Chapter 17: A Day Out

Bella awoke the next morning to a black cat mewing and pawing at her shoulder. Bella smiled at her familiar's antics and petted the now purring cat.

"Good morning Ebony," she said as she rubbed her eyes.

Ebony jumped off the bed and made her way to the door. She stopped as if she wanted Bella to follow so the girl left her warm bed and made her way to the door too. Ebony led her human out to the kitchen where Delilah was making what smelled like honey almond pancakes.

When Ebony meowed in greeting, Delilah smiled and turned off the burner as she slid the last pancake onto a plate.

"Morning sleepy head," she said when she set the two plates of pancakes on the table, one in front of Bella and one in front of her seat. "Juice or milk?"

"Morning Mum, milk please," Bella answered as she started cutting up her pancakes. From the floor, Ebony meowed. "I think Ebony wants some milk too," Bella giggled.

Delilah pulled out two cups and a small bowl from one of the cupboards. She placed the bowl on the floor with a small helping of milk in it for Ebony while she poured herself and Bella some in the cups.

"So what should we do today?" Delilah asked her daughter as they ate their breakfast.

Bella shrugged. "I'd like to go see Mary and her grandpa today," she answered while she pushed around her last few bites of pancake.

Delilah smiled. "You missed her a lot, didn't you?"

Bella nodded. "Yeah. It was weird not seeing her in class and we missed the first snow this year," Bella answered.

Delilah stood up and took the plates to the kitchen. "How about this. You go get ready for a day out while I call over to Mr. Stanton's house to see if you can hang out with Mary today," Delilah told her.

Bella nodded her head eagerly. "Okay," she replied as she raced back to her bedroom.

Delilah chuckled at her daughter's haste. She didn't even know what she had planned for her today. She called over to the Stanton's house and quickly set up a time for Bella to come by. When she finished this and cleared the table, she noticed the envelope Bella had left on it the night before. She picked it up and saw that it was addressed to her. Opening it she found two letters: one was sealed with a crest that wasn't the Hogwarts crest and the other looked more like a note. There was also a small blanket that looked as if were to go in a doll house.

"Odd," Delilah commented aloud.

She opened the note first.

Ms. Darling,

I am Professor Severus Snape. Your daughter has shown a special aptitude for potions and I would like your permission to teach her advanced brewing and storing techniques that I would normally only allow my third years to begin learning. Please send an owl to the Hogwarts' Dungeons with your reply.

I have also enclosed a blanket that I would like you to give your daughter for Christmas once it has been returned to its original size. It has been charmed so that the wearer will never be cold.

Lastly, I have enclosed a letter addressed to you. Please wait to read it until Christmas Eve night as it is important that you do so.

Severus Snape

Hogwarts Potions Master

"Mum?" Bella called from her bedroom. "Have you seen my brushes and canvas?

Delilah put the note back in the envelope along with the blanket and her letter. She went to Bella's room and found her trying to look on the top shelf of her closet.

"Bells, you used the last of your canvas for Nana's birthday present over the summer," Delilah told her daughter as she came and helped her look for her brushes.

"Oh yeah," Bella suddenly exclaimed. She ran from the room to the bathroom. "I left them under the sink..." she informed her mother as she followed her into the bathroom.

"Why'd you leave them here?"

Bella's head popped out from under the sink with a coffee can full of paint brushes in her hand. "I was washing them and I decided to leave them in here to dry instead of taking them back to my room," she explained.

Delilah shook her head chuckling. "Why are you looking for your art stuff anyway?"

"I want to make my friends each a picture for Christmas presents when we go back to school," Bella told her mother bashfully. "I was gonna enchant them so we could send letters over the holidays."

Her mother smiled as she said, "Alright, we'll go to Diagon Alley today so we can find you the right spell. And how were you planning on charming the pictures if you can't do magic outside of school?" she asked her as they went back to Bella's room to find her paints.

Bella took on a dumb struck look. "I hadn't thought of that," she mumbled. "Will you help me?" she asked Delilah.

Delilah nodded. "Of course I'll help. Now go get your shoes on so we can go," she told Bella while she left the room.

In the living room was Ebony cleaning her paws. She mewed when Delilah took the envelope from the table and put it on the shelf next to the tree.

"Do you wanna spend the day outside or inside?" Delilah asked the familiar. "Bella and I are gonna be out all day."

Ebony merely went back to cleaning her paws while Delilah shrugged. Not a moment later, Bella came out of her room with a coat and scarf on and her sneakers on but untied. Bella sat down on the ground when she finally noticed this fact and tied them up quickly.

"Ready," she stated to her mother while Delilah grabbed her own coat off the back of the couch.

They both headed out the door and to the car. They drove into London and found their way to the street the Leaky Cauldron was located on. They left the car a couple blocks away and walked the rest of the way to their destination.

