Chapter 21: Back to School

The rest of the holiday passed by far too quickly for Bella and Delilah. Before they knew it, they were saying good bye on the platform again and Bella was leaving with her friends to return to Hogwarts. She found their compartment rather easily as it was the same compartment they had ridden to London in.

"Hey," Bella greeted her friends as she came in. She stopped half way through the doorway when she noticed an older student, probably a fourth year, sitting between Jared and the door. She realized with a start that he looked particularly similar to her friend.

"Hello," he returned while everyone else gave her a silent nods and smiles. The boy held out his hand to Bella. "You must be Bellatrix."

Bella merely accepted his hand for a moment and then sat between Neville and the door, the only vacant seat in the compartment, and the seat right across from the boy. Before long the train pulled out of the station.

"So Jared tells me that you are all enjoying your first year," the boy said once they had left London behind.

Neville cautiously nodded along with Bella while Hermione jumped right into a conversation with him. They talked for a while about the different classes and how hard they were still.

Dustin had fallen asleep not long after they started talking while Jared rolled his eyes every so often. Neville was trying to keep himself ignored by the imposing boy while Bella openly stared at him.

"I'm sorry, but is there something terribly interesting behind my head?" he suddenly asked her when there was a pause in his conversation with Hermione.

"What's your name?" she replied back.

The boy seemed a bit shocked at this but he quickly covered it up. "That's right; you weren't here when I introduced myself to your friends. I am Liam Recoff, Slytherin fourth year," he answered with a half hidden smirk. He once again held out his hand to Bella but this time she didn't take it.

"Charmed," she answered just slightly cold. "My name is Bell Darling, Hogwarts first year," she continued, putting emphasis on her shortened name.

Liam nodded imperceptivity to let her know he understood what she was trying to say without offending him. He went back to talking to Hermione while Bella decided to talk to Neville for the rest of the train ride.

Halfway through the journey, Jared decided to wake Dustin so he could change into his robes as everyone else was already changed.

"Flashing muzzwumps!" he shouted as he woke from whatever dream he had had. This exclamation set the rest of the students laughing, even Liam. "What? They're vicious," he defended himself while they continued to laugh.

Dustin left in a huff to change into his robes while they calmed down. A moment later there was a loud crashing noise from the hall followed by a pained yell from someone unknown. The next moment found Liam, Bella, and Hermione trying to see who was hurt.

"What happened?" Liam questioned with authority.

In a heap on the ground were Dustin and Draco. Half way out of the compartment behind them was Pansy and behind her were Draco's pet gorilla trolls. Bella and Hermione rushed forward to help Dustin away from a seething Draco.

"That git punched me," Draco accused the Ravenclaw. He immediately took a step back as Dustin struggled to get away from the girls.

"That git called my mother a stupid, filthy muggle! He deserved it!" he fumed as Liam stepped between the two boys to stop another punch, or worse, a curse, from being thrown.

"Take Dustin back to the compartment," Liam ordered them while staring at Draco, willing him to disagree.

As the girls backed away with Dustin, Draco gave them a smirk. "Guess you can't get enough of those muggles, can you? You've always got that mudblood and that squib's daughter around you," he jeered at them.

Before anyone could blink, there was a flash of light and Draco was lying in a heap at the end of the hall. Behind Liam, Bella was gripping her wand and preparing to jinx the Slytherin again.

"My mother is not a squib, you bloody bastard!" she yelled. Before she could harm the blond any more, Liam had her wand and Jared and Neville had come out of the compartment and were holding onto her and Dustin.

"Go back to the compartment, now!" Liam yelled as Dustin started shouting at Draco along with Bella.

After a few minutes and the aid of another first year, the hall was back to normal with Liam making sure Draco was not permanently harmed in his compartment, Neville and Jared calming down Dustin and blocking the door, and Hermione watching Bella as her anger dissipated.

"Bell?" she questioned her when the anger in her eyes was replaced by dread.

Bella's eyes suddenly went wide. "Oh no. He's gonna kill me," she whispered as she put her head in her hands.

"Malfoy? He wouldn't try anything while we're still on the train," Hermione tried to calm her but Bella just shook her head.

"Not Draco; Professor Snape. He said if I ever hit someone again without being hit first, I'd regret it," she told her friend. "I'm gonna have detention until I take my O.W.L.S."

Hermione bit her lip. She knew Snape could be ruthless when one of his snakes was involved, but would he really punish another Slytherin? Hermione settled on a yes. He always favored Malfoy and he would probably still favor him over Bella.

"Maybe he'll understand," she tried once more but Bella just shook her head again.

