Bella glared at James the second she shut the gate behind her. He was grinning back. She was about to unleash all hell on him, but then she realised that she could see him from where she was sitting, so that meant Jamie could also see them. She grabbed James' arm and dragged him away from the gate and behind the changing room block – out of sight.

'What the hell do you think you're doing?' Bella hissed at him, her hand still locked onto his arm like a vice.

'Bloody hell,' James muttered, slapping her hand off him. 'you've got some grip on you, Bells.' She didn't respond. 'I was just going to wait for you, that's all! Merlin, I wasn't spying or anything!'

She didn't like this. Not one bit. It was too risky. If someone even saw them talking it could have disastrous consequences. He should know better!

'Are you insane?' Bella growled, a fire starting in her eyes that was all too familiar. James sensed it, though he'd never seen the full power of her emotions before.

'D'you want to go inside a min?' He asked her, trying his best to project a calm voice. He held open the changing room door. She stared at him for a minute before silently agreeing. He followed her inside and shut the door.

'Listen,' he began. 'I'm sorry I came here, okay? I shouldn't have.'

'No, you shouldn't.'

'I said I'm sorry!'

'Don't apologise. It's a sign of weakness.'

'Better to seek forgiveness than ask permission.' James came back at her with a smirk. Bella's eyes melted slightly. 'Besides, is that any way to talk to your possible fiancé?'

'Operative word there, James,' Bella raised her eyebrows. 'possible. As in unconfirmed.'

James sighed and sunk down onto one of the benches. 'Come off it, Bells. You know we'd be great together.'

Bella laughed, she couldn't stop herself. 'Great together? You mean have great sex together.'

'No.' James said, though it was very unconvincing.

'There are plenty of other girls you could go after, you know. Girls who don't have a strict family who'd disown her if they thought for one second she wasn't a virgin when she got married.'

'They'd really do that?'

'We've been through this.' Bella told him once more. She did not want to have to repeat herself. If what James was promising actually happened, they'd be fine. But, if he was just saying this to get her to sleep with him… it didn't bear thinking about.

'Do you really think I'd use you like that?' James said, almost reading her mind. 'Just drop you after I got what I wanted? Or rather, what you think I wanted.'

Bella shrugged. She'd never admit it, but she felt almost embarrassed to have thought that of him. She turned away from him so he couldn't sense her humiliation. Remus Lupin already knew about them, though… and if he told someone… well, they might as well just get married, for all the change it would make. Bella would be completely finished. She might as well just hang herself now.

She was pulled out of her reverie when she felt hands creeping around her waist.

'Bella,' James breathed. 'I love you.'

It took all the strength Bella had not to start hyperventilating right there and then. She couldn't speak. Her voice seemed to have disappeared along with the last breath she took, which seemed to have been minutes ago. She inhaled, finally finding her voice. All she could manage to whisper was; 'Really?'

'Really, really.' James replied quickly, kissing her neck.

She tried to think straight… her head was just massive blur. Love. What did it even mean? If it meant that one person you can't stop thinking about, who you would give anything to spend time with, always on your mind, hate it when they leave… butterflies when they say your name…

'I love you, too, James.'

'Are you saying you'll marry me?'

'I'm saying I'll marry you.'

And then it happened.

Hours had passed and Bella was still smiling at the ceiling in the dorms. That same black spec from days before was still there. But this time it wasn't something she'd tried to find to take her mind off things… it reminded her of nice things. She couldn't remember a time she'd felt so… relaxed. She felt calm. But at the same time excited. It was strange to her, but she liked it. So much. She was lying on her back, smoking a cigarette, then watching the smoke twirl around in the air.

'What possible reason can you claim this time?' Lucy's voice came from the doorway. Bella almost jumped. She didn't see her come in, she was that wrapped up in her thoughts. Lucy sat down on her own bed and surveyed her best friend. She seemed different.

'I know you had Quidditch trials this morning… but you weren't playing. So you can't claim post-Quidditch.' Lucy told her with a smile.

'Definitely post-something.' Bella said in hardly more than a murmur.

