Chapter 52 – Birthday Surprises

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James frowned at Izzie when Regulus dropped her off at the front doors of the castle.

"This isn't going to work." He muttered.

"Excuse me?"

"I wanted to give you flying lessons." He was still frowning, looking her up and down. "But that won't work in that dress."

"Dress?" She looked down and that's when she realised, she was still wearing the ballgown Evan had made for her. "Oh, it was a gift from Evan. It was part of Reggie's surprise." She smiled. "Just hold on a sec." She disappeared in the closest alcove and when she came back, the dress was draped over her arm, and she wore her jeans again. "Is this better?"

"Yeah." He grinned as two brooms appeared in his hands. "But keep that dress for tonight, Sirius will love it."

"So, Sirius is my last stop then?"

"Jup, so you have to wait a little while to see him." He winked.

"I can live a day without Sirius, you know." She chuckled.

"You maybe, Sirius on the other hand." He snickered. "But he's preparing everything, so he can keep himself busy."

"You know what he's planning?" She asked as they started walking towards the empty field.

"I do. So, flying -"

"You do know I have flown before, right?"

"When was the last time?"

"Oh, uhm." Her brows knit together as she thought about it. "It's been years actually." She admitted.

"Is that why you don't like Quidditch?"

"No, that's another reason. But I like to tell Sirius first, if you don't mind."

"Of course not, that's a given." He eyed her for a moment. "How are things between you two?"

"Good, we're doing good again. It broke my heart when he accused me, but he explained to me..." She shook her head. "We are in a good place."

"He trusts you more than anyone, you know. Even more than me, I think."

"I think we are at a tie." She chuckled as they reached the empty field.

"He loves you more than anyone else."

"He told me." She said, looking at the empty field. She looked back to James when he placed his hands on her shoulders and guided her to him.

"It's true. He's my best friend for seven years, I know him through and through. What he feels for you, it's something he never felt before. And I think that it frightens him sometimes which results in him in being an idiot." James chuckled. "Please, keep that in mind when he's being a dumb dumb as how you like to say it."

"James." She placed one hand on the one on her shoulder. "I know. You two might not have known me, but I knew you. I knew Sirius, I know what we have and believe me this is new for the both of us, so I think we'll both mess up from time to time." She offered him a small smile. She dropped her hand and looked at the brooms. "So, how is teaching me to fly a birthday present?"

"Honestly? It may be part for Sirius benefit." He grinned sheepishly. Izzie lips quirked up before she laughed.

"That's what I thought."

"It's just -" James rubbed his neck nervously. "Sirius loves flying and believe me it would make you happy to see his face when you offer to go flying with him."

"You're an amazing friend, Potter." She smiled. "I'll accept this present then, but next year I want something just for me, alright?" She chuckled.

"I can do that." He grinned excitedly and handed her one of the brooms.

"You know, Sirius once helped me with my flying. But I doubt he remembers it."

"What happened?"

"It was back in first year. It was our second flying class, I think. You and Sirius were already showing off. Cocky little bastards." She snickered and James puffed up his chest. "Lily and I, well we weren't really fan of flying. Lily since she's a muggle born and I, well my father didn't think my place was on a broom." She snorted. "So, I had no experience. Sirius came over when you were showing off, flying around a tree or something, and he helped me with my stance and all, whispering me tips and tricks as the professor was instructing you down. At that moment, I thought for a second, we would become friends. That was until your click started pranking and all, clinging like one another like glue." She grinned. "I think that was my first interaction with Sirius."

"Sirius never mentioned it before."

"Like I said, I doubt he remembers it. And I guess when you're eleven you don't really think about those things."

"No, I guess so." He said absentmindedly. "You should ask him, what his first memory of you is."

"Maybe..." She said vaguely.

"Are you ready?" He asked, changing the subject.

She tied her hair up in a high ponytail as the broom clamped between her knees before she said. "Let's go."

After her flying lesson with James, which turned out to be a lot of fun, they went to the great hall to have lunch. Everyone was there, except Sirius. Who was apparently still busy preparing for the surprise. Barty and Evan joined them at the Gryffindor table and when Evan saw that she wasn't wearing the dress, he waved his wand and her clothes switched places in a blink of an eye. Suddenly James was being pushed aside by the huge skirt.

"So, how has your day been?" Remus asked as he wrapped his arm around Regulus.

"Interesting." She smiled. "I can honestly say I haven't had a birthday like this before." She said as she dug into her chocolate chip pancakes.

"And it's not over yet." Remus winked.

"Are you next or Lily?"

"I am." Lily said, excitement filled her eyes. She was practically bouncing on her seat.

"Now I'm curious." James said watching his girlfriend across from him. "She won't tell me what she has planned for you."

"Because it's something between me and Izzie, not you." Lily stuck out her tongue at him.

"Well-" James opened his mouth but when Lily raised an eyebrow, he closed it and crossed his arms like a five-year-old. Regulus whispered something to Remus, making him chuckle.

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"Where are we going?" Izzie asked as Lily dragged her by the hand out of the great hall twenty minutes later.

"To the place where we became friends." Her voice excited but she didn't turn around.

Izzie frowned as she thought about the moment they became friends years ago. It felt like an entire other life. Then it hit her. "We're going to the dungeons?"

