Chapter 35 – Without a Touch

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Lily, Remus, Regulus and Sirius went over every note and almost every book in the room. The hours ticked by, and Izzie was still asleep. Sirius had a hard time concentrating, his eyes flickering to the closed door every ten minutes or so. They didn't even realise it was time for dinner, when food appeared in front of them.

"Uhm, where did this come from?" Lily asked pointing at her porkchop.

"I'm guessing the house elves know when we are here and send up food." Regulus shrugged as he flipped through a book from the restricted section.

"Shouldn't we check up on her? She's been asleep for a long time." Sirius said glancing at the door again.

"She's been through a lot. I'll go check on her." He said quickly before Sirius could get up. He went in the room and closed the door behind them.

"What if the marriage bond makes them... you know." Sirius frowned, watching the closed door.

"I just think they're being careful. They don't know what your parents did exactly, or how the bond will affect them. But we need to give them space if they need it."

"I can't believe your parents went through with it." Lily pulled her knees to her chest.

"I can." Sirius growled. "I knew they were up to something."

"It's done now. Let's just see what they did and then we can find a way out of this." Remus said picking up another book.

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In the meantime

Regulus stepped into the room and saw her in the exact same position as a few hours ago, but he could see her breathing slowly. He sat down next to her, grasping her hand in his. The moment their bodies touched; he felt his magic alongside hers grow stronger. She moved in her sleep and clutched his shirt.

"We'll get through this, Isabelle, I promise." He stroked her hair softly. "I'm going to make this right, for you, for Remus, for Sirius."

"Sirius." She sighed in her sleep; a little smile ghosted her lips.

You truly love him. Regulus mused as he watched the faint smile. I'll make sure you'll be able to love him freely. He vowed. Their magic buzzed between them, making him fall asleep next to her.

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Lily was busy with the Runes they had used during the ceremony. While Remus went over the blood rituals and Sirius tried to focus on the Pureblood rituals. But when an hour had passed and Reggie still hasn't shown up, he stood up and walked over to the room. He glanced inside as saw them both asleep. Seeing them like that, he was afraid the marriage bond was bringing them closer together, to something more. He tried to keep those thoughts away which wasn't easy, he was just happy to see that she had regained more colour in her cheeks. He was just about to close the door again when he heard her whisper.

"Sirius."

He didn't even realise his was moving until his knees bumped the bed. He kneeled down next to the bed and looked from his brother to the only girl who had stolen his heart. "Izzie." He whispered.

Izzie moved in her sleep until she rolled over facing him, her eyes were still closed. He reached over and took her hand in his, he felt something push him away but couldn't place where it came from.

"Please don't push me away, we will find a way, I promise." He caressed her cheek, another push, a little stronger than before. "I love you." He reached over and kissed her cheek. But the moment his lips touched her, he was flown backwards. Regulus and Izzie woke up from the crash and Lily and Remus bounded in the room.

"What happened?" Remus asked, looking at Sirius on the floor. He was rubbing his head where it had hit the wall.

"Sirius?" Izzie pushed herself up on the bed. Her eyes filled with worry.

"Remus kiss my brother." Sirius said as he clambered up.

"W-what?" Remus blushed fiercely.

"You know I wouldn't just ask for no reason. I rather don't see you snog him. But could you? I need to test a theory."

"Uhm." Remus glanced to Regulus, who looked apprehensive. Regulus looked back to Izzie.

"Go kiss your boyfriend, Reg." She smiled softly. Sirius saw the colour drain both of their faces when they didn't touch anymore and made a mental note to research that later. Reggie stood up from the bed as Izzie drew her knees to her chest.

"Are you sure?" Regulus asked as he stopped before Remus, looking at Izzie and Sirius. With a nod from both of them, he leaned in and kissed him. Like a couple who hasn't seen each other in years, the kiss grew from sweet to hunger. Their tongues dancing together as Remus pulled Reggie flush against him, his hands on his hips. They were both breathing rapidly when they pulled away. "So-" Regulus cleared his throat, red as a tomato as he stepped away from Remus. "Does it confirm your theory?"

"No." Sirius frowned. He stepped closer to Izzie, who flinched a little. She was now sitting with her legs off the bed, and he kneeled between her legs, careful not to touch her. He waved his wand behind him, muttering the incantation for a cushioning charm. "Hey." He gave her a small smile as he looked up to her.

"Hi." She reached over to cup his cheek, but he pulled back, and he hated the hurt that flickered over her face. "I'm sorry about earlier, I didn't-"

"It's not that." He shook his head. "I'm dying for your touch but... when you were asleep, I held your hand and it felt like a force pushed me away. Then I -" He said as his hand ghosted over her cheek. "I kissed your cheek." He reached up and kissed her cheek lightly, the next second he was flown backwards as he landed against the wall, but the blow was softened because of the charm.

