Inside My Mind (A Harry Potter Fanfiction)

Chapter L

Hogwarts, Unplottable Location, Scotland, Great Britain

Thursday the 2nd of September 1995

7:30 PM

Lalita sat on her bed, braiding her hair, carefully. She looked up as Bella came out of the washroom, dressed, her hair still wet. Her fringe didn't cover the lightening bolt scar that Grindelwald had given her on that Halloween night, fourteen years ago. Bella waved her wand and it dried, instantly. Lalita watched, amused as she tried to pull a brush through the curls and snarls.

"You're going to pull out your hair."

Lalita watched as Hermione walked over to her briskly. Her hair was already pulled into a tight braid. Lalita knew that the girl had worked hard to tame her curly hair. Bella nodded and looked over at Parvati and Lavender. They were gossiping behind their hands. Bella rolled her eyes as they spoke blatantly about her. Fay Dunbar was fixing her hair, though she looked rather tough.

"I don't care. I just want out of here," Bella said, sharply. Hermione sighed and patiently began pulling the brush through Bella's hair until it fell in waves and curls. Lalita couldn't tell if it was supposed to be either. The only word that could explain Bella's hair would be untamable.

"Are you done yet?" Bella whined. Hermione poked her sister in the back with the brush as she gathered Bella's hair back and took one of Bella's many bangles off the bed and secured her hair in a low ponytail.

"Patience is a virtue, Ana. A virtue that you don't have," Hermione said, sharply. Bella sighed and took a charm bracelet and placed it on one wrist. She slid her other bangles on her other wrist. Lalita could make out a key dangling from one of the bangles. Around her neck was a small silver locket.

But, the most prominent was a beautifully ornate locket that was about four times bigger than the silver locket around her neck. Parvati and Lavender seemed to be ogling the locket as well, though Lalita wondered why briefly.

"That's the locket that Professor Riddle carried around over the summer," Parvati said, sharply. Bella looked up and blinked. She was looking at Parvati in surprise and she brushed her fringe over her scar, self-consciously. Lalita wondered why she was self-conscious about such a show of strength.

"How do you knot that?" Hermione asked, curiously. Lavender cleared her throat.

"Well, in class, when he told us to sit there and read, he'd take it out and look at it. He used to wave his wand over it and it glowed sometimes. Why do you have it?" Lavender demanded. Bella stood and crossed her arms.

"It was a gift. I don't see why it's any of your business. He's my magical guardian and birthday just passed," Bella said, shortly. Lavender and Parvati gave her a jealous look. Bella clutched her locket, protectively. She reached her hand down to her bed and the black adder slithered up her arm and around her arm, like another bangle.

"Lalita, are you ready?" Hermione asked as she picked up her bag. Lalita nodded, slowly. She picked up the book she had been reading, a book written in Hindi that she had smuggled from her father's library. Lalita walked, quickly after the two girls.

Lalita was impressed with the blatant dismissal of Bella to the people that were looking at her strangely. She didn't look like she cared in the least.