Hey!

After I uploaded the first chapters, my dearest friend transformed into a proud granny. She created an account with a ridiculous name, and began practically stalking me around, as all best friends should do... I guess?

I find it so weird that somebody unknown reads my stuff. I remember having this dream in which I ran a blog with about two subscribers, and in the dream, they meant so much to me! Now i understand it more. Obviously, the amount of the people does matter a lot, but it's mostly the fact that they...exist. That somebody somewhere takes notice.

Thanks.

BTW: This chapter is a rewriting of a piece I wrote two days ago. I considered it one of the best things I've ever written, because of the great rhythm and the way the sentences were put together.

And then i very stupidly and accidentally deleted it.

I don't find the re-writing as good as the original text, I like it too, though, and I do hope you'll enjoy...

As the holidays approached, Bellatrix came back to life. It took the upcoming freedom to wake her up to her surroundings.

Throughout the past couple of months, She kept receiving letters from home, telling her about the Blacks' recovering. Her parent had to come back early from Japan, to take care of their shocked relatives.

The letters reported that Mrs. black had taken Sirius's turn very badly. Her yellings shook the house from basement to garret, as she stayed in her room over two days. Her husband reacted quite as badly as she did, in his own way. He spent his nights in his office, searching through old genarations books of the family, not talking to anyone during daylight except the house-elf, Kreacher.

Bella remembered how her parents acted when her other sister, Andromeda, was sorted to Gryffindor. They weren't half as bad.

She didn't really like Andromeda…

A letter from her father came a week before Christmas. it said:

"Gramwell wishes to see you all soon, he wants you all to come home."

Bella read the letter in silence. She knew that for the past months Sirius didn't get any letters from home.

"You coming home for Christmas, right?"

She had caught him in the hall before class, taking him aside.

His eyes were dark as he looked at her. "Dunno. Do they want me there?" She wondered if she imagined the quiver in his voice as he spoke, quietly.

She glanced at him sharply. "Of course they do!"

A dark haired boy, wearing glasses, popped besides them. "C'mon, Sir, Class is starting!" he grabbed Sirius's arm, dragging him away. At the doorway her cousin turned around to look at her, his face suspicious for an evidance of a lie.

"Here, Mr. Malfoy, would you like some potatoes?"

Mr. Malfoy didn't want potatoes. Instead, he took a sip from his goblet. He was a narrow faced, elegant man. "So, kids, how come you've never met?" he eyed the Black children sitting by the table, then his son.

Lucius Malfoy's face was too long, his hair the same shade and length as Cissy's. He was a Hogwarts student, a fourth year one, yet they never knew he existed. "Well, of course," thought Bella teasingly, "If I ever saw him from the back, I probably thought he was Narccisa!"

Narcissa… Her sister has been extra timid this evening. Bella barely choked a snort. "If she falls for this Malfoy, it would be so… narcissistic!"

Instead she said, "I assume we were all too busy with our lessons, sir."

Lucius glanced at her. His eyes were the colour of Gramwell's skin.

Brrr...

They would've probably never noticed him if her dad hadn't invited him and his parents to a family dinner "to meet my excellent relatives and children." They were friends from work, "He's magnificent at his job!" And apperantly, somewhat related to Bella's family. You know, all those pure blood families...

Gramwell sat at the other end of the table, looking almost fondly at the people around him. Sirius sat by his mother. Bella laid her eyes on his dad. Could it be... Was that the reason he spent his time looking through those books? Was he the one to come up with the dinner idea?

Was he trying to shape his nieces' future already, intentionly putting his own son's aside?