A/N: Thank you to everyone who has support and reviewed this story so far :) the feedback I'm getting from this story is amazing, I hope you continue to love it as much as I enjoy writing it. You may have noticed this chapter is… considerably longer than the previous two. Like before a large part of this chapter was dialogue driven due to the nature of the plot, so I added a large section to the end to make up for this ;) the ending will be worth it :p lol.

Disclaimer: The world of Harry Potter and the original storyline are not mine; they belong to J.K. Rowling.

Read, review and most of all… Enjoy!


Chapter 3: Belladonna Melania

Bellatrix

Bellatrix slapped the nurse's hand away as she tried to assist her in changing clothes. "I do not need your help!" She snapped as she finished shedding her old house robes, cardigan and tie, albeit slightly groggily. "I'm not an imbecile!"

The nurse rolled her eyes and muttered something about some people never changing; Bellatrix scowled at her and moved towards the set of plain houseless clothes that the older stern witch insisted she put on when she turned up. The older woman let out an annoyed sigh as Bellatrix began to reach for the new top. "Miss Black, I'm not going to ask you've taken it upon yourself to not wear a bra under your blouse. But after today, every time you fail to follow the school's dress policy, will result in an evening's detention with me."

Giving the woman a hard look, she swiftly put the plain grey cardigan followed by the tie and looked around for her wand; she searched around the bed for a few moments until she remembered that the older woman had disarmed her before her dizzy turn. "Where's my wand?" Bellatrix asked her bluntly as she grabbed her new robe and pulled it on.

"Where's my wand, Professor?" The woman corrected with a cold tone and narrowed eyes.

Bellatrix snorted and folded her arms, holding her head up high. "Where's my wand, Professor?"

"Professor Dumbledore has it for the time being, you'll have no need for it just yet." The woman replied sternly before turned to the nurse, who nodded her consent for her patient to be taken away. "Follow me Miss Black."

When the woman turned her back, Bellatrix stuck her tongue out childishly at her and mouthed her last words mockingly before following in her footsteps. "Who are you Professor? You look awfully familiar and you seem to believe you know me?"

"Hmmph. You really don't recognise me? I guess I have changed quite a bit since you last saw me." The woman looked back as they reached the Hospital Wing doors. "Professor Minerva McGonagall. But as before, you will refer to me as Professor, Professor McGonagall or simply Ma'am, Miss Black."

Bellatrix's eyes widened slightly and took a second to take the woman's appearance in; the older witch was tall with a stern thin face and a tight jaw, she had dark hair combed back into a tight bun and wore a pair of square glasses that covered a pair of sharp green eyes. Thinking about it the woman did look remarkably similar to the McGonagall she knew and loathed, just with far more wrinkles. "Professor McGonagall? Wow, you look far older then I recall… And that's saying something." Bellatrix gave McGonagall a slight cheeky grin while the woman scowled. 'I must admit… Her tone of voice and looks are a dead match. But then that would mean their batshit crazy story about me being nearly 30years in the future is true… Bah rubbish!'

"And you Miss Black are still as disrespectful as I remember." McGonagall said coldly and started back on her way while Bellatrix followed closely.

She followed the older witch through the castle, her eyes drinking in every inch of detail. The castle itself didn't look at all different… But the faces she passed, she didn't recognise a single one, not even any of the Slytherin students… Even their uniforms were different, more greens, yellows, blues and reds brightened up the bland uniform. The sight almost unnerved her as much as the fact that, no one paid her a single bit of attention… Well the boys did… But not the right sort, none of them feared her, no one scurried away, trembled or broke out into tears as she approached. 'What in Merlin's name is going on?! They all can't be in on this ridiculous story can they?'

Bellatrix wasn't too sure, even if they were, the weak mudbloods would still cringe or react in her presence, there was no way that would change overnight, surely someone would break… But no one did. Once more she felt a sickening churn in the pit of her stomach, but this time thankfully she didn't feel the overwhelming need to collapse. 'Ugh… How could I look so weak! Fainting? Really?' Bellatrix grumbled lowly and mentally chastised herself. 'If… IF… What they say is true… Then that must be why I had a… Lapse in consciousness… Pfft let them try travelling that far in time and walk away feeling dandy.'

Not paying attention to where she was going while she pondered over the accuracy of their story, she bumped into the Professor when she came to a standstill. The Professor gave her a stern glare, which grew when Bellatrix didn't bother apologising before McGonagall turned to the Gargoyle statue they had stopped in front of. Bellatrix recognized it instantly as the stairwell leading to the Headmaster's office, after all she had been sent there more times than she could remember. "Liquorice Scarab."

Upon hearing the password the stone Gargoyle sprung to life and leapt to one side, revealing a spiral staircase. Professor McGonagall stepped to one side and beckoned for Bellatrix to take point, without so much as acknowledging the Professor; Bellatrix walked briskly past her and climbed the stairwell until she came face to face with the Headmaster's door. She knocked rapidly at the door which swung open barely a second after her fist left the surface.

She stepped inside the large circular room confidently with her head held high; as she did every other time she ended the Headmaster's office. If she indeed was three decades in the future, the room had changed very little; it was stilled lined with portraits of old Headmaster's, half the walls were jam packed with dusty old books, which she had to admit she was envious about, there was more than a few rare one of a kind books here that she had always been dying to read. Silver instruments and magical artefacts of one kind or another filled the gaps that weren't occupied by books, a part from one space which was taken by the Sorting Hat. There was also a pensieve that stood on an altar in the middle of a half circle cabinet.

A few old maroon leather chairs sat around the room in groups, each group shared a small table between them; the Gryffindors from earlier sat and occupied one set of chairs, while a man with long black greasy hair sat alone. All turned to look at her, all with varying expressions, Harry was still hard faced and glaring, the red head looked annoyed, and the black haired man had his lips turned up into a snarl while Hermione… Oddly enough seemed rather relaxed. Ignoring them for now, Bellatrix looked towards the far end of the room where the Headmaster's desk was, and sure enough Dumbledore was sat behind it with his pet Phoenix on its perch just behind him. Her eyes fell to his desk where they caught sight of an unmistakable curved 12 ¾ walnut wand sat in the middle which she eyed hungrily.

"Ah Miss Black, please come take a seat." Dumbledore said politely and with a wave of his hand a comfy chair appeared before his desk.

The door shut behind her as McGonagall stepped in and Bellatrix couldn't help but think she was about to be heavily outnumbered on something. Frowning, she strolled forward as if she owned the place, answering the glares and scowls of the two Gryffindor boys and black haired man with growls of her own as she walked past, before taking the seat before Dumbledore's desk.

"Right, Miss Black. Before we discuss what's going on, we need to know what happened to you that night; I am told that you remember now." He asked calmly, Bellatrix watched him closely then nodded shortly. "Wonderful, then in your own time Miss Black."

Closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, Bellatrix began to tell the Headmaster about the night in question. She told him, grudgingly how she was out after hours and after being caught by her sister, went out onto the grounds and lounged by the lake for a while. She recalled the air turning cold and catching something moving out of the corner of her eye, first she had thought Andy had followed her but on second glance didn't see her. Pausing to take another breath she then told the Headmaster how she spotted a white figure lurking on the outskirts of the forest and after closer inspection how it turned out to be a spirit.

"She was arrogant, and so full of herself." Bellatrix said as she rolled her eyes and snorted. "She said she was the spirit of Morgana Black, otherwise known as Morgan le Fay." The Headmaster's eyebrows rose at that but didn't interrupt her, she told him how the spirit had bound her and what she had said, Bellatrix hesitantly slightly when she reached the part about Granger before telling him reluctantly. "Then she did something to me, she spoke an incantation… After a few moments of agonizing pain I lost consciousness… Then I woke up on top of the redhead."

Dumbledore nodded and sat back in his chair, his hand slowly stroking his beard, it was only now she noticed that his other was covered up… Or at least mostly covered, she could still see the tips of his fingers which were, bizarrely, charred black. Before Bellatrix could make a comment, the old Headmaster cut in first. "Well it's nice to hear the full story after 27years."

"Full story? What do you mean, sir?"

"Ah, forgive me. You see, we already knew part of your story. Your instincts were right; Andromeda did follow you that night." Dumbledore said with a chuckle as Bellatrix folded her arms and grumbled under her breath. "It was she that brought you to the Hospital Wing that night."

"But… She didn't… They brought me." She said slightly confused as she beckoned her head to the Gryffindors.

"Both did. I must ask that you listen to me carefully Bellatrix, because this is about to get very confusing for you." The Headmaster's face grew emotionless as he lent forward with his arms crossed on the table. "That night Andromeda saw what happened to you, she brought you to the Hospital Wing and told me what happened… You however, had no recollection of any events that had taken place that night; I couldn't even find a trace of them when I peered into your mind. But the thing is Miss Black… You never vanished that night, you never vanished ever. You lived out your life and you still are… Out there… Is another version of yourself, 27 years older."

Bellatrix's eyes grew as large as crystal balls; her jaw would have hit the floor if her mouth was capable of such a feat. For the first time in her life she was speechless, shocked beyond belief, and the utmost serious look the Headmaster was giving her did a fine job of keeping her disbelief silenced. From there the old Professor began to tell about the path she had chosen to walk, about the wizarding war, and this Lord Voldemort. She was, or to be more specific the other Bellatrix, was part of a group who called themselves Death Eaters, they followed a man called Lord Voldemort, who believed in pure blood supremacy. He and his followers, including her other self, sought to purify the wizarding world of those unworthy of magic and those they believed beneath them, to the point where they waged war against all those that apposed those beliefs.

But at the height of his power, this Dark Lord, was defeated by an infant, by none other than the Gryffindor boy, Harry Potter. Who survived his killing curse and somehow the Dark Lord perished himself instead, some of his followers were rounded up, some escaped justice. Bellatrix Lestrange however went looking for Lord Voldemort along with her husband, her brother in-law and another Death Eater; they tortured the Longbottom family to the point of insanity for information. It was that crime that had put her in Azkaban for fourteen years, a sentence which Bellatrix Lestrange embraced. The thought of being sent to such a place made Bellatrix shudder and her blood run cold. But now the Dark Lord was back, Bellatrix Lestrange and the others had been broken out, his followers reunited and now the world was bracing for the second war.

After Dumbledore had finished filling her in, he pulled several bits of paper out of his robes and handed them to her. Bellatrix's eyes quickly skimmed over the content, they were articles and pages from the Daily Prophet, all of them were about either the wizarding war or the Dark Lord, save one.

THE LONGBOTTOMS TORTURERS BROUGHT TO JUSTICE

Today the wizarding community will rise up and cheer, knowing that finally the culprits behind the Longbottoms torture have been brought to justice. The Death Eaters, Bellatrix Lestrange aged 32, Rodolphus Lestrange aged 31, Rabastan Lestrange aged 28 and Barty Crouch Jr. aged 19 were sentenced to life imprisonment in Azkaban for what was described as one of the most heinous crimes ever brought before the Council of Magical Law, the torture, by use of the Cruciatus curse, on the Longbottoms which resulted in permanent incapacitation.

While sentence was being passed, Barty Crouch Jr. continued to plead his innocence, while the Lestranges showed no remorse, Bellatrix Lestrange in particular seemed completely unaffected by the proceedings and sat upon chained chair as if it were a throne with a smile on her face. She stood up and proudly declared after the council passed verdict.

"The Dark Lord will rise again, Crouch! Throw into Azkaban, we will wait! He will rise again and will come for us; he will reward us beyond any of his other supporters! We alone were faithful! We alone tried to find him!"

The Dementors soon swiftly escorted the Death Eaters out of the courtroom and will be, by now, in a cell in Azkaban. A victory for justice, but a hollow one, the Longbottoms will never regain what was lost and are themselves, sentenced to life in St. Mungo's Hospital. Full details on the trial can be found on page 28.

Attached to the article was a photo of Bellatrix Lestrange, screaming out in fury as she was chained and given a prisoner ID. She put the articles down on the desk slowly, they all backed up what Dumbledore had told her, she swallowed hard and tried to speak but quickly found she had yet regained the ability to talk. Instead she slouched in her chair and gazed up out the window and watched as sunset approached. All this information, considering if it was true… Although with all the articles it was getting harder to deny it, was too much to take in.

'Who is this… Dark Lord? I can't imagine being utterly devoted to anyone enough to go carefree and hopeful to… Azkaban… I mean… I hate blood traitors, half-bloods, mudbloods and muggles… But would I really go that far? Would I really give my life up for a cause like that?' She frowned to herself as she thought it over, if back then she believed the Dark Lord would have prevailed, if she believed she would be helping to build a better world… Yes… She could see herself going down that path. 'I guess… It would depend on how, charming and persuasive this Dark Lord was… I mean he'd have to be as convincing as that… Handsome young man was who visited over the summer holidays… Tom Riddle… I wonder if they are in league with each other? Hmmm I guess I can ask Dumbledore, he seems to be telling me… Everything… Why?'

Bellatrix shook her head. 'One question at a time.' Slowly she tilted her head back down, meeting the sparkling eyes of the Headmaster behind his half-moon spectacles. "Does… The name Tom Riddle mean anything to you?" She asked cautiously, watching the man's expression.

The Headmaster showed no emotion as he nodded his head. "Tom Riddle was Lord Voldemort's name before he fashioned himself a new one. Would I be right in guessing then that you met Tom back then?"

She bit her lip, wondering if she should say anything then slowly nodded. "He visited my father a couple times during the last summer holidays… He was… Extraordinary." She flashed a small smile, ignoring the angry sounds that were coming from behind her. 'So, they are one and the same… No wonder I follow him… Dark, powerful, handsome and utterly charming…' Her smile grew as butterflies fluttered about in her stomach, she never told anyone, least of all Tom, but she couldn't deny the crush she had on him. He was everything she admired in a person and not only that but he treated her like an equal, despite her being both a female and younger.

