DISCLAIMER: If I am J.K. Rowling, then what am I doing writing fanfiction?

A/N: So sorry for the long wait! School's started, homework has caught up withme and I'm having absolutely no time for writing. Hence, updates will be sporadic from now on.

Speaking for the slow ones who didn't figure out the country Bellatrix was in during the summer: does Black 'Chateau' ring any bell?

Chapter 26.

The black trunk embossed with silver floated in front of a twelve-yr old girl, as the people around her stared amazedly at her. The platform was bustling with wizards and witches alike, the crowd unusually large compared to other days of the year, yet the ebony-haired girl created a wide berth for herself as people involuntarily moved away from her path. Maybe it was the frozen aura she was emitting, or her merciless eyes reminiscent of black stone, but the girl was undisturbed as she proceeded calmly towards the train.

The scarlet and gold Hogwarts express….ugh. Couldn't they have painted it any other colour?

With a wave of her hand, Bellatrix lifted her trunk and set it upon the step of the train. Stepping onto the doorway of the train, she raised her trunk again with a single indication of her hand and progressed into the aisle, more than aware of all the stares she was receiving from all the students. Bellatrix sighed inwardly.

I suppose the smart option would have been to keep my more-than-advanced-for-a-second-yr skills hidden, but I haven't mastered wandless shrinking charms yet…the stupid underage law prevents me from using my wand and I'll be damned if I lug and carry my luggage like a filthy muggle…

Paying no attention to the countless gaping students, Bellatrix advanced through the aisle with her levitated trunk trailing behind her, making her way to the last compartment of the train. As she neared the back of the train, her ears picked up the loud boisterous voices of her fellow Gryffindors which were more than familiar to her:

'Had a totally rocking time…'

'You should have stayed for longer, Remus! I mean, surely your mother wasn't so ill that you had to leave immediately! That too so soon after you came….'

'I almost stayed for a month, James.'

'Yeah whatever…'

'I didn't even go home for the summer.'

'Oh yeah….remember the Howler you got? Your mom's got one loud voice.'

'She bursts my eardrums every time I go within ten kilometres of her.'

'Exaggerate much?'

'That's an old problem of Sirius's. Remember the Acromantula incident….' James broke off suddenly, spotting a very-familiar face standing in front of them in the train aisle. 'Bellatrix?'

The animated chatting between the three boys came to a standstill as they spotted the new arrival in their midst. There was a neutral, pretty-much blank expression on James's face, Sirius was not unashamedly glaring at her like a year before, but there was a scowl on his face all the same. Bellatrix cast a glance at Remus, who was looking more than a bit serious. He was chewing his lower lip almost anxiously, but as Bellatrix looked at him directly, his worried and torn expression relaxed and he became visibly calmer. He turned towards James and Sirius, a serious glint in his eye like he had just made a decision.

'See you guys later.' Leaving James and Sirius standing in the middle of the aisle, Remus walked towards Bellatrix who was watching him cautiously, 'Let's go Bellatrix.' Without casting a backward glance, Remus unhesitantly made his way through the aisle. Bellatrix looked at a serious James and a slightly outraged Sirius, and then followed Remus into the last compartment of the train.

Well, that was…unexpected.

Bellatrix entered the compartment as Remus began heaving his trunk on the top berth. There were a few moments of silence, finally broken by the question buzzing in Bellatrix's head for the past minute, 'What was that about?'

Remus turned to Bellatrix calmly, a questioning look in his eyes, 'What are you talking about?'

'Don't play dumb, Lupin.' Bellatrix snapped. 'What was that about with Potter and Black?'

Remus sat down next to the window. He was silent for a few minutes, prompted by Bellatrix's irritated, 'Well?' Finally, he opened his mouth, 'I don't believe in choosing between friends.'

But you are a part of the bloody Marauders for Merlin's sake! They are supposed to be your closest friends!

Bellatrix had to wait for him to continue. Remus did so with a simple tone, 'I've never had many friends before Hogwarts. No matter how unlikely our friendship may be, you're still my first friend in Hogwarts. So you can understand my priorities.'

O-kay. Are all Gryffindors really this sappy?

Bellatrix was too busy scoffing at Remus mentally to realise the implication of his words. But all of a sudden, something clicked in her mind and she turned her head towards Remus all of a sudden, startling him, 'Priorities? Does that mean Potter and Black come after me?'

A moment of silence again. Finally, Remus nodded his head, 'Pretty much.'

Forget sappiness. I have no problem with it at all. If Lupin really does consider me coming before Potter and Black, friends whom he can give his life for in the future, that means I have an actual chance to convert him. This mission is actually working!

'Thanks Lupin.' It showed how utterly ecstatic Bellatrix was at that moment at the prospect of completing her mission, that she actually thanked someone of her own free will, someone below her stature: a filthy werewolf.

