I LIVE! Yes people I'm still alive. Sorry about the long wait but you see a...frog? ate my...hand and it took my longer to type...yeah. So anyways here's chapter 6! Now that's its posted I have no excuse for no not continuing chapter 7. **sigh** This one's filled with family/friendship cheesiness! And it has lots Rosier in it **beams** I've got a soft spot for him. And a big thank you to AMAZING beta ready xoxLewrahxox for your great help! ENJOY!

GO CANADA FOR 2010 OLYMPICS!!! oh...and good luck to all the other countries. :P

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. Writing a fic is nothing compared to trying to find an original disclaimer. How sad...

"I had no taste for defeat — much less victory — without a fight." Sun and Steel by Yukio Mishima

In a lion's den
6: Friendships lost

Drip… Drip… Drip…

It was cold and the roof was leaking. Outside, the wind was howling and the storm raged on, frightening the many owls that screeched and flapped their wings. The rundown floor was covered in straw, owl droppings and the skeletons of the many birds' previous meals.

Curled up against the cold stone wall, sheltering herself from the wind was Bellatrix Black. Her large ebony owl stood dutifully beside her; flapping her wings and clipping her beak. Yet, Bellatrix was alone. No letters once again…She had grown used to the lack of communication with her family, however today it was different. Today it pained her so much more. Today was…

"Happy Birthday traitor."

A stabbing feeling to the heart. She was used to it. When it came to Evan Rosier, she couldn't protect herself. It had always been that way. By allowing herself to become his best friend, she had made herself vulnerable.

Evan Rosier stood in the doorway, a letter in his hand and a cruel smirk spread across his face.

"What are you doing here?" She hadn't meant to sound so resentful. It had simply slipped out before she could control herself. When it came to her cousin, she had always been the leader, the bolder of the two. She honestly did not feel like being the object of his taunts that night.

Evan's eyes narrowed warily, taking another step towards her.

"You shouldn't be using that tone with me, blood traitor."

He waited, expecting her to react. How? Did he expect her to plead for forgiveness? Did he want her to beg for him to accept her? No, of course not. Evan knew better than that. He probably just wanted to provoke her.

"Stop it Evan." She sighed, exhausted and in no mood for a fight. "You have to stop."

Her lack of interest seemed to puzzle Evan and ruin his fun. He stood awkwardly with his letter in hand, uncertain of how to react.

"Why are you here so late?"He asked finally, heading towards his owl. He kept his head down as he tied his letter to his owl's claw, allowing his messy brown hair to cover his eyes. Bellatrix shrugged, stroking Kira's head with the back of her hand.

"I came to visit my owl.."

At this, Rosier gave a small chuckle, his attention still fixed on his own owl.

"I'm sure it's been quite bored…seeing as it never has any letters to deliver."

Another stab, yet this one was more painful than the first. She blinked back the tears that had been growing in her heart since that morning, hating herself for being such a weak and foolish child. 'Just don't cry Bella. Don't cry.'

She struggled to her feet and walked over to where her cousin stood.

"Oh, have you received any letters Evan?" She said angrily. "Can you honestly tell me that your parents have taken their time to write you any letters? Even a quick message to tell you how proud they are?"

"I don't need letters…I know they are." Evan muttered, fiddling with his letter as if it hadn't been attached properly.

"Sure." She laughed coldly, her vision becoming hazy with tears. "They have never cared about you Evan! Everybody knows it!"

Now she knew she had just sent a pain straight to his heart. It was always like that; a game of darts to see who could do the most damage. Sometimes, their fights got so bad that neither one thought that they could ever forgive the other. However, no matter how much they abused each other's weaknesses, they were always there to help each other, to heal each other's heart. They helped each other grow stronger.

"Stop crying." Evan finally said in an irritated tone. "You should be honored that I'm even talking to you."

"So I'm a Gryffindor!" She shouted, brushing the tears of anger while even more poured down her cheeks. "So what? That doesn't make me a blood traitor! That doesn't make me any less of a Black. The blood in my veins is still pure! You know this just as well as I do Evan!"

"You're still a Gryffindor, Bella…" The Slytherin muttered, looking much less convinced then he had at the beginning. "There's a reason why you were placed in that House. There's a reason why your family won't write to you."

It was very dark now and the two cousins could barely see each other anymore except for when the occasional flicker of lightening cast eerie shadows, and allowed each of the cousins to witness the anger in each other's faces for brief moments. All that could be heard was the pouring rain and the booming thunder. Bellatrix was breathing heavily and didn't seem able to stop crying. All she could do was watch Evan Rosier as he faced the window, allowing the wind and rain to spray his face.

"Don't you miss me at all Evan?"

