6. THE DINNER PARTY
The summer holidays were approaching rapidly. Bella had had several more meetings with Lord Voldemort and each time she looked forward to a next lesson with an eagerness that scared her a bit. She couldn't quite explain it but there was something about him. It was like he was oozing with magic and she just needed to learn what he did, so that she could feel that way too…
They had started working on non-verbal spells. It was already difficult to use them in a classroom for defensive spells, but is seemed like it was even harder to produce offensive spells without saying a word. She still hadn't learned about shielding her thoughts. A part of her nagged her and said it was important to learn it and that Lord Voldemort constantly broke his promise to teach her, that he took advantage of knowing her every thought, but she dismissed the thought. It would come up when the time was ready, he had said and she believed him. She felt more secure now with the spells and her understanding of the offensive spells also increased her knowledge of the defensive spells. Her marks for Defense Against the Dark Arts had never been higher.
She almost felt sorry that the summer holidays were nearing. She would have to miss her 'lessons of practical magic' as she now called them and she didn't know if she could cope two whole months without them.
Andy too had mixed feelings about the upcoming holidays. She would miss Tao and all her other friends. She had started dating Tao and they were a couple for almost half a year now. At first, she had mostly turned her attention to Tao because it annoyed Ted to see her with someone else but she actually had grew to like Tao a lot. He made her laugh and he adored her. Every now and then, they would send each other cutesy messages. Things between her and Bella had slightly bettered, since Tao was a pureblood. Andy had off course not forgotten Bella's actions a little before Christmas but the wounds had healed considerably, so they were now on speaking terms again. She was glad with this change, because she and Bella had always been very close and she had hated the time they weren't communicating with one another.
It was the day of the concluding Quidditch match, Slytherin versus Gryffindor, which proved to turn in to a highly interesting game. Slytherin had done better on its next games and the debacle of the first match of the year was soon forgotten. She and Tao would go with Lucas and Irvine, just like the time their friendship had started. Amelia would be there as well and so would some of her other friends. Amelia had accepted Tao as Andy's new boyfriend and the boys had accepted Amelia into their circle of friends. Andy was very happy that they all accepted each other, so that she could hang out with all of them at the same time.
"Do you remember, the first Quidditch match we watched together?" she asked.
"Yeah, I remember. You were 'that girl that was in our year and asked questions about who would win'," Lucas grinned.
"Tao has never been the same since," Irvine added dramatically.
Tao acted as if clutching his chest in hurt and they all burst out with laughter.
"Too bad you weren't there Amelia," Andy said. "But on the other hand, had you been there, it might not have happened."
Amelia nodded. She had heard the story several times now. She quickly changed the subject. "Today's Slytherin-Gryffindor. I'm curious as to which team is going to win."
"Slytherin off course!"
"Gryffindor off course!"
Andy and Eleanor, one of her Gryffindor friends, yelled at the same time. They looked at each other and laughed.
"Well, we'll see," Eleanor said and waved at them. "There are my classmates, I'll see you guys after the match! Prepare for a beat-down!" she yelled smiling as she walked away to a group of Gryffindors in bright gold and red.
"We haven't put our money in!" Irvine said all of a sudden. They quickly went over to the corner where you could place your bets and even Andy chipped in. Then they went to their seats and waited for the game to start.
The one most looking forward to the holidays was Cissy. True, she had managed above expectation this first year, considering that her sisters had been mostly unavailable to her. She also had made a lot of friends and had a lot of fun with them. She would miss them during the holidays off course but they would write each other and Aurore had promised her she could come stay with her at her family's mansion in France. Aurore had told her a lot about the mansion and Cissy couldn't wait to go there and experience the French country life.
"What's so special about France?" she asked Aurore when they were walking towards the Quidditch pitch.
Aurore laughed in reply. "The French are much more vibrant then the English. No offense. It's just like they always try a little harder to get more out of life. And the landscape is just amazing."
"How come?"
"I don't know, I just think it's beautiful. I love the fields of sunflowers, bluebottles, poppies… They're a sight for the eyes, all those colours. And there are all kinds of birds and butterflies," she went on, dreamily.
"Sounds good," Cissy said in awe. She would love to see all those flowers, birds and butterflies Aurore talked about. She liked butterflies. They were of a kind of mysterious beauty and the way they fluttered through the sky from plant to plant intrigued her.
"What are your mum and dad like?" she asked.
"Mum's like me, but a tad older. She's a Veela. She can be a bit strict sometimes but she lightens up when she works in the garden, she absolutely loves that. My dad is a funny looking guy. His hair never does what he wants and he can be a bit chaotic at times. He's always in for a joke and loves to teach me about foreign places he has visited when he was still a sailor. It truly is amazing, the things he knows." She shook her head in amazement.
"It'll be lovely to stay with them and discover things with you," Cissy said. "I wish my parents were anything like that."
