CHAPPIE 3 A/N1: FYI, I don't want to confuse you all, this is no Bella-gone-
soft-AU- fic, although it may seem like it in various parts in this
chapter. Don't be fooled! All right, I warned you, so no flames cause of
that. Also, sorry if the scene changes are confusing. ;(
A/N2: Thank yous
malfoy, draco malfoy : thanks! Yeah, I've got some interesting ideas on that whole subject^_^ Dreamer16 : thank you, I try! Window girl: yeah me too. Tamsy, Daine + Lilac : awww, thanks! I was just so intrigued by her in the HP 5 book, although she didn't have a large role. She was begging me to write a fic about her. Sabz : thanks for your concern, hopefully these die- hard HP fans will realize that I'm starting the story in Bella's fifth year, and therefore from this perspective her surname couldn't be Lestrange yet. K : thanks! Reverse Vampire : Thanks! Gabriel Malone : Thanks. I WAS having a bit of trouble with writing the summary, but at 2 in the morning I guess I just wanted to get it posted already, lol! Gin : thanks! I thought, ya know, well its Bellatrix, it supposed to be a dark fic, but I just got all these crazy ideas so it ends up being funny. Oh well ^_^ Amanda Lupin : Yah she is.I remember reading about an interview (archived in the HP Lexicon, I believe) where JKR said that everyone was coming to love her dark characters (such as Draco and Sev), and we shouldn't, cause they're DARK and MEAN! But you just can't help it, I guess. Bloodthirstypigion : I'll try!
***
Bellatrix was sitting in the Slytherin Common room Wednesday evening, biting her lip in concentration with quill in hand. After a fairly short detention, Professor Allen had complained of a teenager-induced headache and left them all to their own devices. Wednesday was letter-writing day; that is, Bellatrix would "keep in touch" with any family member she supposed could help her out of a tight jam if she ever needed it. She had sent most of her letters already with the family owl Shea, but had wanted to spend a bit more time on the letters to her sisters.
A day had passed since Narcissa's letter, and Bellatrix was confused as what to say. After a letter like that one had to be careful. Anything she wrote could be used against her. In this case, Narcissa would be looking for the smallest of cues to start playing matchmaker. So...was it better to disregard that component completely, or just pretend that she cared about her sister's opinion? OR, she could write that she had already found, "the one." Narcissa couldn't set her up with a guy if she was already involved with someone else. Well, that could work, for a while. But who at Hogwarts was a plausible match for herself?
'Dear Narcissa,' she started out. 'You will be glad to hear that my Transfiguration grade is nearly up to scratch. I am borderline between an 'A' and an 'E'. I'd like to thank you for your concern that I find a husband. However, there was no need for worry, as I am currently in a relationship and can handle things quite fine by myself. I am most delighted to hear of your pending engagement to the Mr. Lucius Malfoy. I will see you over winter break, so, till then, adieu! Sincerely, Bella
Of course, Narcissa would want to meet this guy, but when the time came for introductions she would think of something.
Next, she got out a letter addressed to her eldest sister, Andromeda. She reread it to look for any errors; Andromeda was a schoolteacher in another part of Europe and teased her dreadfully anytime she found a grammatical mistake.
Dear Andie, How are you? School is boring, as usual. I am still doing horribly in Transfiguration, but luckily Mum and Father haven't found out yet; when they do I won't be seeing daylight for a long time. Narcissa wrote that she is (or will be) engaged to Lucius Malfoy, what do you think? I suppose I'm happy that she's happy. Plus of course, this means many new connections for the Black family. She's started pestering me about finding a husband, and I'm making one up so she can't choose one for me. That would be absolutely dreadful. Let's see, I recently got pulled into two weeks detention for merely retaliating against a prank of Sirius'. Not fair, but what did I expect, I'm a Slytherin. Plus, Em got pictures of the entire event! Thank Merlin for that Photography class her parents enrolled her in, I say. Thanks for the bundle of Chocolate Frogs; they were lovely. Write back soon! Yours truly, Bella
Now this was a curious relationship they shared. There was about an eight- year age difference between the two, and before Andromeda, (or, as she nicknamed her, Andie), had graduated from Hogwarts, they had been pretty close. Yes, Andie was a Ravenclaw, yes, Andie didn't mind Mudbloods (Bellatrix had even had suspicions that Andie had befriended a few: oh, the horror!), but those were things they never brought up in conversation. See, Bellatrix had been willing to overlook the fact that Andie had those weaknesses, because Andie really was a very good sister in all other respects. She didn't meddle, like Narcissa. She didn't nag or insult, like her mum. She didn't shout, like her father. She was just calm, and patient, and understanding. Bellatrix had liked that.
