Up the steps from the garden and through the back door, was the Weasley's kitchen. It was a small room, and rather cramped, containing all the amenities that belonged in a normal kitchen setting along with other things that didn't, like the fireplace which's mantel was piled high with cookbooks. Above the sink was a window that overlooked the house's front, and inside the backdoor was a perch for the family's owl, Errol.
Isabella was sitting at the kitchen table, which sat eight people, and on either side of her sat a Weasley—the Twins, to be exact. They'd given her a small, round ball of toffee covered in golden foil, and were doing everything in their power to get her to eat it.
The candies name, however, made Isabella hesitate.
"A Ton-Tongue Toffee?" Isabella repeated unsurely, staring at the golden foiled toffee that she held between her index finger and thumb.
"You'll love it," Fred smirked from her left.
"It'll give your taste buds a pleasant tickle," George smirked from her right.
"You'll be begging for more!" the Twins exclaimed together, doing anything in their power to sell their product.
Isabella knew something was up the second the boys has sat down on either side of her, and she could see the two giving James and Sirius a run for their money. With that thought in mind, she stared at the little sweet in her hand with skeptic eyes. What could the candy really do? Would it change her hair color, give her zits, make her two front teeth large? It did something, of that she was sure, but it wouldn't be anything drastic like exploding in her mouth… right?
Here goes nothing…
Just as Isabella was about to unwrap the toffee, Molly entered the kitchen through the backdoor with Remus trailing along behind her. Upon seeing their mother, the Twins, without any sort of explanation whatsoever, ran out of the kitchen, leaving Isabella the only one sitting at the table.
"Well, that was odd," she mumbled as she looked at the empty chairs on either side of her.
"What was odd, dear?" Molly asked curiously, setting down on the kitchen table the basket she was carrying, Remus doing the same with the burlap sack in his arms.
"Nothing," Isabella said with a shrug, waving a hand dismissively. "So, how did the egg and potato picking go?"
"You wouldn't need to ask if you'd helped," retorted Remus with an annoyed look. His shirt was covered in dirt and his back hurt form being bent at the waist for over thirty minutes, picking potatoes from the back garden, but a small smile was plastered on his face despite it all—Isabella seemed to do that to him, make him smile more. "You've gotten lazy, my dear."
"I did do something, mind you," Isabella replied indignantly, and then pointed to the bowl of pealed garlic's on the countertop. "I pealed and washed the garlic… without magic!"
Remus chuckled. Isabella looked so pleased with herself for doing something by hand. Molly preferred to cook without wands, and he was sure that Isabella would be complaining later about how her fingertips smelled of garlic.
"And I thank you for that," Molly said, giving Isabella a smile… until she saw the golden little ball in the younger woman's hand.
"FRED AND GEORGE!" Molly screamed suddenly, startling Remus and Isabella.
Isabella looked over to Remus with a questioning glance, and it was then that Remus noticed what Molly had seen. He let out a small chuckle and walked around the table to stand at Isabella's side, grabbing her hand gently and picking the toffee from her palm.
"You do not want to eat this," he said simply, giving her hand a brief squeeze before letting go. Looking at Molly and holding the toffee up, he said, "I believe this belongs to you."
"Those boys are going to be the death of me," Molly grumbled as she walked around the table and took the proffered sweet, stuffing it in the pocket of her apron and going about the room, gathering up all the things she'd need to make dinner.
All the while, she was muttering underneath her breath about all the things the Twins had done in the past, and what their punishment was going to be.
Just then, Arthur stepped into the kitchen, his two oldest sons behind him.
"What's gotten into mum?" asked Bill as he watched his mother, who was red faced and slamming cabinets.
"Ton-Tongue Toffee," Remus said simply.
Arthur let out a groan as he looked at his wife. "I told those boys to behave, but even in the presence of company they could care less."
To that, Charlie began to laugh.
"What's so funny?" asked Isabella, genuinely confused. Everyone appeared to know what was going on, except for her.
Charlie smiled and took the empty seat beside her, informing her why his mother was so upset. Apparently, the toffee, once eaten, would give you an elongated tongue, and Isabella knew in that moment that the Twins were Sirius and James' counterparts.
The day passed pleasantly after the toffee incident. Isabella and Talia were introduced to the two remaining Weasley's, Percy and Ginevra (Ginny she preferred to be called). It turned out that Ginny was only a year older than Talia, and once finding this out the two stuck together like glue, sharing gossip and talking about the upcoming term.
After lunch Hermione had arrived, and upon seeing her, Talia and Ginny had taken her down the hall to Ginny's bedroom, where the three spent the remainder of the day. While in Ginny's bedroom, Talia explained her situation to Ginny and Hermione, making them swear that they would not tell a soul—which they promised with a pinky swear. Talia had even given Hermione permission to inform Harry and Ron, after asking her mother, of course. Her parentage was a touchy subject, but both Isabella and Remus trusted the Weasleys wholeheartedly.
