Father grabbed her arm firmly as they crossed a crowd of Muggles. "Filthy", he muttered. He released her in front of the column between platforms 9 and 10, readjusted her robes and moustache, and crossed the threshold without another word. Bella stood alone in the crowd of oddly dressed strangers, anxious, before taking a deep breath and walking through the wall. The heir of Cygnus Black would not be caught looking anything but confident.
What she saw on the other side was, for lack of a better word, magical: teenagers, people her age, more than she had ever seen before in one place. They were hugging and kissing their parents, laughing together, they were full of life and hope and … happiness? Is that what was waiting for her at Hogwarts, she thought? Life, at last, life outside the manor gates.
She found her father who was shaking hands with Richardson Lestrange, one of the men who had joined the meetings her father organised at the manor. Next to him stood a dark-haired boy who looked as lost as she felt, though he was trying his best to look as stern as Father and Mr Lestrange.
Mr Black turned to her when she reached his side:
"Richardson, you remember my eldest Bellatrix. Bellatrix, this is Richardson's boy Rodolfus. You will be in the same house for the next seven years. You two ought to get along, pure-bloods must stick together: Slytherin has grown very liberal since the days Richardson and I were there."
There was a hint of a threat in his voice. As a proper high-born girl, Bella smiled at her future classmate. He wasn't bad looking, with his big dark eyes and his confident demeanour. She waited for him to introduce himself and they exchanged pleasantries: well-mannered ladies only spoke when spoken to. As soon as the introductions were done, her father grabbed her firmly by the arm to throw her onto the train with her suitcase. Before letting her go, he reached out to her to whisper in his usual firm and threatening voice:
"If I hear you have been a disappointment to the Black name in any way, you will never see your sisters and mother again. Are we understood? You are my heir, and you ought to behave accordingly."
He left before giving his daughter a second look. Bella dragged her suitcase until she could find an empty compartment, which was not too difficult as most pupils were still outside, saying their goodbyes to their loving parents. For the first time in years, she could feel tears in her eyes: she could cope with neglect and abuse, but the idea of being separated from her sweet sisters broke her heart. She would behave. She would be the perfect heir, the perfect daughter, the perfect witch and the perfect pure-blood. She would be cold and hard, show no weakness and have no attachment. Father clearly knew her weakness too well already and she would not give him or anyone else another chance to hurt her or her sisters. She swallowed her tears and wiped her eyes as she sat down: a Black does not cry.
As the train left the station, Rodolfus and three others joined her.
"Can we come in?" asked the only girl in the group.
Bella nodded and they sat, Rodolfus to her right and the girl opposite her by the window.
"I am Callista Cooper"
She was particularly pretty, with long blond hair and incredible green eyes. She reminded her of her sweet Cissy.
"Bellatrix Black."
"Black? Like the famous pure-blood family?"
She looked amazed, and so did the two boys she had not met. Pride filled Bella … that's what it meant being pure-blood!
The boys were called Edwin Arbol and Allan Edinson. They were, of course, pure-bloods as well, though from minor families. They came across as kind and polite, except with that girl they called "Mudblood" when she walked past their compartment.
Rodolfus stayed out of their conversations, pulling a moody face – this made him more dignified, thought Bella. Like her father and the other respectable pure-blood men she had met.
And soon enough Hogwarts was in sight.
The five of them left the train and followed a ridiculously tall young man who was calling out to all the first years. Edwin whispered that the man was "half-blood". While Bella had heard of Mudbloods, Half-Bloods had never been mentioned in the Black household. It made her shiver: the very idea of a witch or wizard tainting their blood and lineage with a Muggle seemed abhorrent to her,
The giant walked the children to the edge of a lake and helped them into small boats. As soon as the boats started their journey through the lake, the grey sky turned black and rain started pouring on the children, and soon thunder could be heard. Bella felt invigorated by the storm and couldn't help but snigger at her classmates' worry. The storm that welcomed her into the world was worse than this one – the bright light, danger and energy were her element. She smiled and turned to Rodolfus:
"Do you like thunderstorms, Lestrange?"
"Not particularly – why are you asking?"
"You've not said more than three words during the whole journey. As we're going to be spending the next seven years together, we should probably get to know each other…"
A witch in an emerald robe welcomed the children outside an enormous door. There were about forty first-years, all equally anxious, though some of them hid it better than others, and absolutely drenched.