Then, of course, Ted Tonks happened. Ted Tonks, a *Gryffindor*. Ted Tonks, a *muggleborn*. She MARRIED him! The exact opposite of everything her family stood for. A slap in face, that's what it was. Bellatrix hadn't known how to react in that situation. Sure, the rest of her family ignored her, and it went without saying she was disowned. But Bellatrix's close relationship with Andie warranted something different...Right? Bellatrix eventually decided to ignore him. Ted Tonks? Who? I know of no such person. Andie was still Andie, there was Tonks involved whatsoever. Of course, this meant no more visits, but Bellatrix still wrote her weekly letters without fail, and Andie complied by never sending a letter whilst signing her last name.
***
Having shared another detention with Bellatrix, Sirius was wondering just exactly how he felt towards his cousin. Sure, he DID make an effort not to be completely horrible to her; Andie, his cousin, had asked him to. But it was fake; he really hated her. Or at least he thought he did. He tried looking at it from an objective angle. She was ...well, not nice, not kind, not compassionate, not thoughtful, not forgiving, not merciful...not anything you'd expect out of a decent person. But if you fit the long list of superficial traits needed for her to accept you, she wasn't that bad- in fact, it was only how she dealed with the people who purposely set her off that gave her such a bitchy reputation. Namely, himself and his fellow marauders.
But it was Andie, his favorite cousin, who had convinced him to back down a bit. He couldn't understand why at the time, but now he was beginning to see a bit of a normal teenage spirit in her. And as long as Bellatrix never stooped to the unprovoked attacks of innocents, he decided he would try to tolerate her.
Having settled that, Sirius thought back to the larger problem at hand: getting his mirror back. He could wait for Professor Allen to give it back to Bellatrix. But then what? Beg it from her? (Not as long as he was a Black!) Bribe her? ( Not that she wouldn't be open to bribery; it was very common among Slytherins, only he could think of no bargaining tool.) One option remained: Steal it from the professor.
***
"All right! Of course, while we're there, we might as well spruce up the place a bit,"
"You know, change the color scheme,"
"Give it a more comfy atmosphere,"
"I'm thinking it needs a real Gryffindor-esque touch to it-make it more homey and inviting."
"The whole 'I'm in a dungeon about to suffocate no wait it's a classroom' look is soooo last year."
"Right then, lets get planning, we've only got a week to execute this."
***
Thursday morning dawned bright and early for Bellatrix. Too early. A look at the clock told her it was five AM. She looked out of her four-poster bed to locate the noise that had woken her up at this ungodly hour. Her cat, Samwise, had caught a rodent and had proceeded to mutilate to the point where she couldn't tell what species it had been. "NO, Sammy, I TOLD YOU TO EAT YOUR PREY OUTSIDE THE DORM!"
Well, at least nothing had stained the carpet. This time. "And by the way, nice catch," she amended with a whisper. Samwise obediently stalked back out of the dorm.
Bellatrix got up and stretched, she was wide-awake now, and wouldn't get back to sleep. As she got ready, she thought about her schoolwork. She was quite good with doing her homework and getting it in on time, and she received 'O's in most classes; however in Transfiguration she wasn't doing well. But so what if she wasn't getting an 'E' or an 'O'? She DID try- of course, she told anyone who would listen that McGonagall hated her and graded her badly on purpose. But sometimes, people were just BAD at a subject. Not that her grades mattered at all if Narcissa went and found her a husband.
