Chapter 36: Reign of Slytherin

Unedited... (not even a little bit, so apologies)

Sirius sat stiffly in the dimly lit classroom, trying to stop his leg from shaking restlessly. It wasn't easy. His outburst not ten minutes ago had taken it completely out of him. In fact, Sirius still hadn't calmed down and it was a miracle he hadn't driven his fist through the wall yet, while his mousy-haired interrogator continued to glare down at him, pacing the floor agitatedly.

But he didn't care what Remus thought or said — Mulciber. Fucking. Had it. Coming. Period.

Period!

Besides, it wasn't like Sirius got away unscathed too, his uniform was ripped on the side and the tell-tale trickling of blood against his skin was enough proof that he had only launched himself on the sodding bastard after he had been provoked...

Unfortunately for Sirius, though, his friends had been right next to him when it happened, and WHAT was he thinking coming up with a story like that, the blooming werewolf was as fair as a friar put on TRIAL for blasted sakes.

No. There was no excuse for tonight. That was a luxury he was not going to be permitted.

"You attacked Mulciber," Remus declared coldly. It wasn't a question.

Sirius raised an eyebrow. "Yes," he said, "great observation."

Remus's eye twitched. "Wisecracks. Charming... After you've nearly just cracked his skull open, that..." he scoffed, "that's wonderful."

Sirius looked him directly in the eye. "Don't worry, I'm sure James and Peter will find a way to brush the bowtruckle under the rug."

Remus paused, his nose flaring out in rage now. "You nearly knocked him out cold, Sirius."

Sirius's glare hardened, disbelief consuming him. "I sincerely wish I'd knocked him dead, Remus."

Remus paused. It was clear from the whiteness of Remus's knuckles that the boy was doing everything in his power to not hurl the table over and crash it on Sirius's head. Normally, Sirius would call him out for being a melodramatic wuss, but not tonight because he knew he'd gone one step too far. And yet —

"He deserved what he got," he finally said. "And I am not apologising for it."

Remus stood up abruptly, his face twitching with disbelief now. "You don't just bash someone to death like that, Sirius. Not under my watch."

"Yeah, I probably should've just Crucio'd him."

Remus visibly shuddered. "Are you listening to yourself?"

"Loud and clear, Lupin."

And an explosion went off in Remus's head.

"You've committed an offence of the THIRD degree, one that could get you fucking expelled!" he shouted.

"I'd rather be expelled than foster VILIFICATION, Remus!" Sirius yelled back.

Remus had to literally stuff his whole fist into his mouth to keep himself from screaming. Straightening up to his full height, Remus spoke again, his voice shaking with controlled rage now. "Pads... If you think you've changed the whole bloody system of pureblood fascism with your one act of impulsive violence tonight," he paused, his scarred face turning crimson with every word, "you're sodding delusional..."

Sirius narrowed his eyes in disbelief, shock coursing through his body. "Wow... Forgive me, Remus, for I was of the impression that YOU of all would understand why I did what I did more than anyone else in the world! Reckon I was mistaken —"

"— Understand WHAT, exactly? That it's okay to simply POUND one's face out of recognition every time he does something even slightly disagreeable?"

"HE CALLED HER A YOU-KNOW-WHAT!"

"HE'S CALLED SEVERAL MUGGLE-BORNS A YOU-KNOW-WHAT!"

"BUT THIS TIME IT WAS IZZY...!"

Sirius shuddered, his voice echoing through the classroom, the weight of his own words ramming into his ears multiple times. Sinking back in his chair, he scrunched his eyes shut and tried to wipe the memory out, but it was impossible... Because the look on her face when Mulciber uttered that word haunted him dizzy... All he remembered was seeing red and before he knew it, he'd pinned the bastard down and sent around ten-thousand punches across his bony face before Isabella, James, Remus and Peter had jumped onto him and forcefully dragged him away from the slimy son of a bitch.

To be fair, he realised how histrionic he must seem to his friends, reacting this way, but for the first time ever, he didn't mind how he came off.

"And just so you know, I did try to get him to apologise to her before I tackled him."

Remus sent him a sardonic glance. "Oh, how precious. So kind of you to have at least occasional control over your actions. Also, there's only a mild chance that he's already a Death Eater, so congratulations Sirius, you staved him off now only to invite the fucking DARK LORD INTO THE EQUATION TOO!"

Sirius glared. "Don't provoke me, mate..."

"Or what?" Remus winced. "D'you plan on pummelling me to death too?"

And then all hell broke loose.

"Merlin's pants! WHAT WOULD YOU RATHER HAVE ME DO, REMUS? IGNORE THE WANKER WHEN HE CALLS HER A FUCKING MUDBLOOD?"

"YES! BECAUSE HE'S THE KIND OF PUREBLOOD FILTH THAT YOU OUGHT TO BE STAYING AWAY FROM!"

