Hi everybody! It's Deb-lil once again! Today I would like to let you read the second installment of this Lockhart and Bellatrix fic. Since I've already completed Tikvah Ariel's challenge, I thought I'd go out on a whim with this one. So now I offer you to sit back, relax, and enjoy the show as Bellatrix continues her mission to capture the Healer-in-Charge of St. Mungo's Hospital! But let you be warned: this section's a bit darker because it's all from Bella's point of view. And as she's a sadist, her thoughts reflect that.

Disclaimer: Hmm, what am I going to say? Oh right. I don't own anything. Plot…'tis all.

Passerby in the Forest 2:

Infiltration

Bella bared her teeth as she watched the strange man called Corduroy bellow "Hormone!" at the top of his voice. Healers were swooping all over the place, and Apparating like mad. Bella hadn't seen a state of confusion like this in a while, and it delighted her.

"C'mon…" She urged the Healer-in-Charge mentally from her hiding place. "You step out, and I step in…ha, ha."

But no matter what she thought, the lead Healer didn't seem to be showing up. The other Healers seemed to be paging someone called 'Miriam'.

…Of course. Miss Miriam! Corduroy spoke of her. Miss Miriam will be upset, but she'll get over it. Ha! This Miriam woman would be the key to her success! Of course, Bella didn't know how, but she'd think of something.

With a small pop, a rather hefty woman appeared in front of the hospital. "Gilderoy!" She shrieked, pushing her flyaway grey hairs out of her face. "Gilderoy! I've been worried sick! Come along, lad." She took him by the arm and completely ignored the circle of green clad Healers that had accumulated around her. "Where in Merlin's name have you been!"

"With my Hormone!" He shouted happily. "My little Hormone…Hermione-mione-Hormone!" He started to make a bit of a song out of it. "Hermie-the-Hormone!"

"Dear Merlin!" Shouted one of the Healers.

"Holy crap…" Whistled another.

"Heh…" Laughed Healer Miriam nervously, "That's a lovely little song, Gilderoy. Let's go now."

So Gilderoy was his name. Sighed Bellatrix.

And the Healers all made their way back to the hospitals. All were too busy discussing this exciting turn of events to notice the black-robed, evil-eyed young woman following them surreptitiously.

OoOoOoOoOo

"Janus Thickey Ward…" The Healers were mumbling. "Gilderoy Lockhart…Janus Thickey."

"Miriam's charge…she's gone down hill, that one has. What with poor Mr. Bode and everything…"

Bellatrix could feel herself smiling. Ah, poor Mr. Bode indeed! It had been the Death Eaters—Bella's boys—who'd been behind Bode's death! And now, ha! St. Mungo's was going to suffer the loss of one of its very own. And once again, right at the hands of a Death Eater! (The most LOYAL Death Eater at that!) The Dark Lord would be so pleased! He'd honor Bellatrix above all the rest!

Bella stopped stalking the gaggle of Healers crowded around Gilderoy, who was now muttering incoherently about 'Hormone Grungy". She went to a stall in the ladies' bathroom and locked the door with Alohomora. This would be a steak-out mission. At ten o'clock, Bella decided, she'd come out of her little hiding place…and BAM! She and the Healer-in-Charge would be Apparating back to the Dark Lord faster than a fly could get to a chunk of rotting meat. Foolproof…foolproof…

At five o'clock, Bella was still crouched in her stall. She had the patience of a cat when she wanted…that coupled with the fact that she couldn't bear to face the Dark Lord if she fouled up another important mission.

The bathroom door suddenly opened. Bella tensed, but she didn't make a sound.

"…Havin' a bad time of it down in Dai Llewellyn, lemme tell ya." One woman was saying. "Wolverine bite. Pumped him up on Wolfsbane only to find it wasn't a werewolf that done it after all."

"Merlin." Sighed another woman. "And what of that poor Gilderoy Lockhart? Wandering off into the forest? Miriam should be fired straight away for shirking her duties!"

"I agree." Said the first woman. "I agree totally. What woulda happened if Lockhart wandered upon some Muggles? And if he was talkin' 'bout St. Mungo's? The Obliviators woulda had one hell of a time trackin' them all down."

"Mmm." murmured the other in agreement. "Miriam's lucky she avoided such a situation."

