Hey! What's up? New update! Hoorah! So now you're going to meet Isa and get a little more insight on Harry and the war. I have a general direction of where this story is going, but I'm open to suggestions. Please review! Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. J.K. Rowling does. If any of you are in Bible class (like me), here's an interesting parallel for you. Rowling = God. Harry Potter = Jesus. Voldemort = The devil. Dumbledore's Army/Order of Phoenix = 12 Apostles. Mind-blowing, right?

As they finished breakfast, Harry looked around. Isa had agreed to come pick Adrianna up and take her to Old Mam's so that whatever asshole had done a number on her face wouldn't be able to find her. Harry planned to find the twerp and do a little rearrangement of his face. Matt had lived by a couple of rules, but the most important one of all was this: Protect your family. It was the golden rule of them all, the one that Matt took special care to teach to Harry and Markus. Everyone followed it. The Street Rats never had much, before or after the fire, but they did what they could for each other. It was a rule that was taken more seriously by the boys, who had been taught how to fight to defend themselves and their family. Still, to this day, it was a rule firmly embedded into the now bitter teenagers.

"Wow," Dean Thomas stated, practically foaming at the mouth. Harry turned around and smirked. Isa was standing in front of the Gryffindor table, her mere presence causing boys to droll. Harry could tell that she had been out the night before and hadn't gone home. Her clothes were wrinkled, probably from being in a heap on some guy's floor. Her make-up was a little smudged, but she still looked good enough to attract every male in the room. Everything about Isa nowadays was designed to entice men. She lured them into buying her drinks, into taking her home to their beds. Some would say she was a slut, but Harry would probably knock their teeth out. He knew it was infinitely more complicated than that.

Isa smiled her little half-smile at him. "Hey Harry," she said. "Enjoying prison?"

Harry rolled his eyes. "As much as I would having a splinter in my eye." He looked her up and down, taking notice of the barely there tank top and mink skirt. "Business or pleasure last night?"

Isa smirked sultry. "Oh Harry, you know I love both. Last night, however, was distinctly pleasure."

Harry raised an eyebrow. "And how is good ole Jack these days? He still have those rings in his face?"

Isa was speechless. The students, even the Slytherins, were watching the interaction. It was like a tennis match shooting back and forth. "How did you..."

Harry smirked. "The giant hickey on your neck for starters. Jack practically has fangs. Has he ever tried to suck your blood?"

Isa scowled. "Fuck you, Harry."

"Fuck you?" he repeated. "No thanks. God knows what I'd catch."

"Trust me, it's nothing worse than anything you caught from your last girlfriend."

There was no missing the scowl on Delia's face. Harry frowned. "Who you talkin' about?"

"Annie Falter."

"I never dated Annie Falter."

"That's not what she said."

"I fucked her. Once. I'll never do it again."

"Learned your lesson?"

Harry shuddered. "Yep," he agreed. "I did give her Markus's number though."

Isa laughed. "Good. Maybe Markus will actually give it up. Annie isn't picky."

Harry gave her a searching look. "And you are?"

Isa shrugged. "I like to be on top."

"Stop!" Adrianna shouted playfully. "I'm being scared for life."

"You'll live," Harry said dryly.

"Aren't you two supposed to be good influences?" she asked.

Harry and Isa looked at one another, smiling conspiratorially. Adrianna groaned. She knew those smiles. It would've been better to be quiet.

"You might have a point there, young Shadow," Harry pondered. "Let's see... Good advice... Don't drink. Don't do drugs."

"Don't have sex with someone in a moving vehicle," Isa contributed. "Or ever," she added after seeing Harry's withering glare.

"Always have a knife or pepper spray on you."

"Don't hesitate to kick a guy in the balls if he makes a move you don't like."

"Or any move at all."

"Never hesitate to call Harry if a boyfriend beats you up. Of course, don't be surprised when he calls you up at three in the morning asking you to come bail him out of jail."

"It was just once..."

"Once was enough. You're lucky Markus and I had enough to bail you out." Isa's smile, which had grown as she and Harry bantered back and forth, shrunk. "How is he?"

Harry shook his head, the air suddenly more somber. He understood why Markus was doing what he was doing, but that didn't mean he liked it. Voldemort wasn't famous for letting his people go, branded or not. Whether or not Markus got his revenge, things weren't going to turn out well for him.

