A/N: Since the last chapter was rather short, I decided to update again sooner rather than later.
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter and am in no way making any money from this work. This is a work of fiction, and any similarity between characters in this story and real life is purely coincidence.
Summary: After Voldemort is cured of his radical personality change, Wormtail accidentally picks up some of the magic and drastically changes.
It was late into the next day before Voldemort and Bellatrix saw Wormtail again. They didn't much care to find out where he was, and so spent most of the day preparing for the Pageant. While Voldemort worked on finding just the right dress, Bellatrix looked into the Beauty Pageant itself.
"My Lord, listen to this!" she suddenly exclaimed as she read through the pamphlet that had come in the mail.
"Alright, then," replied the Dark Lord, glancing lazily through a dress magazine. "Read it."
"London Beauty Pageant… Winner receives a 1-year modeling contract… Looking for Judges." Bella looked at Voldemort meaningfully. He furrowed his brow in confusion.
"My dear, what are you- AH!" His face lit up as he realized exactly what that could mean. "Hand me that pamphlet, quick!" Bella did so without hesitation, taking the magazine in its place. Voldemort glanced at the paper and rushed from the room.
Several minutes passed in silence as Bellatrix perused page after page of hideous dresses. It certainly seemed to be the fad among muggles right now to wear the most ridiculous clothing imaginable. Anything that wasn't gaudy and over the top was practically lingerie. The few dresses that were actually passable were plain and shapeless. In a fit of frustration, the witch threw the magazine across the room and into the fire, where it slowly shriveled up and melted into ashes.
A moment later Voldemort strode into the room, looking quite satisfied with himself. "Well, it's settled. I convinced them that I- Dear, where's the magazine?"
Bellatrix refused to say anything, but glanced momentarily at the fireplace. Voldemort sighed.
"That was the last one. Honestly, do you have to have such a temper?"
"Oh, you're one to talk!" Bellatrix whirled around and sulked. Voldemort cringed.
"Look, I'm sorry. I didn't mean-"
"Oh, stuff it. I don't want to hear anything more about this Pageant for the rest of the day." She turned to leave the room, but was interrupted by Wormtail, who had magically grown long, blond hair and had magically lost about 50 pounds. He was also panting heavily, as if he'd just run a marathon.
"Wormtail, what happened to you?" asked Bella, truly curious.
"I got huff extensions huff and liposuction!" he exclaimed excitedly. "You like?" He giggled insanely.
"No, I don't like!" Bellatrix grimaced. "And why are you so out of breath?"
"Well, I wanted to get more in shape, so I decided to run back instead of apparating."
"That sounds incredibly dangerous," said the Dark Lord. "You should do that again sometime."
"My Lord!" gasped Bella. She may have disliked the twerp, but he was useful to have around the house. "Don't listen to him, Wormtail. How far did you run?"
"All the way from the village. Why?"
Bellatrix shook her head. "Don't do that again, you fool. Now go get some rest."
Wormtail followed her advice and staggered upstairs. As soon as he was safely out of earshot, Voldemort took Bellatrix by the arm and steered her gently to the couch.
"Bella, calm down." The woman looked dangerously unhinged, and Voldemort was concerned for her sanity- rather, what little sanity she had.
"I'll be alright," she muttered. "Just- seeing Peter in those robes…" She shuddered involuntarily. Why did the man have to go around wearing clothes that better suited a cheerleader?
"Well, alright then. I think I've found a dress that could work, by the way."
Bellatrix looked up skeptically. "Really," she said scornfully. "This I'd like to see."
Knowing this was as close to a request as he'd get, Voldemort quickly conjured up a twilight-colored satin dress. It managed to be delicate and graceful at the same time, without being flashy. Bella rolled her eyes.
"I suppose it'll do. It's better than any of the others, at least. It's still so…" She trailed off, unable to find the right word.
"So muggle?" Voldemort offered. Bellatrix nodded curtly.
"I fail to see why muggles can't just wear proper robes like everyone else."
"They're muggles, Bella, of course they're foolish. Have you thought of what your talent will be yet?"
"Talent?" Bellatrix asked blankly.
"Yes, talent. There's a talent show as part of the Pageant. I would recommend against singing; everyone does that, apparently."
Bellatrix groaned and collapsed against the back of the sofa.
The next morning found Bellatrix in the drawing room, juggling five beanbags.
"Whatcha doing?" an obnoxious falsetto echoed through the room and Bella dropped the beanbags in shock, all but one of them landing on her head.
"Wormtail!" She spun around to face the rat and nearly threw up. Today he had done away with the robes and was wearing a pink tubetop and short shorts. At least he had shaved today.
"Why are you juggling, Bella?" he asked innocently, bouncing on the balls of his feet.
"Don't call me that, rat." The witch sneered. "I'm only juggling because I feel like it. Now go away. I'm sick of looking at you."
"You're just jealous of me, aren't you?" Wormtail giggled. "Who wouldn't be? I'm almost jealous of myself!" He stretched into a pose that would have looked more fetching on an eighteen-year-old girl.
Bella gritted her teeth in disgust. "That doesn't even make sense."
"So what? I'm so gorgeous, I don't have to make sense."
"Shouldn't you be somewhere else, deciding what to do for the Talent portion of the Pageant?"
Wormtail's face stretched in shock. "Oh my gosh! I totally forgot!" He dashed from the room to go figure out what to do. Bella sighed.
"Well, now that he's gone…" She picked up the beanbags and resumed juggling.
To Be Continued...