Narcissa, as a second year, had not been present during that fateful day in Hogsmeade. As it was, she could not quite understand why Bella and I were fighting. She tried her hardest to be the peace-maker between us, but she did not have the charisma of Bella, and I was not in the mood to compromise at any rate. After a while she began to spend less and less time with us, preferring the company of her other housemates. Looking back now I can see that these were the days when real cracks started to appear in our relationship, though I did not realise it at the time.
Annabelle became my solace in those days. She had not been with me at Hogsmeade, choosing to spend the day with her older brother instead. Although she said nothing about the attack, I liked to imagine that she didn't approve of it either. In any case, her company was a welcome retreat from Bella's intensity and Cissy's pestering. She was also one of the few Slytherins who I felt was capable of competing academically with me, particularly in Potions, where we both excelled.
The other of my classmates that had been curiously absent from events in Hogsmeade was Leo Avery. When I found myself walking beside him on the way to Potions later that week, I took the opportunity to ask him his reasons.
"Quidditch," he shrugged in response to my question. When I looked confused he explained, "I wanted to get some extra training in. We have Gryffindor next week, and Seb says if we beat them we go top of the rankings." Sebastian Bletchley was the Slytherin Captain and about as Quidditch mad as Leo."Who cares about Hogsmeade? I've already been there with my parents half a dozen times."
I wanted to talk more with him, but we had reached the dungeon and Rabastan stole his attention with talk about the latest broom. I bit my tongue in frustration as I was automatically excluded from the conversation. Of course they thought that I, as a girl, would not be interested in the latest racing broom. The truth was that I had already read all about it that morning in the Quidditch Record, and was wondering how I could persuade my parents to buy me it for Christmas.
As it was, I did not receive the new Nimbus broom for Christmas. This was partially compensated for by the fact that I was, at thirteen, now old enough to attend my parents' Yuletide Ball. This engendered a lot of fussing about my appearance that would have been much more useful directed at Narcissa, who seemed to live for the opportunity to dress up and was devastated to be the only one of us not attending. Personally I would have been happy to forfeit my place to her.
"You'll have fun," Bella told me when I complained about being dragged to Diagon Alley to search for a dress to wear. "All the best pureblood families will be there, after all."
I wrinkled my nose. That did not appeal to me in the slightest, and I wondered why Bella thought the company was so important. Once upon a time it had only been me and Cissy that mattered to her.
Mother escorted me to Madam Malkins' personally, which was a rare display of interest meant to signify the importance of the occasion. Bella came too, and Narcissa, still sulking but not so openly as to draw attention to herself. I doubted very much whether mother had even noticed her youngest daughter's consternation; she was far too busy criticising my appearance.
"You're too plump, Andromeda," she told me as I stood on a stool and let the apprentice dressmaker poke and prod me with her wand. "What on earth do they feed you at that school?"
I flushed, wishing I didn't have to stand there with my arms outstretched. I felt very vulnerable. Bella stood close by, almost hovering, and her eyes flashed at our mother's tone.
"I think you look beautiful," she whispered fervently when mother had turned aside, squeezing my hand.
I smiled at her. For all her faults at least I knew my sister loved me. "Thanks."
"No," my mother snapped suddenly, swooping in on the poor young witch pinning my robes like a hawk on its prey. "That length is all wrong. My daughter is a Black, not some halfblood from Birmingham!"
"Apologies Ma'am," the witch murmured, hurrying to correct her mistake.
I stifled a sigh. It was going to be a long day.
The ball was as expected. The adults stood in clusters around the huge decorated parlour at the front of our manor, or else danced in slow waltzes through the room, to the tune of the extravagant magical orchestra my parents had hired for the occasion. Along one side of the room, long, carven tables bore all manner of hors d'oeuvres and dainty treats, which very few of the men and none of the women touched (mother had ordered Bella and me to eat beforehand on the strict instruction that we were not to touch any of the food at the ball, as it was apparently 'unseemly' for a young lady to eat in front of others). Throughout the crowd, bewitched crystal champagne flutes glasses floated in the air, and above us all hovered close to a thousand candles, illuminating the vast room in a kind of hazy glow.
Us children were expected to stand in straight, orderly lines at the far end of the room, and to keep out of the adults' way. I was bored within minutes of arriving, and my mood was not improved by Rabastan coming to stand right next to me.
"You've got bogeys in your hair Andromeda," he whispered in my ear when no one was looking.
