Chapter 7

"Isabelle," a voice whispered insistently in her ear. She groaned, pulled the covers over her head and flipped over without opening her eyes.

"Isabelle, please wake up," the voice said a little louder. Pulling the covers down an inch or so, she peeked out.

"Oh, Remus," she exclaimed happily, bolting up in bed and giving him a massive hug. "I'm so glad you're here. Everything's so messed up and scary."

"I know," he replied. "I came as soon as I heard the news. Thanks for sending an owl yesterday."

She bit her lip. "You're welcome."

"How are things? I snuck into the house hoping I could talk to you before the others know that I'm here."

"Didn't want to walk in blindly, huh?"

"Smart girl."

Isabelle fluffed her pillow, leaned against it, and drew her knees to her chest, thinking. "Well, what do you want to know, specifically?"

"How's Sirius holding up?"

"Surprisingly, he's the sanest of all three of them. Total Daddy mode – I think having the baby around helps a lot. Lily's trying to pull it together, and James just walks around the house like a zombie."

Remus nodded, taking in the information. "Sirius is trying to be the father he never had, huh?"

"Succeeding so far. Speaking of his father, Mr. Black's in Prague. At least, I think that's what the owl post said."

"Is the git making an appearance anytime soon?"

Isabelle shrugged. "Who knows? Abuela's coming up from Spain, though. She's supposed to get here later today."

"That's good." He shook his head sadly. "I still can't believe Gina's gone. How can someone so energetic and full of life just fade away like that? Well, I know how. Your letter explained it pretty clearly. But, still…"

"I know." They sat for a minute, quietly thinking. "Hey, would you like to see the baby?"

He couldn't help but smile at her enthusiasm. "Sure."

They quietly crossed the hallway, and walked into the nursery. Everything was quiet and fairly dark. The nurse on duty gave her a curious look as she motioned Remus over to the bassinette. Isabelle picked the baby up, which woke her up immediately.

"Remus, meet Grace," she whispered formally. "Grace, meet Remus. He and your daddy used to get in a lot of trouble together back in the day."

"Yup. If you're good, I'll tell you some really funny stories when you get older," he told her. She stared at him, unimpressed. "Grumpy little thing. Takes after her father."

"That's what I'm afraid of," a voice spoke up behind them.

"I would be, if I were you," Remus teased his friend, which made Sirius laugh.

Having him around cheered Sirius up almost immediately, Isabelle noted. Remus just has that effect on people.

"I'm going to get some tea. Do either of you want any?" she asked, making an excuse to leave to that the two friends could have a chance to talk. Both men shook their heads no, so Isabelle quietly walked downstairs to grab a quick breakfast and do some schoolwork. Family emergency or not, she couldn't get behind in her classes, especially Transfiguration and History of Magic. Sighing, she opened the huge Potions textbook (starting with something easy, she thought), gladly escaping into the academic world.

-----

A warm spring wind breezed through the cemetery, causing the leaves to rustle softly. The gentle noise shook Isabelle from her thoughts, and she looked around the large crowd. Choking back tears, she looked at the dark teak coffin covered by a beautiful funeral pall of daisies. Regina's favorite flower, she thought sadly.

She looked at Bill, who put his arm around her. When he heard that she and the rest of the family were traveling from Dover to Hogsmeade for the funeral yesterday, he snuck out of the castle to meet the train. Which Isabelle was immensely thankful for; she needed her best friend right now. She was also grateful that his parents gave him permission to miss school for the funeral.

The service ended, and the number of mourners slowly dwindled. Out of the corner of her eye, Isabelle saw a tall, red-headed man walking towards them. She had only seen him once before, but she would recognize him anywhere.

"Dear God," she said in amazement. "He makes an appearance, after all."

"Who?" Bill asked. She discreetly pointed.

"That git is Sirius' 'father'. Come on, let's see what the jerk has to say for himself."

She and Bill quietly crept through the remaining crowd, reaching a perfect eavesdropping point right when Sirius' father reached him.

