Chapter 3 – Persisted is one word for it
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When they were walking back to the common room, Remus suddenly smirked. "Can't believe Peter thinks we're dating."
"Lily had thought that for a while too." Izzie said looking up at him, she was once again tucked in his shoulder.
"Wait-what?" He stopped in front of the portrait to look back at her.
"Yeah, last year." She laughed. "After she saw us sleeping in the common room together."
"We do that all the time, though."
"Can't blame them really." Izzie shrugged. "What if you saw Lily and James acting around each other like we do."
A light bulb seemed to light up on top of his head. "Oh."
"Yeah, oh." She laughed. "Gigglewater."
The portrait opened and Remus leaned in whispering. "If they only knew." She laughed wholeheartedly. They both felt the eyes of James and Sirius on them as they entered.
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It was a month since school started and both James and Sirius hadn't given up in the slightest. They tried to engage in a conversation with Izzie every chance they got. Sometimes she complied, other times she just ignored them or tried to begin a conversation with anybody else. Remus and Lily just found it all too amusing.
"At least I get a break now." Lily snickered as they walked to Transfiguration.
"His interest in me will wear off soon, Lils, don't worry." She smirked.
"Oh, no, please, keep him busy."
Izzie laughed as she threw her arm around Lily. The boy in question was leaning against the classroom, talking to Peter. Sirius was in the corner talking up Megan from Hufflepuff. She was giggling, caressing his arm softly, Sirius seemed to eat it up. Some things never change, Izzie thought to herself with a chuckle.
"Miller!" James shouted enthusiastically, clapping his hands together. Sirius' head snapped towards her in a millisecond. "Evans, my two favourite girls."
Lily groaned softly, for only her to hear, Izzie poked her side grinning as she pursed her lips at her. Izzie dropped the arm from Lily's shoulder and Lily quickly hurried in the classroom.
"Peter." She smiled at the shyest member of the marauders. "Potter." She glanced to James' other side where Sirius had appeared, leaving a disgruntled Megan in the corner. "Black."
"Oi, we have first names." James huffed.
"Do you? You never seem to remember mine, why should I bother with yours." She smirked before waltzing inside.
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Lily, the traitor, had chosen her seat next to Remus. Izzie glared at both of them as she sat down behind them, they just smirked when she passed them. Sirius and James saw her sitting alone and they were whispering quickly to each other. When they saw that Peter was on his way towards her, they quickly darted forward. Sirius got distracted by Megan, who called over. And the second he looked over his shoulder, James had beaten him to it and sat down next to her. Sirius sat down disgruntled next to Peter.
"Hello, again." James smirked. It was the first time he sat beside her in class. It was always just Remus, Lily or one of the girls. Peter a handful of times over the years. "It's been fun getting to know you."
"Oh?" She raised an eyebrow. "Have you gotten to know me then?"
"I believe so. At a much slower pace, then I would've wanted to, but we'll get there."
"We?"
"Sirius and I, obviously." He chuckled. "You're a woman of mystery, Miller."
"And I can read you like an open book, Potter."
"So, you've noticed me?" He wiggled his eyebrows.
"Oh, Merlin, no." She snickered. She tilted her head to the side to look at him. "In case you have forgotten, again, Remus is my best friend. So, even if you didn't get to know me, I got to know you." James looked a bit flustered at the statement. "And Lily-"
"Oh, she talks about me?" He asked excitedly.
"Complains." She corrected. "Can I give you a word of advice?" She asked looking from Lily's back to James.
"If you answer one question of mine."
"Sure. You go first, and after you'll be quiet, understood."
"Yes, ma'am." He saluted with a grin. "You and Remus, did you ever date?"
Of course, he would ask that. She looked at him steadily, her brain coming miles a minute, because they haven't dated... but. "No." James looked at her like he didn't believe it. "Now for my piece of advice." She said quickly before James could ask more. "Tone it down a bit."
"What?"
"Lily." She nudged her head at the redhead, who was silently conversing with Remus. "You'll never have a chance with her if you keep going over the top. Give it a rest."
"I-" He opened his mouth a couple of times, then frowned. "Are you sure?"
"More than anything." She said steadfast.
"I'll consider it." He nodded slowly.
"Psst-" James and Izzie turned to Sirius, who was leaning forward on his desk, trying to listen in. "What are you talking about?"
Izzie smirked. "Wouldn't you like to know." And she turned back around, just as the professor walked in. James pursed his lips to hold back a laugh and turned to the front too.
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Izzie was sitting in the library with none other than James Potter. Lily and Remus were at a dinner from the Slug club, while Sirius and Peter were nowhere to be found, probably snogging some poor girl. They have had multiple study dates over the past two weeks, but they did more than study. Izzie was giving James advice on how to properly charm his way into Lily's heart.
"You're really good at charms." James said as he looked up from her notes.
"My best subject." She shrugged. "It comes naturally to me. How's that map treating you?''
James dropped his quill and looked like someone had hit him with a stunning hex. "W-what map?"
