Magical Miracle
by Teddylonglong

Please refer to chapter 1 for my disclaimer and warnings. Thank you.


'A raven won't do,' Bella realised, as she skimmed the book about magical animals, which she had received from Antonia. 'A phoenix would be better. As a phoenix, I could lock myself into our dormitory and simply flash to the library or wherever. But a phoenix is a magical animal and a symbol of the light side, so I probably won't be able to transform into one.'

She remained pensive for the remainder of the day, before she decided to write a letter to Newt Scamander, the Care of Magical Creatures professor at Hogwarts.

'Dear Professor Scamander,
you won't know me, because I am only a first-year Slytherin and do not have Care of Magical Creatures yet, but I have a question. I wish to become an Animagus, and I'd like to be able to fly and flash myself. Is there any animal besides the phoenix that can flash, or would I be able to become a phoenix in spite of coming from a dark family?
For any advice in this matter, I would be very grateful.
Thank you in advance and best regards
Bellatrix Black'

Feeling somehow contented with herself, she folded the parchment and called Pucky, her favourite house-elf. "Pucky, since I am grounded, I can't send this letter. Could you please give it to one of the owls and send it to Newt Scamander at Hogwarts?"

"Of course, Mistress Bellatrix," Pucky replied, before she bowed deeply and popped away with a small crack.

To Bella's relief, she received a response on the following day.

'Dear Miss Black,
thank you for your letter. This is a difficult question indeed, considering that we do not know each other. Usually, the phoenix is said to be a light animal; however, the fact that you belong to a dark family does not necessarily make you dark, too. You might still be able to manage the transformation into a phoenix. However, I have another suggestion for you. Have you ever heard of the Miniature Obsidian Magic Dragon? It is a very small dragon of about the size of a cat, which is able to make itself invisible, fly, breathe fire and puff, which is similar to the phoenix's flashing. It is a very rare and not generally known species, so that it is not classified as especially dark. Nevertheless, it is a magical animal and a certainly useful species if you manage the transformation. Do not hesitate to contact me if you have further questions.
Best regards
Newt Scamander
Care of Magical Creatures professor
Hogwarts'

HP

During the second week of the Christmas holidays, while she was still grounded, Bella intensely studied the books, which she had received for Christmas as well as some books about the Animagus transformation that Andromeda unobtrusively brought her from the Black library.

By the time she returned to Hogwarts, she was able to explicitly explain to her roommates how to become an Animagus.

"First of all, you must think about what kind of animal you wish to become," she informed them.

"What animal did you choose for yourself?" Antonia enquired with apparent interest.

Bella smiled, as she pulled a small parchment with the photograph of a small animal out of her robe pocket. "Here. Professor Scamander sent it to me when I asked him what the Miniature Obsidian Magic Dragon looked ..."

"The what?" Rita interrupted her in apparent disbelief. "A dragon? Are you sure?"

Bella rolled her eyes in exasperation. "Rita, it's a tiny dragon of the size of about a cat."

"Still it's big," Rita insisted. "I think I'm going to become a beetle Animagus."

"A beetle?" Antonia and Bella shrieked, simultaneously.

"Why not?" Rita replied, smirking. "It's small, unobtrusive and able to fly."

"That's true," Bella admitted. "It might be difficult though if it's so tiny and has a different number of limbs from our human body," she added, pensively.

"Is it possible to choose your form at all though?" Rita suddenly enquired. "I've once heard that you can't choose it and can only try to transform into an animal and see what it is."

Somehow, Bella could not help laughing at the idea of unexpectedly becoming a full-fledged hippogriff.

"No dear," she said, resolutely. "Provided that your magic is strong enough, you can choose your animal. A beetle should not be a problem. Do you have an idea yet?" she then asked Antonia, gently.

Antonia shrugged. "Considering that the two of you will be able to fly, perhaps I should become an owl or some other kind of bird. An owl would be quite unobtrusive, too."

"A hippogriff would be able to fly, too," Bella quipped, causing Rita to laugh at the imagination.

