Sorry, it's another kinda boring chapter...thanks for the reviews!

Chapter 5

I ran into the common room, breathless, harried, and wild-eyed. I saw that Rodolphus was standing with a group of his friends smirking and looking rather pleased with himself. Lucius was listening to him, and mild amusement was plain on his face, while Severus sat on one of the couches, looking incredibly confused.

"Ah, if it isn't my future wife," Rodolphus commented, grinning at me.

"Shut up, Lestrange," I snarled. "If there's anyway that I can get out of this, I will." My gaze turned to Lucius, and I know that I looked desperate and frantic. "I have to talk to you right now, Lucius."

He looked at me for a moment before nodding and walking out of the common room with me. I turned to him immediately upon our exit. I grabbed the front of his shirt, angry and trapped. I couldn't see anyway to get out of this. My parents had every right to choose which pureblood family I would marry into. I couldn't see how I was going to get out of this, and the fact that it was Rodolphus was pushing me dangerously close to another episode like what had happened with Sirius.

"Lucius, you have to help me get out of this," I whispered. "I cannot marry Rodolphus Lestrange."

"Well, Bella, I think that if you just wait until this Saturday, everything will be taken care of," Lucius replied calmly, patting my cheek. "I believe that our master will make everything right for you."

I stared at him incredulously for a moment. Clearly, Lucius did not understand the severity of the situation. I took a deep breath, and tried to control my rising temper.

"You don't seem to understand. It won't matter if Severus likes me if I have to marry Lestrange!" I told him in a harsh tone. "Why are you being deliberately thick? I need you to help me with this before I can go to this thing on Saturday."

Lucius smiled at me indulgently. "I understand completely, Bella. You are just going to have to be patient. You are just going to have to understand, darling, that until after Saturday I can't do anything about it. Besides, if things don't work out on Saturday...well then there isn't any real reason for you not to marry Rodolphus, is there?"

My heart fell into the bottom of my stomach. He was right...if I couldn't get Severus, I might as well just marry Rodolphus.

"Why are you two hiding out here?"

I looked over to see Severus walking out of the common room toward where we stood. I smiled warmly and turned my attention to him. He glanced at me briefly before turning expectantly back to Lucius. The smile slid off of my face, and I felt a small bubble of anger that I immediately squashed. It was Severus. Nothing he ever did could make me angry.

"Oh, just discussing some things, Severus," Lucius replied, clapping the other on the back and glancing at me. "I actually have to be going, but I will speak with you later."

Lucius walked away, and Severus looked over at me with an expression that I couldn't quite read. I smiled again, walking over to take his hand. He looked at me quizzically. I leaned up on my toes to kiss him softly, trying to determine if he had even the slightest of feelings for me. I knew Lucius had said that he didn't...but maybe he hadn't told Lucius.

"Bellatrix, you are the most complex creature that I've ever encountered," he commented drily. It was my turn for puzzlement.

"What do you mean, Severus?" I asked, looking up at him.

"Hiding out here to snog Lucius and then turning to me the next second? Didn't get enough with the first?" He sneered distastefully.

My jaw dropped, and I dropped his hand as my eyes narrowed.

"I was not snogging Lucius out here. We were just talking," I retorted hotly. "You should know what that's like, since talking is all you'll ever get to do with Narcissa."

It was a sharp and somewhat childish blow, but I was feeling a little hurt and more than a little angry. Why did everyone think I was some sort of whore? I had snogged a fair number of people, yes, but I wasn't nearly as promiscuous as people seemed to think I was.

"Oh, poor wittle, Bewatwix, she see somefing she can't have?" Severus taunted.

My eyes tightened, and I pulled my wand out smoothly and aimed it at his throat. He seemed mildly surprised and he stood very still. I smiled softly.

"I could do it easily, Severus," I hissed, lifting my chin haughtily.

"No you couldn't," he replied. "You don't have it in you."

Rage exploded in me. My smile twisted slightly and became almost deranged. Severus' face froze and he seemed to realize that something was horribly amiss. I shook my head slightly.

"I didn't want to have it come to this, Severus," I said.

"Come to what, Bella?" He asked coldly. "You can't do anything to me that hasn't already been done to me by your cousin."

I laughed. "Oh, yes I can, actually," I replied. A single thought raced through my mind. A single word. Instantly Severus began spurting blood and I gaped at what I had done. I hadn't really intended to use that curse on him...or so I told myself. I performed the counter curse almost immediately, and Severus looked at me with that same unreadable expression from earlier.

"Don't teach people curses if you aren't ready to have them used on you," I said frigidly. Severus stared at me for a moment, before he pulled himself together and stalked away angrily. I walked back into the common room, somewhat confused about myself.

Somehow I didn't feel nearly as bad about performing that curse on Severus as I had when performing the cruciatus on Sirius. Part of me wondered if there was really anything wrong with curses. What was so horrible about using curses if I didn't leave people under their influence for long...