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"So, Bella, you are back. You did not say that you were bewitched, forced, or mistaken. You proudly declared your allegiance to me in front of the ministry. I must say that I am proud.
The Dark Lord sat at his desk in the hidden basement in Malfoy Manor that Lucius had designed specifically for their use. When she had arrived, Bellatrix had been escorted to her room, where she had spent a month recovering from Azkaban. She had been given her old clothes(which Bellatrix strongly suspected had been put in a sort of shrine in the attic, considering Cissy's tenancies to hoard the items that had been owned by those who had died), and had also been given lots of chocolate. She had also been able to practice her magic again, since not having a wand was very difficult. But just an hour ago, she had been informed quite loftily by Lucius that the Dark Lord had wished to see her. She had quickly gotten dressed and left for his chambers. But now, her heart swelled from his praise.
"Bella. You I am the most pleased to see. One of my most devoted servants that I have, returned fresh from Azkaban. I assume the wand is in working order?" he questioned.
"Yes my lord. It works as well as the old one did," Bellatrix responded, her heart swelling with pleasure at his praise.
"Excellent. The Azkaban guards have joined us, as I am sure that you noticed. Now, I have been trying to access a prophecy in the Department of Mysteries. It has something to do with Potter.
"Potter?" Bellatrix questioned. Though she knew of Potter and the fact that he had defeated the Dark Lord as a baby, she was confused. How on earth was the boy still alive?
"Yes Potter. Oh Bella, you are indeed behind on news. Potter has been disrupting our plans, and I wish him to be exterminated as quickly as possible. When I returned in June, Potter was there at my request. I used his blood to revive me. However, he escaped due to pure luck. I had intended to kill him. But of course he involved Dumbledore. Though, the Ministry does not believe him, making the process much easier to get in. I also have noticed his presence in my mind as of late. I believe it is a side effect of using his blood."
"But how will you gain access to this prophecy if it is in the Departement of Mysteries? It is very well guarded as I understand," Bellatrix said.
"That's where we hit the snag, Bella. No one is able to remove it. First, I had to see if Sturgis Podmore could remove it. Lucius used the Imperius Curse on him while he was guarding. When Podmore was unable to remove it, we tried an employee of the Department, Bode. He was unable to remove it, and sent to St. Mungo. He was disposed of when he began to recover. But now, we have no way. Avery told me that Bode would be able to remove it for sure. I do not know why Bode was unable. He fought against Malfoy's Imperius Curse, much harder than normally. I have been mulling over this for weeks. I do not know how to remove it. There must be some way though," he contemplated.
"My lord, perhaps Rookwood would be able to help. After all, he worked in the Department," Bellatrix suggested.
"Is he out of recovery yet?" he questioned.
"No my Lord. He is still unable to get up. He received much more brutal treatment than I did in Azkaban. Spies are hated much more than people like me," Bellatrix admitted.
" You have done well to tell me this. I will call Rookwood to me as soon as he has recovered. Now, you must get some rest. I have some thinking to do and you must get some sleep so you are in top performance. That will be all."
Bellatrix bowed to him and backed out of the room, feeling a surge of triumph. He remembered her. He knew that she was devoted. And he knew that she was useful and needed her rest. It almost sounded like he cared. Life was wonderful.