Love & Scars

7. After A Full Moon

It was the night of the full moon, and Izzie saw the Marauders get ready to head to the shrieking shack. She leapt up from her spot at the fireplace and hurried over to them. Sirius was already looking at her, but he quickly ducked his head as she glanced his way. She flung her arms around Remus's neck.

"Be careful." She whispered as his arms wound around her waist.

"I always am." He said. When she pulled back, she looked at him in disbelief. "Well, I always try." He corrected.

"Right." She chuckled dryly. "I'll be in the infirmary at dawn."

"You always are." He kissed the top of her head. 

Peter and James were already waiting at the portrait hole; the former was glancing at his watch nervously. Sirius was still standing next to them, but when he made a move to follow Remus and walk to the others, Izzie tugged his sleeve. He looked at her curiously.

"You'll keep him safe?"

"I —" He stuttered.

"I know."

"Y-you know?" His eyes comically large.

"Ever since you revealed your plans to Remus. I won't say anything, I promise."

"No, I guess you won't." He smiled a little. 

He wrapped his hand around the one that was still clutching his sleeve. "I'll keep him safe, I promise. I guess I found something out about you without tutoring you."

She smiled half-heartedly. She pulled her hand back and wrapped her arms around her, like a shield, as she watched them walk out of the common room. Sirius and Remus both looked back for a moment before the portrait closed. 

She was always nervous and afraid at the full moon; she never slept. She couldn't, not when she didn't know if Remus was safe. After she found out about the marauders becoming Animagi, she tried it herself but never managed. 

The part she was always stuck at was the meditation. She could never empty her mind. Her mother, her father, and her uncle all flashed before her eyes. She stared at the closed portrait for another few minutes before sitting back on her spot in front of the fireplace, pulling her homework onto her lap.

                                                                                            ***

The night went well. The four marauders had been running around the forest together, going after rabbits but not catching them. The marauders had left Moony in the Shrieking Shack because Madam Pomfrey always came to check on him in the morning. When they arrived back in the common room, tired but pleased, they saw Izzie sleeping on the floor. She had her head on a pillow and was snuggled close to the fire.

"You go upstairs, I'll wake her up," Sirius said to the others.

"I still can't believe she knows," Peter said, looking at the sleeping girl.

"I'm not surprised, to be honest. I figure she knows everything about our Moony." James said.

"Her Moony, you mean." Peter piped up.

"They're not together." Sirius huffed.

"Can still happen, you've seen how they look at each other." Peter shrugged before he tiredly climbed the stairs.

"Peter's wrong, mate." James clapped Sirius back.

Sirius shrugged him off, his eyes still fixed on her. "Don't care."

"Right." James frowned. "Night, Pads." He didn't get an answer.

When James had disappeared up the stairs, he rounded the couch and knelt in front of her. Her features were relaxed, with no worry lines to be seen. He pushed the hair out of her face. She was beautiful, in more ways than one. She had her obvious beauty, of course. It still pained him, but he never noticed.