Disclaimer: I own nothing.
Author's note: Now we get to see a little bit into Bellatrix's past. I know I am probably updating this fast than its being red, but I have it all written just not uploaded, please yall review! It feeds my ego lol. This interview is probably rubbish, I have read much better fan fics about the lives of the Black Sisters, but this is all my mind could come up with.
Chapter Seven: Interview with an Ex- Death Eater
Not soon after Ginny had left, she had returned, and this time she was not alone. Harry cautiously walked into the room, trying his best to keep his eyes from focusing too much on Ginny. This didn't go unnoticed by Bellatrix who smirked and looked at the two people standing before her.
"Bellatrix." Harry said stiffly.
"Mrs. Lestrange." Bellatrix snapped.
Harry tensed; he knew Bellatrix was a crazy bitch.
"My sister may let you call her by her first name, but I will not be treated with such disrespect, even if the Wizarding World has changed the order of things." Bellatrix said.
Harry nodded and cautiously moved forward. He sat down in the same spot that he had sat when interviewing Narcissa. Ginny took this as her que to leave and she silently slipped out of the room completely unnoticed by Bellatrix and Harry.
"Did you bring that thing with you that you used to get down my sister's interview?" Bellatrix asked.
"Yes." Harry replied.
"Will it be enough for the biggest story of your pathetic career?" Bellatrix asked.
"Sure if you answer all my questions, honestly, that's only fair yeah?" Harry asked.
"Unfortunately." Bellatrix replied dryly.
There was a short pause.
"I would like to tell you the background story of my marriage to Rodolphus then, so you can understand the dynamics before you make the case." Bellatrix added.
"Great." Harry said.
He removed the small tape recorder from his jacket pocket and sat it on the tray between them.
"I am really anxious to hear how this affected your roll as a Death Eater in Volde…" Harry started.
"No." Bellatrix said abruptly, "We arent going to begin that way; I am not going to divulge any of the activities that occurred while I was in the service of the Dark Lord."
"Sorry, then let's begin." Harry said pressing the recording button on the recorder.
Bellatrix reached for her bedside lamp, at once to room was illumined by a soft white light. Harry could see the ex-Death Eater more clearly, her wild mane of curly hair, her dark eyes, sharp cheek bones, and like Sirius, her features once held vestiges of great good looks, but something, perhaps the years she spent with Voldemort had taken its toll on her appearance. He could see the purplish bruises on her face and his eyes trailed down to her bare left forearm where the Dark Mark should have been. She could sense the worry in his gaze and looked up at him, liquid obsidian against blue. She looked up at him and said truthfully, confidentially;
"Believe me, I won't kill you. I want to get this out, I need to put that bastard in his place, that is more important to me than you know."
Harry opened his mouth to say something, but no sound came out. The corners of Bellatrix's plump lips curled into a slightly mocking smile.
"Just start the damn thing already for fuck's sake." She hissed.
Harry jumped and pressed the button to make sure it was recording.
"Harry Potter, interviewing Bellatrix Lestrange regarding the domestic abuse by her husband Rodolphus Lestrange." Harry said into the recorder.
"Please, just start from the beginning. Anything that may help make this case more solid." Harry said.
"The Black Family is one of the oldest and purest Wizarding families in our world." Bellatrix started.
Harry didn't respond, so she went on;
"My father wanted to make sure his three daughters were married to the richest and most well connected Pure-Blood men. All marriages are arranged whether or not you want it. Pure-Bloods do not marry for love. Unlike Narcissa I did not want to be shackled down by marriage, I didn't want to be a stay at home wife, or a baby factory. I was bigger than all of that, I wanted more than that. I never wanted Rodolphus. We went to school and were in the same house, the same year, everything. He was part of a very old and noble family in France. I never liked him, he was just like me, and I can't stand people who are like me. Over time we started to get along better over out Hogwart's years. However, violence was always a part of him, but it started to become more than just punching Lucius in the mouth for making a pass at me, he started to become more controlling and demanding, and we weren't even a couple." Bellatrix explained.
"So it started early then?" Harry asked raising his eyebrows.
