AN: Sequel to Book 1: Reveal Your Secrets.
Disclaimer: I own nothing other than my original characters and anything you might not recognize.
Harry Potter and everything that pertains to it belongs to J. K. Rowling.
A mixture of the books and movies will be included in this story.
No copyright infringement intended.
Spinner's End had been relatively quiet since Talia's return for the summer. Both Isabella and Talia were ignoring Severus, but he took in all in stride. He'd been in worse situations before, far worse than being ignored by his cousin and niece. Isabella would come around eventually, as would Talia—they always did; the two were far too forgiving for their own good. He just needed to bide his time and keep his distance. Isabella had nearly killed him after she'd found out about what had happened, and he did not want to go through that again.
His private quarters at Hogwarts were now missing doors and windows, and the fireplace needed to be rebuilt. He'd escaped that one by the skin of his teeth and sheer luck that Remus had been there to hold Isabella back.
It hurt Isabella that Severus had told everyone about Remus being a werewolf. Remus had resigned to avoid attention, and now he was without a job and she knew from experience that when he didn't have work it drove him mad, made him desperate. The preoccupation about how he was going to pay for his things… It broke her heart just thinking about what he was going through; not being able to sustain a job for a prolonged period just because he was different, having to worry about people's reactions to him being what he was…
No one wanted a werewolf working for them, let alone near them.
Isabella had been looking forward to having Remus be at the castle the following year, so that he could spend more time with Talia—but Severus' rage and jealousy had ruined it. She knew he was jealous even though he'd never admit to it, but it was something that she could pick up on. Isabella knew her cousin well enough to know the reasons behind his actions.
It appeared that Severus was still holding a grudge.
However, Isabella didn't want to even think about that whole ordeal—today she had something special planned for Talia, and nothing would ruin it…
The summer sun was beating down on the two figures relentlessly, making their skin turn a light shade of blush under their heavy cloaks. Side by side, the two walked, down the cobblestone path that lead away from their home.
After making sure no one was following them or watching them, they turned into a deserted alleyway.
Talia was bubbling with excitement and curiosity, but she hid it well. Today was the first time that she'd left Spinner's End since returning home from Hogwarts, which had been quite a few weeks ago. It was August now, and school would be starting up again the following month, and she'd almost been driven mad while cooped up in the house, but her mother had told her that she needed to rest some more after her whole incident on one specific full moon. There were just some bruises and aches that a potion couldn't cure, but now Talia was better, and her mother had told her that to make up for all the time she'd spent indoors, they were going on a little trip.
Talia had absolutely no idea where their destination was, or what it entailed, but her mother had packed a bag with enough clothes to suggest that wherever they were going, they would be staying overnight.
"Now where is that blasted little—oh, here it is," Isabella said as she produced a bottle cap from her pocket.
Talia looked at her mother questioningly.
"This, my love," Isabella said with a small smile, "is a portkey."
"But it looks like—"
"An old bottle cap, yes, but you see, that's the beauty of it," her mother told her. "Sometimes, when you can't use apparition, you use a portkey—it's basically the same thing, and portkeys need to look like old muggle things so that muggles ignore it. Understand?"
"Oh," said Talia, "no one would think twice about an old bottle cap."
"Yes, my smart little fox," Isabella said teasingly, chuckling. "Now, take my hand, and with the other hand touch it. We need to be touching it for it to work."
Talia did as she was told, covering the hand Isabella was holding the portkey with, with her own. She then gripped her mother's free hand tightly with her own, and after a few seconds of nothing happening, the bottle cap began to glow.
"Hold on tight and do not let go," were the last words Isabella said before the portkey activated, and the alleyway was suddenly empty.
In the middle of a field of marshland, filled with tall, straw-like grass, two loud splashes could be heard, followed by the distinct voices of Isabella and Talia screaming in surprise. Isabella had expected to land on drier, more stable land, and it was quite the shock when she'd gotten a mouth-full of water upon arrival.
She detested portkeys.
"WHAT THE HELL IS THIS?" Talia screeched as she struggled to stand up, the mud underneath her feet slippery and unstable. She was completely drenched from head to toe, and her feet kept sinking in the wet earth.
"Marshland, Talia," Isabella snapped irritably as she stood up slowly, "Now calm yourself."