"ARE YOU ASKING ME TO FUCKING SLINK AWAY LIKE A COWARD, MOONY?!"

"ACTING WISELY IS NOT COWARDICE!"

"I DID WHAT I HAD TO DO!" Sirius bellowed, flaring up again.

"RIGHT! BECAUSE THE ANSWER'S ALWAYS AT THE END OF A BLOODY FIST, INNIT?!"

"WELL, UNLIKE YOU...!" Sirius screamed, "SOME OF US WOULD RATHER STAND BY OUR FRIENDS THAN WORRY ABOUT THE BLOODY CONSEQUENCES ALL THE TIME!" he roared, causing the whole room to rumble.

The underlying insinuation that Remus would 'rather not' was evident going by his rapidly purpling countenance. He ground his teeth as he hotly kicked back his chair, his face contorting with rage now. "Unbelievable, Sirius... Are you honestly still defending what you did...?!"

"Right to the ground!" Sirius shouted and the two of them ended up glowering at each other.

And after what felt like ages, Remus spoke again. "You disappoint me."

Sirius merely scoffed. "Mulciber's a sodding dickhead whom you're defending and YOU'RE disappointed?" he retorted, bracing himself for an avalanche of slurs from his best friend now, but none came. It looked like he'd finally pushed Remus to the point of absolute exasperation.

Remus mutely stalked over to where Sirius was sat and bore him down, the shadow of a wolf lurking behind his eyes. "Padfoot... What the bloody hell would you have me say when McGonagall finds out —?"

"— She's not going to find out," said a voice from behind.

Sirius and Remus swung their heads around and watched James, Peter and Isabella storm into the classroom looking grim.

"What d'you mean?" Remus demanded, watching the company trudge in.

None of them spoke but simply exchanged tense glances with each other.

"Let's just say we... 'fixed' it," Peter said, looking distraught, before slumping into the seat next to Sirius.

"How?" asked Sirius, even as the rest of them turned their chairs around and sat down facing him. And embarrassingly enough, his eyes automatically met with the sharp, hazel ones of Isabella's, sending a quick shiver up his spine. Stretching his arm out, he brought her into his frame as she sat down next to him, his gaze instantly flicking over to the wounds on her hands and wrist, sending a bolt of rage up in his head once again.

"You're getting a bit out of hand, you know that?" James said admonishingly, ignoring his question. "And here I was thinking I was trouble."

"Just tell me what you did?" Sirius snapped irritably.

James stared steadily into Sirius's defiant face. "Well, be thankful Izzy here is a wee bit of a genius in Healing!" he ground out angrily, but Peter quickly nudged him on the side with a scowl. "Oi! Drop it already," he said sternly before turning towards Remus who was still waiting for an answer. "Basically we worked on his injuries and reduced the size of the swellings enough to make it look like he'd simply run into a pole or something, Moony. No one would ever suspect a thing..." said Peter, as he watched Sirius taking Isabella's hand in his and absent-mindedly examining the clot marks around her wrist where Mulciber had held her, his eyes darkening once more.

"Does it hurt?" he asked her quietly, while Remus continued to howl away in the background.

Isabella shook her head. "No," she whispered back, and just for a split second their eyes met and Sirius's stomach turned over entirely.

"But that's not going to keep him quiet!" Remus spat out frustratedly.

"I know!" said James through gritted teeth, echoing the werewolf's emotions. "Which was why I... well," he hesitated and looked guiltily in Remus's direction.

And a rush of worry coursed through Sirius as he sat up and exchanged glances with a murderous Remus, his grip tightening around Isabella's hand. The expression on the mousy-haired boy's face was so rancorous, it was enough confirmation that he too knew James, the plonker, had done something AWFUL in his attempt to 'correct' the situation. Holding his breath, Sirius braced himself for the worst.

"You... what?" Remus spat out.

James looked up, defeated. "Look, Moony, I know you won't approve of this, but I had no choice, alright? I..." he paused and looked him dead in the eye, "Mate, I Obliviated him," he simply said and bit his lip.

Remus stopped dead in his tracks.

Sirius's eyes flew open in shock as his words slammed into him like a wall.

"You WHAT?" Remus roared.

"But!" Peter began, hastily trying to diffuse the tension, "Moony, the spell seemed to have worked, 'cause we tested him and he had no recollection of the incident whatsoever...!"

Except, Remus, who was vermilion in the face now, and was about ready to fully explode again! "WHAT - THE - ACTUAL - FUCK?" he roared and the rest of them winced fearfully. "DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW BAD THINGS COULD GET IF YOU USE THAT SPELL WRONGLY, PRONGS?"

"Remus, I was perfectly aware of what I was doing —"

"SHUT UP, James! AND YOU!" Remus said pointing in Isabella's direction. "YOU LET HIM DO THIS?" he bellowed.

