Hello readers, sorry if the prior chapter came out of nowhere, but this chapter should explain everything. Also, I think that this quote fits the entire chapter to a tee. So, read, review and enjoy!
"We've all fallen, but at the same time we're not broken.
There is the hint that we are going to get up again."
(Amy Lee, Evanescence)
Bellatrix awoke in a haze of blinding white light; it burnt her eyes so much that all she could do was squint until her eyes adjusted. As her vision slowly came back to her, she started to sit up, but a throbbing pain in her chest stopped her.
"Where? Where am I?" she asked aloud, but the silence gave her an altogether more frightening answer. She looked around the room she was in, and saw white. White walls. White doors. White windows with a white space outside. Everything in the room was white, too. The drawers, the bed, even the mirror on the opposing wall. Actually…
"Is that… me?" she whispered, straining to get to eye level in the bed so that she could look in the mirror properly. Her reflection made her gasp aloud; she saw a young woman with a deep gash on her face, a heavy bruise across her forehead covered slightly by a few blood stained shreds of hair. She looked like she had been attacked by someone, or something. As she examined her face closely, she noticed in the mirror a change in the colour of the room; rather in a specific patch right behind her. It was in the shape of a small crow, with a strange marking on its wing. As she turned, her chest started to throb again, causing her to gasp in pain.
"It hurts, doesn't it?"
Bella glanced around looking for the voice, but no one was there but the crow.
"You are in pain, yes?"
Frantically, she started to fight the pain, looking for the source, but it seemed to be moving around the room. Suddenly, the mark on the crow looked startlingly familiar to her. "No…" she whispered, her eyes going to her hands, her mind imagining her last memory; the knife, the reflection, the blood.
"Figured it out yet, Bellatrix…" The crow, perched on the top of the bed in the mirror image, started to fly towards the mirror itself, but there was no bird in the room with her. Course; truth was, Bellatrix now knew what (or rather, who) the crow really was. It emerged from the mirror, the frame rippling around it, as it started to transform. Its clawed feet elongated and became shrouded in feathers, to the point where they were simply a sea of darkness. Its body grew, and from it two shrouded arms morphed from the feathery body. The wings moved back until they could be folded into an impressively imposing stance. Its head underwent the most radical change, the crow's beak blackening and opening well beyond what was natural, yet inside the crow's mouth was the face of Death itself.
"Please, I don't want to die… Harry."
Harry slowly landed on the floor, his black body a stark contrast to the pristinely white surroundings. Bella watched him, knowing why he was here. She was about to die. "Please, Harry. I don't want to die," she pleaded, her voice almost inaudible, her eyes streaming, her hands shaking. She would have begged him, had the pain not been so intense.
"Bella, have you not learned yet?" he asked calmly, his voice seemingly calming her, however temporarily. "The choice of death is made by the body, not by the mind. Look around you, where do you think you are?" Her eyes darted around as she realised just where she had ended up since what happened in Black Manor.
"We are in a hospital, aren't we?" she guessed.
"St. Mungo's, to be precise;" he replied. "Do you know how you have ended up here?"
This time, she had no reply; she did not know what happened after she… had… hurt…
"Who did I kill?" she asked feverishly, before starting to panic. "Oh God, please tell me I didn't kill Hermione or the baby. Please Harry! Please, tell me!"
"You really don't remember what happened, do you?" he said, which scared Bella more than anything. "Tell me, Bellatrix; what do you fear?" He waved his hand towards the mirror, which had now enlarged to the point where it took up most of the opposing wall. As Bella looked at the mirror, which to be fair, wasn't acting as a mirror, but more as a screen; she saw what she feared most in the world: Hermione and the newborn, dead on the floor.
"Please, Harry! Please tell me they are safe!" she begged. She couldn't live with herself if she had killed them. In fact, her memories of the manor suggested to her that they weren't real. They couldn't be, could they?
"Perhaps looking at yourself will answer some of your questions," Harry suggested, gently lifting up Bella from the bed, and stripping her of the white gown covering her. What she saw horrified her to her core. She had wounds all across her chest and abdomen; a notably long horizontal gash across her stomach had been carefully sutured up, while bruise upon bruise covered her entire body. It had appeared that someone had beaten her to a bloody pulp before trying to snuff her out.
"Tell me what happened," she asked, shock subduing her voice to the volume of a field mouse. Harry obliged, setting her down before showing her just what had happened in Black Manor. Essentially, she had been sleepwalking, the nightmare she was having directing her movements, the jolts of pain she felt, were in fact her bumping into things and colliding with objects, before she had turned the knife on herself.
"Even monsters have nightmares, Bella." Harry put his hand on Bella's shoulder, comforting her as she watched her own demise.
"What does a monster have nightmares of?" she asked, almost like a scared little girl who had just woken up in a cold sweat.
"Itself."
After a few minutes of quiet contemplation over what she had done to herself in her nightmarish daze, she finally decided to ask the question that had been burning away at her mind. "Harry, how did I get to St. Mungo's?"
"Your family heard your cry for help," he replied cryptically. She was understandably confused, so he went on. "Allow me to show you." He raised his arm to the screen once more, and the room suddenly changed. When t reformed, the two of them were perched on top of a bookshelf, at the back of a dimly lit classroom. Round them, teenagers were chatting merrily, swapping notes and trading jokes, and some were trading much more than that. "Do you know where we are, Bella?"
Bella glanced around quickly, and recognised the specific room they were in. "We're in the 'Defence Against the Dark Arts' classroom, aren't we?"
Nodding to confirm her suspicions, her attention turned back to the figures that had just entered the room from the right of her. They were all faces that she recognised. "Hermione, Ginny, Tom" she whispered to herself.
