Bella wondered what everyone else was doing right at that moment as she sat on the window seat in her bedroom staring out across the white blanket of snow. What was James Potter doing? Probably having a lovely time with his family, maybe gone to visit relatives, sending his owl to Lily with a Christmas present. And Barty? Probably working in Mr Borgin's shop again, trying to forget the nagging feeling that he should go and see his dad. Tom Riddle? Bella couldn't even imagine what he was doing right now. She couldn't even hazard a guess. Her sisters were outside enjoying one of the rare moments that they actually got along. She could see them throwing snowballs at each other, laughter echoing in through the glass. She was jealous on one level but she knew she'd only ruin the fun if she went down there. She'd only get into an argument with Annie about something petty and end up coming inside, soaking wet and freezing cold, before they all stormed off. She'd rather just watch them, knowing there were having fun without her.

She sighed and got up from the window. Sirius would probably be coming over soon. It was a Christmas tradition that he, Regulus and their mother come and spend a few days with them. Bella loathed it but it was something she couldn't change. She stared at her image in the mirror, her wild hair that she'd long stopped trying to control and her dark eyes that she'd given up all attempts of trying to make them seem friendly. Would she ever have what her sisters had? She bit back all the similar thoughts, reminding herself that whatever her broken relationship with Andromeda was, she'd always have Narcissa. Their relationship was great and that wasn't going to change.

She heard the door open downstairs and more voices fill the hallway below her. She crept out of her bedroom and peered over the railings of the landing to see her cousins and her aunt arrive, and her sisters come back into the house. She sympathised with Sirius a little sometimes. He had the same relationship with his brother that Bella had with Andromeda, except he didn't have another sibling he got on with. Bella did. And she could recognise that it would benefit him to have that.

After a moment Narcissa appeared at his side, the ends of her hair damp from the snow and her cheeks flushed having come back indoors. Bella sighed as she realised Narcissa had seen her and smiled, expecting her to go downstairs. She obliged and slowly made her way down the stairs to join her family.

Dinner was awful. It consisted mainly of Aunt Walburga bitching about Sirius and his friends and all the things they did that she disagreed with so much. After that awkward dinner and death glares during dessert, Bella finally thought she had the chance to be alone and start reading a Dark Arts book she'd been meaning to start. However, when she shut her bedroom door behind her, a knock echoed through the room. She sighed and turned around, knowing full well who was behind the door. Who would follow her all the way up the stairs and say nothing? Only to knock on the door straight after she'd closed it, rather than follow her inside?

Bella whipped the door open, throwing a draught through the doorway. 'What do you want, Sirius?' She snapped at her cousin.

He smirked at her and flicked his chocolate hair off his face. 'Come on, Bells, is that any way to treat family?'

'What do you want?' She repeated with a steely calmness.

'Can I come in, at least?'

Bella stared him out for a second but then stood aside and let her cousin into her bedroom, before shutting the door behind her. Sirius looked around curiously, taking in all the green drapes around Bella's bed and the plush cushions on the window seat.

'Fancy.' He muttered to himself, tugging subconsciously at the grey waistcoat he'd evidently been forced to wear.

Bella rolled her eyes. 'Nothing you don't have back home.' Sirius shrugged and dropped himself onto the window seat after surveying the room. 'Now, what do you want?' She asked for a third time.

'I know about you and James. I know what happened.' He said casually. Bella swallowed and tried not to let her panic show. Why should she panic, anyway? Who cares if Sirius knew?

'Okay.' She said flatly.

'Okay?' Sirius repeated with an exasperated tone. 'That's all you have to say? Bellatrix, I know what he did to you. I know what he promised and I know what happened! And that was not okay.' She turned away from him for a moment before placing herself down on her bed to look at him.

'Alright, so you know about it. So what? You want a trophy for being a great detective? You want a job as an Auror?'

He growled quietly from his throat and glared at the floor. He took a breath and stood up. 'You're family, Bellatrix, no matter how much you protest it. Both yourself and James behaved in a way that was despicable but on his part I'll admit it was worse.'

'Why are you telling me this?' Bella got up as well, the emotional side to her flaring up behind her eyes.

