There are many things in the world Bellatrix Lestrange hated, and coming right after mudbloods, blood traitors and muggles, was being confined to a house like a caged animal. After the Dark Lord arrived to a house that no longer contained the Potter boy, she was lucky to be left alive and have gotten off only with a sort of house arrest. But that didn't lessen her annoyance. Bellatrix liked to breath almost as much as she liked to kill.

She was sitting on the floor in her guest bedroom, using her pointed nails to carve shapes and letters into the wall. She'd just finished the last D in MUDBLOOD, and was smiling slightly at the memory of the word on Granger's arm. Her smile dropped when the door swung open and Narcissa walked in. Bellatrix stood abruptly, eyeing her sister with narrowed eyes, arms crossed, and her lower lip jutting out slightly, looking very childlike. Narcissa, composed as ever, raised an eyebrow at her.

"I came to check on you," she said bleakly.

Bellatrix stomped closer to her, her heels clicking loudly on the wooden floorboards until she was inches from her sister's face. Nearly anyone else would've been wildly intimidated of being in such close proximity to such a lethal Death Eater, but never Narcissa. " I can't take it here, Cissy. It's drab and boring and I haven't used the Cruciatus Curse in days."

In a sudden burst of anger that would've been unexpected from anyone other than Bellatrix, she kicked the wooden chair at her bedside so hard it went flying into the nearest wall, crashing with a loud bang. "And I want my fucking wand!" she howled.

Narcissa had still managed to keep her cool, and calmly withdrew her wand from her robes, "I was going to let Draco borrow it, but for the sake of what you have left in one piece in my home, I think it's best-"

Bellatrix snatched the wand out of Cissy's hand before she could finish her sentence. With a wave of the wand and a glint in her eyes she fired a curse at the discarded chair and with a crack, sent splinters flying everywhere. No more than 5 seconds passed before Lucius came running in, stopping behind his wife and staring around the room in shock. He shot a dirty look at Bellatrix's smiling face.

Before Lucius could say anything, Narcissa said, "Bella, perhaps you should... get some air," when her suggestion was met with silence she continued, "go somewhere and seek out a wand for you to use until you can get yours back."

"Are you suggesting I defy the Dark Lord's wishes?" Bella asked shrewdly.

"Just do what you have to to keep your head,"

"Or what's left of it anyway," Lucius hissed. Bellatrix swung her wand to point it in his face, fixing him with a look that made him more nervous that he would've liked to admit. Narcissa grabbed his arm and pulled him from the room before any more damage was done, leaving Bellatrix to herself.

As soon as she was left alone, the dark haired witch began pacing her room, her heels further crushing any splinters she stepped on. She was beyond conflicted. She needed to breath fresh air, escape her cage, win a wand. But defy the Dark Lord? Then again, she wasn't much use to him confined to the walls of Malfoy Manor, without use of a wand truly loyal to her, without even the use of her precious dagger. She growled and cast a spell at her window, and the force of her it sent shards of glass flying 15 feet into the cloudy day. Air rushed into the room and she was lost to it. The feel of freedom on her fingertips. Ever since Azkaban Bellatrix hadn't done well being confined to a single space. As if in a trance, she moved gracefully to the broken window, breathing deeply. The Dark Lord was busy, he wouldn't notice if she took a short field trip. She was doing it for him, really. She was his best lieutenant, she wouldn't do him any good unarmed.

Without further delay, she apparated out of the room, were she appeared seconds later in Diagon Alley. She pulled her hood over her face. Wouldn't want to be recognized before she found her next victim, so as not to cause a panic. She strode forward with her head down. Still, she noticed that Diagon Alley wasn't nearly as crowded as it was the last time she visited her vault. All the miserable mudbloods and blood traitors were holed up in their houses, shaking with fear. She smirked at the image. Unfortunately that might make it a bit harder to find someone to disarm, and then of course, Crucio into oblivion.

Her stride slowed to a prowl and her dark eyes peeked out from under her hood to search. That was when she saw something most peculiar; a door swinging open by itself, when there was no sign of a breeze. She moved quickly around the side of the building, peering into the window. Everything seemed normal...no wait! she thought.

Bellatrix's eyes had caught on to a large plate of food that she assumed was meant for the three men with a glasses of firewhiskey waiting at the bar. It was lifted mid air by itself before vanishing in the blink of an eye, only to be replaced moments later by a small cluster of gallons. Bellatrix stared, transfixed before she walked back to where she came from and peered around the corner to wait to see if the front door would open again. Sure enough, it did.

Bellatrix raised her elegant eyebrows in fascination.

Very interesting.

A/N:

First I'd like to thank all the wonderful people who reviewed :)

Second, sorry for the short chapter, but it shouldn't be too long before I can get the next one up. And then we can get to the good stuff ;)