Chapter Ten:

"Let me see your forehead dear," Madam Pomphrey said gliding over to Bellatrix. She reached out a cold hard hand and slapped it onto Bellatrix's head while writing something on a chart.

"Well you don't have a fever," she pulled away her hand. "It just might've been something you ate." She looked over the clipboard in front of her. "Or it might be some other reason. Tell me have you taken any harmful substances lately?"

"Harmful substances?" Bellatrix said trying to think. "Well I did have some last night."

"Yes what did you have dear?" Madam Pomphrey looked at her from over a pair of small spectacles.

"Fire whiskey and some pot," Bellatrix knew there was no point in lying. She had been in the hospital several times for drug related incidents. Madam Pomphrey had everything down on the chart in front of her.

"Kids these days," Pomphrey whispered hurriedly scribbling notes, adding on to Bellatrix's extensive medical file. "Well dear that's probably your problem. You've gone and mixed substances again. Remember last time? Knocked out for a week. Let's see... here we are. Fire whiskey and cocaine. I'm quite shocked it didn't kill you."

"I have a higher immunity than others to certain substances. Probably why I have to use so much," Bellatrix tried to joke, her stomach feeling really queasy this time.

"Yes," Madam Pomphrey gave her a reproving look. "Well luckily for you I have a medicine that can help to stabilise your system. It's just a quick shot in the arm and off you go to class."

"Class?" This was supposed to get her out of class, this was supposed to give her a viable reason to skip detention. Now she would have to just miss it and claim stupidity, which didn't work as well.

"Yes dear class. We can't have you hanging about here all day. I have work to do."

"Are you sure I'm not sick," Bellatrix pleaded coughing a little.

"Yes I'm quite sure. Now just wait here while I get the medicine."

Madam Pomphrey stalked off leaving Bellatrix quite put out. She was used to her plans working and now one was blowing up in her face.

Pulling out her wand Bellatrix began to recite a spell that would cause her body's temperature to rise.

"You can put that down Miss Black," Madam Pomphrey said marching back in with a syringe in her hand. "I'm well aware of your detention with Professor Tracy and had no intention of letting you stay here no matter how sick you felt. Now we'll just roll up your sleeve," she grabbed Bellatrix's right arm and began to roll up the shirt's arm.

Just as it was going up above the elbow Bellatrix pulled it away and tugged the sleeve back down. "I have a bruise on this arm and it's still tender. If you don't mind I'd prefer you to stick that vile thing in the other one."

"All right. May I ask how you hurt yourself this time?" She moved over to the other arm and lifted up the sleeve.

"Can't remember," Bellatrix winced as the point of the needle slipped through her skin. Just as fast as it was there it was gone. "What exactly is this supposed to do?" She looked at the small bandage Pomphrey had put over the pin point prick.

"Stabilise your body. It'll help to remove the effects of putting harmful substances in your body. But it only really works if you stop using the things that are hurting your body in the first place. Understand?"

Bellatrix nodded dumbly and stood up. "Well see you soon Pompy." She waved and began to walk out.

"Not too soon I hope. For both our health," Bellatrix froze in the doorway. "Well get on with you girl. No point in missing out on a good education."

Bellatrix lifted up her head and marched away from the hospital completely insulted that anyone would insist she was a danger to herself. In fact she was probably the most stable kid in the school. She saw what she wanted and took it, she hates what she sees she fixes it, she wants to so something she does it.

It's all about her and there is no way a few drugs will stop that. Of course they did screw with her body but now she had the antidote. That stuff Madam Pomphrey gave her was working. Her body felt slightly more rejuvenated and level. Her stomach still felt the same but that didn't matter since she barfed on her own volition and it usually left her queasy afterwards.

Her hand reached up to her right arm as she walked. That was a close one. She wondered what Madam Pomphrey would've said if she had seen the Dark Mark on her arm. Did she even know what it was? Still that was way too close.

Maybe Malfoy had been right and she was too careless and unorganised. Well for example she hadn't thought her brilliant get-out-of-detention plan through and now she had almost been discovered and still had to go to detention.

No, Lucius couldn't be right. He was only a pathetic little ass kisser out for his own good.

As she entered a more crowded corridor the buzzing of people's conversations grated on her mind. Scratching at her skin she felt the whole world become dizzy. Puke rose in her throat and her knees slammed onto the stone.

Everyone became splashed in red, as if blood washed. But they weren't really because they moved along as if everything was normal, except for the nervous glances at a now raving Bellatrix, and even that wasn't completely strange.

Bellatrix felt her whole body convulse as if something was attacking it from the inside and slowly her vision blurred and everything became black.

Inside her head everything was pounding loudly and Bellatrix tried to find a thought to hide in but they were all rebelling against her.

Subconsciously she felt her head slam into the floor but by that point her whole system was shut down.

At one moment her thoughts became lucid again but all she could comprehend was a snippet of talking.

"...she must have had an allergic reaction to the medicine I gave her..."

As reality slipped away again one thought did save Bellatrix from the anarchy and chaos that was now her mind. "Looks like I may get out of detention after all."

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A/n: Sorry it took so long to post. But here it is and I hope you liked it. A bit shorter than my typical chapters but at the moment I'm at a stand still with Bellatrix. Next chapter Narcissa, I know I have a story for her.