Talia mumbled an apology and held on to her mother's hands as she helped her stand.
"Can you perform any drying spells?"
"Yes, but it would be pointless to do it here," her mother told her, pulling her wand out of her pocket. "I'll perform them once we get to the Weasley's—"
"The Weasley's?" asked Talia in surprise, "Are we going to see Ron?"
Isabella sighed. The portkey was supposed to leave them in front of the Weasley's home, not in the middle of some water-ridden field with mud and who knew what else.
"Something like that," Isabella told her, "Now c'mon, we need to get out of here. Use your nose, love."
Talia rolled her eyes, but did as her mother asked of her. She closed her eyes and took in a deep breath and at first all she could smell was mud and water and grass… but then the scent of baked potatoes and meat filled her nostrils. She could smell spices and other delicious aromas wafting in the light afternoon breeze, and all those scents combined were enough to make her mouth water. Someone was cooking, and it was coming from behind her.
"This way," she said quickly, holding her mother's hand as she followed her nose through the tall grass.
A tall, strangely built house slowly began to come into view as the two grew closer to the marshland's edge. The house was situated outside the village of Ottery St. Catchpole, and was so crazily built that the only thing holding it up was magic and magic alone. It looked like it could have been a farmhouse in a past life, and was composed of several crooked stories that looked to have been added on throughout the years.
There were currently six stories.
In the front yard, there were chickens wandering around, and old Wellington boots, and a rusty cauldron could be seen amongst the oddities. A lopsided sign was stuck in the ground by the front door, announcing its location as: The Burrow.
There was a large garden in the back of the house, surrounded by a fence and a hedge, as well as trees. It was currently overgrown, filled with weeds and grass that needed cutting, though despite that, there was a visible path that could be seen, and the garden was considerable tidy, overall. There was even a big green pond back there that was filled with frogs!
Off to the side of the garden was a run-down stone outhouse, but the sign that had been sloppily painted on the door proclaimed it to be a broom shed now. There was also a garage around the front, and a little ways away was a chicken coop.
This was definitely not Spinner's End. Whereas Spinner's End had a more muggle feel to it, the Burrow was pure magic, and Talia loved it.
"Wow," she said softly as she led her mother out of the marshlands and onto solid earth and green grass.
"Wow indeed," agreed Isabella, before turning to her daughter and saying, "now, let's get you clean and dry before you catch a—OW!"
"I catch a ow?" asked Talia with a chuckle.
"Something bit my ankle," mumbled Isabella as she looked down at her feet. Two little garden gnomes were looking up at her with beady little eyes, each holding a loaf of bread in their hands. "Which one of you did it?"
The little gnomes just giggled amongst themselves before running off into the marsh.
"Can I keep one?" asked Talia as she looked after the running gnomes. She had never seen a garden gnome before. They were little human-like creatures with potato looking heads and black beady eyes—ugly little creatures, but cute nonetheless.
"No," Isabella said in a heartbeat. She did not like garden gnomes. Once when she was little she'd gone out to the garden's behind Prince Manor to play, and there had been gnomes, and they'd pinched her… and taken off with her chocolate biscuits.
Talia sighed, but said no more on the matter. She allowed her mother to perform the spells needed to dry her and clean her, and it made her love magic even more. She wouldn't need to shower or change her clothes!
After performing the spells on her and her bag, Isabella smiled in satisfaction and turned to look at the house known as the Burrow. She spotted two red haired men jousting with picnic tables on the front lawn, their wands up in the air controlling the tables, laughing all the while. The two were very tall, and their red hair said that they were brothers—more specifically, Weasleys (the whole family had red hair!). One of the two had his red hair pulled back in a ponytail, wore dragon-hide boots, and dangling from his ear was a fang. The other had a rugged look about him, with short red hair, and a very muscular build that suggested he worked outdoors. Scars littered the exposed skin of his arms, scars that looked like they could have come from burns.
How strange…
"Um, hello," Isabella called to them, getting their attention.
The two stopped playing their game upon hearing a new voice, setting the tables down with a simple downward stroke of their wands, and stared at Isabella as she approached with Talia at her side.
They did not put away their wands.
"Who are you?" the one with the ponytail asked, looking at Isabella from head to toe, a suspicious look in his blue eyes.
