I know, I know. Finally! Well, yeah. Mid-terms are finally over, so after three weeks or so, I'm back.
Thank you so much for all the reviews, I'm like, a child the morning of Christmas when I see one. I'll answer at the bottom note, though, don't want to annoy you too much before the chapter.
So, same stuff as always, nothing new.
Disclaimer: I dunnot own OUaT or HP.
Enjoy!
Chapter VII.
Life isn't always what you expect it to be. In many ways, one ends up surprised at least one time in their life at what life throws at them.
To say that Regina had seen it all would be untrue, but in too many ways, she had witnessed life. And it seemed that its penchant at screwing her over wasn't finished.
Sure, you could say that Bellatrix was a welcomed distraction for the mess her life was; but it had its toll as well. First off, she had to work to find a way to send her back to her world. Problem was, she didn't know what her world was. Sure thing, it had magic — so it wasn't a jump in time. Not, it was a different reality, and even though she had spent the evening and most of the night looking through her books, she still couldn't find a damn thing about it.
She began to fear that Bellatrix would end up staying her, and she didn't want that. Bellatrix was trouble. She was a hurricane in a bottle, only asking to be freed. The Queen had no doubt that the imp, if aware of her presence, would try and use her, like he had used Regina. Small difference: Bellatrix was entirely unpredictable, which was a problem on its own.
It'd been only two days of Regina housing her, and she still didn't understand a single thing about the woman. Sometimes idiotic things would set her off, and she'd scream for murder, and over times, things that Regina thought would bring Hell, didn't even cause a reaction. That woman, if you asked Regina, was simply weird. Not that she'd ever put it that way at loud, though.
The fact remained that she was incapable of predicting the British woman's reactions, and it was annoying her. She knew she came close a few times of being cursed to oblivion. Still, she couldn't figure out how to deal with the witch. That woman was an enigma.
Her reaction was, obviously, to read the books once again. Then, she thought of Henry, and how he based his entire knowledge of her, on that bloody story book, and so she swore not to believe anything that was in the Harry Potter's books. It was common sense, really, she thought: if this world had it wrong about them, fairytale characters; then maybe J.K Rowling had it wrong as well.
Therefore, the only way of knowing Bellatrix was to ask her. And that was just as tricky as to ask Regina anything. Both women would rather die than to disclose some private information. Still, Regina had to know. Call it curiosity if you'd like, fact remained that she needed knowledge on the woman, and she was prepared for anything to get it. Except dealing with the imp, obviously.
She couldn't sleep. Her dreams were invaded by images of her. She could see her eyes, her tearful eyes. She could see the pain in them, and if she pretended to like that, that ultimate sorrow, it made her heart break all over again. But she wasn't ready to admit it to herself, that she cared, and so she forced herself not to sleep. Silently, she crept out of her bed, and went to stand by the window, glancing at the forest. Her room faced the backyard of the Mayoral house, and she could stare at the trees and stars during her endless nights of insomnia. Sometimes, she caught a glance of fur in the forest, and she knew it was the wolf that had found her. Every night, she saw the former-mayor standing beneath her apple tree. She didn't know if she was aware that she was being watched, and she didn't care. She merely stared at the woman, until she went back inside.
Bellatrix didn't quite understand the woman. She had magic, clearly, and strong, at that; and yet, she wasn't using it. Apart from the first time they met, she didn't see her use magic at all. It was strange, all together. She didn't know of a magic user who never used magic. Hell, she knew as long as she'd have her wand, she would use it.
Said object was held carelessly, like she always held it. It was a lazy grip, and the wood could fall at any moment. It was a façade, still, a game. Her reflexes were good, and she was never surprised. She was but one of the finest duellists in the world, after all. She wondered for a moment if it was all she was, the best duellist in the world, a cruel and crazy woman. She wondered if it was what they had reduced her to, and she knew it was. It was how the world viewed her — her world, anyway — and she knew if she went back, it would be all she is again. She wondered if she had lost herself, during all those years of pretending, and deep down, she knew she did. She did loose herself, and now she didn't know what was the proper way to act. She had those urges, desperate sometimes, to cause pain; but then she was reminded it wasn't who she really was, deep down, and so she never said the words. How she wanted to, though.