"I'm sure they're nice as well, aren't they?"
Cissy hesitated. "Yeah, they're alright I suppose. They always pamper me with gifts but it would be nice to sit down and just chat with them, you know, small talk and how's school…" Her voice trailed off and she added, "I think they're just not that accustomed to showing affection but that doesn't mean it isn't there."
"There you go. See? No parent is perfect," Aurore winked.
A question popped to Cissy mind. "Hey, I was just wondering. Why aren't you in Beauxbatons if your parents live in France?"
Aurore smiled. "Mum and dad thought it was important that I learnt how to work together with and get to meet both girls and boys. And since Beauxbatons is an all-girls school…"
"I see. But don't you miss them when you're at school?"
"No more than you do," Aurore replied. "After all, we're both in school, away from our parents, so it doesn't really make a difference that mine live further away then yours."
The girls chattered on and Cissy was really excited about going to France.
She wasn't that exited about another thing: the Blacks would spend one or two weeks with uncle Orion and aunt Walpurga. Cissy hated the house they lived in, it was far too sombre for her taste and the heads of house-elves long gone scared her. However, she liked seeing her cousins Sirius and Regulus again. Sirius was only four years younger than she was and thought of her as a sort of bigger sister, just as she thought of both of them as her younger brothers instead of her cousins. Ah well, she would have fun, she decided.
The match between Slytherin and Gryffindor was very good. Both teams played to the best of their abilities and the approaching summer holidays seemed to have given every player a burst of motivation. They were equal in strength and the audience truly got an amazing afternoon. Slytherin soon took the lead but Gryffindor stayed really close. When the score was ninety-ninety, it got heated. It looked like the outcome of the match would be decided by whoever caught the Snitch first. It didn't take long before the audience rose from their seat. Both Jacobs and Roselyn, the Gryffindor Seeker, were racing through the pitch. Apparently, they had both spotted the Snitch. They both stretched their arm to catch it but it was Roslyn, who was just a tad longer than Jacobs, who closed his hands around the Snitch, Jacobs' fingers sliding over his. Victoriously, Roslyn held up his arm and Jacobs looked disappointed. Slytherin had just failed to win the Quidditch Cup.
The Slytherins were in a depressed mood when they went back to the castle for the concluding speech of professor Dumbledore.
"I can't believe it," Irvine said. "We've won so many matches in a row and in this final one we're beaten by Gryffindor."
"Ah well, just be lucky they didn't win the Cup with it."
"Oh yeah that's right." Irvine cheered up a bit. Gryffindor had had an off-season and their winning today only meant they would end third instead of last. Hufflepuff had done exceedingly well and had won all of its matches, so they were the winners of the Cup.
After celebrating the Quidditch Cup winners, professor Dumbledore congratulated the House that had won the House Cup. Again, Slytherin was second, a position they shared with Gryffindor. Ravenclaw had only ten points more than they had, but they still were the winners.
Back at the Black Estate, Bella, Andy and Cissy told their parents how their respective years had been. They had off course been writing but telling it in person was much more fun. They did however not get much of a chance to talk to their parents as they announced that there would be a dinner party that evening. They wondered who would come and why it was that important that it had to take place on the evening of their return.
"There are certain things we need to discuss tonight. Your father's brother will be here, as will some wizards and witches we only know by name." Druella told them. "I sincerely hope you girls will not besmirch the Black name, since as hosts of this diner, we can not allow ourselves even the slightest mistakes. Imagine what the other families would say if we couldn't even host a simple dinner party." She shivered in horror.
Bella had picked up on the 'your father's brother' line her mother had used and asked where she could find her aunt and uncle.
"They're in the salon." Indeed, when the girls walked into the salon, they found that aunt Walpurga and uncle Orion were already sitting there. They greeted them and Cissy asked:
"Are Sirius and Regulus with you, aunt, uncle?"
"They are upstairs," Orion belched in his low voice. "They will have to spend the night off course so that we can leave for London first thing in the morning."
The sisters looked at each other. Andy raised an eyebrow. They hadn't expected to be leaving so soon already.
They went upstairs and found their cousins in a room that had two spare beds in it. It was an empty room, with no decorations what so ever and the boys looked a bit forlorn. However, that changed the minute they saw them. Sirius jumped up from the bed he had been sitting on and run towards them, yelling: "Cissy! Andy! Bella!" He threw himself into their arms and they laughed. Regulus followed his brother's example mere seconds later.
"My, have you grown!" Andy said when they had finally let go. "I hardly recognised you."
She and Cissy played with Sirius and Regulus. Bella felt like she really was too old to play games like hide and seek now, she withdrew herself in her room. She understood how important this dinner party was, so she put on a velvet dress in a deep shade of purple, determined to make a good impression at the still unknown guests. She breaded her hair loosely and after a moment of consideration, placed a flower at the end. She looked at herself in the mirror and was content with what she saw.
