Weeks rolled by featuring uncomfortable stares from Rodolphus, Narcissa not speaking and not a single meeting with Ethan. Bellatrix was having trouble adjusting to the fact that the person she loved all her life hated her, the person she had grown to love ignoring her and just Rodolphus' advances in general. He ceased to give up.

The Leaders of Darkness meetings were hellishly uncomfortable because, to a certain crazed teenage boy, making Bella uncomfortable resembled a winnable contest. The last meeting before Christmas was particularly unpleasant. The elder students were learning how to make Dark potions while Narcissa sat with the second and third years and read aloud about minor hexes and jinxes. It seemed that the youngest Black sister had taken a role of authority amongst the members.

"…hexes and jinxes settle at the bottom of the hierarchy of Dark spells. This is because they cause minor inconvenience to their target. For example, the Knockback Jinx which is used to repel an opponent or knock away an object"

Narcissa spoke with glee and she could see the wonder she was alighting in her peers. Bellatrix felt a pain in her chest. She spoke to everyone except her like that. If she ever spoke to her sister at all that is.

Meanwhile, Bella stood around a long table laden with cauldrons and potion ingredients along with Rodolphus and two fifth years that she didn't know the names of. That day they were learning how to brew Polyjuice Potion described by the Dark Arts book as 'a nifty potion if you have the desire to look like someone else.'

Bellatrix stared into her cauldron at the dark brown sludge and wondered if she had left it to boil for too long. She added leeches at the time the book said but still her potion resembled salamander puke.

"How'd yours turn out?" hands came up behind her and held her waist as a slimy voice whispered in her ear. Bella sighed.

"Get off me, Rodolphus" she shook him off.

Rodolphus laughed breezily in her ear and kissed her cheek. The kiss was wet and cold and Bella felt sick. She immediately wiped her cheek with her sleeve.

His presence was not unwelcome though, she did need help with her potion. With precautions in mind, Bella took a slight step away.

"Is it meant to look like that?" she asked doubtfully.

Rodolphus gave her potion a slight stir and waved his hand over the top to inhale its scent. He wrinkled his nose but then regained his composure and moved to read through the potion instructions.

"Did you add the lacewing flies at the right time?" asked Rodolphus

"Yeah, right at the start" Bella replied.

"You left them to boil right?"

Bellatrix looked away. She had been in a rush so she forgot to bring the potion to a boil before adding all the ingredients in. In truth, she had just added all the ingredients in one go. It looked like the smart thing to do at the time.

"Well, there's your first mistake. That's why it's chunky see? The lacewing flies are supposed to go soft if you leave them to boil, soon enough they just fall apart"

Bellatrix's forehead furrowed and she gave her potion a weak stir, she felt disappointed and deflated. She looked over at Rodolphus and wasn't prepared for what she saw.

In his hand he held a small knife with a thin blade and was swiftly and thinly slicing a long curved object that Bella identified as a Horn of a Bicorn. She had already added hers and continued to stare in confusion.

"Extra horn should dissolve the chunks of fly" said the boy as if sensing her gaze. With deft hands Rodolphus slid the thin slices of the Horn of a Bicorn into Bella's cauldron. "Add a bezoar and it should be back to normal within the hour. Just keep stirring slowly"

Bellatrix was without words. Rodolphus was being… nice? And without an ulterior motive to get into her pants? The world just kept getting more and more confusing.

"Thanks?" she said slowly. It came out sounding more than a query.

"I'm not just charming and devastatingly attractive, you know"

There it was. There was the Rodolphus she knew and hated.

The Great Hall was bare for a Monday afternoon, even if it was early. Bellatrix sat and eat ferociously at her scrambled eggs. She hadn't even bothered with toast. A little ways down sat her sister who stared moodily into her juice. Bella knew that Narcissa knew that she was watching her. There weren't any people sitting between the two sisters. There was just a wide empty space between the two of them.

Bella no longer let her sister's distance but a damper over her mood. Granted there was nothing that could make it better, her emotions stayed strictly level, yet she didn't brood over it. Narcissa just needed time, that's all. Those words replayed like a mantra in her head.

In a flurry of papers and long silver hair, Malfoy burst onto the scene, a frenzied look on his face. He sat down in the middle of the space between Bella and Cissy and rolled his eyes.

"Okay seriously, you guys need to get it together" he said. This was odd because normally he was always on the side of his girlfriends. Narcissa looked affronted at his command; Bella kept her head down but couldn't mask his surprise.

Cissy grunted something Bella couldn't comprehend but it seemed to annoy Malfoy.

"What if I told the two of you that-"before continuing, Malfoy lowered his voice "someone outside of the school has heard of our group and is interested in what we can do?"

That got her attention.

Both girls scooted closer to the boy and gave him a look to continue. At their reactions Malfoy looked smug.

"I've got a letter…" the blonde boy held up a folded piece of parchment. Immediately, Bella snatched it away.

"Hey!" Malfoy went to grab it but she had already walked off with it. He gave up soon enough and Bella stood in the corner of the Great Hall as her sister and her boyfriend looked on in anticipation.

All that was left was the words scrawled in what looked like ancient script. They chilled her to the bone yet left her wildly exhilarated.

Your practices fascinate me. I would like to learn more. There is a revolution coming. Your strengths will be rewarded, your loyalty treasured. If you are interested, join me. Fight for things ultimate, for they are yours for the taking.
- LV

Bella needed only to read it once. She froze, stunned and excited. She didn't need to question who sent the letter; that could wait until later. With heavy feet she walked back to the table and handed the letter to Narcissa whose face evolved into first an expression of disbelief and then into one of jubilant excitement.

"Do you know who sent it?" she whispered.

Lucius looked around to check that they weren't being overheard, "It came to the manor addressed to me. I didn't believe it at first but it seems like an offer to good to pass up"

"Why do you think they want us? How did they even know?!" Narcissa voice raised several octaves with each question.

Bella drowned out their conversation with her own thoughts. The last thing she wanted to do was question everything about it because if she did she feared she might talk herself out of it.

An offer too good to pass up.

Oh yes. Too good indeed.