She shook her head, staring at the moon once again. She tried to remember what it was like to be happy, when everything was simple. She couldn't. It seemed so far away, and so unreachable. She had wanted to give up on everything, time and time again, but now, she knew it was her last chance, her chance at being who she was and not who they wanted her to be. It was time to stop being a coward and man up. It was time to live. And it terrified her.
"Mom!"
The yell woke her in a jolt. She didn't know when she had fallen asleep, barely remembering coming back to bed, but now she was wide awake. Wearing a pair of silken pyjamas, kindly loaned by the former Mayor, the British woman slipped out of bed, gripping her wand loosely in her hand. She looked in a mirror, attempting to fix her appearance, then remembering she didn't care, and stepped out of the room. Downstairs stood a little boy — not so little, a pre-teen if she had to guess — whose voice was clearly going through some changes. Smiling to herself, she began descending the stairs, a playful smirk on her face.
"Hello there." She said, quirking a brow when he jumped, clearly surprised. Then he stared, for a couple of seconds, and her smirk grew.
"Oh my God." Was the only thing he said, and she tried hard not to smile again. So this was the brunette's son. Interesting.
"Looking for your mother, I presume?" He stared again, and she found it hard not to laugh.
"Eumh, yeah. Have you seen her?" His eyes wandered to her wand, and she lifted an eyebrow once again.
"No, I have not." He frowned now, and opened his mouth again, before closing it. It made her smile, and she encouraged him to speak with a slow movement of her hand. She tried not to appear too satisfied when he flinched.
"So you're really here. Like, really, in the flesh?" It was rhetorical, and she didn't answer, gazing at him, unimpressed.
"Right. So you have magic, that's cool." He didn't look so sure, even wary, if she had to guess. She smiled, and it was close to wicked.
"Would you like me to show you?" Her fingers holding the wand flexed, and he flinched once again.
"Sure?" He tried keeping watching her in the eye; she had to respect him for that. Slowly, putting on a show, she raised her hand, and —
"What the hell do you think you're doing?!"
"It's not like I was going to curse him." The British woman sighed and dropped her hand, mumbling, and pouting.
Henry turned to face his mother, smiling sheepishly. "It's alright mom, I told her to show me." Still, the woman was made, and she frowned, looking Henry over to see if he was injured. Seeing he wasn't, she sighed, and turned to face Bellatrix.
"What was rule number two?"
"Dunnot speak to your son…" Came the mumbled reply, clearly not happy with having being stop.
"I'm sorry, what was that?" The infuriating brunette asked again, and this time Bellatrix raised her head, staring right back at her. Challenging.
"You heard me just fine." And with that, she turned on the heels, stomping back up the stairs, slamming her bedroom door.
Regina was never so glad she had forgotten something at home. In her hurry to leave, she had left some important paperwork — that yes, she may or may have not stolen from the Mayor's office to fill them — and had to get back to grab them. She didn't dare imagine what would have happen if she hadn't come back. Silently, she was thanking whatever God, and finally remembering Henry's presence, she looked at him, and smiled.
"Oh Henry." She said in a soft, relieved tone, forcing him into her arms, hugging him like there was no tomorrow.
"Eumh, mom, I can't breathe." He tried, and Regina released him after a last squeeze. She smiled, then, tentatively.
"What were you thinking, asking her to show you magic?" She was frowning then, taking Henry's hand and guiding him to the living room to sit down with her on the couch. To her delight, he let her.
"Mom, you know who I love Harry Potter, right?" She nodded, and he continued. "You can't blame me for being curious. Aren't you? I mean, don't you wonder how it works?"
She had to admit he made a point. She did want to see it at work; however, she did not want to experience some curses. Especially not from her.
"I do, but Henry you have to be careful. This is Bellatrix we're talking about, not, I don't know, McGonagall, or even Hermione."
