Hello there! It's been quite a heavy week for me, and the weekend is not looking too good either, so this may be the only update for now, but that doesn't mean the story ends here because I have a lot of awesome ideas to bring into it!

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Chapter 12. The consequence

When I opened my eyes, everything was so light that it stinged and made me squint. When I finally got used to the light, I tried to look around to see where I was, because I was definately not at Dumbledore's office anymore. Both the walls and ceiling was white, and the door and the lockers around the whole room showed me by their simple and boring design that I was not even at Hogwarts at all. I started to look around desperately, because I wanted to find someone familiar that could tell me what was going on, and then I found professor McGonagall standing left to me, talking in a low voice to my mother.

"Mum?", I tried to say, and though it only came out as a whisper, my mother looked beside the professor at me and when she saw me looking back at her, she rushed forward to the bed I was tears started running down my face when she put her hands around it and put her front head against mine. Her cheeks were already striped from all those non stopping tears that had fallen for god knows how long.

"Thank-k god, I t-thought I had lost you t-too", she stuttered. When I slowly realized what she was talking about, I started to hyperventilate and it was almost impossible to get some air.

"W-what h-happened t-to h-him?", I asked and my mother breathed heavily. It took a long time before she was even able to look me in the eyes.

"He... He was m-murdered."

Professor McGonagall came forward and put a hand on my mother's shoulder. I had never seen her so heartbroken before, and this was not even her sorrow. And I just felt numb. I had heard the truth twice now, with different words, but I just could not accept it. How could he be gone, my own father?

"Wh-... Where am I?", I asked and looked at them both.

"You're at St. Mungo's, Izabel", McGonagall answered me, and I looked at her uncomprehendingly.

"You've been in a coma for two weeks, sweetheart", mum cleared out for me and I frowned a little.

"Is there something wrong with me?"

"No, your stats are looking good. You'll be fine, honey, you'll be fine."

Mum stroked her hands down the sides of my face over and over again, as if she really wanted to make sure for herself that I was there.

"I'm going back to Hogwarts now, to inform the headmaster that she's awake. I'll return when she's ready to leave the hospital", the professor said and mum got up and took her hand in her own.

"Thank you so much for taking care of my daughter", she said and McGonagall forced herself to smile a little when she nodded at us.

"Take care, both of you", she said, and disapparated from the room.

My mother cleared her throat and tried to wipe away the tears before she reached over to a small table that was placed next to my bed. She took all the things that someone had put on it and put it in front of me on the bed instead.

"Here are some gifts from your friends at school", she said, and tried to give me a smile which she really did not succed with. I looked around at the things I had before me. There was a bag full of sweets from Honeydukes, one pack with ten dungbombs, a book called 'The return of the unicorn' and a single red rose. It made me warm inside when I put up one thing at a time and looked at it closer. The tears started to stream again, but this time it was because I was touched by the fact that they had put down effort in buying me things. The last thing I looked at was the rose. I held it a bit longer in my hands, looking at it from every direction.

"Is it from someone special?", mum asked and I looked up at her, a bit surprised. She studied me from the bedside where she sat, and I thought a little before I answered.

"Yes."

"Who?"

"His name is Sirius."

"Is he a nice boy? Do you like him?"

"Yes, he's nice, and yes, I like him", I answered and I finally managed to smile through the misery. I looked up at her and she smiled back at me gently.

"You'll meet him soon again, I promise", she said and put her hand over mine. Nothing could make me feel more safe than my mother's steady touch and comforting words.

Two days later professor McGonagall returned to the hospital to take me back to Hogwarts. I had just put on my clothes and made myself ready to leave, and mum, who had stayed with me the whole time, helped me to pack all my things. I looked at her where she stood next to the bed I had been in the last weeks. She closed my bag and sighed before looking up to meet my gaze. It stung in my heart when she gave me a sad smile and it made me regret that I would leave her now, which had not been my descision at all. I rushed up to her and she put her arms around me in a tight hug.

"I love you", I said and the tears began to fall again.

"I love you too, sweetheart", she said with her calm voice. "It will be okay."

She let go of me and stroked my cheek and wiped away a tear as she gave me a warm smile.

"I can't leave you alone now, I have to come home-…", I began but she silenced me when she shaked her head.

"I'll be fine, I'm going to stay with aunt Rachel and Henry for a while. You have to go back to school and be with your friends, they can lead your thoughts away from all these terrible things that's happened in a way I'm not able to do right now."

"Are you sure?", I asked and my voice turned thick.

"Yes, honey. This is best for both of us, but you can send me letters whenever you want, you know that", she said and hugged me one more time. "We'll meet again for christmas. Take care of yourself and your friends now."

She let go of me for the last time and gave me my bag. I took it and went to stand next to professor McGonagall. She took my hand and looked down to see if I were ready. I simply nodded and looked back at my mother.

