Author's Note: Don't own Harry Potter, though I wish I did.
This is my strange take on the Marauder era. I started writing this fic about a year or so before OoP came out, so it is definitely from that particular era. So, sorry if parts of the fic are utterly cliche now, but they weren't when I started this fic!
It makes sense by itself, but I think that it'd probably be better to go to my author page, start with my first fic, my Year 5 one, then work your way back through the prequels. That's what several of my readers tell me is the easiest way to understand everything off the bat is. But, if you like a little mystery, read on! All will most definitely be revealed...
After this, read Part 2 & so forth. Sorry if Parts 3 & 4 aren't finished when you get to them; I'm working backwards from my Year 5. So eventually, I guess you'll end up there with unanswered questions! Also if you haven't already, check out the Prologue.
I'm a traditional shipper, but I really enjoy putting strange twists on everything. And the ships I hate, I make it so the characters are related & therefore hooking up would be incest & morally wrong. I do add in a lot of OC's, because I happen to think they're fun. My main OC, Isabelle, is a type of anti-Mary Sue. If she had her way, she so would be. But where would the fun be in that?
Also, I do admit to using way too much music in my fics. Not songfic, but when a song is so perfect for the scene, who am I to resist?
Please don't forget the lovely Review button at the bottom of your screen...
Chapter 1
Maria O'Toole quietly climbed the large, sweeping staircase and walked into her employer's bedroom. In her hands was a thick, ivory-colored envelope covered in minute, precise handwriting. Ten minutes earlier, a large white owl landed on the kitchen window, tapping to be let in. Although she couldn't read the name, she knew immediately who the letter came from.
"Mrs. Evans? I have a letter from Lily," she said.
Catherine Evans took the letter from Maria, and opened it with tired, weary hands. She skimmed the awkwardly chatty letter, until she got to the very last paragraph.
"Mum," she read, "I can barely stand being here at school while you are sick. I miss you terribly, but I will do as you wish and stay here. And, I'll spend the summer with Gina like you asked, but if you ever need anything at all, let me know immediately. I know you're trying to spare me the trauma of your illness, but the reality of it is that I still worry about you. Give my love to Dad, and tell Isabelle that I'm sending her some candy when we have our next day trip to Hogsmeade, which is next week. I love you, Lily."
She sighed with relief. Much as she loved her daughter, she feared that Lily would miss out on her youth by taking care of a dying mother. She knew her days were numbered, and it was better to encourage her independence now. At least, that's how she justified keeping her two oldest children away as her health deteriorated.
"Mum? What did Lily say?"
Isabelle's voice brought her back to reality. Her eyes focused on her youngest daughter. Although she came late in life, at forty-five, she was her mother's pride and joy. Catherine married young, and planned to start a family immediately. But, as the years went by, and no children came, they were about to give up completely when Petunia was born. To their surprise, Lily came three years later. No one expected Isabelle, who was six years old now.
"That she's having a wonderful time at school, and that she'll send you some candy next week."
Isabelle's green eyes lit up with joy. She lived for packages from her big sister, which were always filled with strange and interesting toys and candy.
"Will you read to me?" she asked, holding up a well-worn book of Shakespeare's sonnets.
"Not now, dear. I need to rest for a minute." Catherine closed her eyes, trying not to let her pain show. For nearly four long years, she had been fighting cancer. It began with breast cancer, which eventually spread to her pancreas. She was growing tired of the fight, and was only worried about who would take care of her family when she was gone. Especially the little one now occupying herself with crayons Lily sent her that magically changed colors. She slipped into a deep sleep, waking up several hours later.
"Isabelle, come here please," she rasped. The small girl crawled on the bed, looking at her mother. "You're a big girl now, so I'm going to tell you the truth, ok?" She nodded. "I'm real sick, and I might die. If I do, always remember that I love you very much and will always look down on you. Be good for your dad and sisters. Take good care of them like just like you've taken care of me. You've been my comfort ever since you were born, and I know you'll bring them as much joy as you brought me. I love you."
