Hey everyone. This another chapter for Little Moments. This chapter was brought to you by both Tranfiguration: Branches of Transfiguration assignment, and Marauder Map Madness on Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. I chose to write for Task 2 which was to write about someone try to fix their failure or mistake. For Marauder Map Madness my prompts were 195. Office for the Detection and Confiscation of Counterfeit Defensive Spells and Protective Objects: (dialogue) "I told you, it was an accident.", and 210. Broom Regulatory Control Office: (object) Toy Broomstick. I hope you enjoy Crime and Punishment. Word count 1,115.

Bellatrix pushed a strand of her raven black hair behind her ear as she watched her little sisters and their cousin play a game of Quidditch in doors. She didn't think anything of when they'd asked if they could play Quidditch remembering that the toy broomsticks they would be used just hovered above the ground. Plus what was the harm in letting the younger children have a little fun the eight year old girl had thought.

"Bella," whined Narcissa as her dark haired cousin Sirius pushed her and the toy broom against the wall, "Siri keeps pushing me into the wall."

"Push him back," the eight year old rolled her eyes at the four year old antics.

The next thing she knew Cissa had indeed took her advice to heart. She pushed her five year old cousin but wasn't watching were she was pushing him. The ear splitting scream should have been enough to make her sorry but that wasn't the worse thing. The worse thing was the loud smashing of one their mother's antique vases that she'd inherited from her mother.

"What's going in here?" came the voice of the Black sister's mother. Druella stood above the crying Sirius and her shamed faced youngest daughter who was trying to help the older boy up. Upon seeing the broken vase Druella's grey blue eyes clouded over with tears which quickly blinked away. "Do you two know what that vase cost this family?"

"It was an accident, Mother," Andromeda said coming to her cousin and little sister's defense.

Bellatrix wanted to come to Sirius and Narcissa's defense too but she was too afraid to go and confront her mother when she was in this sort of attitude. She stood back and watched as her mother chewed the two children out feeling bad by the minute. Especially after Narcissa started to cry.

"I told you, it was an accident," Andromeda admonished her mother kneeling down between the dark haired Sirius and the blonde haired Narcissa. "They can't help that they're bored. You have them cooped up inside all day of course they're going to be bored. Right Bella?"

But Bellatrix wasn't there any more she'd had enough of listening to her sister and cousin cry because they had gotten into trouble and had wandered off to the library to make herself feel better. Once she opened the door and was in her hidden paradise she slid into a chair. She thought she'd feel better once she was away from the drama but she could still see the two children's faces as she walked away.

"Is something wrong, Bella?" asked her father making her jump a little. She hadn't realized the library was already occupied but upon searching she found him sitting in his comfy chair near the fireplace. The red leather defining his sharp features, dark eyes, and dark hair.

"I didn't realize you were here, father," she told him walking over to him.

"Sorry to have frightened you, sweetheart," he told her patting his knee inviting her to sit on his lap. "You look very upset, my Bella. What's wrong?" He turned his full attention to her.

"If you told someone to do something that got them in trouble should fess up and take the trouble for yourself?" She asked her father dark eyes blinking up into dark eyes. "Or should you let the punishment stop with them?"

"What exactly are talk about here? Did you rob a bank or something like that?"

Bellatrix concealed a giggle at her father's joke. She didn't want to laugh she was being very serious right now. "No," she told her father. "Cissa, Andy, Siri, and Reg were playing Quidditch in the house on the toy brooms that Uncle Orion bought us."

Her father nodded having inkling where this was going. But he'd wait for Bellatrix to finish her story before he offered his advice. "Go on," he said motioning for her continue.

"Siri kept pushing Cissa into the wall," Bellatrix continued with her. "And she was asked me what she should do to get him to stop. So I suggested that she push him back."

"We should never suggest pushing someone in return for being pushed," her father told her sternly. "It's not very nice. Plus is that what you would want done to you if you were in that situation?"

"No."

"Then don't suggest someone else do it to someone else." He patted her and waited for her to continue her story because he knew she wasn't done yet. Especially if she was hiding in the library.

"Cissa did push Siri and he ended up hitting mother's antique vase from grandmother. It fell and broke. Siri got hurt too but mother didn't stop to think about that she was yelling at poor Cissa, and Siri. Andy came to their defenses and mother yelled at her too." She felt the tears welling up in her eyes. "What should I do, Father?"

"Well," her replied sagely, "I think you should tell your mother how things really went down. You don't Siri and Cissa to get in trouble for something you told them to do. Do you?"

She shook her head vigorously.

"Then go ahead and go fix your mistake, Bella."

Jumping off her father's knee she went off in search of her mother. She didn't have far to go. Her mother hadn't left the scene of the crime yet as she was overseeing the house elves clean up the mess.

"Mother," Bellatrix said as she strode forward, "I have something to tell you."

"Yes," Druella raised a well manicured eyebrow at her daughter waiting for her to speak. She noticed how nervous Bellatrix was acting which was strange because Bellatrix was only nervous when did something wrong.

"I told Cissa push Siri," Bellatrix confessed looking down at her shoes. "I didn't think that she'd end up pushing him into Grandmother's vase. Or that the vase would end up breaking. I'm sorry mother. I should be the one punished not them."

Druella blinked her grey blue eyes down at her eight year old. She'd never known Bellatrix to take responsibility for her own mistakes and she felt a surge of pride go through her. But she would have to punish the girl either way. "I'm glad you took responsibility for your actions, Bella," she told her oldest daughter. "But you will join your younger sister and cousins in time out."

Feeling much better Bellatrix took her spot among the other children sitting in time out. The sense of upset she'd been feeling earlier dwindled away after she'd took responsibility for what she'd done and a weight was lifted off her shoulders.

I hope you all enjoyed Crime and Punishment. I really love writing about the younger years of the Black Sisters. They're much more fun to write as young children.