Bellatrix

Chapter 19

I stumbled into the common room.

"Jesus, Bella, what happened?" Remus hopped up from the chair in which he was doing his homework and ran over to me. "You look like you've been crying- not to mention that you just bolted out of the girls dormitory faster than James can go on his new Cleansweep! What's wrong?"

I stared at him, my eyes wide and disbelieving. "I just showed Lily Evans my Dark Mark." I told him.

"Shit. Why'd you do that?"

"It was an accident! I forgot she didn't know!"

He put his head in his hands. "I'll try and talk to her. You can listen in with a few charms I've been working on. Just whisper audire procul and you'll be able to hear everything she and I say."

He enchanted a book to fly and flew up the stairs on it- knowing that if he touched them, they'd turn into a slide. I whispered the spell under my breath.

"Lily?" Remus's voice echoed through my mind.

"Ah, Remus, I was just about to go down and find you. Your best friend is a Death Eater."

"I know that." Remus said cautiously.

"You know?" Lily screeched.

"Yes, I know. Let me explain. The Black family is not like yours or mine. All their children must become Death Eaters. They are forced to. Bella... Bella did not want to."

"Then what about Sirius, huh? Is he a Death Eater too?"

"No. He ran away." Remus said slowly and deliberately.

"And why exactly did Bella not run away then? There are some pretty big loopholes in this story, Lupin!"

"If she ran away, she knew they would try and succeed at finding her, and they would hurt her loved ones. James, Sirius, Peter, me, and others, too."

"And they won't hurt Sirius's?"

"Sirius's parents are setting their store in Regulus. They gave up on Sirius long ago. Bella's parents are more strict. Don't you see? It's not her fault."

"Death Eaters, Lupin. She's a Death Eater. Do you know how many people they've killed? Every day, in the Prophet. Last week, Alice's cousin was murdered. And she is one of them. That traitor! I thought she was my friend!"

"DON'T YOU SEE, LILY? SHE DOESN'T WANT THIS! BUT IT'S EITHER SHE BECOMES ONE OR LOADS OF PEOPLE GET KILLED AND SHE MADE THE SACRIFICE! DO YOU THINK SHE WANTS THAT BLOODY MARK ON HER SKIN? DO YOU? NO! SHE DID IT TO PROTECT US!"

Lily's voice came again, rising almost up to Remus's. "THERE ARE OTHER OPTIONS! THERE ARE ALWAYS OTHER OPTIONS, LUPIN!"

"HOW DARE YOU SAY THAT TO ME? I KNOW YOU'VE REALIZED BY NOW THAT I'M A WEREWOLF!"

A gasp. "Remus-"

"You think this was an easy decision? What do you think, that she could get ministry protection? Are you really that stupid, Evans? The Death Eaters are more savvy than the ministry. And Voldemort has defeated the ministry in countless battles." Moony snarled.

Lily's voice came back again, sounding very small. "How- how old was she?"

"Third year, easter holidays. Alright? Third year."

"I can't- I can't look at her."

"Why not?"

"She's got the dark mark on her arm."

"It's not her you hate, it's the mark. Go apologize?"

"Me apologize? Me?"

"You yelled at her, called her something she despises about herself, and upset her. Go apologize."