January 8th,
Most of the teachers here at Hogwarts adore me. I am, not to be entirely arrogant, rather a natural at magic. Transfiguration is my only difficult subject, and even there I "exceed expectations", thus I knew I had no academic reason to worry when Slughorn delivered me a message from Dumbledore in potions today, that summoned me to the headmasters office this very evening.
"What in Merlin's name have you done now, Bella?" Severus laughed as we brewed our draught of the living dead.
"Not a bloody thing…. Lately," I snapped, "I'm a top student, I'm like 5th highest ranking in our year."
"Maybe he wants to congratulate you on that crowning achievement, Slytherin princess," Lucius drawled, smirking to himself as he stirred his potion.
"Roddy,?" I asked turning to my fiancé, who instantly stopped snickering, and forced his smile to become a look of concern.
"Yes my Bella?" He asked, still biting his lip to keep from smirking.
"Is it normal to HATE your friends" I teased, glaring at the table around me, from Dolohov to Roddy himself, all of whom commenced laughing.
"When you have friends like these?" Roddy grinned, shrugging casually, "Absolutely!"
I couldn't help but laugh myself. "Anyway 'King Lucius', do not mock my royal title, or I shall mock yours."
"What a threat Bella, I can't believe you'd do such a thing," Lucius said feigning fear, "You're going to MOCK me? I couldn't bear it, princess, spare me, I beg of you!"
"I'm going to slip some of my potion in your evening pumpkin juice you little prat," I snapped, flicking my hair over my shoulder so it hit him in the face.
"That was a much better threat, I commend you," Dolohov chuckled.
"So if we're the prince and princess," Roddy said, motioning to he and myself, "and Sir Malfoy is our king, what the fuck does that make Sev and Dolohov?"
"Court jesters?" I offered, giggling.
"We're your highest ranking knights," Dolohov correct me, sticking his chest out in pride,
"Sure, that'll do for you, but Sev- you're the jester." Roddy sniggered.
"I think not," He said coldly, "But I don't want to be your knight either. I'll be the royal advisor."
"Yeah, you've got your wits about you, that shall do," Lucius nodded, satisfied, "Thank you dear Gryffindors for aiding us in assembling the royal court of Slytherin."
"Oh yes, they're so helpful." I rolled my eyes.
"They are," Roddy chuckled darkly, "They give us a target to torture. Everyone has their place in our kingdom, princess."
"I think the way you think, Roddy," I beamed at him, and we leaned over his cauldron and shared a brief kiss.
"Ah, young love!" Slughorn boomed as he approached our table, "And even better- Young potions masters! Excellent, every one of you! But Severus, yours is a thing of beauty. Best I've ever seen… In fact, it's the only draught of the living dead that a student has managed to produce to this level of perfection. I give you a prize, young Severus,"
"Thank you sir, er what is it?" he asked, smiling, his white teeth making his skin look extremely sallow.
"Veritiserum!" He called out and the room gasped, "Your very own truth potion. Use it wisely, or save it for later times, you never know when you'll need honesty, it can be a rarity in this day and age, my boy! Now clean up, class! Good day to you all!"
We began packing out things when Lily Evans approached the table, scowling and followed by the plump girl called Alice.
"I smell mud," Lucius commented, wrinkling his nose in disgust.
"Me too, its making me ill," I cringed, and leaned into Roddy's arms, "Make it go away?"
"If only I could, Bella, my love, but it persists it standing beside our table," He snorted, "Severus, you know the source of this ungodly stench, ask it what it wants."
"You're all sick freaks," Lily said casually, "I'm merely here because I heard Bella is summoned to see the headmaster."
"And why, in the name of holy Salazar, does that concern YOU?" I snapped, glaring at her from my place in Roddy's embrace.
"Because," he smiled mischievously, "I would like you to inform me what happens. We just made a bet at the Gryffindor table. I'm betting you get suspended, Gideon is betting on expelled, and Ted 's bet is you're merely interrogated."
"What the fuck would I be expelled or suspended for?" I demanded aggressively.
"What WOULDN'T you be expelled or suspended for?" Lily rolled her eyes, "Don't play innocent, the whole school knows who was behind the incident before Christmas, we all know Dolohov got suspended and had to wait a day to return and it would have been more, had his family not paid of Slughorn. We all know about the Death Eater Youth. It's common knowledge, you reckless morons, and here and now, it looks a bit like judgment day."