I whipped my head to glare at him. "And you've got one on your face," I retorted. "Oh wait, sorry, that's just your nose."
He narrowed his eyes at me, but I knew he could do nothing while we were surrounded by our parents. He stalked off to go and shadow his older brother, who was lurking by my sister's side. After a moment, however, Rodolphus had led Bella out on to the dance floor, and the two were moving together in a slow and graceful waltz. Rabastan looked sulky as he slouched back in my direction.
"Bored?" I taunted him as soon as he was within earshot.
"Bored?" he scoffed, but I thought I saw his cheeks tinge pink. "Hardly. I'm just waiting for the main show to begin."
I stared at him, wondering if I had missed something in my parents' preparations, some kind of grand finale they were planning. But that was hardly their style.
Seeing my confusion, a look of glee came over Rabastan's features. "Don't tell me you don't know," he crowed. "Didn't your parents tell you?"
I bit my tongue. It was obvious he wanted me to beg for information, and I refused to oblige him.
Rabastan stepped closer, and his voice lowered to a whisper. "He's coming tonight," he said dramatically.
I had no idea what he was talking about. "Who?"
Rabastan made a tsking noise. "Him," he said again, as though I should be able to identify the person in question merely through the inflection in his speech. When I still showed no signs of understanding he leant even closer, his voice dropping so low I had to strain to hear it. "The Dark Lord," he whispered. "Voldemort."
Memories of the rumours in Hogwarts following the Muggle attack surfaced in my mind. I stared blankly at Rabastan. "Oh."
He rolled his eyes at my response, before wandering off to talk to Lucius Malfoy. I found I could not relax, my eyes scanning the room as though I might be able to spot something different, something out of the ordinary that would alert me to presence of this mysterious 'Dark Lord.' My gaze fell on Uncle Alphard, and I saw that he looked as troubled as I felt, his brow creased in a deep frown. Was he, too, worried about the man calling himself Lord Voldemort?
I did not have long to think on it, for soon enough Rabastan's prediction came true. There was a kind of tremor that went through the crowd of witches and wizards, and the idle chatter that had maintained a steady beat up until that point suddenly dropped off, leaving an unnatural silence in its place. I looked towards the entrance, and saw that a young man had just entered the room, accompanied by my father.
My first impression was that he would have been handsome, had there not been something just a little off about his face. I could not have put my finger on it if asked, but the sight of him gave me chills, and I was suddenly very glad to be in the shadows of the far side of the room. He was unnaturally pale, and his eyes smouldered like a fire burned just behind them. There was absolutely no expression on his face.
The dancing had stopped, although the music kept playing. I saw Bella and Rudolphus, standing near the front of the crowd towards the door through which this 'Dark Lord' had just entered. My sister was ramrod straight, her whole body radiating excitement in a way I had not seen from her since we were much younger and she would lead us round the garden in her imaginary worlds. Beside her, Rodolphus stood with his head inclined in an almost subservient gesture of respect. It was so unusual to see the elder Lestrange boy, whom I had never seen walk with anything less than brazen arrogance and self-assurance, with his head bowed, that I had to look twice to make sure I wasn't imagining it.
The man they called Voldemort walked a little way into the room. He had a smooth, fluid way of moving, almost gliding across the floor. Some might have called it grace, but I thought it rather predatory, and I wished Bella wasn't standing so close to him.
My father led him towards several of the prominent men in the room, Abraxas Malfoy, Romulus Lestrange and my uncle Orion Black . They shook hands. Bella was still hovering nearby, almost quivering. I saw Voldemort's eyes linger on her, cool and assessing; he spoke something to my father and a moment later Bella was called over to them.
I was too far away to hear what was said, but I could imagine well enough. My father stretched out his arm, indicating Bella, who curtsied low, holding her shoulders straight and proud as she did so. Voldemort did not smile, but there was something hungry about his expression, as though my sister were a delicious meal he planned to return to later. He said something, before passing on.
My father led his guest around the entire room, introducing him to most of the adults present and some of the children. I made sure to keep myself in the shadows, not wanting any attention. I saw Rabastan edging forward in the hope of being included, but he was overlooked in favour of Leo Avery. Mr and Mrs Avery beamed as their son was introduced, but I thought Leo himself looked rather uncomfortable. I could not blame him.