"Sirius!" Izzie was on her feet and wanted to reach out but didn't dare to. She looked over her shoulder and Remus was helping Sirius up within seconds.

Regulus joined at her side and wrapped his arm around her, feeling better in an instant. Lily walked closer to Izzie, taking her other side.

"What does this mean?" Lily asked.

"I'm guessing that's the reason why Izzie feels weaker. They must've put another spell or something on her to keep her away from Sirius since they figured out they meant something to each other. They didn't do that to me because they don't know about Remus." Regulus said with a scowl as he tugged Izzie closer.

"Is it just Sirius or other guys too?" Lily asked, looking between the others.

Remus stepped closer, looking between Regulus and Sirius before kissing her cheek. Nothing happened, so Remus engulfed her in a tight hug.

"Only Sirius. It must be through blood or hair then." Lily mused, scribbling down on a parchment that she had just summoned.

"So, I can't -" Her eyes went to Sirius and her heart broke a little. "I can't touch you."

"We'll find a way out of this, Iz." Remus squeezed her shoulders as he leaned down to catch her eye. "Everyone deserves to be with the person they love."

"I - I don't-" She started because she didn't know if she loved Sirius, but her voice caught up in her throat when her eyes found Sirius. Those grey stormy eyes, that sparkled with love. "Can you guys give us a moment."

"Sure." Remus kissed the top of her head before the three of them walked out, leaving Izzie and Sirius alone.

She slid against the bed until she was sitting on the floor, Sirius took his place in front of her as close as they could without touching. Without saying anything, they both raised their hands as they ghosted over each other.

"It already feels like years since I've held you." Sirius said quietly. "I've been through years of not knowing you, of barely speaking to you. I just found you and it feels like I've already lost you."

"Sirius-"

"No-" He shook his head. "You're a piece of me that I was missing, Izzie. I will never give up on you, on us. I will do everything in my power that we will have a future. And I hope someday soon, you'll be able to trust me again. And if that happens, I hope one day you will love me like I love you."

Izzie's sight was clouded by tears, she pulled her hand back and lowered her head. "You mean so much to me, Sirius." She looked up again and a tear rolled down her cheek. "I've never felt like this for anyone, every time I see you or just think about you, my heartbeat becomes faster. Every time you wrote to me this summer, I felt like a thirteen-year-old girl who had her first crush." She let her hand ghost over his cheek. "I want to touch you; I want to kiss you so bad."

"We'll get through this, together." He closed his eyes as her hand ghosted over his cheek. He felt her move closer, her lips not even a centimetre from his, her breath softly on his lips. "I will hold you in my arms again." His lips nearly touched hers when he spoke. "I will kiss you again, I promise you that."

"Sirius, I -"

"You don't have to say anything." He opened his eyes and found her so close, yet so far away. "I will wait for you."

Her breath caught for a moment. "I know we can't touch each other-" She pulled back, her cheeks getting warmer. "But I would love to go on a date with you. Maybe see those stars at the Astronomy tower." She blushed as she looked down at her hands.

"Oh." Sirius said in surprise. "I- yeah, that -" He cleared his throat trying to avoid more stuttering. "I would love to. Me asking you out was part of my plan after I courted you a bit more, you beat me to it, love."

She chuckled lightly, looking back into his eyes. "Well, then you will have to rearrange your plan a bit, don't you? Besides, I think the not touching will get in the way either way."

"I will find a way." He said resolutely. "I found a way to get to know you, didn't I?" He gave her a lopsided smile.

"Against my wishes, yes." She laughed softly. "But thank you for trying, even after all those years."

"I wish I would have done it sooner, but I would do it all over again. What about next Saturday, if the night is clear? For our first official date?"

"I would love to."

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That night, James and Peter came in to help research the books they hadn't been through. They were both shocked, to say the least, about everything that happened. The marriage, the torture, the fact that Sirius and Izzie can't touch each other. And even though they couldn't touch, Sirius and Izzie sat close next to each other. While Regulus sat down on her other side, their knees did touch subconsciously as their magic filled them. They didn't find out anything more except what Izzie found about Regulus being off age. James suggested he would go to the restricted section with his cloak and take another look around. They all stayed in Izzie and Reggie's quarters that night, except for Peter, who preferred his own bed. Lily filled the floor with pillows and blankets while the boys hovered the books to the side. Usually, Izzie was the one who would be casting spells around the room, but they all knew her magic was still weak. Izzie ached to lie down next to Sirius, but they couldn't risk them touching during the night. So, she lay down between Regulus and Remus. They clasped their hands together over her stomach before she placed her hand on theirs with a small smile. At her feet lay Lily, then James and in the back Sirius. The fire was dwindling down, the room was getting darker by the minute. But their eyes never strayed from each other until the fire was completely out.

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I can't believe it, we are already halfway through the story! I hope you guys are still enjoying it. More chapters soon!