Chapter 7: Discrepancies in the Story

Isabelle sighed, closed her English textbook, and leaned over to pick up her copy of The Mists of Avalon from her nightstand table. It had taken a month, but Morgaine managed to convince her to read the novel, so that she too, could be enlightened. While she didn't share her friend's enthusiasm, she did find the book enjoyable.

Regina would love this book, she mused, flipping through the pages to find her spot. She always did love the Arthurian legends.

Surprisingly, a pang hit Isabelle, and a hot tear stung her eyes. She realized that she actually, genuinely missed Regina. And not just because she made Sirius happy or made sure Isabelle had an amazing wardrobe. Isabelle truly enjoyed discussing different forms of literature with the older witch. She banished the thought to the back of her mind as Severus knocked on the door.

"Yes?" she asked, wondering what he'd say if he knew her thoughts.

"I'm going out tonight. Are you going to be all right?" he inquired anxiously. Isabelle sighed, shut the book with a thump, and rolled her eyes in classic teenage fashion.

"Yeah. Sarah Lindsay's coming over. No wild parties," she added with a small smile. He shot her a particularly withering stare; the one she suspected could melt cauldrons.

"Sometimes I wonder why I bother. I shall return tomorrow afternoon." Isabelle burst out laughing at his formal language. Who was he kidding? He acted like he was headed to a night at the opera or something. "I shall see you upon your return."

A loud clanking at the window announced Sarah Lindsay's arrival. Both she and Isabelle preferred to use the fire escape to travel between their apartments and outside, mostly because the boys' apartment was only three doors down. And neither girl wanted to run into anyone from that particular apartment.

"Bubba! How the heck are you?" Sarah Lindsay exclaimed, swinging her legs over the window ledge and bounding into the room. Severus tried to scowl at the bubbly blonde, but failed miserably, despite his antipathy towards the nickname.

"About to leave for New York for the evening," he replied evenly. Sarah Lindsay grinned.

"Ooooh, hot date, huh? Nice." Her brown eyes twinkled evilly, causing Severus to begin his strategic retreat. He wasn't used to being teased by anyone, much less hormonal teenagers, about his love life.

"Be careful," both girls called out as he closed the door, imitating him perfectly. He always said that whenever Isabelle went anywhere lately.

Sarah Lindsay flopped on the bed, causing it to squeak loudly. "You know, Bubba might be kind of serious, but he's pretty cool."

"Yeah, he is." Isabelle replied, drawing her knees to her chest. "Where'd you come up with that goofy nickname, anyway?"

"Most people in these parts have a nickname, so I decided that his is Bubba. Severus is way too--" her mind searched for the appropriate word, "formal for someone who lives in this 'classy' apartment building."

"True that. Speaking of people who live in this apartment building…"

Sarah Lindsay groaned and covered her head with her arms. "Not this again! I have nothing to say to Jake."

"Brit seems to think that you do." Isabelle raised an eyebrow. The other girl frowned deeply. "Well, she did grow up around your brother. Maybe she knows what she's talking about."

"Doubtful. I have a hard time believing Jake's sob story. And Brit tells me that it hurts her feelings that you won't go over her house with me." "I can't." Isabelle hung her head in shame. "It's complicated. It has nothing to do with her…"

"Then who does it have to do with? How many Spences do you know, for crying out loud? You're an import," Sarah Lindsay puzzled, as her friend blushed and buried her face in her pillow.

"Fine, if you tell me the whole story about your messed up family, I'll tell you my secret," she said, peeking out from the pillow.

"Secret? There's a secret?" She rubbed her hands together excitedly. This sounded juicy. Isabelle sat up, leaned over, and whispered into Sarah Lindsay's ear. "No way! You – and Phillip Spence? Holy stars above! You're kidding, right?"

"Unfortunately not. And, since I snuck out the next morning, I haven't talked to him since then. Chances are, he may not remember me. But what if he does? What if Brittany finds out, and she gets upset that I had a one-night stand with her brother?" Isabelle dramatically flopped back on her pillows.

"Well, both of y'all are over the legal age of consent, so who cares?" she asked practically.

"I care!" She bit her lip. "Anyway, I don't want to run into him, so I avoid the Spences' house. Now it's your turn. What's up with your weird family?"

