Chapter one
Monday
Bellatrix Lestrange awoke with a strange feeling on the top of her head, which was sore and matted with a tangle of black hair. She realized as soon as she sat up that it was her cat, Hermes.
"HERMES! STOP IT! AND FOR GOD'S SAKE, YOU ARE RUINNING MY NEW BLOWOUT!" Bellatrix shook the disgruntled cat off and stroked her tresses lovingly, unaware of their true ugliness.
"Looks like someone is in a bad mood today," Hermes said. "What happened to you? Who tooted in your face?" Thrilled with his own cleverness, the talking cat mimed a fart, complete with sound effects. Bellatrix winced.
"You did," She said. "Now be good. Don't scratch my new curtains, and don't try to get on top of the refrigerator. I just started storing some Wizardbars up there, and they are much too expensive to be crushed by your paws."
"Alright, alright. Not that I agree with any of these extravagant and frivolous playthings," Hermes grunted. "Diet snacks, for the healthy wizard. Well, I never… In all my days, I never came across a less appealing little piece of…" He muttered as he ambled down the hall, out the open door. His voice disappeared around the corner, but his heavy pawsteps could still be heard.
He's getting old, Bellatrix thought. She would have of course apologized to him, if he came back, but she had to leave in a few minutes. And looking down at her broom, which lay across the foot of the bed, Bellatrix new she would have to get out the polishing cloth to make it look at least a bit presentable. As she wandered down the stairs, forcing herself to concentrate on the steps without falling asleep, Bellatrix wondered once again why she was feeling so tired lately. Could it be the lack of coffee or chocolate? Voldemort had ordered a ban on both for all of the deatheaters, because of some perverse and ridiculous article he had read in Deatheater Everyday: A fun and easy way to make yourself evil! Which was the group's magazine. Stupid Lucius Malfoy. He hardly knew how to say a good old-fashioned torture spell, and now he went around writing deatheater freaking magazine articles? Bellatrix laughed ruefully to herself, and polished her broom, lost in thought. The whole thing was, in truth, ridiculous.
So she was happy now, ok? Bellatrix had dominated! Killed her own kin, in cold blood! The very height of moral greatness and leadership! She had been giddy with the joy of it all. This should bump her up a bit in the ranks, shouldn't it? I mean like, she was the first to kill… one of… Harry's… friends…
Bellatrix nodded off.
A minute later, she woke up.
"MURDEROUS SABER!" She looked at her watch again, and was nearly blown to the opposite wall in her own surprise and fury. Then she realized, with quick dismay, that Hermes was slinking back up the stairs with a chagrined expression on his face. Inside herself, Bellatrix cringed.
"I mean, see you later…" She trailed off, realizing how feeble she sounded.
"I'm sorry, Hermes, ok? I am just really stressed out right now." Bellatrix was about to reach down and pat her cat, her hand poised above him, but when he growled she thought better of it.
"I uh, um… um… I've gotta go! See you soon!" Bellatrix leaped up off the stairs and raced to the door, so frazzled that she did not notice Hermes' wary eyes trailing behind her. She also did not notice when he slunk back after her, following her to the door.
Nor did Bellatrix notice his eyes as he watched her take off from the patio, which were piercing and full of hate.