A/N: Brace yourselves for a crapload of high school drama :)

United...

Chapter 21: League of Lions

31st January Hospital Wing

02:41 AM

"Pads, you're being silly."

"Look, I'm just worried, okay?"

"And that's a good enough reason for you to risk your neck, sneak out of the Hospital Wing and break into the dungeons, all to have a 'CHAT' with your brother in the dead of the night, the keyword here being 'dead'?!"

"Well, do you have a better idea?!"

"Yes! Go back to sleep!"

"But, I need to see him! Now! Look, the plan's simple! We slip in, say hi, I kidnap Regulus out of his dorm, yell the crap out of him, make sure he understands that if he ever attempted something like this again, he'd find himself in St. Mungo's NURSING HIS TENDERS, and then we slip back out—no one would ever even guess we'd left our beds!"

There was a silence during which, Isabella was sure Remus was contemplating between screaming into a pillow, gouging his own eyeballs out and crashing a jug of water on Sirius's head to bring him back to his senses.

"Do you realise how mental, not to mention faulty, your plan sounds?!" he whisper-yelled, his voice bordering on forced calm now. "It's a quarter to three for Merlin's sake! You haven't had a second's worth of rest in more than a day and a half, Sirius! Secondly... It's not practical—!"

"—Moony, please!" Sirius half-whined, half-sobbed.

Isabella, whose bed was right next to Remus's on which this silent tennis match of wills was taking place, sighed internally, because she was positive that in about exactly thirty seconds, Remus was going to say yes.

"Alright, fine!"

Even in her half-dazed state, Isabella's jaw dropped in shock at the magnitude of stupidity Remus was displaying right this instant. And just as she reluctantly prepared herself to get off her arse and give them both an earful for being absolute CLODS, she heard the doors to the quiet Hospital Wing burst open all of a sudden! Remus and Sirius exchanged quick glances of utter horror before diving flat on the bed and throwing the blanket over their heads so that Remus now looked like he was birthed by a troll. Isabella followed suit too and pretended to be fast asleep while noting the obvious sounds of a cloak grazing the floor and moving towards them.

"Professor Dumbledore?" came the groggy, quiet voice of Madam Pomfrey.

"Poppy! My sincere apologies for barging in at such an odd hour," said Dumbledore, his voice barely above a whisper.

"Oh, no, not at all! I needed to check up on Mr. Pettigrew's burns anyway. What is it, Professor?"

No one spoke for a really long time... Isabella was on high-alert mode now, screwing her ears as hard as she could. And then Dumbledore's whispers were heard again. "Poppy... When you cleaned out the children's wounds today, did you happen to chance upon anything... Peculiar...? Anything that may classify as Magical objects, perhaps? In their possession or their clothing?"

Silence again. Isabella's eyebrows knotted in confusion. What was this about...?

"Magical objects?" Pomfrey repeated, sounding lost in thought. "Well, no, I don't think so. At least the ones I did come across didn't seem out of place in the slightest..."

The two of them fell quiet once more. "Could you tell me, off the top of your head, everything that you saw?" asked Dumbledore, making himself sound more and more mysterious by the second.

"Well... Let me see," said Pomfrey thoughtfully, "Miss Evans had a tiny pouch that contained several leaflets and parchments and quills and other school essentials. And then there were a couple of wands, several phials, one cauldron and a cup, a few scales, a telescope and two school robes. That was all, Professor."

A slow breeze blew in from the window and sent chills down Isabella's spine—and it had nothing to with the weather itself. There was something in Dumbledore's voice that put her in a very perturbed state...

"Oh, very well, then," came Dumbledore's gruff response after nearly forever. "Perhaps I am overthinking this for nothing..." he said to himself, sounding very preoccupied.

"Why, is everything alright, Professor?" asked Pomfrey.

"Oh, I sure hope everything is... Anyway, thank you for that, and I hope you get some sleep tonight, my dear," he whispered.

