Finally, here it is. Sorry about that.
Dear Magenta,
It's Bella! I miss you so much, sweetie! How's life in the hood? Tell Leo hi for me if you two are still together. You shouldn't worry so much, he's a really great guy, Maggie. Have you seen the asshole lately? I mean Luca, just to clarify. Tell him I have a new boyfriend and I've moved on. Maggie, I really like this new guy. His name is…well I'll tell you later in case this letter falls into the wrong hands. Hahaha! Seriously though, we have to keep it a secret because my over-protective cousin Remus wouldn't like it. Lame, I know.
Have you heard any more about my dad? I'm so worried about him. And Nana and Popi. Keep an eye out for them, ok? Just go visit them once or twice and tell them their pizza is the best ever. But Mags, I'm most concerned about my baby boy. How's he doing? Poor little Massimo. Have you even seen him around lately? Please just tell him that Bella's thinking of him. I feel so bad for leaving. He's only three! Keep a look out for him. He really needs his mommy now. Maggie promise me if you see him to tell him I love him and I'll see him soon.
Well, be sure to write back soon, and know I'm missing the City.
Love Always, Bellissia.
PS-It would be really awesome if you could send me some cigs. I know.
Bell,
You know I hate it when you call me Magenta! It's a color, not a name. I swear my mother must have been on crack when she thought of that one. Seriously though, you and I both know she probably was on crack when she thought of it. Enough about me, though, how are you, girl? You have to send a picture of this mysterious boyfriend. Is he hot? Knowing you, he's a playboy!
Leo and I are still together, though barely. We hardly ever see each other anymore and he said he's thinking about joining the army when he graduates. Can you believe that? I really think he might be crazy. Speaking of crazy, I saw Asshole and Lila the other day. He was walking her to school. Weird, huh? Don't worry, I haven't told anyone about It. Neither has Lila. I ate lunch at Popi's Pizza just the other day. They asked about you. They really miss you, Bell. Same here. When are you coming to visit?
To answer your questions, no, I have not heard anything about your dad. Sorry. And yes I've seen Massimo. He's not doing so good. Don't get uptight, he just really misses you. He's actually staying with your grandparents for the weekend. When I went in the restaurant, he came running in and jumped on my lap. He kept going "Where's Lissia?". It was so cute. Don't worry about him though, he's got lots of people looking out for him. Leo has even had him over a couple of times.
Oh, I sent you the cigs. I figured you didn't want the whole school seeing them, so they are disguised as candy. It's just the box, though. I really can't believe you started again. I know I don't have much room to talk, but still. You did quit. I've already committed myself to being a smoker, and I'm not going to give up. Hahaha, I'm just kidding, mostly.
You better come visit! Love ya, Maggie.
Bellissia smiled as she reread Maggie's letter. Maggie was her best friend in the world. She really missed everyone in New York. Even that deadbeat Leo. She also really missed little Massimo. She sincerely hoped she would be able to see him this Christmas. Maybe when she was done with school she could take him away… She sighed and looked at the rest of the contents in the package. There were the cigarettes packaged just like Maggie had said. She did such a good job, James had asked her if he could have some of the candy. Of course, she had to say no.
Today was Friday, and it was the day before a Hogsmead weekend. Nobody could pay attention in class all day. That evening was her first day of potions tutoring with Lily. She was a little nervous, but she knew she really needed it. When the time came, she made her way to the Transfiguration classroom. Lily was already waiting.
"Evening, Lily," Bellissia said as she sat down on the floor next to Lily.
"Good evening, Bella," Lily replied. "I thought we would start out with a more simple potion and go from there. Here's the directions and the ingredients."
Bellissia sighed as she set to work. This was not her idea of a good way to spend a Friday night, but she didn't complain. When she finished, Lily examined the potion.
"It's pretty good, but you switched bremack for dormane. I wonder why that happened?" Lily said at last.
"I don't know, Lil. Maybe I'm just too stupid to be in potions."