Then just as suddenly as the feeling had come, it was soon dashed when she remembered her other self, Bellatrix Lestrange. 'Lestrange… I married one of those repulsive brothers… I guess… Nothing became of me and Tom.' In that moment her heart broke and her smile fell. 'Stupid… Stupid me! For allowing myself to believe I'd ever… Bah fuck my life.' Her nails dug into her skin when she felt the coming of tears and forced them back, if she had to break down she'd do it later, not in front of these people.

Drawing in a sharp breath, she composed herself and met the Headmaster's gaze again. "Why are you telling me all this?" She asked shortly, hoping that her tone lacked the dismal feelings she now felt and that she still appeared strong.

"Miss Black you are an intelligent girl, the brightest of your age. I'm sure some as inquisitive as you has read up on the theories of time travel?" He asked her softly, she scowled at his knowledge of her rule breaking activities and replied with a stiff nod. "Then you are aware of the dangers involved. I told you because frankly, I need you to trust me for once. This is a very dangerous situation you are in, and it's not just yourself in danger… But your family and everyone else, this entire future is at risk. If we are to safely navigate these circumstances, I need your full cooperation, something I will not get by lying to you or hiding the truth from you."

"It almost sounds like you care sir." Bellatrix stared at him hard and while the rebel inside her wanted to argue about what he was saying, she couldn't fault the logic behind it. 'If what he saying is true, then...'

"I do care Miss Black, your wellbeing is very important to me." Dumbledore said with a slight smile, his tone didn't lack for sincerity.

Bellatrix laughed at that as she got to her feet and began pacing in front of the Headmaster's desk, her eyes never leaving his twinkling orbs. "Oh really? You just told me all about Bellatrix Lestrange and how I… How she helps this Dark Lord, who you strongly oppose. You are their enemy, my future enemy… Why would you care about my wellbeing?"

"You are not yet that person Miss Black and you are still my student, I have always placed the wellbeing of my students' first and foremost."

"Hmmph… If you say so sir. It matters not either way; do you really expect me to believe any of this? As far as I'm concerned this is just some trick, to make me see the error of my ways." Bellatrix said mockingly over her shoulder at the old Headmaster, before turning to look at some of the books on display. If Dumbledore was taking offense to her insolence, he didn't show it; in fact it surprised Bellatrix somewhat at how much he was letting her get away with.

The two other adults in the room glowered at her, McGonagall looked like she was about to chastise her but was interrupted by Dumbledore chuckling away as he stood. "I'd consider you a fool if you did believe me, and one thing you are not Miss Black, is a fool. Which is why I enlisted the help of someone who you would listen to." With a glint in his eye, Dumbledore walked over to the far wall with the biggest collection of portraits, he beckoned Bellatrix over as he rocked on casually on his heels. "I assume you remember your great great grandfather Phineas Nigellus Black?"

"Dumbledore." Phineas acknowledged the current Headmaster with a brisk nod before his eyes met Bellatrixs, his painted lips curled into a slight smile. "Greetings my child."

Bellatrix turned swiftly away from the bookcase and looked over up at the portrait, with her held high she elegantly waltzed over to Dumbledore's side and curtsied. "Great great grandfather Phineas, it's an honour to speak with you again."

"Such a respectful child, you always was my favourite great great grandchild Bellatrix." To everyone else in the room, his praise sounded emotionless and empty. But Bellatrix detected the subtle pride in his tone and allowed his compliment to stroke her ego. "So it pains me even more to have to tell you that what you've been told is true." The portrait sighed while Bellatrix's face fell upon hearing his words.

"But… This is all just some foolish joke! It has to be!" She voiced her scepticism loudly but her words lacked weight, her tone uncertain.

"I understand this is distressing child, but you need to… Listen to Dumbledore on this, for our house's sake. You being here could spell further disaster for our line, Dumbledore has promised me no harm will befall you in his care and they will get you home. The man may be many things, but he's also a man of his word… But for him to help you, to help our family, he will need your cooperation."

Losing her elegant posture, Bellatrix dropped her shoulders and let them slump as her arms dangled awkwardly at her sides. 'Phineas wouldn't lie about something like this… Not if our family was at stake… This really is happening then…' Her gaze dropped from her ancestors and stared hard at the floor. 'I really am stuck in the future… That bloody cow! Why would she do that! Save our line?! She could have elaborated slightly and give me more than a filths name!' Her hands clenched into fists, her anger began to rise as Bellatrix started to accept her predicament. She had read all about time travel in her earlier years when sneaking into the restricted section and as Dumbledore rightly assumed, she knew the dangers of being here, especially with another version of herself running around. She also knew that if anyone could help her, it was regretfully Dumbledore. 'Even Phineas thinks so, and he hates Dumbledore!'

Bellatrix sighed as Phineas words played back to her, one comment in particular caught her attention, looking slowly back up; she narrowed her eyes on the man in the portrait while cocking her head to the side. "What do you mean? Further disaster to our line? What's happened?"

The elderly wizard's stern and well composure fractured as he sighed and lent back in his portrait, his hand toyed with the end of his beard. "The Black line… Has become extinct on the male side of the family. Your father died many years ago now, as did your uncles. Regulus also… And… A few months back, Sirius too-"

"No!" Bellatrix yelled out, cutting Phineas off midsentence. She temporarily forgot herself and those that were present as she stamped her foot childishly, her arms stiffened at an angle as Bellatrix thrust her chin out in defiance. "You lie!"

"I would not lie about something as serious as this Bellatrix." Phineas didn't rise to her silent challenge, he merely closed his eyes and nodded, showing emotion which was something the deceased pure-blood rarely did as he spoke to her sombrely "Your father died-"

"I don't care about him! I care about Regulus and Sirius, how did they die?!" Bellatrix's shouted as she grew hysterical, she ignored the noises the Gryffindors were making; Bellatrix was far too busy holding it all together, not wanting to break down and cry tears of sorrow and grief over the news that her baby cousins were dead in front of her enemies. 'What kind of fucking future is this?! My poor little dear cousins…'

Phineas stared at her for a few moments, of course he didn't understand why she hated her father, none of them did, none of them knew, except her sisters. "I am… Unsure about how Regulus died, just that he died young not long after joining the Death Eaters. Sirius however…" Phineas paused; his eyes seemed to flicker to Dumbledore momentarily before he told her. "Died in a fight between the Death Eaters and Dumbledore's Order of the Phoenix."

Bellatrix quickly rounded on her heels to face the Headmaster, anger flashed in her eyes as she shrieked in his face with a tone of pure and utter hatred. "You killed him! You stand there wanting me to trust you; yet you didn't tell me you killed my cousin!"

The old wizard didn't even batter an eyelid at her aggression, nor flinch at the venom in her tone of voice. "We didn't kill Sirius; he was a good man and Harry's godfather in fact. He was on our side; he died fighting the Death Eaters." His mouth curled up into a small smile, his tone portrayed a certain fondness for her cousin as he spoke, but she didn't believe him, she wouldn't.

