? It's not fair to the rest of us!"

Ellie's eyes widened when she saw a smirk come across Black's face and realized what she'd just said.

"I've got the 'looks' do I Stroud?" His smirk grew to an all-out grin, and Ellie wanted to smack it right off of his obnoxiously handsome face.

Instead, she stammered. "No! I just meant that…well…you know, you're not ugly!"

"Oh well thank Merlin for small mercies. Estella Stroud thinks I'm 'not ugly." Black laughed and Ellie once again hit him with her Potions essay turned impromptu weapon. Ellie was in the process of rearing back to hit him a third time when he launched towards her and began tickling her sides.

Ellie gasped and immediately struggled to push him off. "Black...please…no…stop!"

Ignoring her, he continued his assault, tickling Ellie so hard she was forced onto her back, parchment crumpling under her.

"Black…please!" She begged, laughing hysterically despite tears beginning to stream down her face, "I can't take anymore!" Ellie was completely immobile now that Black was laying on top of her; she could do nothing but plead for her release.

Thankfully, the boy realized she was near her breaking point and stopped tickling her. Both still laughing, he looked down into Ellie's eyes. As she met his own grey orbs, Ellie realized the position they were in mimicked the one they found themselves in during the snowball battle a few weeks ago. Only this time, instead of being outside on the ground surrounded by people with her on top and desperate to get off, they were on a couch in front of a fire with no one else in sight and Black—who seemed to have no desire to move—on top of a very still Ellie.

Black must have seen the hesitation in her eyes. "Do you want me to go?" He asked her.

A million thoughts swarmed her head at the question. Did she want him to go? This was Black for Merlin's sake! Sirius Black! She remembered their first meeting when they were children and he'd gotten her in trouble. She remembered that first day on the Hogwarts train when he'd made fun or her and Ari. She remembered the years of pranking he'd subjected her to with James. Of course she wanted him to go!

But the only word that Ellie seemed able to say was, "No".

Eyes softening, Black reached down and brushed a stray blonde lock from her face.

"I –I don't want to—" She stammered.

"We don't have to do anything Ellie." Black interjected. "I just want to stay here with you."

"Okay." She said softly, "I think I can do that."

Black gave her an amused look before he moved to his side next to her. To get more comfortable, Ellie also repositioned so that her back was against his chest. Heart racing, she jumped when Black's hand came to rest on her hip.

"Woah," he chuckled," you okay?"

"F—fine," Merlin I'm starting to sound like Ari. "I'm fine Black." Chuckling to yet again, he wrapped his arm around Ellie's waist.

The two lay in that position for several moments, each enjoying the rare silence of the Common Room. Ellie began thinking that she very much missed the others—even the other Marauders and their nefarious antics. Maybe I should have taken Lily up on her offer to spend the holiday with her family.

"Hey Ellie, what's this?"

Jarred from her thoughts, Ellie looked down to where Black was pointing. Her shirt had ridden up during their—uh—struggle, and now visible was a small cloud shaped birthmark just above her left hip.

"It's just a birthmark," she shuddered as his finger began lightly tracing its outline, "It's actually one of the only physical ways to tell me and Ari apart. In addition to how we style our hair that is. Mother always said it showed I was trying to be different even as a baby."

"Are you and your family close at all?" Black asked as he continued to caresses her mark.

"N—no. Well my parents and I have never been. Father's never really around and when he is he's usually punishing me for one thing or another. And Mother, she's been trying to change me since birth. I think when I was sorted in to Gryffindor she finally realized I was a lost cause. These past few years she's pretty much ignored me. Except for when she found out I was friends with you lot." Ellie let out a small laugh at the memory of the look on her mother's face. "She gave me plenty of attention then. I even got attention from father that day too, but he usually isn't as amusing as Mother." Her face had hurt for several days afterward.

"And Ariella?" Black prodded.

Ellie looked back and met his eyes. Black lifted a thumb and ran it over her cheek. Unconsciously leaning into his hand, Ellie sighed deeply and continued.

"Ari and I were inseparable as children. I got us into all sorts of trouble." Ellie chuckled, recalling the lemon tart incident. "She never complained though. She never told me 'no'. I was always the leader, the first to speak and the last to shut up. Ari was always so quiet. She'd spend hours just reading in silence. I swear sometimes she'd sit so still for so long I'd think she was dead. She and I are so different. Mother was always telling me to 'act more like Ariella'. But I'll never be able to act like Ariella. I used to think that our differences weren't a problem. We're sisters right? Twins! Nothing would ever separate us. And then we came to Hogwarts…I tried to keep an eye on her. I tried to...but first Narcissa and then Rosier…I guess I just wasn't enough." Ellie was cut off by a strange hiccupping noise. After several seconds she realized that the sound was coming from her and that tears were streaming down her face. Realizing that she was crying only made her sob that much harder.

Black turned Ellie around so that she was facing him with her head buried into his shoulder. Several moments later she felt his hand gently touch her back as he began rubbing in small circles. Taking a deep breathe, Ellie let herself relax in his embrace.

"Reg and I used to be close like that too," Black said. "He always looked up to me as a kid. Mother and Father hated that of course; Merlin forbid two of their children become decent human beings. But, sometime in the years between me being sorted into Gryffindor and his first year they completely turned him on me. Kid hates my guts now. Won't even look at me in the halls."

Ellie could hear the sorrow in Black's voice. She tilted her head up to bring herself face to face with him. Deep grey eyes met her own and she saw a sorrow in them that ran just as deep as her own. It struck Ellie then that there was no other person in the world who understood her more than Sirius Black. And because of this realization and the feelings that came along with it, Ellie leaned forward, gave Black a kiss on the cheek, and went upstairs to bed.