Chapter 31.

The great cerulean expanse of sky was dotted faintly with clouds, feathery masses of fluffy white drifting lazily across the brightly-shining sun. The heavens looked pleasantly lit up, the azure sky unobscured except for wisps of white cloud here and there. The sun was glowing almost merrily, long golden rays stretching across the emerald-hued land, courtesy of the flourishing foliage spread like a green blanket cloaking the brown ground.

Then, something disturbed the peace of the picture-perfect scenery. A dark spot was seen, blotting out a tiny piece of blue sky, like a blemish on fair skin. It grew into a black blotch, expanding in size with the passing seconds. Minutes passed before its shape could be distinguished, the silhouette of a flying bird. As it flew closer and closer, its large size betrayed itself to be a hunting bird, a bird of prey.

The eagle's wings were long, with brown, polished feathers edged with ivory. Its head had a crown of pure white, running behind its cranium and over its eyes, standing out from a distance. Its eyes itself were dark, shining with a razor-sharp gleam, the eyes of a predator. Its long legs were scaly, stretching into elongated, sword-rimmed talons, carved spectacularly, poised to sink into soft flesh.

Then, the eagle's eyes darted sideward, as if catching a glimpse of longed-for prey. The eagle's wings unfolded further, opening completely to its impressive wing span, and the eagle swerved sharply towards a large splotch of dark green, standing out on the plain landscape. The eagle dived down, the wind whistling shrilly as it ruffled through its brown-and-white feathers, and minutes later the ground came zooming up in view, the brown surface coming closer and closer with every second.

The touchdown was smooth, the eagle's talons resting on the tree branch in an iron grip. For several, still seconds, the atmosphere was quiet, the eagle perched on the aged branch like a stone statue. Then came a sound- firm and decisive: the crunching of autumn leaves. If birds could smile, or if their faces were even capable of such expressions, then there would have been quite a similar one on the eagle's uh….face. A shadow was spotted at the edge of the furthest tree, bordering the glade, the profile of a black-robed girl coming into view.

Bellatrix glanced sideways. The glade seemed to be deserted, but she could find a faint presence just niggling at the back of her mind. Seconds later, her eyes focused on the large, fifty-foot tall oak tree just across from her, her senses tingling slightly. Automatically, her gaze shifted upward, fixated on the topmost branch of the oak. There, staring right back at her with hunter-like eyes, was a magnificent, imposing eagle.

And then, the eagle began to morph in front of Bellatrix's eyes. It's plain, smooth head lengthened, chocolate tresses forcing themselves out through the top. The sharp, curved beak shrank, paling in colour until only a pair of rose lips remained. The feathers started withdrawing into brown skin, which was slowly getting fairer. The body lessened in width, growing in length, scaly legs elongated, talons retreated. Cloth seemed to be growing out of skin, sage-hued fabric pushing out into well-cut grey-green robes, a slate-ish cloak flourishing out above them. Lined yellow eyes diminished in size, transforming into sea-green orbs, long lashes framing their edges.

Bellatrix watched on as Delphinus Black leapt down from the tallest branch of a fifty-foot oak tree, landing gracefully on both feet. Brushing lint off from her deep grey cape, Delphine took a step forwards, tone light and pleasing, "Good afternoon, Bellatrix."

Bellatrix stood there, arms folded, utterly unfazed. She had seen better transformations. "I was under the impression that you were supposed to be training me, instead of wasting our time on pleasantries."

"Some pleasantries are always required Bellatrix, maybe even essential." Delphine's lighthearted voice seemed illusory. "Where words can do, wands can be a burden."

Bellatrix unfolded her arms, eyes sharp on Delphine's double-meaning statement. She raised a questioning eyebrow, "Are you registered as an Animagi?"

Delphine smiled lightly, "Unfortunately yes. Mastered the art just last year."

That means my cousin and his group of friends became Animagi at a lesser age than even Delphine. They really were the youngest unregistered Animagi in the whole of Wizarding Britain.

Bellatrix smirked. Well, not any more. Hopefully.

"So, when are you sending your own application letter?" Delphine sounded genuinely curious.

"Proclaiming to everyone about what I'm going to do kind of defeats the purpose of it, doesn't it?" Bellatrix spoke, coolly sardonic. "Besides, it's not like I fulfill the age requirements anyway."

"Hmm, you actually have a valid point." Delphine said, vaguely contemplative. Then she walked up to Bellatrix. "So, have you done your background research?"

