Starry skies and Gardenias

Chapter 188

"Isn't he gorgeous," James said grinning, Peter nodded along happily.

"Why're you standing over there?" Lily asked, when Isabella stood well away from the newborn. 

"You can have a closer look, you know," James nodded. Harry was sleeping peacefully in Lily's arms, and Sirius was so quiet it was almost freaky. 

"It's fine," Isabella said. "I wouldn't want to hurt him by accident,"

"Why do you think that will happen?" Regulus scoffed.

"I just don't think I'm good with babies," Isabella fired back.

"But kids adore you," Sirius whispered.

"No, they don't," Isabella said shortly. 

"Come off it," Remus rolled his eyes. "You've managed to get the Weasley clan to like you,"

"They don't necessarily like me, it is the toys that I had given them," Isabella replied curtly.

"He's so small," Peter breathed, dancing around James and Lily with a little camera, the sound silenced so as to not disturb sleeping Harry.

"You're here?" Regulus said, entering the room.

Isabella looked away from the wall she was staring ardently at. 

Regulus found it slightly strange, sitting at the round table he had avoided like the plague for months. 

Isabella didn't say anything but sighed.

Regulus crossed the room slowly and sat down on the chair beside Isabella. 

"They say the first six months are important," Isabella muttered. "But delaying it for that long. . .it wouldn't be prudent,"

"We haven't been wasting time when you were away, you know," Regulus said. 

"It's after I returned," Isabella said. "We've done nothing,"

"The Order is doing its best," Regulus assured her.

"Yes, yes, but that is only the Order," Isabella said, impatiently. 

Regulus held his hand out and Isabella slipped her hand into his, going back to staring at the wall.

"We can wait," she said slowly. "But it does not mean we will be doing nothing,"

Regulus laced their fingers together, his thumb stroking the side of her hand.

"We should go to sleep," Regulus reminded her. "Look at the time,"

"Yes," Isabella said vaguely. 

She flicked her wrist, and summoned a piece of parchment towards her, followed by her quill and ink.

Regulus watched the phoenix quill dart across the parchment, the handsome feather swishing as she wrote.

He knew it was galleons well spent.

"Your Patronus," he said. "It's a phoenix?"

Isabella nodded. 

"And you could conjure it after that. . .little hullabaloo?" he asked.

Isabella nodded again.

She put her quill down and picked her wand up. 

"Expecto Patronum," she muttered, and with a burst of brilliant silver light, her phoenix took to the air, soaring across the room.