A/N: First fic! Hope you like it. Also, as my wonderful beta reminded me, I should put that I know Sirius and Bellatrix aren't really the same age (well, pretty sure), but it was part of a requested challenge! The afore mentioned beta is CalculusWasTough, and the un-horrible fight scene is all thanks to her! Feedback would be appreciated. :)
Bellatrix Black was the happiest girl in the world. And who wouldn't be, in her position? She was to represent the female line of Blacks, as her mother had told her. And Bellatrix had been practicing her hexes—she was confident that she would make everyone proud.
"Bellatrix, stop fidgeting." Her mother's voice snapped the eleven year old to attention. Druella held out her hand expectantly. They were apparating to King's Cross station. Cygnus held both Narcissa and Andromeda.
"Yes mother." She took her mother's hand, closed her eyes, and braced herself for the odd pulling sensation her father had described to her. When she opened her eyes they were at a train station. Bellatrix openly showed her disgust towards the Muggles that were crawling about the place.
"Mummy, do they see us?" Her youngest sister hiccuped. Her mother nodded, adding a quiet 'now' before leading her family to platforms 9 and 10.
"We just walk through the wall right there," Cygnus said, nodding to a wall between the two platforms. When they arrived on the other side, Narcissa immediately started bawling.
"Bella, please don't go!" Narcissa Black held her sister tightly, sobbing into her older sister's robes.
"It's okay, Cissy. I'll see you over the holidays, and soon enough you'll go to Hogwarts too." Patting her youngest sister on the back, she shot a small smile at Andromeda. 'Take care of her,' Bellatrix mouthed, earning a confident nod from the middle child. Bellatrix chuckled, and pulled her into the hug. "I'll miss you."
"We'll miss you too, Bella," came their muffled responses. The sound of a throat being cleared broke apart the sisters. Turning towards her mother, Bellatrix straightened her robes.
"Go find Sirius before you miss the train." Despite their mother's best attempt, the affection in her cold voice was not missed by any of Druella's three daughters.
"Yes, Mother." Bellatrix weaved through the crowd, trying to avoid anyone of lesser blood. She grinned when a familiar mop of black hair showed up in the crowd. "Sirius!" she called.
"Trixie!" Sirius smiled, laughing when Bellatrix scowled. "How's my little Pixie?"
"You, sir, are a disgrace to the Black family name. In fact, you are a disgrace to all purebloods. Furthermore, I hate you," Bellatrix sniffed, turning towards a smaller boy behind Sirius.
"Bye, Bella," Regulus muttered, still extremely shy.
"Bye, Reg." Bellatrix gave the nine year old a quick squeeze. She turned back to glare at Sirius, stopping when she saw Sirius using what he had dubbed his 'Too Cute to Stay Mad at Me Eyes'. "Come along now," Bellatrix growled out impatiently, though she did indulge Sirius with a quick glance of affection.
"Yes, Ms. Trixie." Bellatrix rolled her eyes and boarded the train. She found an empty compartment and gently sat down, while Sirius plopped himself into the seat across and closed the compartment door.
"I wonder who our fellow Slytherins will be?" Bellatrix asked, looking out of the window. She smiled when she saw Narcissa talking to Regulus at speeds Bellatrix could only guess.
"Assuming we both get into Slytherin," Sirius said, the casual tone making Bellatrix stiffen.
"We're Blacks; of course we will be in Slytherin." Bellatrix stared at her cousin. "Do you have another house in mind?" she asked coldly.
"Well, I wouldn't mind Gryffindor, I suppose." Bellatrix regarded Sirius for a moment.
"There... are worse houses to be sorted into." She didn't believe that Sirius would actually be put into any other house. Why would he? Every Black before him was a Slytherin, and he would be as well. And if not, well, there were worse houses than Gryffindor.
[]
"Abbot, Gregory," the young Transfiguration professor McGonagall called out, waiting for the first year to stumble to the stool. The hat was on his head but a moment when a cry of 'HUFFLEPUFF' emitted from the magical item.
"Black, Bellatrix," came the call. The Slytherins looked expectant.
"A Black? Well, there is no doubt," was all the hat said to Bellatrix. "Slytherin!" Sitting down at her house table, Bellatrix awaited Sirius.
"Black, Sirius." Whispers were heard as Sirius took his seat on the stool. A moment went by. Then another.
"Gryffindor!" At first, the hall was silent. Nobody dared to breathe. Then, the Gryffindors all shouted and clapped, obviously pleased with this 'victory' over Slytherin.
Bellatrix was curious as to why the hat had chosen Gryffindor for her cousin. Two houses that are infamous for arguing now held best friends. It was curious indeed. Well, she supposed Sirius was brave, to the point of being foolish more often than not. They wouldn't share a common room now, but she had heard Gryffindor and Slytherin had many classes together. Why the idiots that ran the school did this was beyond Bellatrix.
