A/N: My bad, saved it in the wrong format before…
Here We Go Around Again
Chapter 12
When Harry was informed about the mishap, it took Hermione's strongest binding spell to keep him from irrupting into the Slytherin dungeons and hexing Anya to Pluto and back; he was so angry that Isabel was afraid he would do something drastic (not that she actually cared about what happened to the Malfoy girl, she just didn't think she was worth becoming a Gryffindor version of Snape over) but she needn't worry; Hermione had worked her magic on him overnight (not literally, of course) and made him see reason again.
The next morning Harry was back to being his usual sweet and loving self.
During the Halloween banquet, three days later, Dumbledore gave the students something aside from the Potter/Malfoy outburst to gossip about: they were having a Christmas ball, and they all had to find a partner now. Isabel wasn't particularly concerned about it (not like Beatrix Bradbury, who was suddenly seen in her best robes and prancing around like a peacock while trying to draw the boys' attention); she was more worried about her special training sessions which, after her confrontation with Malfoy, had started to go from bad to worse. Of course, her lack of excitement didn't stop the boys from trying; Alex could be seen jumping up before Isabel in the hallways and begging her to be his date.
Fortunately for her, Isabel had two faithful bodyguards to flank her sides all day, not to mention her father and uncle Ron's terrorizing of every boy who came too close to their 'little girl' (Adrian Faulkner, a Hufflepuff sixth year, was forever traumatized by Harry's warning speech and Ron's flexing fingers in the background).
With November came the rain and so, on the evening before Isabel's birthday and two days prior to their awaited match against Slytherin, the Quidditch Team was found sulking up in the Gryffindor Common Room because the storm was so terrible Professor McGonnagall (along with Hermione's encouragement) wouldn't allow them to go outside. Thankfully for the birthday girl, the weather decided to give them a break for the day and on the morning of the third the sun shone as brightly as ever.
Isabel woke up to at least twenty Filibuster fireworks going off in her room, followed by a tuneless Robin singing 'Happy Birthday To You' at the top of his voice (which really made one reconsider his chosen name); how he ever snuck into the girls' dorm at five in the morning without getting caught was a wonder, and Isabel was still giggling madly when an enraged Cathy Harper kicked/hexed him out of the room. Her disgruntled room mates all wished her a warm 'Happy Birthday' before slumping back onto bed, but Isabel knew that, once risen, she would never be able to go back to sleep. She decided to get ready instead, and by the time she wandered down to the Common Room it was already six; Robin was sprawled on top of a large couch by the fireplace, snoring away amidst the remainder of his prank fireworks.
Isabel chuckled and prodded him gently awake.
He sat up, startled, but gave her a tired smile when he saw who it was.
-Happy birthday, Iz…,-he said, wrapping an arm around her back and placing a brotherly kiss on her cheek.
The girl, who was kneeling on the floor next to the couch, grinned and proceeded to throw her arms around the red-head's neck.
-Robin, that was brilliant!,-she gushed, overflowing with happiness.,-Thank you…
He patted her lightly on the head and leaned back to look at her.
-It's the first time in the last five years that I get to be there for your birthday and I wanted to make it special…
Isabel smiled.
-You have, Robin…,-she said sweetly, then gave him a meaningful look.,-I'm afraid Cathy didn't appreciate the gesture, though.
Robin scowled and rubbed the back of his head.
-She didn't have to hit me so hard…,-he muttered, then grinned cheekily at her.,-I've got something for you.
Isabel clapped her hands and squealed in excitement, settling down next to Robin, who was taking a wrapped gift from behind a pillow. He handed it to her and laughed as she began to tear at the paper in earnest-instead of fifteen, she looked seven all over again. Robin watched her draw out a thick, dark red-leather volume, arch an eyebrow at him, open it gingerly and then gasp with surprise when she saw what was in it: he had given her a scrapbook.
The girl felt tears prickle at the corner of her eyes as she studied each of the moving pictures and read the little comments below with a smile; it was a recollection of the best moments of their friendship, organized in a very tactful way, and Isabel was very touched to see just how much time and care he had put into it.
The first picture showed two infants side by side, fast asleep on the same crib, baby Isabel moving her tiny fists restlessly around; she watched amusedly as her picture-self accidentally whapped the other baby in the face, waking him up and causing him to start howling.
-Looks like I was doomed to be mistreated by beautiful women from birth…,-Robin whispered jokingly from beside Isabel, making her laugh.
