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Alastor was not thrilled at having to take Bella out (Rosie made him), but he thought he might be able to work this to his advantage. He'd started by trying to teach her French, since Bella had mentioned her love of the Madeline books.
Bella wasn't thrilled, either, as Uncle Alastor said he would take her to a park where she could make new friends, but they still hadn't arrived at the park yet. Bella wore her noise-cancelling headphones, but Pentagram City was still a scary place for a three-year-old, even if it was less loud. And Bella's legs hurt from walking for so long. Walking was hard enough for a little girl, but for one with leg braces...
Then, Bella saw a sinner who looked like a dog, and also noticed some hellhounds. She flew up into Alastor's arms.
“Is something wrong, cherie?” Alastor asked.
“Dog,” Bella whimpered. She hugged Uncle Alastor even though he didn't hug her back.
“Ah,” Alastor said. “Yes, I don't much care for dogs myself.”
An understatement, given that a hunting dog had played a part in his human death. He would not tell Bella the full story (even if Bella had been older, Alastor would never admit the way he died) but it helped to find common ground with the child.
“Fear not, my dear,” Alastor said, setting Bella back down next to him. “No harm will come to you while you are with me. Your Uncle Alastor has, shall we say, a formidable reputation.”
Bella knew a lot of words for her age, both in English and Italian (and now a few French words thanks to Uncle Alastor), but she did not know what a “formidable reputation” was. Bella simply gave him a blank look behind her thick glasses.
“Smile, mon enfant,” Alastor encouraged. “It is best not to show fear, not in Hell. Fear is weakness, and a smile is strength.”
Bella smiled, even though she still didn't feel like smiling. She still felt scared and her legs still hurt.
“Yes,” Alastor said, his smile and tone more sincere. “That's the spirit. In my time on Earth, we knew the importance of a smile. Smiles made the Depression far less depressing.”
Bella kept smiling, even though she still had no idea what Uncle Alastor was talking about. But she kept smiling since it made him happy.
Uncle Alastor started to sing a song called “Smile, Darn Ya, Smile!” Nice song, though Bella still wondered when they would get to the park.
Years later, when Bella was fifteen, Alastor praised her for being able to use his advice during her weekly visits with Valentino.
“Thank you, Uncle Alastor,” Bella said with a smile. At this point, she treated the title of “Uncle Alastor” the same as she used the title of “Uncle Vox”, just something to call them to their faces.
And really, Bella's memory of Alastor's advice so long ago had almost faded away. She'd really taken more after her Mama. She knew how Mama, during his days owned by Valentino, had performed and pretended not to be bothered (or tried to pretend). The best lessons were ones Bella had learned from Mama.