Chapter 11

By the time they navigated through the maze-like corridors, Grace was sound asleep against Sirius' shoulder. The excitement of the evening was finally too much for her, and she didn't even bat an eyelash when he put her in her infant carrier once they scoped out a table.

A house elf promptly appeared and took their orders. Taking advantage of the aging potion, Isabelle ordered a liberal amount of Bailey's Irish Cream to flavor her latte. She stirred her coffee gleefully and took a small sip, firmly believing that coffee and Bailey's were definitely meant to be together.

"So, how long have you worked for the Ministry?" Sirius asked conversationally.

"A year and a half," she answered honestly. "But, tonight was my first interrogation."

"You're kidding."

"I'm afraid not. All of my other missions have been field assignments."

"Well, you sure could've fooled me. You were fantastic in there," he said, amazed. Isabelle blushed at the compliment.

"Thank my partner." She nodded towards the sleeping little girl. "Actually, I wanted to talk to you privately about her."

"About?"

"When Natasha Golden was talking, Grace was fairly relaxed until she mentioned the Potters. She became very agitated and fussy, but calmed down again when the subject changed. I think that the Potters might be in danger," Isabelle said, hoping Sirius would take her words to heart. She didn't want anything to happen to her big sister, especially now that they were becoming so close.

"I'll keep that in mind," he said, making a mental note to talk to James on Monday about toning down his relentless pursuit of Severus Snape.

"Thanks for taking me seriously."

Sirius laughed. "My mother-in-law was a Seer, and she taught me very early in my life to value premonitions and intuition. Anyway, what kinds of missions did you go on?"

Knowing he was still a little sad about never truly being able to be a field agent, Isabelle seized the opportunity to entertain him with her stories. That, and she wouldn't ever have another opportunity to talk about everything that she'd seen and done. Fascinated, Sirius was a captive audience, enraptured by his company.

They talked until they were the only people in the small café, except for the house elves who appeared only to refill their coffee cups. As time passed, Isabelle felt her inhibitions begin to slip away, mostly due to the Bailey's Irish Cream.

She always enjoyed spending time with Sirius, but this was different. Tonight, he was talking to her as one adult to another, instead of treating her like a child. And as she suspected, he was a completely different person – educated, cultured and incredibly charming. Adding this new information to what she already knew about him only deepened her feelings towards him.

Sirius didn't really know why he asked "Tia" for coffee, except perhaps to make up for Peter's earlier behavior. He certainly didn't expect to have such a good time, and found himself genuinely attracted to her. But, he questioned whether it was truly because of her, or because she didn't have anything to do with his life. Or so he thought. She was a breath of fresh air, the perfect diversion from his troubles.

As the night wore on, Isabelle never ceased to be amazed that Sirius was attracted to her. More than once, she caught him taking a longer look than necessary at her legs. She had to admit that they were probably her best feature – long, toned and slightly tanned. And her black leather skirt showed them off perfectly.

But, she realized that he was way out of her league. His life experiences dwarfed hers, and she began to see why he treated her the way he ordinarily did. Compared to him, she was a little kid. And surprisingly, she didn't mind. Tonight taught her that one day, Sirius would find her desirable.

Until then, Isabelle decided to be young, and act her age. Suddenly, she valued being just a teenager at Hogwarts. And, she saw how much she had taken the simple pleasures of her school years for granted in her quest to grow up as quickly as possible. She vowed to take Lily's advice and straighten up her act so that she would become someone the children looked up to, and Sirius was proud of.

Besides, if she ever became romantically involved with him, she wanted Sirius to want to be with her, Isabelle. Not some made-up alter ego. However, the fact that he asked her out so easily bothered her, mostly because she worried that he would take after his womanizing, useless father. In that case, she determined that she would rather know now rather than in a few years.

With her inhibitions practically gone, she scooted her chair closer to his. When he didn't move away, she leaned in closer to him, under the pretense of hearing him more clearly. Then, she seductively wrapped her arm around his neck, and began to kiss him. A second before her lips touched his, he pulled away.

He cleared his throat nervously with a guilty look on his face. "Tia, I obviously gave you the wrong impression tonight. You may not know this, but I'm a widower. My wife Regina died shortly after Gracie was born, which was not that long ago, as you can tell. And, I'm nowhere near ready enough for another relationship, even a casual one."

"I see." Thank God, Isabelle thought. You worried me for a second there, Sirius.

"Right now, my priority is my girls," he continued.

"Your girls? As in plural?"

He nodded. "It's a long story, but I basically raised Lily Potter's younger sister Isabelle. She's fifteen, and I'm afraid that she's in a self-destructive phase. So, trying to help her takes up a lot of my time."