Hello, son," they heard him say. "I'm sorry about your wife."

"Yeah, right. I bet he doesn't even know Regina's name," Isabelle hissed in Bill's ear.

"Thank you," Sirius replied stiffly, clenching his jaw.

"Is that my granddaughter?" he asked disinterestedly, mostly just to make conversation.

"Yes, this is Grace." Sirius shifted the tiny bundle in his arms slightly so that his father could see her.

"Pretty girl. Listen, I need to get back to the office. It was nice seeing you, son. I only wish it was under different circumstances."

Isabelle watched Sirius try to keep his face impassive as his father nodded at his granddaughter, turned on his heel, and walked out of the cemetery. She shook her head, knowing how much his father's neglect hurt him over the years. It would've been better if he didn't even show up, she decided.

"William Black, father of the century," she muttered sarcastically under her breath, narrowing her eyes.

-----

James paced the hotel room like a caged animal. Ever since Regina died, he felt a seemingly inexhaustible rage. At first, he directed it at Fate, the faceless, nameless being who spitefully took his sister away right when her life was beginning to come together. She was at the top of the fashion world, happily married and was thrilled at the idea of raising a now motherless little girl.

But, since then, he discovered that Fate didn't take his sister away. He now had a face and a name to pin the blame for Regina's death on. And, he got the sneaking suspicion that the git would show up at the cemetery sooner or later. James wanted to be there when he did. He turned to Isabelle, who sat at the table quietly reading her Astronomy textbook.

"Isabelle, do you happen to have the Invisibility Cloak on you?" he asked quietly.

"Sure, why?"

"Can I borrow it for a little while? I want to take a walk to clear my head a little."

She gave him a skeptical look, but reached into her book bag and pulled out the silvery cloak. Hesitatingly, she passed it to him.

"Thanks. If Lily wakes up, will you tell her I'll be back in a few minutes?"

Isabelle nodded as James threw on the cloak and walked out of the palatial suite. He hurried through town and into the cemetery, barely noticing the beautiful setting sun. Knowing it was only a matter of time, he leaned against a large shade tree and waited.

After about an hour, when it was truly dark, a hooded form emerged from the shadows. James watched closely as the figure crossed the Potter burial plot, stopped in front of the freshly dug gravesite, and fell to his knees in seemingly overwhelming grief and sorrow. Unable to contain his rage any longer, James stormed over to the man and grabbed him by his cloak collar.

"You have a lot of nerve, showing up here," he seethed.

Stunned, Severus Snape could only blink stupidly as James shook him violently. He knew coming to the cemetery was risky, which is why he waited until dark. But, he just couldn't believe Regina was gone unless he saw her grave for himself. Mentally, he prepared himself to encounter Sirius, but he was completely unprepared to fight James.

"How does it feel, Snape, to know that you killed her?"

Something inside him snapped. "I killed no one, especially not Regina. Blame the scrap of humanity she sacrificed her life for, or her father. I had nothing to do with this."

"The hell you didn't. That scrap of humanity, as you so tastefully refer to my niece, wasn't the cause of her death. It was a staph infection complicated by a long history of heart disease brought on by drug use. There was a long article about it in the papers, which I hope will prevent someone else from following in her footsteps. Don't pretend that you don't know what I'm talking about." James pulled down the hood of the cloak and released Severus from his grasp.

"Infective endocarditis."

"What?"

"The name of her disease is called infective endocarditis," he repeated louder.

"Thanks for the lesson in medical terminology. If you ever cared about her, then why didn't you stop her from doing those drugs, huh?" James shoved him as hard as he could. Severus shoved him back just as hard.

"I couldn't stop her. She did whatever she wanted to; you know that. And I do love her," Severus said through clenched teeth.

"Liar."

He punched James squarely in the jaw. "Don't ever question my love for Regina. Ever."

"When she got sick, why didn't you contact us, her family? The people who loved her and would've done anything for her?"

"I was her family. And, I took care of her the best way I knew how."

