Oh, hello! Don't mind me, I'm just randomly dropping by and leaving this chapter here.
Prechapter warnings: This is Bellatrix's chapter, expect insanity. On that note, I'm not sure if I'd be happy if this sounds convincingly crazy (might be indicative of an underlying condition on my part). Also, there's some mild implicit sexual content, so for you preteens or younger reading this, what are you doing here, anyway? Didn't you see the rating of this fic?
But for those of you who are old enough, I trust that the modern education system has prepared you well enough for this content, so enjoy!
Chapter 9: Bellatrix
Drip, drip, drop!
Oh, how wonderful it is to hear the soft pitter-patter of blood on hardwood. I always did find exquisite joy in inflicting pain on others, but truly, there is nothing more arousing than seeing a true man shed the blood of your precious nephew. Mmn! I can almost hear his soft moans of pain from those slightly parted, lusciously red lips. His pale skin and bright crimson eyes, piercing your soul. Hmmmnn, just thinking about it turns me the fuck on.
I love torturing. I always wondered how deeply I could wound a person before I managed to break them, make them scream and beg for mercy. Which is why I love torturing people ever so slowly. But there's an art to it, you see. Go too quickly and you might just end up killing the victim. Go too slow and you drain all his strength to scream and squirm and beg, then they die, too. It is imperative that you keep within that very edge of their tolerance and sanity. Not too much and not too little, I sang to myself.
But I find that I can always find the right tempo with my, err, subjects. I am, after all, very patient with my toys. Much like with a lot of other things, I tell you, the foreplay is the best part! I don't mind working hard for the climax of the century, if you know what I mean.
I haven't tortured any pure bloods in a while. They're the hardest to get a tempo on. You see, they are proud enough to not admit when they are already in more pain than they can handle, but much too cowardly to keep up the charade for too long. So you get damn excited at the beginning, but quickly lose interest once they break.
But Gryffindors, they're a whole different story. Oh, true to their characters, they are challenging to the bitter end. I do so love torturing those fools. Because foolish they maybe, but they are a whole lot of fun. I did a Gryffindor couple a few years back. They were probably the most fun I had torturing in forever! They were so resilient, which made the prospect of breaking them all the more electrifying.
Longbottom, yes, that was their name. I've been playing with them for months before the Aurors finally found us and rescued them. I really even forgot what I had been torturing them for, aside from pleasure, that is. They weren't exactly in the right of mind when they were rescued.
I heard they had a son, met him even at the Department of Mysteries last month. I wonder if he's any fun?
Then again, if he's anything like my nephew Draco, then I know he'd be a waste of time. Honestly, that fucking idiot Lucius spoiled the kid. He's grown up to be a spineless coward, just like his father. I really don't understand what Nacissa saw in that fool. True that he's handsome and powerful and rich, but he is not a real man. Not like my lord. Then again, Cissy also played a large role in the boy's upbringing. So then I suppose she is just as equally to blame for Draco's cowardliness.
My lord is the perfect example of what a man should be like. Strong, powerful, commanding. Deranged, bloodthirsty, psychotic, very much like me. I would give my life to serve him.
Oh, but silly me. I forgot to continue telling you what is happening right now. Although I'm not entirely sure if you're even real or just in my head. But somehow, I feel like opening up to you. It really is hard to focus on the here and now when there are as many voices in your head as there are in mine. Then again, I never did like a quiet room.
Like this one I am in. I know that I'm crazy, so I guess this empty, clean white space is not in my head. After all, I am barely sane enough to declutter my head like this. Or perhaps this is what a truly crazy, psychotic mind is like?
I looked around. There is nothing but white space, as far as the eye could see here- Oh, wait. There's Draco over there by the giant set of stone doors. Huh, what's he doing in my head?
I was about to call out to him, but the doors started to swing open with an eerie creak. It moaned and groaned on invisible hinges until it opened wide with a great thud.
"I never knew you wizards would also be able to open the Gate. Well, at least not that many of you, anyway," a multitude of voices spoke behind me.