Sarah Lindsay sighed heavily. "Long story. The short version of it is that I'm a love child of the Shad Planking." "The what?" Isabelle had never heard of such a thing. Was this a bizarre religious ritual or something, like the Beltane fires in The Mists of Avalon?

"The Shad Planking," she repeated, rolling her eyes. "It's this huge tradition in these parts. Every April, the movers and shakers of Virginia converge in Wakefield. That's a town across the river. Virginia's still run by the 'good 'ole boys club', and this event is a chance for policy makers to plan stuff and socialize."

"I see."

"My father's a big time official in the OMA, or so I've heard. His kind mingles with the Muggles, mostly to make sure that the OMA's agenda passes through the correct political channels. So, he was there, and meets my mom, who was in charge of the drinks."

"The drinks?" Isabelle asked, trying to stifle a giggle.

"Yeah, she flirted with my father by passing him a Dixie cup. Classy stuff. My father was thinking of separating with Jake's mom, and my mom was in the mood for a little fun. So, after everything was over, they headed back to his truck, and here I am," Sarah Lindsay concluded.

"I take it that your parents didn't ever really get together?"

"Nope. Mom found my father, told him she was pregnant, and that was pretty much that. My brother," she spat the last word, "has a very different version of what happened next than I do."

"Keep going," Isabelle encouraged her. Sarah Lindsay took another deep, calming breath before continuing.

"The only thing we agree on is that my father insisted that I have his name. Jake says this was because he intended on me being a part of the great and mighty Parker family. According to him, his mom made our father choose between her or me. Jake's mom didn't like the idea of our father parading his illegitimate child around all of their friends. So, our father chose me, and got a divorce. In my opinion, our father was going to get a divorce anyway. I was a convenient excuse, so the name thing was just the last nail in the coffin to drive his wife away."

"Ok…is that it?"

"Not hardly. See, the Parkers are of the wand-carrying sort, as you know. Well, Mom's a Muggle. So, I've never had any magical training."

"You're kidding," Isabelle breathed.

"I wish. Jake says that when I was about to go to middle school, our father asked Mom if I could go to Spotswood Academy. But, Mom said no. I don't believe that for a second. Why would she do that? Doesn't make a lick of sense. I told Jake that, and do you know what he had the nerve to say? That Mom's crazy! And worse – that she's been spending thousands of child support dollars that our father's sent for me over the years on herself. That's such a load of crock. Yeah, Mom and I really enjoy living in dumps like this."

"But, why would Jake lie?"

"I have no clue," Sarah Lindsay admitted. "He keeps saying that he wants to get to know me, which is why he moved into the building with your lover boy. Incidentally, do you have a clue how many girls would give anything to be with Phillip Spence? He's hot! And not exactly known for one-night stands. You must've really made an impression on him…"

Isabelle's face turned bright red again. "Let's not discuss him, ok? Back on point, which is that your brother has everything to lose by trying to have any sort of relationship with you. Maybe he's being honest, and you should give him a chance."

"We'll see."

An hour later, Sarah Lindsay bounded back through the window. She smiled weakly as Isabelle looked up from her Chemistry homework.

"So, how'd it go?" she asked, closing the heavy textbook.

"Oh, my gosh, Brittany's brother is so incredibly sexy," Sarah Lindsay gushed. "He opened the door, and I swear that I could hardly put together a sentence. I really--"

"Need to stop talking about Phillip, for crying out loud!" Isabelle finished. Her friend giggled.

"I wasn't talking about your man," she teased. "Not stepping into your turf, trust me. I meant her other brother, the one who's Jake's age. Thomas. He's a freshman at William and Mary, too, and he is so funny. Brit needs to hook me up. Remind me to talk to her about it on Monday?"

"Do you really want to get involved with your estranged brother's mate?" she pointed out to Sarah Lindsay, who shrugged.

"Wasn't it you who said that I should make peace with Jake and all that? What better way than to hook up with his best friend from childhood?" She giggled again. "Oh, we're going to dinner at Dad's house next Sunday."

