₀₉ | Isla's Links
At first, Isla thought Isaac would be one of those obnoxious kids she wouldn't become close to, but he managed to prove her wrong. Considering Isla can be a bit of a realistic pessimist, she appreciates Isaac's consistent optimism. She admires Isaac's passion for Quidditch but won't find herself interested in Quidditch until around her fifth year, however she is still one of his big supporters and even got her younger sister to hype him up. Isla is also happy she has someone else to gawk about comics with, and she believes Isaac has good taste in them. She won't tell him, but in the current canon, she's saving up money to buy him a 70s Spiderman Comic Omnibus. Isla is grateful to Isaac for being her homie, and even though she will occasionally call him an idiot, she believes he's intelligent. Isla holds a strong trust in Isaac, and she will often tell him things she can't tell Roz (especially as they get older). She feels graced by his positive presence, and she hopes to develop a deeper friendship with him when they're ready for it.
Isaac initially thought Isla was another boring bookworm brainiac, but quickly came to realize that she had her own conflicts with academics and a taste for chaos and adventure just like him. They make up the more reckless half of the Scapegraces and often drag Tristen and Roz along in their trouble. Alternatively, when Isaac knows that Tristen or Roz will lecture him about immature behavior, he will go to Isla whenever he wants to conduct misdemeanors.
They share many common interests such as American culture, specifically comics, and frequently trade their books. Isla's dry remarks and humor usually catches Isaac off guard as he is not familiar with such blunt attitude, but he usually finds it amusing yet scandalous. Her cheeky and occasional antagonizing attitude rubs off on him over time and it shows through his progression from innocent cheerfulness to rude humor and cockiness over the years.
But sometimes their impulsivity and aggressiveness can clash, which results in some conflict, especially in their middle years. Isaac's boyish ignorance and Isla's growing insecurities do not mix well, especially because Isaac begins to believe that girls are hard to understand.
When they're young, Isla views Roz as her midget best friend. She is quite fond of teasing him, but it's her way of showing her care for him. She often teases him for his height and the fact he can't climb trees. But despite her constant teasing, there's a lot of affection she won't show people. Isla has a strong admiration for Roz's intelligence and his ability to keep his pride in check. But since Isla can be a bit of a tsundere, she wouldn't tell him that unless he needed to hear it. She is also notably over-protective of him, and she would defend him verbally and physically without hesitation. Isla is convinced Roz is an amazing person, and no one can tell her otherwise. She also notably has a deep appreciation for him for not only being her best friend but also for allowing her to stay at his place during the breaks. Isla feels safer and calmer when he's around, so she's naturally drawn to spending more time with him. She loves getting to do stuff with him that he's never done before (such as letting him climb trees, wear high heels, etc.) and also taking the opportunity to learn from him as well. Isla is also marveled by his cooking skills, and she adores his style. She will often find herself complaining she's hungry to him just so he'll make something for her to munch on.
When Isla is older, her feelings remain unchanged other than the fact she becomes more romantically attracted to him. Her loyalty to him would have grown much stronger, and she would throw herself in the way of danger to make sure he's safe. Although she has romantic feelings, Isla will not force anything on him. She simply wishes for Roz' happiness, and if that's with her as nothing more than his best friend, Isla is okay with it.
Isla and Roz are close friends, both being apart of the friend group: the Scapegraces. When Roz first met Isla, he found her to be very difficult to talk to. Ironically, now he considers her his best friend, someone he feels at ease with, and someone who he'd give the absolute world to. Originally out of worry for her spending her breaks and holidays alone or unhappily, Roz began inviting her over to his home when school was out. Soon it became a tradition to spend time together during the breaks whenever they could. Isla introduced him to countless muggle hobbies, interests, items that he had no real knowledge on, and they had fun every step of the way. Isla has always been there for him whenever he needed it, and he's very thankful for that. He's also really happy whenever Isla describes her enjoyment with his cooking. In the past, whenever Isla called him a midget, he was very defensive and upset about it. But as time went on, the nickname kind of grew on him and he was pretty used to it. Roz does feel a bit sad whenever Isla claims she needs makeup to look pretty or other additions of the sort, as he thinks she's fine as is. Even though he's not against makeup or anything, it was just that in his heart, he really wanted her to have the self-confidence she deserved. These simple wants and their silly friendship slowly turned his feelings into something more; though he never really realizes it until far later on. He begins to display actions that he himself does not understand, but in reality it was due to his feelings for her. That included being strangely protective of her, accepting things she liked without hesitation even when he disliked them, finding her really pretty, etc. Sometime after the arranged marriage with October is announced, he realizes these feelings and desperately strives to find a way to get out of it and explain to Isla.
Isla is convinced Niklas is absolutely despicable. His attitude and disrespect towards Roz disgusts her, especially because Roz is such a kind and sympathetic older brother. Due to her experience with her older brother, Isla believes Niklas is ungrateful and takes Roz for granted. Isla wouldn't think twice about putting Niklas in his place, especially considering his views on her. After she punches him in sixth year, Isla views him as a coward who can't fight without his wand. She deliberately uses his opinions against him, and even believes his luxuries have turned him into a cheap person. His morals and lack of respect are something Isla finds absolutely repulsive, and if Roz didn't care as much about Niklas, she would have beat him up much harder than she did.
At first, Isla was pretty unsure if she would be able to connect with Sage (given that she is a bit of a fool). However, after rooming with her for a year, Isla has become quite fond of her. Isla admires Sage's intelligence and friendship, and she's very grateful they're friends. Normally, Isla wouldn't care about the house cup but because of Sage's desire to win, Isla makes sure to take caution if she misbehaves. Sage is one of her study buddies that actually takes it seriously (especially because Isla tends to drift away from the topic if she isn't interested). Since Isla is a bit of a tsundere, she wouldn't ever admit she's very protective of Sage. If anyone ever tried to hurt her comrade, Isla wouldn't hesitate to hex them. Hopefully Sage doesn't know that though.
Sage never had roommates before Hogwarts, so she didn't know what to expect from her roommates. Despite that, Sage and Isla have grown to be friends. Sage appreciates that, while she tends towards sarcasm, Isla doesn't try to put on an act or pretend to be somebody she isn't. She admires Isla's reflex to leap into action when it comes to things and people she cares about, from defending her friends to throwing herself into learning about things she's interested in. Sage has starting taking Isla's cue in making friends and being more willing to talk to people she isn't as close to. Despite being bad at most social cues, Sage has gotten used to her roommates' mannerisms and patterns, which she finds comforting. She doesn't bring it up if she notices Isla trying to brush off her emotions, especially if her Thaumaturgy gives that away, but she still tries to help out indirectly and attempts to make her day a little better.