"Are you listening to yourself?" Isabella simply asked, her eyebrow permanently raised in fury now. "You think any of these clowns would EVER listen to me?" she yelled, wrenching her hand off Sirius's grip this time and making sure to send a glare in his direction. "They're just a bunch of selfish clods who don't give a damn for others' feelings and do JUST as they please!" she wrung out.

"That's not fair —"

"YES! It isn't!" Isabella yelled back. "How many times did I ask you to ignore Mulciber tonight, eh?" she ground out, and at once, Sirius found himself locked in a fierce glare-off with Isabella, the pair of them exchanging a million unspoken words with each other that the others were oblivious to.

Remus, for his part, chose silence and buried his face in his hands, as if he couldn't believe his friends were actually this stupid, while the rest of them ruminated in mind-numbing tension.

"Look, Remus —"

"— No, James. You knew you'd be taking the biggest gamble of your fucking life with that spell and you still did it?" Remus asked incredulously. "ARE YOU HONESTLY THAT DAFT? Even extremely trained wizards would think twice before using that on ANYONE —"

"— Moony —"

"DON'T you side with him, Pete! This is just RIDICULOUS! You bastards could've damaged his memory ENTIRELY! PERHAPS EVEN SENT HIM TO THE MENTAL ASYLUM FOR LIFE! No, you know what? I'm reporting this," Remus finally declared.

"WHAT?" yelped Sirius, Isabella, James and Peter in unison.

"You heard me!" Remus roared, his tired eyes flashing red at the rest of them. "I'm a Prefect, and I have to do the right fucking thing! Where's Mulciber?" he demanded.

"Just... Remus —"

"— Answer the bloody question, Williams!"

Isabella sighed exasperatedly. "Lucius and Frank have taken him down to the dungeons," she mumbled tensely.

"Then I'm heading down there too," he said, nodding reproachfully at the bunch of them. "In the meanwhile, the four of you will head straight to your dorms and get into bed," he announced.

Sirius's head sprang up in shock. "But we haven't eaten yet!" he appealed.

"Don't make me fucking kill you, Pads!" Remus bellowed.

"Moony, come on! It's the Start-of-Term Feast!" whined Peter.

Remus glared. "Bed. Now," he simply stated before turning on his heel and storming out of the room.

"Merlin, he's right," James said, running a hand through his hair and defeatedly watching the doors swinging shut behind a murderous Remus. "We're beyond help is what we are, aren't we?" he spat out angrily. "Let's get the fuck out of here," he spat out and painfully tugged Sirius up by the arm while the rest of them rose reluctantly, their stomachs rumbling in hunger.

Sirius, for his part though, felt a pang of abandonment in the pit of his stomach and rounded up on a grumpy James. "Are you honestly mad at me too?" he demanded, not bothering to mask the hurt in his voice.

Isabella sent him a glare. "I know I am," she muttered from the side before stalking off with Peter.

James didn't reply immediately and walked on silently behind Peter and Isabella, their footsteps echoing through the empty corridors. Looking sideways, he found Sirius sulking sullenly next to him. "No, I'm not," he finally said, a look of understanding etched on his face. "Honestly... I don't even want to think what I'd have done had Mulciber rounded up on Lily instead, twisted her arm around, pinned her against the wall and announced to the world that he was going to fuck a filthy Mudblood tonight..." he said, slinging a comforting arm around his shoulder and giving him a knowing look.

As the four of them crossed the first floor corridor, they realised they had just missed the Sorting Ceremony going by all the noise coming from the Great Hall below. And obediently enough, the four Gryffindor sixth-years did return to their empty Common Room and hungrily waited for the rest of their House to return from the feast, each choosing a corner of their own in the large circular room.

And the longer he stared out the window in silence, the more embarrassed Sirius started to feel about how he had acted earlier. Should he have handled it differently? Should he have, as Remus suggested, reported it to McGonagall instead? He didn't know.

And then his eyes fell on Isabella sitting on the couch opposite to him. And in that moment, he knew at once: of course Mulciber deserved every last pounding that Sirius had doled out on him for what he did; because this girl was his whole life... She fills up his heart like no one ever has, and as much as he hated feeling all these gooey, intense and confusing emotions, he secretly loved feeling all these gooey, intense and confusing emotions too...

"Less than an hour back here and we're off to a great start, aren't we?" Isabella mused sarcastically, making Sirius jump up in his seat.

And almost instantly, Sirius found himself stifling a teasing grin that was bursting at his lips. He had no idea why he found her so bloody adorable all the damn time, enough to drive him absolutely nuts... He knew she hates it when he teased her, but he couldn't help himself for the life of him!

"Oh, I dunno... I like it," Sirius shrugged, laying the bait and coolly leaning back in his couch, enjoying the look of absolute incredulity on her face. "Nothing like getting an excuse to smite Mulce giddy, eh —?" he guffawed despite his better judgment.

