Authors note: this chapter is split into two sections, showing both Mama Bella's actions as well as her daughter's- i.e these events are happening simultaneously…. And I'm not sure why but I'm not too happy with this chapter just doesn't feel right but I am trying to hurry and get to the good stuff! One more set up chappie and we should be getting to the nitty gritty! :D
Chapter 4 ~ The Law According to Bellatrix….
Meanwhile…
Bellatrix's boots made a soft thud as she appeared in front of the Lestrange manor house, she gazed above the gate at their family motto and sighed disdainfully 'Mihi Parta Tueri','I will fight for what is mine'. The Lestrange's had lost almost everything when Rodolphus had passed. They had nothing left to fight for.
The manor before her had fallen into disrepair; the grounds were wildly overgrown, windows smashed across the once fine façade of the manor, the once soft and beautiful ivy that tumbled over the house had turned vicious and instead appeared to be clawing the building back into the earth.
At first look the grand house appeared abandoned, but Bellatrixs' keen hunters' eyes sought out the flickering lumos flame within one of the floors. Rabastan never did have much style.
"Nox" She hissed as she apparated directly before her twisted clone. It appeared that Rabastan had not taken care of his new form well; this Bellatrix appeared to have lost almost all of her beauty and poise. Yellowed teeth snarled behind dry lips, wild hair had lost its lustre and a black '93' tattoo scarred the neck, the eyes were glazed and the voice that spoke was rough as gravel.
"I thought you'd come" it hissed. Bellatrix silently cast impedimenta sending the disgusting figure flying into the wall, magical binds held the faux Bellatrix in place, she cast silentium, leaving him prone and silent against the wall, a truly compromising position for such a notorious death eater. She smiled mockingly at her helpless captive.
"Now, now, Rabastan it has been awhile, hasn't it? What would the Dark Lord say if he saw you like this?" The silencing spell prevented any response to the taunting questions.
"I must say, you've really let yourself go Lestrange, why, I hardly recognise myself!" She cackled menacingly wiping the vicious look from his face, he began to shout and scream silently and she took pity and lifted the spell, curiosity getting the better of her.
"-TRICKED ME! YOU TRICKED ME! FIFTEEN YEARS YOU LET ME ROT IN THAT HELL-" She silenced him once more, the sound of her own voice driven mad was too much for her. She snapped. Her calm façade vanished almost instantly.
"Let you? No, no dear, I did not 'let you' as you so eloquently put it, you paid for the crimes you committed. You tortured the Longbottom's. You continued to follow the Dark Lord. This has nothing to do with me dear Rabastan….but since you seem to have grown tired of your guise…perhaps I should let you return to yourself? What do you say, hm?" Her voice grew taunting; she knew he would not give up the power her guise had given him.
He ceased his silent tantrum; Bellatrix lifted her silencing charm staring at him inquisitively.
"What do you want Bellatrix? What will it take?" He pleaded with her.
"Why, my darling brother-in-law-no-more" Her sing song voice rung eerily in the empty room "all I want is for you to take a little better care of yourself, it wounds me to see myself this way, truly it does….oh, and just one more thing" Her voiced turned once more to stone and ice, "if any more reports of your escapades make it back to me, you'll be lucky to be alive, the Granger girl was an inexcusable mistake. Am I understood?" She trailed her wand across his neck at her last words, all the colour drained from his face.
"Yes Bellatrix. Understood." His voice was a high cracked version of her own, his however dripped with fear.
She smiled.
"Good."
With that she disappeared, leaving her disappointing doppelganger to figure a way out of his predicament alone.
Meanwhile at Black manor…
As Bella watch her new friend fall she quickly cried "stiller leviter" and her body slowly and gently sank to the ground. Softly she levitated her new friend to the large couch and set about removing some of the wards from the library.
….
Bella placed the unconscious girl in her room and left her on top of the golden four-poster to sleep. She snuggled into the window seat with a much loved book to wait for her new friend to awaken.
….
An hour or so later she began to stir and Bella eagerly discarded her book and bounded over to the bed sinking down behind her.
"I had the strangest dream…" A sleepy Hermione mumbled against the silky golden pillows. Bella smiled, at least she seemed okay now.
"Really? I love strange dreams, what was it ab-" The squeal that came from the no-longer sleeping girl cut her off.
"It wasn't a dream!" Hermione had tensed and pressed herself up against the headboard, desperately trying to distance herself from the strange girl. Bella was puzzled and stayed cross legged on the bed gazing curiously at the startled girl.
"You're Bellatrix Lestrange's daughter" Slightly calmer now she tried to get a handle on the situation.
"Bellatrix Lestrange has a daughter" She felt she had to voice these simple facts just to believe them.
Bella smiled kookily at Hermione, "Well not exactly. I'm actually Bellatrix Black's daughter, remember the memory I showed you?" She explained evenly, studying her new friends' reactions intently.
Hermione remembered. She remembered the chilling image of the two Bellatrix's dressed in black. She remembered the face of the young Bella staring through the staircase in wonderment.
She remembered being kidnapped.
"Your mother captured me Bella. I'm not supposed to be here."
The dark haired girls face fell, her eyes filled up, she didn't want this girl to leave. She would be alone again.
"Please…please stay for a little while? It really is quite nice here, and I already know you like the library" Bella eagerly tried to persuade her knew friend to the merits of the Black household.
When she had gone to show her the memory she found her lay on her stomach reading one of the many rare magical books with fascination. Bella could sympathise with this, the library was one of her favourite places.
"Well I don't really have much choice do I? It's not like your mother is going to just let me go." Hermione's bitterness dripped from every word, and almost immediately she felt bad. This girl hadn't done anything wrong, she'd never even left the manor, she didn't know anything of the Order or Death Eaters. She sighed.
"Look, I'm sorry Bella, this isn't your fault I didn't mean to take it out on you" She smiled weakly at her, trying to lighten the subject she commented "This is a lovely room…is it yours?"
They chatted awkwardly for a few moments about Greek myths and magic before a panicked voice rung through the house.
"BELLA? BELLA? WHERE ARE YOU?" A wild eyed Bellatrix blazed through the door.
"Mama-" she began only to be cut off from her mother's panic.
"She was not supposed to be able to leave the library Bella! Those wards were to keep you safe-" Her mother gripped her shoulders and stared down at her through the lecture.
"BUT Mama, she fainted I was just being a good host, like Aunty Cissa says" sometimes Bellatrix forgot how naïve her daughter was, she didn't know anything about the world beyond these grounds. Bella's whining won her mother over, she softened, there was no harm done the Granger girl sat on her bed with her legs folded eyeing the interaction curiously.
"I paid a visit to the one that gave you that scar Miss Granger, I'm truly sorry, but I can assure that my replacement will not behave in such a way again" She directed this towards Hermione, smiling awkwardly, as though explaining a simple mistake. Not being mercilessly tortured and permanently scarred. She didn't know what to say, so she played along.
"Thank you ….Miss Black" The lines had been drawn.