'Because I care.' Sirius said through gritted teeth. 'James got a fair beating from me about this. But I just wanted to let you know that… that it's alright. Okay? You can still count on me, no matter how much we hate each other.'

Bella blinked a few times and remained silent while she absorbed what he'd said. 'Thanks.' She replied quietly, taking a step back. 'You… um, you can count on me, too.'

Sirius smirked at the reaction he'd got from her. 'Thanks.' He answered with a nod. 'And I always knew you'd never actually hurt me, Bells, would you?'

'No. I wouldn't.'

Sirius laughed and she couldn't help but let herself giggle a bit, too. They'd never talked like this before. She wasn't quite sure what to make of it, but they both knew it wouldn't extend further than that conversation.

'That best not be a lie.' Sirius said with a grin. 'Because I don't wanna be fighting for you and have you blast me into oblivion.'

'And what would inspire me to do that?'

Sirius shrugged and sat down next to her on the bed. 'I dunno. Maybe I pissed you off again.'

'Yeah, maybe. Because we all know I kill people when they piss me off.'

'That's the spirit.' Sirius beamed at her and clasped her on the back, before getting up and heading for the door.

'Nice chat, Bells.'

'Likewise.'

And with that, he left. Bella stared at the door for a few moments after it shut. That conversation had caught her off guard. After everything she and Sirius had said to each other in the past, all the hateful comments and fights, and now he tells her that. She actually felt touched, her heart felt warm from it but she had no idea why. She'd always hated Sirius with all the hate she had but now? She couldn't hate someone who'd just told her that.

A gentle swooping sound broke her thoughts as she turned to her window. A black owl sat patiently on the window ledge, a package attached to its leg. She opened the window for it and it hopped inside, pushing its leg towards he so she could receive the package. The owl did not stay to wait for a reply. Bella shut the window after it and sat down on her window seat to open the package. It was a black book with the name 'Tom Marvolo Riddle' etched in gold on the front. Bella swallowed hard. She knew who this was from and this book looked highly personal. She carefully flicked through the pages but found that it was completely blank. The book came with a small note:

Keep this safe for me

TMR

Bella knew it must be something really important but she couldn't understand why he would choose her to keep this for him. He had plenty of people who he could have look after it… and surely it would be safer with himself. She didn't question it, though – she didn't have any way to question it – and she put it under her pillow until she could think of a better place to hide it.

She'd just about settled down to try and read the book she intended to read before Sirius's interruption. However, once more an owl appeared on the window ledge. She slammed the book down on her bed and allowed the second owl entry. This time it was a tawny owl with a friendly looking face. It held out its leg for her to take the package it had, then dropped a letter on the sofa that it had been carrying in its beak. This owl hung around. Bella sighed and opened the drawer below her wardrobe. She kept owl treats in there because any witch or wizard worth their salt always carries owl treats. She dropped a few of the treats at the owl's feet and it gratefully chirped as it nibbled at the treats. Bella shut the window, realising it may take the owl some time to get through the treats, and sat down next to it.

She opened the letter first – it was from Lily:

Merry Christmas, Bellatrix! I don't mind if you didn't get me anything, you probably didn't expect me to get you anything, anyway. But you've been really good to me since we met, so thank you. Have a merry Christmas and a happy new year,

Lily.

Bella felt instantly guilty. Lily was right, she didn't expect her to have got her a present but she still felt guilty. She'd have to go out and get something and send it to her. She put down the letter and started to open the package. There was a little note tucked into the front cover of the book reading Thought you might like this. It was a copy of Quidditch Through the Ages. Bella sighed, Lily was a mudblood after all, she probably didn't know that almost everyone had a copy of this book. She turned the first page and her eyes widened. It wasn't just a copy of Quidditch Through the Ages – it was a signed copy of Quidditch Through the Ages. She scanned the signatures on the page and soon realised it was signed by almost every member of the England Quidditch Team. Bella shut the book and realised that now she'd have to get Lily something really amazing. Who knows how she'd managed to get hold of that book but she managed it somehow.