Harry had arrived just before dinner was served, and Isabella found it amusing how Molly had nearly forced the boy to have a second helping of the feast-worthy dinner laid out on the table. Dinner had been held out in the garden, since the table inside the kitchen could not accommodate the amount of people present, and it had been a very humorous affair, filled with jokes and stories, and after Harry had asked Isabella and Remus, tales of his mother and father, which left a small smile on the boy's face.
Now late into the evening, the children had all been tucked into bed, and the adults (with the exception of Percy, who had gone to bed early) all lounged about in the sitting room. The sitting room was shabby but cozy, lit with a warm glow produced by various oil lamps. There was a sagging armchair that was occupied by Arthur, Molly sitting on one of the armchair's arms, and Remus, Isabella, and Charlie were using up a comfortable couch. Bill was seated on a chair that he had brought in from the kitchen, and he was currently leading the conversation, talking about his job in the Egyptian division of Gringotts Bank.
All the while, everyone was sipping on wine that Molly had brought out from the kitchen. Isabella wasn't much of a drinker, but she did enjoy the occasional cup of wine, and once hearing that the wine was elf-made, she just had to have a cup. It was unique, and delicious, and smoothly went down her throat, warming her insides pleasantly. It was sweet and the taste of grapes wasn't overbearing, and Isabella was now on her fifth cup.
She had obviously over done it, but she was amongst friends and she had no one to impress, not even Remus, and that was the beauty of it. He loved her, faults and all.
Isabella sat quietly, between Remus and Charlie, listening to Bill talk, sipping her wine and enjoying the conversation. It was odd to be around company that she didn't have to dress up for, who knew her as a Prince and not a Snape. It was also heartwarming how they accepted Talia into their brood without prejudice or a second glance. Charlie in particular had taken a shine to Talia—they both were head over heels in love with dragons!
"You know," Isabella spoke up during a pause in the conversation, saying randomly, "I have the feeling that Percy is hiding something. Am I right, or am I just going off my rocker? You all heard him, right?"
Percy worked for the Ministry. During dinner, he'd kept hinting that something big was going to happen at Hogwarts this coming school year, and it had left Isabella curious. She would have asked Severus about this once returning home, but she and he were most definitely not on speaking terms.
Charlie chuckled deeply at Isabella's question, a genuine laugh that rumbled in his chest. He looked at Isabella and smiled, saying, "It's partly why I'm here."
"Really?" asked Isabella with interest.
Maybe, if she hadn't of been on her fifth cup of wine, she would have figured it out, but for the life of her, she was drawing a blank. The wine had coated her mind with a hazy fog that did not cloud her judgement, but made it impossible to solve puzzles, and this was definitely a puzzle she wanted to solve.
"Why don't you just tell me," she said after a moment, smiling up at Charlie, "My lips are sssssealed!"
Oh no, she was beginning to slur.
"No no, c'mon, you can figure it out," Charlie said with a teasing smile. "I'll let you try one more time before I give you a hint."
From the other side of Isabella, Remus watched Charlie with slightly narrowed eyes. He had noticed that the redhead had been glued to Isabella's side for a better part of the afternoon, and he could practically smell the lust and want coming off him.
Charlie was attracted to Isabella, and Remus did not like that. Did the boy have no decency? Isabella was more than 10 years his senior!
The wolf in Remus was beginning to take over, and Charlie was now marked as a potential threat in his mind. Isabella was his mate, and no one else's.
What broke the camel's back was the hand that Charlie casually placed on Isabella's knee.
The glass in Remus' hand spontaneously shattered, wine and small shards of glass falling onto his chest and lap. The sudden noise had startled Isabella, making her jump slightly, and Charlie saw this as an opportunity to wrap his arm around her shoulders.
If Remus didn't attack him, it was because Molly now stood before him, her wand out and ready to work a cleaning spell.
"What happened," Molly asked as she pointed her wand at Remus, making the wine and glass disappear in an instant. "Are you alright, Remus?"
"I'm fine, Molly…"
Isabella was surprised, and a bit concerned. Why had Remus suddenly crushed the glass in his hand? She would have pondered it more and even helped him with the cut on his hand that Molly was tending to, but she felt warm all of a sudden, and it had nothing to do with the wine. An arm was wrapped around her, and Charlie was suddenly sitting too close.
It was a strange feeling having someone who wasn't Remus hold her.
Charlie's arm around her shoulders didn't feel right.
"Isabella," she heard Remus call her, his voice stern as if he were reprimanding a student, "mind taking a walk with me? I think I've had enough wine for tonight… and it looks like you could use from fresh air."
Isabella immediately sobered up.
Walking alongside Remus would have normally been lovely; Isabella would hold his hand and rest her head on his shoulder and they'd steal the occasional kiss. However, right now he was keeping his distance, hands in his pockets, shoulders tense.
