.just.a.small.stroll. [ o p e n ]

[Bellatrix Black]

The night washed over the world and turned everything into haunting shadows. There was not a star in sight and even the moon was hiding from view. A rumbling of evil was brewing in the air, causing feeling of fear in most. Most that is, except Bellatrix. She lived for moments such as these. The fear fueled her and made her feeling stronger and somehow more superior. She felt alive tonight and wanted to just dance the night away. She only hoped she would not be seen down here since the Forbidden Forest was not the most respected of places. Not that she cared really what others thought. She just did not want to have to answer questions. The place she wanted to go tonight was deep within the trees, possibly to visit her old residence, before her recent departure of a few weeks. It was one of her favorite places to be, as it had a dark and lingering feeling to it. The feeling seemed to creep up into your very body and rest there. Perhaps it was completely demented, but that was the type of person Bella was.

The soft patter of footsteps could be heard from a long distance away, for it seemed as if the world was at a still. Nothing else in sight was moving, no wind.. Just silence, and loneliness. Calmness.. Perhaps? Not even an animal was disturbed as Miss Black made her way deeper, and deeper into the woodland. So long it had been since she had wandered into such depths... But, for some reason, it felt almost like home, considering she loved the place so dearly. Whatever it was, the Forest seemed to be almost as if a friend.. Even though she gave nothing to it in return for giving her pleasure. But, that is crazy talk! The forest was not a friend of hers, as if in an actual relationship.. But as a friend of nature.. As if Mother Nature herself, was clearly on Bellatrix's side for once. Even though with the exception of the small illness that had caught up with her a long time ago.. Things were better now. Much better...

The teenage girl couldn't think of anything else that she loved to do than to take a night-time stroll through the darkness of the Forbidden Forest. However, this usually meant that her day had been a downfall.. Even though in today's case, it did mean that.. But, at least it wasn't too bad of a day.. Like most times were when she ventured into this place. To be exact, her day couldn't even be classified as bad.. For it was more or less.. Boring.

[Moony]

Remus, tired, but unable to sleep as it was quite close to the full moon, had been sitting in the boy's dorm in the window alcove. The night was clouded, and a touch of the glass before him reveled there was a slight chill in the air. The outdoors were beckoning him to come and have a romp about in the forbidden forest. Nights like these, it always seemed that way.

But a late night exscursion in the forbidden forest would be no fun without one of three people. Perhaps he would wake Sirrius, James, or Peter, or perhaps all three...No, that idea was always a bad one. Once those three were sleeping, it was best to leave them that way. They were much more aggreable in the morning.

Just as he was about to turn from the window and don his dark cloak against the chill and to make him less visible in the darkness, he noticed some movement on the grounds. He pressed his head as close to the glass window as he could, trying to determine what other student could possibly share his affinity for night-time strolls. Whoever it was, he was in trouble because the figure was obviously female. Then the features became slightly more visible and he instantly recognized said beauty. Bellatrix Black. What on earth could she be up to at this hour? Nothing good. He decided to go down and investigate.

His were the footsteps she'd heard following at a distance. He'd hoped she wouldn't hear him, but should have known better with his thunderous footfalls being the only sound in the silent wood. Ah well. She knew someone was following her. Best to reveal himself now instead of being found out with one of her brutal stunners. His former misery at discovering a female entering the forest gone (Bella didn't exactly count as one of those wonderful creatures he'd often seen by the lake), he spoke softly from the shadows, though it sounded to him as if he could have been yelling. "Good evening, Bellatrix." He slowly stepped out into her line of vision, dark cloak hiding most of his slightly scrawny body. "What on earth is a miserable creature like yourself doing out in the woods alone at night? You might be attacked. Best to have the protection of a man in these woods." He spoke with confidence he did not have, yet he hoped she wouldn't catch that.

[Bellatrix Black]

"Good evening, Bellatrix."

