The following day went as expected on Diagon Alley.  Harry, Ron and Hermione had shown Cordelia all over the place.  They helped her pick out a beautiful brown owl that she instantly named Sofia.  Her wand was particularly difficult to find.  It took the shop keeper 3 explosions and the singeing of Ron's eyes brows to find the right one.  But, by the end of the day Cordelia's new trunk was full of school books and other various items needed for school.  But, as Remus predicted the previous day, Cordelia was disheartened by her father's absence on the shopping trip.  Everyone had returned home late from the alley and about everyone went to bed shortly thereafter.  Bellanne however stayed up long after everyone else had gone to bed.  She wondered the house for quite sometime until she found herself in Sirius's room.  She stood in the doorway wondering to herself if she should leave every thing in its place, or pack it up.  A few stray tears fell down her cheeks and she remember them hiding from their family in his room.  She remembered how he had always left his window open so she could get in without alerting the rest of the family. 

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"Packing!" Bellanne shrieked as she slammed the door to Sirius' room, "Where are you going?"

"I'm not staying here." Sirius said, "I don't know where I'm going yet."

"Take me with you." Bellanne demanded.

"You know I can't." Sirius said in a low voice, "I'm almost of age, so they really can't say anything about me leaving, but you…I could be charged with kidnapping."

"Like my parents would even care," Bellanne snapped, "one less muggle lover here for them to deal with."

"You're yelling at me like I don't know what you deal with." Sirius snapped back.

"I don't think you know what my end is like."

"Oh?" Sirius sarcastically questioned, "Then tell me what your end is like, and we'll see how different it is."

"Father keeps telling me that if I don't "shape up" he's going to arrange a marriage to Lucas MALFOY!!" She screamed at him, "MALFOY!  You know Lucius Malfoy? His cousin."  Sirius was silent for a moment before he spoke.

"You'd never go through with it anyway, plus you're only fourteen."

"He'll bind it to me, where will I go then." She sighed.

"I don't know, Bell, but I've got the chance to get out now, and I'm taking it."

"I'm not asking you to stay; I'm telling you take me with you."

"You know I can't." Sirius yelled back in frustration, "It's not like I'll never see you again.  Once I graduate from Hogwarts, wherever I live you can stay with me there, and you can visit me when I figure out where I'm going."  Bellanne said nothing to him, as the last of his stuff packed itself in his trunk, "I'm leaving Bell." He said as he opened his window and tossed the trunk out the window, "Don't tell me you're going to let me leave without saying good bye." Bellanne looked at him with heartbroken eyes as he walked to her and gave her a hug.

"Bye." Bellanne mumbled out.

"I'll send you an owl when I get there."

"You better, jerk." She half-smiled.  Sirius smiled back at her as she climbed down his window and fell to his yard.  Bellanne walked to the window to watch the only person who ever cared about her walk away pulling his trunk behind him.

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She shut the door to Sirius' room and headed to her own bedroom.  As she walked, out from a curtain Kreatcher popped out, still mumbling obscenities under his breath.  Bellanne reached down and picked up the elf by his head and looked at him in the eye.

"You listen to me, you snotty little shit.  I have no need for a house elf, if not for the fact that you've been in this family for several years, I'd free you right now." Bellanne scorned him, "If you continue talking in this manner to me, or my daughter, I will give you sock and hat and send you on your way.  Do you want to be freed?"  Frightened, Kreatcher shook his head in the negative, "Then, as your new mistress, I'm ordering you to behave and when you die, I'll put your head on the wall with the rest." She put him back on the ground.  Kreatcher ran off in the direction of the kitchen as Bellanne made her way to her bedroom for the night. 