"I love you, mum", I said before we disapparated away.

Colours twirled around me and when we landed at the plain floor in Dumbledore's office I felt a bit nausea. I tried to focus with my eyes and found the headmaster sitting behind his desk in the exact same position he had been in the last time I was there. Now he smiled warmly at me, and I tried to smile back, but was only able to make some sort of grimace because of my temporary sickness.

"Welcome back, Miss Whitlock", he said and pointed at the same chair in front of him. I slowly walked forward and sat down on it.

"So tell me, dear, have you noticed something different with yourself after your awakening?", Dumbledore asked and eyed me with his shining, light blue eyes.

"No, sir", I said after a few seconds.

"Oh", he said, sounding a bit surprised. "I had a thought that some kind of change would have happened to you, because of the long time that you were unconscious."

"I haven't felt anything… Yet."

"That is true. Maybe we should let the time decide."

I nodded at him and he smiled back, but I could see the wondering expression that danced all over his eyes, and it made me feel a bit awkward. This meeting also reminded me of something I did not completely understand.

"Professor…", I said and thought about a way to force the question out of myself. "What… Exactly, happened to my father?"

"He was murdered by a Death Eater", Dumbledore answered and looked at me with a searching gaze. Maybe he thought I did not already know what a Death Eater was, but I remembered Sirius' words extremely clear. He had told me that they hated muggles, and muggleborns. Everyone who did not have pure wizard blood was worth nothing. Just like my father and mother. And me.

"Thank you for answering, sir", I said in a low voice.

"Anytime, dear."

"Well, then I guess that Miss Whitlock can return to her commonroom now", McGonagall said and Dumbledore glanced up at her.

"Of course", he said and looked back at me. "You're free to leave, Miss, if you don't have any other questions."

I shook my head and raised from the chair and went to the door with professor McGonagall. Just as she was going to open the door, I heard Dumbledore clear his throat, and I looked back at him.

"Izabel, I wish that you tell me immediatley if you feel even the slightest bit different, please."

"I will, sir."

He smiled and nodded at me and I turned around to walk out through the door and closed it behind me. Then the stairs brought us down to the first floor again. Before we walked into the corridor, McGonagall faced me one last time.

"You don't have to attend any lessons today, but please try to encourage yourself to continue your studies as fast as possible", she said and put a hand on my shoulder, before she turned around and walked through the corridor with her usual flying pace. I let out a big sigh before I took my two first steps out. Then I screamed out loud as someone threw himself over me and dragged me with him as he fell to the floor. I ended up on top of him and looked into his sparkly grey eyes that was half hidden behind his black hair that had grown much too long during the last month.

"Told you I would be waiting here", he said and grinned at me. I smiled back at him, but could not answer as for the tears fell from my eyes again. It felt like they never stopped these days. Sirius raised us up to sitting position and he looked at me cautiously, and I wiped away the tears before glancing back at him.

"How are you?", he asked and I took a deep breath.

"I'm okay, just so happy to see you. I've missed you so much", I admitted and blushed lightly. He lit up and I got butterflies in my stomach.

"I've missed you and your beautiful, pink coloured cheeks, too", he said and let the back of his hand slightly touch my reddish skin before he got up from the floor and reached out a hand to help me. I had a hard time standing up, he actually had to support me from not falling to the ground again, though I would not admit that he had affected me.

"Pardon me, mylady, if I once and for all succeded with dazzling you", he said and winked at me. I just rolled my eyes at him.

"I forgot to tell you I have low blood sugar which makes me weak in these kind of situations" I informed him and started walking.

"Mm-hm", he mubled, still sounding victorious from where he walked slowly beside me, smirking.

We walk on for a few minutes in silence when something finally caught my mind. I did not have any lessons today, but that did not mean that Sirius was free too.

"Are you skipping school?", I asked him. He glanced at me quickly to see my reproaching stare before answering.

"Yep."

"Bad boy, huh?"

"Always."

I looked up at him again and he chuckled.

"You know what?", I asked him as we stopped and faced each other. "I think you should go to your lesson, deal with the fact that you got another detention and then we'll meet outside by the lake."

"You wanna get rid of me?", he asked, sounding a bit amused.

"No, of course not. I just… Need some time of my own", I explained and looked down at my feet.

"Yeah, sure. See you later", he said and gave me a smile, which I returned. He left in a comfortable pace and I looked after him until he turned around a corner and disappeared. I went to the door that lead me outside, and headed to the lake. I had not realized that it was a beautiful day today, the sun shined and it was quite warm too. Halfway I had to take off my thick robe and roll up the sleeves on my grey jersey.

I found a big rock nearby the lake and sat down on my robe and leaned back at the hard surface. It was warm from the sun and I shivered with pleasure and closed my eyes. It was nice to just sit there with the sun shining over my face and hear the birds in the trees all around me, and sometimes even a plop from the water when a fish jumped through the surface of the usually calm and silent lake. I must have fallen asleep because suddenly I heard voices coming from the left.

