A/N: Hello everyone! I've decided to put this up because it's one of my longest going series of Fan fiction.
This is the FIRST part to the Bella Series. The story was written in 2001 to 2002.
~~~~Which means it is PRE-BOOK 5!~~~~
My original character, Belladona Nightshade was created prior to the knowledge of Bellatrix and so it's not my fault that her nickname is the same. *Though it did freak me out extremely when I read book 5*
Disclaimer: PRE BOOK 5 you hear? Oh yeah, and I'm not J.K.Rowling and own Harry Potter.
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Chapter 1
"The job"
The sun had been shining brightly on that day in August as the streets of Diagon Alley littered with people. Harry and Ron were walking along the turbulent lane to collect all the things they needed for their 5th year at Hogwarts, school of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The twins and Ginny had gone with their mother the month before and Ron had decided to wait for Harry before getting his supplies. However, when Harry finally did arrive, she was greatly needed from Mr. Weasley after the possibility of Voldermort returning. So this time, Bill, Ron's eldest brother, was helping them out.
"Blimey, why is it so much more crowded here than usual?" asked Ron to no one in particular.
"I don't know but everyone is sure acting tense!" said Harry after being carelessly bumped into by an elderly witch.
"Well, after the rumors about "You-know-who" they're just stocking up on supplies I suppose," said Bill as he walking along with the two boys. "And they can get it nice and cheap around this time of year,"
Bill was a young man of twenty-three years old. He had the Weasley fiery-red hair, along with honey brown eyes. He and Ron looked very much alike with their tall, slim build and faces yet the extreme from eldest brother to youngest was quite apparent. Bill worked as a curse breaker at the Wizard Bank, Gringotts, and traveled far and wide to retrieve forgotten gold and artifacts. Right now, however, everything had come to a halt in Egypt where he had been working steadily. All excavations had been suspended as the bank had to re-sort all of their stocks and bonds to make sure that, with the rumored crisis going on, their money would be safe.
"I do, enjoy a holiday, but this is insane!" said Bill as everyone rushed the streets in a hurry.
"Yeah! These people are mad!" cried Ron as they past Ollivander's.
The wand shop was overflowing with people trying to force their way inside. Frenzied wizards and witches could be seen thrashing about madly as a figure appeared trying to calm the mass. An old man, with silver hair and surprisingly stunning eyes, exited and the crowd simply continued to yell in a panic.
"I need a new, strong wand Mr. Ollivander!" hollered a lady.
"No, I need mine repaired first!" shouted an old wizard.
"My daughter needs one in case of danger! Please! She'll be going to school this year and she needs a new one!" cried a witch in black robes.
"Settle DOWN everyone! I will serve people buying wands for Hogwarts students FIRST! Then everyone else will have his or her turn! Show me your list as you enter! I don't want any more problems!" cried Mr. Ollivander as he pushed out of his shop the frantic buyers and let some younger students in.
"See! Everyone's mental!" said Ron as they walked passed the commotion.
"Really! Hmm? I wonder how they're doing at the bank," said Bill glancing up the at the Gringotts building. He began to walk towards it but Ron had grabbed him by his red ponytail preventing him from moving anywhere.
"Ouch! Hey now, stop that!"
"No I won't!"
"Sorry, Bill but Ron's right! You're here to be with us," said Harry smiling as the longhaired redhead was weighed down by his brother.
Bill gave out a sigh and continued to walk with them disappointingly. He had managed however, to negotiate with the boys to stop by quickly so he could see his friend, Michael, who worked as the bonds keeper at that department, after their shopping. They continued down the road, against the current of people who were worriedly searching for bargains on any protective devices. Trying to take in the cluster of shoppers around him, Bill could only see a blur until one person in particular managed to catch his eye. He was fixated on a beautiful, dark-haired girl talking to a little one. She was fair, had ice blue eyes and was wearing a grape colored robe. He stared at her for a moment or two noticing that she was holding a stack of books in her hands and giving some back to the little witch. Lost in his observance, Harry had to shake Bill out of his daze because he was holing back a crowd of people wanting to pass.
