Apocalyptic Skies

BUT MAYBE YOU'RE HOPING

for a fairytale too

Izzy couldn't help herself. She'd always checked the matches hoping to see her own name there one day, willing to take a chance on love. Last month all of her wildest dreams had come to pass when she'd been matched with the man of her dreams, thanking her lucky stars that the aphrodites had been so kind to her. So why was she still checking the matches now that her own name would never appear there again? Because old habits were hard to break, and she loved a good snoop to see if it was anyone she knew. She'd been on her break at work when she'd managed to get her hands on a newspaper, looking it over with a cup of tea and a biscuit that she'd promptly spat out when she'd seen the names on the page in front of her. "Holy Merlin's nutsack!"

She'd swiftly pulled a sickie, saying she had to go home with a terrible upset stomach and rushing out of the building. Helley wouldn't be at home, she was working today, but Izzy went there anyway to get changed out of her work clothes and have a good panic in the living room, talking everything over with Tilly so that it was all clear in her head. Helley had been matched with Leo. The actual real Leo this time. Her best friend and her cousin. Matched. She was honestly more excited than anything. Helley was already destined to be her cousin when she married Tristan at the end of the month, but this was an added bonus in the family shit tip. The level of complicated that this all was was mind boggling at best, but she talked it through with the snoozing cocker spaniel and set out to find her best friend.

Helley would be livid. She never wanted to get married, especially not if it was forced upon her by the ministry. Izzy didn't know if she'd even seen the matches yet, and she really hoped Helley hadn't if she were being honest. There would be no gentle way to break it to her, but if she already knew, then Merlin knew what her reaction had been. Nothing good, that was for sure. Izzy headed to the ministry, asking around the auror office, but nobody had seen her. She asked at the front desk, a welcome witch telling her that she saw auror Lestrange leaving the building a short while ago. Where would Helley go?

Only one place sprung to mind since it was the middle of the day. If she hadn't seen the matches, she'd go for something to eat. Izzy hurried to Diagon Alley, barging her way past people until she reached the bakery door, pushing it open and standing there in the doorway, staring at the sight of her best friend sitting alone in a booth, looking completely despondent. Izzy's shoulders sagged, and she crossed the small room quickly, plonking herself down right next to Helley, rather than opposite her, their shoulders touching. She wanted to hug Helley but that wasn't Helley's style, so she sat there for a minute, quietly supportive, wondering how she could make it all sound right to someone as stubborn as her best friend.

BUT MAYBE YOU'RE HOPING

for a fairytale too

Helley's food arrived, and Izzy stayed quiet, wondering if she'd actually say anything or just eat her bagel. She was desperate to say something. She'd practiced so much on Tilly but the moment she'd seen Helley sitting there alone, it had all gone out of her head and she wasn't sure what to say any more. Helley finally broke the silence, and Izzy turned to face her with a desperate look. "It's not that bad, right? I mean, of all the people..." Leo was a good man. Helley could have been matched with the scum of the earth but she'd been given the opportunity to have someone incredibly loving and loyal by her side for life. Surely that was a gift rather than a curse? Izzy had no idea how Leo would feel about it, his emotions were more turbulent than Helley's in a way, but she would check on him later. Helley was her first priority.

BUT MAYBE YOU'RE HOPING

for a fairytale too

Izzy's eyes widened, mouth dropping open at Helley's question. "Helley, you are not going to-" She paused and lowered her voice as people passed their booth. "You are not going to Azkaban," she hissed. Izzy would magically tie herself to Helley with an unbreakable chain if she had to. She'd do anything to protect her from herself. And that was all this was, she was going out of her way to hurt herself instead of accepting a fate that was kind and quite frankly, generous. "This is Leo. You know him. He's been in your life forever, you can't possibly think that doing time is better than marrying him?"

BUT MAYBE YOU'RE HOPING

for a fairytale too

"Don't be pedantic," Izzy chided. Helley was being pissy and unreasonable and she knew it. So she hadn't ever been best buddies with Leo, but he had always been a presence in her life, even if it wasn't a direct one. Helley knew he was a good person, he was Izzy's family, he was possibly the best person that Helley could have ever been matched with if Izzy were to really think about it. He was mature, he already had a kid, he had a stable job and a house, he wasn't some pureblood prick jaded by supremacist views that would cause trouble between him and Helley. She said as much to Helley, basically selling her cousin like he was a fine prize cow. "You have to admit, it's a solid match. They could have really done you dirty."

BUT MAYBE YOU'RE HOPING

for a fairytale too

It dawned on Izzy then just how little Helley really knew of Leo. It was all well and good her wanting to protect them from her unpredictable life, but if she thought Leo was the type who was looking for a fairytale romance and a mother for his kid, she couldn't have been more wrong. Her voice was firm as she tried to get her point across to a clearly distressed Scorpio. "A bit of advice from someone who knows Leo well. A lot better than you do. He is not looking for a happily ever after. He is more familiar with trauma than you could imagine. He's a bloody man whore who will never settle down because he's too scared to. He's happy the way he is. And while I know this is probably not selling him in the right way, I would bet my life that he would marry you in a heartbeat to keep you from a worse fate and never expect a thing from you in return." Izzy really hoped her gut was right about that one. Leo was a womaniser and he always would be, but in her heart, Izzy hoped that she knew him well enough, that he would do the right thing for her best friend, even if it was just on paper.

BUT MAYBE YOU'RE HOPING

for a fairytale too

This was not going well. Izzy knew that no matter wat she said, or what spin she tried to put on it, Helley would rebel and find a way around it. She was going for the angle that it wasn't fair to Leo, but Izzy didn't care about that. Leo would be fine, he'd been through worse. She cared about Helley. Helley could not go to Azkaban, it just wasn't an option, and Izzy would resort to full on bribery and blackmail if she had to to protect Helley from her own stubbornness. "He doesn't have to be tangled in anything!" Izzy protested, getting frustrated now. "You say 'I do', you sign a piece of paper that says it's legal, and then you go your separate ways and carry on as normal." It could not be simpler if that was the way Helley wanted to look at things. Leo wouldn't be tangled up in anything if they looked at is as a business deal. "It's just a way to keep you out of jail. Who knows what would happen to you there, Hellz?" She'd put a lot of people in Azkaban over the years, the thought of what they might do to Helley over the course of three months was unthinkable.