" 'Just read up on any animal you like'" Bellatrix mimed, the scoff very obvious in her voice. "Oh yes, a very concrete basis for 'background research.'"

"Well then, what were you expecting?" Delphine said, smile still impeccable. "That I would give you a mysterious potion and you would see your animagus form in a dream?"

"That sounds more conceivable than just 'knowing it when the moment's right'" Bellatrix's mocking tone was very ill-disguised.

"That's what happened to me." Delphine sounded very matter-of-fact. "So did you read up on any animal?"

The expression on Bellatrix's face was the epitome of irritation. A muscle twitched in her jaw, "A few felines."

"Good." Delphine flicked a chocolate lock off her face. "Concentrate on the anatomy, the lines of the figure. Try to draw comparisons between the human body and the animal, find out which body part corresponds with which. The most difficult part of being an Animagus, or transforming to an animal, is the shift in centre of gravity of the body, the change in body mass. Most people find it difficult to keep their balance when they transform, which is why…are you listening to me?"

Bellatrix's tight smile would have fooled no one, "Of course."

Delphine let out a sound that, at a stretch, could be interpreted as a sigh. "I can see that a theory lesson is clearly not meant for you. Step forward."

Bellatrix could not stop her gaze from turning slightly suspicious. "What?"

Delphine smiled, enunciating every single syllable of the words, "Step forward."

Bellatrix took a step forward, shoulders rigid and tight. Delphine's smile grew, as she outstretched her hand and unfolded her palm, "Place your hand on top of mine."

Bellatrix let out a scornful snort, "You do know that I can hex your hand if you try anything, don't you?"

"All the more reason for you to trust me." The gold sunlight glinted off Delphine's sea-green orbs. "Go on."

Lips curling in disgust, Bellatrix extended her hand, her open fingers resting warily on Delphine's. Traces of a favorable smile lingered around Delphine's lips, "Now close your eyes."

Bellatrix's eyes flicked over Delphine from top to toe, distrust exuding through every bit of her being, "No."

"Do you want to do this or not?" Delphine arched an eyebrow. "Because I'm not going to repeat myself."

A few seconds passed. Delphine remained watching Bellatrix, everything about her air indicating that she was waiting. Bellatrix fought the urge to snap her wand in her wand in frustration.

I don't like this.

Bellatrix let her eyelids fall down reluctantly. Now, she was only guided by sound: the faint morning breeze, the far, haunting call of a forest bird, a slight rustling sound, slightly like the hem of a cloak brushing over the ground, the sound of Delphine inhaling and exhaling air a few metres away.

Bellatrix started a bit when Delphine spoke, her clear voice blocking out all the other faint sounds. "Relax yourself. Breathe slowly. Feel your surroundings. Hear nothing but the sound of your blood and magic pounding through your veins…"

If I hear nothing, then how the hell am I supposed to listen to you?

Almost as if sensing Bellatrix's thought, Delphine's voice rang in Bellatrix's ear again. "Clear all thoughts from your mind. Just concentrate on silence...let silence deafen you with its overwhelming sound…"

That doesn't make any sense idiot…this feels more like Occlumency training rather than Animagus lessons….

But as Delphine remained silent and spoke no more, and faint sounds began pervading through Bellatrix's ears, Bellatrix found herself automatically relaxing. Soon, even the faint forest sounds had faded out and true to word, the only thing that Bellatrix heard was her own faint, quiet breaths. Everything in the surroundings seemed to have come to a standstill. The birds stopped chirping, and someone seemed to have cast a Silencing Charm on the beastly inhabitants of the Forest. Time itself seemed to have paused, if only for a minute. This quiet, inescapable silence was truly deafening.

Then, the void of silence was filled by a voice. Delphine's voice had lost that ringing quality, though her words were still clear, overpowering, "Now, shift your focus on your hand."

Bellatrix, through her closed eyelids, recalled the mental picture of her hand, resting on Delphine's. "Stretch your fingers, feel out their length, their shape. Test out the joints in your hand, feel how they bend and curve."

Bellatrix flexed her hand, her joints popping after remaining contracted for so long. Her thumb brushed over her palm, its texture rough and smooth at the same time. She could feel her very muscles ease out as she stretched her tapering fingers, perfectly controlled and balanced.