But McGonagall had told her to get a tutor. After getting over the initial shame, Bellatrix weighed her options. The teacher telling you to get a tutor was all the same as a big red sign saying, 'You suck! You suck!' Bellatrix did not want to fail the class, but realized that if left to her own devices, she most definitely would. So, who to choose?
***
"You know, I really think that Divination was created just so the authorities could bore us to death in class each week," Emmeline commented.
Bellatrix and Emmeline were on their way to Divination class after a particularly grueling Transfiguration lesson earlier that day. McGonagall had once again pulled her aside and told her to look for a tutor after she failed to change anything about her duck except get rid of its beak. She had also been loaded with extra homework, and added to her current amount, well, she was one unhappy person that morning.
"What are you complaining about? Everyone in Slytherin is getting an 'O' in this class."
"So? Doesn't mean its not boring."
"Yes, well, I guess I'm just thankful for any 'O' I can get."
"Oh. Right. The Transfiguration problem."
"Oh Merlin, how many people know?"
"A lot. McGonagall wasn't exactly keeping her voice down when said you needed a tutor."
"AHHHH!" She yelled in frustration.
Then looked around to see many curious faces staring at her. She had forgotten she was in the middle of a hallway. Fighting to keep her dignity, she turned to a group of first years.
"Well? Didn't your mothers ever teach you not to stare?"
"Her mother's dead, actually," a pale looking boy said, jerking his thumb to a girl with what looked like permanently tear-stained cheeks.
"I....uh...oh," Bellatrix managed to stammer out. That was absolutely THE last excuse she ever thought she'd hear.
The girl started sobbing loudly. "Last night...it happened last night. I only just found out."
What was the girl expecting? Pity? Didn't she know whom she was talking to? Not to mention the fact the first year was a Hufflepuff. If it had been a Slytherin, or even a Ravenclaw, Bellatrix might have expressed her sympathies; those first years warranted her protection.
All Slytherins and even some Ravenclaws were ostracized with the rising of the Dark Lord. Which wasn't fair at all. Just because they agreed with his ideas did NOT mean they were in on it. So what right did those high- and- mighty Gryffindors have to taunt them and bully them, whilst the Hufflepuffs watched with glee? What hypocrites!
The first years seemed to be expecting a response, but Bellatrix was too wrapped up in her own thoughts at the moment. So Emmeline stepped in. Which was just as well, for she had more of a heart than Bellatrix did. She had also just lost an Uncle of her own not too long ago, so she figured she knew how to deal with these things.
"How horrible! How did it happen?" She asked kindly.
The girl sobbed even louder. Whoops.
Instead, the pale boy responded. "She was murdered."
Bellatrix suddenly snapped out of her thoughts and had a very interested look on her face.
"How?" Emmeline continued.
"By.... by Lord...well, by you-know-who!" which was said in a whisper.
What? They couldn't even give him proper respect and refer to him as The Dark Lord? Kids these days!
"Who?" Bellatrix was going to have a lot of fun.
"You know. You-Know-Who!"
"I'm afraid I have no idea whom you mean. I know lots of people, you see."
The pale boy was getting increasingly nervous. He beckoned them closer. "Lord...Lord Voldemort!"
Wow. The kid had guts. Or, he had just had a pep talk from their ridiculous headmaster. In the start of the Dark Lord's reign, he HAD been referred to as Voldemort. However, as the killing and torturing went on, people began to get afraid of speaking his name, supposing he would swoop down on them. 'Voldemort' was a name hardly ever heard anymore. Of course, a few Gryffindors would say it with their pseudo bravery, pretending he didn't frighten them in the least. Every time the name was heard, however, people jumped, people shrieked, people panicked. So the name was not heard often.
Of course all Slytherins and some Ravenclaws referred to him with his proper title, The Dark Lord. He was to be respected. Sometimes however there were whispers against his killing mugglelovers. The thought was, if they're pureblood, well, you could always have hope for their next generation. But these thoughts never went beyond the Common room walls, because for the most part He was doing them all a favor.
Bellatrix returned her attention back to the present. Emmeline was looking mildly impressed at the boy's daring, and said, "So she's a mud- that is to say, well, why?"
