"So, Sirius . . . you heard what your mummy said. You have to let me play
with you," I said delicately, staring hard at him as soon as our parents
were gone. I was no longer mad, so it did not hurt him.
He glowered back. "I don't want to play with you. You're bossy and mean and I don't like you."
I crossed my arms. "Dear cousin, I hate you just as much, perhaps more. But there are certain things that are more important than just what you think of me. We're family. We have to be on good terms.."
Sirius smirked. "I don't have to like you if I don't want to. If being loyal to my family means I have to pretend to like you, then forget it. I don't want to be part of the family."
I laughed. "I bet your mummy never told you what happens to people that are traitors to the family, did she?"
Andromeda, who had been watching us cautiously the entire time, suddenly spoke up meekly, trying to stem the fight. "Bella . . . you can play with us if you really want to. I- I don't mind."
Sirius groaned. I grinned. "Thank you, 'Meda. I'm glad YOU have proper respect for me and the family line. So . . . what shall we play?"
"I'm not playing with you. I hate you," said Sirius again shortly, this time a little more insistently.
I shot him the look of death again. "Then we'll play something that allows you to continue to hate me," I snapped. "So you don't have to go through all that trouble. We can play . . . " my eyes fell across the dropped wand just inches from my feet, " . . . Duel."
I dove for the wand. Sirius's eyes had widened, and he made a motion to go after it as well, but I was faster. I stood up and he drew back, staring hard at the wand which was now pointed between his eyes.
The thin piece of wood spread a remarkable feeling through my entire body. I had never held a wand before. It was as if the wand glowed within my fingers, throbbing with power that began to course within my very veins. I could feel its heat spreading along my arm, its power surging within me. I felt powerful, just as powerful if not more so than I had the day I had discovered my secret gift. I didn't even need to be angry to wield this power. It was all there, within me, capable of being released through the simple staff of wood and dragon heartstring I held in my hand.
"Bella . . . " Andromeda gasped. "Put Aunty's wand down."
I simply giggled, my eyes still on Sirius.
"Please, Bella . . . you're not supposed to!" Andromeda continued to plead. I knew very well I would be in huge trouble if I were caught with the wand, Mother had always been so avid about keeping us children away from weapons until we were of age, and we had been told expressly never to pick up our parents' or aunt's or uncle's wand. Still, I ignored her.
Sirius did not seem to mind. "Go on. I dare you," he said, eyes alight.
I felt a giant throb in the power within me. Something told me he would have been screaming in pain on the floor if I hadn't been holding the wand. With the wand, I could harness my power anytime, but I needed to know the spell.
The spell . . . I didn't know any spells.
I strained my memory to think of what my father and Uncle Rigel had been discussing just moments earlier. What spells had they mentioned? I could only recall one of them, the lesser one . . .
Sirius's eyes were still taunting me. I gripped the wand and shouted, "Incendo!"
Nothing happened. Sirius grinned.
I couldn't stand it. "Incentio! Incendrio!" I waved the wand, practically swinging it, as if I were beating something in front of me. Sirius began to laugh, accelerating and rising in pitch as I failed over and over. A few red sparks showered out of the top at one point, but that was all.
I screamed with wrath and frustration, heedless of the fact that all my cousins were staring-- and one was laughing. I looked like an utter fool. It did not occur to me to drop the wand and simply stare pain into Sirius.
"INCENDIO!" I screamed a finally time. The wand was pointed haphazardly at Narcissa's dollhouse, but I succeeded. The dollhouse burst into flames several feet high. Andromeda, Regulus, and Narcissa all screamed. The two smallest cousins leapt to their feet and backed to the wall, staring in horror at the terror I had wreaked on their plaything. I looked from the bonfire to the small wand in my hand, amazed at my power.
Regulus was crying, Andromeda was dead shocked, and even Narcissa was whimpering, but Sirius was laughing at the top of his lungs. I rounded on him.
"I can do it to you." I said coldly, the dollhouse blazing behind me. "I know the spell now."
He stopped laughing, but his eyes continued to mock me. He still dared . . .
"Incedio!" I jabbed the wand in front of me like a fencing rapier and a jolt of red light flew from the end.
His eyes widened and he dipped to the side; the light flew over his shoulder and become a fireball on the wall behind him. I had missed; I screamed in aggravation.
Sirius was laughing at me. "Come on, you can do better than that!"
I whipped the wand again and cried "Incendio!"
He ducked again. I had missed once again; half the couch caught on fire. Andromeda leapt off of it in sheer terror and dashed to the side of Regulus and Narcissa, who were backing away from the quickly swelling inferno. All three of my set fires were growing quickly; there was little room for them to stand that was not being consumed by the raging flames.
Still, Sirius laughed.