"Judgment day is coming, mudblood, but it won't be us who will be judged," Lucius retorted even before I could speak, "Judgment day, that glorious day of reckoning will come at your expense, not ours. This is a war, you're on the side of failure. Haven't you heard? The Dark Lord is the greatest wizard of all time."
"No," Lily shook her head fiercely, her long red hair, tangling itself, "That's Dumbledore, and he wants to see Bella. And I doubt its to wish her good luck as the Slytherin princess bitch."
"Listen Lily," I said in a whisper, leaning towards her, "Do me a favor and say hit to your muggle parents for me, because soon, they'll be gone, and you'll be in hiding, wishing you'd never crossed my path."
"Empty threats from a girl with an empty heart," She shrugged simply.
I laughed, "Empty heart?"
"I'm sorry, is it full of hate?" Fabian demanded, stepping beside Lily with his cauldron and ingreidants packed.
"Au contraire, naïve Gryffindors," I beamed at them, a genuine smile, "Its full of the love. Except, I love the things that you hate. But that doesn't mean I do not love, for I do, with all of my very full, quickly beating heart. And I appear to be the one engaged, so do not attempt to tell me that I do not love."
"You're engaged?" Fabian laughed coldly, "To who, the Dark Lord?"
"In her dreams," Lily rolled her eyes, "You and Lestrange are getting married?"
"Indeed," I said proudly, raising my chin high in the air.
"As soon as we're of age," Roddy added kissing me cheek, "Where are your fiancés? Oh yes, you have none. Perhaps it is the Gryffindors who do not love."
"I see no evidence to the contrary," I smirked.
"Who's going to be your best man, Lestrange?" Fabian sneered, "A dementor?"
"I actually don't know any dementors, so probably my brother, but gee, thanks for the suggestion." Roddy smiled sarcastically, "Anyway, we'll be sure to send you an invitation, Prewett, and you too, Evans. We will need servers after all. You can work with our house elves, you seem to have about the same IQ."
"Just do the wizarding world a favor," Lily said, turning to leave, while frowning deeply at Roddy and I, "Don't reproduce."
"Imagine their child?" Fabian said, horrified, as he too turned away, "I shudder to think of it. Dear Godric, what would they name it? Voldemort Junior?"
And I aimed at his back and hit him squarely with the tripping curse, amused as he spilled his ingredients everywhere, ruined, and his cauldron fell, cracking down the side.
"Clumsy, aren't you, Prewett?" Lucius laughed out loud, "Better watch your step, mate!"
And as he and Lily clamored to try and salvage what remained of Fabian's potions materials, he caught my eye as I passed. I leaned down and whispered, 'Don't you dare speak his name you unworthy slime ball."
"I really, and truly, think the world would be a better place if you would just, like- die," Fabian stuttered furiously, the ruins of his expensive potions ingredients in his hands.
"Uh huh," I yawned, "Cheers to you too, enjoy cleaning up,"
And just before he raised his wand to hex me, I called out "Protego!" the ever effective shield charm and dashed out of the room unharmed.
"All hail princess Bella!" Dolohov chuckled as we made our way to the library, where we intended to study until dinner.
"Merlin, what a cunt he is," Roddy shook his head, laughing to himself, "I can't wait when we meet him as Death Eaters, and he, surely, will be an auror."
"We could kill him," I realized suddenly, excitedly.
"We WILL, kill him, Bella," Lucius corrected me, with a look of smug satisfaction on his pale face, "And when we do, we can think back on all these days when he was so insistent that HE would win, that HE would be the victor. Hilarious, truly. I'd like to remind him of his arrogance before we do away with him."
"Think he'll marry the mudblood?" Dolohov wondered as we passed first years in the hallway, all of whom gasped and walked as closely to the wall as possible, while Lucius, smirking, flicked his wand and they all tripped over one another, quills and parchment flying everywhere.
"Good one, mate," Severus laughed, "And nah, Lily's going to end up with that son of a muggle Potter. Merlin, I loathe him."
"Because he calls you Snivellus?" Lucius sneered.
