A/N: I am terribly sorry for the delay, but a mini vacation, work and Life happened in the last month that kept me busy. Thank you all for your patience, though. :)

Unedited...

Chapter 14: The Seventh Knight

Snow was still swirling outside the icy windows, with the mist pressing against the glass the next day morning.

Overnight, a large signboard had gone up on the Gryffindor noticeboard, bearing important seals of the Ministry and the Auror Force, managing to instantly get everyone's attention. A shocked buzz prevailed around the room.

-~oOo~-

Darkness Is Coming.

The future of Magic is threatened, and the Ministry requires every available and eligible witch or wizard in this imminent Battle of the Light and Dark.

All students, fifteen years and older, will be put under the "Magical Conscription Programme" for an indefinite amount of time, wherein, each will be trained, tested and examined under the guidelines and well laid-out academic plan designed by the Ministry. If selected, students, without the exception of gender, will be expected to join the Magical Auror Programme at once.

From this academic year, students fifth year and above will be subject to tailored practical and written Auror Programme Entrance examinations (A.P.E.) before they officially get posted on the ranks. For more information, please contact Head of House, Miss Minerva McGonagall.

WARNING:

Enlistment into the Magical Auror Force is NOT an option. Anyone trying to draft dodge or deny the enlistment will face harsh penalties and may even risk immediate imprisonment.

-~oOo~-

A horrible sense of dread descended upon Isabella as she read and reread the notice board. "What the bloody hell," she heard herself say out loud.

"Why, that's just great, innit?" Edgar declared bitterly from behind her. A low murmur broke out across the room, breaking the shocked silence that had prevailed in the Common Room up until that moment.

"It's come to this already?!" Robert Mathews said more to himself.

"Honestly! Surely, the situation with this Dark Wizard can't be as bad as the Ministry is trying to make it sound like, can it?" Eudora Bearfist, a sixth-year student, nervously wondered out aloud.

Had Sirius been in the room right now, Isabella was sure he would've snorted loudly at that comment and given her the privilege of getting nudged to the side.

"Whatever the case may be, our mothers are never going to agree to this!"

"How did Dumbledore agree to something like this?"

"I know! Is this even allowed?"

"Blasphemy!"

"Is it though?" Xenophilius Lovegood, blurted out unexpectedly, making everyone's head turn in his direction. The scrawny young blond was sitting beside the fire and watching the group of older students as if the lot were a bunch of imbeciles. Isabella and Lily exchanged looks; it never ended well every time Xeno had an opinion on something... "Wh-Don't you all see what's going on here?" he said and gasped in shock at the bewildered expressions on the students' faces. "It's obvious, isn't it? The Minister has been poisoned!" A loud murmur of incredulity broke out all around him as he continued. "Everyone knows that the Rotfangs run the Ministry, not Bagnold! And this 'conscription programme' is merely a diversion from something bigger... They're hiding something from us all," he said and crossed his hands so confidently across his chest, Isabella was almost sold on his theory. For the first time ever, it seemed like this could be true not because it made perfect sense, but because of the baffling tone of it.

Edgar cleared his throat. "Er... What was the Minister poisoned with again?" he asked.

"Ah! Very good question," said Xeno, nodding his head most appreciatively. Without batting an eyelid he said it in one breath, "Turned Bubble Juice."

For a whole second, everyone just froze.

And then the whole room EXPLODED with laughter.

"What?!" yelled Robert.

"What? She HAS consumed turned Bubble Juice, served by the Rotfangs. It's a classic example!" he stressed, shrugging arrogantly at the laughing faces. "Everyone knows it causes borborygmus and a mild brain bleed that could hamper rational thinking, don't you...? And going by the absurdity of this notice, there couldn't be any other explanation to this!" he concluded, having to speak loudly to drown out the cacophony that prevailed in the Common Room right now.

In all honesty, Isabella almost kicked herself for thinking Xeno might've been on to something serious here as she pressed her lips together to not join the others in laughter herself.

Xeno looked around at all the laughing faces and grimaced. "Can't say that you weren't warned beforehand!" he spat out, still looking unperturbed. "Ya'll will be sorry one day!" he called out as more laughter ensued around him.

"Never a dull moment in this House, is there?" Edgar guffawed, hardly able to get the words out of his mouth.

"On a serious note though, I still can't believe they're opting tyranny to fight off this oaf of a Dark Lord!" said Thomas darkly, instantly triggering a volley of cacophonous grunts.

"Honestly, this ought to be the most absurd move I've seen the Ministry make in a really long time," said Puck Oleus.