"Not likely, but thank you, Professor," Pomfrey smiled. And with that, Isabella heard his cloak sweeping out of the double doors once again before they clicked shut. And not a second later, Remus and Sirius's heads emerged from under their blanket, looking just as bewildered as she was...

"Didn't you give him everything you had?" asked Remus suspiciously.

"Of course, we did!"

There was a pause when all three of them broiled in curiosity.

"Doesn't look like Dumbledore trusts us entirely, does it?" asked Remus, sounding more worried than anything else.

The two of them fell silent again, deep in thought.

A few moments later, however: "So, are we going, or what?" asked Sirius, most incredulously.

"NO!" hissed Isabella before Remus could even react, making them both jump up in fright.

- O -

1st February Hospital Wing

07:18 AM

Someone pressed a cold hand on her forehead, making her jerk awake.

"There, there! Your fever has come down so much, you're now almost good as new!" chirped a kind voice.

It took Isabella several seconds to realise where she was.

"Did you sleep well, dear?" asked Madam Pomfrey again, now preparing a potion of some sort.

"Not too badly," she replied groggily, her head still spinning heavily from having woken up so suddenly.

"Excellent! It will take at least a week more for the scars in your hand to disappear, so please make sure you don't have any more 'accidents' for some time?" she said, gracing her with a semi-stern look whilst thrusting the healing potion into her hand.

Rubbing her eyes and nodding wearily, Isabella pushed herself up on her elbows and looked at the other beds around her and found Peter and Lily still fast asleep. To her utter surprise, however, James, Remus and Sirius were already up and sniggering away nonsensically on James's bed, on the other side of the room. Do these boys sleep at all?

"Drink up, Miss Williams!" said Pomfrey, before bustling out through the door into her quarters.

Gulping down the bitter potion and shuddering in its after-taste, she was just about to head down to the bathroom and freshen up when sounds of a sudden commotion beyond the double doors reached her ears. The three boys stopped talking and looked up too, seemingly puzzled at all the noise... It sounded as if a whole bunch of boys were having a massive squabble of some sort right outside the Hospital Wing.

"What's that...?" asked James, exchanging glances with Sirius and Remus. An odd rush went through her as the voices became louder and louder by the minute.

And not a second later, the double doors burst open and in stormed a VERY cross-looking Thomas Walker, closely followed by an army of boys from across years and across Houses, looking equally disgruntled.

"Wha—?" started James, looking truly alarmed at the at the fact they were being hounded by Edgar Bones, Simon Gregor, Brian McAdams, Puck Oleus, Daniel Willets, Thomas Walker, Martin Benkley, Robert Mathews, Calum Harper, Clayton Wicker, Samuel Willows, Ebin Smith, Vernon Béchanac, Lance Whittaker, Viktor Jigger, Kingsley Robins and Frank Longbottom all at once! And Isabella couldn't think of ONE plausible reason why there ought to be so many Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws under the same roof and at the same time, if not for dinner!

"You," said Thomas, pointing straight at a dumbfounded Isabella. "Get over here too, Williams!" he barked, clicking his fingers at her.

That was an order. He hadn't even had the courtesy to grace her with a look when he said that, something very uncharacteristic of him!

Whipping out a chair out of nowhere, he swung it around and placed it neatly in front a petrified Sirius and James, while Frank broke away from the crowd and hurriedly sank into the bed next to Remus, looking more unforgiving and discomfited than even Thomas was. "What's going on?" muttered Sirius, to which Frank mumbled an incoherent, "You fucked up big, man..."

James and Sirius exchanged yet another terrified glance as the group of older boys rounded up on them, as if ready to hex their faces out of recognition!

Looking more perplexed than ever, Sirius put his hands out. "Okay, Tom, whatever this is about, can we all just calm down and—"

"—SHUT UP, Black! You've done quite enough!" Thomas spat out, looking graver than ever.

