A soft ringing filled the first years' dorm, a chime like sound emanating from the eldest black daughter's nightstand. It rang for 10 seconds before being turned off. The following was a groan and the swishing of blankets and two small taps against the floor.
'7 in the morning, wake up, brush hair,' the thought repeated in Bellatrix's head like clockwork every morning. 'first one awake once again.' She looked around to the beds, the curtains all still drawn as usual. Her eyes landed on her neighbour's bed. The young Malfoy girl was intriguing to be around 'Maybe she'll let me walk with her to Transfiguration.' She wondered, walking past the beds and out of the dormitory with her small towel.
She walked by the various other rooms, 3rd years and 4th years, 5th years and 7th years, then the 6th years who curiously got their own rooms to themselves. Oh, what she'd do to have some privacy from the nosy second years in her dorms.
She walked into the bathroom and went to the small cupboard with her name inscribed on a small metal strip. Bellatrix Black, in bold lettering, her family insignia next to her name with a star. She smiled and opened the cupboard, pulling out her hair brush and starting to untangle the jungle of curls and waves in her soft black hair. "Why — Does — Andy — Get — It — Easy?!" She grunted with every pull of the brush through the thick hair. Despite having almost identical hair, Andromeda's curled like bloody perfect waves, yet hers looked as if she'd been struck by lightning.
After a half hour of brushing, she wet the brush with water and brushed through again, wanting to control the nasty twists she'd created by brushing her hair dry. Satisfied with the small, more organised clumping, she put her brush and things back into the cupboard, washing her face with warm water and patting her face dry with the towel and tucking it beneath her brush, closing the cupboard door and leaving the bathroom.
"Oh look! Mistress Black and her puff of hair!" she heard snickering before getting shoved into the wall. "Crazy like her family!" Another girl she heard laugh. She felt a hand tug at a curl and being pulled upwards.
Before the girl could realise what was happening, Bellatrix had grabbed her arm and pulled her down to the floor and twisted it painfully behind her back.
'7:30, 6th year girls make fun of my hair.' The thought repeated as she played the game and let the girls get away once the girl in pain shouted to be let go. The shrillness in her voice annoyed her ears this early. She didn't have time to do this pattern again. She just wanted to get ready in the morning in peace. Was that so much to ask for?
'I wonder what Freddie is doing...' She wondered as she sat in the courtyard with a few snacks she'd gotten from the kitchen for lunch. 'Wonder where he is...' She leaned back against a pillar and gazed up at the small passing clouds, small white wisps in the bright blue sky.
"Bellatrix! There you are!" She heard the excited voice. Only one person she could think of had that voice. The voice that carried a burden on her shoulders.
"Annabelle, how wonderful to see you," she commented as the girl's footsteps drew faster towards her.
"You told me you would help me with my assignment! What are you doing out in the courtyard like this?"
"I seem to be relaxing, perhaps try it for once."
"Ah, I do enough of that back in the common room, but thank you for the offer." Bellatrix would have rolled her eyes if they had been open. Always changing her comments as if they were genuine offers, this girl was too nice. No wonder she was a Puff. "You seem bored out here, where's your sister or your brother?"
"Busy elsewhere. Find Malfoy and you find Frederick. Find my sister anywhere else in the castle." That made her think, what in the world did Andromeda do with her days. She was rarely in the presence of any of the other Slytherins. She really should pay attention to the girl.
"Hmm, Follow me!" Before Bellatrix could answer, her wrist was pulled up and she was dragged off the bench, out towards the grassy fields, past where they had their flying lessons and right down where the yard went down a slope.
"Where are you taking me?" Bellatrix pursed her lips as she continued being dragged around by the Hufflepuff girl.
"Just follow me." She rolled her eyes and picked up the pace, being dragged bast the trees and bushes and growing flowers before Annabelle released her arm and they raced down the hill, almost tripping on the way to the shore banks it seemed. "Here!" The Hufflepuff girl threw her arms at the direction of the lake and smiled gleefully.
"I see a lake."
"Look further than just the lake!" Annabelle semi-scolded Bellatrix.
Bellatrix looked out at the lake, unaware of what else she was supposed to be looking at. She saw the mountains in the distance, the river leading right between them and the sun was up. She didn't understand what she was supposed to be seeing. "I still just see a landscape."
"Ughh Bella, look at the lush green of the trees! It's peak growing time and you can see the flowers growing over there! And the fish are jumping over the water occasionally! It's so pretty!" The girl gushed and continued on what she thought was the beauty of nature and it's 'peak growing season' as she called it several more times.
"Alright..." Bellatrix sat down on the grass and found that the dirt wasn't entirely too hard here, and despite being next to the lake, it wasn't wet or damp.
The ideal relaxing spot.
"Let's come here more often then." Bellatrix laid down and continued to gaze at the clouds like she had done earlier in the courtyard.
"Oh I just knew you would like it!" The moment Annabelle looked over, she noticed that Bellatrix had returned to relaxing in the dirt, her eyes now closed. She bent to pat the ground next to her and found it soft. 'ideal for planting flowers!' She thought happily. "Oh... you just want to sleep."
"We have a winner. Good job." the Slytherin answered, lifting a thumbs up to the girl for a quick moment before folding her arms beneath her head and closing her eyes.
"I think... I'll just join you then." Annabelle laid down right next to Bellatrix, closer than she probably should have, but Bellatrix made little reaction to push the girl away so there they were, the two first year girls relaxing and/or sleeping in the grassy hill on a sunny day.
