disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, just Arabella and her story.

Welcome back, everyone, to the fifth book of the series! This is possibly my favourite book of the whole series. I've read this book more than the others over the years. I just feel like this is quite possibly the best one of the series. I am so excited for everything that will be happening here with Arabella as a character and her relationship with everyone around her. This could be the most important book in regards to her character and just understanding her and where she comes from. As well as understanding Kassandra and where she came from as well during the First Wizarding War.

I hope that you all like this chapter and stick around for the other ones as well!

Abel Torell

"Here," muttered Remus, passing a piece of parchment. "Read it quickly and memorize it."

Arabella wrinkled her nose at the smile of garbage piled on the sidewalk. She looked down at the piece of parchment Remus thrusted into her hand.

The Headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix may be found at number twelve, Grimmauld Place, London.

Arabella scrunched up her eyes. "What's the Order –?"

"Not now," whispered Remus, looking around them. "I'll explain when we're inside."

Arabella looked around them as well. They were standing in the middle of a small square with unkempt grass. The front of the houses were gloomy and unwelcoming. Windows were shattered, paint peeling from the doors and rubbish laid out practically everywhere, looking as though they were just thrown out the door. The sun began to set and the place nearly deserted. In fact, if it wasn't for the garbage, Arabella was sure the whole street was abandoned.

Remus took the parchment out of Arabella's hand and set it on fire. The message curled into flames and floated to the ground. He then grabbed a hold of her trunk and led her from the patch of grass, across the road and onto the pavement. She looked around the houses again. They were standing in between number eleven and thirteen, and she was sure there was a twelve somewhere. She had been inside the house before. No sooner had she thought that, a battered door emerged out of nowhere. Arabella rubbed her eyes as dirty walls and grimy windows appeared, pushing the other houses out of the way. Shay squealed at the sight.

"Come on," urged Remus, grabbing a hold of her trunk. "Someone wants to see you."

Arabella followed Remus's lead up the stone steps. It was still paint black with a twisted serpent as a knocker. Remus took out his wand and tapped the door once. There were many loud, metallic clicks and a clatter of chains. The door then cracked open.

"Get in quick, Arabella."

Arabella carefully stepped over the threshold. She almost gagged, though she wasn't sure if it was because she was back in this terrible house or because of the rotting smell. The hall was completely dark and it had a sense of being run-down. Remus followed in after her and moved around. A few seconds later, she heard soft hissing noises and an old-fashioned gas lamp sputtered into life along the walls. The wallpapers were peeling and the carpet worn-out. There was a chandelier hanging over head with cobwebs and blacked-out portraits hung crookedly on the walls.

"God, I hate this place," Arabella breathed out, feeling her skin crawl as something dashed behind the baseboard.

"Me too."

Arabella smiled a little as she saw Sirius Black walk down the stairs. He was looking better and better each day. His black hair was pulled back and there seemed to be a beard forming on his face. His eyes shined brightly as he looked upon Arabella.

"It's good to see you again."

Arabella couldn't help it. She missed him. She missed him so much. In three quick steps, she buried her face into his shoulder, flung her arms around his neck, and hugged him tightly. He returned it in seconds, squeezing her and softly stroking her hair.

"How are you?" Sirius asked her.

"Fine," Arabella mumbled.

They stayed like this for a while, neither in any hurry to leave one another. Arabella liked it. She hugged Sirius with all her might, reminding herself that he was her father, he was her flesh and blood, and that he escaped Azkaban and risked everything to be reunited with her. He was the last bit of Kassandra she had left. He was… everything and so much more.

"Let's go put your things away," interrupted Remus, a hint of laughter in his voice. "You can rest for a while and unpack your clothes."

"Just… keep it down for a while," added Sirius.

Arabella raised her eyebrows before understanding. They made their way past a pair of long curtains, behind which she knew held the portrait of Walburga Black. As they made their way up the stairs, Arabella caught side of a large umbrella stand that looked like a severed troll leg.

"Urgh… she had an exceptional taste, didn't she?" whispered Arabella.

