I'm so sorry you had to wait so long! I've been having so many problems with my computer and I wasn't able to update my fic because, for some odd reason, my computer simply wouldn't let me. But now, for no good reason, it's working again! Yay! So here's chapter 9. Hope it's worth the wait! Thanks to beta-reader xoxLewrahxox for all your help!
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.
In a Lion's Den Chapter 9
"True beauty is something that attacks, overpowers, robs, and finally destroys." - Yukio Mishima
Darkness captured the world of shimmering lights in its gentle embrace. It danced across their glittering eyes like a sunset on ocean's broad surface. The frosty night sky was like a sheet of glass tinted onyx, flecked with sparks of brilliant white light. The earth below it glowed a ghostly white, a pale sheet of snow skidding across the empty pavement of the manor. As if the burning stars were not enough, globes of golden light hung in the air around the country house welcoming the guests with their warm glow. Their radiance poured out onto the frozen ground, the tiny specks of snow dancing under it.
In the grand foyer, there was uproar of emerald flames. They burned vivaciously, figures stepped out of the hearth, swinging their luxurious coats off their shoulders and throwing them to the nearest elf. Trails of heavy perfumes and colognes led the way to the spotless ballroom, the endless polished floor reflecting the splendor of the assembly. In its reflection, pale ghosts of silver glided across the space and oppressive figures stood close by. Snowflakes fell from the ceiling, dissolving before they could come in contact with the highly held heads. Icicles clung to the grand chandelier which was made solely of enchanted ice; more stunning than the largest of diamonds. Its beauty was only enhanced by the flickering flames of the translucent candles sitting upon it. Huge towering windows lined the walls, granting a pleasant view to the perfectly groomed garden crowned with a fresh blanket of snow. A band played delicate music; ideal for conversation. The guests grouped themselves and talked in delighted clear voices, discussing daily affairs with great interest.
The women were like marble statues, standing erect in their white and silver dresses. Jewels were dripping from their bodies, proudly displaying their wealth and stature. Their hair elegantly gleamed under the blazing light and their eyes were alight with the vivacity of the moment. The men stood proudly with their chests and chins held high, dressed smartly in black dress robes, playing the dark counterparts to the pale women.
Amongst the countless guests, three young girls stood in the shadows, excitedly glancing around the scene playing out before them.
"Oh I wish I could go dance!" The fairest sighed dreamingly, bringing her thumb to her mouth in an unconscious manner.
"Stop that!" The eldest snapped, hastily yanking the soft flesh out of her sister's mouth. "Mother told you not to suck your thumb. Do you want to look like a foolish baby in front of everyone?"
Narcissa scowled momentarily, only to receive Bellatrix's raised eyebrow. She surveyed the room and noticed: family, friends, political figures, minister employees and even the minister himself. Anybody who had some form of power was present at Black County Manor that night."
"Sorry…" Narcissa pouted, dropping her hand to her side in a defeated manner.
"Don't worry Cissy. Bella's excited that's all." Andromeda soothed, pulling a strand of golden hair out of her little sister's face and offering her a comforting smile.
Excitement was exactly what Bellatrix felt. Her heart was pounding so fast in her chest that she could barely concentrate on the world around her. It wasn't like it was her first Christmas party. It was customary that the children of the host, and only the host's children, remained present during the majority of the party, allowing the guests to evaluate them and conclude how well bred they were. It wasn't her first party yet it felt like every year, every ball brought her closer to pureblood society. On her sixteenth birthday she would be formally introduced to the world her parents reigned over and she would be allowed to meet people like herself, special people. Only six more years…
The three girls ran their wide eyes over the ensemble, stopping on their parents. They seemed so different to the girls in this glittering world of riches and power. They looked so happy. They smiled and laughed as they watched as Druella took hold of her husband's arm and allowed him to lead her to their next destination like some sort of subtle dance. Cygnus's booming laughter resounded around the room, warming his daughters' hearts and Druella's intelligent comments filled them with pride. They behaved so differently when they were at home. Cygnus was always locked in his office, yelling at one of his subordinates or working late at his office at the Ministry.. Druella, on her side, was always downing a glass of firewiskey in the sitting room or running off to a friend's house, anything to escape the dreary lifestyle of a typical pureblooded house wife.
"Bella!"
