Chapter 8

Lily turned around and made her way downstairs for the first time in nearly a month. She gasped – the living room looked completely different.

"Isabelle, wh-what happened in here?" she asked limply.

"This," she waved her arms around, "is my project. Oh, goodness, you're not supposed to be standing, are you? Here, try this chair."

She gave her sister a skeptical look before slowly waddling to a large blue chair and carefully sitting down. "So, what is your project, exactly?"

"I'll tell you in a second," Isabelle replied distractedly. "If I remember correctly, the chair works like this."

She pulled on a long wooden handle attached to the side of the chair. Sure enough, the chair immediately reclined, causing Lily to gasp sharply.

"You could've warned me!" she exclaimed.

"Sorry. I wasn't sure if it would work or not. See, if you sit in this reclining chair, you don't have to stay in the bedroom all day," she said triumphantly.

"And, it's much more comfortable than the bed, too. Bloody ugly, but comfortable."

"I know. According to my research, it's usually men who like these chairs. That's what I'm doing, in a nutshell. Trying to find out how modern Muggles live, and what they like," Isabelle said.

"Why? I would've thought that you, of all people, would like to forget your Muggle roots," Lily said pointedly.

"After living with Petunia for a couple of years, you mean." Isabelle paused thoughtfully. "I know she made my life miserable, and still does every time I'm within fifty feet of her. But, it's just because she's ignorant of the wizarding world, which makes her scared and mean. She's like the Muggle version of a Slytherin, basically."

"I never would've thought of it that way, but you're exactly right," she mused.

"Thanks. Well, I don't think that the Muggle Studies curriculum does enough to educate the students about Muggle society. Sure, we learn about the monarchy, and historical stuff like that. Which is important, don't get me wrong. But, I think that after having Muggle Studies, a witch or wizard should be able to be dropped in the middle of London and function just fine."

"What did Professor Brown say when you told her that?" Lily laughed.

"She wanted to know how that idea could be translated into an actual curriculum. And, I told her that if I taught Muggle Studies, I'd teach it like a science class at a Muggle university. With a classroom part, where you learn all that historical nonsense, and a lab requirement, where you learn practical skills. So, she told me that if I wrote the curriculum as an honors project, she'd try teaching the class my way," Isabelle finished proudly.

"Wow. Are you writing one set of lesson plans, then?"

"No, I'm writing five sets of lesson plans, one for each year a student can take the class. That's what's going to be the most difficult and time-consuming part. There are certain things all Muggle teenagers enjoy, but I need to make sure the activities are age-appropriate. And, then things change with the times…that's why this is going to be a three-year project."

Lily looked at her earnest face and burst into tears. "Oh, Isabelle, I'm so sorry."

"For what?" She was genuinely confused.

"You always get the raw deal of everything, don't you? You're a teenager – you should be going out and having fun with your friends. Instead, you're babysitting your depressed, pregnant sister."

"Don't forget the cute baby," she joked, trying to make Lily smile. It worked.

"And the cute baby, as well as her shattered father and uncle. Let's face it. This isn't exactly a fun place these days, especially for you. But, you haven't complained, not even once, which is what makes it so easy to overlook you. I mean, here you are, the youngest, and you're the one holding us all together."

"But, you were there for me when Mum died. And, you were the strong one when James' parents were killed. You don't always have to be strong, Lily. I don't mind being here for you. That's what sisters do, right?"

"Right." She smiled through her tears, before dissolving again. "I feel like I've neglected you all these years, like I've treated you like a second-class sister because I always had Regina to talk to."

Isabelle walked over and sat down beside her sister. "No, you never treated me like I was second-class. Petunia did, and trust me, I know the difference. You treated me like a child, which is exactly what I needed. With Mum being sick and everything, I didn't have much of a childhood until you came here. All of you were there for me, and now it's my turn."

"After I have this baby and can leave the house again, I swear we'll have some fun. I'll make all of this up to you somehow."

"Why wait? Why do you think I ordered all of this stuff, and then drug you down here? I'm going to force you to have fun, whether you want to or not." Suddenly, the baby woke up and started screaming at the top of her lungs. "You too, you little grump. I take it that you're ready for lunch. Are you hungry, Lily?"

"Uh, is the sky blue?" she joked.

"The abuse I take from you people," Isabelle said in a mock huff. "So, what are you in the mood for?"

"Dunno. Maybe some pasta salad."

Completely irate, hungry and a little panicked, Grace started screaming even louder.

