They were awkward that afternoon. Izzie didn't look at Sirius, while he couldn't stop looking at her. Regulus and Remus were tiptoeing around each other, with secret glances and blushes. Izzie kept her attention on the young Potter, trying to get to know him.
"I know I gave you tickets, but I gave Remus unlimited ones and with backstage entrance." She smiled at Harry. "You can bring Hermione if you want."
"And my parents?" He asked, his eyes large behind his spectacles.
"Of course. I think your mum wouldn't forgive me otherwise." She winked and chuckled as Harry blushed. "You're cute. Hermione is a lucky girl." The blush worsened.
"Oh, leave him be, sis." Regulus booming laugh filled the living room. A sort of laugh he barely let out at Hogwarts, a laugh that was part of his new life and personality. "He's all flustered."
"I'm not flustered." Harry protested with his red cheeks. "You're just amazing! I love your music and the way you perform, and – and you're beautiful." He blurted out, red as a tomato.
Izzie smiled and reached over to squeeze his hand. "Thank you, Harry. That is really sweet of you." She wanted to take the attention off the flustered young boy and looked to Remus, who was sitting on her right. "Remus, didn't you want to ask my brother something?"
"I - well, yeah, but-"
"Go on." She nudged him, grinning.
"I hate you." He grumbled playfully. "Yeah, uhm, Reg?" He asked nervously, rubbing the back of his neck. Regulus seemed amused at his flustered ex-boyfriend, he leaned forward, resting his arms on his knees in interest. Another sign of his changed personality, he was way less shy and more outgoing. "I was wondering if you wanted to – uhm – go grab dinner with me sometime? You know, as a – as a date."
The smile that stretched over Reg's face was just breath-taking, his eyes twinkled as he looked at the blushing man. He leaned back, crossing one leg over the other, not taking his eyes off Remus. "That's an interesting proposition. You got me intrigued. Where do you want to take me?"
"I -" Remus looked so confused and Izzie couldn't help but snicker. In the corner of her eye, she saw Sirius eye his brother in confusion. "I know how much you love Italian, there's this amazing place in London, if you want?"
There is definitely one thing that hasn't changed with Regulus and that was his love for Italian food. "Sounds perfect." Regulus almost purred. "I would love to go on a date with you, Remus."
The pair stared at each other with silly smiles for a long moment, until Sirius cleared his throat. They turned to look at him, except Izzie, she looked out of the window. "You're so – different. Where is the shy and bashful Regulus. The one that was always looking around for something bad to happen."
Regulus leaned forward again as he looked at his older brother. "I haven't been that guy in fifteen years, Sirius. I've changed, Izzie has changed." He looked to Remus. "We're not the same people."
"I know." Remus nodded with a smile. "That's why I wanted to take you out, to get to know the new you."
"Oh." Regulus flushed a little. He turned back to his brother. "It's only been a day since our memories were pulled out of a dark hidden corner. It is going to take some time before our two worlds will start to converge. We have literally led two different lives. And now we have to try to understand what we are now, who we are."
Sirius played with his fingers; his gaze fixed on his nails for a moment before he looked up. But he didn't look at his brother, his eyes shifted to Izzie. "I understand."
"Uhm, guys? Mum and dad will be here any minute. How are we going to do this?" Harry asked glancing at the clock.
"Oh, right." Remus frowned. "Why don't you to go into the kitchen while we prepare them."
"Yeah, alright." Izzie stood up and wiggled her fingers in front of Regulus. He kissed her hand before she pulled him up. "I'll make us some coffee." She said before they disappeared in the kitchen.
"Harry! Is everything alright?" Lily's rushed voice filled the room, the moment the door opened.
"I'm fine, mum." He grumbled in embarrassment. Lily had taken his face in her hands and checked him over.
"Are you su-" She stopped when James gave her a pointed look. "Alright. I missed you."