Calling a little kid a mudblood in the middle of a crowded hallway never was a good a good idea.
"Her parents were half-bloods," he said.
"Hmm, I wonder why The Dark Lord didn't do away with the father, then?" Whispered Bellatrix so only Emmeline could hear.
"Well, watch your back, then," Emmeline said encouragingly as the two started heading back to the Divination classroom.
They reached the ladder just before the bell started to ring, and hurried into the classroom. Professor Irene Lyons was passing back the homework from last week, raving about what wonderful jobs everyone had done.
"You think she'd realize that we made it all up," Avery whispered.
"Yeah, why can't she 'see' that?" Bellatrix whispered back. They both sniggered.
Professor Lyons, oblivious, made her way to the front of the classroom. Humming to herself, she grabbed another packet of papers and handed them to the five students in the room. "We're moving on to a new subject today, boys and girls. This is your homework packet for our new area of study, palm reading. I'm sure we will have lots of fun!"
Everyone groaned. "Now, really!" Professor Lyons said indignantly. "In fact, while you get started, I will partner up with Miss Rhodes here and show how it's done."
Emmeline started muttering darkly under her breath, and Severus groaned again. Emmeline was sick of the uninteresting ways the professor would come up with to say she would snuff it, and Severus knew this meant he had to be paired up with Bellatrix.
Emmeline walked slowly up to front of the room, sitting on a plush cushion next to the professor. "Today we'll start with something easy, we'll be looking at the Heart Line."
She took Emmeline's hand and studied it, muttering under her breath. She then said aloud, "Ok, yours is what's known as the Pleaser Type." Avery and Nott snickered, dirty thoughts abound.
Shushing them, Professor Lyons dragged Emmeline up by her hand so the class could see it clearly. "See, here's the Heart Line, she started to explain," pointing to a line passing horizontally through the middle of her hand. She traced along it with her nail making it deeper and more pronounced. Emmeline winced.
"As you can see, it reaches to the other side, curving down at its end." After everyone got a good look, the Professor set Emmeline to work reading the explanation for her hand's Heart Line, and told the rest to get started.
Severus grumbled as he sat down next to Bellatrix- the last person he wanted to be working with right now. Even Emmeline would have been a better partner, she didn't have to have some 'ulterior motive' to be a decent person.
He gave Bellatrix a long look. She was an aristocratic snob, and she looked the part. Every hair on her head was strategically placed, and her make up was flawless, bringing those deep, cold blue eyes of hers into prominence. You could get lost dreaming about those eyes, the swirling, blue mist of nothingness-
"Severus? Severus? Hello? Come on now, we've got work to do!" Bellatrix said, interrupting his thoughts.
"Oh, right," Severus replied lamely, coloring. She was sure to have noticed him staring at her.
Bellatrix gave him a questioning look before moving on. She grabbed his hand and lightly traced his Heart Line, checking it closely. She then referred back to her book, 'Unfogging the Future.' She checked his hand again, and brought it up to the book's page. After a moment, she smiled triumphantly, musing, "Flat, short, ends in the of the palm..." Giving his palm a sharp jab with her fingernail, she continued, "You are the Independent Type."
She then gave him her hand to probe, and so he figured the explanations of the type was part of the homework. He must have zoned out just long enough to miss the instructions. He took her hand, noting the soft feel of her skin as compared to his calloused ones. 'Don't think about that,' he ordered himself. So....long, flat, and ending under the index finger. He checked the book. Well, this was easy enough, the thinker type. He relayed the information back to her, unconsciously still holding on to her hand. After a moment of embarrassed silence, he realized what he was doing and let go, thankful that Bellatrix seemed to be out of sorts enough that she didn't realize his own odd behavior.
Finally, the bell rang, and the Professor told them to have the first assignment completed within the packet by their next class. The Slytherins made plans for their little 'study group', as they called it; meaning making sure they all had different ideas when it came to making up their answers. The only downside to their study group was it turned a one hour homework assignment into three; the Slytherins loved to talk.
As a group, the Slytherins climbed down the stairways down to lunch.
