BELLATRIX BLACK: A SERIES OF MOMENTS
Bellatrix Black fought herself out of the womb. She kicked, bit, wiggled, and did ever thing possible to make the birthing process even more painful for her mother.
She was soaping wet mess of a thing when she came out, hardly anything could deciphered about her features. Druella was sure she was going to call her daughter Aphrodite, but once the baby was cleaned off and lying in her arms, she reconsidered. Although the baby was tiny and non threatening as can be, Druella could see some inhuman fury in her child's eyes. Her features almost completely matched her husband. Dark hair, olive skin, lips already curled into a haughty smile. Druella knew that her child could not be called Aphrodite. She wasn't fair. The baby had fought her way out, Druella had the searing pain between her thighs to prove it. She decided then that her child was a warrior. Bellatrix, the warrior woman. Eris for chaos. Then, Black, for what she was and what she would stand for in the future.
After a few moments of gazing into the newborns eyes, Druella quickly handed the child off to her husband. Something in Bellatrix's eyes frightened her. It was the fire. Druella was afraid it would soon consume her. As soon as Bellatrix was placed in Cygnus's arms, she immediately nuzzled up next to him, calm. It was already clear who the favourite was.
...
The dolls lay peacefully on the floor in the nursery. They were perfect witch dolls with blonde ringlets and fancy dress robes of silk. They were the finest that any father could buy for his daughter. Bellatrix Black sat with her toys and poked them softly with a little chubby finger. She examined their placid smiles and ran her finger over the robes. She then saw her mother, Druella, standing in the doorway, stomach swollen with pregnancy, examining the whole scene. Bellatrix rose to her feet and wobbled to the woman, taking a firm grasp of her leg.
Bellatrix smiled at her mother's musical laughter as she was lifted into her arms. Bellatrix made a soft gurgling noise. "Oh, my pretty Bella…" her mother cooed while stroking Bella's dark brown hair. Bella slowly lowered her head on her mother's shoulder. Her mother was now singing a lullaby. Bellatrix mouth opened and her teeth found Druella's shoulder. She bit down hard and rose up again with a smile.
Druella gave a gasp of pain and sat Bella in the middle of the hallway. "Bad… Bad.." Druella screeched, before turning and walking away. "Bad." Bella repeated happily. Her first word.
...
Bellatrix was sitting on her father's lap, a toothy grin spread wide across her face. "Say again daddy! What you gonna do if the mudblood comes?" she asked, looking up at Cygnus with a face full of wonder. "Kill em dead!" Cygnus replied, reaching down to tickle his daughters ribs. Bellatrix giggled delightfully. ""Stoooop!" she pleaded mid-laughter. "Tell me bout the rebolution! she commanded. "Well, one day all the mudbloods are going to go away forever." Cygnus explained. He gently lifted up his eldest daughter to rest more securely on his knees. "POOF! said Bella happily.
"Then.." her father continued, holding out the final note of the word, knowing Bellatrix would more than happily continue. "Our blood will be all powerful! Bella ended, her words the exact ones her father had preached. They had been memorized. Cygnus reached down and patted his daughter on the head. He had the perfect daughter.
Just another typical father/daughter bonding moment in the Black family household.
"Bella, what do you want for Christmas?
The entire Black manor was even more souped up than usual. Bella paid close attention to the twinkling lights over her head and the furry father Christmas hats on the severed house elf heads on the way. She had never given much thought to their placement around her home. She had always been told the creatures were below her. She only spoke to the filthy things if she required something of them. She looked up at her father's face above her.
"Wendy Witch doll! A Cat! A toy broom! A…." she began to round off. Bellatrix was used to getting whatever she wanted for Christmas. She had been inside the family vault and seen the mounds of gold that covered every inch of the huge expanse. She knew that the gold equaled money and that they seemed to have a vast unending amount. Even though she had to share it with her two sisters, it didn't seem that she was being cheated at all.
"You know what I want?" Cygnus asked, his brow furrowing. He did not wait for a reply. "I want these mudblood scum out of the ministry!" he yelled, slamming a copy of the daily profit on the coffee table. Bellatrix could not yet read, so instead she focused in on a picture of a balding man shaking hands with a very old wizard. She briefly scanned her eyes over the jumbled mess that made up the text of the article. "We could just kill 'em daddy." She said softly, smiling. Her father reached down and ran his fingers through her long hair. Bellatrix looked up him, her green eyes settling on his worn face. "Revolution." she whispered.
