Chapter 4
"What the hell was that?!?" the auburn-haired stranger exclaimed, whistling through her teeth. Isabelle quickly scrambled to her feet, pointing her wand towards Severus angrily.
"I thought you promised to protect me," she seethed. "Attacking me isn't my idea of protection."
"I didn't attack you," Severus said calmly, not breaking eye contact with the teenager as he carefully put his wand down and slowly stood to his feet.
"Oh, then me flying through the air and landing on my bum was a product of my imagination?"
"No, it wasn't. Isabelle, what kind of wand do you have?" he asked.
"What kind of stupid question is that?" She put her right hand on her hip in a huff.
"A stupid question that could explain what just happened," he responded.
"Fine. Leland Cypress, ten inches, with a core of a single--"
"Feather of a barn owl," Isabelle and Severus finished together.
"Useless for everything but the most basic spells. A very unsophisticated and primitive device, designed for someone whose magical gifts do not involve a wand," Severus said in a spooky voice, imitating Mr. Ollivander.
"How'd you know that?" Isabelle asked, laughing. "That's exactly what Mr. Ollivander told me when I bought my wand. Kind of hurt my feelings."
"Because he told me the exact same thing," he answered.
"Wait a minute," the stranger interrupted. "You mean to tell me that little show was because y'all's wands are wand mates?"
"Yeah, the reverse spell effect," Severus said, shrugging.
"And your wands are made out of Christmas trees?" she continued, laughing.
"Christmas trees?" Isabelle repeated, puzzled.
"Leland Cypress trees are grown here in Texas at Christmas tree farms," the woman explained, hooting and doubling over in laughter.
"And other trees are used as furniture," Severus pointed out snidely. "And firewood, for that matter. What's your point?"
"My, my. Touchy about your wand, aren't you?" she fired back, raising an eyebrow suggestively. Isabelle caught her eye and burst into laughter. She'd never seen him at a loss for words before, and decided that she rather liked this stranger.
"I'm Isabelle--" her voice trailed off at the poisonous look Severus shot her, deciding to leave her name at that and stuck out her hand. "And you are?"
"Stacey Ferguson. I take it that you and Wand Man aren't from around these parts," she drawled, shaking the teenager's hand.
"No, we're not. And it's Severus," he glowered, crossing his arms and staring Stacey down.
"Oh, Mr. Ten Inch Leland Cypress has a name?" she teased.
Severus stared at her for a minute in disbelief. He'd never met such a crass and forward woman before. Although her demeanor initially repulsed him, there was something about Stacey that amused him. And it had been quite a while since a woman had truly captured his attention. Isabelle realized this and pounced. This trip was about to become a lot more interesting, she hoped.
"So, were you going to have lunch? Because we were getting ready to eat, and taking you to lunch is the least we can do for fixing our car," Isabelle offered. Severus began to open his mouth to retract her invitation, but Stacey beat him to it.
"Actually, I was heading into the bar for a drink. But, lunch would be nice, come to think of it. Not here, though. Food's disgusting." She wrinkled her nose.
"Isn't it a little early for happy hour?" Severus muttered sarcastically.
"No, not if you have to go to your father's Christmas party tonight. Who walked out on a twenty-five year marriage to Mom for some bimbo who's barely older than I am. Not to mention that they have a kid. Lynne's a doll, really. The only thing worth going over there for. But, I'm twenty-three and she's just a little over a year old. To make a long story short, I got off work early, and decided to grab a couple drinks before heading to Daddy's. Sorry to dump on you guys," she apologized.
"No problem. Everyone needs to vent sometimes," Isabelle said, suddenly missing Lily worse than ever. She swallowed back her tears, which did not escape Severus' notice. Stacey smiled at her gratefully.
"All right. Where to you want to eat?" he caved in, angry with himself that a teenager clearly had him wrapped around her little finger.
"Pizza America," Stacey answered decisively. "Y'all do like pizza, right?" "Yup," Isabelle nodded.
"What's pizza?" Severus asked quietly, feeling like a prize idiot when both women looked at him as if he'd just landed on planet earth from an alien spaceship.
