September had turned to October and Bellanne stood over her caldron in her kitchen adding some ingredients to the caldron. The smell was atrocious and her eyes watered as it engulfed her kitchen. She looked outside to see the leaves from the trees in the backyard starting fall off the trees. She and Tonks had spent nearly a month making their plans for the Malfoy mansion. Just then, the kitchen door swung open with a bang revealing an agitated Severus Snape holding several sheets of parchment.
"Honestly, Severus, if I'm going to allow you to come and go in this house you could at least come and go quietly instead of slamming every door." Bellanne said.
"I'm just here delivering these papers for Dumbledore," Severus hissed, "Apparently you'll need them."
"Just set them on the countertop over there." She said as she added the last of the ingredients to her cauldron. Snape set down the papers and walked over to her cauldron for a look.
"Leech Juice?" Snape asked.
"Yep."
"Can I ask what you are brewing?" Snape asked.
"Nothing important."
"Seems like a waste of good materials to me." Snape hissed.
"Well it's not your concern."
"Do you think you're up to this task that Dumbledore has assigned to you?" Snape asked with venom in his voice, "I could get into that home much easier than you can."
"You think so?" Bellanne spat at him, "Well a former Death Eater would have more business in that house than a family member."
"Was that really necessary?"
"Do you know where the door is?" Bellanne snapped at him. Severus frowned as he turned from her and walked out the door. Bellanne rolled her eyes and continued on with her potion.
Cordelia sat with her house in the Great Hall talking with some girls from her house when a slew of owls came flowing into the hall. A dark brown owl came gliding down to Cordelia and landed in front of her. She removed the letter from its leg and gave it a bit from her meal.
"Who's the letter from?" Pansy asked with a devilish smirk.
"I think it's from my dad." Cordelia smiled as she opened the letter, "It looks like his handwriting." A good chunk of the table began to howl like wolves. Cordelia gave them a confused look as she read her letter.
"What news does our former Professor bring?" Draco asked.
"Not that it's any of your business, Draco," Cordelia snapped, "But he's coming to the school to see Dumbledore in a few days." The table howled again, "Is that really necessary?" Cordelia snapped.
"It's something we do." Crabbe smirked. Goyle simply sighed and looked away from the table.
"Well it's obnoxious, so don't." Cordelia said as she got up from the table and walked out of the hall. As she walked down the way she ran into Harry, Ron and Ginny.
"Hey Cordelia." Ginny smiled at her. Cordelia smiled as she stopped to tell them the news.
"My dad is coming to the school in a few days," She smiled holding up the letter, "He's going to ask Dumbledore if he can take me down to Hogsmeade for lunch."
"That's great news." Harry said, "I can't wait to see him."
"Are you going to tell him what house you're in?" Ron asked.
"I don't know." Cordelia sighed, "I probably should, but then he'll tell my mom and I need to do that."
"Just tell him the truth." Harry said.
"Yea," Ginny cut in, "He's an understanding guy."
"You're not his daughter." Cordelia smiled, "Maybe he won't ask and I can just enjoy lunch with my dad." Just then a bunch of Slytherin students walked out of the Great Hall and past four of them. They all howled one last time as they past by.
"What was that about?" Ron said.
"I don't know, it started as soon as I mentioned my dad was coming to the school." Cordelia shrugged. Harry's face paled as Cordelia spoke, "Being right jerky if you ask me."
"Well they are Slytherin's." Ron said. Cordelia vexed an eye at him as Ron tried to correct what he said, "Well not that you're like them or anything." He quickly added.
"Well I have to get to the common room to get my books for my next class." Cordelia said, "I'll see you guys later." Harry, Ron and Ginny watched Cordelia leave before Harry spoke.
"Cordelia doesn't know about Professor Lupin." Harry said, "But her house does."
"You don't think they're going to tell her," Ron started but was cut off by Ginny.
"Snape would have told them to keep quiet about it." Ginny reasoned.
"Yea right," Ron laughed, "and I'm the Minister of Magic."
"Snape won't care one way or another." Harry said, "She's Lupin's daughter, he hates Lupin."
"I thought they called a sort-of truce for the Order?" Ginny asked.
"It's enough so that they can work together for Order business, but I don't think it extends out side of that." Ron said.
"We'll have to keep and eye on it."