"Liar!" Bellatrix spun on the spot, looking around then faced the shelf to her side, her arm shot up and swiped at a collection of artefacts and instruments, sending them crashing to the floor.

Professor McGonagall voiced her protest but it was Phineas voice that got Bellatrix's attention. "I'm afraid not, Sirius… Took a different path in life from you… He may have been a blood traitor, but in the end; he was the last Black to carry our name… His passing still grieves me, despite what he was."

She stopped what she was doing, holding a delicate instrument as she looked up at her ancestor. "I don't… I don't believe it… Sirius a blood traitor?" She spoke softly with a look of shock on her face, but she knew Phineas had a portrait in Sirius's childhood home and he would have known what happened in Sirius's life. "I… I don't care, I hope my other self, gave whoever killed him hell! Why would that dammed spirit send me to this point in time if she wanted me to save our family? Why didn't she send me to the point before his death!" Bellatrix screamed out till her throat grew hoarse and ended up throwing the instrument in her hand across the room.

A hand softly came to rest on her shoulder, Bellatrix's head snapped up angrily, breathing heavily she met the soft gaze of the Headmaster. "Your grief is understandable, and if smashing up my office helps then by all means continue… Regarding your question however, I'm afraid your guess is as good as ours Miss Black. Morgan le Fay was an extremely talented and powerful dark witch; she had access to some of the darkest and most ancient forms of magic. If anyone possessed the ability to not only retain some magical ability in her ethereal form, but the power to send someone forward in time, it would have been her… And while she could have made a mistake and sent you too far back, it does seem unlikely for someone as highly skilled as her."

Dumbledore released his gentle grip on her shoulder and moved over to one of the many bookshelves, his long thin elderly fingers brushing against the old tomes, seemingly searching for something as he carried on speaking. "She was also, like she told you, an exceptionally gifted seer, she must have seen something that will occur at this point in time. Perhaps the key to saving your family is more cryptic then simply saving a family member from death… Ah." The old Headmaster pulled a partially old book from the second highest shelf; he blew the dust of it, revealing a dark leather cover with ancient symbols on. Looking over at her, he smiled slightly then headed over to the desk and placed it on the centre.

Bellatrix narrowed her eyes on the old tome, knowing the Headmaster pulled it down for a reason, but something far more urgent was forcing itself to the forefront of her mind, her sisters. Wide eyed as she grew fearful, she held her breath and hoped nothing ill had befallen them like it had done for her cousins. "What about my sisters?! Are Andy and Cissy ok? Are they alive-"

The old wizard must have noticed how she was starting to panic and growing hysterical, he cut her off with a raise of his hand and a soft, calming hushing noise. "Calm yourself Miss Black, both your sisters are alive and well."

Closing her eyes, she let out a sigh of relief and allowed herself a small smile before reopening her eyes and walking slowly back over to Dumbledores desk. "Can I… Can I see them?"

"It may be possible for you to see Andromeda. But Narcissa is out of the question."

"What why?! You said they are ok! Is something wrong with her?"

"No, Narcissa is perfectly well. Bellatrix, you understand that out of everyone you can't interact with in this time, it is yourself. You know this right?" Dumbledore looked away from the tome, giving her a serious look; she frowned at the change in topic before nodding once. "There is no telling what paradoxes would be caused if you two interacted, you may cancel each other out of existence. That in itself could cause disaster to the timeline."

A cold chill ran down Bellatrix's spine, she knew just exactly what he was referring to. "I read about that in the…" She paused, knowing that she'd have to admit to breaking another rule. Crossing her arms and rolling her eyes, she carried on reciting what she had found. "Restricted section, a pair of wizards who visited themselves in the past… One touched his younger self and wiped out his entire existence. The only reason we know about it is because his friend witnessed the paradox, because he was close to the epicentre his memories weren't altered by the change in time. The Ministry verified his memories as originals and documented it, it was after then that messing with time was so heavily restricted and practically forbidden."

"Quite right. Now we don't know if the same thing would happen in the reverse situation, but I'm sure none of us are willing to find out." He paused for a few moments to take back his seat then gestured for her to take the other. "Which brings me back to why you can't see Narcissa. If Narcissa found out about you, she would tell Bellatrix Lestrange. Who in turn would tell Lord Voldemort and I'm afraid he is not as cautious about the safety of your wellbeing, not if he thought he could use this situation to his advantage."

Scoffing loudly, she dropped in a less than ladylike fashion back into the chair, her eyebrow raised at the comment he made about Cissy. "Surely that goes for Andy too then? Not just Cissy."

"I'm afraid your future self and Narcissa are out of touch with Andromeda, you don't talk anymore." Bellatrix blinked disbelieving at that, ok her and Andy weren't as close as she and Cissy were, but she'd never cut her sibling out. Her mouth opened to quiz the old Headmaster on the issue but his voice picked up again, preventing her forthcoming questions. "Which is a story for another day, now… It is not just Lord Voldemort that may take advantage of this situation, as I'm sure you could understand… There are a few people who would love revenge against Bellatrix Lestrange, and if they thought they could get to her via you… I fear some would forget you are technically an innocent and try their hand. Which brings me neatly to this… We must keep your identity a secret while you are here, especially from those that mean you harm or seek to exploit you and the situation."

"And how exactly do you mean to do that?"

"I think you already know Miss Black. You'll be taking on a new identity while here as a transfer student… Now, I have taken the liberty of preparing this new identity for you, if we had more time we could have given you an extensive makeover. But alas this has been thrust upon us and I can hardly have you locked up in here for the several days it would take to make you a completely new identity, nor could we send you away for fear someone will be watching."

"Fortunately because of the state of things, people are quite rightly, far too preoccupied with current affairs to notice a new student, especially if we gave you an identity few would pay attention to. I believe what I have come up with will be sufficient enough that people, who might find your looks familiar, won't make the connection." Dumbledore allowed himself a smile as he sat back in his chair, twiddling his thumbs. "While here you will be assuming the name Belladonna, Miss Belladonna Melania."

"Belladonna, I like that." Bellatrix said sweetly, unable to stop herself smiling at that.

"I figured you would appreciate that. But that's not the reason we chose that name, it will be easy to cover any slip ups with a similar name should someone let your real name slip. Miss Granger would you like to fill in Miss Black on the surname you came up with?" Dumbledore's gaze left Bellatrix's, he sought out the Gryffindor girl and gave her an encouraging nod.

Bellatrix turned to look at her, keeping her face impassive as the girl fidgeted and got to her feet. "I… Of course Headmaster." The girl hesitated, taking a few deep breaths Hermione slowly looked over to meet her gaze. "I figured you wouldn't appreciate giving up your family name… So I came up with Melania, it descends from Greek muggle mythology and roughly means, Black."

