Candy Floss (Book 1)

chapter 1

SUMMERS AT THE Potter Manor were always quite interesting. They usually included some form of socialization between her parents, Lily Evans-Potter and James Potter, and their friends, Remus Lupin, Sirius Black, Peter Pettigrew, Marlene McKinnon, Dorcas Meadowes, and Mary Macdonald. Arabella Elizabeth Potter was born to 18 year-olds Lily Evans and James Potter. All of their friends and James's parents were very involved in her life from day 1.

Over the summer, fifteen-year-old Arabella absorbed herself in her books until she couldn't tell between the days which meant that the summer passed quickly. Bella didn't get any letters from her friends nor did they see each other at all. It got to the pathetic point where her only companions were her cat Willow, her siblings, and two two-year-olds. She knew that her friends are super busy during the summer so it's not like she expected anything. Still, it was hard for her to see her younger siblings, Harry and Millie Potter, getting mail almost every day when she barely got anything at all. She had other things to do, like homework and babysitting her uncles' twins, instead of moping around and thinking that her two best friends, George Weasley and Angelina Johnson, hate her.

"Bella?" Her mum, Lily Evans-Potter, called out, snapping her out of her misery.

"Hmm?"

"You're supposed to be babysitting," Lily said, gesturing to the two toddlers playing on the floor in the Potter Manor living room.

"Oh right!" She said immediately sitting up from the couch.

"Are you ok?" Her mum asked with concern.

"Yeah I'm fine" By the look on her face, Lily could tell that she was not, in fact, ok. After giving her daughter a look and receiving one back, she dropped the subject, sensing that her daughter did not want to talk about it.

"Ok," She was still a bit skeptical. "Dad and I have to head out soon for dinner with the Prime Minister. Sirius and Remus will be coming over while we're gone so you will be relieved of your babysitting duties," Lily said. She looked at the watch on her right hand and got a bit flustered. "Sabba is in his office and Savta is in their room if you need them. I need to go upstairs and start getting ready. Dad will be back from checking on the Sleakazy's factory in a bit. Tell him to come upstairs to take a shower." She started to get stressed. "Oh and please check on Harry and Millie and make sure they aren't injured, they are outside playing quidditch."

"Alright," Bella replied. "Good luck at your dinner mum!" She yelled to her mum as she was making her way up the stairs relatively quickly. Lily's the Minister for Magic so every so often, she has to meet with the muggle Prime Minister. The last time she met with him, he invited her and James for dinner with him and his wife at a fancy restaurant. James usually isn't very busy around dinner time so he took the opportunity to join his wife at a business dinner. James works at the family company, Sleakazy's hair potion, with Bella's grandfather.

"Come on little pups, let's go check on your cousins." She said, scooping up the two-year-olds in her hands. It takes quite a bit of practice to hold two squirming two-year-olds at once, and Bella was getting quite used to it.

She walked through the archway connecting the living room to the main corridor. Then, she walked out of the manor through the sliding glass door and onto the deck that lined the back of the Potter Manor. All while holding toddlers Teddy Black-Lupin and Nova Black-Lupin. She struggled a bit at opening the sliding door but eventually managed to open it after bending and twisting into an absurd position where her right hand was level with the handle and she could finally open the door. She crossed the deck, stepped down from the platform that was very low to the ground, and strolled through the overgrown grass getting to the clearing in the trees where her siblings were playing quidditch.