It was nearing the end of the week and Bellanne and Tonks were sitting in the living room surrounded by papers and maps. Tonks had been looking at one map for over an hour and wasn't able to make any sense of it at all. Bellanne was studying the information given to her by Severus on what was considered to be illegal weapons.
"Listen to this Tonks, tell me this doesn't send shivers
down her spine." Bellanne said, "In 1847 a descendant in the Malfoy family came
into possession of a Guillotine, and used it frequently on any half-bloods or
muggle-borns, or muggles
that wandered onto their land."
"That's disgusting." Tonks said, "Really sick. Makes me worried about breaking in there."
"You're just going to the front door to grab Narcissa's attention. I on the other hand have to sneak in through some cave on the back side of the house." Bellanne said, "But I'm more concerned with Bellatrix being there."
"She'll see right through me."
"If that happens, you run like hell."
"So when are we doing this?" Tonks asked, "We've been planning for weeks now, I think we've done all we can."
"Well next week is the full moon, and since I don't know where my husband is, I'd rather wait until that is over. Then, the following week is the first of November." Bellanne stopped talking as she thought about something.
"What's up?" Tonks asked as the kitchen door swung open and Alastor Moody hobbled into the room.
"Draco is on the Quidditch team," Bellanne said as she thought, "Why didn't I think of this sooner? There has to be a match coming up soon."
"Narcissa would be at the match, leaving no one at the house." Tonks smiled.
"I hate to rain on your parade ladies." Alastor cut in.
"Who are you kidding, Alastor? Raining on parades is your specialty." Tonks replied to him with a smile.
"What's wrong?" Bellanne asked
"Narcissa won't be leaving the house for the pitch." Alastor said, "Severus tells us that Draco says his mother is in a severe depression since Lucius went to Azkaban and she only leaves the house to visit him.
"Awe poor Narcissa." Tonks smirked, but Bellanne said nothing. Instead she looked into her papers and shook her head.
Cordelia sat in the courtyard Saturday afternoon excitedly waiting for her father. She had seen so much more of him in recent months, more than she had growing up. She had convinced Ginny to let her borrow her Gryffindor robe, but Cordelia wasn't wearing them because she didn't want members of her real house to know. She held the robe, folded in her hand so that it's red and gold colors didn't show. As she sat on the edge of the fountain, someone came up from behind her.
"Hi Cordelia!" panted a voice from behind. She turned to see Gregory Goyle running up next to her.
"Hi Greg." Cordelia smiled at him, "Is there something you need?" He looked at her perplexed at what she had just said. Suddenly his face seemed to pop with understanding.
"Sorry, uh," he started, "most people call me Goyle."
"Sorry to confuse you." Cordelia replied, "Have a seat." Goyle took a seat next to the young girl, "Was there something you needed?" She said as she hid her robe a bit more.
"I was just walking by and I saw you sitting out here, I thought I'd come and say hello." He stammered.
"Ok," Cordelia replied, "I'm just waiting out here for my dad, he's taking me to Hogsmeade for lunch.
"Sounds like fun." Goyle said, "My dad's usually too busy to take me to lunch or anything like that."
"Where's Draco?" Cordelia asked, "Usually where he is, you aren't far behind."
"He's studying, I think." Goyle hesitated on answering, "I can't really remember." Just then they watched as a group of 4th year Slytherin girls walked by headed towards the library. As they walked out of site, she heard the girls begin to howl and a moment later her father walked into the courtyard.
"Hi Dad." Cordelia beamed as she walked up to her father gave him a hug.
"Hi sweetie." Remus smiled at her. He then saw Goyle sitting on the fountain where she had just been, "Good afternoon, Greg. Things treating you well?"
"Ah, yes sir." Goyle said standing up, "I'll see you later Cordelia."
"Bye Greg." Cordelia waved to him as he trotted off the courtyard.
"So what's the good word?" Remus asked her. Cordelia held up the Gryffindor robe and watched his face light up, "You're Gryffindor, that's fantastic!" He beamed as he hugged her again, "Does your mom know?"
"Yea." Cordelia said, "She was here a few weeks back."
"Well come on, I've got permission to take you down to
Hogsmeade for a few hours." Remus said
as they began walking outside the castle walls, "So how are classes treating
you?"
"They're tough but I'll manage. Hermione has been helping me a lot." Cordelia said, "And those girls from Slytherin keep howling at when I walk by." Remus swallowed hard.
"Well, you have to study hard." Remus barely choked out as they walk past the forest.
