"You'll never guess who I saw yesterday!" Tess exclaimed over the weekly family dinner.

These were always Weasley/Potter/Longbottom Affairs and it was usually the one time Tess got to see anyone other than Alice and James, her younger siblings and her parents. Hermione had only began going to these dinners after the death of her husband and it was somehow comforting to have the people who also remembered him surrounding her.

Molly and Lily, who were still going strong also made it part of their weekly routine to catch up with the family once a week, as did George and Cilice, Bill and Fleur, Charlie, Ron and Percy.

"Who did you see?" Molly asked, seeing that Tess was eyeing her and Lily as she said it.

"Blade Malfoy! He's working at that Quality Quidditch Supplies shop in Diagon Ally."

"Merlin, It was him!" James exclaimed. "I thought I recognised him from somewhere."

Lily, however had a faraway expression on her face, her eyes misting over. "How was he?" she asked softly. Blade had been her one time flame at Hogwarts and he had been heartbroken when she broke it off with him to be with Molly. The last thing she heard was he had transferred to Durmstrang and was playing Quidditch professionally. He had disappeared so suddenly that Lily knew it was because he couldn't face her and Molly. Before they got together, Lily and Molly had been his too closest friends.

"He seemed okay," Tess answered. "Although, he didn't say much at all. I don't think he recognised us. He just handed me a broom, we paid for it and then left."

"Rumour has it," Ron said, " Blades career went down the gurgler in the last two years. I never would have believed it, but now you mention seeing him, it all makes sense now."

"I heard he hit the firewhiskey a little too heavy," Neville responded.

Lily glanced at her lap. Molly was the only one who noticed. "Don't blame yourself, Lil. His problems lay far deeper than you, although I'd probably go off the deep end, too if I lost you." She took Lily's hand in hers under the table and squeezed encouragingly.

Tess, knowing how it felt to lose someone she loved, found herself feeling sorry for Blade, while at the same time, rather intrigued by him. Guiltily, she pushed the thought away. He would never take the place of her Reggie. It wouldn't be right.

Suddenly there was a commotion at the children's end of the table. "I will hex you into the middle of the next millennium if you don't LEAVE ME ALONE!" Bella cried. Little did the adults know, Harry and Ariana were playing little tricks on her, using their toy wands to cast annoying spells on their cousin. They giggled at her outburst.

"Bella, that is no way to speak to your cousins," Ginny chastised.

Without a word, Bella stood up, slamming her cutlery on the table and storming out of the dining room.

"Mmm-hmm, that's the Riddle blood coming out in her," Ginny sighed.

Tess stood abruptly, angered by her mother's comment. "Out of line, Mother!" she hissed and followed her daughter to their adjoining rooms.

"Honestly, that girl is way too sensitive and she's turning that child rotten!" Ginny muttered. Trying to remain civil she added, "I apologise for their behaviour. "

"It's okay, Ginny," said Bill who glanced nervously at his wife. "We've been there too, remember. Victoire wasn't exactly an angel child, was she Fleur?" Fleur nodded. "Her teen years were the worst, especially when she started going out with Teddy Lupin."

"Speaking of those two," Neville piped up, hoping to change the subject, "How are they going?"

"Well Teddy's been appointed as Hogwarts newest transfiguration teacher." Bill answered his brother inlaw.

"Really?" Ginny exclaimed and Neville chalked it up as a small victory. "What happened to McGonagall? I thought she'd remain there until she died."

"She retired." They all strained to hear Fleur speak. Her thick accent made it hard to catch on to what she was saying, but they got it eventually.

"Right," Neville responded. "Well she did dedicate most of her life to that school. Good for her!" He sounded a little too cheerful, but no one noticed

"So what about Victoire?" Ginny asked.

"Vikki as she likes to be called these days is moving to Hogsmeade to be closer to him. She's opening up a boutique there, selling imported robes and things." Ginny's eyebrows rose as Victoire answered.

"Wow! I'll have to take a look sometime, what do you say, Alice?" she suggested. "When will it open?"

"I'm not sure. The details are sketchy at the moment, but I'll let you know." Fleur answered.

While the family dinner continued, Tess cradled Bella in her lap as she cried. "Their always so mean!" Bella sobbed. "And she always takes their side."

"She's just mad, Bella. She didn't realise what the kids were doing to you. I'm sure they will get in trouble if she finds out."

"No they wouldn't." Bella shook her head. "Grandmother likes them more than me."

What could Tess say? She had always suspected it was true, but she never wanted to believe her mother was so cruel. After all it was Ginny who raised Bella while Tess finished school. Then Tess took over the rearing of her child, but by then she had already noticed the aura of unhappiness surrounding her child. When Harry was born, it was like Bella didn't exist in her Grandmother's eyes.

"Why do we have to stay here?" Bella asked. The words tore Tess apart. Bella was truly unhappy in their home at the Burrow.

"It won't be longer. Soon you'll be at school, most of the year and you'll only be here in the summer and at Christmas." Tess tried desperately to cheer her daughter up with those words, but Bella didn't even crack a smile.

"But that's such a long time away! Why can't we just live on our own?" Tears filled Tess' eyes.

"Because, I can't afford to live elsewhere. Believe me. I hate living her with them all and I hate what it's doing to you, but you know what?" Tess asked, now trying to cheer herself up, too.

"What?" Bella asked.

"You'll be so strong, because you've lived through it, just as strong as your father." The sobbing stopped and Bella's eyes widened.

"Do you think so?" she asked.

Her mother nodded. "More than you'll ever know."