Bad Romance,
Chapter 132, Unpredictable Predictability
While Arthur went with Millicent to do whatever it was that Gellert wanted involving Muggle technology, the Lestranges took themselves to Azkaban for another day of work. It felt so odd returning to normal, when nothing precisely felt normal. As they made the rounds, checking on all the wards, prisoners, and such, Bellatrix found herself wondering just what the hell normal felt like.
That led to thoughts of what was coming next.
"Do you think those wizards without their magic will begin using Muggle contraptions to make their pathetic lives easier," she wondered, glancing first at Rod, then Rabastan.
"Probably."
The voice hadn't come from Rod or Rabastan. Instead it had come from the cell they were passing. The cell in question held a thin aging wizard with scraggly white hair and a beard to match.
"Why are wizards without magic?"
Bellatrix glared, aiming her wand at the wizard.
"Why are you bloody asking questions?!"
The wizened wizard wiggled his brows at her.
(Say that one rapidly while drunk!)
"Same reason anyone does. Curiosity."
"Well don't expect answers," Bella said darkly.
Even though the prisoners weren't ever getting out into the world to use any knowledge they may gain from having questions answered, there was no reason to take the risk of passing information to them needlessly.
"Did Delphini take the magic? You know, the one you tortured us not to help if she ever came asking?"
Bellatrix gave a hard smile. There was one bit of news she was all too pleased to share.
"Not at all. And she's dead. We helped to do that."
The old wizard gave a congenial smile.
"Good on you all for that."
"Come on, Bella. We have the rest of the grounds to check, unless you're going to torture him," Rabastan said.
"I'm getting bored."
As Bellatrix wasn't actually in the mood for torture, she nodded in acknowledgment to Rabastan and the three of them continued their inspection. She was still processing...adjusting to the aftermath of no more Delphini or traces of Voldemort, so she wasn't in the proper state of mind to enjoy a good solid torture session.
Mag would surely have some psychological term for it, but Bella was having a difficult time truly believing it was over, and that they were finally safe. She was happy and shocked at the same time and the mix was unsettling to say the least. On top of that she wondered if there would even be time to process before the shit started to fly again.
"I wonder what the wizards without magic will do," she said again, returning to the conversation she was trying to have before the blasted prisoner had taken it upon himself to join in.
Currently they were walking on the edge of the grounds near the water, and so weren't close to any cells. As there were no Aurors in sight either, the chances of them being disrupted again were minimal.
"It will probably be something we'd never suspect rather than something we can predict," Rabastan said.
"We can predict it to an extent, but in general you're probably right," Rod said.
"If we are very fortunate, they will rest on their laurels and we will have proper time to integrate the changes before the magic starts to trickle back. This is possible due to the fact they've never had to truly do for themselves in the way they will have to do for themselves to truly cause a problem now. On the other hand, fear is a powerful motivator, and if they're frightened enough by all our changes, they will feel forced to change in response."
He glanced from Rabastan to Bellatrix.
"Then Bella's concern could become relevant about them utilizing Muggle contraptions to either better their own lives or worsen ours."
"Bettering their own with like Muggle cars or something as they can no longer apparate, and worsen ours with like Muggle explosives or something," Rabastan asked and Rodolphus gave a slight nod, frowning in thought.
"For example, yes."
Bellatrix frowned. At least now she had a name for the growing sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach that had been making its presence known all morning. Rod had just skillfully painted a very concerning picture of all the ways things could quickly go pain in the ass with only a few well constructed sentences.
"If they do use Muggle items, it could put us at a disadvantage," Bellatrix said, speaking the main concern over the magicless wizards that kept cropping up in her mind.
"Perhaps not," Rod mused.
"We have Arthur, after all."
"Yes, in America. He'll be in America watching for trouble there, but the wizards there have all their magic, so it won't be the same sort of bloody trouble," Bellatrix complained.
"Yeah but what about the Muggles that Delphini headfucked," Rabastan reminded.
"Won't he need to keep an eye on the activity of that sort of thing? Because I doubt their headfucked brains will become virgins again just because she's dead."
Bellatrix laughed, then sighed and shook her head at Rabastan.
"That's true enough. But whatever happens in America can be monitored via those scrying crystals we helped to place."
"Oh fuck," Rabastan groaned.
Even as he spoke, Bellatrix realized that the scrying crystals were gone. They'd certainly gotten crushed when Morgana demolished the building.
"Zabini and Grindelwald can probably make more now that they've studied those," Rodolphus said.
"They still have the other set that those were linked to, so they can just get three more and hook them up again to form a new set. Merlin had to hook them up originally, after all, so I don't see why Blaise and Gellert can't manage that."
Bella nodded. That seemed logical enough.
"So we could use Arthur more here," Rodolphus continued.
"He and Millicent can keep tabs on Muggle America through the on line thing, and of course Blaise and Gellert can have the Aurors watching through the scrying crystals for that extra touch once they get them up and running again."
"They'll have to decide upon an entirely new place to put them," Bellatrix said.
"Considering that building will have to be rebuilt, and Muggles are far slower at such things than are we magicals."
"How are you just going to talk Arthur into leaving his life in America," Rabastan asked skeptically.
"What talk," Rodolphus scoffed.
"Here is obviously way better. He'll be with us, after all."
He grinned.
"And if we get him a hot babe, he'll never want to leave. Hey Rab, doesn't your girl have a twin who's a Ravenclaw or something? He ought to like that."
"Yeah I think so, but I don't even know if she's single."
"Well find out!"
Thankfully the day was uneventful. Bellatrix tried to take the time to process that everything was over and that she could relax. She only realized an hour before it was time to go home for the day why her mind wasn't buying that rubbish at all.
Until they knew what was going to happen with the new British magical order as it were, it probably still wasn't safe or wise to relax. That's why part of her mind kept insisting that it wasn't over.
Because it wasn't. One catastrophe, or threat was ended, but another still loomed, and this one had many faces, all of which were hidden in shadow. They had no way of knowing which wizards would present a problem.
"Perhaps it would be useful to return Lucy's magic in exchange for his spying skills," Bellatrix said.
The idea had just occurred to her and it was a reassuring one. It felt proactive, and she enjoyed being proactive...any sort of active really over being stressed and simply sitting about waiting for someone else, not on their side, to throw the dice first.
She and Rodolphus sat under a tree watching the Aurors go through a drill.
Rabastan had gone to write Parvati about her sister, because Rod hadn't let up about finding out if she happened to be single in case Arthur wanted to date.
"Lucy may not be motivated enough now, but if he had a reason..."
Rod nodded thoughtfully.
"Perhaps. We'll bring it up to Gellert and the Minister as soon as we're able."
Bella was sure they'd see them soon enough. With everything so uncertain, she had a very strong feeling that there would be many many meetings in their future.
When they arrived home a little over an hour later, they found Arthur in the parlor chatting with Lyra and Cassius.
"Now I'm mad at you all over again after hearing in yet more detail about all I missed," Lyra complained.
"I can't wait for the Pensieve memory exchange party Romeo suggested at the Ministry!"
With an effort, Bellatrix refrained from saying that the pot of trouble may begin boiling over again before they could take time for a party, because hopefully it wouldn't. Hopefully they'd at least be given a bit of a grace period by the god damned universe, because they'd bloody earned it.