Isabella snapped awake at once. "— Okay, that's it! You're going down the wrong path and I WON'T HAVE IT, BLACK!"

Sirius suppressed a snort. "But...! I'm a Gryffindor...! We're impulsive. We do first and think later, remember —?"

"WHAT? What?!" Isabella spat out a second time, neatly falling into his trap. "No we don't!"

"Yes we do! Gryffindor's honour! 'Gold pride' and all that jazz, come on..."

Isabella gaped. "What the BLOODY hell's the matter with you, Sirius? Are you mad —?!"

But Sirius had started chuckling uncontrollably in his seat now, as she turned redder and redder in the face with every passing second. "Okay, no... Shhh —"

"No, you listen to me!"

"Okay, Izzy, calm down! It's a joke. It was a joke...!"

"NO! D'you need another round of yelling and screaming, 'cause I'm sure Remus would be more than happy to oblige, Sirius!"

"IZZY! Baby, I was kidding —!" Sirius chuckled helplessly.

Isabella looked aghast. "— HOW can you kid about this? If Dumbledore finds out, you're DEAD MEAT, Sirius!"

And Sirius immediately deadpanned at that. "See, about that...? I honestly don't care —"

"— I care," Isabella exclaimed, shutting him up finally.

Sirius sighed and regarded her defeatedly.

"I need you here... We all need you, don't you get it?" Isabella continued, her voice cracking up and triggering all sorts of emotions inside him now. Mutely, he leaned over and tugged at her hand, bringing her down to her knees and dragging her closer to where he was sat so that their faces were now level. "It's hard enough as it is," she started, her face wrung with worry. "And... When you lose control like that, it only makes it harder for us all... Especially now when everything's plain wrong with the world right now, Sirius, grow up already..."

Sirius didn't say anything and simply stared deeply into her face, an odd woe tugging at his insides. And he suddenly realised this intense, gooey feeling was rocking him harder than ever and he had no clue how to turn it off...

Sighing, he looked up and drew her closer to him. "Okay," he muttered, looking into her eyes.

"Okay what?"

"Okay, I'll behave," he finally submitted. "Whatever you say..." he said, giving her hand a reassuring squeeze.

And Isabella looked truly taken aback... Not like Sirius didn't understand why, though, because normally he'd be a prat and annoy the crap out of her till she's melting in her own rage.

"Really?" she said, still gazing suspiciously back at him. "Oh... Well... Good," she mused, half-convincedly. "Merlin, is it creepy to see you be a decent human being...?" she added with a scowl.

Sirius raised a teasing eyebrow. "Isabella Grace Williams, why do you sound like you actually miss the infuriating (yet dashing!) old me?"

Isabella scoffed and rolled her eyes incredulously. "Yeah, don't flatter yourself, Black..." she said, feigning disdain. But when he continued to squint challengingly back at her, she knew there was no way she could lie her way out of this. "Okay fine... Yes, it's mighty unsettling to think you actually have a heart that's not made out of steel," she said, and as an afterthought she added, "Reckon I might actually secretly love that you exhaust me... Would you believe that?!" she gasped dramatically, making Sirius howl away in laughter.

"Aha! I knew it! You LOVE me!" he roared grinning for full measure now, except Isabella turned the brightest shade of pink there ever was, but Sirius wasn't complaining. Anything to see her get 'worked up' worked for him.

"I don't know how you got 'I love you' from 'I secretly love that you EXHAUST me', Sirius," Isabella mumbled, trying her best to sound disgusted. "Anyway," she said quickly averting her eyes, "let me see if I can sneak out and get some food for us before we all die in here, yeah?" she said, nodding sarcastically and sprang up even as Sirius broke down laughing, when the portrait door swung open and in stepped an unappeasable Lily Evans, looking ghostly white with fury.

And time stopped.

Isabella and Sirius exchanged quick glances of horror.

Sirius quickly shook his head. "Oh, no, no, no! NO WAY! I'm not dealing with Grumpy! She's all yours, princess!" he laughed, making her break into an annoyed grin too.

"Godric, you're the worst!" Isabella muttered, nudging him on the side and tensely bounded off when —

"Bavarian Erkling, SIRIUS!" Isabella squealed, quickly wrapping her hands around her ballooned-up skirt and twirling around in alarm only to find him grinning coolly back at her and tucking his wand back into his pocket.

"What? I wanted me some legs," Sirius smirked, shrugging puckishly.

.

~oO Isabella's PoV

James and Peter jumped up at the sight of Lily storming into the Common Room. Isabella couldn't hear the rest of her House behind her as yet, which meant the Feast was still on.

"Yes, Lily, I know, I..."

Lily ignored Isabella and marched straight towards Sirius. "Black, for the sake of Merlin's pants, it's far too early in the year for me to spend another sleepless night scheming and plotting to save your sorry arse, don't you think?" she chided, her voice jarring through the walls of the circular room.