"Did someone catch if the Goblin riot would be on the O.W.L.s or not?", I heard Peter ask and opened my eyes and looked at the four of them as they were coming my way.

"If you had listened even just a little bit to what Mr Binns said, instead of half-sleep through the lesson you would've caught it, Wormtail", James answered and I frowned at the nickname he gave his friend.

"Don't be too cocky, bro. If it wasn't for Remus, you wouldn't know it either", Sirius said and ruffled his friend's hair.

"Why do you call him that stupid name?", I asked and caught their attention. They began to smile when they met my gaze and shouted greetings at me, which I for the moment did not care more about than to give a simple nod in return.

"It's kind of a long story", Sirius said and smiled at me, and I raised my eyebrows.

"We mean no harm, it's an internal thing, nothing to worry about", Remus said as they sat down next to me.

"So you really think it's okay to be called… Wormtail?", I asked Peter and he shrugged happily.

"They have nicknames too, it's not just me."

"Oh really?", I asked and looked at the other three. "Then what are you called?"

"I'm Prongs", James said proudly.

"I'm Moony", Remus said and we all looked over to Sirius.

"Padfoot", he said and shrugged.

It took a few seconds to get these hilarious names to sink in, and I really tried to not laugh at them when I answered.

"So what then, may I be Fishfin?"

They looked at each other, not seemed to be too amused.

"That was an awful joke, Iz", Sirius said. "The fish are feeling bullied by you."

"Oh, really? They have feelings?", I asked and looked at him and saw the corners of his mouth twitch.

"Of course they have."

"Well, if anyone could be sure of that it would be the teddy bear 'Padfoot', such a kind and cuddly person as you are!"

"I never thought I would ever hear a girl call you 'kind and cuddly'", James said and laughed, but Sirius just looked over the lake with a satisfied grin.

"Maybe because no girl ever gets this close to him as she has", Remus said and pointed at me. I glanced at him and he gave me a small smile, before I looked down at my hands and began to play with the short grass. Remus's words had gotten stuck into my head, and I knew he knew what he was talking about. He had known Sirius since we were 11. But that was not even the most convincing part of it. Remus was very clever and sensitive, and that gave him the gift to see straight through people, which made him more aware of me and my feelings than I was myself. And when he gave me that smile, he also gave me the hope I did not even know I had deep inside me.

The next morning began with Charms. I was a bit early, and so was Sirius, and he helped me by showing what I had missed during my two weeks of absence. It was not much though, just some colour change charms and two lectures about the Patronus charm. It calmed me a bit, even though I was a bit sad about missing things.

"But as you know, you have the Master of Charms right beside you for the moment", Sirius said and straightened up so that he could look down at me with his usual superior expression.

"Oh gosh, someone should've told you it's not very charming to act like that", I told him and he chuckled as he sank down to my level again.

"Okay, I'm sorry-", he began but I interrupted him with a gasp and put my hands on my cheeks.

"Wait! What? Did I actually hear you say you were sorry for being a self-confident prat?"

"Oh, you shouldn't have said that!", he said and gave me a threatening grin as he put up his wand and pointed it at me. "Rictusempra!"

I could not stop myself from letting out a squeaking sound as my body bubbled up with laughter.

"Stop… It!", I screamed between the laugh attacks but Sirius just sat there with a big grin of satisfaction.

"Tell me you're regretting that you called me a self-confident prat, and I'll consider releasing you from your, from my point of view, extremely satisfying moment", he said and I looked at him pleading with eyes full of tears.

"Okay… Okay! I'm… Sorry. I regret… STOP IT!"

He laughed and pointed with his wand at me, and the attacks stopped. I took several deep breaths before I gave him the usual killing gaze. He just looked as satisfied as ever.

"Maybe I should learn you how to use Protego, too?", he said and winked at me.

"Thank you, but I already know that. It's just a bit difficult to shield yourself when you not ready", I said and put up my wand as a demonstration.

"Yeah, okay. I'll give you one free on me", he said and put his wand on the table and his hands up next to his head. I looked at him slyly as I thought about what I would do. Then it hit me, it would be wonderful to complete the teddy bear with some fur, and I raised my wand at him and said the incantation. But nothing happened. Not even the slightest little spark came out of the wand and I looked at it incredibly, and then at the hand that hold it. I looked up at Sirius and saw the same expression reflected back from him. And then I realized that I did not feel anything, and the horror must have spread all over my face.

"What's wrong? Izzie?", he asked with a sudden worried sound in his voice.

"I think…- I think I have lost my powers", I said in a low voice, unwillingly to believe my own words as the horror spread over from my face to his.

Outch... That wasn't good for Izzie! I'll update as soon as possible, but you're very welcome to leave me a review with your thoughts this far! :)