...
It was so apparent that Narcissa Black was Druella Black's golden child. In fact, it seemed she'd rather ignore Bellatrix's existence. Andromeda seemed to be stuck in the middle, but Bella had already gotten a huge bout of egocentrism, that she hardly cared about her younger sister's feeling of isolation. She wanted to eliminate the source of her pain, Narcissa.
Bellatrix found her way to Narcissa's bedroom. She walked slowly to her crib and peered in at the sleeping child. Red hot fury began to twirl within her, and somehow it became physical. Actual fire began to surround the crib and engulf it. Bellatrix then heard screaming. She was pulled out of the way. A frenzy of activity occurred and in what seemed like only a second, Narcissa was safe again.
Bellatrix wasn't sure how she was going to be punished. She was expected to be backhanded by her red faced mother who she saw hitting the house elves regularly. Bellatrix did not close her eyes or wince. She kept her eyes facing forward. Did her mother not feel any love for her at all?
"Bella! You're magic!" her mother said. Bellatrix could sense a mixture of fear and pride in her voice which shook. Then, she was hugged. She decided she didn't like the affection that much.
"Push me Bella! Push me!"
Andromeda Black was seated on a bright red swing set calling out for her older sister, arms outstretched, whining "Push me!". Bellatrix Black had her own agenda. "No." she said forcefully. She turned away from Andy who was furiously pumping her legs in order to be airborne.
There was a slide. It was possibly the most beautiful slide Bella had ever laid her eyes on and she knew she had to go down it. It was bright blue with a shiny silver ladder that led to the top. It swooped three times, unlike ones that went straight. It was unique. Bella arched her dress up in order to better climb the ladder. Once on the slide she paused for a moment to view they world below her. She was like the giants her father told her about, without being filthy, of course.
"Hello little girl."
The voice of an older man traveled up the slide and into Bellatrix's ear. Bella quickly looked down to see the source. He was old. He was much older than daddy and perhaps even older than grandpa. He was also very clearly a filthy muggle. "Go away." Bellatrix snarled. She didn't want the company of the kind faced old man. She slid down the slide and was about to run off again when she heard the chucking. "Don't you want to be my friend young lady?" the old man asked, a smile coming up on his rosy cheeks.
"You don't wanna be her friend, Mister Oakley. She's mean." There was the pink jumpered, blonde hair, pig-tailed muggle brat Bellatrix had pushed down in a pile of gravel earlier. Bella instinctually stuck her tongue out at the girl.
Suddenly, Bella felt herself be lifted into the air to rest in her father's arm. "Stay away from my daughter, filthy scum.." Bellatrix had been the one to kick, scream, and beg her way into making her parents bring the sisters to the park. Now however, she said softly "I don't wanna go back there ever."
That night her father left the manor at eight and did not return until Bella was already in bed. In the local muggle paper the next day an article was written about the mysterious death of a seventy-six year old Benjamin Oakley who was good with children. He had lost both of his own children at a young age and had been a celebrated primary school teacher. There was no known cause of death. There was only a look of fright frozen on his face. Bellatrix Black never knew anything about that.
...
"Okay, we're playing muggle hunter!
Bellatrix always led the games when her cousins came over. It was seniority thing. At six years old Bellatrix Black was already developing the personality traits of a dictator. "Me, Cissy, and Sirius will be the muggle hunters! Andy and Reg are muggles!" She commanded, while breaking of limbs off the large oak tree in the back yard. She handed a makeshift wand to Sirius and Narcissa. Automatically, the children began running around the sunny yard, pointing their wands at the 'muggles' and making loud noises to signify a spell had been cast.
Andy would drop to the ground and pretend to wither in pain while Bellatrix laughed and pointed her wand at Regulus. After a couple seconds the muggles would stand up again and the game would go on.
The children always took turns being either the hunter or the muggle, but somehow Bellatrix was always the muggle hunter. She wouldn't switch with anyone.
...
Bella had already decided she didn't like Rodophus Lestrange. He had come to the Black manor just to play with Bella, thus it was just him and her in the back yard. Rod wanted to mud wrestle and do other disgusting things. Bella wanted to play muggle hunter. Instead of trying to come up with a compromise the children sat on the cool grass and stared at each other.