"Mum? What's wrong?" Tears filled her eyes, and her tiny, delicate face expressed utter confusion. There was no answer. "Mum?" she said, louder.
Maria came in the room, and realized immediately what had happened. She took Isabelle's hand to take her downstairs. "Come on dear, she's gone now."
"No. She's asleep. Mum, wake up," she sobbed. "Please wake up. It's time for tea. Mum!" There was no response from her mother.
-----
"Hey, Lil? Have you seen my sketchpad?" Regina Potter was looking all over the common room for her favorite sketchpad. She could've sworn that she left it on the coffee table, but it was nowhere to be found.Lily looked up from her Astronomy homework, where she was carefully plotting a chart of the August sky. "No, why?"
"I can't find it anywhere," she said distractedly, looking under a sofa in the corner of the room.
"You know, Gina, if your head wasn't attached to your body, you'd lose that, too," came a reply from in front of the fire.
"Clever, brother dear. Seriously, James, this isn't funny. My Charms homework is in that sketchpad, and Flitwick will kill me if I can't find it." She heard a snicker, and turned her head slightly just in time to see a brief glimpse of it. "Accio sketchpad," she said, smacking Sirius in the head with it repeatedly.
"Ouch! I didn't steal it, honestly," he pleaded.
"Liar."
During the chaos, a large white owl flew through the window of the common room, dropping a letter in Lily's lap. Curious, she opened it, and read its contents. She dropped the letter to the floor as if it burned her hands, and let out a high-pitched scream. The room went completely silent and looked at Lily's ghost-white face. James rushed over to her side.
"Lily? Lily! What's wrong?" he asked her.
She looked at him with empty, glassy eyes. "My mother's dead," she whispered. "She's gone, and I didn't get to say goodbye."
Her petite frame trembled. James wrapped her in a hug, and exchanged a look with Gina, Sirius and Remus. No one quite knew what to say, so they sat awkwardly in silence for a few minutes.
"When is the funeral?" Gina asked quietly. Lily looked up at her best friend through teary eyes.
"At the end of the week," she managed to choke out.
"Come on. Let's go upstairs and pack, then." Gina took Lily's hand, and let her up the stairs to the girls' dormitory.
"Well, I guess we ought to get packing, too. No way we'd let you brave the Muggles alone."
"Thanks, man." James clapped Sirius and Remus on the back as they headed upstairs. "Lil needs all the support she can get, especially if that sister of hers is going to be there."
"Sister? Isn't she six?" Remus asked.
"Not that one. Petunia. She's nineteen. When she and Lily get together, it's like putting a lighted match beside a keg of dynamite. An explosion waiting to happen. Not what she needs right now."
A half hour later, everyone was packed and ready to catch the Hogwarts Express to London. As they left, Professor McGonagall reminded them that they could only leave for five days, and could be gone that long because they were the top students in their class.
Gina rolled her eyes at that, and couldn't help hexing McGonagall's shoes to the ground. Honestly, talking about marks at a time like this, she thought. Not that studying or grades mattered to her much, anyway. She spent as little time in the library as humanly possible, and maintained that only boring people went there. Like her brother.
She had no idea what Lily saw in him. Well, he was good looking. After all, he was her twin. And sweet, funny...and incredibly...well, boring. He was probably going to marry Lily and settle down in a predictable job and have five kids, all perfect like him, of course.
She yawned, as Sirius helped her get on the train. He would be more interesting to hang out with than James, if it wasn't for the fact that she had known him since the crib. They knew everything about each other, which came in handy when she needed to copy his Transfiguration homework. Her eyes swept the train compartment. Now Remus was intriguing, she decided, as the train left the station. He always kept a measured distance, which made him all the more attractive. Probably why so many girls fancy him, she mused, taking out her sketchpad and pencil to finish a drawing.