Nobody spoke, while Sirius stood there avoiding her eyes and looking totally un-responsible for the situation as usual.

Lily then turned towards Isabella. "And god, are you alright?" she said, looking concerned. "Malfoy told me everything. When Mulciber gets better, I am going to give him a detention SO BAD, he won't forget it for the rest of his life!" she ground out fiercely.

"Do the teachers know yet, Evans?" Peter asked timidly. "I made sure Filch heard nothing by... You know... distracting him as usual."

Lily shook her head ever so slightly. "Nobody knows as yet, and Malfoy promised he wouldn't tell on us, but MERLIN am I furious at you, Black!" she exclaimed, turning red with anger in a millisecond.

"I don't expect you to understand," said Sirius, coldly.

"DON'T start this all over again, I'm begging you!" Isabella said, swiftly stepping in between Lily and Sirius who were glaring daggers at each other.

"You know what, let's move this party upstairs," Lily said, still looking disapporvingly at Sirius, "I don't want the rest of the House to walk in and find us all here... There's enough chatter about the missing Marauders down by the Great Hall already tonight," she said, shoving heavy bodies towards the stairs that led up to the boys' dorms.

"Any other updates from the Great Hall?" James asked, obediently marching up the stairs behind Lily.

Lily sighed. "You want the bad news? Or you want the BAD news?" she asked, rolling her eyes despairingly.

Everyone groaned around her.

"Just say it all out and get it over with, I reckon!" exclaimed Sirius, huffing on the spot.

"Let's start with the Hat. What did that inanimate piece of clothing dole out on us this time, eh?" asked Isabella.

Lily made a throaty noise. "Quite frankly, it was unusually sorrowful about the triumph of the Dark over Light. Way to lift our moods, eh?"

"What d'you mean, 'triumph'? Does that mean Voldemort has —"

"SIRIUS...!" Lily warned severely.

"Merlin's pants. Fine! You-Know-WHO!" he spat out. "Has he fully risen to power?" Sirius asked, kicking the boys' dorm open and slipping into the cosily lit bedroom, his hand automatically clasping around Isabella's.

"Looks like it, but Dumbledore didn't say much about it," said Lily, flopping down on Peter's bed. "I'd expect the whole world to be secretive about this, but Dumbledore too? That was really strange."

"He's keeping mum about it 'cause he doesn't truly believe You-Know-Who has taken over," James replied, sinking into Sirius's bed (and his bed got instantly crowded because Sirius, by way of glaring and lugging, insisted that Isabella sat next to him). "That was, perhaps, his way of announcing to the world his 'stand' on the matter," James continued, cleaning his glasses and wearing them on again.

"Speaking of, we did hear something else today from Sally Smith that made my blood run cold..." Lily said looking distraught, her eyes darting between Sirius's hand placement around Isabella's shoulder and a grinning Sirius himself. "Remember Hepzibah Smith and that sad old woodsgirl who stole the cup from us?"

Isabella's heart skipped a beat when she heard Hepzibah Smith's name. "YES! What happened to her? Did they catch her? Have they retrieved the cup and the locket?!" she trilled from under Sirius's weight, trying to ignore the tingling in her stomach.

"No, Izzy... Quite the opposite actually," Lily said, biting her lip nervously. "Apparently she was found dead in her mansion four days after your encounter with her in Borgin & Burkes," she said. And everyone's jaws hit the floor at once. "She and the woodsgirl actually..."

"Bavarian Erkling," said James, running his hand through his messy hair. "Did —"

"— Yes," said Lily, before he could even ask his question. "The neighbours had reported seeing a strange wizard at her doorstep on the day she was believed to have been murdered. The scarier part of the story though," she continued, lowering her voice down to a whisper now, fear coursing through her features, "is that he was responsible only for her death... Wylwen Aerloth, Sally seems to think, was actually well... killed by Hepzibah herself..."

"WHAT? How does she know that?" James exclaimed, his glasses nearly flying off his nose this time.

"The officials clearing out her body checked out the last spell she had used on her wand and, naturally... it was the Killing Curse," Lily shuddered. "Merlin, she was evil. I mean... HOW is she any different from You-Know-Who, pray tell?"

Sirius scoffed in disbelief. "And to think she was the descendent of the Hufflepuffs. What an irony," he exclaimed. "Wha—Hang on a minute, though... How the bloody hell is none of this in the papers?"

Lily rolled her eyes. "How do you think?" she asked. "Looks like Bagnold thinks if she could throw a little fairydust in people's eyes with her fake Time Turners, people are more likely to believe that the Ministry's doing a fantastic job warding off You-Know-Who. Sally only knew about all this because she's related to Hepzibah. She was apparently her second cousin twice removed."

"Merlin, so there really is NO way we're somehow getting back the cup?" Isabella wailed desperately. "I thought Dumbledore'd be all over it and fetch it back somehow..." but her voice trailed away just as four pairs of eyes turned around to glare at her.

