[3 PM - 4PM]

The Second Floor was less traveled by the darker Dark twin for a few key reasons. One, she did her best to stay out of the Headmaster's vigilant eye. Secondly, Bellatrix did not have a high opinion of Ancient Runes and therefore did not need to go to the classroom. And thirdly, Moaning Myrtle and her did not get along. The Slytherin 6th year was, in Myrtle's words, "self-centered, inconsiderate, and heartless" and in Bella's opinion, Myrtle was "a total bore with her constant pity-seeking antics". These reasons for avoiding not bothering to visit the second floor were based on logical thinking-- in Bella's mind, anyway. It came as a surprise (namely to herself) that she was traveling along the corridor during a class-free hour.

"Jinx? Merlin's knickers, Jinx, where are you?"

She glanced anxiously at the door to the Ancient Runes classroom in hopes that no one was there. The sixteen-year-old whistled for the long-haired Turkish Angora that she had seen strolling about on the staircases before he had come down this hallway. Was that cat leading her into some sort of trap? It seemed a bit silly to think so by anyone else's standpoint, but Bella knew her cat. Somehow, they seemed to understand one another. Setting a trap for her was the kind of thing Jinx did. Usually, he would lure her somewhere remote and she would get stuck in an awkward situation with someone she didn't know.

"You can't trick me this time, you know," she called after him, blue eyes still scanning the corridor for any sign of him. "I know what you're doing. Don't think I don't!"

Somewhere further along, there was a disagreeing mewl. Bellatrix hurried after him and turned the corridor to a more empty section. Behind her was the bathroom haunted by the "victimized" Moaning Myrtle. Ahead was...a wall. There was no place for her cat to hide. Where could he have gone? Perhaps there was some secret staircase she didn't know about? That wasn't likely since she had discovered the only known staircase in her third year with Harper. Damn her memories!

"I won't be a part of this!"

Now she just felt like she was talking to herself. Maybe it had been an echo and he was somewhere else? In a flustered mood, Bellatrix Dark tromped back around the corner and headed for the Grand Staircase once again. Jinx had disappeared on her and made her feel stupid again. He always did this to her!  The girl whirled around furiously to present her back to the staircase and glared down the empty corridor.

"Just so you know, Jinx, you're not actually magical! You can't make people appear out of thin air!"

Franz hadn't had the best Monday so far, partially because he was still a little miffed about not being selected for the first task. While he agreed that the three girls chosen, especially Magdalena, were good, strong choices, he couldn't help but feel envious. This sort of competition was something he had waited his whole life for. It was somewhat insulting to his ego that he hadn't been picked. But at least there was one thing good about it. Heinrich hadn't been picked either. So at least that fool hadn't been elevated above him.

Still, Franz wasn't the type to mope about. He'd be damned if he let an emotion control him. However, he figured he may as well do something to help Magda if he could. So when he finished his homework, which was ridiculously easy, Franz made his way up towards the library hoping there he could perhaps come up with an idea of what the task ahead may be. He wasn't entirely sure that they would need any sort of help; Franz figured they were clever enough to figure it out on their own. But even still, a part of him wanted to do this just in case.

Coming up from the dungeons Franz thought he heard someone shouting. It was muffled though and he wasn't able to make it out. 'Well, it's not as if this school was normal', Franz thought to himself. It wouldn't be surprising if some worthless Hogwarts proletariat shouted allowed in the corridors. Hopefully he wouldn't have to deal with them on his way up the stairs.


"Just so you know, Jinx, you're not actually magical! You can't make people appear out of thin air!"

Franz looked up at the girl at the top of the stairs. She must have been the one shouting earlier. "What are you shouting about?" He demanded in a rather clear English accent as he came up behind her on the stairs. Honestly, did this school have no discipline? Franz cast the girl a slight glare as he passed her, pausing when he realized who she was. "Oh, it's you, Bellatrix," he said politely. Strange that she would be talking to herself, he thought better of her. After all she had proved to be very capable at transfiguration.