"Oh." She fought back tears at the worried look on his face, feeling horrible about the way she'd been treating him lately. He does care, she thought, wanting to give him a huge hug and apologize on the spot. Which she planned to do the next time she saw him.

"And, since Grace was very premature, she requires a lot of attention, too. So, between the two of them and work, I don't have a lot of free time."

"I'm pretty low maintenance," she said in a sultry tone, trying to tempt him.

"Sorry if I led you on, but friendship's all I have to offer," he said firmly. She faked the hurt, but prideful look of a scorned woman.

"Well, I'll be sure to stop by and chat if I'm ever in the area again," she said, standing up. "Thank you for the coffee."

Isabelle walked out of the café, once again heading in the direction of the Minister of Magic's office, surer of her decision now more than ever. She needed to seize control of her life, bit by bit. Sirius' concern about her behavior hit very close to home. She smiled, thinking about how he turned her down.

Sirius Black can be a gentleman, just like Lily said, she thought. And, he isn't a hypocrite after all. Which made her love him even more.

She confidently knocked on the door of John Thompson's office, walking in without waiting for a reply. Surprised, he looked up, blinking.

"Can I help you?" he asked, annoyed at being disturbed.

"Yes, you can, Mr. Thompson. By accepting my resignation from the Ministry effective immediately."

He sighed and put down his quill. "Ms. Evans, may I remind you of our little agreement."

"I'm calling your bluff." She leaned over his desk, using her height as an advantage to intimidate him. "You see, it's not a dirty little secret anymore." "Wh-what do mean?" he asked in a sharp tone.

"Sirius told James about his sister's first marriage and everything else. So, go ahead and try to humiliate the two most powerful men in the wizarding world, Mr. Thompson. I dare you, actually. It would be a good show."

Shocked, the Minister could only open and shut his mouth stupidly. At that moment, Isabelle knew she had the upper hand.

"And, if you don't give me the sum of say, a quarter of a million Galleons as severance pay, I just might slip up and casually mention my work here to Sirius."

She sat on the corner of the desk and stared into his eyes. "Let me give you a little family history lesson. From the age of eight, Sirius has been my guardian. I don't think he would take it very well if he knew you were exploiting his little girl."

"That's impossible. You bank at the family branch of Gringotts. A sum of that magnitude would not go unnoticed."

"Oh, Mr. Thompson, do you think I'm that daft? You're perfectly capable of opening an account for me at the main branch of Gringotts' bank. I'll expect the keys to the vault within a week. If not, I just might start talking. And, don't think about sending one of your little assassins to take me out before then. I'm one step ahead of you."

He shook his head, wondering how a fifteen year old could outsmart him. "Fine. Should I send the keys and paperwork to Hogwarts?"

"That's acceptable. It's been nice doing business with you," she said, standing up to leave the office. She turned around in the doorway. "Turnabout is fair play, huh?"

Triumphantly, she walked to the information desk at the front door, and got directions to the portkey room. The room, with its various portkey objects placed neatly on small shelves, fascinated her. She found the one for Hogsmeade, and held it tightly, closing her eyes.

When she felt her feet hit the ground, she reluctantly handed the bag of chocolate-covered strawberries to the portkey attendant. Charmed or not, they looked divine, especially after an incredibly long night. By the time she reached her dungeon changing room, the effects of the aging potion had almost worn off completely.

She picked up a copy of Quiddich Through the Ages from the floor where someone must've dropped it, and began to thumb through the pages. With her newfound free time, she decided to learn the sport and perhaps try out for the house team next year. She knew she was physically fit enough from dancing; she just needed to hone her Quiddich skills.

Making a mental note to owl James for advice on purchasing a good broomstick, she snuck back to Gryffindor Tower, book in hand. Yawning, she headed for bed, never happier to be at Hogwarts.

-----

"Shhh, Charlie. I think I hear someone," Isabelle hissed, cracking open the portrait to the common room.

"What's the big deal?" he yawned.

"The big deal is that if I get caught outside of the dorm after hours, I'm expelled," she explained patiently.

"Oh. Well, let me look then." He squinted, trying to see if anyone was in the room.

"And, I don't want you to get into trouble, either," Isabelle worried, wringing her hands. "Especially since it's my fault that you're out here in the first place."

Charlie rolled his eyes. "I consider it an investment in next year's Quiddich cup."

"Glad to know I'm needed," she joked, ruffling his hair. "Ok, here's the plan. You sneak in first wearing the Invisibility Cloak. If the coast is clear, then make a signal, and I'll follow you. Here, take my broom, too. Getting caught with it wouldn't be good."