Isabelle looked up, panicked. Next Sunday was Halloween, and she planned to mark the one-year anniversary of her sister's death by hiding underneath her covers and wishing that the entire world would disappear. No way would she be in any shape to socialize with anyone, especially strangers. "Uh…"

"Don't worry, your lover boy won't be there. Just me, Jake and our dad. And you, please? I really, really need you there for moral support." Her brown eyes pleaded with Isabelle until she gave in. Maybe being alone on Halloween wasn't such a good idea, anyway.

"Fine, but only on one condition."

"Shoot."

"Stop calling Phillip my lover boy! And I swear if you breathe a word of him and me to Brit, I swear that I'll inflict massive amounts of pain upon your person."

"Spoilsport."

-----

Just one more lap, Isabelle told herself. One more lap, and I can strangle Sarah Lindsay for this insane conditioning schedule.

She picked up her pace, eager to finish the five-mile run. Since joining the squad, she learned exactly how athletic cheerleading could be. Every morning, Sarah Lindsay beat her window down until she crawled out of bed for their morning jog and aerobics. Then, there was the usual two-hour practice, followed by a five-mile run.

However, all of the work had paid off. The Jamestown High varsity cheerleading squad quickly became the highlight of the football games. In fact, more people came to the games to see what new, insane routine the cheerleaders would be pulling off than people actually interested in the game. Although football season would be over in a couple of weeks, the squad still had a full schedule of competitions throughout the winter. Then, spring conditioning and tryouts.

So, there's no conceivable end to the madness, Isabelle realized, flopping down on the cool grass. Why did I sign up for this, anyway?

Sarah Lindsay collapsed beside her, and rolled over, propping her head on her elbow. "Isabelle, can you go me a favor?"

"What?" she grumbled, half-asleep.

"Wake up!" She threw a pom-pom at her resting friend. "I need to borrow an outfit for Sunday night. My dad's kind of, um, well-off."

Isabelle sat up and looked at Sarah Lindsay sleepily. "Sure. What kind of outfit were you thinking about? Is this a casual dinner, or something more formal?"

As the two girls chatted, Brittany tuned them out and let her eyes wander around the field. She hid her disappointment that her family had Halloween plans, so she couldn't go to the Parkers' house with them. Instead of a night of staring at Jake, she was stuck Phillip-sitting. Again. She sighed heavily.

"Is there any way you can get out of your plans?" Sarah Lindsay asked anxiously, causing Brittany to snap out of her trance.

"'Fraid not," she replied sadly. "Trust me, I would if I could."

"But, you know my dad, right? And my brother? I don't know them at all! I don't even know where they live. What if I make an idiot of myself? They don't know me, either, and--" she babbled, until Isabelle clasped her hand over Sarah Lindsay's mouth. "Mrhpshaieiawlefssef--"

"You'll be fine. You have me, after all!" Isabelle smiled brilliantly.

"Oh!" Sarah Lindsay smacked her forehead. "Brit, is your brother seeing anyone?"

The brunette rolled her eyes. "No, but trust me, Phillip could use a woman. Scratch that. The right woman, or at least one who's not psycho."

"I didn't mean Phillip," she frowned, elbowing Isabelle, who shoved Sarah Lindsay back and gave her an evil look. Brittany's eyebrows practically hit her scalp line.

"You meant Thomas? As in Thomas? Thomas?" Her face pursed, as if she'd kissed a lemon. "Thomas?!?"

"Yes, Thomas. So?" She looked at Brittany expectantly.

"Oh, no," she said, shaking her head violently. "You don't want anything to do with Thomas. He's crazy. And spacey. He has no direction or ambition other than the next insane prank he's planning to pull. Not to mention your brother's best friend. Jake would skin me alive if I set you up with him. Believe it or not, he's very protective of you. And there's no way he'd approve of you with Thomas. Huh-uh, no way."

Sarah Lindsay pouted. "I like crazy. He sounds fun. Can't you just--"

"No." Brittany stood up and bolted for the locker room. The last thing she needed was for her new friends to get mixed up with her brothers.

-----

When Isabelle returned from Mass early Sunday morning, Sarah Lindsay was already waiting for her in her room. Isabelle had hoped for some time to gather herself together after spending time in quiet reflection over the past year's events during the Mass, and lighting candles for her family afterwards. But, no such luck – life moves on.

