Her Eternal Damnation || Theodore Nott

Chapter 4

Regulus was fast asleep, his soft black curls covering his face and his mouth ajar. The sun was shining through the dark green curtains and onto his face, but it didn't seem to disturb him.

The door to his room opened quietly, and the bed dipped slightly. Small hands could be felt on his face, causing him to shift in his sleep. He then felt a light tap on his cheek, the twenty-six year old opened one eye and saw the face of his niece.

"Good morning, petite fleur" He croaked out, his voice and face thick with sleep. A small giggle was heard, make him smile tiredly. Grey eyes met another grey pair, a toothy grin on Bella's face.

'Morning, papa' She signed, leaning over him to wrap her arms around his neck and gave him a big hug. Bella let out a squeal when Regulus pulled her into a bear hug, the girl letting out another giggle.

It has been a year since Regulus adopted Bella, and things have been going at a steady pace.

It took a few months for Bella to become comfortable, and during that time she was taught to use sign language seen as she still wasn't ready to fully speak. She now looked a heck of a lot better, her skin was a healthy pale colour, her hair was shiny and her grey eyes seemed brighter.

Regulus learnt that Bella loved to read, so he had introduced her to an array of different books that he too loved to read.

The little girl was incredibly smart for her age, and was a very fast learner especially when it came to magic. Bella wasn't as jumpy, but was still incredibly shy when being around people she doesn't know. Sometimes she would switch between sign and verbal talking, as it seemed easier to her.

She may not be as jumpy, but whenever she spoke at the orphanage she would get punished by Mrs Matthews. It's not that she didn't trust the Potter's, Severus or Regulus, it's just that she wasn't quite ready to speak yet.

Around eight months after being adopted, Regulus bought a beautiful two-story cottage in the countryside. It was away from people, and only the Potter's knew where it was.

They had a lot of acreage, so they had gotten some farm animals such as; highland cows, valais blacknose sheep, goats and chickens. They also had a beautiful flower garden, as well as their own fruits and vegetables.

A few miles from the cottage, there was a large field of different coloured flowers and beside it was a large pond that can be swam in. Bella absolutely loved it.

"What are you doing up so early?" He asked, sitting up to lean against the bed head while Bella snuggled into his side.

'I went to feed Mrs Hennington, Poppy and Petal. I was able to collect five eggs' Bella signed happily.

"At this rate, those chickens will be as big as the goats if you keep feeding them so much" Regulus laughed, imagining three fat feathery chickens waddling around the backyard.

'Papa, they told me that they were hungry' Bella pouted innocently, looking up at him with big grey eyes.

"Did they now?" Black smiled, though he was trying hard not to laugh. Though his heart warmed at what she called him.

Bella had called him 'papa' for the first time about five months into living with him. It came out of nowhere, but his heart soared with a kind of warmth and happiness he has never experienced before.

Bella knew that he was her uncle, but he had practically saved her life and given her everything any child could wish for.

Of course she was curious about her real father and had asked Regulus about him, but he told her that she was too young to know and that he promised to tell her the truth when she was older. And she was okay with that.