Bruin's Thinking

"Transfiguration, Defense Against the Dark Arts... and the people...." she softly said.
 
"Cool...", Bruin said. "I'm kind of a charms guy myself, but transfiguration was way better than expected, especially when the professor turned into a panther. I did not see that coming. My wand is supposed to be pretty good at curses, but I haven't started trying too many out yet... maybe I'll save them for when I really need them...", Bruin added with a wink ;). "...oh, and I'm not talking about you!", he added with a little laugh.
 
Bellatrix was obviously a girl of few words and wasn't going to reveal too much about herself, which was fine with Bruin...small talk was better than his previous experiences with her. "So, do you know what you want to do once you're done here?", he asked. "I don't really know what kind of careers there are in the wizarding world, so I'm just kind of taking it one day at a time..."
 
"Well I haven't really opened any other possibilities other than being a Death Eater... and I am oddly ok with that..."
 
"I'm confused by that...what's the draw of being a Death Eater??? I don't know much about it, but is it just for power?? Or to feel like you belong to something?? Or do they have some philosophy that you agree with??", Bruin got good grades, but was still pretty ignorant about a lot of magical history and the whole Death Eater thing.
 
"A little bit of everything.... My parents were Death Eaters and I am following in their footsteps I guess...."
 
"Fair enough, I guess...", Bruin said, recognizing the influence that his parents had on him. "So, how are things going over at Slytherin...it's been a long while since I spoke with Sophia and Ford, although I've got one of the first years on my Quidditch team..."
 
"I'm not sure about Gryffindor this year, it looks like we've got some good new blood, but we kind of got it handed to us by Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff last year. I don't like to lose, in case you didn't notice.", Bruin had no idea whether Bellatrix even cared about the house system, but he did and didn't mind showing it.
 
"Alright, I've got a question for you, but you don't have to answer it if you don't want to...I've been reading up on Patronuses, and it says the key is to think about a happy moment. What's your happiest memory?", Bruin realized that this was an intensely personal question, but he wanted to know what made Bellatrix tick.
 
Bruin sighed, not because she hadn't answered his question, but due to the fact that he actually believed her. He was speechless for a moment and just walked with her for a little while, wondering if she would ask him anything or just continue to walk, enjoying the peace of the lake and cool late summer breeze.
 
Bruin smiled, he had lots of happy memories, perhaps more than any one person deserved. "That's a tough one for me", he replied, "...and probably why I asked the question, to see if you had something similar. I've had a pretty good life up until now. I love spending time with my dog in the mountains back home, just walking the trails and enjoying time alone, but then there are all the things that have happened here in the last year. Being named top student last year and hearing all the Gryffindors cheer was pretty cool, though...I don't think I'll forget that feeling for awhile."

Bruin felt a little guilty for the disparity in their backgrounds.
 
"Say, I can't promise you anything, but I'm leading a pretty charmed life here. Maybe if we hung out a little this year, as acquaintances, of course, some of my good fortune might rub off on you...", Bruin hoped that this didn't sound too much like rubbing salt in her wounds and that his tone of voice seemed sincere enough for her to take it as an invitation for future chats.
 
"No problem...just thought I'd offer...one can never have too many good, er, acquaintances, you know...", Bruin smiled. They were walking quite close to the lake right now and it wouldn't take much to give Bellatrix a little shove and send her sprawling into the water. Bruin considered the possible reactions and decided that continuing walking was probably his wisest course of action...

"So, this has been a lot nicer than our previous encounters... maybe there's hope for me afterall?", Bruin said jokingly.
 
Bruin almost stopped dead in his tracks, hearing Bellatrix's little laugh, but tried to maintain his walking pace so that she didn't notice his reaction. "Ah, seeing is overrated anyways..."
 
Bruin realized that it was getting a little late and that he had a few things to do before school started. "Ummm, this has been nice, Bellatrix. I, uh, really hope that you have a good year, you deserve it... see you in class, I suppose...", Bruin wasn't sure how to end this particular conversation and hoped that Bellatrix didn't mind him cutting it short.
 

Users who are viewing this thread

Back
Top