"What are you shouting about?"

The sound of someone's voice was so sudden that it drew a cry of surprise from the girl. Bellatrix spun around so fast that she actually broke the heel on one of her boots and toppled backwards, being caught by the wall. What the bloody hell was wrong with her this year? No, better yet, what was wrong with other people this year? This was the second Durmstrang student that's snuck up on her within twenty-four hours! Last night, Heinrich what's-his-face. Today, it was some blonde-haired, blue-eyed git that glared at her.

"Oh, it's you, Bellatrix."

Regardless of whether he knew her name or not, Bella's temper flared. The blue eyes became their usual coldness and the expression on her face grew furious. The Slytherin girl reached down to remove her boot with the broken heel and started waving it around frantically near him.

"What the bloody hell is your problem? Do you Durmstrangs really enjoy seeing a girl like me fall over? If I weren't trying to be a bit more proper, I'd hex you right now!"

The rest of the words got stuck in her throat when she realized who she was talking to. He was in three of her classes and she'd caught him watching her at least once or twice. Figuring it best to not keep trying to push his temper, she dropped her hand holding the boot and leaned against the wall to remove the other. It felt awkward standing around with one 2" heel on and the other foot bare. Her green knee-high socks were exposed, not that she cared.

"I was shouting at my cat. He always does this to me. He'll run off down some corridor, I'll follow, and then this happens! I end up talking with a complete stranger. Do you even have a name, blondie?"

"If I weren't trying to be a bit more proper, I'd hex you right now!"

Franz cocked an eyebrow, not only because of the words but because of her antics with her shoe. Brash. Fiery. Somewhat annoying. That was good, partially. At least now he knew she'd put up a fight if she had to. Or at least he hoped she would. One could never tell with these Hogwarts students. Some of them seemed to be all bark and no bite. "Is that so?" he asked coolly, mouth setting into a wicked little grin. Normally he would goad a person into a fight and easily dispatch them. But then again, normally these were people who wanted to try and prove themselves to move up in the pecking order. So for once, he kept his piece and watched as she pulled her other shoe off.

"I was shouting at my cat. He always does this to me. He'll run off down some corridor, I'll follow, and then this happens! I end up talking with a complete stranger."

A complete stranger? That didn't seem to be completely accurate. After all they had had classes together for almost a month now. Surprising that she hadn't noticed or didn't remember. The girl must not be very observant. What a shame.

"Do you even have a name, blondie?"

Franz frowned. "No of course not," he replied cruelly. "I've gone my whole life being called by my hair color. Yes, of course I have a name!" He sighed and rolled his eyes. This girl was ridiculous. What had he gotten himself into? "Franz Maurer, to you." The words were cold as he spoke and his blue eyes scanned her. "What does this cat of yours look like?" he finally asked in a much nicer tone. "I could..." Franz hesitated, realizing what he was about to say. "Help you find it." Curious. He hadn't ever gone out of his way to help someone he barely knew.

What made her so special?

"No of course not. I've gone my whole life being called by my hair color. Yes, of course I have a name! Franz Maurer, to you."

Snarky, sarcastic, blonde-haired and blue-eyed. It was like looking into a mirror and seeing a reflection of her former self...but male, of course. And taller. Much taller. Her eyes took the time to roam along his figure. He was a lot more muscled than she was, too. To anyone else that was as short and petite as she was, the Durmstrang would be intimidating. But Bellatrix wasn't easily intimidated by size alone. In fact, it was more of a challenge than it was anything else.

"Well, it's Miss Dark to you, Franz Maurer," she insisted on staying snippy with him.

In her second glance-over of him, her eyes met his as he looked her over. How scary! They were actually examining one another as if seeing their own reflection. At least, that was how Bellatrix perceived the situation. She was starting to regret saying what she did about Jinx. She bit her lower lip in thought. Could her cat really make people appear out of thin air? Franz seemed to have done so.