"Don't ever say that, Bella. Potions is just about following a recipe, like cooking! Do you like to cook?" Lily asked eagerly.
"I love to cook, but I don't go by a recipe. I make things from memory," Bellissia replied.
"Hmm, well, I'll work on it. We'll make a potions master out of you yet!" Lily said, smiling. "That's enough for tonight. Let's clean up."
As the girls worked on tidying the classroom, Bellissia's mind wandered to the other friendly girl in her house, Annette. That poor little blondie with a barfing problem. She wondered if Lily knew. Probably not. She really wanted to help the girl. She could think of too many girls she knew from her old school with similar problems. How did they get over it? She sighed.
"What's wrong, Bella? The baby acting up?" Lily asked with a smile.
"Oh ha ha. No, that's not what I was thinking about. Actually…" Bellissia trailed off.
"What is it?" Lily stopped gathering leaves into the bag and looked Bella in the eye. "You can tell me anything, Bellissia."
"Sit down Lily." Lily obeyed.
"If I tell you, you have to promise to never tell another soul as long as you live." Lily looked skeptical, but Bellissia stood her ground. "Promise."
"Ok, I promise, now what is the big deal?" Lily asked.
"It's about Annette. She has a problem." Once she started, it was easy. Everything just came rushing out. "Lily, I've caught her purposely throwing up her food several times and I'm really worried about her. When I confront her, she admits she should stop, but I know she can't do it by herself. I want to help, but I just have no idea what to do."
Lily was silent for a moment. Then she spoke. "I'll be right back."
Bellissia was shocked. "Lily, wait! Where are you going? You promised!"
Lily was speeding down the hall at a break-neck pace. As she rounded the corner, she stopped to catch her breath. How could she not notice? How could she be so stupid? Bellissia was here for just a few weeks and she figured it out. Lily had seen Annie almost the whole summer. She wanted to slap herself, or to go and apologize to someone. She knew she had to do something to help. Something to prove she cared about Annie. She took a deep breath and resumed her sprinting. The sound of her pounding feet seemed to be "An-NIE, An-NIE, An-NIE".
Finally, she reached the Hospital Wing. Madame Pomfrey was bent over a patient, but motioned for Lily to sit and wait. She did. She couldn't help noticing how cushy the chair was as she caught her breath. She wondered if it was new, because she certainly didn't remember it being there last year. Perhaps Madame Pomfrey had added it for people waiting, like herself. Finally Madame Pomfrey motioned for Lily to follow her into her office. As they entered, the door shut behind them.
"Hello my dear, how are you today?" Madame Pomfrey asked kindly.
"Oh, well, I'm not sick, as you might have guessed, but I'm here to talk to you about something, or someone rather," Lily replied.
"Go ahead, child."
"Well, I've got a friend, and she's always been concerned with her weight," Lily paused and took a deep breath. "And her mother has always put pressure on her to be thin." She lowered her eyes.
"I think I see where this is going, dear. It's ok. You can tell me anything. Nothing will leave this room," Madame Pomfrey said, taking Lily's hand. "I understand."
"Do you know? Oh thank goodness. I mean my friend, she throws up all the time, and I'm really worried."
"Well, it's alright, Lily. I can help you. We have lots of pamphlets here about eating disorders. You can come in and talk with me once a week. We can fight this! Together!" Madame Pomfrey said encouragingly.
"Wait, Madame, I don't think you understand, it's not me we're talking about," Lily said, slightly panicked.
"Oh, right, it's your friend. Well, I'm sure we can help your friend as well," she said.
"I'm serious, I don't have a problem!" Lily nearly shouted as she wrenched her hand from the nurse's grasp.
"Lily Evans you won't have a problem by the time I'm through with you!" Madame Pomfrey roared.
"It's my friend!" Lily shouted.
"Ok, well, if it is your friend and not you, then tell me who it is so we can help them," Madame Pomfrey said, resorting to her calm voice.