James studied Gina from across the compartment as Lily slept in his lap. She had always been a little on the quiet side, but lately she was withdrawn and depressed looking. Their eyes met, and she looked outside at the sunset. Something was bothering her, but he couldn't quite figure out what. "What's wrong, sis?" he asked her.
"Oh, just upset for Lily," came the reply.
James looked at Sirius. They both knew she was lying, but neither one of them pressed the issue. Sirius looked over at her and sighed. She's so beautiful, and talented, and so out of your league, he told himself. Besides, she probably thinks of me like a brother. Like she's a triplet, not a twin. Speaking of her twin, he'd murder me in cold blood if he knew what I was thinking. He remembered how James tore apart a guy in first year for making an off-color comment about Regina, and walked around angry for weeks after that. She laughed, pointing at a hot-air balloon floating in the distance.
"Remember that time when we were nine and stowed away in that hot-air balloon?" she asked.
"Yeah, we were grounded for a year," James frowned.
"Speak for yourself. I wasn't allowed to leave the house grounds from then until I went away to Hogwarts. Good thing the governess didn't know about the underground passage between our houses," Sirius laughed.
"Those were fun days. We were like the Three Musketeers. You know," she said, "it was like having another brother around. Like you're the triplet who lived next door."
Why doesn't she just rip my still-beating heart out of my chest and stomp on it? Sirius agonized. I'm just the boy next door, a childhood friend. Just get a grip on yourself, and get over her. Easier said than done, he decided, closing his eyes to try to get some sleep.
Remus looked around the compartment at his friends. It amazed him that all of them knew that he was a werewolf, and accepted him anyway. Sometimes, he did feel like he was on the fringe of the group, the fifth wheel. But, he never complained. Life had been very lonely before Hogwarts.
The Hogwarts Express pulled into King's Cross station two hours later, and Lily bought five tickets to Dover on British Rail. Her mind whirled as the train left the platform. Mum's gone, she thought. She's really gone. The funny, clever woman who loved peppermint taffy and Godiva chocolate wouldn't be waiting for her at the platform. She wouldn't be there to see her graduate from Hogwarts, walk down the aisle, or give her advice about life, jobs, and which shoe to wear with what outfit. Tears streamed down her face as she grabbed some of Gina's tissues. She had to pull herself together before she got home. Her little sister needed her.
Sheets of rain pounded the outside of the train as it pulled into the Dover station. The weary friends rushed for cover, trying not to get drenched. Lily looked around, and saw Petunia standing sourly in a corner.
"I see you've brought some of those people with you," she hissed underneath her breath.
"Those people are my friends. And I expect you to treat them with some sort of respect," Lily replied, glaring at her older sister. "Where's Isabelle?"
"At home sleeping. The poor child's gone through enough already without having to deal with her freak of a sister."
"Yes, I'm sure she was thrilled to have a break from you."
Petunia opened and closed her mouth like a fish, much to the delight of everyone else. James couldn't help but smile. Unfortunately, Petunia's hawk-like eyes saw his small smirk. She determined to make his life as miserable as humanly possible.
The ride to the house was tense. Everyone was glad to reach the sprawling Evans home, situated right on the white cliffs. Luckily, someone had lit a fire in the fireplace, helping to dry everyone out.
"Where's Father?" Lily asked her.
"Asleep. It is one o'clock in the morning." Petunia stomped upstairs.
"Sorry about my sister," Lily said wearily. "She isn't fond of magic. I'm the only magical one in the family."
"What about your other sister?"
"According to Petunia, she's as Muggle as can be. Let me go say good night to her." She went upstairs.
"Man, Petunia's a beast," Remus said.
"Told you," James replied.
Lily came back down the stairs. "The door's locked, and I didn't want to frighten her by charming it open. I'm sure she's heard all sorts of horrible stories about magic. Are you tired? I can show you to your rooms."
Something had caught Sirius' eye in the corner. He watched the corner through his peripheral vision while Lily was talking. Between a tall chair and a bookcase, a small shadow moved slightly.