"What does this cat of yours look like? I could... Help you find it."

He had hesitated in offering. Don't be surprised, Bella reminded herself for the thousandth time this month. No one ever wants to be alone with you. Gee. Thanks, voice-in-head. The Slytherin tossed some of her hair over her shoulder and clenched the boots in her hands tighter.

"He's white and long-haired," she lost her snippy tone since he had lost his. "You don't have to help, though. I'm a big girl and I can take care of myself... Or my cat. Or...whatever it is I'm saying."

She let out a frustrated sigh. Why was it suddenly so hard to talk to people? This whole "change" thing wasn't as cracked up as she thought it was going to be. Everything was more difficult now. People she wanted to talk to wouldn't come near her and people she didn't know were all around her yet it was impossible for her to come across as anything but what people already viewed her as. Did that make sense? Half of her mind tried to figure that out while the other half, which lacked the brain-to-mouth filter, kicked on.

"I've seen you in class, haven't I? Transfiguration and Arithmancy, right?"

Absent-mindedly (due to half of her brain trying to figure out if her question still made sense and the other half focused on the conversation at hand) she began to take a walk along the second floor corridor where she had previously come from. Her eyes slipped across the empty hall as though searching for something, but at the moment she couldn't recall what it was she was supposed to be searching for.

"Well, it's Miss Dark to you, Franz Maurer."

"I'll keep that in mind, Miss Dark," he replied, emphasizing the miss as she had. Franz decided she must be a pureblood, they were usually the only ones who made such an ordeal out of proper titles. As much as relished the fact that he was a pureblood, and as much as he planned to raise his children to be upstanding ones, formality with names was never a concern of his. Still, no point in making the girl all huffy.

"He's white and long-haired. You don't have to help, though. I'm a big girl and I can take care of myself... Or my cat."

Franz shrugged slightly, in a very 'suit yourself' manner. He wasn't entirely convinced that was the case, however it didn't really matter to him one way or the other. He figured he had only offered to be polite. But if she didn't want help then he wouldn't give it to her. Even if he did have nothing particularly better to do with his time.

"I've seen you in class, haven't I? Transfiguration and Arithmancy, right?"

"And Defense," Franz added, beginning to follow her as she walked down the corridor. "You do well in both of the latter two from what I can tell." Especially in Transfiguration, which was why he had a habit of watching her. She seemed to be one of the few students who were actually powerful magicians. "Tell me, does this school only teach Defense?" Franz asked out of legitimate curiosity. "To they not also instruct hexes?"

Of course, he already knew the answer. Franz just wanted to be sure. Defense was all well and good, it was part of a much larger whole, after all. But to leave out actual attack spells seemed foolish and short sighted.

"And Defense. You do well in both of the latter two from what I can tell."

The Slytherin girl paused in her stroll to look at him. Had that been...a compliment? Surely not. Why would a Durmstrang student who held himself the way he did give her, looney Bella, a compliment? Not even her housemates praised her about anything she did.

"Tell me, does this school only teach Defense? Do they not also instruct hexes?"

The stroll continued with the change of subject. She held her boots behind her back as she trekked across the cold stone floor in her socks.

"That's right, your school practices curses and stuff, don't they?" She smiled that old, malicious Bellatrix smile. "I envy you. But, no, our school doesn't teach the dark arts. Only defense. Seems a little impractical to me, but then... If they let students like me in to that class, the school would be in trouble."

There was a giggle that followed the comment. Her gaze fell upon the wall in front of them and she looked around, recalling that she was supposed to be searching for her cat. He was still missing. Of all the people for him to leave her alone with, it had to be this guy. There wasn't much wrong with him. If she was honest with herself, there was absolutely nothing wrong with him on the outside. Her blue eyes lingered on his face to marvel at it for several minutes until she caught herself staring at him. Quickly, she looked away.

