"The letter. A simple piece of parchment that had turned her life upside down just as she was setting it right again."

...family and friends come first.

James was lucky that Quidditch had given him such quick reflexes—he had his wand at Snape’s throat before any of the three had even reached inside their robes. “Didn’t you learn anything last June? You keep her name out of your mouth.”

“And didn’t you?” Snape asked calmly, completely unperturbed by the stick jammed into his Adam’s apple. “She never wanted you…saving her.”

“Lily, wait.”

Lily abruptly stopped and closed her eyes, willing herself not to give in. The words were said in the tone that had always torn down her walls and made her a little weak in the knees; the low, slightly pleading voice he used when apologizing or in other, more intimate situations. It always had the same effect.

“Don’t bother apologizing, Severus,” Lily said, not trusting herself to turn around and face him. “There really isn’t anymore for us to say.”

It wasn’t until Sirius watched Isabella climb into the opening behind the one-eyed, humpbacked witch that the absurdity of the situation hit him, and he frowned.

 

He had only known Isabella for about 2 months, had said maybe 200 words to her during that time, and was now expected to keep her entertained for an entire day alone in Hogsmeade?