Yay! Cute reviews, thank you kindly! Happypanda19 – oh I know, she never has much luck, I feel like I'm awful to her, hehe :3 Spottedmask12 – I know, could you imagine how awkward that would be…ugh, second-hand embarrassment I have for dearest Ellie. Professor McGonagal – awh thank you, i'm glad you like it! :D Ellinise – Awh, I think Sirius and Ellie are perfect for each other – they're both so confusing and frustrating, hehe, hey, come for a rant or whatever :D Thymara – hello! :D thank you so much for the lovely review :3 Thank you everyone who read and liked it x

Running and hiding

As Ellie hopped down the remaining steps, her jolly hum fell to heavy breathing - she saw the familiar locks of black hair exiting the great hall, but what made it painfully worse, was that his arm was draped around a 5th year Hufflepuff. He was clad in his quidditch uniform and his other hand clasped around his broomstick. God, he was good looking. Ellie rolled her eyes and decided it was best to scarper.

She wasn't ignoring Sirius exactly. She just wasn't talking to him. Or interacting with him. Or staying in the same room with him for more than a second. Okay, maybe it was slightly avoiding like. She looked to the right and then to the left and decided to thunder down the corridor to her right. Her heart raced. It was too embarrassing the other night. He caught her earlier sneaking out of her dorm and demanded to speak to her, but Ellie managed to swivel around that predicament: 'I need to see McGonagall!' she would yell. Which wasn't particularly true.

She bolted into the door closest to the almost-run-in. She obviously wasn't paying attention as when she entered and blinked a couple of times, she realised she was most definitely in the boys lavatory. A 1st year Slytherin yelped and a 7th year by the urinal winked. She shuddered and began easing out of the door backwards, slowly and quietly, hoping to not draw any more attention, she should've known that would never happen.

"Aldern?" a snide voice came

"Crap." She whispered under her breath. Macnair. He smirked at her, his buddies by his side. They say girls can't go to the bathroom alone…

"Anything in the paper recently?" he asked to no one in particular but still smirking dangerously at the now very apprehensive girl. She was such an idiot. She should have at least looked where she was going? What if Sirius came in here? Gosh, she was such an idiot. She internally ridiculed herself for her foolishness yet again.

Ellie merely rolled her eyes.

"We don't like what you've been saying about the dark Lord" Rosier growled

"I haven't been saying anything…" she trailed off. That wasn't true. She had obviously outwardly mocked the so called dark lord. Her eyes fell from the boys faces.

She rushed in her explanation before they could attack - "I don't care about Voldemort, okay? I don't 'want his power'" she emphasised "how does my wanting to find out about my past equal to 'let's kill Voldemort?'" she screeched. The papers had been enthusiastic about painting her to be Voldemort's biggest enemy as well as a keen follower. They contradicted themselves, but this obviously allowed both sides of the wizarding world to hate her.

"We don't care about that, we all know you won't be able to beat him, us or succeed in the war. You're a fool if you think you can. What we don't like is what you are saying!" Macnair barked

"I'm only telling the truth, but it doesn't mean I want to-"

"Shut it!" he yelled swaggering over to Ellie. He pushed her back against the wall roughly and gripped her wrist. He brought his mouth to her ear and whispered harshly into it. "You don't know what we could do to you Aldern, you don't know…" he closed his other hand around her waist "what I could do" he trailed his hand upwards tracing over her body until his hand came to her face. Her heart thumped painfully in her chest, her mind twirled and whirled, and her brain froze and screamed in shock.

This is when she wanted Sirius. This is when she needed him.

As if her prayers had been answered, his typical rough voice filtered into the air.

"If you want to keep that hand, Macnair, I'd suggest you let her go."

"Black to save the day" Macnair chuckled, throwing Ellie's wrist down and backing off

"Ellie isn't a damsel in distress. She doesn't need me saving her" Sirius grumbled, Ellie looked over to him, his face glowering with anger and hatred, he caught Ellie's eye and nodded professionally, "I just think it would be better if I were to beat you up than her. She's a fierce one. You've read the papers haven't you?" his cocky tone seemed to silence Macnair, his snide mouth closed before issuing a disgusting retort. Sirius smirked triumphantly.

He strolled over to the sink and held his hand out to Ellie. Her body was still wearily squashed against the wall, petrified and feeling like a complete fool. She ignored his hand and jolted from the wall. She straightened her tie and adjusted her skirt, before throwing a nasty glare at the Slytherins and strutting towards the door.

"Your threats, Macnair, are pathetic." she growled.

"Just remember what I said, yeah?" he snarled

She tumbled out of the door and dashed along the hallway, scuttling towards the entrance hall and plummeting from the castle.

"Ellie, please, come on! Talk to me!" His voice grew louder, blissfully unaware of the students turning and watching. Her face turned red as she scurried from the castle. She ran out, not entirely sure where she was going. Why was she always running and hiding? She thundered towards the quidditch pitch, secretly knowing he would follow and secretly liking it.

"I want to help you." She stopped only momentarily, to ponder what he could have been talking about. "I'm worried you're going to get hurt – Ellie!" his voice grew annoyed. "Ellie, what was that about? Why were you in there? Ellie!"

She stopped on the pitch, completely ignorant that her feet had been moving her further and further onto the green field.

"Please."

She turned slowly, avoiding his stormy eyes. She was afraid. No denying it.

"Will you look at me!" he shouted

"No." she replied meekly

"You can't ignore me forever, Elladora!"

"Oh yes I bloody well can!" she growled back. He sighed and stormed over, closing the gap between them "Ell, please." His voice was softer but still bursting with exasperation.

"I made a complete fool of myself, so I'd rather have a couple of weeks to wallow in my own self-pity, if you don't mind!"

