A million little times

Chapter 1 - life is just a classroom

The chair beneath her dug into her bones, the discomfort of sitting for hours beginning to take its toll. Her back ached from the strain of sitting perfectly straight, and the tightness of her corset made her want to wince every time she took a shallow breath. Her face could not tell you any of this, she knew that. She was a Black and she knew how to present herself as one. As her haughty gaze roamed the table, she acknowledged that not all Blacks knew how to act. She inwardly scoffed watching her young cousin Sirius grin and flick a pea across the table, not even flinching at the stinging hex he received for his behavior. Bella hated his behavior but knew better than to speak against it.

She turned her watchful eyes to her sisters on either side of her, eyeing them with a withering glare. She didn't have to speak for them to know she was instructing them not to even let the thought of behaving like Sirius into their minds. Satisfied with her management of the situation she turned her gaze forwards again. She found adults didn't pay as much attention to you if you looked uninterested. They never even noticed her listening. Right now they were talking about her.

Cygnus boasted to Walburg how Bellatrix had already mastered most of the spells she would be learning in the year at Hogwarts. He ranted on about the advantages of being in a pure blood household. It was natural that the children being in a family of magic should learn it first and be allowed to excel above those with less blood superiority. At this point in the conversation Bella tuned out. She had heard the pureblood speech and did not care to hear it again. Although her Aunt Walburga seemed to be hanging onto every word. She and her father had always been the most passionate about blood purity.

Hours later the children were excused and Bellatrix walked up the ornate stairs of their estate to her bedroom. Turning the door and walking in, Bellatrix snapped her fingers causing the house elf standing in the corner to scramble towards her. As she sat down the elf unlaced her corset and Bellatrix let out a long breath. The elf began to work on the intricate braids woven into Bellatrix's hair. As the brush passed through her sleek hair she heard the door creak.

Her mother walked in and snatched the brush from the elf.

"Go down to the kitchens." She commanded harshly.

Bellatrix heard the elf whisper "yes miss" just before the crack of apparition.

"Everything packed for tomorrow?"

Bellatrix looked up at her mother's stormy eyes through the reflection in the mirror and nodded firmly.

A firm nod came from the woman and then to Bella's surprise a pat on the shoulder.

"You will do well, and you will make our family proud." As her mother made to leave, she whispered one more thing in Bella's ear.

"Always remember. Toujours Pur."

Tossing and turning that night Bella remembered her mother's words. Toujours pur. Always pure. That's what she knew she had to be starting at Hogwarts tomorrow. No mistakes and no emotions. Just perfect purity. She knew this was all that mattered.