"I wouldn't use the word exceptional," whispered Sirius.

Shay hid his face behind his wing as they started up the dark staircase. It seemed as though he didn't like the house at all. Arabella couldn't blame him. The place seemed to have gotten worse over the years and she thought the task was near impossible. Arabella scratched Shay behind his ear as they passed a row of plaque shrunken, elf heads mounted to the wall. The lights flickered and there were more hurried footsteps behind the walls. Mold was covering the corners and cobwebs on very surface.

"What happened to this place?" asked Arabella. "It seems to have gotten worse."

"Believe it or not, this is nothing compared to when we first got here," said Remus.

They reached the second landing, where they were at least three bedrooms. The plaque on the front of the door was gold with the words: Arabella Kassandra Black.

"Nice touch," said Arabella, grinning.

The door itself was a lot better than the others. It was polished and much darker than the other doors on the floor. The handle wasn't a serpent's head, but rather a plain knob. When she opened the door, she was expecting the worse, expecting to see Walburga's interior design still up. What she got, however, was much better. The walls were painted a rich, warm blue and were covered with posters of Puddlemere United and smaller ones of scenery from around the world – the colourful houses in Manarola, the amazing mountains in Sa Pa, Lake Lugano in Switzerland, Uyuni Salt Flats in Bolivia that make it look as though you're walking in the clouds – there were even pictures of her on the wall with Kassandra, Sirius, Remus, and the Tonks. There was a full size bed in the middle with brown covers and the blanket Sirius got her for Christmas. In the corner of the room was a big mahogany chest drawer and two bedside tables. Remus let Shay out of his cage and he flew towards the window, squawking in contentment. She almost laughed, realizing that this was quite possibly the brightest room in the whole house.

"The other rooms down the hall will be for Harry and your other friends," said Sirius.

"If you'd like, we could bring Hermione's bed in here," said Remus. "But that's up to the two of you. We figured you'd like to move things around and settle down first before you do anything else."

"There's certainly enough room for your friend to sleep in here." Sirius looked at her uncertainly, almost scared. "Do you like it?"

Arabella let out a breath of laughter. "I… I love it. Thank you. This is… it's amazing."

Sirius smiled brightly as Remus checked his watch and said, "Nymphadora should be here soon. She said she wanted to see you after Dumbledore talked to her. She might even help you unpack your things."

"If I ask nicely," added Arabella as she took another glance around the room.

"We shall leave you to it then," said Remus as he began making his way down the staircase.

Sirius stood there for a minute, looking slightly unsure of himself, before saying, "Well… you've got some unpacking to do. Let me know if you need any help."

Arabella scrunched her eyebrows as he made his way down the stairs. He got uncomfortable all of a sudden. She didn't understand why. They barely made conversation and he's uncomfortable around her? It didn't make sense. But Arabella pushed those thoughts out of her mind and closed the door. She looked around the room once more and sighed, feeling just as content as Shay. As far as she was concerned, she was not going to unpack. She was going to bury herself in her warm blanket and sleep the day away.

But sleep did not come for Arabella, and she should not have expected it. Her mind was wrapped up in Voldemort, Crouch, Cedric and Macnair. She couldn't stop thinking about them and everything she had gone through that day. She had been lured into Crouch's office, fighting against him and screaming at the top of her lungs. But nobody had heard her. Nobody had come for her. He cursed her and broke her leg and still nobody had looked for her. Nobody bothered to look for her. They didn't… they didn't care what happened to her. They just assumed she was fine and that since it was Mad-Eye, she was safe. But she wasn't. She was with Barty Crouch, a man who took pleasure in torturing Kassandra for information. And then Pettigrew killed Cedric – Cedric who wasn't supposed to be there, Cedric who was just in the way, Cedric who meant nothing to Voldemort, just another body in his way… He was gone, just like that, and Voldemort offered her a place with the other Death Eaters. She could still hear Harry's muffled screams in her ears as Voldemort tortured her, as he put her under the Cruciatus Curse. Arabella mindlessly moved her arm around, remembering the feel of the grass underneath her skin and the will she had to muster in order to make sure Harry was safe.