"Hey Bill, what are you looking at anyways?" asked Harry.
"An angel…" he whispered, barely audible, but then was pushed back by a very large wizard.
"What did you say?" asked Ron as he tried to look at the spot where Bill had brought his eyes.
Sadly, there was no one there. Bill turned about regrettably and they continued to buy all of their things for the New Year. After collecting all sorts of books, ingredients, vials, equipment, blank parchments and quills, the boys walked back to Gringotts with their arms beginning to tire from the weight of their bags. As they entered tiny goblins were running around anxiously, pushing miniature carts and carrying small loads of treasure bags. Once well into the hall, Bill was stopped by a little goblin with a tuff of white hair sprouting out from the top of his head.
"Bill! It's good thing you're here! Godmik wants to see you," he said
"Me? But you said I was on holiday Rumgum," said Bill.
"He says that he has a task for you. I was about to send you an owl. Now get! I have things to fill out and deliver. I shutter at the thought that I might only be done 2 weeks in advance! Quite last minute if you ask me!" said Rumgum very quickly.
"You goblins need a good holiday more then I do, I wager," said Bill laughing as all three of them headed off to the main office.
Godmik, the head goblin of Gringotts, was very stern-faced, not that there were many goblins that looked cheerful, and headed the Wizard bank department in Britain. His office was very small and all three had to duck to enter through the tiny door. However, regardless of the size of his workplace, it still always left quite an impression to newcomers. The office couldn't have had a spec of dust on it. The marble floor was so glossy that one could clearly see their face shining back clearly. There were bookshelves piled high with files surrounding them but in a very neat and tidy way and there were many interesting charms and relics on the desks; most of them were solid gold.
"You wanted to see me sir?" asked Bill, as he tried to squeeze into armchair. "I hope you don't mind I brought my brother and his friend,"
Bill was a bit big for the chair but the boys slipped nicely into theirs. Godmik was very shaken by Bill's sudden arrival yet seemed very satisfied despite his surprise.
"Oh yes, that's no problem! Well Mr.Weasley, your punctuality has always been one of your greatest assets but I must say that this is quickest response I've ever gotten!" he exclaimed in a bit of a pompous voice.
"Anything to do a good job sir," said Bill with a bit of a smirk.
The boys snickered, they knew that Bill was a smooth talker and was quite talented in making himself look good. The goblin gazed at the two young boys and cleared his throat roughly. He then, took some papers and placed them in front of Bill.
"Well, Mr. Weasley, these are your documents and background information on the job that has been requested. You'll find everything in order,"
"I'd never expect less of you sir," said Bill as he grabbed the stack of papers.
"Thank you Mr.Weasley. Now, there is no need for any briefing from my part this time. An associate of our client will explain the procedures and conditions at the site. So this was simply a quick come and go pickup. Do not disappoint these people Mr.Weasley. The client has requested you, specifically. I can only imagine it is because of your record. Any other curse-breaker could have been called in,"
"Thank you sir for your confidence. I promise I will complete the task," he said as he rose and gave a signal to the boys that they should leave.
Everyone stood up and bent down to exit the room. Ron looked up at Bill with a bit drab expression.
"I guess no holiday for you huh?" he said as they made their way back into the hall.
"I suppose. However… according to this I won't be going very far," said Bill as he suddenly broke out in a smile.
"What do you mean?" asked Harry.
"Well… according to this I'm stationed at Hogwarts!"
"WHAT??" both boys shouted so loudly that their voices echoed in the halls.
The goblins that scurried about stopped completely and looked at the two stunned wizards questionably. Bill laughed wildly after seeing two other goblins ram into each other with their carts after Ron and Harry's sudden outburst.
They all walked out of the bank and proceeded to go back to the Burrow where Harry had stayed for the last two days. Their bags of school things had begun to weigh heavily on them so Bill decided to make them levitate for the last bit of the journey after traveling through the Port-Key.
"How are any of you two going to get big and strong if you both wimp out?" said Bill smiling. "The girls won't be impressed at all."
"I don't see you carrying these things Bill," Ron sneered.
