Marauders
Fear makes people do terrible things.
The Slytherin common room was sparsely filled with students, Dora was lounging in a position particularly unladylike for a pureblood witch and Bell was sitting on the floor below her.
"Hello girls" a chipper voice chimed. Narcissa Black passed them on her way out. They each offered her a smile and when she was out of sight Dora let out an audible sigh. "She's shagging my brother"
"She's what!?" Belle perked up as she looked round to face her.
"Yes she practically moved in over summer, I told you about it"
"No you didn't! We've been talking about Andy all summer!"
"And the sexy bad boy who seems to be recruiting our brothers into some gothic gang...I swear Lucy was wearing a cape one time" she giggled.
"A cape!? Wait! Back to Lucius and Narcissa ! They're really at it!?" She stifled a laugh.
"Fully! He told dad he had found his wife, much to my fathers delight of course!"
"Merlin!...that's nuts!! Hey? You and Reg will be family then!"
"Where is the little niffler!?"
"He's not talking to you"
"Still !?"
"Still."
"He'll be back, he's my biggest fan."
"He's going to hex you In your sleep."
"Do you know whose rather dishy?" Dora smiled
"Who?"
"Potter." She announced it cautiously as though it was a forbidden thought.
"James Potter?" It was a forbidden thought but even more so to sit in his company. Bell was damned.
"Yes! Quidditch captain, enemy colours James Potter" she smirked.
Bell felt a surge of panic she wanted to sprint from
her view but instead she scrambled for words "Im more of a Lupin girl"
"Remus Lupin!?" Dora gawked
"Yes!" Bell frowned "he's handsome, gentle and he's super smart! He helped me with D.A.D.A last year" she defended.
"Have you heard what they call him? His nickname I mean?"Dora seemed amused
"No?" Bell frowned in confusion
"I've heard Sirius call him Moony" she giggled.
"I like it" Bell smiled she had always loved the moon.
"Of course you do, anything moon related and you're for it" Dora proclaimed matter for factly.
*\
Bells first week back went alright all things considered. She and Reggie had avoided detention unlike their other two friends; Dora for back chat in charms and Evan for setting a Hufflepuffs hair on fire, the latter made her extremely uncomfortable.
It was just her and Reg that were free to roam on Saturday. They decided on spending their afternoon on the grounds.
Reg had picked out a patch just outside of the courtyard, he conjured a green checkered blanket and cast it onto the freshly mown grass. The pair rested upon the blanket each in a comfortable lounge position. Reggie had decided to use his free Saturday to study his transfiguration and Bell had chosen to be inquisitive. "Reg?" She asked airily.
"Uh-huh" he responded cautiously peeking over his book.
"Why on earth did Evan set that poor girls hair on fire ?"
"Initiation" he said blankly staring back at the book.
"Initiation! What for?" She gasped
"Told you, that club...but I can't answer any more questions about it because I don't know" he rushed like he had said to much already.
"There was a man in my house ..." she looked at him to see a reaction but he gave nothing away "mother said he was a Lord...
"Bell" he cut her off "I don't know anything else" he said curtly like he was scared of something.
She was about to push more not feeling comfortable with his response not out of curiosity, but for concern but before she could their sun spot had a shadow.
"Up to your usual no good you two" Remus Lupin had arrived. Belle couldn't help but grin up at the older boy who looked more manly than boyish now in his 7th and final year, he was also sporting a fresh scar over the bridge of his nose; she had always liked him from the first day she met him.
Regulus didn't even look up from his textbook. He had become even more ridged than before.
"You're one to talk Lupin; it's you and your group that seems to cause all the disruption." She smiled
"Ah you see I usually advise against such things but hey, the things you do for your friends Eh" he grinned.
"Well I don't need to do much for my friends they're rarely In hot water!" She laughed
"Slytherins not in hot water !?" He jokingly blanched.
"Exactly we tend to play smart and by the rules. I find playing pranks on first years rather unbecoming" Regulus finally looked up at him an edge to his voice.
Remus however didn't entertain his dig and acted as though he hadn't spoke at all. "What did you pick to do this year Bell?" He asked
Bell offered an apologetic smile before answering him. "I continued with my Divination and Astronomy"
"Nice! Very otherworldly"
"Any chance for escapism" she laughed
"Moony?!" James Potter called as he sprinted over to them. His head boy pin shone as the sun hit it. Bell felt a blush form on her cheeks but tried to focus on Dora's reaction to Remus's nickname. She and James Potter had a history, one she hasn't shared with her friends. He was the boy she had lost her virginity to. In fact he was the boy who had ownership of her heart if she was entirely honest with herself. He was funny and easy going, maybe a little over confident but she didn't mind that at all. "Reggie ! Arabella! How are you ?" He asked earnestly his untidy hair dancing in the breeze, pretending he didn't know all her deepest secrets as ever and using her name in full because he didn't call her Bell.
"Hey Potter… we're good, nice summer?" Bell greeted him as though he was a polite stranger.
"Yeah" he said uneasily. Bell realised in that instant she shouldn't have brought summer up, it was the summer her best friends brother decided to run away and end up in the Potter residence after all. "Reg?" He tried but it was no use Regulus got up from his resting spot and swaggered roughly into the castle.