"Oh, come on. What are you lot complaining about? Thought you'd always fancied becoming an Auror?" Calum Harper said while swinging his bag over his shoulder. "Imagine the likes of us... I always wanted to be a Healer! Talk about dreams down the gutter."

"You can be a Healer on the Auror Force too, you know," came Lily's logical voice. Straightening her tie and looking proper as ever, she added, "They'd definitely want dedicated Healers and Potion Masters and Runic Scribes and Charms Masters and scores of other professionals on the Auror Force if a war breaks out, so there you go."

"And what if I don't want to fight in the war?" Calum called out even as other students anxiously agreed with him in the background. "Bones is right, this is fascist to another level!"

"Tell me about it..." mumbled Peter, who had just taken a look at the signboard too.

"Well, let's hope it won't get to that now, shall we?" Clayton Wicker, a fellow seventh-year student, replied cheerfully.

Calum simply graced him with a 'Yeah, right!' look before the two of them broke down sniggering at the sheer absurdity of that thought.

Alice rolled her eyes at the morbid reaction this notice was as garnering. "That's what happens when you put pigs in a lion's den," she whispered to her friends with a snort and tumbled out of the hole as the girls roared in laughter behind her.

"I heard that, Parker!" Peter cheekily called out from the back, following the girls down the corridor.

"I only speak the truth!" she called back, still giggling at her own joke.

"Say, where's your lot?" Claiborne asked Peter off-handedly as he struggled with the zipper on his backpack.

Peter though, instead of responding, suddenly stopped dead in his tracks, as if her words had questioned his very existence. Cocking a sly eyebrow at her, he asked, "Er... Exactly whose whereabouts do you seek? Milady?" smirking curiously at her.

An angry huff resounded from Isabella's left. "Why, ALL of them, obviously!" Claiborne squeaked, sounding unusually defensive. "Your friends—two morons and one dweeb!" she stressed, a little out of breath now. Isabella and Lily exchanged glances. "The four of you are together all the time, so I was just... Curious to see a stray Marauder, is all!" Claiborne concluded, recovering and finally sounding her high and mighty self.

Peter snickered mischievously. Forming an expression that suggested mock understanding, he said, "Of course! Not saying I did not enjoy watching you splutter helplessly, though," he added quickly, still giving her a look that confused the rest of them quite a bit. "Anyway, to answer your question, the 'dweeb' headed out on early prefect duties and Frank is already downstairs having breakfast with his fellow Claw cronies. As for James and Sirius, well, they got summoned to the Headmaster's office early this morning..."

"They what?" Isabella shot out at once, fully alert now. "What for?" she demanded, flabbergasted.

Peter froze in place yet again and looked like he'd been caught between a rattlesnake and a very smelly skunk now. "Er... Ah... Well... You know...?" he started before finally settling for, "I shouldn't!"

"Oh, come on, Peter! Like those two are ever remotely capable of keeping aspects of their lives a secret!" Isabella said, dying almost in curiosity now.

"I dunno, Izzy... I've a feeling I'd get kicked in the rear if I told you why…!"

"Better than getting hexed in your face?" she growled, playfully brandishing her wand out.

"Oi!" Lily yelled, all prefect-like in a nanosecond.

Peter chuckled heartily as Isabella grudgingly put her wand back in her pocket.

"Just know that, this time…" he wheezed, "well, this time was a new low even for them. Personally, even I haven't seen them mess up this much ever. And that's all I'm going to say on the matter!" he concluded stubbornly.

Lily rolled her eyes from Isabella's right. "Nice. Typical!" she said, waving a thin, accusatory finger at Isabella as if condemning her for saying something extremely discourteous. "We've spent less than twelve hours in the castle and the two of them are in trouble already? I should've known. Should've known that they were going to make my prefect days a living hell! And here I was thinking I'd been harsh on Potter...!"

"Er... Sirius messed up too, you know?" said Claiborne, raising a teasing eyebrow at Lily's boiling hot face.

Lily gaped disbelieving at her. "DON'T make me give you detention!" she barked and stormed away from them, no doubt to hide the blush that had crept up her face.

…

The Great Hall, Isabella noticed, was less than cheerful this morning, no doubt as an upshot to the early morning announcement they'd all received. All except, the Gryffindor table, of course; it was the loudest as was customary with the usual bunch of boys wreaking havoc as if the Ministry had finally sanctioned the long-disputed Nude Witch Beach Policy. She wondered why the girls from her House lacked this kind of unity as she watched the lads huddled about the table, chomping down their breakfast—Sirius and James were still missing from the pack.

"Double Trans, DADA, Potions and double Charms all on one day?" Mary groaned with her mouth still half-full. "McGonagall was NOT kidding, fifth-year is turning out to be such a nightmare!"