***
End Chappie3
Ok, Hogsmeade was pushed back a bit, no worries. And I will go into detail about the palm-reading and such next chappie also. Be a dear and review!
A/N2: Thank yous
malfoy, draco malfoy : thanks! Yeah, I've got some interesting ideas on that whole subject^_^ Dreamer16 : thank you, I try! Window girl: yeah me too. Tamsy, Daine + Lilac : awww, thanks! I was just so intrigued by her in the HP 5 book, although she didn't have a large role. She was begging me to write a fic about her. Sabz : thanks for your concern, hopefully these die- hard HP fans will realize that I'm starting the story in Bella's fifth year, and therefore from this perspective her surname couldn't be Lestrange yet. K : thanks! Reverse Vampire : Thanks! Gabriel Malone : Thanks. I WAS having a bit of trouble with writing the summary, but at 2 in the morning I guess I just wanted to get it posted already, lol! Gin : thanks! I thought, ya know, well its Bellatrix, it supposed to be a dark fic, but I just got all these crazy ideas so it ends up being funny. Oh well ^_^ Amanda Lupin : Yah she is.I remember reading about an interview (archived in the HP Lexicon, I believe) where JKR said that everyone was coming to love her dark characters (such as Draco and Sev), and we shouldn't, cause they're DARK and MEAN! But you just can't help it, I guess. Bloodthirstypigion : I'll try!
***
Bellatrix was sitting in the Slytherin Common room Wednesday evening, biting her lip in concentration with quill in hand. After a fairly short detention, Professor Allen had complained of a teenager-induced headache and left them all to their own devices. Wednesday was letter-writing day; that is, Bellatrix would "keep in touch" with any family member she supposed could help her out of a tight jam if she ever needed it. She had sent most of her letters already with the family owl Shea, but had wanted to spend a bit more time on the letters to her sisters.
A day had passed since Narcissa's letter, and Bellatrix was confused as what to say. After a letter like that one had to be careful. Anything she wrote could be used against her. In this case, Narcissa would be looking for the smallest of cues to start playing matchmaker. So...was it better to disregard that component completely, or just pretend that she cared about her sister's opinion? OR, she could write that she had already found, "the one." Narcissa couldn't set her up with a guy if she was already involved with someone else. Well, that could work, for a while. But who at Hogwarts was a plausible match for herself?
'Dear Narcissa,' she started out. 'You will be glad to hear that my Transfiguration grade is nearly up to scratch. I am borderline between an 'A' and an 'E'. I'd like to thank you for your concern that I find a husband. However, there was no need for worry, as I am currently in a relationship and can handle things quite fine by myself. I am most delighted to hear of your pending engagement to the Mr. Lucius Malfoy. I will see you over winter break, so, till then, adieu! Sincerely, Bella
Of course, Narcissa would want to meet this guy, but when the time came for introductions she would think of something.
Next, she got out a letter addressed to her eldest sister, Andromeda. She reread it to look for any errors; Andromeda was a schoolteacher in another part of Europe and teased her dreadfully anytime she found a grammatical mistake.
Dear Andie, How are you? School is boring, as usual. I am still doing horribly in Transfiguration, but luckily Mum and Father haven't found out yet; when they do I won't be seeing daylight for a long time. Narcissa wrote that she is (or will be) engaged to Lucius Malfoy, what do you think? I suppose I'm happy that she's happy. Plus of course, this means many new connections for the Black family. She's started pestering me about finding a husband, and I'm making one up so she can't choose one for me. That would be absolutely dreadful. Let's see, I recently got pulled into two weeks detention for merely retaliating against a prank of Sirius'. Not fair, but what did I expect, I'm a Slytherin. Plus, Em got pictures of the entire event! Thank Merlin for that Photography class her parents enrolled her in, I say. Thanks for the bundle of Chocolate Frogs; they were lovely. Write back soon! Yours truly, Bella
Now this was a curious relationship they shared. There was about an eight- year age difference between the two, and before Andromeda, (or, as she nicknamed her, Andie), had graduated from Hogwarts, they had been pretty close. Yes, Andie was a Ravenclaw, yes, Andie didn't mind Mudbloods (Bellatrix had even had suspicions that Andie had befriended a few: oh, the horror!), but those were things they never brought up in conversation. See, Bellatrix had been willing to overlook the fact that Andie had those weaknesses, because Andie really was a very good sister in all other respects. She didn't meddle, like Narcissa. She didn't nag or insult, like her mum. She didn't shout, like her father. She was just calm, and patient, and understanding. Bellatrix had liked that.
