Enter for the International Wizarding School Competition – Summer Camp - Week 3 - Gryffindor

Task: Write about someone looking for answers

Word count: 1,236

Warnings: AU Canon Divergence

The Devil Within

Bellatrix always knew what she wanted in her life: she wanted to be powerful. Being a Black meant that she was born into a powerful family, and she took great pride in showing to everyone that she wasn't someone they could mess with; it also meant that Bella was never going to bow to anyone.

Everyone seemed to think that she was insane, that she was the most loyal Death Eater to the Dark Lord, but what almost no one knew was that Bella was following a plan that had been put into motion long before she had even started to Hogwarts.

Bella always loved to spend time with her grandfather. Arcturus Black was a powerful man who commanded respect, practically reigned over the Wizengamot and made sure everyone knew about it. Bella wished to someday command respect just like her grandfather.

"What do you know about our story, Bella?" Arcturus asked her one day, a few months before she left for Hogwarts for the first time. "I know your father made you and your sisters learn about the history of the House of Black, our House."

"He taught us everything that he learned from you and said that we always have to put our house first and never bow to anyone, that even our Head of House follows these rules." Bella looked at her grandfather and was pleased to see that he was smiling at her. "I want to be powerful just like you one day, Grandfather."

Arcturus laughed and brought Bellatrix closer to him. "Don't worry, Bella. You're going to be a powerful witch someday, and I have a task that only you can do to help our House and I know that you're going to be a very good asset to our plans."

Bella stayed glued to her grandfather's words, knowing that he never asked any of her sisters or cousins to do something for him, and she couldn't help but stand a little taller, knowing that she was going to take part in such an important job from him. She couldn't help but feel special.

Bellatrix spent the next seven years playing the perfect Slytherin, gathering information about what the Dark Lord would want in his army and how she could be part of it. She knew that Voldemort would want to have a Black heiress like her in his army, and she wasn't going to disappoint him—she just wasn't going to tell him her plans.

"He plans to initiate me in his folds next week, Grandfather," Bellatrix told Arcturus when they met at his house. "The Dark Lord doesn't have a clue about what we are planning to do, and I doubt that he will find out."

"That's good to hear, Bella. I knew that you would be perfect for what I had in mind." Arcturus wasn't a man that complimented his grandchildren often, and Bella took pleasure in his acknowledgement. "You're going to get closer to him and discover his plans and secrets. We need some answers and I know that you'll be able to get them."

"Thank you, Grandfather. I'll do my best to get the answers that you need soon." Bella kissed her grandfather's hand and with a mischievous smile—very similar to her cousin Sirius's—she left the house, ready to start their plan.

Bellatrix knew that she was the most valuable Death Eater in the ranks. Everyone thought that she was vicious and committed to the cause; this worked well in her favour since she could snoop around all that she wanted and no one would bat an eye.

Arcturus wanted answers about how the Dark Lord was gaining power so quickly, and she wasn't going to fail him. It was difficult to pretend that she worshipped a man that she thought was so inferior, but Bellatrix was a good actress and she knew how to play her part well.

"Do you know why I chose you to be my second-in-command, Bella?" Voldemort asked her one day, and she had to stop a grimace at the familiar way he used her name. No one besides her family called her Bella.

"Why, My Lord?" Bella asked, trying to play the maniac faithful follower that he expected from her.

"Because you're ruthless when it comes to our plans. You help wipe out the mudbloods and blood traitors with more vigor than any other follower and even enjoy everything that you do to them," Voldemort replied, smiling at her with a sickening smile. "You're what I expected when I started the Death Eaters, my darling."

Bellatrix took a deep breath and waited to see what else he was going to say before she could leave and report to Grandfather. She still needed Voldemort to answer some of her questions, and she wasn't going to fail in her mission.

"Thank you, My Lord, you're the one that made all of this possible," Bellatrix replied, bowing deep while grimacing at the floor. "I wish to understand how you could have amassed so much power in so little time."

Voldemort looked at Bellatrix like he was studying her; Bella, for her part, stayed quiet, letting him probe her mind. Arcturus had taught all his grandchildren how to protect their minds and project false memories to fool anyone that would be foolish enough to try to look into their minds.

"You have an inquisitive mind, Bella, and that's one of the things that made you my lieutenant." Voldemort looked like he was satisfied with what Bella had shown him. "It was quite simple actually. It was something that I started when I was only a teenager. Tell me, Bella, have you ever heard about horcruxes?"

Bellatrix looked at the Dark Lord like Christmas had come early: this is what her grandfather had asked her to discover, and she was ready to go back to Grimmauld Place and tell him everything that she had found.

"Horcruxes, you say?" Arcturus asked Bellatrix later that night when she returned to his house. "As in more than one? Are you certain about that?"

"Yes, I'm certain. The way the Dark Lord talked, it seemed like he had made more than one," Bella replied, trying to recall everything that the Dark Lord had said. "I don't know the exact number yet, but I know that it's more than one."

Arcturus had a calculated look on his face, and Bellatrix knew that this meant that he was making plans for their next step. Bellatrix was never going to follow Voldemort to the end, but she was ready to fight alongside her family for the control of the world.

The Blacks were once a powerful family that held many prestigious positions around the Wizard World, and with Bella and her sisters and cousins working behind the scenes, the House of Black would soon become as illustrious as it had been.

"You did good, Bella," Arcturus said and sent a small smile towards Bellatrix, who smiled back. "Tell your sisters that we'll need to reunite soon to start putting our plans in motion."

"Of course, Grandfather," Bella said, kissing Arcturus' ring and leaving his study.

She knew that she was going to look around and try to discover more about the Dark Lord's plans. She was going to be the best asset that her grandfather needed. Bellatrix was the devil in their folds, and she was going to use that to her advantage.