"I-I can't tell you," Lily said. She sighed. She would have to admit defeat on that one. Pomfrey could just believe she had the eating disorder and she convince Annie to fight this disease. If helping Annie meant coming in here once a week for "counseling", well, she would do her part. But not alone.
"Madame, I admit it. It is me, but I have a friend who I barf with. Could I bring her in? We could do a kind of group therapy," Lily said brightly.
"Why that would be wonderful! But, darling, you need to tell me who it is so I can make us all nametags!" Madame Pompfrey said happily.
"Uh, why do we need name tags, we all know each other?" Lily asked.
"That doesn't matter it's the principle of the issue! Part of the therapy. Now, who is it?" she asked determinedly.
"Madame I cannot keep anything from you," Lily said. She sighed again. "You caught us. My partner in crime is Bellissia Angenelo."
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"I still can't believe you signed us up for therapy. Annie is going to owe us so much!" Bellissia said. "But if you think I'm going to chant, you've got another think coming."
"What choice did I have? No way would Annie have come in with me, and this way we can get lost of good information and ideas to pass on to her!" Lily replied.
"Do you realize how many clubs I'm in now? The Get Bella to Pass Potions Club, the Teach Remus Italian Club, and now, thanks to you, the Bulimics Anonymous of Hogwarts. Well, maybe not so anonymous since we apparently have to wear name tags!" she nearly shouted.
"You know you love name tags," Lily teased. "By the way, are you going to Hogsmead tomorrow?"
"Yeah, it should be fun, even if you and Annie pair off with James and my cousin," Bellissia said.
"Hey, I tried to set you up with Gavin," Lily said, laughing. She was unable to keep a straight face when she thought of the events of yesterday.
"And look how that turned out, Lily. I ended up pregnant," she said, laughing as well. "But seriously, I really don't mind."
"Well, we'll just see. James told me we're meeting in the common room at nine so we can all head out together," Lily said.
"Oh, well if James said so…" Bellissia teased, but she was cut off by a shove from Lily.
"We need go get to bed, tomorrow's going to be a long day with you around," Lily said.
"Lily, I'm so glad you've started to loosen up, because, no offence, when I first met you, I thought you were kind of bitchy," Bellissia said seriously.
"Well, while we're being honest, I can't say I thought any better of you. I think 'whore' was the first word that popped into my mind," Lily said.
"Glad we got that out in the open. At least now it won't be awkward!" Bellissia said cheerfully.
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The next morning everyone woke up early. Ish. That is to say, everyone was in the common room at nine, but not everyone had brushed hair or bright eyes. The girls, however, especially Lily, had put extra effort into their appearances today. Who wouldn't want to look cute on an day in the town? Bellissia was no exception. She had her hair long and down her back and she spent extra time on her make-up. It was chilly today, so she wore a fluffy wool sweater with her jeans. As soon as everyone else made it down, the group left for Hogsmead.
There were many students taking advantage of the first day off campus, especially those who had a significant other. It seemed everywhere Bellissia turned, she saw some couple or another. Even Gavin had a new twiggy blond on his arm. Bellissia barely had time to reflect how quickly he gets over girls before she felt a warm hand slide into her pocket next to hers. She slowly turned her eyes to see Sirius walking beside her with his eyes forward continuing along cheerfully as though nothing was going on. She mimicked him, rolling her eyes. After a few minutes when he was sure Remus was occupied with Annie, Sirius leaned to Bellissia's ear.
"We should be able to get away in an hour or two. I know a place where we can be alone," he whispered. To answer him, she only smiled mysteriously before breaking away from him to catch up to the others.
Hogsmead was a weird town. And that was not just because it was British. Bellissia had never been to an all-wizarding town before, and, truthfully, it kind of creeped her out. There were no cars, but there were wide, cobblestone avenues and places to park a broom. All sorts of strange animals were tied to trees in front of the houses and everything smelled kind of old. She seemed to be the only one expressing anything but complete love for the village, so she didn't say anything.