"You mean to tell me that you lived in New York City for years, and never had pizza?" Isabelle couldn't believe her ears.
"Guess not." He shrugged.
"Well, prepare to eat the best pizza you'll ever have," Stacey said with a small smile. Usually she didn't bother with strangers, especially foreigners, but this pair intrigued her.
"Sounds great to me. Should we follow you?" Isabelle inquired, eager to eat. She was starving.
"Fine with me." She turned around and hopped into a beat-up pickup truck while Isabelle and Severus piled into the Corvette.
"She seems nice, doesn't she?" she asked, watching for Severus' reaction.
"Um-hum," he replied noncommittally. "Just as irritating as you are. Remind me to have a conversation with Professor Dumbledore when we get home."
"You know you need me," Isabelle teased, knowing it was the truth.
Since they were thrown together, Severus had changed dramatically. In fact, she considered him nearly human. She grinned as he frowned, raised an eyebrow, and diverted his gaze out of the window. Several times, she had to fight from laughing as she eavesdropped on his thoughts concerning a certain witch driving a Chevrolet rust bucket in front of them.
By the time they reached the restaurant, Severus had gone through every reason that he shouldn't be attracted to Stacey at least six times. The main justification didn't surprise Isabelle one bit. She bit her tongue, wanting to say that Regina was dead and gone – get over it. But, she still missed her own family more than words could describe. So, she let him stew in peace.
The smell of cooking pizzas made Isabelle's stomach rumble loudly as they grabbed a table. "I am so incredibly hungry," she pronounced. Stacey loved their British accents. At least, she thought at least one of them was British. Their accents, while similar, were noticeably different.
"So, where are y'all from?" she asked after the waitress brought their drinks.
"England." Isabelle replied before Severus could say anything. The look he gave her would've instantly melted every glacier in the ocean. "Well, from Virginia originally, but we grew up in England."
"Oh? And how did y'all end up here?" she continued, playing down her interest.
"Long story." Isabelle then began spinning a fantastical tale about how she and Severus were siblings. Their parents sent them away to boarding school in Great Britain, and Severus came home after graduation. But, Isabelle stayed in England until a couple of months ago when their parents died in a horrific car accident.
"I'm sorry to hear about that," Stacey said sympathetically at the teenager's very real tears.
"Thank you," she sniffled. "After that, I sort of had a breakdown at school. So, Severus pulled me out before I got into any more trouble. He suggested a road trip so that I could have some time to heal before going back to my 'real' life, or what's left of it. And, here we are."
"You poor thing." She shook her head sadly as Isabelle loudly blew her nose. The waitress returned, and Stacey ordered a large cheese pizza before excusing herself to the restroom. She needed to cry a bit after hearing such a sad story, but didn't want to publicly show weakness.
"What was that?" Severus roared quietly.
"Look, if I'm going to have an assumed identity, I want one that I created myself," Isabelle said defensively.
"Where the hell did you get the last name Randolph?" he wondered.
"From A Magical History of Virginia. Sounds cooler than Smith, huh?"
Severus looked like he was going to explode, especially when she smiled proudly and dug into her salad, as if she'd done nothing wrong. He shot her evil looks throughout lunch. However, he had to admit that Stacey was fun to be around. She and Isabelle happily chatted about everything from potions to the latest fashions. When the meal ended, he saw their faces droop a bit.
"So, um, if y'all are ever in Abilene again, drop me an owl or something," Stacey said, coyly smiling at Severus.
"Uh, sure," he replied, blushing a little. He waited until she left before starting in on Isabelle. "What were you thinking? You could've blown our cover?"
"What does it matter? I could stand in the middle of Diagon Alley and scream 'Hi, I'm Isabelle Evans, and I'm not really dead, see?' until I went hoarse. And people would laugh and call me a fraud. Stacey's nice, Severus. What's so wrong with having lunch with her?"
"You're a brat." He stormed to the car, followed by a laughing Isabelle. She loved being right.
"Why don't we stay here tonight? You know, sightsee a little," she suggested innocently. "Abilene looks kind of pretty in a desolate Texas sort of way." "Fine."
