Stay Clear
January, 1972
"This is a terrible idea."
"'Tis not."
"You're going to fall."
"Am not, Ellie, relax," James yelled from up on the tree. He was so far up, Eleanor wouldn't be surprised if he found a bird nest in there.
"You are. You're going to be like scrambled eggs on the grass, and mum will murder you and then murder me for letting your moronic arse climb a tree in the first place!"
James shook his head, unwilling to listen to her sister, and kept on climbing instead.
It had been a very interesting Christmas break, to say the least. Sirius had been staying at the Pettigrew's, which meant that since the very first day, Eleanor was blessed with the delight of Satan's Spawn's presence. They had gone ice-skating, snowball fighting, and even gone to the muggle town to call her friends thrice that week.
Phones were a little more complicated than Eleanor had anticipated. After a minor existential crisis inside the phone box, Eleanor finely figured out how to dial the numbers in that weird thing, and half an hour later, trying to understand how to talk and hear her friends through that god-forsaken phone, she finally did it.
That day was a cold January afternoon. The four of them had spent that day playing a heated game of quidditch. Eleanor and James against Peter and Sirius, which wasn't all that fair, if Eleanor was honest. She and her brother had been playing since they were in nappies, and they were fairly gifted— all modesty aside. And although Sirius was good enough on the pitch, Peter was a mess of fear of heights and a horrible eye-body coordination.
"How will she kill him if he is already dead?"
"Shut up, Black. This was your brilliant idea, and if i am left twin-less, it's going to be on you."
The game had stopped about an hour ago when Peter threw the quaffle into a nearby tree. The tree was damp and slippery because of the snow, but it didn't stop the boys from climbing it anyway. Idiots. James grinned as he stepped on a branch, and she had to close her eyes out of fear.
"Im confused. I thought she didn't like you?" Peter whispered up on the tree. "She is always being so mean to you."
"Let me give you some advice, Pete-boy: girls don't even know what they think, so don't waste any time figuring it out because all you'll win is a headache— " At that moment, Sirius's words were interrupted by a flying rock that Eleanor had definitely 'not' thrown at him. The three boys looked down from the tree, scolding.
"By Merlin... where did that come from?" She scratched her head, plastering an angelical smile across her face.
Sirius shook his head. "Women, lad, they are mental," he muttered. "The lot of them."
Eleanor stuck her tongue out, but didn't reply. After a while, they gave up on the quaffle when they saw a pretty little squirrel claim it as hers. Later, once the sun had set and they grew too tired to go on, the four went back to the Potter manor. Euphemia Potter was waiting for them with a warm cup of tea and a mountain of chocolate-chip cookies.
The four of them sat in front of the fireplace for a while, until James and Sirius stood up to go to James's room. It had been a very lucrative Christmas in the 'presents' department. She received a brand new set of pencils and charcoal to draw with and a set of beautiful watercolours from her parents. Lily gifted her a muggle book by some author named Louisa May Alcott, and in return, he gave her a set of pretty quills that reminded her of Lily. Marlene and Emma didn't give her anything, but she couldn't care less, she gave Emma a bracelet she had seen in one of the muggle shops in town and Marlene a book on Quidditch since she loved the game so much.
Eleanor and Peter began playing a game of magical chess, mostly out of boredom. Eleanor missed her friends, or Remus. Christmas would have been so much more fun if any of them were here to keep her and Pete company, since most of the time James and Sirius were in their own world.
"A5 to C6," Eleanor commanded, and the horse moved to the place, wrecking the piece that was there. "Check."
Peter smiled, his apple cheeks lighting up. "D4 to B6. Check mate."
Eleanor opened her eyes, fully in shock, because, indeed, Peter had won yet another game. "Pete, you are a complete genius! That was amazing. You must teach me how to do that."
"It's not a big deal, Ellie," he shot back, blushing. "It's just practice."