Ryan laughed from next to Isabella. "Sadly, I think it's going to be a LOT tougher for you lot this year 'cause of the A.P.E.s," he said, thickly buttering his toast. Isabella bit her lip and avoided Mary's eyes from across her; she knew Ryan was desperate to socialise with her friends now that he and she were officially breaking the block to becoming The Couple of the Century.

"Say, Evantrap, did you also learn how to conjure a Shield Charm non-verbally in the fifth?" Lily asked, anxiously going down the curriculum dished out by McGonagall a while ago.

He cracked a handsome smile. "Unfortunately, no, we learned that just this year before Christmas break."

Lily gasped. "We're doomed."

"If you're doomed, I don't know what you'd call the rest of us," Alice said pointing at herself.

"So, who of the lot would be joining me today in Trans?" asked Isabella, sipping pumpkin juice out of the jar when suddenly, a tiny first-year scampered up to her. Holding a piece of parchment under her nose, she spoke in a very nervous, high-pitched voice, "A note from the Headmaster! Emily Dawnsmith gave it to Amanda Mist who asked the Slytherin boy, Lucius Malfoy, to get it delivered to you, who, in turn, gave it to Frank Longbottom who asked Aldrich Spells to give it to me to give it to you!"

Isabella raised an eyebrow, impressed that the little girl had managed all that in a single breath.

"Why, thank you, Martha," said Isabella and gave her a kind smile.

Giving her friends a tense shrug, she quickly grabbed the note and opened it. "He wants me in his office at once," she announced. Lily and Claiborne's eyebrows shot up. "I should go," she said, springing up to her feet, fully avoiding their piercing gazes; she hated not telling her best friends about the mess she's in, but could she risk getting an earful from Sirius for being a big-mouth? No, she thought not.

"Is everything alright?" Ryan asked, looking worried.

"Yes, yes, nothing to worry!" she sang, forcing a calm smile on her face before darting out of the hall.

She ran past a horde of students and hurried towards Dumbledore's office, quite unsure why he would want to talk to her when he wasn't even finished with the other two blockheads. Were they getting expelled? Is that why she was being called? So that she may inform Mrs. Black of her son's complete failure as a person of sound mind?

"Mint Humbug!" she panted out the password and the Griffin gargoyle jerked awake instantly. Stepping on to the foot of the stair, she wound upwards.

"Enter," said a voice when she had knocked on the door. Puffing out a lungful of air and fanning her red face, she gingerly pushed the door open to find her Headmaster seated serenely in his high-backed chair with James and Sirius hunched in their seats across from him. Sirius gave her a weak (albeit swag-ish) wave of acknowledgement before going back to staring at his shoes.

"Thank you for joining us, Isabella," Dumbledore smiled and gestured at her to take a seat next to James.

She mutely scampered across the room and settled next to him. "What's happened, Professor? Why do they look like that?" she asked, referring to the long expressions on Sirius and James's face.

Dumbledore merely chuckled a bit. "Oh, that may be because I've just placed an indefinite ban on them from visiting Hogsmeade, going forward."

He said it as if he and the boys had planned to go skinny-dipping in the Thames, this summer… Stunned beyond words, she turned around to catch James's eye, as if that would give her all the explanation she was seeking.

"But... Er... Why...? Exactly? Professor?" she spluttered.

"Oh, a number of things. Underage Magic, riding a motorcycle in the Muggle streets without license, exceeding the speed limit by three-folds the normal Muggle standards, using a Muggle police car to launch an attack on a bunch of wizards..." Dumbledore went on, counting through his fingers. Isabella's eyes had steadily widened with every syllable. In all honesty, she was surprised the Ministry was okay with them merely getting slapped with a Hogsmeade ban. "Anyway, we are not here to discuss Mr. Black and Mr. Potter's current predicament, we are here to discuss more serious matters; matters that all three of you have gotten embroiled in lately.

"I'd wish to start with the old witch that you'd written to me about, Isabella," he said, his demeanour shifting immediately. "I first want to know if there have been any other encounters with her since?"

"No, none since that day, Professor. It's quite strange actually. I've never met her before, but she seemed to know exactly who I was. And Sirius! She knew where I lived, who Regulus was, everything… D'you know who she might be?"

Dumbledore looked pensive for a moment, as if making a mental calculation of something. "Well, I have a theory on who this old witch might be…" he began, still deep in thought. "Except, it's highly unlikely," he concluded almost immediately. "You see, the person who fits the description should be several thousand years old, at least. Not to mention she was merely a myth until a few days ago when I received your letter, Isabella. And there's no way that's possible unless…"

"Unless the stone she was referring to is an elixir that keeps one alive?" Sirius offered. "Perhaps she uses the stone in some capacity?"