I was desperate to speak to Bella, but she and Rodolphus seemed to follow Voldemort around the room, not too close that they would be seen as lurking, but never too far that I could hope to catch her attention. It was not until much later, when we had retired to our rooms for the night, that I had the chance to speak to her alone.
I sat on her bed as she undressed, watching her closely. Her cheeks were flushed and her eyes overbright, and every now and then she would tense up as though overwhelmed with emotion.
"Isn't it exciting, Andy?" she declared after a long silence, her voice shaking slightly.
I picked at the bed cover. "What's exciting? It was just a boring old ball."
Bella whirled and paced over to the bed, seemingly not caring that she was half undressed. "He was there tonight. You saw him, didn't you? Didn't you?"
"You mean Voldemort?"
"The Dark Lord," she said breathlessly.
I wanted to say, I don't see what's so special about him, but I knew Bella would react poorly to such a statement. If I wanted to get to the bottom of what made her so excited about him, I would have to measure my words carefully. "Is that a big deal?" I asked.
Bella stared at me, and I had the feeling that if it had been anyone else asking that question she would have erupted in anger. But with me, she only laughed, and squeezed my shoulder. "It's an honour," she told me. Her tone was less breathless now, more like its normal drawl. But the intensity had not left her eyes. "He can do magic other men can only dream of. In a few years he will be the most powerful wizard in the whole world. All will bow before him. And he was here, Andy. He spoke to me."
I opened my mouth to reply, but was cut off by the door opening. Narcissa slipped inside, dressed in her pyjamas, her clear blue eyes showing she was wide awake.
"How was it?" she demanded, seating herself next to me. "Was it fabulous?"
I shrugged. "It was alright." I caught Bella's offended expression and took a stab at lightening the mood. "Errol Bulstrode tripped over Aunt Walburga's feather train, and Grandpa Rosier drank too much wine and fell asleep in the library."
There was a moment's stunned silence. Bella looked as though she couldn't decide whether to laugh or frown, while Narcissa simply looked confused. Then, almost as though the silence had been a dam waiting to burst, all three of us burst into hysterical giggles, collapsing together on the bed. I felt my sisters clinging to me as our bodies shook with laughter. It was one of the last truly happy times.
Nothing more eventful than a few exploding dungbombs and yet another fight between Frank Longbottom and Rabastan Lestrange interrupted the monotony of the rest of my third year. Bella was busy studying for her OWLs, and I saw very little of her. I was busy too, although my efforts were in vain, as both Ted and Edgar outscored me in Transfiguration once again.
I was looking forward to the summer holidays. I had been feeling despondent about my sisters, knowing we were slipping apart and feeling powerless to prevent it, and was hoping that three months together at the manor would help us to recapture our old closeness. I had not yet realised, at that point, just how far beyond me Bella was. It was only sitting on the train together on the way home, watching her whisper in the corner of the compartment with Rodolphus, that I began to understand.
"Will your family be at the sea this summer?" Helena Flint asked me. I did not know whether it was deliberate or not, but I always sensed a condescension in her tone when she spoke to me. It was an innocent enough question – it was customary for pureblood families to vacation at the sea during summer – but for some reason it made me defensive.
"I'm not sure," I said, glancing at Bella. She was normally the one who knew what our plans would be; but she was murmuring with Rodolphus, paying no attention to the conversation around her. "Our grandparents have a house in Cornwall, so perhaps we will." I raised my eyebrow at Annabelle. "How about you?"
She shook her head. "We're going to France," she said, in a voice that suggested she could think of nothing worse. "My cousin's getting married, and then we'll be visiting all the relatives, one by one…" She pouted. "I don't imagine we'll have much time for the beach."
That was a shame. I did not particularly fancy spending a whole summer with only Helena and Phylissa for company, especially if Bella kept up her newfound habit of disappearing.
"We'll probably be in Cornwall," said Leo Avery, without looking up from his Quidditch magazine. "Mother mentioned it in her last letter."
That made me feel a little bit better about the prospect.
Our parents were not at the station to collect us. Rather, they had sent our House Elf Roly to do the honours. I said goodbye to Annabelle and walked with Narcissa over to our Apparition point. It took me a while to realise that Bella wasn't following.
"What is she doing?" I muttered as I watched her linger by Rodolphus' side, greeting his parents with a polite curtsey. I knew mother and father would not want to be kept waiting.
"Miss?" squeaked Roly tremulously. I turned to see the House Elf holding out his hand as though imploring me to come closer. Narcissa was already standing by his side. "Is Miss ready to return now?"
