Disclaimer: Not mine.

A/N: Well, would you look at that? A multi-chaptered fic! Thanks to my beta, PirateQueen.

Bellatrix quietly let herself out of the house, shutting the door against the sound of her idiot cousin being told off again. The tension in the house had almost been tangible, and it was stifling her. Narcissa merely retreated into another room, but Bellatrix needed out of the house altogether.

Shaking her thick black hair behind her, she hesitated for a moment between the well-worn path down to the main town center or the twisting, winding road midst the tangled trees. After thought she chose the latter, feeling it better suited her mood.

She worried her lower lip between her teeth; a habit she knew would have to stop, but never managed to quit. Pushing aside tree branches and trampling wild grass under her feet, she swiftly moved forward through the woods.

After she had effectively let off some frustration, something caught her eye. A little path was winding off behind some bushes, into a dark area she had never seen before.

Thirty seconds into exploring, she realized that the bushes that protected the path were heavily thorned and taller than her. Something made her grit her teeth and press forward. Maybe it was the fact that she was a Black, and she refused to let a filthy clump of bushes get the better of her.

She shielded her face with one pale arm, wincing as she felt the sharp points of the thorns drag across her skin. But within seconds, she was on the other side of the foliage and facing the little clearing that was there.

She took a step forward, and then another, absentmindedly wiping a few drops of blood off her arm. She cast her sharp gaze around her. A few flowers and other plants were scattered around here and there, and they looked pruned enough that she knew that someone had been there before.

Frowning in puzzlement—she didn’t like being puzzled—she moved forward, trying to catch any sight of people. She got her wish when something large dropped in front of her without warning.

Her heart jumped, but she quickly got control of herself and glared at the boy in front of her. He straightened up and gave her a crooked smile.

He was tall, several inches taller than her, with dark brown hair that brushed his shoulders. His hazel eyes mirrored the warm grin on his face that didn’t diminish, even as her glare grew in force.

“Hello,” he greeted, brushing leaves out of his hair. She didn’t answer. “What’s your name?” he asked.

“Bellatrix Black,” she replied coldly. “And you would be…”

“Jonathan,” he told her. “Jonathan Thomson.” She took a step backward, for with those two words she knew that his blood was tainted and she had to leave.

“Muggle,” she muttered to herself as she turned about.

“Muggle-born, actually,” she heard him say. She faced him again.

“I’ve never seen you at Hogwarts,” she said, raising one eyebrow. He shrugged.

“We couldn’t afford it. My dad got me a wand and teaches me enough to keep my magic from going out of control, though.”

“It doesn’t matter,” she said, tossing her head. “Your blood is still tainted.” He didn’t speak for several seconds.

“You know, when we first moved here, I got pretty scuffed up by those bushes too. In time I’ve learned other paths and how to duck the branches, but for those first few weeks the blood on my arm was the same color as yours. So what makes you so special?” he asked, his voice serious but his eyes still amused. It was that that sparked her into a temper. She hated the thought that anyone was laughing at her.

“It’s the magic in my blood, fool,” she hissed. “And the meager amount of it in yours. And don’t talk to me again!” She turned around yet again and stalked off.

Behind her, she heard him call, a laugh coloring his voice, “You’re a pretty little thing, Bellatrix Black. It's a pity you don't smile more.”