"That bad eh?" Remus asked nervously looking between Bell and James.
"I think he feels abandoned" Bell said quietly
"Well, we've a plan" James smiled kindly. "But eh we've got to head now, date with destiny!" He grinned throwing his arm laddishly over Remus's shoulders which Bell found amusing seen as Remus was nearly half a foot taller than James.
"Hmm like the new name Destiny!" Bell smirked at Remus, he scrunched his nose at her and the two Gryffindors headed off in the direction of the old bridge with James offering a wistful final look back at her.
*\
The weekend had passed like a blur. She found herself alone in the common room. Not that she minded it, in-fact she revelled in the fact that it was peaceful. She had taken to keeping a log of her life and she was just coming to the end of her Monday entry when Dorcas appeared.
"Hey little one!" Dorcas meadows smiled as she sat across from Bell. She was a dark skinned beauty that wore her hair in ebony braids. She was in her senior year too and often hung around with Lilly and Marlene from Gryffindor.
"Hey Dorcas" Bell smiled back "you excited for graduation?"
"Ugh!" She groaned "I would be had the world I'm going to charge head first into not be such a mess"
"With spell work like you, you could take on anything" Bell chimed
"Fighting is gonna be like breathing at this rate...we have to in order to live." she said earnestly “shit!” she jumped to her feet.
"Are you okay ?" Bell asked in concern
"Dumbledore wants to see me" she said looking slightly uneasy.
"Oh!" Bell forced a smile "well, enjoy" she chuckled as Dorcas offered her a cheeky wink and sprinted off into the corridor.
"What is that traitor hovering around for?" Evan asked as he and Regulus had entered from their boys dorm. Regulus awaited Bells response highlighting his agreement with Evans accusation of Dorcas.
"What exactly makes her a traitor ?" Bell frowned in annoyance.
"She hangs about with McKinnon and Evans." Reggie added
"If this is some weird house v house thing you need to grow up." She sighed.
"It isn't." Regulus stared at her.
It suddenly dawned on her that it wasn't a house v house thing at all. The two girls they mentioned were Lilly Evans a friendly red head who was often seen flirting with James Potter (a thought she had tried to relinquish) and Marlene McKinnon a blonde bombshell that could thrash anyone at quidditch; they shared one key thing - blood status.
They were both muggle born witches. And the fact two of her best friends seen people not through their character but by something they couldn't control was beginning to sicken her. She got up from her seat and pushed herself past them.
"Bell?" She heard Evan call but she kept walking heading for the exit.
*\
The scent of the wet quidditch pitch filled the air. It was Slytherin v Gryffindor. Bell and Dora watched from the stands as Evan and Regulus soared through the sky. Gryffindor we're the superior team by a mile, for no other reason than James.
James seemed too relaxed on his broom to even be playing. "He's bloody gorgeous isn't he!?" Dora swooned wide eyed at her.
She wanted to say yes, entirely Merlin made but instead Bell just laughed "Dora you should be watching Rosie and Reg!"
"Sleeping with the enemy, god I should do it just for the scandal!" She melodramatically fanned her self with her hand... it would be scandal Bell felt a surge of fear creep in. How could it be wrong when he was goodness personified? She wondered as she watched on."Besides if you hadn't fell off your broom I'd be busy watching you ! I will not place eyes on those two little shits, they are vile and I'm becoming more jaded by the day" she looked at Bell and there was an air of seriousness about her. She was however feeling somewhat doleful at being in the stands instead of the pitch. She had trained her eyes to not look at James. Dora must have had a change of heart as she began to hoot and call from next to her "Go Reg!" She yelled cupping her hands over her mouth for extra volume. "Go Evan!" She added even more enthusiastically. Bell chuckled at her best friends fickleness and called along with her. Her eyes betraying her briefly as they drifted to James. She convinced her self that it was her gazes natural path and that she wasn't paying any attention to how the wind danced through his dark hair like it was grateful to be near him or the way the sun was shining on him like he was the focal point of the scene and she definitely wasn't wondering if that same sun was filled with so much envy that it would set the turf below alight because James Potter shone brighter than it ever could. No. She decided that it was just her gazes natural path.
*\
"Bloody cheating scum!" Evan raged as he threw his quidditch bag down onto the stone floor causing a first year to yelp and bolt away from them.
"Oh calm yourself !" Dora said sternly "they won fair and square, just because you're mind is clearly elsewhere! Honestly Evan it was as though an imposter was on that broom!" She continued
"Dora" Bell whispered sensing the brewing wrath that was about to collide violently into the room.
"Pandora you are the last person - Regulus was cut off.
"Oh speaking to me now are you!?" She glared as she rounded to face him.
“Of course I am! We are a family and we are having a familial quarrel!” Regulus said is so earnestly the three of them gawked are him before laughing hysterically until he himself felt nothing but amusement.
The four of them camped out in the living area so they were together. Reggie and Dora were always the first to fall asleep while Evan and Bell stared up at the ceiling until sleep forced itself upon them, loud minds they called it.
“Good night my moon girl” Evan whispered
Bell smiled fondly to herself “Good night Rosie” he was troubled but he was up there when it came to the people Arabella Nott cared most for.