The Untold Story of: Bellatrix Lestrange (Untold Stories Book One)

Chapter Six

Bellatrix's first journey to Hogwarts was, hands down, the worst of her life. 

Fenrir Greyback- the person her mother had asked to help her (A/N: I know that she said Rodolphus first, but I looked it up and he's actually younger than her. I'm trying to stick as close to canon as possible on this)- had never been her favourite person. She hadn't been brought up with him, as she had been with the Lestrange boys, and so he was foreign ground to her, but her parents worked with his, so he was counted as her 'protector' at Hogwarts, as he was the only one her age. She didn't like him, though, or the way he looked- both his outward appearance, and the way he looked at her. He had this horrible piercing blue eyes that were small and dark. His skin was unclean, and his hair greasy. His teeth were permanently yellow, and he always leered at her, like she was a piece of meat. She was scared, because of the way he looked at her, and how he had been assigned to her for her protection, that he was the person she would be betrothed to. She'd find out when she was in her third year who she was betrothed to. It had been decided as soon as she- or her betrothed- had been born, and she was absolutely frightened as to who it would be.

"Wow, Bella, we're going to Hogwarts," Fenrir said almost sarcastically, with no real feeling behind it. "Aren't you excited?"

She nodded timidly, fixing her gaze determinedly on the outside of the window as England whizzed past. 

"I hope I'm in Slytherin, don't you?" he continued, un-fazed by her silence. "If I'm not, I'd probably commit suicide. Seems a much better fate than facing my parents, wouldn't you agree?"

She nodded again. He wasn't making her feel any better, and that's what she hated about him. He was so insensitive. 

"Of course, there's absolutely no doubt that Slytherin is where I'll end up. I mean, the whole Greyback family tree consists mainly of Slytherins, but there was a couple of Hufflepuffs in there and-"

She let him ramble on, still staring out of the window and wishing she was anywhere else. She closed her eyes and tried to imagine herself in a better place. She was stood in the back garden of her house, in the warm sun, wearing those sundresses she had seen Muggle children wear, that looked so much more comfortable than robes. She was with Andy and Cissy and her mother and they were running and squealing and laughing, and there was nothing that could put her down-

"Bellatrix Black!" a harsh voice yelled, and she screamed and jumped in her seat, suddenly back on the train to Hogwarts. Fenrir was up out of his seat, and shaking her rapidly. 

"What- what's going on?" she asked, completely disorientated.

"We're ten minutes away from Hogsmeade! You need to get changed!"

Leaping to her feet, she quickly grabbed her robes and stared at Fenrir, who eventually took the hint and left the compartment. She changed rapidly and took the free time to write a quick letter to her sisters, rambling about how scared she was. Fenrir came back in just as she let her owl- a beautiful barn owl called Crissy- out of the window, and just as the train stopped. He eyed her suspiciously, but didn't ask and grabbed her arm to drag her off the train.

They walked outside into the cool night air, and Bellatrix was suddenly hit with a wave of homesickness. She was practically alone- except for some creep she hated- in a foreign place where it was dark, and anything could happen. Trembling slightly, they positioned themselves in front of a tall, slender man with brown, ruffled hair that had slight bold patches in some places, and cool, grey eyes. He wore robes of a yellowy-brown colour and introduced himself as Professor Kettleburn, the Care of Magical Creatures teacher. He made sure all the first-years were present, then they moved towards a large, black lake, which had a few rowboats positioned around the edge.

"No more than four to a boat, please," the professor called out, and Bellatrix felt her heart sink. That meant more time in a confined space with Fenrir.

They piled into a boat, which contained two other people, who were seemingly in their own world, talking animatedly to each other. Bellatrix sighed, wishing she had a friend like that, who would talk to her as enthusiastically as that. That caught Fenrir's attention, and he glared at her, before leaning towards her and whispering in her ear.

"You might want to act a bit more tough, Bella," he hissed sharply, and she had to resist the urge to slap him to move away. "You are a pureblood Black, and you don't want to bring shame on your family, do you? Then you must act tough and not let anyone stand in your way or intimidate you."

"Like you, you mean?" she spat out, before she realised what she was doing.

He grinned at her, but it wasn't a happy grin, and it lacked emotion. "That's better."

Feeling proud of herself, she lifted her chin a little- something she'd copied off her mother, she realised- and stared out across the lake as though nothing fazed her, although her stomach was in her throat, and she was still feeling sick. 

When the castle came in sight, she refrained herself from gasping as the others did. She didn't stare at it in wonder, but made her face rather one of disappointment. She felt different when she did it, but she realised that was good, because it made her feel above everybody, and different. She was the one in charge, she could decide how this went. Not anyone else. Her.

"You know, Fenrir, you might want to close your mouth," she drawled to the boy next to her, who had his mouth open at the sight of the castle, like the others. 

He glared at her, but closed his mouth, and she smirked at his back. It was good to be in control for once. None of her siblings or parents there. This was a fresh start.

And no one was going to mess this up for her.