"Yes, that's it," Antonia, however said in apparent excitement, slapping her hand against her forehead. "I'm going to become a Granian like Laurentia, a winged horse," she added, causing the other two to gasp.

"Has she managed the transformation yet?" Rita enquired, and Antonia nodded, seemingly proud of her older sister.

"She has, and she even intends to breed them after finishing Hogwarts," she replied, smiling, only to add as an afterthought, "If I manage the transformation, I could efficiently assist during the summer holidays."

HP

From that time onwards, the three friends practised to change their left hands into the limb of their respective animal every evening after curfew.

Bella had told them as well as their Gryffindor friends about her father's instruction to spend the evenings in the common room, and everyone decided that from that time onwards, they would only spend four evenings in the library together and make an appearance in their respective common rooms on the other three days.

'I hope that will suffice,' Bella thought, unobtrusively glaring at the Lestrange brothers from her spot between Antonia and Rita on the sofa behind the fireplace.

To her relief, the Lestrange brothers only occasionally talked to her and did not complain about her absence during the other evenings. Neither did her father mention the matter in any of the letters, which she received from her parents.

HP

To Bella's disappointment, none of the three friends managed to transform as much as their left hand before the end of the school year.

"Do you think we could meet and practise together during the holidays?" Rita spoke up a few days before the end of the school year, causing the other two girls to agree, full-heartedly.

In the end, they were allowed to visit each other a couple of times, and at the end of the summer holidays, Bella and Antonia were able to transform their left hands into the limbs of their chosen form – much to Rita's apparent frustration.

"Don't misunderstand me," she said, sighing. "I am very happy for you, but it's just very frustrating. Perhaps, my magic isn't strong enough."

"Your beetle form is much more difficult than our forms," Bella replied in a soothing voice, "and your magic is as strong as ours."

"Definitely," Antonia agreed, gently hugging her blonde friend.

"I was thinking about inviting our Gryffindor friends to practise with us," Bella spoke up, slowly.

"We should have done that long ago, but where could we practise, considering that you're already spiking feathers and paws?" Rita enquired.

"I know something," Antonia replied with apparent eagerness. "My sister told me about the Room of Requirement. Have you heard about it?"

Bella and Rita shook their heads, eyeing her in surprise, and Antonia told them what she had heard from her older sister Laurentia, who was now a sixth-year prefect.

HP

During the train ride to Hogsmeade, the three Slytherin second-years sat together with Arthur, Edgar and his older sister Amelia, who was now a fourth-year, as well as Julia, Amelia's best friend.

"Where is Molly?" Antonia asked what Bella wanted to know, however, was not keen on asking.

"She has to baby-sit Fabian and Gideon," Edgar replied, grinning. "Apparently, they had nothing better to do than prank their parents on the last day of the summer holidays, so that they instructed Molly to sit with them and keep an eye on them on the train as well as during mealtimes."

"We met them on the platform earlier," Amelia added, smiling.

Bella and her friends laughed in amusement. "They're second-years and not babies though," Bella voiced her opinion, even if she had to admit to herself that she did not miss the rather vocal redhead at all.

Arthur and Edgar spent much time discussing their choice of electives, and they and the second-years eagerly listened to the two Hufflepuff fourth-years' advice.

"I have taken Care of Magical Creatures and Ancient Runes," Amelia informed them, "and I really like both. Professor Scamander is a brilliant teacher."

"Laurentia said that, too," Antonia immediately agreed. "I will take Care of Magical Creatures in any case, but I'm not sure about the second subject."

"Same here," Bella echoed, and Rita concurred.

"I've chosen Ancient Runes," Arthur spoke up. "I just hope it's good."

"Is it possible to change the subject if we don't like it?" Bella enquired, causing Amelia to cast her a look of apparent amusement.

"Well, you'll have to study what you missed during your third-year, but otherwise, I don't think it'll be a problem," she said in a soft voice.

Bella nodded in understanding. 'Care of Magical Creatures and Ancient Runes sound the most interesting,' she thought. 'Thank Merlin we still have a year to decide.'

