Chapter 14

For the first years the end of term exams would determine what stream they would be in for the core subjects; which was a matter of some importance, though it had been stressed that if they managed to improve they might move up a stream, or if they were out of their depth they might move down a stream without loss of face because that would give them a better chance of doing better come the OWLs. The Hunting Marauders tended to ruthlessly coach their own to make sure those who knew what they were talking about might raise the game of those who struggled; though as Jala said, no amount of work was ever going to put her in the upper stream for charms where she had something of a blind spot; and Habbuk confessed to feeling the same about Transfigurations and preferred, if nobody minded, to get the extra coaching with his fellow dunces and maybe hope to rise that way. Richard, disappointed, had stopped trying to push them, after Rose had poked him and reminded him that the blood joining would help their understanding on an instinctive level later.

The MSHG pulled up those who belonged to it in DADA of course; at least in basic knowledge if not in instinctive understanding.

And the exam would sort out those who were borderline, and give them something to work towards or provide them with extra help or encourage them to stay up with the higher group according to their result and needs.

oOoOo

The exams were marked quickly to put the children out of their misery; and the split was fairly similar, thirty-three in the A stream in Charms and thirty-four each in potions and transfigurations, with twenty-one or –two in the B streams. It was not surprising that DADA had a better result, with forty-one in the A stream, which could be accounted for by the MSHG bringing on those who belonged. The proportion of the B streams who would find it hard to scrape a pass at OWL even with coaching was smaller; eleven in Transfigurations, seven in charms, nine in potions and just three in DADA.

What was useful to see was who appeared on more than two B lists; and that Grinlock Black-Weasley, Abigail Murdock and Crispin Ellis appeared on all four was rather a disgrace; especially for Abigail and Crispin who were Ravenclaws and might be expected to be a little more able. Abigail was truly bad at potions only; and even so within reach of doing much better. David wrote on her end of term report,

"Abigail has found the discipline of work a little hard and has not performed to what I consider to be her true standard. She is a clever enough girl but rather inclined to get carried away organising others rather than herself. If she can turn her organisational skills inward to get her work sorted out I think she will improve no end."

Crispin's main blind spot was transfigurations; and once again he had no severe failing with it, not such as could not be overcome by hard work and theory to back up shaky practical work. David wrote,

"Crispin is rather fond of his abilities in Arithmancy; and although Arithmancy is the basis for all higher magics, it does actually help if basic magic could be mastered first. Being used to being praised for one talent has made Crispin lazy and if he cannot break this habit I fear he will remain where he is in the lower stream of ALL the core subjects and will be forced to seek employment in the muggle world where at least he may convert his Arithmancy to a muggle skill."

Crispin was rather a loud-mouth; a little comeuppance would NOT hurt. David wondered in passing if the arithmancer Cornelius Fenwick had been similar; but NOT sat on firmly for his narrow minded interests. Cassandra Bode, whose one true skill was Divination had some excuse; all her talent had gone into making her a seer, but the child did at least try and though she was on three B lists at least picked up enough in the MSHG not to be in the bottom group of DADA.

He might as well do her next.

"Cassandra is not talented outside of her specialist field as a diviner but she tries hard. As she has managed well with DADA I might suggest she aim to do well too in Astronomy and Arithmancy which would give her between them a range of career options as she grows up. She needs to consider her options as she is not a true seer as her brother is; but her talent is undoubted and with back up subjects she should do well in life."

The poor child had parents who saw her gift and Julian's and little else alas.

He moved to the third child who was on all four lists, Grinlock.

"Grinlock is an excellent arithmancer and inclined to rest on his laurels concerning this" he wrote "However good he may be at Arithmancy it will do him no good without the back-up of a basic grounding in the core curriculum. Grinlock is in the bottom stream of all four of these subjects, and apart from DADA where he has a blind spot as anyone might this is down to a lack of hard work."

He thought he might as well do the other two of the triplets too.

"Hazo is in three of the four lower streams in the core subjects" he wrote "Which is largely because he is lazy. Hazo is capable of much more. He and his brother could both do much better with a little application" he sighed and picked up another form for their sister.

"Mabelinn has done very well" he wrote "She has a total lack of understanding about potions and a blind spot over charms but she has worked hard and well at other subjects and is working well even in those subjects she finds hard. She has also taken the initiative to negotiate taking two electives that would normally clash as she exceeds expectations in both. She is a model student."