Cygnus was striding towards his favorite daughter with all the confidence in the world, holding a hand out to her.
"Come dance!"
It was tradition that the eldest daughter of the host's family would dance with their father. It was a clever method that allowed the guests to picture the girl in the arms of their son, deciding whether or not she was worthy. Of course, this was hardly necessary for the Black family. Anyone could tell that, although still young, Bellatrix Black would become a witch incomparable in beauty. Even if the Black daughter had been a troll in appearance, her blood was more than enough to convince parents that she was perfect.
Shooting a victorious glance at her two disappointed little sisters, Bellatrix took her father's hand and joined the dancers. She was a little short but Cygnus managed so that their dance would not appear gauche.
"Enjoying yourself?" He asked, spinning her round.
"Very much." Bellatrix beamed. "I just wish some of the other children could come. It gets awfully boring when you are alone with your sisters the entire night."
"But then this room would turn into a playground." Cygnus chuckled. "Isn't Evan waiting upstairs for you?"
"He doesn't count!" The young girl rolled her eyes as if every adult should have known that. "I mean other children. I never get to meet anyone my age."
Cygnus gave his daughter a brief disproving look, half-mocking half-serious.
"Don't you go complaining again, Bella. You'll make plenty of friends next year. You'll have to keep them guessing who you are until then."
Bella rolled her eyes and let out a dramatic sigh.
"Tell you what." The tall man confided in a low voice. "Next year, I'll have Lestrange bring his son, Rodolphus, to keep you company. He's very polite that one. I'm sure you'll enjoy his company."
"Promise?" Bellatrix gleaming eyes grew wide with excitement at the prospect of meeting another young pureblood.
"Promise."
xxxxxxx
Snow fell heavily, seemingly out of nowhere. Each flake, heavy and humid, settled upon the rooftop of the desolate castle on a gloomy grey-skied day. Nothing moved outside the castle walls. The Whomping Willow was folded under its branches, sleeping heavily. Not a creature stirred in the Forbidden Forest and the Quidditch field lay gloomily on its own, the six large hoops towering over the land like disproving lords and ladies watching over their dying land.
Hogwarts itself was hardly any cheerier. The empty hallways seemed to press down on the few inhabitants, suffocating them. The Christmas decorations hung lifelessly in every room and corridor, constantly reminding the few remaining students of what time of the year it was. In the common rooms, glowing fires crackled silently, unable to bring warmth to those who had frost encrusted souls. The stone floors chilled the students' feet to the bone, until they felt numb. People grouped together and spoke in low voices for no particular reason other than the immense emptiness of the castle suppressed their voices. All in all, it was one miserable winter day for Bellatrix Black. With only one day to go before Christmas Eve, she was finding exceedingly hard to get out of bed and go eat her daily meals. Her days were filled with nothingness. If she wasn't lying motionlessly in her bed, hiding underneath the warm covers, she was sitting curled up on the window sill, pressing her cheek against the icy glass and watching her breath cling to the windowpane. Other than a seventh year couple who spent every waking hour snogging, she was the only living being occupying the Gryffindor tower. Strangely enough, the thought of finally being alone failed to cheer her up. She felt miserable beyond belief.
On that particular depressing evening, Bellatrix lay on her back on the hard floor, up in the first year Gryffindor girl's room. Eyes staring off into space, she loosely held a piece of parchment in a relaxed hand.
Bellatrix,
As you well know, the grand Black ball will soon be underway. As if happens, your reputation has been in rapid decline since September. Under the current circumstances, it has been decided that you are to remain at Hogwarts for the Christmas season while we attempt to repair the damage that you have done. Be grateful that your family are trying to save the reputation you so carelessly threw away.
Your Mother,
Druella Black
Large salty tears seeped from the corner of her eyes and ran down her cheeks, settling in the crooks of her mouth. She couldn't be bothered to wipe them away.
Ghost-like images flashed before her eyes; beautiful women and handsome men, dancing green flames, gleaming icicles, pure white snowflakes and sounds of laughter and kind smiles. This Christmas she would be alone.