'You sure you're smoking cigarettes? You've not got anything off Lucas, have you?' Lucy asked, one eyebrow raised in a quizzical manner.

'Nope,' Bella smiled at the ceiling. 'just nicotine.'

'And why are you so happy, then?'

Bella sat up and curled her legs underneath her, facing Lucy. She couldn't have looked more curious. Bella giggled to herself, not really sure she could stop herself telling Lucy the truth.

'I'll find out eventually.' Lucy shrugged.

'You won't,' Bella laughed. 'there's only me and him that know!' She clasped her hand to her mouth the second she'd said it. Lucy smirked.

'Oh, I'm good.' Lucy grinned at her. 'So, something with a guy, then? Mind you, what's new? You're always with a guy!'

'That's not true! I was a virgin 'til today, I'll have you know!' Once more Bella hated herself for speaking without thinking. Lucy let out a small scream, before her grin increased.

'Oh, really? Before today? Ouch, Bella, you fell for that one! So, who is he?'

Bella bit her lip and shook her head. No way was she letting herself say anything else!

'Bet it was Roddy.'

'It most certainly was not!'

'Who is it then?'

Bella shook her head again.

'If I guess it, will you say if I'm right?'

She thought about it for a second. What were the chances of her guessing James? Practically impossible, unless she was going to name every boy in their year. 'Yeah, okay.'

'Right,' Lucy beamed at her. 'Jamie?'

'No! Don't be disgusting! He's like my brother!'

'Alex?'

'Not on good terms with him right now.'

'Barty Crouch?'

'We're just friends!'

'AJ Rookwood?'

'Not saying I wouldn't, but no.'

Lucy looked disheartened. 'And your sure it's not Roddy?'

'Of course, I'm sure! I hate the guy!'

Lucy pouted in thought. 'Rabastan?'

'His brother?' Bella spat. 'What do you take me for?'

'Do I really have to answer that?' Lucy grinned cheekily at her. Bella smirked. She knew her too well.

'Well, okay. I would have to get at him, but I didn't.'

'Oh, actually…' Lucy paused for a moment. 'You lost it to this guy, whoever he is. So he's got to be pretty special, right?'

Bella nodded, trying her best not to give anything away.

'So who is he? No guy is that special to you!'

'Hey!' Bella protested. Lucy inadvertently leant forward slightly. 'I'm not falling for that.'

'Shit,' Lucy kicked her side of her bed with the back of her heel from where she was sitting. 'just tell me, Bella.' She gave her the best-friend-eyes. 'Please?'

'No! I can't! You'll think I'm crazy if I tell you. Hell, you'll stop talking to me.'

'I won't! Bella, I promise! Even if you slept with some random Gryffindor… first year! I wouldn't stop speaking to you,' She thought about it for a minute. 'might be a little bit scared that you were a paedophile, but I'd still be your friend.'

'Lucy, you disgust me,' Bella grinned. 'okay, if I tell you, you have to promise not to tell anyone, okay?'

'I promise.'

'As in the kind of promise that would be Unbreakable, if I could risk one other person knowing in order to bind it.'

'Whoa, that's some serious shit, Bells.' Lucy raised an eyebrow at her. 'Just tell me, already.'

Bella took a deep breath. 'James Potter.'

Lucy didn't speak. Her eyes were wider than ever, and her mouth had just fallen open.

'What?' Lucy said finally, sure she must have misheard. 'Really?' Bella nodded, unable to do anything else. Lucy nodded slowly and sat back on her bed. A few minutes passed. Lucy returned to normal as she sat up suddenly and turned back to Bella.

'Was it amazing?'

'Absolutely.'

'You and Potter gonna do it again?'

'Dunno,' Bella pretended to think about it, then grinned at Lucy. 'probably seeing as he asked me to marry him!'

Lucy screamed then, a proper scream. She flew at Bella and pulled her into a huge hug.

'Oh my God!' Lucy beamed at her, finally releasing her. 'I can't believe you're actually going to get married!' She let out another excited scream.

