Hello there. Thank you, thank you for the reviews. I really tresure them and they make me continue.

Please mind that in this chapter is maybe a little bit colorful display of animal abuse. Don't read if you can't stand this kind of stuff. (and no, belive me I hate people who abuse animals more than anything. It's just that it is a way I want this story to continue, so please bear with me.)

Also hope you don't mind a little bit more sentimental chapter, I just couldn't help myself

Chapter 9 – Have you ever followed your heart?

The thought itself made her uncomfortable. The dinner invitation. As much as it sounded unpleasant and disturbing she had to admit that it sounded also pleasant and she was curious. Catherine was something like miracle. She appeared from nowhere just when she was desperate and helped her. She was talking with her, treated her hand, gave her food and required nothing in return. Well nothing wasn't actualy right. She wanted her to come pay another visit and she wanted to talk about her life and about Sirius.

What was she supposed to say? „Yes I hated my cousin, he was such a pain in the ass and I was glad to be the one to get rid of him." Smirk appeared on her face. That will just not do.

She was sitting on the stairs infront of her front door smoking cigarett. Catherine was miracle in one other way she smoked, she loved it and wasn't against sharing. Bellatrix hated herself for smoking muggle cigarettes but there was no help and as much as she hated it she was also enjoying it, watching the silvery smoke rising in complex spirals up into the air and vanishing from sight.

She smiled and inhaled another dose of thick smoke. The whole process gave her some kind of comfort. It bussied her hands and calmed her nerves while leaving strange taste in her mouth not unpleasant but rather raw ashen tasting taste. She liked that. And then the cat came.

„You again?" Bellatrix hissed at the small cat which appeared in the door behind her back. The cat stood there motionlessly and stared at her. And the stare made her nervous again. Stupid cat.

„Get lost I don't want you here." She said quite calmly despite her nervousness and turned to face the green eyes shining like two lamps in the darkness.

„Shoo!" she tried it again and again the cat was just eyeing her sitting on her hind legs. The look she gave her was almost amused and that made her even more nervous and therefore angry.

Well she will move. She told herself and smiling wickedly cocked her head a little bit to the left.

„Little Kitty cat lost her way home?" she chuckled and her eyes grew even bigger. She hated that cat it made her afraid, nervous and angry and such as that she decided to get rid of her existence once and for all.

It will only be more messy without the wand. She mused and smile spreaded across her face making her look almost mad.

„Here Kitty Kitty." She called on the cat while slowly standing up still holding the half of the cigarett.

Her body moved slowly towards the animal making sure that her legs covered enough space to prevent the little pest from running away. Once it is trapped inside the house there will be no escape and who knows maybe she will enjoy it same as she enjoyed hurting humans. The screaming might be similar. Her mind was already lost in that dark place of her heart that dark place she was used to love and she was escaping there whenever something went differently than planned. It was her cave of comfort. When in stress or afraid she imagined her cave with all the problems and power to deal with them and in that cave she could do anything and if she could do anything inside her cave it would certainly be possible outside and from there she was drawing the strenght to serve her Master.

The door shut closed loudly and her eyes were slowly adjusting to the darkness of the hall. The cat was still there not scared but slowly moving backwards still eyeing her with those annoying huge emerald eyes.

And she sized the oportunity her leg kicked forward and it hit the spot. The small body thrown into the air and with sickening crack crashed against the wall loosing only one faint meow before falling down on the floor.

„That'll teach you lesson." She laughed and looked at the animal who was trying hard to stand up on shaky legs.

„Ah you want to leave me so soon? I think not." She grabbed the disoriented cat by the skin on her neck and walked briskly into the kitchen. With quick movement she smashed the beast against the hard surface of her wooden table and was rewarded with another yelp.

„So you thought that you will be living here with me or what?" her hand was stroking gently the smooth fur of her animal guest.

„You thought that I will allow you to stay here?" with surprising speed her stroking stopped and she punched the body hard.

„Keep dreaming." Her hand was about to punch the cat again when she heard the most pitifull cry of pain and fear she ever heard and her eyes looked down into the face of small beast and those emerald eyes. They were looking at her but not with fear or anger as she was used to see in her victims but with remorse and pity.

The bloody cat was pitying her. She screamed in rage and quickly stepped backwards laying herself against cold wall looking at the table with terror in her eyes.

Her breathing was quickened and she again felt like suffocating and the cat was laying on the table trying to stand up. The messed moves it made made her almost laughing weren't it for the tears in her eyes. Her hands were trembling. Again. And the only thought running in her head was to help the the stupid animal.

It came to her. It intended to live with her in this forgotten house. She grabbed the small body in her arms and with desperate look ran out of the house into the night knowing only one person to help her. And she was praying for the older woman to be at home.

She heard herself knocking hard on wooden door of her neighbor and the waiting seemed like forever.

„Don't you know what hour it is?" she heard the woman's voice from behind the door and her hear started pounding quicker and quicker.

„What do you….Bellatrix?" Catherine stared at her guest. She was trembling her face paler than ever before.

„What happened?" she asked with worries on her face.

„The cat…help her." It was command and yet the old woman looked down at the animal and without any further questions motioned to come inside. She let her into her study the room she wasn't using very often but one with enough books and instruments to examine the cat and as she hoped help it.

