As always, please read, enjoy and please do leave a review if you have a moment!

Bella


Nymphadora stroked her little boy's hot back, humming gently as he stared up at her with his dark eyes. He was ill again. Having barely slept the last few nights he was currently laid topless on his mother's chest, the nearly three-year-old taking slow deep breaths as he entwined his mother's hair in his little hand. The healer had just been to visit the boy, though instead of speaking in front of the mother Rodolphus had beckoned him out of the room to discuss their child with him alone. The woman only looked up from her son as her door opened. Rodolphus walked into the room, narrowing his eyes at Nymphadora as she met his gaze.

"What did he say?" Dora asked.

Rodolphus didn't speak for a moment, instead walking over to the bed and perching himself on the edge. As he reached out to stroke his son's hair the boy turned to look at him.

"Daddy," Reuben sniffed, looking up into the kind smile of his father, "I don't feel well."

"I know, darling," Rodolphus sighed, "You need to sleep."

"'Kay . . ." Reuben gave a small nod, closing his eyes and snuggling into his mother's chest, "read me a story first?"

"You should sleep in your own bed," Rodolphus said, "why don't I take you there? Your books are there."

"No," the boy whined, gripping onto his mother's dress, "wanna sleep in Mummy's bed. Go get my books."

"Roo," Dora sighed, leaning down to kiss the boy's hair.

"Staying with Mummy," Roo sniffed, "Daddy can stay too."

Dora sighed, giving the boy a small hug as she silently cursed the fact that both of her youngest children seemed to love their father so much. "Rodolphus," she spoke more firmly, waiting for the man to eventually look to her before she continued, "what did he say?"

Rodolphus hesitated for a moment, shaking his head slightly as he looked back to his son. "Okay, Reuben," Rodolphus said, "Mummy has to get up some time or another. Why don't you say goodbye to her and I'll go get your books?"

Reuben looked to his mother, then to his father and back again before with a small huff he nodded. Nymphadora sighed, kissing the boys head again before she carefully moved him to lay on the bed beside her. She untangled his hand from her grasp as she got up from the bed.

"I'll be back later sweetie," Dora forced a smile for the boy, leaning down and kissing his head before turning to look to Rodolphus.

He led the way out of the room, waiting for Nymphadora to pass the door before he gently closed it behind her.

"Well?" Dora asked, "What did Greer say?"

Rodolphus turned to glare at the woman, "He's sick," he said.

"Tell me something I don't know," Dora rolled her eyes, "What's wrong with him? What are they going to do?"

"Do not sass me!" Rodolphus spat, causing the woman to flinch slightly as she took a step back, though he grabbed her arm and near enough threw her against the wall without relinquishing his grip upon her, "He has next to no immune system, amongst other things."

"But he'll get better?" Dora swallowed hard as the man continued to glare at her, determined not to show her fear of the man nor the fear for her youngest child, "He'll be okay?"

"Who knows?" Rodolphus sneered, "He could be fine this time and then one day . . . this is your fault."

"You can't blame me for this!" Nymphadora yelled, "He was a little early! That isn't my fault and who's to say he wouldn't be just as sick even if he had been full term! I—"

Nymphadora gasped in pain as a hand came crashing hard and fast into the side of her face, causing her head to snap back and collide with the stone of the wall. She closed her eyes as the sickening thud rang throughout her head, going to lift her hand for her cheek though the man simply grabbed both of her shoulders.

"You are the one that gave birth to him," Rodolphus hissed, near inches from her face, "you are the one that could not complete the simple task of giving birth to a healthy child! This is your fault and yours alone! Do you think what happened to you in St Mungo's was enough of a punishment for what happened that day? I swear to Merlin, Nymphadora Lupin if anything happens to my son—"

"That's enough," the voice of Andromeda Tonks sounded, clear and firm from the entrance to her room. Both adults turned to face her, though Nymphadora was sure she wouldn't have stepped away if it wasn't for the sight of their nine-year-old daughter stood in front of the woman, her hair white as she looked at the pair.

"Elara," Rodolphus breathed, all anger wiped from his features as he stepped towards the girl, "I thought you were in your room?"

"I was . . ." Elara said quietly.

"Elara was just having a little chat with her grandmother, weren't you dear?" Andromeda squeezed the girl's shoulder as she gave a small nod.

"I-I was just leaving . . ." Elara said.

"Okay," Rodolphus nodded, "Delphi is back today, isn't she?"

"Yes," Elara couldn't help but let a small smile flicker on her features before she caught sight of her Mum who was now smiling and trying to hide the clear pain on her features, "I need to go. I said I'd meet her."

"Be careful, Elara," Rodolphus said.

"Dora?" Andromeda raised an eyebrow, "Can I talk to you?"

"Go," Rodolphus rolled his eyes, "I'll come to find you when I leave Reuben."

Rodolphus walked off to his son's room, passing his daughter and giving her a quick kiss on her head before he left to find his son's books. The three girls looked at each other for a moment before eventually, Nymphadora spoke up, a forced smile on her features as she looked to her daughter.

"Have you had your lunch?" Dora asked, raising her eyebrows at the girl as she shook her head, "Well, why don't you go and get something to eat? Delphi will be here soon and you don't want to be hungry, do you? You get moody when you're hungry. You're too much like me."

"I—" Elara shook her head, "Mum—"

"Go eat," Dora said as she walked over to her daughter, giving her a quick hug, "your grandmother wants to talk to me. I'll come to see you later if you like—though knowing you you'll be busy catching up with Delphi—come find me if you'd like."

"I—" Elara hesitated for a moment, biting her lip before she nodded, "Okay, love you, Mum."

"Love you too," Dora winked at the girl before she looked to her mother, hesitating for a moment before she walked into the woman's room.