"I'm gonna marry you, you know. Mother said so." Rodophus chirped, leaning back on his hands examining cloud formations. "Are not!"
"Are too!"
"Are not!"
Bella rose to her feet and walked to where Rod was sitting. She loomed over him. Before Rod could figure out what was happening, she was already on top of him punching him senseless. She got off once he was crying. "Don't say gross things ever again." she warned.
Rod went home with an assortment of bruises and a bloody nose. Bellatrix said that he had fallen.
Bellatrix's room was immaculate. The bed sheets were silk. The finest toys were on the floor. Bella sat at her wooden makeup mirror running her slender fingers over the fine combs and brushes her mother had bought her in France. She heard feet toddling in the room. It was Uffie one of the many house elves.
"Does mistress need anything of Uffie?" Uffie asked, cowering.
Bellatrix didn't like house elves. They were filthy and vile creatures. She often made Uffie punish herself for no given reason. Uffie tended to ignore Bellatrix as much as possible, but today Master Cygnus had told the elf to ask Bellatrix if she needed anything. Uffie wasn't sure just what Bella would want, so she was frightened.
"Yes, I do." Bella said, turning around to face the elf. She raised her arm and pointed towards the large window overlooking the back yard. "Jump." she said sweetly.
Uffie knew she had to do what she was told.
"Go on then." Bellatrix said, still pointing.
Uffie walked slowly to the window and undid the latch. The wind blew inside the house. Uffie closed her large eyes and jumped. Bellatrix raced to her window, laughing. She watched the elf fall, mirth filling her entire being. She then closed the window and went back to her brushes as though nothing had happened.
...
"Black, Bellatrix."
Bella strode towards the sorting hat. She was already sure of which house she'd be placed in. She sat on the three legged stool and lifted the ratty old thing on her head. "Hmm…" the hat whispered in her ear. The fact that the hat was even thinking about a house choice for Bellatrix, made be anxious. "Slytherin… please." she whispered. She really wanted to be in Slytherin. She rarely ever said please.
"I know where I'm going to put you Miss…."
Bella squeezed her eyes tight. What if the hat put her in a place that dishonored her family? She couldn't stand the thought.
"SLYTHERIN!"" the hat boomed. Bellatrix smiled. The fact she had even worried about this at all made me feel foolish. She reveled in the applause that came from the Slytherin table and went to join them. Home at last.
Bellatrix quickly found all the students at Hogwarts who did not have pure blood. She hunted them down, tripping them in corridors, hiding their things, taunting them to their face. Everyone was terrified of her and she knew it. She enjoyed the feeling of power over her peers.
She learned hexes and curses. She learned how to turn peoples legs to jelly and make them itch all over. It was when she landed a third year boy in the hospital wing that made her be sent to Dumbledore. She went up to his office and was invited to sit in a chair and enjoy lemon drops. She declined the lemon drops.
"Miss. Black, you know your behavior is not tolerated here. I am afraid I will have to give you detention for this and deduct house points." the headmaster said, as though he was filled with sorrow. Bellatrix didn't reply.
There were knocks on the wooden door that led into the headmaster's office. "Allow me to step out. Ill be back in a moment to finish our conversation. Feel free to take a lemon drop." Dumbledore said before striding out the door.
Bella sat in the chair for a moment, looking around. She grabbed a fist full of lemon drops and popped on in her mouth and shoved the rest in the pockets of her robes. The old man was right. They were good. Feeling nosy, she peered over the desk. There were several unimportant memos, a copy of the Daily Prophet, and something that caught her eye. There was a piece of parchment with her name written across it. She grabbed the paper and quickly scanned over it. There were all her past offenses. Notes about her from teachers. Then, there was the headmaster's verdict itself. "I feel that Bellatrix is profoundly disturbed. The pureblood mania in her household has already taken hold of her at a young age. We must do what we can to help her.".
The door creaked open and Bellatrix pushed the parchment deep within her robes. When she was leaving later, she wondered if Dumbledore would ever notice it missing.
...
"She kinda scares me to be honest."
"We're supposed to like her!"
"We're supposed to respect her. Respect doesn't mean [I]like"
"She could be lovely.. We just have to give her a chance."