"If you want to study the dark arts, there is a section in our library. Mind you, it's limited, but I can find all the books for you if you'd like. What kind of hexes are you looking for specifically?"

"That's right, your school practices curses and stuff, don't they?"

Franz gave a slight nod, confirming that what she said was true. Her wicked smile didn't go unnoticed. It was rather nice. He figured that if she were to make that sort of face then she must be rather proficient with attacks.

"Seems a little impractical to me, but then... If they let students like me in to that class, the school would be in trouble."

"How do you figure?" Franz asked, somewhat curious. "Would you use such knowledge recklessly, destroying everything in your path?" He was actually curious if she was the type. Such antics wouldn't get her very far but it would be quite the ride. Still, Franz was a little disgusted that Hogwarts didn't teach their students complete spellcasting. "This school seems to be holding you back, to some degree then," he commented. "But then, this school, along with the others, appears to fear power. Along with associating itself with anything that can be labeled as 'dark'." He shrugged again. It was a common view.

"What kind of hexes are you looking for specifically?"

Nothing legal, that was for sure. "Just a few more that I could add to my arsenal," Franz said vaguely instead. "The more powerful the better. But I'm not sure your library would have anything our library doesn't. It may even have less." While it wasn't intended to be a shot at how he found Hogwarts lacking, it certainly would come off as one. "The biggest problem I'm finding is with legality. Several of the curses I've learned through study are outlawed in most every country. It's hard to duel people when half your spell are illegal."

Franz sighed, eyes dropping to the shoes held behind her back. "Are you just going to carry those around all day?" He asked, curiosity as to why she hadn't repaired them yet reaching maximum. "Why not just fix them? Would be easier, I think."

What a strange turn of events: Bellatrix was actually discussing dark arts with someone else...and he was interested! It was more common for people to degrade her for the thoughts that had crossed her mind over the past three years, but this guy... This guy was just as curious, if not more so, to find more spells. Never in her life had the darker Dark twin thought there would be someone else in the world that shared her views on learning dark magic.

"How do you figure? Would you use such knowledge recklessly, destroying everything in your path?"

"Of course not. I may be mad, but I'm not mental." Did that make sense? Oh well. "I admit, I was a bit jinx-happy for the past few years, but it was never in front of teachers. And it wasn't like I really hurt anyone."

So true. It was just a tongue-twister here or a tickle hex there. Nothing major. Sure, Bella was nasty when she got into a foul mood, but she wasn't evil or anything.

"Just a few more that I could add to my arsenal. The more powerful the better. But I'm not sure your library would have anything our library doesn't. It may even have less. The biggest problem I'm finding is with legality. Several of the curses I've learned through study are outlawed in most every country. It's hard to duel people when half your spell are illegal."

The blond, blue, and pink-haired teenager went silent. Legality? He was actually hoping to find illegal spells? What kind of students did they allow into their school? For an educational institution that prided itself on being picky about students, it seemed like it let in several crazies! That bloke Heinrich, for example... A guy who carried around a Pomeranian and quoted the Hogwarts brochure was hardly a top choice for such a selective school. Then again, she couldn't judge. Hogwarts had allowed her in, after all.

"Are you just going to carry those around all day? Why not just fix them? Would be easier, I think."

That made sense. More sense than what Bellatrix was used to, anyway. The girl gave a noncommital shrug and went back to considering the blond-haired foreigner. All in a matter of minutes, he had complimented her and also insulted her school. Was she supposed to be delighted or offended by his words?

"I'm honestly getting tired of wearing them today. I think I'll go like this the rest of the day." She tossed the shoes off into Moaning Myrtle's bathroom and smiled at him as though tossing her shoes away was as normal as eating dinner.

"As for the school's library, you might be right. If your school doesn't have what you need, ours won't. I don't think it's a fear of power so much as a fear of what some of the students will do with the power. After all, our school has a history of producing some very dark wizards like...y'know, Voldemort."