"Yes, when the term ended and we went our separate ways, Narcissa's husband had already been chosen, by that time Andromeda had run off of that Mudblood, Tonks. My husband was the last to be chosen. But Narcissa had let slip that Rodolphus and I were spending a lot of time together while we were at school, my father assumed, which his assumptions were correct, that Rodolphus and I were in a sexual relationship. We were friends with benefits, but that is all we were. That is all that we wanted to be. Of course I never admitted that we had crossed that line, but my father didn't believe it, and we were married 6 months later." Bellatrix continued.
"He decided that no woman could be 'just' friends with a man without something going on behind closed doors? That seems a little extreme." Harry said.
Bellatrix grinned, and raised her eyes brows.
"You don't know Cygnus Black. He was a very well respected and feared man. He wasn't mean, just protective of his family. Honor and respect were what mattered to him; he felt that no matter what, you had to bring honor first, self second. You had to respect your family, and you had to respect yourself. Well naturally I had no self respect and I didn't care what anyone thought about me. I drank and smoked, I was promiscuous, a very rebellious teenager. I didn't care about honoring him because he didn't care about us, just about his reputation." Bellatrix continued.
She paused, Harry said nothing, and he just continued to stare at Bellatrix with unbridled fascination.
"Once Narcissa had let it slip, naturally my mother, Druella over reacted and was convinced that my virtue was gone, and that I had to be married to the man who took it. I couldn't tell her that my virtue was taken by a woman. She will not be named. She yelled and ranted, saying that I shamed the name of Black and that I was nothing more than a common whore. I tried to argue my case and say that I wasn't sleeping with him. I mean I was, but it wasn't on a very regular basis, for fuck's sake, but I wasn't about to admit that, and naturally when I had anything to say no one sodding listened. So as I said before, in a matter of 6 months, we were married. I was now a part of the Lestrange family. Rod and I kept it casual, we didn't act married. But he was even more controlling now, saying that I was his property and that I had to obey him. Well let's just say a swift kick to the groin put him in his place real quick. But he somehow saw through me, and he knew that I really wanted to be by his side, I mean I would be lying if I said he wasn't good looking. But there was more to him than looks, but I didn't like to be in a cage, and he put me in one. Every time I rebelled, I was punished." Bellatrix said.
"Punished? How?" He asked.
"He would hit me, rape me, get some of his friends to bind and torture me. Force me to drink sleeping potions that would make me out of it so he could have his way with me. He got off on my vulnerability, and he used it to his advantage. He would tell me that he was sorry, but of course it was a lie. It always happened again." Bellatrix replied.
"And you didn't fight back?" Harry asked.
"Now don't tell me that you are feeling sorry for big, bad Bellatrix." Bellatrix replied in mock baby voice.
"No, I just don't see how you, you of all people were treated that way, I mean you are…tough, I have seen you fight, you weren't afraid of anything." Harry said.
"Azkaban changes a person. This all happened before Azkaban." Bellatrix said, but did not elaborate.
"Go on, before Azkaban." Harry said.
"I had isolated myself from my family. Narcissa was the only one who could see through the façade, she knew that something was wrong with me, but I never told her, because I had to protect her. And I had to protect her family, if she knew, then they would all suffer, I mean Narcissa is an exceptionally good witch, much like myself, but she isn't mentally strong, and Rod would have broken her in a heart beat. I was always faithful to him, though I know he wasn't with me and well I had finally had it with him, and I cheated. For the first and only time in 30 years I cheated. And the result of that is the reason I am in here talking to you. I had to be punished and that resulted in the murder of my child. He beat me and left me for dead, and now he should be punished." Bellatrix finished.
Harry stared at her. The most ruthless Death Eater, one of two woman branded with the Dark Mark, the one person next to Voldemort that Harry feared, that the whole of the Wizarding world feared was sitting here, utterly defeated and vulnerable. She had just divulged the secrets of her past to him and she was determined for once, to see something such as murder a deed that could not go unpunished. Harry stopped the recording and reached for it, but Bellatrix placed her hand on his. He was surprised to find that it was warm and comforting, not cold and foreboding. She stared at him and half quizzical smile on her face.
"Please, please don't let anyone but you hear this tape. If you can avoid it, I can't have the world thinking that I am weak, after all I have a new reputation to uphold, and I have to with Cissy, salvage what is left of the Black Family name." She said her voice barely above a whisper.