Bellatrix was slightly taken aback by the girl's suggestion, unsure if she was more thankful for retaining her name somewhat then how offended she was at being branded with a muggle originated name. She stared hard at her, her dark orbs burning into the girl; trying to work out if the girl had been intentionally trying to slight her. Bellatrix barely heard Dumbledore begin talking again while she tried to work out the girl, wondering what was so special about her that her ancestor believed she could help her and her family. "Now I had originally thought about asking you to go round as a muggleborn." At the mention of the word muggleborn, Bellatrix spun round so fast in her seat that she made herself momentarily dazed. Before she could protest as loud as possible, Dumbledore once again silenced her with a gesture and picked up where he left of. "But, Miss Granger rightly reminded me that you'd have little knowledge of the Muggle world, having being raised in a pure blood family and wouldn't know enough to keep up the pretence. Now you attended Beauxbatons Academy of Magic…"

From there the Headmaster spent the next half an hour giving her all the information she would need to keep up this foolish pretence, as her mind kept referring to it as he spoke. She reluctantly sighed knowing that while being foolish, it was necessary, for once she had gotten into a tricky situation that she had no hope of getting out of without help. Help that begrudgingly she had to admit could only be found with the knowledgeable and powerful Headmaster, if he helped her half as much as he used to help out the mudbloods in her time, then her wellbeing was in good hands, even if she would never admit that out loud. And so after acknowledging that regretful fact to herself, she spent the time inquiring about the details he was giving her, picking some apart and trying to get some say in her new background.

"Now since you have family here in Slytherin, to avoid complications as well as other reasons, you cannot be placed there." Dumbledore went on to say as he turned the conversation away from her new background and to her role at Hogwarts. "And seeing as these three know who you are and the fact that Morgan le Fay believed Miss Granger here could help you, it would make logical sense to place you in Gryffi-"

"No! No way!" Bellatrix interrupted loudly with a disgusted look on her face. "I will not be a stinking lion! The shame of being the first Black in Gryffindor would be unbearable!"

"I'm afraid you have little choice if you wish to remain safe, and besides, you aren't a Black Miss Melania, and even if you were, you wouldn't be the first Black to be placed in Gryffindor. Sirius was placed in Gryffindor when he attended." Dumbledore said slightly more sternly as he shook his head. "Now please, let me finish." He stood up and beckoned for her to follow him, which she did after a moment's pause then was led to the group of Gryffindors. "Professor McGonagall will give you your timetable in the morning. Now since they know who you are, they will be acting as your guides so believe more formal introductions are in order."

"Guides? I'm sure I know the school better than them, so what you really mean is they are my guardians!" She snapped with an annoyed tone of voice, already hating the fact she was going to be lumbered with them. 'This won't last long; I'll soon ditch them, if I don't have them running in fear.'

Dumbledore ignored her remark and gestured to each of the lions in turn. "Miss Belladonna Melania meet, Mr Harry Potter, Mr Ronald Weasley, and Miss Hermione Granger."

Both the boys made no effort to approach her, the redhead acknowledged her with a nod of his head, while Harry stared hard at her with a look of hate on his face, and after what Dumbledore had said about the war, she could see why he might dislike her. The girl shifted nervously and approached her, holding out her hand. "It's nice to meet you Bellatr… Belladonna." Hermione smiled faintly while looking at her with large warm chocolaty brown eyes.

Bellatrix looked at her outstretched hand and folded her arms childishly. "Granger. Not a name I've heard until recently, so you can't be a pure blood… What are you?" Her tone was cold and hard as her eyes narrowed on the girl, who grew slightly paler as she withdrew her hand.

Harry stepped forward, placing a hand on the girl's shoulder and pulled her back gently. "She's a muggleborn, and I'm a half-blood. You got a problem with that?!" He snapped angrily as he got closer to her.

With a dangerous smirk, she leant forward and whispered in his ear. "I'll let you know later." Pulling back she pulled at all three. "A pleasure to meet you all."

Before Harry could respond, Dumbledore intervened. "Well now that introductions are done, there is one thing left to do before you join the school."

"There's more?!" Bellatrix sighed, she couldn't wait to get to bed soon, all this information was clogging her brain and making her incredibly drossy.

"Just one. As you probably know, trying to use what you've learnt here today to shape the future, will have disastrous consequences for all, it will never go the way you intend. But everyone can be reckless and say things they shouldn't, so as a precaution we'll be making the unbreakable vow-"

"What! Is that how much you trust me? So much for caring about my wellbeing! Now you want me to die if I should say the smallest thing!"

"Only to the wrong people. As much as I don't want to do this, it is necessary." Dumbledore reached out and lightly rested a hand on her shoulder, trying to reassure her like he did before but she wasn't having it this time and shrugged him off.

"No. I'm not doing it. You can't make me take the vow!" Bellatrix snapped after she stood back glaring.

Dumbledore surprised her by giving her a small smile; his eyes twinkled behind his spectacles as he toyed with his beard. "You're right, I can't, nor would I… However, I can't let you loose with all that information without some guarantee it will be kept safe. If you do not agree, I'm afraid I'll have to wipe your memory and keep you locked up in a safe house until you can be sent back."

Bellatrixs face grew dark as she masked her surprise at the underhanded tactic the supposed noble Headmaster had resorted to. "Is that so… Humph!" She spat out. Bellatrix never was one to follow rules, and always broke them… Now he wanted to enforce a permanent set of rules on her that would result in her death if she broke them? Worst thing was, she knew she'd have to accept them or suffer the fate he had in mind, either way she would be trapped and imprisoned one way or another. But she couldn't help her family if she was sealed in a room with no knowledge to what was going on, surely a couple rules, depending on what they were, was a good enough price to pay for saving the Black family? She pondered this for a few moments before letting out a sigh of defeat. "Fine… What are the vows?"

"Come." He said softly as he held out his arm, sighing once more, Bellatrix approached him slowly, cautiously making the physical contact as she wrapped the fingers of her right hand around his right wrist, trying not to cringe when her fingers brushed against his charred skin and when his blackened digits wrapped around her own wrist. "Professor McGonagall would you be so kind as to be our bonder?"

McGonagall rose from her seat after nodding and moved a few paces towards them, pulling out her wand as she did so. The older witch looked from her to Dumbledore, after giving McGonagall a nod to begin; she pointed the tip close to their linked hands, she traced the wand through the air in an elegant pattern then turned to look at Bellatrix. "Miss Black, do you vow not to tell anyone about what you've learnt here today and what you will learn, when you go back, until after the first wizarding war?"

Bellatrix stared at her, as surprise as she was confused at the wording of that vow. 'Until after the first wizarding war? Why not ever…' A crease formed across her brow as she tried to work out what she meant, fully aware of everyone watching and waiting. 'Oh… Because I'll be in Azkaban… She's giving me the illusion of some freedom… But that's all it is, an illusion, by the time I'm free that knowledge would be useless, it gives the same result as saying never.' Rolling her eyes, she answered lowly. "I do." A bright fiery wisp slipped from the tip of McGonagall's wand and entwined its way gracefully around their linked hands.

"And do you vow, when you go back, never to act on what you know to change the course of the first wizarding war?"