She watched fondly as a fifteen year younger Harry held his respective godson and daughter in his arms, watched two toddlers crawl around the yard, covered from head to toes in dirt, (the next picture showed Hermione and Lavender scrubbing the both of them clean in a baby bathtub, making Isabel blush), watched her eight year old self smash an entire pie on Robin's face, and so on. The pictures seemed to have no end; some made her laugh, others made her roll her eyes (Christmas, 2012. "I wanted a new broom that year… instead I had to clean the house with one after the Dungbomb incident…") and plenty made her cry. When she finally closed the scrapbook on her lap she was bawling like a baby.
-Thank you, Robin…,-she sobbed against his shirt as he stroked her back soothingly.,-this is very precious…
Robin chuckled softly, placing his chin on top of her head.
-I was ready to die when I first came to Hogwarts without my best friend… Nick is great, and he's like a brother to me, but you're a part of my life that no one in this world can replace… I missed you a lot when I was away, Izzy, and I was delighted to find out you were coming this year. Thank you for being here…
Isabel raised her tear-streaked face to look in his eyes and gave him a brilliant smile.
-No, Robin,-she said, her voice filled with emotion.,-thank you for being here…
***
When Isabel walked into the Great Hall with Robin ten minutes later, she was instantly rammed into by her parents and Ron, who showered her with hugs and kisses that left her glowing with happiness and also let everyone present know it was her birthday; it didn't help that several owls swept down on her as they ate breakfast, loaded with so many gifts from the rest of the Weasleys and her grandparents, that she had to take them back to the dorm unless she wanted to carry them around the castle all day.
In her rush out for her first class, Herbology, she didn't hear the voice shouting after her until she was halfway down the slope.
-Izzy!!! Isabel!
Isabel stopped and turned, an excited little smile slowly drawing itself on her lips as she spotted a running Nicholas making his way toward her; she hadn't seen him at breakfast-a fact that had saddened her considerably for a moment though she wasn't really sure why-and guessed he'd just overslept again, as it was known to happen.
He stopped in front of her and bent down with his hands on his knees as he tried to catch his breath for a moment; he was very flushed and his hair was a messy tangle of blond, but when he looked up at her he had the cutest smile on his face.
-Hey, beautiful…,-he breathed, touching his hand to her cheek for a moment.
Isabel blushed, but smiled shyly up at him.
-Hi…
She watched curiously as he pulled out his wand and muttered an almost silent "Lilium Orchideous", his honey eyes never leaving hers, and then gasped as he held out a small bouquet of the delicate white lilies to her.
-For you…,-he whispered, as the wide-eyed girl took them from him.
-They're my favorite…,-she said softly, her eyes flickering up to him for a second.,-how did you know?
-A little robin told me…,-he joked, taking her hand and squeezing it softly.
Her skin tingled at his touch, and her heart beat like a humming bird's wings.
Isabel shook the cobwebs out of her mind and instead graced him with a gorgeous smile.
-They're beautiful…
Nicholas bent down to whisper in her ear.
-But, they're not as beautiful as you…,-he kissed her sweetly on the cheek, then leaned back a little to look her in the eye.,-Happy birthday, Isabel…
Isabel couldn't keep the dreamy look out of her face for the next hour and a half.
***
The rest of the day went by in a blur; because it was Friday they didn't have to do any homework, and the last Quidditch training had taken place the day before, as Nicholas believed in having the team rest before the match, but Hermione had told her over breakfast that their evening session was still on-though it would be shorter than usual for obvious reasons. Cathy and Robin had suspiciously vanished after History of Magic (Nick had jokingly suggested they had snuck off to snog) and she hadn't seen them since; she spent the short time after dinner walking around with Nicholas and running from Anya Malfoy, who had been sending her some murderous glances for all the attention she had been unintentionally getting.
When at last the time approached for her to go to the training room, Isabel reluctantly headed back to the tower, accompanied by Nicholas, to drop her things and get the Invisibility Cloak and the map from her trunk; Nick kept sending her strange looks as they walked along the corridors while trying-and failing miserably-to look like he wasn't.
-So…,-he began, glancing at her out of the corner of his eye.,-how did you like today?
The girl sighed, touching the one lily she had pinned to her robe lightly.
