Sirius Black | Omnia Vincit Amor ✓

Chapter 33: Pleasure to Meet You Ms Bell

~ Mathilda POV ~

For the next few weeks Sirius and I constantly exchanged looks in the Great Hall, but he did not a single time talk to me again after that weird incident. Nothing.
And talking about nothing, nothing made much sense to me anymore. Why did he act soo strangely? Then the four of them again disappeared for a few days around full moon - what a surprise right, hah. Yeah, I knew or at least had an inkling what their little secret was.

It was currently the day where we were going home for Christmas, we were in the carriages that would bring us to Hosgmead Station. Yesterday evening had been the Slugclub Christmas Dinner and it hadn't been so nice. I had been pretty alone. Slughorn had not invited any other Hufflepuffs to the club and my only friend in the club, Lily, brought Potter as her date and was constantly talking to him. She had invited me to join them which I had done for some time, but then I had been feeling like the third wheel and had left them to get something to drink. I could have brought a date, too, but I did not know who. I mean it was pretty obvious who I would have wanted to go with, but as little confidence as I had, asking Sirius was no option. I thought about asking Jesper, but no, then he would maybe get hopeful and I would break his heart again. So no date, just me, myself and I. I had talked to a few people before I had been engaged into an hour long talk about the Draught of Living Death by Slughorn before he had gone on talking about my grandfather and my family.

I was happy when I finally plopped down on the seats on the train, stretching out my legs and looking outside of the window. Sometimes I wished I was back in 1st year were nothing was complicated and boys were just annoying and I was disgusted by being in love. Now things have changed and my mind was constantly occupied by Sirius and also my father. He started writing letters again about being careful who I spend my time with. My father was also rumored to have been quite a player, or at least that was what my aunt said about him. Maybe I compared Sirius to him and was simply afraid that he would drop me like garbage and leave from one day to the other?

"Hey, Tills? What is up, don't look so sad? It soon is Christmas!" Julie nudged me slightly, trying to get me out of my thoughts and cheer me up since I probably had quite a sad facial expression. "Oh, sorry. Was just thinking about ...things. Whatever! What do you wish to get for Christmas by the way?" I asked, trying to sound cheerful.

We talked about Christmas and holiday plans an also a lot of other stuff. Julie was just extremely happy and looking forward to finally see Jordan again. I was really looking forward to see my family again. I really needed a big hug from my mum these days.

-Kings Cross Station-

~ Sirius POV ~

I opened my eyes blinking a few times before collecting my things and putting them in my bag. We then all went out of the compartment. I really wanted to see her before Christmas, but I wasn't really successful. I followed after James because also as the past year I spent Christmas with the Potters. We quickly said our goodbyes to the girls, Remus and Peter. Lily joined us because James wanted to introduce her to his parents. While we were walking towards them I tried to look around and maybe see her one last time before the holidays. But nope, she was nowhere in sight. "Whose that woman talking to mum?" James asked and both Lily and I shook our heads. "No idea, mate." When we reached them, Fleamont and Euphemia immediately pulled James into a hug before embracing me into their arms as well and then introducing themselves to Lily. "Oh Lily, it is so lovely to finally meet you. You are really as beautiful as James has described you, my dear!" Effie exclaimed before pulling Lily into a hug.

"Ah, by the way, this is Henriette Bell. Mathilda Bell's mother. We were just talking, Mathilda is a year below you, you probably don't really know each other, right?" Fleamont introduced the stranger, gesturing towards the woman standing besides them. She gave us a warm smile. It was only then that I realised that she resembled Mathilda quite a lot. They had quite a similar face, her hair was only shoulder-long and bright white. She wasn't really tall either, but wore a pair of high boots. She put her hand forward and James shook it, greeting her and so did Lily. She then turned towards me, scanning my face for a second before saying, "And I believe you are Walburga's son?"

That had cut deep. I didn't know why it hurt so much that she said it, I mean she couldn't have known that I ran away and that my mother was the most terrible thing that happened to me in my life, but it still hurt. Were the Black genes the only thing she could see in me?

She gave me a waiting look, but I then shook her hand too. "Pleasure to meet you, Ms Bell," I mumbled. "It is also a pleasure to meet you, Sirius." She flashed me a warm smile. And I was quite surprised that she knew my name. But she probably somehow knew my whole family.

"Happy Christmas, Ms Bell!" suddenly two voices shouted towards us and Ms Bell turned around to see who it was, smiling and waving and told them Happy Christmas too.

And who was it?

That stupid Jesper and Ian guy.

But then I saw her walking towards us, carrying not only her suitcase, but also her owl and a huge plant and I really wanted to walk towards her to help, but that would have been weird, right?

"Oh, Mathilda," Henriette breathed as her daughter made her way over to us. "Muuum!" she greeted happily, wrapping her arms around her mother. "That's for grandpa from Slughorn. A little Christmas gift," she explained, rolling her eyes while handing the plant over to her mother who gestured to her to say hallo to the Potters. "Oh, sorry." Mathilda put a hand forward towards Fleamont and Effie. "Pleasure to meet you," she said, shaking their hands, beaming.
"Oh, you really have grown up quite bit since the last time we saw you. Barely reaching up to my knee back then and always asking so many questions about everything and anything," Effie chuckled, smiling brightly at her to which Mathilda just blushed. "Oh, the good old times, Euphemia!" her mother said, smiling at us. "Well, we shall leave now. Happy Christmas and enjoy your holidays!" Henriette said. "Yes, happy Christmas you all! See you after after the holidays," Mathilda said before waving us goodbye and then they apparated.

We then said our goodbyes to Lily who was also picked up by her parents and she went off, James looked after her until she disappeared in the crowd of people.

"How do you know her? Mrs Bell?" James asked, turning his head and giving his mother a questioning look. We were using the Floo Network to get back to their place and started walking towards a fireplace from which we could travel.

"Oh, she was a few years below me in Ravenclaw and we got along quite well. She was an extremely talented and kind-hearted witch. Immediately after school she got into a relationship with this Jack. Blood supremacist and purity maniac if I tell you. I have a feeling it changed her. Especially when she then got pregnant at a really young age and he left her from one day to the other. Our contact got less and less. But I am not sure if they all value blood purity as much as the rest of her family," Effie said while looking at us and giving her head a small shake.

"Her sister she was in my year in Slytherin. A bit crazy that woman, I think, but she could be nice when she wanted to," Effie explained further, releasing air through her nose. Hm, that was some interesting news. I had no idea, she had always seemed so open-minded and kind and happy. I had no idea that she probably also did have quite a difficult past and moreover, I had no idea she had also been raised in a blood supremacist family.

"Oh, and before I forget. Her grandfather. He was our potions master and I believe head of Slytherin house at my time at Hogwarts. He was quite nice, but constantly trapped in his own thoughts, making all kinds of scary and demanding experiments and investigating all different kinds of potions," she concluded.

I now more than ever wanted to get to know her. How could she be so nice and amazing being raised in a family like that I thought to myself?  I needed to get to know her.

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Hope you liked the chapter!! The next one will then again be a bit sadder, but finally the two of them will share a lovely moment!! All the best from me for now :)