A/N: Written for HSWW (Challenges and Assignments)
Assignment #5; Herbology: Task: Write about a Canon Death Eater making a love confession.
Battle of the Black Lake: Ship Battles; Alice/Bellatrix; Prompt: "This is a surprise." (dialogue)
Book Club: Sir Leigh Teabing; Prompts: labyrinth (word), betrayal (action), graveyard (location)
Word Count: 756
The shadows of the evening had dissolved into the gathering darkness of the night. The air had cooled on Alice's body and the crickets sang in her ears. Her destination was the graveyard, as she was visiting her parents' tombstones. Alice hadn't had a chance to kneel at her parents' tombstones when she heard someone approaching. At the sight of the woman's figure and wild, curly hair, Alice looked amused as she knew who it was.
"This is a surprise," Alice mused as she watched Bellatrix saunter around the tombstones.
"Is it really?" Bellatrix countered, tilting her head innocently.
"I wasn't expecting to see you here."
"I wasn't expecting things to go on like this."
Alice knitted her brows at Bellatrix's words; her eyes followed the movement of the other witch's wand. However, the dark ink that she could see at the edge of Bellatrix's sleeve.
"Bella…" Alice breathed out softly; her heart beated sporadically at the revelation.
Bellatrix giggled madly. "What did you expect, Ali? That we would be together?" She scoffed. "You knew what I would be, and that this wouldn't last." She tapped her chin with her wand. "Granted, I didn't think it would go for so long."
Alice shook her head. "That's not what you said to me...I trusted you."
"I did what I had to do, dearie," Bellatrix drawled with a manic grin. "I must say, that labyrinth of confusion you're running in has finally reached its end."
"I wasn't the only one that ran through this labyrinth of confusion, Bella," Alice told her in a soft yet firm tone. Her eyes were narrowed with a determined expression on her face. She knew that Bellatrix's dueling skills were impeccable; if Bella got what she wanted, Alice wouldn't be leaving the graveyard.
"You may have this facade in front of your 'friends,' but you can't fool me." Alice took a small step towards the other witch. "Your words...they were sincere."
"They were lies," Bellatrix hissed, taking a step forward as well with her wand drawn.
"No, they weren't all lies. You meant them, or you wouldn't have come all this way to kill me this way."
Bellatrix narrowed her eyes. "You can't prove that!"
"What would your 'friends' think? Bella was supposed to use poor Alice and ultimately felt more than she should have felt."
"I didn't," Bellatrix hissed before throwing a spell towards Alice. Alice ducked behind the tombstone fast enough before it hit her; however it did take a chunk out of the stone, and the stone went flying in the distance.
"Are you throwing spells now because you can't accepted the truth?" Alice questioned, blocking Bellatrix's next attack with a protection spell.
The duel continued, and both ladies were worse for wear after some time. Alice was holding on to the tombstones as she walked around, keeping an eye on Bellatrix, who was trying to mask her fatigue with glares.
"Must we do this?" Alice asked with a tired look.
"It's our favorite game, Ali," Bella teased sadistically.
"You admit to our time together."
"I never denied it. What isn't true is that the feelings you thought were there were real."
"They were real. Your mouth may spout otherwise, but your heart told another when I heard it beating against your chest after–"
"Enough!" Bellatrix gritted her teeth and was about to send another spell at Alice, but Alice was quicker and disarmed the other witch. With Bellatrix's wand in her hand, Alice tentatively walked towards her.
"Look me completely in my eye, and tell me that you don't feel something."
As Alice moved closer, Bellatrix was clenching her fists. "Don't you dare," Bellatrix threatened.
"What?" Alice asked innocently. "Don't do this?" Alice moved forward in a swift motion and pressed her lips to Bellatrix's lips. They were warm and tasted of pumpkin juice. Her hands were wrapped around Alice's waist and Alice's arms locked around Bellatrix's neck, pulling her down slightly. When they broke apart for air, Alice rested her forehead against Bellatrix's and gathered some much needed oxygen. Bellatrix's faint smirk told Alice everything and she smiled back, feeling smug for proving her point.
"What do you have to say now?" Alice asked breathlessly.
Bellatrix looked into Alice's eyes. "I love you."
Alice's expression was full of warmth until she heard the word Avada. The last thing Alice thought of was that even in Bellatrix's act of betrayal, Bellatrix didn't deny her feelings. Alice had gone limp lifelessly before anything else could register in her mind.