Starry skies and Gardenias

Chapter 160

"Jefferson,"

"Black," Isabella nodded in cold acknowledgement. 

The people passing through the corridor slowed their pace. Hogwarts has certainly been lacking drama ever since the Marauders left.

"Still smug about the match I see," Isabella said glaring at Regulus.

A wide smirk spread across Regulus face.

"I wonder, were you there for the match?" Regulus said loftily. "Well, you'd have known what had happened anyway,"

"Congratulations, then," Isabella droned emotionlessly. "How long did you take to find the snitch? Forty-five minutes?"

Regulus' glare hardened. 

"Please, Jefferson, do you think you could last forty-five minutes in the rain?" Regulus said with a dry laugh. 

"Yeah, and we will be leaving now," Marcus said, pushing through the crowd, and grabbing Regulus' shoulders and marching him down the corridor. 

"Really?" he huffed. "You really want to go boast in front of Jefferson?"

"I was not," Regulus said haughtily.  

"After she got kicked out of her team? It seems a bit harsh," Elena said, hurrying after them.

"Kicked out?" Regulus said, turning around, offended. Isabella wasn't kicked out!

"Well, then it did her good that Gryffindor lost, didn't it?" Marcus said. "Right after Jefferson's out of the team,"

"She wasn't kicked out," Regulus huffed. "She was too sick to play,"

"Really?" Elena said, curious at this new information. "But the rumours say that she was kicked out and that she was just kept in the team because Potter and your brother liked her,"

Regulus let out a laugh of disbelief.

"And you believed that?" he snapped, accusingly. "After you've seen her play for all these years?"

Elena looked away sheepishly, and Marcus glared at Regulus, putting a protective arm around Elena.

"How d'you know that?" Marcus demanded, concerned that Regulus wasn't stalking Jefferson now or anything. He did crazy things when he fancied someone.

"Everyone who has common sense would know that," Regulus rolled his eyes. "Who even started that stupid rumour?"

He glanced at his watch. 

"Don't bother," he said waving his hand dismissively. And he hurried down the corridor, towards Arithmancy. 

So that's why he ran into Isabella in the corridor. He did think it was strange that he had seen her this early in the morning and Potions wasn't until before lunch. He had forgotten that he had Arithmancy today.

Regulus entered the seemingly empty classroom, then he saw Isabella at the back and beamed at her. 

Isabella smiled back.

"Are you sure you are alright?" Regulus asked, keeping his voice as quiet as possible.

Isabella nodded. 

"Madam Pomfrey said it was because I got a bit too excited for the match," Isabella said back. 

Regulus didn't say anything, but it was evident that he wasn't satisfied with the answer as he sat down in his usual seat.

Saturday evening, as they were sitting in the Room of Requirement, Isabella suddenly coughed up blood.