In a display of raw will, Bellatrix flexed her mental muscles to release Parvati's control completely. Every connection between mind and muscle and tendon and bone was severed, relinquished in lieu of the supernatural influence demanding complete obedience. Their arms reached for the sky and then flew backwards as Bellatrix arched their back, stretching their body into an arch, bending their knees, raising onto the balls of their feet until they stopped as their hands touched ground behind them. Bellatrix walked her feet back as close as they could get to their hands and paused.

"Ooops," her giggle reverberated into the open room, "I forgot to leave just a teensy weensy bit of connections for you. Would you like them back, Parvati?"

The question barely registered to the captive mind, despair was like a thousand ton weight suffocating her ability to form thoughts at all, much less coherent responses. Such was her state that Parvati did not hear the barely concealed malice in her captor's tone, did not know what had been done to her body. A worm was dangled for her, and she did not see the hook. She jumped at the opportunity. "Yes!" she screamed internally.

And so the master torturer did what she did best, she made her captive desire their twisted punishment. Bellatrix reconnected the pain nerves to Parvati's consciousness, revealed to her captive just how painful it is to nearly snap your own back in two, and then hold the position for any length of time. It was unbearable, indescribable pain, and it delighted Bellatrix to no end when Parvati's scream began. She had always enjoyed causing pain, and was an especially big fan of the Cruciatis Curse. But she always kept a special place in her heart for physically using her hands or a weapon or some other sort of muggle device to cause pain. It was her closet turn on, and she never told a soul. It had been so hard to hide her obvious bodily reactions when she was carving those words into the Granger girl. And so she prepared her spiritual self for the gratification that would surely be coming soon from the immense pain she was physically causing her body slave.

Surprise is not a strong enough word to describe what Bellatrix felt when, instead of erotic pleasure waves, she was met with tremendous, literal back breaking pain. Somehow, her slave had used the pain to focus her mind and rebound it towards her captor. Even more astonishing, Bellatrix could not fight it. She could only just barely survive the onslaught, so she looked frantically around for some way to end it. In what felt like several eternities, but what actually amounted to mere seconds, she remembered that she had never reconnected Parvati's connections to the muscles and tendons. She still had control of the body. "Stupid bitch!" she screamed at her captive as she popped the leg muscles into attention, causing their legs to fly out straight and their body to hit the floor.

The only sound was of their body's heavy breathing as it tried to come down from the self-induced trauma. Bellatrix said nothing, Parvati said nothing, and both of them were locked behind whatever mental blockades they could form. And for good reason; Bellatrix had shown exactly how easy it was to strip complete control from her captive, but Parvati had also shown that her mind was not so easily broken. It appeared, for the moment, that they were near equals.

This had dire consequences for Bellatrix's plans, but no one had ever dared to imply that she was stupid. It was just cruelty that had jumped her up in rank within the Death Eaters. No, cruelty was plenty abundant in that group. What had made her stand out was her cunning and her loyalty, her steadfast resolve to further whatever she had put her heart to, and the fact that she would go to any length to win. Parvati, on the other hand, had absolutely no idea how she had conjured such a strength of will. It had nothing to do with training or intelligence or wisdom. It was as though Harry had been right all along. No matter how much you prepare, luck will play a large part in any encounter. Parvati has no experience at all with fighting off a possession, but she did. She used their unbreakable link (she was now positive that the control over her magical abilities was dependent on Parvati's soul and mind surviving) to channel what she was experiencing back toward her captor. Now that she saw what could be done, she just needed to figure out the particulars. So she began to deconstruct the complex process from the beginning. How did this happen in the first place? What exactly does this possession mean for my mental state? How does she keep up with controlling my body, my magic, her magic, and my mind all at the same time? How is it that I can now block her from certain trains of thought? How can I use the transference of the feelings to overpower and then eject her from my body? Once I have these answers, she will learn the hard way why she should never have chosen me to possess. She will know pain on a molecular level.

Bellatrix, not known for her patience, broke the silence first. "We will never speak of this, is that understood?"

"Agreed." Parvati wanted very much to be left alone with her thoughts on the matter.

"Now, let us get our artifact and be on our way. We still have two pieces to earn." Bellatrix hated the fact that Parvati was so strong, and she was positive that the longer it took to obtain the full artifact, the more likely it was that she would be overpowered.

They stood up, stiffly. The pain was very much still present, though significantly less severe. Bellatrix waved their wand above their head releasing a shower of silver petals. They clung to their body, instantly healing their wounds and relieving their pain. Parvati was transfixed that this evil woman would know such powerful healing magic, but kept it to herself. The less she spoke, the more she could keep hidden. But that didn't mean that she couldn't pick up the details on how to perform this new spell.

Walking around the throne, Parvatrix noticed that there was a spiral stair case tucked away in the far corner. Bellatrix explained a few things along the way. "The artifact we're searching for, when complete, is known as the All Staff. A certain sect of Egyptian wizards were fond of using staffs instead of wands. This practice died out nearly as quick as it started due to the obviously unhealthy amount of magical ingredients you can pack into a six foot wand. More wizards died trying to use them than there were to make them." She paused half way up the stairs to stretch, taking the liberty of feeling Parvati up at the same time. "You know, you really are a fine specimen….for a Gryffindor."