Then, of course, Ted Tonks happened. Ted Tonks, a *Gryffindor*. Ted Tonks, a *muggleborn*. She MARRIED him! The exact opposite of everything her family stood for. A slap in face, that's what it was. Bellatrix hadn't known how to react in that situation. Sure, the rest of her family ignored her, and it went without saying she was disowned. But Bellatrix's close relationship with Andie warranted something different...Right? Bellatrix eventually decided to ignore him. Ted Tonks? Who? I know of no such person. Andie was still Andie, there was Tonks involved whatsoever. Of course, this meant no more visits, but Bellatrix still wrote her weekly letters without fail, and Andie complied by never sending a letter whilst signing her last name.
***
Having shared another detention with Bellatrix, Sirius was wondering just exactly how he felt towards his cousin. Sure, he DID make an effort not to be completely horrible to her; Andie, his cousin, had asked him to. But it was fake; he really hated her. Or at least he thought he did. He tried looking at it from an objective angle. She was ...well, not nice, not kind, not compassionate, not thoughtful, not forgiving, not merciful...not anything you'd expect out of a decent person. But if you fit the long list of superficial traits needed for her to accept you, she wasn't that bad- in fact, it was only how she dealed with the people who purposely set her off that gave her such a bitchy reputation. Namely, himself and his fellow marauders.
But it was Andie, his favorite cousin, who had convinced him to back down a bit. He couldn't understand why at the time, but now he was beginning to see a bit of a normal teenage spirit in her. And as long as Bellatrix never stooped to the unprovoked attacks of innocents, he decided he would try to tolerate her.
Having settled that, Sirius thought back to the larger problem at hand: getting his mirror back. He could wait for Professor Allen to give it back to Bellatrix. But then what? Beg it from her? (Not as long as he was a Black!) Bribe her? ( Not that she wouldn't be open to bribery; it was very common among Slytherins, only he could think of no bargaining tool.) One option remained: Steal it from the professor.
***
"All right! Of course, while we're there, we might as well spruce up the place a bit,"
"You know, change the color scheme,"
"Give it a more comfy atmosphere,"
"I'm thinking it needs a real Gryffindor-esque touch to it-make it more homey and inviting."
"The whole 'I'm in a dungeon about to suffocate no wait it's a classroom' look is soooo last year."
"Right then, lets get planning, we've only got a week to execute this."
***
Thursday morning dawned bright and early for Bellatrix. Too early. A look at the clock told her it was five AM. She looked out of her four-poster bed to locate the noise that had woken her up at this ungodly hour. Her cat, Samwise, had caught a rodent and had proceeded to mutilate to the point where she couldn't tell what species it had been. "NO, Sammy, I TOLD YOU TO EAT YOUR PREY OUTSIDE THE DORM!"
Well, at least nothing had stained the carpet. This time. "And by the way, nice catch," she amended with a whisper. Samwise obediently stalked back out of the dorm.
Bellatrix got up and stretched, she was wide-awake now, and wouldn't get back to sleep. As she got ready, she thought about her schoolwork. She was quite good with doing her homework and getting it in on time, and she received 'O's in most classes; however in Transfiguration she wasn't doing well. But so what if she wasn't getting an 'E' or an 'O'? She DID try- of course, she told anyone who would listen that McGonagall hated her and graded her badly on purpose. But sometimes, people were just BAD at a subject. Not that her grades mattered at all if Narcissa went and found her a husband.
But McGonagall had told her to get a tutor. After getting over the initial shame, Bellatrix weighed her options. The teacher telling you to get a tutor was all the same as a big red sign saying, 'You suck! You suck!' Bellatrix did not want to fail the class, but realized that if left to her own devices, she most definitely would. So, who to choose?