Elara walked as slowly as she could outside of Delphi's room. As the time grew later she had begun to think of an excuse to leave her room, though only for short periods of time. She had begun by waiting outside of the girls room, knowing better than to just let herself in (and sure she wouldn't be able to even if she wanted with the wards in place on the door), but after one of the Death Eaters had given her a look that did not make her feel altogether comfortable as she sat on the floor she decided it was not a good idea. This was perhaps her fifth trip to the bathroom, using it as an excuse to check if Delphi was in her room or not yet. It was just as she was about to open her bedroom door, starting to believe that her friend would never return when she heard her name called.

"Elara!" Delphini called, grinning as the girl turned to face her.

"Delphi!" Elara squealed, her hair turning a bubblegum pink as she ran towards the girl ready to jump at her friend and hug her, though as a second figure turned the corner into the corridor she stopped in her tracks.

Bellatrix Lestrange wrinkled her nose at the girl, letting out a scoff of laughter as she almost fell over at the speed that she stopped herself.

"Mother?" Delphi turned to her mother, "You can go now."

"I—" Bellatrix opened and closed her mouth for a moment, looking offended, "I have to help you unpack."

"I can do it," Delphi said simply.

"Delphi, it's heavy," Bellatrix rolled her eyes as the girl went to take her trunk off her.

Delphi smiled, drawing her wand and levitating the trunk, "I've got it," she hesitated for a moment as she saw the look on her mother's face, sighing as she reached up onto her tiptoes and kissed her mother's cheek, "I'll call you if I need help, I promise."

Bellatrix hesitated for a moment, looking between the two children before with a small huff she walked off, rolling her eyes as Elara gave her a wide birth as she walked by her. Elara flinched as the woman slammed her bedroom door shut. "You shouldn't—Merlin Delphi," Elara had jumped slightly as she turned back to her friend, not realising she had moved to be stood mere inches from her.

"I shouldn't what?" Delphi raised an eyebrow in amusement.

"You shouldn't upset your Mum . . . she's terrifying," Elara mumbled.

"No she's not," Delphi laughed.

"Maybe not to you," Elara said, "you're her daughter—of course she's lovely to you."

"Fair point," Delphi shrugged before grinning, "Come on, let's go to my room."

Elara followed without hesitation, hurrying after the girl she ran to sit on the bed as soon as the door was open as Delphi laughed at her antics. "So," Elara grinned, "how was school?"

"As you would expect it," Delphi shrugged, putting her trunk down at the end of her bed and opening the lid, she pulled out a chocolate frog, throwing it at her friend and laughing as she ripped open the packet, "you know what school was like Elara, don't act as if I haven't seen you in a year."

"I still missed you," Elara said, sighing as she caught the hopping chocolate frog in her hand and letting out a sigh as she threw the famous Witches and Wizards card onto the bed, "I've got two of your mother now."

Delphi walked over to the bed, sitting beside the girl as she picked up the card with a smirk, "She looks young there . . . though clearly as terrifying as ever."

"Don't make fun," Elara groaned, pushing the girl slightly.

"Watch it," Delphi laughed, "Anyway, how have you been? How's life at the manor?"

"Same as usual . . ." Elara sighed, her smile fading slightly as she looked down at the floor.

"Reuben?" Delphi asked, "How's he?"

"He . . ." Elara sighed, "He's sick."

"He's always sick," Delphi sighed, "he'll be fine."

Elara shook her head, "Father blames Mum . . ."

"For what?" Delphi raised an eyebrow, "For your brother being sick? That's ridiculous, she didn't make him sick."

"He thinks it's because Roo was born so early," Elara mumbled, staring at her hands as she twisted them in her lap, "he blames Mum for my brother being sick because he was too early and he thinks that's her fault." She looked up to Delphi, tears beginning to well up in her eyes, "But it's not Mum's fault Roo was born early, is it? It's my fault. If I hadn't—"

"Stop it," Delphi snapped, taking the girls hand, "we've been over this a thousand times before. It's not your fault."

"But if I pushed her! I hit her with my magic! I—"

"You can't control that," Delphi insisted, "besides that isn't the cause of Reubens sickness. Why on earth would you say that?"

"Because Father told Mum it was, he—" Elara bit her lip, shaking her head.

"He what?" Delphi frowned, "Tell me."

"He—He slapped her, hard," Elara shook her head, "I was about to leave to come to find you and I opened Nan's door just as he hit her, she pulled me back in behind her. I think she thinks I didn't see it, but I did. Why would he do that? Mum didn't do anything wrong!"

"I—" Delphi frowned for a moment, opening and closing her mouth as she tried to think of what to say. She knew what happened behind closed doors with Nymphadora and Rodolphus of course, she had heard enough from her mother, but she was sure Elara knew nothing of this and she was certainly not going to be the one to inform her of such things. "Everyone gets into an argument every now and then," Delphi sighed, "Mum and Rod do it too, they're always screaming at each other. I wouldn't worry about it."

"But he was screaming at her because he thinks she did something that I did!" Elara protested, "I have to tell him the truth."

"Don't." Delphi said firmly, "It's not worth the hassle of it."

"But I have to, he's angry at Mum when he should be angry at me," Elara sniffed.

"Don't, Elara," Delphi insisted, "he hasn't got a right to be angry at anyone for that. It was a freak accident."

"It's still my fault," Elara mumbled, "it's still making him yell at Mum."

"Elara," Delphi sighed, "don't worry about it. It's not your fault and nothing you do or say will change anything so just forget about it."

"I—"

"No," Delphi said, getting up from her bed and walking back over to her trunk, "it's nonsense to dwell on it. We have better things to do. I have pictures of school, do you want to see?"

Elara nodded slightly, smiling at the girl as she grinned and searched through her trunk, trying not to think about her parents.