Bellanne stood on a mountaintop, bleeding, half broken, struggling to stay on her feet. She held her left side tightly trying to cover a large gash taken to her side. The blood that was flowing from her wound was beginning to freeze on her fingers. The snow blew around her, creating a haze that made it difficult to see. A large dark form stood in the distance, growling and breathing, what she thought was, smoke. Bellanne weakly pulled out her wand and pointed it at the beast. The growling became louder.
"Avada Kedavra!!" Bellanne screamed as her wand produced a green flash of light. But, to her dismay, the creature in front of her expelled an abundance of fire which consumed Bellanne's curse. Her eyes went wide as the fire consumed her. Screaming, like she had never screamed in her life, as the fire burned her body; it was more that her already feeble body could take. Losing her footing on the mountaintop, she slipped off, falling into the nothingness of the night sky.
Bellanne woke up with a dreadful start. Desperately gasping for air, she looked around at the darkness of her room. Almost certain she'd see the beast from her dream. She looked to her right hoping that Remus might still be lying next to her, but like she already knew. He was gone, leaving only a note on his pillow. A few tears rolled down her cheeks as she picked up the note and opened it. Three simple words were written on the paper warmed her heart like they always did, but it still wasn't enough to ease the loneliness she felt. She could still hear the sounds and smell of their love from the night before. She cursed herself for even letting it come to that, knowing he'd be gone before she woke. She cried, not because she was angry with him, but because for the first time in her 33 years, she was totally alone.
Meanwhile, Cordelia was preparing for her first day of classes. She walked down the long corridors of the school trying to make her way towards The Great Hall. She stopped in front of the doors and smoothed out her skirt and straightened vest. She then loosened her tie just a bit so she was no longer choking on it. She scowled as she looked at the colors. Sighing, she walked in to see most everyone eating breakfast. Her eyes dropped when she saw Harry, Ron and Hermione sitting at the Gryffindor table. She smiled to them and hid a small wave as she went to sit with her own house, Slytherin. She took a seat at the end of the table and started to eat breakfast.
"I can't believe she was sorted into Slytherin." Hermione huffed, "That hat made a huge mistake."
"No kidding," Ron started in, "I wonder if she sent Bellanne a letter yet?"
"I don't care if she's in Slytherin, I'm still going to be friends with her." Harry huffed.
"We were friends with her before, and we'll remain friends with her." Hermione said in agreement with Harry. At that moment they watched as Draco Malfoy and Pansy Parkinson took a seat next to Cordelia.
"I wonder what he's saying to her." Harry seethed as he watched them converse.
"I know who you are." Cordelia said to Draco in a snotty tone, "I don't need your prissy introduction."
"Oh come on now, Cordelia, we're family now." Pansy said to her in a motherly tone, "If we can't all get along here and have the same goals, what hope do we have?"
"According to your mother," Cordelia said looking at Draco, "I'm just a tainted product in your blood line. So, really, we're not family."
"My mother doesn't quite see the potential in you that I do." Draco said.
"Just leave me alone." Cordelia said with a wicked eye, "We'll get along fine if you just stay away from me. I don't like you, I want to like you and I certainly don't want to know you."
"I'm sorry you feel that way."
"I'm not." Cordelia said as she got up from her half eaten breakfast and left the hall. Draco and Pansy looked at each other with a smirk on their faces. Hermione got up from her table and marched out of the hall after Cordelia.
"Hey Potter, it looks like your friend has a bit of an attitude problem, I wonder who she picked that up from." Draco said.
"She's your cousin." Ron snapped back.
Cordelia was sitting in the courtyard, looking, with a smile on her face, into the bright new day ahead of her. The first year was disheartened about being sorted into Slytherin, but promised herself to not become like the bulk of them. She looked out of the archway leading outside the castle walls and saw a gigantic oak tree. It was larger than any tree she had ever seen living in Scotland. She began walking towards the tree, and only then did she notice how ugly it was. The branches were long and the leaves were huge. Just then Hermione came running up behind her.
"Where are you going?" She asked.
"I want a closer look at this tree. It's bigger than anything I've ever seen." Cordelia replied.
"From what everyone tells me, after graduation students will magically carve their names in the tree." Hermione told her as they reached the oak tree. The two girls looked at it with amazement.
"Hermione look, there's James Potter." Cordelia said, "Try to find my Uncle's." The two girls looked all over the tree but were unable to find Sirius name, but what they did find something else.
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Bellanne laid in the courtyard reading a book on charms. The breeze of the spring day was warm and cozy. Bellanne was nearing the end of her fifth year, while her cousin and his friends were preparing to graduate. Rumor had it that James and Lily planned on marrying shortly after graduation. A shadow cast over Bellanne making it difficult to read her book, she looked up to see Remus standing above her.