"Sirius?" He jumped, and looked at Regina.
"What?"
"Exploding Snap. In, or out."
He figured that the group had decided against sleep in an effort to cheer up Lily. He grinned. "Did you even have to ask?"
The group settled on the floor in front of the fireplace. Remus produced a deck of cards, and began shuffling them like a casino dealer. "What's the ante, ladies and gentlemen?"
"I'm feeling lucky tonight. Make it 2 knuts," Gina offered.
Everyone tossed coins into the middle of the circle, and the game began. For five minutes, the game proceeded uneventfully, until James' glasses were blown off his face. Remus laughed so hard that tears were in his eyes. A very small gasp came from the corner shadow that only Sirius heard. He looked for a minute, and saw a pair of green eyes peer around the chair.
Did the eyes belong to the supposedly sleeping Isabelle? he wondered to himself.
After a half hour, Gina had cleared out everyone's wallets. Not wanting to press her good luck, she suggested they should go to bed. They crept upstairs, where Lily showed the guys to the spare bedroom, and went into her bedroom with Gina.
"Hey, I'm going to get a glass of water. Be right back," Sirius said, walking out of the guest room.
Curiosity had gotten the best of him, so he quietly walked down the stairs and tiptoed to the corner. There, asleep, was a small, blonde-haired girl clutching a yellow blanket. He knew that Petunia would skin her alive if she caught her out of bed in the morning, so he picked her up and carried her up the stairs. Luckily, Lily had pointed out which room was Isabelle's, so he reached for his wand, trying not to wake her up, and unlocked the door. She must take after Lily, not Petunia, he thought. Only a smart child would think to lock her bedroom door when she snuck out of her room, and know how to pick the lock when she wanted to get back inside. He laid her on her bed, covered her up with the yellow blanket, and closed the door behind him.
"I thought you were getting water," Remus pointed out.
"I drank it downstairs," Sirius lied, turning out the light for bed.
-----
The next couple of days passed by in a blur for Lily. Between family stopping by the house, funeral preparations, and dealing with Petunia, she hardly had a chance to dwell on what was happening until she found herself sitting on a hard church pew. Her mother's coffin was in front of the church, covered by a beautiful funeral pall of white and pink roses. The priest walked down the aisle, signaling the start of the service. James squeezed her shoulder reassuringly.Three rows back, Sirius tugged on his shirt collar. His tie was choking him. Why Muggles wore such ridiculous clothing, he couldn't figure out. He looked sideways at Remus, who was doing the exact same thing. Gina gave them both an evil look, and they sat up, trying to be on their best behavior. She insisted on sitting between them, even. They were both wonderful, but she didn't trust them to act mature for even an hour. The fact that they looked like caged animals in their suits didn't help their case any, either.
Lily sat in stony silence as the congregation sang her mother's favorite hymn. She barely blinked throughout the entire funeral, or made a noise as the family left the church and proceeded to the grave site, unlike Petunia, who was jabbering away. The family gathered around the grave, and the priest conducted a simple service. After the service was over, each family member walked up to the coffin to say a final goodbye.
That is, except for Isabelle, who hid behind Maria like she had done for the majority of the week. When the crowd had left, Isabelle took a single white rose that she picked from the garden that morning out of the pocket of her deep green coat, and crept to the coffin.
"Goodbye, Mum. I hope that you're happy in heaven," she whispered.
"Come on, already, and stop your babbling. Everyone's waiting on you." Isabelle looked blankly at Petunia. She didn't understand what her sister was trying to tell her. Petunia grabbed her roughly by the coat collar, and dragged her to the car. Indignant tears stung Isabelle's eyes as she shrank into a corner of the back seat. Never, in all of her life, had she been treated this way.
"Hello, there. Would you like a piece of taffy?" James saw what Petunia had done, and felt sorry for the little girl. He couldn't imagine how confusing the situation must be for a six year old.
Isabelle looked at him through wounded eyes. Another person she couldn't understand, but at least this one looked friendly. She stretched out a timid hand towards the candy.
