Bedlam and Broomsticks

A/N: Sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry! It's been ages :( And I apologise. But, enjoy this chapter! If that's possible.

T-Shirts and Shame

Izzy went to dinner with a heavy heart. Her friends were sitting with the Marauders, yet Sirius was nowhere to be found. James and Lily were laughing heartily, chatting like old friends. Izzy calmed her breathing, yet took a seat down near some first years at the front of the hall. She didn't want to overshadow the friendship that the group had going for them, and who knew how they'd take Izzy and Sirius' break up?

They probably expected it, Izzy thought bitterly, pushing mashed potato around her plate. Everyone had known that Sirius wasn't going to stick around apparently. Everyone but her. She thought about the day at Uncle Alphie's place. She wiped her eyes surreptitiously; wishing that time had stood still then. That she could have stayed like that with Sirius for the rest of her life.

Everywhere she looked there were reminders. Even where she was sitting now, the time she and Sirius had thrown grapes at each other. The Entrance Hall, a kiss behind the stairwell a few times. Even her dormitory, she remembered the time Sirius had flown his broom to the window and made her come and spend time with him because everyone else was asleep. The common room, where they'd first started to 'fake date.'

She violently stabbed a piece of broccoli. Damn that stupid self-absorbed bastard! Why go out with her if he was just going to dump her anyway? Then she sighed. But would she really have it any other way. Not matter how painful those memories were she was glad they'd happened. Wasn't she?

Oh dear god, she had to get out of here. Out of Hogwarts, out of Britain. She wanted to go places, and forget about her second ever boyfriend. The one she'd foolishly, for a moment, allowed herself to imagine a happy future with. "Stupid," she muttered.

"Are you alright?" A first year asked, concernedly.

She looked over at the young blonde boy, he was smiling hesitantly. Yep, he'd be a heartbreaker when he grew up. "I'm fine," Izzy sighed. She pointed her fork at him. "Respect women, okay kid?"

"Uh – "

Fabian slapped the first year on the shoulder. "S'alright Nigel. Run along."

"She's our friend," Gideon explained to the young boy, who nodded and walked away, pushing his plate to the centre of the table, where it vanished.

"Why were you scaring Nigel?" Fabian asked.

"How do you know him?" Izzy asked confusedly.

"He sometimes helps us with pranks and stuff," Gideon shrugged.

"You have a first year lackey to do your dirty work?" Izzy asked incredulously.

"No," Fabian defended. "Sometimes we don't fit into small spaces and Nigel's all to willing to help out. I'm offended." He finished.

"The Prewetts don't have people do their dirty work," Gideon explained.

"We take pride in being caught!" Fabian added.

"What are you doing down here?" Gideon asked curiously.

"Nothing," Izzy said mutinously.

"Did you and Siri have a fight?" Fabian asked amiably.

"Why?" Izzy asked suspiciously.

Gideon started, "I was … taking a walk," he lied about the fact he'd actually been planning an elaborate joke. "And I saw him smoking and throwing things off the Astronomy Tower."

Izzy sighed. "What was he throwing?"

"It looked like a Banshees of Bedlam concert tee," Gideon shrugged.

Izzy stood and cursed. "Bastard! That was my T-shirt!" She began to storm out of the hall.

"Iz!" Lily called in surprise. "Where wer-"

"Not now Lily, I have to go and castrate Sirius!" Izzy hollered as she headed out of the hall.

Lily looked at James, alarmed. "Um –"

"I don't know," James replied quickly, holding up his hands.

Izzy was puffing, breathing heavily by the time she got to the Astronomy Tower. She glared, anger bubbling up inside of her. "Could you be anymore childish?" She snapped, pushing on Sirius' shoulder, as he was turned away from her, leaning over the railing, smoke dangling from his lips.

"Beg pardon?" Sirius asked arrogantly, turning to face her, blowing a smoke ring into the cold darkening twilight air.

"You threw my Banshees of Bedlam T-shirt over the edge?" Izzy asked. She felt childish too, because, good God, it was only a T-shirt and she could Summon it back, but she wanted to get mad.

"It's mine," Sirius argued.

"It was mine." Izzy said angrily. "Why do you have to be so immature?"

Sirius' eyes darkened, and before Izzy had any idea of what was going, Sirius was pressing his lips furiously against hers, her back arching against the metal railing, his hands tangled in her messy wavy hair.

Izzy gasped, splaying her hands on his chest, pushing him backwards. "What are you doing?" She asked furiously, hands on her hips.

Sirius shrugged. "One last time?"

"You are such a dick," Izzy put a hand over her eyes, dropping her head. "I cannot believe … just remember, you were the one to break up with me, okay? You tosser?"

Sirius stubbed out his cigarette, looking up at her, with those bloody grey dark emotional eyes that just sucked Izzy in every time. She pushed her hair behind one ear and began to sweep past Sirius, planning on ignoring him to the last second, until he reached out, brushing a finger against her bare, already goose-bumpy arm.

