Finding a Father

Ch. 4

By: Waterlili

A/N: Ok, So I haven't mentioned this before but I thought I should be fore I let it get to much further. This story is AU on several counts( some of which you'll have to wait to find out.)

1. Sirius is still alive- assume (unless I say otherwise) everything that happened through Ootp is. Except Sirius is still alive. I needed him, and plus I don't like writing Sirius dead.

You'll see the rest later.

On with the show.

Isabelle was standing by the window the next morning when there was a knock on the door. She sighed and looked over her shoulder wondering if she could face anyone who could possibly be at the door right that second.

"Entres" she said softly.

"Speaking French?" Sirius said as he came into the room.

"C'est une habitude" she said turning back towards the window.

"You know I can't understand French" he said quietly.

"Désolé"

"Isabelle…."

"Oh, right sorry, it's a habit."

"It's alright. Why it is a habit for you is beyond me though," he said leaning against the window across from her.

"Sirius was there something you wanted? I'm not really in the mood to chat." Isabelle said not looking at him.

"Yes, your grandmother and Oliver are here. Come on down."

"Give me ten minutes and I'll be there."

"Isabelle Wood…you cannot leave your grandmother waiting."

"I can't go down in my pajamas either." she said crossing her arms over her chest and raising an eyebrow.

"Fine, no more than ten minutes though."

"Aye Aye Captain" she rolled her eyes and mock saluted. After he left she rooted through Maddie and Ginny's trunks finally dressing in a black Chanel jumper and a pair of jeans. She slipped on black Chanel slides and headed for the drawing room. "How are you?" she directed the question to Oliver.

"Fine" Oliver said plainly as he crossed the room.

Isabelle looked up into Oliver's usually warm brown eyes and faltered. He was barely together. "Orli…"she choked out and hugged him.

"Belle…"his voice was muffled in her hair. "Isabelle, mum's….she's lost it. She's in St. Mungo's. She won't see either of us. The healers think it's because we remind her of Dad and your mum."

"Oh, damn." she mumbled.

"Watch your mouth young lady. No granddaughter of mine uses language like that." came a voice from behind them.

"Hello Grand-mère" Isabelle said turning to face the stately older woman.

"Hello dear. Your cousin and I have brought by what you are to wear this evening to the funeral. You will be on time. You will be escorted by your godfather. And you will not become hysterical." Camilla Wood said sharply.

"Yes Grand-mère" she said quietly.

"Oliver, we're leaving." Camilla said leaving no room for protest.

"Yes Ma'am" he hugged Isabelle quickly and hurried after his grandmother.

When they were gone Isabelle sank onto the couch, sighing heavily. She poked through the bag her grandmother had left groan. Her grandmother must have been in a particularly bad mood. She chucked the bag across the room with a soft cry.

"That bad?" came a hoarse voice from behind her.

She turned to look over her shoulder and saw the man that had been with Harry in Diagon Alley. "Yes, Remus Lupin right?"

"Yes Ma'am" he said with a smirk. "Want to talk about that bag, you're so mercilessly hurling around the room?"

"It's what her majesty has decreed I wear to Mum and Uncle Jack's funeral tonight." she rolled her eyes. "I guess that's the price I pay for being a member of one of Great Britain's most prominent wizarding families."

"I'm sure" he said with a gruff laugh. "You have your mum's eyes." he commented absentmindedly.

"That's all I got from her though."

"That isn't true." Remus said quietly. "You got a lot from her, just because it isn't visible doesn't mean it isn't there."

"What do you mean?"

"A lot of your personality reminds me of your mum…"

"You knew her?" Isabelle interrupted.

"Yes, we were um….close" he said cautiously. "From what I've gathered you're more like Norah than you probably realize."

"Thank you Mr. Lupin. That means a lot."

"You're welcome and call me Remus."

"Umm….Remus then." she said standing and going to pick up the bag. "I should go get ready, if things aren't perfect, Grand-mère will have a hippogriff." Isabelle tossed him a sad smile as she hurried out of the room and back up the stairs.

Several hours later Isabelle, Ginny, and Maddie were sitting in their room, all nearly ready. Ginny and Maddie had refused to let Isabelle try and get ready on her own and had done her hair and make-up for her. Maddie had pulled her hair up into a loose but contained knot at the crown of her head, while Ginny had applied just enough make-up to take away the sick look, which Isabelle had become quite familiar with in the past two days.

The three girls trudged drearily the stairs into the kitchen. They all passed on lunch and sat talking quietly to each other.

"Who do you think it is?" Maddie asked.

"How should I bloody know?" Isabelle snapped.

"Belle, calm down." Ginny said quietly.

"I can't. You two know how Gran-mère is." Isabelle said shakily.

"It will be fine. Her majesty is a pain in the arse, but she loves you and Oliver." Maddie said airily.

"Maddie is right" Ginny said with a quick nod. "Gran-mère adores you and Oliver. She just needs you to keep up appearances sometimes."

"I know" Isabelle sighed.

