Sirius flung the front door open and Bella ran down the steps after him.
They raced down the street, laughing and giggling, before coming to a halt
at a small grassy area in the middle of the small square. The grass was
long and various bits of rubbish were strewn in it. Sirius threw himself on
the ground, still laughing as he tried to get his breath back.
It was such a good feeling to get out of that house. He hated being stuck in there every day. Often it was just him, Regulus and their mother, their father being out at work. Not that his father was much better company. Relief from his eccentric mother and whiny little brother only came when his cousins visited.
Bella sat down on the grass next to him and gazed up at the bright blue sky for a few minutes before looking around.
"Filthy Muggles," she muttered, as she cast her eyes over an empty crisp packet that was on the ground near her feet. Her gaze lifted as she heard shouting further along the street. Her dark eyes fell on a small group of Muggle children, kicking a football around in the road.
"Come on, Bella said to Sirius, as she grabbed his hand, pulling him up from the floor. "Let's have a walk down that way.
Sirius scrambled up. He hadn't seen Bella looking at the other children as he had been too busy watching a motorbike pull up further down the road. As they reached the Muggle children, Sirius made to go around the area that they were playing in. Bella, however, slowly and purposefully walked straight through the middle of their game.
"Oi! Watch wha'yer doin!" a tall, thuggish looking boy yelled, as Bella walked past him, her head held high in the air.
"Get out the bloody way!" another boy shouted. He was smaller than the first boy but looked just as menacing. Bella turned and glared at him. Sirius also stopped in his tracks. What in Merlin's name was Bella doing? He shot a questioning look over at her, which she ignored as she turned to look at the first boy.
"You don't own this street you know" Bella replied calmly. Sirius quickly walked over to her side"
"Bella! Come on!" He whispered urgently to her, grabbing her wrist, "Just shut up and let's go!"
Sirius looked up as the two boys, along with the rest of the Muggle children, stepped closer, almost forming a circle around them. Sirius had a bad feeling about this. Being surrounded by a group of boys all bigger, older and most probably stronger than him, was not such a good thing.
"Yeah, Bella," The first boy taunted, obviously overhearing what Sirius had said. "Why don't yer jus' shut up an' bugger off!"
"I will go when I am ready," Bella replied haughtily. "I don't take orders from a filthy Mug-"
"BELLA!" Sirius yelled, cutting her of before she could continue, shooting her a warning look.
"What? I was just saying that..."
"I know what you were saying," Sirius hissed back at her. "And you know you shouldn't be saying it. At least not out here, if at all.
"And since when did you become so concerned about these things?" Bella asked him angrily, the Muggle boys put to the back of her mind.
"HEY! What's going on over there?" A man's voice shouted from the doorway of Number Twelve. It was Uncle Alphard and he started to walk over to them. Regulus had followed his brother and cousin outside and had been sitting on the front step watching the events take place. When Bella and Sirius had started yelling at each other, he had run inside to tell his Uncle. His intention had been to get them in trouble rather than to stop them fighting.
Bella and Sirius were still shouting at each other when Uncle Alphard reached them. He pushed through the Muggles, grabbed Bella's arm and the back of Sirius's t-shirt and dragged them both towards the house. The two children continued to scream at each other as they were hauled down the steps into the kitchen.
"I trusted you both to go out and this is what you get up to?" Uncle Alphard wasn't yelling at them like they expected. He just sounded very disappointed which was ten times worse than being shouted at.
"But she started it," Sirius protested.
"I didn't do anything," Bella retorted.
"You were going to call them filthy Muggles,"Sirius said. "I know you were.
"Well they were filthy Muggles."
"You can't say!" Sirius yelled. "Not out there, and it isn't exactly a nice thing to say, is it? They hadn't done anything to you until you walked through their game!"
"Since when were you such a Muggle lover?" Bella asked tauntingly. Sirius glared at her.
"I don't have a problem with Muggles, unlike you," he replied quietly.
"Now Bella," Uncle Alphard said calmly. "Sirius is right. You can't say things like that out in the street, even if that is what you think. And until you're able to understand that, I don't think you should be going out there on your own."