"Go on. It's ok," he encouraged her. She plucked a chocolate flavored taffy from his hand, and smiled gratefully. She began to unwrap the candy, when Petunia turned around, and snatched it out of her hand.
"You'll ruin your appetite for dinner," she snapped.
"It's just one piece of candy. What's the harm in it?" Lily fired back.
"I'm the adult here, and I'm in charge. And I say that she doesn't need any sugar spoiling her dinner," Petunia said through clenched teeth.
The car pulled up the drive, and everyone piled out quickly. Lily stormed into the house, trying to quell her temper. Just make it through one more day, she told herself.
-----
Although it was still chilly, a beautiful spring sun beckoned Gina outside. Armed with a blanket, flask of pumpkin juice, and bookbag, she found a secluded spot behind a large row of hedges. With any luck, she would be able to spend an afternoon alone, a treat that didn't happen often. Between her classes and trying to cheer Lily up, she was mentally and emotionally drained. It had been six weeks since the funeral, and Lily seemed to be coping better with things, so Gina didn't feel as guilty for sneaking off. She rummaged through her bookbag, and pulled out a textbook."Although much has been written about the Goblin rebellions, many details are still unknown," she read, wrinkling her nose. The only reason she could stay awake during History of Magic on a good day is because James kept poking her in the back when she would doze off. What a prat, she thought, tossing the book on the blanket. She pulled out another textbook.
"Dragon blood, although rare, is an invaluable ingredient in many common potions." Ugh. She discarded her Potions textbook, and searched the bag until she found her paperback anthology of William Shakespeare's works. Often, she would place her anthology, or another appealing book, inside her opened textbook during class. That way, the professor would think that she was reading the assigned material, when she was actually lost in Lady Macbeth's Scotland or Cleopatra's Alexandria. She dreamed of the day when she could leave England's wizarding world behind to travel the world, to really live. But, until then, she was still at Hogwarts, so she immersed herself in her favorite sonnets. Pain shot through her body as someone ran into her full speed, knocking her book out of her hand, and spreading her things everywhere.
"Oh, sorry," came a deep voice.
Gina sat up, and looked at the voice's owner. Severus Snape. All she really knew about him was that he was a Slytherin, and Sirius hated him. The feeling was mutual, and everyone knew that Regina Potter and Sirius Black were like siblings. Closer than siblings, even. They eyed each other warily.
"That's quite alright," she replied, gathering her notes together. Which didn't take very long, considering her meager attention span. Snape didn't say anything, but quietly collected her books and stacked them on the blanket. Of all the times not to pay attention to where he was walking, of all the people he had to trip over, he just had to run over a Potter.
"What's this?" he said, somewhat sardonically.
"It's my Shakespeare book. Please give it back," she pleaded, blushing.
"No, let me see what's so amazing about this Muggle Shakespeare." He flipped a page, pausing at a sonnet, and wrinkled his nose. "Let me not to the marriage of true minds admit impediments. What is this junk?"
"You can read," she said, amazed.
"Yes, I can assure you that I am literate," he snapped. Typical Potter, he thought.
"No. I'm sorry. I didn't mean it like that. Of course you are literate. What I meant to say is that you have a lovely speaking voice. Would you read some more?"
Severus began to make a sarcastic retort, but hesitated, looking in her deep blue eyes. She looked so sincere. In fact, this was the first time that he really took the time to study her. In spite of himself, he was drawn to her intense, mysterious beauty. Why had he never noticed her before? He cleared his throat somewhat awkwardly.
"Fine. Do you want me to start from the beginning, or where I left off?" he asked a little more harshly than necessary. After all, beautiful or not, she was still a Potter, and couldn't be trusted. Especially since she was so thick with Black.
"From the beginning, please."