The owl finished off its treats and scooted over to the window. Bella pushed it open and watched Lily's owl sail off into the night. She shut the window again but continued to watch the owl until it was no longer visible. That girl constantly surprised her with kindness. She was the anomaly. The mudblood Bella actually liked. The only one. The exception. How was she supposed to join Tom's cause against mudbloods when she'd met someone as special as Lily? Could she really run a crusade against the same person who helped her get through everything James put her through?

The door creaked open and Bella knew instantly it was her mother. She was the only person who didn't knock.

'Do you want some hot chocolate, Bella? Everyone's coming downstairs for a drink before bed.' She asked. Her eyes fell on the book, which had now fallen back to the signed pages. 'Who bought you that?'

Bella hastily shut the book and pushed it out of sight, like doing this would erase her mother's memory of it. 'A friend.' She said vaguely.

Her mother raised her eyebrows. 'A friend? If you say so, Bella.' She said with a knowing smirk. Bella played along, it was better her mother thought it was a gift from a boy than from a mudblood. She was happy to play that game. She followed her mother downstairs, accepting the offer of hot chocolate, and hoping Sirius wasn't there. Even after their chat earlier, she still didn't want to see him. It was a onetime thing, they now had to go back to hating each other and that was tiring.

Everyone was downstairs. Bella's parents and her aunt were sitting together talking closely about something while everyone else sat in the opposite corner of the room, drinking hot chocolate. Bella sighed and picked up an empty mug off the table, which instantly began filling itself with hot chocolate, then swirled whipped cream over the top. She joined her sisters and cousins without a word. Sirius and Andromeda were having their own little conversation and neither of them acknowledged Bella when she joined them.

'Hey, Bella.' Narcissa greeted her with a wide smile. There was a sparkling silver necklace around her neck that she was wearing with pride. 'Lucius sent it for me. Lovely, isn't it?'

'Mm. Very nice.' Bella told her, trying to make it look sincere. In reality she didn't really care for jewellery, and while the necklace looked expensive, it still looked tacky.

'Anyone send anything for you?' Narcissa asked. Bella wondered whether she was meant to tell her about the book or not. Quidditch Through the Ages, that is – she wouldn't dream of burdening Narcissa with the diary Tom Riddle sent her.

'No.' She said with a shrug. It was probably best not to let her ask questions about Lily, either, especially in front of their family. Narcissa tried to give her a sympathetic look, even though it didn't come across that way.

'You got anything?' She asked Regulus, who'd remained stonily silent after Bella's arrival.

'No.' He said simply, forcing a smile. Bella was instantly suspicious. Alarm bells went off at that comment, he was lying in the same way that she was. Why would Regulus hide a gift? He wasn't working with Tom Riddle, so why… Or was he? There was just something in the back of her mind that needed to know. She needed to know if Tom trusted him more than her, like she could weigh what he was sent against the diary and see if it was more important. She had no idea why she suddenly wanted to win approval from Tom but now she knew he'd sent something to her cousin, it became more of a competition.

Bella shrugged and smiled back at him, trying not to alert him to her knowledge of his lie. She started to plan a way to find out about his gift in her head. She knew which room he was staying in at their house but what she didn't know was where he'd keep something like that. She didn't intend to keep that diary under her pillow forever but she was well aware that hiding something personal under your pillow was a distinctly female thing to do and she doubted that Regulus would have opted for the same tactic. There was one possibility, one idea that she couldn't shake using. She was so desperate to find out! She'd do anything. But she pushed that idea to the back of her mind, it was an absolute last resort. She'd have a good root through Regulus' room before she deployed that strategy.

'Anyway,' she sighed, forcing a yawn. 'I'm tired, I'll just go to bed now, I think.'

Narcissa, poor thing, absorbed everything and simply smiled at her sister and wished her goodnight. Regulus, however, seemed suspicious.

'It's not that late, Bella. You haven't even finished your drink.'