"No," Severus snapped impatiently, "Okay, well partly. But mostly because he is an arrogant git with no reason to have such an incredibly inflated head. He walks around like he OWNS the school when really he's an insignificant blood traitoring rat of a wizard who should avada kedavra himself if he had any dignity."
"Yeah," Roddy nodded, "And I think you should give the eulogy at his wake, you really made a touching speech just now, that sure was something."
"Let us not talk of Gryffindors any longer, I'm getting a stomach ache," I moaned, clutching my stomach in mock pain, "I want to discuss happy things. Like when our next DEY meeting is. All we discussed last time was giving everyone our account of meeting the Dark Lord, which was well and I good, but I am a woman of action-"
"I know from experience," Lucius chuckled, as Roddy elbowed him roughly in the chest, glowering as I continued.
"Anyway, you bloody perv, I am a woman who wants to take action in regards to the DEY, and I want to do it soon. We have a new years resolution, do we not? To outdo our last escapade, and that's going to take a lot of brain storming, followed by careful planning, and then decisive action, so the sooner we commence, the sooner we celebrate!"
"All right, well you have your meeting with the headmaster tonight for Salazar knows what purpose," Lucius said thoughtfully, "So tomorrow evening, spread the word. The second DEY meeting of the term will take place at 9pm, the usual room, the usual format, and the brain storming will begin."
"Beautiful," Roddy grinned, "I do love chaos."
"Then start thinking about how to make some, Roddy" Dolohov encouraged as we reached the library, ignoring the fearful glances we earned from a table of hufflepuff third years, who shrunk in their seats as we passed.
"After my charms essay, mate, my mum always reminds me 'academics before evil schemes, Rodolphulus!'"
"Does she really now?" Lucius laughed.
"Nah, mostly she just says she'll send a howler if my grades are less than perfect and to make sure I find a nice girl to marry," He said with a grin, "Lucky I have the perfect grades, because the girl I'm marrying isn't very nice."
"How dare you!" I said, a little too loudly for a library, earning a dirty look from Madame Pince.
"I don't want a nice girl," Roddy said, with a low laugh, "I want you, Bella, my twisted little princess."
"That's sweet, I think," I smirked, "Anyway, there are many, many things I would prefer to be than nice."
"Good thing," Lucius remarked casually, as he opened his transfiguration text book, "Because nice is the last attribute I'd give you."
"It's the last attribute I'd give any of us," Dolohov reminded him, "Now shut up, all of you, its homework time,"
"You sound like a Ravenclaw," I whispered digging my charms book from my bag
"and you sound like a brat, get to work," he teased, and we fell into silence.
I was worried, all through my essay, about this meeting with Dumbledore. I couldn't possibly be linked to the incident we titled Operation Devastation, could I? No, I had escaped, it couldn't be. All the other rules I'd broken in the last 6 years kept running through my head, and I was practically shaking with anxiety after dinner when the time for my meeting approached. I bid Roddy a nervous farewell as I headed towards the office alone.
He was waiting for me outside the statue that lead to his head quarters, smiling slightly over his half moon spectacules. I felt an unexpected rush of affection for him, perhaps it was due to the fact, that he, like the Dark Lord, seemed to emit power. But he also emitted kindness, that even for my cold heart, was hard to ignore.
"Won't you come inside, Miss Black?" He said after whispering the password to the statue which opened us to a winding staircase that lead to a grand office, the walls lined with portraits of the former head masters, the floor carpeted in some intricate design, brightly varnished mahogany desks were covered with delicate silver intriuments that must have cost foruntes, and Dumbledore's desk was immense, behind it was a wide window with a glorious view of the grounds, the silver surface of the half frozen lake, the snow capped mountains in the distance, and the clear dark sky above us, glittering with stars.
He motioned for me to be seated in the comfortable upholstered chair before his desk, which I did delicately, twiddling my hands, my anxiety peaking. What had I done?
"Good evening, Miss Black, how are you tonight?" He asked benevolently as he took his own seat behind his desk, and for some unholy reason I wanted to reach out to this powerful, kind, sage old man. But I knew there was far more than a large polished desk in between us. So much more.
