Category: Harry Potter
Title: The Wolf and The Warrior
Author: NotAUniqueSnowflake
Rating: T for sexual themes and language.
Genre: Romance / Drama
Summary: And slowly but surely, Bellatrix began to realize that she had indeed fallen in love with Remus John Lupin.
Author's Note: I noticed about halfway through writing this that in my head, teenage Bellatrix is played by Ellen Page but has Catherine Tate's character Lauren's accent when I imagine her. I keep wanting to type "Amest I bovvered?" whenever I get to her lines! Then I remember that I'm trying to be serious. Maybe I'll make a spin-off when I'm finished where you get to see Bella's silly side. I also laughed when I wrote out Remus' last lines in this chapter. I LOVE THEM. Read and review!
No, surely not, Bella thought to herself as she paced the hall, a deep frown set into her face. She could not have fallen for that penniless mutt of a half-blood! Especially since he was her darling cousin Sirius' best mate! She scowled, punching the wall and ignoring the fact that the stones sliced slightly through her skin, just enough to cause bleeding. She heard footsteps and spun, going to yell at whoever had come upon her.
"Oh Merlin," she breathed, ignoring the cool drip of blood from her hand as it fell to her side. Coming down the hall was James Potter, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, and Peter Pettigrew. Of course those idiots would run into her now. She stepped back, scowling again and hoping they wouldn't notice her, only to have her hopes dashed when Remus and Sirius both looked at her, all four stopping. James stopped mid-laugh, turning curiously to see what had caught his friends' attention, and Peter squeaked, hiding behind Sirius ever-so-slightly.
"Bellatrix," said Sirius coolly, straightening his back and looking down his nose at her. She walked up to him, sneering.
"Sirius, my dear cousin, what propitious circumstance has brought us together?" she said, her voice sickeningly-sweet. Sirius raised an eyebrow, sniffing lightly and leaning over her slightly. He paused, looking as if he was about to speak, then looked at Remus.
"Remus, what does 'propitious' mean?" he asked uncertainly. James and Bellatrix both fought laughter, only to glare at each other when they realized they were both amused by the same thing. Remus sighed, frowning at Sirius.
"Sirius, you're so smart, but so oblivious," he said exasperatedly, shaking his head. Sirius gave him a winning smile. "'Propitious' means to present a favorable circumstance or, in simple terms you would understand, it means 'good'. She was asking what good thing happened to bring you into her company. Am I correct in assuming so, Bellatrix?"
Bellatrix looked at Remus, flushing slightly when he smiled at her hesitantly. "Yes, you are," she said, looking away quickly. She could feel a pair of eyes studying her and glanced up, finding James studying her cautiously, an unreadable expression on his face. She glared at him, turning to look at Sirius, who was looking at Remus.
"I don't get it. Why wouldn't she just ask why we were here?" he asked in confusion.
"She did," said Remus blankly.
"No, she asked what 'pro-pit-us' circumstance brought us together," Sirius insisted. James sighed irritably, smacking him on the back of the head.
"You idiot, that means the same thing!" he scolded as Sirius rubbed his head dejectedly. Bellatrix snickered, only to look up in surprise when Remus addressed her again.
"Erm..Bellatrix, you're bleeding," he said uncertainly, pointing to her bloody hand. She blinked, lifting the injured extremity and studying it. She let out a soft 'hm', not noticing that Peter's face had gotten suddenly pale and James and Sirius both looked rather disgusted. Remus stepped forward, taking her by the elbow. "Come on, we should have Madame Pomfrey look at that."
"N-No, I'm fine," insisted Bella, trying to pull her arm away from Remus, but he had a very firm grip on her. He turned her around, pulling her off down the hall.
"Bellatrix, don't kill Remus! We need him to do our homework tonight!" called Sirius jokingly after them. James pushed him with a laugh, throwing an arm around his two friends.
James paused after a while, frowning and turning to Sirius. "Merlin, I think Bellatrix fancies Rem," he said, his voice full of awe.