Dumbledore smiled, his eyes twinkling with amazement. "You truly are the brightest wizard of your age, aren't you?" he smiled, making Sirius turn a slight shade of pink in the face. Pressing his fingers together, Dumbledore paused for a moment, as if taking the time to choose his words.

"Thousands of wizards for thousands of years have searched for such a stone and failed. The thought that the answer to immortality was a ruddy rock that would fit in one's palm drove men crazy. Rarely does one understand that the greatest gift we've been bestowed with is the present…" he said, his voice trailing off. "What I'm trying to say is, yes, Sirius, that could be the only possible explanation for the existence of this witch…"

"…But, since there's no physical evidence of the existence of such a stone, it deems your theory about the witch in question untenable?" James offered eagerly, almost hoping Dumbledore would call him 'bright' too.

"Precisely," Dumbledore said and merely smiled. "However, IF there was even a sliver of chance that this isn't a myth after all and IF the old witch is indeed the same person I have in mind, then I'm afraid, we may be in a bit of a pickle. You see, being the Keeper of the Stone is no ordinary title that gets passed around loosely, Isabella," he said, turning towards her this time. "To put it simply, it makes you very, very important in this time and age. And with a Dark Lord on the rise, you ought to know what that means…" he said, nodding gravely at her.

"I understand. No monkey business," Isabella said, nodding earnestly.

"Exactly," Dumbledore replied.

"One question, though, Professor," James said, seemingly deep in thought. "How can the witch call Izzy the Keeper of the Stone when she does not even have it in her possession?"

"Excellent question, James. Per my assumptions, Isabella here might be the rightful heir of the stone, an heirloom that must have been passed down the centuries. However, I believe something must have happened several generations ago that must have interfered with the rightful passage of the stone…"

"Are you saying it must have got lost at some point in time?" asked Sirius.

"I believe so, yes. And perhaps the old witch must have found it and waited patiently to return it to the rightful heir once more."

"But she told Regulus that she didn't have the stone with her either!" said Isabella.

"So, we must find out why," Dumbledore replied matter-of-factly.

"Merlin's beard!" an irritated voice suddenly spoke from Dumbledore's side, making them all jump. "We've had quite enough talk about the stone for the morning! Would it kill you to talk about what you're ACTUALLY gathered here for, Albus?" Phineas Nigellus rasped through his teeth. "IS the boy One Half of The Pair?"

Dumbledore sighed in exasperation. "Patience, my friend."

"No! I've been telling you for years now, Albus, years! That the time for the birth of the Seventh Knight was fast approaching! The Curse on the pair is NOT a myth! And he HAS to be a Black! My very own uncle, Sir Ixius Daeron Argus Evopius Black was the cursed Sixth Knight!" he huffed, flaring up his handle-bar moustache. "I am aware, though, that this lad here is hardly a passable archetype of the Black magnificence, but he is a Black all the same, and you know how ancient our House is! We're the one of the last entirely untarnished bloodlines to ever exist in this realm, so I demand to know if I am right! Is this boy...!"

"Good MERLIN, YES, I am one half of the bloody pair! " Sirius bellowed, almost bolting up from his seat in irritation. "Now, would you mind shutting up for a bit?"

"Stop it, Sirius!" Isabella hissed. Sirius, who did settle back in his chair, refused to look in her direction.

"He's been a little short since last night, Professor" James defended him quickly while Dumbledore continued to practice patience as always; Phineas, though, looked highly embarrassed with himself. He cleared his throat and straightened up pompously once more. "That's all I wanted to know!" he said coldly, his nose slightly higher up in the air than usual. Eyeing Dumbledore more grimly than ever, he added, "Now would you take me seriously when I say you're being reckless, Albus? Now do you understand the dangers you are exposing these children to?"

James, Sirius and Isabella exchanges curious glances (Sirius still actively avoiding her eye) as Phineas continued to chide a worried looking Dumbledore.

"Now would you believe me when I say the end is near...?"

"...that's quite enough, Phineas," Dumbledore cut him off instantly, but the damage was done; the two boys next to her don't miss a thing.

"The what?" said Sirius.

"What 'end'?" James chimed in too, only to add to Dumbledore's worry. "Professor, what is going on?"

Dumbledore sighed and rubbed his temple tensely; it was more than evident that he didn't like talking about whatever this was about, and the thought scared Isabella the most.

"Phineas, here, is an expert Scryist. He has studied the stars long enough to know exactly what fate awaits each one of us and its likely outcome. However," he said and turned towards Phineas's portrait this time, "as much as I trust and respect your skills, my friend, I still don't think all's lost yet."

