Word Count: 2192

Warning: brief torture


i.

Alice knows what the marks mean, of course. Everyone knows that when anyone turns eleven, a name appears on each wrist. One is the person they're meant to fall in love with; the other is the person destined to hurt them the most. It's always up to them to figure out who is who.

But as midnight strikes on her eleventh birthday, she gasps, confused. Surely there must be some mistake. Perhaps her skin is somehow broken, and she is defected.

But no. That's just wishful thinking, and she knows it. The universe does exactly what it is meant to. There are no mistakes in the grand scheme of things.

On her left wrist, the name Bellatrix is written. On her right, it's the same name.

Alice swallows dryly. All she knows is that she cannot possibly allow herself to fall in love.

"Black, Bellatrix."

Alice feels her heart beat a little faster. Bellatrix. Just the name makes her shiver, and she doesn't know if that's a good thing or not.

The girl is lovely with her mess of dark curls and hooded eyes. There's an air about her, and even as she sits on the stool, she reminds Alice more of a queen looking down from her throne.

The Sorting Hat drops over her head. Barely a second passes before it declares, "SLYTHERIN!"

The boy beside Alice scoffs. "Not surprising," he says. "The whole family is full of Slytherins."

"Don't say it like it's a bad thing," Alice says sharply. "I hear Professor Slughorn is a good man, and he's a Slytherin."

The boy just grins. "Ah, yes. I suppose that's true." He blushes and scrubs his hand over the back of his neck. "Truth be told, I just wanted to break the ice. I'm Frank. And you are?"

"Fortescue, Alice!"

She laughs. "That's me," she says before making her way up to the stool.

Professor McGonagall places the Sorting Hat on her head. "GRYFFINDOR!"

It's a surprise. Her family tends to be Hufflepuffs, though there has been the odd Slytherin thrown into the mix.

Alice hops down from the stool, smiling nervously. As she makes her way to her House table, she catches a glimpse of the Slytherins. Bellatrix Black sits, chin resting on her knuckles, studying Alice curiously.

It takes only a week before Bellatrix corners her in the library. "Let me see your wrists," she demands.

Alice swallows dryly. She doesn't know how to use defensive magic. Besides, she thinks Madam Pince might actually murder her for even the slightest disruption. "No," she snaps. "Go away!"

"You're her, aren't you?" Bellatrix's expression softens, somewhere between confusion and shock.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

Alice pushes past her, taking advantage of Bellatrix's hesitation. Bellatrix doesn't retaliate; she doesn't even bother to follow Alice.

"Why won't you show me your names?"

Alice doesn't bother to turn. She already knows that Bellatrix will be there, just as confused as she has been for the past two months.

She keeps her head down and manages to slip into the crowd, losing herself in the sea of people.

"I was hoping you were named Alice, you know," Frank tells her. "That first day at the Sorting ceremony? I just knew."

It's nearly winter break, and he catches up to her, smiling as cheerfully as he always does.

"And why is that?"

He lifts the left sleeve of his jumper, revealing Alice's name. Her head swims, and she wonders if the universe is truly broken. Is it really possible that she is destined to love Bellatrix, but Frank is destined to love her? It seems like some cruel joke.

"How do you know I'm not the one who's going to hurt you?" she asks.

His grin only broadens as he lifts the right sleeve. Bartemius. "I don't fancy blokes."

Merlin, does he have to look so hopeful? It makes Alice's heart break.

"I'm sorry," she says quietly, "but your name isn't on me. Alice isn't a terribly uncommon name."

She walks away, biting the inside of her cheek. It isn't fair, but she has no choice but to believe that universe knows what it's doing. Frank will meet another girl named Alice, and she will have his name on one of her wrists.

"I'll show you mine if you show me yours," Bellatrix says.

It's a spring day, and Alice had hoped to pick some flowers near the lake, undisturbed. Instead, Bellatrix has found her once again. Alice supposes she shouldn't be surprised anymore. Bellatrix refuses to give up. It's almost cute.

Alice folds her arm over her chest. "Guessing you have my name," she says. "Maybe I'm the one who hurts you."

"Oh, you are." Bellatrix lifts her right sleeve. Alice. "But that's not all." Her left sleeve rises, revealing Alice's name a second time. "I need to know if it's you."

Alice feels the color drain from her face. Ordinarily, she could convince herself it's a coincidence. As with Frank, it could be any other Alice.

But Bellatrix isn't like Frank.

Reluctantly, Alice lifts her sleeves.

"You know what this means, don't you?" Bellatrix whispers, grinning.

"That we need to stay as far away from each other as possible."

"No," Bellatrix says as she steps closer, her fingertips grazing Alice's cheek.

Alice closes her eyes. They're destined to hurt one another. She shouldn't get too close, even if the universe has decided that they're soulmates.

Except she can't bring herself to walk away this time. It's out there now, the answer to the great mystery that has plagued her for nearly a year.

"Okay," she says.

ii.

Things are good. Alice begins to wonder if maybe Bellatrix's repeated name is a mistake.

How can Bellatrix hurt her when they love each other so purely? It's the new great mystery, but three years pass, and she thinks that maybe it doesn't matter if she solves it or not.

"You've been spending a lot of time with Bellatrix Black." Frank sits across from her, frowning. "Look, I don't want to tell you how to live your life…"

"Then don't," Alice says simply.

"She's dangerous. You have to know that," Frank insists. "You've heard about her family. I'm sure you have."

"Who I spend time with is none of your concern."

With that, Alice grabs her books. She doesn't want to be hard on him. Frank thinks he's in love because he hasn't met the right Alice yet. It isn't her; it can't be her. She just doesn't know how to convince him of it.