That one didn't surprise her, she expected something like that but she did notice the choice of wording again. 'Never to act on what I know… But nothing about not acting… They're giving me room to make a choice; I can't make the war worse using what I know… But I can make it better using what I know by not acting… Clever…' She was half tempted to reject that vow because of the underhanded manipulation but in the end decided to accept. "I do." A second wisp emitted itself from the witch's wand at Bellatrix's acceptance and joined the first around their hands.

"Last of all, when you return, do you vow not to seek out and harm, those that have played a significant role in delaying the You-Know-Who's return to power and continue to oppose him even now?"

That vow was simple, judging from what Dumbledore had told her, she knew just who Professor McGonagall meant and looked over at the pack of young lions. Clucking her tongue against her teeth, she met each other their gazes, twitching her lips up into a snarl before nodding. "I do." A third flaming twine sealed the latest vow. McGonagall slowly lifted her wand away and all three threads burned brightly for a moment before fading away.

"Wonderful, now with that sorted you're all set to join the school." Dumbledore said warmly as he released his grip. "I do believe its dinner time and no doubt you're all hungry. You'll be sharing a dormitory with Miss Granger here, so after you've had something to eat she can show you where you'll be sleeping. A trunk with clothing and supplies will be waiting for you there… Now just one tiny alteration to make." Pulling out his own wand, the Headmaster pointed it at Bellatrix and flicked it silently. Looking down, Bellatrix made a gagging noise when she saw the reds and yellows of Gryffindor on her uniform.

"Great…" Bellatrix muttered sourly, her eyes fell upon her wand on the Headmaster's desk. "Can I have my wand back now sir?"

"Oh I almost forgot." Dumbledore pulled a second wand from his robe and held it out to her. "Your wand is unique Miss Melania, and very recognisable by some, combine that with your looks and you'll have a hard time passing off your new identity without raising questions. This one however will still serve you well, 12 ½ inches, made of wood from a cherry tree, dragon heartstring core."

Bellatrix took it slowly, her fingers stroking it slowly as she got a feel for it, she could feel the power vibrating under the surface. 'This wand… Is powerful, feels… Right, just like mine.' "Thank you sir… But it won't work for me will it? It didn't choose me nor did I win it."

"In some cases that would be true, but if the former owner of a wand gives it away freely, they give their allegiance away with it." He gave her a mischievous smile as she read between the lines. "I'll need to have a talk with certain staff members regarding you. Now I've kept you all here long enough. Miss Melania would you be so kind as to go with your fellow Gryffindors to dinner, I'm sure we'll talk again soon."


Hermione

Hermione walked quietly by the side of the two boys, just like her, neither of them knew what to say right now. She kept looking back at the girl in her new Gryffindor uniform who was following silently as she studied her new wand. 'I can't believe Dumbledore would give her his old wand like that… I mean I know he was trying to gain her trust… But still… A powerful wand in her hands...' She couldn't deny she was more than abit nervous at being around the pure blood girl and she didn't even want to start thinking about what sharing a dorm with her was going to be like.

But to the girl's credit, she had been surprisingly more cooperative then Hermione would have expected the infamous Bellatrix Black to be, so perhaps she was being too judgemental. 'I mean she only shouted and scream a few times… And smashed up some of Dumbledore's office… Apart from that… She was tamer then what I thought she would be.' Hermione wasn't sure if she blamed her for her actions; she did just learn a lot of information that would drive anyone to one extreme or another. 'The way she screamed and choked up about Sirius's death… I didn't expect to see that… None of us did.' She had actually felt sorry for Bellatrix at that moment, she had always thought they never got on, but perhaps they were once close when Sirius was still a child. 'And I'm sure she looked like she was about to break down in tears once or twice…'

It didn't bother her much how one minute Bellatrix could go from being grief stricken and dejected, to being venomous and hateful the next. 'I'm not exactly new to having people around me with having mood swings all the time, what's one more?' Hermione smiled to herself lost in thought, it took her a few moments to realise Bellatrix was looking straight at her, she turned her head away quickly once their gazes met, a slight blush crept up her face for having been caught staring.

She didn't dare chance a look back until they reached the great hall, not wanting to provoke the dark haired girl by letting her think she had a problem with her. Once in the hall she noticed how Harry and Ron grouped together, a silent indication that neither of them wanted to sit next to her, sighing softly under her breath she turned to face Bellatrix. "Come sit with me, I'll introduce you to my… Our, housemates." She said nervously and smiled shyly, trying to sound more sincere then she was.

Bellatrix merely nodded silently and together they walked down the middle of the hall in between the tables of Gryffindor and Ravenclaw. Hermione noticed how more than a few heads turned to look at the new student, she hoped dearly that it was because of the girl's beauty rather than because they recognized her. Another blush snuck its way up onto her cheeks for her having just unconsciously acknowledged the girl's attractiveness for the second time in a few hours. She grumbled in annoyance at herself for her inability to keep her bashfulness under control whenever even the slightest and insignificant inappropriate thought crossed her mind. 'Seriously… I can perform spells higher then someone of my age should be able to do, I can stand by my friend's side to fight Death Eaters… But I can't admit someone is attractive without my face turning in a tomato? Just how in Merlin's name is that right! Although… I've never admitted to myself a girl is attractive before…'

When she reached her normal seat, she pushed aside her frown and her silly thoughts and took her seat next to Ginny, motioning politely for Bellatrix to join her. The dark haired girl seemed unsure of herself at first, looking across the hall and at, what Hermione guessed, was the Slytherin table before rolling her eyes and sitting next to her.

"Hi Hermione, Ron… Harry." Ginny smiled sweetly at Harry, something Hermione sniggered lightly at behind her hand. Others at their table exchanged a few hellos and afternoons with the trio before the female redhead turned to face her, her eyes moving over her to Bellatrix. "Hi… Erm… Err…?" Ginny gave Hermione a confused look, raising her eyebrow up as she silently quizzed her.

"Hi Ginny, guys… This is Belladonna Melania. She's moved back here from Europe, I hope you all help make her feel welcome." She answered her with a smile as she did her part in the pretence. Hermione turned to give Bellatrix a small encouraging smile before gesturing to those around her. "Belladonna this is Ginny Weasley, Ron's sister. That's Dean Thomas, Ginny's... Boyfriend. Seamus Finnigan, Neville… Err Longbottom…" 'Dammit…' Hermione silently cursed herself for mentioning Neville to her, especially now Bellatrix knew what she'd end up doing to the Longbottoms. Her eyes quickly moved on to the others around her hoping to draw Bellatrix's attention, whose dark eyes were lingering now on Neville. "Oh and that's Parvati Patil, Fay Dunbar and… Lavender Brown here, they share the same dorm as us." She just about hissed Lavender's name when she got round to her, having recently found she had a dislike for the girl… Well a stronger dislike then before, which was in no way related to Lavender showing an interest in Ron.

