Bad Romance,
Chapter 57 Taking Care Of Business
When they arrived at Azkaban, Rabastan was actually putting the Aurors through a combat drill! Bella and Rod exchanged a surprised look as both had actually expected Rabastan to be lazing about.
"Baby bro is growing up a bit," Rodolphus muttered, stepping close to Bellatrix so that he might murmur into her ear.
"I don't know if I'm proud or sad," he admitted.
As she completely agreed, Bellatrix could only nod silently.
When Rabastan caught sight of them, he lowered his wand and waved his other arm in the air in a cease and desist motion.
"Okay, the boss is here, and I can't appear too useful, now can I? All of you fuck off and check the parameters or something."
Bellatrix grinned and leaned to whisper into Rod's ear.
"There he is, being himself again, Dearest."
Rod grinned and nodded.
"I am soothed," he whispered back.
Rabastan approached them as the Auror guards scattered as he'd ordered.
"Lookie what came for us today," he said, drawing a dagger with a basilisk fang for a blade from his robe pocket and waving it in an arch in front of their faces.
"We can now officially fuck up a Horcrux!"
"That literally makes me breathe easier," Bellatrix said with a sigh.
Rodolphus's lips twitched into a flirty leer.
"But I like it when you breathe hard."
Rabastan made a face.
"SO," he said loudly, "How'd it go at the Ministry?"
"Well, actually," Bellatrix said.
She explained the plan to give Lucy and Narcissa the 'cure' and how it would only work for Narcissa, at least for now.
"That's gonna be a fun aftermath to watch," Rabastan said with a chuckle.
"While I am glad things went favorably for Narcissa getting her magic back, I think I had the more interesting morning, considering the fact I was the first one of the three of us to get my hands on our basilisk fang."
"Ah," Bellatrix drawled.
"You think you had the most interesting morning, do you? Well what if I told you we got to talk directly to Merlin and Nimue?"
"What, necromancy? For real," Rabastan asked.
His expression was intrigued, but skeptical as well. Bellatrix and Rodolphus loved to have him on during their younger years, and when he'd fallen for whatever line of shit they fed him, they laughed for days, much to his annoyance.
"No, it is even weirder than that," Rodolphus said.
Rabastan frowned.
"What, the Ministry discovered some portraits of them stored away somewhere and you talked to them through those? But I guess that's not specifically weird."
Rodolphus nodded.
"Right. That would be neat but not weird at all. No, we're talking reincarnation and other worlds, and Merlin and Nimue hiding from someone who's so bad that they had to forget who it is for their own safety or something along those lines."
At that, Rabastan's eyes widened.
"You're shitting me."
"No. Not this time, we swear it," Rodolphus said.
He then filled Rabastan in on what they'd learned and how they'd spoken with the reincarnated Merlin and Nimue through the crystal devices.
"That's some weird shit indeed," Rabastan agreed when his brother had finished.
"Told you," Rod said.
"So...you two think he'll actually divine or rune cast us to a Delphini free world? Don't we need more help than his psychic guidance or whatever?"
Bellatrix shrugged.
"It's all we've got for now."
"We also have a basilisk fang, and right now, I'm feeling a bit better about that," Rabastan proclaimed.
"Though I must admit, I wish I'd gotten to talk to the old druids too, even if it was just their reincarnated versions."
Rod nodded.
"Yeah, it was pretty sweet."
"Radamanthus just ate two prisoners!"
The shout came from Azkaban's other Acromantula guard.
"Ah fuck," Rabastan groaned.
Then he grinned.
"Well I'm at least glad that happened after you got back so I'm not blamed for it."
"Let's go and see what happened," Rodolphus said.
He didn't look nearly as worried as Bellatrix expected.
"You don't have a problem with him eating prisoners? Because the bloody Ministry might," she said and Rodolphus shrugged as they set off in the direction of the Acromantula who'd announced Radamanthus's latest snack.
"He doesn't seem the type to just eat prisoners for no reason," Rod said easily.
"Take us to him," he called out to the other Acromantula. Bella assumed he had a name but she didn't know it and didn't care.
The huge spider lumbered off, faster than one might expect for his size, and the Lestranges three hurried after.
They were led through the prison, stopping at the end of a row where Radamanthus stood in front of two cells. A giant web stretched from where the spider stood up to the top of each cell door then down into the cell itself. Each cell was now empty. Bellatrix understood at once that the Acromantula had used the web to capture and withdraw each prisoner. He was obviously able to ingest everything, for not a trace was left.
"What happened," Rodolphus asked him.
"They were talking of working with Delphini and having nothing to lose if they gained their freedom in doing so," Radamanthus replied, turning to face Rod as he spoke.
"I simply showed them that they were indeed wrong and that they did have something to lose after all."
Man and spider chuckled together in a way that would've chilled the bones of a Gryffindor had one been present. Bellatrix only smiled. It was a good message that the spider had sent the prison at large.
"I'm glad to know that you lot can act without needing to be spoon fed," Rodolphus said.
"I'll write the Minister directly. I'm sure she'll agree that the proper measures were taken, considering."
Fortunately Rodolphus was correct. While Kereston Boxwood didn't send Radamanthus a medal, she didn't raise a complaint about how the Acromantula handled the situation and that was enough for them.