Bejeweled

Bellatrix felt lighter after everything on the train. She’d heard people say crying was a good release, but she’d always thought they were weak children for it. As it turned out, they were right. 

After letting her emotions bottle up for over a week, simmering and simmering, finally letting them boil over was a relief. Especially since she had someone to hold her through it, to tell her it would be okay. Make her feel like she wasn’t alone. 

She’d spent almost the entire week after Christmas Eve in bed, locked in her room claiming to be ill. That was the excuse she used when she didn’t show up to her meeting with the Dark Lord; sending an owl the day before to let him know. Of course he’d sent a letter back saying how disappointed he was, that he hoped she’d feel better soon, but Bellatrix didn’t believe him. She wouldn’t believe a single word he said for the rest of her life. 

Cissy had visited her of course, but Bella couldn’t tell her what was really wrong. Andy had tried, but Bella had screamed at her to get out. Andy was the last person she wanted to see—well, second to last. 

It had been lonely. Part of it was her own doing, locking herself away, but it was more than that. She had felt alone with her problems, like no one could help her. 

But someone did. He’d held her while she cried, and said just the right thing she didn’t know she desperately needed to hear. Remus had never once steered her wrong, so she’d decided to keep following his directions to see where they lead. 

It had been a last second decision, asking Evans to have tea with her. Bellatrix hadn’t even realized she’d made the decision until she found herself telling Evans not to leave the compartment. And Evans had been so happy about it. Despite everything, every mean comment Bellatrix had thrown her way, every time Bellatrix had said ‘mudblood’, every nasty thought about people like Evans. Despite it having to be in secret, Bella still unable to publicly hang out with someone like her. Despite it all, Evans was giving her a chance. 

Something about it made Bellatrix want to cry all over again, but she’d managed to keep it together. 

They hadn’t chosen a time yet, but Bellatrix wasn’t worried. They both needed to get back in the swing of things after Christmas break. Back to homework and studying for exams and prefect duties, though the impulse to nod at Remus and Evans in polite greeting when she passed them in the corridors kept making itself a problem. Once she hadn’t stopped it in time and her friends gave her weird looks. Luckily it had been to Remus, so she could at least say, “he’s my rounds partner,” as explanation. 

Bellatrix worried that the other Slytherins could tell something was up with her. She was quieter in the common room, listening more than contributing. She couldn’t help notice that the things her friends said sounded so much like statements from the Dark Lord. The man who was a liar to the core. How could things that sounded like him be true? Things she very much spewed herself. 

Remus was unfortunately sick for the first Thursday of term, which Bellatrix had been expecting. She was starting to pick up on the pattern of his flare ups, once a month almost like clockwork. 

Since she knew he’d be gone, she’d packed Hoben’s records in her bag. Despite having her own copies, she still hadn’t returned the borrowed vinyls out of laziness, but having gone without hers for the duration of Christmas break she felt bad for keeping them so long. 

When she got to the Muggle Studies classroom along her route, instead of passing by she silently slipped inside. She’d never been in that classroom before, had never had a reason. Bellatrix couldn’t imagine the scandal if she’d tried to take Muggle Studies of all things. It was…interesting. There were all manner of weird gadgets and gizmos, thingies and do-dads, muggle curiosities on shelves around the walls. Maybe, if tea with Evans went well, they could come here sometime and Evans could explain what some of them were. 

It was easy to see where the borrowed records belonged, identifying the incomplete set of 11 on the floor to ceiling section of vinyls. Bellatrix got the missing sisters out of her bag, and went to put them back on the shelf, but as soon as her hand made contact, her entire body froze in a stasis charm. 

Shit. 

Of course Hoben would have upped security after the records went missing! In case the thief came back for more. She had no way of knowing they were just borrowed, planning on being returned safely. 

Bellatrix was glad Remus wasn’t with her, he didn’t deserve to get in trouble for this. 

Well…did he? He had been the one to steal them after all. 

But Bella felt protective of him. She didn’t want him getting in trouble for this, even if she would. The only thing that scared her was them taking away her prefect badge, if they did that, they were effectively taking Remus away from her. Hopefully Hoben would just give her detention for a month. Or four. 

The professor came bounding out of her office in a rather nice Hufflepuff yellow set of silk pajamas. She was a pretty witch, with short hair somewhere between blonde and brown, but her kind face currently looked quite angry. 

“You! You’re who stole my records!” she huffed, finger pointing at Bellatrix. Caught red handed. The stasis charm must have also triggered some kind of silent alarm to alert the professor right away. Hoben waved her wand to release Bellatrix from stasis and then put her hands on her hips. “What do you have to say for yourself?” 

Bellatrix stood there for a moment, silently open mouthed. She closed her mouth and opened it again a few more times before she just blurted out, “Well…they were rather good?” 

Hoben observed her closely, Bellatrix’s body still frozen despite the removal of the spell. Three of the albums were safely in one arm, with her other hand reaching out to return the fourth to its proper place. 

Hoben held out her hand, “let me see that.” 

Bellatrix complied, and Hoben slid the album out to inspect it, seeing it was still flawless. “You took good care of this,” she observed. 

“Of course,” Bellatrix was almost affronted by the insinuation she would have harmed it in some way. 

Hoben eyed her again. “You don’t take my class. In fact, I’ve heard you’re quite against my class existing at all.” 

Bellatrix bit her lower lip, feeling oddly ashamed under the gaze of the Muggle Studies professor. “We’ll, I…used to be,” she admitted. 

“But not anymore?” Hoben raised an eyebrow. 

It was a good thing it was dark in the classroom, the only light coming from the full moon streaming through the windows, because Bellatrix found herself blushing from discomfort. “I…I don’t really know.” 

Hoben turned slightly to look at her shelves of records, eyes running along their spines for a moment before turning back to Bellatrix. “Would you like to borrow a few more?” 

Bellatrix was shocked by the question. Wasn’t she in deep trouble? She made eye contact with Hoben, dumbfounded. 

“As long as you take good care of them and return them, then I’ll let you borrow a few at a time. You took four, right? That seems reasonable, four at a time, as long as you always leave a note letting me know which ones they are. Deal?” 

Bellatrix nodded slowly, still not sure she was processing words correctly. Why was this Professor who she’d never talked to, never had a class with, had honestly made fun of in the halls…being nice to her? Letting her borrow her precious records? 

“Great,” Hoben clapped her hands together, turning her attention back towards the shelf. “What do you like?” 

“Um, music?” Bellatrix answered like an idiot. 

“So just kinda anything? Got it,” Hoben nodded and started selecting albums for Bella, muttering to herself. “Have to start with Alice Cooper for rock…Oh, can’t go wrong with Shakira…Pat Benatar, obviously….hmmm, what else…” 

Bellatrix went right from the Muggle Studies classroom to the Room of Requirement. She had homework to get started on.