Bellatrix nodded slowly, acknowledging the introductions, for a moment she didn't say anything, instead she looked down at her hands and watched her fingers entwine together. When she looked back up she had a look of sheer innocence on her face, her hand moved up to play with the ends of her curls as she tilted her head. "Thank you Hermione, it's a pleasure to meet you all." Bellatrix said sweetly with a tone that would make angels jealous, a shy smile danced about on her lips as she fluttered her eyelashes. Hermione had to bite her tongue to keep a straight face at the act that Bellatrix was putting on. 'Innocent my arse.' Rolling her eyes she helped herself to a couple roast chicken breasts, some potatoes and vegetables, as well as a goblet of pumpkin juice. Watching and listening closely as Bellatrix took centre stage.

"Belladonna, that's a beautiful name." Ginny said with a small smile, kicking off the conversation.

"Thank you." The dark haired girl replied with a smile which mimicked the redheads.

"Beautiful but deadly." Neville said as he helped himself to a couple of Yorkshire puddings. Bellatrix's head snapped in his direction as Hermione almost choked on the potatoe she had just put in her mouth, her eyes widening in horror as she looked at the boys opposite her. 'Oh Merlin… Surely Neville doesn't know who she is?!' She gulped down the food in her mouth and with the boys, looked at Neville who was absentmindedly eating his dinner. "What?" He asked without a clue after noticing the looks he was getting from his peers.

Hermione quickly answered before Bellatrix could, just in case she just something rash. "What do you mean Neville?"

"Huh? Oh… I meant… You know, Belladonna? Same name as the Belladonna plant, we studied it in Herbology once, and I'm sure we used it in Potions class before, it's another name for deadly nightshade."

Unable to stop herself letting out a sigh of relief, Hermione smiled and shook her head. "Oh right of course, sorry that completely slipped my mind." She said with a soft laugh and turned back to her pumpkin juice, not failing to notice the amused glint in Bellatrix's eyes. 'That name is well suited… Beautiful but deadly…'

"What else could you have thought I meant?" Neville asked, not letting the subject drop and apparently still confused as those around him exchanged looks. "Oh… Oh wait, did you think… I… I was saying Belladonna herself was beautiful yet deadly? N… N… No of course not." Hermione couldn't help but cough up her juice at the comment and tried to hide her snigger, along with Ginny. Bellatrix still looked amused, her eyebrow quirked up at Neville. "I… I… Sorry didn't mean that I mean not the deadly part, of course you're beautiful…"

Ginny couldn't contain her laughter anymore and placed a hand on Neville's shoulder. "Smooth Neville, very smooth."

"Why thank you Neville, you flatter me." Bellatrix spoke gently as she leant forward a tad and gave him a sly wink. A cold chill ran down Hermione's spine and she immediately felt guilty knowing that Neville was flirting, or… Attempting to flirt with the girl who would one day, torture his parents to the point of insanity. But she had to hold her tongue, knowing that she couldn't break up what to everyone else, was harmless fun without causing suspicion. 'Perhaps she's not being evil and sadistic by flirting with someone whose life she knows she will ruin. Maybe she's just being polite… Merlin, I'm being far too cynical today, apart from when she was being provoked and when receiving distressing news… She's been ok so far, there's no reason why I can't give her a chance. Dumbledore is, he did say she's not that person yet, so I shouldn't think of her like she is.'

Apart from those initial thoughts and feelings, dinner went surprising well once the ice was broken. Hermione allowed herself to relax somewhat and tuck into her meal while Bellatrix mingled with those around her, and even Harry and Ron started to relax after a while, although Harry did still give her the odd dark look. Also it seemed Dumbledore had been mistaken about people not really paying attention to a new student, Bellatrix quickly became the centre of attention for those around her, as they bombarded her with questions about herself and where she came from. Some of the questions had related to things that Dumbledore had never mentioned, yet Bellatrix breezed through them with no problems at all. 'She is most definitely a Slytherin at heart; deception is second nature to her.' It amazed Hermione how quickly Bellatrix had gotten people hooked on her every word as she dazzled both the guys and the girls, using her beauty and charm to captivate her audience. Every now and then Hermione would look over to the staff table to meet either Dumbledore's or McGonagall's gaze, and would give them a reassuring smile to say that it was going well.

"It must be weird for you coming to Hogwarts after going to an all-girl school." Hermione heard Ginny ask as she turned her attention back to the chat going on around her.

Bellatrix smiled and finished taking a sip from her goblet, licking her full red lips slowly and teasingly, a gesture that few people missed, before cocking her head to the side and acting all innocent like. "All-girl school? Beauxbatons isn't an all-girl school, it's mostly an all-girl school but it does have some male students. Most people tend to think its all-girls because boys from mainland Europe tend to go to Durmstrang, unless they are… Muggleborns. Durmstrang doesn't accept them but Beauxbatons does." Bellatrix paused briefly to take another sip from her goblet, her eyes darted to the side so fleetingly that Hermione might have imagined it, but she was sure Bellatrix looked at her ominously after mentioning muggleborns. "Anyway, even if it was all-girl, why would this be weird for me?"

Ginny flushed, Hermione covered up a snigger, she had an inkling as to what the redhead meant. "Oh errr… I just meant that… Erm that…"

"That I'm not used to the company of boys?" Bellatrix finished for her as she casually played with her hair, stealing glances at the guys around her. "Believe me Ginny; I'm very familiar with their company." The dark haired girl's tone grew very husky as she practically purred out her response, some of the guys around her grinned and tidied their appearance. Bellatrix however ignored them as she stretched looking at Ginny then back to Hermione, who then surprised her with a wink. "Girls too." Hermione felt herself blush and quickly forced her attention to her plate, Bellatrix laughed lightly at everyone's reactions before changing the topic.

By the time dinner was drawing to an end, she had a crowd of mostly guys and a few girls flocking around her, complimenting her and trying to get to know her better. Hermione sighed and frowned at how easy some of them had been taken in by a pretty face in a skirt, but then she couldn't blame them entirely, Bellatrix was on a full-on charm offensive. 'I mean… I guess I can see the allure, if I was a guy, or was into… Girls, and didn't know who she was… I could see myself in their shoes… I guess…' Bellatrix unsurprisingly, appeared to love the attention she was getting as she winked, smirked and giggled away to certain comments and gestures. 'Beautiful but deadly…' She reminded herself when she found herself smiling at something Bellatrix said.

"Thank you everyone, you're all making me feel so welcome here at Hogwarts. I was a little… anxious about how things would be, but it seems my worries were ill placed." Bellatrix said with a warm smile as she looked round at her growing audience then tucked at her collar, pulling an uncomfortable face. "I must say… I didn't expect Hogwarts to be this hot… How can you wear these robes and cardigans all day?" She added with a frown.

"You don't have to keep them on Belladonna if you're too hot." Ginny said kindly before frowning at an ogling Dean.

