All Right, Evans?

Chapter 11

Wednesday, 5:00 P.M.

Bellatrix Black was not in the mood for any of the things she was expected to deal with.

Rodolphus had been on her case about her sister, Narcissa. "Get her to join the cause," he kept saying. Bellatrix had lost count of how often he'd nagged her, and every time she just bared her teeth in frustration. How many times did she have to tell him that Cissy wasn't cut out for such work? She shared their ideals, respected what Voldemort stood for, but she was much too passive-aggressive to pick up her wand and rally with them.

And that was just fine with Bellatrix. The fact that Narcissa supported the cause from the sidelines was enough. Besides, she'd started seeing quite a bit of Lucius Malfoy over the summer (something their mother was thrilled about, since she'd been trying to get them together since Narcissa became old enough to date). Malfoy was a Voldemort insider, and Narcissa's connection to him would ensure her safety from anyone who might doubt her loyalty.

That was something, Bellatrix thought as she walked alone over the Hogwarts grounds. It was more than could be said for their eldest sister, Andromeda, who had just been blasted off the family tree. Running off with a common Mudblood... Bellatrix scowled and kicked at a patch of grass. Eloped, that's what Andromeda's letter had said, a letter that their mother had forwarded to Bellatrix so she didn't have to look at it anymore.

Andromeda had been so smug about it, too, Bellatrix thought. She was pleased at the opportunity to besmirch the Black family name in such a way, proud that she could rebel against the family's wishes. Between her and Sirius, the Black name would soon become nothing more than a bad joke.

"At least we got to Regulus before it was too late," Rodolphus had reassured her earlier that day. That, too, was something, Bellatrix supposed. But really, what good was a fourteen-year-old? And Regulus had no special talents to speak of; he was more or less as worthless as his brother.

But she supposed she'd have to take what she could get.

And what she could get was Rodolphus, who she didn't really care for despite their allegedly romantic relationship; Regulus, who was useless; one sidelined sister and the other traitorous; Avery and Mulciber, who were more brutish than intelligent; and Snape, whose former indiscretion in the shape of the Mudblood Evans wasn't something Bellatrix was going to forget.

So, really, she didn't have much.

Bellatrix stood at the edge of the Forbidden Forest now, scowling up at the yew tree that towered over her. She was itching to get out of this place, full of dirty blood and dirty blood lovers, where it was all hunky-dory as long as Dumbledore ran the show. When you were trapped inside the Hogwarts walls, it felt like there wasn't a revolution going on at all.

And that was something that would have to change, even if Bellatrix had to implement that change herself. Even if that meant loving Rodolphus and trusting Snape and getting Narcissa involved... If they were useless, she'd make them useful, whatever got her to where she wanted to be.

Steeling herself for all that she would have to do, everything she'd have to sacrifice, Bellatrix turned away from the yew tree. She pulled her collar up against the chill breeze that danced across the grounds and made her way back up to the castle, a looming shadow, bleeding red as it was silhouetted by the setting sun.

Snape was sitting alone in a back corner of the library, pouring over his Defense Against the Dark Arts essay and wondering if this class would really do anybody any good once they left Hogwarts. He supposed he'd have to wait and see for himself.

But he had to admit that the subject of his essay would probably be useful; one couldn't deny the power of a fully-formed Patronus. He himself had been able to conjure one since last year, a feat that lost some of its significance since Potter had managed the same thing. And whatever James Potter did, it was somehow better than the exact same accomplishment by anyone else.