With a few well practiced movements in the back of the inn/pub, the two were soon in Diagon Alley. There were Christmas decorations everywhere. No matter where you looked, you could at the very least catch a glimpse of green and red put together or of trees covered in glass orbs. A few of them even had orbs made completely out of light.

"Come on, Bells," Delilah softly told her daughter after giving her a moment to take it all in. They made their way back to the same book shop they had visited their first time to see if there were books on how to enchant paintings.

"Ah, back again Ms. Darling," the clerk behind the counter called over the small crowd in the store. The store was busy today, much busier than when Bella had been here before school started.

"Did we come at a bad time, Stephen?" Delilah asked the young man.

Stephen shook his head as he rang up the order for the witch in front of him. "Not at all. I've always got time for my most interesting customer," he answered flashing Delilah a friendly smile. "Just wait about five minutes and then I can help you out. No, we don't carry muggle cook books," he told the wizard in front of him.

Delilah and Bella roamed around the shop and eventually ended up in the less crowded back of the store. Stephen finally managed to get on his "break" and found them looking through some of the few children's books that were hidden back there.

"So what can I do for you today?" he asked the two of them.

Over the past few months, Delilah had visited the shop numerous times along with the Magical Menagerie. She had become quick friends with Stephen after a few visits.

"Actually, Bella would like a book but we don't know what it is," she answered as she nudged her daughter forward slightly.

"And what type of book would this be?" he asked Bella.

Bella cleared her throat. Why did she always get so shy around other people? "Um, a book that could, uh, help make paintings move," she answered so quietly that if they had been in the front of the store, Stephen would not have heard her.

Stephen smiled at her bashfulness. "I think I've got a good book for that. You a painter Bella?" he inquired as he turned around and started searching the shelves behind him.

"A little," she replied trying to hide her reddening cheeks.

After a few minutes of scrambling around on the railing ladder and searching through nearly all the books, Stephen finally pulled out a red, leather bound book.

"Ah ha! Practical Charms for the Beginning Artist by Alleka Azgal. I think this will suit your projects quite well," he told Bella as he handed her the book. "Will that be all or do you need something else?"

A thought suddenly came to Bella. She instantly tugged on her mother's arm.

"Yes, Bella?"

"I forgot about Mary's Christmas present," she told her in a whisper. "Can I get her a story book?"

Delilah thought a moment. There was not any real harm that she could see in giving Mary a wizarding story book. After all, it was still just a story book; the stories would just have more magic.

"Alright go and find one. I have to talk to Stephen about something," she answered Bella. Bella scampered off with a smile on her face as Stephen looked at Delilah puzzled.

"What do you need?" he asked again.

"I actually need to find two books for Bella. One as a late birthday present and another for Christmas," she told him quietly in case Bella came back unexpectedly. "She liked reading about werewolves, so I think she'd enjoy something to do with them."

Stephen smiled. "That's it? I thought you were gonna ask for something really difficult," he joked as he led her down the shelves. He started pulling books from the shelves only to put them back before moving on. "I know we've gotta copy here somewhere..." he trailed off as he climbed a ladder to the higher shelves. He jumped back down grasping a book that looked far older than most of the books in the shop. "Got it. Lycanthropy: A Short Reading by Aiden E. Song. This'll be the only book on werewolves; not many people prefer to read about them," Stephen explained.

"It's perfect," Delilah thanked him as she gently took the book from his hands. "Do you have any thoughts for a book for Christmas then?"

Stephen pretended to think. "I believe I've got something. Stay here, I'll be right back," he told her as he rushed off to find whatever book he was looking for.

Delilah stayed exactly where she was. At the end of the aisle she saw a puzzled Bella looking for something, or someone.

"Bella!" she called to the girl. "Over here."

Bella flashed a happy smile at finally finding her mother. She ran over to her just as Stephen came back with the book he was looking for. He immediately noticed Bella and nonchalantly placed the book on the shelf as if it belonged there.

"Look Mum," Bella exclaimed. "I found two books all about the fairytales of the wizarding world. I bet Mary will love them, if I can get them both?" she ended in a pleading tone.

Delilah smiled at Bella eagerness but didn't give in this time. "How about you pick the one you think she'll like better for Christmas and we'll come back for the other one for her birthday in March," Delilah compromised.

Bella nodded her head, happy to be getting at least one book for her best friend. "Okay."

It didn't take long for Stephen to ring up the two books and put the other story book on hold for a later date. He discreetly winked at Delilah to tell her that he would also save the book for Bella's Christmas present. She gave him a thankful smile as she and Bella left the shop.

They wondered around Diagon Alley until nearly lunch time, visiting almost every store. For lunch they went back to the Leaky Cauldron and tried their Pea Soup. Thankfully neither Bella nor Delilah were too hungry.

After they left the wizarding pub behind for the busy muggle street, they looked in a few shops and even found one that sold art supplies. After a while they made their way back to the car and towards home.