"Oh? You don't? Thanks, that is good to know." With that, Bellatrix slipped off her outer robe before grabbing the bottom of her jumper and pulling it over her head, the blouse she had on underneath got caught on her cardigan and travelled up a fair bit with it, the blouse stopped rising half way up but not before giving those that were looking an eyeful. Several low noises and whistles followed, Hermione turned red as her eyes enlarged at the sight, and she quickly looked away after having just got a glimpse of the dark haired girl's uncovered breasts. "Oh I'm so sorry, I completely forgot about… That." Bellatrix said shyly, Hermione chanced a look to see the dark haired girl looking down with flushed cheeks, the amused glint in her eyes seemed to sparkle brighter.

A chorus of I don't mind's answered Bellatrix and most the guys continued to stare, even Ron and Harry hadn't been completely immune to the near sight. To make matters worse, the way Bellatrix's blouse hung tightly to her body, clearly showed more then was socially acceptable, groaning inwardly, Hermione decided it was her duty as a prefect and as her guide to take action. "I hope you guys don't mind if I steal Belladonna away, I want to show her to Gryffindor tower and her dorm before it gets busy." Hermione said with a small smile as she stood up. "Come with me please Belladonna."

The dark haired girl stared up at her, her face was unreadable and her eyes impassive for a few seconds before she smiled pleasantly. "Of course." Bellatrix stood up slowly and seemed to purposely lean over slowly to pick up her robes and cardigan, once again giving those that were watching a discreet eyeful. "Thank you again guys and girls, hopefully I'll be seeing you around." Giving them one last smile, Bellatrix straightened up and moved beside her. "Ready when you are Hermione."

Hermione nodded and looked over at her friends. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"We'll come with you." Harry said, nudging Ron in the side as he started to stand.

"No no its ok you stay and finish up here, besides you can't help with showing her to the girls dormitory." Hermione stated kindly as she picked up her bag, in truth she didn't want Harry and Bellatrix near each other just yet, especially when no one else was around… At least not until Harry had gotten used to the idea.

After exchanging goodbyes and looking towards the staff table one last time, Hermione beckoned for Bellatrix to follow her. Hermione could feel the eyes of Harry and Ron following her, as well as certain concerned staff as she left the hall with Bellatrix in tow. The dark haired girl remained quiet as they moved through the corridors and headed up to Gryffindor tower, whenever Hermione chanced a look back she caught Bellatrix staring at her, something that was beginning to make her increasingly nervous.

"Sooo… Errr…" Hermione started to say as they climbed the stairs, after having just caught Bellatrix watching her again. "Been to Gryffindor tower before?" She asked with a forced confident tone, hoping to hide her nervousness about being left alone with Bellatrix Black.

"A few times." Bellatrix replied flatly, her dark eyes giving nothing away as to what the girl was thinking or feelings. Hermione smiled and looked away as they neared closer, hiding a gulp as she remembered something Dumbledore said regarding Bellatrix, Slytherin décor and muggleborns clothing. 'Oh great… I've probably just reminded her about whatever Dumbledore was referring to… Might be a good idea to ward my trunk… Just to be on the safe side.'

After putting her foot in it, Hermione tried to put right her blunder and brought up other perfectly innocent subjects, hoping to cut through the awkward tension… But unlike how she was in the Great Hall, Bellatrix wasn't interested in small talk as she kept her answers short and in some cases a little snappy. Giving up, they continued to walk in silence until they reached the Fat Lady's portrait. "Password?" The plump woman asked as Hermione stepped before her.

"Abstinence." Hermione answered with a slight smirk as the portrait swung open and together they stepped into the quiet common room. A few students were lounging about in the warm room, chatting with each other by the roaring fireplace and generally didn't take much notice as they passed through the room. Bellatrix's face remained expressionless about being in the Gryffindor common room; although Hermione was sure she heard one or two faint hisses at the red and gold décor.

Leading her up the stairs to the girl's dormitory, Hermione showed Bellatrix the room she would be sharing with her and the other girls. "Here we are." She said as she turned around to face the dark haired girl with a smile. Bellatrix nodded and stepped past her without a word as she looked around the room, no doubt taking in the Gryffindor themed room. "The bed by the window is yours, it belonged to another girl but she's… She won't be coming back to Hogwarts…" Hermione added sadly as Bellatrix slowly walked around the room.

Bellatrix moved over to her new bed, her fingers lightly brushed against one of the four posts before she let out a sigh. "I'm sorry Hermione, I know I'm making you uncomfortable, and I know my company was poor, which probably didn't help much." Bellatrix let out another sigh and turned to face her, looking at Hermione with soft dark eyes and an apologetic face. "This…" She gestured around her. "My predicament… It's sunk in…"

'Wow… Is she apologising to me? A muggleborn? Dumbledore was right; she's not that person yet.' Giving Bellatrix a genuine smile, she stepped forward towards her own bed and dropped her bag down on the end. "It's perfectly alright; I can't begin to imagine how this is for you… But if you need to talk, I'm always free to lend an ear… And will help you in whatever way I can."

The dark haired eye smiled, mimicking Hermione's action and dropped her robes and cardigan in a pile on her new bed before walking closer to Hermione. "Thank you Hermione." The girl gave her what Hermione believed to be the cutest look she had ever seen, one that bizarrely made butterflies flutter about inside her.

She couldn't help but blush at the look Bellatrix was giving her and at the close proximity of the girl as she invaded her personal space, her sweet scent engulfed her senses. Hermione tried not to look at the girl's full crimson red lips, it scared her how unusually inviting they were, she could feel Bellatrix's heated breath and with it, the additional smell of spearmint added to the girl's already sweet aroma. 'Oh Merlin, she's not is she? She can't be about to kiss me! I should move… Why aren't I moving?'

Then it happened so fast, she caught the flicker of emotions behind Bellatrix's eyes too late to prevent it as she reeled from the impact, hitting the floor after she stumbled. Her cheek stinging painfully from the blistering backhanded slap Bellatrix had sent her crashing to the floor with, before she could make a move, Bellatrix was on her. Her knee digging into her back, pinning Hermione to the floor, she cried out as Bellatrix's hands grabbed roughly at her hair and pulled sharply.

"Now listen to me mudblood!" She hissed venomously in her ear. "Despite this façade, I am and will forever be a Black, a pureblood… You on the other hand, are filth! If you ever tell me what to do again… I will make your life hell! This is your place! Under those far superior to you, never forget it!" Hermione cried out in muffled pain as Bellatrix released her grip but not before pushing her face hard against the stone floor, she could feel the trickle of blood against her skin.

Her knee dug down sharply into Hermione's back one last time before Bellatrix stood up and moved over to the door. "Well come on muddy! I need to know where the Gryffindors bathrooms are before the stench of filth suffocates me. You are my guide, so guide me." Hermione looked up at the dark haired girl who had a maddening smirk playing about on her lips. 'Dumbledore was wrong… And I was wrong to allow myself to think otherwise… Beautiful but deadly, I will not forget that again.' She thought angrily as she held back the tears.


A/N: Hope you enjoyed Chapter 3 :) Who hates me! :O Who thought they were going to kiss? ;) let me know what you think and I'll update soon x