"What about Bella?" I demanded.
"Didn't she tell you?" asked Cissy.
"Tell me what?"
My younger sister frowned, no doubt noting the harshness of my tone. "She's going home with the Lestranges," she said.
Almost before Cissy had finished speaking I span on my heel and stalked over to where Bella was standing, indignation coursing through me. How could she not be coming home? She was meant to come home with us.
Bella saw me coming and broke off her conversation with Rodolphus. She smiled at me, but for the first time in our relationship I felt as though her expression was condescending rather than genuine.
"Why aren't you coming home?" I demanded before she could speak, not caring how rude I sounded.
Bella glanced sideways, before taking my hand and stepping away from the others so that we could speak in private. "Andy," she began in a patronising tone of voice.
"What did mother and father say? Surely they can't have agreed to this!" I knew it was a low blow to bring our parents into it, and the flash in Bella's eyes told me she thought so too.
"I'm not a child Andy. Mother and father know what a great opportunity it is for me to stay at the Lestranges and learn – " she broke off, and I saw a hint of hesitation in her face.
"And learn what?" I pressed.
"And learn to become the best witch I can be," she corrected herself smoothly. I knew that was not what she had been about to say. "You have fun with Cissy, and I'll see you soon enough."
I stared at her, feeling the hurt of rejection churning in my gut. I realised with a sudden clarity what had not been apparent to me at school: that Bella considered me a child, not mature enough to be involved in her inner circle, not old enough to be entrusted with her secrets. We had been as close as twins growing up, but now the one and a half years between us felt as cavernous as decades.
Bella tutted at my reaction, as though I was a silly child having a tantrum over something unimportant. "Andy – "
"I hope you have fun," I said in as calm a voice as I could manage, before turning and stalking back over to where Cissy and Roly were waiting for me. I Apparated home without looking back at my sister.
In the end it was lucky we had the seaside to look forward to, otherwise it would indeed have been a miserable holiday. Bella did not return to the manor until two weeks had passed, and both Cissy and I were dying from boredom; but even when she was officially 'staying' with us she seemed to flit in and out of our life, always with someone else hanging off of her or with some important dinner to attend. I was amazed that my parents allowed such behaviour. They had always kept a tight rein on Bella, perhaps recognising her inherent wild streak and tendency to get into trouble. But for some reason this time was different.
On the rare days when she was not busy with other members of her social clique, Bella would spend hours in her room looking through books I had never heard of before. This both intrigued and worried me. My sister had never been a bookworm. She had a natural talent for magic, and seemed to excel or fail based on her enthusiasm for the subject rather than any effort put into studying. Her OWL results had been respectable, but nothing extraordinary, except in Defence Against the Dark Arts, where the Professor commented that she had a rare gift. But the books Bella was reading now had little to do with Defence. When I ventured into her room I read titles such as Secrets of the Dark: Exploring the Forbidden World, and a book labelled simply The Unforgivables. I didn't dare to ask why she felt the need to delve so deeply into one particular branch of magic, telling myself that perhaps it was simply in preparation for her sixth year and the start of NEWTs. I don't think I convinced myself.
Our parents were travelling to France. My father had business, and my mother was going with Mrs Yaxley on a shopping trip. The three of us (although Bella was around so little I wondered whether she was even included) would be staying at our Rosier grandparents' seaside house in St Ives. To my pleasant surprise, we would also be accompanied by our cousins, Sirius and Regulus, who were now eight and six respectively. Phylissa and her younger brother Evan would also be nearby.
I had always loved the seaside. Whether that was in response to a natural affiliation, or a subtle defiance of my parents, who deemed the beach far too common a place for Black children to spend time, I was not sure. All I knew was that I loved the feeling of sand between my toes, the lap of the water as it tickled my ankles, the kiss of the sun on my skin… I loved to clamber over the rocks searching for crabs and shells, to spend hours discovering secret hiding spots and little coves where I could pretend I was somewhere far, far away.
Neither Bella or Cissy shared my passion. Bella was far too aristocratic to be seen dipping her toes in salt water, and Cissy was too concerned with her complexion. Neither of them tanned, whereas my skin would have gone as brown as caramel had I been allowed to linger in the sun. On the instructions of my appearance-mad mother, however, I was doused in an anti-tanning potion by my grandmother every morning before breakfast. Still, it was a small price to pay for the freedom I enjoyed.