James and Sirius immediately dragged the group to the joke shop named Zonko's. It was full of fireworks and fake wands. Next, everyone voted to visit the sweet shop. Bellissia was very impressed with Honeydukes'. Everything in there made her mouth water. She bought a large assortment of candy to take back to the castle with her. Sirius teased her about having a sweet tooth, but she didn't care.
When everyone had their pockets full, Lily suggested the Three Broomsticks. It was a quaint little tavern run by one of the student's mother. Rosie Nanette was the student's name, and Evangeline Nanette was the mother's. Most referred to the pub owner as Madame Evangeline; she was French. No one had ever met Monsieur Nanette, and no one had the nerve to ask after him. Some assumed he was dead, but most did not care, as long as Madame Evangeline continued to serve spicy fire whisky and soothing butterbeer.
Everyone in the group opted for the butterbeer, although Bellissia knew for a fact that all four of the boys had tried fire whisky. They sat at one of the tables and talked. The first sip of butterbeer was like falling asleep by the fire. Bellissia felt warm from the tips of her toes to the top of her head. She smiled contentedly as she listened to the others discuss schoolwork and how hard McGonagall's tests were. Sirius kept trying to catch her eye, but she pretended she didn't notice. She wanted a little more time to enjoy everyone's company. It was so nice to have friends.
Although she was sad to have left New York and all the wonderful people she knew there (Maggie, Mossimo, Grandmama and Popi), times like this made her really grateful for moving away. She knew that if she would have stayed in the city, she might never have left.
Slowly, the chatter died down and people started coupling off. First Annie wanted Remus to come help her figure out how to mail a package to her mother, then James wanted Lily's opinion on a broom he was considering buying. Which was ridiculous, as Sirius pointed out, because Lily didn't know a dustmop from a racing broom. It was now just Sirius, Bellissia, and Peter left. Sirius kept motioning that they should just ditch Peter, but some part of Bellissia told her that even if Peter was an annoying perv, he shouldn't be ditched by his friends. So, she shook her head and suggested the take a walk. Sirius graciously left a good tip, and they exited the pub.
The three walked down the street watching the other students. There was one girl who was walking by herself, with her head buried in a book. Her clothes were loose-fitting and frumpy. She had a blue scarf around her neck for Ravenclaw. Sirius grinned.
"It's Bookworm Becky, excellent," he whispered. Bellissia knew what was about to happen, but she couldn't stop it even if she wanted to. To Sirius's credit, Bellissia was kind of blowing him off today, and he hadn't pulled a prank in a while. So, he ran over to the poor girl and began walking behind her, taunting her.
"Hey Becky, read any good books lately? I hear there's a new one out on how to be an outcast that you might be interested in," he said conversationally. Bellissia heard this and quickened her pace to try and pry him away from her.
"The name's Rebecca," Rebecca snarled at Sirius.
"Tell me, were your parents social lepers, or are you just a genetic mutation?" he continued. Bellissia rolled her eyes. It wasn't even funny!
"Cut it out Black," Rebecca menacingly.
"Ooh, what are you going to do Becky? Nerd me into a curse?" he taunted.
"Come on baby, it's not worth it," Bellissia said, grabbing his arm, but Sirius only shook her hand off.
"Hex me, Becky, babe, I dare you," he continued. Bellissia knew she would have to act fast, and drastic. She sighed. This was definitely not how she preferred to do business. It painfully reminded her of a certain Italian boy she knew. Slowly, she stepped in front of Sirius and got in close. She rubbed against him and ran her hands over his chest. Closing her eyes, she ever-so-lightly kissed him on the collarbone and leaned in to whisper into his ear.
"Show me where we can be alone, baby," she purred. Sirius looked very convinced, but then threw her off of him onto the street. She laid there, astonished, as she watched a jet of blue light bounce off Sirius's shield charm.
"I don't need your help!" Rebecca screeched. That bitch had sent a curse at her! Luckily Sirius had seen it coming and pushed her out of the way.