Suddenly, our parents appeared in the doorway, running, shocked. "Fire!" my father shouted. "Put it out! Put it out! Aquarius Charm!"
"Where's my wand?" shrieked my aunt. Then she saw it in my hand. Her face blanched-- I knew she comprehended everything. She bounded over to me, knocked me to the ground, and pulled the wand from my hand. I stared up silently around at the adults as they dashed from inferno to inferno, dousing them with water sprayed from their wands. Andromeda was holding Regulus, who was sobbing onto her sleeve. Narcissa was staring with glazed- over eyes at her destroyed dollhouse. Sirius folded his arms and stood above me, grinning, his eyes also on his parents.
Finally, when all of the flames were gone and the living room smoked around us, sizzling quietly, charred and burnt, all four of them turned to me in horror.
My mother stepped silently towards me, her eyes cold as ice. "What . . . did . . . I . . . say . . . about WANDS?" she cried.
I stared back at her, my lips sealed, still sprawled on the floor.
"Bellatrix . . . you could have seriously hurt one of your cousins or even yourself. Why on earth were you using such a violent curse? What were trying to do?" my father's voice was softer.
My eyes shifted to Sirius. They all saw.
"She hates me," Sirius shrugged. "But it's okay, because I don't like her either. I would have done the same thing."
My father snorted. "Such honesty!"
"No, you would NOT have done the same thing!" my aunt scolded to him. "None of you! Such curses do not fly between members of the same family!"
My mother, still enraged, leaned down and pulled my uncomfortably by the upper arm to my feet. She whirled me around to face her. I stared up boldly, shoulders square and back straight.
She lifted her right hand and struck me across the face. I could the heat rise in my face, but I kept my eyes on her, refusing to let her believe I was at all ashamed. "There is to be no such behavior from you like that ever again, Bellatrix! You are not to touch another wand until you are of age, and if you ever attempt to curse a member of your family . . . " her eyes bulged; I did not need for her to finish the sentence.
Sirius chortled quietly behind me.
"Go up to your room," my father offered. I turned away from my mother and marched-- no, floated, flew, glided-- proud, straight, and defiant, to the stairs in the front hall.
I turned back only once. Only Sirius saw the look I shot back.
I would have my revenge for this. The day would come. The day when I could hold my own wand. The day when Sirius was no longer a family member I had to play nicely with. The day when, as he laughed tauntingly in my face, daring me to try to again, I would calmly raise my wand, and watch him fall.
And then I would be the one laughing.
He glowered back. "I don't want to play with you. You're bossy and mean and I don't like you."
I crossed my arms. "Dear cousin, I hate you just as much, perhaps more. But there are certain things that are more important than just what you think of me. We're family. We have to be on good terms.."
Sirius smirked. "I don't have to like you if I don't want to. If being loyal to my family means I have to pretend to like you, then forget it. I don't want to be part of the family."
I laughed. "I bet your mummy never told you what happens to people that are traitors to the family, did she?"
Andromeda, who had been watching us cautiously the entire time, suddenly spoke up meekly, trying to stem the fight. "Bella . . . you can play with us if you really want to. I- I don't mind."
Sirius groaned. I grinned. "Thank you, 'Meda. I'm glad YOU have proper respect for me and the family line. So . . . what shall we play?"
"I'm not playing with you. I hate you," said Sirius again shortly, this time a little more insistently.
I shot him the look of death again. "Then we'll play something that allows you to continue to hate me," I snapped. "So you don't have to go through all that trouble. We can play . . . " my eyes fell across the dropped wand just inches from my feet, " . . . Duel."
I dove for the wand. Sirius's eyes had widened, and he made a motion to go after it as well, but I was faster. I stood up and he drew back, staring hard at the wand which was now pointed between his eyes.
The thin piece of wood spread a remarkable feeling through my entire body. I had never held a wand before. It was as if the wand glowed within my fingers, throbbing with power that began to course within my very veins. I could feel its heat spreading along my arm, its power surging within me. I felt powerful, just as powerful if not more so than I had the day I had discovered my secret gift. I didn't even need to be angry to wield this power. It was all there, within me, capable of being released through the simple staff of wood and dragon heartstring I held in my hand.
"Bella . . . " Andromeda gasped. "Put Aunty's wand down."
I simply giggled, my eyes still on Sirius.
"Please, Bella . . . you're not supposed to!" Andromeda continued to plead. I knew very well I would be in huge trouble if I were caught with the wand, Mother had always been so avid about keeping us children away from weapons until we were of age, and we had been told expressly never to pick up our parents' or aunt's or uncle's wand. Still, I ignored her.
Sirius did not seem to mind. "Go on. I dare you," he said, eyes alight.