"They say that all kinds of creatures live in these woods, is it true what they say?" Cordelia asked.
"It depends on what they tell you." Remus replied.
"Centaurs, unicorns, werewolves, and a Ford Anglia. Ron told me about that one." Cordelia laughed, "I would be afraid of Centaurs if Firenze wasn't a normal fixture about the school."
"Centaurs are nothing to be afraid of. " Remus assured her, "They will not harm children if they should wonder into the forest. It's not their way."
"But, werewolves," Cordelia started as Remus went pale, "Do you know the story about the man in Germany in the late 1500's. He killed like 14 people, including 2 pregnant women and 6 children."
"There's no truth behind that
story." Remus spoke, feeling his throat dry, "It's a myth passed on from family
to family."
"It was in this book on magical creatures Pansy Parkinson lent me." Cordelia said as they crossed the tracks into Hogsmeade.
"Isn't she in Slytherin?" Remus said desperately trying to change the subject, "So is Goyle for that matter."
"Yea." Cordelia suddenly remembering that she was supposed to be in Gryffindor, "But she's was helping me with my History of Magic class and we got to talking. She isn't all that bad and Greg is rather nice once you get past how thick he is." Remus nodded at his daughter as the two walked into The Three Broomsticks, "The book was fascinating. It had facts on all sorts of creatures like Grindylows, Pixies, and Dragons."
"Well, as long as you're learning." Remus smiled as they found a table.
"Mom always said you were the brains of the family." Madam Rosemerta brought the two some butter beer and Remus paid her.
"Your mother doesn't take enough credit for the work she does." Remus smiled, "How is she? Have you talked to her?"
"Not since she was here." Cordelia admitted, "But I've been working a letter here and there that I'm going to have Sofia take to her."
"Good, I'm sure she misses you."
"What about you?" Cordelia mumbled.
"Excuse me?"
"Come on, Dad, hasn't this thing with you and mom gone on long enough." Cordelia pouted.
"Sweetie, you don't know what you're talking about so please, leave it be." Remus told her sternly.
"Fine." Cordelia pouted.
"Now, what do you want for lunch?" Remus smiled at her.
Bellanne stood in front of Malfoy mansion wearing a long silver cloak which gave her pale complexion a bit more colour. She slowly walked up to the door with an emotionless look on her face. She grabbed hold of the knocker and gave it three hard knocks. A cool autumn breeze picked up around her as a few leaves blew at her feet. It was several moments before a weary looking Narcissa opened to door. Still in her pajamas, her hair had been left down and looked as though it hadn't been brushed in days.
"It's three in the afternoon, Narcissa. Maybe you should get dressed." Bellanne smiled as she saw the state of her sister.
"What do you want?" Narcissa scowled, "Come to rub it in a bit. Come to laugh. Go ahead, but just you wait. Lucius will be out and back for me."
"You know, Narcissa I had to swallow a lot of my pride and a lot of liquor to come here and make sure you're alright." Bellanne snapped.
"I'm sorry you went through the trouble." Narcissa snapped, "Maybe you should see how Andromeda is, she married a muggle."
"I know she's ok." Bellanne said, "I'm here to make sure my rich-bitch sister is ok."
"So you did come here to insult me?" Narcissa spat.
"Never mind." Bellanne said as she turned to leave. She began walking down the porch when Narcissa called to her.
"Wait!" She said, "Please come in." Bellanne turned back to see tears welled in her sisters eyes. Bellanne turned back and walked over to her sister, "I don't have anyone." Bellanne put an arm around her sister.
"I told you once before that just because our views are different, doesn't mean that I'm not your sister." Bellanne smiled as Narcissa cried on her sister's shoulders. As Narcissa cried, a head of dark hair peered out from behind a wall. A devilish smirk crossed the thin lips of Belltrix Lestrange before she apparated out of site.
Thanks to all my reviewers.
Autumn- I love that episode of Friends.
Bell – Cordelia does NOT know about Remus's lycantropy, That will come in to play later. Keep Reading!!!
Lucky Estrella - YEA!!! YOU'RE REGISTERED!! You should write some stories yourself now. Not that you had to register to do that.
Poetbrit- Thanks for reading. I'll check out yours when I get a chance.
That Aerin- I did have a piece in the first chapter where Bellanne got sorted. You'll see more flash backs coming up. It all ties in, sweetie, I promise. If you get confused on the way just drop and e-mail.