Evidently, the wounds were still fresh.

"SOME optimism you have, don't you?" Sirius mused, playfully rolling his eyes at her now rapidly-paling face.

"And who's our new DADA professor?" said Peter.

Lily merely gulped and looked at them nervously. "OH yeah... now THAT... is the truly sad news of the night," she said, shaking her head apologetically. "You're not going to believe this..."

"Why, who is it?" James asked, frowning curiously.

"Brace yourselves," Lily said, biting her lip nervously. "It's Auror D-Drudalf..."

Everyone gasped in unison.

"DRUDALF? Are you kidding me?"

"My god, DUMLEDORE'S MAD!"

"THIS IS JUST RIDICULOUS! HOW ON EARTH DID HE —"

"Bagnold's orders," Lily cut the tirade short. "Looks like the Ministry expected a much better performance from the students of Hogwarts in the A.P.E.s last year, and since we were apparently 'abysmal', she instructed Drudalf himself to come teach us."

Everyone just stared at her in shock, sweating buckets even. Sixth year truly was off to a great start, wasn't it?

"What happened to Elfbough, though?" Isabella asked, gulping nervously.

"Spattergroit, or so they say. Who knows what really happened?" Lily sighed. "If there's one thing you can truly count on, it's that we will NEVER have DADA be taught by the same teacher for the second year in row, isn't it?" she said, rolling her eyes.

"That and the fact that we will always get a lousy Kneazle for a Minister," James remarked darkly.

"Any news on You-Kow-Who?" Peter asked.

"No, but Dumbledore did mention, even more sternly this year, that the Forbidden Forest was off limits."

And the boys burst out laughing at once, one thumping the pillow and the other collapsing into the person sitting next to them. "I love how the old man never gets tired of saying that year-after-year!" James guffawed at Sirius and Peter, while Isabella and Lily watched on with pained expressions on their faces.

After spending a little more time chatting about what sixth-year was going to be like, Lily finally rose.

"I better head back downstairs. With Remus away, there's no one to show the first-years the way to our Common Room," she said, yawning tiredly.

"Hey, Evans —"

"— Yes, Potter, I'll bring up lots of food," Lily said, fighting not to laugh at the look of relief on James's face, before disappearing into the corridor behind the door.

"And I'm heading to bed," Isabella declared, particularly avoiding looking in the general direction of a certain raven-haired boy.

"And I'll walk you out," stated the said raven-haired boy, rising up at once, wearing the biggest smile on his face.

"You don't need to, Sirius," Isabella said, shivering slightly.

"Oh, BELIEVE me, I do," Sirius chortled, smacking her painfully on the back and leading her out the door, while not forgetting to send a sly wink back at his friends.

And Isabella's stomach cartwheeled so quickly, she nearly blanked out for a second. Steadying herself, she tried not to blush too much because Sirius's hand had now slipped down from her back to grip her waist instead, and her face grew so hot, she could literally feel steam coming off of it!

Sha needed to say something before things got out of hand...

"Look, Sirius, I don't think this is a goo —"

But Sirius had already turned her around and the pair of them automatically threw their arms around each other, their hands practically moving on their own accord, and, with her world spinning about and tumbling uncontrollably out of focus around her, she kissed him.

And he kissed her back.

And it was the kiss of a lifetime...

All the pent up passion and aggression that was locked and thrown away till about an hour ago burst forth out of them, making it both hungry and agonisingly painful all at the same time.

She didn't know where she was, or how much time had passed or if her feet was still firmly planted on the ground, because Sirius Orion Fucking Black, was wrapped around her, taking her to places she never knew she could go, kissing her like there was no tomorrow and clamouring her for more. And heavens did she give him more...

Wrapping her hands as tightly around as him possible lest he'd run away, she finally felt herself submit to the kiss, allowing her breasts to get entirely obliterated against his stone-hard chest while her hips rallied against his front in a desperate search for the heat she knew was there somewhere.

What the two of them would learn several moments from now, however, was that they hadn't taken more than two steps out of the boys' dorm before their bodies had collided with each other, because right now, this very instant, all they ever wanted, all they ever sought was on the lips of the other...

Finally remembering to breathe, Isabella inhaled his smell and pulled him closer than ever, when suddenly, out of nowhere, reality rammed into her like a speeding bullet train...

Heaving and panting and not wanting to stop one bit, it was a miracle how she commanded her body to stop being glued to the rock-hard front of Sirius's...

With effort that challenged Hercules himself, Isabella finally pulled away.

"No, Sirius... We can't..."

But he didn't care. He simply held her against the wall and attacked her lips again. Which she gladly accepted.

"But Sirius —"

"Oh, no, no, no, no..." he purred desperately, kissing her everywhere. "I want you, baby..." he said, sucking on her neck and wrapping her completely inside his frame, "I need you..." he rasped, and quite willingly, both of them leaned forwards and their lips crashed into each other once more.

