Dear Aunt Izzy,

I'm sure you've already heard of this, but Talia and I got into a fight—for a stupid reason that I won't even begin to explain (because you probably already know of it)—but the point is that she won't talk to me anymore. Do you have any clue as to what I can do to win her over? She's being rather difficult and I'm at my wits end. Nothing I do seems to please her!

–Draco

PS: I'd appreciate it if you didn't mention this to my mother and father. The last thing I need is for them to become involved. Merlin's pants, I'd never hear the end of it!

With a sigh, Isabella shook her head. Oh Draco, she thought ruefully, and then chuckled as she walked into the sitting room of Monk's Hood Cottage.

"A letter from Talia?" asked Remus as he stepped out of the kitchen, drying his hands on a dishtowel.

"A letter from Draco, actually," admitted Isabella with a little smile.

"What'd the boy do now?" asked Remus, feigning interest as he tucked an end of the dishtowel into his pocket so that it would hang from his hip.

"It seems that he and our little Talia got into a fight, and now Talia is ignoring him, and dear Draco has no idea what to do," Isabella said with a twinkle of amusement sparkling in her eyes. She knew of what had happened—Severus had told her via Floo, and at first she'd been aghast that her daughter had been on the receiving end of such a spell, but after hearing about Draco's multiple attempts to get back into Talia's good graces, Isabella's heart filled with warmth.

"What would you do if I stopped talking to you?"

"Did he say what the fight was about?" asked Remus, suddenly interested. If that boy had done anything to his daughter…

"No—answer the question," prompted Isabella, refraining from laughing at the protective stance Remus had suddenly taken. That was exactly why she had kept the fight from his knowledge—Remus was too protective of Talia, and if he'd caught wind of what had happened… well, Isabella refrained from thinking on the hell that would ensue.

"I'd sweeten you up," said Remus honestly, "chocolates, flowe—wait, he and Talia are only friends, right?"

"Technically," said Isabella noncommittally, shrugging her shoulders.

"What's that supposed to mean?" asked Remus skeptically, arching an eyebrow in question.

A rather secretive smile crossed Isabella's lips, and Remus paled as realization hit him.

"No," he moaned, "don't tell me that—"

"He used to call her "my Talia" when he was little," Isabella grinned, "It was rather cute. He'd come tromping through the door exclaiming, "Where's my Talia?" and Talia would yell back, "Where's my Draco!" and then they would hug and 'Cissa and I would just laugh."

"Oh Merlin," said Remus with a cringe. "Talia is too young—"

"She's twelve, Remus," admonished Isabella with a roll of her eyes, "It never hurts to have a crush."

"Yes, but Draco is… fourteen, isn't he?" asked Remus, looking for any type of excuse.

"Didn't you get your very first girlfriend when you were fourteen?" asked Isabella with a pointed look. "If memory serves me right, it was that blonde Gryffindor, Marlene McKinnon."

"I actually never had a girlfriend until you," Remus admitted, "that whole thing with Marlene only lasted a week, and we only just talked—awkwardly, mind you. Sirius brought the whole thing on—he said that I needed to get a girl, and Marlene was just there, so I just gave it a shot so he'd leave me alone. Nothing obviously happened; she thought I was weird."

"Really?" asked Isabella, tilting her head to the side, furrowing her eyebrows.

"Yeah," said Remus softly, walking up to her and wrapping his arms around her waist, "besides, it was always you, Isabella Prince. You're it for me."

Isabella smiled softly, and stood on her tiptoes to give Remus a quick kiss.

"You always know just what to say," she said softly, lifting up a hand to run through his hair lovingly.

"I love you," Remus grinned, bringing his head down to rest his forehead on Isabella's forehead.

"And I love you," she smiled, pressing herself up against him.

"I love you more," said Remus softly, his warm breath hitting her skin.

"Not possible," Isabella whispered, closing her eyes, "I love you the most."

Remus chuckled, before pressing his lips to Isabella's mouth. The kiss was slow, gentle, and languid; there was no rush, no need to impress—it was just them, and their love for one another. Isabella wrapped her arms around Remus' neck, bringing him down closer to her, unwilling to let any part of their body's not touch. She breathed in deeply, loving the way he smelled, the way he tasted, and the feel of his hands circling her waist, pressing her against his front. Slowly they began moving backwards, until the backs of Remus' legs met with the sofa. In one swift movement, Remus was sitting down, and Isabella was straddling his lap.

"I love you so much," Isabella whispered against his ear, her arms tightening around his neck as she played with the hair on the nape of his neck.

"I love you even more," Remus said in a husky whisper, his hands sliding down her waist and resting on her rear, "and I hate to end this, but I can smell my mother snooping through the kitchen doorway… along with camera powder."

Just then, there was a flash, the sound of puffing smoke, and an amused chuckle.

Isabella giggled, burying her face in the crook of Remus' neck.

Leave it to Adele Lupin to ruin the moment.

Draco,

Dearest, try chocolates and flowers, and since she doesn't want to talk to you, give a written apology a try.

—Aunt Izzy

AN: Oh Adele... WHY!?