Hello everybody! Here's another story from the Silly Frog! This one's going to be a multi-chaptered fic...a pretty long one actually. So before you start reading it, i'd like to give a big thanks to my beta reader xoxLewrahxox for all the great help! She'll be making sure i don't screw this up :p

Playlist? : Les avions en papier by Bruno Coulais...well anything from Les Choristes really. Going through a french movie obsession again :P But honestly...is there anything sweeter then those little kids? Especially Morhange. Ok i'm off topic again...

I do not own Harry Potter.

"All great deeds and all great thoughts have a ridiculous beginning." – Albert Camus

In a lion's den

1: A most unfortunate surprise

By The Silly Frog

September the first had finally arrived, and with it came a cool autumn breeze announcing yet another cold and bitter winter. The breeze swept the platform's floor causing everyone to shiver and pull their cloaks tighter around themselves. It was a grey day; the clouds were forming a tight barricade over London with only the strongest of sun rays breaking an entrance. Unfortunately, the sun was no match for combined force of the breeze and the clouds. All hope for one last summer day died quickly that morning. However, this was of little concern to the hundreds of students who occupied the platform, eagerly awaiting the time to embark onto a year of extraordinary discoveries and experiences.

Amongst the crowd of people, waited one particularly small muggle-born girl called Sarah, who stared about her in awe whilst her parents stood nearby, conversing with their neighbors whom they would never have expected to be, in fact, a witch and a wizard. As Sarah waited, she could not help but eavesdrop on the conversation of a tall woman with white-blond hair tied in a tight bun and a little boy who was most likely her son.

"Yes Cygnus had done himself well… Apparently, his eldest daughter Bellatrix Black, will be attending her first year at Hogwarts. They say she's brilliant, that one. The finest Black in centuries." She craned her neck, hoping to catch a glimpse of the aforementioned girl.

"You will do well to keep her in mind, at Hogwarts, Lucius, dear. She'll definitely be worth befriending."

Shortly after, little Sarah hurried over to another muggle-born girl she'd met earlier that day.

"Hey…have you heard of Bellatrix Black?" She asked excitedly.

"No. Who's she?"

"Well…" She paused for dramatic effect, glad that she, too, finally knew some things about the wizarding world.

"Bellatrix Black is brilliant, they say. The finest Black in centuries…She's also going to be my new friend!"

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'This is it' Bellatrix thought, staring up at the scarlet steam engine with determination. 'My chance to shine.'

And she knew that she would. She wasn't named after a star for nothing. She was brilliant. She was the most talented and promising Black girl to have ever been born. Everyone knew it; even some of the filthy mudbloods knew of her name already. Yes, this would be Bellatrix's year. She could just feel that something extraordinary was about to happen.

The other students hurried around her. She had the impression that she was the only one who froze at the sight of the train as life continued to speed on, without her. Was she the only one to whom Hogwarts meant so much more then just a school? Was she the only one who thought of this train as the crossing point from her life in the shadows of the House of Black and into a new arena where only the strongest would prevail and have their names forever remembered? She hoped her name would. She did not want to remain the pretty Black girl forever. She did not want to be married off and live a life of submission, like her mother. She did not want to let out all her anger and boredom on her children as they cowered and wondered what they'd done wrong...

"Bella!"

Time began to move again. Everything rushed back into order and Bellatrix was propelled into the present, blinking as her mother called her name impatiently.

"Yes mother?" Bellatrix hissed, glaring up at her mother's pointed face.

"Don't you dare take that tone with me, Bellatrix Black!"

She instantly dropped her eyes, instinctively falling back into her dutifully daughter role as some of the other parents stared at them curiously.

"Forgive me mother...I'm just very tired." She muttered, glaring at her new shoes.

"Yes well I am tired of your attitude." Druella replied. "But I have to go now...Cygnus is waiting for me to go to that minister's party. You should be alright finding somebody to sit with. Evan is supposed to be here somewhere." She glanced around, eyes searching the countless students for her nephew.

"I'll find him." Bellatrix assured her, eager to get rid of her.