"Really?" asked Sirius, turning to face James as well. James nodded, causing both boys to turn and watch Remus drag Bellatrix down the hall. "Oh. Not good."
~•~
"Lupin, you didn't have to bring me here. My hands are bleeding, not my feet," snapped Bellatrix as she sat on the bed in the hospital wing, Madame Pomfrey having just mended her hand. She got up, pushing past him, only to pause when he spoke.
"I wanted to talk to you," he said softly, watching her through the ashen fringe of his hair. She turned back, blinking in confusion. He held his hands up to stop her from speaking, clearing his throat and stepping towards her. "Bellatrix, do you know anything about werewolves?"
"Of course I do," said Bella coolly, crossing her arms over her chest and studying Remus, obviously suspicious. "Why?"
"I don't even know why I'm trusting you," said Remus with a sigh, walking towards her and stopping only a few feet away. "But I can't seem to help it. Bellatrix, did you know that werewolves mate for life?"
"Yes, I did. There's a magical bond created by their genes, binding them for the rest of their lives to a specific person. It doesn't matter how old their mate is, it happens as soon as they hit puberty, though some don't realize they've found their mate for a longo time. One woman didn't find out she was her best friend's mate for thirty years," said Bella, growing more and more confused. She suddenly found herself staring into molten gold eyes and flushed, staring at Remus as he was now only centimeters away. Her cheeks reddened in surprise and she went to move back again, only to find Remus holding her in place with a hand in the small of her back. She swallowed nervously, leaning back and away from him.
"Bella, promise me you won't freak out when I say this... I'm a werewolf myself," he murmured, watching her cautiously. Bella's eyes widened and she jumped back.
"No!" she shrieked, seemingly in terror. Remus held up a hand to stop her, but she turned and darted from the room. Remus swore, hurrying after her. He ran after her down the hallway, moving just quickly enough that he managed to catch her wrist as she turned a corner, pulling her towards him and ending up knocking them both to the floor. She went to get up and Remus sighed, flipping them over and pinning her down as gently as he could.
"Bella, calm down!" he pleaded as she tried to push him off. She was breathing heavily, but didn't look scared so much as devastated. Remus took in her red-rimmed eyes and the slow tears sliding down her face and stood up, helping her up as well. "Bella, are you crying?"
"No," said Bella darkly, pushing him away and rubbing her face with her sleeves. "I don't cry, damn you. If you tell anyone, I'll bleedin' Crucio you, Lupin."
"I'm not telling anyone, but why are you? Crying, I mean," said Remus softly, putting a hand on her shoulder. She shook her head.
"I just--I had hoped..." she trailed off, looking away with a stubborn expression. She turned to Remus, shoving him slightly. "Why are you being so bloody nice to me? I'm your best mate's cousin and we're supposed to hate each other."
"Supposed to," murmured Remus with a small smile. "Doesn't mean we have to."
He leaned forward, catching Bella's lips with his own. Bella froze up, obviously surprised, but relaxed when Remus' hands came up to cup her face, letting out a soft sigh of contentment when he pulled away.
"What...?" murmured Bella in confusion, turning her dark eyes to the golden ones of her younger companion. "Lupin, what in Merlin's name...?"
"I brought up the 'mating for life' thing for a reason, Bellatrix," he murmured, his eyes seeming to darken as he looked down at her. She flushed, leaning up and kissing him gently. He smiled, stepping back. "Is that a 'yes'?"
"To what?" asked Bella, confused. Remus smiled cheekily, taking her hand and kissing the palm gently.
"To the question I'm about to ask you. Join me in Hogsmeade this weekend?" he asked gently. Bella smirked, nodding slightly.
"Of course that's a yes, you twat. I'd have thought someone as smart as you would just assume I'd be joining you," she said cheekily. He laughed. "You should get back."
"Goodbye, ma belle," said Remus softly, watching her walk off down the hall. He turned around to walk back to the common room, only to find Sirius and Narcissa Black standing there, both livid. "Oh shit."