The Life of Isabella Potter (COMPLETE)

Chapter 10

A/N: Okay, so I'm thinking maybe I'll start changing up the story a bit. I'm thinking I want it to start switching POV's, mainly Harry's and Bella's, but Draco may get a POV sometimes, too. Not sure yet. Just watch for the POV changes. Thx! Also, in this version of the story, the students get sent home for summer break, then come back when summer's over. The year continues after they return to Hogwart's.

Harry's POV

"Come back here, girl!" I heard Uncle Vernon shout at Bella.

Within seconds, I was downstairs and standing in front of my sister, protecting her from Uncle Vernon. "Leave her alone!" 

Uncle Vernon sneered at me. "She needs to be punished!" 

"What did she do?" I asked, looking back at Bella, only to see her shaking her head, tears streaming down her face. She looked terrified, like he was the scariest person in the world to her. Which, now that I think about it, was true in her case. 

"She talked back to me!" Uncle Vernon's face was purple with anger. His eyes were nothing more than little slits, and his lips were pressed tightly together. 

I rolled my eyes. "What did she say?" 

Uncle Vernon tried to reach around me to get to Bella, but I shifted so that he couldn't reach her. "I told her to start cooking dinner, but she said no. She doesn't want to." 

I looked back at Bella for a moment then back to Uncle Vernon. "She doesn't have to. You can't force her to do anything." 

"I'm her legal guardian, boy!" Uncle Vernon sneered. "She has to do whatever I tell her to!" 

I glared at my uncle, knowing he was only saying things that he knew weren't entirely true. "Yes, you may be her legal guardian, not to mention mine, but she does not have to do whatever you say. She does have some rights, Uncle Vernon, and you know that! Besides, she doesn't know how to cook." 

It was silent as Uncle Vernon glared at the two of us, mainly me, furious. Finally, he stood straight up and said, "Fine. You cook, then," and turned away, heading back into the kitchen.

When he was out of sight, I turned to Bella and looked her in the eyes. "Are you okay?" 

Bella only shook her head, frightened. "Harry, I don't want to be here anymore!" 

I pulled her close and held her tightly to me. "I know, Bella, I don't either. But we have nowhere else to go." 

"But you're 17. You can go live on your own if you wanted to, right?" My sister asked me. 

Giving her a sympathetic look, I shook my head. "No, I have to be 18 before I can legally live on my own." 

I felt terrible as I watched Bella's face fall, before the tears came once more. "Hey, look at me. You are a strong girl. We'll get through it, I promise. Okay?" 

She nodded and wiped her eyes. "Okay." 

I smiled as I thought of something. "Hey, but guess what?" 

"What?" my sister asked, glancing up at me with a small smile.

"Our birthday is in a week. You know what that means, don't you?" 

Bella's face instantly brightened and a smile came to my face. "Yes! We leave for Hogwarts the next day!" I laughed as Bella began gripping my arm tightly, nearly jumping up and down with excitement. 

Draco's POV

"Draco!" my father's voice reached my ears. 

I entered the kitchen and stood in the doorway. "Yes, Father?" 

My father met my gaze, his eyes dark and cold. "I hear you've been taking on with that wretched girl. Potter's sister." 

On the inside, I was furious, wanting to defend Bella. I wanted to tell my Father how sweet and kind she was, how beautiful and special she seemed. On the outside, however, my face was blank, merely curious. "Yes, Father, I have," I responded quietly.

My Father stood slowly, hands resting on the table in front of him. "I forbid you to have any contact with her." 

This shocked me and I was suddenly angry. "Why? Father, she's amazing. She is a little like her brother, but she's also different. She's quiet, not as outspoken as Potter is." 

My Father's eyes narrowed and I knew I had crossed a line. As my Father slowly headed for me, I closed my eyes, waiting for the trouble to come.

Bella's POV

"Harry, let's go!" I whined, wanting to get out of here.

I heard Harry's laugh as he came down the stairs. "I'm coming." 

After placing our suitcases in the back of Uncle Vernon's car (they had been kind enough to at least take us to the train station), we were off. When we arrived, Uncle Vernon practically threw our suitcases at us before disappearing back into his car again and driving off. I was glaring fiercely at the fading outline of his car when I felt a hand on my shoulder. Glancing up, I smiled when I saw it was only Harry. 

"You okay?" he asked, a concerned look on his face.

I nodded. "Yeah, let's go." I followed Harry to platform 9 3/4, and we headed for the train. After our suitcases had been taken care of, Harry took my hand and dragged me around the train until we found Hermione and Ron in a compartment. 

I couldn't help but notice a man with a coat draped over him slumped over in a seat. He appeared to be sleeping, but I had no way of knowing. Harry sat next to the man and I took a seat next to him. For a while, we just sat in silence, not saying anything. Suddenly, the train jerked to a stop. The lights flickered and I paused, terrified. Hermione noticed this, and reached out to place a hand on my knee. She gave me a small smile and that action comforted me somewhat. 

It was then that the windows began icing over and the temperature dropped. I began rubbing my arms, trying to keep warm, though it wasn't helping much. Harry placed his arm around me, trying to keep me warm as well. A dark shadow was suddenly at the door of the compartment, and I froze, slowly turning to look over at it. It was a hooded figure, with skeletal fingers and no face. The figure lifted a hand and the door began to slide open. It then turned to look at me and when it did, I felt myself become chilled to the bone. I was so cold that it stung. Pain shot through my body, and I felt like I was on fire. 

The figure continued to stare at me and my body suddenly went limp. I realized that I could not move, couldn't look away from the ghostly figure. Somewhere, off in the distance it seemed, someone was calling my name. My mind was screaming at me to look away, but my body would not respond. The figure moved closer, and I felt my eyes slipping closed. A muffled sound came from behind me, but I couldn't make out what it was. As the temperature continued to drop, and my body continued to burn, I unwillingly fell victim to the darkness that had surrounded my vision.