Chapter 15 – Snatched Away
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Easter break was coming up fast. It's been a little over a week since she discovered about the marriage with Reggie. She had met with Remus and Regulus almost every other night to talk plan strategy. The first night we found Regulus, he and Remus fell into each other's arms, afraid of letting go. Afraid of a loveless, no, not loveless but a passionless marriage and secret affairs. She felt lost and a little empty the past week, not only because of the impending arranged marriage but also because Sirius had been avoiding her since that night. Every time she entered the room, he made an excuse to leave, making her heart clench.
Once the train started moving forward, making its way to London, she took her walkman out of her bag. Sirius decided to join them in the carriage since he didn't have an excuse not to be there because James, Remus and Peter were all there. She saw him eyeing the walkman but she placed the headphones over her ears and turned her gaze outside, blocking everyone out. After a few hours, she needed to stretch her legs and get out of the compartment where she could feel Sirius's eyes on her the whole time. She stuffed her walkman back in her bag and stood op, stretching her arms over her head.
"I'm going for a walk." She said mainly to Remus and Lily that were sitting on her side of the bench.
"Can I walk with you?"
Izzie's head snapped towards Sirius, her gaze hard. "No."
Sirius stood up, his eyes pleading. "I want to talk to you."
"I rather talk to your brother." She said before walking out of the compartment swiftly. She could just hear Remus say, "It's your own fault, Pads." before the door closed.
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She found Reggie on the other side of the train sitting with Crouch and Rosier, the only three Slytherins she trusted. They were trying to find out who had talked to her father, but they haven't figured it out yet. Regulus had noticed or Remus told him that Sirius was avoiding her, but he never brought it up. At least not until now.
He leaned back and tilted his head closer to her as Evan and Barty talked about Quidditch. "You should talk to him."
"Like I told him, I rather talk to you." She bobbed his nose. Regulus spluttered at that kind of affection. "We are trying to find a way out of this. Sirius, Sirius doesn't care."
"You don't believe that."
"I don't know what to believe anymore." She whispered.
"Then talk to him. He's waiting outside." He nudged his head towards the door. And there he was, just like Regulus said. Sirius was pacing in front of the compartment, glancing inside with every turn. "His magic is all over the place." He said with a frown.
"Fine." She sighed. She kissed the three boys' goodbye, before stepping out of the compartment. "Can I help you?"
And for the first time, Sirius didn't like that she asked that. Her voice was void of emotion. "I really need to talk to you."
"After almost two weeks of ignoring me? That's rich." She glanced out the window, trees passing by in a blur.
"I guess I deserved that." He ran a hand through his long black hair before waving his wand to shut the curtains of Regulus's compartment. "I'm sorry. I thought if I kept you at arm's length, it would be safer for you."
"Merlin, I hate when guys get a hero complex." She threw her hands in the air. "Even if we didn't become friends, my father would have married me off to Regulus either way or maybe even worse. Now it's just sooner rather than later. You avoiding me hurts me more than if I were to marry Reg." Her voice broke and so did his heart. Without thinking he pulled her in a hug, but she didn't flinch. She relaxed against him the second their bodies touched.
"I'm so sorry." He whispered as he nuzzled his nose in her hair. His arm around her waist tightened while he cradled her head against him. "It's been harder for me to keep you away than I thought. Every time I saw you, I wanted to come to you. Fuck, Izzie! I'm so scared of losing you."
"Then don't push me away." She murmured in his chest. Her hands raked up between his shoulder blades.
"I won't make that mistake again. I lo- I promise, Izzie." He squeezed her a little tighter against him. They stood there for a while, just breathing slowly.
"Want to find the trolley?" She finally pulled back, a little smile tugging her lips.
He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, smiling. "Yeah, I could go for a chocolate frog."
They didn't held hands or touched each other as they walked through the train, but they were close enough so they could feel the brush of wind every time their arms swayed next to each other.
"I didn't know you knew Crouch and Rosier."
Izzie looked at him in surprise. "You know I dated Barty last year, didn't you?"
"What?" Sirius stopped in his tracks, looking like someone slapped him in the face. "No, I didn't know." His brows knit together. "How long?"
"Close to seven months." Again, Sirius looked like someone slapped him in the face. "It's okay you didn't know. You didn't even know Remus and I were friends." She shrugged.
"I -" He shook his head. "Did you keep it a secret?"