Something nuzzled against her shin. Her blue eyes dropped to the white feline showing her affection and purring. With a warm smile, the Slytherin stooped down and picked up the cat to scratch him behind the eyes. A set of blue and green eyes flickered onto the form of his mistress's company, the gaze trying to pierce the boys soul. Bellatrix remained oblivious to any harmful intentions hidden in those heterochromia eyes.

"This is Jinx, my cat." She glanced back up at Franz with a timid smile. "It's quite strange, talking to someone about the dark arts. I'm not used to it."

"I admit, I was a bit jinx-happy for the past few years, but it was never in front of teachers. And it wasn't like I really hurt anyone."

That was sort of what he meant, actually. While he had no real qualms about people hexing and jinxing others, Franz never really saw a point to doing it just because. When you hexed someone they should know there was a reason behind it. And they should know that you wouldn't stand for what ever it was they did. It was a way to show authority, who had power, who didn't. Whether or not they became severely hurt had little relevance. Pain was often a good teacher, after all.

"I'm honestly getting tired of wearing them today. I think I'll go like this the rest of the day."

Franz watched with surprise as the girl threw her shoes into the nearby bathroom. Odd, wouldn't she have to get them back later? Discarding them so carelessly seemed counter productive. But whatever, it wasn't as if it was his problem. Let her shoes stay there forever for all he cared. It wasn't as if she couldn't get new ones.

"After all, our school has a history of producing some very dark wizards like...y'know, Voldemort."

"And ours produced Grindewald and his followers," he countered. "My point being that both our schools have produced two of the most infamous wizards in history. Yet ours still recognizes the use in ensuring that students can be proficient in all aspects, not just Defense. But I suppose you're right in saying it's more a fear of what people will do with it. Although in both cases the great destroyers met their match."

"This is Jinx, my cat."

Franz eyed the cat with indifference. He supposed he had spent too much time around dogs to really grow a fondness for cats. His sister had one, of course, but Franz had never really taken to it.

"It's quite strange, talking to someone about the dark arts. I'm not used to it."

"I imagine it's different," Franz said, giving her a small smile. "It isn't really something widely discussed at Durmstrang either, to be honest. There are quite a few students who adamantly oppose the darker side of magic but usually we can have such debates about the subject. Many of us agree that it's another tool to be used, just not exploited and that shunning it can do more harm than good."

"I imagine it's different. It isn't really something widely discussed at Durmstrang either, to be honest. There are quite a few students who adamantly oppose the darker side of magic but usually we can have such debates about the subject. Many of us agree that it's another tool to be used, just not exploited and that shunning it can do more harm than good."

Jinx jumped down from her arms suddenly and took off to the grand staircase. There was a part of her that wanted to go after him yet... Talking to someone about the dark arts was a lot more fascinating than chasing after a cat that caused her current predicament. After much internal debate, her blue eyes refocused their attention upon the handsome image of Franz. Ever so casually, the girl leaned back to be supported by the wall, cracked her knuckles anxiously, and gave him a small smile.

"There are a few of us like that here, but Hogwarts staff discourages such talk. I think they're honestly afraid we'll turn into another Voldemort. I suppose that's where I'm different from the rest of my house: I don't care much for acquiring power, though, people here are of a different opinion..."

What a depressing subject. People were still wary of her even though she hadn't raised her wand to anyone unless she was in class. Sometimes, she still caught herself going to that bad place in her mind where inflicting pain and humiliating others felt good. Was what she said true? Did she really not like power? Or was she lying to him and to herself? When it came down to it, Bellatrix wondered...was she truly a monster? Coming out of her mental space, she could feel something wet stinging her eyes. Was she crying? She wiped them off and glared up at him.

"What? Haven't you ever seen a girl cry before?" Back to her usual head-biting. "Well, what of it? Say something! I dare you!"