"That's odd," I said aloud. Who cares if someone else heard me? I am in my own head anyway. "I know that there are a lot of voices in my head, but I've never known them to speak in one mind." I turned around to see a white silhouette with the widest grin humanly possible.
The voices laughed, "You are a funny one. Pity that I can't keep you for much longer. Goodbye, Bellatrix."
Well, fuck me willy-nilly and call me crazy. The voices in my head never called me by my name, either. I was about to say something to it, when a great flash of white light blinded me.
When I'd blinked the dark spots out of my vision, I saw on the table a boy in a long, red cloak. I caught him talking rudely to my lord, so I screamed at him, "How dare you address the Dark Lord in such a disrespectful way?!"
The boy turned to smirk at me. He looked at me from head to toe, not recognizing who I was. So he turned back to my lord, "So you're him, the Dark Mold, Lord Voldiesnot? Mind if we lose the excess baggage and talk privately, Voldie? You don't mind if I call you Voldie, do you? Or do you prefer Baldy?"
"HOW DARE YOOOOUUUUU?!" Was that for him ignoring me or for him calling the Dark Lord by such a derogatory nickname? I really didn't care, all I know is that I wanted him dead!
I drew out my wand and aimed it at him, "Avada Kedavra!" I shouted, throwing the killing curse at him.
He fluidly rolled out of the way. Strange that I see such a nimble boy. As far as I know, most wizards tend to be quite the lethargic pigs for depending too much on magic. Besides, not even the Muggles of this continent are known to be so nimble. Probably the weather, you know? Too cold to be so active.
Although really not the point (see what I mean about distractions?). The main point is that, where exactly did this boy come from, anyway? No, seriously, where? I think I'm sure that he wasn't here before, and he most definitely is not a figment of my imagination, is he? Hard to tell sometimes what's real and what's not in this head of mine.
But no, I am a hundred percent sure he's not imaginary. Because if he were, then I would be aiming this killing curse at my nephew right now.
I was about to throw another curse, when lightning crackled up from the table. Before my eyes, I saw the wood warp into a giant hand and grabbed me. It pushed me backwards so hard that its fingertips actually embedded into the wall behind me.
The force of the impact knocked the wind out of me. It's even harder to find air with the hand crushing my ribs. My wand rolled out of my grip when it slackened. Blood flow to some parts of my hands are cut off under the pressure.
"You fucking son of a bitch! Let me out of here or I swear I will skin you alive!" I screamed at him as I struggled against the wooden hand. Does my threat make sense? Well, not right now. But you can be sure, I never break a promise.
From the corner of my eye, I saw Cissy just gaping at me. "Don't just stand there, Cissy, do something!" I hissed at her.
That snapped her out of her shock. She drew out her wand and was about to throw a spell at the hand when I heard something large creak and groan. Not soon after, it crashed to the ground. I turned to see that the great oak table fell into heaps of lumber. Beyond the mess, I see my lord and Draco both safely out of the way of the collapse, but my lord was rummaging through the debris.
"What have you done? WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!" my lord yelled at the mystery boy. He drew out his own wand and aimed it at him.
Yes, kill him! Avenge me, my lord, my love!
Just then, Nagini found her way toward the boy and, in no time at all, started attacking him. She aimed her powerful jaws at the boy's pulse, but he caught her just before the fang broke the skin. They struggled for some time. Soon Nagini found the boy's neck with her tail and started strangling him.
The Dark Lord now stood at the head of the boy, looking down on him as his life was getting choked out of him. "I would kill you myself, but I rather think that it is dinner time, and Nagini needs to feed."
I really hate that snake, Nagini, I mean. It might seem stupid to be jealous of my Master's relationship with a snake, but not many people know that she is actually a woman, too.
And I meant that in the most literal sense, of course. Nagini is a maledictus, a person carrying a blood curse, already degraded into nothing more than a mindless beast. Meaning, she was once human herself. And from the rumors I heard, she was said to be quite enchanting, too.
Which is why I cannot allow her to win the Dark Lord's heart before I do. I just know it, that slut has her eyes on my Lord as well. I cannot let her have him! I swear, the first thing I will be doing after having my lord's love for my own is to kill that snake with my bare hands! Then, I suppose her skin would make for a nice new leather holster, don't you think?