She sits atop the Astronomy Tower, head resting on Bellatrix's shoulder. "Frank says you're dangerous."

Bellatrix laughs. "And what do you think?:

"I think you're beautiful."

Another laugh. It's almost enough to make Alice melt. "Why can't I be both."

Alice doesn't have an answer for that, so she settles for a kiss.

She ponders the name on both of her wrists. What does it mean? Why is she so certain that something bad will happen if she lets her guard down for too long?

Her finger brushes over the word.

Bellatrix.

There has to be some mistake. Maybe just this once the universe is wrong.

Except she can't fight the feeling that it's all going to fall apart one day.

"What's wrong?" Bellatrix asks as they sit by the lake together.

Alice leans back, resting on her elbows, watching the clouds drift by. "When I was little, I liked sitting such my grandfather," she says. "We would look for shapes in the clouds."

"You're avoiding my question."

Alice shakes her head. And isn't, really. She just doesn't know to give voice to the things she feels.

"Do you ever think about the names?" she asks.

"All the time." Bellatrix instinctively touches the writing on her wrist. "Why?"

"So do I."

Alice sits up again and plucks a stone from the ground before tossing it. It skips twice on the surface of the dark water before sinking.

Bellatrix laughs. "Let me show you how it's done."

iii.

When they are sixteen, Alice notices a new mark. She isn't supposed to see it, but Bellatrix pulls up her sleeve a little too far. The sight of the skull and serpent chills her.

This is it. This is how Bellatrix will hurt her.

"What have you done?" Alice asks.

Bellatrix doesn't answer. Heated color stains her pale face as she jerks the sleeve down once again.

"Bella, we can fix this."

"There's nothing to fix," Bellatrix says, her voice colder than Alice has ever heard it. "You can join me."

"I can't."

"You can!"

And Alice thinks that she should have done this five years ago. Heart shattering within her chest, she turns her back on the girl she loves and walks away.

She cries for a week straight. At least it feels like a week of tears and nothing else. She finds herself falling behind in class because she can't even focus.

And this is it. This is the punchline the universe couldn't wait to deliver. She had been foolish to believe she could outsmart destiny somehow.

"Chocolate Frog?" Frank sits beside her in the common room. "Or are you more of a Jelly Slug type?"

Alice keeps her gaze upon the embers glowing in the fireplace. "Why are you so nice to me? I'm not your Alice."

"I beg to differ," Frank says. "Did you know I've met four other Alices? None of them made me feel the way you do. The universe is never wrong."

It isn't. She wishes it could be. Maybe then this wouldn't hurt so bad.

Frank holds up a Honeydukes bag, smiling. "I also have Ice Mice and Pepper Imps," he offers.

"Got any Sugar Quills?"

His smile brightens. She supposes he is rather handsome, and he has always been so kind to her.

Maybe it is her name on his wrist. Maybe she can love him and be the person he needs.

"You're in luck," he says, plucking a Sugar Quill from the bag. "I like to keep one on hand so I nibble it in class. It's yours if you want it."

iv.

Frank, as it turns out, is easy to love. He is good and kind, and he has so much warmth and love in his heart.

She wishes she could say that's enough, that her mind doesn't return to Bellatrix. It does. Day after day, she says that name upon her skin, reminding her that this isn't the grand plan.

"Longbottom, huh?"

Alice doesn't look up. A lump forms in her throat, and she is afraid that she might cry if she tries to speak.

"He doesn't love you the way I do, Alice."

Love. Why does it have to be present tense? Why does Alice have to feel it too?

"He never will."

She scratches her quill across the parchment. It only hurts this much because she still loves Bellatrix. For once, she wishes she didn't have such a big heart.

"It doesn't have to be like this."

Alice exhales heavily and climbs to her feet, dropping her school things into her bag. "I'm sorry, Bella," she whispers, and her words sound so thin that she's afraid they may crack and betray her, "but it really does."

v.

It is a beautiful life. Frank makes a wonderful husband, and they have a precious boy together. Alice is happy, because who wouldn't be happy with such perfection?

It still feels wrong, like maybe this isn't what her life is meant to be. She wonders if Frank feels it too, if he's starting to realize that maybe he should have waited for another Alice.

But their days are filled with smiles and laughter, and she can't imagine a different life at all.

They've just put Neville to bed and are about to break open a bottle of wine when it happens. She sees Rodolphus Lestrange first. The second she raises her wand, he disarms her, then Frank, grinning wickedly as he leaves them helpless. "Uh-uh," he says, wagging his finger at her like he's scolding a naughty child.

"Where is he?" Barty Crouch Jr steps forward, and Alice feels her stomach tighten into painful knots. "Where is the Dark Lord?"

Bartemius. The name on his wrist. This is the first time they've ever met in person, and Alice just knows that it will not end well.

"Please!" she cries. "Please don't hurt him!"

"Don't hurt him!" comes a shrill, mocking voice. Bellatrix steps out from behind the younger Lestrange brother, grinning like a maniac. "Oh, dear. Does ickle Alice love him? Oh, you must. Look at the way you cry for him."

"Crucio!" Barty screams.

Alice watches, frozen in horror as she watches her husband drop to the floor, writhing in pain.

"Crucio!"

She falls to her knees, looking up at Bellatrix. "Please! Please, Bella!"

"Please, Bella!" Bellatrix taunts, smirking. "Why should I? You were supposed to be mine!"

"You made your choice," Alice insists.

"And so did you." Bellatrix raises her wand. "Crucio!"