It was December twenty-second, and for the Hogwarts students, it was the day they headed home for the holidays. Bellatrix slowly levitated scattered clothing into her trunk. Her closest female friend, Pleione Rosier, watched her from her four poster, her own trunk already packed.
"What're you doing for the holidays, Belle?" the pale pureblood questioned. Her deep red hair provided a sharp contrast against the emerald coverlet, which served only to further accentuate her fair complexion and ocean blue eyes.
"Oh, you know, things. Narcissa's turning ten today, so we'll probably have a little get together or something… Then, I'll most likely just play around with Walden, Lucius, Rodolphus, and my family 'till the Gala," Bellatrix said with a shrug. "After that, I'll just hang out 'till the third." Pleione nodded in understanding, playing with her hair. "What about you?"
"Oh, about the same," she answered. "Just hanging out, opening gifts, and the Gala."
"Mmhmm. Come here and help me close this trunk, will you?" Bellatrix stood on the lid of the luggage she referred to, hopping up and down trying to jam it shut. Pleione jumped up and obliged, perching on top of the trunk as Bellatrix buckled it closed, and then the two stood back to admire their accomplishment.
"Oi! Plee! Get down here, or we're leaving for the train without you!"
Pleione glared at the door, turning to her friend, exasperated. "Excuse me for a moment." She strutted over to her trunk, opened the door, and pushed it out, leaving it to go sailing down the stairs like a bobsled. They heard two appropriate yells along with two 'oomph's, and the red-head smiled in satisfaction. "Guess it's about that time." Bellatrix nodded, and the two headed down the stairs, levitating a rather over-stuffed piece of luggage behind them. In the common room, they were greeted by two fuming Rosier brothers, fourth year Evan and sixth year Hugo.
"Stupid brat," Hugo growled. "First you make us late for the train, then you knock us over with your trunk, and now you decide to just breeze down whenever you please?!"
"Well, if I'd made us late for the train, the train would already be gone, wouldn't it?" she retorted. The two pinned her with a look before Evan snipped that they were leaving. Pleione weighed her options for a moment, shrugged at Bellatrix helplessly, and the two followed her older brothers.
"I hate brothers," she muttered to Bellatrix as she stomped up the stairs. "They're so annoying and boisterous and they always bother you and get in the way. I can't stand them sometimes! You're so lucky to have sisters!"
"Sisters can be annoying sometimes too, but I imagine it's better than having three brothers," she patted Plieone's back in comfort.
"Yeah," the littlest Rosier sighed. "Oh, there are the boys! Quick, let's stick with them so we can all sit together!" The pair of girls ran to the boys in question, screaming a thank you to Evan and Hugo while escaping, their trunks jerking through the air behind them.
"OIIII!!"
That was the battle-cry heard as the tiny little red head sprung herself onto Walden's unsuspecting back. Unfortunately for Rodolphus, who stood opposite of the young MacNair, her trunk mimicked the motion, and sailed straight into his chest. Bellatrix simply watched in amusement as the second year crumpled to the floor in pain, twitching beneath her friend's suitcase. Then, just as it looked like he might recover, she plopped her own suitcase down on top of it.
"Hello, hello, how're you guys? Excited?" Bellatrix smiled, shining with glee and excitement, but it was debatable whether it was the holidays that made her smile, or making poor Rodolphus Lestrange miserable.
"Alright, I guess," Lucius replied with a shrug.
Walden muttered his assent, pulling Pleione into a piggy back so she didn't fall off and hurt herself: "Good, I s'pose."
"That's good," chirped the shortest of the group, happily mooching off of Walden's mobility. The males nodded, all except Rodolphus, of course, who was still rather crushed under two very large and very heavy trunks. The train screeched its warning whistle loud and clear, and students who weren't already on board scurried in to find compartments.
"We'd better go, then," Bellatrix said, sighing with resignation. Regretfully, she levitated the trunks off of her annoying admirer and onto the train, with Pleione skipping behind her. The three boys trailed along after them, not even bothering to look for a compartment.
"I don't see any empty spaces, guys!" Pleione called back, worriedly.
"Look for Avery," Lucius drawled. "We told him to find us an empty compartment and keep it empty, and if it isn't, he knows what'll happen." He and Walden snickered to themselves, shooting each other looks.
The red head crinkled her brows and frowned, but it wasn't as if her male friends could see her. "It's not very nice that you pick on Avery like that. He's got enough problems as it is, you know."
"Survival of the fittest, Plee!" Bellatrix shrugged. "If he can't defend himself against the predators in the Slytherin house, then he'll just be a trampled victim: a follower. Avery always has been the type to take orders."
"He'd lick my feet if I told him too," Rodolphus sniggered.