When they were called for dinner, the three sisters went down, curious as to who would be there. Sirius and Regulus followed them down the stairs.
"Take them to the adjoining dining room and make sure they behave correctly," Druella sternly told Bella.
"What?"
"You heard me. We have important business to discuss and it's no thing for children."
"I'm turning seventeen next week!" Bella objected.
"Which means that at this moment, you're still a child. Now go." Druella had a look on her face that said she wouldn't take no for an answer and that there would be trouble for Bella if she didn't obey soon. She turned, angry with her parents, but help came out of an unexpected corner.
"Just let her stay. After all, it's partly because of Bella that I'm here tonight."
Bella froze. She would recognise that velvety voice everywhere and it belonged to the last person she had expected here, in her parents' dining room. She wasn't the only one to freeze. Just a moment ago, the room had been buzzing with all the murmured conversations going on. Now everybody had fallen silent and several faces were looking curiously in her direction. Andy and Cissy looked at her in amazement and her mother's look was one of suspicion.
"You've met my Bella?" the deep voice of her father broke the silence.
Bella's heart was pounding in her chest. She prayed he wouldn't give away their clandestine lesson, for she was sure her parents would never agree.
"I ran into her one day when I was in Hogsmeade," the man replied. "Her looks and name reminded me of someone who was in my House when I was at Hogwarts. She confirmed me she indeed was your daughter. And here I am."
He made it sound like that was the only logical thing to do after meeting her, but Bella knew better. There had to be another reason. Druella wasn't convinced either, she snorted. "Very well then, if you insist, Bella can stay," she said stiffly. "Andy, take Cissy and the boys the other room. It'll be your job now to watch over them. And no, don't even think about protesting or you'll be grounded for the remainder of the summer."
Andy looked at Bella. [i]Tell me everything,[/i] her eyes said before she left the room angrily.
Her mother called one of the house elves. "Bring an extra chair and set another plate at the table. Miss Bella will be joining our dinner tonight," she ordered. Bella just stood where she stood, petrified, not knowing how to act next.
"Well, come on girl. You haven't lost your manners now have you?" her father said severe. Slowly, Bella approached the table. She felt all eyes were on her and that didn't actually comfort her. Blizzy the house elf had conjured a chair out of thin air and Bella knew nothing else to do but to sit down. Everyone looked at her with curiosity.
"Um, hi," she finally said, to break the silence. No one replied, so in the end Lord Voldemort spoke.
"I'm sure you're very curious as to who else is present here tonight, aren't you?" he asked. Bella nodded and looked round the table. She knew her aunt and uncle off course, and also Lord Voldemort. Further down the table was a man who looked a spitting image of Zachary, so she figured he was his father. And the woman besides him should be his mother then. But she had no idea who all the other people were.
"Let me introduce you. From left to right: Robin Avery and his wife Tilda, Justus Rosier, his wife Isobel and their son eldest Evan, Melchior Mulciber and his son Melchior junior." He pointed at the people as he named them. Bella froze a moment upon hearing the name 'Rosier' as she was pretty certain these had to be Thierry's parents and older brother.
"Off course you already know Orion and Walpurga and I think Zachary, the son of Louis and Khedira Gray, is in your year?"
Bella nodded. So, they were indeed Zachary's parents, as she had guessed already.
"That leaves only Rowan and Ravenna Lestrange and their sons Rodolphus and Rabastan."
A quick count taught her that there were now nineteen people, her included.
"And why exactly are we gathered here tonight?" she asked.
"That, we shall speak of later. For now, I understand dinner is ready?" He looked at her mother, who nodded. "Well then, let's eat for the time being."
Another house elf served the table and soon everyone was enjoying their meal.
Bella engaged in a whispered conversation with Tilda Avery, who asked her a few questions about school. Bella answered them politely but didn't elaborate much. She hardly knew the woman and she didn't particularly like her husband, who had an air of arrogance over him.
When everyone had finished their dinner, Lord Voldemort cleared his throat. All of them stopped their conversations and turned their heads to him expectantly.
"As some of you may already know," he began, "I strongly believe our wizarding world is in danger. In danger, because more and more Muggles find their way into Hogwarts and other wizarding schools, where they take the rightful places of our own children. Do we just let this happen?"
They all shook their heads.
"That's why we have to take actions. I seek to convince the Minister that new laws are in order, laws that will put the Muggles in their rightful places. However, I fear the Minister listens too much to Dumbledore, who is a true Muggle friend. So we might have to… take matters into our own hands. I've called upon an old bond. Robin, Justus, Melchior, Louis, Rowan," he nodded to each of them as he mentioned their names, "we go back as far as Hogwarts. Orion, Cygnus, you both share my repulsion of Muggles. I intend to visit the other pureblood families as well but this is where it starts, as far as I'm concerned. Are you all with me should we have to take action?"