"Trust me." She said, looking over her shoulder grinning. She passed the old Dark Arts classroom, the one she always used to meet Reggie, the one she used to study with Sirius. It has been ages since she'd been in there.

"I still don't like this classroom." Izzie scrunched up her nose as they entered the potions' classroom.

"Not even after all those study sessions with Sirius?" She wiggled her eyebrows.

"Nothing ever happened at those, you know that." She rolled her eyes with a smile. She hopped on the desk she used most of the time.

"Do you remember how we became friends? I mean, inseparable."

"Me being horrible at Potions, while you were a natural was what did it for me. You were so kind while the others were mean or indifferent."

"For me it was a little earlier. I decided you were going to be my best friend after you tripped up Donovan from Slytherin for calling me a Mudblood. That's why I offered to help you with Potions."

"You saw that?" Izzie asked surprised. She never knew that Lily knew what she did.

"I don't know why, because I never did before, but I looked back when it happened. And I saw you use the tripping hex. You were already a natural back then. That's when I knew we were going to be best friends."

"To think there are still some things we don't know about each other." She nudged her arm against Lily's.

"Can I tell you something?" Lily asked as she glanced around the classroom.

"You know you can."

"I'm really going to miss it here. Hogwarts, classes, they are safe, they have been a routine for the past seven years. But I'm absolutely terrified for going out into the real world. I used to have all things planned out, I was going to college to study chemistry but now... I just don't know what to do."

"You're not the only one." She looped her arm through hers. "But that's okay." Izzie snickered from the look Lily gave her, a look that said she was out of her mind. "Why do we need to have it figured out at the age of eighteen? That's just mental." They were silent for a moment. "You can still go to college, you know. It's not because you are a witch that you need to spend all of your time in the wizarding world."

"That - that does sound interesting." She was quiet for a long moment. Probably already thinking over the possibilities. "Thank you, Izzie." She leaned her head against her shoulder. "Have you figured out what you're going to do? House wise I mean. Are you going to stay with us or are you taking the flat."

"The house." She smiled a little. "Sirius and I lost so much time already; I don't want to miss any more. I want to know what we can be after school, I want to know if we can ever get past stupid mistakes because we don't know what we are doing."

"You and Sirius are making it too hard on yourselves. You are doing amazing, and I'm kind of jealous of you two."

"How can you be jealous? You have one of the most romantic boys in school."

"He can be pretty romantic, can't he?" She smiled goofy. "But I don't know... there is just something about you two that makes me a little jealous."

"Ow -" She cooed. "Did Lily have a crush on Sirius Black?"

Lily laughed wholeheartedly. "No, that's not it. Just the way he is around you, like you're his world."

"Just like James looks at you, like he has been looking for past seven years."

"Maybe I'm just used to seeing him look at me like that." She chuckled. "Maybe it's because I never knew Sirius had this side of him. I don't know but I just am, even just a little."

"Well, that's okay. I've been jealous of you for years." They looked at each other for a moment before they fell into a fit of laughter.

"I've got you a little something." She pulled out a little wrapped gift. "I think it will fit perfectly at our house."

Izzie smiled as she accepted the gift and unwrapped it carefully. "Oh, Lily. I love it." It was a picture of the two of them when they were eleven years old, they were sitting in the courtyard surrounded by yellow and red leaves.

"It was on one of my old rolls I forgot to let develop. I know it doesn't move, but -"

"It's perfect. Thank you." She hugged her tight. She looked at the picture over Lily's shoulder. "Have you seen this?" She pulled back, holding the picture between them. Behind them on the picture, four small heads popped above the stone wall. Eleven-year-old Sirius, James, Remus and Peter were glancing their way.

"What on earth were they doing?"

"I haven't the foggiest. But I'm going to ask them later. Oh!" She gasped a little, remembering the gift Barty got her. She took it out of her bag and unwrapped it. It was a first edition of Beauty and the Beast, beautifully leather bound.

"Oh, it's gorgeous. I used to love this book. Who did you get – Ah, never mind. Barty?"

"Yeah." She chuckled, her fingers grazing over the book. "The nickname stuck."

"What's wrong?" Lily asked when she frowned.

"I don't know what to tell Sirius. He can still get pretty jealous about Barty..."

"Just tell him, I think he will be okay. If he still doesn't know how madly in love you are with him, I will hit him on the head."

"My knight in shining armour." She laughed.

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Izzie saw Remus's lanky form waiting for her at the doors that led to the courtyard. She picked up her pace, holding a large part of her skirt in her arms as she jumped on his back.

"I've been waiting to see you all day."

"You saw me this morning, and at lunch." He chuckled as he started to carry her outside. "But I missed you too, not just today but with the past few months."

"I know what you mean." She nestled her head in the crook of his neck. "We should do something about that. A day every few weeks, just the two of us. How does that sound?"

"Pretty perfect in my book." He tilted his head, so he could kiss her cheek.

"Good, because I love Sirius, but I loved you first." She grinned. "And I will love you always."

"I love you too, Iz. First and always." He winked.

"So, where are you taking me?"

Remus shook his head. "I'm not ruining the surprise. You will have to wait and see."

"Too many surprises today." She pouted, her chin on his shoulder. Her head shook as he laughed, his shoulders shaking.