I know that it's foolish to start another story before finishing one, but I just couldn't resist. And it's yet another Bellatrix fanfiction! Came in a crazy talk with my friends.

Bellatrix was brutally thrown into her cell. She did not resist, it was pointless. The door slammed and the Death Eater was left in the cell all alone.

At least it seemed so at first, until her eyes got used to the darkness and she looked around.

And she shrieked.

On the straw bed, there was sitting a ghost, sitting as if he was sitting on a couch in front of a fireplace.

'Good evening!' the ghost said enthusiastically, he jumped on his feet and came up to Bellatrix – he walked and not flew, like the Hogwarts ghost did. Bellatrix noticed old marks of fire around the straw bed. Fire in Azkaban?

'Good?' she snorted. The ghost was still smiling. He was wearing a bloodstained prisoner's uniform, he had some scars and a black eye and he looked as if he hadn't eaten anything or slept for ages. Which was almost sure, as he was a ghost.

'Well, you must admit that it's better for you than most of the prisoners' the ghost said casually. 'You have a company. And talking about company, it's a very good day for me as well. I was so bored, of course Conrad visits me, but I'm always happy to meet new people. The last one I was sharing this cell with stayed sane until the very end, you know. And he spent over twenty years here.'

Bellatrix grimly nodded.

'How long are you haunting this cell?' she asked. The ghost laughed.

'I'm not haunting, I'm spending time here! It's quite good, except the first week of July. And I can't answer you right now… which year is it now?'

'1981… early December…'

'This makes almost one hundred and forty-one. One hundred and forty as a ghost.'

'You wanted to stay here for so many years?' Bellatrix gazed at the ghost in disbelief.

'I had no choice' the ghost stopped smiling. He sat on the straw bed back. For a long while he swayed on it with his eyes closed, there was almost complete silence, broken only by Barty's screams from the next cell.

'My name is Carl' the ghost said finally. 'And yours?'

'Bellatrix' Bellatrix said. Well, she was going to spend some time with this ghost. They could as well pass to the first-name terms immediately… he was so much older than her, and he looked much younger, he looked like he died in his late teens or early twenties. She couldn't address someone like this "Mr. Whatever-His-Last-Name-Was", so she didn't ask him to call her Mrs. Lestrange. And the ghost – Carl – looked satisfied.

'Bellatrix' he said, looking like he was enjoying the sound of her name. 'The warrior woman… oh, you would be so welcome when I was ten…'

Suddenly the ghost stood straight.

'Please, Bellatrix, tell me… do you know anything about… about Poland?'

Bellatrix remembered one of the Muggle Studies lesson, the one about Muggle history… and there was something in Carl's eyes that made her answer.

'Do you mean People's Republic of Poland? This puny little country between Germany and Soviet Union?' she asked just in case.

'IT'S BACK?' Carl screamed joyfully, and he danced through the cell, giving shrieks of joy and then he jumped up to the barred window in the cell door. 'CONRAD!' he yelled. 'POLAND IS BACK!'

No one answered him.

'It's the happiest day in my whole li…' Carl suddenly stopped and laughed. 'I'm sorry.'

'Who's Conrad?' Bellatrix asked curiously.

'He's my friend. You'll meet him soon for sure.'

Bellatrix sat down on the straw bed next to Carl.

'You're here and you're so happy?' she asked. The ghost nodded.

'I'm a ghost, so dementors don't affect me… I should also mention that Conrad talked them into leaving this cell quite alone.'

'Conrad is a ghost too?'

'Not really… he'll explain it better. What did they put you here for?'

Bellatrix hesitated. If the ghost didn't like her answer, he could leave her all alone, and he was right – any company would help her stay sane to the return of the Dark Lord…

'I wanted… I wanted to help my master to return…' she whispered. Carl nodded understandingly.

'I'd hug you if I had anything to hug you with' he said casually. 'I wanted Poland to return…'

'Yeah, I noticed' Bellatrix snorted. 'And so did Conrad, am I right?'

'Yes.'

'Oh… Carl… my husband is here too… and my brother-in-law… and my friend… can you visit them too?'

Carl shook his head.

'No, I'm sorry I can't. But Conrad can if I ask him to.'

He took a ghost of tissue and a ghost of tobacco out of his pocket. He made a cigarette and smoked it.

I'd love it if you reviewed! Point me language mistakes and anything you liked and didn't like.