Note:  Thanks for your review, StaticMouse! At least somebody liked it…*sniff*. Joking. I suppose it has been a while since I decided to update…

Chapter 3: The Purity Issue

Severus barely knew where he was going. Book in hand, and nose in book, he haphazardly wound around fellow students with the guidance of Evan's hands on his shoulders steering him out of the way of both moving and stationary objects . His friend was too used to his unnatural bookishness as were the rest of their group. Speaking of which…

Bellatrix Black was lurking at a distance behind him with her thuggish boyfriend Rodolphus. She ran silently up to him and clamped her pale hands tightly over each eye. He came to a sudden halt.

"Guess who?" she whispered mischievously, digging long pink nails into his eyebrows which caused Severus to yell with pain, and rip her hands from his face. Bellatrix shrieked with laughter, soon followed by dull guffaws by Rudolphus Lestrange. He glared at them and packed his book into his bag as he reached the Slytherin table for lunch. He had taken a sip from his goblet of burdock wine when he glanced sideways and saw Bellatrix smirking at him maliciously. He sighed.

"What?" he asked.

Bellatrix's smile grew and she said, "How was Potions?"  Severus raised an eyebrow. "Fine," He replied warily, wondering why on Earth she was enquiring about his classes.

She leaned closer towards him, and whispered close to his ear, "A little bird told me.."- Severus glared at Evan, who blushed slightly "…that you were seen chatting up that Dashworth girl last lesson. Aren't I all the female company you need, Severus? Or am I getting to becoming too dull for your developing tastes?" Her smile had vanished and her dark eyes were narrowed slightly.  

Severus was slightly confused. Him and a halfblood? He made a mental note to ask Filch how the school water supply was coming along.

"Really, Severus. If you can't find girls your own type then don't even bother. Just don't sink so low as to forsake your own kind with the inferiors of this society," she said in a business-like tone, returning to her normal sitting position and continuing with her poached eggs as though nothing had happened.

Severus sat nonplussed as the morning owl post delivery came with the usual fluttering and falling of feathers, and a dark grey eagle owl landed near his goblet with a note attached to its leg. He untied the note and let the owl nibble at his leftover bread crusts.

Prefect Congregation.

He sighed and passed the note to Bellatrix as her own owl came swooping down before them. She read it and frowned, slumping her head against his shoulder.

"And to think the day started out so perfect…well, I suppose it will be alright for you with your little girlfriend there", she mumbled through Severus' jumper looking up at him, a grim smile crossing her features.

He frowned and said, "Honestly, Bella will you give it a rest?  If you are trying to drill into me what years of being a Slytherin and being my father's son have taught me, then you're failing miserably. For I already know it all. Perhaps even more the you do," he smirked, shoving a piece of toast into her mouth.

She took it out and looked at him appraisingly. "Even more than I do? I'm a Black, remember? We probably started writing the whole history of purity before your family tree was even created."

Severus matched her smug expression with a superior raise of his eyebrows. "Then how does that explain your dear cousin?", he asked, pointing with his wand where Sirius Black sat at the Gryffindor table. "Morals Mutation?".

"Possibly", Bellatrix scowled. The whole hall stood as the bell rang to signal the end of lunch. Severus glanced sideways at her and remarked, "Don't frown, Bella. All your potential suitors agree that it doesn't suit you."

She looked at him, smiled a wide, sarcastic smile and said "See you in the common room later. Same goes for all of you." She said, nodding at the rest of their group. Bellatrix then latched onto the arm of her boyfriend and she and Severus went their separate ways.

Okay, this chapter was short, kinda sucky and very late. Sorry! I promise I'll improve on that. Now dance! I mean, review…