Isabelle grinned and started the car. They spent the rest of the day driving around town, stopping off to look at various historical sites. By the time they finished, it was already quite late, so they decided to search for a hotel.
"So, are you going to owl Stacey in the morning?" she asked, walking into the hotel suite with her bag and plopping it down on the floor.
"What gave you that idea?" he replied distractedly. Truthfully, he'd been debating that very question all afternoon.
"Maybe you should. I don't mind," she said eagerly. Severus raised an eyebrow.
"Perhaps I will. Good night, Miss Randolph." He shut the door to his bedroom before she could pester him with more questions.
-----
Isabelle looked over the rim of her juice glass and smiled internally. With any luck, Severus would agree to stay in Abilene over the holidays, which suited her just fine. The idea of spending Christmas in a cold, lonely hotel suite in Los Angeles, California, didn't really appeal to her. While she desperately wanted to visit Hollywood, it wasn't very Christmassy.Well, Texas didn't really fit her definition of a picturesque location to spend the holiday season. Oh, how she longed for the pristine snow covered hills of Hogwarts! It was hardly cold enough in Abilene for a heavy jacket; snow was completely out of the question. She closed her eyes and pictured snowflakes gently falling, making Hogsmeade look like something out of a fairy tale.
Hogsmeade. Lily. A wave of panic washed over Isabelle, causing her to stand up from the table abruptly, panicked. Severus looked up from his breakfast, concerned.
"Is anything wrong?" he asked slowly, watching her face contort in sheer desperation.
"It's snowing!" Tears began streaming down Isabelle's eyes, and she fell to the floor in a heap. "It's snowing, and she's all alone. What if she's cold?"
"What are you talking about?" he puzzled.
"Lily!" she screamed in a throaty voice, clutching her chest. "I miss Lily. She's all alone in the cold cemetery during Christmas. She's alone! I want my big sister."
Severus sat down on the floor beside the sobbing teenager. "I know you do. The holidays can be rough without the people you love."
Isabelle cursed herself for being so insensitive. Now he was bringing up old, painful memories, and she felt completely responsible. She took a deep breath to calm herself and leaned her head on his shoulder.
"Maybe we should go out for a while and experience a Texas Christmas?" she suggested, blowing her nose. "What's Stacey up to?"
"Nothing. She invited us to her place for lunch." His face turned a little pink, but he kept an aloof facial expression.
"Oh, really? Us, or you?" Isabelle teased.
"Us. She said that she had something to show us." Severus shrugged, allowing himself a small smile.
"What's that?" she asked, grinning wickedly. "You fancy her, don't you?"
He frowned. "That's not your concern."
Isabelle laughed as he stood up stiffly and marched down the hall. "That's not my concern," she mocked him. "I saw the two of you the other day."
"What are you talking about?" Severus fought to keep his voice calm. She looked at him innocently.
"You two were awfully chummy when we were hunting for mistletoe. Inspired, I'd say."
"I was simply helping her decorate her apartment. She can't reach the mistletoe," he said defensively.
"Come on, I'm not a small child who's easily fooled. You were snogging Stacey rotten," Isabelle sang out. "I thought it was cute."
Severus looked at her as if she was insane. "Cute? You bloody spy! I'm going to change now, and we will pretend that we didn't have this conversation."
"You can pretend all you want, but we both know the truth." She stuck out her tongue as he slammed the door loudly.
-----
Severus shot Isabelle an evil look as he knocked on the door to Stacey's apartment. If anyone had told him six months ago that he'd be spending the holidays with Lily Potter's baby sister in Texas, he would've recommended that they seek treatment in the psychiatric ward at St. Mungo's. But, here he was.
A smiling Stacey opened the door. Her smile widened when she saw Severus, which was not lost on Isabelle. She really wanted the two of them to hit it off, partially for selfish reasons. Stacey reminded her a bit of Lily, and she really missed having a big sister-type figure in her life. Plus, she made Severus lighten up a little. He could be a bit too serious for her taste.
