House of Lions

September, 1971

Sharing a room with three other girls was a challenge—that was the very first thing Eleanor learned at Hogwarts. It was bizarre. Eleanor had known girls before, and she had a brother, so she didn’t think it would be hard. But she wasn't prepared for the mess that was her dorm-room. The first day, the three of them managed to arrive twenty minutes late for class, and only two of them had time to shower. Eleanor wasn't one of them. 

Other than Lily, she had two other roommates. Emma —who she met the first night during dinner and apparently was as self-obsessed as she was talkative —and Marlene McKinnon, who was a shy, doe-eyed girl with a chronic dust allergy, She had also learned Emma and Lily had both very strong personalities, and half the time they spoke, they ended up screaming at each other. Nonetheless, Eleanor liked both of them, scary as they might be. 

Between Emma spending an eternity in the shower and complaining about the lack of outlets for her hairdryer, Marlene running in and out of the bathroom to wipe her nose, Eleanor doing and re-doing her braids because they had to be perfect, and Lily screaming at them to hurry along, the fact they even made it to class at all, is beyond me. 

By the third day, it was obvious they needed some kind of system.

"Ok, this is what we are going to do," Lily declared that night. She was brushing her hair angrily. Eleanor wondered how it wasn't hurting her, but she was afraid if she asked, Lily would throw the hairbrush at her. "Each will have half an hour to use the bathroom in the morning. Marlene and I are the fastest, so we'll go first, then Ellie, then Emma—"

Emma gasped immediately, "I need more time!"

“If there's time left, you'll have it.” Lily promised “Or not. That's really not my problem. Regardless, I'm a tardiness away from detention, and that cannot happen, are we clear?"

"Yes, mum" Emma teased, and Lily narrowed her eyes. Before she could speak, Eleanor jumped in and said, "Come on, Lily, relax. It was just a joke. Tomorrow we'll try and get early so you don't get detention and everything will be alright.”

"Yeah, Evans, chill a little. If you keep stressing like that, you'll end up looking like a raisin when you are fourteen."

Lily turned so read it nearly marched her hair. "Whatever," she said, walking to the bathroom and throwing the door behind her. Eleanor stared at Emma, who looked like she might burst out laughing. She threw a pillow at her, and Emma let out a 'yelp' when it hit her.

"Was that really necessary?" 

"Oh please! I barely said anything. She does need to relax and stop taking things so personally."

"You could try and meet her halfway."

Emma rolled her eyes. "Ugh, you posh girls are so fragile." With a hard pull, she closed the canopy curtains of her bed, leaving Eleanor to speak to herself. What did she mean by that? ‘Posh’? She wondered. 

"Well, that was messy," Marlene said, speaking from her own bed. Eleanor looked at her, pretending to not be startled. She hadn't spoken in so long that Eleanor had forgotten she was there to begin with. She felt bad for forgetting her, Marlene was a really nice person, but she rarely talked. Until now, "It was good you called her out, you know? Don't feel guilty for it."

"Yeah, I just wish we could all get along." She felt silly admitting it, childish, but what was the harm? She was a child.

"Me too, but give them time. In the meantime, do you think Lily will come out of the bathroom anytime soon? My tissues ran out, and my nose it's starting to drip."

For the first time that night, Eleanor laughed and said, "I don't know, but now I hope she does."

The next day, she couldn't shake Emma's word from her head. She had called her posh, which meant she was privileged above her peers, didn't it? Eleanor didn't think that was true, of course. She had a decent life.  They had a nice house, a happy family, but didn't they all? In her eyes, she was just like the next person.

As she walked to the library that day, she couldn't shake the thoughts going over and over in her head. Maybe she was making a mountain out of a grain of sand, but she couldn't help herself. She was just starting to make friends, but what if they thought ill of her? 

When she entered, Madam Pierce stared at her carefully, like a cat watching her pray. Surprisingly, there were more than a few students there, so early in the year, though most of them were old enough to be studying for the OWLs. She passed bookshelf after bookshelf. She didn't really know what she was looking for, until she found her brother sitting at one of the desks by the window. Besides him, there was Sirius.

"Do you think we are privileged?" She said that as soon as she sat down, she was not bothered to look at the other boy, who also ignored her.

"Why do you think that?"

