10

By the time Belatrix Lestrange had awoken from her deep, uneventful sleep on the New Britain Public Bus, she was shocked to find out that it was already nine o'clock in the morning. Also, it was a Tuesday.

Both of these things pointed toward the fact that throughout her large adventure of being captured and escaping again, Belatrix had both forgotten to keep track of the passing days, and her internal clock had (due to a very long trek through the city with Hermes/Serius and Harry Potter) been completely disrupted.

Which meant in the long term that her plan to teach her captors a lesson would be foiled unless she bought an alarm clock.

Just the thought of walking into one of those old, cold and moldy English muggle stores made Belatrix cringe. Why, she hadn't visited one of those things in years! However she would need to get her timing exactly right on this one.

And so after failing to pay the driver of the bus on her way out the door, hurrying into a back street to check her reflection in a grimy pub window (she couldn't be seen to the commoners as looking ghastly, could she?) and stopping at a deli to bully the meat carver into giving her a sandwhich, Belatrix was off to the races.

She looked around as she walked; up, down, in the windows and doors, at the people and buildings. She hadn't gotten in a good look at the city yet. She needed to navigate, and she needed to know what the locals knew, and, most importantly, where the most discreet places to "hang out" (escape) were. To do this, she would have to (ghasp) be friendly with the masses.

"'ello there!"

Belatrix jumped, her fighting instincts kicking into gear. She turned around to realize that the person who had addressed her was only a rather large,, youngish and normal – looking man calling to her from the window of a grocery store. Putting a hand over her chest as if to calm her still – pounding heart, Belatrix scrambled to come up with a friendly, normal façade. This was her chance to get in the know, so to speak.

"Hi!" She decided to play it cool; as in, girly and hyper, and not necessarily that intelligent. It was the easiest way to make a friend, she thought; and even if her hairdo didn't exactly go with the persona, it would have to do.

"You look a little lost," the guy straightened his shirt and adopted a relaxed expression. Did he actually find her attractive? Belatrix could totally use this to her advantage.

"I was wondering if I could help, you know, get you acquainted –" he gestured around the street broadly. "After all, I know this place better than anyone!" He gave a deep, hearty chuckle.

Despite her calmish exterior, Belatrix was hyperventilating; she knew that if she got this wrong, she was in deep trouble. And to her, a preppy – type act did not come easily. She took a breath, trying not to make it very obvious, and continued.

"Oh, well, that would be really nice." Belatrix forced heat to come to her cheeks; she tried to blush, and act flirtatious, while inside she cringed. "I'm Bella." She stuck out her hand. "I'm from New York – I'm here for college. I just came a few nights ago."

The guy returned her gesture; his handshake was firm, and a bit clammy, as if he had just been working with them, which he probably had been.

"Bella. Nice to meet you. I'm Jose."

Belatrix smiled to herself, and let Jose lead her into the store, where he said he would get her a map and more directions to the nearest subway. There, she planned to reel him in, and later she could get him to show her the lesser – known hangout spots.

His gaze said it all; Very nice to meet you very nice indeed.

Two hours later

Belatrix was lying facedown on a narrow, must – smelling white bed at the Condor North hotel in east New Britain. Her window was wide open; her bag and notebook, which was leather – bound and expensive like a writer's diary but contained more spells than any other book, lay by the table, on the deep – set window sill. The room was nice; Jose had said that he'd pay for half, for a night, even though she'd told him not to. Which of course, gave him the manly incentive to do so anyway.

Across the street was the grocery store where he worked. It had gone well; Belatrix found that once she got into acting mode her lies came out more smoothly and surely than she thought they would. The only bad afterthought was that she might have come on a little too strongly… Although she'd tried, albeit subtly, to shake Jose off after he gave her the map and room key, he'd made her promise to meet him at the hotel's bar for supper, where they could "get a bit more acquainted with one another" – code for, he would try to get in with her.

Now how on earth was she supposed to get out of this?

It wasn't like dinner with Jose was even an option! He was a muggle, and she had better things to do. Honestly, Belatrix thought, all she'd needed was to get to know the town, and not some random brit she didn't want to know. Nonetheless not showing up to dinner, and without a previous call, would send off a warning signal; and with her luck, that could end up with him trying to track her down.

Seriously – the last thing Belatrix needed was a bunch of bloodthirsty anti – deatheaters and a confused and in – the – dark guy on her tail! God!

Once finished with her personal rant, Belatrix rolled over and checked the time. As per earlier in the day she was about forty minutes off; it was seven o'clock and she wasn't even hungry. Actually, her stomach was twisted with anger, frustration, and….. Guilt?

Wait… Did she just say that, really?

Clearly Belatrix's feelings were just due to the stress that the past few weeks had brought on. Clearly she just needed to take things easy, and come up with a revenge plan that involved more thinking and less doing. Anyhow, she was good at that.

Belatrix got up and straightened out her shirt. She went into the small, public bathroom down the hall, being careful to stash her key in her bottomless bag. She washed her face, put her hair back, and looked in the mirror. When she caught sight of herself for the first time – in a clear, unmarred surface – for several days. Belatrix cringed.

She looked like a freaking mess!

Belatrix eyed herself in a horrified way, noting her frizzy hair, her sallow, crusty skin, and her watery eyes. How was at that the Jose guy thought she was attractive right now? She wasn't, she looked awful.

Belatrix walked hurriedly back to her room, now self – conscious, wanting no one to see her face. Once safely inside she thanked the person she hadn't prayed to for a decade that the door could lock and that she'd taken Harry's wand.

So at last, several charms and a bit of makeup later, Belatrix Lestrange had adopted a look of preppy beauty; she didn't necessarily feel the best, but that was alright; she just needed to make up a far fetched excuse and head off, like any other college girl, to spend a night on the town. Presently the bell rang and she opened the door; Jose stood there in his work clothes. As Belatrix winced – he hadn't even bothered to wear something that didn't smell like meat? – he smiled and told her that their table was waiting. And then, it happened.

Belatrix felt as if the room was spinning around her; there was an all too familiar metallic taste in her throat, which felt very thick. Instinctively she keeled over on the floor and tugged her short skirt behind her, so as not to stain it; any girl would have done the same. Moments later, and before she even knew what was happening, her breakfast, which was all she'd eaten that day, came up on the floor looking slightly mushier than before.

As she and Jose both gasped, and he ran to get towels, she couldn't help but think that at least she wouldn't need to think of an excuse to "stay at the hotel".