Bella frowned at him and then glared at her cousin. Sirius glared back, as he knew Uncle Alphard wouldn't let him back out on his own. Now he would be stuck inside with Bella in a grouchy mood.
It was such a good feeling to get out of that house. He hated being stuck in there every day. Often it was just him, Regulus and their mother, their father being out at work. Not that his father was much better company. Relief from his eccentric mother and whiny little brother only came when his cousins visited.
Bella sat down on the grass next to him and gazed up at the bright blue sky for a few minutes before looking around.
"Filthy Muggles," she muttered, as she cast her eyes over an empty crisp packet that was on the ground near her feet. Her gaze lifted as she heard shouting further along the street. Her dark eyes fell on a small group of Muggle children, kicking a football around in the road.
"Come on, Bella said to Sirius, as she grabbed his hand, pulling him up from the floor. "Let's have a walk down that way.
Sirius scrambled up. He hadn't seen Bella looking at the other children as he had been too busy watching a motorbike pull up further down the road. As they reached the Muggle children, Sirius made to go around the area that they were playing in. Bella, however, slowly and purposefully walked straight through the middle of their game.
"Oi! Watch wha'yer doin!" a tall, thuggish looking boy yelled, as Bella walked past him, her head held high in the air.
"Get out the bloody way!" another boy shouted. He was smaller than the first boy but looked just as menacing. Bella turned and glared at him. Sirius also stopped in his tracks. What in Merlin's name was Bella doing? He shot a questioning look over at her, which she ignored as she turned to look at the first boy.
"You don't own this street you know" Bella replied calmly. Sirius quickly walked over to her side"
"Bella! Come on!" He whispered urgently to her, grabbing her wrist, "Just shut up and let's go!"
Sirius looked up as the two boys, along with the rest of the Muggle children, stepped closer, almost forming a circle around them. Sirius had a bad feeling about this. Being surrounded by a group of boys all bigger, older and most probably stronger than him, was not such a good thing.
"Yeah, Bella," The first boy taunted, obviously overhearing what Sirius had said. "Why don't yer jus' shut up an' bugger off!"
"I will go when I am ready," Bella replied haughtily. "I don't take orders from a filthy Mug-"
"BELLA!" Sirius yelled, cutting her of before she could continue, shooting her a warning look.
"What? I was just saying that..."
"I know what you were saying," Sirius hissed back at her. "And you know you shouldn't be saying it. At least not out here, if at all.
"And since when did you become so concerned about these things?" Bella asked him angrily, the Muggle boys put to the back of her mind.
"HEY! What's going on over there?" A man's voice shouted from the doorway of Number Twelve. It was Uncle Alphard and he started to walk over to them. Regulus had followed his brother and cousin outside and had been sitting on the front step watching the events take place. When Bella and Sirius had started yelling at each other, he had run inside to tell his Uncle. His intention had been to get them in trouble rather than to stop them fighting.
Bella and Sirius were still shouting at each other when Uncle Alphard reached them. He pushed through the Muggles, grabbed Bella's arm and the back of Sirius's t-shirt and dragged them both towards the house. The two children continued to scream at each other as they were hauled down the steps into the kitchen.
"I trusted you both to go out and this is what you get up to?" Uncle Alphard wasn't yelling at them like they expected. He just sounded very disappointed which was ten times worse than being shouted at.
"But she started it," Sirius protested.
"I didn't do anything," Bella retorted.
"You were going to call them filthy Muggles,"Sirius said. "I know you were.
"Well they were filthy Muggles."
"You can't say!" Sirius yelled. "Not out there, and it isn't exactly a nice thing to say, is it? They hadn't done anything to you until you walked through their game!"
"Since when were you such a Muggle lover?" Bella asked tauntingly. Sirius glared at her.
"I don't have a problem with Muggles, unlike you," he replied quietly.
"Now Bella," Uncle Alphard said calmly. "Sirius is right. You can't say things like that out in the street, even if that is what you think. And until you're able to understand that, I don't think you should be going out there on your own."
Bella frowned at him and then glared at her cousin. Sirius glared back, as he knew Uncle Alphard wouldn't let him back out on his own. Now he would be stuck inside with Bella in a grouchy mood.
