AN – I don't own the rights to HP, JKR and WB does
Bella awoke with a strange feeling of still dreaming. She recognised the room and where she was but her brain was screaming that it couldn't possibly be real. While she was trying to reconcile fact and fiction there were hesitant footsteps by the door and someone tapped lightly on the wood.
"Bella...are you awake?" Hermione whispered through the wood.
"I'm up Hermione. Come in."
She walked in with a smile. "Have you freaked out yet?"
"I was just about to before you knocked but it can save. Is it time to crawl out of the rabbit hole yet?" Bella asked almost seriously.
"Well that depends. You can put your jeans on and I'll call you a taxi or you can put that dress back on and come down to breakfast. Care to see how deep the rabbit hole goes?"
Bella's stomach growled.
"I guess my mind's been made up for me." She laughed, banishing tension that had slunk into the room behind them.
"I don't suppose you have a pair of shoes you could lend me? I don't think my trainers quite match the robe."
"Sure, you get dressed and I'll find them." Hermione said and was back within moments holding jade satin pumps and a light travelling cloak in darkest green.
"Hermione, what's with all the green? Everyone's going to think I was in Slytherin." Bella moaned
"Oh school, Bella! We never thought of that. How's your Hungarian?"
"How's my what?... Oh I get it. You mean I could have gone to Durmstrang. Sorry to disappoint but I can't speak a word of it." Hermione looked crest fallen "But my French is rather good, how about Beuxbatons?"
Hermione grinned "Prefect. Let's got down stairs before breakfast gets cold. Kreacher hates wasting food and there's someone for you to meet,"
"Who"
"You'll see." Hermione gave Bella the once over "Let me do your hair first." She took her wand and pointed it at Bella's hair making it rise before twisting itself into an intricate knot. "Best spell I ever learnt" She laughed before pointing to her own hair.
The girls descended the stairs to kitchen laughing but Bella stopped dead as she saw the two guests. The first was a beautiful woman with white/blonde hair and far away eyes. It took no time at all for Bella to realise this was her 'cousin' Luna. The second was more of a guess but it wasn't a big one. The man sat next to Harry and hitting him on the back like a brother had to be Neville, she couldn't imagine anyone that close to Harry that would be covered in mud at eight o'clock on a morning.
"Bella!" Harry called his face lighting up at the sight of her, this is Luna and Neville. I owled Luna this morning and asked if she wanted a new cousin, before I knew it they were both knocking on the front door and demanding I explain what was happening." He laughed proving to both Bella and Hermione that that was his intention all along. "and they both have their suspicions as to why we're doing this. Neville thinks you must have veela blood in you and you've bewitched me and Luna...Luna..." He twirled a finger by his ear in a crackpot gesture "Well you know how Loony is." Luna took the opportunity to throw a piece of toast at Harry in defiance
"I will find that Crumple Horned Snorlack one day and you'll eat your words."
Bella just stood in the doorway and watched. It was very clear that after everything they'd been through together, they were stronger and were now more like family than friends.
"Miss Bella, please take a seat and have some breakfast before it all gets cold" Bella jumped clear out of her skin at hearing the voice that emanated from somewhere around her hip. Looking down, she saw the infamous house elf with his bat like ears and saucer sized eyes.
"Oh Kreacher, I didn't see you there, you made me jump. I'd love some breakfast thanks. It all looks delicious." Kreacher gave her a gap-toothed smile as Hermione whispered in her ear.
"I think you just made Kreacher's day. He was worried he'd scare you since Harry asked him to make himself scarce last night."
"Miss Hermione, you too." He said waving a tea towel at them like an old fish wife.
"He's softened up a bit hasn't he?" Bella whispered back as they both took a seat at the table.
"When we first arrived, while on the run, he'd started to warm up to us, well Harry and Ron anyway and when Yaxley turned up after our jaunt at the Ministry, it turned out he was really worried. When we eventually got back after the battle, he was nice even to me."
Breakfast passed in a blur of meeting new friends that felt like old ones, being taught about and quizzed on Luna's family and arranging their trip to Diagon Alley.
"But I honestly don't need any robes Harry. I'm sure Hermione can lend me some whenever I need to wear a set." Bella reasoned. It wasn't so much that the idea of shopping that made her uncomfortable, it was the fact Harry wouldn't let her part with a penny.
"Bella, I'm afraid to say most witches or are can be complete bitches when it comes to clothes. They would know in an instant if you were living out of Hermione's closet." Harry said handing a pouch of galleons to Hermione. "I don't have a clue how much you need to get, you know I'm complete rubbish when it comes to shopping. If you need anymore come find me. Neville and I will be going as far as the Leaky with you. Everyone ready to go?" Bella stared in total shock at the amount of money Harry had just handed over and wondered how much they were planning to get. It took everyone else's movement toward the hall for their cloaks before she regained her wits.
