Give Me a Reason // Bells

Bellatrix didn’t have to hear them to know exactly what they were saying. Her green eyes traced over the outlines of the Slytherins sitting in the common room, hurriedly and excitedly talking amongst themselves about the misfortunes that had befallen the Eldest Miss Black, ”Ah yes,” The vicious raven-haired girl growled from her perch at the top of the staircase. She raised both of her eyebrows as all three of the younger girls turned quite suddenly. Obviously they had not been aware that she had been watching them with a careful eye, ”Don’t stop, darlings-” She cooed, walking down the stairs, eye-contact never wavering, ”What was it you were saying?”

Every girl had the same expression on their faces - stark realization that they had now been caught fraternizing with gossip that directly involved Bellatrix Black...and it was most certainly a dangerous position to be in. But - instead of confronting them now, Bells simply smirked. They would get what was coming to them. Each and everyone one. Because one day, she would be more powerful than any of them had ever dreamed. The Slytheirn girl stalked out of the room and made her way out onto the freezing grounds, seeking somewhere she couldn’t be bothered.

She took refuge by the Black Lake, every so often dipping the tips of her fingers into the frigid water as she let all thoughts of the past few months melt away. The silence was so peaceful - she didn’t have to worry about them talking. It would all fade away soon, that much was certain. Before long, all of this would be a distant memory. She would be graduated from Hogwarts and be making her name in the inner-circle of the Dark Lord’s army. It was a prospect that brought a smile to her thin lips.

Pushing herself to her feet, she began walking back up to the castle, perhaps to see Professor Riddle and see what she could be doing to supplement her lessons. Amidst the fog, she nearly ran into Joram Mortelle, who seemed to be seeking his own solace in the darkness, ”Joram, I was beginning to wonder when you’d show your face around again,” The viper raised both of her eyebrows and crossed her hands over her chest.

Bells felt her face contort ever so slightly at the thought of seeing Joram in her territory. The Slytheirn common room was hers much like she had thought Rodolphus was hers. Not that it had felt like much of a home lately with all the rumors that were circulating. It seemed as if just about everyone wanted to have their say about what actually happened in the precarious love triangle that was Bellatrix, Rodolphus, and Joram Mortelle. He wasn’t asking her permission to hang around their common room, he was letting her know as a formality. Just the same, the raven haired girl turned her face slightly toward the sky and shook her head, ”Of course not. I’m sure all the Slytherins will love the influx of booze that accompanies your presence,” She answered cooly, weighing her options. Having Joram there would be a sign that she had gone weak...that she was letting him penetrate (quite literally she assumed) everything that was hers. But it might give her the image of a just ruler...able to accept even the lowliest excuses of humans that came into her territory.

This all seemed to random to her, but Bellatrix knew that she should at least hear the boy out...it would be what Rodolphus would want. But the way that he stood there staring at her, she wanted to pull her wand. Fingertips edging closer to her wand pocket, she was halted by this sudden influx of talking that came from Joram’s mouth. Bells could feel her head shaking from side to side, but it wasn’t that she disagreed. It was that she was having a hard time processing this strange information.

She didn’t make a motion to confirm or deny the existence of the summer wedding, that information would come to him from Rodolphus, not from her.

”Oh please-” Bells grabbed the bottle and took a firm swig, resisting the urge to flinch as it burned her throat. She hated whiskey...always had, but it was a bit of a peace offering in her mind, ”Hating you is the furthest thing from my mind.” It was a lie: the Slytherin was most preoccupied with saving her precious reputation and worrying about the taint-blood that had ruined it. But - of course - after seeing Rodolphus, there were a lot of things to consider. Perhaps allowing him to have part of the common room wasn’t entirely out of the question. ‘Why does this feel like some sort of divorce settlement,’ She thought, rolling her eyes slightly.

Was she now to offer some sort of counter offer? Or accept the strange help that Jor was offering her. Holding out the bottle in his direction she raised both of her eyebrows, ”People do ridiculous things in the name of love.” That was the only explanation she had for him offering her protection of sorts, ”I’m sure you’ll feel more welcome in my common room than your own.” There. She had said it. She could offer him a save-haven for now.

Maybe it was the fact that she just couldn’t find it in herself to tell the poor boy no. It was very unlike Bellatrix to pity someone, especially someone in Hufflepuff...but there were exceptions to every rule. She knew for certain that it was going to take more than a few bottles of alcohol to win over the rest of the Slytherins though. He was crossing into dangerous territory, ”I’m not sure anyone will have trouble paying you-” She stopped herself before she tacked a less-than-savory nickname onto the end of her phrase. Joram should have known that most of the Slytherin families were perfectly capable of paying for their fair share of alcohol.