"I missed you too, mum." His voice muffled from being pressed against her. Remus and Sirius smirked a little.
"Well, if Harry's okay and the house is still standing, why did we need to get back early?"
"You - you better sit down." Remus gestured them to the couch.
"You're worrying me." James said. "You two look like you've seen a ghost."
"Close to it." Sirius mumbled incoherently. "I -" He touched the ring that was hanging on his necklace beneath his shirt. "I don't know where to begin." He looked to Remus with panicked eyes.
"You know Harry and Sirius went to see Cassie Sabel, right? Well, - uhm – you know we all calmed down from her voice? Well, there is a reason for that. I – I better just show you. Cassie?"
"Cassie Sable is here? Cassie Sable is in the same house as me?!" Lily's breathing became rapid, excited and panicked to see her favourite singer, she looked around frantically, patting her hair down. "Why are you so calm, Harry?!" She nearly shrieked. And Remus assumed that Izzie and Reg were trying to hold in their laughter as they made their way out of the kitchen.
"Harry already kind of met me. But so did you, actually."
Lily's breathing stopped when she saw Izzie and Regulus walk out of the kitchen. "Izzie-" She breathed. "Reg. Is this real? What's happening."
"It's real, it's me." She said quietly. Lily was frozen to the spot as she walked closer, only when Izzie touched her arm, she crumbled in her arms. They cried in each other arms. James's face was just pure shock as he looked from the newly arrived duo to Remus and Sirius.
"I missed you so much." Lily pulled back to look her in the eye before she turned to Reg. "I've missed you too, come here." She opened her arms and Reg walked in without hesitation. Then James just charged forward and wrapped his arms around the three of them. They stood there for a long time, clinging to each other.
"Can someone tell me what's happening?" James asked once he pulled back, his voice shook.
Izzie breathed in deep, taking Reg's hand in hers. "Let's sit down, there is a lot to say."
The whole time Reg and Izzie explained what happened, James was looking at Sirius. He hasn't said a word since the reunion. He was just touching his chest, which he knew was where Izzie's engagement ring was hidden under. He couldn't take his eyes of his presumed death fiancé, ex-fiancé?
"I can't believe you're back. That you are alive." Lily whispered; her arm curled around Izzie's.
"If I had known -"
"I know." She whispered back. "You don't have to apologise." She turned to Remus. "How come we never knew it was Izzie singing?"
"We thought she was -" He couldn't say the word. "And she has a completely different name and we thought she was an American. Without any pictures, we couldn't have known."
"How did you choose your names, if you didn't know who you were?"
"When we got out of the hospital, we walked around the city for a few hours. Just trying to see if something would trigger our memories. Then we just saw these names in a magazine and chose those. Except -" Regulus looked to Izzie. "For Sable, that was Isabelle's idea."
"Do you know what Sable means?" Remus asked, when he saw their confused faces, he continued after a glance at Sirius. "Sable is a colour black."
"Black." Izzie whispered and her eyes found Sirius's. Remus could hear her breath hitch and her heartbeat fastened. They stared at each other for a long time.
"Are you staying?" Lily asked.
"I can if you want." She tore her eyes away from Sirius and looked to the redhead. "I just need to call Cor to let him know."
"What about – wait, who's Cor?"
"Her manager and her fiancé." Remus said quietly and the room fell silent. Izzie looked down at the ring on her finger.
"But I'll stay tonight, if you want."
"I'm not letting you go." Lily said resolutely. "We should all go to Potter Mansion, more than enough space for everyone. What about after?"
"We still have a concert in London this weekend, then we'll tour around Europe for the summer, we finish the tour in London the last weekend of August."
"You're leaving again." Sirius whispered, looking down at the floor.
"It's my job, I can't just -" Izzie took in a deep breath. "I'll come back. We have free time after each tour, just occasional an interview. So, Reg and I don't have to be anywhere until February."
"And after?" James asked.