"I know mom, but still. Bellatrix is way less intimidating when she's wearing your pyjamas." He joked, and she smiled. "Plus, I was thinking that maybe the books got it wrong. I mean it was wrong concerning you, so …"
She could have cried. Right this moment, she felt tears grace her eyes, and she did her best not to let them fall. After Henry got the book, and started hating her, she never thought that day would come. She thought he was lost to her forever.
"Henry …" She couldn't say more, afraid she'd cry, or worst, sob. So she grabbed his hand, and squeezed it gently. "You've grown so much."
He smiled right back at her, and this time, he was the one to hug her. She didn't remember the last time this happened, and so she just melted in his embrace, hopping it would last forever.
"So, how long is she going to stay here with you?" He finally said, releasing his mother, though letting her keep his hand in hers.
"I have no idea, Henry. I can't find a single thing about where she came from."
"You have to talk to her about it, mom." At that, she laughed. It wasn't actually an amused laugh, more like a frustrated one. "What?" He asked.
"Making that woman speak is as difficult as making me speak, sweetie." She smiled a little, and sighed. "She has even worst defence mechanisms than mine. And she knows really painful curses. Let me tell you, I don't want to be on the other side of a crucio."
He smiled as well, nodding. "Yeah, I can understand that. But please mom, promise me you'll try. You have to help her." He was looking at her with those big puppy eyes, and she knew there was no way in hell she'd be able to say no. So she nodded, as well, and released his hand.
"Alright. I promise I'll try. Now go back to your other mother, she must be worrying." She frowned at the idea of letting her son go, but he wasn't entirely hers anymore, and she knew she had to come around sooner rather than later.
"Right, okay. You should talk to Emma as well, mom. She's really beating herself up for all of this, you know."
She nodded distractedly, and rose, walking him to the door. "Believe me, I know. She won't shut up about it." It made her smile, a bit, and him too.
"Yeah, that sounds about right. Give her a chance, mom. She might surprise you." He placed a peck on his mom's cheek, and jogged down the path to her door, waving at her, smiling all the while.
She closed the door when she couldn't see him anymore, and slowly looked upstairs. Papers completely forgotten, she sighed, and went up the stairs, knocking on Bellatrix's door softly.
There was a knock on the door, and the British woman snapped out of her daydreaming, turning away from the window. Knowing all to well who it was, she sighed.
"Come in." She didn't want to talk to the other woman, but she knew she would have to eventually, so she decided to get it over with.
She watched as the brunette walked into the room, and stood there awkwardly, seeming not to know what to do. Finally, rolling her eyes, Bellatrix waved at her. "Just ask already."
Frowning, the Queen sat on the edge of the bed, wiggling her nose at the messy sheets.
"Yes, well, I wasn't expecting company." The British woman said, frowning as well.
The silence that came afterwards was deafening, and also rather painful. She didn't understand what could take so long to ask, and it was making her uncomfortable. Finally, thank Goodness, the brunette spoke.
"As I'm guessing Miss Lucas told you, the knowledge we have about you comes from a book."
"The Harry Potter thing?" She snorted, and Regina glared at her for interrupting her. Bellatrix showed her hands in mock surrender.
"I want to know how much that knowledge is accurate, and how much is wrong. Is that alright with you?" At that, the British woman narrowed her eyes, suddenly annoyed by the conversation.
"And how do you attempt to do that? You want me to read the books?" She wasn't going to make this easy.
"Well, as much as that would help, no. I would like you to tell me about your world, and if you can, your life." Saying those words seemed difficult for the former-Mayor, and Bellatrix was secretly glad about that, because this conversation made her extremely uncomfortable.
"What makes you think I want to share?" She could see the other woman was becoming impatient, but she really couldn't help it.
"I believe you have no choice, Miss Black. If I am ever to trust you, I have to know about you. And for now, I am not sure if what I know is accurate."
