Written for Round Two of the All Year Long Competition.
Mandatory Prompts used - romantic pairing: Alice/Bellatrix, Character: Regulus, spell: cheering charm, emotion: amused, action: a character must pretend not to notice something.
Bonus Prompts Used - rose petals, like moth to a flame, "give me a moment"
It didn't start innocently, and Alice knew better than to think that it would end innocently. Still, she couldn't keep her heart from leaping at the sight of Bellatrix's wicked smile, nor could she seem to stop their meeting in secret in early mornings. Some days she thought that she would indeed do anything if it meant keeping Bellatrix happy.
It was a Tuesday, an unassuming morning like any other. Like all other mornings in recent memory, Alice Fortescue found herself in a secluded courtyard with Bellatrix Black. They sat on the crumbling exterior wall, side-by-side, their feet brushing petals from the dying roses that lay just below. The fall air was brisk, and their breath rose before them in a fine mist. It was chilly, but Alice wouldn't have traded anything for being able to watch the sun rise with Bellatrix.
Alice had asked her once, why they met in mornings before the sun rose, rather than late at night. Bellatrix had looked her straight in the face, dark eyes serious, before replying.
"Alice, each time the sun rises we all have a chance at a new beginning. I want all of my new beginnings to start with you."
Then she had smiled and brought Alice closer in her embrace, and all thoughts of speech had ceased. She hadn't brought it up again.
On this autumn morning, Alice snuggled close into Bellatrix's warmth, watching her with no small amount of fascination. Watching the colours of the sunrise wash over Bella's face, Alice couldn't help but compare her to fire. The reds and oranges lit in her dark hair and eyes, tinting her skin golden. Bella was heat, and zeal, and impulsiveness. Bella was a bonfire burning ever brighter, and Alice was the moth drawn to the flame.
"Staring?"
"Always. You're mesmerizing."
Bella threw back her head and laughed, a deep, throaty sound that made Alice smile.
"You're one of a kind, Alice," Bellatrix said once she had regained her breath.
And with that, the sun had risen, and they parted ways for the day. Neither noticed the boy that had been watching their tryst, half-hidden in the shadows.
-0-
It was almost curfew, and Alice was hurrying through the halls to the Gryffindor dorms. Almost reaching her destination, she was waylaid by a loud voice.
"Fortescue! Please, give me a moment of your time."
She slowed, and looked behind her. It was Regulus Black, and he'd evidently been following her for some time.
"Black. It isn't curfew yet," she remarked dryly.
"I'm not here in my capacity as Prefect, Fortescue. I'm here regarding a personal matter."
"Is that so?"
Alice's attempt to continue walking was stopped abruptly as Regulus stepped quickly in front of her, his hand on her arm.
"Yes. My cousin – stay away from her."
"I've no idea what you're talking about," she replied, shaken.
"I'm sure that you don't. My warning stands, all the same."
With that, Regulus was gone, and she was standing alone in the corridor once again.
-0-
It was Wednesday morning, and they were once again watching the sun rise. This time, they were perched on the roof outside of the Charms wing. School buildings were surprisingly easy to climb, once given the right incentive.
Their passionate kisses had slowly given way to more languid ones, before they simply lay back and stared at each other. After a while, Alice broke the comfortable silence.
"I ran into Regulus last night. Well, really, he accosted me."
"Oh?"
"He told me to stay away from you."
At that announcement, Bella's eyebrows rose so high it looked like they were trying to escape her face. Alice snorted with amusement, while Bellatrix sniffed and pretended that nothing was amiss, nose in the air.
Once Alice had herself under control, Bellatrix turned to her, a glint in her eye.
"Will you?"
"Will I what?"
"Stay away from me?" Bella practically purred the question, as she slung herself over Alice's prone form, arms on either side of hers. Her luxuriously long hair hung over them both, obscuring the light and putting them nose to nose in their own little world.
As their eyes met, Alice knew her answer. Despite the secrecy, and her genuine love for Frank, she would follow Bellatrix to the end of the world and back if it meant that they could be together this way.
-0-
It was her wedding day, and she was smiling. Alice only wished that she could have done it without the use of a cheering charm earlier, when she had watched the sun rise from her window. She had done so alone, as had been her habit since she and Bellatrix had… stopped. She loved Frank Longbottom, with his charming smile, and his kind eyes. She loved the way he made her laugh, and the fun they had together.
But she wasn't in love with him. Not in the way she was with Bellatrix. In her heart, Alice knew that although she loved them both, no one could compare to the wild young girl with whom she had danced in the forbidden forest, and lain naked on the top of the Astronomy tower.
Even now, with the brewing war and increasing attacks, Alice could not help but love Bellatrix. They had chosen different paths, and it was tearing her apart from the inside out.
They had continued their meetings past graduation, until the day that Frank had proposed. Alice knew she had a choice to make, and she could not follow Bella into the grasp of a madman, even if her heart already had. Bellatrix had seen her choice as a betrayal, and Alice did not begrudge her that.
As she looked at herself in the mirror, clad in the dress that would usher in her new life, she couldn't help the tear that escaped even through the absurdly large smile she was wearing.
"I wish you were here for this new beginning, Bellatrix."
A brief note on Alice's maiden name:
Upon searching for a maiden name, the one I came across most often was 'Prewett'. Although I don't have any real problem with that, I stumbled across some speculation in a forum that Alice was a Fortescue. Since Alice doesn't have a canon name, I decided to stick with the one I liked best.