The One That Got Away| Sirius Black

005| Truths and Broom Cupboards

October 1, 1974

The guilt ate at Isabella over the next few weeks. Those words Sirius had whispered to her kept repeating in her head. Isabella didn't want to be a mean girl. Even more, she didn't want Sirius Black to be able to get in her head the way he was.

She could hardly talk to Aurora or Jackie. Sometimes she even avoided Victoria. Isabella spent a lot of her time up in the astronomy tower. She loved looking out at the grounds and on clear nights, she loved looking at the sky.

Today, Isabella decided to put an end to her misery once and for all. She was going to come clean to her friends that night. The girl decided to spend her last moments before her world blew up in her face in the library.

She was walking there when she heard a loud bang from around the corner. Curiously, Isabella flattened herself against the wall and peaked around the corner. She was the last three people she would ever expect. Her brothers Lance and Elliot were standing in the hall with Barty Crouch.

The contents of a broom cupboard were scattered about the floor. The younger boys had guilty looks on their face and Lance was standing their fuming with his arms crossed. Isabella made herself visible and walked over to the boys.

"What just happened?" she asked in concern.

"Barty kidnapped me! He brought me in here and was trying to curse me," Elliot cries out his face suddenly looking fearful.

Barty's face morphed into a sly smile upon Elliot's words. "It's true," he shrugs.

"Twenty points from Slytherin," Lance growls in his most authoritative tone. He grabs Elliot's arm in a protective manner. "Let's go Elliot, you too Bells."

"I was going down to the Black Lake," Elliots protests as Lance drags him in the opposite direction. Isabella begins jogging to keep up with Lance's long strides.

"Lance," she says once they were far enough away from Barty. He turns to her, his face still angry. "Let him go."

Lance obliges and Elliot rubs his arm where Lance had been grabbing him. "Bloody hell," Elliot grumbles.

"Ellie, language," Isabella tuts. Even though Elliot was only a few years younger than her, she had taken on a motherly role to him. She was always protecting him around the house when she could.

"I'm not a baby you know," he says defiantly putting his hands on his hips. "I'm twelve years old, I don't need you two babysitting me all the time."

"You're right, next time I'll just leave you to get cursed in the broom cupboard with Barty," Lance says sarcastically his voice raising with anger.

Elliot opens his mouth to protest but then his face softens and he just closes it. Isabella gives him a comforting smile. "At least he's fine now Lance," she says wringing her hands together.

"Well, don't you guys have some studying to do or something?" Lance asks after a moment of silence had passed between them.

The younger siblings look at each other then break out in smiles. "No," they say together. Isabella was only going to the library to give her something to do.

"Yeah me either," Lance shrugs. "Do you guys wanna go take a walk in front of the lake?"

"Didn't you just tell me I couldn't go down there?" Elliot asks sassily.

"That was before me and Bells were going with you," Lance shrugs in a much calmer tone than before.

"That was before me and Bells were going with you," Elliot mocks morphing his face and hair so that he looked more like Lance.