"Now you know exactly how your hand feels and moves like." Bellatrix could hear another, hitherto unheard, tone enter Delphine's voice. "So, break the confines of your mind. Let your magic take control over your sense of what's possible and what's not. Forget that you cannot overcome the limitations of your hand, or rather, forget that your hand has any limitations. Let your imagination take over, let your hand flow with it."

Bellatrix literally felt her eyes snap open, "My hand is solid." Her voice grew harder. "It can't flow."

Delphine's voice gained a touch of forcefulness, "Close your eyes, Bellatrix."

Conceding, Bellatrix closed her eyes again. This time it took much less time than before to fall into that quiet, all-feeling trance. Delphine resumed, speaking in that constantly calm yet vibrant voice, "Now. Concentrate on the hand. Stretch it, flex it. Feel the muscles move."

"Now slowly, let go of the image that you have in your mind of your hand. The length, the shape, forget everything. Let your magic take over and craft your hand into anything it pleases. Anything."

Bellatrix sensed it rather than actually feeling anything. That small, barely distinguishable sensation of something pulsing under her skin. The sensation grew, and multiplied, and flourished, till Bellatrix felt that her entire arm was drowning in it. Bellatrix squeezed her eyes tight shut, and was seized with the unbeatable urge to just wrench her hand away, but she labored on and the sensation started flowing down her arm like an assaulting tsunami wave. It crashed against her wrist, struggled for a brief moment, then divided itself into long tendrils, slowly crawling over her palm and wrapping around her long fingers. Bellatrix had not even realized when she had begun breathing heavily, when a gasp broke through her throat, unable to completely form itself. She clenched her teeth hard, literally feeling the muscles of her fingers slowly unraveling themselves, her tendons twisting and curling, small sparks of something dancing along her long phalanges, replicating every particle of her bone, muscle and skin. Then, as if in supersonic speed, her muscles coiled around her fingers again, her skin plastering itself against her bone, and suddenly her nerves sparked with impulse overload and Bellatrix let out a scream that had been struggling against her lips for a long time.

Everything was silent. Bellatrix was breathing heavily, back bent down, chest heaving, mouth and throat parched, and hand feeling like it had just been trampled by a thousand hippogryffs. Her eyes flew open, momentarily blinded by the sunlight on keeping them closed for so long, as she straightened up from her bent-over position. Then she looked at her hand still cradled in Delphine's.

Her fingers were at least three inches longer.

Bellatrix felt a smug smirk tugging on her lips, as an almost-triumphant laugh escaped from her mouth. She pulled her hand back, examined the added length of her pale fingers, and laughed again, derisiveness notwithstanding. Bellatrix then directed her gaze towards Delphine, the victorious smirk dominating every angle of her face. The expression on Delphine's face was unreadable, her sea-green eyes were absolutely shut-off. The ever enigmatic smile had more or less disappeared. She just stared at Bellatrix's hand, as if contemplating it, then blinked once quickly. "You should not have been able to do that."

"Oh, but I did." Bellatrix could not resist the temptation to mockingly wag her lengthened index finger at Delphine.

"You certainly did." Delphine blinked again. Her voice regained a semblance of casualness as she, finally, looked away from Bellatrix's hand. "Ready to start on your defensive magic?"

Bellatrix raised an eyebrow at the sudden change of subject, "You expect me to duel with this?" She raised her now, several inch-long fingers.

Delphine swerved her head towards Bellatrix, chocolate curls flicking away from her face. The enigmatic smile was back. "Transforming your body into something else requires power and raw skill." The smile grew wider, pearly whites flashing under rose lips. "Transforming it back, on the other hand, needs precision and ice-control. And while I have no doubt that you abound in the first set of qualities," Delphine's eyes gleamed innocently, "I'm not so sure about the second."

In…out…in…out…...in…out…

The sound of Bellatrix's heartbeat was pounding in her ears. Her chest rose and fell heavily, her throat dry, gasping for air. She was kneeling on the forest floor, head bent down, trying to regain her short breath.

Whoever said that defense was easier than offence is one heck of a liar.

Hair hanging over her face, Bellatrix sensed rather than felt Delphine standing above her, looking down. "Is that enough, or should we leave it for today?"

Gritting her teeth, Bellatrix brushed her hair off her face and glared at Delphine. She was briefly tempted to reply with an arrogant 'No', just to show Delphine up, but Bellatrix was self-preserving enough to know to call it quits for the day, no matter what her irrepressible ego might say. Her twelve-year old body had had enough.