-It was fantastic.,-she said, giving him a wistful smile.,-I mean, it's not like I did anything special or anything, it's just that birthdays are important to me, because I get to be with my loved ones… it's all because of daddy, really. I think it's because he never had any happy birthdays when he was a child and now he wants to make mine as special as he can… he always makes sure to be home for my birthday, no matter that minister of magic himself called him over for tea or something… and it was really hard when uncle Ron and Robin couldn't be there with me anymore…
Nick was looking sympathetically at her.
-But, are you happy now?,-he asked her softly, and she chuckled gently.
-I'm happy that I get to see them again, yes, and that I met you and Cathy, but I've still got my misgivings about this whole 'going to school' thing.,-she sighed a little uncertainly.,-Don't get me wrong or anything… everyone's been very nice to me, but...
-But what?,-he prompted gently.
Isabel bit her lip for a moment and then continued in a small, bitter voice.
-I'm afraid of getting hurt...,-she admitted, not looking at him.,-I'm afraid of getting too close to them and then finding out they only liked me because I'm Harry Potter's daughter after all...
There was silence for a moment; the two of them had reached the portrait guarding the entrance to the tower, but had stopped before going in. Nicholas was looking at her with the strangest look on his face.
-You amaze me, Miss Potter...,-he whispered after a while, causing Isabel to look up at him.
-What?
He sighed and smiled warmly at her.
-I'm amazed at just how simple and selfless you are...,-he said sincerely, taking her hand and squeezing it softly.,-and I think I understand where you're coming from, but you should have more faith in other people's feelings about you...
Isabel gave him a puzzled look, but he just smiled and turned around to say the password into the room; grinning at her over his shoulder, Nick tugged gently at her hand for her to follow.
-Nick what...
-SURPRISE!!!
The brunette gasped as what looked like the rest of Robin's Filibuster fireworks started sizzling and dancing around the Common Room, which was packed with fellow Gryffindors, all clapping and whistling and smiling at her. A single table had been pushed back against the wall, and was covered with presents and food, and an excited little fairy was flying circles atop an enormous cake, leaving a trail of pink sparkles behind her as she did and singing 'Happy Birthday' with her bell-like voice; a huge banner hung from the ceiling, forming 'Happy Birthday, Isabel!' in glittering color-changing letters.
She felt her eyes filling with tears as Cathy rushed toward her and threw her arms around her in a hug; Robin came next, seizing her around the waist and crushing her to him as he raised her lightly off the floor.
-Happy birthday, Izzy,-he whispered gently in her ear.,-thank you for being here…
***
The party only lasted a couple of hours; after all, there was a match against Slytherin the following day to think about. Isabel had glowed all through it, and after the first bout of tears that followed the surprise, an ear-to-ear grin had plastered itself permanently on her face.
She had received a lot of presents, and though she loved them all and each of them, there were some that she appreciated more than others (she had carefully avoided eating Hagrid's home-made cookies, which she knew by experience were as hard as a rock); Cathy had given her a nice gift certificate for the bookstore at Hogsmeade, and she intended to make good use of it the next time they went to the village (there was a great book on international Quidditch that she had been eyeing for a while). Ron and Lavender had gone for a book as well, "Tales of Hogwarts' Heroes: Witches and Wizards Who Changed the World After Hogwarts", along with a hand-made card from Gween, to his 'Big Sister, with love', and uncle Fred and George had sent her a "care package" ("Honestly, I'm almost afraid of seeing what's inside…") with samples of all their products and a new one, too-"Pretty Pranks", a line of makeup that, instead of making you look better, made you look ten times worse... without your knowledge, and Robin had cheerfully suggested they test it on their beloved Anya ("Nothing personal, of course.").
The cute pink fairy, whose name was Layla, was a present from aunt Ginny, who explained in a letter that it was a 'maid fairy', whose job was the exact opposite to "Pretty Pranks", since it used its magic to provide nice hair-styles and apply make-up in minutes (Cathy and Amber had both squealed in excitement and asked to be presented to Ginny immediately), and Molly Weasley had knitted her a matching pair of mittens and scarf.
Her parents' present was everyone's favorite, though; after she'd read the letter inside, ("Thought we'd really have you train today, huh?"), she'd proceeded to tear open the long box, with growing excitement, and found herself on the verge of fainting when she finally held out a brand-new, shiny racing broom-the Quicksilver. The whole of Gryffindor house had burst into cheers, and Nicholas had tearfully promised to cover his two professors with praises the next morning. Robin had another reason to be excited, too, and that was the knowledge that he wouldn't have to get Isabel a new broom to replace the one he'd lost her anymore ("I love your parents, Izzy, I do.").
