Title: Black Tears

Author: SuaveAurora

Comment: All right, I'm bored/tired so I decided to write this for my favorite HP character. :-) This is going to be kinda long but I want to follow some crucial moments of this persons life that I think end up defining/explaining the character a bit more in depth. So…yeah, this chapter is pretty long but it's just for a background example of who we're dealing with :-) All right, comment please!

It was a positively gloomy day outside. The clouds were darkened and heavy with the anticipation of a rainfall. It was murky, foggy, misty, all the terrible elements that make up a dreadful storm. The three girls had been playing outside, underneath the large willow tree, when their mother had sent a nurse-maid out to fetch them. "The sky's looking a bit menacing," the woman explained to the disgruntled girls. "Your mother wants you inside before you catch a cold in this terrible weather." The eldest girl, a proper (albeit plain) brunette with gentle eyes, a kind face, and sympathetic behavior stood up first. She wasn't fond of storms; she rather preferred to be inside under the safety of her family's shelter, surrounded by her homely comforts.

"Come inside," She called to her two remaining sisters. "It's getting cold out here and at least inside we can play dolls or have a tea party! I'm sure mother would let us dress up in some of her fancier clothes-"

The other girl, the youngest in the family, also stood up. She had long, flowing blonde hair that reached down her back. It accented her pale, porcelain, doll-like skin and posture. She was as fragile as a little doll, as shaped and groomed as one. She shook a bit of dirt off of her white gown and took her eldest sister's hand. She called out to the remaining sister, "Come on inside! I'd stay out but if it starts raining my hair will get wet! I'll be dreadfully uncomfortable and mother will throw a fit if she sees my ruined gown. Let's go inside, get warm, and then come back out!"

The wind started to howl and heavy rain drops begin their descent from the clouds. The remaining girl stood up as well. Her long, thick black hair was swaying in the wind. Her pale skin starkly contrasted to her flashing black eyes that seemed to scream out a thousand different emotions than the ones her voice conveyed. She spoke, slowly and with purpose, a bored drawl that masked itself from betraying any emotions. "You two go inside. I don't mind a bit of rain." Her sister's protested, but the dark haired girl held up a thin, pale hand marked with emerald rings and said in her monotonous voice, "No, really. I prefer it like this."

The dark haired girl had grown over the years. Her hair had gotten longer, her face had developed into sharper features, her eyes had gotten colder and all in all she was an older, more mature, and more clever girl. She sat on her warm bed, in front of a crackling fire, and slowly brushed her hair. She was very proud of her raven like mane and took care to brush it every night. She wasn't as vain as her youngest sister, no, there was no doubt about that, but she was proud of the attributes that she had. She could always be counted on to use them to her best advantage.

She stared into the fire. She tried to figure out shapes and forms for the orange and red flames to morph into. She had played this game countless of times when it was dark and she was feeling lonely in her large room. Pretending was always a good escape from every day life. Pretending helped to mask the feelings of loneliness and other weaknesses that sometimes overtook her.

She heard footsteps walking up the long staircase by her bedroom and waited for her mother's sharp voice to reach her. "Darling, do come downstairs. You've been holed up in your room for the past hour and I daresay there are better ways to waste your time. Besides, your aunt and cousins are here and seeing as though they are family it would be nice to make a bit of an impression." Her mother's words could not conceal the coldness beneath them. Cassiopeia was not a very expressive woman and, although tossed around words like 'love' and 'dear', meant absolutely none of it. She was cold hearted, prim and proper and had no time for nonsensical things such as hugs and words of meaningful endearment. Of course, this didn't bother a single person in the household but is worth mentioning all the same.

The girl rolled her dark eyes, but placed her brush beside her bed and stepped on the wooden floor regardless. She was wearing her favorite black dress with lace near the breast and lengthy sleeves with emerald brooches on the tips. She had no time to glance in the mirror and check that she looked proper; her aunt and cousins were waiting downstairs and there wasn't a person alive who could say her aunt was a patient woman.

"Darling!" The woman, Aracaeli, called as soon as she saw her niece walking dutifully down the stairs. "Well if it isn't my," She lowered her voice to a pretense whisper, "favorite niece! How have you been, love? Excited to finally join your sister at Hogwarts?" The girl nodded grimly. As much as she enjoyed her aunts company she wasn't interested in a lengthy conversation. All of a sudden, a boy with black, shaggy hair that fell in front of his mischievous eyes, walked into the room. He was eating an apple smugly, as his arrogant eyes scanned the room eventually landing on his cousin's stiff form. Checking to make sure his mother wasn't looking over at him, the boy made a face at the girl, laughing at the expression of shock and rage on her face. Aracaeli glanced over at him to see what the matter was, but got an innocent look in exchange.

"Charming boy you've got." The girl said with an even voice. Aracaeli shrugged her bony shoulders and began a conversation with Cassiopeia on the effects of Muggles and the price of dressing gowns. The boy gave the girl a small shrug and sheepish grin, which she returned. Ah, how she had missed Sirius.

"Well if it isn't my favorite niece!" Sirius taunted her as she walked alongside him outside. She gave him a cool look in exchange. He laughed. "Come on, Bella, I dare you. What can the 'great and renowned' Bellatrix Black ever do to me?"

Bellatrix didn't reply but gave him one of her secretive looks. He rolled his eyes in exasperation and decided a better tactic to annoy his cousin was to begin bantering with her.

"I sincerely hope you drop this silence before we go to Hogwarts, Bella. It's quite aggravating." She laughed.

"Only for you, dear cousin." They continued walking a little way further. "So where is that little brother of yours? Regulus still sulking because he can't come with us when school starts?"

Sirius scowled. "Don't even begin to poke fun, you have no idea what it's like to have someone hanging onto your sleeves day and night begging, ranting, screaming about how "it's not fair." I swear...it's a good thing mother's here or I'd have hexed the-"

Bellatrix smiled. "Narcissa, remember? At least she's only a year younger and a bit more bearable. Well it won't matter, anyways. At least you and I'll be together at Hogwarts. Poor Andromeda, off by herself and a Ravenclaw as well! At least she wasn't a Hufflepuff, or worse, a Gryffindor!"

"You act as though you know all about it." Sirius sulked. "Anyways, from what I've heard, it'll be a pleasure to just get away from home."

Bellatrix stopped walking and stared at her dark haired cousin, almost identical in features to herself. "Things like this matter, Sirius." She said in her low, careful voice. "Things like this end up defining us. It's all about whom you're friends with, who you're loyal to, and what side you choose."

Sirius stared at his cousin as though trying to figure something out. He shrugged his concentration off after a while and, with a spark in his eyes, decided to continue teasing her. "I'll just laugh when you end up getting sorted into Hufflepuff, after all."

Bellatrix didn't laugh but instead looked deep in her cousin's eyes and with an unmentionable amount of coldness in her voice she replied, "I will accept nothing but the best. And Slytherin, my dear cousin, is just that; the best."