Here is the next chapter of the story. I hope you like it.

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter

~conorlover~

Chapter 2

A New Evolution

Bella was bored.

She was seated amongst her so-called 'friends', children of other wealthy pureblood families. What a joke. Bellatrix Black didn't have any friends. She had acquaintances, who would widen domestic and international options for business later in life, as well as perform more covert favours to disguise what might be scandals.

Bella was the favorite of her father, if only because she was the best business opportunity he had had yet. And also because she was the only one in his family who understood what he was talking about.

At this time during a normal day, she would have been sitting in her room as her house-elf, Binky, performed her toilette before dinner. However, since today the Black family had been invited to Grimmauld Place, she had been made ready beforehand, and was now dressed in one of her finest gowns, a black silk affair with dark eyelet lace. It had cost a pretty galleon, but it was nothing that the Black family couldn't afford. Besides, Cygnus Black knew that this dress, which would be outgrown in a few months, was an investment. Seeing his lovely eldest daughter, one of the pureblood scions he was to be dining with tonight would undoubtedly entertain thoughts of a possible union between her and one of his sons.

Bella, as all young ladies should be, was sitting gracefully in an armchair, arms resting regally by her side and legs gracefully folded in front. With her black gown and jeweled hair, she looked just like one of the more imperious paintings hanging in the households. All this grace and royalty, however, was wasted on the company she was surrounded by. Aunt Walburga had insisted that the 'children' go upstairs and play, leaving the 'grown-ups' for sensible talk, and thus Bella was stuck with her so-called friends.

Most of them were children her age, for the elder ones were downstairs with their parents, being flashed as property to impress or incite business deals. Bella, at age nine, was considered far too young to tempt any suitors by her aunt, even if her father thought differently, and was thus delegated with the 'children' above. Needless to say, Cygnus had been quite furious at this marvelous waste of opportunity, but later understood that the small curtsey and elegant introduction that Bella had given of herself to the rest of the guests when she had arrived was enough to make a sufficient impression. She could not be easily forgotten, after all.

Now, she sat on an armchair, disdainfully watching her younger sisters and cousins run amuck. The company was diverse, but the manners were all the same. Disgraceful. Neither Evans Rosier nor William Avery seemed to be very thoughtful, judging by the way they were running about with that silly baton over their heads. Andromeda, her own sister, was sitting on the floor with a large bucket of what looked liked rat entrails, although it could not possibly be, digging through them. Cissy was screaming at the top of her lungs as several house-elves frantically tried to quiet her, lest they be punished. And her cousin Regulus was calmly pulling at one of the elaborate braids that were tied upon Andromeda's head. Bella contemplated intervening for a moment, but then decided against it. Her mother delegated babysitting duty upon her often enough. She wasn't going to do it this night too, no matter how boring it was.

Larissa Black, better known as Lara in her household, was not keen on looking after her children. She had never wanted them – they stank too much, cried too much, and completely ruined her pristine figure – but since her husband had needed an heir, she had given birth. All three times had been completely for naught, each producing a useless girl instead of a much-needed boy. After the birth of Andromeda, his second daughter, Cygnus had started to fear that he might never have a son, and would forever be cursed with daughters who he would have to pay for and give dowry for. This statement was true, up till now, at least. Cygnus was making frantic efforts to change that.

Dismissive of the useless appendages that she had birthed, Lara often abandoned her children to go on month-long shopping sprees to Paris, Rome, Milan, Berlin, anywhere with better fashion than dreary old England. Her children suffered at first from the lack of attention, but Bella, the eldest, a quick learner, soon learnt to accept her mother's absence, and performed her directed duty of looking after her younger sisters. Her father, though initially disapproving of his wife's flighty nature, began to accept it after she flatly told him that she couldn't bear a male heir until she was comfortable. After eight years of that conversation, she had still not borne him an heir, but he was still hopeful.

Bella always performed her forced duty with the grace and good temper rarely found in a child her age, but today was different. She was uncomfortable in her new dress, and irritable at being forced with company so obviously beneath her. Besides, there were house-elves – they would take care that her sisters wouldn't do something that would get her reprimanded very badly.

She sighed in frustration yet again as she looked at the gathering of children. If only she had been a boy! As a girl, she had no use to be downstairs unless she was older and attracting prospective husbands, but if she had been a boy, the first born, then she would have been down amongst that elite gathering, drinking wine from crystal flutes and showing off her fine graces. The heirs to various families were always below, joining their fathers in business matters and behaving in a manner befitting their positions.