Phineas flailed his hands in indignation, no doubt infuriated at the fact that he could not jump out of his frame and strangle Dumbledore to death with his bare hands.

"But, Professor..."

"Sirius, dear boy, do you trust me?" were the words that came in response from Dumbledore.

Sirius paused. "You bet."

Dumbledore smiled. "Then there's nothing else to say, is there?" he said smoothly bringing the conference to an end. "Now, off you go, all three of you. I don't want you missing your first Transfiguration class for the term."

...

"He's not telling us something, that's for sure!" said James as the three of them huffed down the nearly empty corridor past chilly windows for their first class. Isabella was tempted to throw in her observations into the conversation too, but the obvious hostility she was receiving from Sirius's end numbed her mute. "Something big's goin' on" he said.

"Uh huh," grunted Sirius.

"Yep," chimed in Isabella.

"I mean... We need to decode whatever this is about. We have to figure out the connection between that stone and the curse and…"

"Yeah, sure," Sirius mumbled.

"Count me OUT," droned Isabella.

James paused, curiously contemplating the lack of reaction from the pair. "Also, did you know about that Sixth Knight that Nigey was talking about?" he asked, giving Sirius a nudge this time.

Sirius merely shook his head and marched on.

"You know, I bet Lupin'd know…"

"Probably."

"Most definitely."

And that was the limit. James looked from one to another, his expression bordering on manic incredulity now. "WHAT is the matter with you two?" he bellowed.

"Nothing."

"Nothing."

…

The first week back at Hogwarts had never this bad in the history of Time! With the new curriculum in place, both the students and the teachers seemed to be stressed beyond expression, with the latter smothering the former in every class. Isabella's homework situation had steadily worsened right from the second day of her return to school to such an extent that she was now regretting ever coming back. The fifth-years, the Marauders included, were barely getting more than a couple of hours' worth of sleep day-after-day so much so that the first week passed in a haze of tiredness.

Friday morning dawned, and Isabella was late—very late.

"...unfavourable conditions, but it is what it is, unless some of you (and your mothers) fancy spending the next several years pointlessly stuck in Azkaban!" were the words she heard as crossed the vegetable patch and hurried towards the greenhouses.

"May I come in, Professor?" she panted as she reached the door. Everyone's heads turned around towards her and she instantly felt her skin prickle with embarrassment.

"How wonderful! You decided to grace us all with your presence, after all!" snapped Sprout, speaking in an oddly hysterical voice. "Would you care to join us?" she spat out, pointing to a desk at the very front of the class. Isabella thought Sprout looked slightly more dishevelled today than ever, confirming her suspicions that most of the Hogwarts staff HATE the new programme as well; at least the Ministry had pulled a nasty trick on them all equitably, eh?

James, who had leaned over the long table to get a glimpse of the late-comer's face, gave a low whistle as she quickly slid into the stuffy nursery. "You chose today of all to be late to class when she's in the worst of moods?" he asked Isabella as she got closer to him, grinning uncontrollably. "Like it up, close and personal with the devil, eh?"

"Up yours!" she hissed through gritted teeth, making him break down laughing.

"You lucky puppy!" he called out sarcastically as she took her seat right under Sprout's boiling hot face

"Less cheek for the rest of the class and I might consider NOT giving you a detention, Potter!" Sprout snarled before screaming out the instructions for the day.

Isabella sank her gloved hands into the Flutterby pot in front of her and desperately scanned the table across its length. Lily and Claiborne waved apologetically at her from the other side of the room, making her burn with jealousy. She'd rather be stuck between her two best friends and barely make it out of class than be wedged right under the devil's nose and mess up every line of the instructions.

Somewhere along the middle of the table stood Lucius, tall and handsome, staring worriedly in her direction. What in the world's GOING ON with you? he mouthed violently at her.

I know, I'm sorry! she mouthed back, pulling a couple of twigs apart and rubbing fertiliser on the damaged side.

Talk to me! NOW! he hissed and in a flash, started packing up his stuff without waiting for an answer. Sirius's head, Isabella noticed, automatically jerked up as Lucius noisily cleared his station and stormed in her direction. He callously nudged a timid Hufflepuff girl to the side and took his place on Isabella's right, all in under ten seconds.

From the corner she saw Sirius shaking his head in complete disgust. "Just when I thought she couldn't get any stupider…" Sirius muttered loud enough for them to hear.

"Says the King of the Halfwits," Lucius shot back so smoothly, Isabella almost found it immensely 'sexy'.