"I'm fine, thank you," I said swallowing uncomfortably, "May I ask, er, what is the reason for this appointment, sir? "
"I wish to inquire about a certain undercover organization that has been rumored to operate under your command," He explained, sounding not accusatory, but curious, "Well, under the command of Mister Lucius Malfory, and yourself. Now, not that Hogwarts forbids student groups, clubs, or study groups, but the rumor is that this particular group is one of a darker nature. It is said to be called 'The Death Eater Youth'. Such a club would glorify the murders and crimes committed by Lord Voldemort, and therefore would be advised to disband immediately in order to evade repercussions for their naiveté. Now, does any of this sound familiar to you?"
"No," I replied, and thinking of occulmency, I kept my mind blank, thinking of my charms essay. Remembering each topic sentence word for word as we locked eyes and I could have sworn he could see through me.
"If this is something you are familiar with, Miss Black, I would like to explain something to you," He said slowly, "The Dark Arts do have a certain appeal to them for many, many young witches and wizards, many of whom have very little talent, and many, who, like yourself, possess a great deal of talent. Their intrigue and mystery is fascinating, but do not be fooled by gilded dreams. The Dark Arts, are in fact Dark."
"I know, sir," I said politely, my mind on charms, only on charms homework.
"The people Voldemort kills, and do do not trick oneself into believe they are not people, have familes just as you do. They have a mother and a father-"
And I thought to myself, 'not if they're the prewetts' and had to bit back a smile,
"They have friends, loved ones. Imagine how you could feel if someone killed your fiancé, Mr. Lestrange, simply because he is a pureblood, a nameless, faceless embodiment of a prejudice. Wouldn't that break your heart, Miss Black? You cannot think of people as merely stereo-types, or as symbols of a certain idea, because then they cease to become people, and then one can justify murder."
"Ah" I nodded and cleared my throat entirely unsure of what to say. He didn't understand the people we intend to kill- they ARE JUST stereo-types, they are JUST symbols, they are the arche types of the flaws in the society. If they feel love and pain, that's their business, but its for the great good, it's the right thing, and it is what the Dark Lord believes, and how could he, in all his immense power, be incorrect? No, this wise old man was fooled by kindness, tricked by idealism. He was so weak for someone so very powerful.
"I can only hope you are understanding me, Miss Black," His eyes looked sad now, and they were such a lovely shade of blue, reminiscent of summer skies, or calm lake waters. I felt his tragedy, felt his heart pour out, but my mind was set. I tried to think of charms. I tried so very intently. Charms, charms, charms. Summoning charms, enlarging charms, shrinking charms, coloring charms, Charms, I told myself, charms.
"No, Professor, I understand" I managed to say, biting my lip and thinking of healing charms, levitating charms, bubble head charms…
"I find, Miss Black, that when someone says 'No' before 'I understand' they are only half listening and do not fully understand at all."
"Then- yes, I understand" I corrected myself a little impatiently.
"I do not believe I am getting through to you, allow me to share with you a memory?'
"A memory, sir?" I furrowed my brows, "Like, from a pensive?"
"Precisely." He pulled the strange creation where one stores their memories out from a cabinet, its silver contents whirling.
"What, may I ask, is this memory of?" I asked tentatively.
"Of the world under the reign of another evil wizard, Grindelwald." He said somberly, and then encouraged me forward and we plunged our heads into the misty silver depth of the cauldron esque contraption and suddenly we were falling, and where we landed was another world, another time.
The aged Dumbledore and I stood before an auburn haired Dumbledore, a fairly handsome man, perhaps in his late twenties, or early thirties, and beside him was a crying woman, a pretty girl with long blonde hair, and she was whimpering loudly, into the younger Dumbledore's suit vest.
"He killed my husband and my only son, Albus!" She whaled miserably, "I have nothing! I wish he had killed me too! We are muggle borns, but we are PEOPLE. We are MAGICAL! We feel pain, we feel love, we are exactly the same except I have lost my family to murder. Why? Why must I bear this suffering? My son was two, he was two years old…"
And in a moment we were hurled back into his office, the woman and the younger Dumbledore behind in the peneisive and that is where I intended to leave them.
"What do you think?" He inquired as he restored the penisive to its rightful place within one of the cabinets behind his desk.
"Sad," I mumbled, avoiding eye contact.
"Do you think that is right?" He asked, not aggressively, but assertively, "Do you think that is justified?"