The words seemed to have been on speaker, as they sliced the silence into thousands of thin pieces. Who could have possibly even wanted to dare cross her path? Or even speak to her? Hopefully a Slytherin. Though, none of the logged voices she had, even compared to this one. She had no idea who it was. But, she wasn't frightened by the fact that she was alone with someone she didn't know by voice. Then again.. She could know the voice very well, but she was possibly too distracted by her owns thoughts to consider thinking who it was. And once she turned toward the voice calmly, she only realized that her heart sunk, knowing that it was not a person she had expected to be there. But, what had she expected? The man of her dreams? Pfft! Yea, right.. Like any man could even handle her anyway.. "Lupin," She said, clearly in a cocky voice, as she inclined her head slightly while she walked.

"What on earth is a miserable creature like yourself doing out in the woods alone at night? You might be attacked. Best to have the protection of a man in these woods."

This, on the other hand, made Bellatrix laugh! "Ha! Oh yes Lupin.. I am so very miserable. And what exactly would your case file under? Happy little elf? Doubt it," She answered quickly, "As for me needing a man to escort me through the forest. I am sure that I can take care of myself if the situation demanded it. As for you.. I am very much surprised that you actually abandoned my idiotic cousin and those other slums for even two seconds! I'd expect to see you needing an escort, rather than myself." Which lead to another point. How in Merlin's name could anyone stand to be in Remus' position?! Let's have Sirius first.. Full of ambition and pranks, though, completely the worst betrayer the world has seen! Pettigrew.. Let's put it this way..he's just a sad case that nothing will ever fix. And Potter! heaven forbid for that boy to even try to woo a decent girl. Evans... Honestly.

To her, she couldn't care in the least what Lupin really though, but she wasn't going to just sit there and let him practically insult her! She just didn't roll that way.. Not for anyone, anytime, any day. She always had something to say, even in a lose lose situation. She'd always remain defiant and opinionated, no matter what the cause. It was her nature. If not... People would be even more afraid than they already were.. Just imagine it.. Bellatrix.. Being polite, and almost as if she had just graduated top in class from finishing school. Now that was a scary thought.

[Moony]

He listened to her little comment about his situation. The happy little elf he most definatly was not, but he wasn't about to let that on to ...her...She wanted to play hard ball? Fine. He could play with the best of them, although against her, his chances of coming out of this unscathed were slimmer than he would willingly admit.In his present, exhausted state, the only thing he could have tossed retorts with and stood a good chance of winning against, living or otherwise, was a feather, and that only because he could give a puff of his breath and blow the thing away. Bellatrix on the other hand, he could only be so lucky that a gust of wind would pick her up and carry her back to where she belonged: Chained to the wall in the Slytherin common room.

And then, the tongue lashing she'd delivered hit him full on. Him? Need an escort? Merlin's Beard! The girl was insufferable at best! "My mistake. I thought I was conversing with someone who could actually keep with polite company." He inclined his head slightly and made her a small bow, the hem of his cloak brushing the ground in a dramatically overdone way, indicating that he was the implied 'polite company.' "Then again," He said cooly as he rose from his mock show of courtsey, "I can hardly expect better from vagabond like yourself." The night air couldn't have been colder than the tone of his voice if whole sheets of ice were falling from the sky.

For a moment, Remus mused in his mind's eye what Bella would look and sound like being crushed by one of those sheets of ice. He almost laughed aloud at the site of the now pancaked girl, her flattened face staring, blankly, up at him from beneath a transparent sheet of frozen water. An icy coffin is what her flattened body was lowered into when the staff finally found her in the woods.