Sure, it made sense to the Death Eater. It made too much sense. And she felt like this conversation was the exact beginning for her redemption. Yet, she couldn't trust Regina either, and she was not really supporting of the idea of opening up to a stranger.
"Let's make a deal then." Seeing the brunette rise an eyebrow at this, she continued. "I tell you one thing about me, or my world, and you do the same. So we can trust each other."
"That would be ... Acceptable, I guess."
Bellatrix drew a breath in, and slowly went to sit at the head of the bed, resting her back against the hard wood, making the sorceress turn to look at her.
"My world is very much like this one, except we don't seem to have the same type of magic. Only extremely powerful wizards or witches are able to make magic without a wand, or for that matter, without saying a spell. The wand helps us channel our power. It chooses the wizard, and the only way to make its allegiance change is to defeat said wizard in combat."
The witch stared expectantly at Regina, waiting for her to speak. The other woman sighed, seeming already tired by the conversation. It was going to be a long day that was for sure.
"Alright. This world has no magic in it. The only reason I have, is because this town doesn't belong here, it belongs to a realm called the Enchanted Forest. Our magic is … emotion. It can be dark or light, whether it is fuelled by love and happiness or by hate and anger. Some are born with it, but one can also acquire magic, through artefacts of some sorts. The most powerful magic of all is called True Love. It can break curses."
Bellatrix was sensing there was something more about that True Love thing, seeing how suddenly the Queen's mood went to the ground. She chose not to ask, though.
"It's impressive." She acknowledged none-the-less, and Regina smiled, a little bit.
"Your turn." That earned a scowl, and the former Mayor had to fight a chuckle.
"I am a Death Eater." The Queen's eyes snapped back up, staring into the charcoal of the older woman's. So that was true as well … seeing she was expecting an answer, once again, she smiled.
"I was the Evil Queen." The 'was' seemed important, somehow, and Bellatrix just nodded.
"I serve the Dark Lord. I am his most loyal lieutenant. The only woman, really." She used to be proud, but now it left a taste of ashes in her mouth. She didn't know why. "I despise mudbloods." Except one. "I am a pureblood."
She couldn't decipher the look on the sorceress' face, and she bit the inside of her cheek, suddenly self-conscious.
"So it was all true?" Regina said, more to herself than anything. She saw Bellatrix frown, and was quick to continue. "The books, I mean. Mainly it says exactly what you did. Except that … you die in the books."
Bellatrix scoffed at that, crossing her arms. "Like somebody could bloody kill me! How did they say who it was?" She was curious, still.
"The mother Weasly."
She stopped breathing. Somehow, a hurricane of panic settled in her stomach, and she felt like she was going to be sick. She also thought the mother Weasly had killed her. She still didn't understand why it didn't happen, but she knew in her heart it should have. Suddenly, she was moving, standing up and basically running out of the room. She didn't turn to see Regina, simply waving her wand, dressing herself, while descending the stairs, and ran. She ran as far as she could, as fast as she was able to, emerging herself into the forest she could see from her bedroom. She ran until her lungs burned and her muscles refused to carry her anymore. She ran until she collapsed on the ground, exhausted, barely standing on her knees. She screamed then, in utter frustration, in despair, in fear.
Regina hadn't have time to react that Bellatrix was already out the door. She sighed, and waved her hand at the bed, the sheets rearranging themselves.
"That went well." She said, letting her upper half fall on the bed, staring up at the ceiling. If she heard the scream, she didn't acknowledge it, just hoping the older woman would be back before the dark.
So, yeah, I'mma do some believer Queen for a bit, cause I mean she deserves it, don't you think ?
LyzzCullenSalvatoreSwanQueen: Thank you so much for your enthusiasm !
kytkis: I don't think I'll go too deep into depression, cause I'm not certain I can write that and be, let's say, believable, but they have issues, I think, and not so happy ones so it won't be exactly fluffy either. I'm glad I'm not destroying your language though, so thank you.
scratchx: Haha thanks ! We'll see Hermione soon, don't worry. I didn't forget about her!
Until next time !