„Give it to me and wait here." She pointed sternly at on of the chairs grabbing the soft small body gently in her arms and vanishing behind the dark polished doors.

Minutes went by and Bellatrix thought that she was inside this house for hours. She still felt the persisting feeling of the kicked body at the tip of her foot.

What was wrong with her. She never hurt anyone as helpless as that animal. The thought of the night when she was torturing the Longbottoms appeared in her mind. No even at that time she dared not to touch the baby. It wasn't about being soft rather about personal boundaries and she set them and now she crossed them with both feet.

„Well she'll be alright." The voice from the other side of the room announced and she looked up to meet the smiling face of Catherine.

She. So that cat is woman same as herself. That set it, she knew that she always had weakness for other women. Being the only one among Death Eaters and the only people she ever considered friends were men. Her regret was even deeper.

„Thank you." She said weakly. „What happened?" Catherine asked while going towards the kitchen.

She could not have told her the truth. As little as she knew about her neighbor she was quite sure that animal abuse was far beyond her understanding.

„I found her like that lieing on the street." She lied. Again. All those small lies made her tired.

„Well she was lucky that you found her. Will you keep her?" Catherine asked and pushed small porcelain cup infront of her.

„Guess yes." She stared into the dark liquid. Why was she so vulnerable while in presence of this woman?

„You look tired dear. Let's go back." The voice was calm and friendly. As ever. She thought irritably and stood up.

The walk to the house was long. Well it seemed long. She stood by the door opening them and while looking into the dark and cold hallway her thoughts returned back to Catherine's house filled with light and warmth.

„Can I come in?" she asked from behind her. And to her surprise Bellatrix only nodded stepping into the house feeling as if stepping into the crypt.

„I am sorry but the lights are out." To her embarasement she heard her voice sounding apologetically.

Without a word Catherine turned some strange switch on the wall and the hallway filled with light coming out of large chandelier hanging from the ceilling.

She stared at her neighbor her eyes filling with rage. In less than twenty-four hours she was humiliated by the cat and now by this muggle.

„She will need some place to recover." Catherine added in her matter-of-fact voice and looked around the empty hallway.

„She can stay upstairs." Bella almost whispered and pointed towards the stairs. Without another word they both climbed up and entered the messy bedroom.

„You don't have any furniture?" Catherine asked with one eyebrow raised. She layed the cat at the floor and to Bellatrix's disgust into her old clothes.

„Well no." she said irritably wishing now to run out of the room leaving both the muggle and the cat inside and never to return.

„You can't live like this."

She was scolding her. The look in her eyes clearly saying her disapproval.

„Well if you don't mind this is my house and I can live here as I find suitable." She answered the scolding the only way she knew. With scorn and reservance.

„Actually I do mind. I knew Sirius and I now know you and you can't live like this." Her voice was colder now reminding her of her mother's. Always dissatisfied with any choices she had ever made.

„Out." Her voice was only a hiss but quite audible in total silence of the house.

„What?" Catherine was eyeing the young woman in disbelief.

„I said. OUT!" Bellatrix was furious her temper again getting better of her she was starting to tremble with anger.

„You think that you can walk in here and judge me? You think I bloody damn care about you knowing Sirius? I hated him. He was nothing more than ungratefull piece of shit who thought himself better than the rest of the family."

Catherine almost stumbeled as she slowly walked backwards to the doors looking with surprise at her raging neighbor.

„Get out of here and never come back. I don't need help from the likes of you." Her voice got his upper most level and with maddened shriek she threw her fifty pounds at her neighbor slamming the door from the bedroom into her face.

She heard quick steps on the stairs and thut of the closed front door. Her rage unsatisfied. She wanted to destroy something to smash something to hurt someone. But instead she was smacked across the face with hard slap and then to her surprise embraced into the soft arms.

The arms were holding her long enough that her objections died out and she was kneeling on the ground eyes closed with her face burried into the mess of lightly blond hair with faint voice of Minerva McGonagall whispering into her ear.

„There there."

She knew that those words were probably the most stupid and useless of all the things she could say. But when her mouth opened they were there and she whispered them with softness such as she never let out before.

No she was known as stern, righteous and rigid with all the principles tightly set in her mind and heart and yet when she saw Bella standing alone in the dark room with rage much larger than she could contain her eyes flicked to the wall with bloody stains her mind shutting off to only primal levels and she, for the first time in her life followed the voice of her heart. Forgetting the pain the witch caused her earlier this very evening. All she wanted was to hold her tight, to calm the emotiones raging under the surface to be there and hold her as she was now quite sure that no-one was there ever in her all life to offer her comfort and warm embrace. And with those thought only she emerged from her cat form and done it. She couldn't stop herself from slapping her across the face to stun her. And then she was holding her. Her body still trembling from rage but strangely weak she fought but only a little and then her face was burried in her hair and her warm body pressed against her own.

And in that moment something moved deep inside Minerva's head and as much as she was sure that she wanted to make the life living hell for Bellatrix Black she knew now with same strength that she wanted to help her with whatever she could. But she also knew that Bellatrix wasn't supposed to rember any of this at the morning, not yet. The time wasn't right and with small sigh she reached for her wand, closing her green eyes and mumbling:

Obliviate

A/N: Please please, pretty please review. I am egoist and really need to know that you are reading this and what you think. Thank you.