"If he didn't pass out from the stench first," Walden shot out, smirking. The five of them laughed, and finally came to their compartment near the back of the train. The group stowed their luggage away in the racks above, making sure nothing was loose, before plopping down into their seats, ending up somewhat squished between each other. The train pulled out from the station with a lurch, the whistle screaming again as the machine creaked, groaned, and rumbled itself up to speed. The little group sat in silence for a bit, relatively calm (all except for Avery, who was quivering, as per usual).
"So," Pleione ventured, "is Narcissa still studying dance with Madame Dolohov?"
Bellatrix nodded. "Yeah, she still does ballet and stuff. She's expanding to singing and instruments, too. We've managed to miss her recital though, thank god. Those things can drag on forever!"
The red head squirmed in her seat, trying to find a better spot. "I like watching recitals. I think they're nice."
"Wanna go in my place next year?" Bella offered, smiling. "I'd be more than happy to let you watch a bunch of boys in tights and girls in tutus."
"I don't want to deprive you of the joy of art," Pleione said, smirking. "It'd be terrible if you missed out."
"You're terrible, you know that?" Bellatrix grumbled, crossing her arms and slouching into her seat. "You got me all excited, got my hopes up, and now you've ruined all my expectations. Why do I even have a friend like you?"
"Because I'm perfect, that's why!" the youngest Rosier scoffed, as if this was clearly the most obvious answer. Bella only chuckled in response, snuggling down into her robes to escape the December chill.
"Lucius, I expect you're coming to my house, right?" she drawled, her eyes flicking to her long time friend. He nodded an affirmative, chewing thoughtfully on a licorice wand, watching the snowy landscape drift by. Hills were blanketed with white and shining with the hard crust of a morning frost. The trees were barren, all except the pines, which towered with robust, jolly energy, laughing in the face of the elements. Every bough of every tree, shrub, or sapling was weighted down with snow and icicles, shining like natures own prisms in the blinding light of winter. It was an altogether beautiful scene, disturbed only by the motions of the winter wildlife, sniffing about for any trace of greenery. All too soon, however, the painting became slightly grayer with the soot and dirt of cities, and small towns (muggle and wizarding alike) stormed the frame. Then, like the ultimate disappointment, the train began to slow, with that familiar huffing, churning and squeaking. As soon as it had begun, it had ended. The peculiar little group had arrived at platform nine and three quarters.
Rodolphus was the first to stand, stretching slowly, with a smile on his face. "Time to get up, everyone, wakeywakey!" He was swiftly silenced with a 'petrificus totalus'. One by one, the rest of the group stirred, lethargically gathering their things together before unloading from the train. The four stepped off into snowflakes sifting down gently upon their heads and shoulders, with the throng of other returning students, many of whom stuck out their tongues to catch the falling snow. But, such was not fit conduct for a Black.
"Well..," said Plee, toeing the snow. "I'll see you over vacation, yeah?" Her brothers stood behind her impatiently, slowly pulling her away.
"Yeah, course," Bella gave her friend a quick hug. "If I don't see you tomorrow, I'll see you during the Gala." Pleione nodded happily waving enthusiastically as her brothers carted her off to find their parents. "Now you guys are going home first, right? Then to our manor for Narcissa's party and all?"
The two boys nodded, and both began to leave, searching for their parents.
"No wait!" she stopped them suddenly. "What about Rodolphus?! We left him on the compartment floor!"
Lucius shrugged, attempting to soothe his irritated eagle owl, who wasn't exactly thrilled with the weather. "Someone'll find him. If not, I suspect he'll end up back at school, yeah?" Bellatrix considered this for a moment, then nodded, her brief moment of worry faded. Malfoy sighed impatiently. "Look, I have to go. My father's waiting here somewhere, and he's not partial to snow. Plus, we have to get ready for your sister's birthday. I'll see you in an hour or so." He drifted off between the crowd, leaving Walden and Bellatrix.
Walden shrugged. "See you in an hour, yeah?"
"Yeah," she sighed, waving a half-hearted goodbye to Walden before searching out her own parents. Though she would never admit it to anyone, Bellatrix Black had been rather homesick. She missed her parents, her sister, her cousins, even Andy, and she was rather excited to see them again. Unfortunately, she was somewhat disappointed to see that only her father had come to pick her up.
"Hello my little pumpkin!" Cygnus said with a smile, sweeping his eldest up into a bone-crushing hug. "All ready to come home again?"
"Of course," the little brunette smiled, gathering all her things together. "Where are mum, and Cissa, and Andy?"
"Your mother's getting your sisters ready for Narcissa's party. All set sugar pea?" Bella nodded, and with a pop of an apparition, they were gone.