And then an icy blast of wind snapped him back to reality and he realized Bella was not flattened at all. Damn... he thought. It seemed the very people one wished to meet their demise the most never met it, or if they did, not in half so horrible a way as they deserved. Always quiet and respectable. That's how they met their end. Oh well. Time to end this little tet-a-te. "Pleasant as this little chat has been, I'm afraid I must leave you to this lonely wood." He turned his back, his cloak flowing behind him as he walked away. But he called back over his shoulder, "Oh, Bellatrix, my dear, remember that I'm a Prefect. Don't come anywhere near my...let's see, what did you call them? Oh yes, my slums, if you don't want anyone finding out about your little forarys into forbidden terroritory." With that, he was gone, fading into the darkness as though he had been but a mere figment of Bella's imagination.

(Sorry to end this so quickly...was interrupted halfway through writing this by a friend in need, and now, I'm afraid I need to head out for the night. till tomorrow!)

[Bellatrix Black]

Bellatrix wasn't effected in the least of his supposed insults. Honestly, was that the best he could do? For she had much worse thrown at her! She had met Hufflepuffs that could toss back a ball better than that. But, what could she expect? Once again, returned the thought of her cousin. His stupidity and tenderness must had worn off on everyone who surrounded him! Hopefully, it wasn't contagious. Not that she would ever worry about taking a turn for the so called 'better' anyway.. She was too stubborn for anything close to the sort to happen. Sure.. Maybe she would fake-ly consider it, only to reveal a better sarcasm remark about how she wouldn't.. But that was all that one would receive if they ever even tried in the least little bit to convince her to switch or become soft. No.. Hell.. Even the Imperius Curse might not work. However, that was not a very good promise to make even in her situation.

"My mistake. I thought I was conversing with someone who could actually keep with polite company."

A small exhalation of air escaped from her crimson lips, as she bored-ly listened to Lupin for the time being. "Someone else's company, perhaps," She said, placing a hand on her hip, now standing in a more comfortable, yet at the same time cocky position, "But, when you refer to yourself as being 'polite company'.. I would have to reject your gesture. I would much rather spend the rest of my days locked in an old broom cupboard, rather than be stuck with you 'polite company'," She added, mocking his words in places of her sentences.

"I can hardly expect better from vagabond like yourself."

"Now, now Lupin," The teen said, with much more confidence than she had personally heard in his voice alone, "I can assure to you that I am anything but a vagabond. Honestly.. Do you not have eyes, and resources outside of this school, to not know much about me at all? Obviously not.." Like before.. Not effect when it came to insults or attempts to knock her off her high imaginary throne. Oh, how people try! But.. Let them try.. They'll only knock themselves even more down in the attempt.

"Pleasant as this little chat has been, I'm afraid I must leave you to this lonely wood."

Ah.. Good! Finally! He's leaving! About time too.. Not even more than five minutes and my nerves are about to go over the edge. The boy could be not so bad.. If he weren't with the Gryffindors.. Or around Sirius so much. Or a Half-Blood.. And, maybe if he got a hair-cut.. Well, I better stop while I am ahead for just a moment. Maybe I'll curse his back when he's turned around. Maybe... Actually, that not such a bad--"

"Oh, Bellatrix, my dear, remember that I'm a Prefect. Don't come anywhere near my...let's see, what did you call them? Oh yes, my slums, if you don't want anyone finding out about your little forays into forbidden territory."

Once her thoughts were interrupted by the hearing of him being a prefect, her thoughts took a pause. Damn it! Must've forgotten about that..Well, it's not that most people don't know I like it here anyway. Oh well... But, I'm not afraid of an ickle fifth year Gryffindork!!! And, whatever happen to 'Trouble' being the middle name? Hello Bella!! Ugh.. And great.. Now he's gone.. Just great! So much for cursing his back.. But.. I still could.. Follow him. That wouldn't be such a horrible idea.." And with the final thought, Bellatrix gripped onto the slim handle of her wand, and began to head off in the direction she was saw[basically on Auto-Pilot, due to her little 'zone out' of thoughts]. Her steps making little noise, as she went along. Maybe if she was quiet enough she could curse his back, and not even be seen until later on.

