Disclaimer: I don't own anything except my computer and an overactive imagination. Oh, and a fire breathing nun. All characters are property of the genius JKR. Flames will be used to roast marshmallows. That being said, read and review!

I'm Not Ashamed, You're Entertained

Bellatrix Black has always loved an audience.

When she was eight years old, she stole her father's wand during a dinner party. Accompanied by Narcissa, Regulus and Sirius, she ducked under the railing separating the lushly carpeted landing from the diners below. Cygnus Black was telling a joke about a goblin and a kelpie who both walk in a tavern, his face ruddy from the wine and the infectiously jovial atmosphere in the Black dining room: it was the perfect time to act.

Urged on by her cousins and sister, Bellatrix waved the wand once at the bottoms of the chairs. Instantly there was a loud crash and a few loud scrapes as the chairs hit the marble floor. The chair-legs had vanished into thin air without a trace. One of the guests in attendance, a rather portly woman in mauve silk robes cried out: "Cygnus! That…wasn't the punch line, was it?"

Bellatrix giggled into her hands, and the four children were able to escape amidst the annoyed mumblings of the guests below. Breathless, they arrived in Bellatrix's bed chambers, laughing madly. Sirius flopped on her bed, pushing dark hair out of his eyes.

"Trixie, that was amazing! I've never seen father so caught off guard," he said while chuckling bemusedly. Sirius, as the oldest of the four, had been recently lectured on taking some responsibility around the other younger children. After all, they were purebloods and had to behave as such. That didn't stop him from urging Bellatrix on as much as Regulus and Narcissa did.

Bellatrix, still giggling, ran out of the room to replace her father's wand where she had found it, on his bedside table. Screeching to a halt when she arrived at her bedroom door, she paused for a second. A little voice in her head was admonishing her softly, questioning why she had jinxed those chairs and hurt all those people…

Bellatrix shook her head, causing wisps of pin-straight black hair to fall out of the elaborate bun Druella had put it in earlier. She pushed the door to her room open. Nine year old Sirius was lounging on her bed, playing with a set of Gobstones he had found on her dressing table. Regulus was sitting on the floor, his head in his hands, apparently still in hysterics from Bellatrix's little stunt. Five-year-old Narcissa was teetering on Bellatrix's desk-chair, trying to reach a porcelain doll on a high shelf.

"Cissy!", cried Bellatrix, annoyed. "Come down here right now! I don't want Daddy coming up here. He's probably going to suspect me of jinxing the chairs anyway!" As an afterthought, Bellatrix added: "and if you touch that doll, I'll curse it, and make it come after you tonight, and you'll never be able to come in my room again!"

Narcissa looked momentarily put off, then jumped off the chair and landed in Regulus' lap, startling him. "Bella! Oh…it's you," he said disdainfully, pushing the toddler off his lap. Narcissa moved toward her sister and pointed excitedly to the legs of the chair.

"Trixie, more!"

"Not now, Cissy. But…" Bellatrix's eyes lit up, as she surveyed the room. "Maybe tomorrow, I'll curse Auntie Walburga's mirror or something…but only if you promise to come with me and watch, okay?"

Both Narcissa and Regulus agreed readily, excited to see Bellatrix perform more magic. In later years, Narcissa would think back to how very amusing it was to have Bellatrix as a sister: she could tag along and watch Trixie curse, jinx and steal, but she would never risk facing her parents' wrath: Trixie, as the propagator of the crime, would get hit, while Cissy, Regulus and Sirius could go off and play.

Narcissa would also later marvel at how amazing it was that Bellatrix never actually managed to get caught doing anything. She was such a convincing actress, all smiles and sunshine whenever an irate parent stomped upstairs, demanding what had just caused that loud boom. The only one not excited, not cheering her on was Sirius.

"Trixie's only doing this for fun," he thought anxiously. "She obviously cares whether someone gets hurt. She would never do anything to hurt anyone; it's all in good fun… right? She'll out-grow all of this, soon Auntie Druella will start teaching her how to be a proper pureblood lady and she won't be able to play with us or steal wands anymore because she'll be learning all about who to marry and stuff…right?"

Sirius realized he needed to distract himself from his thoughts. His cousin wasn't a crazy killer or anything; she just liked to have fun like any child of her age. Sirius looked up: Bellatrix was standing noiselessly over an unsuspecting Regulus, holding a heavy book inches over his head, preparing to drop it.

"Uh… let's have a game of Gobstones then, shall we?"

"Fine," said Bellatrix, putting the book down and grabbing the game off her bed. "But only if I get to go first."

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Eleven-year-old Bellatrix Black stood on platform 9 ¾, watching the scarlet steam engine, which was billowing out smoke. It was her first day at Hogwarts, and her mother, father and sister had accompanied her to King's Cross to see her off.

"Remember, Bella," her father said. "Andromeda will be arriving at the school with the Rosiers, so look for her when you arrive. She hasn't seen you all summer so she'll want to see you, all right?"

Bellatrix nodded boredly. She heard the whistle of the Hogwarts Express, signaling students to get on. Her mother pulled her close and whispered: "Bellatrix, if I catch wind of you causing trouble at Hogwarts, there will be hell to pay when you come home for holidays. Do I make myself clear? I will not tolerate anything below what a proper pureblood young lady should be acting like, all right?" Then, Druella said, in a carrying tone, "Have fun, my Bella! We'll see you at Christmas!" She bent down to hug her daughter, who did not hug back, but merely glared with obsidian eyes at something only she seemed to see.

Cygnus Black pushed his youngest daughter toward Bellatrix, with a smile. "Say bye-bye to Trixie, Cissy! You won't see her for a few months." Bellatrix leaned down to hug her younger sister, embracing her tightly. As she did so, she slipped a piece of parchment into the pocket of Narcissa's blue frock. "Those are all the secret cupboards and things Mother and Father don't want you knowing about, Cissy. Careful with the third one down though, there are some portraits that won't stop screaming no matter what, so don't go looking in there unless no one else is around, okay?"

Narcissa nodded, letting her sister go. With a final wave and a cheery smile, Bellatrix heaved her trunk up the stairs to the train and got on. She found an almost-empty compartment towards the back of the train. There was only one other occupant in the compartment, and it was impossible to see what he looked like: his face was obscured by a very large, very old book titled Potions Moste Vyle.

With a satisfied smile, she opened her sweaty palm, which had been clenched around something since she had said goodbye to her sister. The boy lowered his book a few inches. His face was framed on either side by curtains of long, slightly greasy dark hair, and he was pale and scrawny. Bellatrix tossed her hair over her shoulder, and cleared her throat tentatively. The boy didn't flinch, just stared at her quizzically with fiery black eyes. She threw her mother's goblin-wrought gold wedding ring into the air and caught it, smirking.

Author's Note: This title is basically tentative. I couldn't get feedback from you glorious people at unless I posted this, and to post, I needed a title, so there you go. I think the title's kinda fitting though, mind you. Review if you want more and all that jazz. Also, suggestions as to later chapters are much appreciated.