She would have been the rightful heir, child of Cygnus, the eldest, if she had been male. As it was, the role was designated to her cousin Sirius, the eldest son of the second brother, Orion. His younger brother, Regulus, was here, as his presence was not needed there, but she would have been down there, instead of Sirius, if only she had been born a boy.

She felt a slight resentment towards her cousin, then banished those thoughts from her mind. Such thoughts did not befit a young lady of good position. They were best left to those less fortunate, and those filthy half-bloods and mudbloods. She was a pureblood, and one in high society – she would behave like it. She was to be elegant and graceful, even in her thoughts. Thoughts like the sun, mother said.

It was astonishing, because Bella looked nothing like the sun. In fact, if there was anyone in her family who resembled it, it would be Cissy, and perhaps her mother. They were both blonde and fair, and very beautiful. Bella was beautiful, too, but hers was another beauty. She had skin made of pure ivory, the whitest possible, but instead of giving her a deathly appearance, it shone with an energy that made people unable to take their eyes off her. Her hair was very dark, darker than any seen before, ebony, and her lips were a stunning red, even without any artificial remedies. Her eyes were the richest South American cocoa, their dark depths hidden behind long eyelashes and heavy, hooded lids, which gave her an aura of mystery. All this combined to make a stunning figure, impossible to ignore even in her tender age. Cygnus was right to consider her his crown jewel, and also to predict that he would be besieged by marriage proposals when she became of age.

Her sisters were quite different from her. All the Black sisters were beautiful – it was almost necessary to consider you a Black – but they could not be compared to their eldest sister. Cissy was like one of Raphael's angel paintings, her golden hair floating behind her like a halo as she smiled with a cherubic face. Andromeda was darker than Cissy, resembling Bella greatly, but somehow all wrong. While Bella's features combined to make her stunning, Andromeda's clashed, and made her look awkward and out of place. Nevertheless, compared to all others who did not possess their superior familial genes, she was far more attractive. She too had dark hair, but not Bella's ebony. Instead hers was a soft nut-brown, paired with gentle chocolate eyes. Sometimes when Bella was in a good mood, she would joke about how they looked good enough to eat.

Regulus, too, had gained the good looks of his family, with a firm chin and aristocratic features, but currently was putting them to no use, so busy as he was with his cousins' hair.

She looked at them one last time before abruptly getting up and exiting. None of the house-elves noticed her, busy as they were with Cissy. That was how it always was – she was always ignored in favour of her two younger sisters. They were the younger ones, the more 'fragile' ones. They were her mother's favorites. Even today, Mother had given her pearl earrings and brooch to Cissy, completely forgetting Bella and Andromeda. Cissy was the one that looked like Mother, after all, the one who had inherited her fair good looks. She would forever be her favorite child, and the only one she cared about. Bella and Andromeda were merely wallflowers, previous disappointments. Andromeda didn't care so much, being too young to notice the absence of something she had never had, and being perfectly content with the affection that Bella showed for her, but Bella herself was unhappy. She went out of her way to please her mother, performing all of the duties that were traditionally that of the matriarch, but Lara never seemed to notice the dark child, so unlike herself.

She walked out of the French doors to one of the balconies, trying to relieve her agitation by some solace and quiet, but was unpleasantly surprised to find that the balcony was already occupied. On close observation, it emerged that the person who was occupying her escape was her cousin Sirius. The same Sirius who was supposed to be downstairs with the rest of the guests, giving a good impression and behaving as a Black should.

"What are you doing here?" she spoke before she realized it. Perhaps it was because of her long need for company, perhaps because he seemed so composed after what she had just left behind her. She did not know, but it almost bubbled out of her, as though escaping from her lips. If she really had as much understanding over her emotions as she thought she had, she would have understood that the queer, inquisitive feeling flowing through her now was curiosity.

Sirius turned. His dark eyes were astonishingly cool in his flushed face, and his expression was completely blank. Wiped clean like a slate. He was wearing dress robes, coupled with a heavy cravat that looked odd on someone even younger than herself. She felt her eyes drawn to it for a moment, fascinated by the heavy diamond and the Black family coat-of-arms engraved on it, but soon grew bored at this frequent sight, reverting her eyes to its much more interesting owner.