***
"You know, I really think that Divination was created just so the authorities could bore us to death in class each week," Emmeline commented.
Bellatrix and Emmeline were on their way to Divination class after a particularly grueling Transfiguration lesson earlier that day. McGonagall had once again pulled her aside and told her to look for a tutor after she failed to change anything about her duck except get rid of its beak. She had also been loaded with extra homework, and added to her current amount, well, she was one unhappy person that morning.
"What are you complaining about? Everyone in Slytherin is getting an 'O' in this class."
"So? Doesn't mean its not boring."
"Yes, well, I guess I'm just thankful for any 'O' I can get."
"Oh. Right. The Transfiguration problem."
"Oh Merlin, how many people know?"
"A lot. McGonagall wasn't exactly keeping her voice down when said you needed a tutor."
"AHHHH!" She yelled in frustration.
Then looked around to see many curious faces staring at her. She had forgotten she was in the middle of a hallway. Fighting to keep her dignity, she turned to a group of first years.
"Well? Didn't your mothers ever teach you not to stare?"
"Her mother's dead, actually," a pale looking boy said, jerking his thumb to a girl with what looked like permanently tear-stained cheeks.
"I....uh...oh," Bellatrix managed to stammer out. That was absolutely THE last excuse she ever thought she'd hear.
The girl started sobbing loudly. "Last night...it happened last night. I only just found out."
What was the girl expecting? Pity? Didn't she know whom she was talking to? Not to mention the fact the first year was a Hufflepuff. If it had been a Slytherin, or even a Ravenclaw, Bellatrix might have expressed her sympathies; those first years warranted her protection.
All Slytherins and even some Ravenclaws were ostracized with the rising of the Dark Lord. Which wasn't fair at all. Just because they agreed with his ideas did NOT mean they were in on it. So what right did those high- and- mighty Gryffindors have to taunt them and bully them, whilst the Hufflepuffs watched with glee? What hypocrites!
The first years seemed to be expecting a response, but Bellatrix was too wrapped up in her own thoughts at the moment. So Emmeline stepped in. Which was just as well, for she had more of a heart than Bellatrix did. She had also just lost an Uncle of her own not too long ago, so she figured she knew how to deal with these things.
"How horrible! How did it happen?" She asked kindly.
The girl sobbed even louder. Whoops.
Instead, the pale boy responded. "She was murdered."
Bellatrix suddenly snapped out of her thoughts and had a very interested look on her face.
"How?" Emmeline continued.
"By.... by Lord...well, by you-know-who!" which was said in a whisper.
What? They couldn't even give him proper respect and refer to him as The Dark Lord? Kids these days!
"Who?" Bellatrix was going to have a lot of fun.
"You know. You-Know-Who!"
"I'm afraid I have no idea whom you mean. I know lots of people, you see."
The pale boy was getting increasingly nervous. He beckoned them closer. "Lord...Lord Voldemort!"
Wow. The kid had guts. Or, he had just had a pep talk from their ridiculous headmaster. In the start of the Dark Lord's reign, he HAD been referred to as Voldemort. However, as the killing and torturing went on, people began to get afraid of speaking his name, supposing he would swoop down on them. 'Voldemort' was a name hardly ever heard anymore. Of course, a few Gryffindors would say it with their pseudo bravery, pretending he didn't frighten them in the least. Every time the name was heard, however, people jumped, people shrieked, people panicked. So the name was not heard often.
Of course all Slytherins and some Ravenclaws referred to him with his proper title, The Dark Lord. He was to be respected. Sometimes however there were whispers against his killing mugglelovers. The thought was, if they're pureblood, well, you could always have hope for their next generation. But these thoughts never went beyond the Common room walls, because for the most part He was doing them all a favor.
Bellatrix returned her attention back to the present. Emmeline was looking mildly impressed at the boy's daring, and said, "So she's a mud- that is to say, well, why?"
Calling a little kid a mudblood in the middle of a crowded hallway never was a good a good idea.
"Her parents were half-bloods," he said.