Isabella's brain was on fire, though...

She knew this was wrong, but Merlin, it felt SO RIGHT all at the same time...

"No... No. Sirius, no. No..." she finally said, putting her hands between them and tearing her lips away from his at last.

"What... Wha's happened... Wuss goin' on?" Sirius asked, looking just as dazed as she was.

Holding her head to steady herself, she finally felt her world spin back into focus once again.

And although she was still feeling numb all over, she could feel the warmth on her skin where her hands rested against his exposed chest. That's when she realised his shirt was ripped open entirely, and so was hers... Well, nearly. And if Sirius's astonishingly soft hair was looking dishevelled, Isabella knew for sure her braids were entirely out too by now.

"God, Williams, wha' is it? Wha's 'appened?" Sirius slurred, breathing heavily and looking worriedly into her eyes, his arms still wrapped around her waist. And Merlin, was he good-looking?

"Sirius, I can't."

"Why not?"

"Because, you don't want this."

"Uh - Believe me, I fucking do..."

"For tonight, yes. For right now, yes. But... come morning?"

Sirius scrunched his eyebrows together. "'the bloody hell are you talking about?"

Isabella looked at him feeling terrified for the first time ever. Because she knew what she wanted to ask him, but she didn't want to hear his answer. And yet, with every last ounce of dignity and courage she had left in her heart, she looked up again. "Would you be just mine come morning, Sirius?" she asked, and held her breath.

Sirius's eyes flickered open. "What...? Baby, you'll always be mine... I'm not going anywhere..."

"I'm not talking about us being friends..."

And the passion and heat that subsisted between them mere moments ago seemed to dissipate into thin air before their eyes. "Good Godric, not this again..." he muttered, his hands leaving her at last.

And Isabella's whole world seemed to come crashing in on her.

A stunned silence followed that when neither of them knew where to look or what to do.

"I have to go..." Isabella whispered, dazedly buttoning up her shirt, leaving him stunned in disbelief.

"This is madness... God, Izzy, what the fuck happened all of a sudden?"

"Nothing Sirius, it's not you, it's me, I'm daft that way," Isabella muttered, pulling her hair up in a ponytail.

Sirius rolled his eyes frustratedly. "You know what, I'm honestly getting tired of this."

"Oh, are you? Well, so am I..."

"So, that's it?" he asked, rounding up on her looking livid. "You either want to force me into getting into this... this... thing with you or you want to have nothing to do with me, is that it?"

Isabella raised her eyebrows, shock coursing through her body like hot lava. "This 'thing'? Honestly?" she whispered, too spent to even feel hurt. "Goodnight, Sirius..." she simply said and stalked away from him as fast as she could, even as angry tears pooled around the corners of her eyes...

Merlin, sixth-year was off to a BAD start!

~oO Wraria Kingdom, Armindale Territory

It was a rather gloomy morning over at the Wraria Kingdom.

Everything was still and unmoving, as if paralysed under the weight of the shadow falling unto them. The flowers remained closed, the water sent no ripples, the dew was cold as ice, the breeze seldom blew, and neither did the frogs croak, yet, none of this seemed to bother the raven-haired witch, as she trudged on, her hood drowning her sallow face in darkness.

The dark clouds loomed over the green expanse like a warning: Darkness, indeed, had descended upon the world...

Ignoring the old plaguy noise ringing in her ears once again, she walked on, deeper and deeper into the Wraria Kingdom, for she needed to know the answer before the madness engulfed her entirely... Ducking and dipping under thick tufts of trees, the witch relentlessly kept up her pace, zeroing in on the distant light that reached her eyes, piercing and cutting through the darkness like a knife on ice.

With every passing second, Walburga's desperation grew, for she knew her window of sanity was not going to last for too long. And she was in NO way going to risk Apparating straight into the queen's den, not when she could hardly even remember what she ate for breakfast that morning, no. She had to make it there by foot only...

At last, she stopped dead in her tracks, heaving and panting from the effort, her wand gripped tightly in her right hand while her ears worked furiously to rake in any sound of her sibylline friend lurking in the crutches of the dark.

The minutes turned into hours, or it could have been days, she didn't know... All she knew was her reality was weaving in and out of sight, but she was determined to remain here for as long as she needed to...

Finally —

"You are here again..." came a silky, yet sorrowful female voice from behind her, making her freeze on the spot.

Walburga didn't even need to turn around to know that behind her, not three feet away, was Queen Naerania, the Great.

Throwing her head up, she gazed at the sky. "Venus is alight tonight. But Saturn approaches fast."