I felt a giant throb in the power within me. Something told me he would have been screaming in pain on the floor if I hadn't been holding the wand. With the wand, I could harness my power anytime, but I needed to know the spell.
The spell . . . I didn't know any spells.
I strained my memory to think of what my father and Uncle Rigel had been discussing just moments earlier. What spells had they mentioned? I could only recall one of them, the lesser one . . .
Sirius's eyes were still taunting me. I gripped the wand and shouted, "Incendo!"
Nothing happened. Sirius grinned.
I couldn't stand it. "Incentio! Incendrio!" I waved the wand, practically swinging it, as if I were beating something in front of me. Sirius began to laugh, accelerating and rising in pitch as I failed over and over. A few red sparks showered out of the top at one point, but that was all.
I screamed with wrath and frustration, heedless of the fact that all my cousins were staring-- and one was laughing. I looked like an utter fool. It did not occur to me to drop the wand and simply stare pain into Sirius.
"INCENDIO!" I screamed a finally time. The wand was pointed haphazardly at Narcissa's dollhouse, but I succeeded. The dollhouse burst into flames several feet high. Andromeda, Regulus, and Narcissa all screamed. The two smallest cousins leapt to their feet and backed to the wall, staring in horror at the terror I had wreaked on their plaything. I looked from the bonfire to the small wand in my hand, amazed at my power.
Regulus was crying, Andromeda was dead shocked, and even Narcissa was whimpering, but Sirius was laughing at the top of his lungs. I rounded on him.
"I can do it to you." I said coldly, the dollhouse blazing behind me. "I know the spell now."
He stopped laughing, but his eyes continued to mock me. He still dared . . .
"Incedio!" I jabbed the wand in front of me like a fencing rapier and a jolt of red light flew from the end.
His eyes widened and he dipped to the side; the light flew over his shoulder and become a fireball on the wall behind him. I had missed; I screamed in aggravation.
Sirius was laughing at me. "Come on, you can do better than that!"
I whipped the wand again and cried "Incendio!"
He ducked again. I had missed once again; half the couch caught on fire. Andromeda leapt off of it in sheer terror and dashed to the side of Regulus and Narcissa, who were backing away from the quickly swelling inferno. All three of my set fires were growing quickly; there was little room for them to stand that was not being consumed by the raging flames.
Still, Sirius laughed.
Suddenly, our parents appeared in the doorway, running, shocked. "Fire!" my father shouted. "Put it out! Put it out! Aquarius Charm!"
"Where's my wand?" shrieked my aunt. Then she saw it in my hand. Her face blanched-- I knew she comprehended everything. She bounded over to me, knocked me to the ground, and pulled the wand from my hand. I stared up silently around at the adults as they dashed from inferno to inferno, dousing them with water sprayed from their wands. Andromeda was holding Regulus, who was sobbing onto her sleeve. Narcissa was staring with glazed- over eyes at her destroyed dollhouse. Sirius folded his arms and stood above me, grinning, his eyes also on his parents.
Finally, when all of the flames were gone and the living room smoked around us, sizzling quietly, charred and burnt, all four of them turned to me in horror.
My mother stepped silently towards me, her eyes cold as ice. "What . . . did . . . I . . . say . . . about WANDS?" she cried.
I stared back at her, my lips sealed, still sprawled on the floor.
"Bellatrix . . . you could have seriously hurt one of your cousins or even yourself. Why on earth were you using such a violent curse? What were trying to do?" my father's voice was softer.
My eyes shifted to Sirius. They all saw.
"She hates me," Sirius shrugged. "But it's okay, because I don't like her either. I would have done the same thing."
My father snorted. "Such honesty!"
"No, you would NOT have done the same thing!" my aunt scolded to him. "None of you! Such curses do not fly between members of the same family!"
My mother, still enraged, leaned down and pulled my uncomfortably by the upper arm to my feet. She whirled me around to face her. I stared up boldly, shoulders square and back straight.
She lifted her right hand and struck me across the face. I could the heat rise in my face, but I kept my eyes on her, refusing to let her believe I was at all ashamed. "There is to be no such behavior from you like that ever again, Bellatrix! You are not to touch another wand until you are of age, and if you ever attempt to curse a member of your family . . . " her eyes bulged; I did not need for her to finish the sentence.
Sirius chortled quietly behind me.
"Go up to your room," my father offered. I turned away from my mother and marched-- no, floated, flew, glided-- proud, straight, and defiant, to the stairs in the front hall.
I turned back only once. Only Sirius saw the look I shot back.
I would have my revenge for this. The day would come. The day when I could hold my own wand. The day when Sirius was no longer a family member I had to play nicely with. The day when, as he laughed tauntingly in my face, daring me to try to again, I would calmly raise my wand, and watch him fall.
And then I would be the one laughing.