At least, that's what she told herself as she carefully placed her Bible, a confirmation gift from Sirius, on her desk. She lovingly ran her hand across the navy blue leather, and smiled sadly. Time hadn't made her affection for Sirius fade one bit; in fact, she loved him more than ever. However, the nervous look on her friend's face made her put away her thoughts for later.

"Where have you been?" Sarah Lindsay anxiously inquired.

"Where I am every Sunday morning," Isabelle reminded her. "Mass."

She frowned. "Ok, explain this to me. You're an incredibly devout Catholic right? Why isn't Bubba?"

"Because Sev's an agnostic. Bad stuff happens to me, and it strengthens my faith. But, bad stuff makes Sev question the existence of any higher being. So, I go to Mass, and he stays home."

Sarah Lindsay wasn't convinced. Little things, here and there, didn't always add up. She did believe that Bubba and Isabelle were somehow connected, but they were too different to be brother and sister. For instance, Isabelle's amazing wardrobe. She possessed a complete designer wardrobe, but lived in one of the poorest areas of town. This made no sense, especially since Bubba dressed pretty simply, like any regular guy she knew. But, she dearly loved her new friend. Unlike most of her other friends, she didn't feel the need to hide her messed-up life from Isabelle. Somehow she knew that Isabelle related to her, empathized. Which was very comforting. So, Sarah Lindsay kept her mouth shut and didn't ask any questions about her Isabelle's personal life.

While Sarah Lindsay mused, Isabelle crossed the room, and rifled through her closet for potential outfits for the dinner that evening. Although she really hadn't added much to her wardrobe since Regina died, her clothes were still very much in style. And, she figured that both of them should dress the part of witches, so she headed to that part of her closet.

She hummed while tossing whole outfits on the bed. Finally satisfied at the selection, she turned to face Sarah Lindsay, who was looking at the robes skeptically. Isabelle fought a laugh, remembering that she felt the same way when she was little and saw wizarding fashion for the first time.

"Trust me," Isabelle pleaded, clasping her hands together. "If there's one thing I know, it's how to dress to impress. When I'm done with you, you're going to look like a million Galleons."

"Ok," she said slowly, wondering what a Galleon was. Her curiosity got the best of her. "What's a Galleon?"

"The name of a wizarding coin in England," she replied, feeling like smacking herself. Sarah Lindsay was edgy enough without Isabelle making her feel ignorant.

While the girls chose their robes and began getting ready, Isabelle gave Sarah Lindsay a crash course on wizarding culture. She described fashion, politics, even Quiddich. By the time they put the finishing touches on their makeup, Sarah Lindsay felt far more confident. While she historically had nothing but disdain for her father and brother, she couldn't help wanting to make a good impression on them. Especially if Isabelle was right, and they weren't total monsters.

"Ready spaghetti?" Isabelle joked, turning around in front of her full-length mirror. A huge grin lit up her face. After a year of going incognito and denying her wizarding background, it felt fantastic to look and feel like a witch again.

Sarah Lindsay gulped. "Ready as I'll ever be. Jake said that he'd be waiting for us in the parking lot. Oh, I wish that Brittany were here! Not that you're bad company or anything, but--"

"I get it." She sighed, walking into the living room, where Severus was attempting to watch the television. He looked up, and raised an inquisitive eyebrow.

"Have fun, ladies," was all he said.

By habit, they slid through the window in a very un-ladylike fashion and bounded down the fire escape, laughing and joking the entire way down. Isabelle's breath caught in her throat at the sight of a dark haired young man casually leaning against the hood of a car. Wide-eyed, she crept towards Jake Parker, who mistook her awe for his car for interest in him, at least until she opened her mouth.

"Saints above," Isabelle breathed. "Does this amazing machine belong to you?" Slightly wounded, he nonetheless beamed proudly. "Yup. It's a--"

"1968 Shelby GT 500-KR fastback. Well, 1968 and a half." Her eyes twinkled as she crossed her arms over her chest.

"Impressive," Jake admitted, his eyes slowly taking in her short, stylish green robes that perfectly showed off her mile-long legs. He'd never met a girl who knew anything about cars, much less that his particular vehicle was made halfway through the 1968 model year. Most girls didn't even know that his Shelby was more or less a souped-up Mustang.