"Since when did you get so good with comebacks?" she asked, not even attempting to hide the awe in her voice.

"Since you started giving me palpitations! You haven't talked to me in over a week! Now, spill," he said, pruning the the bush effortlessly.

Isabella hesitated for a second; she hadn't even told the girls about any of the recent developments, so it almost felt like she was cheating on her own two best friends when she spent the next quarter of an hour vomiting every last detail of her life.

Lucius shook his head in disbelief.

"You know, the last thing I want to hear is Black coming to his senses and falling head over heels for you," he muttered, hardly looking at her.

Isabella almost laughed. "And the possibility of that happening is near zero. He's on about all things Marlene now! You should know that better than anyone else," she said, still grinning at the grimace on his face.

"You're barking mad, you know that?" he said, looking straight into her eyes this time. "And he's far too thickheaded to know what he's missing out on, it's almost laughable!" he said bitterly.

"Don't be ridic..."

"Is he right, though?" Lucius cut in, stopping everything and turning around to face her. "Was the song really about Black?" he asked, staring blankly into her eyes.

Isabella noticed Sirius watching them intently behind Lucius's head.

"I'll be damned," he muttered disbelievingly, as she guiltily met his eyes.

...

Over the next couple of weeks, the initial shock of school and homework had finally started to wane, replaced by a feeling of 'a new normal' where students, fifth year and above were constantly found burning the midnight oil well past 3 or 4 in the morning.

For Isabella, in particular, and she didn't know what kind of evil sorcery this was, but no amount of sacrificed sleep, not even skipped breakfasts and lunches was doing the trick—no matter what she did, she always found herself struggling to keep up with the lessons while Claiborne and Lily seemed to easily FLOAT their way through fifth-year.

The only consolation, perhaps, was that Ryan still hadn't abandoned her as yet for being the worst girlfriend ever; if anything, she actually looked forward to seeing him during breaks and in the Common Room after classes and get her mind off of all the stress for just a little while. Admittedly, it was extremely easy around him: he always laughed at her stupid jokes, was more than willing to help her practice her spells and lend her some of his previous year's notes; and the longer she spent time with him, the colder the war got between her and Sirius.

The two of them had completely stopped talking to each other, were fully avoiding ever running into one another in the corridors and devoted all of their waking hours pretending the other didn't exist, and Isabella didn't even fully understand why! In all honesty, she hoped things would go back to how they were with Sirius, because then, at least she'd see more of James and the boys; she did miss being in their company quite a bit...

One Saturday morning, which also happened to be the term's first ever Hogsmeade visit, Isabella had woken up really early and willed herself to finish at least one-tenth of the homework she'd been assigned the previous week, just so that Lily might consider letting her go to the village with her and the girls. Almost gritting her teeth in irritation, she plunged her quill into the parchment, determined to finish Slughorn's moonstone essay when she heard the portrait hole swing open and three tired boys tumbled into the Common Room.

"Izzy?!" said James, startled beyond expression as Peter and Sirius straightened up behind him. "Wh—It's five-thirty on a Saturday, what are you doing up?"

"Studying! What are you three doing outside the tower this early in the morning?" she asked, curiously surveying their uncharacteristically exhausted faces—Sirius, for his part, looked like he would drop dead any second now...

James sighed and collapsed on the sofa closest to her, as if relieved the Common Room hadn't been infested with other fellow House-mates who would've witnessed their meandering ways. "Oh, just out and about," he said, casually flicking his shoulders, but his eyes were barely open as he spoke. "Doing the usual..."

Isabella raised an eyebrow. "'Doing the usual'?" she repeated, watching him wipe his glasses of what she thought was mud. "And 'usual' meaning...?"

"Girls," said Sirius, putting particular emphasis to the word and glaring straight into her face. "'Twas quite a fun night, I must say," he said, making her jerk her head in his direction.

James and Peter exchanged glances.

Something about what he said and the way he said it stung her beyond words... It felt wrong, like he had betrayed her in some capacity! Every breath she took in after that seemed to burn in her chest; a burning she was not very familiar with. She didn't understand why Sirius being with a girl should make her so angry in the first place. She wasn't this angry even when she'd walked in on him and Claire in the broom closet last November? It wasn't even as if she wasn't used to seeing him wrapped around a girl's waist before, so what's changed now?

"'Girls'?" she repeated, completely oblivious to James and Peter now; she wasn't even in the mental state to acknowledge Remus was missing from the pack. "As in plural?" she spat out scathingly. Given a chance, she'd gladly hex him out recognition right this instant.

