Written for Pairing the character competition (Week 4: Bellatrix/Myrtle)

Tears and Tantrums

"Whhyyyy dooooo you allllll hateeee meeeee?"

Bellatrix was on her way to Charms when wailing from the girls' bathroom took her in the opposite direction. The other students – the older ones – ignored her, but Bellatrix was too curious.

Placing her books in her bag, she pushed the door open. "Hello?"

The sobbing stopped the moment Bellatrix spoke, and a moment later, a ghost appeared. She was a young girl with round glasses. Despite her crying her eyes were clear.

"What do you want?" the girl snapped.

"I heard you crying," Bellatrix replied drily. She didn't like the way this dead person spoke to her. She was only curious.

"Of course you did! Everyone does, and they all ignore me. What makes you any different. Come to make fun of me for being dead?"

Bellatrix's eyes narrowed, her curiosity quickly turning to anger. "No, but I might now. What killed you, huh? Someone who was sick of your crying?"

Ghost tears flooded the girls eyes, and she disappeared, her wailing echoing throughout the silent bathroom.

Bellatrix left, fuming. How dare she speak to me like that. I might have been nice to her had she been nice to me!

…

The next time Bellatrix returned to Moaning Myrtle's bathroom was in her sixth year. The Dark Lord was getting more powerful by the day. He'd already marked her as one of his, and she needed to make sure no one else knew. If Dumbledore found out….

"What are you doing?"

Bellatrix rolled her sleeve down. "None of your business!"

"It looks like one of those marks some others have come in here for."

"Others?" Bellatrix gaped at the ghost girl. "But –"

Myrtle chuckled. "Oh, he tells everyone you're the only one, doesn't he? Makes you feel important?"

Bellatrix's face glowed red.

Myrtle floated so she was in front of Bellatrix. "Why you? You're a pretty girl. Don't ruin yourself with him."

Bellatrix said nothing. She picked up her bag and left the room. She wasn't going to let a ghost tell her what to do.

…

The final time they met had Bellatrix sobbing beside the girl.

"There, there," Myrtle said, patting Bellatrix's back. "It's nice to cry in here sometimes."

Bellatrix said nothing.

"He's a bad man. A very bad man."

"He's my lord."

"He's a bad man." Myrtle snuggled up to Bellatrix, her cool vapour flesh chilling the living witch. "Others can love you more."

Bellatrix looked up, sensing the girl's tone. "But… you're a –"

"I KNOW!" Myrtle roared. "It doesn't mean I can't love." Her eyes filled with tears again, but she reached for Bellatrix's hand.

Bellatrix swallowed.

"He wants power, I want love," Myrtle whispered, and she pressed lips to Bellatrix's face.

Bellatrix's flesh crawled. She looked the girl in the eye, and then fled.

If the Dark Lord every found out about –

She ran, never to visit Myrtle's bathroom again.

486 words. Just under the word count! I choose my pairing character at random, so expect some really weird pairings in the coming weeks.