The next day consisted of a bit more studying. I spent most of the day on the couch in the common room, looking over the other half of the papers that I hadn't reached the day before.

I focused on Defense Against the Dark Arts primarily, wanting to keep it fresh in my mind for tomorrow's exam. I had been in the middle of reading through an old essay on vampires when I started erupting into a fit of giggles. At the end of the couch, Alice was nibbling on my green sock, though it wasn't nearly vicious enough to inflict pain. She simply told me she wanted attention - or food. Either way, I had been neglecting her today, and I was the one at fault.

"I'm sorry, honey. Let's get you fed."

We both headed up to the dormitory, where I kept a supply of canned, cat food in my luggage. After using a swift, cleaning spell to renew her bowl, I dumped the smelly slop into the small basin. She seemed perfectly content now, though my nostrils took in the stinkiest scent of the most expensive, kitty gourmet.

"That definitely does not smell like fish," I muttered to her, but she was already feasting away on her late lunch.

I made my way down the steps, and before I could return to my studies, I spotted a dark-haired figure by the common room portrait.

"Cissy," Bellatrix spoke, "let's get out for a day, just the two of us."

Unsure of where this came from, I gave her a questioning look. "Where are we going?"

"You want a refresher course on Defense Against the Dark Arts, I'll give it to you. I promise, it will be fun."

I had to get myself dressed still, but my sister was happy to wait for a few. I needed to get away from the castle for a few hours. I was beginning to feel stuffy in this room.

I speedily changed into a black, lacy top and a pair of dress pants. Once I kicked on my flats, I was hurrying back down the steps once more to meet up with Bellatrix. She waited for me outside of the common room, twirling her wand through her long fingers. She lifted herself from the dungeon wall once she saw me, and we were heading out of the castle.

We would Apparate to Diagon Alley once we were far enough from Hogwarts. I wasn't sure what Bellatrix had in mind to show me, but I went along with it.

"I'm starved," she said, sounding awfully chipper. "How about you?"

"Sure. I could eat," I answered with a smile. Despite the conversation we had the other morning, being able to see her put me in a good mood. In the back of my mind, the grimmer topic was still present, but it didn't distract me from spending quality time with my sister.

After all, what if this was the last time?

I followed her to Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour, and the both of us ordered a raspberry and chocolate ice cream sundae. While ice cream was pretty decent at the school, nothing - absolutely nothing - compared to the perfection that was Fortescue's. It was the richest and sweetest handmade ice cream in the Wizarding World.

"I heard someone has a date to the Slug Club End-of-the-Year Party," Bella said as she downed a large spoonful of chocolate ice cream. I smiled faintly. The reminder left the feeling of butterflies in my stomach. Lucius was heavily admired, not just among the Slytherin girls, but a lot of the girls in other houses, too. "You must feel honored that he asked you, of all people."

"I do," I replied, absently running the top of the plastic spoon over the chocolate syrup that coated my dessert. "It's just strange. We never really talked much before."

"Now is a good time to start," Bellatrix said, and I was beginning to wonder if perhaps she was trying to hook me up with him for more than just a dance. Is that where this was headed? Or did Lucius just want to flaunt me on his arm for that one night?

Either way, I wasn't about to complain. It gave me an excuse to wear that nice, red dress mother had bought for me on my last birthday - one that I had yet to find an occasion for until now.

"Are you going?" I asked my sister, but she simply snickered at me. Suddenly, I felt my question might have been a little ridiculous.

"I have better things to do than go to parties," she replied humorously. I thought I recalled that Rodolphus had been in the Slug Club, too. Of all people, I would have expected him to ask Bellatrix to be his partner. After all, they would soon be partners for life. Then, she continued as if she had read my mind. "I already insisted he find someone else to take, but he decided he wouldn't go at all, in that case."

"There's no harm in having a little fun, is there?" I frowned.

Then, there was a small light in my sister's dark eyes. She wasn't looking at me, however. Her gaze seemed to cast over my shoulder. "You want some fun?" she said, and the menace in her voice concerned me. "We can have some fun." I turned to look at whatever it was that caught her attention. It was a man and a woman, neither of which I recognized. "That's Loretta and Cadmus Moreau," I heard her say. "They're newlyweds. Isn't that just precious?"

I knew that whatever Bellatrix was thinking, she was probably up to no good.

"And Mr. Moreau is is the Junior Assistant to the Minister of Magic, and to top it all off...he's a dirty half-blood."

"Bella...?" I murmured reluctantly, but it seemed the whimper had fallen on deaf ears, as she was stalking behind the couple like a hungry predator. I followed at a distance, hesitant to witness whatever kind of trickery my sibling was up to.

We were moving into Knockturn Alley; I had never been there before, myself. At this rate, it wouldn't have surprised me if Bellatrix had made a few trips here, what with the company she kept nowadays.

"...the only place where the Floo Network is accessible," I heard the man say to his wife. "Don't worry. It'll be quick."

"Sweetheart," came Loretta's reply, "this place gives me the creeps."

"Oh, sweetheart," chimed in Bellatrix, who was clearly mocking them. "I believe you two might have made a wrong turn."

By now, I realized we were in a deserted part of the alley, and the fact that Bellatrix practically had the couple cornered with no other witness but her youngest sister was all the more unsettling. I kept behind the brick building next to me to stay hidden, not wanting to get involved with Bella's transgression.

"Oh, I'm sorry, ma'am. I think we have. We'll just be..."

"No! You're not going anywhere." Then, I heard Bellatrix murmur - something about proving herself...

Merlin, no... She was going to do something horrible, wasn't she?

