I'm the Harpies Captain for season 6.
Notes: Belvina is Elladora black's niece, born in late 1880s.
Her aunt comes into the nursery one afternoon, where Belvina does her studying and Cygnus practices his handwriting, and beckons her to follow. She rises as gracefully as possible, ready for her lesson on proper etiquette.
Her aunt's back is ramrod straight when she walks. Belvina notices her own posture pales in comparison so she straightens further, her hands clasped in front of her.
In the drawing room, there is a tray of tea near the sofa. Her aunt sits down and picks up the cigarette, lighting it with a quick spell.
"What is our lesson on today, Aunt Ella?" she asks, waiting for permission to join her aunt like she's been taught.
The older woman gestures for her to sit. Taking a long drag of her cigarette, she huffs out white smoke. "We are six months from the Ball, which the Malfoys are holding this year. It's about time to teach you how to dance since you will be old enough to join your siblings. Your father is hoping to secure a match for you during it. Wasteful, I think, but he'll hear nothing against it."
At seven, Belvina understands her position in life very well; she's to bring her family honor by marrying another Pureblood and having Pureblooded children. But it isn't truly what she wants. She wants to be like her aunt Elladora—independent, powerful and important without a husband—yet she knows that it'll never happen.
By the looks on her aunt's face, she knows too. "At least securing you a match will be easy. You've got Black beauty, thank Salazar. It would be much harder if you took after your mother."
She's supposed to be listening, but there's a question seared in her head. "How did you convince your father not to procure a match for you?" she blurts out. She covers her mouth when she realizes she said it out loud. "Forgive me, Aunt Ella."
Her aunt waves her apologies away, her lips curling up into a triumphant smile. "Men are vile creatures and I wanted nothing to do with them. He found that out the hard way, when all of my suitors disappeared in one way or another."
Belvina's eyes widen. "Surely you're not implying what it sounds like you are."
The woman tsks at Belvina. "There is nothing that can be proven, but my dear," she says, a hand coming to sit underneath her niece's chin as she moves Belvina's head left and right, "beauty is the most powerful weapon you have. You'd do well to wield it."
Her aunt drops her hand and the lesson finally starts. Belvina spends the rest of the night and most of the next day reflecting on her aunt's words.
At fifteen, Belvina knows that she has truly been blessed with beauty. Her dark hair is long and silky, her lips are plump, and her eyes are like the sea during a storm. Suitors have fallen over their own feet in haste to request her hand in marriage and she does nothing to hide the disgust she feels.
Her father, though, is made of different and harder stuff than his father before him and he'll hear nothing of Belvina not marrying. His dark eyes promise terrible consequences if she doesn't obey, and there's nothing that Belvina can do but do so begrudgingly. She allows him to accept Herbert Burke's request for her hand.
She slips away one afternoon after her father announced her betrothal, clothed in her least formal dress, and wanders the streets of London by herself. She has a few coins with her and her wand is stashed in the pocket.
While looking for a bakery to curb her sweet tooth, she hears a voice from behind her. "Such a pretty girl."
She turns around to see a man staring at her with hunger in his eyes. Her lips twist in disdain. The fact that she doesn't recognize him tells her that he is a Muggle. He doesn't deserve the right to even look at her, much less speak to her.
Then her aunt's words from all those years comes back to her, and she feels her lips relaxing into a smile instead. She's not brave enough to disobey her father, but there is something she can do instead.
"What are you doing here, sweetheart?" he asks her.
"I got lost trying to find the bakery. Can you help me?" she asks, her voice trembling with practiced ease.
He crosses the space between them and offers her his arm. She keeps the disgust from showing on her face as she places her hand on his arm and allows him to lead her away. "You're far too beautiful to be out here by yourself, Miss."
Belvina's mind races with all the possibilities she now has.
She has taken a liking to wandering the streets of Muggle London by herself whenever she can slip away in the few short years since that first encounter. She finds that men still fall at her feet so easily. Like the man in front of her.
"W-what did you say?" the man asks. He's looking between Belvina and the man not too far away.
Belvina calls upon an old memory to cause herself to tremble with fear. Tears streak down her cheek to make her story seem more real. "He tried to take me," she whispers, her voice unsteady as she hides behind him. "He's going to hurt me, Alphard. Protect me. Please."
The man finally notices them. He starts stalking towards them. "I—"
"How can you ask my father for my hand if you can't prove you can protect me?" she asks.
He gives her a considering look. He takes her hand and kisses it. "I will always protect you, my love."