"Hmm, I wonder why The Dark Lord didn't do away with the father, then?" Whispered Bellatrix so only Emmeline could hear.
"Well, watch your back, then," Emmeline said encouragingly as the two started heading back to the Divination classroom.
They reached the ladder just before the bell started to ring, and hurried into the classroom. Professor Irene Lyons was passing back the homework from last week, raving about what wonderful jobs everyone had done.
"You think she'd realize that we made it all up," Avery whispered.
"Yeah, why can't she 'see' that?" Bellatrix whispered back. They both sniggered.
Professor Lyons, oblivious, made her way to the front of the classroom. Humming to herself, she grabbed another packet of papers and handed them to the five students in the room. "We're moving on to a new subject today, boys and girls. This is your homework packet for our new area of study, palm reading. I'm sure we will have lots of fun!"
Everyone groaned. "Now, really!" Professor Lyons said indignantly. "In fact, while you get started, I will partner up with Miss Rhodes here and show how it's done."
Emmeline started muttering darkly under her breath, and Severus groaned again. Emmeline was sick of the uninteresting ways the professor would come up with to say she would snuff it, and Severus knew this meant he had to be paired up with Bellatrix.
Emmeline walked slowly up to front of the room, sitting on a plush cushion next to the professor. "Today we'll start with something easy, we'll be looking at the Heart Line."
She took Emmeline's hand and studied it, muttering under her breath. She then said aloud, "Ok, yours is what's known as the Pleaser Type." Avery and Nott snickered, dirty thoughts abound.
Shushing them, Professor Lyons dragged Emmeline up by her hand so the class could see it clearly. "See, here's the Heart Line, she started to explain," pointing to a line passing horizontally through the middle of her hand. She traced along it with her nail making it deeper and more pronounced. Emmeline winced.
"As you can see, it reaches to the other side, curving down at its end." After everyone got a good look, the Professor set Emmeline to work reading the explanation for her hand's Heart Line, and told the rest to get started.
Severus grumbled as he sat down next to Bellatrix- the last person he wanted to be working with right now. Even Emmeline would have been a better partner, she didn't have to have some 'ulterior motive' to be a decent person.
He gave Bellatrix a long look. She was an aristocratic snob, and she looked the part. Every hair on her head was strategically placed, and her make up was flawless, bringing those deep, cold blue eyes of hers into prominence. You could get lost dreaming about those eyes, the swirling, blue mist of nothingness-
"Severus? Severus? Hello? Come on now, we've got work to do!" Bellatrix said, interrupting his thoughts.
"Oh, right," Severus replied lamely, coloring. She was sure to have noticed him staring at her.
Bellatrix gave him a questioning look before moving on. She grabbed his hand and lightly traced his Heart Line, checking it closely. She then referred back to her book, 'Unfogging the Future.' She checked his hand again, and brought it up to the book's page. After a moment, she smiled triumphantly, musing, "Flat, short, ends in the of the palm..." Giving his palm a sharp jab with her fingernail, she continued, "You are the Independent Type."
She then gave him her hand to probe, and so he figured the explanations of the type was part of the homework. He must have zoned out just long enough to miss the instructions. He took her hand, noting the soft feel of her skin as compared to his calloused ones. 'Don't think about that,' he ordered himself. So....long, flat, and ending under the index finger. He checked the book. Well, this was easy enough, the thinker type. He relayed the information back to her, unconsciously still holding on to her hand. After a moment of embarrassed silence, he realized what he was doing and let go, thankful that Bellatrix seemed to be out of sorts enough that she didn't realize his own odd behavior.
Finally, the bell rang, and the Professor told them to have the first assignment completed within the packet by their next class. The Slytherins made plans for their little 'study group', as they called it; meaning making sure they all had different ideas when it came to making up their answers. The only downside to their study group was it turned a one hour homework assignment into three; the Slytherins loved to talk.
As a group, the Slytherins climbed down the stairways down to lunch.
***
End Chappie3
Ok, Hogsmeade was pushed back a bit, no worries. And I will go into detail about the palm-reading and such next chappie also. Be a dear and review!