Leo Avery was there as he had said he would be. His parents owned a huge, sprawling seaside manor, which included its very own Quidditch pitch magically hidden from prying Muggle eyes. He invited me to play on it, lending me his spare broom, and I spent hours every day there with him, chasing Quaffles or catching the snitch or even, on occasion, whacking beaters at each other just to see whether we could land a hit. With steady practise I knew I was improving my game. I could perform all sorts of midair manoeuvres at high-speed now, and my Quaffle throws were good enough to get past Leo's Keeping most of the time.
"Do you think I could try out for the team?" I dared to ask him one day as we were stowing our brooms back in their place. The question had been burning in my gut for over a year now, but it had taken me this long to gather the courage to ask.
Leo sucked his teeth and didn't answer for a long time. "I don't see why not," he said at last. "You'd be the only girl on the team, but all of the other houses have girl players. Gryffindor have three, and they won the cup last year."
I beamed at him. The broomshed was rather dark, and surprisingly intimate. Leo and I stared at each other. I felt a thrill pass through me, and leant closer.
There was a loud noise from somewhere outside. With a sinking sensation, I recognised Rabastan's voice. The moment shattered like glass.
Most of Bella's Hogwarts gang had come to the seaside with their families. I watched them wander up and down the beach, picking on any Muggle kid that ventured too close and acting as though they owned the whole world. Most nights, as I lay in bed listening to the sound of the waves crashing outside, I would hear the soft click of Bella's door opening and the sound of her footsteps padding down the hallway and out the back door that my grandparents always forgot to lock. I never asked her where she snuck off to. I was sure I did not want to know.
I spent a lot of time with Sirius. Despite the six year age gap between us, I found him to be a highly intelligent child, and more than adequate company, especially when compared to the dull gossip of girls such as Helena Flint. Sirius had inherited the classic Black good looks, and even then I could tell he would be a heartbreaker when he grew up; but he was also surprisingly insightful, and highly attuned to what was going on around him. I could not say I was taken aback when the topic of Bella's gangs bullying of Muggle children arose between us.
"I saw them break a boy's bike," Sirius said to me as we lay together on a rock with our feet dangling in the water. "Vincent Crabbe twisted it out of shape and Orion Travers threw it into the water. The boy cried."
I winced. What could I possibly tell him? That what my sister and her friends got up to was okay? I was well past the point of believing that to be the case.
"They shouldn't do that," I told him firmly. "It's bad to take other people's things. It's wrong to make children cry."
Sirius turned his head to regard me, and his gaze seemed far too mature for an eight year old. "Then why do they do it?"
I wet my lips. "Because…" they're bad people. "Because sometimes people make mistakes. But that doesn't mean we shouldn't still love them."
My cousin seemed to consider this for a while. He stared up at the sky, watching wisps of fluffy cloud drift across it. His feet bobbed in and out of the water, making small splashing noises.
I had closed my eyes and begun to slip into a sun-induced doze when Sirius spoke again.
"Andy?"
"Hmm?"
"Am I a good person?"
My eyes snapped open. Sirius was wearing a small frown, his normally relaxed face troubled. "What?" I spluttered. "Of course you are, Sirius! Why would you even ask that?"
He shrugged, not meeting my gaze. "Sometimes mum says…" he took a breath and squared his shoulders, as though to prove the conversation didn't bother him. "She says I'm a disappointment."
I felt a stab of pain, and had to stop myself from drawing him into a tight embrace. I knew my cousin well enough to know that he would not appreciate the physical affection. Instead, I tried to fix a casual expression on my face and said in a falsely light tone, "Sometimes when our parents get angry they say things they don't mean. Your mum loves you, Sirius. We all do."
He didn't look particularly convinced. I stared down at my hands, not sure what I could say to make things better. I thought vaguely about my own parents. Did they love me? I frowned. We were valued, certainly; after all, we were the future of the wizarding world, the next generation of pureblood children, born to carry on our parents' legacies, to ensure their ancient histories lived on. But loved? I tried to remember the last time my parents had hugged me. My mind drew an utter blank.
"I'm going for another swim," said Sirius, and a moment later he had ducked back into the water, sleek and graceful as a young seal. I watched him splash around, and tried to recapture my earlier happiness; but the warmth had gone out of the day for me.