"Yeah, by killing her."

James couldn't stand to hear any more of Snape's excuses. So, he returned the favor and punched him in the face, knocking him to the ground. Consumed by anger, he jumped his former brother-in-law. They rolled around on the grass for several minutes, beating each other absolutely senseless.

"I wish I had never saved your life," James said between punches. "Funny, I felt sorry for you back then. Not now."

"Get a hold of yourself, man! What would Gina say if she could hear you right now?"

"Don't you ever talk about my sister, or what she would say or think. You have no right."

"She was my wife," Severus said before hitting him in the gut.

"Prove it," he spat.

"I don't have to." He pinned James to the ground and stared him straight in the eye. "We both know Black tricked her into divorcing me. Tricked her and then took advantage of her vulnerability. After destroying the evidence, of course."

He struck a nerve. James never was thrilled that Sirius married his sister. "Sod off, Snape. She chose to leave you. Why would she stay with a man who serves the Dark Lord, the known enemy of her family?"

"What?" Snape wondered how he knew that. No one knew about that except Regina. And she would never tell – would she?

"Look around you at my dead family," he said in a tight voice. "My parents and sister, gone because you were too powerless to save them. You knew Voldemort was after my parents, but you couldn't stop him then, could you? Your own in-laws, dead because of you. Not to mention that you were too poor and weak to save my sister."

Severus stared at him, knowing that he was telling the truth. "I was too weak to protect her. But so was Black."

"He's twice the man you are," James taunted him. "In fact, he plans to just leave you alone and concentrate on raising Regina's daughter. Live and let live. But, I beg to differ with my brother-in-law."

"Obviously," he sneered.

"I'll make sure you pay for killing my sister, Snape. I know you work for Voldemort, and I swear on my family's graves that I won't rest until I can prove it. Then, I'll personally throw you into Azkaban, where you'll rot for the rest of your pathetic life."

Severus stared at him with more hatred that he thought was humanly possible for a person to feel. How dare James accuse him of hurting the only person that he'd ever truly loved? He sold his life, and possibly his very soul, to evil incarnate for her.

"Good luck, Potter."

A twisted smile played at his lips as he let go of James, stood up, and stormed out of the cemetery. Just like that worthless git Sirius Black, James Potter's luck was bound to run out sometime. And he only prayed that he would be around when it did.

-----

Isabelle yawned as she walked into the nursery. It was far too early to be awake in the morning, especially for her, but she wanted to talk to Sirius in private. Just like she thought, he was stretched out on the floor, fast asleep. She stepped over his sleeping form and plopped into the rocking chair.

"You rang?" he asked without moving.

"Why are you sleeping on the floor?"

"I didn't mean to." He sat up, rubbing the back of his neck. "Ouch."

"Sirius, I need to talk to you," she said seriously, which made him wake up real quick. She very rarely started a conversation about anything personal.

"What's wrong?"

"I'm worried about you."

"Thanks, Belle, but I'm fine."

"No, you're not. And, that's ok. But I really think you should go back to work." His face clouded over immediately. "Will you hear me out?"

"Alright."

Isabelle smiled internally. This was a positive sign. "I know that you don't need money, so you don't have to work. But, I think that you need the distraction work provides, especially now with Voldemort and everything."

"You're right. I don't have to work a day in my life, and neither did my father."

"Sirius, I know your father's a worthless git who used work to avoid you. But, I think you're going to the other extreme. Can't there be some happy mean?"

"No. I swore that my daughter would not be raised by nannies. End of discussion."

"No, it's not. You promised to hear me out," Isabelle reminded him, knowing she was treading on extremely thin ice. But, he needed someone to tell him the truth, that he was becoming far too isolated.

"Ok, how can I go back to work? My job involves a ton of overtime, for starters. Who's going to watch Gracie? Lily can't because she's on bed rest, and why would I ask James to stay home from work to watch my child? There you go," he said conclusively.

