A challenge from hih at livejournal. The prompt was what would happen if Bellatrix was sorted into Hufflepuff. I was sure that it would not change anything. I'm firm on the belief that Death Eaters can come from houses other than Slytherin, so I thought this could be the same for Bella.
Destiny is a funny thing. It is an occurrence that prods you in the right direction no matter what path you chose or are forced to take, so that by the end of your journey the location you reach is always the same.
Bellatrix Black was one such example. She was kneeling on the hard wooden floor, black locks pooling down her back, her lips slightly parted and her dark eyes fixated on the tall figure that stood before her.
"My Lord," she murmured in reverence, her right hand clenching her left arm where a mark in the shape of a snake slithering out of a skull's mouth burned black. It was difficult to discern her feelings towards it by her mannerisms. In one way, she was gripping it tightly as if she was in pain. Yet, at the same time, her thumb ran up and down the design as if she was stroking it. "Thank you. It is such an honour."
The waxy face of the man merely nodded, his thin lips curling into something that could be vaguely defined as a smirk. No matter what, the girl in front of him would always be his
On September 1st underneath the starry ceiling at Hogwarts, it would always be the same. Every year there would only be slight changes in the decor or choice of food and the only real change was the people who gathered below. Though, the behaviour was mostly the same: The older students chatted loudly between themselves while a row of nervous eleven year olds waited in line and listened with baited breath for their name to be called. 1962 followed this trend.
With a name like Bellatrix Black, the then eleven year old Bella was the second to be called. She did not waver nor did she display the nerves that were scattered over the faces of the others. Showing confidence that was unusual in a child of her age, she strutted up to the front and sat down on the stool. The only hesitation she showed was the look of disgust she showered onto the flimsy stool and the dirty hat.
Simply, unlike most of the others, Bella had no reason to be nervous. She knew where she would be placed. It was the only house that was deserving of someone like her and of course the hat would agree. As such, her mind was only half on the task as the hat slid over her eyes.
"Finally, another Black has returned to the halls of Hogwarts," the hat hissed into her mind, its ancient voice audible only to her.
"Well, yes of course," Bellatrix snapped back in response, barely concealing the urge to role her eyes. "Just hurry up with it and put me where I belong."
In another life, Bella might have changed her phrasing and told the hat that where she belonged was Slytherin, but this time she did not. She was sure that the hat would already know that it was the place for her, so she did not need to comment about such an obvious fact. However, she was wrong. The old hat had other ideas.
"Not so fast, Miss Black. It is not so easy to sort you. There is some intelligence here and some thirst for knowledge, but it is dormant compared to other parts of you. Now I see some cunning in here and some ambition. Definitely some ambition and a real desire for dominance," the hat continued, the tone suggesting it was deep in thought. She smirked slightly, but it was only slightly with most of her body language suggesting irritation from the crease of eye eyebrows to the tapping of her foot. In her mind the hat's words only made it clearer to Bella that within a moment she would be sent to join Slytherin. "Yet I see something else. Oh yes, it is clear. Very clear. Bravery lots of bravery, but that is not what shines bright. Loyalty. Absolute loyalty. You are capable of great sacrifices even if it means sacrificing your own desires. You may not give it often, but when you do it in unyielding.
Bellatrix was about to interrupt, but before she did it had already made its decision. Opening the wide brim crease that served as its mouth it announced to the whole hall, "Hufflepuff!"
The whispers in the crowd from those of wizarding families at the thought of someone from such an infamous family such as a Black being sorted into the house of the badgers were loud, but not compared to the noise that issued from Bella's own mouth.
"What!" she screamed loudly, complete disdain itched over the beginnings of what would be very beautiful features. Yanking the hat off her head she threw it onto the stool and glared at it before she turned to the teachers and staff that sat on the table behind her. "I'm not going to that place! I'm going to Slytherin where I belong!"
She did not take back her words, but did actually take a few steps towards the Slytherin table, like she promised. However, she was stopped before she could go any further by a gentle hold of her arm.
"I'm sorry, Miss Black, you will have to go to the Hufflepuff table," said the dark haired and usually stern faced witch that she would later know as Professor McGonagall. Bella glowered at the woman and was tempted to ignore what she said, but after a pleading look she eventually relented. Tugging her sleeve from the professor's grip she stalked over to the designated table and threw herself into the seat. Crossing her arms firmly across her chest, she glared furiously ahead and ignored those who politely tried to welcome her. She did not care for any of them.
The same would occur for the rest of Bella's life at Hogwarts.
The moment the feast finished, Bella fled to the Owlery and wrote a letter to her father explaining, or rather complaining, about what had transpired. She stated that an error had been made and she was determined that she would be placed into Slytherin. A part of her had been a little daunted at the reaction of her father, but she had pushed it away knowing that with his assistance she would be placed in the dungeons where she belonged.
It was the only thing that comforted her during the first couple of days at school. However, it was not long before she received and answer to her letter in the form of her being summoned to the Headmaster's Office. An obviously disgruntled father met her in the room, but he did not waste much time talking to her other than a few pleasantries. Instead, both father and daughter jumped straight to the task at hand. Mostly, it progressed into both of them screaming at Dumbledore for about half an hour, which was something neither were too upset about having to do.
However, their attempts were in vain. The Headmaster had not relented in the slightest. While he had expressed some comforting words he had explained that the decision of the hat was binding and nothing could be done. Instead, he suggested that Bella would enjoy her time in Hufflepuff and she did not have any reason to worry.
Father and daughter were unimpressed. With virtually the same severe look they shot curses at the elderly wizard with their eyes and both echoed the same view that Hufflepuff house would never be the place for Bellatrix. However, nothing eventuated with their words and Bella found herself in the house where she would spend the next seven years of her life.
It could not be said that Bella enjoyed her time as a badger, but she eventually adapted. While others might have seen it as a time to be exposed to students who she never would have associated if the hat would not have placed her in Hufflepuff, she could never see it that way.
Stubborn, angry and ironically forever loyal to the lessons taught by her father, she never relented in her views on blood purity. Mudbloods were always scum in her eyes and she treated them like the vermin that she believed they were. She cursed them without a second thought causing her to end up in detention constantly, losing house points (to her amusement) and even finishing up in the Hospital Wing a number of times. After all, while she rejected her fellow Puffs, they were eager to protect her fellows that she attacked.
By the end of her stay in school, her companions in her house were few and far between and were only those that had the utmost purity of blood. Instead, she never turned her back on the house of the snakes where she still thought she belonged. Most of her friends were those that she had met before at family galas. While they took some getting used to that she was a Hufflepuff, with some convincing and more than a few hexes they came around.
To Bella's immense relief her family was the same. If they would have abandoned her, she would have been lost and maybe the House of Hufflepuff would have drawn her in, but they never did. She was loyal to the Blacks and they, in turn, were loyal to her.
So, when the news of a Dark Lord began to emerge, she lapped it up just as she would have done if there would have been a snake emblem on her robes. Every article drew her attention and her vocal praise never halted, even if such outbursts were more unwelcome in her house than they would have been in Slytherin. However, to her, it did not matter. Eventually, her displays were noticed and she found herself before the Dark Lord with his mark on her arm.
Just as it was always meant to be.
/lj-cut
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