It had been three weeks since Belle and Remus had fallen asleep in each others' company, and their friends had not stopped harassing them about it. Whether it was making hearts with their hands when they sat next to each other in Transfiguration, or the girls' constant questions about whether Belle liked Remus, they always seemed to relate the topic to the pair. Both of the children told their friends it was gross and to not bring it up again.
Many would expect this to drive the children apart, but instead it drove them closer together, which of course fueled the fire of the teasing. They sat together everywhere, and were often found joking and laughing in the hallways. They sent notes back and forth during classes, almost always about something silly as what shoe brand was the others' favorite. They were easily developing into good friends.
Belle hadn't failed to take notice of the sickness that seemed to overcome Remus every once and a while. Every time she grew concerned for her friend, but Remus assured her it was just tiredness. Belle believed it at first, but soon she started to become skeptical. Being tired didn't injure you, and Remus always showed up to classes after the sick daze, scratched with droopy eyelids. She thought about confronting him, but she didn't want potentially ruin the closeness they had developed. She considered him and Lily her best friends, and she didn't want to damage any of her relationships with anyone.
Belle, after handing her bag over to the staff managing the luggage, entered the train, ready to depart back home for Christmas. She had yet to say goodbye to her friends, as they were all going to see each other on the train. She pushed through older years crowding around the door, deciding to go left first. She walked for a bit, peeking into compartments every now and then when she heard boisterous yelling from a compartment a little ways down. Belle let the grin overcome her face, it had to be them.
She opened the compartment, spotting James and Sirius on the floor, James holding Sirius in a headlock, Sirius pulling back James' leg. They both paused when the door slid open, smiling up at the brunette in front of them.
"Hello, Brielle." Sirius grinned, before pulling the boy's leg back even further. James yelped, digging his knuckles into Sirius's head. Belle laughed, climbing over the pair to sit next to Remus.
"Do I want to know how this happened?" She giggled, eyeing the two.
"No." Remus and Peter both answer at once, both holding similar grins.
"Is Belle in here- good heavens." The red-headed girl gasped once she saw the two.
"Hello, Evans." Sirius grinned again, wincing when Jame's knuckles came down upon his head a second time.
"Boys," She scoffed, before glancing at the calm ones in their chairs, "No offense."
"Too late." Peter snickered.
"Where's the other girls?" Belle asked Lily, turing to face her.
"Eileen dragged Rose off to see her sister in Hufflepuff."
"How'd you escape?" Belle giggled. Lily looked at the boys quickly, before leaning in towards Belle, cupping her hands over the brunette's ear. Remus tried his best not to eavesdrop, but it was too tempting. He still didn't manage to catch what Lily said. Belle gaped at Lily after the whispers were shared, before laughing. Lily's face turned a shade of pink, but smiled anyways.
"Oh, Lily, you've screwed yourself." Belle clutched her sides, tears escaping her brown eyes.
"Do you think so?" Lily chuckled, crossing her legs under her.
"Yes. You know Eileen."
"It was the first thing I could think of." Lily said.
"I can tell."
"What happened?" James asked, him and Sirius had stopped wrestling and had now begun trying to decipher the girls' conversation.
"Oh, nothing." Lily blurted, before standing. She looked back towards Belle before she left the compartment. "You coming?"
"Oh, yes! One moment." Belle stood from her seat, book in hand, before she reached down to hug Remus. She wrapped her arms around him, squeezing him a bit, before straightening herself and waving at the boys.
"Have a good Christmas boys!" Remus's wide eyes followed Belle out of the cabin and down the hall, in disbelief at the sudden affection. When he managed to collect his thoughts, he turned back to the boys, half of whom were smirking at him. Sirius, however, was frowning.
"Why didn't I get a hug?"
The Roux Manor was something they'd inherited from their Great-Grandparents, a beautiful house with about a dozen extra rooms. When Belle was little, she would use each room as a different playground, waking from a 'forest' to a 'castle' in an instant. Her parents were grateful for the beautiful house, but much preferred a small cottage, one that felt much more homely. They didn't want to give up the house, however, because that would disappoint both of their parents quite much. They'd already given up the pure-blood values, and traditions, they were already on thins lines of acceptance. Of course, Belle loved the house she grew up in, but longed for a more cosy area, one that stayed warm during the winter, and one that looked cluttered on purpose.
