Patience is a virtue.

[Bellatrix Black]

The day seemed to be starting off as any other tedious day here at Hogwarts. Rothschild's schedule started unnaturally early and she expected Bellatrix to be up and perky at seven in the morning. First she had papers to grade, those she hadn't finished the night before and the ones that the students had turned in tardy. Then she was sent to prep the classroom for their lessons for the day, which really didn't involve too much more than a few flicks of her wrist. And then came the classes. She sat toward the back to quietly and politely (or as politely as she could muster anyway) reminded the students to stop their chattering and pay attention. A few times she was asked to assist some of the more pathetic students with their wandwork - that really broke up the monotony.After the last lesson she was given more paperwork to grade. She reminded herself that she was here for a reason, and took the stack of parchment rolls with her as she headed down the halls. There were plenty of students around, some of whom she was friendly with. She stopped every now and again to talk a bit with her younger friends. But after a few minutes she had to part from them and continue on...she had work to do.

[Leo Agathon]

Leo was in a particularly good mood today. Well, these days he was always in a good mood. After all, he had Rori and was deep in the overwhelming spell of first love. It seemed like right now, everything was a series of perfect firsts... first love, first kiss, first date, first dance. And it still seemed like they had just started going out. He still felt that rush of butterflies in his stomach when she smiled at him; still felt his cheeks flush red when she said his name. Every time she brushed against his arm with her hand, he felt a thrill go through him. Surely this was true love.

Although he couldn't believe how much time had gone by, he was still keenly aware that their 6 month anniversary was coming up, and he wanted to make it special. Bellatrix had talked to him about helping him find a first edition of her favorite book, and he was sure that would be the perfect gift. But he wasn't sure he'd be able to afford it. Wuthering Heights was Rori's favorite book. A first edition of that would be pretty old, so it would probably be pretty expensive.

He was still thinking about this as he rounded a corner and saw Bellatrix walking by with an armful of parchments. Without even thinking, he called out to her. "Bellatrix! I mean, Miss Black..."

[Bellatrix Black]

At first Bellatrix thought it might be another friend calling her name, but when the speaker corrected himself to say 'Miss Black' she knew she was going to have to put on her happy professor's aide face. She inhaled slightly as she turned and looked for the owner of the voice, and was actually pleasantly surprised when she saw Leo Agathon standing there, in all his naive glory. She smiled sweetly at him as she said "Hello Mr Agathon. Enjoying the nice weather?" Yes, she was making conversation about the weather - Merlin's beard she hated this place! She silently prayed that Leo had something useful to say or ask of her. Any excuse to get her one step closer to her goal and closer to leaving this place for good.

[Leo Agathon]

Leo's face brightened. For a split second, he had expected that Bellatrix would not be very welcoming to him. After all, just because he had talked to her one time, that did not mean she would want to talk to him now. He was just a little fourth year, and a Ravenclaw. Why would someone like Bellatrix be interested int talking to him?

Yet, she seemed perfectly friendly after all. Maybe all the things everyone had always said about her were wrong after all.

"Yes, the weather has been very nice," he agreed readily. "It was almost warm enough to swim in the lake the other day. You're doing well, I hope?"

[Bellatrix Black]

She nodded as he spoke, trying to keep her face pleasant instead of showing the boredom she felt while hearing him talk about almost swimming. "Yes, I know. I was hoping I wouldn't be stuck inside grading papers today, but..." She finished her sentence simply be lifting her armful of scrolls slightly and shrugging. "Oh well," she chuckled, "there's always the weekend, right?"

"Yes, yes. I've been quite well. And you look like you've been taking care of yourself." She wanted to ask about Rori, but knew it might seem less sincere if she just blurted it out randomly. She'd have to put up with this for a bit longer. Perhaps he was the sort of boy that brought up his girlfriend at every turn, that would make the waiting shorter.

[Leo Agathon]

He glanced at the pile of papers she was carrying and gave her a sympathetic look. "Yeah, sorry about that. It doesn't seem fair to have to stay inside and work on a day like today. I'm in the same boat, actually... I have a paper to work on for Herbology."

He looked at her uncertainly as he mentioned Herbology, the class that was taught by her own sister. Everyone said that the two sisters didn't get along very well, and he didn't mean to mention Professor Tonks to Bellatrix. He wisely decided not to say anything else on the subject.

"Yeah... I'm good. Things between me and Rori are going well. Our sixth month anniversary is coming up, and I was thinking about doing something really special, like we talked about."

