Chapter Four
I pulled a pair of fingerless elbow length gloves on (presents from Luna) and made my way to the Infirmary. The gloves were bright pink and doubtless would garner me more attention than if I had left the gloves off. Still, they were oddly in character for me, so I doubted anyone would place too much emphasis on them.
The plan was to get in and out of the infirmary without anyone saying anything. Since it was Sunday, the castle was quite, with most of the students content to stay in their rooms and talk.
I had bigger fish to fry. I managed to avoid anyone who might have asked me about the gloves and slipped relatively easily into the infirmary only to have the wind blown quite effectively out of my sails.
I expected to see Madam Pomphrey. A logical expectation all things considered.
Given my past and my strong feelings regarding Death Eaters, you can understand why I was utterly flabbergasted to see Bellatrix Lestrange standing in the Infirmary.
She was wearing her normal dark purple robes and for a moment I entertained the thought that maybe she was just visiting.
She turned as I opened the door, her dark brown eyes glittering cruelly at me. Her face curled into a wicked smile that did not quite meet her eyes.
"Well, well, Ginevra Weasley. What brings you to my part of the castle?"
I managed somehow to keep my jaw from dropping.
"Excuse me?" I managed after an awkward moment.
"I'm afraid Madam Pomphrey had to take a leave of absence suddenly. She wasn't feeling too well."
I used Bella's bogus excuse to compose myself. I was certain Pomphrey wasn't hurt. She was too good a medi witch. No, they just took her away from anyone who might need her and were probably using her themselves. That was comforting. Still, I was reluctant to show my bruises to Bellatrix Lestrange, of all people. No, I had this sinking feeling that No one should go near her.
Which left me with another problem. I had to keep my friends healthy and I knew some of the stunts Neville had planned would leave him in considerable pain unless I could scrounge up a medi witch or wizard.
Having yet another task delegated to me made me ornery. I looked at Bellatrix, the cause of my newest problem and decided to torture her a little bit.
"Madam Regan?" I asked quite wickedly.
Bellatrix froze. All right, so I'm a bitch.
She turned back to me, her cold eyes sparkling like diamonds now. There was no glee, malicious or otherwise in those cruel eyes.
"What did you say?" she hissed.
I put a hand to my lips as if it had merely been a slip of the tongue. Both of us knew better.
"I'm terribly sorry! It's Silva now isn't it? Or is it Lestrange? You've had so many I can't quite keep track."
I suppose this requires a bit of explanation. Ever since the Chamber ordeal, I had taken great pains to look up as many of the Death Eaters as I could. Bellatrix Lestrange hid her tracks well, but I found her before long. She had married two times before her current marriage. In both she had tried for children but never succeeded. Now, I threw my discoveries into her face, watching her facade tumble into raw fury and honest admiration.
"Miss Weasley-" she began but I cut her off.
"Terribly sorry! I must leave you now. Do think kindly of me," I drawled in a good approximation of Malfoy's arrogant drawl.
She shot out an arm, catching my own. "How did you know about that?" she hissed, referring, doubtlessly to her previous marriages.
I cocked my head, formulating a quick lie. She didn't need to know the truth. A few white lies, to keep her wary, wouldn't hurt.
"How to open the Chamber wasn't the only thing your dear Riddle taught me."
I retrieved my arm from her grip and left the room, trying to hold my composure as long as I could.
Once in the hall, I fell to my knees, shaking.
888
Once I regained my composure, I made my way down to the Great Hall. It was a Sunday, so the hall wasn't as crowded as it could have been, but a few DA members were there and I spread the word that Bellatrix Lestrange was not to be trusted. Most seemed to agree with that and I left them with that message to pass around.
Though Bellatrix was a certified mediwitch, I did not trust her for a moment. Which meant I would have to get someone to learn the skills, at least the basics.
And really, I decided, it had to be me. I was the glue holding the whole operation together. Daphne, should she get hurt, would come to no other in the DA. And the others trusted me already.
The more I thought about it, the more I knew all this to be true. I would teach a few others, just so I wasn't taking the world on my own, but I would have to be damn good anyway.
I made my way up to the library. I had permission to go into the restricted area and I planned to use that as much as I could. I gathered a stack of books on the principles and basics of mediwitchery. No time like the present.
I was halfway through an incredibly dry tome, when my world became much much more complicated.
(A/N: Cliffie? Who? Me? Don't talk crazy! Sorry for my erratic updates lately but my play is going into tech week so I'm a little frazzled.
To Ami- Isn't Ginny freakin' awesome? I love writing for her!
