"Is this a joke? You're supposed to be dead!"

"Nice to talk to you too Cissa." Bellatrix replied sarcastically.

"Bellatrix this isn't funny! I've thought you were dead since the Wizarding War of '98! How are you alive?"

"I can't tell you over the phone. Just calling you is putting me at a great risk of being found!" Bellatrix hissed. "You're going to have to trust me for now."

"You haven't called for years, why now?"

"It's not personal Narcissa, I haven't talked to anyone. It wasn't safe then. It really isn't now but-" Bellatrix's voice softened. "I miss you Cissy." Bellatrix paused. "Wait, why did you think it was Andromeda? Have you been speaking with that blood traitor?!" She was mad again.

"She called me when Nymphadora and Ted died, she was completely distraught! She had nowhere else to turn, so she called up what she thought was her only living sister."

"Why didn't she call Mummy?"

"Would you?" Narcissa sighed. "When can I see you? Wait, where are you?"

Bellatrix laughed on the other end. "I suppose not. Regarding my location, the little sadist I am, I returned to Hogwarts. As for when you can see me, when can you get into the castle undetected?"

Narcissa shifted on the other end of the line. "It's the middle of the night, I suppose now's a good a time as any. You can't apparated into Hogwarts can you?"

"No. You'll have to get creative." Bellatrix smiled despite herself, she was going to see her sister again. "Hurry okay?"

"Alright."

Narcissa hung up and Bellatrix placed the phone on her bed. She walked across the room and looked at herself, really looked at herself. "Oh what Azkaban has done to me." Her hair, once so shiny and lusturous now lay ashen and lifeless. Her face was hollow and her ribs showed through her skin. She was still beautiful, but no amount of fresh air and sunlight can get back what those 14 prison-filled years took away. Just as Bellatrix paced across her room, there was a light knock on the door. Fearing it was Helen coming to check on her she yelled "I'm in the bath, could you come back later?" Bellatrix heard a scoff on the other side of the door.

"I know you're not bathing Bella, let me in!" The voice didn't belong to Helen.

"Well who is it then?" Bellatrix was growing impatient.

The person on the other side of the door seemed to think. "Stone Fox? It's Spotted Dragon."

Bellatrix squealed at the reference to the roleplaying game her and her sister played as young girls. She ran across the room and opened the door. "Narcissa!" Bellatrix threw her arms around her sister and looked at her like she was seeing her for the first time. "It's great to see you, really."

Narcissa looked Bellatrix up and down. "What the hell are you wearing?" Bellatrix looked at her outfit and laughed.

"Toga party, don't ask. Please." Narcissa's eyes ran down Bellatrix's bare arms.

"Did you get your dark mark removed?" Narcissa was surprised. Bellatrix crossed her arms over her chest and an air of superiority washed over her.

"You know perfectly well that the dark mark can't be removed Narcissa." Bellatrix breathed deeply. "Anyways, how have you been?"

"Well. Draco has a son now, Scorpius." A low growl came from Bellatrix. "Hmm, still bitter I see."

"Of course I'm bitter! If it weren't for your son's incompetence the Dark Lord might still be here!" Narcissa turned to leave. "Narcissa please!" Bellatrix looked at her with pleading eyes. "Don't leave."

Narcissa looked angry, but she agreed to stay. "Fine." She sat down on Bellatrix's bed. "Bella you look… different."

"I got old Narcissa, is that what you wanted to hear? You don't look like you did two decades ago either."

Narcissa sighed. "Why are you always trying to pick a fight and drive people away? I just meant your hair looked different! Honestly Bella you've hardly aged a day!"

Bellatrix slumped down beside Narcissa. "I'm sorry Cissy. I can't take this place it's driving me mad!"

Narcissa fought the temptation to ad "-er" to Bellatrix's statement. "About that, why did you come back now? To Hogwarts?"

Bellatrix rolled her eyes. "Oh, you know, I love Hogwarts this time of year, wanted to catch up with the new professors over tea and crumpets! Seriously Narcissa don't you think I have a plan?"

Narcissa turned to Bellatrix. "And this plan involves you…" she paused. "What exactly are you doing here?"

Bellatrix lowered her gaze. "I'm teaching."

Narcissa didn't think she heard properly. "You're…what?"

"Teaching Narcissa I'm teaching! Why else would I have a room at Hogwarts!"

Narcissa laughed quietly. "And what exactly are you teaching?" She smiled sarcastically. "Don't tell me."

"Exactly what you think. Defense Against the Dark Arts."