"Fine." Bellatrix muttered and got up brusquely to her feet. Just because she had decided it wasn't in her interests to hold on to her bloody pride didn't mean she was going to be graceful about it.

"Good." Delphine stated, brushing lint off her shoulder with movements as smooth as flowing water. "I've spent more than necessary time here anyway."

Bellatrix growled inwardly. Of course. You must be so tired shooting curses, hexes and jinxes at me while I had to shield every single bloody one of them.

"We'll meet here again same time next week to work on your shields. Your basic Shield Charm is satisfactory, we'll work on more advanced, non-corporeal types next time." Delphine turned around and started walking towards the oak tree she had originally leaped down from, hem of the cloak brushing softly against the ground.

"Wait." Delphine paused momentarily as Bellatrix walked a step towards her, still slightly short of breath. "Non-corporeal?"

"Shields without a physical form." Delphine expanded. "Almost all shields that exist are non-corporeal in nature, specially designed only to resist spells, jinxes and curses."

"That means," Bellatrix was not accustomed to bother herself about spell theory. But something vague nagging her at the back of her head told her that this was important. "If we use a spell to….throw something at someone, then the shield won't work?"

"It depends on the origin of the object." Delphine's eyes grew sharper, like she could sense where Bellatrix was getting with this. "If the object is created by magic, then the shield will deflect it. But if the spell is just being used to propel a natural object, like a controlled Levitation Charm, then the shield will not work."

"That's…" Bellatrix searched for a word strong enough to express her contempt. "Stupid."

Delphine's smile was small and knowing. "Would you use Wingardium Leviosa in a fight?"

Bellatrix had to stop for a minute there. "I…no."

"Precisely." Delphine smiled widely, as if pitying the stupidity of people in general. "Most Wizards are very happy, too happy in fact, with their curses, hexes and jinxes. That is a reason why all the shields we use are non-corporeal."

Bellatrix blinked. "What?"

"All the shields we use are non-corporeal." Delphine repeated. "Even the advanced ones. None of them can deflect natural, propelled objects."

In a second, the images of the shocked face of Sirius Black, a pale-blue hologramic sphere with pieces of wood embedded into it, and a particular russet-haired Quidditch Captain with his wand drawn, flashed before Bellatrix's eyes. Bellatrix blinked again, then asked slowly, "Are you sure?"

"Completely." Delphine's tone was unwavering. "Only a couple of corporeal shields are in existence, and none of them in general use. In fact, knowledge of such shields is so rare that their usage is almost extinct."

I didn't cast any magic on my Beater's Bat, or the Bludger. The Bludger hit Black's bat, which exploded, and the wood splinters were not created by magic. But Duke's spell deflected the pieces, and held them where they were. Which means that it was a corporeal shield. And if knowledge of such shields is so rare…then that means that there is more to Duke than meets the eye.

"Now if your quiz session is complete, I need to get going." Delphine tossed her chocolate tresses over her shoulder and walked towards the oak tree again.

Bellatrix stood there in the glade, running her hand over the nearest tree, lost in thought. A side, wayward glance at her hand, and Bellatrix was calling out again, "Wait!"

Delphine's smooth shoulders were slightly bent in a crouching position, as if preparing to take flight. At the sound of Bellatrix's voice, Delphine turned again, a barely-there expression of annoyance flitting over her finely-boned face. "What now, Bellatrix?"

"What about this?" Bellatrix sarcastically waved her five-inch long fingers, bringing them into prominence, "Am I supposed to go back to the Castle with elongated fingers?"

"If you do not have the necessary skill to transform them back, then yes." Delphine deadpanned. Then the corner of her lips quirked up into the hint of a smirk. "Consider it as an added incentive for you to practice Transfiguration."

Then, in a flurry of grey-green and feathers, she was gone.

Bellatrix stood there, extra-long hands flexing in and out, itching to fasten around a certain pale throat.

Bloody hag.

The atmosphere was infectious, and buzzing with excitement. Tension and suspense were hanging so heavily in the air that it was difficult to breathe without inhaling some of it as well. The weather was cloudy, rain seemed imminent, and wind blew like a gale. But students were out in hundreds, dressed in gold and silver, bearing lion-embossed flags or snake-adorned standards, and yelling for all they were worth. Because it was the first Quidditch match of the season: Slytherin versus Gryffindor.

