ghost stories - h. potter

Fourteen

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Mrs Weasley," Belle said. 

"Please, dear, just call me Molly," the woman stated before she brought the younger girl in for a hug. Hermione, Ron and Harry all chuckled at the wide-eyed expression plastered upon her face. 

"I assume you already know Ginny - this is Bill, his wife, Fleur, Charlie, Percy, Andromeda Tonks and her grandson, Teddy," Mrs Weasley introduced her to the rest of the family. She didn't have a problem remembering the names of any of the Weasley's as Fred talked about them so often. She gave Andromeda a kind smile and had to force herself not to cry when she laid eyes on Teddy. 

"He's beautiful," Belle said as Teddy raised his fists, making grabbing motions at her. Andromeda thanked her kindly, thinking that the girl was talking to her as she was the only person Belle was facing. What she didn't know, however, was that her words were meant for the couple that were standing just beside her, watery smiles on their faces. Harry, who was standing beside Belle, offered to take Teddy from Andromeda and Belle watched as the blue-haired boy was passed over to Harry. The toddler settled instantly in his arms and Belle watched, a warmth flooding her body as the dark-haired boy lulled Teddy to sleep. Lily and James stood beside the two, Lily's eyes flooded with tears as she watched Harry with Teddy.

"Yes well, he does take after his mother," Remus stated and Tonks rolled her eyes, but a dark grey tinge flooded her cheeks.

"I should probably get back to Pansy and my Mum, but thank you for allowing me to stay over, Mrs Weasley, you didn't need to do that," Belle said after she'd torn her eyes away from Harry and Teddy.

"Nonsense, dear, you're more than welcome."

Bidding the family goodbye, Belle shared one final look with Hermione and Ginny and gave them both a nod. The two, understanding what she meant, gave her encouraging smiles just before she turned and walked away, back to her family.

"What was that about?" Harry asked curiously and Hermione simply raised an eyebrow.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," she said coolly.

~~~

At first sight, Pansy could immediately tell that the house Belle was brought up in, had shaped her into being the person she was that day. It was a fairly small, two-storied cottage, surrounded by plenty of open space and wildlife. Flowers of all shapes, colours and sizes lined the pathway to the house, which sat just behind the creaky old gate covered in snaking vines. A small forest resided behind the house and Pansy could spot owls and birds flying in and out of the trees. Her house seemed to be a hang-out spot for Fairies as they danced in the night air, lighting up the dark surroundings with beautiful, bright colours. Small Christmas lights were woven in and out of some of the trees and snaked through the flower beds, causing Pansy to sigh in awe.

"It's not much," Belle said as she pushed open the gate, allowing Pansy and her mother to go through.

The cottage looked as if it was straight out of a fairytale with a happy ending or a picture book for little kids. The roof looked as though it were about to cave in and the bricks that it was made out of were drab and old, but gave her a rather welcoming feel to it. A small swing sat on the porch, just next to a pair of wooden chairs and a circular table that held a vase of bright blue flowers on the top of it. Vines and honeysuckle wound their way up the bannisters of the porch and curled into the gutter on the edge of the roof, where Pansy could just make out a small nest of sleeping birds that were teetering on the edge of it. To the right of the pebble-lined path sat a tiny pond, completely with lilypads and sleeping ducks. She could see frogs hopping around the outside of it and darting in and out of the grass as fireflies dotted the air above them. The grass was crisp, green and slightly longer than usual, filled with daisies, buttercups and the occasional group of dandelions, only adding to the utopian feel that came with the rest of the house. Large trees dotted the property and Pansy noticed a hole that had been hollowed out in one of the closest trees. She leaned forward to get a better look and opened her mouth slightly in surprise as she noticed a family of nesting nifflers sleeping there, surrounded by gold galleons and jewellery that sparkled in the moonlight.