She took a second to lock eyes with him, using the back of her sleeve to wipe off any of the liquid that was still on her lips. She and Rod weren’t in love, that much was certain to the outside observer, but there were things about their ‘relationship’ that many people didn’t understand. Bellatrix felt as if she could show her shattered pieces to Rod and he would hold them until she was ready to put them back together. He knew that this actually effected her...she wasn’t just the devil in his eyes. She was a broken mirror struggling to put herself back together, ”That’s not my decision.” Bellatrix breathed, even though she knew that it was. Rodolphus had already told her that she could have whatever it was that she wanted. And yet - she felt slightly guilty asking him to give up Joram.

She watched him carefully as he rubbed his arms, rather confused about why he was practically shivering. The words that came out of his mouth were almost as surprising to Bells as they seemed to be to Joram. She wasn’t used to being thanked for things...nor did she really know how to accept thanks. Her brows pulled together and her green eyes looked him over once again, ”Rum, yes - whiskey, no.” She breathed through her teeth and then kicked up some of the snow with her foot, ”The whole thing will blow over soon, your house is...forgiving.” That was probably the nicest thing that she had ever said about the Badgers...however, even she couldn’t deny that it was true.

Bellatrix’s eyes were steadily trained in front of her; she wasn’t willing to turn and actually face the man that stood speaking to her. She knew that he was a far better human being than she would ever be. She was selfish...and here he was giving up the man that had been the very happiness that ran through his veins for the past few months. She knew that he was probably right - Rod made her feel whole again, or at least as close to whole as she had been for awhile. But she hated the thought of needing someone. Merlin she had pretended to be so strong for so long, ”I often forget that you weren’t raised in the traditional Pureblood environment, Mortelle.” She was supposed to be strong, to never admit defeat. And she certainly wasn’t going to admit it now, no matter how close Joram treaded near the surface.

That was certainly interesting. The dark haired Slytherin folded her arms across her chest. All this time she had thought that the Hufflepuffs were far less petty than the Slytherins, that they woudl accept one of their own back into ranks with open arms. But here they were, shunning him because he had played with the devil, ”Perhaps they’ll consider a transfer of houses.” She suggested of the administration, although she couldn’t imagine Joram a Slytheirn, ”Then again perhaps they’ll consider a transfer of schools.” She wasn’t trying to be mean - this was Bellatrix’s way of trying to help. If he felt so alone in Hogwarts, perhaps it was best for him to continue his education somewhere else.

She felt the hairs on the back of her neck prickle, her eyes scanning the horizon for any sign that there was someone else out there. No one was supposed to know about Riddle and his plans, not even Joram. Bells was fairly certain that he hadn’t been recruited into ranks and she sincerely doubted that he ever would be. Taintblood. The insult fell freely from her mind and she narrowed her eyes, wondering just how much he knew about their plans. He was supposed to be a dark face - a puppeteer controlling from inside the castle, ”How interesting that you know more than you’re supposed to. Who told you?” She raised her eyebrows and grabbed the whiskey back, forcing another shot of liquid down her still-stinging throat.

He was right - of course. Bellatrix didn’t know him very well. She tried to stay as far removed from him as possible, especially after the events that had transpired over the past couple of months. Bells wouldn’t even allow herself to look at him for the longest time - instead, she wore a constant scowl every time someone brought up Joram and his ‘famous spirits.’ She wondered just how like a classic pureblood grandparent Joram’s grandfather really was, ”Pureblood families are such rare entities,” She commented, looking down at her fingertips and then back at Joram, ”Familial bonds are key and yet-” She looked up into the boy’s eyes and cocked her head slightly to the side, ”It has nothing to do with actual family. It’s just the appearance of a happy home.” She had met his father once or twice over the years, a strange man...certainly not a classical patriarch.

Maybe she was secretly hoping that he would leave...drop off the face of the planet so she wouldn’t have to deal with him any longer. Bells folded her hands across her chest, tucking them away from the cold as she considered the possibility. Rod wouldn’t like it, she knew that for certain. And if she was to keep Rod, then she would have to compromise without ever looking like she was compromising. Surely Jor would figure something out.

Damn Morgana. Bellatrix had always been jealous of that bitch. It seemed as if Riddle favored her - even before she had started pulling away from the Dark Lord, the red-haired mistress always seemed to be one step ahead of her. Which apparently also meant spilling some of their secrets to Joram, ”I’m assuming you don’t associate with these ties...? Or do you?” She asked, trying to figure out where his alliance lay. With eye-brows still raised, she gladly accepted the trade and then raised her chin slightly, ”Do you get on with your father?” She asked, going back to what they had been talking about earlier. For some reason, she just couldn’t wrap her head around being raised by such an eclectic being. What had it been like? Was that the reason Joram had ended up the way that he was?




(this is poop! i'm so sorry!)