Chapter 7 – After A Full Moon

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It was the night of the full moon and Izzie saw the Marauders get ready to head to the shrieking shack. She leaped up from her spot at the fireplace and hurried over to them. Sirius was already looking at her, but he quickly ducked his head as she glanced his way. She flung her arms around Remus's neck.

"Be careful." She whispered as his arms wound around her waist.

"I always am." He said, when she pulled back, she looked at him in disbelief. "Well, I always try."

"Right." She chuckled dryly. "I'll be in the infirmary at dawn."

"You always are." He kissed the top of her head. Peter and James were already waiting at the portrait hole, the former was glancing at his watch nervously. Sirius was still standing next to them, but when he made a move to follow Remus and walk to the others, Izzie tugged his sleeve. He looked at her curiously.

"You'll keep him safe?"

"I-" He stuttered.

"I know."

"Y-you know?" His eyes comically large.

"Ever since you revealed your plans to Remus. I won't say anything, I promise."

"No, I guess you won't." He smiled a little. He wrapped his hand around the one that was still clutching his sleeve. "I'll keep him safe; I promise. I guess I found something out about you without tutoring you."

She smiled half-heartedly. She pulled her hand back and wrapped her arms around her, like a shield as she watched them walk out of the common room. Sirius and Remus both looked back for a moment before the portrait closed. She was always nervous and afraid at the full moon, she never slept. She couldn't, not when she didn't know if Remus was safe. After she found out about the marauders becoming Animagi, she tried it herself, but never managed. The part she was always stuck at was the meditation. She could never empty her mind. Her mother, her father, her uncle all flashed before her eyes. She stared at the closed portrait for another few minutes, before sitting back on her spot in front of the fireplace., pulling her homework on her lap.

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The night went well. The four marauders had been running around the forest together, going after rabbits but not catching them. The marauders had left Moony in the Shrieking Shack, because Madam Pomfrey always came to check on him in the morning. When they arrived back in the common room, tired but pleased, they saw Izzie sleeping on the floor. She had her head on a pillow and was snuggled close to the fire.

"You go upstairs, I'll wake her up." Sirius said to the others.

"I still can't believe she knows." Peter said, looking at the sleeping girl.

"I'm not surprised to be honest. I figure she knows everything about our Moony." James said.

"Her Moony, you mean." Peter piped up.

"They're not together, they said it already." Sirius huffed.

"Can still happen, you've seen how they look at each other." Peter shrugged before he tiredly climbed the stairs.

"Peter's wrong, mate." James clapped Sirius back.

Sirius shrugged him off, his eyes still fixed on her. "Don't care."

"Right." James frowned. "Night, Pads." He didn't get an answer.

When James had disappeared up the stairs, he rounded the couch and kneeled down in front of her. Her features were relaxed, no worry lines to be seen. He pushed the hair out of her face. She was beautiful, in more ways than one. She had her obvious beauty, of course. It still pained him, he never noticed. But the things she would do for her friends, made her even more beautiful. Her loyalty to Moony, her protectiveness of Lily. She was a girl that was easy to love once you got to know her. But Sirius didn't know her, not really. She still held back when it comes to more serious things, she barely talked about her home or her parents. He knew she was a pureblood, but other than that. It seemed like she had more an upbringing like himself and not like James'. He had seen her flinch when a sharp noise filled her ears, seen her draw back out of know where. And the only one she talked to about it was Moony and Lily, but more so to Moony.

"Izzie?" He whispered, nudging her shoulder softly. He fell back on his bum when she withdrew her wand and shoved it under his chin. "Izzie!?"

"I'm- I'm sorry." She stammered, shocked. She withdrew her wand and sat up, wrapping her arms around her knees.

"It's okay." He placed a hand on her knee. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"No." She shook her head, looking at one of the paintings on the wall. Sirius saw that she was trembling.

"I'm here, if you want to talk." He squeezed as she didn't respond. "Do you want me to walk you to the infirmary?"

"No, that's alright." She finally looked back at him with a small smile. He smiled back before helping her stand up. She held his hand and stood on her toes to kiss his cheek. "Thank you."

"That's two." He pointed to his cheek, grinning. Then a true, honest and beautiful smile filled her face before she stepped out of the common room, the smile made his heart skip a beat. Sirius looked at the stuff she had forgotten and started to pack everything up. But one thing caught his eye, a book on becoming an Animagus. He sat on the coffee table and flipped through it. The book was filled with old and new notes. It seemed like she had the book for years. Was she an Animagus? Sirius wondered.

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Izzie just reached the infirmary when Madam Pomfrey walked up with Remus. He had a few cuts and bruises but seemed okay.

"Morning, Miss Miller." The healer smiled, already expecting her. Izzie opened the doors for them to pass through.

"Morning." She answered and followed them inside. Izzie waited behind the curtain as Madam Pomfrey tended to his wounds. When she opened the curtains again, she had placed a tray of food for the both of them on the table. She climbed into the bed with Remus, and he wrapped his arm around her. "You okay?"