"Belle….."Sirius called as he came into the room. "It's time to go."

"Alright." she muttered glumly. "I'll you later" she said quietly to Maddie and Ginny.

Sirius and Isabelle port keyed to St. Anthony's Cathedral. They landed , rather smoothly, on the front stairs of the gray stone church. The sun was shining brightly and Isabelle cursed the weather for being so cheerful on such an awful day. They stepped into the dimly church and both were shocked at the sight before them. There were flowers upon every available surface. There were roses, carnations, tulips, bluebells, snapdragons, mums, daisies, and lilies. Every flower imaginable. Isabelle nearly shrieked with rage but Sirius placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Sirius, this is all wrong. Neither Mum or Uncle Jack would have wanted this." she yelled in a whisper.

"I know, there is nothing you can do about it now though."

Isabelle just nodded and turned to face her grandmother who was moving quickly down the center isle. She closed her eyes and pushed all of the emotion out of her eyes. She smiled graciously at the elder woman. "Hello Gran-mère."

"Isabelle. I'm glad you're on time."

"I wouldn't miss this" she said curtly.

"Do not take that tone with me."

"Madame." Sirius said quietly.

"Mr. Black, it would do you well to remember to whom you are speaking."

"I know exactly who I'm speaking to." Sirius said coldly. Camilla just glared at him.

"Isabelle you will come wait with the rest of the family. Mr. Black will sit with the other guests" Camilla said coolly, taking Isabelle's elbow and leading her towards the cathedral's small ante-room. As soon as they were out of sight Isabelle wrenched her elbow away from her grandmother and stalked across the small room to sit next to Oliver.

"That's going to come back to haunt you later." he said softly not looking up.

Isabelle really saw him for the first time she'd entered the room. He was dressed in black slacks and a black button down shirt with a black tie and jacket. He was sitting with his elbows on his knees and his hands in his hair. She felt tears gathering in her eyes at the sight of her usually happy brother/cousin looking like he'd run the gauntlet. "Orli….?"

"What Isabelle?" Oliver snapped.

"I'm sorry you've had to deal with Gran-mère all alone today."

"It isn't your fault." he said quietly, placing an arm around her shoulders and resting his head on top of hers. "She's worse for you anyway."

"I can deal," he said dully.

"Oliver. Isabelle." Camilla snapped. "It's time to go out."

Oliver and Isabelle grimaced nearly simultaneously. They rose and joined the rest of their family. They waked silently into the now full church and sat in the front pew. The priest quickly ascended to the pulpit. As soon as he began speaking Isabelle tuned him out. Her eyes drifted over the flowers and the large pictures of her mother and uncle. She blinked back the tears she knew would come later.

The funeral procession was a slow, doleful, and insufferable hot. As the all black carriages pulled to the graveside, Isabelle struggled to maintain her composure. She stood as part of the receiving line and smiled mournfully in all the right places. After a while the only people left were Isabelle, Oliver, Camilla, and Sirius.

"We're leaving Oliver." Camilla said coldly and Oliver grimaced. "Isabelle you will be at the solicitors tomorrow by no later than noon." Camilla said looking reproachfully at her granddaughter.

"Yes Ma'am" Isabelle said unemotionally as they apparated away. As soon as they were gone she sunk into the nearest chair. Looking at the hole which held her mother's coffin.

"Belle?" Sirius asked quietly. "It's time to go."

"No. I can't leave her here" Isabelle said softly, tears slipping out of the corners of her eyes. As she stared straight ahead.

"Isabelle, there is nothing left to do here," Sirius said softly as he crossed the small grass plot and knelt in front of her.

"No, Sirius, I can't leave her here. I can't let them…."she broke off crying.

Sirius didn't speak as he pulled her gently out of the chair. "Can't let them what, kiddo?"

"Bury her," Isabelle choked out, pounding softly on Sirius' chest. "If they do…then she's really gone."

"Sweetheart." Sirius held her gently. "She'll never be gone. She's in your heart and as long as she is she'll never be really gone."

"That doesn't help Sirius," she muttered wiping her eyes. "I'm never going to see her again. She won't see me graduate or hold her grandchildren. She won't be there when I get married. I'll never see her smile, or watch her dance around the kitchen as she cooks….''she broke off sobbing again.

"You're right." Sirius said with a sigh. He continued quickly when Isabelle looked up confused. "But you have all those memories. Don't you? The ones of her and your Uncle, of her working in her office, singing stupid songs at 6am to wake you up."

"Yes."

"Then all you have to do is remember and you'll see her." he said semi-logically.

"Sirius….that doesn't help." she sobbed. "I need to see her and hear her voice. I need her around to tell me when I'm being to high strung. Elle était mon ancre. J'ai besoin d'elle."

"English, Isabelle, speak english." he said quietly. "I know you love her, and she loved you. Isabelle, you're mum was one of a kind and you're always going to miss her. But it isn't good for you to hang around here, causing yourself unneeded grief." Sirius spoke quietly as she cried. He felt he nod against his chest and apparated back to Grimmauld Place.