Bellatrix climbed gracefully over a few fallen logs, pushed through so many branches that she lost count, nearly tripped twice, and received a few scratches to her arm from swinging limbs, as she walked as fast and quiet as she could, while trying to catch up to Lupin. How far behind was she?! Surely not very.. Well, just about right behind him then. Instantly she stopped and took a hidden position behind the tree, almost like a cat would do when watching its prey. She could see he wasn't very far.. As she pointed her wand tip in his direction and whispered, "Locomotor Mortis."

[Moony]

Remus paused and listened to her insults, though they bounced off of him as though they were little bouncy balls in a toy store. These insults would have cut into anyone else, but he'd known Bella too long to allow that to happen. He listened as she droned her response to his comment about her not being able to keep in with polite company. "Someone else's company, perhaps." After this statement, he tried to think of anyone but a Slytherin who could stand to be in her company. Not surprisingly, no one came to mind. In fact, he could think of a few Slytherins who couldn't stand Bella either. He kept these thoughts to himself, however, hoping to speed the interchange along. There'd be another time and place for trading these saved blows, he was sure.

As for her having to reject his gesture of politeness, he could have cared less. Since he didn't count her as one he needed to impress, he ignored this statement, though it did cause him to sub-consciously take a grip to his wand hidden beneath his dark cloak. He hoped the cloak was full enough he could cover his actions. Not that he was going to curse her...yet. The feel of the soft, smooth wooden handle in his grip gave him strength and a little more courage, though trading insults with Bella took some backbone as it was. He kept this grip as their exchange continued, though he never brought his hand holding the wand out in the open.

"Now, now, Lupin, I can assure you I am anything but a vagabond. Honestly, do you not have eyes, and resources outside of this school, to not know much about me at all? Obviously not..." He listened to this, and took it in. Yes, he had his resources. He knew she was richer, more powerful, better looking, than he. And as for eyes, was he not looking at her gracefully daunting figure standing with hand on hip right now? "True, that on the outside, you are no vagabond. But, it was the inside I was referring to." He said no more, though he could have. He could have spoken of her dark and twisted soul, of her apparent need to make others feel beneath her, and how that was the reason he'd called her a vagabond. He could have made her angry enough to curse him where he stood, but he'd heard the call of sweet slumber and wished to answer it, so he'd ended their little chat there.

Even as he walked away, he knew she would try something, so he paid a little more attention to his wolf-hightened senses. He heard the gentle crunch of fallen leaves under her horrible feet, likened them to the poor people she insulted on a daily basis in his mind. There were almost enough leaves on the forrest floor to enumerate the people she'd made feel insignificant. Almost. He smiled to himself. She was trying, he had to give her that. And were it not for his heigntened senses, he would not have heard her as she took her position in the bushes beside the path he was walking down. He shrank back into his cloak a little more, preparing to round on her and block the attack she was bound to be attempting. He waited for the horrible sound of Bella's voice, her spell. As soon as he heard her utter the leg-locker curse, he spun around, his cape flying apart to revel his wand in hand already as he had never let go of it, and shouted, "Protego!" Bella's curse richoched, harmlessly, off his shield and into a nearby tree.

Then, he realized she would wonder how on earth he'd heard her. He wasn't sure, but he didn't think she'd figured out about his being a werewolf yet, and he wanted to keep it that way if she didn't. Thinking quickly, he remembered hearing a twig snap in the darkness, something his normal senses would have picked up as well. "Miss Black, you really should be more careful. Snapping twigs sound like slamming doors out here in the darkness." He did not put his wand away. He knew better than to do that. He had just thwarted her attempt at cursing him and felt sure another would probably coming his way, and besides, defending oneself was easier than attacking. You had the advantage of knowing what your attacker was going to do.

[Bellatrix Black]

"True, that on the outside, you are no vagabond. But, it was the inside I was referring to."