'I know, I know,' Bella grinned back at her, relieved that she could finally let out her own excitement.

'When's the wedding going to be?'

'I don't know, we haven't talked about it yet!'

'I best be your maid of honour!'

'Obviously!'

The door flew open with a bang, and Abby stood in the doorway. 'Luce…' She said quietly. The smiles vanished off Lucy and Bella's faces when they heard Abby's tone of voice. 'Lucy, you'd better see this.'

Abby led both girls through the common room, which was now strangely deserted. They walked in silence, Lucy not even daring the ask what the matter was. Although, deep down, both her and Bella knew what they were about to witness.

They stopped in the Entrance Hall, where a throng of people had already gathered. Lucy managed to stand on top of a bench to see what was going on. Bella could just about make out the scene from where she was standing, and she felt genuine sympathy for Lucy when she saw it.

Evan and AJ Rookwood were both standing in the centre of the hallway, with Professor Dumbledore blocking their apparent exit. They both had their suitcases behind them, but something told Bella that this was so much more than frightened plea for attention.

'You have to think of your futures, boys.' Dumbledore told them. Professor Slughorn was standing meekly at his right hand side, nodding along with whatever the headmaster said.

'We are thinking of our futures! That's why we want to leave!' Evan shouted, a passionate force behind his voice.

'If you'd just sit down in my office – we'll talk about this nice and calmly-'

'We don't want to talk about it!' AJ piped up, taking a few steps forwards. Evan briefly gave AJ a pleading look not to do what he was about to. 'We've made up our minds! We're leaving to go and join a cause! Something you wouldn't know a thing about, with your mudblood loving school.' A few people in the crowd gasped. Bella rolled her eyes automatically at them.

'Language, Mr Rookwood.' Dumbledore said in a somewhat bored tone.

'Just get out of the way! Let us leave!' AJ continued arguing with him. Dumbledore didn't reply, he was now watching Evan intently. Evan wasn't saying anything, his eyes were focussed on the floor, as thought concentrating on something. Dumbledore was about to interrupt him, to stop him doing what he was doing, when two broomsticks came zooming down the hallway. Evan jumped onto his before it had even stopped, grabbing his case and flying straight over the heads of his teachers, AJ right behind him.

'Evan!' Lucy let out an almost ear-piercing cry. Her brother stopped his descent, and turned his broom around in the air. His eyes fell onto his little sister. Tears were now streaming down her face, as her eyes melted into his soul. He shook his head. She'd be fine as long as he left now.

'Evan, don't go!' Lucy cried out again. 'Please, don't go!' She was crying herself into a frenzy now. Bella was worried watching her. Her eyes were fading out, she was swaying slightly… Lucy collapsed onto the floor, people parting like the red sea, as though it was contagious.

'Move, move,' Bella pushed people further out of the way and knelt down beside Lucy. She put her hand to her neck. Pulse. Good. She didn't think she'd have died, but they do say it is possible to die of a broken heart. Bella was about to try and get Lucy off the floor, when she noticed Evan and AJ begin to leave once more, out of the corner of her eye. That was heartless! Without even checking if his sister was okay? Bella stood up, got on top of the bench where Lucy had been standing and held her wand up. Everyone was so pre-occupied with Evan and AJ and Lucy to notice her anyway.

'Accio, broomstick!' Bella used the same spell that Evan had non-verbally used minutes earlier. She held her hand out and felt her broom slip into her grasp. It was all she needed. She threw it into the air and hopped onto it. She was going to get Evan back. He was not leaving like this! It would rip Lucy apart!

'Evan!' She yelled after him, the wind tearing past her so fast it burned. 'Evan!'

'Go back, Bella!' He shouted back at her, allowing himself to turn back for one minute.

'You're not leaving her like that!'

'It's for the best! Turn back!' He fired at her. He actually turned and fired at her. Bella dodged it, but that wasn't the point. She felt a sudden reluctance in her broom, like whiplash. Evan was getting further and further away. She tried to make her broom move. It wasn't moving at all! It wasn't doing anything! After this moment of nothing, Bella felt herself being almost tugged backwards. It was slow at first and she wondered what was going on, but after it had started it became quicker and quicker, until she had to hold onto the broom to stop herself falling backwards! The trees of the forest were getting ever increasingly smaller, and what was Evan and AJ had now become tiny dots in her vision. They vanished from sight.