"No," I lied, forcing eye contact, and listing every charm I could remember in my head.
"Did you sympathize with the woman, or with those who murdered her family?" He pressed.
"Sir, I sympathized with the widow," I insisted, growing impatient, and wanting to shout my justifications to this weak old man, to make him understand what seemed to me to be so self evident. The woman's family was unworthy. The woman's family was a detriment to the entire wizarding race. The woman's family had no names, no faces; they were the embodiments of ideas. Bad, bad ideas, that must be eradicated, but he could never bear to listen to this, he would never understand. Only the Dark Lord, only the DEY, only those with true blood and true hearts understood, saw clearly through the propaganda of the losing side, of the weak, of the poor, of the talentless, of the ignoble.
"Would you like to know what happened to Grindelwald's followers when he fell?" Dumbledore asked, all too knowingly, and I cursed myself for my breach in my thoughts of charms homework.
"If you would like to tell me, professor," I tucked my hair behind my ears and licked my lips nervously. Charms homework, Bella, charms, I kept trying to remember, to focus.
"They're in Azkaban. Well, most of them are dead. Died to the dementors, died screaming out their hearts and souls to an endless sea of emptiness and despair. Not a fun future for bright young witches and wizards, is it?"
And what would he suggest a better future be? Death as a blood traitor? Marrying a mudblood? Disgracing my family, my name, my honor, my dignity, my pride, my friends, those who I love? The causes I champion? The ideals I adore? I'd take death as a martyr over life as traitor.
"There is a time, Miss Bellatrix," Dumbledore sighed heavily, "Where one must look in the mirror, behind the physical reflection and see who they are, what they believe, what they are inside, what they are comprised of. And there is a time, when you can look back at the path you've chosen… and backtrack. They say you can never go home again, but you can build a new home, a new version, you are never stuck in your ways, or in your choices, especially as a youth."
"I know, sir," I said, my mind now intently recalling today's lecture on human transfiguration.
"There is a saying, and it goes 'promise me life, and I'll confess the truth'," Dumbledore went on, still staring directly into my blank eyes, "I am promising you life Bellatrix, if you are to confess the truth."
"You already know the truth, sir," I sighed, rubbing my tired eyes, "I have nothing to confess. And I promise myself life."
"You can be clever, young Miss Black, but try to also be wise." He sighed, and as though he sensed me growing bored of his lectures, clichés, and quotes, he stood and motioned for me to stand as well, extending his hand in kindness, shaking my own warmly.
"The door, or rather the statue, to my office, is eternally open to all who seek advice, help, or a place to calmly reflect on their charms homework."
I blushed as I broke away from our handshake and awkwardly smiled, "I thank you, sir, for your time,"
"Good evening, Miss Black." He said, and I could sense the disappointment ringing so sadly in his aged voice.
"Good evening, professor," I said politely and stopped at the doorway, wanting to offer him some small token of respect in return for his misguided kindness, "You could call me, Bella, professor, Everyone calls me Bella. I wouldn't mind, I do prefer it in fact."
"Good night, Bella," He smiled as I waved farewell and hurried down the stair well, running my fingers through my hair.
I sighed deeply, feeling frustrated. Why did he have to waste his time attempting to pollute my mind and my values? Why were some people, despite talent, so entirely delusional? Why were so many people so very wrong? It was irritating to the point of anger. I slammed my fist into a wall in passing, wishing there was some scurrying first year off the the library whom I could take out this frustration on.
It was as though he was THREATENING me with Azkaban. I'm not doing to fucking prison. I'm going to be a heroine. I am a warrior. I serve the greatest wizard in the bloody world, and I am not a criminal, I am warrior for justice, for purity, and the only bloodshed, will be in the name of the ignoble, and the impure, and the downright foolish and I am not to be blamed for doing what is right, for serving my master, for serving the greater good.
Nonsense, such nonsense from such a revered wizard. It infuriates me how clouded his vision is, and why he decided to pawn all this useless knowledge, propaganda, and emotional ploys for pity on me, is beyond my knowledge, but I am positively irate.
I don't give a damn about some mudblood who lost her family Merlin knows how many decades ago.
And yet, the images refused to leave my mind. So I summoned firewhiskey, grabbed Roddy and ran off with him to the green hallway where we drank and made love until I couldn't think about anything anymore.