"I was doing you a favor, bitch!" Bellissia yelled from the ground.
"I think you need to let me handle things," Sirius said to Bellissia, helping her up. "But Becky, hexing someone when their back is turned is not nice at all. And here I thought you were a goody-goody. Shame."
"She deserved it, slut!" Rebecca said. Bellissia's mouth hung open. Oh-no-she-didn't. In the next split second, Bellissia had lunged at Rebecca, only to be beaten by Sirius.
"No one calls her that!" he yelled at her as he held her arm behind her head. Suddenly they heard a small voice come from behind.
"L-Let her alone." It was a squeaky voice that a person easily forgets. Sirius looked around, bewildered, to see Peter standing with his chubby fists in balls. Sirius seemed much more surprised than scared. He even let her go. As she fell to the ground, rubbing her shoulder, it was Peter' turn to look surprised. Bellissia could not tell if he was surprised he was speaking up against Sirius, or if he was surprised Sirius actually complied. She suspected it was a little of both.
"She didn't do a-anything to you, S-S-Sirius," Peter continued, shakily. He gave Rebecca a faint smile, which she, surprisingly, returned. Bellissia was getting confused.
"Whatever, Sirius, let's go," she said, tugging at the belt loops on Sirius's jeans. Sirius didn't seem to notice.
"What's going on here, Peter?" he asked, bewildered. It was beyond his comprehension that someone would stand up to him. Well, Lily did, but none of his boys, not a Marauder. Peter's cheeks were slightly flushed, but he did not back down.
"Rebecca, would you like to go back to the castle with me?" Peter squeaked. She nodded her head. As they began walking off together, hand in hand, Sirius turned to Bellissia.
"What the—"
"I know, that was really weird. Perhaps we're not the only ones with a secret relationship," Bellissia suggested as she wiggled her eyebrows.
"No, Bell, you don't understand, Rebecca's last name, it's Lestrange. She's Rabastan and Rodolphus's little sister. That's why I give her such a hard time. It's a known fact that everyone from that family is up to their ears in the dark arts. She studies NEWT level curses, even though she's just in fourth year."
"Sirius, you don't know that. Did you ever stop to think she could be just like you? An outcast to her own familiy? She is in Ravenclaw, afterall."
"Bellissia, don't be naïve. You haven't seen what she can do. You saw the innocent, public Rebecca. The private Rebecca is a different person entirely. But I have no idea what Peter would be doing with her," he said.
"I still think she's just misunderstood. And who cares who Peter dates, lord know he doesn't care who you date," she said.
"I guess," Sirius consented, although he did not look entirely convinced. But Bellissia was right. What did he care if Peter suddenly developed the guts to stand up to him and started dating the spawn of Satan? No big deal. He tried to push Peter and Becky out of his head. He only knew of one thing that could distract him.
"I think we're finally alone, babe," he said to Bellissia. She smiled.
"Where do you suggest we go?" she said coyly.
"I know just the spot." He took her hand and led her down the ally to the main street. They made a sharp turn right and landed in front of Honeyduke's. To Bellissia's surprise, they went inside. Sirius saw the confused look on her face, but he put a finger to his lips and then pointed to the back. They walked through the crowded shop to the very back corner. Sirius led them through a doorway that concealed a staircase. Silently, they descended down the stone steps to a cellar of some sort. Sirius motioned for her to stay put, and he went down ahead. The coast must have been clear, because he spoke.
"Come on down, milady. Our own private storeroom," he smiled. She went down the steps two at a time and met his wide open arms. The minute their lips touched, Sirius completely forgot about Peter and Becky. All he could think about was the wonderful girl in front of him.
