So, I want to start out saying holy crap 32 follows already! Thank you guys for reading. Now, this was written at the early hours of this week (aka 2am). It was written for days except the last 300 or so words. All the spelling mistakes are mine and I think I missed 'em all. I'm super proud of myself for getting this far.

Enjoy my friends.

~EvilKingMacabre


Chapter 3 - Good Ground

It was the first day of class with Mad-Eye as the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. "Can I sit here," Vesperia asked Hermione. The girl glanced at the Bellatrix before agreeing. Bellatrix could feel the girl next to her was uncomfortable. The class started out as she expect. Mad-Eye barking about himself, but then it began to get interesting. Sadly for her she was falling asleep. In her mind she was fantasizing about how wonderful the demise of Harry will be as Voldemort returns. It was something she'd dreamed about for years as she was imprisoned. The Triwizard tournament was a perfect cover in her opinion; that is if Barty doesn't mess up his role.

Bellatrix spaced out until the Unforgivable Curses came into conversation.

"Can anyone name one?" Mad-Eye asked the class. Then he walked up to Ron who named the imperius curse. Out of the many containers in the room; Mad-Eye chose a grotesque little bug. Mad-Eye enlarged the poor thing and cast the imperius curse upon it. The creature hopped across the room onto students and desks. It was a laughingstock. When it jumped onto Draco's face Bellatrix laughed too hard. Hermione looked at the two and cocked an eyebrow. To her it wasn't that funny.

"What else should we make her do?" Then her lowered her down to a bucket of water. "Shall she drown?" Next he brought the bug back to the desk and asked, "What other curses do we know?" Neville started to raise his hand, and Mad-Eye almost called on him but instead he called on Vesperia. Bellatrix's hand was in the air.

"Miss Lestrange? What curses do you know?" He sounded like an interrogator. The way he asked made the whole class silent.

"The Cruciatus curse, sir. The torture curse." Bellatrix's tone, visage, and eyes seemed to have a whimsical and wondrous view about them. It was semi-proud as well.

"Oh yes, your mother would know all about that. Right mister Longbottom?" Mad-Eye commented. Neville withdrew himself. He hid his face from Vesperia's distraught glance. She was proud of what she did and sadly she started to show it. Bellatrix was destroying her own lie. If she kept this up no one would trust her. Her hand slip down her sleeve making sure it was stretched as far as it could go. The one thing she couldn't hid was the dark mark. Bellatrix had a small moment of panic. When she raised her arm the sweater slipped down a tad. Her mark was barely visible. She hoped that people around her hadn't seen it. Then she sat with her arms under the table.

Hermione saw the weird witch next to her shuffle positions and check her arm. It just raised suspicions more that something was wrong. It hadn't been a full week but Hermione knew she couldn't trust Vesperia. Bellatrix had missed the last two curse demonstrations and she was somewhat sad about it.

After class Bellatrix walked down the stairs slowly. Her ears picked up on a conversation about her.

"I don't trust her. I can see everyone else doesn't trust her. Even professors." It was Harry's voice. Next up was Hermione.

"She's hiding something. Especially on her left arm. She -" Hermione stopped her sentence there when Vesperia stood next to her, teary-eyed. Bellatrix gazed out a window.

"Go ahead don't trust me, but don't judge me because of her." The Death Eater's voice sounded sad. It was a very convincing sound. Bellatrix even believed it. Hermione met Bellatrix's eyes. The brown haired girl looked at Bellatrix with such pitiful spite Bellatrix decided to 'fake' a small sobbing sniffle. Then she turned to walk away; however, Mad-Eye's hand hit both her and Neville's shoulder.

"A word with you both?" Though he sounded kind Bellatrix looked at him angrily. Neville walked with him up the stairs with Mad-Eye. "You coming Miss Lestrange?" She calmed herself and caught up with him after giving one more look to guilt Harry, Ron, and Hermione into rethinking their views on her.

They stepped into his office so he could sit and get off his feet. Immediately the chest in the corner shook and a muffled scream was heard.

"Don't ask," Mad-Eye said sternly. He and Bellatrix looked at each other. Neville stood like a statue. He didn't know what to do or why he was in the room with these eccentric insane people.

"Um, what is it that you wanted to see us sir?" Neville asked. Mad-Eye's gaze changed over to both of them before semi-limping over to his chair. He removed a very interesting prosthetic leg. Bellatrix shifted her wait in impatience.

"Don't let impatience get you miss Lestrange. It got to your mother. Maybe that's why she was sent to Azkaban, hm?" Mad-Eye barked. Bellatrix ignored his comment. She was so proud and arrogant she refused to even think about why or how she was caught. Being incarcerated was the worst time of her life, but that was in the past. Now it's all about not being caught, again.

"Mister Longbottom. I have something for you." He took a book from his desk and handed it to Neville. Bellatrix stood ignoring them both until she was addressed. In her devious little mind she was thinking of ways to get Neville on her side. Barty, the Death Eater who broke her out of Azkaban, was doing a great job as Mad-Eye, but too well of a job. Neville was exclaiming in excitement over a stupid book of herbology.

"Why am I here again?" Bellatrix asked. She tried to hid her annoyed attitude, but to no avail. It was hard to hide her displeasure with anything. Neville moved to leave the room except Mad-Eye stopped him.

"Son, if you two want to have a good year at this school... I think it's best you two start on good ground." Neville also felt discomfort in the situation. He nodded and shifted to Bellatrix's direction.

"Vesperia, uh... Well... You're not Bellatrix and haven't treated me bad. So..." Neville stated. Bellatrix was laughing inside. "He believes my lie. Too gullible." The Death Eater walked over to the nervous boy.

"Friends?"

"Yeah," he replied. He weakly grinned. Bellatrix headed for the door, looked back, and asked is the boy was going to walk with her. Neville agreed to. They walked together in the halls. She was mostly trying to find where everything was. Even Neville was lost in some sections. Then they bumped into Draco – who was just a bitchy as usual.

"Ey Lestrange." He called to her. Bellatrix knew this will be an ugly confrontation. She hoped for it. She counted on it. Since she didn't acknowledged him Draco went at it anyway. "My mother and father aren't pleased with you. A Gryffindor. You're more of a disgrace to the family." She held in her chuckle. It was amusing that the whiny boy had such guts.

"Let's go," Neville said pulling on her. Bellatrix nodded and walked. She didn't take more than three steps before Draco attacked again.

"You're worthless. Your mother should have never had you. She didn't want you and I can see why." That did affect her more than Bellatrix would have liked. She stood in between the two boys with her fists tightly clenched. The feeling of worthlessness was familiar to her. Bellatrix use to be an angst filled teenager who suffered in secret with that cruel valueless feeling. That was in the past, and never surfaced until that insolent nephew of hers said it. Before he could register the attack; Bellatrix's fist met Draco's face.

"I'm sure aunt Cissy taught you to be a better person than that Draco, or are you taking after your stupid father?" Bellatrix said spitefully. It wasn't an act this time. She was angry.

"My father will hear about this," Draco spat back while holding his now bruising eye. Bellatrix rolled her eyes and strolled away. Neville was close behind her.


Note: This story is eventually Bellamione... poor Neville... pawn in Bella's twisted game.