Druella seemed to catch the keenness in her voice because her cold black eyes narrowed.

"I'm warning you now...don't disappoint us. Only speak to those worthy of your attention and excel in everything. You must be at the top."

Bellatrix nodded quickly, nervously assuring her that she would not let her down. Druella did not know of the sinking feeling in her daughter's gut at the thought of making them proud. She would never know of the terrible fear she had of being a disappointment.

They exchanged quick pecks on both cheeks and Druella was gone, abandoning her eldest child in a sea of nameless faces with her large and heavy trunk and an owl.

Ten minutes to eleven... and no sign of Evan. Bellatrix silently cursed him, glancing around anxiously. She hated to admit it, but she really didn't want to have to sit with complete strangers on her first trip to Hogwarts. She wanted to look like she already had all the friends she could ever want...

She looked around, inspecting the other students that would soon walk the halls of Hogwarts with her. Some of them were already wearing their Hogwarts robes and she felt a jump of excitement whenever she saw a flash of a green and silver tie. Soon she would join them and proudly wear the House colors. Everybody knew that she would be placed into Slytherin. It only made sense seeing as she was the greatest witch of her year and Slytherin only accepted the greatest. Not to mention that she would be furious if she were to be placed anywhere else.

Bellatrix stood on the tip of her toes and craned her neck, desperately searching for that familiar handsome face amongst the ordinary ones. But Evan Rosier was nowhere to be seen. He'd promised he would look out for her when she arrived. What if he decided to ditch her for somebody else? What if he was already in his cabin, surrounded by newly made friends whilst she remained by herself on the platform?

With a sigh, Bellatrix sat on her trunk and sulked in silence, stroking the black lustrous feathers of her owl through the bars. She loved her owl very much. It had been a birthday gift from her uncle for her eleventh birthday. She was a beautiful black-feathered owl that was supposed to be exceedingly rare. She named her Kira which meant 'Black'. She found it a highly appropriate name.

"I'll make friends...won't I, Kira?" She asked the bird who simply stared back with large yellow eyes.

"Talking to yourself Bella?" Came a mocking voice behind her.

Much to Bellatrix's embarrassment, she gave out a cry of surprise as she leapt up, causing her trunk and her owl cage toppling over. The angry owl's shrieks and numerous stares did nothing to help the crimson blush spreading across her cheeks.

"Evan Rosier, you idiot!" She snarled, hurrying to place her cage in its upright position.

Before her stood her handsome cousin; Evan Rosier, his messy light brown hair falling into his hazelnut eyes, shining with wit and defiance.

"Nice to see you so grown up Bella. Stopped talking to your dolls and moved on to your owl I see?" He teased.

"I never spoke to my dolls!" Bella cried angrily as she took a step closer, staring him straight in the eyes. Now if only she hadn't been a head shorter, she might have had more impact...

"I never even had dolls!" She added furiously when he continued to laugh.

"And. Where. Were. You?" She asked, finishing each word with a punch to his chest. Evan wasn't impressed.

"Is that all you can manage Black? A strapping young lad like yourself?"

"I am not a boy!" Bella cried out in frustration. "And you just wait until I learn some powerful hexes!"

Evan laughed even harder and lifted up her trunk for her seeing as his was already on the train.

"Don't you be getting into too much trouble now, Bella." He said as they started fighting their way through the crowd towards the train.

"I don't think ickle wittle Bellakins could defend herself against those big meany Gwyffindors." He said in a mocking baby voice.

"Liked you'd know." Bella replied, giving up on acting angry and now grinning. "You're in your first year too, I'll have you know! And you don't act so tough when you're at home. Not when big scawy mommy and daddy are there to be mean with ickle wittle Evan." She replied in the same baby voice, as they reached the scarlet train.

Evan's smile died instantly and his hand went unconsciously to the pale bruise on his arm. Bella stuck her tongue out at him victoriously as she boarded the train and he followed in her wake.