And when I go to sleep this evening, I will think solely of charms, recounting every lesson from the past 6 years in my head if I bloody well have to, because Dumbledore will pollute my mind no longer, his visions will infuriate me no more, haunt me never again.
If I run out of charms lessons, I'll go to history of magic, or count hippogriffs flying over a fence, just anything but that damn conversation. Why must people fight the inevitable? Why must people be delusioned? It's a twisted world, diary, its all mixed up, and all I am trying to do is FIX IT.
And yes, somehow I appear to be the bad guy.
What a foolish, beautiful, twisted world. I'm going to reflect on charms and hopefully succumb to sleep. That would be a delight.
Good evening,
Love,
Bella
January 10th,
Dear diary,
Before the meeting today I thought I'd get some work done in library, I know how innocent of me, but I am still a student. And I thought I'd go alone to try and get some work done with commentary from my extremely talkative friends. I spent two hours there before I had entirely succumbed to boredom and it was then, on my way out the door, when Lily Evans passed me, and in a split second, I really couldn't say why, but we both stopped and stared at each other with loathing behind our eyes, and I felt my heart beat grow faster, with hatred.
"Hi mudblood," I snapped coldly, "What do you want?"
"I want this all to stop," she sighed, the hatred mostly gone from her voice, which sounded merely… tired.
"Pardon?" I furrowed my brows, shaking my head in confusion.
"Your efforts in your stupid Death Eater Youth have… motivated my friends into actions that I believe are below them."
"Actions, such as?" I pressed, my mouth falling open in surprise.
"Look, I despise you," Lily breathed disgustedly, "But this has gone on long enough, you might as well know this much. My friends have assigned themselves… a target…"
"A target?" I laughed, "Like, each of your friends I targeting one of my friends? To do what? Reprimand them?"
"Not to reprimand you lot of mentalists, they want revenage, they want to hurt or humiliate you or something," She sighed angrily, "And I think its all wrong. Just stop bothering them, and maybe they'll stop bothering you. There is enough hatred and violence in the world, why must we create more within a school, a safe place? I want it to stop!"
"Who is targeting who then?"I demanded, ignoring her pacifist ramblings.
"James is targeting Severus," She sighed, "Sev and I, well… we don't talk anymore, he's too involved in your psycho club, but I don't want him hurt. Just tell him to watch out."
"Watch out for what?"I laughed, "Is Potter going to throw his broomstick at him?"
"Look, take me seriously," She pleaded, growing annoyed, "I'm trying to do the right thing here. Listen when I say they've had enough with your club, with all your antics. Gideon is targeting your dear Lucius, Frank is on Lestrange, Sirius is on Dolohov, and well-"
"Let me guess," I drawled, rolling my eyes, "Fabian is targeting me? And you and Tonks refused to participate in something so…. Slytherin."
"Yes, well no one ever said you were stupid," Lily shrugged, clutching her books closer to her chest.
"What do they say, Evans?" I smirked, fully able to imagine the adjectives they would choose.
"Well, you curse everyone weaker than you in the goddamn hallways, so they say you're a bitch." Lily began, glowering at me with her almond shaped green eyes, "You hate anyone who isn't a pureblood maniac, so they call you prejudice. You pretended to date Gideon to get to Fabian, and you immediately got engaged to Lestrange after being Lucius's play thing for 5 years, so they say you're a slut. And you co-founded the Death Eater Youth, so they call you a psycho, and a future murder. But no one has ever called you stupid, and no one has ever called you ugly. I wish you were one of those things; you'd be a lot less dangerous. And a lot less arrogant."
"Yes, yes, what a shame," I rolled my eyes, "You know if you were on the other side of this war, and not a pacifist, filthy mudblood, you'd be a good friend. See, I usually despise other girls because they're weak. You're impure, you're delusional, you're a bit of a bitch yourself, but you aren't weak. Shame, everything else about you is horrid."
"Cheers, Bella," She sneered, emphasizing my nickname.
"You insist on calling me Bella with your mudblood tongue?" I snickered.
"I'll call you whatever I please." She smirked, "Now go fuck yourself, Bella, I've said what I had to say."
"Cheers. Lils," I snapped, turning from her and storming away, realizing I was slightly late for the DEY meeting.