While all eyes had been on the wrestling match between the boy and the snake, I glimpsed Draco bend over and fall to his knees, as if in pain. He was clutching at his head, grunting and groaning. Suddenly, his body jerked and his back arched so far that I thought it would break.
When his shoulders slumped back forward, his head lolled to the side. It must be the poor lighting in the room, but somehow there's something different about his eyes. They seemed mismatched, one of them its usual color of pale silver, the other a rich, deep purple. I thought I saw the corner of his mouth twitch into a smirk. Slowly and shakily, he raised one elegant finger and lightly brushed at Nagini's scales.
Instantly, the giant viper writhed in pain, losing her grip on the boy she was just about to kill. Then her movements slackened before stopping altogether. I realized that she was now dead.
Draco shook his head, as if warding off the haziness of his expression. It was as if he was seeing the scene before him for the first time. I saw his face slowly morph from confusion to shock to horrified. He quickly stood up and backed away from the scene. What just happened?
"Nagini! What did you do to her, Draco?!" The Dark Lord screamed at him. Although it is true that my heart aches that my lord is so devastated at the death of that slimy, slithering whore, I am still glad that she is finally dead. But what bothers me is the fact that nothing about what I just saw made any sense. Why would Draco want to kill Nagini? What happened to him earlier? Did I see all that right? Am I going crazy?
Well, scratch that last one. I have already been crazy for a long time now.
I was broken out of my internal ramblings when the room was illuminated by a sickly green light. I watched the curse flying towards Draco as he stupidly froze staring at it. I watched as Cissy jumped in its way, hugging Draco, protecting him from the curse. I watched as the curse hit her square between the shoulder blades. I watched as she fell to the ground in a lifeless heap. I screeched as I helplessly clawed at the wooden hand that pinned me.
Cissy was dead, trying to protect her worthless son. This is all Draco's fault. My sister is dead and it's all his fault! He will pay for taking my sister from me!
A resounding clap rang out in the room before electric blue lightning fizzled on the ground around the mysterious boy. The ground shifted, and I felt the hand's hold on my loosened by the quaking of the ground. Before me, thick tendrils of marble rose from the floor and encased my lord in a giant sphere. Once the structure was complete, the boy escaped with Draco in tow.
I finally managed to get myself free. I picked up my wand and ran towards the limp body of my sister. Her lifeless eyes were staring blankly at the ceiling, a ghost of worry still evident on her face. You were a fool, Cissy. Jumping in front of that blast, what were you thinking? All for your failure of a son?
I refused to cry, to show any sign of weakness. I will get my revenge, this I promise you, Cissy! I closed her eyes and stood up. Turning, I raised my wand with the full intent to free my lord, but as I was lining up to shoot the hex, the sphere blew apart from within.
The Dark Lord was seething with rage, "What are you fools waiting for? After them!"
I bowed before dragging the coward Pettigrew from the corner he was cowering in. We started to chase the two boys around the house. I went on blasting every door or wall that blocked my path, chasing down the faintest signs of their passage. But they've had too much of a headstart to be sure that we're still following their trail.
I thought I heard someone through the door to my left, so I came to a stop and listened.
"Why'd we stop? Are they here?" the rat behind me asked.
"If you would shut up, then I'm sure we'd find out," I snapped at him.
Suddenly, sounds of screaming and cursing bursted from the other side of the door I was listening to. Now I was sure they went through here.
I quickly blew the door down, in time to see both boys step into the fireplace, the floo network activated. "Draco?! You're helping him? You killed your mother - my sister - and now you're helping him?!"
For a split second, his eyes met mine. I never quite understood the look he gave me, but neither did I care to decipher what that was supposed to mean. All I care about is getting back at him for taking from me the last family I have left.
I charged at the fireplace, just as Draco shouted, "Malfoy safehouse!" The green flame burst up and engulfed the two figures in the fireplace.
Oh no, you don't! You won't get away!
