Officious Antics
A Ficlet by Artichokie

Disclaimer: In the following short, Harry Potter FanFiction, I own naught of the characters or terms. They, respectively, belong to J. K. Rowling, Warner Bros. and affiliates, and anyone else who may claim the rights to them. I do, however, own the plot and any original characters, places, or terms that may have been mentioned. I am receiving no money by writing this work of Fan Literature, but only do so out of my own free will.

A biting cold bit the air as Bellatrix Black stormed down the hall. Her black hair flowed behind her in a shimmering stream, her black robes swishing around her feet. Her long, skinny arms swung in large arches at her sides, her hands in fists. Her cold, grey eyes were half-concealed by heavy lids.

She let out a puff of annoyance. Her feet stomped against the stone flooring in a rhythmic pattern. Teeth tightly clinched, she glared at anyone who happened to pass her in the hall.

That pathetic, meddling Mudblood! Bellatrix shouted in her head. As any typical Saturday afternoon, she and Lucius had been tormenting the first year Slytherins. It was an unwritten law in the Hogwarts' students' minds that anyone older than first year automatically got mocking rights. The only problem was that some students didn't comprehend that little factor.

What made it worse was that, not only was she a Mudblood, but she was another first year! She had gotten Bellatrix in trouble by pushing her overly pale nose into her business. Bellatrix maliciously grinned. She got what she had deserved, didn't she?

Lily Evans may be the brightest in her year when it came to academics, but she certainly missed her notch when it came to common sense. Today's victim had been young Severus Snape. Lucius and Bellatrix had done their normal mocking--turning his nose into a pig's snout, making his arms grow twice the size of his body, harmless incidents. Snape was, of course, the easiest to irritate.

That was when Evans stepped in. She had guts, Bellatrix grudgingly admitted to herself. No one else in the school was idiotic enough to invade on their ground. She had. Bellatrix wanted nothing more than to tie her to the Whomping Willow by her perfect flaming locks.

She hadn't left them alone. They'd told her to leave, but she kept on persisting. Eventually she had stepped between them and Severus. Bellatrix, being short on patience, had called her what she was and the little twit had returned the remark with an insult of her own.

She had called Bellatrix a naïf.

How dare she say she was naïve? She hadn't even known what a naïf was until the brat had explained herself five seconds later. Bellatrix, being the impulsive person that she was, had shouted, "Caro Caelo" before the words could even be registered in her mind. Evans had fallen to the ground, her hand grasping her left arm, before the next second had passed. Blood was oozing from her arm and all Bellatrix and Lucius could do was laugh. Snape had escaped their clutches, but they had a replacement.

Then, Potter--Damn that Potter! Bellatrix cursed--had to join his meddlesome eye toy and interfere with their fun. He had been watching the entire spectacle from beyond the copse of trees, or so he told Madam Pomfrey. Because of this Bellatrix had received a deduction of fifty points from her house and detention for the next two Saturday nights, starting next Saturday. Oh, they would see their end!

Bellatrix hit the wall just as she rounded the corner. She was heading towards the Slytherin Common Room and, having reached the corridor that led down into the dungeons, she felt comfortable enough to beat the walls. Many fellow students let out their frustrations in this hall. It had always astounded the other houses how angry the Slytherins were. They had their reasons.

Just as she was going to let out a shout, an arm snaked around her waist and pulled her into a deserted doorway. It was common knowledge that more than half of the classrooms along this hallway were not in use. Many used the doorways as locations to better acquaint themselves with fellow students.

The person pushed her against the stone wall, clamping a hand over her mouth. The other arm was still wrapped around her waist. Catching her breath, she gazed up at the intruder to her thoughts and froze. She should have known it was Rodolphus Lestrange.

Grinning, he slowly took his hand away and rested it against her shoulder. He and she had been becoming closer, even sharing instances of brief intimate moments. They were both in the same year and both had the same notions in their heads. They were your typical Slytherins and got along splendidly. Bellatrix breath caught in her throat, but only briefly.

"Rodolphus, let me go!" she hissed.

He shook his head. "Not yet." He smirked. "I saw what you did to that Mudblood."

Bellatrix eyed him. "You can't tell me you wouldn't have done the same if you had been in my shoes!"

"Oh, I would have, I won't deny it," he laughed. "I didn't think you had it in you."

"I was provoked," she said slightly grudgingly. She turned her face away from his and stared off over his shoulder. He glanced down at her robes. Bellatrix could feel his gaze upon her body.

Smirking, he brought his hand down to the V-opening of her robes and plucked off a stray, white piece of string. "We all have those tendencies." He glanced back at her face. "You aren't some angel, Bellatrix."

She turned her head harshly back to his face. "That's right, I am no angel and it's about time you realized that."

His sneer widened. Wrapping her face with his hands, he said softly, "Trust me, it wasn't that hard to miss." Smoothly, he brought his face closer to hers and captured his lips with his own.

Bellatrix froze at the sudden contact. They had kissed before; it wasn't something completely unfamiliar to her. However, every time it happened, the same sensations coursed through her veins. She had promised herself to never love another--or never foolishly think she did love. Love was a weakness. Lust, on the other hand, lust was power.

Just as she had decided to give herself in to the kiss, Rodolphus broke away. His eyes were glazed over and dark. The sight sent a thrilling chill down her spine. His approving smile made her breath quicken.

His words made reality crash down upon her.

"I didn't realize you were so easy," he said huskily. His hand reached down and caressed her shoulder. It took her about five seconds to respond.

Her hand whipped out before she even knew it. His cheek was blistering red before she could even catch her breath. Her hand had made contact with the side of his face, causing his head to snap back in the way of the blow. A sound, like broken glass skidding across stone, still echoed in her head.

She clinched her teeth. "I should wring your neck for a comment like that!" She shoved him away and watched him stumble backwards. His hand unconsciously went up to nurse his injured cheek.

She turned on her toes, her robes swishing almost noiselessly around her, and stormed out of the entryway. Resuming her track down to the Slytherin Common Room, she was once more lost to her thoughts. Why had she been so witless as to let him get so far? She had told herself that men like him were nothing but trouble. They stood in the way of the wants of a woman.

Many things were perplexing her. She had been weak, she admitted it to herself. She had allowed herself to believe that Rodolphus had been safe to taste. They had fun, mixed with a little excitement. His tongue needed to be cut out for his words, though. However, that wasn't the most perplexing problem circling in her mind right now.

Just as she reached the entrance to the common room, she caught herself asking her own mind questions. Why had she let him get under her skin so easily? And why hadn't she given in to him?

-Fin-

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