She hit the ground hard on her back, her head barely missing the floor. She stared around angrily for the source of what had brought her almost magnetically to the ground. Professor Dumbledore was standing a few feet away, his wand raised. He slowly put it back into the pocket of his robes.

Bella leapt up, not even aware that they had an audience.

'How can you let him do that?' She screamed. 'Just leave without another word! If you can bring me back, why didn't you bring them back! At least I had to intention of coming back of my own accord!'

Professor Slughorn almost looked proud as he stood a step behind the headmaster.

'Bellatrix, it would have been a fruitless endeavour. They'd have tried again and again until they eventually succeeded.' Dumbledore told her calmly. She glared at him. Without another word, she turned on her heels and stormed away into the crowd. Lucy had long gone by now, she had probably been taken to the hospital wing. But Bella needed to calm down. She'd been unbelievably happy then so angry should could have killed someone, within the space of about twenty minutes. She needed to unwind. She needed a cigarette.

Bella reached into the pocket of her robes. Damn it! There was nothing left but an empty packet. She threw it onto the floor in disgust. Failing a cigarette, Bella decided that peace and quiet would do nicely. So, she headed for the library.

Finding herself a nice book about the Dark Arts, and sat down in a chair and started reading, gradually feeling better. Reading didn't always help calm her down, but she'd often found solace in the Dark Arts, it just seemed to make her feel better. At least when she was learning about it, she knew that if someone crossed her she could deal with it properly.

She saw someone else come into the library and take a book from a nearby shelf – Lily Evans. She'd know that ginger hair anywhere. If she hadn't have known her name, she'd have guessed she were a Weasley. Bella smirked to herself. Arthur Weasley was a seventh year Gryffindor, who seemed to have a particularly hard time dealing with Slytherins. Especially ones who liked to fight back. Bella knew this all too well. She took her eyes off Lily as she sat down across the room, and went back to her book.

Another person entered the library shortly after. Bella didn't bother looking up, she was sick of interruptions. But when she heard whispering, she couldn't help but be nosy and listen in.

The other person was Sirius. He was in Quidditch robes, but clearly they weren't his, as they read Potter on the back. They also said Captain, too, and Bella would have laughed if Sirius were his house Captain.

'Lily,' Sirius hissed at her. Lily looked up angrily.

'What?'

Sirius grinned at her.

'What?' She repeated.

'Found something in James' Quidditch robes…' he said, teasing her. Lily's expression didn't change.

'Whatever it is, hope it's not contagious.' Even Bella had to admit that it was a good comeback… for a mudblood, anyway.

'You ought to know,' Sirius smirked.

'Sirius, I have no idea what you're talking about.' Lily told him flatly. Sirius looked mildly confused for a moment, the idiot grin fading slightly. He put his hand into the pocket of James' robes. Bella had never been more embarrassed in her whole life than that moment, when Sirius pulled out a pair of lacy black underwear and held it slightly above the table.

'Sirius,' Lily bit her lip to stop herself laughing. 'they're not mine.'

'Huh? Sure they are… James said he was with you…'

Lily shut the book and stood up. 'Well, if he was then he drugged me first.' She slid the book back onto a shelf and left the library without another word. Sirius looked dumfounded. He tried to work out what had just happened. He realised he was still holding up the underwear and quickly stuffed them back into his pocket.

'That didn't go plan.' Bella said to him quickly, appearing by his side without a sound.

'Could say that,' Sirius muttered distractedly. He realised then who he was speaking to. 'it's none of your business anyway.'

Bella shrugged. 'Alright then.' She left it there. She wanted so badly to tease him that she knew something he didn't… but it would only lead to bad things. She needed to see James soon. She wanted to talk to him. Just be near him. She sighed as she walked through the corridors. She really was in love with him.