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Songs for this Chapter:
Isabel's Theme [See Tumblr]
Isabel and Severus' Theme [See Tumblr]
Brother by Matt Corby
Sunset by The xx
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.
Waking up in the morning seemed to be a struggle. All I wanted to do was stay in bed and cry over the things I had lost. Everything was just so tiring, and it was a battle to keep my identity in tact. I stood up and got dressed, realising that this is just what I had to do. I had to battle until I was able to get home, no matter how long it took. I felt so horrible for my family back home. They'd all be worried sick that I was dying.
I walked downstairs to the common room to see Remus, Sirius, Lily, Alice, Marlene, James and Peter Pettigrew sitting by the fire. I felt so angry when I saw Pettigrew. He was the reason Lily and James were dead in my world. He was the reason Sirius had spent so long in jail. He was the reason for all the pain and suffering in Harry Potter's life. I wanted to take my wand out there and then, but I couldn't. The rest of them would think I was insane. I decided I would just gave to keep an eye on Pettigrew. I went and sat amongst the seven friends who were chatting away. They didn't stop their talking. They just continued on, as if I wasn't there. So I sat there and patiently waited.
"What have you got on today?" I heard someone ask. I snapped out of my own little world when I realised the question had been directed to me. It was James Potter. He was looking at me as if I was a strange creature he had never seen before.
"Uh, er, let me see...Charms, Defence Against the Dark Arts, Potions, History of Magic, Transfiguration and Muggle Studies."
"Great, you're with me all day," Sirius said with a grin, raising his eyebrows. I found it hard to believe that Sirius was actually decent enough at Potions to be in my class. I found it even harder to believe that we were taking the exact same subjects.
"You're with me too," Remus said. I breathed a sigh of relief knowing that I wasn't going to be alone with Sirius all day. Suddenly, a bell chimed. It was time for breakfast. We began to make our way down to the Great Hall. Lily went with Alice. Marlene with Peter. Sirius with James. And then Remus stood with me. As hard as I was finding this, I knew it'd be worse if Remus wasn't here.
I sat in Charms class, Sirius one side of me, Remus the other. A lot of students from the other houses were wondering who I was. To them, I was just the random Beauxbatons transfer that seemed to have caught the attention of the Marauders, the most popular boys at Hogwarts of their time. Professor Flitwick, whom I had quite a good relationship with whilst I was teaching at Hogwarts, began to take the register. He called out names of people who I had never heard of, and when he called out Sirius' name, it seemed like all the girls in the classroom sighed collectively. I never knew he was that popular with the ladies. I guess it made me feel a little more special that I was the one he chose to settle down with. But he was different here. He enjoyed the attention. He enjoyed being a 'bad boy'. He was definitely different here than he was with me. Remus, though. He was the same as he always was.
"Isabel Fairfax?" Flitwick called out, a tone of uncertainty in his voice. I raised my hand when my name was called out. "Oh, Miss Fairfax, you're the one that just moved from Beauxbatons in France, yes?"
"Yes, that's right," I replied with a smile on my face."
"Welcome to Hogwarts, my dear!" Flitwick said before continuing on with the register.
"You've got everyone so wrapped around that finger of yours," Sirius whispered in my ear. "It's brilliant." It was funny, I knew what Sirius was thinking. I knew what he thought of me, too. I was a step ahead of him at each time, which would be an awakening for him when he pulled his first moves on me. It felt weird to be rejecting flirtation from my ex-fiancé.
I sat by myself in the Viaduct Courtyard for lunch. I needed separation from Remus and Sirius. I couldn't let myself get too comfortable and too attached to them. Besides, I needed time by myself anyway to figure out what was going on. I needed time to think, and to just relax. I could feel people stare at me as they walked past, particularly the seventh year girls. They were jealous that I was able to attract the attention of the one and only Sirius Black. Apparently it was a difficult thing to do. I opened a Potions book and began to read. I may as well excel in every class whilst I was here.
I closed my potions book as I heard whispers coming from all different directions, then looked across the Viaduct Courtyard to see people hurriedly getting out of the way. And that's when I saw him. I tried not to burst into tears when I saw his dark eyes, his pale skin and his dark hair...but I had missed him so much. Standing there, was my father. Although, I didn't recognise him completely. I had the exact same reaction as I did in Potions class yesterday. How was I supposed to react to him being alive and here with me? He was by himself, which I heard was quite a common occurrence. He sat down by himself on a seat. And that's when I decided to go and speak to him. He didn't know who I was, and he wasn't the same person I knew him to be, but I was still loyal to him. We shared the same blood. I walked over to him slowly and sat by his side. He looked up from his book in confusion. People mustn't have talked to him much.
"Hello," I said with a small smile. By the look on his face, smiles were foreign to him as well. "Severus, isn't it?" I was playing my part very well. I could be an actress. He nodded then went back to his book. I sighed and folded my arms. He was the same as when I lived with him. He didn't like to talk much then either. "The least you could do is acknowledge my existence." He seemed surprised by my persistence. He then looked around to everyone else in the courtyard. They were staring at us. I could even hear their whispers.