The sudden vulnerability in her voice shocked Evan into meeting her teary gaze. His eyes were large and sincere for the first time in months and Bellatrix couldn't help but remember those days when her cousin had been nothing but a shy little boy.

xxxxx

"Bellatrix, this is your cousin Evan Rosier."

The dress was uncomfortable. Her bun was too tight; it was hurting her. Her stomach grumbled, demanding to be fed and she was bored out of her mind. Still, she smiled and nodded, quickly moving on to the next guest. However, soon enough all the guests had been greeted and the adults turned to their grown-up conversations, abandoning the little girl to her endless boredom. Social events were always the same, just as dull. Yet, they were essential; her parents had made that quite clear.

"Hello Bellatrix."

The timid voice brought her out of her thoughts. She looked up to find the source of the voice, surprised to find that it had come from her newly acquainted cousin.

"Hello." She replied, now taking the time to inspect him better. He was fairly tall and smartly dressed (no doubt by his mother). His brown hair had been brushed back and groomed to a glossy finish so that it almost looked like plastic and made him look quite ridiculous. But he definitely had lovely eyes; large and brown. Sadly, there was something wrong with them. There was no light shinning in them.

"How do you do?" She asked politely. She hated that question. It sounded foolish to her. Even at the age of seven, she knew that asking someone how they felt meant nothing. She did not genuinely want to hear someone complain about their life nor was anyone expected to actually be honest. The answer was always the same…

"Well and yourself?"

'Hungry, tired, uncomfortable, bored out of my mind…'

"Very well thank you." She nodded.

There was an awkward silence and Bellatrix was beginning to grow impatient with the boy. If he came over to speak to her surely he must have had a conversation in mind! Strangely enough, he simply stared at the ground, nervously shifting his weight from one foot to the other.

"Well?" Bellatrix sighed at last, throwing her charade to the dogs and giving the boy a pointed glare. It wasn't like this Rosier boy was anyone important yet. He looked up, a look of discomfort showing plainly on his features.

"Aren't you going to say something?"

He licked his lips nervously, glancing over his shoulder where their parents were conversing.

"Umm…to tell you the truth it was my parents who wanted me to talk to you." He admitted, slowly turning pink under her glare.

"Your parents?" Bellatrix did not know what to say. She was a little disappointed, she had to admit. Nobody came to talk to her out of their own free will. She scared them. They only came for her family name.

"Yes." He nodded, looking back down at the ground.

"Well…" There was a brief uncomfortable silence. "You've spoken to me, now you can go." She muttered, making a move to turn away from him but before she could take a step, a hand grabbed her shoulder. She froze, her back turned against Evan.

"I'm sorry..." He murmured, quickly dropping his hand again.

"For what?" Bellatrix asked, an increasing feeling of unease rising in the pit of her stomach.

"You're always alone."

Her heart was beating faster than usual. How strange…Why did his words pierce her heart as if he knew her? He didn't. Nobody did. She wasn't alone. She had the House of Black.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

xxxxx

It was a dull rainy day.

The sun hid behind a blanket of clouds and the streets of London were completely empty, everyone taking shelter in their warm houses. Two laughing children stood over the large black River Thames, trying to catch their reflections in its murky waters.

"What's with that hair anyways?" Bellatrix laughed, pointing at the blurry reflection of Evan Rosier. When he didn't give a response, the girl quickly turned towards him and made a quick move to try and ruffle his hair. Evan pulled back hastily, pushing away his cousin's hand.

"Don't!" He exclaimed..

"But it's ridiculous! No boy I know has such well-groomed hair! It's far tidier than mine and I'm a girl!"

"Your hair isn't hard to beat. It looks like the head of a mop." He teased, earning himself a hard push..

"Yeah well it makes you look stupid." She grumbled, unconsciously running her hand over her bushy hair.

"It's not my fault." The young boy sighed, losing his smile as he leaned back over the railing.

"Yeah sure…" Bellatrix muttered. " You were born with the stupid hairstyle right?"

He did not answer but simply blushed and looked away.

"You're too timid Evan." She sighed, picking up a stray leaf and throwing it over the railing, watching as it danced lightly in the air before landing on the smooth river.

"It's a shame really…there's no light in your eyes."

"Light in my eyes?" The young Rosier tilted his head to one side and gave his friend a quizzical look. "Bella are you alright? Have you been drinking potions or something?"

"No Evan." She laughed. "I haven't been drinking potions. I just mean that- well…there's no light in your eyes…except occasionally when you laugh but other then that you just have that blank look about you…you know what I mean?"

But it was obvious by the expression on Evan's face that he didn't.

"Never mind then." She sighed, throwing another leaf into the river. "But you're still too timid. You should try and enjoy life a little more. And get rid of that dreadful hair!"