There was a new fire in those blue eyes that was challenging, inviting him to say something against her crying. Since Xavier, she had become very defensive about crying in front of people. He was the last boy--besides Peyton--who had seen her cry and she wasn't about to let another boy walk around thinking badly of her just because she cried. Especially not one who was ravishing. (Did that really come out of her head? Ravishing? Honestly!)

"There are a few of us like that here, but Hogwarts staff discourages such talk. I think they're honestly afraid we'll turn into another Voldemort. I suppose that's where I'm different from the rest of my house: I don't care much for acquiring power, though, people here are of a different opinion..."

Franz inferred that she must be referring to Slytherin as they were known to have a desire for power. A commendable goal, really. Slytherin was really the only house the Durmstrang boy held any sort of respect for; they were the type who, if they went to his school, could potentially make it in the Oberteil. Strange that she would claim she wasn't like that. Franz wondered if she was lying.

Of course, he didn't have much time to speculate on the theory for she began crying shortly after. That was... odd. What on Earth was she getting emotional about?

"What? Haven't you ever seen a girl cry before? Well, what of it? Say something! I dare you!"

"If you insist." Franz retorted in a very neutral tone. "How about 'stop it'? I suppose there's nothing wrong with it when it's warranted," Such as when his father cried over his fathers death. "But I don't really see that it is in this case." Quietly he debated whether or not he should use legilimency to find out what exactly she was thinking. But even if he did there would barely be any gain.

"So tell me," he continued in the same even tone. "What, exactly, is cause enough to bring a girl such as yourself to tears?"

"If you insist. How about 'stop it'? I suppose there's nothing wrong with it when it's warranted. But I don't really see that it is in this case."

That was unexpected. Her facial features shuffled their expression from challenging to baffled. 'Stop it' wasn't what she had been predicting for him to say at all. Wasn't he going to tease her about it? Make some snide comment about how over-emotional she was? Nevertheless, the girl wiped at her face one more time to fully clear away the wet spots her tears had left on her cheeks.

"So tell me. What, exactly, is cause enough to bring a girl such as yourself to tears?"

Heartless! Those blue eyes once again sparked with a fierce fire of challenge. Getting defensive was really the only thing Bellatrix knew how to do when people started trying to get to the root of her issues. Not that they'd understand, nor would they care. People only ever asked to be polite. She couldn't imagine a Durmstrang wanting to be polite. He probably had ulterior motives. Still, since he asked, she might as well tell him full out. Hopefully, she could be so mean that he'd leave her alone about it.

"I'm a monster, if you must know. Loads of people at this school can't stand me! Not because I'm in Slytherin, but because for the past three years I've been--Why am I telling you this? You won't understand it. How could you? You're top rank at your school, aren't you? You couldn't possibly imagine what it's like to be loathed and avoided!"

Stubbornly, Bellatrix glared down towards Moaning Myrtle's lavatory and crossed her arms over her chest. There were more terrible things she wanted to say. More pain she wanted to inflict with that sharp tongue of hers. Again, the tears burned at her eyes, but she wouldn't let them through.

"I'll bet you don't know what it's like, being a monster," she grumbled crankily. "It hurts. It hurts so bad you want to hex people's mouths closed so they can never remind you of what you are. Not that you'd know!" Again, she glared at him. "You Durmies pride yourselves on the dark arts, so you can't possibly do anything that makes everyone hate you."

"I'm a monster, if you must know. Loads of people at this school can't stand me! Not because I'm in Slytherin, but because for the past three years I've been--Why am I telling you this? You won't understand it. How could you? You're top rank at your school, aren't you? You couldn't possibly imagine what it's like to be loathed and avoided!"

Franz cocked an eyebrow. A monster, was she? He failed to see it. Even with the understanding that monster was being used figuratively in this context, he had a hard time understanding how she could call herself that. The fact that she had been tormenting students with harmless jinxing, which is what Franz interpreted her words to mean at this point, didn't seem bad enough to warrant such a title.

