The pitter patter of light footsteps echoed down the dungeon corridor late in the afternoon. Moseying to her common room, Bella was deep in thought about the day's potions class. The lack of noise and activity in this part of the castle gave her the opportunity to pursue these kinds of thoughts. The clicking of her school shoes, swish of the emerald traced cloak dragging across the uneven stone floor, and faint scratching of the school books brushing against her undershirt as she clutched them close to her chest were the only sounds she could hear. Approaching the Slitherin common room, Bella muttered the secret passcode, and slunk into the main area as soon as the large, enchanted door swung open. She dropped her school books on the counter beside the door, and continued up the stairs to the girl's dormitory. Reaching her bed, Bella unbuttoned the large cloak and let it slide off her petite shoulders. She proceeded to fall back on the comfy bedding, leaving the cloak on the ground beside her bed. 'What did Slughorn say again? Rat tail? Orange peel?' Bella thought to herself as she let out a long sigh. The assignment potion would be due soon, and she could barely remember what they did in class. Too much distraction and not enough time to think through it all. Her mind shifted to another subject, this "secret meeting" tonight. The Lestrange boy told her that a group of pure bloods were meeting for something in the forbidden forest, before inviting her to come along. She couldn't help but roll her eyes when he said "pureblood" like the posh dip-shit he was. Still, she was becoming increasingly curious about this meeting. On the other hand, Slughorn had asked her to come to his summertime gathering tonight. He said something about her being an exceptional student, and having a bright future. Again, a rolling of the eyes, but after Slughorn turned away of course. She decided to think it over after a nap. She slid her head up to the soft pillow, and shut her eyes, drifting into a deep sleep...
Bellatrix woke with a start as a few other girls came barging into the dormitory, giggling and jumping about. Groaning, she lifted herself out of bed, grabbed her wand off the nightstand, and cast a spell to check the time. 8:00 pm., Slighorn's party would start soon, as well as the secret meeting in the forest. For a moment, she considered falling back asleep, before realizing that it would be hard to do so with the arrival of the gossiping chickens a few beds away. Instead, she picked up her cloak, slipped it on, and exited the common room. Traveling quickly out of the dungeon, Bella reached the main hall in time for some dinner. She sat down, about to go for some of the salad to her right, when she caught the eye of the built, handsome boy sitting at the Gryffindor table. His name was George, and Bellatrix found herself speechless every time she laid eyes on him. She would never admit to the crush she had on George, after all, for a Slitherin to have a crush on a Gryffindor was unheard of. She would be relentlessly teased by her Slitherin classmates. George smiled and waved across the room to her. Bella blushed deeply and waved back shyly. For the next half hour, she tried unsuccessfully to focus on her food, often glancing up to get another look at George. She waited until he and his friends left the great hall before exiting herself. She cast another time spell to see that it was now 8:45. 'Meeting, or party?' she thought. It was time to make a decision...
Bella swiftly exited the castle; peering behind her to make sure she wasn't being watched or followed. The forest like floor crunched beneath her feet as she made her way deeper into the restricted areas of the school grounds. 'At least twenty paces east from the doors, and then thirty paces or so northwest' Bellatrix reminded herself. She wanted to be more agitated with the primitive directions, but couldn't expect Lestrange to give her very accurate ones. East and northwest were probably pretty advanced for him, after all. She giggled to herself before continuing with her thirty paces northwest. Bella's eyes began to make out a few hooded figures standing in the distance. 'Good' she thought. For a few moments she considered complaining to the more competent members of the group about the directions she was given, but decided to leave good enough alone. As she approached the group, Bella quickly realized that a competent member in this bunch was nonexistent. Along beside Lestrange stood Malfoy, Crabbe, Goyle, and a few other pureblood girls she did not know, but judging by their obnoxiously perfect posture, she could tell they were just as stuck up as the other purebloods. 'Just great,' she thought, 'I could be at a party right now.' "Evening Bella." Lestrange said with a twisted smile. "Evening." she replied curtly. The rest of the group just gave a casual nod for greeting. "Ok then, that's all of us." Malfoy said. "Then let us begin already!" Crabbe replied. "Patience, Crabbe!" Lestrange snapped. Yawning to emphasize her boredom, Bella asked the question that had been on her mind all night. "Why are we here tonight?" Lestrange grinned mischievously before replying, "You are about to be in the presence of a real dark lord." The amused feeling Bellatrix had about this gathering faded with lightning speed. Everything her father had explained to her about previous dark lords, pureblood matters, and wizard genocide all came to mind immediately. The other members in the group were beginning to stare, and Bella realized that her expression must have reflected her thoughts. She quickly put on a smile, and went back to acting halfway uninterested, stretching a little, and yawning one more time for good measure. Lestrange rolled his eyes at her now. "You don't care about anything, do you?" he stated bitterly, "Always lackluster, always bored, and never interested in a damn thing! Not even a dark lord!" Bella stared at him blankly for a split second before coolly responding with a short, effective retort. "Big words." Lestrange snarled and went to lunge at her, but Malfoy held him back. "It's not worth it!" he yelled. Lestrange was about to break loose when a green flare shot out of the trees and landed before his feet. "Silence!" a new voice called. The group turned their heads to see a hooded figure saunter out of the woods. "You came here to listen, not to fight." he said. His voice was raspy, but consistent. "Tonight is the first night of a new era! And it begins with you. You are the change in the magical tide, pure in blood and fresh in talent. All I ask is for your loyalty, and service. I can lead you to create a better magical world; I can give you fortune, glory, and reward. I am lord Voldemort..."
'A dark lord?' Bella thought as she shifted in her bed. It was 1:00 am and she hadn't gotten any sleep yet. The longer she thought about the meeting, the more uneasy she felt. Usually she would just mind her own business, and leave it alone, but she knew that this could be dangerous if kept secret. But who to tell? Bella let out a sigh as she rolled flat on her stomach. Feeling a bit over heated, she grasped the thin sheet covering her legs and tossed it off the bed, revealing her preference to roll all pajama bottoms knee high. In the new found comfort she found lying flat and coverless, Bella drifted to sleep...