"I think we—" The woman stopped talking very suddenly.

"What? What's up?"

"Someone's…watching us…" She whispered.

"Why, Maxine, that's preposterous. This is a ladies' restroom! Who could be watching us? Men?" She joked.

Bella had heard enough. With a loud bang, she kicked open her stall door, wand pointed at the unsuspecting women. Bonkers. She thought the word with all her mind. As if hit over the head by a club, the two women sank to the floor in a faint.

Normally, Bellatrix would have used an Unforgivable, but that could be tracked. Murder in the bathroom was not the best way to stay under cover.

Bella looked down at her two victims. One of the women was a Healer. Bella stole her lime green robe and pulled it over her own head.

Mobil corpus. Bella thought, wand pointed at the women. Slowly, they left the floor and drifted to one of the windows. Bella magicked them through, and deposited them carelessly on the other side.

Now she had another five hours to wait before going for that Healer-in-Charge.

OoOoOoOoOo

At around nine-thirty, someone opened the door to the bathroom and waved her wand. All the lights extinguished. Bella hid in her stall, keeping her feet drawn up, and not making a sound. Eventually, the woman left.

At ten o'clock, Bella slipped out of the bathroom. Aside from cramped legs, she was feeling relatively loosey-goosey and ready. Like a cat, Bella stalked up a dark hall. Where would the Healer-in-Charge's office be?

The lights in the lobby were still blazing, so Bella steered clear of that general area. She slinked through halls and corridors and stairwells, until…she ended up outside an office—the office—she was looking for. (Completely by accident, of course.)

Adrian Liverwort

Healer-in-Charge

That's the guy. Laughed Bellatrix. Alas, Master, you make it too easy…

Wand clamped in her right hand, Bella reached for the doorknob. The sadistic monster that lived inside her was getting excited, for that monster lived to perform Crucio. This was Bella's passion. This is what she was born to do. She turned the doorknob…

"Melanie! What on earth are you doing all the way down here?" A stern voice floated to Bella's ears. "Expelliarmus."

This person took her by so much surprise that Bella didn't even have time to protect her wand.

"Honestly! First that Lockhart fellow, and now you! What's gotten into you guys?"

The speaker was a tall woman of about thirty. She pointed her wand at Bellatrix and chords shot out, binding her wrists.

"And what made you think you could have a wand?" The Healer added. "Where did you get it?"

Bella couldn't answer. She was too dumbfounded. How could she let her senses wander like that and not be alert and ready? And the Dark Lord? What would he do?

"Now come along…you can talk to Healer Adrian tomorrow."

"…What?" Bellatrix asked, looking at the Healer properly for the first time.

"If you're a good girl tonight, Mel, you can go see Adrian tomorrow."

Bella grinned. Bless fate that she looked like this Melanie patient.

And Bella had no problems with being led away by the Healer knowing that on a few short hours, Healer Adrian would be led right into her waiting hands.

Yeah! Part two! I did it! I did it! I did it! Yeah! Now onto the reviewers:

DEAD-LUTHIEN: Ha! I can always count on you to save my self-esteem. Thanks for the very kind review!

TIKVAH ARIEL: Yeah, Sorry about those other characters. My bad, my bad. I hope you find this section a good read, though.

MARAUDER4EVER: Thanks a lot!

QUIDDITCHMOKE: Wow, your review was so nice! I'm continuing this story on your suggestion. When I think about it, I did leave it in a cliffy-zone. The magical green-thumb part was when Lockhart decides to go into the forest because Healer Miriam says he's good with coloring plant pictures. Dung brain, ain't he?

THEHPGANG: Hey, thanks, oh wise Lupy! I'm glad you appreciate my imagination. And comparing it to Dobby's! Awesome! Yeah, I don't know where the hokey pokey thing came from. Sometimes when typing, random nonsense just filters through my brain. Looks like the hokey pokey came through that day…lol.

SLIM SHADY: Urg, wouldn't it be gross if this were a BL/GL fic? People would be puking all over the world. I'm glad you liked the 'Hormone' bit. For more on my normal-cough mind, please see the comment for theHPgang.

Ha! Thanks you guys!

Deb-lil is going, going, staying…nope, going after all…gone!