Belle's first week of Christmas break was uneventful. She spent the first few days talking with her parents about her Hogwarts life. Her parents were extremely glad that she made some friends, as she was never the social child in her early years. They watched with wide smiles at their daughters' excitement about Lily, Remus, Rosaline, and Eileen. Belle even went into great detail about how she met Lily, which caused her parents a good laugh.
Soon Christmas arrived, and Belle woke early in the morning. She bounced out of bed, bare feet slapping against the hard wood loudly. She burst through her parents door, running and leaping onto their bed.
"It's Christmas! It's Christmas! What are you guys still doing in bed?" Belle chanted, shaking her parents. Both parents groaned, but sat up, tired smiles adorning their faces.
"Happy Christmas, Brielle." Her father smiled, kissing his daughter on the forehead.
"Happy Christmas, darling." Her mother echoed.
"Yes, yes, Happy Christmas, and all that jazz; let's not keep the presents waiting." Belle giggled madly, scurrying off the bed. However, her legs decided to stop working, causing her to face-plant onto the floor. Before her parents had any chance to react, she was up and running again to the Christmas tree in the living room. Her parents shared a look.
"I will never understand her." Her father shook his head. "You can't wake her past three on every other day, yet on Christmas she's up before the rooster caws."
"She gets that from you." Her mother laughed, the melodic noise flooding the house.
"Me? Heavens no, she gets the insanity from you."
"Oh, really? I doubt that." Her mother questioned, standing from the bed. She wrapped her robe around herself before leaving the bedroom.
"She also has your stubbornness." The father murmured, standing and getting his robe as well.
"What was that?" His beautiful wife called from down the hall.
"Nothing dear!" He called, preparing for the morning of craziness.
"Get your bottoms in here before I get the airhorn!"
-- -- -- -- --
"I got chills, they're multiplying
And I'm looooosing self control
'Cause the power, you're supplying
It's electrifying!"
Belle's father belted, singing into her mother's hairbrush. Belle danced around in the new fancy dress she'd gotten the morning, twirling and bumping into things. Her mother twisted and twilled with her daughter, laughing her sweet laugh that everyone in their village adored. Belle linked hands with her mother and spun, doing a barrel-roll.
"You better shape up, 'cause I need a man
And my heart is set on you!
You better shape up, you better understaaand
To my heart I must be true!
Nothing left, nothing left for me to do"
The girls sang equally as loud, her mother's much more pleasing to the ears than Belle's. The three met in the middle as her father wrapped his arm around his wife waist.
"You're the one that I want
You are the one I want
Oo,Oo,Oo honey!
You're the one that I want
You are the one I want-"
The sentence was cut of by a strangled cough. Both Belle and her father jumped back, seeing the face of Belle's mother pale significantly, her eyes fazing over. She slowly fell into the couch, letting out another cough. Belle stood there wide-eyed at her mother, who looked on the verge of passing out.
"Mum?" Belle strangled out, tears coming to her eyes. Belle's father had a much more mature reaction, jumping to his wife's side.
"Hun, Colette, Colette, can you hear me?" Her father begged, grabbing his wife's face in his hand.
"I-I'm fine." Her mother took a heavy breath, her hands shaking wildly as she tried to sit up. Her father laid a hand on her shoulder, pushing her back down.
"No, you're not, I'm gonna go call someone, okay? Belle, stay with your mother and yell for me if she starts to pass out." Belle looked back and forth between her parents before nodding, in a sort of daze. Her father bolted out of the room, lighting the fire in the kitchen.
"Mum? Are you sure you're okay?" Belle whispered, grasping one of her mother's hands. It was cold and clammy, a feeling Belle got when she was ill. "You feel ill."
"I'm fine, darling, I promise. Probably from all the dancing, you know how I get."