He nodded, eagerly taking her broomstick and examining it closely. James was so thrilled with Isabelle's sudden interest in Quiddich that he surprised her with a custom-made racing broomstick for Christmas.

Charlie had never seen anything like it, and couldn't help feeling a pang of jealousy. But, Isabelle never flaunted her family's wealth or privileged social status, so he couldn't hold it against her. It wasn't her fault that she was rich, any more than it was his fault that his family could barely afford his rickety broomstick.

But, what I could do with a broom like this, he thought, taking the cloak from Isabelle. He crept into the common room, breathing a sigh of relief. It was only Bill, who was seated at a table finishing up an Astronomy chart. He signaled for Isabelle to walk into the dorm.

"Hi Bill," she said, warming herself by the fire.

The cold February nights really chilled her hands, even with thick gloves. She smiled at him across the room. He didn't smile back. "Is something wrong?" Isabelle asked, puzzled.

"You tell me," he answered. His face reddened with anger. "Where have you been?"

She bit her lip, not wanting to tell on Charlie. "I can't tell you."

"Oh, surprise, surprise," he said sarcastically.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means that for over a year and a half now, you've been sneaking out of the dorm after hours. And, every time I ask where you've been you give me some lame ass excuse. Have you been out with Andrew again?"

"No, you know that we're just friends," she said through clenched teeth.

"How many other 'friends' do you have, Isabelle?" he spat.

"You think I'm sneaking out with guys?" she laughed. "It's not like that."

"Then what are you doing?" His voice rose.

Isabelle closed her eyes, trying to think of a way to make Bill believe her. After she stopped sneaking out to work for the Ministry, she and Charlie began practicing Quiddich late at night. But, she couldn't exactly tell Bill that without getting a lot of people in trouble.

"I'm not at liberty to say. You're just going to have to believe me when I say that all those rumors that Tabitha's been spreading aren't true."

"How can I, when all I hear is guys bragging about what they've done with you?"

"They're full of crap and lying to impress each other," Isabelle shrugged.

"Yeah, right. I can't believe you," he said, angry and hurt. "I thought you were better than that."

"She is," Charlie stated firmly, ripping off the Invisibility Cloak. He got in Bill's face. "You want to know where she's been, huh? With me."

"You were with my own little brother? This is unbelievable." He couldn't believe Isabelle would act this way.

"Yeah, she's been with me all night," he said very sarcastically, holding up their broomsticks. "Playing Quiddich, if you must know."

"Every night? Do you really think I'm that thick?"

Isabelle and Charlie exchanged a look. "Fine Bill, you're right. We don't sneak out to play Quiddich every night. Sometimes we do other things," he began.

"Please, spare the details." He thought that he was going to be sick.

"We've been helping Hagrid with his er, pets," she admitted. "After practicing one night, we snuck over to his hut to play with the baby unicorn that he's nursing back to health. Well, he caught us. But, we were really good with the unicorn, so he lets us help with the other animals. It's a lot of fun, but we'd be in a lot of trouble of anyone found out."

"To say the least," Bill said sharply. "How do you explain your mysterious disappearances before then?"

She hung her head. "I can't."

"That's what I thought. You've become the resident Hogwarts tramp, Isabelle, and I just can't be around someone like that."

Charlie shoved his brother roughly against the wall. "Take that back."

"Never. If you want to get mixed up with her, go right ahead brother. But, don't come crying to me when she leaves you after she's through with you."

"Right now, you're no brother of mine," he said, letting go of Bill.

"Have fun, then. I warned you," he spat, giving Isabelle a look of utter disgust. "She's like the school broomstick. Everyone gets a ride."

Charlie had had enough. He punched Bill so hard that he stammered backwards at least five feet, blood gushing from his nose. He began to fight back, but thought better of it. Clutching his face, he stumbled upstairs.

Isabelle watched the whole scene in total shock. Bill was her best mate; how could he say those horrible things about her? She was too upset to yell, cry, or make any emotional display. Charlie wrapped his arm around her, and led her to the couch. After a few minutes of staring blankly into the fire, a single tear streaked down her cheek.

"I don't know what to say, except that I'm sorry," he said comfortingly. "And, that I don't believe a word that Bill said."

"Thanks," she whispered, grateful that someone believed in her.

-----

"I'm taking Thursday and Friday off, so do you want to go shopping? I really need some non-maternity summer clothes," Lily asked.

"Sure," Isabelle replied enthusiastically, quickening her steps as she saw the house at the end of the lane. "I can't wait to see Harry; that boy grows way too quickly."

