Bellatrix stared at the empty fireplace feeling more lonely than she ever has. Her room still smelled of Narcissa and her limbs still felt Narcissa's hug. She changed out of her toga and returned the sheet to her bed. Bellatrix changed back into one of her black corsets and skirts, making her way out of her room, and walked the halls of the deserted castle. At some point Bellatrix made her way out to the lake and was sitting on the edge with a small fire burning beside her. Just as she was drifting off to sleep footprints in the sand awaked her. She jumped up and took out her wand. "Show yourself!" Bellatrix bellowed. A scared looking Albus Potter emerged from the shadows.

"Good morning professor, I didn't mean to startle you." Bellatrix put her want away and looked down at the naïve eleven year old.

"What are you doing roaming the grounds at this hour?" Bellatrix asserted her authority over the young wizard, making him take a step back.

"Nightmares professor. I'm sure it isn't something you're interested in." Albus looked at Bellatrix's wrinkled skirt.

"It's fine boy, we're all haunted every once and a while."

Albus seemed hesitant about his next words. "Forgive me if this is none of my business, but why are you sleeping on the beach Professor Black?"

Her eyes widened in anger and she had to hold her hands behind her back to avoid hitting Albus with the Cruciatus Curse. "It's none of your business indeed you insolent nosy little!- " Bellatrix breathed deeply noticing Albus looked like he was about to break out into a sprint. "I just like fresh air boy, it's good for you." She awkwardly patted Albus on the head. "Let's keep this between you and me, hmm?"

Albus still looked scared out of his wits. "Y-yes no problem Professor. Bye!" Albus turned on his heel and walked away faster than one would under normal circumstances.

"What's wrong with that woman?" Albus thought to himself. "Is she mad? I thought she was going to punch me! And WHY is she sleeping on the beach?" Albus sighed. "I can't help but feel like she's familiar, although I've never seen her before Hogwarts." Albus slowed to a normal paced walk and took the chance to look out across the lake. "It really is beautiful, nature that is. It gives so much, calm, quiet, serenity, and asks only for us to take care of it." He thought to himself. Albus looked at the position of the sun and figured it was about time for breakfast. He walked the rest of the way back to the castle, and reluctantly sat at the Slytherin table. Bellatrix strode in soon after Albus without so much as a glance in his direction.

Bellatrix took her seat at the front of the great hall and glanced around the room, ensuring her gaze didn't stay in one place for more than a fraction of a second. She felt someone looking at her from the Slytherin table and looked over to see Albus Potter studying her intently. Bellatrix glared at him until he got the hint and turned away sheepishly. There were no announcements, so the food appeared on the long wooden tables as usual, and students and teachers alike began to devour breakfast. Except for Bellatrix. She was feeling sick to her stomach from missing Narcissa, so she pushed food around her plate for what seemed like hours until a male professor she didn't know the name of tapped her on the shoulder. "Professor Black, are you alright? You look like you haven't slept in days and you haven't touched your food!" Bellatrix was tired of being nasty to everyone, so she just shrugged.

"I'm just not feeling fantastic, thank you for your concern though." She turned away from his prying eyes, feeling suddenly uncomfortable. At the first appropriate moment she excused herself from the table and walked the long winding staircase back to her room. Bellatrix sat on her bed, and before her head hit the pillow she was asleep.

"Bella." Came a whisper. "My dear Bellatrix. You're the only one who still believes. But you lied to me. You said you were prepared to die for me. You said you'd give your life if only so I should live. There will be a day I rise again and welcome you to my ranks, but you'll have to prove your worth. You've been a coward Bellatrix, you-."