"Escaping. What about you?" Sirius asked, a flash of light coming into his lifeless, dull eyes.

Although they were cousins, she didn't really know Sirius. All of their previous meetings had been social occasions, as was this one, amongst many people at large functions and familial gatherings. This was the first time they were actually conversing, apart from the formal 'hello' they said in greeting, while surrounded by many people.

"I thought you were supposed to be downstairs, with Uncle and Aunt," Bella asked a little suspiciously. Her rather naive mind couldn't understand why he would be up here, instead of downstairs, enjoying himself.

"I am. I gave them the slip – snuck out through the house-elves' exit," Sirius replied, turning away again, as though bored by Bella and her ordinariness. She would have felt insulted by it if she hadn't been so interested in his words.

"Escape? But why would you want to escape from there? It's so lovely - everybody treats you like a grown up, and there's no screaming," she asked, rather childishly. Since her dearest desire presently was to be amongst the adults, she couldn't understand Sirius' revulsion to them. It was naïve of her, and Sirius knew it. He gave her a rather dismissive look as he replied.

"You wouldn't understand. You're just a girl – a little kid, no better than Regulus."

Bella felt anger flare in her at being compared to the mentally undeveloped Regulus. "For your information, I'm elder to you too, if you remember. You're younger to me by almost a year."

"Only physically. Mentally, your understanding is no better than mine."

She felt insulted again, and was about to retort sharply, but then she saw his expression. He was smiling slightly, as if amused. Furious at the thought that he was laughing at her, she tried to use her wits instead. She knew that she would only serve as a source of further amusement to him if she retorted, so she tried to curb in her temper, and asked quite civilly "So why are you up here, anyway?"

Sirius shot a quick look at her, then turned his head back. "I don't want to be there, among all those gossiping old ladies. It's no fun listening to someone blabber about how much money they made this week. And all those boys! Absolutely useless, right down to the last one. Most of them are just like their fathers, going on and on about money, or about their latest conquest this week, or flirting with those giggling parasites they call girls. The only one who's just barely tolerable is Malfoy, and he's always with his father."

"I'm sure you've got it wrong – it's bound to be endlessly amusing, to be able to converse with intelligent human beings instead of getting trapped with screaming children." Bella replied rather thoughtlessly. Her own perception of glory and concession was so clearly fixed that she couldn't imagine it any differently.

Sirius' nostrils flared. "That's what you would think," he retorted harshly, biting the words. "You're just a thoughtless girl. You don't actually have to be down there, among those foolish opportunists. Social gatherings, my foot! Why don't they just call it by their proper name – a moneymaking party. That's all they do here. Discuss their newest business deals, try to trap others into investing with them – its nothing but a fancy way to disguise hardcore advertising. Even the women, they talk about nothing but money, about this necklace or the other. It's so frustrating! Hearing only about how 'he's such a splendid son', and 'you raised him well, Orion' and 'he'll be a fine heir'. I am the person I am because of myself, not because of anybody else."

Bella frowned. This was against all that she had been taught until now, about how it was your parents who were responsible for turning you into who you are, about how it is completely to their credit. "Don't you think you're being a little selfish there? Your parents raised you and made you into who you are."

"Raised me, yes, fed me, yes, but they did not change my personality. My personality and my thoughts are solely based on what I think and fell, and how I analyse the world. Parents can only influence us upto a certain amount – after that you make your own choices and develop your own mind."

"I disagree. My parents have undoubtedly raised me to think as they do, and to show me the correct way to go through society and life."

"You think so, but it's not actually true, is it? Especially not for you, I hear. Tell me, what are your thoughts about the election of Albus Dumbledore as Headmaster of Hogwarts?"

She frowned, wondering as to his strange question. "It's a travesty, of course! The man is a blood-traitor, and he shouldn't be allowed to sully our pure blood with the filth of half breeds and savages. There is bound to be some trickery involved."

He turned suddenly to face her, fury whitening his face. "That's not what you think, merely what others want you to think. You've heard this reply so many times that you have become convinced that this is what you must think, that if you do not, then you are not behaving properly, or some other hippogriff shit. I want you to tell me what you think, what your reflections and deductions are upon this situation."