"No, this car's impressive." Isabelle turned to Sarah Lindsay, who looked lost. "Only 933 of this particular car were made. Incredibly rare, and extremely powerful. This car was made because of rumor that Chevy was going to put out a 396 Camero. Well, Shelby beat them with this bad boy. The KR part of the name stands for King of the Road. Ford man, huh?"

"Yes, ma'am. I'm sorry, but I don't think we've been properly introduced, although I definitely remember you," he teased.

"Likewise. Isabelle Randolph, and while I appreciate your 428 Cobra Jet engine and 420 pounds of torque, I'm a Chevy girl myself."

His jaw dropped open. "Jake Parker. Pleased to make your acquaintance. So, are you joining us for dinner?"

"If I can drive," she replied.

"What?" He was genuinely puzzled.

"If I can drive," Isabelle repeated. "Or do you have a problem with other people playing with your toy?"

"Not at all." The corners of his mouth turned up at her double meaning, and he dropped his key ring in her outstretched hand.

"Thank you." She winked flirtatiously, and Sarah Lindsay almost kicked her.

First she fools around with Brittany's older brother, and now Isabelle's making moves on mine? she thought irritably. Although the Phillip thing was a sort of accident, and my brother's hot, if I do say so myself, she admitted as she hopped in the passenger's seat.

Like any self-respecting Southern gentleman, Jake crawled into the cramped back seat and sat uncomfortably in between the bucket seats so that he could give Isabelle directions. She cranked up the car, and baked tires for at least half a mile. Sarah Lindsay clutched the sides of her seat, petrified. Isabelle laughed hysterically, but slowed down a bit.

"Nice driving," Jake whispered in her ear. His breath made the tiny hairs stand up on the back of Isabelle's neck, and she rather enjoyed the sensation, although it was a guilty pleasure. She smiled to herself as he leaned closer to make sure she heard his directions over the stereo, which was blaring.

Five minutes later, Isabelle turned down the long gravel lane to the Parker home, and saw her friend pale considerably. She gave Sarah Lindsay a reassuring look while parking the car. They piled out of the sports car, and Isabelle tossed Jake his keys.

"Thanks for letting me drive," she said, as he caught the key ring in his left hand. "You're a leftie, too?"

"We are superior beings." Jake radiated a type of bad-boy charm that left Isabelle nearly breathless. He led the ladies up the staircase, onto a wide, sweeping porch, and he held the door open as they walked inside a large foyer.

Isabelle sighed happily, looking around. Although the style of the Parker home couldn't be more different that her childhood home, the massive scale reminded her of the Dover estate. She felt at home among the spacious, tastefully decorated rooms, unlike Sarah Lindsay, who fidgeted with the hem of her rose-colored robes.

A large portrait in the living room caught her eye. Her high-heeled sandals tapped across the hardwood floor as she crossed the room and stood in front of an enormous stone fireplace. A silver-framed black and white portrait of the river during a thunderstorm was the only object on the hearth, and rightly so.

"That's a beautiful picture," Isabelle commented. "Was this taken on your estate?"

"No," Sarah Lindsay answered in a whisper, as if afraid that her voice would be over amplified in the space.

"Are you sure, because--"

"I am sure," she replied, gaining more confidence. "Because this is my portrait."

Isabelle was visibly impressed. "This is amazing, especially since it's not a wizard's picture. It seems alive."

"Thank you. I won a photography contest with it, and then I auctioned it off for charity. I didn't expect to see it here." Sarah Lindsay's face was the color of her robes.

"I bought it," came a deep, quiet voice from the doorway. "I hope that you don't mind."

Both girls turned around, somewhat startled. An extremely tall man hovered in the doorway with an embarrassed smile. He towered over his son, and certainly over petite Sarah Lindsay, but not in an intimidating way. Isabelle liked him immediately, and could tell that he was as nervous as his daughter was. Sarah Lindsay shook her head no.

"No, sir. Um, Dad," she choked out. Mr. Parker's eyes lit up at the last word, which made Isabelle positively melt into a puddle of mush on the floor.

What a sweet man, she thought. How could Sarah Lindsay think him capable of being a monster? I've been around some monsters, and her dad's about as far from the description as humanly conceivable. So far, at least. Isabelle seriously considered using her Discerner skills to make certain, but refrained herself.