What was the boy talking about? It clearly made no sense to her.. How on Earth could someone be a vagabond inside? Clearly, to her it was an impossible thing for someone to be like that. With a small roll of her dark optics, she easily shrugged off the statement. Why brood on such things that was just as clear as mud, and go insane in the process? Maybe that's what he wanted her to do.. Go crazy so that he wouldn't have to deal with her anymore. Quite frankly, she knew many people who wished and hoped for her presence to just be swiped off the surface of the Earth. Then again.. She paid no attention to them what so ever anyway! If they were just going to try to ''fix'' her.. Then they were a complete waste of her precious time. Time that could be spent on better things.. Things in which that she would enjoy, rather than be bored to the next century with.

"Protego!"

Anyway, back at the present time, when the two were reunited with each other, Bellatrix couldn't help but be stunned when he protected himself from the oncoming spell. How did he do that?! I barely made any sound at all!! Can't say that I'm not impressed though.. Like I said, he would, could have great potential.. If it weren't for his 'other's. She remained still, gripping even tighter onto the wand handle, as the questions exploded in her mind one after the other. It was yet another thing, which was surprising indeed, that she couldn't explain. A normal person wouldn't have expected anything in the least. Not unless he wasn't normal.. She had always thought him to be a bit off anyway.. Always studying, and such. Maybe all the silence in the library taught him how to strain his hearing... That was a possible answer! But, it was a very doubted thought. But, he could also be a secret Divination Over-Excelled Student! But that wasn't very possible at his age either.

"Miss Black, you really should be more careful. Snapping twigs sound like slamming doors out here in the darkness."

So, her question was answered. Well, part of it anyway. He had heard her.. But, by the snapping of twigs? She hadn't remembered any sounds except for a bit of scuffling feet.. No snapping of actual twigs! It was then when she completely revealed herself, to show an emotional angered Bellatrix. No true external signs shown the flames burning on her insides. If anything, the smirk could be read, but Lupin wasn't that good. He may have good hearing.. But he can't read her smirk, nor eyes. A small laugh came from her as she shook her head slowly. "Let's see you do any better Lupin," She said easily and smoothly, her voice not breaking at all just yet, "I will have to give you points though, that on how you heard me, I won't be able to know.. But, that just you I suppose."

She had to admit, the want to curse his back was slowly fading.. But a new desire had came to play. She now wanted to curse him in his face. Just to see the horror in his eyes that said that he had met defeat this time as well as the other times as well. One plan failed, though a second one too? No.. She would succeed in the next. Whether it be in moments, or hours.. She couldn't actually say.. But, the desire was actually beginning to turn to a necessity. It was almost as if she needed the petrifying yell to come from his mouth. It was like children and candy... Bellatrix, the little child and Lupin, the candy.. She wanted it so bad, for she had known what it was like to see him in pain before, and the want was becoming a slight addiction. The sight of just anyone anymore would have been sufficient.. But, she'd rather have the better. And as of now.. Lupin was the sweetest candy in the shop.

[Moony]

"Let's see you do better, Lupin. I'll have to give you points though, that on how you heard me, I won't be able to know...But that's just you I suppose." True that he hoped she would never find out how he'd heard her, but she was probably one step closer now. At the very least, she now knew of his heightened sense of hearing. But, she didn't know he could smell her as well. Her scent was intoxicating, but he had to ignore that as it was just the wolf in him, and it would be another few days before that part could have it's reign of his body. "I can do much better than that, Bella dear. My defence against the dark arts grade is better than yours, I do believe."

He cocked his head, listening intently, trying to figure out if she was moving at all. Her next attack wouldn't get far, and if he could figure out exactly where she was, he could deflect it so that it bounced right back at her. She would be attacking herself, in essence. "You should have left this a fight of words. At least there, you had me. Do you not have eyes and resources enough to know that when it comes to magic I am the better?" He asked, mocking her words of earlier. He was turning in a slow circle, determined to stay on the defence if it meant a stalemate all night long.