Remus smiled in reply, 'No problem, Bellatrix.' Then his smile fell all of a sudden, catching a glimpse of the levitated trunk behind Bellatrix's back. 'Bellatrix! Did you cast magic on your trunk? You're breaking the underage law!'

And just like that, the moment broke. 'I'm not such an idiot to break the law, Lupin. I cast untraceable, wandless magic, of course.'

If this reply was meant to reassure Remus, its result was the absolute opposite. Remus blanched, losing all colour from his already pale face, 'You did what! But…..but….even grown, powerful wizards can't….'

'Calm the hell down Lupin! I thought you would have known by now that I'm not like the others.' Bellatrix's good mood had evaporated into thin air, like it was often apt to do.

A couple of inhalations and exhalations later, Remus had sufficiently calmed down. He now only looked at her incredulously, 'How on earth did you accomplish such a feat of advanced magic?'

He sounds like he's stepped out of the 16th century.

Bellatrix let out an irritated sigh. 'How I do what is none of your business Lupin.'

'But…..' Remus suddenly paused interrupted by someone pushing open the door of the compartment. Bellatrix watched as a girl with long, dirty-blonde hair and protuberant silver eyes stepped into the compartment, obviously in search of seats. Remus asked her politely, 'Who are you?'

'I'm Arielle Valkyrie.' The girl smiled brightly. 'I was just searching for seats when…..' the girl's gleaming silver eyes fell on Bellatrix, 'Jamie!'

Oh no…

There was a jet of blinding red light and a loud whooshing sound. The girl was blasted out of the compartment, falling on the floor with a loud bang. There was a bustle of voices outside the compartment, as people gathered around the unconscious girl, gossiping frantically. A loud, stern voice, quite certainly belonging to a prefect, asked, 'Who did that?'

Remus's mouth was hanging open as he stared at Bellatrix. He had just opened it, going to ask, 'Have you two met before?' but before the unfortunate sentence could be uttered, Bellatrix had hexed the girl, thus leaving his mouth hanging open. However he closed it with much effort, only asking Bellatrix, 'I thought you said minutes ago that you weren't an idiot to break the underage law?'

Bellatrix glared daggers at Remus. Before she could say anything, the aforementioned prefect entered the compartment, guns (sorry wands) ablaze. 'Who hexed that girl just now? Don't you know that magic is not allowed on the train?'

Bellatrix looked at the prefect, an epitome of nonchalance. 'I hexed her and I don't give a damn about what's allowed or not allowed.'

The prefect looked fit to burst in outrage, 'How dare you! You just violated the underage law! Dete- '

'Don't bother.' To the prefect's surprise, Bellatrix wasn't the one speaking. Remus continued with an apologetic tone, 'I don't mean to be rude, but it's really no use giving Bellatrix detention. She just won't turn up.'

The prefect looked fit to burst in rant of self-righteousness but Remus cut her off, 'Report this to the Heads or Professors. Take off as many points as you want. But detention is worthless.'

The prefect sent dagger-eyes at Bellatrix who coolly responded in the like, and stomped out of the compartment. Bellatrix turned to Remus who was now calmly flipping through a book, 'Gotten to know me quite well, have you?'

Remus lifted his eyes from the page and looked directly at Bellatrix, 'Priorities, remember?'

Bellatrix smirked in reply. She got up from her seat and moved towards the compartment door, 'Where are you going?' Remus looked at her quizzically.

'Have to check on someone.' Bellatrix exited the compartment and made her way to the front of the train, or more specifically, the third compartment from the engine. Students more or less stuck to the same compartments every year and Bellatrix knew the resident(s) of that particular one.

Bellatrix glimpsed through the window pane of the compartment door, only to see a familiar brown-haired Black seated alone, stooped over something. Smirking, Bellatrix pushed open the door to see her elder sister Andromeda turning around in surprise and stuffing something into her bag in the same process. Out of the corner of her eye, Bellatrix caught a flash of a cobalt-blue platinum photo frame as it disappeared into the bag. Bellatrix felt an odd sense of déjà vu. Except this time, it wasn't the letter written to Ted Tonks that Andromeda was hiding; it was the photo of the three Black sisters which Bellatrix had gifted her.

'There's no need to hide that from me, I gave it to you.' Bellatrix casually leaned against the compartment door.

There was a flicker of what seemed like embarrassment in Andromeda's eyes. She lowered her head, 'I know.'

'Then why are you embarrassed?' questioned Bellatrix curiously.

There was a pause. Andromeda lifted her eyes and looked at Bellatrix directly, 'Because I, who pride myself on being the one different from my family and following my own heart, am starting to lean towards my family more. My sisters in particular.'

Bellatrix was taken aback by this honest response. She had expected it sometime, but not half so quickly.