"Tell me about it," she laughed, happy that her sister was home for Easter holidays.

It had been a long, dreary winter, and she was more than ready for spring. And having another female in the house that was over the age of one, for that matter. The scene in the living room only proved her point. James and Sirius were involved in playing yet another video game, trying to prove their manliness to the children, who were a captive audience.

"Hi, love," James said, not taking his eyes off the television screen.

"Hey, yourself," she replied, kissing the top of his head. "Anything happen while I was gone?"

"Yup. I beat Sirius' record by two hundred points."

"Bragger," he said sourly.

Lily looked at Isabelle and rolled her eyes. "See what I have to live with?"

She giggled, causing Grace to whip her head around. She flashed Isabelle a huge smile and stood up on unsteady legs.

"Mummy," she pronounced clearly, running to the teenager and wrapping herself around her legs. Everyone dropped what they were doing and stared at the toddler, stunned.

"Wh-what did she say?" Sirius asked, his eyes round as saucers.

"Mummy," Grace answered as if she fully understood the question. She pulled on Isabelle's cloak again.

"I didn't know she could talk," Isabelle said, amazed.

"Me, either," Sirius walked over to the little girl and picked her up. "Or walk. She's never even tried to take a step before today, and suddenly she's running? I don't get it."

"Maybe she's just babbling," Lily suggested. The baby frowned and held out her arms towards Isabelle.

"No. Mummy," she insisted, beginning to cry.

Puzzled, Sirius handed her to Isabelle. She wrapped her arms around her neck and stopped crying immediately.

"She probably doesn't know what she's saying," Isabelle said, trying to make an excuse for the baby's odd behavior. Grace picked up her head and pointed to the door leading to the kitchen.

"Door," she said carefully. She then pointed to the television.

"TV." The toddler turned her head and looked Isabelle straight in her eyes. "Mummy."

"Ok, so she knows what she's saying. But, where did she get the idea that Isabelle is her mother?" Sirius puzzled. "And where did you learn all those words, Gracie?"

"Mummy," she repeated, as if to drill in her point.

"And did you learn anything from me?" her father asked sarcastically.

"Damn it," Grace said proudly, especially as the room erupted in hysterical laughter.

"Yup, she's yours," James choked out, clutching his sides.

The toddler beamed, watching the scene that she had created. Lily wiped tears from her eyes, only to collapse in another laughing fit. Isabelle could barely keep her hold on the baby, she was laughing so hard. The only person not amused was Sirius, who stared at his daughter with a displeased look on his face.

"Well, I asked," he said grudgingly. "Remind me to watch my mouth around you from now on, young lady."

"But, how on earth did she get the idea that I'm her mother?" Isabelle wondered, sitting down on the sofa. Little Grace happily curled up in her lap and amused herself by playing with Isabelle's hair.

James picked up Harry, who was clearly upset about being left out of the action. "I don't know. We talk about Regina all of the time."

"Exactly. And, whenever we go to Hogsmeade--" Sirius' voice broke off. He felt like kicking himself. "I know exactly what's going on. Or, at least I have a theory."

"What?" James asked, bouncing Harry on his knee.

"Each time I take her to Hogsmeade, I tell her that we're visiting her mummy. And then I take her straight to Isabelle after visiting Regina's grave."

"Yeah, but you've never referred to me as her mummy," Isabelle interrupted him.

"But, she's a Potter, which means that's she's brilliant," James said somewhat jokingly. "I get what you're saying, Sirius. She hears mummy, sees Isabelle and put two and two together."

"Makes sense. We associate a gravestone with Regina, but that doesn't mean that Gracie does," Lily mused.

"Especially since she sees us refer to ourselves as Harry's mummy and daddy," James added. "Grace has a daddy, but no mummy. Except when she goes to Hogsmeade. It's perfectly logical, really. Although my sister's probably turning over in her grave right now."

"No doubt," Isabelle muttered underneath her breath, extracting the toddler's fingers from her hair.

"I'm such an idiot." Sirius put his head in his hands. "Sorry about this, Isabelle. I'll have to straighten her out before she gets the idea stuck in her mind."

"Hungry mummy," Grace chimed in cheerfully.

James looked at his niece with a mixed look of wonder and amusement. "Chatty little thing, aren't you? I've never seen a baby know so many words at her age. Well, I guess it's as good of a time as any for dinner, huh? Don't worry about it, Sirius. It's not that big of a deal. She's bound to outgrow the phase, ok?"