The train ride was a long one. Evan and Bellatrix got an entire cabin to themselves. It would seem that the other first year students were either too scared of them or already had a cabin full of friends. So the two cousins laughed and bickered the entire way, both refusing to admit how nervous they actually were. They both pretended that they knew everything there was to be expected at Hogwarts when really, their parents had barely told them anything except that they had to be in Slytherin.

It was night when the train came to a halt. Bellatrix could feel her heartbeat increase rapidly as she peered out of the window, trying to catch a glimpse at the infamous castle that would serve as her home for the next seven years…

"Firs' years over here please! Over here!"

Bellatrix and Evan pushed their way through the crowd, following the booming voice until they stood in front of a huge man with a large wild brown beard and hair and beady black eyes. The giant man beamed down at the group of first years.

"Are y'all 'ere then? One, two, three…er right! Y'all 'ere! Well then…Welcome to Hogwarts!"

Bellatrix stared at him in disbelief. Could such an idiot truly be in charge of the first years? Everything about him screamed lower-class squib. She glanced at Evan and could practically read what was going on in his mind. She knew he felt the same way towards this terrible man. "Damn I'm freezing." Bellatrix hissed under her breath, rubbing her arms vigorously.

"Well maybe if that fool didn't take so much time, we'd already be in the castle and in sorted into Slytherin by now." Evan added, glaring up at the bearded man with distaste.

"All right! Follow me!" He shouted, waving them towards a passageway that brought them away from the train station and the other students. With an annoyed sigh, Bellatrix followed, shooting Evan a look that told him quite clearly what she thought of the man. But only after a minutes walk, he stopped in tracks so suddenly that the nearest children walked straight into him.

"Oh, I 'aven't introduced meself!" He exclaimed, lightly tapping himself on the forehead.

"Me name's Rubeus Hagrid! Keeper of keys and grounds at Hogwarts." He beamed proudly, as if he had just told them that he had been elected as the next Minister of Magic. The two little first years gazed up at him in disgust, both deciding he was definitely not a pure blood.

Not soon after (though it seemed like hours to the two cousins), Hagrid brought them to the edge of a dark, mirror-like lake, where floated a bunch of rickety old wooden boats that they were meant to use in order to reach the castle. Impatient and excited, Bellatrix and Evan hurried to choose what looked like the best boat (although they were all pretty much the same) and glanced around curiously at the other students. They had not expected another first year to join them.

"We don't want you in our boat." Bellatrix sneered at the scrawny boy as he sat down.

"We're supposed to be four." He replied resentfully. "The others ones are all full."

The young witch opened her mouth to tell him that he could swim when Evan cut her off.

"Give him a break, Bella. He's a Lestrange, can't you tell?"

Bellatrix looked back at the boy in surprise and squinted, trying to get in the details of his face in the dim light of the lantern hanging from the front of the boat. He was quite small with what looked like curly brown hair, a long pointed nose and large attractive dark eyes. He didn't look so bad, just a little young. And if he was a Lestrange, then Bellatrix shouldn't disrespect him.

"Sorry about that." She said, sticking out her hand. "My name's Bellatrix Black."

He took it.

"Black? Oh so you're the Black girl my mother was telling me about! Sorry I didn't recognize you in the dark. I'm Rabastan Lestrange."

"I'm Evan Rosier." Bellatrix's cousin said, offering his hand next.

Bellatrix could not help but giggle when she noticed how grown up the two boys were trying to seem as they shook. She fell silent, though, as someone else sat in their boat and it took off on its own, cutting through the water without a sound.

"Hello." The low voice said in the darkness. "My name is Antonin Dolohov."

Three pairs of eyes scrutinized his face to the best of their capabilities in the dimly lit night. Bellatrix instantly decided that Dolohov wasn't nearly as attractive as Rabastan or Rosier. He was tall and scrawny. His fairly long black hair contrasted terribly with his remarkably pale skin. He was definitely not look like the most interesting of boys. Nonetheless, he was a Dolohov...she had to keep that in mind. Her mother told her quite clearly that she was to build good relationships with the other purebloods. So, she decided to give him a chance and overlook first impressions.