Has one gift changed Andromeda's mind so fast? It can't be possible, can it?

Bellatrix remained silent. After this surprising confession, Andromeda tried to steer the conversation towards something else, 'By the way, what was that explosion in the train?'

'I hexed an idiot who was being too annoying,' Bellatrix commented nonchalantly. 'Some Valkyrie girl.'

Andromeda's expression became incredulous, 'Hexed her?' But it lapsed soon, 'Nothing is unexpected when you are involved. Valkyrie …Arielle Valkyrie?'

'You know her?' Bellatrix raised an eyebrow. 'Figures, only Gryffindorks like you befriend such idiots.'

Andromeda rolled her eyes, 'You're also a 'Gryffindork' now, don't forget. Besides, Arielle is in my year and she's nice. The only Slytherin I ever talk to.'

Wait a minute, what?

Bellatrix turned her head towards Andromeda so fast that she got startled, 'Repeat the last line.'

'I said, she's the only Slytherin I ever talk to. Why?' Andromeda looked at Bellatrix curiously, the first time she had ever seen her younger sister look absolutely, undeniably shocked.

Slytherin? Slytherin? That idiot was sorted in Slytherin? The house of Salazar himself…that Valkyrie? How can this be…I knew the standards of Slytherin were lowered during Draco's time, looking at that Crabbe and Goyle…but in my time? Was she in Slytherin in my last timeline also? I don't remember…

'Is she a pureblood?'

'Yes. The Valkyries are a relatively well-to-do family.' Andromeda almost looked affronted at the question, but she was expecting it. 'Why? Are you shocked that Slytherin finally got a decent member?'

'You know, your sister's in that house.' Bellatrix commented dryly.

'I'll never forget that.' Andromeda looked out of the window. 'Hey, is that an owl?'

Bellatrix turned her head to see a brown-and-white barn owl bobbing outside the closed window. She walked forward and slid the glass pane down, allowing the owl to come in. There was an envelope tied to the owl's leg, embossed with the Ministry seal.

'Who's that letter from?' Bellatrix ignored Andromeda's question and took the off-white envelope into her hands. Tearing off the seal, she slid out a piece of parchment from it and read its contents:

Official warning from the ministry for performing unauthorized magic on the train outside magical boundaries…not to do it again….blah blah blah…..from Taranee Hopkirk, Improper Use of Magic Office….whatever.

'Mother won't be pleased. A Black being sent an Improper Use Of Magic notice….not good.' Andromeda read the piece of magic over Bellatrix's shoulder and she was looking…worried?

'Its okay. Hopefully she won't know.' The moment Bellatrix said that, she knew she was wrong. There was nothing, absolutely nothing, that Cassiopeia Black didn't know, or could be hidden from her. Well, that didn't mean Bellatrix would tell her anything.

'Wait a minute, what's that?' questioned Andromeda with narrowed eyes. She was pointing at the off-white envelope that Bellatrix had discarded on the seat. Curious as to what Andromeda was referring to, Bellatrix picked up the envelope and shook it. A smaller, black envelope slid out of it onto her palm.

'I don't think that's supposed to be there. What is it?' Andromeda looked at the black envelope suspiciously.

Bellatrix bent closer and examined the envelope. It was totally black, made of a thicker and richer material than ordinary paper or parchment. Bellatrix turned it over to see that it was embossed with a blood-red seal. Something stirred in Bellatrix's memory.

Wait a minute…no. It can't be…..but….

'What are you doing?' asked Andromeda as she watched Bellatrix fiddle out a clothes-pin from her school robes. Bellatrix pricked her thumb with the pin and then examined it under the light of the window, to see a tiny bead of scarlet clinging to the top of the pin. Concentrated on the task, Bellatrix carefully lowered the pin and dabbed it on the seal.

There it was, that sense of déjà vu again. Bellatrix watched as the seal shrunk and twisted in its place, withering and slowly turning black as if burnt. Bellatrix practically wrenched off the seal from the envelope, watched by a wide-eyed Andromeda. With a rapidly increasing heartbeat, she slipped out another piece of parchment from it. Just remembering to conceal it from Andromeda, Bellatrix read the two lines it contained:

Bellatrix,

I want to meet you. One month from now. You know how to contact me.

The sender's name was not written. It was simply not necessary. Bellatrix knew who had sent her the letter the moment she had seen the blood-red seal.

Delphine Black had entered her life again.

A/N: Sorry for the long wait people. Now about the chap, I hope you remember Arielle and what I was referring to by "Jamie". If not, read chap 18 again. As you have seen, Arielle might be Luna's mom, they may act similar, but they're not the same person, proved by Arielle being in Slytherin. She might just have not shown it yet. Another thing, since magic is only allowed in Hogwarts, I don't think its allowed in the train, I don't know if anyone disagrees.