He couldn't believe he was doing this, but he took a deep breath, and began to read. "Let me not to the marriage of true minds admit impediments. Love is not love which alters when its alteration finds, or bends with the remover to remove: O, no! It is an ever-fixed mark, that looks on tempests and is never shaken, it is the star to every wandering bark, whose worth's unknown, although his height be taken." He paused, looking up. Gina's eyes were transfixed on his face, unblinking. He flushed a bit, and continued. "Love's not Time's fool, though rosy lips and cheeks within his bending sickle's compass come; Love alters not with his brief hours and weeks, but bears it out even to the edge of doom."
"If this be error, and upon me proved, I never writ, nor no man ever loved," she finished. "Thank you. Maybe we could do this again sometime?"
He wondered if he heard her clearly. Was Regina Potter, sister of Hogwarts' Quiddich legend James Potter, daughter of the Minister of Magic, asking him out? Was this some sick, twisted joke of Black's that he talked her into playing on him? He looked at her carefully, and was surprised to see that she looked just as cautious and hesitant as he did. Maybe she was serious. His heart leapt into his throat.
"Sure," he said quietly, partially expecting to instantly become the target of a practical joke. Nothing happened. "Well, I had better get going."
"Yeah, you were in a real hurry," she laughed. "See you later, Severus."
He managed a feeble wave as he headed to the main castle, trying to get her out of his head. The way she said his name, her eyes, her smile...it was too late, he admitted to himself. He had fallen for Gina, even though his mind told him that she was completely out of his league. She was a wealthy heiress, cultured, refined, everything he wasn't. Not to that mention her family would never, ever approve of him.
As he stormed up the stairs, he nearly knocked over Sirius Black, who was almost running down the stairs. Sirius was so focused on finding Gina that he didn't even bother to give Snape a dirty look when they passed. After frantically searching the grounds for ten minutes, he found her sunning herself, reading a book. Despite his frame of mind, he noticed that her nose was turning a bright shade of pink. As was the rest of her face.
"Uh, Regina? Maybe you should put on some of that sunblock stuff. I read somewhere that prolonged exposure to the sun increases your chances of getting skin cancer."
"And prolonged exposure to you increases my chances of becoming an incredibly dull person," she shot back, her mind still on Severus. Now, he was interesting, worth getting to know a little better.
She looked up at Sirius, whose face was a horrible ashen color. "Sirius, what's wrong?" she asked, concerned.
He took a deep breath. "It's about Lily's father."
"What about him?" Her eyebrows knitted.
"He's dead."
"What? How? When?" Regina was frantic. She jumped up, stuffing her things into her bag.
"Earlier today, he committed suicide. That's all I know."
"Where's Lily?" she screamed.
"Shhh." Sirius placed his hands her shoulders and looked directly into her eyes. "She's in McGonagall's office. James and Remus are already with her."
"Alright. Let's go."
They hurried through the grounds, and into the castle. Sirius marveled at how quickly she brought her emotions under control, at her grace under fire. She opened the door, and instantly ran to Lily, wrapping her in a huge hug. No one knew what to say, so they just sat there in quiet support.
-----
The car sped down the beautiful lane, revealing a spectacular view of the white cliffs. Soon, Lily could make out the outline of her house in the distance. Her childhood home, where she learned to ride a bicycle in the backyard, picked flowers in the meadow, and read books by the sea. Everything looked the same as it did back then, but it was an illusion. Nothing would ever be the same again. The furnishings would be given away, and what no one wanted would be sold at auction. Beloved heirlooms would be distributed among the three daughters, taking away the personal touches of what made the Evans house a home, leaving an empty, hollow shell.
She sighed wearily as the car stopped at the front door. In less than two hours, her father would be buried. How had the caring, lively man she remembered become so depressed that he wanted to stop living? Lily shook her head, and opened the door.
"Where is everybody?"
"I have no idea," she replied, puzzled, looking at James. He placed their suitcases on the floor, and wrapped his arms around her. She rested her head on his chest, thankful that Dumbledore had allowed him to come with her. A loud screech from upstairs startled them both.
"What was that? It sounded like a wounded hippogriff."