But then Macnair and Avery grabbed her. Put her in her place. Put her in her place. Voldemort's exact words. Put her in her… place. Make sure she knows her place. Make sure she knew where she stood. Make sure she remembered and understood exactly where she belonged. She was nothing more than a tool used to torture Harry and to pleasure the Death Eaters. She had to remember her place. She had to be reminded. Her place. Her place. Her place in society. Her place in their eyes. Her place… Macnair and Avery… her place…

Arabella gagged at the notion. She sat up and hunched over the bed, breathing heavily. She was nothing more than bait. She was just another pawn Voldemort decided to use. She could still feel Macnair's hand on her skin and his breath on her neck. If he had been allowed to continue –

There was a loud bang on her door and Arabella lifted up her head. She practically ran to open it, welcoming a distraction. With short, bright pink hair in tow, Nymphadora Tonks came waltzing into the room as though she owned it. She was carrying a big brown bag and a jug of lemonade.

"I've brought dinner for us," said Nymph, shaking the bag a little. "Your favourite – Sal's Sandwiches."

Sal's Sandwiches was a shop in Dufftown, just near where Arabella and Remus live. They made amazing sandwiches and Arabella was practically drooling at the thought of a warm tuna melt sandwich. She quickly grabbed the bag and stuck her hand in it.

"You got tuna?" Arabella asked.

"Only for you," quipped Nymph, looking only slightly concerned.

Arabella took the sandwich out, sat on her bed, and began eating immediately. Nymph poured some lemonade for them and took a seat next to her on the bed. They sat in silence for a while as Nymph looked around the room.

"Not bad," said Nymph. "Definitely better than the rest of this house. Pretty sure they're rats running around here. Wouldn't be surprised if they're bats in the attic. Scary place, isn't it?"

Arabella shrugged. "Depressing, mostly."

"Did you get settled in? Put all your things away and all that?"

"Nope," said Arabella.

"Here, let me," said Nymph, getting up. "I've been practicing mum's spell, should work if I want to – unpack!"

She waved her wand in a long, sweeping movement directly at Arabella's trunk. It flew open with a loud thud. Her books, scales and clothes soared into the air and onto the floor. Her clothes were now unfolded and thrown all over the floor. Arabella looked at the mess for a moment and then back at Nymph, who was looking slightly dejected. She gave another long movement of her wand and her clothes fell into the chest drawer, still unfolded and balled up.

"Well, that's the best you're going to get out of me," said Nymph, looking down at the books and sitting on the bed once again. "I still haven't gotten the knack of folding clothes."

"Well, you tuck the sleeves in and fold it in half and –"

"I meant with magic," added Nymph, waving her hand dismissively at Arabella. "I'm an Auror now, Arabella, come on, I don't have time with folding clothes. I've got responsibilities –"

Arabella snorted very loudly. "All right there, big shot. But my books are still on the floor."

"Since when did you care about neatness?" shot Nymph.

"I don't," said Arabella, shrugging. "Andy is the only one that does."

"I put all your clothes away, didn't I?"

"Barely."

Nymph shot her a look, got up and practically dragged her body over to the pile of books. She began sorting through them, throwing them aside and occasionally flickering through them.

"Charms – Transfiguration – Potions – Charms, again – Divination? You took that class? With Trelawney? She's a phoney!"

Arabella scrunched her eyebrows. "You took Divination? When? Why didn't you tell me?"

"There was nothing to tell," answered Nymph. "The only exciting thing that happened was when she predicted my death during our first class. After that it was all downhill."

Arabella raised an eyebrow. "Yes, I can certainly see how the prediction of your death would be a high point in any class."

"Hey –"

"Well, she did also predicted Harry's death during our first class."

"Really?" asked Nymph, perking up a little. "I'm certainly in good company, then. What about you? Did she say anything about you?"