"Ron said that he had a brother in Romania who worked with dragons," Talia was quick to say before Isabella had even gotten a chance to say their names. "Are you the one who works with them?"
The other Weasley cleared his throat and placed a hand on his brother's shoulder, silently telling his brother to pocket his wand as he had done so moments earlier. The two women before them were no threat; that much he could see.
"I'm Bill, and this is Charlie," the one with the ponytail said, the guarded look leaving his eyes at the mention of his youngest brother.
"I'm the one who works with dragons," said Charlie with a grin as he looked down at Talia. "You like dragons?"
"Ooh, I love them! They're my second favorite animal," Talia informed him with an easy grin. "Unicorns are my first!"
"Right," said Charlie with an amused chuckle. He then turned to look at Isabella, staring at her for a long, awkward moment (awkward for Isabella), before he said with a smirk, "and you must be her sister."
Is he saying I look old, Isabella couldn't help but to think, but upon noticing the look that Charlie was giving her, it made her cheeks feel hot.
He was looking at her like Remus would.
"I'm her mother," Isabella said after a moment. "Isabella Prince."
"My mistake."
No it's not, Isabella thought nastily, but nevertheless she replied with, "It's alright—I'm flattered, really."
"My pleasure, then," said Charlie with a grin.
Oh, by the gods…
"So," said Bill, trying to keep a straight face at his brother's antics, "you must be the Talia and Isabella we've been hearing so much about. Mum said that you'd be coming today."
In that moment, Molly Weasley decided to step out into the yard, leaving the front door of her home open. A strange scent floated out the opened door, overpowering the smells of meats and spices, making Talia stare at the entrance into the Weasley's home with narrowed eyes. She took in a deep breath, the smell hitting her stronger this time. Something immediately clicked in her brain, telling her what that strange scent was. She hadn't smelled it in a while, at least not since being in Hogwarts.
"DADDY!" Talia screamed joyously, taking off in a run. Before entering the house however, she stopped and turned back to yell at her mother, "BEST SURPRISE EVER!"
"You've got one more surprise left!" Isabella yelled back, laughing.
"What?!"
"We're going to the Quidditch World Cup!"
Talia gasped, before running back to her mother and wrapping her arms around Isabella's middle.
"You're the best!" said the little Slytherin.
"You should be thanking Ron," Isabella told her, "He's the one who invited us—and Mr. Weasley as well, since he got the tickets."
"Will do," Talia beamed before running back to the house, darting past Molly Weasley with a rushed, "Hello!"
"Hello to you too!" Molly yelled into the house, a small smile on her lips as she approached Isabella. "Quite the handful you've got there."
"You've no idea," said Isabella with a chuckle, hugging the plump, red-haired woman. "It's so good to see you again."
"It's been too long," said Molly with a sad little smile.
The last time the two women had seen each other had been during the First Wizarding War. A group called the Order of the Phoenix had been created to fight against Voldemort and his men, and Remus being Remus, had forbid Isabella from joining. He'd said it be too dangerous, and to appease him, Isabella had agreed. It was how she came to know Molly Weasley. Molly's husband, Arthur, had told his wife the same exact thing, and so the two women had spent various days at random safe houses, caring for the children of those who were off fighting.
"C'mon, let's get inside," said Molly suddenly. "I've got things baking in the oven, and you look like you could use a snack…"
Isabella nodded and the two started walking towards the house, Bill and Charlie following behind them, and it was then that Isabella saw Remus, leaning casually against the doorframe, holding onto Talia's hand. Her heart nearly stopped and she felt faint, and all she wanted to do was to run up to him and smother him with kisses. She hadn't seen him since Hogwarts, since they'd kissed and told each other that they loved one another. They had kept in touch of course, writing letters and the occasional call through the Floo, and just the other day (August 13th) he'd sent her a birthday gift consisting of a card and a modestly knitted scarf… but they were taking things slow because they did not want to make any mistakes.
They had also yet to tell Talia that there was something more between them than just friendship, and they were curious and hesitant about finding out their daughter's reaction.
AN: Be sure to check out this story's spin-off: Interlude: Isle of Corvus.
The spin-off will detail the relationship of Seraphina and Sirius... a relationship which will be brushed lightly in this story.