"Yeah, just tired." He smiled a little as he took a sandwich from the plate.

"I'm sorry."

"For what?" He asked surprised.

"For not being there with you."

"You're always there with me, Iz." He squeezed her shoulder. "And you're here now."

"It's not the same, is it?" She sighed. "I've tried, Remus. I've tried for years but it just won't work."

"I know." He said reassuringly. His thumb rubbed her shoulder. "And it's okay. Your childhood was far from ideal -"

"So was Sirius's. And he managed." She grunted.

"He got away from that house, years ago. You are still stuck in there. You still have to go back, and I think as long that you're trapped with your family, you'll never be able to."

They sat in silence for a while, just eating the plate empty. Izzie just put the tray away when the door opened. They looked up to see Regulus. He was standing at the door nervously, shuffling his feet. Izzie smiled and gestured him over.

"Are you finally together?" Izzie whispered in Remus's ear, as Regulus walked over slowly, carefully.

"W-what?" Remus stuttered.

"Oh, come on! You two have been drooling and blushing since the start of the year. I'm happy for you."

"Isabelle." Regulus had finally joined them and took a seat on the empty chair. "Remus."

"You can sit with him. I'll take the chair." Izzie said already standing up.

"What? Why would I do that?" Regulus paled and flushed at the same time.

"She knew the moment you walked in." Remus rolled his eyes. "Come here, love." He padded the spot next to him. Regulus eyes flickered from Remus to the door.

"The others are asleep, don't worry. Nobody's coming in." Izzie reassured him. That was all the younger Black needed. Regulus crawled on the bed, tucked under Remus's arm. They shared a quick but sweet kiss. It was absolutely adorable.

"Oh, stop looking at us like that!" Remus laughed.

"Like what?" Izzie grinned. "It's sweet. Since when?"

"Since you not so subtly ditched us a few days ago."

Izzie was grinning from ear to ear. "Most people say thank you."

Regulus snorted while Remus barked a laugh. The three of them talked for a while before Remus needed to go to sleep. When the doors from the Hospital Wing closed behind them, she carefully tugged Regulus' sleeve.

"I'm happy for you, Reg."

"You don't mind?"

"Mind what?"

"That I'm - that we are-" He couldn't find the right words.

Izzie glanced around the empty corridor before she whispered. "I don't care that you're gay. I don't care whether Remus likes boys or girls, or both. You're both my friends, and I love you. That's not going to change."

And then the most unexpected thing happened, Regulus pulled her in a hug. Reg and Izzie never really did physical contact. No hugging or hand holding. A peck on the cheek and that was that. Izzie wrapped her arms around him, hugging him back. "Thank you, Isabelle. For everything." He whispered in her hair. He released her and with a kiss on the cheek, he darted downstairs to the Slytherin common room.

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It was the night before Christmas break and the Hufflepuffs were throwing a party for all houses. Izzie was surrounded by a group of girls talking about their latest Defence against the Dark Arts lesson. A young man, early twenties had come to tell them about experience with Banshees and Inferni. He was good looking. He had bright blue eyes, high cheekbones and a head of curly blonde hair. Most girls swooned over him.

On the other side of the Hufflepuff common room, Sirius and James were glancing at the group of girls.

"Do you think they are talking about me?" Sirius asked, not looking away from the group.

"Why would they be talking about you?" James laughed, already drunk of his ass.

"Have you not seen who she is surrounded with?" Sirius sighed exasperated.

James leaned forward squinting his eyes behind his spectacles. "Girls?" He offered.

"More specifically, girls I've made out with." He pulled a face as he downed his glass of whiskey, his eyes never leaving the group.

"Really?" James snickered, still leaning forwards to watch the girls. "All of them?"

Sirius grimaced and gave brisk nod of his head. James leaned back and looked at his best friend. "Isabelle Miller." He played with the name on his tongue. Sirius turned to him with a raised eyebrow. "She's quite pretty, isn't she?"

Sirius pushed down his jealousy and appeared relaxed. "She's alright." He shrugged, turning back to watch her.

"Right." James nodded, pulling back a smirk. "Looks like your great aunt, I forgot." He said before he started laughing uncontrollably. Due to his loud and exaggerated laugh, the group all turned to them. Izzie shot him a lopsided smile before looking away. A few seconds later, Izzie dislodged herself from the group, looking a little annoyed. Sirius pushed himself off the wall to join her, but she already found a new group to be standing with. Lily, Marlene and Remus. He leaned back against the wall. James had finally stopped laughing. He was wiping away tears of laughter as he followed Sirius gaze. But his laughter filled the room again. Between his laughing, he wheezed out.

"Now, she's standing with the only people you haven't kissed!"

Sirius scowled at James before he pushed himself off the wall and headed to the group, like James' put it, the group of people he had never kissed.

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Since I don't want this story to take over a year to publish and I've already written it completely, I'll be posting updates twice a week, maybe even more ? I hope you enjoy.