Sirius looked at his friend, wishing that he shared his optimism. Only he knew that Grace was a Seer, and he certainly didn't want to share that piece of information now. He wondered what was going through his daughter's head, and what she knew that they didn't. Obviously she was working very hard to express herself, so whatever she said was bound to have meaning. What, he couldn't figure out.

-----

"Ok, let's go over the plan one more time," Lily said tensely, keeping an eye on Harry, who was dangerously close to the stereo system. It didn't take him long to learn how to walk after Grace did, and he was surprisingly fast.

"Well, we've already covered the entire house with Preserving Charms, so that if anyone searches the house, they'll think that we're away on holiday," Sirius replied.

He picked up Grace, and gave her a bottle of juice laced with a sleeping potion. Today would be traumatic enough without her pitching a fit. She'd been awfully cranky lately, and he didn't want a scene at the train station. Especially if she realized that she and Harry were being separated. She hadn't let her cousin out of her sight in nearly a month.

"Harry, let go of the cord, please." Lily paused until he dropped the cord and moved on to one of his favorite toys, Sirius' pet rock Furry. "And, I double checked our reservations at the car rental place at King's Cross. I still hate going into hiding, James."

"I hate it, too. But, we're a little notorious with the Death Eater crowd, apparently. Good old Voldie must be getting scared if he wants to take us out, Lil. It's just a sign that we're close to getting him," he said reassuringly.

"I still want to know how Voldie found out where we live," Sirius wondered. "This is supposed to be one the most secure, hidden locations on planet earth. Which means that he's getting information from the inside."

"Exactly. So, we need to watch our backs," James said.

Harry toddled to Sirius, rock in hand. "Broken."

"It's not broken, see?" He put the rock on the carpet, where it suddenly grew a head, legs and a tail. Harry clapped with delight as the rock began barking and walking around the room.

"Than' oo." He began chasing the rock happily.

"You're welcome." Sirius smiled. "Alright, we pick up Isabelle, say a quick goodbye, and then head off, right?"

"Right," Lily said woodenly.

"This isn't going to be forever," James assured her, reaching over and holding her hand.

"I know in my head that it's dangerous for Isabelle to live with us, but my heart just wants to snatch her from that train station and not let go."

"And deprive Gracie of her 'mummy'?" he joked in a mock horrified voice, winking at Sirius, who rolled his eyes.

"Don't remind me," he groaned. "I have to listen to a whole summer of it. She just won't listen to reason. Well, except for when she's at the sitters'."

"I can't believe that I've finally seen the day where Sirius Black will send his little princess to a babysitter," Lily said with a wicked grin.

"Yeah, well, I'm losing my best help," he fired back, winking. Since the children were born, the three of them worked out an elaborate schedule so that they could work without having to take the kids to a sitter.

"I hope Isabelle's cool with staying at the Longbottoms' with Gracie," she worried.

"They're nice, fun people," James reminded her. He looked at his watch. "Well, it's time to go."

Lily picked up Harry, putting Furry down on the floor. She set her shoulders resolutely and marched out of the house, followed by James. A minute later, Sirius joined them on the porch with a peacefully sleeping Grace.

They marched down the lane without giving the house a backwards glance. Hidden in the hedges right outside of the gates was an old, rusty Jaguar. Lily gave the squirming baby to James, and started the car.

No one said a word on the way to King's Cross Station, or Platform 9 ¾. The train pulled into the station right as they stepped onto the platform.

Isabelle was one of the first students off the train, and made a beeline for her family.

"Well, hello there," she greeted Harry, who buried his head in James' shoulder, pretending to be shy. "Aww, my favorite guy doesn't want to say hi to me?"

The little boy turned around and grinned widely. "Hi." He returned to his father's shoulder, making everyone laugh, breaking the palpable tension.

"Take care of yourself, Isabelle," Lily said, trying not to burst into tears. "I'm sorry I'm going to miss your birthday."

"No biggie," she lied, pasting a carefree smile on her face before giving her sister a quick hug goodbye. She turned to James, hugging him and Harry at the same time. "Playing Atari won't be the same without you."

"Yeah, don't let Sirius have all the high scores," James joked. His grin was nearly identical to his son's, Isabelle thought with a smile.

"Ready to go?" he asked quietly, readjusting Grace. For such a small girl, she was heavy when asleep.

"I guess."

Isabelle turned on her heel, and walked away from the platform, giving her family a small wave before disappearing into King's Cross Station. Much as playing house with Sirius for the summer appealed to her, she would much rather be at home in Dover with Lily. She fervently prayed that Voldemort would be defeated soon, so that her family could be together again, without the fear of being attacked.