"One of my roommates. You must know her, Emma Lang? She called me and Lily ‘posh’ last night."

He seemed to meditate on it for a few seconds before saying, "I think we are normal."

"Good," she sighed, relaxing in her chair. James went back to the parchment on which he was writing, "What are you doing, anyway?"

"Transfiguration homework. I can't believe McGonagall has already left us a five-hundred word essay. She's mental"

He was right. The first class started with homework, and the second too. She had already done hers, it was one of the advantages of sharing a room with Lily, she helped her from time to time, or at least reminded her. 

A few seats away, she noticed a pair of big brown eyes staring at them. When she stared back at him, Remus pretended to look somewhere else. She couldn't help but smile a little.

"So, did you find out why McGonagall called the Lupin kid to the office?"

James scoffed, "No. But he did yell at me when he saw me waiting outside."

"No way!"

"I swear. You should have seen his face when he realised he was stuck with me for good."

Eleanor frowned "What do you mean?"

"He and some other moron are our roommates." This time it was Sirius who spoke, looking at them both. "I mean, Peter Pettigrew, what kind of name is that!"

Eleanor narrowed her eyes. She knew Peter, not very well, but he as a neighbor. there was a time her mother was friends with his and they spent all afternoons together. Last she remembered, he was a chubby little boy who let James and her boss him around and always took her side when she was fighting with her brother, which was all the time "Well, I happen to know Peter, and I think he is very nice.".

"Yeah, well, you try to live with him, he is the dumbest person alive."

"That's very mean, Sirius. You can't talk about people like that behind their backs."

"You know, I find it funny that you act all high and mighty, but you have no idea how privileged you really are. Both of you."

"Look who is talking. If anyone at this table is privileged, it's Mister Toujours Pur," Eleanor spat, blushing. Toujours Pur was the Black family's motto; it meant 'always pure' in French.

"You don't know what you are talking about." Sirius gave her a mocking smile and then turned to James. "When you said your sister was boring, I thought you were lying. I guess you weren't."

That felt like a kick in the guts.

"I'm not boring, it's called having a moral compass. But you wouldn't know that, would you, Black?"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Both of you, enough." James stepped in, dropping his quill. He looked at her, frowning. Like that, he really looked like their mother. "Ellie, why don't you go and take a walk to cool off?"

"Yeah, right," she mocked, standing up, "because I am the problem here."

She saw James begin talking, whether he was talking to her or not, she didn't care, she just started walking away. She really did need to cool off anyway. 

Later that day, Eleanor was walking alone. She was heading to the Great Hall, and after some time on that 'cooling off' thing, she realised how much she liked walking through the halls. Eleanor had seen some of the ghosts that lived in the castle, had met Peeves—which she thought was very rude, but it was a Poltergeist, so she didn't take it personally— and wondered around like a true marauder. But now she was famishing.

Eleanor couldn't stop thinking about what Sirius had said. As she sat on the Gryffindor table, she couldn't help but wonder: Was she really that oblivious to her own privilege? 

→──✦──←

Her favourite class was definitely Potions. She liked Charms a lot, and Defence Against the Dark Arts was fun, even Astronomy was nice, but there was something about Potions. So much that it didn't matter that they shared the class with Slytherin. Maybe it was the controlled environment, or the fact that all you had to do to succeed was follow the steps, the detailed plan someone else had laid out all those years ago. There were no surprises. You followed the recipe. You get a potion. The only thing she didn't like was the professor.

Professor Slughorn was a chubby man in his forties, he was always making un-funny jokes and being kind of an ass in the process, as she learned a week ago, during his first class. He was reading the name-list out loud, making dreadful remarks with every name. She stopped listening when he called Sirius, the Potters, and some other guys 'a great pedigree'. But she supposed it made sense he thought that. Slughorn was Head of Slytherin, after all. 

"Very well, students," Slughorn said, catching her attention. It was a warm afternoon, and she could feel drops of sweat running down her back. She just hoped autumn came soon. "Go to your places near the cauldron and open your books on page..."

Eleanor began walking alone with everyone else. She glanced at her brother, who was laughing along with the Black boy and someone else she didn't recognize. She had to admit, she was a little hurt that he didn't want to partner with her. They hadn't really spoken much since that afternoon. Regardless of all the fighting, they were always close. She knew things would change once they were at Hogwarts, but she didn't see their relationship as one of them. He didn't even glance back as she sat at her table a few places away.