Narcissa lost it and started laughing hysterically. "Defense against the-YOU? You ARE the dark arts!" She said between fits of laughter.

"Keep it down will you! You're going to wake the whole castle!"

Narcissa sobered. "Is this one of your convoluted schemes to resurrect the Dark Lord?"

Bellatrix replied meekly. "Maybe."

"Oh because they worked SO well the first time!"

Bellatrix stood over Narcissa and put her hands on her hips. "At least I'm not rotting in a cell at Azkaban this time, so yes, it will work. You can either help me, or get out."

Narcissa put her face in her hands and shook her head slowly. When she looked up again she looked at Bellatrix with a stony gaze, then stood up, towering over her older sister. "I'm not going to help you Bellatrix. You put my family through hell the first time, I'm not letting you do that to them again. I'm your sister though, and I'll support whatever you do. But I'm not helping you bring back the Dark Lord." Narcissa sat back down. "I have to ask you Bella, why did you run? Why didn't you die for the Dark Lord like you always said you would?"

Bellatrix sighed. She knew this question would come up soon enough. "I assumed the Dark Lord would win, I didn't think me dying would have been of much help when he took over the Wizarding World." Narcissa raised her eyebrow skeptically and Bellatrix sighed again. "I was scared Narcissa. I wasn't ready to die. I always though I would die at the hands of the Dark Lord himself, which I was prepared for, but what I wasn't ready for was the war." Narcissa got up and hugged Bellatrix despite her protesting.

"I don't blame you Bella. Lucius, Draco and I did the same thing. We didn't want to die. Although… we didn't pretend we were dead for nineteen years…" Bellatrix tensed in her arms. "No matter, you did what you had to. I'm just glad to have you back."

Bellatrix was shaking. "I became the one thing I said I'd never become." A tear rolled down her cheek. "I became a coward."

Narcissa hugged her crying sister tighter. "You're not a coward Bella." She stroked her hair gently. "You're human."

Bellatrix wiped her tears away furiously. "I'm still not proud. Do you know what the Dark Lord would do to me if he lived?"

"It doesn't matter Bella, he's dead, and despite your hopes and fantasies he isn't coming back!" Narcissa brought her voice back down, as she grew aware of her un-ladylike tone. "Why is your hair streaked with red anyway? I thought you vowed to never touch the 'wretched muggle stuff'"

"I did Narcissa and don't think I like it. I had to do something completely unlike me so that no one connected me to-" she lowered her voice "Bellatrix Lestrange."

Narcissa looked surprised. "No one's made the connection?"

Bellatrix smirked. "No one remembers. It's ancient history. I'm nervous about Granger though. Oh yeah, she teaches here too." Bellatrix added casually. Narcissa started choking.

"Granger? Bellatrix how is that safe?"

"It's not, but it's my only choice."

Narcissa looked at Bellatrix with slight suspicion. "Why exactly did you have to come to Hogwarts? You said you had some plan but you didn't really say what. What is it that you can do at Hogwarts that you couldn't do somewhere else?"

"I'm not ready to disclose that yet."

Narcissa huffed and she walked across the room to the window. "I suppose you don't want me telling Lucius about your return." Bellatrix let out a high-pitched gasp.

"Cissy you can't do that; he can't be trusted." Bellatrix noticed her sister looking upset again. "Not just him, I can't trust anyone." Narcissa smiled.

"But you trust me."

Bellatrix nodded. "Don't let me regret it."

Narcissa turned back to face her sister. "The sun's coming up." Bellatrix looked at her feet. "I suppose I should get going." Narcissa's eyes flicked to the fireplace in the corner of the room. "On the floo network?"

Bellatrix nodded. Narcissa walked across the room and looked up at the books on the mantle. The Tales of Beetle the Bard, Secrets of the Darkest Art, Magick Moste Evile, and something in Icelandic. Narcissa turned back to her sister. "You know Icelandic?"

"Well when you're there long enough you come to pick it up." Bellatrix looked at her sister longingly, tears coming to her eyes again. "You'll come back?"

"Just call, and I'll be here." Narcissa took a handful of Floo Powder and stepped into the fireplace.

"Bye Cissy." Narcissa gave a small wave.

"Malfoy Manor." Narcissa disappeared in a puff of green smoke, leaving Bellatrix alone at Hogwarts.

A/N: I sort of used this chapter to explore the side of Bellatrix that we never saw, the side of her that shows the feelings she's always tried to hide. I also wanted to get into the relationship between Narcissa and Bellatrix as they're story never really got told either. The childhood game was obviously something made up by me.