Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, or any of it's affiliated characters or products. All credit goes to J.K Rowling. Calcoholique is an original creation by me.
Bellatrix walked back to her room without as much as a glace at anyone. "Professor Black! Professor Black!" Someone called from a distance down the hall. Bellatrix squinted, trying to find out who was talking to her. A short woman appeared from the sea of students. "I haven't introduced myself yet, I'm Helen Mierney." She extended her hand and Bellatrix reluctantly shook it. "Are you joining us in the common room for the mixer?" she tittered.
Bellatrix bit the inside of her mouth. "I suppose I have to play nice." She thought. Bellatrix donned her best fake smile and said "wouldn't miss it!"
"Amazing!" Helen said. "It's a toga party by the way, everyone's dressing up!" She looked at Bellatrix's outfit. "No macabre chic!" She laughed innocently. Bellatrix nearly choked. Toga party means no sleeves. No sleeves means… Bellatrix gave Helen a slight wave before scurrying off to her room. She ran up the stairs, slammed the door, cast the Imperturbable Charm, and just started shrieking. She screamed until her throat went raw and her lungs were on fire.
"Merlin help me I don't know how long I can keep this up, these people make me want to Avada Kedavra myself." Bellatrix paced her quarters. "What am I going to do about this toga party?" she asked aloud, and then her eyes settled on a nude long sleeved leotard that she bought, and never wore. "Perfect."
Bellatrix slithered out of her black corset and skirt, and got into the nude one piece. She looked down at her forearm and traced her finger over the intertwined skull and snake still visible through her body suit. She yanked up her sleeve and pulled some cover up out of her armoire. Bellatrix slathered on the ivory paste and pulled her sleeve back down over her dark mark, leaving only a color difference between her arm and the made-up area. "That will do."
Bellatrix pulled her maroon bed sheet from her bed and draped it over her thin body, accenting her small waist with a gold braided belt. She put on some more of her blood red lipstick, and took her hair out of her beehive, letting her curly tresses lay somewhat flat, cascading over her shoulders. She examined herself in a full-length mirror behind the door and smiled in spite of her disgust. "Not bad, not bad at all." A light knock on her door snapped her out of her self-loving trance.
"Yes?" Bellatrix said impatiently. The door opened slowly and Helen peeked through the crack.
"Are you almost ready? I thought we could go together." She smiled. "Oh Professor Black you look wonderful!" Bellatrix glared at her; she quite hated the sound of 'professor'.
"Please, call me Bella." Bellatrix smiled at the fond memories behind her pet name.
"Ooh Bella, how cute!" Helen floated around Bellatrix's room like some sort of fairy, annoying her to no end. "Everything in here is so dark! Sort of like you huh?" She let out some high-pitched noise Bellatrix took for a giggle.
"Yes well… are we going?"
"Oh yes let's go!" Helen walked through Bellatrix's door and down the spiraling staircase. Bellatrix followed behind her, closing the heavy wooden door behind her as she left her room. As she passed by the Headmaster's office she heard hushed tones coming from behind the door.
"Oh I forgot something up in my room, I'll be there soon!" Bellatrix turned towards the Headmaster's office.
Helen stopped and turned to face Bellatrix. "Should I come with you?" Bellatrix wanted to tear her throat out simply because she was annoyingly friendly.
Helen seemed like the type you could Crucio repeatedly and she'd still come crawling back like a lost puppy. Bellatrix's face softened slightly "I guess we're not so different after all." she thought. She looked at Helen and smiled softly, the closest to a genuine smile she's had in years. "It's quite alright, it'll only take a second." Bellatrix watched Helen retreat until she was out of sight, then snuck up the stone stairs to the headmaster's office. As she neared the door, Bellatrix instantly recognized the other voice as none other than Albus Potter. "Trouble on the first day hmm? This might be easier than I thought."
"I'm not supposed to be in Slytherin! The Sorting Hat made a mistake!" Albus hissed.
"The hat doesn't make mistakes son." The headmaster replied calmly. "Besides, what's wrong with being in Slytherin?"
"Everything! There hasn't been one evil-doer that hasn't come from Slytherin!" The headmaster paused for what seemed like an eternity.
"That may seem true, but there are traitors that have come from every house. It's not fair to judge an entire house's students past and present based on the wrongdoings of a few." Bellatrix laughed on the other side of the door. "Did you hear something Albus?"
"No sir. Anyways, back to my problem-both my parents and my brother are in Gryffindor, why am I different?" Albus asked.