Bellatrix's eyes snapped open and she lay sweating in her bed. She had countless dreams about the Dark Lord over the years, but this one seemed more real, like he was actually in her head. Bellatrix sat up. "My Lord?" She shook her messy black hair in an attempt to look tidy in case the Dark Lord was near. "My Lord?" Bellatrix scampered around her room like a lost puppy, opening doors and frantically looking under furniture, to no avail. "Foolish girl." She thought to herself. "He isn't back. That's up to you. Why would the Dark Lord hide you stupid hopeless human." Bellatrix tore herself down until she was left sitting on the ground with her skirt laid out around her and a vacant expression on her face. Even though he was never there, Bellatrix still felt like he'd left her. A silent tear fell down her cheek as she wished for the life she once had. The life before she had to hide; where she was the Dark Lord's best lieutenant, and spoke to her sister nearly every day.

There was only one thing that got Bellatrix out of these moods. She stood up and walked across Hogwarts' grounds until she reached a point where she could apparate. She spun around, a black twist engulfing her. She appeared in a nondescript muggle town about an hour away from Hogwarts. One by one Bellatrix pulled unsuspecting muggles into an alley and killed them, just because she could. "Avada Kedavra!" She'd yell over and over. "W-who are you?" She'd get asked, only to answer with "Your worst nightmare, and the end to your pathetic life."

After killing what Bellatrix estimated to be about 45 people, she stared at the bodies around her, their faces frozen in shock. A sly, devious smirk came across her face, the most genuine feeling she'd felt in weeks. Although she was playing nice and normal, there was still that madness about her, both from Azkaban, as well as some of her own doing. Bellatrix was over whatever it was she was feeling before, and silently exited the alley in a coil of black smoke. Walking back from Hogwarts' gates there were students everywhere, practicing magic or otherwise horsing around. She was almost inside the castle when Hermione crossed her path. "Oh Professor Black are you alright? You look about ready to kill someone!"

Bellatrix breathed deeply and mustered up a convincing smile. "Oh no no no!" Bellatrix managed to sound genuinely shocked. Bellatrix combed through her mind for a reasonable excuse. "I'm just a bit nervous about teaching you know, especially since I didn't go here myself."

Hermione smiled back at her. "There's no need to be nervous Professor, the students here are wonderful. You'll get the hang of it in no time." Hermione looked at Bellatrix for a moment before speaking again. "You sort of remind me of a teacher I once had… you're like the female version of Severus Snape." Bellatrix tensed at the name. "Did you know him?"

"I've heard the name, never knew him though." Bellatrix said sounding disinterested.

"Anyways, you remind he of him. He was sort of dark and mysterious, like you." Hermione quickly added, "If you don't mind me saying."

Bellatrix's lips twitched into a mix of a sneer and a smile. "Not at all. Now if you don't mind I must be going."

Bellatrix brushed past Hermione and heard her say under her breath "Well now I've gone and offended her." She could have turned around and told her she wasn't offended, but she decided against it.

"Let her stew in it for a while."

As Hermione walked away she sang to herself "Did you fall from heaven, or rise from hell? It's a mystery you hide so well."

Bellatrix, back in her room, missed the television from Iceland, as she was now bored to tears. She changed into her black silk nightshirt that hugged her body in all the right places, and decided to take the time to write up a lesson plan for the first day of classes the next day. She looked at her schedule.

Bellatrix taught first years in the morning, and fifth and seventh in the afternoon. She banged her head on her desk. "First years are so sodding annoying and naïve!" Bellatrix was still unsure of how she was going to deal with all these children for however long it took to bring back the Dark Lord. After about 45 minutes, realizing she wasn't going to get any work done, Bellatrix sat in the window seat and looked out at the sun setting behind the rolling hills of Hogwarts. Just as she was turning away, there was a low whine and for the briefest moment, Bellatrix thought she saw the Dark Mark flash across the sky.

"Don't be ridiculous!" She thought to herself. "You haven't had a proper sleep in days! Bellatrix lay down and shut her eyes, preparing for another sleepless night of her insecurities being fed back to her in the form of taunts from the Dark Lord.

A/N: I'm so so sorry for taking so long to update! I'm hoping to at least get another chapter up before school starts, but one never knows.

Hermione's song from pixieophelialestrange on tumblr.