"Whoa, child, I get the point. Have you ever missed a meal in your life? No. So, chill out a little, ok? Jeez, you have some lungpower," Isabelle told her while walking into the kitchen. She quickly made a bottle for the crying infant, who polished it off quickly.

"Your stomach wouldn't hurt half so badly if you didn't take your bottle so fast, you know. Watch it – you're going to be in an incredibly bad mood in about a half hour or so. Well, how would I know the difference, huh?" she asked the baby. "Good thing you're a cutie."

She rummaged around in the refrigerator, relieved when she found the pasta salad. After making her own lunch, she carefully walked back into the living room, trying not to spill the food or drop the baby.

"Lunch is served," Isabelle said with a flourish, putting Grace into her infant carrier so that she could eat in peace. She was not amused. Lily laughed.

"I've never seen a more expressive child in my life. Oh, I wish this baby would hurry up and get here," she said, looking at her enormous figure.

"You and me both."

"Ok, what toys do we have here?" she asked enthusiastically, changing the subject. It really is good to have Isabelle home, she thought gratefully.

"Well, you know that's a TV," she began. "But, check this out."

She pulled out a small, rectangular shaped object with an assortment of buttons on it. Lily looked at it curiously.

"What is it?" she puzzled.

"It's called a remote control. A wizard named Henry O'Donnell, who works for one of the Muggle television companies, invented it. It's charmed to change channels, make the volume go up and down, and other cool stuff. He's trying to pitch the idea to the Muggles, but they won't use it if they know it's powered by magic. So, he has to find some other way of making it work. In the meantime, he gave me this one to use for my project."

"How'd you manage that?"

"Oh, some clever name dropping. If it gets around that the Potters and Blacks use his invention, other wizards with televisions will buy it." She shrugged.

"You never cease to amaze me."

"I'll take that as a compliment. This heap of equipment," she pointed, "is a stereo system. All of those boxes are full of 8-tracks and records of popular Muggle music. I already unpacked the Beatles ones."

"Surprise, surprise," Lily joked.

Isabelle stuck out her tongue in response.

"Hey, what's that thing on the floor?" Lily asked. "What does it say? Atari, only from Ingersoll? What's an Atari?"

"It's called a video game console. I'm not really sure what it is, but I ordered one along with a bunch of games for it."

"So, what are we going to play with first?"

"Oops," she smacked her forehead with her hand, "I totally forgot about the VCR. It plays videocassettes on the TV. Cool, huh?"

"Definitely."

"I figured that while you're on bed rest, that we'd look at all of these tapes of popular Muggle television shows. I got them from the broadcasting companies," she said proudly.

"How?" Lily raised an eyebrow.

"Name dropping," she admitted. "Hey, if I have to put up with this whole famous family thing that I'm technically not related to but have to deal with anyway, I should at least enjoy the perks."

Lily shook her head in exasperation, but didn't say a word. Isabelle smiled broadly as she opened a large box of videocassettes.

"Oh, wow," she breathed. "Professor McGonagall's going to love this."

"Love what?"

"This box has all of the episodes of Coronation Street in it up until last week." She looked up, trying not to laugh at the puzzled look on Lily's face. "It's a British Muggle soap opera. Mum used to watch it."

"Mum never watched soap operas," Lily protested.

"She did, too! I swear. We used to sit on her bed, eat caramel popcorn, and watch Coronation Street dubbed in Gaelic. Well, Mum did. I usually took a nap."

She gave Isabelle a skeptical look, but didn't argue further. Honestly, she didn't really know if their mum watched soap operas or not after she got sick, so she decided to believe her sister.

"Wait a minute. How would you know whether or not your professor watches Coronation Street?" Lily asked. Isabelle looked at the carpet, pulling at the threads a little guiltily.

"Before Professor McGonagall got married and came to Hogwarts, she went to a Muggle university for a couple of years where she got addicted to television. So, she has a television in her house. Anyway, I was babysitting the kids one afternoon, and they were really rowdy, so I decided to cut on the TV. We were flipping channels, and Coronation Street came on. I remembered watching it with Mum, so I convinced the kids to watch it. Well, Professor McGonagall came home and saw us watching the show. One thing led to another, but the short version of the story is that I watch the show every day with the kids and write a report on it, so she knows what happened that day. I get extra credit in Transfiguration class." She shrugged.

Lily burst out laughing. "Only you could get extra credit for watching TV! You really are something, Isabelle."

"Thank you. It's really fun. Ali and Sydney go over Professor McGonagall's house with me in the afternoon, and we watch the show with the kids. Eve's eight, and Meredith is six. It can get really girly."

