“BELLA!”

The squeal was followed by the sound of running footsteps and, a moment later, Jenna White had literally thrown herself on an astonished Bellatrix Black. The latter had time only to give a little “oh” of pleasant surprise, before she was knocked down - nearly - by Jenna White’s hug.

“Jen – geroff – Jen!”

Jenna pulled away, breathless more because of the fact that she had seen Bellatrix here, in a market where she least expected to meet her, than because she had just thrown herself - all of herself - at the the latter.

“I can’t believe you’re telling me to get off,” she said, tucking a strand of silver hair behind her ear. “I haven’t seen you for ONE week. ONE week." Her tones made a week sound the equivalent of a year on Pluto, or perhaps the breakage of the news that two-headed aliens had arrived to take control of Earth. "That has seven days, Bellatrix Black, SEVEN days, you get that?”

Bella laughed, throwing back her cascade of flowing, black hair. “Yes, I get it. I’ve missed you. I could have met you but –”

“– But?” Jenna urged. She was talking on autopilot now, the kind of talk where you do not think, only say. “Bella, if you could have, why didn’t you? You sent word that you couldn’t, and you know how hard I find it to be away from you and –”

“The Dark Lord said we couldn’t meet,” Bellatrix said. She lowered her voice as she spoke, both because she was discussing him, and because she knew the news would not go too well with Jenna.

And it didn't - Jenna looked at her, mouth slightly open, and then she closed it, turning away in a way that suggested she had been forced to swallow a particularly nasty bit of Stinksap.

“Why does he do this to me?” she asked finally, arms crossed against her chest. It was not a question, but a complaint. “He knows I am close to Lucius, he – he told Lucius to stay away, too. Bella –”

“He’s only testing you,” Bellatrix said, her voice soft. She understood that Jenna was terribly young - not much younger than Bellatrix, of course, but Bellatrix had been a death eater longer, thought she knew Voldemort more - and it was still hard for her to understand, grasp many things about the Dark Arts, about death eaters.... about him. “His ways of testing – they are always strange, Jen. I do not know what he means to prove through them, or what he wants to see in you. I only know that you need to pass.”

“But he didn’t test any of you in these ways!” Jenna said fiercely.

“Jen –”

“Don't make up excuses for him! Don’t say another word! ”

She disapparated in a fierce swish of silver cloak and hair. Behind her, Bellatrix Black bit her lip, her breathing heavier than usual. Jenna, she thought for a fleeting second, could remind one of an angry, young gryphon: captivating, enticing... ready to claw out an enemy's eyes.