Bellissia got more into the kissing and pushed Sirius against the wall. He kind of liked her aggression. He pushed her back into the middle, harder. Her feet caught on one of the many wooden crates and she fell over. Laughing, she tugged him down to her on the floor. He was on top of her now, taking great pains not to put all of his weight on her. She noticed the dilemma and rolled, so she was on top. Her hands, by now, had found the buttons on his shirt and were working furiously. He peeled off her sweater, so she was left with her tank top. Suddenly, they heard a door open. They froze. A voice.
"Shhh, let me go down first." They stared at each other. That sounded just like Remus. Sirius immediately pulled out his wand and muttered something.
"Follow my lead," he mouthed to her. She nodded, she couldn't tell what he had done, but she trusted him, crazy as it were. Remus must not have seen them behind the crate, as they next heard footsteps and Annie's giggle, which was quickly silenced. Bellissia tried as hard as she could to not stick her tongue out at the thought of her cousin kissing someone. Be mature, she told herself.
Sirius began to do the last thing she thought they should be doing right now: French kissing. Hard. She obeyed, but was more than a little confused. He pulled her completely on top of him and kicked her sweater underneath him. His hands began to work through her hair and eventually took down her ponytail. Now he began to bang on the floor and moan loudly. Bellissia told herself he wasn't mental and continued onward.
Soon, they heard the sounds of Annie and Remus kissing subside. They heard heavy footsteps coming toward them.
"Don't say a word and don't turn around," Sirius whispered quietly in her ear before he began kissing her neck.
"Sirius, is that you?" she heard Remus say. Sirius broke from Bellissia and sat up. He answered Remus over Bellissia's shoulder.
"What gives? We were here first, man," Sirius said, as though he had just noticed Remus was there. It really was too hard to not laugh.
"Who is that?" Remus asked eyeing Bellissia. Bellissia was shocked Remus didn't recognize her, but right now, she wasn't complaining.
"Hey, show some respect to my woman, she's shy," Sirius said indignantly. "Why do you think we're in a cellar?"
Remus was at a loss for words. He had kind of suspected Sirius had a thing for Bellissia, but from the looks of it, he was well over that.
"Hey, if you don't mind, we're just going to go down the passageway to the one-eyed statue. You can have the cellar, man," Sirius said. Remus just nodded. Sirius smiled, and with great skill, slid Bellissia off his lap, stood up, and lifted her into his arms. She buried her face in his shoulder. He kicked open a trapdoor that Bellissia completely had missed and began walking down the skinny stairway.
As soon as they were down far enough, the trapdoor closed with a thud. Sirius continued the rest of the way down the stairs. When they had reached the bottom, he set Bellissia down and lit the tip of his wand.
"What was that, Sirius? Why didn't Remus recognize me?" she asked him. He smiled.
"I charmed your hair blonde," came the reply.
"Excuse me, I think you just said you made my hair blonde, can you repeat that?" she asked him.
He sighed and pointed his lit wand at a puddle. The light and the water made a reflection on the floor, and when Bellissia looked over it, she saw herself, but with platinum-blonde hair. She screamed.
"What did you do to my hair?"
"Ah, come on! I saved us both!" he said stubbornly.
"Well, he's gone, change it back," she said, folding her arms over her chest. He held up his wand and waved it up and around. He mumbled a few things. He waved it back and forth. He mumbled some more. When he began waving it again, she grew impatient.
"If you tell me you can't change it back, you are going to be in a world of hurt!" she yelled at him.
"Woman! Of course I can change it back, if you would stop yelling at me, I could concentrate more!" he yelled back louder. She sighed loudly and began walking. "And where are you going?" he asked.
"Obviously this leads somewhere. If you're going to spend time thinking of how to change my hair back, you can multitask and walk as well."
Two hours later, they were at a staircase that went up to the castle, Sirius was worn out, and Bellissia's hair was still blonde.
"Why would you do something like that if you don't know the counter-charm?" she yelled.
"If it we're for me, we'd have been caught by Remus! It was my quick thinking that saved us both!" he retorted.
"Why did you have to change my hair color? Am I the new guinea pig for you to use when you don't know how to set things back?" she shouted.