"It's nice to see you, Sarah Lindsay," Mr. Parker beamed, turning to Isabelle and extending his hand. "You must be the one Brittany speaks so highly of. It's nice to finally meet you, Isabelle."

"Thank you, Mr. Parker," she replied, shaking the outstretched hand.

"Michael's fine. Hungry? I ordered the best take-out around," he said, heading towards the kitchen. Jake snorted loudly.

"Thank heaven. We're awful cooks. God-awful. We save the home cooking for the second visit. Gotta make a good impression, you know," he said in a mock whisper to his sister, but looking at Isabelle the whole time.

"Don't be giving away all the family secrets," Mr. Parker said good-naturedly, pulling out several small containers of Chinese take-out and spreading them across the butcher-block kitchen island. He conjured up Chinet paper plates and plastic utensils. "Classy, huh?"

Isabelle giggled. "When I was a girl, we'd always eat at the formal dining room table with paper plates and plastic utensils. My sister called it an indoor picnic, and said it was much better than eating outside because there weren't any ants."

Everyone cracked up at her enthusiastic British accent, which suddenly developed a strong Irish tint to it. Puzzled, Sarah Lindsay loaded up her plate and followed her family to the outdoor patio to enjoy the late fall warmth. Since when did Isabelle have a sister?

Throughout dinner, Jake barely took his eyes off Isabelle. He kept reminding himself that this dinner was about convincing his sister that he and his father cared about her. But every time he looked across the table, he quickly became distracted. More than once, he forced himself from openly staring at Isabelle, and his mind searched for the small pieces of information he gleaned from Brittany.

"Jake?"

He looked up and nearly choked on his orange chicken. It took him a full ten seconds to compose himself sufficiently and meet Isabelle's inquisitive eyes. "Yes?"

"You've graduated school, haven't you?" she asked, wondering how old he really was. He nodded, and ate another mouthful of beef and broccoli before continuing.

"Yes, ma'am, I graduated from Spotswood last year. But, Thomas and I didn't have a clue about what we wanted to do with our lives, so we took the Phillip slacker route and went to Muggle college." He didn't notice Isabelle gulp nervously at the mention of Phillip's name, nor his sister's dreamy sigh when he spoke of Thomas.

"What's your major?" Isabelle desperately wanted to keep the conversation on point.

"Right now, I'm majoring in psychology and minoring in government. But, I might change it to a double major. Depends on how this semester goes. I've been told that college freshmen almost always change their majors by the end of first year, so I'll see."

Jake's deep, soulful eyes made Isabelle's heart flutter a little. Even without reading his thoughts, she knew that there was much more to this man than he let on. She found herself wanting to know what that was, and becoming angry that she had such a weakness for men.

"So, um, what about Thomas?" Sarah Lindsay asked casually. Isabelle rolled her eyes.

"He's 'undecided'." A lazy smile crossed his face. "I think he's going to major in whatever's the easiest stuff for him to pass. And provide the best naptime. I don't think he stayed awake much during class in high school."

The conversation continued around Isabelle, whose mind began to wander into directions that she didn't want for it to go. Yet, she couldn't control the waves of memories, voices, or faces that assaulted her. Her mind tried to regain possession of her consciousness, but slowly failed. The scene before her softly faded until she was standing in the kitchen of the Dover estate, facing an incredibly irate Sirius.

"Never speak to me that way again," he said in a dangerously quiet tone of voice. She took a step closer to him and looked him straight in the eye.

"Don't tell me what to do. You're not my father," she spat.

She fought to focus her eyes, and took a nervous swig of iced tea. A year of living in America had given her a taste for the beverage. Sarah Lindsay looked at her, concerned, but Isabelle managed a smile. A minute later, everything blurred again, this time landing her in the Gryffindor common room at Hogwarts.

So, how's your love life?" Bill teased.

"So-so. It would be great if Sirius--"

"Not that again," he groaned, interrupting her.

"Yes, that again. But, this time, I have a plan," she said earnestly.

"I know I'm going to regret asking, but what's your plan?"

"I call it the Little Women plan. Have you read the book?"

"Er, I'm a guy. Would I read a chick book?"

