A/N: I really enjoy writing Bellatrix, so the minute I saw she was a prompt, I took it because perhaps I too am a crazy lady who just wants to be admired for her actions.

House: Gryffindor

Category: Theme: Security – the loss of, the finding of the need for, how we act when security is shattered

Prompt: Bellatrix LeStrange [Character]

Word Count: 1,610

Mini-Summary: Bella ends up at her wit's end.

If it weren't for the despairing, annoying characteristics of the rest of the people she was apparently "related to", Bellatrix Black may have - at one point - gotten along with some of them.

But, as it stood there was little chance of such a prospect. It had all begun when she was a child with her cousins, of course. The older ones were always such cruel beings. They'd played as many pranks on her as they possibly could, with their little snivelling faces all scrunched up in pleasure as she screamed at them for being so impossible.

As soon as she was old enough to torment her younger cousins, she'd made sure they were to never forget her existence. Sirius and Regulus were such disappointments anyways.

It hadn't gotten any better for her regardless, for as soon as she was a teenager, it was the married cousins and aunts and uncles who had started to comment on her. 18 years old and she was still struggling to deal with their stupid compliments on "Oh, she's perfect! However did you raise her?" and "I want my child to be like Bella…" and so forth. The compliments were infuriating! How on earth could they say such things? She would show them. She would show them that their minds and words hurt more than anything.

That was how it came to be that she was in her current situation. It was the holidays - so every person who was still a part of the family was suddenly seated in the house of her cousins, Grimmauld Place - and everyone was talking fast and loud and with regal tones as if it were some sort of formal ball.

"As if this place could ever handle a ballroom…" Bellatrix sniffed as she walked down the stairs, saying aloud to nobody. "I'd like to see the day it caves in on these people."

Such a wish was her newest plan of death to these bastards. They didn't deserve her thanks, she didn't want theirs. Sadly, she'd realized collapsing this house in particular would take a little more effort than just her singular person no matter how "great" she was, so she had settled on something far more mundane in her eyes. Oh, they would pay.

"Welcome, Bellatrix!" Someone called from the mass of people in the hall. She only curtly nodded to them, brushing back a long wave of black hair and proceeding to push through the rest of them to get into the kitchen.

Narcissa stood in the doorway, "Bella? Where have you been?"
"I thought I might try and… assist the younger children in dressing. I was dismissed, of course." Rolling her eyes, Bellatrix sighed and leaned against the other side of the doorway. "Needless to say, I was threatened by a bunch of ten year olds."

"You? You could blow them to the next level of this building if you wanted to. I don't see why you bother with them. They don't want your help."

"Well, sometimes people need assistance in life." She looked around. "Where's Meda gone?"

"Flouncing off to visit people, no doubt." Narcissa shrugged.

Andromeda was another annoyance Bellatrix could certainly live without. The stupid girl was too bouncy for her own good - and she was another one who many people said should look up to her eldest sister, since apparently Bellatrix was the role model for all young Blacks. It made her grit her teeth to think of such things.

"Well then, let her be disappointed when not a single person wants to speak to her." She shrugged as well, letting her anger go for the moment. Even if her mind was bent on the revenge she needed to make sure these people knew that she was angry, she couldn't help but be pleased by the smells emitting from the room she stood in.

Food was the only saving grace of the entire Black family. Cooks were such useful things, and with House-elves being the main servants for everything in this house, it was quite pleasing to smell what they could cook up. Bellatrix would never argue against food cooked by House-elves; she never said no to the food at Hogwarts, and the food was the one redeeming thing about the place in her mind.

%

After all were settled down, and every single person that could possibly be related had entered their home, there was finally some time to be talked to like she was the prize possession of a farmer. Or, at least, that was how her family saw it.

Mother dearest was seated in the armchair, smiling at all that passed her. Bellatrix clicked her teeth together at the very sight.

"She's doing wonderfully, of course - Bella, dear, come closer," her mother motioned, that grin on her face doing her appearance no favors, "Always the role model for all of the rest of the girls in her class."

"Mother." The dark haired girl glared at the woman who showed no astonishment at such actions. It was part of what apparently what made Bellatrix "the perfect Black".

"Like I was saying, she's quite fantastic at certain aspects of potion making. And she's so good with Spells. It's almost as if she were more born from her father's side than having any of my genes." Her mother laughed in a stupidly dainty way.

Some uncle came up next to inquire of her mother's health, and then spoke to Bellatrix like she was a pet - still not ever assumed wrong by these people - and continued speaking to her mother who spoke of her like the pet he saw her as. The conversation grew to the point where there was now a fair group of the dolting adults standing around her mother and her.

This was the moment she'd been waiting for: the chance to speak out against what they did to her on a daily basis. Bellatrix Black was not having any of this any longer. She'd lived through it since she'd started school 7 years ago, and it was time for it all to end.

"A-hem," She called all of their attention with a loud throat clearing, placing a hand on her mother's shoulder and standing as tall as she could. "That's more like it. Now, could you please explain to me why this is a particular enjoyment of yours at such gatherings? I can't imagine it's for any other reason than to gawk at me. I would understand it more if you were crude bachelors or distressed dames, but seeing as most of you are married and some of you even have gone as far as to have children - which I will certainly never understand they're such horrible things - I don't see what sort of enjoyment you get out of this."

"Respect your mother's decisions, child." Said one aunt, but Bellatrix shot her a look.

"You do not understand what I'm trying to say? Let me make it clear." She stood a bit straighter. "I am sick of being treated as the best, and the one person anyone wants to be. While I can say perhaps it is what has given me such confidence as to speak like this to any of you, I will tell you all that I find it incredibly disrespectful. I have been dealing with this for seven years now, and none of you seem to understand how much it pains me to hate family gatherings. But I am done. I will take advantage of my chances of freedom from your horrible accusations. I have been trapped here for ages, stuck with your awful words and I know nothing will change your opinions, no matter what I do."

By now, she had created quite the scene. The entire room was watching with tense silence, eyes watching her from all directions. This was how Bellatrix wanted it. This was perfect, and she could taste the sweetness of the revenge she was getting on her lips.

"Now if you'll excuse me, I'll leave this wretched place at once, if I may," she looked to her mother, who gave a weak nod as if she was caught by surprise but had no problem with it, "And I will never go to another one of these things again. I hope you all see this as some sort of "role model" move, I'll love hearing about the stories spread from this one in the future. Am I still your perfect child who represents the Blacks? Think about it."

With a glare, Bellatrix rushed out of the room. Someone called after her - Narcissa could talk to her about it later, she didn't want to see her sister now. She was leaving.

When she exited the building, she stood outside for a long moment before moving again.

The fresh air was welcoming to her lungs. Bellatrix gave out a long sigh, and then started to recall the faces of the relatives in that room. Oh, how shocked they'd all looked! She cackled slightly, letting the small snickers grow into a full blown laugh.

Bellatrix Black was free of that torture for now. For years she'd despised the way they'd made her felt uncomfortable and no longer safe, and now she'd turned it right on them and they were the ones getting that treatment. Making people feel unsafe was quite a delightful feeling.

She left the property that day with her first triumph. Bellatrix would in fact never be seen at another family gathering; but they still would gossip about how she was the best out of all of them every time one happened in every future party - and she couldn't have cared any less.