"I'm Bellatrix Black." The little witch said proudly, shaking yet another hand. Her two other companions followed her lead and, soon enough, they were all complaining about how many mudbloods there appeared to bein Hogwarts...

The cries of the first years filled the air as Hogwarts castle came gradually into view, taking even Bellatrix's breath away. It was everything she had hoped it would be and more. It was…absolutely perfect. The great dark building towered over the lake, the black water reflecting the hundred flickering lights that shone warmly in every window. Great mountains rose around it, as if protecting the beautiful castle from the eyes of muggle filth and in the far off distance, Bellatrix spotted a large dark mass of what appeared to be trees. Her parents had told her about that forest; it was meant to be forbidden to first year students. The short silhouettes of the last of the older students could be spotted, filing into the school by two large doors, pouring a welcoming light out onto the stone staircase.

Bellatrix had to remember to close her mouth. She'd heard stories about Hogwarts but she never expected it to be like this. Now that she saw it in all its glory, she felt a deep sense of pride and attachment for the school realizing that only this amount of splendor could be worthy of greeting a Black. The castle was just waiting for Bellatrix to explore it, to discover all its secrets. She would rule this school. She would be the best. By the end of her first year, Bellatrix would be known throughout the school and everyone would look up to her in awe and wonder…

"It's amazing." She heard Rabastan whisper, pulling her out of her fantasies back into the present.

She glanced behind her shoulder at the others and was pleased to see that they too, had looks of marvel at the sight of her castle.

The boats finally came to a halt on the shore and the group of eleven-year-olds clambered out, some in excitement and others in anxiety. Bellatrix and her three companions joined the group, impatiently awaiting Hagrid to bring them inside where they would finally be placed in Slytherin. Surely enough, they were guided into the Entrance Hall and greeted by a most-welcomed warmth. The sound of hundreds of excited students could be heard through a pair of door to their right which Bellatrix assumed was the Great Hall. And as the group of shivering first years waited in anticipation, Bellatrix was far away, thinking of how this year would be her year.

'Anna Appleton."

A tiny little blond girl made her way to the stool, trembling with fear as a witch placed the Sorting Hat on her head.

Bellatrix stood with the others, curiously staring down at the four long tables as they stared back, some with more interest then others. Occasionally, one big brother or sister would wave at their siblings, encouraging them to not be afraid. Bellatrix thought how funny it seemed that, in two years from know, she would be doing the same for her sister. And Andromeda would beam with pride as Bellatrix Black, the most popular girl in the school, waved at her…

"Bellatrix Black."

A wave of hurried whispers and excited gossip hit her ears, as she made her way over to the stool. She didn't register much of what was being said, for even she was feeling a little nervous as she sat down, in front of hundreds of preying eyes…but only a little. She heard words like; pureblood, famous, Black and Slytherin. Bellatrix couldn't help but smile nervously at the idea of already having her reputation sorted out before she, herself, had been sorted into her House.

Suddenly, the lights in the Hall went out as the Sorting Hat was placed onto her head.

'Ah! Bellatrix Black…interesting, how interesting." It said as it began to analyze her mind.

Bellatrix said nothing. She had nothing to prove. She knew where she'd be placed. It was clear to everyone. So, the young witch simply waited, whilst her mind once again wandered off into that far off future that seemed so appealing.

'Very good mind, that's for sure…and talent…yes, yes…ah! As expected; the determination to become powerful…strong. But there is also passion inside of you and a particular bravery…and stubbornness, lots of that. Not like your parents now are you? But where to put you? What do you think Bellatrix?"

Bellatrix sighed impatiently. If he took too long, people would begin to doubt her purity!

'Just hurry up and sort me, you daft hat!'

'Very well then. I just hope I'm making the right choice…'

It was all Bellatrix could do from getting up right there and then and making her way over to her table, eager to start meeting other purebloods. She nearly did when…

"GRYFFINDOR!"

OK well there you have it! Suprised? Hope you liked! Too much work is being put into this fic from both myself and xoxLewrahxox so please review and tell me what you think!! This story won't survive without any encouragement! :p
lots of love from the silly frog! :D
-xxx-