"Avada Kedavra!"

There was a deafening silence, and for a moment, my legs felt boneless beneath me. Soon, it was followed by a whispered sob that almost seemed to tear the world apart. I put my hands over my mouth in shock, and as I peered around the corner, I knew I would regret to see what Bellatrix had done.

"You dirty half-bloods belong nowhere else but right here, rotting under my boot," Bellatrix hissed at the crying widow. Beside her laid the stiff body of Cadmus Moreau. It was terrifying. I thought I knew my sister, but in the end, she was a complete stranger to me... She was a criminal.

A monster.

I couldn't say a word to her, and I couldn't even look at her anymore, even with her back turned to me. I hurried back out into Diagon Alley, wiping the tears from my face as I tried to get as far away from the crime scene as possible. I was willing to bet she would kill poor Loretta, too. How she would dispose of the evidence, I didn't know - nor did I want to.

I couldn't Apparate - I hadn't learned how to, and so determining how to get back to Hogwarts was unclear to me, at first. I bolted past the table we had been sitting at earlier (the two bowls of ice cream still sat there, half melted), desperate to find a way back.

I didn't want to tell anyone. How could I? She was still my sister, wasn't she?

Finally, it hit me. I could use the Floo Network to get to Hogsmeade. I would at least be able to return to Hogwarts from there. I went inside the closest store I knew to possess a fireplace, Flourish & Blotts.

"Sir, may I use your fireplace?" I asked the man behind the counter through heavy breaths, though hiding my anguish hadn't been an easy task.

"I'm sorry, young miss. The Network has been shut down throughout all of Diagon Alley. The only one that works is in the barber shop in Knockturn Alley." He then gave me a cautious look, as if warning me. "I wouldn't go in there by myself, if I were you. You'd best stay with your mother and father."

Of course. How could I have not remembered? Mentally kicking myself for being so foolishly forgetful, I looked back towards the direction in which Knockturn Alley's sign was displayed. If I went back in there, I would have to face Bellatrix. Could I possibly avoid her?

I had to pull myself together. Mother always told me to be strong.

But I had never witnessed a murder before... It was just so hard...

I gripped my wand, and it was to the point that I could feel my nails digging into my palm. I took in a deep breath and made my way back out, moving slowly towards the side alley once again. I stayed close to the walls, listening out for any sounds that might indicate my sister's whereabouts. At first, among the hustle and bustle of Diagon Alley, this wasn't easy, but the further in I went, the more I was able to focus on the eerie silence. I stayed clear from the area where I had last seen Bellatrix and her victims, as I swore I could hear her cackling through numerous castings of the Torture Curse.

Finding another route to take me deeper into the alley, I finally came across the mentioned shop, though it appeared that no one was at the counter as I walked in. I stayed quiet as I located the fireplace on the right side of the dark room, and it was then that I could hear my name being called.

"Cissy!" Bellatrix was sing-songing somewhere outside. "Where are you?"

I only took a couple of moments to find where the bowl of Floo Powder was, but before I could reach down to pick it up...

"Oi, do you have an appointment?"

I turned around with a gasp and a jump, and the creepy woman that was peering at me from the side door was giving me a rather skeptical look.

"No, I'm sorry... I hoped I might be able to use your fireplace."

"You might... with a price."

I always kept a stash of money with me when going out, and even now was no different. Of course, leave it to an old hag in Knockturn Alley to demand money for something so simple.

I reached into my pocket, swiftly yanking out green, velvet pouch as I made my way over to the witch. She hadn't named a price, so I handed her a couple of galleons. Thankfully, she seemed assuaged as she gave me a wordless nod.

"Thank you, ma'am," I murmured humbly as hurried back to the fireplace. I stepped inside, and again, I could hear Bellatrix calling for me through the alley. I took a handful of the powder and thought of the first shop in Hogsmeade that came to mind.

"Honeydukes!"

Only for a moment, emerald flames surrounded me, and there was only a brief blast of heat before dozens of fireplaces seemed to flash before my eyes. I couldn't recognize any of their settings, as they all seemed to be a blur. Finally, I staggered out into Honeydukes, coughing as the ash filled my lungs. To my immense relief, a glass of water was handed to me in a matter of moments. I drank it down, not even noticing who was giving it to me until I recovered.

"Andy...thanks..." I exhaled. I wasn't about to tell Andromeda what I had encountered back in Knockturn Alley, though her brown eyes did seem to ask a lot of questions.

Through my panic and disbelief, I didn't have time to really ask her why she was here for a second day in a row.

"Are you alright?" she asked me. I didn't want to tell the truth, but as the same time, I knew that doing so would surely ruin the closeness I had with Bellatrix. I loved her more than anything. What I had seen...one could say I felt betrayed, in a way.

I simply nodded, wiping the wetness from my eyes as I faked a smile. "The ash got in my lungs, that's all."

Whether she took my word for it or not, I couldn't say. She had tried to ask where it was I traveled from, and though I told her Diagon Alley, she appeared to want to ask even more questions - like how I even got there in the first place. Surprisingly, Andromeda no longer pushed the subject. All I wanted was to be alone and hide away for the remainder of the day.

Hogwarts was within walking distance from the village, but it seemed like the longest walk I had ever taken in my life. I tried to avoid every student I could on the way through the castle grounds. As the sun was beginning to set now, this wasn't so hard. Students were all expected to be on the premises very soon, but they would probably be looking to enjoy dinner.

I preferred to hide away in my dormitory, on the other hand. Right now, there was no way I could bear being in the same room as Bellatrix - or as anyone else, at that.