A bit too model in some ways; Mabelinn was not quite a prig but she would not have been out of place in a Victorian ladies' academy.

He wrote similar comments of stern admonishment tempered with encouragement on the reports of all those who were on three or more B lists, adjuring them to do better and pointing out that the lower stream would help them to improve.

It was conversely very nice to write about those who were on four A lists; which covered the greater part of the Marauders-in-waiting and their closer cronies because self-help groups did work. And as the B stream really was only for those who needed extra help, the number on all four A stream lists was a greater number. Even if some of them were a trifle borderline in some of the subjects. Like Ariadne Ollerton who had worked hard enough to scrape into the A stream in Charms and DADA as well as being well up in Transfigurations; and he praised her industry and hoped she would maintain her standards and might be transferred too with hard work from the B stream of Potions. Gryffindors responded to praise tempered with urgings to hard work. Ravenclaws required a degree of needling; Hufflepuffs could be appealed to respond to buckling down and getting on; and generally Slytherin needed handling carefully and on a case by case basis. Just to be awkward.

Like Agatha Montague.

"Agatha would do better if she paid more attention to her work and less to trying to push her class mates about; because sooner or later they will become sick of it and exert peer pressure" wrote David "I should feel happier if her moderate successes in DADA were more inclined towards the intent of the class and not a desire to explore the Dark Arts; she might wish to recall that Durmstrang teaches the Dark Arts only; and consistently loses in duels to Hogwarts because of their lack of depth. Agatha's lack of manners are a cause for concern and have brought her to the verge of being excluded from several classes; if she has a problem in her life may I suggest that she brings it to one of the staff to sort out rather than taking out her pre-teenage angst on her fellows."

She probably had harsh and bullying parents; but he could not let her behaviour go. And the Marauders of the first had not yet broken through to her. Well it might take a while; by all accounts it had taken even Bella several years to get through to Mafalda Prewett, poor unhappy child.

oOoOo

Concerning Mafalda, the Belle Marauders had discussed whether they wanted to take Lilith's advice and blood her; and decided against it.

"She's a reasonable sort of oik now but I don't want her as my sister unless she falls for one of our brothers in which case I guess that'll be okay" said Drusillina.

The others agreed.

oOoOo

Mafalda had no idea that she had almost been asked to join the Marauders; and might not have considered it a flattering offer if she had. Grateful as she was for their intervention that had saved her from mental abuse – in effect – from her parents there was to her a streak of calculating self preservation engendered by her upbringing. And it was this hard streak that the Belle Marauders had been repelled by. Blooding might have given her feelings for others than herself; but as things stood her contemporaries rebelled against being so open to her. Mafalda was glad of their friendship; and gave what friendship she was capable of feeling back to them, for they were well connected, or at least Bella was and so too were her friends through their membership in the Marauders. Mimi's adoptive father was a power too in the wizarding world; Drusillina's parents not insignificant, and Isabel and Maud were marrying men who were well known in Malfoy Manor. And she, Mafalda, was going to the Ball with Alexander Yaxley, who was a Malfoy cousin – one of the three very eligible bachelors in the year, along with his cousins Jocelyn Malfoy and Ian Malfoy – who was as dedicated to academic excellence as she was. As indeed were his two cousins. And Drusillina was going with Jocelyn and Maud with Ian, which was almost a waste of eligible bachelors since those two were already betrothed. Isabel and Mimi were going together because of the shortage of boys in the year. And without being really racist, Mafalda was glad that she would not have to go with one of the two goblin boys in her year for already having a partner! Terazhor Kordach was going with Krezala gan Genzad the only female goblin in the year and they were pretty much an item; Sorjak Konal, brother of the first goblin ever in Hogwarts, had asked Suisen Suzaku, the Japanese girl who was not perhaps too keen but was trying manfully not to be racist.

It would be interesting to see who Jack Murray and Sekunder Singh, the quidditch stars of the year took; and whether they stayed in house or not, thought Mafalda.