Lily smiled at her, though. She was a team with the rude kid they had met at the train—she had forgotten his name, but apparently he and Lily were really close — and the other kid; Remus Lupin.

"On the page, you have the steps and second part of the instructions for the Forgetfulness Potion you had been working on last class. In the course of the lesson, you will attempt to successfully finish it, you'll win a prize that you will receive in the in the next lesson."

Eleanor sat between Marlene and Emma, her group. Marlene already had the book open and was underlining the most important parts with a pencil. They began with the potion. Eleanor was on stirring duty, while Marlene threw in the ingredients, and Emma complained.

"Is it supposed to smell like that?" She asked, looking pale. Eleanor was hoping she wouldn't start gaging. "It smells like a dead... something. It's gross" 

"I don't think it should. Marls, did you put the Valerian sprigs right?"

"Of course I did."

"Well, then, I don't think we should be worried," she sighted "What do you think this so called prize is about?"

"Maybe he'll give us a free period."

"Maybe he will let us use the potion on him, you know, for educational purposes only."

The three of them laughed softly. "Maybe—" As Eleanor began speaking, she was interrupted with a scream, and not any scream, but Lily's. They turned her head just in time to watch as Remus Lupin threw himself at that rude kid, knocking him over while he cried in pain. "What the hell...?" Yes, Emma, what the hell indeed, she thought.

Around him, people began getting close. Mulciber —a nasty Slytherin boy who was far too big for his age —tried to pull Remus away from the rude kid, but apparently Lupin was a little stronger than he let on. 

"Oh, for Merlin's sake! Lupin, Snape, stop it!" Slughorn spoke, and it was enough to bring Remus out of his trance. He stopped punching the other kid, and they both stood up. Snape—now that she remembered his name— had blood running from his nose, and Eleanor had to look away so she wouldn't throw up. She hated blood so bloody much. "What on earth has gotten into you two?" He yelled, "Violence will never be tolerated in my class, are we clear? ...”

"But sir, he was looking for it," James talked back.

In that moment, Eleanor's attention jumped to her desk. It was shaking, and the potion inside the cauldron was turning an intense blue colour. 

"Isn't it supposed to be orange?" Marlene asked, and they both looked at each other in dread. And without missing a beat, they both gasped. Eleanor took Emma's arm as she yanked her near "Get down!" 

But it was too late. Their cauldron burst, getting the mixture everywhere else, including the other nearby potions. Cauldron after cauldron, they all exploded, leaving the classroom soaked in a stinking blue goo. James burst out laughing, followed by Sirius and then Remus, even Peter was fighting to keep a straight face as Slughorn became red with fury.

To no one's surprise, Slughorn didn't waste time and called McGonagall. Saying she was angry was an understatement. She dragged Remus, James, Peter, and, for some weird reason, Emma, Marlene, and Eleanor to her office. 

It was small, but cosy, and it reminded her of the Gryffindor common room. It had so many pictures on the walls of happy students with a happy life, and a lovely fireplace with two chairs. James and Sirius wasted no time sitting in them, goo and all. 

"Very well," McGonagall sighted as she sat down at her desk, looking tired and disappointed. "I think you may know why I brought you here."

"Honestly, I don't," Emma said. "I mean, I can understand why Mr. Violence is here, and even the other goofs, but we didn't do anything wrong."

"She's right, professor."

"That's not totally true, isn't it, Miss. McKinnon? Professor Slughorn found a jar of explosive dust on Mr.Pettigrew's desk. It had a label that said: Property of James Potter." She raised her voice. What. An. Idiot; Eleanor thought, who on his right mind signs something like THAT with his name? "So ladies, do you have any explanation as to how, exactly, the dust was mixed in your potion?"

Eleanor opened her mouth, and shut it down immediately. She had no idea how it happened, but she did know that there was no way of defending themselves now.  She looked at her brother, his head low, in the same way that when her mother found out about something he had done—like when he burned down the gazebo. He was guilty, and he had framed her too. 

The betrayal left a bitter taste in her mouth.

"That's what I thought," McGonagall said once more. "Ten points less for Gryffindor. Each of you." Emma let out a gasp as she covered her mouth in terror. "And detention until Christmas break. I'll let you know the details tomorrow."