"I don't think he even REALISES what he's done!" growled Daniel, balling his hand into a tight fist and glaring murderously at Sirius.

"Willets, would you CALM DOWN for a second, and let me do the talking?!" Thomas spat out, glaring daggers at the sixth-year student. "Look, Black, I don't know, nor do I CARE about what you two have going between you," he said, gesturing between him and Isabella, "but I will NOT let you jeopardise my team!" he roared, gritting his teeth in full measure.

"Give him the bloody context, first, alright?!" snapped Frank, before turning his grim face towards Sirius. "Mate, word got out about some kiss... between you and Williams...?" he said, looking wide-eyed at him, almost hoping Sirius would deny the fact immediately. When all he got from the latter was stunned silence, Frank looked about ready to clobber him dead! "Well, congratulations, Goody and Wharton are now threatening to quit the bloody TEAM!" he whisper-growled into Sirius's face.

Isabella's face had gone white with shock now...

"What?" she squeaked, making Daniel's head jerk up to glare at her.

"Damn right, they are!" yelled Daniel, clenching his teeth once again. "And I'll make sure not ONE Gryffie attends a match for the rest of the YEAR if you two don't resign!"

"—yeah, let's not get dramatic now, mate—" Samuel Willows started.

"Shut up, Sam!" Daniel flared up again. Turning his bloody face back to Sirius, he said, "That was LOW, Black! Too low! You BROKE him, man! You knew! We ALL knew how much he liked her...!"

"Okay, Dan, simmer down...!" said Martin Benkley, gruffly putting his hand on his chest.

"NO, Martin! He deserves to get hexed in the bloody face!" he screamed and, before anyone could even blink, he had launched himself on an unsuspecting Sirius, making several boys cry out in panic and scramble to avert violence! "HOW could you do this to him?!" he growled over and above the noise, grabbing hold of Sirius's shirt, causing a petrified James and Frank to yank him back to safety while the rest of the seventh-years hauled a murderous Daniel away from the bed.

"Hold your Horklumps, Willets!" Clayton roared into Daniel's face while Robert, Ebin and Calum held the homicidal sixth-year back by his hands. The atmosphere was sizzling with adrenaline now with tempers flying everywhere.

Having dived into the space between Sirius and Daniel, Thomas held his hands out to keep them as far away from each other as possible. Mutely turning to face Sirius, he growled, "Fix this!" while painfully jabbing him in the chest. "Both of you!" he added, looking at Isabella too this time. "Look, they're the best we have and I am not letting them go for something as ridiculous as this!"

Daniel whirled around looking gobsmacked beyond expression. "LET THEM GO? You plan to LET THEM GO—?!"

"No! I never SAID that—!" Thomas roared back.

"Ohhh, this is precious!" Daniel snarled.

"Okay, Dan, that's enough!" Isabella screamed, finally breaking her silence. Everyone turned around to face her. "I will talk to Ryan! Alright?! And... And I will talk to Clare and Oliver too and if need be, I shall quit the team instead—"

"—what?! NO!" roared James, Sirius and Thomas at the same time, much to Daniel's horror.

"Okay, stop talking! EVERYONE!" Vernon yelled, putting his hands up before Daniel or anyone else could even move a muscle. "Look, boys! Quidditch is sacred!" he started, choosing his words very carefully. "And we need the absolute best of the BEST in our teams for us to even dream of overthrowing the Snakes this year. And you've seen the bloody scores! I mean, we need a MIRACLE to beat them blockheads—!"

"—you think I don't know that, Vern?!" roared Sirius, hurt that Vernon could even assume something like this! "You think I did this on purpose? You think I'd ever do something that would jeopardise our grand plan, a plan that I helped devise at the start of this damned year?! Heck, I'd give up my WAND to see them lose the House Cup and you know it!"