"Let me some more. Stand still," he said, screwing up his face in concentration.
"If you don't get my hair back in the next five minutes, I'm going to Lily," Bellissia told him.
"Okay, fine," he said stubbornly. He waved his wand a bit more and said more spells, but, judging by the look on his face, her hair remained unchanged. She rolled her eyes and began walking up toward the school.
"Wait!" Sirius shouted after her. She turned. "If we run in to Annie or Remus, they'll know it was you in the storeroom." He ran up the stairs to her. "Take this," he said, putting his long, black cloak around her. Carefully, he put the hood up and tucked her hair inside.
"Bellissia, I am so sorry," he said softly.
"It's okay, baby. I'm sorry I got so upset. I just want my hair back," she said.
"I know, and I'm positive Lily will be able to set it right." She smiled at him. He reached up to tuck one more piece of hair inside. His hand lingered on her cheek. Bellissia tilted her head to it. He gave her a small smile and kissed her on the forehead before leading her up the rest of the way.
"Watch your step, I don't want you to trip on that robe," he said as he guided her by the elbow. She just grinned at him as she allowed him to lead her. When they reached the statue of the one eyed witch, Sirius helped her through.
"Almost there," he whispered as they began walking to the tower.
"I'm not dying, Sirius," she said back. He gave no reply, but he did let go of her arm.
Once they arrived at Gryffendor Tower, Sirius said the password, and they climbed through the portrait hole. The common room was relatively empty, save a few third years chatting in the corner. They walked up to the boys' dormitory. The door was shut, but there didn't appear to be any lights on inside, so they walked in.
"Finally we're back," Sirius said loudly. "Now we just have to find Lily." They heard a rustling near them. Bellissia flipped on the lights. There was James and Lily in James' bed. Lily's cheeks were bright red. She got up and attempted to straighten her robes.
"What did you need me for?" she asked calmly, after gaining her composure. Bellissia and Sirius were staring at her with their mouths open. Bellissia quickly closed hers and took off her hood.
"Blimey!" James said from the bed. Now it was Lily's turn to stare open-mouthed. "It was you!"
"Excuse me?" Bellissia said.
"Remus came in here an hour ago ranting about Sirius and how he had a new blonde girlfriend. He was so mad, he thought you just left Bellissia in Hogsmead by herself!" James told them.
Sirius looked uncomfortable. "Now, I would never do that. Remus just, er, walked in on us and I did some quick thinking by changing her hair."
"Except now he can't remember how to change my hair back," Bellissia finished.
"I see," Lily nodded. "Sirius, what charm did you use?"
"Er, Blancherate, I think."
"Hmm," Lily said in thought. "Did you try Emancipate?"
"Yeah."
"Maybe…hmm," she said again. She was massaging her temples. Suddenly, she stopped. Pulling out her wand, she yelled "Solvo!"
A jet a black light shot out of Lily's wand and hit Bellissia's hair. Her whole scalp began to tingle. When she looked in the mirror, she saw her hair gradually changing from platinum blonde, to golden blonde, to dirty blonde, to light brown, to medium brown, finally, to her natural black hair color. Her face broke into a huge smile.
"Oh thank you, Lily!" she said, throwing her arms around the girl. Lily was a little stiff, but then she put her arms around Bellissia. When they pulled apart, Bellissia couldn't stop messing with her hair.
"I think it's a lot shinier than it was before. What do you think, Sirius?" she asked.
"I don't know, it kind of looks the same," he said. He received an elbow in the stomach for that comment.
"So, are you two a couple?" Lily asked, confused.
"Are you and James?" Bellissia asked back. Lily blushed as James grinned.
"Aww! I knew it!" Bellissia said to them.
"You didn't answer my question," Lily said, her cheeks still burning.
"Yeah, we are, but Remus doesn't know," Sirius told them.
"What don't I know?" All four of them froze. Remus J. Lupin was standing in the doorway with his arms folded across his chest. He did not look at all pleased.