"Wait, professor," Remus spoke. He had been quiet all this time, and Eleanor had forgotten he was there. "They didn't have anything to do with it. None of them did," he glanced at her so quickly that only she noticed, "This is all my fault, I should be the only one to blame."

"It's honourable of you to try and take the blame, Mr. Lupin," McGonagall interrupted. "But I advise you to stop. You are in enough trouble as it is.”

"But it's the truth!"

Professor McGonagall gave him a warning look, but he didn't back down. In fact, he stared back with a defiant expression. Without taking her eyes off him, she said, "You should all go to your dorm-room and clean up. I need to have a discussion with Mr. Lupin."

That was all she needed to start walking to the door, she was too angry to be in the same room with James, anyway. The girls followed, too stunned to speak. The hallways were nearly empty, which she thanked because the goo was starting to stink. Sirius was waiting for them there. He was clean and fresh.

"For Godrick' sake! What happened in there?" He asked, running to James, "What did they tell you?"

"I think we'll have detention, but I'm not really sure."

"How can you not be sure?"

"Lupin tried to take the blame," Peter explained. "I can't believe he did that."

"We should wait for him, it's the right thing to do. Right, Ellie?"

Eleanor stared at him. She didn't recognise her brother. Yes, he was usually messy, but he had a good heart.  He wasn't the one to sacrifice others, or blame other people for his actions, especially not Eleanor. He was the one to take responsibility. Now she didn't know who he was.

"Now you worry about the right thing?" She screamed, "I think it's a little late for that."

"Oh, please, don't be such a princess." Sirius snorted, "That was the coolest thing that ever happened to that boring classroom."

"It was wrong. All of it. And I will not stay here with the same people who tried to frame us."

"Yeah," Emma said. "See you in detention, suckers."

Eleanor turned her back and started walking away. James didn't stop her. They didn't see Lily for the rest of the day. Not in the dorm-room. Not in class. When they asked about her, someone said she was in the hospital wing with Severus. So they decided to give her space.

After dinner, they got into their dorm-room once again, but this time she was there, sitting on her bed. She was in her pyjamas, her eyes were red, making the green colour of her irises pop up more, and her cheeks looked irritated. The girls shared a concerned look, so much so that Emma said nothing and just gave her a soft smile as she walked to the bathroom.

Without knowing very well what to do, Eleanor picked up half a bar of chocolate and walked to her. Without a word, she offered it to her, and Lily took it, laughing softly. "I know I shouldn't get like this," she sighted "He is fine. And he can be such an idiot sometimes and say hurtful things. I don't justify what he said to Remus, but he shouldn't have hit him. It was so scary. I felt so helpless."

"What did he say to him, anyway?"

 “Stupid stuff. He started mocking his scars, and I guess he got tired and decided to shut him up," she sighted. Eleanor was seriously confused about the scars, she hadn't seen any. But then again, she had never been close enough to see. " But anyway, it's all over now. How did you go with MGonagall?

Eleanor sighted, "Turns out James, or Peter—or both probably — messed with our potion, so it exploded, and now we all got detention."

 “Wait, but why you? You didn't do anything!"

"Because we couldn't prove our innocence. To everyone's surprise, Remus tried to take the blame, but I don't think McGonagall bought it."

"Wow... Lad is full of surprises."

"Yeah, tell me about it." She laughed, bitterly. 

Lily offered her a piece of chocolate. "Want some? I think you could need it."

Eleanor laughed again, but gladly took the chocolate. On Lily's bedside table, there was a letter. It had a lot of scratches and changes, like it was written and then rewritten over it. 

"What's that?" 

Lily shook her head. "Nothing. I was just trying to write to my sister. We weren't on the best terms when I came here. Now I don't know what to say."

"Well, that depends, if you were in the wrong, then apologise."

"That's the thing, I wasn't in the wrong. At least I don't think so. There was nothing I could do."

"But you miss her?"

Lily nodded. "She is my best friend."

"Well, then give the first step. Reach her out. I promise you'll be back to being best friends in no time"

Lily smiled softly, her dimples showing in her cheeks. "Thanks, Elle."

No one had ever called Eleanor that, it was always 'Ellie'. For whatever reason, she found that she liked 'Elle' so much more.

"Any time, Lils."