Isa frowned as Adrianna looked down at her hands, trying to avoid getting involved in what would be a fruitless discussion. Harry was all for the war. He gathered information, recruited people, and made plans. He wanted justice, people locked away in cells and a finger pointed at someone. It was this drive that lead him to bear so much weight on his shoulders it was a surprise he could walk. It was evident to everyone that loved him that it was going to collapse on him. Isa, on the other hand, couldn't give a damn about a war that didn't directly involve her. She stayed in her little corner of the world and tried to convince Harry to do the same. In fact, the last time they'd all been gathered together, Harry and Isa had gotten into a huge argument.

*flashback*

Adrianna breathed in the heavenly scent of Old Mam's cooking. It was always a treat when her family gathered together, but it was even better when the food they were eating wasn't taken. She looked around. Pandora was chatting happily with Old Mam, Ralph sitting next to her. He was simply content to enjoy the homemade biscuits that were put out before dinner. Markus was entertaining the trouble twins, Scarlett and Marigold, nicknamed Lettie and Mari but more affectionately known as the little tornados. The nine year old twins, though not identical, shared the same mischavious personality. An friend of Old Mam's had died, leaving her already orphaned granddaughters without a home. That had been three years ago, and now they fit into the family perfectly.

Sitting next to them watching in fascination was six-year old Ariella, nicknamed the Princess by Harry. The little girl had come into the family only a year ago, and the circumstances that led her to them was enough to break anyone's heart. Her father, a penniless drunk, had beat her daily and then pimped her out to his friends for money to go waste on Firewhiskey. Harry found her being raped on a delivery. He had punched the guy's lights out and taken the little girl away. The only word the then five year old had spoken since her arrival was her name. Ariella had immediately captured everyone's hearts, and they all did what they could to make her more comfortable in her new home. Ariella's favorite person, however, was Harry. He was the only one who could coax a smile or even the occasionally laugh out of the somber little girl.

Adrianna, snapped out of her musings, looked around for Harry. He wasn't there. Isa was missing as well. She stepped out of the kitchen, heading towards the backyard that was Harry's favorite spot. She stopped when she heard voices yelling.

"You are a fucking idiot, Harry!" Isa shouted, tears starting form in her eyes. "You do know this war will kill you, right?"

Harry's voice was cold. "I know what I'm doing, Isa."

"No!" Isa screamed. "No, you don't. All you can think about is Bellatrix and her fucker of a husband writhing in pain at your wand!"

"They deserve it!" Harry screamed back, his face getting red. "They deserve to suffer just as much as I am. You can't hurt my family and get away with it."

"And what about the family you have that's still alive? Don't you want to protect them?"

Harry got up into Isa's face, his eyes cold hard emeralds. "What do you think I'm doing? Do you think I like this war? I don't. It fucking sucks, in fact, but I'd rather fight it than have Lettie or Mari or Ariella have to." Unspoken words of 'Because I have nothing left to lose' hung in the air, drowning Isa and Harry with their weight.

Isa's eyes softened. "I don't want to lose anyone else," she whispered.

Harry sighed. "I don't plan on dying," he said. There was a pause as Harry turned away and headed to the door. Adrianna slid out of view. He was just turning the knob when Isa spoke again.

"And what happens when it's all over, Harry? What's going to be left?" Of you, she thought. Of Markus, she thought. Of me.

Harry didn't turn around. "I don't know."

Isa didn't know what to say. She was worried about Harry and Markus. She was afraid of losing the rest of the family. She wished they could all stay out of this war. But they couldn't, and Harry wouldn't anyway. So, instead of saying anything to Harry, she turned to Adrianna. "Come on," she said. "Old Mam's waiting for you."

Adrianna nodded and grabbed her back. Isa turned to look at Harry. "See you at Christmas?"

Harry nodded, his body completely rigid. She knew what he was thinking. He was wondering if Markus would even still be alive for Christmas. He was wondering how many Christmases he had left. She felt like she had to say something, anything, right then.

"Don't worry about Markus," she added. "People get what they deserve in the end." Isa didn't look at Harry as she said this, and he couldn't not look at her because they both knew it was possibly the biggest lie either of them had ever told. And it was under the disguise of this lie that Adrianna and Isa left.