Note: Mild dark themes and mentions of torture
"No, no no! The hex isn't strong enough to damage the skin. Do it again!"
Josephine took a deep breath and gripped her wand tightly. Her mother's yelling was meant to motivate her to improve on her hexing skills, but it was only making her concentration worsen. She dared not say it out loud, however. It was dangerous enough to fathom the thought.
Having Bellatrix Lestrange as a mother was dangerous in general.
Josephine was told she was a carbon copy of her mother; she had the same wild, black curls, slim figure, and an air of confidence in her stature. The only problem was that she didn't possess her mother's malice, and that didn't appeal to her mother or her father.
The young adult held the same belief that there were witches and wizards that didn't deserve a title other than scum, peasant, or mudblood; but she didn't hold the belief to torture and maim the ones that were born of their world. Her heart ached for the purebloods who were harmed, but there was nothing she could do.
Because of that, Josephine had problems being trained by her mother. Something she always paid for dearly at the hands of her father.
The lesson for the day was to master the stinging hex, to deliver excruciating pain not too far from the amount in a Crucio. Josephine had no problem practicing hexes, but she had a problem inflicting those hexes on the wizards who were only beggars from the alleys.
"They're beneath us, Josie," Bellatrix drawled as she circled her daughter in a taunting manner. "Show them how much by getting that hex correctly." The older witch pressed the tip of her wand under Josephine's chin. "Or I will."
Josephine watched the manic grin stretch on her mother's face, so she steeled her emotions and held her wand out towards the cowering, battered wizards. Bellatrix gripped Josephine's elbow firmly, lifting it up slightly at a better angle.
"This is how your arm should be, darling," Bellatrix instructed, leaning towards Josephine as her next words were whispered. "Now get it right."
Licking her lips, Josephine willed a powerful stinging hex at the man, and his screams filled her ears. Bellatrix clapped happily next to her.
"You've pierced skin!" she said before leaning her wand on her own chin. "There's redness, and the screams are music to my ears." Bellatrix tilted her head. "But you could do better. Again."
Josephine closed her eyes, flexing her fingers as she kept the grip on her wand steady. She didn't want to practice on proper wizards, but she had no choice.
A/N: Written for HSWW (Challenges and Assignments)
Assignment #12 Potions Task 3 - write about someone teaching someone to use dark magic
Word Count: 437