When I arrived all eyes were on me and Lucius motioned for me to take my usual seat on the desk.
"And you are 5 minutes late, because?" Lucius asked as I sat beside him, waving at Roddy who grinned back.
"Busy getting valuable information from none other than Lily Mudblood Evans," I noticed Severus open his eyes wider than normal, and his gaze was intently focused forward as I spoke, "Apparently her wee Gryffindor friends have gotten all desperate and pathetic and decided to 'target' certain members of this organization. Namely, Potter targets Sev, Frank Longbottom targets Roddy, my loser cousin Sirius is on Dolohov, Gideon is after you, Lucius, and as for mself, Fabian is still a bit revenge sick."
"Why did the mudblood spill the bertie botts beans on their little plan?" Rosier questioned, skeptically.
"Because she's all blah, blah, blah I hate aggression, lets be friends even though I hate you blah, blah, im a pacifist mudblood, blah, de blah-"
"We get it, Bella," Lucius cut me off, laughing slightly, "Now this is quite simply solved in my opinion. We target them back. Everyone heard who they're being targeted by? Well, you go after them with more force and aggression than a pathetic Gryffindor can summon. "
"What if we double up?" Rosier chimed in, "I'm sick of watching and planning. I want action."
"Hire a whore," Lucius advised dismissively.
"I can't, Bella is engaged," He sneered and as I reached forward to curse him, Lucius snatched my wand warm and glared me down. Rolling my eyes, I pocketed my want and flicked off Rosier, who looked very smug, until Roddy flicked his want and suddenly Rosier's desk was overturned and he was moaning in a decent amount of pain on the floor with a desk on top pf him. Impatiently, Lucius flicked up the desk, and the dizzied Rosier, glowering at Roddy all the while.
"In spite of my personal opinion of Rosier," Roddy began before Lucius could reprimand him for his desk flipping, "which is that he's a little scumbag, I think he's right. Two Slytherins targeting every Gryffindor with the nerve enough to challenge US, the fucking Death Eater Youth. Let's make sure they realize who they're dealing with. And two on one seems like a good idea."
"Fine," Lucius agreed after thinking a moment, "But I'm assigning everyone,"
"Unless we veto it, dictator Malfoy," Roddy agreed, smirking.
"I don't care who vetos what, my word is final, I'm president," he insisted, sounding a bit childish, "So Roddy, you and Rosier can go against Longbottom together."
"For fucks sake," Roddy sighed, glaring at Rosier.
"Hey buddy," Rosier laughed.
"May I continue or would you two like to carry on?" Lucius sneered at the two frenemies.
"I'm quite finished," Roddy assured him.
"Delightful," Lucius drawled in a tone that illustrated his boredom, "Now, Alecto Carrow, you're with Dolohov, and Amycus Carrow, you're with Severus. Rookwood, you'll be working with myself against Gideon Prewett, head boy aka head blood traitor. And Barty Junior, how about you assist Bellatrix against mister Fabian Prewett?"
There was a loud uproar of consent and excitement before Lucius called the meeting back to order, "Now as for the matter of procuring the map, I've decided we must wait until Slughorns annual end of term party, he will be intoxicated, and it will leave him no time to search our rooms. And as for outdoing operation devastation, I think we should handle this targeting business first. I will allow the pairs to work out their own strategies, if any of you imbeciles can't figure out some simple humiliation, just ask myself or Bellatrix, its probably our expertise. Thus, our meeting is dismissed, leaving in fives in five minute intervals, and have a lovely evening, my future Death Eaters."
The members lined up at the door, yawning and happily discussing the odds and tactics everyone should be using on their targets.
'Barty caught up with me while I stood with Roddy, kissing him eagerly and berating Lily Evans at length.
""When should we do our planning, Bella?" Junior asked brightly, he looked so enthusiastic I had to smile at him.
"Tomorrow the planning begins,"I assured him, "And let's just say this- Fabian Prewett is going DOWN."
"Here, here!" Junior grinned
And tonight, as I lay in bed, waiting to feel even remotely sleepy, I can just imagine how sweet every second of revenge against Fabian Prewett will be, because his pain will be my happiness.
And before I laid in bed tonight, I saw a star.
And I wished for glory.
Love,
Bella