"I think it came from upstairs," Lily replied.
They cautiously crept upstairs, and started looking around for the origin of the sound. Another screech filled the entire floor with sound. It came from Isabelle's room. Lily opened the door, and her eyes widened at the sight before her. Clothes were scattered everywhere, and in the middle of the room stood Petunia with a furious look on her face, brush in hand.
"You better come out from under that bed, you little brat," she screamed.
"What is going on here?" Lily asked.
"I am trying to get Isabelle ready for the funeral, but she isn't cooperating. She doesn't listen to anything I say."
"Why don't you just get Maria to do it?"
"Because, I asked Father to get rid of Maria three weeks ago. The child wouldn't mind anyone but her, including Father. She is completely out of control," Petunia huffed.
The tiny girl scampered out from underneath the bed, and wrapped herself around Lily's legs. She looked at her big sister through large, teary eyes.
"Finally, you come out. What do you have to say for yourself?" Isabelle said nothing. "Silent, just like I expected. Do you know that she hasn't said a word in the past six weeks? Not one word. Do you even talk? Huh? Is anything between your two ears?" Petunia taunted, waving her hand in front of Isabelle's face. She promptly bit Petunia's hand. "Ouch!" she screamed.
"That's what you get," James laughed.
Petunia gave him a look of pure hatred. "Fine. You deal with her," she said, handing Lily the brush, and stomped out of the room.
"Hi, there. Can I fix your hair?" Isabelle didn't respond, but she didn't run, either. Lily took this as a positive sign, and began to brush the tangles out of her hair. Five minutes later, her hair was perfectly plaited. She took Isabelle's hand, and led her downstairs to leave for the church.
"Finally ready. We're going to be late. Come on, let's go," Petunia grumbled.
-----
"Come on James. We're going to miss the Hogwarts Express," Lily said in a deadened voice. He kept pausing in the King's Cross station, looking at every sign."We're not going back to school yet," he said absentmindedly, running his fingers through his hair.
"Then where are we going?" She was not in the mood to play games.
He flashed her his most charming smile. "Muggle London."
"Why?"
"Because you need a break from your family, school, homework, everything. So, I made arrangements for us to take a little, uh, vacation for the next week."
"You're not serious, are you?"
"Yes, completely serious. I swear!" he added at the skeptical look on her face. "We have reservations at the St. Giles hotel as Mr. and Mrs. Samuel Adams."
"Ok, before we even discuss this idea, who picked the name of an imported beer as an alias?"
"Sirius."
"He's in on this, too?" Her face was a vivid scarlet.
"Well, he's covering for us at school. If any professors start asking questions, he's going to tell them that we're still taking care of business."
"No. I don't want him to get into trouble for lying. He gets enough detention already."
"It's not a lie. Lily, you're a mess, and I don't blame you. For the past six weeks, you've shouldered an awful lot of responsibility. You've taken time to help everyone but yourself. I'm not doing this because I want to snog you all week." His face now matched Lily's. "Well, maybe a little."
"Just a little?"
"Look, I can prove my good intentions. The hotel room has two beds in it. Two twin beds, at that. Come on, Lil. You just need some time off."
She looked up at his sincere face. He had obviously put a lot of thought into making her happy. Oh, what could it hurt? she decided.
"Alright, Mr. Adams, where exactly is this hotel?"
"Well, the paper says it's off the London Underground."
"The Tube. Muggles call it the Tube. What station?"
"Tottenham Court Road."
"Oh, that's near Leicester Square. Come on," she said, guiding him through the busy station. She paused at a machine, and put several Muggle coins in it. A minute later, two tickets popped out. They stood at the platform, waiting for a train.
"Mind the gap, please," came an automated voice, as they entered the train. James doubled over, laughing. Even Lily cracked a small smile at the look on his face.
"How do you know where to go, anyway?" he asked her.