"You shouldn't wallow"

"Well when you do what I did, you'll realise that wallowing is good!" she snapped glancing up into his eyes. He grinned down at her

"You straightened your hair again? I preferred it curly" he casually offered picking up a lock and twirling it gently.

"I don't style my hair according to you Sirius Black!"

"Calm down!" He cackled "Besides," he started seriously "we really, really need to talk, so I'd appreciate it if you stop looking at the floor" he put his hand on her chin and titled her face up to look at him. His eyes softened almost immediately and his grinned melted into more of a shy smile. "Much better."

She huffed unattractively and pulled from him, she strolled to the stands and boisterously climbed up until reaching the furthest seat. He of course, followed. He sat beside her silently, throwing his broom to the floor and fiddling with his quidditch uniform.

"About the other day," he started, she groaned "It's really not that big of a deal" she snorted "really, I mean, I'm flattered" she whined, he laughed. "Ellie, it was…nice-"

"Nice? Oh god, I'm an embarrassment to human beings. Look I'm sorry, I misread some stuff, I was tired and feeling down and I went to kiss…"

"…you DID kiss me…"

"…more of a peck…"

"…I kissed back…" he included. She fell silent. He did, didn't he?

"Can we just forget about it?" she moaned childishly

"I don't want to forget about it!" he insisted resting a hand on her knee, she recoiled and leapt up.

"Well I do. So shush now." She started pacing before him; he watched her carefully smiling at her hazardous hand movements "it's done. It's over. You have a game to focus on. I have exams. Let's all just pretend nothing is wrong in our lives, can we please, please, please do that?" she asked hopefully.

He rubbed his forehead thoughtfully, sighing then nodding apprehensively. "Ell, that's not all I wanted to talk to you about"

She continued to strut along the stands. "Yes?"

"I'm kind of worried for you. What did Macnair and Rosier…" he trailed off, slightly embarrassed

"Worried? Don't worry Sirius" she droned, "I didn't shag them if that's what you're worried about." She rolled her eyes and stopped before him

"I wasn't thinking that! I know you wouldn't…wouldn't do...What were you doing in there? With them?"

"Hiding."

"From me?"

She scoffed, of course she was. "No."

"What did they say to you?"

"Not much" she shrugged

"ELLIE!"

"Just to tell me to stop pissing off Voldemort" she waved her hand dismissively

"I thought it might have been that" he grimaced, he rubbed his chin nervously and groaned at her ignorance. "This is bad. You have to be careful. He's dangerous. It's dangerous out there. Jesus Christ are you ever going to think!" he scolded.

Her face crumpled slightly.

"I just meant…" he didn't know how to continue, obviously. And she didn't know how to respond. It was a difficult subject to talk about. The last couple of months had made Ellie entirely infamous and unpopular, what could've been said?

"I'm sorry." He breathed gently. He climbed up and clumsily pulled her into a hug "It's just, they blame you." He pulled away and handed her a piece of parchment. "I intercepted it from a bunch of Slytherins" he explained as she unscrunched the wad of browning paper.

'He blames her. The Aldern bitch. He's not happy. But Malfoy's been recruiting more. That of course isn't making up for the humiliating ridicules from that easy whore. The news isn't good.'

"Sloppy." She simply replied, she screwed up the paper and swallowed back the slight fear growing in her throat. "What happened to you thinking he was stupid?"

"That was last year, Ellie! Things are getting worse. Muggleborns are dropping out, murders, and muggles being tortured. Burning buildings, infiltration, backstabbing. A lot of shit, basically." He droned on, his angered tone turning back to his normal lazy character as if he were just reeling off usual daily occurrences.

"People are blaming you" he looked at her guiltily "Nearly everyone knows about Cyrus Aldern. His dark tendencies, he was a pureblood who turned – "

"Dark? And what, people think I'm turning dark? Please!" it didn't bother her like it should have, it wasn't the truth. "The bad guys hate me, now the good guys? I'm beyond popular.

"It's not all bad, Ell, I don't hate you" He smiled and pulled her back into the hug. He laid his chin on her head and wrapped his long arms around her body, stroking her back soothingly. She hated it. He was too condescending.

"I don't need your pity!" she snapped "besides, are you a good guy or bad guy, it's always been tough for me to tell!" her eyebrows rose as she so very rudely jumped down his throat.

"You know what, I couldn't give a shit if you're going to act like such a bitch!" he growled, he stepped towards the seats and grabbed his broom, he mounted it and gracefully hovered there momentarily.

"I'm sorry" she uttered quietly, rubbing her eyes and feeling the wetness drip from them.

"I'm just trying to help you, you daft cow" he retorted, obviously nervous from her crying. "Come on, don't cry."

"I'm not!" she hiccupped.

He hovered there, silently watching her. The tears spilled from her eyes, he didn't like seeing her like that. Who would? "Sirius." She sniffed, scared, heartbroken, in pain.

"Ell." He simply whispered before clambering off his broom messily and grabbing her into a tight hug and letting her nuzzle into his arm. "I'm sorry. I'm just…just worried." He rubbed her back soothingly. This time, she didn't hate it. "Try not to snot on the uniform though. Girls die over this look." He chuckled, a statement that would normally ruin the atmosphere, but Ellie just laughed into his chest.

A/N: Guys, guys, guys! I'm so excited, I break up for summer holidays on Friday and eep! This gives me six weeks to continue writing this story (as well as my other ones I'm planning), to read new fanfics and re-read my old favs! I also get to complete an awesome art project, I'm so excited! (I'm such a loser.) yay for summer! Plus – weather here in England is…whoa. :D fun! This chapter is fairly long and a bit dialogue-y but oh well :) Let me know what you thought of this chapter and feel free to message me whenever, i'm always around and ready to chat to you lovely people! :D ~ K