So, an early update!

I'm posting this now because this chapter was actually one of the first things I wrote for this story. Much of what will happen next has to do with this.

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Chapter 14 – An unwanted 'proposal'

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Two days after her breath-taking performance, Izzie had gathered attention from all the guys in the Gryffindor tower, even the years bellow them, much to Sirius and Remus's chagrin. He had noticed she grew a little agitated from the attention, the sudden touches or appearances making her tremble. Like now after Transfiguration, it happened again. Dorian, a seventh-year Gryffindor came up to her from behind her. And when he touched her shoulder unexpectedly, she flinched. Sirius was there before Remus could react.

"Hey, Iz." He made sure to make eye contact with her before he placed his arm around her shoulders. "Ready to go?"

"Go?" She asked, as Dorian looked between them, frowning a little. "Uhm, yeah. I'm ready."

"Sorry, Dorian, we have a date." The words rolled from his tongue easily. Maybe because he wanted to ask her for ages.

"A date? You don't date." He said matter-of-factly.

Izzie's head tilted until her eyes flickered to his. He smiled softly at her. "I waited for someone special to come along."

She ducked her head, avoiding his intense gaze. His heart jumped when he saw her cheeks turn red before her hair fell in front of it.

"Yeah, uhm." Dorian frowned again. "If you still want to hang out sometime, Izzie, you know where to find me." He smiled before walking down the corridor.

"She won't." Sirius muttered to himself. He kept his arm around her as they walked through the corridor, and she didn't pull away. When he guided her to the left, she finally looked back up at him.

"Where are we going? The common room is that way." She pointed over her shoulder.

"I'm not taking you on a date if that's what you were thinking." He smirked, leaning down closer to her.

"Because you don't date."

His smirk faltered, a crease between his eyes. "Like I said, I'm waiting for someone special."

"She or he must be exceptional, then." She looked back forward. "Are we going outside? It's raining." She frowned.

Sirius stopped walking and looked away from her to the open doors where the rain was pouring down. "Shit! There goes my plan for our non-date." He grumbled.

"Well -" She took his hand that rested on her shoulder and lifted it over her head. "Why don't you come with me to the kitchens. I'll share a cake with you, the elves make the best chocolate fudge cake." She tugged his hand, back towards the warm halls of the castle.

Sirius turned away from the rain with a seductive smile. "Is that your way for taking me out on a date?"

"Hardly." She chuckled, but Sirius started to follow her down the corridors. He would follow her anywhere, even if it would be to sit in the Slytherin common room next to Snape. "You would know if I would ask you on a date."

"That -" He shifted their hands until their fingers were intertwined. "I don't doubt." His heart thundered as she walked in front of him, tugging him through the castle.

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The next few weeks, Sirius was so busy with pranks with the other Marauders, he barely had any alone time with Izzie. Remus or Lily were almost always present in the common room or anywhere else. Even the study dates had dwindled once she got the hang of everything. At night, when he couldn't sleep, he replayed the memory of her singing and playing the ukelele just for him in his head. He always fell asleep with a smile on his lips. The attention on her had reduced immensely when the rumour around school was that they were dating. But girls didn't seem to believe it, especially since he was barely by her side the past weeks.

He was now walking back to the common room, after he dodged Filch after a rather brilliant prank, he thought to himself. He froze when he saw a mass of black curls round the corner. Regulus? He didn't have time to dwell on it because his eyes saw something else, someone else.

"Izzie?" Sirius spotted her sitting on the floor, her knees drawn up to her chest as she stared blankly to the wall across from her. They were in an abandoned corridor on the seventh floor. He walked over quickly and crouched down before her. "Izzie?" He gently placed his hands on her knees.

No reaction, it looked like she was seeing right through him. He grew worried, he had seen her retreat in the time he had gotten to know her, but not something like this. She needs Moony.

"Let's get you to the common room, yeah?" He asked, but she made no move to follow.

He wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her up. She walked with him, but it was like she was on automatic pilot. He kept his arm securely around her, afraid she might fall if he let go. With being so close to her, he could smell her citrus shampoo. He didn't know how it happened or when exactly, but he fell for the girl hard and fast, until she was the only thing on his mind.

All the way back to the tower she hadn't said a word, but her hand had fisted his shirt on the side. He subconsciously rubbed circles on her waist with his thumb. He muttered the password, and the portrait flew open without any fuss. The common room was nearly deserted, he sat her down on the floor gently. He wanted to stand up to look for Remus but her grip on his shirt didn't waver. He looked over his shoulder and saw Peter sleeping and drooling on his homework. He shot him a little stinging hex, which jolted him awake. He looked around confused.

"Get Moony! Then Lily." He said bringing his attention to him. Peter looked even more confused but darted up the stairs anyway. "You're okay, you're okay." He whispered, caressing her shoulders softly. And for the first time since he found her, she made a sign she had heard him. It was barely anything, but she shook her head, still looking right through him.

"Izzie." He cupped her cheek to make her look up at him. But he quickly dropped it as Remus came running down the steps, waving his wand, a little note flew up the girls' staircase. Behind him, James and Peter followed.

Remus dropped down next to Sirius, taking her cheeks in his hands without hesitation. "What happened?"

It took him a second before he figured out, he was talking to him, his eyes still on her. "I don't know, I just found her like this on the seventh floor. But I swear I saw Regulus disappear behind the corner. If he did something-" his voice grew angry.

"No." Remus shook his head determent, feeling anger flare up that Sirius thought so little of his younger brother, his boyfriend. "They're friends."

"What do you mean they are friends?" Sirius asked baffled. He felt her hand slacken around his shirt and took her hand carefully in his. "Izzie?"

She looked up, finally but she looked straight at Moony. Her eyes filled with terror. Making both boys heart clench.

"Remus." Her voice was barely a whisper, fear trembling on it. "It happened."

Remus fell on his bum, cursing. The remaining marauders and Lily who had joined them a few minutes ago, looked at him shocked. Moony almost never curses. "He didn't." He gasped indignant. She nodded and unshed tears formed in her eyes; Remus quickly engulfed her in a tight hug, her hand fell from Sirius grasp. Sirius looked at James and Peter but they both hadn't foggiest. Lily on the other hand, had paled and covered her mouth with her hand.

"We'll find a way around it, Iz." Lily said dropping down next to Remus, rubbing her back.

Sirius was still seated next to the hugging pair. His eyes were fixed on her hair as her face was nestled in Moony's neck.

"Uhm, what's going on?" Peter asked apprehensively.

"She doesn't need to tell us." Sirius voice was soft, but he was dying to know really. James, Lily and Peter all looked at him like he had grown a second head. Sirius was usually the one to pry and needed to know everything about everyone. But he had figured out quickly, that this didn't count when it came to Isabelle Miller, and he never pushed when it came to her. Always waiting for her to make the first move.

Izzie shifted her head on Remus's shoulder to look at him. Her eyes were red, but she hasn't let a single tear fall. She looked at him, like he had looked at her for the first weeks this year, thoughtfully. Sirius held her gaze, even though it was on the hardest things he ever had to do. It was like she was trying to unravel him in front of the others. Then she looked away and unwrapped herself from Remus. She leaned back against the wall. Remus and Lily shifted until they were sitting on either side of her.

"It's okay." Her voice still hoarse. Sirius planted himself in front of her while James and Peter sat down next to him. She took in a deep breath. "My father has arranged a marriage for me with ..." It pained her to say it. She looked pointedly at Sirius when she said. "With Regulus." She felt Remus stiffen next to her, but she didn't dare to glance at him, not when -

"That little shit! I'm going to-" Sirius cried out and jumped up from the ground, already turning towards the portrait hole to search for his little brother. But a hand stopped him. He felt small, nimble fingers close around his wrist and he knew without looking, that it was Izzie. It sent a chill straight down his spine. He turned to look at her, her eyes were large as she looked up at him.