Isabelle sighed, walking into the tiny living room. Like any college student, Stacey had the typical cramped, bordering on ghetto, apartment. Her eyes swept over the mismatched furniture. The dairy crates as end tables never ceased to fascinate her. When Isabelle saw the large tree in the corner, she began laughing.
"Is that a Leland Cypress?" she asked Stacey, who grinned wickedly and nodded.
"Very funny," Severus said witheringly, but he couldn't keep a straight face. Soon, he joined in the laughter.
"I thought y'all would appreciate my Christmas tree," Stacey managed to choke out. "It's a little Charlie Brown, but I suppose that matches the décor."
Severus glanced sideways at Isabelle. "Charlie Brown?"
"You'll have to forgive my brother, here. He's not really up on his Muggle pop culture. I'll explain later," she said, making a face at him.
Isabelle was learning that beneath the caustic exterior, he really was a nice, fun guy. A real match for the Ice Queen, she admitted to herself. She daydreamed a bit while he and Stacey shamelessly flirted back and forth, accidentally dropping her small wallet on the floor. Stacey picked it up unconsciously, and froze in place.
"Who are you?" Her eyes narrowed as she stared Isabelle down.
"What do you mean?" the teenager asked innocently. Before she or Severus could say anything else, Stacey whipped out a revolver from her right boot and pressed it against Isabelle's temple.
"Don't play innocent with me. If you don't tell me exactly who you are and why you lied to me, you'll find out what Texas magic is," Stacey seethed, cocking the gun. Isabelle snorted.
"Texas magic? Guns aren't unique to America. And believe me, I know how they work." A lazy, deliciously vehement smile crossed her face, causing Severus' eyes to widen, and Stacey to falter a bit. "Go ahead and pull the trigger if you wish. My life is forfeit, and at this point, you'd be doing me a favor."
Stacey removed the gun from her temple and backed up a couple of steps. The calm way Isabelle reacted scared her, frankly. The girl truly didn't fear death. Obviously she needed to try a different tactic.
"Why is your life forfeit?" Stacey asked quietly, lowering the revolver.
Isabelle's haunted eyes stared through her, causing her to shiver unconsciously. "You want the truth?" Her voice rose. "The truth is that Severus is not my brother. In fact, until about two months ago, I didn't know him from Adam. He's as much of a stranger to me as you are. I have no family! They're all either dead or out of my reach. I have nothing, not even my own identity!"
Severus' eyes flashed angrily. "Isabelle, you speak out of turn."
"I speak out of turn? I think I've been a pretty good sport about all of this," she seethed.
Stacey's brow furrowed thoughtfully. "If he called you Isabelle, that must be your real name. Isabelle from England…witch…two months ago…oh, my God. Are you--?"
"I am Isabelle Evans, and I died on Halloween along with my sister and brother-in-law. Severus over there saved my life. For that I'll always be in his debt. So no matter what else you hear about him, he's a good guy." She smiled, knowing that she threw Severus off guard.
"Why would I think badly of him?" Stacey wondered.
"Because he was a Death Eater," she replied matter-of-factly.
"Thanks a lot," he grumbled underneath his breath. "And thanks for blowing our cover."
"Stacey's trustworthy."
In those two words, Isabelle cemented an alliance between the young Texan witch and themselves. Sympathetic to their situation, Stacey spent the afternoon listening to their story. Although it sounded like a fantastical tale, the sadness in Isabelle's eyes clearly showed the veracity of her words.
After that day, the two travelers decided to crash at Stacey's apartment for a while. Isabelle felt like she had a little family again – she, Stacey and Severus. An unorthodox family, perhaps, but during that holiday season, they formed a permanent bond.
Over hands of Exploding Snap (Isabelle taught the other two the fine points of the game), walks through town, and teaching Severus about Muggle culture, they became each other's confidants. They discussed their lives, and loves, with one notable exception, much to Isabelle's disappointment. She desperately wanted to hear the dirt about Severus' love affair with Regina. However, he never broached the subject, so she didn't pry.
Isabelle talked about losing her family, and her general confusion about the future. Having recently graduated from college, Stacey sympathized. Not one to be left out of the conversation, Severus put his two knuts worth in by stating the true fact that employers didn't want to hire reformed Death Eaters.