I drank too much, Isabella thought, biting her lip; I knew I should have stopped after that second cup. Remus always told me I get careless when I drink!
As if sensing Isabella's thoughts, Remus turned his head slightly to the side, looking down at her from the corner of his eye. Despite the darkness, he could see perfectly well, one of the benefits of being days away from another full moon, he supposed, and he could see that Isabella's cheeks were flushed, her arms were crossed across her chest, and she was looking down almost dejectedly. A twinge of guilt suddenly stabbed him in the chest, seeing her like that, and so he took in a deep breath and extended an arm, wrapping it around her shoulders and pulling her up to his side.
Isabella stiffened at the initial contact, but breathing in his musky scent calmed her, and she relaxed in his embrace, even going as far as to uncross her arms and wrap them around him. Her head rested on his shoulder and the two walked on in silence, deciding to stop by the trees in the back garden of the Weasley's property.
"I'm sorry," she said softly, looking up at him through the darkness. His face was partially illuminated by the moon's light, but she could still see his eyes, which were flecked heavily with amber. "I was stupid. I should have stopped after—"
Remus silenced her with his lips, and guided her backwards until her back hit the trunk of a tree. He tasted like wine, mint, and chocolate, and Isabella couldn't bite back the moan that vibrated deep in her throat. She wrapped her arms around his neck and weaved her fingers through his hair, and Remus' hands trailed down the sides of her body, settling on her hips. He pressed her against him, needing to feel the contours of her body flush against his, needing to reassure himself that she was his and his alone.
His mouth suddenly left her lips and attached to her throat, and Isabella couldn't stop the loud moan that left her lips, nor the breathy whispered, "Remus…"
Remus suddenly lifted Isabella, his hands supporting her rear, and Isabella quickly wrapped her legs around his waist. Her body was hot and she could feel him, all of him, pressing against her, and when he bit down hungrily on the crook of her collarbone she nearly screamed.
"Remus," Isabella panted, pulling at his hair to get him to look at her.
"I was jealous," he said quickly, resting his forehead against hers, breathing heavily.
"Well," Isabella said softly, "you're an idiot. I've got your mark behind my neck, not his."
Remus hugged her tightly, moving his head and burying his face in the crook of her neck, breathing in her scent.
"Can I see it?" he asked after a moment, bringing his head back and staring down at her. "The mark?"
Isabella nodded, and after a few needy kisses, Remus set her down and nearly groaned as he felt her body slide against his. She turned for him then, gathering her hair up and tilting her head down to allow him a better view, and after taking out his wand and muttering "lumos", Remus saw the mark that he'd left on the back of Isabella's neck. He recognized his teeth marks, and brought up a hand to trace the silvery circle on Isabella's skin.
Isabella immediately gasped and flinched.
"What did I do?" Remus asked quickly, retracting his hand as if he'd just touched fire.
"It's alright," Isabella assured him, "It's just… it always gets sensitive near the full moon. It feels good though. You didn't hurt me."
Remus nodded, and then a mischievous smile flittered across his lips. Before Isabella could protest he leaned down and covered the mark with his mouth, and Isabella moaned.
"Oh, by the Gods…"
He quickly extinguished his wand and pocketed it, wrapped his arms around her waist, and rested his hands on her stomach, pushing her backwards towards him.
All the while, his lips never left her skin.
"You're mine," Remus said softly as he kissed his mark.
"And you're mine," Isabella replied shakily, closing her eyes tightly and sucking in a sharp breath as she felt the tip of his tongue trace her scar.
Right before Remus bit into his mark, he whispered, "I love you," and Isabella's vision then burst into stars. Her whole body shook and she cried out, her hands leaving her hair and going back, searching for Remus' head to hold.
"Oh Gods, oh Gods," she moaned repeatedly as Remus sunk his teeth deeper into her flesh. Her body felt like it was on fire, and a tightly wound ball was now settled right bellow her naval, ready to burst. She felt his hands on her stomach begin to wander down, and right as they settled underneath her belly button she stilled them, knowing what he silently wanted. "Not… not here. I don't want… it… like this."
Remus backed away from her neck and sighed, resting his forehead on her shoulder. "I'm sorry. I got carried away."
"It's fine," Isabella said softly, caressing his hands, which were now back on her stomach. "I want it too—Merlin, you cannot even imagine how badly I want it, but I don't want it here; not like this.
"You were always a romantic," Remus said teasingly.
"I never heard you complaining," bit back Isabella, laughing softly.
They stayed like that for a moment, Remus hugging her from behind, and Isabella playing with his fingers. The night air smelled of honeysuckle and grass, and Isabella couldn't have felt anymore in love then in that moment. She was going to spend the rest of her life with this man; she knew it right in that moment that there was no one else for her except for him, her Remus.
This was the start of something beautiful.