"Potter, James." The hat immediately shouted 'GRYFFINDOR!', and when Bellatrix looked over Sirius seemed to be introducing himself. Well, from little Bellatrix knew about the Potters, they were a noble and ancient house of purebloods as well. At least Sirius was in good company.
Besides, there were worse houses than Gryffindor.
[]
"I hate you Sirius Black!" Bellatrix spat, not noticing anyone else in the school's library. They were in their third year now; Regulus and Andromeda had just been sorted into Slytherin, when Bellatrix saw Sirius laughing with James Potter and two other boys.
"Who are these two?" Bellatrix had asked, a small amount of disdain coloring her voice.
"Lighten up, Trixie! Remus Lupin, Peter Pettigrew, this is my cousin, Bellatrix." James had given her a small smile. Bellatrix had never heard of Lupin or Pettigrew, but that didn't necessarily mean they weren't purebloods. Though Bellatrix once again found herself questioning Sirius.
So Bellatrix had looked them up, and there they were. Pettigrew and Lupin—both half-bloods, both of impure families.
"What? Why?" Sirius seemed genuinely confused... did these boys lie to him? Bellatrix grabbed hold of the thought. Yes, that was it. He had asked, never having heard of their families—like Bellatrix—and they had lied. Sirius did trust a bit too easily in Bellatrix's opinion.
"Oh, my poor cousin. Pettigrew and Lupin lied to you." Sirius shot her a confused look. "They are both half-bloods. I'm sure I could think of something to exact our revenge." Sirius stared at her with surprise and... disappointment?
"You actually believe that supremacist bull our family unloaded on us?" Sirius shook his head. "Trixie, no one chooses—" But Bellatrix was too angry to listen, and as quickly as her fury had redirected itself towards the two half-bloods, it whipped back to Sirius.
"Stupefy!" Sirius dodged the spell easily. It struck a stack of books piled on a table near them, and they toppled to the ground, pages flying through the air.
"Incarcerous!" he shouted. But they both knew Bellatrix could block it, and she did so with a casual flick of her wand.
"Conjunctivitus!" she snarled. Sirius leapt for cover behind a book shelf, but not fast enough to avoid the stream of magic shot at him. His hands flew to his eyes as he gasped in pain. He stumbled backwards as she raised her wand to cast another spell.
"STOP," a voice suddenly commanded. She spun around angrily, looking for the person stupid enough to interrupt. It was the Headmaster.
"Mrs. Black, Mr. Black," Dumbledore said gravely. "Kindly explain your actions." Sirius, already regaining his eyesight, stepped forward, but Bellatrix shoved him to the ground.
"He is a blood traitor!" she spat, practically foaming at the mouth. Dumbledore shook his head at her sadly.
"50 points for Slytherin, Mrs. Black, for destroying school property and attacking a fellow student. This is your first and only warning."
[]
Regulus buried his face in Bellatrix's shoulder, taking a deep breath. They were in the Slytherin common room, Bellatrix silently daring anyone to say a single word. She should have known. Known it wasn't 'just a house', as Sirius had been telling her all these years. Bloody well should have guessed he would start associating with filthy half-bloods and mudbloods alike. Why he couldn't understand something he had been taught since birth was beyond Bellatrix's comprehension. They were of lesser blood, and therefore were not ones to be around.
She pulled Regulus closer. Sirius had seemed so wonderful.
[]
Dumbledore is a fool. That was what he had said. She agreed. The old coot invited mudbloods into Hogwarts, a school Salazar Slytherin had founded. There were the other founders, sure, but Salazar was truly the greatest of them all. And now Lord Voldemort, the greatest wizard of her time, was talking to her, offering her a position in his circle. She'd be just as idiotic as the headmaster if she didn't take the opportunity.
"Do you accept?" The question need not be asked, not really.
"Yes, my lord."
[]
I miss you. Andromeda.
Bellatrix burned the note left on her doorstep immediately, disgust and betrayal flowing through her. First, it had been Sirius, then her own sister had married a Muggle-born! Was there no one she could trust? Other than her lord, of course.
Now that Regulus was gone Narcissa and Lord Voldemort were all she had left. It wasn't right! But it was late, and Bellatrix would not let herself waste any energy on blood traitors.
[]
Burning to death, in a magical fire, stood Regulus Black. Terror was etched into his face as he looked at Bellatrix through the smoke.
"Why didn't you save me! You call yourself my family? Do something then!" But Bellatrix couldn't move. Frozen she watched as her cousin died, screaming at her until his last second.
Bellatrix didn't sleep again for three days.
[]
As her body hit the floor, Bellatrix knew she had no one.
And it was all her fault.