She frowned. He was so arrogant! Of course these were her own thoughts. Dumbledore was a senile old man, who had a nasty taste for foul blood. He would bring nothing but disgrace in the hallowed halls of Hogwarts.

Unless… it was something else. Her father had always talked about Dumbledore in a nasty fashion, and the Daily Prophet hadn't been too kind, either, but Bella was more well-read than her parents presumed she was. Often at night, she snuck into the library to peruse those books and articles which were forbidden to her by day, and once, she had even stolen several essays that had belonged to her reformist, disgraced Uncle Alphard. The perspective and viewpoint given in those had been quite illuminating, and although she had to covertly return them to his desk after he had publically complained, she had managed to read one essay before that. Dumbledore was very strong, and very capable. It was he, after all, who had defeated Grindelwald, and he who protected England against his wrath. Countries all over Europe were toppling like dominoes, and even though he was supportive of the pureblood families, she did not pretend that life would have been as comfortable as it was now underneath him. Grindelwald was powerful, and didn't need the alliance of the pureblood families like the Ministry did. The Ministry counted on the purse of the pureblood families for many a venture, and was quite happy to be a petted dog to receive its prize, but Grindelwald wouldn't need any of that. All he would have to do was take it by force, and the pureblood families would be bereft of all their political connections and wealth. The stability of the wizarding world as it was would collapse, too, and the economy and social and collective security would come crashing down. It would be a depressing, oppressive world to live in, without any freedom, and always in the company of fear and poverty.

And Dumbledore had defeated him. Saved the wizarding world from the likes of him. And he was rumoured to be extremely intelligent as well. Certainly, he had the most teaching experience, and he was undoubtedly the smartest and most powerful person who was eligible for the job. He had been deputy Headmaster to Dippet, and had done a better job than the old coot himself. He was, without a doubt, the man for the job.

"I think," Bella said slowly, still adjusting to this change in her thoughts. "I think that he would be fantastic at the job. He's powerful, and smart, and has a long history of teaching. Plus, he has several accolades to his credit, combined with a heady authority that would do well to govern at Hogwarts. And besides that, he is the one who was the most accomplished, the best out of those eligible. He doesn't have a very good attitude towards purebloods, its true, and is most undoubtedly a blood traitor, but Hogwarts isn't going to get rid of filthy blood anyway, and all worthy purebloods are in Slytherin, so there's small room for argument there. Also, he would concentrate on the student's benefits, at the state of their education instead of focusing on getting Ministry recognition and positions like Dippet did. He's already been offered the position of the Minister twice, and he's refused them both times, so I don't think he's very ambitious. I think… I think that he's the best man for the position."

She looked up, almost apprehensively, to see Sirius smiling at her, not a smirk, or one of amusement, but a genuine, happy smile. She felt her heart lift when she saw it, the same way that it lifted when her mother appreciated her, and realized, with a shock, that she had been wanting to impress him, to make him think favorably of her. Small waves of pleasure ran through her as she recognized having achieved her unconscious objective.

"There you go," Sirius said, sounding mighty pleased. "Your own viewpoint, your own thoughts, different from what others have told you. You should always question and debate internally upon every single thing that others have told you, for only then can you forge your own personality, to make the unique individual that only you can be, instead of some plastic clone of generations before you."

He turned again, but this time, there was a small place beside him near the stone railing, just enough for her to squeeze into. With a shock of delight, she realized that he had finally accepted her, allowed her a place at his side. She didn't know why, but this pleased her greatly, and she went with a sort of pride to join him there.

They stood in silence, the young boy and girl, both not even having reached double digits yet. Exquisitely beautiful, but also deep and cultured in thoughts, one since birth, and one just turned. Together, they made a breathtaking picture, the thoughtful boy, and the enchanted girl.

Bella stood by Sirius for a long time, until the house-elf ran the upper bell for dinner, and it was reluctantly that she left him to go eat. He looked at her when she said goodbye, and there was a strange, dreamy look in those bottomless abysses now, as if he was contemplating something that he didn't even know he was thinking of. He waved her off almost distractedly, and she felt hurt, until he turned again with a disturbed look on his face and clasped her hand for a moment, squeezing it tightly before letting go and turning towards the view again. She stared at his back for a long moment before turning and going back inside, clutching her hand to her chest, an understanding building within her, but still waiting to be acknowledged.

She found Sirius Black utterly fascinating.

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~conorlover~