It wasn't too long after Pansy had woken up when the snowing, grey sky had turned to a black abyss above them. The stars nor the moon were visible tonight and snow still fell thickly to the ground, covering the grass in a pristine, white blanket. Pansy and Belle had spent the remainder of the train ride playing Exploding Snap. Both girls had gotten rather competitive and immersed in the game, which had caused Belle to miss Harry as he walked past. He had stopped for a moment, unable to tear his eyes away from the smile spread across Belle's face. He was glad to see that she was happy again - even if she did have a few off days.
Eventually, when the train started to slow, both girls changed out of their robes into muggle clothing, though they both kept their scarves on. Pansy had changed into a long, black jumpsuit with a black leather jacket, whilst Belle had been perfectly comfortable with her oversized, blue sweater and jeans. The pair, thankfully, had used a warming charm on themselves so when they stepped off the train, it wasn't as cold as they had originally though it would be.
"C'mon," Belle said with a smile as she noticed her Mum waving at her.
"Belle," Pansy hissed, causing the girl to turn around. Belle raised an eyebrow at the girl who suddenly looked nervous.
"What if your Mum doesn't like me? After the war..."
"I've told her all about you, Pans. She's the one who suggested asking you to come over for Christmas." As though it was the reassurance that Pansy needed, she nodded and joined Belle in lugging their trunks over to Collette.
"Hi, Mum," Belle smiled.
"Oh, it's so nice to see you," Collette sighed as she pulled her youngest daughter in for a hug. The young woman returned it, before letting go and turning to Pansy.
"Pans, this is my mum, Collette. Mum, Pansy."
"It's nice to meet you, Mrs Frenche," Pansy stated formally but Collette simply smiled warmly and extended a hand to the girl, squeezing it gently when Pansy raised hers.
"Please, call me Collette, or just Cee, if you wish. I see Belle's ruddy cat has taken a liking to you."
"I think she spends more nights with me than she doest with Belle," Pansy admitted, causing Collette to smile. Watching from the side, a gentle smile on her face as she watched her Mum and one of her best friends interact, Belle had no trouble realising that Pansy would settle in quickly to the Frenche household. The girl put on a mean act and had a bit of a sharp mouth, but was a big softie. She loved Belle's cat and was already warming up to her Mum, despite her previous worries.
Across the station, Harry was watching the interactions between the two, unknowingly. Ron had elbowed him in the side when Mrs Weasley had asked him a question and he hadn't replied as he was too busy staring at the beautiful girl across the station.
"Sorry, Mrs Weasley, I didn't catch that," Harry apologised. Rather than scolding him, Mrs Weasley only turned to see what he was looking at and she beamed at the sight of Belle, who was waving at Hermione.
"Is that Belle?" She asked and Hermione nodded. She waved Belle over and the girl turned for a moment, promising her friend and her mother that she'd be right back before jogging over to the family.
"Hi," Belle said breathlessly, having almost tripped over someone's shoe to reach them.
"You must be Belle," a redheaded woman said, causing Belle's attention to turn towards her. She recognised the woman to be Molly Weasley, one of her heroes. She had seen the way she had finished off Bellatrix Lestrange during the war and Belle had admired the woman ever since.
"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.
"It's brilliant," Pansy stated. It looked much homier than the giant, cold manor she had been brought up in. Heat flooded Belle's cheeks and she smiled sheepishly at Pansy as she fell into step beside her.
"No wonder you know so much about plants and creatures - you grew up surrounded by them," Pansy said as they reached the front porch of the cottage. Belle only shrugged, a small smile on her face.
"Mum works in the Ministry as part of the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures. Don't tell anyone, but if the Ministry plans on executing a creature they believe to be dangerous when she knows they're not, she smuggles them home. You can meet the zoo tomorrow," Belle said, earning a laugh from Pansy. Collette looked over her shoulder, clearing hearing the two girls and winked as she pushed the door to the cottage open.
"Come on," Belle said, a slight smile on her face.
"I'll introduce you to the rest of the family."
Pansy stiffened slightly, not having realised that there were other members of her family that she hadn't yet met. However, rather than being greeted by men, women and children, she was greeted by the sight of a small herd of cats, a couple of creatures she recognised as Crup pups, multiple bowtruckles, a few Demiguises, and three kneazles.