[Bellatrix Black]

Aside from a few run-ins in the hall, Bellatrix had managed to steer clear of Andromeda since coming back to Hogwarts. She generally ignored the fact that her sister was working here, and usually imagined she had died in the attack on Hogsmeade. Hearing about her, or seeing her, was just a reminder that she had failed at killing that traitorous witch. But she couldn't think of that now. Not here, not in front of Leo.

She focused on what he said next instead. And it looked like she would get her way afterall,which made her a bit more happy. And still, inside she was rolling her eyes at him. He was too easy to predict. Like so many other young idiots in love he was constantly thinking of Rori. It was almost a shame that he was feeding into their plot so willingly when he thought he was simply being romantic. But in times like these there was no room for ignorance and naivety. Even at fourteen years old, this was a lesson he would need to learn to survive. Really, Bellatrix was only helping him with that.

"Six months...wow. That's a pretty long time at your age." She managed to keep the sarcasm inside her head and off her tongue. "Yes, I did promise you a little help, didn't I? Well, you name it and I'll see what I can do. Just don't let it get around. People think I'm something of a terror around here," she said with a wink. "Wouldn't want to disappoint them now would I? Honestly, you have one bad day in fifth year and then you're a labeled for the rest of your life..." She chuckled and shrugged as if she didn't care about a poor reputation that she hadn't earned.

[Leo Agathon]

Of course he knew about her reputation, and it was strangely a relief when she mentioned it herself. He thought that was her way of acknowledging it and trying to put him at ease. He rather liked that she didn't seem to care what people thought about her.

He was just naive enough that he missed any hints of sarcasm in her words, and instead, he beamed brightly, his cheeks flushing red. "Yeah, I know," he said. "I can hardly believe it myself. I was thinking... her favorite book is Wuthering Heights. Maybe I could get a fancy edition of it for her? A first edition would be too expensive, I think, but maybe a pretty one with leather bindings and gold-tipped pages? Also, I'm trying to plan a trip to London with her... she wants to go to a muggle movie theater."

[Bellatrix Black]

Of course Rori Logan wanted to subject herself to muggles for lengthy periods of time. And this idiot thought it was romantic. She was sure he wouldn't need help with that horrible idea but it would work out perfectly. The two of them out and about, away from the school, when he gave her a cursed present would mean it would be less likely to be traced back to her. Everything seemed to be falling into place.

"You've got taste, Mr Agathon. But I think we can manage something. When are you planning this romantic evening?" She would need to talk with a few people to make sure things were set up in her favor. She would absolutely hate herself if she let an opportunity like this slip through her fingers.

[Leo Agathon]

"Well, the anniversary is in two weeks," Leo said. "I was thinking we could do it on that Saturday... it's a Hogsmeade weekend, but I thought we could see if we could get permission to go to London instead. Rori's going to ask Voltaire if she can go."

Leo was still worried that Voltaire might say no. Sure, they could still probably do something a little less extravagant in Hogsmeade.... or maybe he could even find a way to get reservations at Le Repas Cher for the two of them. But he really was hoping that they could get away from the school and the other students for a day.

[Bellatrix Black]

((I figured while I'm at it I would tie up loose ends.))

She continued to play interested in what he saying but all she could think about now was the end of her wretched time at this school. Leo made a point, then, that could prove problematic; Voltaire. He was a loon, would he let his precious little Rori go off to London without proper supervision? Bellatrix stuck this problem on the back burner for the moment, she would deal with it if anything came of it.

"That sounds lovely," she cooed at the boy. She had mastered the art of sounding like a romantic in situations that called for it, even if she was not interested. "Oh, she is such a lucky girl. Well, I will see what I can do about getting that book for you. I just can't resist a romantic..." Thank Merlin Rabastan wasn't around to see her performance, he'd spoil the whole thing by laughing at her.

She had gotten what she needed for the time being, and honestly this gushing over Rori Logan was taking its toll on her. She pretended to notice the time suddenly. "Oh dear, I'm afraid I have work to be getting back to. Do keep me updated, Mr Agathon. And I'll let you know what, if anything, I can find for you." She bid him farewell and turned to find the stairs that would take her to her quarters. She had some contacts to reach and could easily slip out of the castle through the Floo Network.

[Leo Agathon]

Leo smiled to himself as he watched her go. In his blissful ignorance, he thought of Bellatrix as a friend--an unlikely one to be certain, but surely she was just misunderstood. People just didn't know her, that was all. Whatever the reason, she was helping him in his relationship with Rori, and he couldn't help but be grateful. Maybe someday he could find a way to return the favor, but for now, he was just glad for her help.

After she had disappeared from view, Leo turned in the opposite direction and headed towards the Ravenclaw common room. As he went, he whistled to himself. In his mind, all was right with the world.