"I don't know." Tears filled her eyes again; Remus was relieved that Regulus gathered her in his arms.
"Izzie, I'm sorry-" James started to apologise.
"It's okay. It's just a lot." She sniffed. "Just give me a minute." She pushed herself off Regulus chest and went to lock herself in the bathroom.
"You seem to take it easier than her."
"I don't think that's true." He rubbed a hand over his face and Remus saw a glimpse of a tattoo on his wrist. "Emotionally, it's just harder for her. She's practically engaged to two people."
"How so?" Lily asked, a tilt in her head. Nobody looked to Sirius at the moment, who was still staring at the hallway, Izzie disappeared through.
"It's like on one side of our brain, we're famous artists Cassie and Roan Sable, the ones without any heavy baggage except memory loss. The other side... the other side feels like we're still 18 years old and living in this house, both still in love with – it's all just so complicated. I never loved someone like I love Remus." Love, not loved, love. Remus repeated in his head. "But Isabelle... it took her a long time, but she did find love. And now she's in love with two people. I can't imagine what must be going through her head."
"Cor -" Sirius's strained voice said. "Is he a good man?"
"He is. He wouldn't be around Isabelle if he wasn't. I had to scare enough people away for years. But Cor is a good guy. He's honest, sweet and romantic. He hasn't done anything in the past five years to hurt her." He said honestly, even though he knew he broke his brother heart saying that.
"Good, that's good. She deserves to be happy."
"That doesn't mean she has to be happy with him, Sirius." Regulus locked his eyes with him. After a few seconds, he squinted his eyes shut and looked down.
"We should head to your house, James. We can have dinner there." He said before walking up the stairs.
The Potter Mansion was certainly big enough for everyone. After a quick tour, Lily dragged her on the big couch while James and Sirius went to the kitchen to make dinner. She was squished between Lily and Remus, while Regulus sat on Remus's other side. She heard the boys talking in the kitchen, utensils clattering against pots.
"Did you try to get your memories back?" Lily asked her and Reg.
"We did, at first. The first year we went to healers, doctors, we went into medical trials. But after two years we gave up." She admitted. "Reg and I, we woke up in New York full of scars. We thought we were better off not knowing. But -"
"We were wrong." Reg said quietly.
"Yeah."
"I don't blame you." Lily squeezed her hand. "I would've done the same." She leaned her head on her shoulder. "Tell me about Cor." Something that sounded like a ladle clattered to the floor in the kitchen.
"Uhm, we met when I worked as lounge singer. Back then he searched the bars and cafés for the next 'big thing'." She chuckled. "When he heard me sing, he said he needed to sign me."
"Obviously." Remus grinned.
"But I had my own demands of course. I wasn't just going to sign with a man I just met."
"Of course not." Lily and Remus laughed.
"I said I wanted to write my own music, and Reg or rather Roan needed to be included. I didn't want to do it without him. So, it took us four months before we signed a definitive contract. Cor and I were friends for a long time. He had a girlfriend and I, well I didn't know who I was. Five years ago, he and I were single, and he just asked me out. He said he will always be my friend first, then my manager and then boyfriend. So, I agreed. We were on tour in Canada, I think it was Quebec when we went out on our first date. It was a horrible first date, to be honest." She laughed. "Not because of him but paparazzi. They chased almost all night until he apparated me to a secluded spot in a forest. There was snow everywhere, it was magical. Two years ago, he asked me to marry him."
"Two years..."
"Yeah, with the tours it keeps getting pushed back."
"Food's ready!" James cried from the kitchen.
"Let's eat something, we can talk about Regulus love life after." Lily grinned as Remus scowled and Regulus blushed.
"Well, I would like to know about baby Potter here." Izzie grinned, ruffling Harry's hair as they went to sit on the table. Sirius and James were placing the pots and pans on the table, looking at the interaction.
"I'm not a baby." He grumbled with a blush.
"You're too cute." She pinched his cheek, making him even redder.