"I bet." Lily couldn't stop laughing.

Isabelle bit her lip. "That's why I kind of thought you might enjoy watching this stuff with me. I know it's not very intellectual, but--"

"I'd love to," Lily interrupted her. "You're going to have to give me a quick plot rundown, though. But, first, I really need to go to the bathroom." She managed to get the recliner to sit upright and stood up slowly, clutching her back. Taking as deep of a breath as she could, she waddled across the room and into the hall bathroom.

Isabelle picked up the baby and walked around the living room for a minute, trying to calm her now upset stomach. Surprisingly, the infant burped, and settled down.

"You really puzzle me. That shouldn't be a surprise, though. Like I'll ever really understand your father. Not that I wouldn't like the opportunity to try, mind you. But, we'll just keep that our little secret, ok?" she whispered to the tiny child.

"What little secret?" Lily asked, making her way back to the recliner.

"Oh, nothing," she replied innocently. "Ok, we have Coronation Street, but I'm really not in the mood for that right now. Emily just said that she'd marry Arnold, and I think that's a horrible idea. And, I'm not really fond of Emmerdale Farm or Crossroads, so I'll set those aside for a while. That leaves Dallas, which is only the world's most amazing show."

"Dallas?"

"As in Dallas, Texas. That's where the show is set. It's absolutely gorgeous out there," Isabelle gushed dreamily. "One day, I'll go there. There's lots of places I want to go, but that's number one on my list."

"Go?" For some reason, the idea of her baby sister traveling the world didn't sit well with Lily.

"Yes, go." A look of sheer determination passed over her face. "I've been doing some research, and I'm seriously considering trying out for one of the major dance troupes when I graduate from Hogwarts."

"Well, that certainly makes sense. You have devoted a lot of your life to dancing," Lily said slowly, trying to digest the news. Isabelle looked at her and smiled reassuringly.

"It wouldn't be forever. I just want to see if I can make it, for starters. Madame Bordeaux says that I can, so what's the harm in trying?"

"True. And, you really haven't seen much of the outside world, have you?"

Isabelle shook her head no. "I also think I need some time to think about what I really want out of life. Grow up a little before I come home and think about settling down."

"That's a really good idea," Lily admitted. "What do you think you want to do?"

"Teach, I think. And, get married and have kids, of course. I love children."

She smiled, willing herself not to think about her dream for fear that Lily would be able to pick up on it. Everything she said was true; she just left out a few details.

"Anyway, back to Dallas," Isabelle said, changing the subject. "The plot's mostly about the Ewing family. They're oil tycoons. And, about the Barnes family, too. They're mortal enemies, at least the two fathers are, because Jock Ewing stole Miss Ellie from Digger Barnes. Got it so far?"

"Got it."

"Well, Jock's son Bobby married Digger's daughter Pam. Which definitely complicates things. Oh, but we found out this season that Digger Barnes isn't really Pam's real father. It was really sad. She's my favorite character by a long shot. Pamela's a pretty name, don't you think?"

"You still think this baby's going to be a girl, don't you?"

"Can't a girl hope? Gracie here needs a playmate. Boys aren't half as much fun."

"Fine. If the baby's a girl, I'll consider naming her Pamela, ok?"

"Cool."

Isabelle briefly explained the other characters and gave a quick plot rundown before putting in a tape. She happily noted that Lily immediately became enraptured by the show. In her opinion, her sister's life was a little too intense. And, it was her sisterly duty to loosen her up a bit, which she took very seriously.

-----

Isabelle walked into the living room, carrying a massive tray of snacks. Ever since she ordered the electronic equipment at the beginning of the summer, everyone in the house became addicted to it. Not that she minded at all. She loved seeing her family laugh and joke around again; besides, observing their behavior was great fodder for her Muggle Studies project.

"Hey sis, what'd you get?" Lily asked from deep in the recesses of the recliner, where she was reading a book. Isabelle had no idea how she could concentrate on a single word while James and Sirius were carrying on so loudly. Maybe from going to Hogwarts with them, she guessed.

"Take your pick," she answered, lowering the tray so Lily could pick out her food.

After she carefully selected several chocolate truffles and a handful of pretzels, Isabelle sat the snacks on the floor. She picked up a red gummi bear, and held in front of the baby, who was watching everything intently.

"Look," Isabelle said, holding it front of the infant's face. The bear waved its arms and growled. "It's a gummi bear. Cool, huh?"