"Number one, stop working overtime. You're the deputy minister, so set your own hours, for pity's sake. Muggles do it all the time; I think it's called flextime or something like that. Work at the office in the mornings when she's sleeping. Then, get the rest of your time in while watching her in the afternoon and evening. Number two, I'll watch her in the mornings for you."

"You've really thought about this, haven't you?" Sirius asked, impressed. She nodded. "You just got out of school last week for the summer. Why would you want to spend it babysitting?"

"I like babysitting."

"What about your summer dance classes?"

"They're all in the afternoons." She smiled, knowing he was quickly running out of excuses.

"Am I really that bad?"

"I'm sorry, but yeah. You need some adult interaction that's not family."

"Is that your professional opinion?" he teased.

"Look, you're the one who insisted on all those years of therapy."

"Are you going to keep bugging me until I agree to go back to work?"

"Definitely. It's for your own good. Hey, it's Monday, so why not start today?" she asked hopefully.

"Are you sure you want to do this?"

"Yes, Sirius. I'm completely positive. You're not a bad father if you want to work, or just spend some time away from the baby," she assured him.

"Why do I feel like I'm being kicked out of the house?"

"Because you are."

"Fine. What are your terms?"

She stared at him blankly. "Terms?"

"Your rate of pay," he explained. "What do you usually charge when you're at school?"

"Well, uh, nothing. It's my detention." Isabelle blushed and stared at the floor.

"What? You babysit the professors' children as a detention?"

"Uh-huh. It's a win-win situation. I love kids, and the professors get free babysitting. Much more fun that cleaning with Filch."

"How often do you babysit?"

"Once or twice a week. Maybe more," she admitted quietly.

"That's a lot of detention."

"Tell me about it."

Sirius looked at her and just shook his head. Only Isabelle could manage to do something she liked as a punishment.

"You still haven't answered my question," he reminded her.

"I'm not going to charge you anything. After all you've done for me, it's the least I can do in return," Isabelle said sincerely. "So go already. By the way, I'm expecting you to work late since you've been gone so long and I'm sure Pettigrew's made a huge mess of the department."

"You're not a fan of him, are you?"

"Not at all."

"He's my friend," Sirius said warningly. "But, I'm sure you're right. It's going to be a long day."

Isabelle smiled triumphantly as he kissed the baby goodbye and left to get ready for work. One down, two to go, she thought.

She glanced at the clock on the wall as she heard James make his way downstairs for breakfast. Seven o'clock. She sighed. Of the three of them, he would be the hardest by far to cheer up.

Ever since she arrived home, the gloomy atmosphere drove her crazy. In a whole week, she hadn't heard a single joke, laugh, or even a smile until today. Which was so unlike all three of them. They were some of the funniest, light-hearted people she knew, and it broke her heart to watch them walk around so depressed.

And their attitudes must rub off on the baby, she thought while picking her up. How do they expect her to be cheerful if she's never been exposed to any happiness whatsoever?

"Wow, you're getting so big," Isabelle said, amazed. Grace looked around the nursery, and began to whimper. "Oh, you'll be fine. Come on, let's go downstairs for a while and talk to your Uncle James, ok?"

She carefully walked down the stairs with the baby, hoping that James was still in the kitchen. He was.

"Good morning," she said. He grunted in reply, not looking up from his copy of the Daily Prophet. "James, I need to talk to you for a minute.

Just like Sirius, he immediately dropped the paper and stared at Isabelle. Something must be horribly wrong, he thought, concerned.

"What's up?" he asked tensely.

She sat down at the table and gathered her thoughts for a minute. "Sirius is going back to work this morning."

"Oh?"

"Yes, I convinced him that he needs to get back into some sort of daily routine. It'll help his healing process."

"I'm sure."

"James, I am so sick and tired of this!" she exclaimed. "Your zombie attitude is driving me nuts."

"Well, forgive me if I'm a little upset that my sister's dead," he said sarcastically.