It wasn't as though vicious gossip was what was keeping her from returning home. If her parents really wanted to see her, she could have returned and remained at home, away from society. It was them who didn't want to see her. They were exasperated with her rebellious actions and couldn't bother to put up with her and what was worse was that her sisters didn't seem to mind. They would at the thought of finally getting the attention for once in their miserable lives. Bellatrix could picture Andromeda smiling victoriously as she danced with her father, not a single fleeting thought of her older sister crossing her mind. The thought filled her with rage.
Hands curling into fists, the letter crumpled between her fingers. Bellatrix couldn't care less. Possessed with the sudden need to destroy, the witch struggled to her feet, stumbling as dizziness momentarily fogged her mind.
"Damn them…" She muttered, burning eyes flickering across the dimly lit room in search of something – anything – that might make them pay for betraying her.
Her eye fell on a mirror sitting on Giselle's side table. Approaching it slowly, her reflection appeared before her in all its blazing might. She was hardly the girl she was a year ago. Her face was pale, yellow bags shadowing her crazed bloodshot eyes like a freshly buried corpse brought back to life. The only color aside from her eyes came from her swollen pink cheeks, stained with the abundant tears spilled that day. Her thick tumultuous hair cascaded down her shoulders; a shock of black in her otherwise ghostly complexion. The sight of her hair renewed her anger, intensified it. It reminded her of her mother's constant nagging, complaining that her hair was never tame enough, never like her sisters'. It brought back thoughts of what it meant to be a daughter of the House of Black; all the women with long lustrous hair as if anything else was far from acceptable.
Without thinking, Bellatrix tore her wand out of her pocket and brought it to a first lock of hair. She snarled: "Diffindo", a satisfied feeling purring in her throat as the wand ripped its way through the ebony curl. It tumbled down her shoulder in one neat cut. Watching it fall, Bellatrix was suddenly possessed with a burning feeling of contentment. The suffocating weight on her chest lifted slightly but still too much for her trembling shoulders.
A savage grin spreading on her face, Bellatrix raised the wand to her hair once more…
xxxxxxx
The castle felt so different with the absence of the students but it was not altogether unpleasant. There was a sort of freedom drifting in the air, a sort of peace and carelessness that did not exist. When the hallways were crowded, Alice could go wherever she wanted without being watched. It was a bitter sweet feeling; loneliness, but it wasn't a foreign one. Sometimes it was unpleasant and sometimes it wasn't as it all depended on her current state. She supposed it was like that for everybody, but that did not matter. What mattered was that Alice did not have the choice this time as she was alone whether she wanted it or not.
She climbed through the hole hidden behind the portrait, remembering that only two days ago she had been clambering out, shouting her goodbyes and Merry Christmases over her shoulder. Everything felt so familiar yet so different all at once. There was almost an exciting taste to the situation. There was a possibility of rediscovering the castle under different circumstances, with a thoughtful, clear mind. All by herself…
Looking forward to thinking things over in her bedroom, Alice made her way up the girl's staircase without throwing a single glance at the empty common room. Oddly enough, the door to her room stood ajar, candlelight pouring out through the crack.
Alice frowned. That's strange…
Placing the palm of her hand against the solid door, she pushed it gently, popping her head inside. A scream caught in her throat as her eyes landed on a figure sitting with its back facing the door, a terribly uneven mane matted black hair hanging from its still head. Countless locks of the same colored hair littered the floor around it.
For a brief moment, Alice mind worked furiously as she took in the picture, unable to breathe for fear of betraying her presence. Only when she noticed the familiar wand resting on Giselle's bedside table, right next to the motionless figure, did she realize who the person was.
"Bella?"
There came as stifled sob and the slender shoulders trembled. Heart still beating frantically and worried out of her mind, Alice crept into the room and went to sit on the end of Giselle's bed, taking in the Bellatrix's pitiful state. Her face was blotched red and damp, tears still seeping out from behind two tightly shut eyelids.
"Go away Alice." She hissed, brushing away the tears hastily.
"What did you do?" Alice asked in what she hoped was a soothing tone.
Bellatrix's eyes shot open and glared at Alice's reflection in the mirror before her, wiping away the lingering tears with the sleeve of her robe.
"Nothing…I did nothing. My hair…it needed a cut."
Alice smiled, pleased to see the witch returning to her usual glare and firmly set jaw. A crying Bellatrix meant an utterly defeated Bellatrix which was something Alice never hoped to see.