She found out through the Belle Marauders that the Patil twins were to go with Sekunder and his friend Oliver Harris, Sampta cheerfully going with a boy from another house to have the opportunity to talk quidditch; and Jack was taking Avice Crawford, her friend Venilia Cornfoot taking firmly the Hufflepuff muggleborn boy Norman Whytely.

oOoOo

The day of the ball duly dawned and there was much primping and preparation attended by nervous giggles, last minute nerves and some inevitable tears as relationships were strained. The stable couples and those going merely with friends looked upon such hysterics with vague wonder and incomprehension.

"What are you going to do when you leave school, Alexander?" Mafalda asked her partner idly while the mayhem went on around them.

"Eh? Oh I'm going to be an auror like cousins Draco and Gorbrin" said Alexander. "My father was a deatheater you know; and I want to oppose everything he stood for. I wish I could talk Joss into joining me because he's sure to get the grades but his greatest ambition is to help his dad catalogue his library and then maybe teach. How about you?"

"I thought about teaching; and I also considered journalism" said Mafalda "For somebody reputable, like Mr Malfoy; investigative journalism you know, not stupid social stories or human interest crap."

"Oh well you might uncover stuff the auror's office will be interested in then" said Alexander "And better that you let US know than poke around for yourself after a certain point; there are some dangerous people out there who would cheerfully kill to keep their murky little secrets covered up."

"So long as I had a reciprocal agreement to be given juicy stories" said Mafalda.

Alexander shrugged.

"I made the suggestion for your safety not my career; and I didn't mean necessarily me you silly article" he said "I don't especially want to be examining your body for clues about your death. Whether you got told anything would I guess be down to how amenable you were to writing only what you were told you might and to presenting it lucidly and fairly without any skew to the story. I don't know; I'm not an auror yet and I don't know how they handle the press. Probably as little as possible; being an auror is a serious job and I shouldn't think that answering frivolous questions from dippy reporters was top of the list of priorities."

That was NOT a good start to the conversation; and Mafalda rapidly mentally discarded Alexander as a possible boyfriend. In truth she had thought seriously very little beyond taking a year in Prince Peak to learn higher magic; though she was certainly toying with the idea of teaching in Corbin's Academy and – as she had told the Marauders – quietly usurping it. Only it was starting to look more and more difficult and it seemed like a good idea to have a second career choice. Mafalda had no intention of going through the hard slog it took to be an auror; but poking her nose in as a journalist had its attractions.

She wished she had the blinding certainty of what she wanted to do the way the marauders always seemed to.

oOoOo

The time came to go in to the ball; and Bella as Head Girl led the way, dressed in a sari of graduated orange through to cream over a black tight-sleeved gown with a subtle thread of gold in it. The sari was heavily embroidered and Bella looked extremely exotic. Assim as her partner had put on his full regalia, a stiff magnificent silk brocade robe also heavily embroidered, turban, and jewels that shone like a coruscating constellation of stars. He looked every inch of what he was; a wealthy prince of an excitingly different culture and not the least like the professor of an English school.

There were quite a lot of gasps of appreciation and not a little envy of Bella; and it may be said that a number of girls who had never given Professor Khan a second look because he was just some foreign teacher of a slightly way-out subject were suddenly wishing that they had taken comparative magic and managed to pip Bella Black to such a prize. Persephone Plunkett, a Hufflepuff, went so far as to complain to Miriam Moonshine that if he was a real prince and as wealthy as he looked it was a shame and a waste that he should marry a girl who was already well off in her own right. Miriam laughed and pointed out that old money almost always married old money and she would not be surprised, Indians being Indians, if he had not taken up teaching at Hogwarts purely because he had arranged a marriage of Bella with Lucius Malfoy when she was still a child.

Persephone was shocked and managed to corner Bella to ask if this was true.

Bella laughed.

"Not in the least" she said "Mohini Malik was his mother's choice of bride for him; but he talked very fast to her parents to see her educated instead, along with his niece Jayashree. I asked Lucius to make loose arrangements with Assim some years ago but I don't hold with arranged marriages per se and I reckon I'd have taken against him on principles if that HAD been the case; stubborn, me. Who's spreading that crap?"

"Miriam" said Persephone "Well it was a guess she made because of old money marrying old money."

"Oh well that's old fashioned too" said Bella "It's handy that we're both rich because we can spend more making sure the poor and magically active on India actually get a chance to grow up for not starving to death in a gutter because the poverty there is just awful. Half the children who actually survive being born – which isn't a given – die before they are five years old. Wizarding folk are much more on the fringes of society save those who are ridiculously wealthy and it's time to do something about it."