Down in the lockers, players of both teams were getting ready for the kick-off. The noise of the spectators from outside was deafening, floating into the locker rooms as a uniform, booming, resounding roar. The clock was ticking. Anytime now, the clock would strike twelve, the whistle would blow, and the match, wait correction, the battle would begin.

Back in the Gryffindor lockers, the Quidditch Captain Elladan Duke straightened up and fixed each of his team-mates with a sharp gaze. "Today, there's no room for mistakes. We have not been able to practice much, three practices is all we got for training a new team. But," a small smile curved Elladan's lips, "We have definitely got the most talented players in all of Hogwarts, and if we play to even half of our potential, we'll crush them."

The team cheered and trooped out of the locker towards the entrance to the Pitch, brooms slung over their shoulders. Bellatrix, who was leaning against the locker room door, trying her best not to roll her eyes during Duke's mini-pep talk, made to follow the rest of the team.

"Bellatrix."

Duke. There is definitely something up with him. He's not the honest, oh-so-perfect, innocent fifth-year Gryffindor that he portrays himself to be.

Bellatrix paused, turning around coolly, "Yes Duck?"

Duke walked up to her, placing himself on the opposite end of the door, gloved hands deep in the pockets of his scarlet-and-gold Quidditch robes. His pale gold eyes fixated on Bellatrix's onyx, "Remember which team you're on."

Like these odious robes are going to let me forget.

Almost as if he could read Bellatrix's mind, Duke spoke again, his face calm and serious, "And I don't just mean wearing Gryffindor robes. You need to remember that you're playing for Gryffindor. Not any other team."

Bellatrix leaned forwards challengingly, "And if I don't?"

There was silence for a second.

Then somehow, at that precise moment, in spite of the fact the fifth-year Gryffindor standing before her had messy russet curls and a cordial, genial face, Elladan's smile eerily reminded Bellatrix of Delphine. "Then I'm kicking your cousin out of my team."

Bellatrix raised her eyebrows incredulously, "Ignoring the whole fact that you care too much about Quidditch to do that, you really think I give a damn whether my cousin stays in the team or not?"

Another moment of silence.

"Yes." Elladan replied simply. "Yes you do." Then he walked out of the lockers.

What's it with people shooting cool lines at me and walking out?

"Welcome folks to the first Quidditch match of the season: GRYFFINDOR VERSUS SLYTHERIN!" The young fourth-year Hufflepuff doing the commentary for the match was practically bouncing on the balls of his feet in excitement. "We've got an AWESOME lineup for the teams this year, with Slytherin inducting just one new player, Lucius Malfoy as Chaser, and Gryffindor with a whopping FOUR NEW PLAYERS!" The crowd roared in appreciation.

"The Gryffindor and Slytherin Captains are shaking hands down on the Quidditch Pitch and sheesh, that's a LOT of testosterone boiling down there. The handshake is done; the players have taken to the air. The referee, Madam Hooch, has released the balls…that's the whistle…AND THE GAME HAS BEGUN!"

"Gryffindor takes possession, Duke navigating through the Slytherin players…..ouch, that was close…..Duke passes to Cooper…Malfoy tries to tackle Cooper, ooh that won't do any good at all, just look at the size of the guy…and Cooper tosses it to Duke again….AND GRYFFINDOR SCORES!"

Bellatrix was almost lazily floating through the air, high up in the sky, surveying the conditions of the game. Gryffindor had scored thrice already, all goals contributed by Duke, and Slytherin was nil. That being said, the Slytherin Chasers were definitely giving the Gryffindors a tough time, breaking through their formations, shoving and elbowing their way out wherever necessary. Of course, whenever that happened, they were sure to receive a Bludger to the head from Sirius approximately ten seconds later.

Bellatrix glanced sideways at the aforementioned cousin. Sirius was absolutely blazing his way through the Slytherin players, pounding Bludgers left, right and centre; in fact, no other beater had even managed to hit a Bludger yet except to defend his own teammates. It seemed like he wanted to make up for Bellatrix's inactiveness, and Potter not playing, all on his own.

Speaking of Potter, Bellatrix watched as Sirius darted a look towards the left portion of the Gryffindor stands now and then in the midst of the game. Bellatrix followed his gaze and saw Potter in the midst of all the second-year Gryffindors, leaning on a crutch, yelling wildly in support of his House. Of course, the excitement gave way to a slight look of disappointment now and then, but it seemed like he was trying his best not to brood for the sake of his best friend.

It's time.