"Well you did a lousy job Bella." She chuckled, pulling out her own wand from her jeans pocket. "I'll fix it if you'd like."
The dark-haired witch turned to give her a cautious look, eyes traveling between the wand held firmly in her hand and her caring blue eyes.
"No questions asked." Alice assured her. "Just your trusty hairdresser."
With one careful nod and a quick brush of her sleeve across her watery eyes, Bellatrix turned and faced the mirror once more as her Gryffindor companion got to work.
xxxxxxx
"There. Perfection in person."
Bellatrix leaned forward to get a better look at her reflection. Nothing remained of that mess of a witch that had once been sitting before the mirror, except for a faint pink glow to her cheeks and a shorter cascade of ebony hair. Where her hair once fell to her shoulder blades, it now sat on her shoulder in a pleasant clean cut. Bellatrix hated to think of what her mother would do if she saw her daughter's new haircut. She suspected with a faint smile that it would be something near to official disownment. To be honest, Bellatrix could not have cared less. She felt different as if a weight was lifted off her shoulders other than that of her black curls. There was something about such a simple, yet rebellious act that had made her feel free of all expectations, it made her thirsty for more.
"I suppose you did an alright job." Bellatrix said, wrapping a particularly perfect curl around her finger.
Alice laughed.
"So are you going to tell me what this was all about now?"
"I thought you said there would be no questions asked."
" I deserve some sort of payment, that wasn't an easy job you know." Alice teased.
Bellatrix let out an exasperated sigh and gestured to crumpled letter lying amongst the locks of black hair. Everyone would know anyway, once the Slytherins and other pureblooded children returned to school, bearing the scandalous gossip that had been passed along to them by their parents, concerning a ball and a missing Black.
She waited, swallowing the feeling of unease as she heard the parchment be spread out on the floor.
"I'm sorry Bella." Alice murmured at last, having finished the curt letter. "That wasn't fair."
Bellatrix stood and stared at her passively, refusing to fall prey to those soft blue eyes yet emptied of all her anger and hate. She couldn't muster the strength for one single sneer.
"It doesn't matter. Those balls were boring anyways."
Although obviously unconvinced, Alice nodded all the same and stood back up, handing the heavily wrinkled letter to its owner.
"If it makes you feel any better my parents don't want me home either." Alice confided, going to sit at the end of her bed, lightly swinging her legs off the back.
Bellatrix couldn't hide her surprise as she sat on her own bed, directly across from her fellow Gryffindor. Precious Alice? Not wanted? That wasn't possible.
"It's true." She went on, noticing the look of disbelief. "My parents…they're always busy. They always have a million and one things to do. They say it's for me that they work so hard; to give me a secure life." She grimaced, staring at the floor with a faraway look. "But the truth is that they cannot bear to be a family. They can't bear to be together for more than a second at a time. They'll do anything to get away, even if it means going off on business trips during my Christmas break. Dad got a message yesterday, offering him to go to Germany to deal with an emergency instead of some minister official who's on vacation. The second he told us, mum went out of her way to find her own escape. She's gone to Switzerland to take visit a family member, meaning that I'll have to stay at Hogwarts for Christmas."
The girl smiled, looking up to meet Bellatrix's solemn expression head on. Surprisingly to the Black, Alice did not seem upset about the matter. There was (What about removing: only a hint of sadness lay in those dark blue eyes of hers. Other than that, she was same old, perfect Alice Thompson.
"Like you said: "It doesn't matter." No use feeling sorry for oneself right?" She grinned, leaning forward and resting her elbows on her thighs.
"You know something Bella…" She went on. "I really like you because you never quit. You're always kicking and screaming. When I sometimes feel like I won't be able to get out of bed and make it through the day – yes I have those days too – I think of your sharp mouth and flaming glare. Weird right?"
For the first time since the Sorting, Bella found herself speechless; she simply swallowed hard and nodded, pressing her chapped lips together.
"We'll both come out better." Alice affirmed confidently. "But you'll probably come out stronger than I. I daresay you've got it worse. All I know is that when I have children of my own, I'll never leave them. Not work nor disease nor death will tear my family apart. My children will know their parents."
There was such confidence in her tone that Bellatrix couldn't help but believe her no matter how hard she tried not to. Feeling unsettlingly venerable, she could only think of one thing to say.
"You better not name one after me."