"I didn't know it was that bad" said Persephone, who considered herself poor but not by those standards.

"I'm afraid it may be worse" said Bella gravely "But we shall do all we can to alleviate it."

Mimi and Isabel had also dressed in saris to accompany Bella and Assim as attendants; and the décor, which had been organised by the Belle Marauders under the auspices of Bella as Head Girl was decidedly eastern in nature. Bella had drawn on a combination of the palace where Assim and family lived when at home and various sumptuous films, and the illusion of white marble abounded with bright throws and cushions, and the cotton fish confined temporarily in a marble pool that actually drew more on Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema than India – Bella had her artistic prejudices – and song birds sang in an acacia tree in an ornate pot. The music was provided by a group of Indian musicians that Assim had found who played a lot of western music too and managed a synthesis of styles that enabled an exotic feel to be given to the old Christmas carols and dance favourites. And one of them was talented enough that the playing of his sitar made visible musical notes arise from the strings and transfigure into little birds. It was delightful; or so at least Bella thought. Sampta and Sita, who were to join her teaching, were delighted with such a synthesis of cultures too that would help them adjust to their family culture that was, even so, alien to girls who were decidedly English in their outlook when it came down to it.

The school was to be run on firmly English lines in any case which would help; as Bella had no intention of permitting her female pupils to be downtrodden!

oOoOo

Minerva looked at Sextus dancing with Lilith – the Stripy marauders danced with skill because Lilith had made sure of it because you could use dancing to do so much pattern magic as well as other stuff – and remarked to Filius Flitwick,

"You cuid a'most see Severus dancing wi' Lily Evans in yon wee couple".

"Bless my soul, Minerva, it hadn't occurred to me but you're right!" Filius replied. "And young Sextus might so well have been as inward looking as Severus but for young Lilith; save that she knows when she has the right one and how to hang on to him."

"Severus scarcely went out of his way to endear himself to Lily" said Minerva "And James Potter was in her house and the one who defied the dark lord."

"Though not, in the end, as successfully as Severus" said Flitwick dryly. "Boys find it hard to present themselves when romance rears its ugly head; a sad fact but true. Young Krait fortunately was never one to take Severus' darkling looks and stern demeanour very seriously however; for which we may all be thankful else we might not have had so total a victory. I swear Severus being happy contributed to the success of the whole affair!"

"Oh I don't say ye're wrong Filius" said Minerva "And she did a muckle lot tae meld unlikely people taegither; wha'd have thought Draco would have turned out so likeable a boy afther a'! Weel, wondering what micht hae been if circumstances had been slightly different is a futile exercise."

"You're not interested then in the theory Lilith propounded to me of parallel universes in which events proceeded on a different course then?" squeaked Flitwick slyly.

Minerva looked horrified.

"Och, is it no' enough for her tae have tae visit the wrang universe from the wand o' that shilpit wee sumpf wi'oot pondering on mair?" she cried in horror, emotion thickening her brogue.

Flitwick chuckled.

"Oh our Lilith demanded to revisit the evanesco place – with appropriate safeguards – in order to study its physical characteristics and write them up" he said "She told me about it; and how she talked Severus into organising it by blackmailing him into worrying that she might do it alone."

Minerva threw up her hands.

"Wha' can we dae wi' a child like that?" she declared "Mercy be, she's extraordinary!"

"All we can do, Minerva, is to educate her to the best of our ability and help her wild experiments with as much level headed planning as possible" said Flitwick "And try to head her off from some of her wilder conjectures that we think might get her killed. She is a genius; and she loves finding out. And at least that boy Sextus is level headed enough to keep her from any wilder fits of finding out things that nobody knows."

"Weel I hope you're right, Filius" said Minerva "For I love her weel."

"As I think do all the staff" said Filius softly. "I for one have never seen the unflappable David Fraser so upset in all the time I've known him; by comparison he took fighting deatheaters, werewolves and even Voldemort completely in his stride."

"She's a wee sister to him ye ken" said Minerva "And one of the things he told me when he was a junior was that his own sister died wi' their parents in an awfu' accident. It was why he was no' adopted by Severus; because he missed his ane folk too raw tae ca' anither man 'faither'."