He looked up into the now soft face of Bellatrix Lestrange, a single tear seeped from underneath her closed eyelids. All the resentment, anger, and fear that he felt for her had dissolved in the wake of her silent tears that were now falling down her pale cheeks. She opened her eyes and met his, he was lost in her eloquently, painfully, tormented face. He could see that she actually felt guilty for what she had done, not just to her husband, but to the Wizarding world in its entirety. Seeing that she actually had a heart beneath her chest was a comforting thought to the young man. She removed her hand from his and he stood, putting the recorder back in his jacket.
"Off the record, is this why you were mad and horrific when you were in the service of Voldemort?" Harry asked abruptly.
"Years of suffering horrific and unspeakable tortures at the hands of my parents, and torture administered by my husband does numb the mind. It forces you to forget who you are and how strong you can be. Not to mention 15 years in Azkaban does take every ounce of sanity you have. I wasn't mad as a hatter my whole life Mr. Potter. I am what the men in my life have made me. I am free of the Dark Lord, as you can see, I am starting over. We are all starting over." Bellatrix replied.
Harry smiled, he seemed satisfied with the information she had just given him.
"I will let you know after I make the arrest. And once the case is ready I will contact you with the details of the trial. Thank you for everything." Harry said.
"Thank you. I will be at Malfoy Manor, you may contact me there." Bellatrix replied.
Harry nodded and turned to leave the room, closing the door behind him. Harry left the hospital without another word to anyone, he figured he would try to see Ginny another time, he had work to do. 15 minutes later he was in his office sitting at his desk. Ron had joined him and the two of them listened to both of the interviews.
"I can't believe she talked to you mate." Ron said with an exasperated look on his face.
"Me neither, I was shaking the whole time. I'm not sure what this means, but she was different." Harry said.
"How so?" Ron asked.
"Her eyes were softer; they had color to them, emotion. I mean her face was anguished. She was really having some kind of internal battle of some sort. And everything she said was true, even about Voldemort. She wasn't lying." Harry said.
"You used Legilimency?" Ron asked an incredulous look on his face.
"Didn't have to Ron, it was written all over her face." Harry replied simply.
"You know what this means right?" Ron asked.
Harry shook his head in understanding.
"We have to arrest him." Harry said.
"I have no idea where the Lestrange Manor is, do you?" Ron asked.
"No, but I bet I know someone who does." Harry replied standing.
"Who?" Ron asked confused.
"Tonks." Harry replied.
Ron nodded and the two men left the office to find Tonks. They didn't have to look far, the second they walked out of their office, they saw the violet haired woman talking to the Minister of Magic, Kingsley Shacklebolt.
"Tonks!" Harry said.
"What's up guys?" Tonks said cheerfully.
"We need your assistance with a case." Harry said.
Tonks looked at them brow furrowed.
"Okay, what's the deal? What is going on?" Tonks asked suddenly serious.
"I will leave you to it. Goodnight you guys." Kingsley said taking his leave.
They all waved and went back to their conversation.
"It is a little sensitive, come back into the office and we will explain." Harry said leading Tonks back into their office.
Once they reached the office, Ron closed the door behind them. Then Harry went into full flow about the interview with Narcissa and Bellatrix, Tonks's face was impassive and unreadable through out the entire story. Once Harry finished Tonks had sat down in one of the chairs in front of the desk.
"Okay, so let me get this straight, you want me to help you arrest my uncle because he beat the shit out of my aunt?" Tonks asked calmly.
"Yes, only we don't know where the Lestrange Manor is, so we thought you could help us. Not to mention, you are much more skillful than we are, and it would help to have a senior Auror on our team." Harry replied.
"You know, flattery will get you no where Harry." Tonks said grinning.
"Well will you help us?" Ron asked.
"Of course, but stay out of my way, Rodolphus is no push over. Though I would be way more worried if it was actually Bellatrix we were arresting. But since it's not, we won't have any trouble." Tonks said getting to her feet.
"Alright so where are we going?" Ron asked as they left the office.
"France." Tonks replied simply.
Harry and Ron both stopped, Tonks looked back at the two men and rolled her eyes.
"What?" Tonks asked.
"I didn't know they lived in France." Harry replied.
"Yes, the name Lestrange is French." Tonks said.
"Oh." They replied in unison.
They kept walking until they were outside the Ministry. They went into a nearby alley way that was empty and turned on the spot and vanished.