So, they put their heads together and came up with a plan. First, they would set off in the Corvette to see the country for a while, until Stacey needed to be in New York City for school. She planned to study chemistry at NYU. Isabelle had high hopes that she and Severus could stay in the city with her, but knew in her heart that she would return to Williamsburg. No matter what, they'd support each other, and keep each other's secrets.
Shortly after the New Year, they packed up the Corvette and sped out of town towards California. Luckily for Isabelle, Stacey shared her love of loud classic rock music, so they turned up the radio and sang away. Severus pretended to be irritated with them, but Isabelle knew that he really didn't mind. In fact, he found Stacey's slightly off-key voice cute and funny.
Outside of Tucson, Isabelle decided that it was high time that Severus learned to drive. So, she teased and goaded him into the driver's seat, trying not to giggle as he struggled to turn the car on. After choking the car out a few times, he managed to steer onto the Interstate. Not wanting to embarrass himself any further in front of the ladies, both of whom were expert drivers, he turned all his focus on the road.
By the time they reached Phoenix, he had the hang of shifting. Quite proud of himself, he decided to drive the rest of the way to California. Besides, it gave him an excuse to ignore Isabelle and Stacey's excited chatter about shopping on Rodeo drive and the possibility of seeing a movie star. How many clothes did two witches need, anyway?
The Los Angeles traffic tested Severus' newfound driving skills, but he navigated the roads well. Especially considering that Isabelle kept barking orders at him from behind her massive map in a hyper, high-pitched voice. He had a throbbing headache when they reached the hotel, and was more than happy to send Isabelle and Stacey off to the shops while he headed to the bar.
They spent an enjoyable winter in California, eventually renting a tiny apartment beside the beach to save some money. Even Severus got a tan, which Stacey found incredibly attractive. Isabelle became a true beach bum, practically living in the water. From morning until very late at night, she was either surfing or reading, half-buried by sand.
The carefree California environment began to heal Isabelle's raw wounds. She had plenty of time to think about things, and began to accept Lily and James' deaths. She even dealt with her beloved nephew in the clutches of Petunia, and Gracie stuck with Muggles.
However, no matter how she tried, she couldn't process Sirius' fate. Every night, she sat outside in the balmy air, thinking about cold, dank Azkaban prison. At least, that's how she always imagined it. The mental image of Sirius in that awful, God-forsaken environment always caused her to burst into tears. Sometimes she felt incredibly guilty for having fun while he suffered.
But, she knew that he'd be the first person to tell her to move on with her life. Easier said than done, though, Isabelle found out. Instead of going out with Severus and Stacey, she preferred to spend her nights idly staring at the stars and indulging her daydreams. And not once had she gone out with any of the surfer bums who constantly asked her out. She was a regular at the beach parties, though.
Although deep down, she realized that Sirius getting out of prison was a pipe dream, she couldn't help believing that one day, it would happen. And then, she'd get her chance with him. Isabelle usually walked along the beach, imagining what he'd think of her. Hopefully he'd finally see her as an adult, an equal.
At that point in her reveries, she abandoned all reason and fantasized about what could never be. She justified it by telling herself that without hope, she'd surely go insane. What other dream could she cling to? So, Isabelle wished on every star and constantly prayed that she would be with Sirius.
The winter turned into a hot California spring. It was definitely hot to Isabelle, who was used to Scottish weather. She felt like she was going to melt by the time July came and went. In mid-August, she packed up the Corvette along with Stacey and Severus, who were definitely a couple, despite their ardent denials.
No one was more excited than Isabelle when the New York City skyline came into view. The second the car was safely parked in the hotel's garage, she was out and about the city. Being from a much smaller city, Stacey also loved exploring New York.
The two witches scoured the classified ads, looking for the perfect apartment. Well, in between hitting Saks Fifth Avenue and every tourist stop imaginable, the managed to fit in apartment hunting time. They more or less ignored Severus, who was in an ill humor the minute the car crossed the New York state border. Stacey assumed that he was more of a country boy, so she dismissed his behavior as an urban phobia. While Isabelle knew better, she kept her trap shut.