Izzie smirked, leaning her head in her hand. "How do you call it, the marauders' map?"
James shifted uncomfortably, looking around worried. He leaned closer so their faces were only inches apart and whispered. "You know about the map? Did Remus tell you?"
"I think I knew about the map before you guys did. It was Remus's idea, wasn't it?"
"Well, yeah."
"Most of the charms on there, I placed. The others I worked on it with Remus.''
James frowned a little behind his round spectacles. "Why didn't he tell us? Why don't you take claim on the map?"
"I don't need it." She smiled. "I'm not much of a troublemaker."
"You know, I have a hard time believing that." James smirked lopsidedly. His eyes shifted to somewhere on her right. "Oh, hey, Pads. We were wondering where you were." He said not creating more distance between them as they were still leaning forward to each other.
"Hey, Sirius." Izzie smiled, but Sirius had a darkened look as he scowled. Then a blushing Hufflepuff girl, with golden blond hair and sharp cheekbones, came from behind the bookcase.
"Sirius." The girl purred in his ear, loud enough for them to hear. "I thought we were in the middle of something."
"We were." He tore his eyes away from them and just started snogging her in front of them, pushing her back until they were hidden behind the bookcase again.
"I guess we interrupted his make out session." Izzie laughed.
"Yeah." James said, still looking at the place Sirius had disappeared from. "Let's get going, okay? It's getting late."
"Sure." She nodded and started to pack up her things. Once her bag was placed over her shoulder, they walked out of the library, walking close to each other. Neither of them looked back to see Sirius watch them walk out. "You still need to go over your last part of your Charms essay, it needs a little tweaking."
"I'll check on it later. Thanks for your help, Miller. Or should I say Miss Charmer?"
"Oh, please don't." She laughed, shaking her head. "I know you just want to find out more about Lily, but you're welcome." She snickered.
"It's not all about Lily, you know. I'm really glad to get to know you."
"Even when I didn't make it easy on you?" She smirked.
"Even then." He laughed. "About the map."
"You can't find me on it." She said, already knowing where this was going. "That was my only request. Only Remus and I know the spell to reveal where I am. But he's never had a reason to use it."
James regarded her for a moment. "You know, I am really sorry."
"For what?" She asked with a tilt of her head.
"For not really knowing you, for not realising about you and Remus. Sirius and I talked about it, and we still can't figure out how we never noticed."
"'S okay." She shrugged. "Your priorities lay elsewhere. I don't mind, honestly." She placed her hand on his shoulder. "Besides you're trying now, not that it was necessary. I was used to the dynamic. I have my own friends, but here you are."
"But now you have more." James smirked. "And we are pretty amazing." He puffed up his chest.
"I'm still deciding on that." She smiled as her eyes scanned the Grand Staircase. "Uhm, James, I have somewhere to go." She looked back at him. "I'll meet you in the common room, yeah?"
"Wait!" He took her sleeve in his hand. "Where are you going?"
"I'm meeting someone." She quirked an eyebrow at the hand that had stopped her. James quickly withdrew his hand.
"Sorry." He muttered.
"It's okay, but it's not because we're starting to become friends, I need to tell you everything I do. I had a life before you came charging in." She grinned.
"No, you're right. But it's with someone safe, isn't it?"
"Yes, I trust him completely."
"Him?" He wiggled his eyebrows at her.
"I'll see you later, James." She smiled and sauntered off. James watched her round a corner before he headed up the stairs.
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When the portrait had opened, Sirius appeared next to him. "Where's your date?" His voice was a little icy.
"My date?" James looked utterly confused. "What? You mean Izzie? We were studying. Where is yours?" He countered, because he had no idea where this came from.
"Left her at the library." He shrugged. "So, where is she?" He asked as they stepped in the common room. Peter was sitting near the fire with Marlene, Mary and Lily.
"She had to meet someone." He said, his eyes on Lily. "Oi, Evans, where is Remus?"
"Professor Slughorn kept him back for something. Where's Izzie? You two seemed to hit it off lately." She asked without a trace of jealousy, and James hated it.
"Yeah, she's pretty great." He said, flopping down on the couch, Sirius sat down next to him. His best friend shot him a weird look. "Still a shame we didn't get to know her sooner. But she was meeting someone, she didn't tell me who, just that it was a he."
Lily nodded understanding.
"You know who she's meeting?"
"I know who the options are."
"Who?" Sirius asked, his face blank, trying to pretend he didn't care.
"Roger, Remus, or Re-" She stopped herself, looking down at her essay.
"Who's Roger?" Sirius asked.
"A Ravenclaw she's seeing." She said not looking up to see Sirius strained face. "It's nothing serious, just casual. They started hooking up just after school started."
"You don't seem to like him." James mused. Lily looked up from her essay, surprised he had noticed her strained voice.
"I don't." She started slowly, still regarding James. "There is something off about him." Even with just saying that, a shiver went down her spine.
James and Sirius shared a glance with quirked eyebrows. "We'll find out." They chimed.