'What's she doing talking to Snape?'
'Does she now know that he's involved with HIM?'
'Can't wait until Black sees her socialising with him.'
I rolled my eyes at their stupid remarks. They had no idea. I just wanted to curse them all. I now knew why Father was so introverted. It was because everyone around him were just horrible to him.
"You're Isabel Fairfax, aren't you?" He said, finally breaking his silence. I nodded and smiled again. I wanted to be as warm as I possibly could. I just wanted him to know that someone wasn't scared of him, and that someone didn't hate him. "You stood up for me in class yesterday," he said. He sounded so broken. Father...what had they done to you?
"Yes. Black was being unfair. Why would I not stand up for you?"
"Nobody ever does."
"Well I'm not nobody, am I?" I could see the hurt in his eyes. It was the exact same hurt I always saw whenever he was disappointed or angry with me. "I'm sorry they treat you that way, Severus. It isn't right. People just - "
"Severus!" I looked over towards the entrance to the courtyard to see a heap of people that I recognised instantly. They were the ones that I battled throughout the Second Wizarding War. Death Eaters. That's when I realised that Father was still associating with Death Eaters now. The four of them walked up to us. Severus stood up, and I did too, following his lead. The one standing in front of the other three was Thorfinn Rowle. I remembered him. Another one was Regulus Black, Sirius' little brother. I had seen photos of him. His fate had not been pretty.
"Who's this?" Regulus asked, looking to me.
"You're Fairfax, aren't you?" Rowle asked. "I've heard about you. Hanging around with Black, Pettigrew, Potter and Lupin. What do you think you're doing?" I rolled my eyes at him. They couldn't push me around then, they can't push me around now.
"We were just talking about Potions. We're working together - "
"Don't lie to us, Fairfax, or this will get very ugly," Rowle said, standing over me.
"Hey!" I looked past Rowle to see Sirius and James, running over to us. Sirius grabbed Rowle and pushed him out of the way. "You stay away from her," Sirius snapped. I remembered this side of him. The protective side. It hadn't changed.
"What are you going to do about it, Black?" Rowle spat, standing over Sirius this time. I saw Sirius look to his little brother, shaking his head. James then interfered, pushing back Rowle.
"Mr. Potter!" It was Minerva. Merlin, she was so much younger now. I wished I could tell her everything. She'd be such good moral support, just like she was in 2017. "Mr. Rowle. What is the meaning of this? You know we forbid students from - "
"Professor, Rowle and his friends here were harassing Isabel," James said. Minerva looked to me, then looked me up and down.
"You are Miss Fairfax, I assume?" I nodded at her, not saying anything until I was asked. Minerva was harsh when she wanted to be. "You have no incentive to lie to me here. What happened?"
"I was talking with Severus about Potions, and then Rowle and his friends came and began to harass me, as James told you. So James and Sirius came up and asked them to back off. They didn't, and that was when James pushed Rowle." Minerva would believe me of course. She knew the trouble that the others had been causing, even before I got here.
"If I see any more trouble like this again, there will be consequences. Don't start off this year with a detention, Mr. Rowle," Minerva said sternly before walking off. Rowle and three of his other friends walked off, but Regulus stayed. Sirius and Regulus stood there, looking at each other in silence, waiting for one of them to make a move. I had never seen Sirius so on edge. He looked even calmer in the Department of Mysteries...where he died.
"I suggest you walk away, little brother," Sirius snapped. Regulus glared at him, finally turning his back and leaving. I looked to James and Sirius and folded my arms.
"I was fine," I told them.
"No you weren't," James replied. "Stay away from Snivellus. He's nothing but trouble." I rolled my eyes. Is this what I would have to deal with whilst I was here?
"How do you two know him? Have you ever really gotten to know him? Talk to him?" James and Sirius looked to each other, then burst out laughing. I grabbed my stuff and began to walk away in a huff. I was in no mood to be dealing with those two. I was so disappointed in Sirius. He was so different to the Sirius I used to know, and I liked that Sirius so much better.
"Wait!" Sirius called out. I continued to walk. I had no time for him. "Fairfax, please." Sirius grabbed hold of my arm. I turned around and looked down at his hand on my arm. "Don't be so stubborn. Please. You needed help here. I don't care about Snape. I just wanted to make sure you were okay. So did James." He was being sincere. I could always tell when he was lying and telling the truth now was no different.
"I guess I did need your help for a second there," I admitted. A huge grin grew on Sirius' face. I could do nothing but smile back at him.
Another week had passed, and there were absolutely no sign that I was getting home any time soon. It was finally the weekend though. Classes were taking a toll on me, even though I knew almost everything. I had done all these classes before. I was repeating a bunch of subjects that I had already aced. At least I looked like the smartest girl in every class; now I knew how Hermione felt.