Walburga looked at her in confusion. "I-I wouldn't have had to come back here," Walburga muttered, slowly turning around and taking in the sight of her mighty, slender, seven-foot-tall hostess, "had you been completely honest with me the last time..." she said, looking into the arresting, almost breath-taking face of the black beauty that Naerania was. Large blue eyes, long auburn hair that hung in loose curls across her naked back, strings of colourful beads and pearls that hung around her bare breasts, and a slender torso sitting atop a young mare's gleaming chestnut body, Queen Naerania of the Wraria Kingdom was, perhaps, one of the most stunning centaurides one would ever encounter in their lives.

Naerania's eyes widened at once, the insinuation stinging her very core. "I do not lie, human," Naerania hissed, trotting dangerously close to an unfazed Walburga, "and you will do good to remember for I might unleash the wrath of Aries uponst you if you are not careful."

"Then don't toy with me and tell me the truth!" Walburga said, straightening up to her full height and commanding just as much deference from her counterpart as the latter did. "Tell me it is NOT true that the Dark Lord indeed has found his secret weapon?" she bit out menacingly. "Tell me this is all a farce, that the wizarding world hasn't, as a matter of fact, befallen unto his mercy, that all is not lost yet! Tell me —"

"— I cannot say such a thing for it will not be true," the Queen said impassively, her face expressionless. "The heavens have spoken, Black. The stars are in motion already... There's no stopping the advent of Darkness now —"

Walburga shuddered. "— NO! It's not true! IT'S UNTRUE, you lie! I REFUSE to believe that a time has come where the wizarding world has to bow down to a filthy Half-Blood! I REFUSE to accept the fate that I have forever lost my second-born to that grot of a wizard who has no name or title!" Walburga shrieked, her voice echoing through the blackness of the woods. "And I believe you are lying to me just to spite me! You lie! YOU LIE —!"

"The heir of Slytherin has arrived already!" Naerania announced, her voice reverberating across the silent woods, rendering the witch speechless in her wake. Looking up, the Queen scanned the cosmos again. "The stars have spoken... Venus is alight," she muttered. "There's no stopping the fate of wizardkind now. The reign of the Slytherin heir has begun already... a war within will break out any minute..." she said, her voice bearing a sense of deep warning.

"No... No! It can't be... It's not true!" Walburga wailed desperately. "You have read the stars WRONG, it's not true!" she cried out, her anguish getting the better of her now.

Naerania, however, simply eyed her patronizingly, pityingly even. "The heavens hide many secrets."

A manic wrath slowly descended onto the old witch. "So, what... are you saying?" she hissed severely.

Naerania simply watched her through unseeing eyes, her stance as still as a rock. "A Slytherin will always be the true autarch of our realm. The solar azimuth is near unfaultable, human. The heavens have foretold a tale of the heir's reign like no other... And no one, not even you can change the fate of wizardkind now."

"But... What do you see?" Walburga muttered dangerously. "What is likely to portend?" she whispered. "What is his secret weapon?"

The Queen regarded her for a second, her cold eyes almost deciding to turn her guest away. But something about Walburga's demeanour concerned her. She seemed to have shrivelled quite a lot since their last encounter fourteen months ago, and an almost tragic tremor seemed to have taken over this once haughty witch. She looked ill, perhaps even close to death... And in spite of her hatred for the human, she felt her coldness wither away. The old witch at least deserved the truth, she thought.

And out of sheer sympathy, Naerania decided to tell her everything she knew.

"The Haden Heirloom," she finally said, nervously pawing the ground. Looking up once again, she continued, "Everyone knows it contains the elixir of life... One that could potentially make one immortal... But that is not the only reason why the Dark Lord seeks it," she said, turning to face the shaking old witch this time.

"It is not?" Walburga asked weakly, her anger dissolving into child-like curiosity at once.

"No... He has found other ways to remain deathless, so he seeks the stone not for the elixir. He seeks it to consume the blood magic of the Hadens'. That is the secret weapon he wishes to attain."

Walburga was shaking uncontrollably on the spot, finding it hard to fathom the Queen's words. "H-Hadens'? B-b-blood m-magic?"

"The Hadens were practically Gods on earth because of their blood magic. But when the queen bore no sons, their magic, they feared, would get lost forever... So the old queen extricated her family magic from the dying king's hair and locked it away inside a ruddy stone..."

Walburga was twitching on the spot now as she fought away the bats that had started to cloud her vision.

Naerania, though, didn't seem to notice and continued, head thrown backwards to gaze up at the stars again. "Venus is alight tonight. And tonight marks the rise of the heir... The night whence the heir shall finally prepare to attain the Stone," she said, watching a silver cloud shroud the moon. "But would the heir be successful? Only time will tell," she said, nodding to herself. "Nay the Elder Wand, nor the Mirror of Erised is true power. True power lies within that Stone... A power," she said, watching the old witch convulse wildly, before ultimately succumbing to the black blanket that shrouded her eyes, sending her swooning on to the forest floor, "that is enough to wipe out have the Earth."