The unexpected guest.
Bellatrix Lestrange arrived at the little street of Spinner's End for about the hundredth time. She lost count and she didn't like thinking of it. The fact that she the dark lords greatest follower was forced to live here, the house once owned by Severus made her sick. She walked up the street in her robes. Bellatrix refused to give up the way she dressed for these muggles.
She hated the muggles in this neighborhood. Even as she walked down the street they all stared at her, whispered about her. She knew they thought she was weird and she could only think of what she would give to kill each and every one of them. She knew she couldn't though not without giving her position away. The thought still provoked her though of how easy it would be to kill them by the handfuls with a single flick of the wand.
She was a few yards from her house and one of the neighbors children waved at her. Bellatrix sneered at the little boy as if he were a rodent begging for food. As she reached the door she heard not far away someone say the word witch. She swiveled around angrily only to meet the glares and giggle of a small group of female children. She clenched her fist and entered the house.
The place was a mess. There seemed to be no clear spot to stand. The coffee table and furniture that was once Snape's were still there but dirty and covered in books and papers. Bellatrix was not accustomed to living like this but she refused to clean under the excuse that she was ready to leave at any point and she would not dare clean Severus's place.
Bellatrix pulled out her wand, and with a swish all the clutter on the couch flew off and landed in random spots on the floor adding to the mess. She then plopped herself down and began to kick papers and random books out from under her feet.
"That traitor!" She thought of Snape. "Going away to hide after all that has happened. I hope he's suffering the way he deserves to suffer. He should have been punished for playing Dumbledore's lapdog all those years."
Bellatrix picked up a book from the floor and read the cover. "Confronting the Faceless" was the title. When she opened it the first thing she read was "Level 7 Defense against the Dark Arts guide." This enraged Bellatrix. She was involuntarily reminded that Snape's Last job was a Dark Arts Teacher. She raised the book to through it when she caught sight of something across the room.
Dropping the book behind her she leaned forward trying to get a better look. It was sitting far enough into the shadows that she couldn't make out what it was. It dawned upon her, she had lived here almost a year there was never anything there. She raised her wand to cast a light spell but before she could wave, the object moved. First it looked like a large bulb rocking a couple of times, but then it shrank and seemed to slither its way toward her, much like a snake.
Bellatrix now knew it was a person. Only one person she ever knew could move like that and it was her master, but she knew this couldn't be him. Bellatrix raised herself a little so as to get a better look but her wand never left its target.
The figure slid to about two feet in front of her and rose to reveal a rather tall good-looking wizard. Bellatrix face was beginning to twist with rage; she did not seem to like this intrusion. The figure looked at her and sneered lightly.
"Who are you?" Bellatrix snapped. "How did you get into here? Do you realize where you…"
The figure began to chuckle as if her words meant nothing to him. After a few seconds his face lowered and his eyes where looking back into hers. She noticed he never once looked at her wand.
"What do you want?" Bellatrix asks angrily giving up her attempts at provoking him.
"Narcissa!" The man said. "Where can I find the Malfoys?" His voice was deep and had a hollow sound to it much like her previous master.
"I do not know." She replied.
"Don't lie to me!" he replied. "I know, you know."
"Even if I did I wouldn't tell you. Now get out of my way." Bellatrix stood up and walked away from the strange man.
"I will not ask again." The figure said a little louder than he had spoken before.
Bellatrix spun around pointing her wand back toward the man's face.
"Are you threatening me? Think not for an instant that I wouldn't attack and unarmed man."
Bellatrix noticed the man made no reach for a wand. She took a good look at his cloths and she could tell he had some rather high-class robes on. They looked to be custom made. There was a strange symbol on his left shoulder. It looked like a phantom holding a wand imprinted on a crown shaped patch.
Bellatrix suddenly felt the familiar disturbance of someone trying to look into your mind. She took a great offense to this and shouted her reply.
"Crucio!" The curse flew across the room and hit the man straight in the chest.
The stranger suddenly fell to his knees clutching at his chest where he was hit. He made a grunt and stayed there for a few seconds. Bellatrix walked up to him and stood head held high with pride.