Izzy stared at Sirius searching his face for …something, before she was all of a sudden in his arms again, kissing madly, hands roaming all over each others' body. Sirius grinned, grabbing her hand. Izzy smiled impishly, skipping down the stairs and running the both of them to the common room. She poked her head around the corner into the common room. "Everyone's at dinner," She giggled, pulling him up the stairs to the boy's dormitory, clothes ruffled, hair everywhere.

Sirius grinned, kissing her constantly, as he guided them awkwardly over to the bed, fumbling clumsily. They stopped, both breathing quickly, staring at each other. Sirius, for once, was hesitant. "What are we doing?"

Izzy was looking at him with wild eyes. She wasn't exactly sure what she was doing, but she knew she wanted to be with Sirius, no matter how short term this solution may be. "One last time?" She laughed. "Or, third time ever?"

Sirius chuckled, helping Izzy take his shirt off, as she then got to work on his belt buckle, both kneeling on his mattress, bodies pressed together, wondering how long they'd have before the boys got back.

Somehow, Sirius and Izzy fell asleep, and Izzy woke in a haze of self-loathing and sunlight streaming through the boy's dormitory window. She looked over to where James was tangled in his Puddlemere United sheets, where Remus was asleep, a book lying open by his side, where Peter was curled up in his blue flannel pyjamas. Izzy stared at them all sleeping innocently and felt disgusting. There she was, Slut of the Century, back for more with her ex-boyfriend. Then she realised that they didn't actually know that she and Sirius had broken up. But still …

Izzy sighed. She pushed Sirius' heavy arm off her body, gathered up her shoes and cardigan, wearing only Sirius' large long shirt, sneaking past the beds, tip-toeing down the stairs, hoping no-one had seen her, especially not the random seventh year in the corner, the one's name she didn't know.

Izzy crept even more quietly up the girls' stairs, sliding past Mary and pulling her covers over her, checking her clock to see she had an hour left to sleep before she had to get ready. She tucked her feet into bed, looking over at Alice who was rubbing her eyes blearily. "Walk of shame, hey Izzy?" She chuckled throatily.

Izzy put a finger to her lips. "Sh, go to sleep." She commanded quietly, laying back on her pillows, closing her eyes.

Izzy jiggled her foot not two minutes later, eyes wide open, body tingling with energy. She was too restless to sleep, and she felt the need to do some more self-loathing. So, she got up and crept into the bathroom, taking advantage of its early morning cleanliness.

When she emerged, Lily was sitting up, head and neck drooping, wavy hair curled around her face. "Morning," Izzy said, faking a smile as she rolled over the waistband of her grey skirt.

"Mmm," Lily sighed tiredly. "Where were you last night?"

"Around," Izzy said vaguely. "I had to study for that Potions thing."

"We don't have Potions today," Mary said, emerging from around the corner, straightening her tie. "And that test is next week."

"I just wanted … to get the jump on it," Izzy said in a tone of voice that left no room for further discussion.

Mary shrugged. "Are you coming to breakie?"

"God, yeah," Izzy sighed. "I'm starving." That's it. When in doubt, turn to pancakes and maple syrup for comfort. Works like a charm, every time.

Sirius woke slowly, blearily rubbing his eyes. He saw that Izzy was gone and dropped back on to his pillows. Seriously? Usually he was the one doing the running, he was never the one left to wonder why. And he didn't like it very much.

Sirius lay back on his pillows, groaning in frustration. Then again, she did have the right to be mad, but they'd both done something very stupid last night, especially him. Breaking up with her and then sleeping with her the night afterwards.

"You're a charmer," Sirius told himself sarcastically. "A real catch."

James mumbled under his breath, eyes cracking open. "What?"

"Nothing," Sirius waved a hand. "Go back to sleep."

"I saw Izzy," James laughed, his voice cracking. "Done the walk of shame, has she?"

Sirius was going to lie, he really was. Pretend that everything was okay until he spoke to Izzy about how they would tell everyone. But judging by her running away this morning, she really didn't want to face him. "I wouldn't know," He said quietly, grabbing a tie out of his trunk, pulling on a clean shirt.

"What?" James sat up in surprise.

"We …" And Sirius, the very one who had caused their break up, couldn't say it.

"You didn't," James said suspiciously, looking horrified. "You did. You idiot Padfoot. You have no … you're so …"

Sirius knew another bout of insults was heading his way, so sarcastically he cut in, "Prongs, save the pep talk for later, would you? I'm going for breakfast."

Sirius got to the door before James called out. "Wait, Padfoot! I'm sorry. Are you … okay?"

"James your concern staggers me," he pretended to fall.

"I know," James shrugged. "I tend to stun people."

Sirius chuckled. "With horror."

"Occasionally. But I'm not complaining." He furrowed his brows and sat further up in bed, swinging his legs over the side and pulling on a shirt.

"Oh good," Sirius laughed. "I was uncomfortable having that conversation when you were topless."

"'Cause my abs are so godly and distracting, right?" James laughed. Then he quieted, "But really? Are you okay?"

His smile was as fake as Izzy's. "I'm fine. I always am, right?"

And as James watched him jog down the stairs, whistling a cheery tune, James wondered if that was true anymore.

Reviews please? Even though I don't deserve them!