"YES, I do! And that's why we can't fall apart! Not NOW!" yelled Vernon. "Goody is the best Seeker you could possibly ask for this year! And Oliver, well, is there anyone even remotely as big as him who could take his place as Beater on your team? This is the Dream Team, Black! And we need each and every one of you playing for Gryffindor. And that's why you have to fix this mess. And it's like we discussed at the start of the year. We don't care WHICH house wins the Cup, as long as it's not Slytherin!" he yelled, breathing heavily. "And mate, NOW is the time to get back at them, dammit! Show them what unity looks like! Heck, ever since I heard about what Mulciber did to Evans, I swear by Helga, I wanted him DEAD! We all want the same thing, mate!" he said, gesturing to all of them. "We need to show them that they can't terrorise us forever and get away with it too, and the way to show them up is by beating them at Quidditch!"

Anyone listening to this line of reasoning would surely believe they were actually dealing with a bunch of lunatics who can't tell between left and right...

"Nothing screams humiliation like a lost match in Quidditch!"

The former ex-Prefect ended his speech with so much POWER, the boys almost looked like they'd give him a teary-eyed standing ovation for that!

"He's right," mumbled Edgar, looking apologetically at his class-mates. "For the greater good, you know," he said, receiving several grunts of approval from the onlookers.

Sirius's face had gone numb with pride now, as he sat there stubbornly avoiding everyone's eye and scowling for full measure.

What boggled Isabella's mind the most though was, in all this time, none of them seemed even remotely interested in why or how the bunch of fifth-years all got admitted to the Hospital Wing at the same time! No one seemed to care in the slightest about the flurry they had caused at the Ministry just a couple of days ago, or about the iconic Breaking of the Wall in History, making her want to burst out laughing at their priorities!

"Pads?" called out James, pulling him out of his self-pity cave.

"Okay, fine, you're right, I'm sorry!" Sirius mumbled as he threw his head back in exasperation.

"There you go!" hummed Ebin, while Thomas clapped him painfully on the back with a, "Alright, then!"

Daniel, however, scoffed and rolled his eyes scornfully. "Yeah, right! We'll just see what he does!" he spat out and jerked Puck's firm hand off his shoulder before turning on his heels and storming towards the door, leaving a void behind him. "I wish it weren't like this," sighed Brian apologetically, and before long, all the Gryffindor sixth-years had risen to their feet too and followed Daniel out of the Hospital Wing.

Breathing a sigh of relief, Thomas sank back into his chair looking about ready to set himself on fire while James, Sirius and Remus looked on helplessly at their Quidditch God. "We need to win," he started. "Both the Quidditch and the House Cup. It could be by 10 points or a 100, it doesn't matter. And everyone's counting on us! So, go ahead and spoon Evantrap for all I care, but just make sure the team stays together, Black," he said, looking at Sirius this time. "Our final match is in less than a few weeks from now and we need to get our heads in the game, you hear me?"

Sirius mutely nodded only to receive several more appreciative pats on the back from the bunch of boys. The electric tension that had prevailed up until a second ago seemed to dissipate immediately, replaced by warm camaraderie once again. And just like that, the conference came to and end. "We'll see you on the other side, then," smiled Robert, winking cheekily at them.

"Oh, and, sending the whole Ministry on a wild goose chase like that?" Lance started, grinning for full measure now. "NICELY done!" he guffawed, making the bunch of them burst out laughing at last. "Our pleasure," James called back even as the lot of them high-fived the younger boys, overcome with glee and admiration for the Lions.

...

"Really, Sirius? You snogged her?"

The burning Isabella felt in her face could have brought a whole city down to ash as she watched three very formidable faces glaring down at the two of them, determined to get answers. Except James, perhaps; he just looked highly amused. And she couldn't blame Remus for the absolute shock he held in his face as he asked this question, because CLEARLY... Well... Er... Well, she was SURE he had a good enough reason!