"Oh no, Sarah. I never went home last night, she must be worried sick." Bella made a grab for her handbag, that lay forgotten by the fireplace and frowned at the lack of signal on her mobile. "Urgh! Why can't I get a signal? We're in the middle of London."
"It's the wards. There's a land line in the study, use that." Bella threw him a puzzled look "It's faster than owls" Harry explained with a smile and Bella took off in the direction he was pointing. Hermione took her exit to her advantage and turned to Harry, worry creasing her face.
"Are you sure you're doing the right thing here Harry? You're risking a lot just by her being here."
"I can't explain it Hermione, it just feels like she fits. Here with us all, with me. She likes me, she liked me before she even found out who 'me' was and when she did, she didn't freak. She's taking this so well that I had to pinch myself this morning when she came down, just to make sure I was awake. You know I don't trust easily, my circle of friends hasn't changed since we left school but it's effortless with her, you can't say you haven't noticed that yourself."
"You're right but isn't this too a big gamble just for an attraction?"
"You tell me. All I know is that when she comes back down she'll straighten her hair, there's a piece that's escaped just above her right eye and she'll remove an imaginary bit of fluff from her robes." Hermione rolled her eyes at his observation and wondered how long it would take him to realise he was sunk before the foursome looked up to the stairs at the sound of footsteps.
Bella entered the kitchen and unconsciously tucked her hair behind her ear and checked her robe for lint before looking up at Harry grinning and the others shaking their heads.
"What have I missed?" She asked, slightly perplexed.
"Oh nothing, how was the call?"
"Well I told Sarah I stayed at a friends and then called my friend Clare to cover for me. I promised to explain later."
"What are you going to tell her?" Hermione asked, the lines of worry still firmly etched on her face.
"That I met a guy of something." Hermione gave her a plainly unbelieving look. "Don't worry, I'm not about to tell her I met Harry Potter the fictional character and his fictional friends, stayed a his magically hidden house then spent Saturday shopping in the both magically hidden and fictional Diagon Alley so I can pretend to be a witch, so that said fictional character doesn't end up in a fictional wizarding prison." Bella said in one breath. "They'd send the men in white white coats." She added wryly and the others laughed. "What's the plan then? Please tell me we're not apparating."
"No worries, we're travelling by Floo. It'd look strange an adult witch relying on side-along apparition. This way if anything is said, you can just claim to hate apparition, you wouldn't be the first." Neville, Luna and Hermione approached the fireplace and one by one took their turn of standing in the green flames. Bella watched as each left and mentally repeated to herself 'you can do this, you can do this' but no mantra on the planet could make it look easy. "You know what you have to do?" Harry asked, concern marring his features. Worried he was about to reconsider everything, Bella nodded and pushed aside her fears.
"I'm just saying the Leaky Cauldron right? How hard can that be?" Bella asked trying to sound nonchalant as she walked over to the fireplace and took a handful of powder from the pot. "See you at the Leaky" she said throwing the powder down and stepping onto the grate. "Leaky Cauldron!" Despite her fears, Bella badly wanted to keep her eyes open but as she felt the floor drop from beneath her, they clamped shut, only opening once her feet had hit the fireplace of the Leaky Cauldron. She tried her best to make the experience seem common place, dusting her robes and even going so far as to throw the fireplace a look of disdain but when she raised her gaze the entire pub was watching her. Bella turned away, blushing, as Harry dropped into the fireplace.
"Hey Harry, I thought you hated using the Floo?" Shouted the man tending the bar.
"Afternoon Tom. You're right but it's out of courtesy to my guest, Bella. She hates apparating."
"I'd rather meet a hungry dragon, you mean." She interrupted laughing and Tom nodded with a grin.
"True, true. It's not the most comfortable way to travel but look at your robe now."
"It doesn't matter, we're here to shop anyway." Harry said
"We? I thought you intended to stay here playing chess with Neville and ultimately avoiding the whole thing?" said Bella with a smile
"Well yes but we'll treat you to a late lunch in apology." Grinned Harry with his hands up in surrender
"That's all well and good but if we don't get to Madame Malkins soon, we'll have to wait all day and even girls can't spend that long looking at clothes." Joked Hermione, taking Bella's arm. Harry came forwards and gave all three girls a kiss on the cheek before whispering a quick 'good luck' in Bella's ear and dragging Neville to the bar.
AN – Please review as always :)