"This isn't even half of them. There's a lake a few minutes away from here and Mum and I visit it every morning we're home to feed some the horned serpent who lives inside it. You can come with us tomorrow, if you want to. Spike won't hurt you if you're with us."
Pansy didn't know what to say.
"It gives everyone a shock the first time. Jacob said he wasn't even sure his dad had this many animals in his house - his wife wouldn't have let him," Belle said as she sat down on the floor, letting the animals run over to her.
"Jacob?" Pansy questioned.
"My godfather, Jacob Scamander. His son, Rolph is in Luna's year at school. Jacob was my Dad's best friend at school, which was why he was made my Godfather before Dad died" Belle explained. Pansy nodded, before her eyes travelled back over to the herd of creatures, a look of unease settling on her face.
"They won't hurt you - they're just excited to see someone new," Collette explained from where she was standing next to Belle, a family of Nifflers snuggled into her arms. One of them was sitting on her shoulder, chittering happily at the sight of Pansy.
Looking past the animals, the house was surprisingly clean, though slightly crowded. Pansy didn't mind it, however, as it just made the small house seem even homier. Plants and flowers could be seen on nearly every surface of the room, either stacked neatly on top of or next to books that could only be Belle's. Moving photographs and pieces of art were framed on the walls and Pansy smiled slightly at a photo of a younger version of Belle who was holding a Bowtruckle and grinning toothily, her front two teeth missing.
There was a large, brick fireplace in the centre of the back wall that was crackling merrily, warming the room. As Pansy moved closer, she could see a few scarlet salamanders scurrying across the logs, lapping up the heat of the flames. A weathered, wooden coffee table sat just in front of it, crowded with potted plants and the occasional Bowtruckle that would hop from one plant to another, chirping merrily. A large sofa and a couple of armchairs formed a small semi-circle around the coffee table and the fireplace, covered in knitted quilts and patterned blankets.
Just off to the right of the room sat a small kitchen. One of the walls had been completely taken up by large windows that gave them an excellent view into the large backyard and forest. A breakfast bar with stools rest against the window, the backs of the stools facing towards the inside of the kitchen. Various vegetable and herb plants lined the windowsills, giving the room a heavenly smell. Pansy caught a whiff of lavender just as she turned her head towards the wooden stairs that lead up to the second floor of the house.
"What do you think?" Belle asked as one of the Demiguise locked their arms around her neck. She stood up and it made an appreciative noise as she carried it piggy-back style, allowing it to nestle into the back of her sweater.
"Do you reckon you'd be able to stick around for the next week?" Pansy grinned.
"Can I stay here for the next year?" She asked. Belle laughed.
"Mum's always telling me she can't wait for the day I leave home, but I've told her if she keeps surprising me with new creatures every time I return home, I'll stay with her until we're both old and wrinkled."
"She's lying!" Collette called from the kitchen and Pansy giggled.
"What have you got for us this time, Mum?" Belle asked. Collette winked
"You'll have to find that out tomorrow."
~~~
I know I haven't been doing author's notes lately but uhhh this chapter made me fUCKING soft and I love it and im so glad I decided to rewrite the book
I have changed a couple of the earlier chapters that have to do with Voldemort, Emilia and her dreams so, if you don't feel like going back and re-reading them for the third time, I'll give you all a quick rundown
- I've decided not to bring Voldemort back as the plot line was going nowhere and I didn't know what I was doing with it
- She hasn't been having dreams about Voldemort which is why Belle is a hell of a lot happier and these chapters are much friendlier and give off an atmosphere that I was hoping to achieve
- For those of you who had read up to chapter thirty-two before I unpublished them, do not fear for your favourite characters will return ;)
- Emilia pulled a Peter Pettigrew and basically turned to Voldemort with her family, even though she had a choice, because she was scared. She killed Tonks and tried to kill Belle because she was scared that Voldemort and Bellatrix would hurt her if she refused. She was passing information on Dumbledore's Army to the Death Eaters, but because they weren't part of the original DA, they didn't know much.
I hope this helps to clear things up!
This book will be completely changed and I hope you are all going to love it just as much as I love the new lighter, fluffier atmosphere that shows Belle as the character I wanted to portray her as, not as the sleep-deprived, scared Ravenclaw who was getting bad dreams. Belle is going to help Harry and her friends get better and this is what I originally wanted to base the book on, before everything started escalating and I kind of lost track of what I was doing.
So here it is! The happier, newer version! I hope you all enjoy it just as much as I enjoy writing it!