            The next morning Bellanne woke up extremely early, daylite hadn't even broke yet.  She quickly changed into a pair of jeans and blue tank top, which she wore under a black zip up sweatshirt.  She grabbed her broom and her wand and opened her window.  She kicked off the ground and flew out the window.  She flew over the lake to the large island in the center where she spent a good deal of her teenage years hiding from her family.  She jumped off her broom right before her touch down and grabbed her broom as she fell to the ground.  The plants on the ground were wilting from the lack of sun that rarely ever reached them.  She walked into the forest enjoying the sounds of nature and the cool breeze blowing around her.  She suddenly stopped in her tracks when she felt herself being followed.  She turned around to see a man-sized grey wolf following her.  She was scared, but she vowed not to let it show because she was unsure of what Remus was capable of in this state.  She slowly moved towards a tree and sat down next to it.  The werewolf got down on all fours and growled viciously at Bellanne as it moved closer to her.  Bellanne continued to show no fear.  The animal crawled up to her and growled in her face.  Bellanne knew what he would say if he had a voice.

"No." She whispered to him as the sun began to rise.  Almost instantly the hair on the animal in front of her began to retract and the animal began to look more like a man again.  Remus looked her with his weak eyes before he collapsed on top of her.

"Are you crazy?" Remus mumbled to her as she took the fallen man in her arms and held him close.

"Yes." She smiled as she laid her head on top of his.  She pulled out her wand and waved it over Remus covering him in a cloak.  She ran her hands through his hair taking in his gruff scent from hours in the forest.  It wasn't often she got moments like this, but she, like him, wished for moments like these without the previous circumstances.

            Later that afternoon, Cordelia, Ron, Harry, and Hermione were playing a board game in the main hall when Remus came down the stairs.  Still looking weak but feeling better after a bath and some sleep.  Cordelia cast an upset glance at her father and said nothing as she continued to play the game.  Remus stopped and watched the four play.

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            James and Remus walked into the library with their school books in their attempt to give studying a try.  Being in their 5th year, the homework had piled on worse than ever now.  With James and Sirius chronically in detention, and Remus's reoccurring "illness", the three were falling behind in their studies.  Their only hope was Peter, whom couldn't be counted on too much.  The two took a seat at a large table and dropped their books.

"Sirius is in detention until when?" Remus asked.

"Probably until at least 8 or 9." James said, "So we need to get a head on this so he can try and catch up."

"Not that he cares about being behind." Remus laughed, "What's first, Potions or Charms?"

"Charms, because we can glide through that essay." James replied as the two opened their books. 

"This is stupid, Andi." The two boys heard a soft voice sigh.  They looked over to see Andromeda and Bellanne staring into a crystal ball.

"It's not stupid Bell." Andromeda said, "This is a tool that can either be used for fun or profit."

"I'm not seeing anyone's future." Bellanne sighed, "or mine for that matter."

"Because you're not relaxed, you're stressing out over it."

"I have a test tomorrow and I'm not going to be able to do anything."

"I'm surprised they let trash like you in this school." Narcissa commented from across the room.  Bellanne turned around with fire in her eyes.  James and Remus looked up from their books and watched the scene unfold with interest.

"Should we step in?" Remus asked about to stand up, "He'd want us to."

"Wait." James replied grabbing his arm, "This may get interesting."

"Well, you are my sister," She announced loudly, "so you know what they say about "birds of a feather."

"The way you shame our family is despicable; befriending mud bloods and creatures of another sort." Bellatrix said glaring at Remus. James glared back at her.

"Mind your own business, Bellatrix." James said out loud.

"Mind your own, this is family." Narcissa snapped back.  Bellanne stood up quickly, grabbed the crystal ball and hurled it at Narcissa.  The crystal whizzed less than an inch from Narcissa's head before it smashed against the wall behind her.  The entire library stopped what they were doing and watched the family fallout.

"You are not my family." Bellanne snapped before she grabbed her books and walked out of the library.  Everyone was silent as they watched her leave.

"I'm going to check on her." Remus whispered to James.  No one said a word when Remus got up and walked out of the library as well.  Andromeda got out her wand and waved it around in a circle.  The pieces of the broken ball assembled themselves and floated back over to her.

"Honestly, do you two always have to pick fights with her?" Andromeda said as she too picked up her books and walked out.