"Do not put the bear in your mouth," Sirius said, not taking his eyes of the television, where he was playing an intense game of Space Invaders.

"Why not?" she asked indignantly.

"Two reasons. One, gummi bears are disgusting. Two, it's a small object. If she sees you playing with small objects and putting them in your mouth, she will want to do the same thing."

"Kids put everything in their mouths anyway. Besides, I eat food that's smaller than that."

"Yeah, but did you play with it like it was a toy first? Didn't think so."

"You're nuts," Isabelle pronounced.

"Thank you. Now give me the bear."

"No."

"What do you mean, no?" he roared.

Sirius turned around and gave her a stern look. He held out his hand. Isabelle looked him directly in the eye, and ate the gummi bear. She gave him a triumphant grin.

"I said no. Look at her," Isabelle pointed. "I'm not going to change my dietary habits for a still premature two and a half month old baby."

"You will if I say you will."

"I don't think so. I'm not listening to the orders of a crazy man. May I remind you that I babysit children, including babies, all the time? I think I know just a little bit about child development."

"Is it too much to ask for you not to eat gummi bears around my child?"

"Uh, yeah," Isabelle replied, in typical teenage fashion, popping a green gummi bear in her mouth and eating it dramatically.

"You know what?" Sirius said through clenched teeth. "I hope you have a daughter just like you. And when you do, I'm just going to watch and laugh."

"And, when Gracie here starts acting like dear old dad, I'm going to laugh," she taunted him through narrowed eyes.

Sirius paled somewhat. "What do you mean by that?"

"I could tell you, but then I'd have to kill you," she said loftily, scooping up the baby. "Goodnight, everyone."

She stood up, realizing that Lily was fast asleep and James was completely engrossed in a game of Galaxian. Sirius, still completely irate, didn't say a word as she stomped up the stairs and into the nursery. She didn't really know why she volunteered to put the baby to bed. Perhaps as a peace offering; at any rate, she flopped into the rocking chair, thinking.

I hope you have a daughter just like you, Isabelle recalled, sighing. A slow smile spread across her face.

"Maybe I will," she whispered softly. The look on her face was sheer determination, mixed with guarded hope. "It doesn't hurt to dream, right?"

-----

"Lily, everything's going to be fine," James said reassuringly, putting his arm around her shoulders.

She gave him the deer caught in headlights look, and slowly turned her head to look outside, as if in a trance. James looked at Isabelle pleadingly, wishing she would say something to calm Lily down. She got the hint, loud and clear.

"He's right," Isabelle added, finding her voice. "Women are induced all the time. The doctors induced Mum when she had me, and I'm just fine."

"But you were also ten and a half pounds," Lily whispered, petrified.

"Yeah, but I was the third child. Each baby gets bigger; you know that. Just relax and think about how great it'll be to be able to see your feet again," she joked.

"And sit at a ninety degree angle," she offered, trying to make a small joke.

"And go shopping all day. Most of all, you'll be a mum. You'll be wonderful; I just know it. Ok, I'm going to be quiet now before I start crying," Isabelle sniffled.

"Too late," she and Lily said in unison, reaching for the box of tissues.

"Well," James interrupted them, "I guess it's time to leave for the hospital."

Isabelle clenched her jaw and looked at the floor angrily. But, she didn't say a word as he quietly picked up their small suitcase and walked into the living room. Lily paused to give her sister a hug.

"I know it's unfair that you have to stay here and babysit Sirius all day. And, I know how disappointed you are that you don't get to go to the hospital with me," she said softly. "I'm disappointed, too. But, the doctors insist that I deliver at St. Mungo's, with the baby being a week late already and my high blood pressure and all."

"Why am I stuck with Sirius, again?" Isabelle asked, teary-eyed. She'd give just about anything to go with Lily.

"Because he's going to be paranoid and bouncing off the walls. You know him, probably better than the rest of us do. I can't be selfish and take you with me, when my poor niece needs you here more to save her from a day with her overprotective, hyper father. You'll have fun, I promise. Especially since there's a whole package of gummi worms in the cabinet," she winked. Isabelle grinned wickedly.

"Thanks for the tip. Now, hurry up and go have that baby," she said in mock exasperation, shooing her sister towards the door.

"Yes, ma'am," Lily answered, laughing as she walked outside.

She gulped as James helped her into one of St. Mungo's transport cars, which served as portkeys that landed in a special parking lot at the hospital. Right before the car whisked them away from the house, Lily waved bravely at Isabelle and Sirius, who were standing in the doorway. Everyone said a small, silent prayer that things would go well this time.