"She said that eight was my destiny and that… oh, what was it? Something like 'with great fortune comes great suffering' or something like that."

"Eight?" Nymph was perplexed. "What in the name of Merlin is that supposed to mean?"

"Don't know," said Arabella, shrugging. "You've got a better chance figuring it out than me."

Arabella watched Nymph for a moment. Realization struck her face and Nymph broke into a wide smile. She then let out a bark of a laugh and began giggle, slapping her hands together.

"What?" asked Arabella, slightly nerved. "What's wrong with you?"

"Eight!" proclaimed Nymph. "Eight. Eight kids!"

Arabella scowled at her. The more she thought about it, the more her frown deepened. She did not like the thought one bit.

"Oh, cheer up, Arabella," said Nymph, laughter evident in her voice. "Kids aren't that bad. Plus, this just means you're going to be plenty busy in the future, if you know what I mean."

Nymph winked and Arabella considered throwing the sandwich in her face.

"Yeah, that's not happening," Arabella declared. "Nope. Just… nope."

"You never know," said Nymph, her smile not leaving her face. "You've got to name one of them after me, though."

Arabella sighed and decided to play along. "And if they're all boys?"

"Unlikely." Nymph rolled her eyes. "Come on, if you're going to have eight kids, don't you think that at least one of them would be a girl?"

"The Weasleys have seven kids," said Arabella. "They've got six boys."

"At least one girl was a girl," retorted Nymph. "Are you saying that you won't name one of those lovely girls after me – your cousin and renowned famous Auror?"

Arabella snorted. "Become a renowned famous Auror first and then we'll talk."

"Deal."

"Wait, I didn't say we have a deal," Arabella rushed on. "What, I'm going to pop a kid out and get nothing in return? Not happening, Nymphadora." She smiled at her cousin's frown. "I name a kid after you and… you've… you've got to do something… you have to…" She searched her brain for a moment and then said, with glee, "You've got to make me the godmother of your kid!"

"In exchange for naming privileges?" Nymph pondered. "Hmm… you've got yourself a deal, Black."

Nymph then spit into her right hand and stuck it out. Arabella looked at it in disgust.

"I'm not shaking that hand."

The next couple days flew by slowly for Arabella. She spent the majority of her time in her room, only leaving to either use the washroom or for dinner. Most of the time she just ate in her room alone. Though she did like the idea of spending time with Remus, Sirius, and occasionally Nymph, she didn't feel the need to talk to any of them that much. She didn't have the energy to hold a meaningless conversation with them. It felt pointless and unnecessary. She wanted to be around them, but they kept asking her questions about Hogwarts and her friends. She just wanted all of them to just talk amongst each other and just let her listen for a while. But they didn't. So she was forced to sit there and answer questions that made her want to pull her hair out.

But when she was in her room, she was alone with her thoughts. Her mind kept drifting back to the graveyard and Voldemort, and Cedric, and Macnair. She couldn't stop thinking about them and everything that happened that night. Sometimes she would wake up in the middle of the night, a layer of sweat covering her skin, and her lungs in a desperate need for air. She began losing sleep over the matter. She would stay up and watch the sunrise, noticing how her body would slowly shut down as the day went on. She would fall asleep in the afternoon, only to wake up hours later, gasping for air as green light began hurtling towards her.

She tried to take her mind off it. She spent some time exploring the house, only to decide a few minutes later that it was unnecessary as the house was dark and dirty. She tried reading some books in the small library in the house, but they were mostly about the Dark Arts. In the end, she just spent her time in her room, quietly humming to herself or listening to Shay squeal and hoot.

One day, Arabella reorganized all her school books and clothes before flopping down on her bed with her little book of inventions and pranks. She began scribbling down some ideas and theories before someone knocked on the door. Sirius then popped his head inside and said, "You need anything? We haven't seen or heard from you in a couple hours."

"Oh, I'm fine," said Arabella, shrugging. "Just… working on some stuff."

Sirius then walked into the room and asked, "You need help with anything?"