            Remus walked down several hallways in search of Bellanne.  After a good while of pointless walking around, Remus found himself in the fourth floor corridor.  He heard a few sniffles and some mumbling about being born into the wrong family.  He chuckled as he walked towards the ledge she was sitting on.

"Am I in trouble?" Bellanne spoke first.

"Nope." Remus told her, "Andromeda fixed the ball, so Narcissa has no proof."  She mustered out some sort of smile at those words, "Don't let the anger over take you like that.  You're much stronger than that."

"They're not your family." Bellanne said, "Andromeda and Sirius are much stronger."

"Don't let Sirius fool you." Remus smirked

"This isn't how family should be." Bellanne sighed as her tears dried themselves.

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"This isn't how family should be." Those words have lurked inside Remus' mind for several years.

"Cordelia we need to talk sweetie." Remus said as he walked over to their game.

"I'm busy, Dad."

"Cordelia, it's important we talk." Remus sternly told her.  Cordelia sighed, "Come on, sweetie, let's go for a walk."  Cordelia stood up and walked with her father back up the stairs and followed him into the drawing room.

"Why are we in here?" Cordelia asked, "Mom told me to stay out of here."

"I want to show you something."  Remus said as he pointed to the Black family tree.

"What is that?" Cordelia asked.

"This is the linage of your family, all your Cousins, Aunts, and Uncles.  Of course, this is just your mother's side.  My side is rather small." Remus said.

"There are a lot."  Cordelia smiled, "Where's Aunt Andi? And Uncle Sirius? And Mom for that matter?"  Remus took a seat on the small couch and signaled her to come sit next to him.

"Your grandparents are part of one of the most prominent wizarding families this age has seen.  Your mother, Sirius and Andromeda had different views than the rest of the family and were cast out.  Sirius ran away from home when he was sixteen."

"Where did he go?"

"He went to live with Harry's parents." Remus continued to explain, "Your mothers sisters are up there, Bellatrix and Narcissa."

"I've heard mom talk about them." Cordelia said, "Followers of you-know-who." She whispered.

"They still are sweetie." Remus started as Cordelia moved to sit on the couch next to him, "This past year has been harsh one, with the rise of You-know-who." He dared not say the name in front of her.

"That's why mom said we were moving here."  Cordelia said, "She said you actually went into battle with him."

"Well, not exactly, I was more trying to get Harry and his friends out of the Ministry, but your Uncle went head to head with one of You-Know-Who's most powerful followers."

"Wow, I'll have to ask him about it when he arrives." Cordelia smiled with excitement.  Just then the door to the drawing room opened and a teary eyed Bellanne walked in, "Mom, what's wrong?"  Bellanne signaled to her daughter not to ask.  Cordelia looked back to her father in worry.

"Sweetie, Sirius was killed by Bellatrix in the Department of Mysteries." Remus choked on his words.  Cordelia looked horrified at his words.  Bellanne tried her best to not cry in front of her, but found it was too difficult.

"No," Cordelia barely spoke, "he can't…he's coming…he's not…" Cordelia didn't want to believe her fathers words, but the tears that were running down her mothers cheeks and were threatening to fall from her fathers eyes gave her all the truth she needed, "Mom?"  Remus pulled two handkerchiefs from his pockets and handed one to Bellanne and handed the other to Cordelia, but she didn't take it.  Instead she climbed into her fathers arms and cried on his shoulder.

"I know, sweetie, I know." Remus said as he stroked her hair and back.  Bellanne tried wiping her tears that just continued to fall, but was finding it a lost cause.  She looked up at the family tree on the wall and scowled at it.

"Always pure." She huffed.  She looked at the tree for a few more minutes before she spit on tree.  Bellanne took a seat next to Remus on the couch with their daughter.  Bellanne leaned her head on Remus' shoulder as she wiped the tears from her daughter's eyes, as Remus sweetly kissed his daughters forehead then leaned his head on top of Bellanne's.