Arthur, Edgar and even Amelia and her friend Julia immediately agreed with obvious enthusiasm, when Bella suggested for them to practise becoming an Animagus together with them. The seven students agreed to meet every Sunday morning after breakfast, and Antonia quickly went to look for her sister and made her promise to show them to the Room of Requirement on Sunday morning.

HP

To Bella's chagrin, Arthur and Edgar brought Molly with them to their Animagus practice. She had not expected the two boys to appear without their female sidekick; nevertheless, she was disappointed upon realising that the redheaded witch was with them.

She had told everyone to think about what animal they wished to become before their first meeting, and it seemed that the older students had put some thought into the matter. To her surprise, they all wanted to become some kind of bird in order to fly like Bella and her roommates.

"As I want to become an Auror after Hogwarts, I believe that a phoenix would be a useful Animagus form," Amelia was the first to speak up, and her brother followed swiftly. "Me too, even if I'd like to become a water phoenix and not a fire phoenix like Meli," he informed them, smirking. Molly wanted to become a grey parrot, which was not only able to fly but also to speak, and Arthur asked, seemingly hesitating, "Bella, would you mind me trying for the Miniature Purple Magic Dragon? When I asked Professor Scamander after our first Care of Magical Creature class, he told me that it was similar to the Miniature Obsidian Magic Dragon. The only difference, apart from the colour, seems to be that it can't change its colour and can't spit fire. But it can turn itself invisible, puff and fly. He told me, however, that the colour would fit me better and the transformation would be easier to achieve."

"That's brilliant," Bella replied, smiling happily, before she set to advise her friends how to proceed.

From that time onwards, the eight second, third and fourth years met in the Room of Requirement every Sunday morning, and they secretly practised in their dormitories in addition.

HP

It was at the end of September that Bella suddenly became distracted, when Antonia asked in apparent eagerness, "Bella, Rita, will you come try out for the Quidditch team? Jody announced that the tryouts are going to be held on Saturday, and they need two Chasers, two Beaters and a Seeker. Jody is a seventh-year, so that they're also going to need a Keeper next year."

Bella immediately agreed. She loved to fly, and playing on the house team sounded good.

"No thanks," Rita replied, rolling her eyes in apparent annoyance. "You play, and I watch," she added, grinning.

HP

The day of the tryouts turned out to be a sunny, however, cold autumn day, and Bella and Antonia headed out to the grounds in excitement, followed by a seemingly amused Rita. Bella, however, inwardly groaned upon realising that among the ten Slytherins, who lined up to try out, were three other second-years, Elias, Rodolphus and Rabastan.

'Oh, I just hope we'll be able to beat them,' she thought, as she mounted her broom in determination.

"What position are you trying for?" Jody enquired, giving them a reassuring smile.

"Chaser," Antonia replied, eagerly.

Bella shrugged. "Either Chaser or Seeker, but not Beater please," she added in determination. 'The two morons will probably make good Beaters,' she thought to herself, eying her betrothed and his brother in secret annoyance.

"That's very good," Jody informed them and motioned them to join the others, who were already in the air.

Bella thoroughly enjoyed herself flying on the Hogwarts Quidditch pitch for the first time. 'The pitch is gorgeous,' she thought, even knowing that the one at the Black house was not bad either.

Only after an hour of flying, dodging Bludgers from Rodolphus and Rabastan and occasionally searching for and catching the Snitch, Jody called everyone down.

"Now," the captain spoke up, "as I am leaving at the end of the school year, I do not only want to win the Quidditch Cup this year, but I want a brilliant team to continue for the years to come. That is the reason for choosing five second-years for our vacant positions."

A murmur of apparent disappointment passed through the crowd of the older students; however, Jody continued, "I want Antonia and Elias as Chasers, Bellatrix as Seeker, and Rabastan and Rodolphus as Beaters. Are the five of you ready to play for the team?"

Everyone nodded, eagerly, and Jody ended the tryouts. "Thank you all for coming. Quidditch practice is on Monday and Friday right after dinner."