"Well, then I must practice more often because you are seriously insane." As she was speaking, she heard James and Sirius laughing about something, and Peter's smile faltered. Eleanor was sure James didn't mean to exclude him, but when the two of them were together, it was like there was no one else in the universe. Still, she felt bad for poor Pete. "Do you want to play another game?"
"Yeah, sure." He smiled, putting everything in place once again.
"When do you have to go back to yours? It's getting kind of dark, Pete."
"Eleanor Jane Potter, are you kicking me out?"
Eleanor gasped "Of course not! I'm just worried because you'll have to walk all that way to your house in the dark. Maybe my mum can walk with you two..."
"I'd prefer you didn't," he frowned. "I don't know the details, but apparently Sirius's mum made mine promise he would not be in any contact with the Potters or any other family like... you know..."
"I don't. Not really."
"Blood traitors, Ellie." Eleanor's mouth fell open, creating an o. "These are complicated times, you know."
She knew that by 'times', he meant the war, but it was still such a foreign concept for her. She supposed it was because her life wasn't really affected by it. Regardless, they kept playing, but she really didn't feel like talking anymore.
They didn't see the other boys until dinner, when Sirius and Peter had to excuse themselves because they had to go back to the Pettigrew's. Eleanor hadn't seen much of her father since he was busy with 'work stuff', but today he was sitting on the table, smiling lovingly as the twins talked about everything that came to their minds. It was lovely, she realised, to be part of a family such as hers.
"...so when I look back, there it is: the squirrel was all over Sirius, scratching him all over his face!"
"It didn't do anything I wouldn't have."
"Ellie!" Her mum warned, but she was smiling, clearly amused by her children's banter.
"What? He is annoying."
"He is a really nice young man," Euphemia retorted, and Eleanor fought the urge to roll her eyes. For some reason, Sirius had won Mrs. Potter's heart from the very first time. It was extremely offensive to Eleanor, to say the least. "He is so polite, what a shame his family is such a sadistic kind of wizard."
"Effie," her father warned.
"What? It's true. There was something very hunting about his eyes. It made me want to snatch him away to live with us."
"Please do!" James screamed at the same time Eleanor gasped, "Not a chance in hell!" James kicked under the table, and she stuck her tongue at him.
"Although I should focus on putting some manners on my own children before taking any strays," Euphemia sighed.
"If you really want to adopt one of James's shabby friends," Eleanor said, ignoring her mother's comment, "I suggest Remus; he is very nice. Really smart, too, so you would have an actually competent son."
James rolled his eyes. "What's this obsession with Lupin? He is my friend. Mine. Are you in love with him or something? Because I think he would rather someone with a brain..."
"I don't think that's true, he hangs with you after all." Eleanor laughed, taking another bite of her food. "And I am so not in love with him, gross."
"Great, because he is my friend, and that would be betrayal."
"Oh, cry me a river, ya poof!"
"Eleanor!"
"Sorry, sorry... he made it so easy, it couldn't not be said, mum."
Eleanor smiled sweetly and returned to her food, happy with the fact that although her mum didn't really like her vocabulary, her father was having a hard time keeping his face straight. "So that's your other's friend name?" Her mother asked, "Remus Lupin?"
James nodded. "Poor lad, right?"
"His name is not so bad... There's always Severus" Eleanor cringed, and her brother smiled at the memory of the dreadful kid that was Severus Snape. She noticed her father stopped smiling, and shared a worried look with her mother. "What's wrong, dad?"
Her mother shook her head, the same she always did to communicate that whatever they were talking about wasn't the kids business. Dinner was a little quiet after that, and Eleanor couldn't help but wonder, What on earth did her parents know? And why couldn't she know, too?"
→──✦──←
The platform nine and three quarters was full as business. At this point, it really didn't surprise her anymore, nor did it make her feel intimidated. Her brother had run off with his friends a long time ago, and mum was called on an emergency to St. Mungo's at dawn, so it was just her and Fleamont Potter standing in the middle of a sea of robes and pointy hats.
"Have you seen any of your friends?" Her father asked, looking around for a blond, redhead gryffindor or a doe-eyed brunette, as Eleanor had instructed.