"Yes, the Muggles take everything we hold precious. The time has come to show them our superiority!" Rowan shouted.
"Purebloods first!" Melchior added.
The others around the table applauded at this remark.
Bella had turned pale. She herself had talked to Geraldine about the increasing amount of Muggles at Hogwarts and had even jinxed Ted Tonks, but that was because he had touched her sister, she told herself. However she didn't like the sound of this.
Lord Voldemort raised his hands to silence everyone. "We will off course first try our chances at the Ministry. Actions are only there if everything else fails. For now, we shall call it a night. I ask of you to spread the word of my intentions. It is of uttermost importance that as many pureblood families as possible join our ranks in order for us to stand a chance with the Minister."
There it was, he had done it again, Bella thought. Just like he had in Hogsmeade the first time they had met and on several of their lessons. Just ending a conversation, a meeting, with a voice everybody obeyed to. People were already starting to pack their things and saying their goodbyes. Lord Voldemort looked at Bella and winked at her.
When everyone had parted, Lord Voldemort was the last one to stay behind. He turned to Cygnus and Druella. "I would like to talk to you about Bella," he said calmly. "I believe she is a very bright witch and I would like to make you a proposition concerning her education."
Cygnus face went dark and he said to Bella: "It's time for you to return to your sisters and cousins now. You've already heard more than you should have and it's enough for tonight."
She could hear from the sound of his voice that he meant it, so she didn't object but quickly disappeared out of the dining room.
Meanwhile, Andy and Cissy had been discussing what it was all about. Why were all these people here and more importantly, who was the man that said he knew Bella and what could he want?
"Regulus, don't spill the sauce!" Andy said when the sauce bowl balanced dangerously on the edge.
"I've got it," Cissy said and she managed to save the sauce bowl from falling.
Sirius smiled. "Father and mother told me you'll be coming along to London tomorrow."
"So I've heard," Andy smiled too.
"That's nice. I like it when you're around. How long will you be staying?"
"I don't know," Cissy replied. "It's usually a week or two, so I guess this year shall not be very different.
"Can we go fly kites?" Regulus said hopefully.
Andy and Cissy laughed. "Off course, if there's enough wind we'll fly all the kites you like."
"Is Kreacher still with you?" Andy informed and when they nodded, she added "Gosh, that's one scary house elf. He really gives me the creeps."
Sirius laughed. "Yes Kreacher is a terrible house elf," he said wisely. Regulus punched him. "He's not that terrible."
"Oh yeah, I forgot, you're a big fan of him," Sirius' grin widened. To Andy and Cissy it was clear that he was teasing his little brother but Regulus looked hurt.
"He doesn't mean that," Cissy reassured Regulus.
"How can you tell?" Sirius asked.
"Because you're our cousin, we know you," Andy said dryly.
They had finished dinner long before the adults had and were playing cards when Bella returned. She looked pale and her sisters started asking her questions.
"Not now," she said. "I'm exhausted. And you should be as well, it's rather late already!"
"Ah come on Bella, come sit with us and play cards. We don't have to go to bed as long as Father and Mother don't tell us to," Sirius pleaded with a mischievous smile.
Unfortunately for him, they heard heavy footsteps coming up the stairs. "That's Father," Sirius said. "Come on Regulus, I think we need to be off now." He disappeared quickly, taking Regulus with him. The three sisters were left behind.
Cissy shook the deck of cards a couple of times. She was dying to find out what they had spoken about at the dinner table and Bella was the only one who could tell them.
Bella hesitated. "Oh come on! You promised!" Andy said.
"Well, okay. The man in the black cloak?"
"Which one was that?" Cissy asked. "I only saw the back of their chairs."
"The one that mentioned my name," she said. "He wanted… a law approved by the Minister. And he needed support from other mighty families." She couldn't tell them the entire truth; she knew instinctively how Andy would react. Andy, who she was certain of also had a few Muggle friends… And Cissy, she was just too little to understand yet. And besides, what she said wasn't a complete lie, now was it? She was just… omitting some details. For their own wellbeing.
"A law?" Cissy sounded disappointed.
"Yes it was rather boring actually. If I had known it would be about a law, I would much rather have stayed with you guys."
"But what does that have to do with you?" Andy inquired.
"I don't know. I think he only mentioned running into me because that would give me an excuse to stay. Not that I have a clue as to why he wanted me to be at that meeting."
She could tell they didn't truly believe her but there was no further time to chat. Their mother yelled at them: "Time for bed girls! And no talking or you'll be grounded!"
"Just great," Andy mimicked. "Ah well, good night Cissy. Good night Bella."
"Good night Andy," they replied simultaneously.