James, as if he had sensed the growing tension between the pair, suddenly stood up and feigned a yawn. "Ah! Would you see the time? Less than three hours to watch the entire tower march to Hogsmeade!" he guffawed sarcastically and nudged Peter on the side, as if asking him to take the hint. "Better get a wink then, eh?" he added quickly, wearing the fakest of smiles and forcefully pulling Peter up to his feet while Sirius continued to stay put, not moving a muscle.

An awkward moment passed when all four of them avoided each others' eye, hardly even daring to breathe.

"Er... You know, there's an old saying," started James, speaking to no one in particular. "'Words over swords', it says."

"James..." Sirius said exasperatedly.

"I'm just saying, don't kill each other!" James stated, shrugging innocently, before quickly adding, "...as a 'general advise' to Peter, here, of course! What did you think?" he scoffed stupidly at Sirius before thumping him painfully on the back, while Isabella broiled in mind-numbing awkwardness.

"Keep it together," he finally mumbled to the walls before tugging on Peter's hand and bouncing out of the room, leaving a dead silence behind them.

Neither spoke for a long time, as they sat across each other, staring into nothingness and allowing the stillness to nearly smother them alive...

When Isabella finally looked up, she found Sirius still stubbornly staring into the fire, his legs elegantly stretched out on the coffee table in front of him, almost as if waiting for her to hit him first with her best shot.

Trembling a little from all the contained anger, she agitatedly tucked a strand of brown hair behind her ear and said, "You know, it's none of my business what you do in your alone time..."

"You're right, it isn't," he said, cutting her off in mid-sentence. "I'd rather you respect my choices as I respect yours, no matter how nonsensical," he said, gritting his teeth and finally turning his head in her direction, "they may be," he finished, glaring daggers at her.

Isabella was quiet for a bit, quite unsure of the current dynamic that abounded between them right now.

"Sirius, WHAT in Merlin's name did you expect me to do? Pine for you till the end of time?" she yelled, digging her fingers into her fist in anger. "Because, what if I NEVER stop feeling this way about you?" she screamed. "What, then?"

"Why didn't you TELL me earlier?" he screamed back, now swinging his legs off the table and facing her. "Why'd you wait for three fucking long years when I was RIGHT there in front of you?"

"I didn't see the point...!"

"THAT'S not the point! The point is I thought we were friends and that we told each other everything! Can you blame me for feeling just a little betrayed?"

"What is this REALLY about, Sirius? Are you mad because I didn't tell you or are you mad because I'm with Ryan now?" she growled, kicking her chair backwards and getting to her feet. "Which is it?"

Sirius paused, breathing heavily from all the anger gurgling inside of him. "I'm mad because MY best friend is still a manky, daft COW!" he yelled, getting up on his feet himself.

It felt like a slap to her face.

The corners of Isabella's eyes automatically started to prickle painfully as he stepped dangerously closer to her.

"I'm mad because you went flitting off with the FIRST blockhead that fancied you!" he inched closer. "I'm mad because you still don't go after WHAT YOU WANT! You STILL think you don't get to choose, that you aren't entitled to have what you LOVE! You're a loser, Izzy. You'll always be that fat and ugly girl who'd HATE herself no matter what she DID IN LIFE!" he yelled, his voice echoing throughout the room.

Isabella stood there, rooted to the spot and staring into his large, grey eyes even as a tear trickled down her face. And in all that silence, the only thing she could hear was the thumping of her own heart, the crackling of the fire and the cold breeze blowing outside the window. Her face had gone numb with shock as his words replayed in her mind over and over again.

"Fat and ugly, huh?" she repeated, her voice quivering uncontrollably with emotion now. Sirius blinked as if he'd suddenly been slapped awake. "So, that's what I'll always be to you..." she said, her voice barely above a whisper, her face now glistening with emotion.

Sirius was completely thrown for words now and simply stared at her in stunned silence.

"I need some air," she breathed and before he could even move a muscle, she pushed him aside and stormed out of the Common Room, finally allowing herself break down entirely.

Pushing herself through the portrait hole, she set off on a run towards nowhere, wanting nothing but to be as far away from the plonker as possible! Gasping for breath, she ran and ran until developing a stitch in her side that felt as though she had a knife between her ribs, her footsteps ominously echoing through the empty, dark and dimly lit corridors.

And a second later his words replayed in her mind, making her dissolve into tears once again. She didn't understand why he had so much power over her, why she always let him get under her skin, WHY only his opinions of her MATTERED THIS MUCH!

She stopped at last in the first-floor corridor overlooking the Entrance Hall and let her tears run down her face in silence. And it was at that precise moment that she knew that there was no help for it—she was mad for him no matter what.

"Izzy," said a voice from afar.