"Oh, well – er – you could help me, I guess," said Arabella, smiling at him. "I'm trying to figure out what to create next. Have any ideas?"

She showed him her book. He flipped through it and began to smile brightly. There was a bright gleam in his eyes and she knew he was cooking up some of his own ideas as well.

"This is fantastic," Sirius said happily. "Remus didn't even tell me you were interested in this at all. Did he tell you about Kas putting all those balloons in the McGonagall's office?"

"Yeah," laughed Arabella. "And about him setting off five wild hogs in the castle."

"Ahh… but see, that's not the true prank. He numbered those hogs from one to four and the last one with six. Filch was running around the castle for hours trying to find the fifth one before Remus told McGonagall the truth. Got detention for three months."

Arabella's eyes were bulging out of her sockets. "Thr – three months? Three months? You're joking!"

"Nope," said Sirius, laughing and shaking his head. "But that's nothing compared to everything else we did in all those seven years. James once put a cow in the Astronomy Tower."

Arabella was stunned. "How – how – what – how would even – what?"

"Personal favourite, though, was when we managed to charm all the suits of armour into breaking into the Great Hall and dancing everywhere."

Arabella began roaring with laughter, imagining the sight of hundreds of suits of armour bargaining into the Great Hall just to dance with all the students and teachers. Just the thought of McGonagall's face and the look of horror made her ribs hurt. Sirius began laughing as well before someone else knocked on the door. Remus walked into the room, dressed in a nice button-down shirt.

"Are you two all right?" asked Remus. "I could hear you as I'm coming down the stairs."

"Yeah, we're fine," said Arabella, slightly breathless. "Going somewhere?"

"The supermarket down the street. We need more food. Want to come with me?"

"Yeah," said Arabella, getting up. "Wouldn't mind getting out of this place."

A look of irritation flashed over Sirius's face. It went away quickly as he left the room, letting Arabella change. She didn't question his change of mood as she slipped on a baggy orange sweatshirt. She was more concerned about getting out of the house as fast as possible. She practically ran out onto the pavement as Remus unlocked the door.

The sun was beating down upon her. She closed her eyes, feeling the warmth for a moment before following Remus. She hadn't been out in days, but it felt like years. Grimmauld Place somehow seemed to suck all the life and joy out of her. She had missed the sun, the trees and the grass. It was fantastic, watching children run around in the streets with their parents chasing after them and water gun fights that everyone seemed to participate in. Arabella grinned as she lagged behind Remus. A tiny, little girl was running after what looked like her older brother, a happy squeal erupting from her mouth.

The supermarket two blocks away from Grimmauld Place and they decided to split up. Arabella was in charge of getting the eggs, milk and bread while Remus got the chicken, vegetables and fruits. He knew not to trust her with vegetable or fruits.

But Arabella didn't quite understand why there were three different types of eggs. It made no sense to her whatsoever. In the end, they were all the same thing, right? And to make matters worse, they were all priced differently. Her mind was spinning. If they were cheap, then was that good or bad? If one brand is more expensive, then does that mean it's a better quality or did that mean the owner was full of himself? Arabella sighed and just got the cheaper one, realizing that she spent too much time thinking on the matter.

"Arabella! Arabella! Arabella!"

"Coming, Remus!" Arabella called over her shoulder.

She began wheeling her cart around, but was stopped very suddenly. Someone grabbed her arm and she was suddenly slammed against the glass door of the eggs section. She closed her eyes and groaned. Someone grabbed her arms and shook her, her head bumping against the glass once more. She opened her eyes, slightly dizzy from all the shaking and realized it was an older man.

"Arabella, my dear," he said hysterically. "Arabella, Arabella…"

He was wearing an oversized knitted sweater with sweatpants that were barely hanging on. His shirt was heavily stained with grease and he was wearing very grey socks with his sandals. Arabella somehow figured they weren't grey when he first got them. His white hair was long and unkempt, making him looking wild and eccentric. But the thing that stuck out the most was his blue eyes, they were twinkled with madness.