"I don't need to. Got all the muscle I need. I'll never be as big as Charlie but I'm good with what I've got! Don't you two have girlfriends to impress back at Hogwarts?"
"No we don't!" said Harry wishing to change the conversation, especially after what happened between him and Cho Chang the year before.
"Ah come on! What about Hermione Ron? Didn't you say that -"?
"NO BILL! I DIDN"T!" said Ron turning beet red.
"Ok! Ok! Calm down! Oh look! We're here!" said Bill gazing at the Weasley residence.
Molly Weasley welcomed them all home with many hugs and kisses. The way she was acting, it was like they had been gone for years! At dinner, the family sat at the table and Bill decided to take the opportunity to announce his assignment at Hogwarts.
"Well, they had told me that I'd be stationed there for the first few months so I can have some more regular meetings with the client. I think her name was Belladona Nightshade," he said.
"Oh. Nightshade! That's the name of our new "Defense Against the Dark Arts" teacher," stated Ron.
"Yes. Moody couldn't keep the job because of what happened to him. He went really loony after he was healthy – err – at least physically," said Percy in a very know-it-all tone.
"This is creepy!" said Ginny. "Every "Defense Against the Dark Arts" teacher we've gotten has been nothing but trouble. I do hope you'll be careful with this one Bill,"
"No problems Ginny. To start, she's a woman and that's nothing for a man like me!" he said jokingly.
"We'll see," said Percy with a touch of sarcasm in his voice as he sipped his tea quietly.
"Well, I'll find out in 3 days Perce. I'll be making an appearance outside of the Hogwarts grounds and I'll be heading straight for Dumbledore's office. I should be there at noon during the fist day of classes. I hope you boys will come and see me then," he said smiling.
"Yeah, we will. Hopefully things won't go too bad this time around. All our school years there have been nothing but first hand survival courses!" said Ron.
"I hope that they've also been about studying and learning Ronald," said Mrs. Weasley as she gave Ron the evil eye.
"Of course it has been dearest," said Arthur Weasley. "We expect many O.W.L.s out of you Ron,"
"Well, ickle Ronnikins now has to match up to us huh George?"
"Hmm… that's very hard to live up to isn't it Fred?"
"AND you two will have to do better then last year!" added Molly. The twins decided to stop while they were ahead.
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The day was tiring and everyone had gone to sleep. Bill had decided to go out for a bit and review his files on Nightshade at a pub near the Burrow called: "Harper's Tonic". He knew he could find some peace there after an evening of family chatter. After walking for around 20 minutes, and solemnly taking in the night air, he reached the pub at what felt to him like seconds. He entered and sat down on a stool near the bar.
"The usual?" asked the barkeep.
"Yeah. Don't trick me into buying a double Grey," he said as he began to layout his papers.
"Coming up!" said Grey as he fixed Bill an interesting bluish mixture.
Soon after, a man had walked up to Bill and sat next to him. He ordered a drink: " "Witches Brew" please," Bill turned around to see that the young man who ordered was none other but his friend Michael whom he had wanted to see at the bank. Michael had a pleasant face and dirty blonde hair. His hazel eyes seemed to dance happily as he saw his drink being served. Bill greeted him happily and gabbed his hand in a sportive gesture.
"Witches' Brew? Going soft are we Mick?" said Bill as his drink was delivered to him.
"Now Bill, this is stronger then most muggle drinks I know. I don't suppose they'd be able to deal with the bowels of a wizard," he said with a snort. "I need to take you out a bit around the other side of our world. You'd have a good laugh,"
"I wish I could go now, but good old Godmik has given me an assignment," said Bill as he turned to the file.
"Really? We'll that's too bad but I still envy you a bit. What ever it is, it must be more exciting than the loads of bonds I have to file,"
"Well, according to this, I have to go and retrieve a certain artifact in some caves near Hogwarts that belong to the Nightshade family,"
"Really? Wow! Well, at least you'll be getting your pays worth."
"What do you mean?" asked Bill puzzled.
"Oh… don't tell me you've never heard of the Nightshades?"