"I'll bet you don't know what it's like, being a monster. t hurts. It hurts so bad you want to hex people's mouths closed so they can never remind you of what you are. Not that you'd know! "You Durmies pride yourselves on the dark arts, so you can't possibly do anything that makes everyone hate you."

"Monsters don't cry." Was the first thing Franz said once she had said her piece, because it was true. "If you were a monster you wouldn't feel like this." He frowned slightly, crossing his arms and looking the girl over again. Based on his own words it seemed that he himself was a monster. Oh well.

"And you're right, we 'pride ourselves' on a decent knowledge of the dark arts. But we've both already agreed that it's only as dangerous as a persons intent. If you must know, however, I'm certain about half the school hates me. I'm not exactly nice to the lower tiers, God help you if you're a Dreg. Practically just target practice for me. And I don't think I would go so far as to say people in the Oberteil like me, just as I wouldn't profess to like them save a few exceptions." Franz shook his head. "It's much too political up at the top and enough people have fallen in rank, or had family members fall because of me. The only thing that stops me from destroying some of them is respect for their abilities. Otherwise their position is forfeit to me."

Franz sighed and shook his head again. "So I don't think you should worry about what the people here think. If they couldn't defend themselves then they shouldn't complain. It could be a lot worse for them, after all."

"Monsters don't cry. If you were a monster you wouldn't feel like this."

She was taken aback by the comment and had to have some smart reply. Fortunately, he started commenting on his popularity in Oberteil and she couldn't come up with anything snide after that. Was he really that disliked? Bella's blue gaze redirected itself back to the floor while she popped her knuckles pensively. It was hard to believe anyone could be just as disliked as her. Maybe she shouldn't have assumed he was well-liked. Again, she glanced at him from under her bangs and wondered if he really didn't beat himself up about it.

"So I don't think you should worry about what the people here think. If they couldn't defend themselves then they shouldn't complain. It could be a lot worse for them, after all."

That would be true except that a lot of the first years were the ones that got the full brunt of her foul mood jinxes. Setting that aside, Franz had just sort of shrugged it all off. He didn't care that nobody liked him, or that was the impression she got. How was it that some Durmstrang could be so disliked and not give a damn and yet she, the meanest girl in school (or so she felt), had to cry about it? What a whine bag she was turning out to be!

"Are you always this arrogant?" She posed it as an innocent inquiry, not an insult. "Look at you, standing there with your head held high. I mean, I knew Durmies were confident, but you... You're a bit self-important, aren't you?" There was a smile that came across her face. Bella meant it as a joke. "I s'pose I can't let a Durmstrang out...er, would that be out-apathy me? I can't let you beat me in not crying, anyway."

Somewhere, the bell rang and class was out. Had she really spent an hour talking to this guy? It didn't seem like it. Bellatrix stepped around him and started heading towards the grand staircase at a slow pace so he could keep up. She nibbled on her thumbnail as she went before, finally, she made up her mind about something. The sixth year turned around and started walking backwards towards the staircase, her blue eyes lingering on him.

"All right, then. Challenge accepted. We'll see who the bigger monster is by the end of the year. We'll be ourselves and whichever has turned out the nastier wins. By the way," she lowered her voice to a whisper, "I'd appreciate it if you didn't tell anyone I can cry. Only one other person knows--" A lie, of course, but thinking about Xavier wasn't something she wanted to do at the moment, "--and she's promised she'll never tell. You have to promise, too."

Somewhere in her childhood, Bellatrix had come to believe that if you made a pinky promise, it was an absolute binding oath. Not of life or death like an Unbreakable Vow, but of trust and honor. A person would make a pinky promise out of good faith that the other person really wouldn't break it. It was, by her understanding, a means of trust. Not that Bellatrix honestly trusted anyone. Yet, the innocence in it was something she wanted to hold onto. Therefore, the Slytherin girl extended her pinky towards him as an act of trust.