She closed her eyes briefly to check her temper. "I know that. And, I know you're hurting, and on a basic level, feel very alone. I've been where you are, so I know what you're feeling. My point is that I've been in some rotten situations in my life. But, you can't wallow in them like you're doing."

"I can't help it."

"You can. James, take a look at yourself and look at the world around you. This all your niece knows of the world – is it a pleasant environment for her? What about your baby, when it's born?"

He looked at the infant in her arms thoughtfully for a minute, seemingly pondering her words. "I guess you're right."

"I know I'm right," Isabelle said with confidence. "Things aren't ever going to be the same ever again. But, that doesn't mean we can't laugh and have a little fun."

"Is she giving you free therapy, too?" Sirius asked from the bottom of the staircase. James actually laughed.

"Seems like all those sessions were worth it." He winked at her. "Now we have our very own resident psychologist."

"And, don't you forget it," Isabelle joked. "Um, James? Can I have some money to buy supplies for my Muggle Studies honors project?"

"You know you don't have to ask for money. Just go to the bank," he replied.

"Well, good. Because they're supposed to be delivered in about half an hour," she said in a small voice. "Cash on delivery."

"How much do you need?" James took out his wallet. Isabelle named the figure, and he whistled through his teeth. "What did you buy?"

"The biggest television set I could find, a state of the art stereo system and the necessary tools to retrofit them to work without electricity," she said very quickly.

"Is that it?" Sirius raised his eyebrow at her guilty look.

"No."

"Isabelle Rose," he said warningly.

"It's stuff for Lily. She's bored out of her mind, although she won't admit it." She rattled off a list of things she ordered.

"I should have thought of all that," James said with an incredibly guilty face. "You're so right, Isabelle. I really have been a little selfish lately. I'll make it up to her, though. I hope."

"Just smile every once in a while, ok? And get going to work before both of you are late. We're having a girly day. No boys allowed, so scram. Oh, yeah, I need some money."

James and Sirius both emptied their wallets into Isabelle's outstretched hand. Grinning like a Cheshire cat, she tucked the bills into her jeans pocket. Things are turning out perfectly, she thought happily. Two down, one to go.

Exactly a half hour later, Isabelle heard a sharp knock at the door. She directed the delivery men to the living room, and had them set up the electronic equipment. After giving them a sizable tip, she straightened up and quickly dusted the furniture. She looked down at the baby.

"Well, what do you say we wake up Lily?"

The baby simply stared at her in response.

"Jeez, I'll be so happy when you learn to talk. Or, at least babble a little so I don't feel like I'm talking to myself. Well, I do talk to myself, but that's not the point."

Ignoring the baby's piercing stare, she walked upstairs and knocked on Lily's door.

"Come in," came a tired voice.

Isabelle walked into the room and sat at the foot of the bed. She had never seen Lily look so terrible. Throughout her childhood, Lily was the strength of the family, the rock. Seeing her completely emotionally drained and grief-stricken shook Isabelle to her very core. Now she needed to be strong for her sister. She hoped she was up to the challenge, because as she looked at Lily, failure was not an option.

"How are you feeling?" Isabelle asked.

"Terrible. I hate this bed rest. I don't even know why the doctors put me on it, anyway," she replied sourly.

"Because you have high blood pressure."

"If I have high blood pressure, it's because I'm stuck in this room all day, and all night! For the next month, all I have to look forward to is the same scenery. Do you know the wallpaper makes you feel claustrophobic after a few days? I'm so sick of looking at these four walls that I could scream!"

"So scream," Isabelle responded. "Go right ahead and scream, if that makes you feel better."

"That would make me feel even more insane than I already do right now."

"Or, it could be completely cathartic. You won't know unless you try it."

"Ok, fine."

Lily let loose the loudest, angriest, shrillest scream Isabelle had ever heard. Inspired by the sound of her voice echoing through the house, she screamed again. And again, until eventually her screams turned into laughter at the petrified, but intensely curious look on the baby's face.

"Sorry, Grace dear. Your aunt's completely lost it." Lily laughed again. "But, I feel a lot better, actually. Thanks, Isabelle."