Eleanor shook her head, standing on one of the benches. "They should be here by now."
"They are probably in the train already," he offered the explanation. "And you should too. The train will leave any minute now."
"Yeah, I guess you are right." Eleanor sighed, stepping down from the bench. She looked at her father. He looked so much like James that the resemblance was startling. They had the same eyes and hair, both wore glasses, and looked extremely similar. She looked more like her mother with the full lips and huge brown eyes, but she had her dad's messy black hair. "I should be going, them."
Fleamont nodded, bringing her in for a hog. She loved her dad's hugs, they were warm and soft, and it felt like being embraced by a marshmallow, which was weird because her father was on the skinny side of things. When he let go, Eleanor's eyes were slightly teary. Lord, she was going to miss him.
"Stay out of trouble, okay, Ellie?" He ordered, raising an eyebrow in a James-like gesture. She nodded. "And keep an eye on that brother of yours, trouble has a way of finding the Potter lads."
"Don't worry, Dad. We'll be back in a few months," she smiled reassuringly. "We'll be alright."
"Of course you will. You have no idea how proud I am of you," he said, putting a hand on her shoulder. "Now, I want you to promise me something, and please do not ask any questions about it. Not to me. Not to anyone."
Eleanor frowned, but nodded anyway. "Sure, dad, anything."
"Be careful with the Lupin kid." He said, too much of Eleanor's confusion. It must have shown on her face because he explained, "I am not telling you to stay away from him, but be careful, Eleanor. Keep your wand on you all the time. Did you learn any defensive spells?"
"Yes, dad, but why...?"
"I don't want you to be afraid of using them, okay? And really, keep an eye on your brother. I'm telling only you because we both know that speaking to James is like speaking to a wall. Be inquisitive, Ellie. There's always more than meets the eye. People aren't always what they seem."
"Dad, you're scaring me. Why...?"
"I can't tell you. I don't even know if it's true. So please, just do what I ask you to and don't ask me more questions." His tone was serious, so much so that Eleanor was really afraid. Was there something wrong with Remus? With his family? Why did he want her to be careful? "Are we clear?"
"Yes," she choked out. Unsure of what to do.
"Great" Fleamont seemed to relax at her words. "Now go, honey, or the train will really leave without you, and your mother will kill me because all I had to do was deliver you to the train."
"'Deliver'? I'm not a package, dad," she joked, stepping away. "See you in a few months?"
Fleamont nodded and said, "I love you. Make the Potter House proud!"
"I love you too," she screamed as she stepped on the train.
Most people had already settled in their compartments by the time she reached the hallway, so it wasn't that much of a hassle to walk and check each until she found a blonde and a brunette, sitting side by side. Marlene was wearing her uniform head to toe, her curly hair was tucked into a hair bun so tight that Eleanor had a headache just looking at it. Emma wore a white jumper and a dark red skirt with tights. Lily was nowhere to be seen, but Eleanor assumed she was somewhere with Severus.
As soon as they saw Eleanor, both girls smiled broadly. "Babe, oh lord, I've missed you so much!" Emma squeaked, jumping up and down. "It's been so long..."
"It's been two weeks."
"Shut up and hug me, Eleanor Potter."
Marlene stood up too to take part in the group hug. "Hey, girly," she winked once the hug was over. "Please tell me your Christmas was better than mine."
"Why? What happened, Marls?" Eleanor asked when they sat down, she was in front of them, beside the window. "You sounded great on the phone."
"Well, I didn't want to trouble you," she excused herself. "And by the way, I can't believe you couldn't use a phone."
"I come from a great line of wizards, I've never had anyone to call on the phone before!"
"But thirty minutes? That's embarrassing, Elle."
"Oh, stop it, it's been six months and you still fly like a toddler, Em."
Emma stuck her tongue at her, and Eleanor mimicked her to perfection. "Anyway, spill the beans, Marls. What happened?"