She looked up and found Sirius marching towards her from the other end of the long corridor.

"Go away," she hiccoughed bitterly.

"No," he said and continued to close the gap between them.

"Leave me ALONE, Sirius, I've had quite enough from you for the day!" she yelled and started walking away from him once more.

"Would you stop...?" she heard him mutter from the back.

"Why? Have a few more insults to THROW MY WAY?" she screamed and turned around to face him once more, walking backwards. "Haven't you mutilated me enough?!"

"I know. I'm sorry..."

"Go! TO HELL!" she shrieked and stalked away, her face drenched with tears. "You're right, I am a loser..." she hiccoughed miserably, and set off on a trot, trying to get as far away from him as possible, the dark cloud above her head shrouding her whole.

"— No, I'm the idiot..." she heard him mutter from behind, his voice shaking slightly.

A chill swept up her spine as she stopped dead in her tracks, and whipped around to find him still hurtling after her down the long corridor.

"Such an idiot..." he breathed wistfully, a blank itch burning behind his eyes, as he inched closer and closer to her.

Numbness jarred through her brain as she eyed him glazedly. "What...?"

"I'm sorry, baby. I don't know what I'm doin'..." he whispered urgently, getting closer by the second. "I'm sure this is wrong. It must be..."

Confusion set in as a crimson blush burned up her face. "What...?" she repeated weakly.

"Ge' over here..." he mumbled, storming after her holding a raw hunger in his eyes that made her feet curl...

"Sirius, what's wrong...?" she breathed worriedly, just as his eyes locked onto hers with an intensity that set her whole body on fire all of a sudden...

With fear pulsing through her veins, she slowly started to step away from him...

"Damn you, Iz..."

"Sirius, please..." she shook and urgently put up her hands to stop him. "Don't get any closer..."

"...Screw you," he growled and before she knew it, before she could even move a muscle, he had put his hand out, hauled her close and crashed his lips onto hers.

It was instant fireworks.

Every cell in Isabella's body seemed to have burst into flames as he pulled her into him by the waist and ravaged her lips. His eagerness was so hot that he unwittingly leaned into her until she was nearly bent over backwards in his embrace. Head swimming on the spot, both from being tickled and aroused by the tongue licking at her lips, and from swaying around under his weight, all Isabella could do was grab on to his collar and not get lost in his dizzyingly musky scent.

As if melting back in response, he curled his hands around her until she was entirely wrapped inside his large frame, crashing achingly into her. The two of them staggered until she felt herself slam against the wall behind her, making it easier for him to hold her in place and take full advantage of her soft, full lips...

Until this second, she didn't know such a passion existed. She didn't know someone could make her feel this alive, this desired.

And before she knew it, she was on her toes and kissing him back, rubbing and caressing and canoodling him in ways she had only dreamed of in the past, driven entirely by instinct and not one bit by experience. His wrangled moans mixed with her gasps of surprise only made it worse, making him want to show her more, and making her melt in his arms until her anger dissipated completely. And the longer they kissed, the more aware she became of his rock-hard chest pressed against her front, making her flush even more.

Sirius finally slid one hand into her jumper and another around her waist, alternating between smackering her on the lips and sucking on her neck, making her snivel and shudder in pleasure. For Isabella, though, everything disappeared, dissolved into oblivion and all that existed in this instant was her and Sirius, begging each other for more and drowning entirely in the kiss. At one point, she didn't know if she was standing on her own, or held upright by his strong arms, neither did she care, as she danced on her tiptoes and held on to his neck for dear life, and blissfully kissed away the roaring fire in her heart.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, after having sucked on her lips and face and neck until her moans had turned into imploring whimpers, he pulled away at last, heaving and panting, his hand caressing the side of her face in complete devotion, as the ground beneath them felt solid once more.

Isabella was shaking feverishly in his arms, still quite unable to believe everything that had happened in the last ten minutes.

Shivering violently in the cold morning air, Isabella bore further into him for warmth, much to his joy, apparently, because he gladly wrapped her inside his massive frame around her and watched her fight off her blush as their breaths finally started to steady...

"You okay?" he mumbled quietly, tilting her face upwards slightly so he stare into her blood-red blush.

And all Isabella could do was nod, bringing a teasing smirk to his face, as he swooped down once more to press a dizzyingly tender kiss on her nose.

A warm silence fell between them as she cuddled into his neck, wishing to stay this way forever...

A moment later, however, his face seemed to get consumed with remorse, as he wound his hands tighter around her.

Looking down, he paused to gaze into her face. "I'm sorry, baby..." he finally rasped and closed his eyes in exhaustion. "I really, really am..." he whispered and rested his head against hers.