Bellatrix leaned forwards slightly, her Cleansweep responding to her move and slanting forwards, descending in a smooth dive. She was now in the midst of action, or so it seemed, through all the shouting that was pervading through her ears.

"Cornelia! Stop dreaming!" Duke shouted from the other side of the Pitch at Desmond for what seemed like the sixth time. His voice was loud, but still calm, though Bellatrix could see from a distance that his left hand was tightly clenched over his broomstick handle in irritation.

"Huh?" Desmond dropped the Quaffle for what definitely was the sixth time, blinking rapidly as she stopped in midair, turning back towards the direction of Duke. Her gaze dreamily fixed on Duke, voice cotton-candy sweet, "Did you say something Elladan?"

"SLYTHERIN SCORES!"

Bellatrix definitely heard the Gryffindor Keeper swearing from the other side of the Pitch. Duke took possession of the Quaffle and practically rocketed across the Pitch, diving between the Slytherin Chasers like an undistinguishable blur of scarlet. From out of the corner of her eye, Bellatrix caught a glimpse of something purplish heading towards her direction.

Bellatrix slowly extended her right hand outwards, left hand gripping her broom handle, her robes flapping around her, wind whistling in her ears. Her Beaters Bat perfectly balanced in her right palm, her extended fingers wrapped around its handle securely. The Bludger approached closer and closer, Bellatrix bent down upon her broom in anticipation, Duke shooting past her in a fuzz of colour…

Now.

Bellatrix swung around her broom in a full one-eighty degree twist, her backhand stroke whacking the Bludger which shot towards Duke in the span of one-tenth of a second and neatly knocked the Quaffle out of his hands.

"And Malfoy goes with the Quaffle after the Gryffindor Beater hit her own teammate and there he tosses it to….oh wait, it's a feint-SLYTHERIN SCORES!"

As Lucius zoomed by, high-fiving his teammates, he shot Bellatrix a tiny, fellow-conspirator smirk.

Bellatrix was also smirking quite nicely when all of a sudden, she felt the air knock out of her as a hand, quite violently, caught hold of the scruff of her shirt collar from behind.

"What the hell is wrong with you!" Sirius's voice sounded demented as he hissed acidly into Bellatrix's ear. "Are you on the opposite team or something!"

Bellatrix practically wrenched Sirius's hand off her collar, her vice-like grip tightening over Sirius's wrist hard enough to leave a bruise, before savagely throwing it to the side. Sirius gritted his teeth, as Bellatrix glared at his face with arctic eyes, voice spitting acid, "Don't youdare touch me again, blood traitor. I'm warning you."

Sirius's eyes narrowed drastically, his voice equally vicious. "What are you going to do about it, huh?"

"Wait." Bellatrix smiled maliciously. "And watch."

"And there seems to be some kind of an argument happening between the two Gryffindor Beaters…I do hope they realize this isn't really the time for this…the Gryffindor Captain isn't looking very happy, Black is looking ready to take a shot…..no, no not that one, the female one…..and she seems very-HOLY MERLIN SHE JUST KNOCKED OUT HER OWN TEAM CHASER!"

Bellatrix looked on satisfactorily as Cornelia plummeted to the ground, hitting the grass-covered Pitch with a dull thunk. The crowd collectively gasped, a few girls letting out shrieks. Cornelia's head flopped to the side as Madam Wallace, the medi-witch, ran on the pitch and immediately levitated her motionless body on to a stretcher and guided it out through the stands, students crowding over to get a look.

A short whistle blast echoed through the Pitch, signaling the Gryffindor Quidditch Captain calling for a ten-minute timeout. Bellatrix leisurely descended down, her toes skimming the dew-dotted grass in a smooth touchdown. She languidly made her way to the right side of the Pitch, under a tiny wooden shelter where the Gryffindor Quidditch team was holding an emergency consultation.

Impervious to the burning glares and black stares of her teammates, Bellatrix leaned against the support post of the shelter, stretching her arms above her head nonchalantly. "So. Why are we here?"

Bellatrix felt someone shove past her roughly, as Sirius made his way into the shelter. But his hissed, icy words were for her ears alone, "And here I had thought that you had changed."

Sirius directed his cold eyes towards Duke, who was watching from the back with a grim face, "Throw her out. Now."

The Gryffindor Keeper, Kevin Holdings' voice was barely above a growl. "The kid's right, Elladan. I told you she was a bad choice."

Elladan's gold orbs flicked towards Bellatrix's face, and stayed there. Bellatrix stared right back, impassive. After a few seconds Duke looked away and at his teammates.

