Chapter Four. Childhood's End And An End To Innocence.
Bellatrix and Morganna's schoolgirl romances both continued to blossom and throughout their remaining time at Hogwarts the two couples sought each others company whenever they could, to spend their free time together. Eventually after they completed their schooling, (both sets of boys and girls getting excellent N.E.W.T.s grades), they left Hogwarts and the shortly afterwards the girls announced to their families their hopes getting engaged to their boyfriends, once they were both eighteen. Bella's family were not averse to this, having met Ian as he'd been to 12 Grimmauld Place, the Black family home, several times. They liked his manners, approved of his Pureblood status and also of his family's wealth. Good family and material wealth being very important factors in matters of marriage to the Blacks.
Although Geoff was a half blood and Morganna's family Purebloods they were far less strict in such matters, so when she told them she intended to get engaged to Geoff shortly they too were very supportive, liking him a lot.
The two young women for a while even considered the possibility of a joint wedding, but Bella realised that it could never happen. Her own family would never be able to tolerate the presence of Geoff's because of their belief in Pureblood superiority. Bellatrix could never have gone against their wishes, even though personally she greatly liked Morganna's boyfriend. Bella would privately admit to herself sometimes that, perhaps, much of what her family believed was hokum. But then again she loved them and didn't want to deliberately disappoint them.
For a career, after leaving school however Bellatrix chose one which was somewhat unusual for a Pureblood young lady, that of an Auror. Whilst this career choice was, of course, a perfectly 'respectable' one Purebloods generally slightly disapproved of fellow Purebloods hunting fellow wizards and witches, no matter how evil, 'tainted' of blood or dishonest they might be. But of itself Bella's family could not really stop her or come up with any valid argument why she should not follow her chosen path, and Bellatrix was not so cowered by them as to be unable to successfully argue against the few invalid objections they raised.
Bellatrix entered the Auror training academy and passed the rigourous and gruelling course with ease, having already shown a strong aptitude for aggressive and defensive spell work, having been a top ranking member of the Duelling Club at Hogwarts and already knowing powerful concealement spells which she'd used to her advantage whilst there. Indeed it was her skill in and aptitude for magical combat and stealth which had inspired her career choice in the first place.
Bella completed the course with honours and as an acting Junior Squad Leader.
After her training and qualifying period Bellatrix and Ian wed and settled down into a happy if somewhat irregular married life, unusual partly in that Bella had insisted on retaining her Black family surname. She'd refused to become a Devere-Jones or worse still a Devere-Jones-Black and didn't take her husband's name, even though he was also a Pureblood. This was unusual, but not forbidden under wizarding law. Also the presence of an Auror in the marriage meant she worked very odd hours and they might not get to see each other for days at a time. Ian however was in a somewhat more stable and regular career in the Ministry of Magic's Internal Administration Department. He joked that at least one of them should be able to get bored at work when they felt like it.
After a while Bellatrix's Department became aware of a possible growing threat from a man suspected to be a 'rising star' of the dark wizarding world, a man previously known as Tom Riddle and now calling himself Lord Voldermort. Bella was assigned to do some research into this man, his policies and his followers. She read some of his speeches from the time of his first public emergence and oddly much of what he said chimed as familiar, since he was simply saying very similar things to what members of her own family professed. His theories revolved around Pureblood superiority and how the Pureblood witches and wizards should wisely rule for the benefit of all, magical or muggle. She resolved to go and see this 'Lord Voldermort' speak in person and see for herself exactly what he was and what he had to say. As he was not as yet operating 'underground' and no formal criminal charges were laid against him it would not be so hard for her to do so.
She went along one evening to one of 'Lord Voldermort's' public talks and although he did seem a trifle 'dark' to her he was also a charming and able public speaker and seemed, to Bella, to be talking much sense. Indeed nothing he said, of itself, was against what she herself had been taught since childhood. She could not see why her Department were so worried about this man and why he was under close surveillance.
Bellatrix attended subsequent meetings he held and found herself slowly drawn in by what he was saying, his oratory being most compelling and almost hypnotic. Then after one particularly inspiring speech she was actually able to meet the man face to face and found him charming and sincere. She fell totally under his spell without his needing to use any magic against her, she had been seduced entirely.
That night Bellatrix told him all about the Auror Department's surveillance of him, offering to help keep him informed of their actions. Bella's fall into hell had begun.
Slowly Bellatrix was drawn into Lord Voldermort's innermost circle, becoming a valuable 'mole' for him in the Auror Department and her loyalty to him growing all the time. Her family were no help to her either. Her much loved cousin Regulus was a close supporter of Lord Voldermort, eventually becoming a fully fledged Death Eater, as those who accepted Voldermort's 'Dark Mark' on their flesh were called.
However Bellatrix, since she was working inside the Auror Department, (by now effectively as a spy), did not get branded with the 'Dark Mark' since it would have betrayed her true allegiance. The older members of the Black family, except Andromeda, who kept her peace, voiced their approval of what Regulus and Bella were doing and so she and Regulus were both drawn ever further in to Voldermort's web. Even when the 'disappearances' started she was blind to the evil growing around her. Bella terminated her old friendship with Morganna and Geoff, since no Voldermort supporter were permitted friends who were not Purebloods and Morganna was married to a half blood, putting her 'beyond the pale'. Bella's marriage to Ian also came to an end and they seperated, it broke up in acrimony over her obsession with Voldermort and Ian's suspicion that she had become his mistress.
Lord Voldermort then began to teach Bellatrix darker and darker magic, letting her in on more and more of his secrets. Eventually, (when he knew she was his devoted slave and hopelessly in love with him), even telling her a little about his creation of his horcruxes, his anchors to immortality. Although not telling exactly how he'd made them, what they were or where they were hidden.