"How dare you come in here and try to force information from me. The great Lord Voldemort trained me personally. Only an idiot would stand against me."
The man started to chuckle and it threw Bellatrix off for a moment. She was shocked to see he was already over the affects of her curse. She raised her wand again ready to attack at any moment.
"Your master obviously didn't train you well enough." The figure said. Bellatrix grew angrier and clutched her wand a little harder. "You attempt to hurt me. Is that all you have. Let me show you the true meaning of PAIN!"
With his shout the man raised up his hand and Bellatrix tried to raise her wand to fight back but she was a split second to late. She was hit with a large wave of magic she had never felt before. She slammed back into the wall, her legs hitting some of the shelves. She was pinned to the wall by this magic and the pain she felt was unbearable. This was infinitely worse than the Crusias. She started to scream at the top of her lungs and even that hurt. It felt as if every part of her body was trying to tear apart in every direction. There was no center to the pain.
"You dare insult me with such a weak spell." Bellatrix could hear his voice in her head across her screams. He was already back on his feet. "You think you know power. A true wizard does not need a wand to use magic."
Bellatrix could feel the man let his grip go a little so she could look down upon him. All she could see was waves of magical light coming from his fingers. It shocked her a little but she was so full of pain and rage she didn't care how he did it.
"Now I'm going to ask again." The figure spoke through his own lips this time. Bellatrix felt much of the pain rush away. Bellatrix could only think of how she wanted to get at him.
"You idiot, how dare you. If my master where here you would…"
"Don't bring up that man who insults me with his name. I have tolerated what I have heard to a certain extent. Now, answer my question!" The man's voice echoed through the house like a nightmare the walls shook and dust flew everywhere. He then made a slapping motion downward and Bellatrix flew across the room and slammed into the floor and slid the rest of the way into the wall.
Bellatrix tried to stand up but could only manage sitting when she realized both her legs were broken, she was so filled with rage she hardly felt it.
"How did you know I was here?" She asked.
The man raised a hand again and although he was across the room she could feel his claws around her neck. He raised her face just high enough that her stretching rang pain throughout her legs. She only grunted.
"You still don't speak your manners even in the presence of greatness." The man said this in a matter of fact tone. "Before your dark lord, there was another, and before him yet another. There was one though more powerful than them all. The one your Master stole his name from, the one he insults by thinking he is creative by changing but a few letters."
Bellatrix's eyes widened in horror. She could not hide her shock.
"It can't be?" She said. "After so long how can it? You can not be the great Lord V…"
The man made a shoving motion with his hand and Bellatrix's head flew backwards. Before she hit the wall visions flooded her head. She saw wizards of old, and some faces she knew much younger. The last face she saw was all too familiar. It was Wormtail beaten and battered much like she was now. The vision she saw last answered how he found her. It was Wormtail strewn across a wall torn open and bleeding all over. She now knew were he got her location. She wanted to curse herself for not having a secret keeper for her hideout but she was suddenly crossed with an idea.
"Master." She said. Raising her self up as far as she could. "Please let me join you. Train me! Let me be your loyal servant."
The dark lord in front of her started walking forward, and Bellatrix saw him smile for the first time. It was almost eerie but she liked it.
"I can read your thoughts child." He said. "I know it is the truth you speak. I know you would follow me to the end if I asked you." He waited a few seconds as if contemplating then said. "Very well, you will service me from this day forward. To start, you will tell me where I can find the Malfoys."
"Very well. You can find them in a cottage about two miles out north of Hogsmead. You'll have to go into the woods. I just got back from there now." Bellatrix was fighting not to pass out. She was finally feeling the effects of the damage. "What do you want with Narcissa anyway?"
"Its not Narcissa I want." The man says with a sneer. "It's the boy."
Bellatrix turned her head slightly at this not understanding. The dark lord didn't bother explaining.
"You have already proven yourself a loyal follower, I agree to teach you." The Dark lord said. Bellatrix attempted to raise herself higher. She was waiting patiently for him to heal her.
"Your first lesson shall be." He said with a smile. "Death isn't the end."
Bellatrix's eyes widened and she saw the dark lord raise his hand once again before a wave of magic swept over her hitting her like a wall of fire.