"We've given her chances for years now. She's a cow. Sure, we share her blood purity beliefs. We're all Slytherin and such, but she's always hurting people."
"She's a sadist. That's what she is."
"What the bloody 'ell is a sadist?"
Bellatrix was in the showers. Her three housemates didn't know she was listening to them gossip about her. She felt hurt, but she couldn't allow herself to feel that way. Pain was weakness and Bella could not tolerate that feeling in herself. She sunk down on the cold floor and wrapped her thin arms around her legs. She wouldn't allow herself to cry. They were jealous of her. They were jealous of her. She had the purest blood. She was sure she was the prettiest. Well, she wasn't so sure about pretty. She liked the way she looked though. It was haunting. She loved her dark hair and piecing green eyes. She liked how her ribs just slightly stuck out. She was taller than the other girls too. This gave her power. Sure, she enjoyed making mudblood's lives a living hell, but that was her job. Anyone who dared question their treatment were blood traitors in her honest opinion. So, they were jealous of her. That was the only valid explanation.
...
"Do you want to? I mean I do, but only if you do too."
He was stammering. It was cute. Bellatrix felt that firewhiskey was controlling all her actions. A thick fog had covered up her normal perception of things. Losing her virginity at fifteen to some ravenclaw boy she hardly knew? Whatever. She giggled. "Okay stranger." she said with as much lust as she could muster.
Two mouths attached to one another and robes began to come off and fall into heaps on to the floor of the cramped broom closet. Then, it happened. Bellatrix felt a loss of control. He was the man. He was fucking her. They certainly weren't making love. She didn't have the control of the situation. He moved as though this act was all too familiar.
It didn't take too long. Just a couple of minutes. It hurt. The ravenclaw kissed her and Bella kissed him back. She felt numb. They put their clothing back on. Bellatrix felt like hers didn't really fit anymore. When they left, Bellatrix promised her self next time she had sex, she'd be in control.
...
He was so snakelike. He was so god-like. Bellatrix could fall on her feet and worship him. She didn't though. She waited in queue with the rest of the inductees. She was the only girl. She was also one of the youngest, but there were a couple of other seventh year boys. She knew she had to do this. Bellatrix wasn't content with just 'supporting' the revolution. She was going to fight and win.
So what if she was a woman? That didn't really matter now did it? Bellatrix did not identify as one of the 'weaker' sex. She was a girl, true, but she used her sex appeal to get what she wanted. How many other girls could say that? She was tougher than most of the men she knew. She had more drive about the cause than most men she knew. Joining the death eaters made sense, and thankfully she was accepted.
The other inductees had been screaming as they were branded. So, when Bellatrix approached the dark lord, a small lump rose in her throat. She looked into the eyes of her beautiful lord as he held his wand near her arm.
"You will forever serve me?" he asked, almost teasing her.
"Yes, my lord." she said, a smile coming to her lips. Yes, she would forever serve him. He was the only one that mattered more than herself.
The wand was now up against her forearm. The dark lord whispered the incantation. Then, there was nothing but blinding pain. Bellatrix could hardly see. It hurt, but she didn't scream. As it went on, she began to embrace the pain, enjoy it even. She began to laugh. The pain was becoming pleasure. She laughed and laughed. The pain stopped. She looked up at her new master, tears in her eyes. "Thank you" she muttered.
...
The entire house was silent, but Bellatrix could still hear screaming ringing her ears going on and on. She reached deep into her robes and pulled out a pack of cigarettes. She gingerly pulled a thin cancer stick and lit it with the tip of her wand. She stowed the package and her wand and lifted the cigarette to her lips, blowing a thick line of smoke into the air.
Bellatrix looked down at the floor. The body of the man was a few feet away, the look of shock still etched on his face. She stared at her kill, her first kill, the cold and lifeless muggle scum. Bella's lips curled into a smile and a tiny ringing laugh escaped. She continued to smoke her cigarette until it had dwindled down to a mere butt. She threw it on the ground and smashed it with her high heeled boot.
Her wand was drawn from her robes and pointed to the sky. She remembered the incantation her master had taught her. She muttered the spell and the dark mark shot up into the air, piercing the still night. There would be more screaming soon. So, with one last laugh at the corpse, Bellatrix disappeared into the darkness.