"Freddie! Where have you been?!" She finally found her twin brother in the Great Hall, eating to his heart's content around dinner time. She wouldn't have it any other way, but he could atleast learn how to pick up a knife properly or use the right spoon to eat his soup.
"Umm, sleeping..." He responded, trying not to look overly embarrassed.
"You spent all day in bed again? Freddie, your sleep pattern, imagine it~" She said worriedly, sitting right next to him and taking his arm. "You'll fall asleep in class."
"I'll make sure he doesn't, don't worry." Hermione said from across the table. She deposited her books on the side of the bench before taking a seat. "I haven't seen you around all day. Where have you been."
"He's been sleeping all day! Can't you believe the nerve!" Bellatrix exclaimed, standing up and pointing at him. "And he didn't even think of telling me! I was searching for him everywhere!"
"Shame Frederick. You have better things to do than sleep all day. How about that Transfiguration homework that's due on Monday? Start that yet?" They both almost cracked into a smile when Fred almost turned red in embarrassment.
"Oh, well if he fails, it's not on us. At least we did it."
"I won't fail because of one assignment!" He almost shouted, his face turning a darker shade of red. "I have nearly perfect grades! They're better than yours even."
"Keep telling yourself that Freddie." Bellatrix shut her brother up very quickly with that one, and she was proud of it.
"Bellatrix! Wait up!" She stopped walking in the hall when she heard the accent from behind her.
"Dolohov, we are not friends. What have I told you about calling me by my name?"
"Call you Black, you've said it at least a dozen times this year." He said it, annoyed that now he has to repeat it.
"You have no sense of manners." she curtly stated, turning and walking towards her destination. "Aren't you ashamed of yourself?"
"I don't feel like I should, so I'm not." He caught up to her like it wasn't a problem and walked to her quick pace.
"Well you should. As a member of the Most Ancient and Noble House of Black, you disrespect me by doing so, you uncultured flobberworm." She cut him off before he could continue talking. Honestly, people lacked decorum these days, she watched blasted blood traitors strut around the castle, displaying lack of any manners taught to them and it frustrated her immensely. The least those lower witches and wizards could do is show some form of self-respect or dignity for themselves.
"Well, we've known each other since September so I am going to assume we are a bit more than acquaintances, don't you agree?" He asked her, a crooked grin on his face.
"You're right. You're a nuisance."
"A useful nuisance."
"That makes no sense."
"To me, it does." He finally closed his mouth and they continued the silent walk to the library where she had been needing to go. Her assignment couldn't wait much longer to get done.
Sitting down in a well-lit corner, a few other students sitting not too far away, the two sat down at a table and pulled out their parchment, quill and ink vial.
"Honestly, such improper behaviour is infuriating to see." she fumed. She looked at Dolohov and noticed he was just staring at her. "What? Say what you want to say."
"I think you should relax a bit." He told her bluntly. "It's not the 18th century anymore. Not everyone is made to follow etiquette like yours."
"They should. It's the only way to make yourself presentable. Even blasted Weasel does it. That's the only amount of respect I have for that traitorous family. At least they teach their heirs manners and appropriate public behaviour."
"I'm just saying, let it go for just a bit." Dolohov cut her off before she could go off on a tangent. "What did you put for the first question? I got Powdered Newt spleen."
"This is Transfiguration."
"Oi! It's not your turn!" Bellatrix shouted, pointing her wand at her opponent in the common room below. "It's mine!" She tapped her wand on two cards and gained a pair before one of the cars could spew her with the odd smelling gunk.
"Bellatrix, calm down a bit." One of the older students mumbled. "It's just a game."
"I will be Exploding snaps champion!" she shouted and claimed three more pairs one after the other. "Your move, peasant." The boy across from her focused on the game and tapped one of the cards, looking for the other that matched, until he looked up and was met by a stare of dark eyes from the curly haired witch across from him. He didn't realise he had gotten distracted until the card spewed in his face and returned to the table of unchosen cards. "Ha!" She claimed another pair and yet another following that.
The match had barely lasted another 10 minutes due to her opponent scaring himself every time he looked up at Bellatrix. Her method? Just scare your opponent.
Once the match over and two of the older students settled for a game, Bellatrix went over and sat on one of the lush green sofas next to her brother. "Bellatrix, you don't need to scare your opponents like this..." He muttered, trying not to say anything that might trigger her.
"If it works, it works."
"I think the kid pissed himself a little."
"That's his fault for being a pansy!" She didn't miss the small snort that came from her twin, "Would you like to play a game? You aren't like them! You don't crumble under a stare."
"Maybe later... I think I have to go... do my assignment." and with that, he got up and left to go to his room, leaving Bellatrix on the couch by herself.
"Oh no~ Did you brother reject you again? Poor Mistress Black" Ah, that voice again. Like clockwork, this girl always came back and picked on her. This time she had her wand.
"Ducklifors!" She mumbled and pointed her wand. And suddenly, there was a loud Quack that echoed in the common room and she sauntered off to her own room. She was thankful her uncle had taught her that one. She simply could not wait until fourth year to learn how to jinx people into ducks.
'I need more useful jinxes... Perhaps Malfoy can help me find some in the library.' She wondered as she went to the bathroom to brush her hair and get ready for bed.
Yea these chapters are sporadic and may come in double updates at times, but at least I'm back and writing!
Mostly, it's me not wanting to do my university assignments but at least I'm writing stuff for my stories though :)
I want to know if you guys want me to do more stuff like this, change the point of view occasionally so we get outside views. I had fun writing from Bellatrix's view on the world.