He would make her attack him. Now or years from now, it did not matter. He knew Bella, knew her ways. She would wait until she thought him distracted and then, she would strike with a vengence, but he would be ready for her. He would always lie in wait. She knew he could hear her now, but she did not know he could smell her. He would always lie in wait for that scent that sent him though wild, primative bliss, and he would know she was near.

As he circled, going so long without a word from Bella, his heart beat quickened. Had she moved and he not heard, distracted by his roaming thoughts of when her revenge would come? The wind began to blow, a gentle breeze, but it moved her scent around him, confusing him even more. Where was she? He wanted to end this, to finally go back to the castle and give in to sleep, but he would not back down, not from Bella. Anyone else, and he would have shot a slurry of curses into the surrounding woods and walked off, but she was smarter and would dodge that easily. If only the wind would stop, then he could find her by the direction of her scent...

And then, the wind stopped as suddenly as it began. Remus circled once more, to be sure of the direction of her scent, and stopped, hoping he was very close to looking her in the eye. It was now, or never. He would do something completely out of character and attack Bella rather than waiting for a curse he was sure was coming sooner or later. "Levicorpus!" He pointed his wand into the thicket with confidence, sure that's where she was, waiting for him to do something just like that. He knew he'd walked right into her trap, but he also knew he would be ready for whatever she gave him back.

[Bellatrix Black]

"I can do much better than that, Bella dear. My defense against the dark arts grade is better than yours, I do believe."

Ah.. He just had to bring grades into the whole predicament! She could've sworn that the boy couldn't even get through one day with a class, book, or even a compliment to himself on his own achievements. She found it rather annoying.. More than most things she found to be that way. So what they had a better grade? Some people just didn't care in the least. She could perform quite well, maybe better if she actually practiced regularly, but if she were to put the amount of force that she really could do, behind her assignments.. It was possible that she could be in the 'better grades' category. Her marks were acceptable in the least.. One reason, for her parents wouldn't expect any less. Two.. She didn't want it to affect her reputation any when it came to intelligence. "You may have better marks.. But, what else can you expect from a professor suck up? Your grade don't mean a true thing really.. All it truly is.. Is how much effort you put into something," She said, with yet another bored sigh. "To be so smart Lupin.. You sure are stupid."

"You should have left this a fight of words. At least there, you had me. Do you not have eyes and resources enough to know that when it comes to magic I am the better?"

Bellatrix knew better. He was not better! Or, she thought so anyhow. Though, when she noticed the mocking of her own statements from earlier, she couldn't refuse the laugh that came running up her throat. "Speaking of words.. I find sympathy for you, only for the reason that you cannot find some words of your own," She answered sternly, "But, then again.. That is you being you again. You always have to go by the 'books'. Go by something that someone else has planned out for you.. Maybe all you really are Lupin is a fake.. A fake who remembers the words of others, and only rewording a few things to claim it as your own in order to make the professors bend their backs for your needs."

Bellatrix took a paused silence for a moment, just before she begun in again with, "As for you being better at magic. I'll believe it, when I see it Lupin. I honestly think that you couldn't even charm the simplest needle to lift off the ground," She taunted back at him. His words still did nothing more than just amuse her for the time, though in time, it would get quite annoying, and then she would be completely forced to do something, in order to keep her sanity in good standing. "Let alone curse me and have a good impact," She added with a small tilt of her head.
As silence swarmed the area once again, Bella stuck with her main spot. She was still in the line of view, and line of fire if any spell was to come her way. But, she'd be ready. Thankfully to fairly decent reflexes inherited from her father. And once a spell was shot--

"Levicorpus!"

The jet of light sped toward her, just slow enough for her to step lightly to the side in order to avoid it. Was that all he had? If so.. She felt even more pity for the young Gryffindor boy. "Stupefy!" She returned, just as quickly as the last spell had came. The red light bolted from her wand tip, as she awaited the desired effect. Hopefully this would hit. If so.. She would have him. She would have her candy that she needed that just so happened to be long overdue for her liking.