I dragged Wormtail in and jumped into the fire, desperately grasping at whatever we could hold on to, finding something and holding on with a death grip. I felt the sensation of traveling, flitting through the floo system.
But the pressure of the magic pulling at me and whoever I had grabbed onto was too much, it pulled us apart mid transport. The world spun more violently than before. I tumbled into a fireplace, hitting the crumbling bricks that flanked it a bit too hard. It took me a while to get my bearings. The groan beside me told me that Pettigrew made it here with me, as well.
Farther off into the corner of the dusty room were moans and groans of pain. It took another minute for my eyes to adjust to the darkness. I saw a figure kneeling over another that was lying across his lap.
I adjusted my hold on my wand and forced my uncooperative legs to support my weight. I stepped halfway out the fireplace and shouted at him, "Draco, you traitor!"
Just as I was about to throw a jinx at them, the same mysterious, electric blue lightning flashed and I found myself facing a wall that hadn't been there a moment ago.
I let out a roar of rage. "Expulso!" I shouted as I fired the blasting spell at the wall. It tore the wall open, crumbled into a pile of dust and debris. It opens just in time for me to see the same eerie blue light fade.
"Draco!" I screamed at him.
Quickly, they got up and ran out of the house. I fired spell after hex after jinx after curse at them, but somehow they managed to dodge every single one.
Wormtail and I chased them across the moonlit marshes. Soon, we entered a field of tall grass. I ran straight in, following what looked like a piece of clothing floating just out of reach.
Two minutes of running in circles among the grass made me stop. For a moment, I lost both the boys and Pettigrew from my sights. I lit up my wand and spun around wildly, forcing my eyes to look for clues as to where the boys might've gone.
Suddenly, somewhere to my right, Pettigrew's voice rang out, "Fuck! I found you, you little shits!"
I quickly turned and ran toward the sound. I came to a clearing where the people I was looking for were all gathered. The mystery boy clapped his hands and touched the ground. Lightning rose from it, and it moved upwards, forming a wall around them.
Realizing that they were building a hideout, I fired a curse at them, "Avada Kedavra!"
The green light flew from the tip of my wand. It sailed through the air, headed straight for the mysterious boy's chest. But just as it was sure to hit, the improvised wall rose and blocked the curse, dissipating it into nothingness. The wall quickly rose and closed off at the top, creating a dome of hard-packed earth.
"Arrgh!" I readjusted my grip on the wand, "You think this will stop me? I will kill you, you hear me in there? I will fucking end you!"
But, of course, while blasting the damn dome to kingdom come will be much, much easier, I wanted to see them suffer. I want to hurt them, bit by bit, and with my own personal touch, of course.
"Reducto!" I flicked my wand at the dome, making sure to cut back on the power some. A part of it was broken open, but not enough to make the dome crumble. No matter, I am quite content with dissecting this piece by piece, if I have to.
I raised my wand to fire a second time, but it flew clear out of my hand. I whipped my head to see nosy Order members coming straight at me from among the reeds, wands ready to fire.
"Stupefy!" The Weasley man threw the stunning spell at me, but I jumped out of the way just in time to avoid the attack. Another came from his wife, but I managed to dodge that, as well.
I picked up my wand from where it lay and quickly conjured up a shield against the Weasley couples' rain of attacks. I poised to retaliate, but by then none other than Dumbledore himself stepped out of the reed as well.
My mind barely registered how Pettigrew was nowhere to be seen. I didn't even notice when the slimy rat slipped away. Knowing fully how outnumbered and outpowered I am, I flicked my wand again and apparated out of there.
In an instant, I was standing outside the gates of Malfoy Manor. The house still looked elegantly painted against the night sky, but somehow it feels different, now that my sister is gone. It's as if the house mocks me, as it remains a symbol of the bloodline I now hate and swear to kill. It remains as a reminder of my sister's incompetent fool of a husband and her coward, traitorous son. I swear, I will avenge my sister. I swear they will both die by my own hands.
The elf who welcomed me in knew better than to irritate me in my sour mood. She led me straight to the meeting chamber where I was from thirty minutes ago. I find the room in order once more, the great oaken table whole and upright, the damages to the wall and floor gone, as if it never happened, my sister's body lying peacefully on the table top and not on the cold hard floor. Her hair and dress arranged nearly around her. She looked at peace now.