"Where have you been?" he asked, his voice barely above a hush. "I've been so worried. You haven't come around to see me, my dear. Your mother has asked for you so many times."

"I – I –"gasped Arabella, her vision blurry.

She didn't know what to say or do. Her mind wasn't working properly and she was slightly worried as to what this old man was capable of. People around them began watching them, most puzzled, some alarmed. Arabella tried to pry the old man's fingers away from her, but his grip was strong. She didn't expect that from a man who looked like a grandfather. Nobody around her came to her aid and she grew fainter with another shake.

"Arabella!" cried a sharp voice from the end of the aisle.

She let out a sigh of relief. It was Remus. He was walking very briskly towards them, anger evident in his face.

"What is the meaning of – of –"As he grew closer and got a good look on the old man's face, Remus slowed down and came to a halt a good feet away from them. The anger washed away and it was soon replaced by fear. The colour was drained away from his face as he murmured, "Abel?"

"You!" snarled the old man. He pointed a finger at Remus and cried, "I should have known! This is your fault! This is all your fault! You took her away from me! You stole my Arabella from me! You and that girl ruined her!"

He was practically crushing Arabella's arm with his vice grip and his words were like venom. Spit was flying from his mouth and the people surrounding them began backing away. Remus was the only one who walked towards them, though very slowly.

"Abel, listen to me," Remus said cautiously. "This is not Arabella. This is not your daughter. You have to let go of her, Abel. This is not the same girl."

"I will not!" yelled the old man. "Don't you dare tell me what to do! You took her away from me and now I'm going to take her back! You stay away from her! You stay away from my family!"

"Mr. Torell!"

A woman in a nurse outfit came running towards them. She was a tall, slender woman with thick arms and neat brown hair. She managed to pull the old man away from Arabella and held onto his arm.

"You are in public, Mr. Torell! You have to behave yourself!"

It was as though she was scolding a child. The old man immediately looked ashamed of himself. He glanced around at the other customers and then looked down at the ground, muttering under his breath. Arabella rubbed her arms and blinked at the old man a couple times. He turned into a reprimanded child immediately.

Remus instantly came to her side and put his arm over her shoulder. He softly asked, "Are you all right?"

"I'm so sorry about this," said the nurse. "He hasn't been out of the house in age. I turned around for a moment and then – poof! He disappeared!"

She let out an uncomfortable laugh. Arabella and Remus did not join her. She seemed to sense they were not in the laughing mood and straightened herself out.

"Yes, well, I'm sorry about what happened," she continued.

"It's fine," Remus said roughly. "Just keep him away from us."

Remus guided Arabella away from the nurse and the old man. As they made their way towards the exit, the old man kept calling, "Arabella! Arabella!" after them. She turned around and saw him struggling against the nurse, trying to run towards Arabella, reaching out for her.

They ended just leaving the store, forgetting about food entirely. Remus was practically running towards Grimmauld Place with Arabella struggling to keep up with him. The old man's face kept flashing in her mind, especially his wild eyes glaring at Remus was pure hatred. The streets were still full of laughing children, but Arabella could no longer appreciate their carefree attitude. A stranger came up to her and held her in a vice grip. She was sure there was going to be a bruise on her arm. Her fingers reached towards the back of her head and felt a small bump. She picked at it for a while and drew back her fingers.

When they finally reached Grimmauld Place, Remus practically threw the door open and made his way towards the basement kitchen, forgetting the front door entirely. Arabella closed the door behind her and followed after him. The kitchen was a hollow room with rough stone walls and a fireplace at the far end of the room. The air smelled of smoke and the ceiling was covered with heavy iron pots and pans. A large wooden table was in the center of room with many chair. This was where they found Sirius, sitting at the head of the table with a goblet full of wine.

"You're back early," he commented idly, taking a sip of his wine. He barely looked at them before casting his eyes back at the table.

"Ran into someone," Remus said shortly.

"Anyone I know?"

"Abel Torell."

Sirius choked on his wine and the rest spilled on the front of his robes. He then turned towards Remus, his eyes wide, and said, "You're joking!"