"No, it was out in the open. My father even approved." She rolled her eyes at the last part.
Sirius seemed to mull that over, a pensieve look on his handsome face. "Did you feel safe with him?"
She was surprised at that question. She always thought she must've dreamed that part that she told Sirius, but apparently it really happened. "Yes, Barty was – is safe."
He seemed conflicted, he wanted to ask more, she could tell, but he was biting his tongue and kept quiet. A few minutes later, they found the trolley.
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Izzie had convinced her father to let her stay at Remus's house and postpone the wedding planning until the start of summer. It took Regulus and his parents to convince him, saying Regulus needed to focus on school right now, but he relented eventually.
It was only a few days before school started again when Izzie and Remus heard a familiar crack outside the house before the bell rang. They both looked up in surprise. Remus from his book and Izzie with her head on the pillow where she was listening to music. Mr Lupin past by the room and shrugged, not knowing who it could be either. They heard hushed voices but couldn't make it out who it was. The next moment, loud, heavy footsteps came closer, and she knew. Her father was standing in the open doorway. His grey buzzcut, brown eyes that looked like they were ready to kill fell on her. Remus had jumped up without thinking, taking a protective stance in front of her.
"Isabelle, you're coming home, now!" He didn't shout or scream but his voice was stern and hard.
"Mr Miller, it's only a few days 'till school." Mr Lupin tried, but her father didn't look at him. His eyes were fixed on his daughter. A look that made her body shiver, knowing nothing good would come from it when she goes home. Maybe they'll force Regulus and her to marry, even though he promised to wait.
"Isabelle, don't make me ask again."
"Yes, father." She nodded and stood up. Remus shot her a look, that pleaded don't. But she knew she didn't have a choice. She tore her eyes away from her best friend with great difficulty and looked to her father. "I'll get my things."
"No need." He waved his wand, and her trunk came flying down, already packed and ready to go. "Let's get going, Isabelle." He said already turning. She reached out to squeeze Remus hand as her father turned around. Her eyes were filled with fear and terror, Remus's eyes mirrored hers. But she walked away without another glance at her best friend. And she wondered, if she would ever see him again. Remus hurried to the hallway and saw Mr Miller's tight grip on her elbow, leaving a mark for sure, before he apparated them out.
"Dad." Remus's voice was pleading and frightened.
"I know." He answered quietly, holding on to his son's shoulder. "I'll inform Dumbledore, just in case."
Remus felt his father's hand leave his shoulder, but he couldn't muster the strength to move. He just watched the spot they had disappeared from. At the spot his best friend, had disappeared from with one of the vilest men, he has ever met.
A day later, he hadn't heard anything. Not an owl, a floo call, nothing. And he tried to reassure him that her father would forbid her to write or something, that he was keeping her busy with obnoxious Pureblood things. By the next day he still hadn't heard anything, he had floo'd over to the Potter's to explain what happened, his voice shook the whole time he spoke. James and Sirius paled with each word he told them. James quickly ran up to his parents to demand they would go look for her. Sirius seemed to have stopped breathing, he looked at Remus with an all too familiar terror in his eyes. Then he ran up and hugged him tight against him. Neither of them uttered a single word as they clung to each other.
James's parents had floo'd over to Hogwarts immediately, but the boys were left behind. When they came back, they didn't have any news. Dumbledore and McGonagall had tried to get in contact with the Millers when Mr Lupin reached out but to no avail. They were going to have to wait until school started again. Remus stayed over at the Potters that night as he didn't want to be alone, and school started back up tomorrow.
James and Sirius, the ever loud and rambunctious duo were subdued and as quiet as they had never been. James had been talking to Remus as they sat in his bedroom, trying to reassure them both. Sirius hadn't stopped staring out the window, out to the snow, not speaking to anyone.
Izzie never made it on the train and during the whole train ride, they were silent and withdrawn. Lily and Remus clung to each other. While James, Peter and Sirius were withdrawn, not looking at anything in particular. Sirius had stared at the window the whole time, again feeling guilty, again feeling like this was his fault. When they arrived at Hogwarts a few hours later, Professor McGonagall was waiting for them. The look she shot them made them all freeze in place. James, Sirius, Remus and Lily all started trembling.
"No." Remus whispered; his knees buckled. And the only reason he didn't fall to the snow-covered ground was Sirius arm around him. His grip was firm, but he felt his hand tremble.