"You're never like this Mum." Belle shook her head, gnawing on her lip.
"Belle, don't do that." Her mother weakly smiled at her daughter, a feeling of tiredness passing over her. Her eyes drooped, and Belle's breath hitched.
"Mum, Mummy don't sleep. Not yet."
"I know, love. I'm awake." Belle's mother ket her eyes open, fighting as hard as she could.
"Papa, please hurry!" Belle shouted, hearing a loud grunt from the kitchen. Seconds later, Belle's father came rushing in, a few nurses from St. Mungos trailing behind him. Benjamin escorted his daughter out of the room, ushering her towards her bedroom.
"Belle, go pack a light bag for tonight, okay? We're going to Ariella's house." Belle gulped, her doe-eyes scanning her father's face. Ariella was the kind old witch who lived across the street, that baby-sat Belle quite often as a child.
"Is Mum okay, Papa?" Belle whispered, her voice not able to reach a louder octave. Her father sighed, rubbing a hand down his face. All joyful thoughts and feelings were gone, now replaced with fear and dread for his wife's health.
"I don't know, Belle. I hope so." Belle averted her eyes to the floor, before turning away and heading towards her room.
"Be ready in ten minutes, Belle." Her father called, before disappearing back into the living room. Belle ran to her room, spotting a pile of letters on her desk. She did not giggle like she would've at the prospect of getting a letter addressed to her, but instead said nothing as she packed them into a small bag, along with the rest of her necessities. She also packed her favorite book, Little House in the Big Woods. Her mother used to read it to her when she was little, before she could read well. When she looked at the book, tears flooded down her cheeks, but she quickly wiped them away. She would not give this negative force any energy. She glanced at the picture of her family on the wall, before slinging her bag around her arm.
"I love you, Mum. Feel better."
-- -- -- -- --
Belle's Christmas was a disaster, so to say, so when return to Hogwarts was nearing, Belle felt her spirits lifting. She had stayed with Ariella for a day and a half while her father slept at the hospital with her mother. Her mother had recovered from her little episode, which the doctors proclaimed as just a 'lack of protein in her system.' Neither Belle or her father believed any word of it. You could say it was a family instinct, but they both knew this wasn't some ordinary accident. Her mother knew it too, but hated to bring it up. So, after almost two days of hospitalization, her mother returned home, supposedly feeling much better. Belle returned, and the family was happy once more. It was on the last day of break that the doorbell rang, and Belle rushed to get it. Outside, was one of her favorite people.
"Uncle Maurice!" Belle cheered, leaping into the man's arms.
"Hey, Petal! Happy Late Christmas!"
"Likewise." Belle grinned up at him, releasing him to stand back and bounce on her toes. She didn't say anything, just stared up at him until he put his hands on his hips.
"What, you expectin' somethin'?" He teased.
"Yes!" She yelled, jumping a bit.
"Oh, well, I might have some leftover Brussel Sprouts somewhere." He checked his coat pockets, digging around, before pulling out a bag of gross, green-whitish vegetables. Belle scoffed, crinkling her nose as she looked at the bag.
"I'm offended."
Maurice let out a hearty laugh before pulling out a blood-red rose from his pocket, offering it to the girl. She stared at it, mouth agape. It was the most beautiful flower the girl had ever seen.
"Wow." She breathed, delicately taking the rose. "It's gorgeous."
"I thought so." Maurice shrugged, ruffling the girls' hair.
"Thank you, Maurice. I love it." She grinned, giving him a side-hug, careful not to squish the rose in-between them. She bolted to her room, passing her father on the way there.
"Uncle Maurice is here!" She called to him, who nodded. Even though Maurice was her mother's brother, her father and him still shared a close bond, as did everyone in her family. She came upon her room, shutting the door behind her. There lay her rose collection, each one slowly dying even though Belle kept them in good condition. She placed the most recent addition in it's own vase, letting the light reflect off of it. It was definitely her favorite. But sadly, it would fade away, just like all her other favorites. Nothings lasts forever.
Maybe one day she'll find a rose that will.