Bella looked at her cup and the remaining hot chocolate drained out of the cup. 'Yes, I have.' She said with a smirk, before leaving without waiting for another protest from her cousin. She knew she didn't have long, especially after he'd tried to prevent her leaving. She shut the door slowly before kicking off her shoes and bolting up the stairs, trying to remain silent. She got to the third landing and pushed open the door of Regulus' room. She soon realised she had her work cut out. Everything was everywhere. Clothes, books, potions ingredients… just all over the place. No sign of order or regulation. It was a complete mess. How was she supposed to find something through this much mess? She opened a few drawers, all of which were empty, before hearing footsteps on the landing. She held her breath. She glanced around the room looking for an escape but seeing none. As the footsteps advanced towards the other side of the door she realised there was nothing else to do but duck under the bed and pin herself to the floor.

However, the person she saw open the door wasn't the person she was hiding from. It was Sirius.

'Bells, I know you're in here.' He said confidently, shutting the door behind him.

Bella sighed. 'Am I that obvious?' She replied without moving from her position. Sirius smirked and dropped to the floor to look at her.

'Sadly, yes.' He held his hand out to her to pull her out from under the bed. She raised her eyebrows before getting up without his help. 'What are you looking for?'

She didn't know what to say. This was the plan she'd tried to force herself not to think of. She could tell Sirius. He knew Regulus well enough to know where he'd hide something. Bella took one look in her cousin's eyes and knew that on some level he already knew.

'I need to see it, Sirius. You know what I'm talking about.'

Sirius nodded gravely. 'I know about it, I'm not sure where he keeps it.' He paused for a moment to look around the room before confusion slipped onto his face. 'How do you know about it?' This was the point she hadn't prepared for. Whether to lie to her cousin and pretend she wanted to stop Regulus getting involved, which wasn't a complete lie but her motivation wasn't right. Or, whether to be truthful and tell him that she herself was already a part of the same group.

'He's involved with something he shouldn't be, Sirius. I need whatever he got sent.' That was vague enough, she decided. It seemed good enough for Sirius, who simply nodded with a hard expression.

'He hides things in mess.' Sirius informed her. 'This may look like chaos but he knows where everything is. He does this so I can't knick things from him.'

'Does it work?'

'Sometimes.' He shrugged. 'But he likes to keep important things on him. Close to him. So it all depends what he was sent, if it's something he can put in pockets or put on a chain, he will. If it's something bigger…' Sirius thought aloud, pacing through the mess on the floor, making a conscious effort not to move anything from its place. He opened the wardrobe and pulled out a black broomstick box. He placed it on the bed and tried to unlock it but quickly retracted his hand in shock.

'For God's sake, Reg.' Sirius mumbled.

'What? Is it cursed?'

Sirius smirked, still clutching his hand. 'Jinxed. Stinging jinx.' Bella drew her wand and climbed across the bed to the broomstick box. She pointed her wand at it and said the counter jinx. Sirius gave her a look before opening the box again. Bella couldn't help but smile at him as she put her wand back. They both peered inside the box, which did contain a broomstick but other things as well.

'Any idea what we're looking for?' Sirius asked her, as they were greeted with papers and pens and other assorted junk.

'Not a clue.' Bella said with a heavy sigh. She couldn't even judge it against what she'd been sent because the only thing she knew it would be was personal. It was be personal to Tom. But that could be anything.

After what seemed like hours, but couldn't possibly have been, and finding everything from letters from girls to books about banned spells, they turned up nothing of interest. Sirius shut the box, Bella replaced the jinx and they put the box back.

They left Regulus' room and adjourned to Sirius' instead. Bella dropped herself onto her cousins bed in frustration, while Sirius paced the length of the room. 'He's got to be keeping it somewhere… He could have it on him… Unless…'

'Kreacher.' Sirius gasped, as Bella snapped upright to look at him.

'Kreacher?' She repeated.

'Kreacher. He'll have given it to Kreacher. It wouldn't be the first time. He's given things to Kreacher to keep before… He could have done it again. That is, of course, if he doesn't have it in his pocket, or something.'

This kept Bella up through most of the night. He might have it with him. That narrowed down what she was looking for. Something he could keep in his pocket. That would be easy to tell if he had something in his pocket or not. It was easier pocket sized or something he could wear. A necklace, bracelet… it could be anything. It could even be an item of clothing. She'd have to take in everything that he was wearing tomorrow, everything about him, to work out what Tom had sent him.