"Hey." She said with a beautiful smile on her face, "How goes graduation plans?"
"Boring." He replied as he took a seat on the ground next to her, "I'd rather be out here. I have to be back there in 20 minutes, former Prefect duties."
"Sounds fun," Bellanne lied with a smiled, "What are your plans for the summer?"
"That's just what I was going to ask you."
"Why?" Bellanne asked. Remus was about to speak, but could hear Sirius' voice carrying loudly in the distance. Remus stood up.
"Come on, Sirius is coming and unless you want to tell him now…" That was all Remus had to say before Bellanne was at his side following him outside the school grounds.
"What's this all about?" Bellanne asked him as they reached the large oak tree.
"I'm going to travel Europe this summer, from the
day we get out of school until the end of August." Remus said to her, "I've always wanted to do
it."
"What about James and Lily's wedding?" Bellanne asked trying to search for truth in the rumor.
"I'll be back for that, but I plan on being
gone most of the summer." Remus replied.
Bellanne nodded with an emotionless face and looked away from him. Remus guided her face back to his with a
smile on his, "But, I don't want to go alone.
I want you to come with me."
Bellanne smiled sweetly at him, "There's so much to see. Sirius told me that he'll let me borrow this
motorcycle of his, but…"
"He's letting you borrow it?" Bellanne asked in amazement as she leaned against the tree, "He won't even let me ride on it."
"He's letting me borrow it, and I was planning on taking it, if you're going to ride with me."
"I'd have to tell him about us." Bellanne sighed as she brushed the hair out of her face.
"What can he do now?" Remus said as he got out
his wand. A red light expelled from the
end of his wand and appeared to be gauging something into the tree, "I mean
unless you're ashamed to be known as courting a Lycan."
"I would never," Bellanne started to yell, but caught herself, as she pushed herself off the tree "I would never be ashamed of that." She whispered.
"I know, I just don't understand why you won't tell him." Remus said as he continued to prod away at the tree.
"Because, I don't want anything to come between you two, I'm not worth losing your best friend over."
"Bell," Remus started as he finished with the tree, "If I were in Sirius position, I would feel better knowing my cousin was seeing of my friends." Bellanne moved next to him to see what he had carved. She got up on her toes and kissed his cheek.
"I'll tell him before we go on our trip." She smiled at him.
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"That's so sweet." Hermione said as she and Cordelia stared at the "Remus & Bellanne '78" carved into the trunk of the tree.
"But my mom didn't graduate until 2 years later," Cordelia wondered, "do you think they've been together that long?"
"It looks that way."
"You'd think after all these years together they'd find a way to live together." Cordelia said as they walked back onto the grounds.
"Have you ever asked your mom why Professor Lupin doesn't live with you?" Hermione asked.
"I used to, but she gets really upset and starts crying." Cordelia replied, "So I've learned to just let it go and live with it." Hermione and Cordelia walked back into the castle and headed to their respective classes. Meanwhile, Draco and Pansy stood unseen by the two girls next to the archway smiling to themselves.
"This is too good of an opportunity to pass up, Draco." Pansy told him.
"We have to take this carefully." Draco smirked.
Bellanne sat on the living room love seat with her feet on the coffee table and a rocks glass full of ice and vodka resting between her hands on her lap. She had her head leaned back on the couch, and at first glance one would think she was asleep. It was more enjoyment of the silence. As Bellanne smiled in the quiet, the front door opened and Tonks walked in with a smile on her face.
"Hey Auntie." Tonks greeted as she walked in tripping over the coat rack.
"Are you part of the "Make sure Bellanne doesn't go insane" brigade?" She asked as she took a large sip from her glass.
"No," Tonks asked in confusion as she set the coat rack back up, "What would make you ask that?"
"Nothing." Bellanne sighed.
"So, I'm here to help you with things because I have no life." Tonks laughed as she plopped down on the couch next to her, "What's on the agenda."
"Nothing today." Bellanne smiled, "See what I'm doing right now, this is it all day." Bellanne stood up with her empty glass in hand as the side window burst open and a snowy white owl came through it with a letter in hand. Tonks caught the owl and Bellanne removed the letter attached to it.
"Who's it from?" Tonks asked.
"Dumbledore." Bellanne replied as they took the owl into the kitchen to give it some water.
"Open it." Tonks said with a grin, "I'll get the water." Tonks opened a cupboard, and very carefully pulled out a small dish while Bellanne opened the letter.
"I guess this is for both of us." Bellanne said reading the letter.
"What does it say?" Tonks asked as she filled the bowl.
"Dumbledore wants us at the school the day after tomorrow for a meeting." Bellanne said, "He'll tell us what it's about then."
"I hope it's a job, and something fun." Tonks smirked as she gave the water to the owl. Bellanne just rolled her eyes at her niece.