"The same reason you and I are different Albus, we're different people. We have different pasts and different destinies. Everyone is different, and blood relation doesn't make you any more similar than someone on the street."
"But…" Albus started to protest. "There's no way I could put the hat on again?"
The headmaster sighed. "I suppose, but you're not going to hear anything different." He walked across the room and opened the cupboard with the sorting hat. He came back to Albus and placed the Sorting Hat on Albus' head.
"Why do you doubt my judgment, young Potter?" The hat asked.
"I just can't be a Slytherin, I just can't." Albus pleaded. "Please, place me somewhere else, anywhere else!"
"Ah, but that would be going against my morals. You have been placed in Slytherin for a reason. One's house shouldn't stop them from achieving great things." The hat coughed. "Slytherin!" Albus sighed and handed the hat back to the Headmaster.
"I guess that's it then." Albus walked towards the door.
"Shit!" Bellatrix ran down the stairs nearly tripping over her feet. She made her way back to the main hallway and walked back towards the Professor's common room. She entered the room and was hit with the smell of Butterbeer and champagne.
"Bella you made it!" Helen emerged from the crowd with flushed cheeks and the smell of alcohol radiating from her.
"Great." Bellatrix muttered. "Hello Helen." She responded curtly. She really wasn't in the party mood, but Bellatrix was trying to keep up the illusion that she was getting along with them. Bellatrix sighed heavily. "So, what's to drink?"
"What are you looking for?"
There was a devious sparkle in Bellatrix's eye. "Something strong, then make it double. Helen looked concerned, but nonetheless walked away and returned with a sparkling blue beverage that reeked of alcohol. "Wonderful." Bellatrix recognized the drink immediately as Calcoholique. She took the drink in her hand and knocked it back in one gulp. Bellatrix started to feel lightheaded, a feeling she welcomed openly, all her worries and troubles floating away, if only temporarily.
"Come on, let's mingle!" Helen took Bellatrix by the arm and dragged her into the middle of the room. "Everyone, this is Bellatrix Black!" Helen dropped her tone to a stage whisper "But she prefers Bella."
A collective "Hey Bella!" erupted from the room.
Bellatrix gave a slight curtsy and a small "Hello." Helen took her by the arm again and brought her to a woman who reminded Bellatrix a bit of the Granger girl.
"This is Hermione Granger, the Arithmancy professor." Bellatrix paled and nearly choked, suddenly needing another drink.
She composed herself and extended her hand. "Nice to meet you."
"Charmed." Hermione watched Bellatrix with scrutiny. "Don't I know you from somewhere?"
Bellatrix wouldn't dare try the Obliviate charm in such a crowded room so she just replied with "Of course not, you must be confusing me with someone else" and a smile as sweet as Bellatrix could muster, opening her eyes wide feigning innocence.
Hermione still looked suspicious but she dropped the subject. "I'm sorry, my mistake. How's Hogwarts been treating you?"
Bellatrix breathed a silent sigh of relief. "Oh very well actually, everyone is so welcoming!" she said with fake enthusiasm. Oh how Bellatrix just wanted to get out of the room and to sleep. She held her head and batted her eyes. "Oh Merlin my head is killing me! It must be the alcohol." Hermione reached out and rested her hand lightly on Bellatrix's arm.
"Is there anything I can do?"
"Oh no, no. It's the drinks, and the lights; I'm prone to migraines. I think I'll head to bed." Bellatrix walked towards the door.
"Would you like me to take you back to your room?" Hermione looked concerned.
"Oh no, it's quite alright. Have enough fun for the both of us!" Bellatrix stumbled out of the common room and into the empty hallway. She leaned against the cool stone wall and huffed with annoyance. Bellatrix made her way back to her room and lay down on the bed. She picked up the phone; hungry for a voice she hadn't heard in nearly two decades. As the phone rang Bellatrix drummed her fingers impatiently on the bedside table. A groggy voice picked up on the other end after 5 rings.
"Hello?"
"Cissy?"
"Dromeda? It's nearly three in the morning!" Bellatrix glanced at the clock and realized she was right.
"Sorry."
"Andy, what is it?"
"It's not Andy." Bellatrix smiled through the phone.
Narcissa gasped. "Bellatrix?"
"Bingo."
A/N: I'm not 100% happy with this chapter, I feel like nothing exciting really happened. Hermione won't be a huge character in the story as she's not really that important. Please please please review-I want to know what you think works and what doesn't so I can make the story better for you J