"I can't Bella." He exclaimed, running his hand over his overly groomed hair uncertainly. "You know my parents want me constantly at my best. I'd get in trouble…I have to respect them."

Bellatrix laughed, turning her back to the river and leaning against the railing.

"Come on your parents won't kill you for hair! Look at my hair!" She gestured to her messy long black hair. "Sure my parents aren't pleased…at all. But as long as I'm not at any public event I'm safe. Surely it's the same for you?"

Evan looked down at the ground and rubbed his arm with a solemn look on his face.

"It's not the same Bella. Our families aren't the same."

Bellatrix sighed and rolled her eyes but said no more. As much as she loved picking on her cousin, she could never bring herself to prey on his worst weakness…well at least not on such happy and peaceful moments such as the one they were sharing at that very moment. She would reserve the parent jokes and cruelties for another day when he chose to bring out the incestuous Black jokes.

"You know my parents are already planning my marriage?" Evan blurted out of nowhere. He probably wanted to make it seem like he'd only just remembered that particular piece of news but it came out with a hint of panic and dread to it.

"Really?" Bellatrix looked at him in shock, eyebrows raised. "To whom?"

"Some Prewett girl." He sighed, slumping against the railing. "I haven't even met her."

"Oh come on Evan!" Bellatrix pushed him lightly on the shoulder and gave him a comforting smile. "You sound like some sort of damsel in distress dreaming of true love!"

"Yeah…" He gave a weak smile and shrugged. "I guess your right but still…I don't really feel like thinking about my wedding before I can even grow facial hair."

Bellatrix couldn't help but giggle at the thought of a ten-year-old Evan Rosier with a beard.

"Well it isn't official is it? They're just considering it. What do the Prewetts think about this whole thing?"

"That's the thing!" He exclaimed, throwing his arms up in exasperation. "I have no idea what's happening. They haven't told me anything except that they might have found a new alliance to form with the Prewetts. I don't even know if my parents have asked them yet."

"Well why would they have to? Who would refuse a Rosier?"

"Yeah…" He sighed gloomily. "But still…apparently she's a redhead."

Bellatrix laughed at this, unaware of her cousin's look of total despair. Taking advantage of his momentarily inattention, she lunged at him and ruffled his hair, completely ruining it.

"Bella!" He shouted, pulling back. But the damage was already done. His hair was all ruffled.

"Great…" He muttered, leaning over the water in order to catch his reflection in the river. Bellatrix frowned and tilted her head, getting a better look of her cousin.

"You know Evan…you look kind of handsome with your hair like that."

xxxxx

Evan opened his mouth, hesitating as to what to answer.

"Bella, I…you-"

But at that very moment, the door was flung open and somebody stormed in, exclaiming:

" Rosier what's taking you so long? I'm starving…" He trailed off as his eyes adjusted to the dark and noticed the presence of a second figure.

"Lumos." He muttered, lighting up the area closest to him.

"Oh." He leered at Bellatrix when finally recognizing her. "It's you. What are you doing here? I doubt you'll find lots of Gryffindor glory picking up owl droppings…although being a Gryffindor you probably can't do much else."

The young Gryffindor flushed pink as she tried to wipe away the lingering tears with as much composure as possible.

"I was visiting my owl, Rabastan." She answered coldly as she turned to pick up her bag. She was fully aware of how pathetic an explanation it was but upon seeing Rabastan and remembering Rodolphus' cruel sneer, she was reminded that it wasn't worth lying.

"Probably since it's the only thing willing to suffer being in your presen-."

"Rabastan shut up!"

The room fell quiet again. Rabastan stood still, his mouth slightly agape as he stared at the relatives in silent stupor. Bellatrix and Evan also fixed each other, both surprised by what had been said and who had said it.

"You're sticking up for her?" The Lestrange boy finally said, a look of outrage crossing his features.

Evan turned pink under the soft glow of the Lumos spell and ran a hand through his sufficiently ruffled hair.

"It's just…there's no point in you lowering yourself to her level. Let's not waste our time."

Rabastan nodded, eyes narrowed with an obvious wariness.

"You're right, Rosier. Let's leave."

But before the two Slytherins could make their way towards the exit, Bellatrix had already swung her bag over her shoulder and was out of the door, not wanting to deal with the boys insufferable taunts any longer. She hurried down the narrow spiraling staircase, leaning against the icy cold wall in an attempt not to slip. She did not think her death would be treated with the proper dignity if she were to kill herself by slipping and cracking her head open. Evan would probably get a laugh out of that.