"Well?!" Lily tapped her feet menacingly, scowling at the pair. Her worst nightmare was realised when Lily woke up and the first thing she had remembered was her promise to Isabella about 'having words' about this very topic!

Sirius rolled his eyes nice and wide. "Could you all stop making such a big DEAL out of this?" he shot back snappishly. And Isabella's jaw dropped.

Both Remus and Lily's eyes widened so much, it was at risk of rolling right out of their sockets!

"'Such a big deal'?!" Remus repeated as if he was not sure he had heard Sirius right.

"Since when did snogging become such a big crime?!"

"Since she got a boyfriend!" yelled Lily.

Isabella cringed so much at that word, she was sure a whole gallon of milk got turned somewhere this very instant!

"Well!" started Sirius, half-shrugging, half-shuddering and fully managing to punch himself in the face. "Look, would you two calm down for Merlin's sake! It was just a kiss, it's not like it meant anything!"

Isabella whipped around. "What?!"

"Didn't MEAN anything?" Lily interjected before Isabella even had the chance to respond.

"I wasn't thinking straight! I mean, I was sleep-deprived and tired and... And... In all honesty, I wasn't thinking at all!"

Remus was so angry now, he looked like he was overcome with the urge to patronizingly offer him dog treat! "Sirius," he started, speaking very slowly lest he'd explode. "One doesn't snog someone... without THINKING!" he finally roared.

"But...!" wheezed Sirius, now losing the plot faster than he could spell it. "I... Look, I know what this sounds like! But for your information, Izzy means a LOT more to me than any of the other slags I've... You know?" he offered weakly.

"Oh! My! GOD!" Isabella sprang up to her feet in shock. Her chest was heaving and falling so much, she was surprised she hadn't torn her robes as yet.

"OH! No, no, no, I didn't mean it like that...!"

"Sirius! STOP TALKING!" roared Isabella.

"No! Start talking! I really want to hear this one out," Remus cut in. "Why? Why in the name of Merlin, did you do what you did, Sirius Orion Black?" he rasped.

Sirius merely gaped for a bit as he took in James's stifled sniggers, Lily's bloodshot eyes, Remus's death glare and Isabella's scrunched up face all at one go.

Breathing heavily and thinking up a reason that Isabella was SURE none of them, including James, were going to like, he spluttered out a, "Because she's a KNOCKOUT now, have you not noticed...?"

Abruptly Isabella turned to Remus with a forced calm. "He's appalling."

"I know," growled Remus, pulling her into a giant pity hug. "Trust me, Izzy, I know."

"Is he always like that?" roared Lily.

"Unfortunately," replied Isabella and Remus at the same time.

"That just sucks."

"Look, can I just get a second alone with her?" Sirius asked, his face suddenly hardening up.

Lily was almost breathing fire now. "Are you KICKING us out?!"

"Yes! I want to talk to her. In private," he added stiffly, looking straight into Isabella's eyes now.

James, who was now purple in the face from uncontrolled laughter, sobered up just a little and nodded solemnly. "Congratulations! Your first words of wisdom for the day!" he guffawed.

Lily and Remus looked at him incredulously, but James seemed unperturbed. "What? It really is none of our business!" he shrugged, still smiling but oozing with matured confidence.

"Tell me he's joking," growled Lily to a stunned Remus when—

"Lily?!" called out Sirius, suddenly having gone livid in the face. "Respectfully... Get out!" he snapped, stabbing her with a piercing look.

It came like a slap to the face.

Isabella saw her go numb all over at once, shocked at being spoken to like that... And the fact that it was coming from Sirius hurt her even more—because deny as she may, the only other boy apart from Severus she cared about and thought of as a 'friend' was him. Pursing her lips and blinking back hot tears that prickled the corners of her eyes, she shot Isabella one look of pure anger and hurt before storming out of the place to the other side of the large room where her bed stood.