The end of the holidays was celebrated with a large dinner at the Lestranges' manor. Mother and Father returned from France for the occasion, and more or less every respectable pureblood family was present. The man they called the Dark Lord was there too. He sat at the opposite end of the table from me, far enough away that I could barely make out his features, let alone anything he was saying. He spent most of the night deep in conversation with various important men; I did not once see him touch his meal. Bella, who had been rather ignominiously seated at the 'young person' end of the table, shot looks of longing up the table so frequently I wondered that she was not scolded by our mother for acting 'unladylike.' But nobody appeared to be paying much attention to her.
I was seated next to Leo (which was good) and opposite Rabastan (which was bad). I had hardly spoken to Leo since the incident in the broom-shed. I was too embarrassed to mention it, and he seemed to prefer to act as though it had never happened. So I was surprised when he turned to me at the end of the meal and said rather formally, "You look very lovely tonight Andromeda."
I would have been flattered, had I not caught the subtle nod of approval Leo's mother sent in his direction after he had spoken. "Thank you," I said politely. "Er… so do you."
For a split second it looked as though Leo might smile, but he seemed to resist the temptation. He said nothing else, but when it came time to leave he stood out of his seat and offered to walk me to the door. I was about to decline when I saw Rabastan's sour expression, and changed my mind.
"That would be nice," I said sweetly, and let him lead me out of the main dining room into the corridor.
We reached the front door before the rest of my family. Leo stood next to me with his hands in the pockets of his dress robes, looking as casually elegant and stylish as a well-bred pureblood boy ought to; but his expression showed his nerves. There was an awkward silence.
"You fly really well," said Leo. "For a girl."
"Thank you."
"I, umm," he hesitated, before taking a deep breath. I saw him square his shoulders as though bracing himself. Then he leant forward. I stayed frozen to the spot as he kissed me softly on the cheek. When he drew away there were deep crimson patches on his cheeks, and he would not meet my eyes. "Goodnight, Andy."
"Goodnight Leo."
I was still in shock when the rest of my family arrived. We Apparated in turns, Bella with my father, Mother with me, and Cissy with Roly. I was barely paying attention, my mind still full of Leo's kiss. It had been chaste, and sweet, and left me feeling like my heart had come dislodged and risen into my throat somehow. I was not sure what to make of it.
Bella, Cissy and I retired to my room after bidding our parents goodnight. I had not expected either of my sisters to notice my moment with Leo, but no sooner had the door closed behind us than Cissy jumped onto my bed and asked in an excited voice, "So what's going on between you and Leo Avery?"
"Leo Avery?" Bella asked sharply before I had the chance to respond. She glanced between me and Cissy, her eyes narrowed. "What do you mean?"
"They've spent heaps of time alone together this summer," said my little sister, ignoring my silent plea to be quiet. "And they sat together tonight."
"We're just friends," I protested weakly.
"And when we got up to leave, Leo walked Andromeda to the door," continued Cissy in a triumphant voice. "I think he kissed her. He kissed you, didn't he Andy?"
There was no point in trying to lie; my blush would give it away in an instant. "Only on the cheek," I mumbled, hyper-aware of Bella's eyes on me.
Cissy made a curious giggling sound. "I think he's cute," she said.
I chanced a glance at Bella. She was staring at me as though seeing me for the first time, a small frown-line on her forehead."Andy's not old enough to date," she said when I raised my eyebrow at her.
That was a bit rich. "I'm fourteen," I said. "I'm not a child."
Bella tossed her head. "You're too young to be hanging around with boys. You don't want to get a reputation."
Anger made me speak without thinking. "What, you mean like you and Rodolphus?" I retorted.
There was a tense silence. Bella looked angry, but I didn't care. She could hardly lecture me on propriety when she had spent most of the summer sneaking out at midnight.
Cissy glanced between us worriedly. "I like Leo," she said in a cheery voice, clearly attempting to lighten the mood. "His family is wealthy, and his dad works in the Ministry. Plus, he's a very good Seeker."
Bella laughed suddenly, her expression changing so abruptly it almost left me dizzy. She bounced onto the bed and squeezed me tight. "Of course Leo Avery is a good pureblood boy," she said. "I just don't want my little sister growing up. You'll always be a baby to me Andy." She kissed the crown of my head.
I rolled my eyes, but secretly I was thankful for Bella's mood change. I was beginning to think I quite liked Leo Avery, and the last thing he needed was an angry Bella on his case.
.