"Sorry Mick, no. Are they an important family?"
"Well, not so much important – more like filthy rich,"
Bill was surprised by the reaction Michael had made with the mention of the Nightshades. The man drank some of his "Witches' Brew" and continued tell him what he knew about that family.
"Well, they own loads of secret silver mines, but they're mostly known to wizards, and even muggles, because of the success that they've had in…" Michael paused for dramatic affect. "Fortune telling"," he said as he grinned.
"Fortune telling??" Bill was incredulous. "You can't be serious?"
"I am. The head of the family, Orlando Nightshade, has been selling his books all over the world to wizards and muggles alike. I think it's called The Book Of The Mind. Apparently, he's doing really well. He should, considering the fact that he really can tell the future,"
"Oh now come Mick, don't tell me you believe in such rubbish?" said Bill while lifting an eyebrow.
"This isn't my opinion Bill, it's been proven! The whole family line can do it. They have a charm that let's them truly see the future. It's pretty impressive."
"Well, then this…" Bill looked pointedly at his papers. "Belladona, will have another skeptic to deal with," he said smirking.
"Belladona? Yes, I think she's the last heir if I remember…" said Michael his fingers on his chin.
"Well," began Bill after finishing his drink. "I'm stationed at Hogwarts to meet up with her so she can tell me about the caves and the thing she wants me to dig up for them. It's all top-secret. My little brother told me she's the new "Dark Arts" teacher there,"
"Dark Arts… why does that seem familiar?"
"Maybe cause she looks like a troll!" said Bill laughing as another drink was given to him.
The boys continued to talk until the wee hours of the morning. Bill departed before Michael and headed back to the Burrow. Three days passed and then it was the first of September and time for the children to go to school. So Bill, George, Fred, Ron, Ginny and Harry left for platform 9 ¾.
When they got there, Hermione was waiting with her cart at the barrier between 9 and 10 at "King's Cross" Station. She looked at the boys and ran up to both of them and gave them big hugs. Ron blushed a little as Bill looked attentively at his brother's reaction. Hermione had begun to tell them about how sorry she was for not sending any of them any owls during the holidays. She handed Harry a belated birthday present with a huge smile and another hug. Bill looked at this and said:
"Now Hermione, don't go giving Harry more hugs than Ron. He'll get jealous!"
"What was that Bill?" she asked as Ron glared at him acidly.
"So… what have you been doing all this summer that you couldn't say hello?" said Harry.
"Well… I've – I've been visiting Viktor…" she said as she turned her head.
"WHAT? The entire time you've been with him instead of with m – err… us?" said Ron with a bit of a stagger.
"Well, he did invite me! He's really nice you know, but I'm not really sure he's... well… my type," she continued.
"Oh. Now you have a type Hermione?" asked Harry laughing.
"Stop that Harry! Don't make fun of me! I know what type you like!" she said in her defense.
This shut Harry up right away.
"Well, I'm just glad that everyone's still safe. After all the commotion that happened last year…" she added with a sigh.
"Yeah," said Harry sadly.
"Well, I hate to interrupt you but if we don't get a move on you'll all miss your train," said Bill pointing to the hour.
Everyone ran into the barrier and got all their things onto the train. Bill waved from the ground to the Weasleys, Harry and Hermione. He shouted from his spot:
"I'll be seeing you soon!" all the while waving.
"What? What does he mean by that?" asked Hermione.
"We'll tell you about it in the train Hermione," said Ron grinning as the train left the station completely.
***
Bill had to prepare to leave for the following day, so he did his usual routine packing that he had become so used to. He put in his clothes and things like toothbrushes and combs, and then proceeded to add a little medallion with and Egyptian eye on it. The symbol was the "Eye of Horus". It was a little something he dug up in Egypt and that the bank had let him keep. He looked at the golden medallion and said,
"Well, old friend. I hope you bring me luck yet again… and protection too. I don't want to be the victim of the next "Dark Arts" teacher."
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A/N: Want more? I got it! Just review!
This is a finished story and the first part of a series of 3 STORIES!