"What are you doing to my woman?" the man shouts as he finishes crossing the distance with long steps. "Don't you touch her!"
"Yours?" Alphard demands outraged. "She's mine!"
Belvina keeps the smile of satisfaction from her features. Alphard had taken the bait just as she had anticipated, and so had Walter. She watches as the two of them fight for her honor in front of her.
It doesn't take too long before Alphard lays unmoving on the ground before her, a knife lodged in his chest. Walter's blond hair is soaked with sweat and he is covered with bruises and blood. There's a cut along his cheek that is sure to scar.
He pants before standing up. He approaches her slowly, "Are you alright, my dear?"
"Blood," she says as he reaches for her. "You'll ruin my dress with blood."
He snatches his hand back. "Forgive me, Bell."
"Come on. We need to get you all cleaned up and looked at by a Healer," she tells him. She spares one last look at Alphard and shudders, goosebumps breaking out on her skin, before she leads Walter away. "There is no doubt after that display that my father could say you can't protect me."
She'll wipe his memory as best as she can to cover her tracks.
Belvina is in the garden of the home she shares with Herbert when the Aurors come. Her husband's becoming features are distorted with anger. She grabs her basket of hand picked tulips and smiles at them.
"Can I offer you some tea?" she asks sweetly.
"We have come under the suspicion that you have used an Unforgivable to enchant Muggles," one of the Aurors says.
Her smile never falters, even though she is surprised. Before she can say anything, her husband snarls, "She is a Pureblood. Why would she interact with those disgusting creatures?"
"I didn't think that the Aurors worked on Muggle cases," she comments, soothing her husband's anger at the accusation, before she summons their house-elf. "Bring a tray of tea."
"Normally not," the man agrees, "but there have been seven cases of Muggles killing another and they all say that they were made to do it by a beautiful woman by the name of Belvina Black. For her hand in marriage."
Belvina smiles sweetly at them. "Come now, you really don't believe those creatures, do you? I am married, if you do recall."
Their house-elf comes back with the tray of tea. She puts down the tray to pour. The Aurors shift from foot to foot when she offers them a cup; it's barely noticeable, but she takes it to mean that they are uncomfortable having to do this. It will be easy to convince them she had no connection to the murders.
"The Prime Minister asked the Minister for Magic to look into this. Muggle men are terrified by this monster and it simply cannot go on," the taller man says, his voice harsh. "We must check out every avenue."
"You can check my wand for the Unforgivable." She watches as they test her wand for the spells. She smiles as the test fails. "There is not much difference between madness and devotion for men. They simply just went mad and made up a story."
The Aurors don't look like they are fooled by her words, but she knows they can't prove she was involved.
She picks up the basket and flashes a dazzling smile at the two of them. "If you'll excuse me, I need to get these tulips in water as soon as possible."
She doesn't give them a chance to answer before she leaves the three of them in the garden. Anger floods her veins. A monster? How could she be a monster when she is doing it to erase the scum from their city? They should be thanking her.
Her husband will keep a closer eye on her now, to make sure she will keep up the Burke family honor. She knows there is no amount of spinning persuasive words that will convince him to give her space.
She will add Herbert to her list of men who will succumb to her beautiful smile.
Hogwarts, assignment 6, Psychology, task 10: write about someone physically attractive but unkind
CA: 16. [Restriction] Main Character must be a Pureblood
Disney: C3 - Write about someone truly evil in nature
Abby's: 6. (Object) Knife
Book Club: Greta - Greta: (word) monster, (action) walking out on someone, (word) scars
Showtime: 17. Cloud Serenade: (word) fool
Buttons: S5 - "Every Breath You Take" by The Police, O1 - Knife
Lyrics: 17. I want you to notice
Ami's: 13. Write about an unhealthy obsession or habit
Sophie's: 17. Task: (theme) Family of Murderers
Angel's: 2. Orchid: (title) Dark Beauty, (setting) a garden, (word) harsh
Lo's: D3 - "There is not much difference between madness and devotion."
Film: 15. (object) Knife
Days: Beautiful Day - "You're beautiful."
Autumn: (word) goosebumps
Colors: Dark Purple
Flowers: Witch Hazel - (word) Soothe
Star chart: (word) beauty
Costume: 57. Archangel Wings: (object) knife and 30. Silver Jewel Mask: (dialogue) "Such a pretty girl."
Boyfriend checklist: 10. (character) a Black family member
Holmes: [Word] Shudder
Insane: 363. Word - Becoming
365: 114. Emotion - Satisfied