"I'd appreciate it," Parvati began, "if you wouldn't befoul my body. I was, however, very interested in what you were talking about before."

Bellatrix cackled aloud as she resumed their climb, "Oh deary, if you insist. Just keep in mind, I am in control. If you want me to be a good girl with your body, then you had best not forget it. Otherwise, I just might find out exactly what your petite figure can handle." She didn't pause for acquiescence, she could feel Parvati's trepidation emanating within their shared head. "Now, legend has it that one staff was created that not only had more power than any wand ever, but was also completely stable. It granted complete control to any wizard it deemed worthy."

"But why is this not in any records? Why isn't it mentioned anywhere in the history books? What makes this anything more than a fairy tale? Aside from the random Egyptian pyramid in the middle of the Dead Sea, of course."

"I know it to be true because I am directly descended from the wizard who created it, deary. It was the entire reason my mother married my father. And he did his very best to uncover all of the secrets regarding the All Staff for her, even dying in the attempt. He loved her, surely, but I know that her motivation was the staff the whole time. But it will be their progeny that will uncover it in the end, and I will use your body to wield it."

Parvati was silent for a time, contemplating how she might use this new information to her advantage. It was obvious that the relationship between Bellatrix's parents was key to why she had ended up the way she did, but how to use that toward her benefit? I must figure this out before we find the artifact! I cannot let her obtain that kind of power.

Her thoughts were abruptly interrupted by her captor complaining aloud, "By the Dark Lord's left knee! I swear, the shear amount of stairs in this place is more of a challenge than any of the three tests we had to face to get here."

"By Voldemort's left knee?" Parvati actually laughed. It was absurd just how silly it seemed that not too long ago she would have been terrified to speak that name, but now it held only the sad memory of loss attached to it, not the terror of losing someone new.

"Yes, his left knee. It was widely speculated by those of us in his inner circle that the left side of his body held more magic than the other side. No one but his closest servants ever noticed, but hen he was fresh from casting some big magic, his left side would be warmer than the rest. Quite a bit so, at that."

Unsure on what could possibly be garnered from such arbitrary information, Parvati remained silent for the rest of the climb. It didn't take too much longer, only a few hundred stairs was all that remained for them to climb. But this amount of time was perfect for her contemplate something that seemed to bypass Bellatrix's notice completely. They had been conversing, aloud. Both of them were using her mouth in such seamless fashion that neither had realized that it was happening. Neither of them noticed any kind of transfer of control, neither of them had felt their minds brush at controlling the same part of their body. The only reason I noticed, I suppose, is that it's my body. It's still weird for someone else to control it, so I notice when it happens.

It seemed, however, that Parvati would have to find time for that later. They were at the top of the stairs, and their prize awaited them just behind a door. That's what Bellatrix's mind was buzzing about, anyway. It appeared that as the captive was slowly becoming accustomed to having the captor in her mind, she was also gaining some benefits. Seamless transfers of control, the ability to force certain feelings upon her, and now she could actually pick up Bellatrix's surface thoughts – and all of this without giving any clue to Bellatrix whatsoever. Some serious plans were beginning to take place, but they would have to be shielded. God only knew what this torturous monster would do if she found out exactly what was going on in Parvati's head.

Both minds were buzzing with anticipation at this point. Parvati for two reasons: One, she didn't want Bellatrix to have the artifact. Two, she wanted to see what the artifact could truly do. Bellatrix for one reason: Power, unlimited, unrivaled, and unconstrained. Their shared arm extended slowly toward the door handle, briefly pausing, and then firmly grasping and flinging the door wide open.

They were blinded by the immense light pouring from the room beyond, though only for a moment. Letting their eyes adjust, they took note of everything around them in an instant; Bellatrix looked left and Parvati looked right. Woah, I can look where she isn't. But, how? The room was utterly bare compared to the rest of the pyramid. There were no wall murals, no decorations, no liches trying to kill them. Only a single pedestal, upon which floated what was definitively part of the artifact displayed in Bellatrix's mind. It was the middle piece, the handle, as it were. It was roughly the length of their torso, and just barely thick enough to fit a large adult hand comfortably. They picked it up and raised it into the light. It was made of pure gold with what looked like some sort of black metal spiraled around it like a vine, with little off shoots going this way and that, but there were no leaves. There were words carved into the staff in several different languages. As they turned it over in their hands, the words blurred and began shaking, the staff vibrating violently. They tried to drop it, but it seemed that they were paralyzed. The words began to meld together, slowly at first, but then picking up speed. Finally, as the last letters melted into the center blob that had formed, everything stopped moving. It was the calm before the release. A burst of energy exploded from the staff, knocking them back through the door and almost down the stairs.

When they woke up, they still held the staff in their hand. They were sore all over, and it felt like they'd been asleep for a long time. Groggily, they looked at where the blob of words had been. The words were in English, so they read them together. "For this power, I offer payment." Everything glowed, everything. The staff, the floor, their shoes, the very air glowed. When it grew to the point in which they couldn't see anymore, Parvati heard a terrible scream that became even more terrifying as she realized that it came from her mouth.

And then it all went dark.