As everyone sat admiring the precious treasure and passing it carefully around, Nicholas pulled Isabel aside; she gave him a curious look as he shuffled his feet on the carpet.
-I wanted to give you your present…,-he began softly, looking nervously up at her.
Isabel blushed.
-You didn't have to get me anything…
The boy gave her a lop-sided smile, and pulled a small, rectangular box from his pocket.
-I wanted to…,-he whispered, holding it out for her to take.
She did, and Nicholas watched, a little anxiously, as she proceeded to remove the champagne wrapping paper with slightly clumsy fingers.
Isabel's eyes widened, and she drew in a sharp breath.
She took out the gift, and examined it closely; it was a simple-but-pretty necklace, made of gold, from which a small round orange-red stone hung.
A Topaz.
-It's your Magical Birthstone…,-he explained, taking it gently from her hands and unfastening the clasp; Isabel silently pulled her hair up, allowing him to place it around her neck.,-it's believed to release occult powers, and bring serenity to the mind… It also protects you from enemies and illness and besides,-he blushed.,-I thought it looked pretty on you…
Isabel raised her slightly misty eyes up to his; she didn't know what to say.
-Thank you…,-she whispered finally, touching her fingers to the token.
Nicholas smiled, pushing her hair behind her ear.
-I know you've been having trouble with your magic…,-he said softly.,-I thought maybe this could help a little…
Isabel blinked rapidly, trying to hold back tears; it was such a heart-felt gesture, such a honest desire to help, she just couldn't explain what she was feeling. She cleared her throat, then spoke in a slightly croaky voice.
-It's beautiful, Nick, I...,-she trailed off, looking at him. In a sudden impulse she kissed him, chastely, on the cheek, and the boy could feel the blood rushing to his face.,-Thank you…,-she said simply, giving him a sweet smile.
-You're welcome…,-he mumbled awkwardly.
Isabel grinned brightly.
-This day has been perfect, and I loved the surprise.,-her smile fell a little.,-And now I feel bad, because of what I told you before…
Nicholas blinked, not instantly knowing what she was referring to. And then his eyes widened, as he recalled their conversation outside the Common Room.
-Oh, no,-he said quickly.,-you don't have to feel bad about it, you have every right to feel like that, really…
She gave him a sad smile.
-Yeah…,-she whispered.,-and now I'm afraid of getting too attached to you, or of you guys getting too attached to me, because I'm leaving right after this year ends…
Nicholas felt his blood go cold at that statement.
-ISABEL!,-Robin shouted.,-Get back here before Alex really decides to steal your broom!!!
Isabel chuckled and turned to Nicholas with a sweet smile.
-Thank you again…
And with that she walked back to rescue her broom from Alex's deadly grip.
The boy stared after her with a look of painful realization on his face.
-Too late, Isabel…,-he whispered to himself.,-too late…
And he turned to head up to his room.
A/N: Whoah!!! This is my longest chapter so far!!! =) I had a little trouble with it at first, but I really like how it turned out. I don't even have to say how thankful I am for my pre-readers' help, without which I would NEVER have been able to finish it. THANKS!!!
harryhermroc, I'm flattered that you made an exception with my story! ***smiles*** And I'm glad you like it, but if you're looking for some H/Hr fluff, well, I've a couple of those posted as well. =) Hope you review for them as well!
Alexis-Lee, ***blinks*** Uh… well… you're the first one to tell me that. ***smiles*** I think I understand where you're coming from, honestly, there are so many plots like that, I can see you getting tired of it… I just… well, to tell you the truth, I've never felt very sure about my ability to write adventure stories, (obviously, you missed my Author Notes before I even began posting ***grins and hugs Muirnin***) and that's why I usually stick to one-shots… I'm a hopeless romantic, and I wanted to try a novel-length story, but I had to give it a plot. Hopefully, you'll like the sentimental development in it better. =) Keep up the constructive reviews, please! It helps me a lot! ***smiles*** Oh, and I know Nick's charming-he's based on my crush!!!
Phoenix-Angel, ***laughs*** yeah, she is… thanks for reviewing!
Muirnin Cocan, (changed your nickname, I see) I was wondering where you'd disappeared to. ***smiles*** The offer is still up if you're interested…
Celestina, thank you for reviewing!!! I'm glad you like my story…