dashing through the snow | Peter, (get the hell out of my way)

[BELLATRIX VULPECULA BLACK]

The stress of planning a wedding long in the making set Bellatrix on edge more than usual. Her tone, even with the people she could tolerate (Narcissa being at the top of the list) was sharp. The recent news of her sister's illegitimate pregnancy by the disgusting mudblood had sent her family into a frenzy. Her mother wept for days; her father could hardly speak. Narcissa had been utterly distraught, and Bellatrix didn't quite know what to make of things.

The revelation at dinner one night upended the entire family dynamic. Naturally, Andromeda disappeared shortly thereafter. It was quite possibly the best decision she had ever made because Bellatrix was hot on her tail for days; she searched all over the surrounding cities, asking friends, looking behind every locked door in every relative's home. She even went so far as to find Sirius and inquire after her there. No such luck. Walburga, in Bellatrix's presence, had blasted the middle Black sister right off the family tree. Smoke of the damned flooded the room, thick, foggy black smoke of utter distaste. One charred mess of tapestry matched another: Sirius and Andromeda were no longer. Sirius and Andromeda who?

Mulpepper had been keeping Bellatrix over her working hours recently, sending her on errands of all kinds of levels of unpleasantry. The majority of the errands required her to go into the countryside to seek out ingredients for hokey remedies, things that Slug and Jigger sold by the dozens. The secret is to get the things they don't have. Get things that work faster and work better. Of course, the things that worked faster and better lurked in all the most unfortunate of places: under bridges infested with slimy molds and all manner of disgusting many legged and many eyed things.

Christmas was a somber affair at the Black household. Bellatrix was given all manner of things for a hope chest for her impending marriage (which had been impending for nearly two years now and nothing was coming to fruition; she didn't even know why she bothered planning with her mother). Bella folded up the sheets and the table clothes and set them on top of the china and candlesticks that she would possibly never use. And so, with the money her parents allotted her, she took to the shoppes to find herself something useful and something that would occupy her time and hopefully take her mind off her useless sister. Despite her fury at Andromeda, she still considered her a sister but the apathy would take hold of her so violently she couldn't catch her breath and she would soon find herself with only one sister.

The streets were remarkably empty as Bellatrix trolled between the narrow rows of buildings. A couple of witches peered into the windows of Flourish and Blotts, the new display in the window for some Witch Weekly romance novel.

Ahead of her, she saw him. Oh, she remembered it vividly, the night he canines quite nearly pierced his earlobe. She would consider him a poor fellow, but he was the furthest thing from it. He would not know her except as Sirius' cousin. But he was small and wicked and mousy. Bellatrix sidled up behind him and leaned down close to whisper in his ear. "Out here all alone without a chaperone, Pettigrew?"

[PETER GERAINT PETTIGREW]

The winter break had been a welcome respite for Peter. It did mean heading home where it was much colder and somehow it had snowed more there than at Hogwarts. Two variables which typically made Peter despise winter. But the break from school was just the thing he needed. It meant that he didn’t have to go trudging out in the snow to get to classes. In fact, he didn’t really need to go outside at all, a fact he took full advantage of. He spent countless hours wrapped up in a nice down blanket, sitting in front of the fireplace and sipping some of Edith Pettigrew’s famous hot chocolate. It was bliss.

The other bright spot in the break was of course Christmas. Peter loved the holiday. It wasn’t because he got presents or he spent time with family. No, he loved it because of the food. Honestly, who didn’t love a holiday where you were encouraged to gorge yourself? Of course he did like the family time. Being away at school meant that he hardly saw his extended family. And his grandparents were getting up there in years, so no one was really sure if this would be their last Christmas or not. The presents had begun to lose their appeal. When you’re a kid, opening presents on Christmas morning is the best thing ever. However, once you hit 17, the idea of opening yet another box containing a sweater lacked some enthusiasm. He did receive money from his grandparents, which was a blessing. It was much better than them going out and buying him something that he knew he didn’t want, but couldn’t get rid of because someone might find out and tattle on him.

The gift of money was why Peter found himself strolling down the streets at Diagon Alley. His mother had suggested that Peter deposit his money into a vault at Gringotts’ and save it for a later date. It wasn’t necessarily a bad idea, having a bit of money stored up somewhere. Especially with the war going on. Things were getting out of whack everywhere. What if something happened to the Pettigrew home and Peter needed to help chip in? Or what if they had to make a quick escape because for some reason the Death Eaters had decided to target them? Thankfully his dad then decided it was time to chime in. He said that it was no use thinking of such depressing topics. The money was a gift and meant to be spent, so why not use it for its intended purpose? After a bit of debate the Pettigrews found themselves here in Diagon Alley. Mr. and Mrs. Pettigrew had gone off on their own to just take everything in. This left Peter alone to decide what he wanted to spend the money on.

The first thing he had done was buy a nice looking quill. His quills were still useable, but were beginning to show the wear and tear of a normal school day. It was an eagle feather one. He decided to bury it away and his bag and bring it out only for exams. After all, you can’t have a faulty quill when taking the most important test of your life. Then he made his way to the pet store and picked up a toy for Arthur. His cat had destroyed the last toy, a small stuffed mouse that made Peter a little nervous. While in the store he took the time to watch the rats in the cage, trying to see if he could pick up on some rat-like mannerisms in case he needed to ever be in his Animagus form for an extended period of time (which seemed unlikely, but who knows?).

Peter was now strolling down the street, not really heading for one place in particular. He passed Flourish and Blotts without even giving it a second glance. He was never the book type, so he knew he wouldn’t spend any of his money there. Peter paused briefly, considering what to do next. Then he heard a voice in his ear which caused him to literally jump. Thankfully he had resisted the urge to yelp. Turning around, he saw a semi-familiar face. Bellatrix, Sirius’ cousin. Peter and Bellatrix never really talked before, so it was strange she would come up to him. “H-h-h-hi B-b-bellatrix. N-no, I’m here with my p-parents. They’re just som-m-m-ewhere els-s-se.” He was really stammering with his words. Something about Bellatrix instilled a sense of dread in his body. Who would have guessed that she and Sirius were actually related? “I’m j-j-just doing a bit of shopping. What ar-r-re you doing here?” Peter’s eyes darted around and examined the street. There were quite a few people around, which he was glad for. He didn’t want to be caught alone with Bellatrix.