Besides, New York City in the summer was wonderful; she didn't want to waste her time worrying about Severus' pity party. As usual, she and Stacey were wandering through Greenwich Village looking for housing close to NYU. Isabelle stopped in front of a small, plain building.
"This one looks like it," she said, removing her sunglasses as they climbed the staircase and walked into the manager's office.
There was something about this building that seemed eerily familiar to Isabelle. But she shrugged off the feeling and followed Stacey and the manager to inspect the available apartment. It was old, but cute, and Stacey fell in love with it immediately. So, she signed the papers, collected her key, and headed back to the hotel to move her things.
As soon as Severus saw the apartment building, the color completely drained from his face. In that moment, Isabelle knew that any hope of staying in New York City was gone. Now she knew why the building seemed familiar.
Damn Regina! Isabelle seethed internally. Damn her and her hold over people!
It wasn't enough that she had Sirius' whole heart, and was the mother of his only child. Who, without a doubt, was the center of Sirius' universe. She also controlled Severus from the grave, which clearly showed now.
Why does that woman have so much influence on my life? she wondered, as Severus carefully composed his face and helped Stacey move into her apartment.
Isabelle watched his eyes stray down the hallway to another doorway, and read his thoughts as they retreated into his memories. She sighed, resigned to returning to Williamsburg.
-----
I'm on the highway to hellNo stop signs, speed limit
Nobody's gonna slow me down
Severus frowned. Isabelle was taking this worse than he thought. She shifted, punched the gas and rocked down the New Jersey Turnpike at a breakneck speed. After passing a long line of slow-moving traffic, she turned up the radio and sang louder.
Hey Momma, look at me
I'm on my way to the promised land
I'm on the highway to hell
Don't stop me
And I'm going down, all the way down
I'm on the highway to hell
"Isabelle, you're being overdramatic," he reprimanded her, shooting her a disapproving look.
"Excuse me? Overdramatic?" she screeched, blowing by a massive tractor-trailer. "Any road leading to that horrible place is definitely the highway to hell. And besides, the Jersey Turnpike could earn that nickname all on its own. This is the worst road I've ever driven on in my whole life. Why do we need to go back to Williamsburg, anyway?"
"Because you're from a small town, and that's all you know. Professor Dumbledore and I both feel that Williamsburg's the best environment for you." She sighed heavily. "But things are going so well with you and Stacey, and--"
"And I can't stay in New York. Period. I'd prefer not to discuss the issue any further." Severus glanced over at the teenager. His problems weren't her fault, and he felt bad for being so sharp with her, especially since she really was a good kid.
"I'm sorry, but we're going back to Williamsburg," he said in a kinder voice. "I understand why you don't want to go back, but you need to understand my point of view. Can we strike some sort of compromise?"
Isabelle lowered her sunglasses and looked at him briefly before turning her eyes back to the road. "What sort of compromise?"
"I don't know. Let me think." Severus sat brooding for a minute. "All right. How about this – you can either go back to Spotswood--"
"No way in--"
"Let me finish. You can either go back to Spotswood," he paused to give her a scolding look, "or the local Muggle school. Stacey told me about the American system. It's pretty compatible to what we're used to. I'm not fond of the idea of a witch in a Muggle school, but it's your choice."
Isabelle muttered something about that sounding dangerously like something Sirius would say underneath her breath. "And how I would I learn to be a good little witch, then?"
"I suppose that I'd have to tutor you myself," he grumbled.
"You, teach? You're kidding me," she hooted.
Now Severus was indignant. "Are you saying that I'm too daft to teach you enough to pass the N.E.W.T. tests?"
"No, not too daft. Too impatient. But, I'll give you the benefit of the doubt and take you up on your offer. Muggle school it is." Isabelle turned her head slightly and grinned evilly. "Do you want me to call you Professor Snape now?"
"Wretched ungrateful child."
"Oh, you're too sweet to a girl, Professor. Keep complimenting me like this and my ego will be unbearable," Isabelle said in a sugary voice.
"How will I know the difference?" he mumbled inaudibly.