"It wasn't Reg." She said quietly. Sirius tried to hide the surprise in his eyes from the nickname she used for his brother, but it probably didn't work anyway, not with her. He turned fully before sitting down back in front of her. He didn't let go of her hand, and to his pleasure and surprise as always, she didn't pull back. When she spoke again, it was solely to him. "Reggie and I were 'invited -" She said in air quotes. "- to Dumbledore's office. My father and my uncle were there, just like your folks."

Sirius stilled and she rubbed her thumb softly on the back of his hand, not consciously, he guessed. A light blush appeared on her cheeks before she continued. "Apparently we were bothered since we were like five or something." Sirius blushed more visible than her. "But well since...you know." She waved her free hand in the air. "I'm now to marry Reggie."

"What does Regulus say about it?" Lily asked, drawing their attention away from each other. She looked to her best friend.

"He's furious. He knew in the back of his mind they would do something like this, but he hoped they would, I dunno, forget?"

"But he isn't of age yet, nor are you." James said frowning.

She pulled her hand out of Sirius hand, and he felt colder the second she was gone. She wrapped her arms around her knees and pulled them against her chest. Remus wrapped his arm around her shoulder, and Sirius pushed back the tinge of jealousy that flared up. "They want to start planning during Easter break. We'll marry once he turns seventeen, so next summer at the latest." She hesitated a little before she said the next part, her eyes flickered from her knees to Sirius. "He wants to do it as fast as possible because – because of you, because of us."

"Us?" Sirius frowned.

"Someone told my father about us hanging out."

"But we haven't done anything, we're ... friends."

"Try to explain that to him." Izzie snorted. "I don't know who talked to my father or what they said, but they made it seem like something more."

"Doesn't he believe you? You're his daughter." Peter said.

The look Izzie gave him, under other circumstances, would be hilarious. But she just said. "No, he doesn't. And now Reggie is forced to marry me AKA a trainwreck." Before anyone could object, she pushed her hands in her face and screamed in them. "I hate him!"

"Regulus?" Peter asked.

"No." She chuckled dryly. "Underneath, he's a big softy." Sirius snorted at that, and she glared at him. "You should really try to reconnect. He misses you." When Sirius looked dumbfounded at her, she turned back to Peter. "My father." She sighed. "I need to go talk to him."

"Your father?" Peter asked again, surprised.

"No, Reg. He was really upset, and I just crashed once we were out of sight." Remus had leapt to his feet first and helped her up.

"Do you need to -" Check the map? Was left unsaid in the presence of Lily.

"No." She shook her head. "I know where he is."

"You do?" Sirius asked surprised as he clambered up.

"Yeah." She nodded before turning to Remus. "Can you walk with me?"

"Of course." He kissed the top of her head so easily, which made Sirius a little jealous. He wrapped his arm around her. "You should all head back to bed, this might take a while."

"What about curfew?"

"I'm a prefect, Pads. I got it covered."

Lily wrapped her in a tight hug, tears in her eyes. When she pulled back, she said. "We'll find a way, I promise."

She offered her a sad, unconvinced smile. "Thanks." She and Remus turned to walk out of the common room. But before they went, she placed her hand on Sirius's shoulder. "Think about what I said, yeah? He needs you."

Sirius just stared at her, not knowing what to say with all the revelations that night. She sighed a little and pulled her hand away from his lack of answer. And before he could think about it, he took the hand that was lowering. "Yeah." His voice croaked. "I'll think about it."

She offered him a tiniest smile before she and Remus walked out of the common room. Sirius watched them go as his head and heart filled with guilt. He never thought a friendship with him would result into this, if he would've known, he would have kept his distance as hard as it might be now that he gotten to know her, fall for her. He needed to take a step back, maybe, just maybe that will help her.