"Hey, Fairfax," Sirius called out from behind me, throwing something at the back of my head. I shut my book loudly and turned around in a huff.
"What do you want?" I asked, angry that he had interrupted my valuable reading time.
"What cha' doin'?" He sat down next to me in front of the fire and placed his head on my shoulder, smirking up at me. I knew what he wanted from me. It's what he wanted from every girl. He wasn't going to get it, though. I hadn't forgotten about the fact that I have a husband.
"I was reading. And now I'm sitting here, getting annoyed by you," I told him, pushing him away from me."
"Come on Fairfax," he said with a pout. "You know how many girls want my attention? The fact I'm giving it all to you must mean something." Sirius was so arrogant, it was almost sickening. Thank god he had changed by the time I had met him. "You're no fun." He folded his arms and glared at me. He was like a little boy that constantly needed attention. I picked up my book and continued to read as if he wasn't next to me. Suddenly, he grabbed the book from my hands and threw it away.
"At least come with us to Hogsmeade today."
"Hogsmeade?" I almost forgot about the trips that students used to make down there on the weekends. I didn't visit very often. I was too busy studying. Father was adamant that every mark I got would be above average. I didn't want to disappoint him. But now, everything was different. I had done all the subjects I was doing now, and I knew what to do and how to do it. I could have fun this time around.
"Yeah," Sirius said, snapping me out of my head and back to reality. "We go and hang out there for a while almost every weekend. Everyone asked me to ask you to come."
"Everyone?"
"Yeah. Moony, that's Remus, Prongs, that's James, Wormtail, that's Peter." I had to stop myself from shuddering. "Evans, McKinnon and Marshall are all coming too." Marshall? That must have been Alice before she got married to Neville's father. "So, are you up for it?" What did I have to lose?
"I'm there."
Sirius and I made our way down to Hogsmeade, and very few words were said between us. I think he was nervous to be around me, as I was able to see right through him, unlike many of the girls here at Hogwarts. I was somewhat glad that he felt intimidated around me - it would perhaps be the only thing that would make him leave me alone.
James, Lily, Alice, Peter, Marlene and Remus were all sitting at a table in the Three Broomsticks when we arrived. I could see Marlene's glare at the sight of Sirius and I arriving together. That girl had serious jealously issues.
"Isabel!" Lily exclaimed with a huge smile. She patted the seat next to her, and I went to sit down. On the other side of me, was Alice. She also had a brilliant smile on her face. Lily and Alice were almost always happy. It was very refreshing. I never had friends my own age as a teenager. I never really had friends in general, as Bill, Tonks and Charlie all graduated a few years after I started at Hogwarts. I had Percy and Wood, but they were a year younger, and in Gryffindor. I never had any real close friends. I guess it was because my last name was Snape.
"So, Fairfax, enjoying Hogwarts so far out of the two weeks you've been here?" James asked before taking a sip of his butterbeer.
"I've settled in fairly well. It's been easier than I thought." It was true. I hadn't broken down too much. I was just focusing on getting through this period of time before I got to go home. I may as well make the best of it.
"Well, to help you become even more excited, there's the Opening Ball next week. It's a ball for students, teachers and residents from Hogsmeade to come and enjoy the beginning of the year," Lily told me with a smile. Opening Ball? I had never heard of it. They obviously got rid of it before I got to Hogwarts. "We're supposed to bring someone, too," Lily said.
"Oh." Great. I could already see Sirius becoming a little too over excited. I knew the perfect way to get him to back off. "Hey, Remus. You wouldn't happen to be going with someone for that ball yet, would you?"
"No," he said, shaking his head. In the corner of my eye, I saw Sirius cross his arms and glare at Remus, much to Pettigrew's enjoyment.
"Well, would you like to go with me?" I asked Remus with a smile.
"Of course, I'd be honoured," Remus replied, a heart melting smile appearing on his face. I was glad to be spending time with Remus. He wasn't incessantly annoying as Sirius was. I looked over to Sirius, who didn't even register that I was looking at him. He just sat there, glaring at Remus. I rolled my eyes. They did the same thing in 1995 and 1996. I sighed. I guess I'd just have to put up with it. One thing was for sure, though. I was going to need a dress for the ball.
A/N: I just realised I called Alice 'Alice Longbottom' in Chapter 2, completely forgetting that she is a student and isn't married yet! Old habits die hard, I guess! Try to ignore that little mistake, haha!
I am really missing the story of Disturbing Truths, but I'm excited you this one. I hope you're enjoying it too! What would you like to happen during the course of this story - leave me a suggestion or idea in your review! Speaking of reviews, thank you to all that reviewed so far. 21 for 2 chapters is a great amount of reviews! Keep it up!
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Next Chapter:
I stared at myself in the mirror. I never remembered looking this fantastic at age seventeen. I twisted and turned to get a good look at myself. I thought for a moment that I looked wonderful, but then I realised, the real me in 2017 was probably lying in a hospital bed, looking half way close to death.