HP

To Bella's relief, her father was happy with the news that she was playing Seeker on the Slytherin Quidditch team.

'My oldest daughter,
finally, you seem to have realised what is expected from the oldest daughter of the sacred House of Black. Do your best on the team and see to it that you remain on the team together with your betrothed during the remaining six years of your Hogwarts education, so that Lord Lestrange will not be able to complain about our family.
Your Father
Lord Black'

Bella rolled her eyes upon reading her father's letter. 'Thank Merlin Mother usually writes to me,' she thought. 'She's at least interested in my well-being, just as in Drommie's and Narcissa's.' Her mother even sent her care packages with sweets and other items that she deemed useful for her every now and then.

HP

At the end of November, the Slytherin team's first Quidditch match took place, and, while she had been looking forward to playing against the Gryffindors for weeks and had been exchanging jokes about it with Edgar and Arthur, she was so busy looking for the Snitch that she barely even registered what was happening below her. In the end, she caught the Snitch in the fifty-sixth minute, and Slytherin won the match 280 – 60. The victory party in the common room was loud and jolly, and Bella thoroughly enjoyed the butterbeer that the older students had brought from Hogsmeade.

Only during their Animagi practice on Sunday morning, however, she learned what had really happened during the match. Her housemates, especially the Beaters, had fouled the Gryffindors at every opportunity, and two of the Gryffindor Chasers had been injured due to the Lestrange brothers' fouls.

"They're awful," she said, horrified. "I almost wished I wasn't on the team."

"It's not your fault," Amelia said, reasonably.

"No, it isn't," Edgar confirmed. "Everyone else played fair, except for those two morons."

'The problem is that I'm betrothed to one of them,' Bella thought, letting out a deep sigh. 'I wonder if there's any way I could get out of that contract.'

HP

"You probably won't," Andromeda told her, when Bella talked to her favourite sister upon her return home for Christmas. "It's not only that Father would kick you out of the family, which perhaps wouldn't be the worst, but I believe that the Lestranges are quite dangerous. They might try to hex you into oblivion if not worse. I've heard Father talk to Mother about them. They're avid followers of this so-called Dark Lord, who propagates killing all muggleborns and half-bloods. Absolute scum if you ask me."

Bella stared at her younger sister, wide-eyed. "Where did you hear such a thing?" she enquired in feigned disbelief, although she could well imagine her parents supporting such an ideology.

"I overheard them talk to Uncle Orion and Aunt Walburga, when they had me babysit Sirius and Regulus the other day," Andromeda admitted. "They're almost worse than Father and Mother."

Bella let out a scoff. "Is that possible at all?" she enquired, sighing deeply. "At least, I'm lucky to have you," she added as an afterthought. "Please never change to become like them."

"I won't," Andromeda promised, smiling. "I hope you won't either."

"Never," Bella promised in a firm voice. "I hope Cissa won't either. We'll have to see to that, when she comes to Hogwarts."

"Ah, I can't wait to go to Hogwarts myself," Andromeda replied, eagerly. "When you return in the summer, I'll finally be able to go with you."

"And I am looking forward to it very much," Bella replied, feeling grateful to have such a reasonable and understanding sister.

HP

With Quidditch practice, the Animagus practice, studying with their friends in the library and unwillingly spending two evenings a week in the Slytherin common room, the remaining months of Bella's second year passed faster than anticipated, and towards the end of the school year, she received letters from her favourite sister every other day. Andromeda wanted to know how she managed to get into Slytherin, if it was the best house to be in, if it was possible to bribe the Hat to sort her into a specific house, how the students in the different houses were and what the teachers were like.

'What should I suggest to her?' Bella wondered. 'She's lucky, because Father did not make a betrothal contract for her, at least not yet. He only approves Slytherin though, but perhaps other houses are friendlier, and at least she wouldn't have to feel ashamed for their cheating if she got onto the team,' she thought, unsure how to reply to her sister.

tbc ?

Thanks to the kind readers for reviewing the previous chapter. Please share your thoughts about this story with me.