"What's happened has happened. There's nothing we can do to change it. We've lost one team member already and…." Duke paused. "And I'm not getting rid of another one."

Sirius's eyes widened, incredulity shining through his every pore. Cooper muttered discontentedly. The seeker, Elwyn, remained mum; Holdings whirled towards Duke, "Have you lost it? You mean you want to let her play for the rest of the game?"

Elladan's gaze flitted towards Bellatrix for a second, then back to his team mate, "Yes."

Swearing incomprehensibly, Holdings stalked out of the shelter, followed by Cooper and Elwyn. Sirius shot Bellatrix a look of distilled hatred, then followed through. As Duke walked past Bellatrix through the shelter entrance, Bellatrix called out, voice loud and unbothered, "Aren't you all forgetting something?"

The others stopped. Holdings turned abruptly and bit out, "Yeah, Elladan has obviously forgotten his brain, but I don't see why you should complain about it."

Bellatrix looked at him like she was considering a particularly dumb ox. She spoke slowly, to make sure his evidently minute brain understood it, "The Gryffindor Quidditch team is supposed to be a team of seven. We are six."

"What are you trying to say?" Duke looked at her calmly.

"Get another Chaser." Bellatrix said it like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "A substitute for Desmond."

"And you think we've had time to train substitutes after training four newbies?" Holdings asked scoffingly. "And you think we'll get one no-"

"Get one with natural talent then." Bellatrix cut Holdings off with casual ease. "One who won't need training to be good."

"And you have a person like that? Now?" Duke's voice, unlike Holdings, was actually serious.

"Yes." Bellatrix folded her hands above her stomach. "James Potter."

Sirius, who till now had only been listening silently behind Holdings and making contemptuous sounds, choked on thin air. He gazed at Bellatrix with wide eyes, an utterly disbelieving expression on his face. Holdings looked at Bellatrix incredulously; ridicule dripping through every syllable, "Potter? James Potter? James-I-can't-stop-jumping-on-my-broom-Potter?"

Bellatrix remained silent and looked unwaveringly at Elladan. He met her eyes for a brief second, then turned towards Elwyn, murmuring softly, "Call Potter. Now."

Holdings spluttered. He whirled towards Elladan, "What the- "

"Kevin. Please." Elladan's voice was calm, but firm. "Get Potter." Elwyn disappeared in a flurry.

Minutes later, a flushed, disheveled Potter, hopping on his crutch, entered the shelter, "What happened? Something wrong? Is the game gonna be cancelled or something?"

"No." Elladan turned towards Potter. "Do you have any problem flying with your leg?"

Potter's eyebrows scrunched up in confusion. "Uh…..not really."

"Good. Because you will be playing in this game now as Gryffindor's new Chaser."

Potter stared at Elladan, uncomprehending for a minute. Then a look of complete shock overcame his face, then outdone by a jaw-splitting, full-blown grin, "Wha…..I mean, thank you Si-..oh sorry…Captain I mean..uh…"

Elladan smiled with a hint of warmth. "No need to thank me. Thank the one who recommended your name. Black."

Potter turned around and beamed at a still-shocked Sirius, slinging an arm over his shoulder, "Thanks mate! I knew we were meant to take Gryffindor to glory together!"

"Potter. I was talking about Bellatrix."

It was quite amusing really, watching Potter's face as it crumpled from joy, to suspicion, to complete, utter befuddlement, mused Bellatrix. By the time the myriad of emotions had run their race on Potter's expressions, his jaw was hanging wide as he gaped at Bellatrix.

Before anything could be said however, a whistle blast rung through the Pitch, signaling the end of the timeout. Elladan turned to walk out of the shelter, "C'mon. The second part of the match is about to begin."

Almost as if coming out of a stupor, Potter shook his head, and slowly made his way out of the shelter. Sirius followed his best friend, but turned to throw one last look at Bellatrix which had more questions in it, than plain hatred.

What did you think Black? That I knocked Desmond out just to spite you? Sure that was a strong motivation, but I'm not as stupid as I was last year. I am smarter, and more experienced. Rage doesn't rule all of my decisions any more. Kicking Potter out in the tryouts to show the Mudblood I'm on her side, hitting Duke and knocking out Desmond to show Lucius I'm on his, and finally bringing Potter back in to confuse the two of you. Beat that.

A/N: Review? Pretty please?