"That explains a lot" said Filius "Thank you for telling me, Minerva."

oOoOo

David HAD been shocked and upset; and considered himself unreasonably badly affected. That the girl Xanthia had hit upon a perfect murder spell had also occurred to him, and he had made sure to have all the sixth formers who had witnessed it to tea, ostensibly to help them come to terms with it and actually to plant compulsions in those he felt hasty of temper or less than scrupulous to prevent them using the same spell on a being and to discourage the rest from speaking about it too freely. For the same reason, the trial of Xanthia Fawcett was being held in camera;the lack of any outside of the judiciary being present was ostensibly because her actions were considered those of insanity and if she was mentally ill she needed some protection. And David had been to explain his belief that she WAS insane, which testimony had induced a frothing rage from Xanthia refuting this and screeching that he was part of the conspiracy against her; which had rather reinforced David's point.

He was also feeling low because Tarri, in an effort to cheer him up had explained that the house elves of Hogwarts could have found Miss Lilith as she was their little Mistress during her time at school and could find their way back same as those elves who had been vanished by pupils or professors in a rage though they did not always live long after, but Tarri declared that for a little mistress the wizards and witches would find ways to get rid of the 'stuffs' as she described the fungi. David was both touched by the loyalty of the elves and horrified that they took the concept of enraged masters vanishing them almost as a given. Tarri explained brightly that elves were resistant to damage and if set fire to had a good chance of burning off the fungi and of surviving.

David was even more determined to work towards elven freedom; and spoke to Vespasian Jugson who had, after all, worked in the elf reassignment office and had wanted to see the more initiative filled ones freed.

"People who do that sort of thing to their elves certainly don't deserve to have them" said Vespasian "I think, you know, I might put a bit of the black onto the current fellow in charge of elf reassignment; I know a few things about him. I think I can get him to reassign elves more or less alternately to Lucius Malfoy and Hogwarts School and then YOU can work towards freeing them. It's really quite a disgrace that our upper class families DO rely on slaves. Servants, that's one thing; of any race there are going to be those who can only ever take orders and have no great ability beyond a well drilled task. But slaves – no."

This tallied remarkably well with David's own views.

And David was careful not to let any of his negative feelings show at the Yule Ball which was supposed to be a happy event – Krait's comments about Schardenfreude in her younger days naytheless – and he smiled with genuine pleasure on Bella and her beloved Assim and on Lilith teaching Sextus complex steps to the latter's mild grumbling.

And Bella and Assim were dancing as though there was nobody else in the universe; which for them there was not.

"I do want to tail-flirt with you" whispered Bella.

"Hrrr" said Assim "You are a bad girl; and when we are married you may tail flirt all you like."

Bella gave a deep chuckle of delight.

"Oh I shall Assim; and I shall do your fluffy white tummy all I want!"

"Until I cuff you and roll you over to sort you out" said Assim.

Bella got hot all over and purred loudly, briefly drowning out the music.

oOoOo

Term ended and Bella and Assim went together to Malfoy Manor with the other Belle Marauders – joined in short order by their own fiancés – where she was to be launched in the wedding of the winter. Lucius had been persuading the weather to produce a decent sprinkling of snow for picturesque effect – which as Narcissa said was truly sweet but how like Lucius - and just to scotch any unpleasant rumours concerning Bella and Assim, Krait quietly 'went unicorn' for Bella to ride across the grounds on her back, gleaming whiter than the snow.

Bella was gowned in flowing white, trimmed with white fur and a cloak trimmed with swansdown around the hood and her black ringlets loose beneath it. She glowed with happiness. Assim was dressed in black and white brocade, in a stylised stripe made of leafy swags with tight white trousers, high boots and a white turban decorated with a ruby pin holding one of the pearlescent white peacock feathers. He looked quite splendid and just exotic enough.

Naturally the press were there; Lucius had no intention of permitting anyone to whisper that his sister-in-law had been married in any hole-in-the-corner fashion. Bella did not care; she had a presence that responded well to an audience. And she was surrounded by her family, given away by Lucius and supported by her sister as matron of honour and all her best friends as bridesmaids. And then she was truly married to her beloved Tiger!

"Madam Khan, will you find it hard to adapt to a life surrounded by poverty in India?" asked one of the reporters.