Shaking his head unforgivingly and still seething in disbelief, Remus muttered a, "You're better than this, Sirius," before mutely followed Lily. James who looked torn between picking sides, simply stood there, dumbfounded, unable to move a muscle quite yet. Not a moment later, however, Remus came back and dragged him away from the place with a reassuring hand wrapping over his shoulder.

A silence descended between them.

"Thank Merlin," breathed Sirius, as soon as the two of them were alone again and out of earshot.

Isabella was all of shaking uncontrollably in anger. "You. Are SO MEAN!" she growled, and hotly folded her hands across her chest while watching him through narrowed eyes. "That was unnecessary!" she yelled, towering above him.

"I don't care! I just want to talk to YOU, alright? Come here!" he said, pulling her closer to him.

"No! NO TOUCHING!" she yelled, yanking her hands away.

"Okay, FINE! Get closer at least! I don't want them listening in!" he roared back, looking disturbed at the very least, before shooting his disgruntled friends a look.

Isabella glared unforgivingly at him before begrudgingly stepping closer to his bed, her jaw permanently clenched now.

"Look, this all boils down to what we want..." he started, speaking slowly and (thankfully) choosing his words more appropriately this time. "And I know that I may have sounded like the biggest prat the world ever saw a few minutes ago, but I swear, I meant no disrespect."

"Get to the point, Sirius!" she hissed through gritted teeth.

"I'm saying I meant it when I said you mean a ton to me, Iz! Okay? I wasn't thinking out of my arse when I stalked you down and kissed you that day, no! I genuinely DO feel this connection, something that I've not quite felt before with anyone else!" he rasped, glowering at her. "My problem though, is..." he said, racking his brain desperately for the right words, "...is... well... I can't be your Evantrap," he muttered finally. "I don't know how to do... that," he said gesturing to an invisible pot. "And don't get me wrong, I'd gladly snog your brains out given a chance, because ever since, I've not been able to get my mind off of you! But... I just want you to know that nothing will ever come of it. I want to be upfront with you about this, I can't quite promise you anything!" he paused, looking deeply into her eyes. Not a second later, he gingerly took her hand in his, his eyes never leaving hers. "I'm not ready for a relationship of any sort, and frankly, I don't think I'm capable of having one, Izzy... So, there you have it, that's my stand."

Isabella didn't say anything and simply stood there dumbstruck beyond words.

"And if you're okay with that, if this is what you want as well, then," he paused, and bravely locked eyes with her one more time, "well, then I'm all yours," he whispered, his face finally breaking into a handsome smile despite the angst that etched his features.

And for the first time ever, Isabella felt genuine respect for Sirius. She didn't know what or why but there was this innate sense of genuineness in his voice this time that rendered her absolutely speechless. And she wasn't angry or upset—not one bit.

"Well?" he said, shaking her hand a bit and looking up expectantly into her face.

She sighed heavily before speaking. "No, Sirius."

"No, what?"

"No, I can't do snog-and-forget like you just suggested a second ago."

His face fell. "Really?"

"Yes, really!" she snapped irritatedly, but her stance softened up once more, replaced by an odd warmth. "But, thank you for being honest... I really do appreciate it," she mumbled incoherently.

He shot her a surprised look, almost as if grateful that she got him... Shrugging mutely, her gave her hand a little squeeze as a 'thank you'. "Wouldn't dream of hurting you..." he said most solemnly.

There was a pause when neither said anything.

"So, does this mean we're not friends anym—"

Isabella rolled her eyes.

"—I'm not that idiotic, Sirius, please give me a bit more credit than that!" she spat out, screwing up her face gravely and teetering between mock-pride and fake-disbelief. The silence only lasts a few seconds before they burst out sniggering so hard, she almost had to lean against his frame to avoid falling flat on her face.

Still grinning and still feeling too dazed at how well she was taking this whole situation, he tugged at her hand and pulled her on to the bed next to him. "Have I told you, you're amazing?" he asked, smiling broadly down at her.

"Never."