Chapter 6: Understandings

A few days later after Charms, Isadora practically ran to the Great Hall. She had overslept that morning and missed breakfast again. She really had to stop doing that. Upon arrival, she found Lily, Alice, Erica, and the Marauders all gossiping about the Quidditch tryouts the day before. When Isadora arrived, she quickly joined in the conversation. She noticed that Sirius went silent when she came up.

"James, you're the captain, right?"

"Of course I am. I'm one of the best chasers the team has had in years."

"Don't be so modest, Potter," said Lily bitterly.

Isadora tried to break the uncomfortable air around them after that comment. "So, James, you found some good players?"

"Yeah…well, we have Erica as chaser, Alice as seeker and Frank Longbottom has been our keeper for years. We also have seventh year Kingsley Shacklebolt as beater. So yesterday we found a third year girl who'll make a fair chaser, not as good as Alice and Erica mind you, but she'll get better. We also found a fourth year boy to play beater. His aim is on only about 75 percent of the time, but damn, can he smack that bludger hard!"

Isadora giggled at James' enthusiasm, "Sounds like your all set then."

"Yeah, that cup is definitely gonna be ours. Slytherin won't know what hit 'em."

The truth of the matter was that Isadora didn't really know much about Quiddictch. She knew that the game ended when the little gold ball was caught and that certain people on the team scored other points with a quaffle, but she really wasn't sure how it all worked. Thankfully, it was time for afternoon classes and there was no time for her knowledge to be tested.

Isadora followed the group to the library, where their potions class was to be held. This was to be the last class before they would have to make their potions from memory and hand in their written work. When they walked in, Professor Slughorn was already there. He grunted, "You know what to do," and then went off to go do some work.

Isadora and Sirius reluctantly found a table together.

"What do you want me to do?" he asked wearily.

"Umm…well, if you could find me this book in the stacks," Isadora said as she wrote down a title on a piece of parchment and handed it to him. "It should be just back there." He took the parchment and sulked off. Fantastic, thought Isadora. How can I make things even more awkward between Sirius and I next? He returned with the book and sat back down. She flipped open to the page she needed and started taking notes.

After a couple of minutes, she became aware of him looking at her. Not staring, just looking. She turned her face up to his. He quickly looked at the desk sheepishly. "Umm…is there anything I can help you with Izzy?" She sighed. As much as she wanted to yell at him for calling her Izzy, she just couldn't. He looked so miserable. She knew that as far as Sirius Black was concerned, the nickname Izzy was just something that she would have to resign herself to.

"Sirius, this isn't going to work."

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to call you Izzy. It just slipped out."

"No, that's not what I mean. We can't work like this."

"I know you hate me but I don't think Slughorn will let us change partners."

She sighed exasperatedly, "I don't hate you, Sirius."

He looked up hopefully. "But you said—"

"I know what I said Sirius. The truth is I don't think you're disgusting—"

"Excuse me!" said Madam Pince. "Students are trying to work!" Isadora and Sirius quickly pretended to start working. When Pince was gone he grabbed her hand and quickly dragged her to the back of the library behind some rarely used stacks.

"Look, Pixie, I'm so sorry. I just sort of panicked when I saw you talking with Regulus. I told you I moved out. Me and him didn't have the best relationship to begin with and it's even worse now…I don't want to talk about it, but it's part of the reason I reacted the way I did. That, and the fact that I was jealous. I can't stand the thought of you with him—"

"Sirius," said Isadora firmly. "Slow down a second. I understand that there must be something going on between you and your brother. You don't have to explain it to me. It's probably very personal. I didn't mean what I said about you on Saturday. My temper just got the better of me. And just so you know," she took a deep breath, "there's nothing going on between Regulus and I. Never was, never will be. We were just talking."

Sirius looked deep into her violet eyes with his piercing grey ones. He gently took her by the waist, pressed up against her, and bent slowly towards her. At the last second, she turned her face to the side so that his lips missed hers. His face got buried in her neck, but he didn't mind so much. Her arms went involuntarily around his neck. He inhaled her scent deeply. She smelled a little like the outdoors, the lake maybe, and there was a slight smell of burnt feathers, which confused him. He also liked her perfume. It was spicy, but soft, not overpowering. When he let out his breath, it was as a sigh. "Why not?" he whispered.

"I don't feel that way about you," she said just as softly.

"I don't believe you."

She gave him a light hug and a soft peck on the cheek. She pulled back and looked him in the eyes. "I won't give in, Sirius."

"Yes, you will." He smiled gently. "You'll see." Isadora was shaken by his response, but managed to disentangle herself from his neck. As she turned to walk away, he stopped her. "Hey, Izzy."

She turned around. "Yes?"

"I meant what I said the other day. There's a good chance that Regulus or his buddies are interested in you as more than just a friend. They might want something else from you…something to do with the fact that you're a pureblood. Some of the people that they associate with outside of school…just be careful, okay?"

"Don't worry, Sirius. I can take care of myself." But as she walked away, she couldn't help but be reminded of something that Dumbledore had told her that first time she went up to his office. He had told her that there were other people outside of the ministry that he was worried about, people who would try and use her for her money and political power. Were Mulciber, Avery, and Snape somehow connected to those people? Was Dumbledore trying to warn her to stay away from them?