"You will walk into the Hall with me, and I will call you one by one for the ceremony. I expect nothing but the best behaviour from all of you. Am I understood?"
She seemed kind but strict. She reminded Bella of her Grand-Mother Rosier, who was kind like Mother, at least until …
Cally whispered something about Gryffindors. As if he had heard, the boy standing in front of Bella turned and smiled at her. He was tall, with hair longer than the other boys, which made him look older somehow. But what she noticed first were his kind brown eyes which were filled with mischief. Instinctively she wanted to respond to his smile, but the lady in green opened the door and urged them to follow.
The Great Hall was beautiful. The ceiling showed the storm outside in all its glory, thunderbolts lighting the room with their cold silver magic, silvery candles completing the picture. Bella stood tall and straight as she walked in – she was the first Black in a long time to walk the halls of Hogwarts and she would make an impeccable first impression.
An old wizard with a long silver beard started speaking. His words were dull and uninteresting, and Bella chose to inspect her classmates instead, looking for the boy from earlier. As their eyes met, he moved next to her.
"Hi, my name is William."
"Bellatrix Black"
He did not seem to react to her name. This took her by surprise, everyone she had met so far seemed in awe of her illustrious name. Already the lady in green was calling Edwin's name and placing an odd-looking old hat on his head. The hat sent the boy to Slytherin, and the girl after him named Burbage to Hufflepuff. And already, William's name was called. The hat seemed to hesitate before smiling and screaming for all to hear: … RAVENCLAW!
Bella felt slightly disappointed. For a moment she had hoped the boy would join her and her new friends in Slytherin.
"Bellatrix Black"
The room filled with whispers as she walked toward the stool. She felt a knot in her stomach once again. If she was not sent to Slytherin, Father might punish her and her sisters, or worse…
"Ah, another Black! It has been a good decade since I've last encountered one of your heads … such a bright girl Bellatrix, you would make a wonderful Ravenclaw. So brave and proud … Gryffindor might suit you well. Unless … so much love in your heart for your sisters, such kindness … maybe Hufflepuff …"
Was the hat … stupid? Did he really want to send her, Bellatrix Black, Cygnus Black III's daughter and heir, anywhere other than Slytherin where her family belonged? She was not going to let this insult stand.
As if it had heard her thought, the hat gasped audibly.
"Thank you for enlightening me Bellatrix … SLYTHERIN!"
A roar of applause came from the Slytherin table as she sat next to Edwin. From the Ravenclaw, William smiled at her while clapping.
Allan, Rodolfus and Cally, as well as two other boys and three girls, joined them at the table, beaming with pride. Rodolfus sat on the bench opposite her and started talking to her. It was as if a weight had lifted off his shoulders now that he had been sent to the correct house. He told her about his parents' property in Cornwall at the edge of a cliff, the sea under the balcony of his room, and the sound of the waves at night. But mostly he spoke of the younger brother he had left behind. He seemed worried about him, and she told him about her sisters. The thought of Andy and Cissy alone in their rooms with no one to kiss them good night or protect them from Father was painful. She would write to them in the morning.
Rodolfus must have noticed that talking about her sisters made her sad as he tried to distract her with rumours and gossip about the Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, Professor Dumbledore. Allegedly, his sister was a Squid, and his brother had a fondness for goats, whatever that meant, which made the boys giggle. She did not quite get the joke but nodded politely.
At the end of the meal, the prefects walked the first years to the dungeons. Once in the Slytherin Common Room, Bella was so tired that she barely took notice of the room that would be her home for the next seven years. Cally and her started talking now that the boys were not around to joke, jibe or interrupt.
Callista's father was an English Pure-Blood she had never heard of before. He and his American wife had left for New York seven years prior. Mrs Cooper had passed from an illness a few months before, and Mr Cooper had sent his only daughter to an aunt in London. He hoped that her English family would manage to find her a husband from a suitable family who might help grow his own position in English society.
Those words shook Bella. At eleven years old, both girls knew they would have very little choice in their future. Her father's threats that morning came back to her: Father could not possibly have already decided to marry her to the Lestrange family. Even Cygnus Black would never promise an engagement to his heir at such a young age, it was not done these days anymore. That last thought reassured her as she fell asleep in her new home.
The next morning, classes started – the first step in her journey to become, as Tom predicted, one of the greatest witches in history.