"No problem. Can you do me a favor?" she asked innocently.

"Sure, anything. What's up?"

Isabelle smiled. Her sister looked the most animated and alive, frankly, that she had been in a very long time. She crossed her fingers behind her back, hoping her plan would work.

"Well, it's about my Muggle Studies honors project," she began.

"I thought you were already doing an honors project in Potions," Lily said, confused.

"I was, but it's already finished. So, since I know as much as Professor Brock, basically, he's allowing me to use Potions as a study period. That way, I have plenty of research time for my Muggle Studies project."

"Wow," her sister breathed, amazed. "I'd ask about your Potions project, but you won't tell me anything about it. I know, it's a top-secret potion developed for use by top-level Ministry officials."

"Exactly."

Well, one top-level Ministry official uses it, she thought with a triumphant smile. Remus had been quite amazed that Isabelle not only created, but also perfected her Wolfbane Potion so quickly. Seeing her friend in pain was all the inspiration she needed to devote most of her spare time to her calculations and trial potions.

With the potion, Remus no longer needed to travel to the Shrieking Shack every full moon. Which helped his work as an Unspeakable. This way, he could gather information as a wolf, without having to leave his assignment partially finished. But, Isabelle sorely missed his visits, and always looked forward to when he came by for additional doses of the potion.

"So, what's your Muggle Studies project on?" Lily shifted uncomfortably. "This bed rest wouldn't be so bad if I could sit up past a forty-five degree angle."

"At least you can sit up a little bit. Imagine if you had to lay flat on your back all day."

She shuddered. "I don't want to. Anyway, what are you studying?"

"Well, I'd like to show you something before I tell you about it."

"Ok, shoot."

"Actually, I need for you to go to the living room to see it." Isabelle caught her breath. Convincing Lily to walk downstairs was the most difficult part of her whole plan.

"You know I can't walk that far," she sighed.

"No, the doctors said you could walk distances of about a hundred feet at a time. It's exactly seventy-nine feet between here and the middle of the living room."

"You measured it?"

Isabelle gave her a wicked grin. "And if you use the back staircase, it's ninety-eight feet to the kitchen table. So, how about staring at some different walls for a change?"

"You're on."

Lily sat up, and looked up sheepishly. "Can you give me a hand here?"

"Sure," Isabelle laughed, pulling her to a standing position.

She was walking out of the room when she heard her sister screech loudly. Wide-eyed and concerned, she whipped around. Lily stood in front of the mirror, gaping at her reflection.

"You didn't tell me I looked this bad," she gasped.

"Well, I kinda didn't want to hurt your feelings," Isabelle admitted.

"Would you be offended if I wanted to fix myself up a little before we go downstairs?"

"Not at all."

"Thanks." Lily smiled gratefully. "Could you do me a favor and pick out some clothes while I take a quick bath? It'll take me ages to pick out an outfit, and I know I shouldn't be on my feet that long."

"No problem." Isabelle hummed as she opened Lily's wardrobe.

Things are going perfectly, she thought. Lily's even interested in her looks again, which is definitely a positive sign.

She sifted through the clothes for a minute, finally selecting a deep green top with beautifully embroidered flowers around the neckline and sleeves. Isabelle figured that it would go well with her eyes, and make her complexion look porcelain, rather than sallow. Right as she selected a cute pair of Capri pants, a horrible odor hit her nose.

"Hey, Lil?"

"Yeah?" she hollered from the depths of the bathroom.

"I'm leaving your clothes on the bed, ok? Someone definitely needs a diaper change," she gagged.

"That's fine. I'll meet you in the nursery."

Isabelle practically ran to the changing table. "How can such a stench come from something that's pint sized?"

She could've sworn the baby smiled at her. "I'm losing my mind."

"Join the club," Lily said from the doorway. Isabelle turned around and smiled.

"You look great, Lil. Ready to see my project?" she asked, excited.

"Sure."