"Who's Abel?" Arabella asked quickly.

Remus sighed and said, "I don't think this is –"

"The time?" retorted Arabella. "I'm getting tired of hearing that, Remus. Who is Abel?"

"Arabella," Sirius said, getting up from his seat, "this really isn't the right –"

"Save it!" snapped Arabella, anger radiating off of her. "You two are going to tell me right now who he is! Who is Abel Torell? How do you know him? More importantly, how the hell does he know me? And who's Isaak and Arry? What the hell is going on? And don't tell me this isn't the right time," she added when Remus opened his mouth. "I'm getting tired of hearing that. I want to know what's going on!"

Remus and Sirius looked at each other, silently debating something Arabella was not privy to. With each passing, Arabella became more and more furious. She did not like the fact that they were hiding something from her, and now they were acting as though she wasn't in the room. She knew there was something big they weren't telling her. She didn't understand why they had to keep it away from her. It was infuriating.

In the end, Sirius looked at her and sighed, "Why don't you go to your room and I'll meet you there. I just… I've got to get some stuff before I tell you."

Arabella groaned and made her way up the stairs. When she reached her room, she slammed the door and began pacing up and down. Why couldn't they just tell her what's going on? She couldn't stop thinking about all the secrets – Abel Torell, Isaak, Arry… There were probably more that she didn't even know about. She was now even more furious, thinking about all the things Remus and Sirius kept away from her for all these years. She was filled with so much restless energy that she barely registered Sirius entering her room with a levitating Pensieve and a wooden chest box that fit perfectly in his hand.

"What's that?" Arabella asked at once, pointing at the chest box.

Sirius moved the Pensieve next to her bedside table and placed the chest box on her bed. He looked at it for a moment and then at her. His face seemed slightly haggard, as though the day seemed to age him by years.

"Everything in this chest box should explain all the questions you have," Sirius said quietly. "Your mother made this for you, believing that she wasn't going to survive the First Wizarding War. She wanted to give you something to remember her by, and something to explain her actions." He glanced at it for a moment and continued. "Just tap the top with your wand and say your full name clearly. Kas also put some of her memories in there as well. You'll need the Pensieve for that. When you're –" His voice cracked for a moment and he cleared it quickly. "When you're going through them, don't be too harsh on your mother. She did the best she could."

Arabella's forehead creased as Sirius left the room. She did the best she could? What's that supposed to mean? What did Kassandra do? Arabella was now filled with a sense of dread. She had no idea what her mother was capable of. She had no idea what her mother has done in the past. But she was going to finally find out. Though the feeling in the pit of her stomach made her feel as though she should just turn around and leave the room. But this… this was what she wanted, right? She wanted to know the truth. She didn't want there to be any more lies. She didn't want to be in the dark anymore.

Arabella stared at the chest box. It had golden handles with swirls carved all around it. She drew out her wand and said her name clearly before tapping the top of the box. It creaked and Arabella opened it. There were pictures and bottles with a blue-silvery liquid in them. She examined the bottles for a moment before putting them aside. At the bottom of the box was a thick envelope and inside was a stack of parchment. On the front read: Kassandra Aminta Anastas.

Arabella's fingers brushed over her mother's handwriting, noticing how their A's were the same and how the end of their K's ended with a sort of long flourish. This was proof – proof that Kassandra had lived and that she had loved Arabella. A small tear fell down Arabella's cheek and onto the page, just under Anastas.

Arabella then turned to the next page and read:

To my daughter, Arabella, who I love very much. I leave this for you. In here, you will learn everything about my life. The good, the bad, and the absolute ugly. You will learn all my secrets and all the things I have done over the years. But no matter what you find in here, know that what I did was for something that I believed in. I hope you understand.

Thank you so much for reading! Please tell me what you guys think of this chapter and of Abel. So far so good? And what do you think of Arabella and Sirius's relationship so far? I sort of want it to be a slow-burn of them getting used to each other and getting the awkwardness out of the way early on in this book. Tell me what you guys think!