'Damn Rosier…'

Speaking so frankly to Evan had been a foolish decision, one that she would most likely regret when he decided to tell his "friends" all about it. No matter…he couldn't say anything that would hurt her now. She was better than he was. She was the stronger of the two. And he…he was nothing but a two-timing filthy hypocrite.. Nothing else mattered but that truth. Well at least nothing else mattered until Bellatrix came face to face with a couple of Gryffindors.

Bellatrix froze, barely saving herself from tumbling down the few remaining steps. The two boys did the same, momentarily too shocked to do anything but gape at her.

"What?" She snarled, warily taking a step back. "No glares or curses today?"

She knew the two boys well enough to know that they did not have her welfare at heart. Collin and his older brother Peter Wood.

It was Collin who spoke first, his face firmly settling into a deep frown.

"Black… you've been crying?"

Bellatrix sniffled and took another step back up the slippery steps. Once again it would seem as if some invisible forces were working against her. Why did it have to be now that those two dimwitted Gryffindors had to go mail their letters?

"Get out of my way you idiots." She ordered, silently slipping her frozen hand into her pocket and gripped her wand. She really wasn't in a patient mood.

"Fuck off Black! " Peter spat, taking a first step in her direction.

That was it; the spark that set Bellatrix aflame. Before even she was aware of what was going on, she had whipped out her wand and screeched the first spell that came to mind. The Wood boys wasted no time. They retaliated with as much fervor, Collin creating a protective wall in front of them while Peter shot hex after hex. Bellatrix had always thought herself a talented duelist but she had to admit that she couldn't take both of them on by herself. It was far too difficult. Already she was stumbling backwards, desperately trying to keep her balance as she created her own protective screen. It was in moments such as these that she felt the intense need to learn powerful spells. Spells that would bring them to their knees and make them beg for forgiveness. Of course, those spells were out of limits at Hogwarts and Bellatrix seriously doubted any chance of her returning to her home anytime soon. She would have to make do with petty charms and hexes.

Her foot slipped and she came crashing down upon her backside, a small cry escaping her dry throat. She was vaguely aware of a rather nasty hex being shouted and a jet of light flying in her direction before she tightly shut her eyes, awaiting the worst. She would be humiliated and laughed at. The tiny little once of respect she had left would be washed away when people found out she had been taken down by two Gryffindors.

Nothing happened…

Bellatrix opened her eyes once more and stared at a protective charm wall. Collin and Peter Wood glared furiously at something behind her and she quickly turned, already understanding what had happened.

"You're losing your stuff Bella." Evan smirked, wand in hand and at the ready for a battle. Rabastan stood beside him with his own wand out.

The witch could barely keep an expression of shock off her face as she stared up at them. Why were they helping her? Instead, she struggled to her feet, trying to overlook the throbbing pain and lightly pushed Evan away from her.

"I don't need your help." She smirked, throwing her cousin a taunting glance.

"Tch. Who said we were helping you?" Rabastan replied, carefully eyeing the Wood brothers warily. "We just feel like having a little fun with our favorite Gryffindors."

Peter Wood laughed scornfully and flung another spell that failed to hit its mark.

"You're so full of yourself Lestrange."

Bellatrix couldn't help but laugh as she stood between the two Slytherins. For the first time since the sorting hat incident she felt powerful and in control.

"Fine but don't get in my way boys." She said before raising her wand once more and aiming for the eldest Wood brother.

xxxxx

It was later the same day when Antonin rushed into the Slytherin common room, wearing a delighted expression as he plopped himself down between Rabastan and Evan.

"Did you guys hear the news?" He asked glancing at both of his friends excitedly.

Rabastan was scowling silently as he stared into a space, an open Charms book open on his lap. Evan was running his fingers over his wand, his bangs shadowing his grim expression.

"You finally managed to perform the Levitation spell?" Lucius asked from across the room, smirking.

"Very funny Malfoy." Antonin called back over his shoulder before turning towards his friends. "It's about the Wood brothers. Somebody knocked them out and locked them up in the owlery. The rumors say that it was Bellatrix Black."

Rabastan sighed and snapped his book shut whilst Evan brushed the hair out of his face and turned to look at the boy next to him.

"However, I don't think she could have taken them both on by herself." Dolohov continued, pleased to be the bearer of good news. "I mean Peter Wood is a third year and Collin Wood isn't that bad either…for a Gryffindor that is." He quickly added the last part after a couple of sixth year girls threw him irritated glares.

"So you think someone helped her out?" Rosier asked, quietly tucking away his wand.

"Yeah.." Antonin nodded. "Yet, who would help her take out a pair of Gryffindors? Could it have been a Slytherin?"

At this, Rabastan snorted and got to his feet.

"You're really dumb sometimes you know that Dolohov? Why would a Slytherin ever help her?"