By this time Dustin had calmed down enough for Jared and Neville to release him. He was rubbing his arm where Jared had had to pinch him to catch his attention when he had tried to go after Draco again.

"If I see him before we get to the castle, he won't know what hit him," he growled. There was a fire in his eyes that refused to leave them even as they arrived at Hogsmeade station.

Neville, Jared, and Hermione kept Dustin and Bella away from Draco as they headed towards the horseless carriages. All anger towards Draco was forgotten as both Neville and Dustin started and stared where a horse would have been.

"Come on you two," Hermione told them as she, Jared, and Bella climbed onto the carriage.

Neville was the first to turn away and climb on the carriage looking considerably paler. Dustin stood a moment longer before following suit.

"They won't see them," Dustin whispered to Neville so that no one else heard him. He shook his head to stop the question Neville was trying to ask as the carriage set off. "I'll explain some other time."

The ride to the castle was shorter than the boat ride had been at the start of term. Before long, they were all seated at their tables. Draco was absent, much to Bella's joy and utter dismay. Once they were allowed to leave the hall, Bella hurried away from the table, hoping to get to her dormitory before Snape could find her.

No such luck. Before she had gone two steps outside of the Great Hall, she was grabbed by her shoulder by a very cold hand. Bella slowly looked up to meet the Potions Master's eyes.

"Sir," she mumbled.

Snape merely glared at her as he dragged her down to the dungeons and to his office. Once they were inside, he cast a silencing charm and warded the door against eaves droppers.

Bella wished herself invisible then. This was worse than it had been before. This time she had hexed another student with next to no reason.

"Ms. Darling," Snape started off dangerously quiet. "I believe that you have not only broken the rules off Hogwarts but you have also broken two of the house rules laid down by myself." His voice was slowly rising but he still wasn't shouting, yet. "You have not only attacked another student while on the train, you hexed him well enough that he will be remaining in the hospital wing for at least tonight and most likely all of tomorrow." Now he was in his normal speaking tone but with a harsher edge to it. "You are extremely lucky that Professor Dumbledore has not involved himself. You could be expelled for what you did to Mr. Malfoy. There could be an inquiry from the Ministry for the misuse of magic. They could snap your wand Bella. Do you not understand this?" he turned as he finished speaking to see Bella looking at her feet as hard as she could.

Bella nodded as she tried not to cry. She would not cry in front of the Professor, not for a reprimanding she rightfully deserved.

"Look at me Ms. Darling and articulate."

Bella slowly looked up and cleared her throat. "I understand, Sir," she whispered. A single tear slid down her cheek but she wiped it away as fast as she could.

Not fast enough. Professor Snape saw this and his face changed for a moment before settling back into his calm mask but the fury in his eyes had died down a bit. He took a step forward but she took an equal step back to match his.

"I believe that extra classes and detentions until the Easter holiday is a sufficient punishment. And I will be supervising all of your detentions to make you understand and follow the rules that the school and I have set down for all students. Now go to your dormitory. I will see you as soon as your classes let out tomorrow here in my office. Good night Ms. Darling."

He led back to the door but before they reached it, Bella mumbled something to him that made him pause.

"What did you say Ms. Darling?" he demanded in a harsh tone.

Bella cleared her throat again. "I'm sorry I let you down Professor," she managed to get out in a thick voice. "I didn't mean to lose my temper, it's just Draco, he called..." she trailed off as she realized she was saying more than she had said before.

"What did Mr. Malfoy say?" Snape pressed her quietly.

Bella closed her eyes as she fought with herself about lying again. "He called my mother a squib and Hermione a mudblood! And before that he called Dustin's mother a filthy, stupid muggle. He... he deserved what Dustin gave him," she ended sadly. While she fully believed Draco deserved the punch Dustin had given him, he hadn't deserved what she had done to him, whatever that had actually been.

Snape was quiet for a moment after Bella's revelation. The Malfoy boy had not mentioned that he had instigated the entire episode between himself, Bella, and her friends. He would have to look into a suitable punishment for him without tipping his hand.

"Thank you for the knowledge Ms. Darling but I suggest you leave before you miss your newly established curfew. It is the same as it was last time," he told her as he led her to the door. "Do not break anymore rules otherwise the headmaster will become involved and I will not be able to protect you then."

Bella walked through the doorway and turned around to look at her Head of House. "Good night Sir," she said a little louder than when she had been speaking in his office.

"Good night Bella," he answered as he shut the door.

Bella made her way to the Slytherin common room without ever realizing he had used her first name again.