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A/N: Bellatrix one-shot. Not quite a humanized version of her, but not a monster either.
They said I was the darkest witch that ever lived, and I didn't deny it. The way some people feel about their partners – that's how I felt about what I did. They said I was pure evil, and I didn't deny that either. This need I had, this craving to see others suffer – I couldn't control it.
Did I ever have second thoughts about what I had become? Never. This person, this demon that was so much more than little Bellatrix Black was ever supposed to be – I liked being her. I liked the feeling of power, of being called loyal by the Dark Lord, of unofficially being second-in-command.
No one ever expected much from me when I was younger. I was just the little pureblood brat, the one who wasn't supposed to BE anything. Oh, how I loved it when people were shocked by my life, by what I did. It was a pleasant feeling, second only to watching others suffer.
I tried, truly tried to help my sisters be like me. At least Narcissa listened; she married well and stuck with our side, staying out of Azkaban through a complex set of lies that I never knew the full extent of. Andromeda was a different story – the poor girl just couldn't deal with the fact that love should never trounce power, ever.
I would not say that I was happy with the man I married; I was far from it. But I followed the family code, letting power make my match. Not a bad way for things to turn out, I believe.
And here I stand, relishing every second of this battle. The pain all around me fills my senses, giving me the feeling of absolute joy. I know that I have a very small chance of surviving tonight, and I care not whether I live or die. All that concerns me has been taken care of.
And yet there is a part of me that wonders if I am truly heartless. Ending the life of one to whom I am not connected in any way has never bothered me and never will. But is it truly wrong to have ended the life of one to whom you are linked by blood? Though she was everything I disapproved of and more, the girl was also my niece. Was I wrong, or am I just trying to make myself feel better.
Tonight is the night it all ends. Tonight, I will rise.