"The whole point is to try to reduce poverty, at least for our pupils and protégés" said Bella "Do you mean will I dress down appropriately? Yes, obviously; but then I don't often dress up to this level of excess. A girl is permitted to be a trifle flighty on her wedding day I think; but I shall not stop looking my best. Our pupils will deserve colour and gaiety in their lives and to have something to strive for. Not the false dreams of Bollywood, where the poor may lose themselves for a few hours in vicariously entering a world of colour and richness and fantasy; but the chance to truly earn well. And we shall be encouraging such subjects as magic in metalwork and art and sewing so that our pupils may earn a little during their leisure hours by making such things as will be sold for them in England in my cousin Wendy Malfoy's shop; as she has agreed to take such items without charging any commission. Will I weep for the hopeless lives I cannot touch? Probably. India is a land of contrasts; of great beauty and great ugliness. If you want to understand you should visit. And by the way, technically it's 'Khanum' not 'Khan' though a lot of people nowadays don't bother with the correct Urdu. It's a very ancient title spreading as far west as Bulgaria where, incidentally, you may find a Khan Krum – which tickles my sense of humour as I'm now related to Viktor Krumm through marriage – and as far east as China where it became 'Han' as in the Han Dynasty or 'Xan' a personal name meaning hero. Associated largely with the Mongols who brought the Ilkhanate with the Golden Horde to Persia it is however a name that is also a title throughout the Eastern world, though more by nature in the more westerly reaches of the equivalent of 'Esquire' in modern times. Does that cover everything?"

"Er, yes Madam Khanum, more than everything" said the reporter, whose quick-quotes pen was drooping reproachfully at having to manage too many unfamiliar words.

oOoOo

Bella and her husband circulated at the inevitable party; Lucius loved his parties. And by the look of it, reflected Bella, he had picked up another wife in the girl Biirta who plainly adored him, and too all his other women. Bella wished her every happiness; Life did not get much better than being married to your own true beloved. Gorbrin and Meliandra seemed to agree since they had some leave from their Auror training; they had brought Hugin Corbin too, who was dancing with Zajala. Zajala had brought Nigel Baddock and his sister to Malfoy Manor for Christmas too but she was not looking on him as a mate, Bella thought; was she after the handsome Corbin boy? They certainly seemed to have a lot to talk about.

So too did Vladimir Malfoy and Crocosmia Bullivant, Vladimir blushing furiously – really, Malfoys should not be allowed to blush, it showed too much on such pale complexions – after Pericles Bullivant had talked to him seriously. Well Crocosmia had always had something of a thing about Vladimir but presumably it was more serious than she, Bella had realised; of course Crocosmia was a couple of years older than her. She hoped they would get sorted out; there was nothing as nice as being thoroughly sorted out.

And various of her companions were finding quiet corners to give their respective boyfriends a thorough kissing; well they could have all got married together if only Maud had not pointed out that David Fraser might have had conniptions if they all got pregnant and were all having babies soon after exams. It would not be soon after exams even if they fell pregnant right away; it would be in the summer holidays unless they were stupidly early.

Of course if one had a litter they MIGHT be frightfully early; but Bella had no intention of worrying about THAT unless she had to! Kittens would be nice when they came; and they would come when it was right and proper for them to come. Bella had a very laid back attitude towards nature in that respect; which she attributed to being an animagus and hence closer to nature and Mimi attributed to it just being Bella.

It may be said that Bella undertook a partial transfiguration in order to tail-flirt outrageously with her husband as the party went on into the evening; until the point at which he picked her up and carried her off, giggling madly.

"Bella" he said in his purry, growly voice.

"Oh Assim!" said Bella "Wash me lots and then love me!"

Assim gazed down at her with adoring golden eyes; then stripped off his wedding finery to turn into the huge Bengal tiger that was his other form. And Bella slowly stripped for him, wriggling from time to time and flirting the tail she still had towards him to ripple across his face and chest.

Assim pushed her down with a huge pug and proceeded to wash her, very slowly and deliberately; and then he was changing back into his human form to push her down into the pillows and kiss her, and not have to hold back this time.

Bella purred and bit him and gave herself to her lover.

And then he must change form to spend the obligatory eight hours in tiger form; and Bella changed too into her animagus tiger form and curled up against him.

Her smell was too much for him; and Bella was very thoroughly loved in tiger form too.

They slept and loved and slept again throughout the night; and Bella was well content.