She pointed to a map. "The stations are color-coded according to a certain route, called a line. See, several train lines meet at King's Cross, so you can change lines. We want the black line heading south. Our station is right in the middle of the city. Did you plan it that way?"
He nodded, as they exited the Tube, hoping that spending time in the city would cheer her up.
-----
"Mind the gap, please," James joked, as Lily jumped off the Hogwarts Express in Hogsmeade. She laughed."So, how was living like a Muggle for a week?" she asked him, with an evil grin.
"Frightening experience. I actually found myself watching TV in the middle of the night. Do you know what's on TV that late at night?"
"Do I want to know?"
"Probably not."
He playfully slung his arm across her shoulder as they walked towards the castle grounds. The week off had done Lily a world of good, he decided. She wasn't quite as pale, or depressed. It had hit her hard when her mother died because she hadn't accepted just how sick her mother was. It was easy to pretend that everything was alright when she couldn't see what was really going on. And then, her father killing himself like that, leaving only Isabelle in the house at the time. No one knew what she had seen or heard that day, because she wouldn't talk about it.
Not that James blamed the poor child. He couldn't help comparing the little girl's closed off demeanor to Lily's cheerful, outgoing nature. He remembered the first time he had met her – at the Sorting Ceremony, where she failed to be impressed by him. And then proceeded to show him up in every class, much to the amusement of Sirius, Gina and Remus. The summer before sixth year, when she was visiting his house for the summer, he finally got up the nerve to ask her out. He couldn't believe that was almost a year ago. So much has changed since then; it seemed like they lived in a completely different world. They walked in comfortable silence through the castle grounds, and up the stairs to the entryway.
"I wonder where everyone is?" Lily asked, confused. The halls were almost deserted.
"It's almost exam time. I guess everyone's studying."
"Not everyone starts studying for exams three months in advance, James. It's only March."
"Cute," he said in mock indignation. Suddenly, he smacked his forehead with his hand. "Ravenclaw has a Quiddich match with Slytherin today. Can't believe I forgot."
"Me either. Chocolate toffee," she told the Fat Lady. The portrait swung open, and they entered the common room where Sirius was sitting, reading the latest copy of Quiddich Weekly.
"How's it going, Mr. Adams," he smirked from behind the paper.
"Just great," James responded, snat.ching the paper and scanning the front page article. "As if the Nimbus series could ever replace the Clean Sweeps. Honestly."
"Hey, that stack of mail's for you, Lil." Sirius pointed at a tall stack of assorted papers.
She rifled through the pile, pausing at a thick envelope from Petunia. Never, in her six years at Hogwarts, had Petunia ever used owl post. Intrigued, she ripped open the letter and read the contents.
"Oh, my God," she whispered.
"What?" James and Sirius asked together.
"It's Isabelle. The doctors say that she's autistic."
"Ok. Big deal. Regina's artistic, and she didn't need a doctor to tell her that," Sirius said.
"Not artistic. Autistic. Petunia says here that it's a medical condition where a child withdraws into her own little world. Apparently Isabelle's a classic case. She doesn't talk, write, hates any human contact, and acts out with violent temper tantrums."
"I don't get it. Your mum always wrote about how smart she was," James puzzled.
"That's part of it too, apparently. The child develops unusually quickly, and then just shuts down for some reason. The doctors say that her symptoms could have been showing for years, but just overlooked because of everything else that was going on."
"So, what's the prognosis?"
Lily looked at James through weary eyes. "She'll never function normally, partially because of the autism, but also because she's moderately retarded. Petunia says here that the psychologists could barely chart her intelligence level because her behavior and attention span were so poor. There's a summer camp that might teach her how to some things, like dress herself, brush her teeth, make small sentences, that sort of thing. After that, who knows?"
Sirius sat listening to the conversation, narrowing his eyes. Something about the situation didn't seem quite right to him. True, she behaved exactly as the letter said. But, could a retarded girl sneak around the house like she did? He truly doubted it, and would bet his entire trust fund that something else was causing Isabelle's behavior, other than autism.