"Apparently Mam has been seeing someone," she sighed, her eyes sorrowful. Both girls looked at each other sympathetically. "An idiot block named Michail. He is Greek and unbearable."
"Oh, Marls, I'm so sorry," Eleanor said, unsure of how to help her. This wasn't exactly her area of expertise. Her parents were the most in love people she had ever met. Granted, they were probably the only married couple she knew that liked each other.
"Yeah, you know she is not trying to replace your dad, right?" Emma asked, hugging her.
"I'm not so sure. She brought him on Christmas Eve and again on Boxing Day. Danny hates him too, he says he is trying to meddle in our lives and he is going to control us."
"Well, I don't think that is true, babe. Maybe he just loves your mam. Everything will be fine, you just have to give it time and give yourself time to digest the idea."
"What if it doesn't?", Marlene asked, her big doe eyes filled with sadness. "What if he tries to replace da?"
Eleanor frowned. What on earth could she say to that? She didn't think there was much to make it better, especially if Marlene was set on the idea that her mum was trying to replace her dad. Besides, she didn't know if it was true, but her duty was to defend her friend, and try to calm her without making her feel like her fears were invalid. Right?
"Well, you'll always have us, Marls," Eleanor promised. "We wont leave you."
"That's right. And if you want to run away, I can always have my mam pick you up. But keep in mind that I live in a small flat downtown, so there isn't much space. You could stay in Elle's, maybe?"
"That won't work if my mum decides to kidnap Sirius like she wants."
"What?" They both asked in unison.
"Sirius was staying at the Pettigrew's, which means they both were in my place all day, every day for two weeks. Mum says Sirius is such a nice gentleman, and so respectful... She was always giving him food."
"Oh, poor girl." Marlene laughed. "I changed my mind, you had the worst Christmas break."
They spent the rest of the time speaking and cracking jokes. Emma told them about her Christmas. Apparently, she had met a lad named Jacob who lived in the same building. She said he was two years older and very handsome, with pretty blue eyes and a striking smile. They were just friends—she made that especially clear— but she would be open to being more than that once they left school for the summer. Eleanor didn't quite understand why she wanted to be more, or what more was, for that matter. She knew that boyfriends and girlfriends and husbands and wives existed, but she didn't know exactly what made them different from friends.
Soon enough, they got to Hogwarts, which was a lifesaver, since she was starving. The Great Hall was no longer adorned with Christmas decorations, and it was safe to say it had returned to its old classy charm. She sat with the girls on one side, her right shoulder grazing Lily's. On the other side, she sat beside her dearest and only brother.
The moment her eyes locked with Remus's big caramel eyes, her father's words came crashing down in her mind. While she was with the girls, she hadn't given it too much thought. Honestly, she had forgotten. But seeing him there, looking at her with that playful familiarity, she felt her stomach twist in knots.
Fleamont Potter was a sensitive person. He was smart and kind. He didn't judge by appearances or money where someone came from. He judged people by their character, who they were, and who they could be. For him to make such a snap judgement of Remus... to be telling his daughter to be careful... it must be something grave. But Remus was kind, he was a complete bitter pill and a sarcastic, cocky boy, but kind, nonetheless. Was there something really wrong with him? She couldn't imagine what it was.
"Potter," he acknowledged, vowing his head nonchalantly.
"Lupin," she said back, trying to induce her face to mirror his calmness. "How was Christmas?"
"Alright. Yours?"
"I suppose it could be worse." She sighed "James almost died, and Sirius got scratched by an angry squirrel, so that was fun."
Remus frowned slightly, but didn't ask any questions and smiled all the same. James elbowed her, giving her a 'stay away from my friend' look, and she almost laughed at him. She was barely friends with Remus, so her brother could sleep knowing that he didn't have to worry about her stilling his friend. But still, there was something wrong with him. She was sure. She couldn't just leave it be. What if he was in danger or something? She had to know.
After all, Eleanor had promised her dad she would be careful, and she would. But she didn't promise him she wouldn't investigate, right?