"Good point. Anyway, it's about these four sisters, Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy. There's a boy who lives next door who falls desperately in love with Jo, but she doesn't think of him that way. So, she turns him down and he runs off to Europe to lick his wounds. Meanwhile, a few years go by and Amy runs into the guy in Europe."

"Does this have a point?"

"Yes," Isabelle huffed. "When the guy, left, Amy was just a little kid. But, when he saw her again, she was all grown up, and he fell madly in love with her. They got married and everything. So, that's my plan. After I graduate from Hogwarts, I'm going to travel the world for a few years with a ballet company. Then, I'll come home and Sirius is bound realize that I'm an adult."

"Yeah, yeah, then he'll fall desperately in love with you and you'll get married. And, have a couple of kids, of course."

Isabelle stood up abruptly, knocking her chair to the patio with a metallic clang. "Excuse me for a minute, please."

She practically ran to the bathroom off the front hallway, and splashed her face with water. After composing herself, she walked back outside. But, as soon as she sad down again, the voices returned.

"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.

"I won't," she whispered, smiling at her beloved brother-in-law.

"Pardon?" Sarah Lindsay's voice jarred her back to reality, and Isabelle looked at her friend, unable to conceal her disorientation.

"Oh, nothing. I was just thinking out loud," she said quickly, rubbing her temples with her fingertips.

"I need to go away for a little while, ok?" Sirius told his daughter.

"Work?" the toddler inquired.

He smiled sadly. "Yeah, work. So, be good for Isabelle while I'm gone."

"No," she screamed. Her baby face scrunched up in concentration as she searched for the right word to say. "Bad."

"Well, if you're bad, you'll get in trouble then," he said patiently.

Grace's eyes suddenly lit up. "Trap."

"Yes, there's a mouse trap in the corner. I promise that none will hurt you, though. Remember that I charmed the crib so that nothing will bother you?"

"Trap," she repeated louder.

"Princess, I'm sorry, but I don't have time to play this game." He kissed the top of her forehead. "I love you, and I'll be back before you know it."

"Bye." Her lower lip trembled as Sirius gave her to Isabelle.

Isabelle clutched her head in her hands, now uncaring if her company thought she was crazy. She felt absolutely insane, and wanted the voices to stop taunting her. But, they didn't.

"Adoption papers," she sniffled, staring at Sirius' bold signature at the bottom of the scroll. "Oh, Gracie. He's got it all wrong. Yes, I want to be a part of his family, but not as a daughter."

"Mummy," she exclaimed brightly.

"That's right." Isabelle sighed. "I'm in love with your father. And, nothing would make me happier than to be your mummy. Too bad he doesn't see things that way."

The baby scrunched up her face again. "Will too."

"Stop it," she begged, in a quiet, throaty voice. "Go away and leave me be."

"What'd you say, Isabelle?" Jake looked at her oddly, causing her to turn on her natural charm so that she didn't appear but so nutters. She laughed.

"Sorry, I was swatting at a fly. I grew up as an only child, since my siblings are so much older than I am. So, I sort of got in the habit of talking to things like animals."

Sarah Lindsay's eyes lit up. "I do the exact same thing! I talk to my cat Marmalade like he can actually understand English. I'm glad I'm not the only one."

"Nah, you're crazy as a three-dollar bill. You are related to me, after all," Jake joked, much like James used to do with Regina. Isabelle's heart literally began to ache. She missed her brother-in-law so much.

"Where was the other attack?" She closed her eyes tightly. Professor Dumbledore put his hand over hers.

"Your sister Lily's house." He heard her sharp gasp, and paused for a second before continuing. "Lord Voldemort found the location of the Potters' house, and killed Lily and James."

Tears stung Isabelle's eyes, and she felt nauseated. "Mr. Parker, is it all right if I walk the grounds for a few minutes? I love water, so I wanted to get a closer look before sunset. Besides, I'm sure the three of you have plenty of catching up to do."

"Sure." He smiled kindly. Isabelle briefly scanned his thoughts.

Well, he's no faker, she admitted. Sarah Lindsay must've been born under an "amazing father" star. Lucky. Oh, well. At least mine isn't bothering anyone anymore. Her eyes narrowed and she smiled evilly.

"Thank you," Isabelle said, standing up. "I'll be back shortly."