Rabastan Lestrange, The Life and Times of a Dark Wizard
Chapter 2, Cruel Summer
The most depressing day of Rabastan's childhood was when Rod headed off for Hogwarts. He and his parents went to see Rod off at the train station. Rod solemnly promised to write at least twice a week. Originally Rabastan actually wanted him to write daily, but Rod insisted there couldn't possibly be enough to say for a daily letter.
The two stepped away from their parents, just standing together in awkward silence before Rod boarded the train. Rabastan stood with his small hands stuffed into his pockets, struggling with his entire six year old heart not to burst into tears. His lip trembled, but he held the tears in, because he was a man!
"Come on! It'll be exciting," Rod said in a coaxing tone.
Rabastan bit down hard on his lip when it began to tremble even harder.
"For you! I won't be there. You're leaving me forever!"
Rod laughed.
"Not forever, silly. Only for a few months. The Christmas break shall be here before we know it. And it's going to be exciting for both of us, because everything I learn, I'll pass on to you. Then when you start you'll have a far easier time of it. You can just hang with me and not even have to study."
That sounded good, but all that would be so far away. Rabastan wouldn't be starting at Hogwarts for five more long years."
"Hey you!"
The voice belonged to Bellatrix. She'd come up to join them without his even noticing. At sight of Bella, Rabastan cracked, sobbing as he fell against her, hands reaching up to cling to the skirts of her long green dress.
"Bella! I don't want you and Rod to go! I mean...I guess I don't care if you go, but I wanna come too! Can't you sneak me on the train or something?"
He spluttered the words through his tears like a baby and didn't even care anymore. He'd just have to be a man later.
He'd only just come up with that particular idea of being sneaked onto the train and his big tear filled eyes were wide with hope as he peered up at Bella.
"Oh baby," she crooned sympathetically, kneeling down to scoop him into her arms.
He missed the look of gratitude and relief that an extremely uncomfortable Rod gave her behind his back.
"It isn't somewhere you want to go," Bella assured gently as she rocked him.
"We'll be forced to do dreadful, grueling assignments, attending boring classes with stuffy professors and worst of all we must share a dorm with several insufferable people. You're so lucky you get five more years of freedom."
"Is it really going to be that bad," he asked, shuddering in horror.
"It is," Bella said gravely.
Rabastan shot an accusatory look at his older brother.
"You never told me that."
"Well...I wanted to spare you...so you'd not worry too much about me," Rod stammered.
"You said it'd be great," Rabastan said.
Rod nodded.
"Well it will be when you're there with me. I'll just have to be strong until then...and Bella will help me, won't you," he asked, giving Bellatrix a smile that made her blush, which Rabastan found weird.
"Sure. We'll start by sitting together on the train so we can avoid everyone else, because you know they shall all probably be gitish or annoying," Bella announced.
Rod nodded, looking happy to be sitting with her on the train.
"Sure. And I'll carry your trunks."
Rod was already big and strong for his age. He liked to use their uncle's weights. Their father kept saying he intended to, and that being in shape was very important, but it was always Rod who actually got around to doing it.
"It's time, Roddy," their mum called.
As Rabastan watched, an odd empty feeling growing in the pit of his stomach, Rod hugged the parents as Bella's hugged her. Both sets of parents smiled happily as Rod and Bella boarded the train together.
"Who wants ice cream," Rabastan's father asked.
"I do," Bella's dad replied happily and all the parents laughed. After a second or two Rabastan laughed too, because it was funny when parents remembered they liked good stuff too. So they went to Florean Fortescue's for ice cream with Bella's parents and two sisters. They were both far older than Rabastan so would begin at Hogwarts far sooner than he would. He was nearly jealous until he remembered how dreadful Bella said it would be.
The next week, he received letters from both Rod and Bella! The fact she'd written without him telling her to made him feel really special. Of course both were sorted into Slytherin house. Rod told him all about the classes he was taking and the new friends he'd made. He really liked transfigurations, charms and herbology so far.
His new friends weren't as smart as him so they did whatever he said, which he also liked. He assured Rabastan that when he got to school, they'd be dumb enough to do whatever he said as well. Bella didn't enjoy things as much. She did not like her dorm mates, mentioning a particular cow' named Rita Skeeter who lied all the time about everything, even stupid things that hardly mattered. Bella wanted to smash her face in a lot. The classes were boring and pointless for the most part. Bella said she learned more useful spells from the family house elf, which made Rabastan laugh.
He wrote both back at once, telling them all about the three books he was currently reading, and how the families had gone for ice cream together after seeing Bella and Rod off. He said they should make some fun plans for the holidays.
He'd already started counting down the days until they returned from break on his mum's calendar. He promised Bella that as soon as he started Hogwarts, he'd prank Rita Skeeter cow but good. He had five years to think up a good prank, so he promised that it would be brilliant. Thinking of things like that did make it easier, but he was lonely with Rod gone.
They'd done everything together, and now, for the most part, he played alone. His parents did try to fill the void Rod had left, but they weren't funny like Rod even if they were nice. When he got too bored and lonely, he'd go into Rod's room and read his books. Rod had said he could before leaving for Hogwarts, so it was alright. Being in Rod's room made Rabastan miss him even more, though, rather than making him feel as if Rod was still there at home with him. The books were complicated and confusing at times, but at least trying to understand them kept him occupied.