I found the Dark Lord sitting at the head of the table. I bowed deeply to him and waited to be acknowledged. I know that he will be disappointed in my failure. I know that I will be punished for not killing the two boys for him.
I flinched when I heard the chair scrape the floor as it moved backwards, indicating that my lord had stood up. His soft, calculated footfalls echo off the walls of the empty room. He stopped close enough for me to see the hem of his robes in front of me.
My body clenched in anticipation of my punishment. I must've whimpered when he cupped my cheek, held my chin and raised my head, his eyes meeting mine. I drown in the endless depths of hus blood red eyes, thoroughly mesmerized in their beauty. "Do you hate me, Bella?" His cold breath tingles my cheeks.
"N-No, my lord! I would never!"
"Do you blame me for killing your sister?"
"No. It was her choice to protect her stupid son. If anything, it is Draco's fault for first angering you."
He smiled at me, his sharpened teeth glistening in the moonlight filtering through the large windows. I thought my heart stopped then and there. He was so perfect.
"Very well said, Bella. Rest assured that your sister will be well taken care of. She will rest among your noble ancestors in France. I will personally make sure of it."
"T-Thank you, my lord!" My head wrenched free of his hold as I bowed low to him once again. It was then I saw the great viper slithering at my lord's feet. Nagini was alive and well, once again. I don't understand. I saw her die! She was dead! How is she alive again?
I stared stupidly at her for what seemed like forever. The flicking of her tongue looked to me like she was taunting me, mocking me. Yet there is nothing I could do. Whether I like it or not, it would seem my rival has once again returned.
But there's something wrong with her. I can't quite place what it is exactly but - hang on… her eyes. They were a bright, neon yellow with flecks of bright green. But now, they were a deep purple. And the pupils, they weren't slits anymore. Her eyes looked like that of a human's!
The Dark Lord held me by my shoulders as he urged me to straighten up again, breaking my eye contact with the snake. "For your loyalty and faith in me, I shall share with you this," he swished his wand and a saucer-like object floated down beside us from where he was sitting at the head of the table.
I realized that this was a pensieve. He must have found the memory from Grindelwald's box. This must have been what he was watching earlier. I looked beyond him and saw Severus standing in the corner, with a snivelling Pettigrew cowering behind him.
"I would like to share with you this discovery," he indicated to the pensieve. I walked toward it and peered in. The world around me melted away as the memory began to play.
So that was it, the other side of that coin. How convincing was it that a crazy person was telling this? Too much? Too little?
But, as for the slight irregular update schedule, 1.) I don't exactly have a schedule, per se, to be honest (I'm not organized enough for that), and 2.) Apparently I like reading more than writing (meaning I've hit a wall on how I want the plot to move forward and I'm looking for inspiration from other works. I know what general plot I wanna do, just not the specifics of how to do it).
Therefore, I ask for your kind understanding if updates will slow down a bit (I didn't want to deplete my stocks of surplus chapters that you'd eventually really wait on me to finish a chapter to see an update. I'd like a decent amount of buffer).
That being said, please do feel free to drop your suggestions on what you want to see in this fic, I'll try to incorporate them into the storyline, as much as I can. But, honest reviews are also well-appreciated (even if they are negative. Honestly, I think criticisms aren't necessarily bad).
Which reminds me of a few things:
Kora and thecapriciousren, thanks for showing support. Super lifted my spirits. (And to all of you silent admirers of this fic, thanks as well for the overwhelming number of views. I maxed out at a total of 200+ views the day Ed's chapter was published, so gracias!).
Bloxxy, thanks for the input, but I swear I have a good reason to push the plot forward and not make Ed suffer by going through a roundabout journey to get to England. Well, that and ya girl is kind of lazy with writing really long adventure plots. Which is ironic, cuz this fic is an adventure fic. But, layf is full of inconsistencies. I do hope you stick around to see the epic plot twists I have planned (just not yet sure how to get the ideas on 'paper' tho).