In Spite

By: Catty Engles

"I tire of your overtures. SPEAK." A jet of red light.

BAM. Bellatrix shuddered violently on the cold flagstones, fearfully bunching the tapestry in her hands that had fallen with her when the Dark Lord's curse had blasted her against the wall. Moonlight threw her dark hair and her gaunt, white face into sharp contrast. Her lip trembled piteously, "M-m-master, I would have acted, only…"

"Only it was my orders to conceal yourself that prevented you. Yes, now tell me what the old fool said."

Bellatrix burst into furious sobs, "His impudence! His vile pretentiousness! He said you had no knowledge of the most powerful and ancient magic of all. Oh, let me kill him for you, Master. Let me repay him tenfold for his insolence." A wild light had ignited in Bellatrix's eyes.

"Love again? This is what you bring me? Intelligence that Dumbledore still deems love to be the root of my downfall, when I am at the height of my power? I know this. I have known this. If that is everything of importance you have brought me, I am highly disappointed, Bella…" A raised wand.

"No, Master, please! I know more. There is to be a gathering of Order members. Tomorrow night. A celebration of sorts. They will be in one place, not expecting an attack. A perfect chance to strike." Bella panted with delight and anticipation.

"Of this I already know. My own knowledge exceeds your own. But Dumbledore is wrong. I know of love. The love for a servant for her master, Bella, is exceptionally present in you."

"Oh, my Master, yes," Bella practically purred.

"Love is strong, I cannot deny it. Misplaced, it is treacherous. Returned, it is glorious. In both cases, it forges bonds. You know of Lord Voldemort's vast understanding and mercy for those who show him loyalty."

"Yes, yes!" slipped adoringly through Bella's lips.

"It is this that has brought me a new follower. One who's love has been misplaced, his affections turned aside, his rightful place continually denied him by those who he thought to value him most… Wormtail, step forward."

Bella's eyes shifted to the Dark Lord's right hand side and her mouth dropped. Peter Pettigrew shuffled out of the darkness, wringing his hands, his eyes darting to every corner of the room. "That sniveling rat is nothing more than a-"

"Hold your tongue, Bella!" Voldemort's voice had a mysterious resonance to it that immediately silenced Bellatrix. "Wormtail has brought me news of the Order, interesting and highly informational. But above all, he has given me the time and place of this gathering, including the nature of the celebration. For that he shall be rewarded."

Wormtail looked like he would collapse in a few more moments. His whole body was shaking. Bella spared him one sneer of disgust before the Dark Lord reclaimed her in his riveting thrall.

"Wormtail has informed me that select members of the Order of the Pheonix… are breeding." Bellatrix's face twisted into a grimace of revulsion. "The celebration you speak of is none other than… a baby shower."

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A/N: Hey there! I haven't put anything on here for a long time now, but with all the hoopla over Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince coming out in American on Tuesday night, I've been inspired to write about a storyline that I think has been for the most part ignored by the movies: Lily and James's generation. They are really some of my favorite characters, and I was crushed when there wasn't any real mention of who the Marauders where in the 3rd movie (even though the rest of the movie warranted two thumbs up from me).

Anyway, this won't be too long and I've got about half of it finished already. Let me know what you think of the prologue!