The action now revolved around the newest professor to head the DADA class, and to some, he seemed to radiate an ominous aura. "Hello, class. My name is Professor Riddle, and I will be your new Defence against the Dark Arts teacher. Some of you may know my history, for the rest of you; I used to be one of the strongest Dark Wizards in the world, a life I have since given up." As the class began to murmur amongst themselves, Hermione and Ginny were giggling to themselves, knowing exactly what they were all discussing. "In your seventh year, this subject is meant to prepare you for your NEWTs; to this end, it will therefore cover anything that a witch or wizard may encounter, irrespective of how rare these aspects may be. Now, after the Christmas break, you will be taught in the art of defensive duelling, along with some guest Aurors, you will be taught everything a young wizard should know to survive in the real world. Of course, if the rumours are true, many of you have already learned how to fight a few years ago." As he glanced around, some of the students, many of whom were graduates of Dumbledore's Army, giggled in unison at the acknowledgement.
As the students started to quieten down, Tom started to conjure an image of a dark creature on the board behind him. "As for this turn, we shall be studying dark creatures and some of the deceased Dark Wizards of the past. So, question one, who can tell me what the name of this creature is?" He pointed to the now fully formed creature behind him. As the rest of the class were quiet in thought, Ginny and Hermione were debating who should answer the question. After much deliberation, Ginny raised her hand.
"Yes, Miss Weasley," he said, pointing to her to stand.
"It's a Lethifold, Sir," she replied confidently. "A Lethifold is a carnivorous creature found in the tropics, and it attacks its victims at night, leaving no trace of them behind."
"Correct, Miss Weasley; the Lethifold is adept at lying in wait for its prey to fall asleep, before it will glide over to them and suffocate them to death by smothering them. Now, who can tell me what its only weakness is."
This time, Hermione put her hand up, and one of the students in the back of the class sneered at her, but as Ginny sat back down she saw the student and glared back at them. "The Patronus Charm, normally used for defensive purposes, is the only known method of repelling a Lethifold, first discovered by Flavius Belby while on holiday in Papau New Guinea."
"Again, well explained Miss Granger. 5 points to Gryffindor." Tom now saw quite a rare opportunity to demonstrate a rare skill, as well as demonstrate the Charm. "Miss Granger, as I understand it, you are capable of conjuring a corporeal Patronus, correct. Would you care to demonstrate it for the class?"
"Sure," she replied, as she walked out of the row of seats and moved to the front of the class. As she got to the front row she aimed her right hand at the board in front of her and focussed on a fond memory of hers. "Expecto Patronum." In a flash of white light, a wave of silver energy radiated through her arm and her otter Patronus burst into life. As it floated around in the air, one of the students put her hand up to ask a question.
"Yes, Miss Robins?" Tom asked, as Hermione focused on maintaining the Patronus.
"Professor, how is Hermione able to conjure a Patronus without a wand?"
"An interesting question, and one I expected. As many of you are familiar with the infamous adventures Miss Granger and her friends had last year, it is not widely known that her wand was lost to her. Instead of finding a new wand, she instead taught herself how to cast spells wandlessly. This skill is only reserved for wizards and witches who are very competent in magic, and have the concentration to pull it off. One of the most famous wizards was the late headmaster, Albus Dumbledore. In her case, the fact that she is not directly descended from magical blood makes her magical abilities all the more exceptional."
As Hermione heard these complements, she brimmed with happiness, not noticing what was happening around her. Suddenly, the door to the classroom slammed shut, and the candles in the room went out all at once. As Tom quickly tried to keep the calm, Hermione's otter Patronus started to morph, and as it did, it changed to a crimson-grey colour; adding to the already sinister atmosphere. "Harry, what is going on?" Bella asked from her perch behind the class, but Harry simply pointed at the morphing Patronus in front of the class. She saw a thin strand of energy connecting it to Hermione and saw that it was hurting her.
The Patronus grew into a standing form, its front paws becoming arms, its fur becoming a grey robe across its body. It sprouted long bangs of hair from the top of its head and its face changed to that of someone she recognised immediately. "Bella…" Hermione gasped. Without warning, the Patronus Bellatrix wailed like a possessed banshee, a blood curdling scream piercing the entire room. Students ducked for cover, while others held their arms out to protect themselves. Ginny meanwhile was desperately attempting to get to within reach of her friend. Then she saw it. The Patronus crashed directly into Hermione, the force knocking her clean off her feet. Ginny was just barely able to catch her barely conscious friend; and as the cries of 'Lumos' were heard around the room, Bella was sitting shell-shocked on the bookshelf.
"You and Hermione are a rare occurrence in soul mates; when one person is in mortal danger, the other person can sense it, irrespective of where they are in the world. In this case, the danger manifested in your soul possessing her Patronus, and your lack of consciousness in the real world caused it to do this in here;" Harry explained, as the pair watched the events unfold further.
"Miss Weasley, take Granger to the Hospital Ward immediately," Tom ordered, as Ginny cast a levitation charm on her friend.
"Save… Bella…."
Ginny and Tom stood dead in their tracks as Hermione passed out from the exhaustion. Without another word, she raced out of the classroom, friend in tow, heading straight for the hospital ward.
The scene changed to that of a dingy bar, and both Harry and Bella were seated in a corner of the room.
"What happens in here, Harry?" Bella asked, unsure what connection this had to her. Then a familiar face became apparent in the crowd, a diminutive friend, in a strikingly beautiful dress. "Claire!"
The elf was busy having a good time away from her duties as a housekeeper, and busy she was. In addition to touring the world, she was also fending off the advances of various men who would otherwise wish to take advantage of her. As it happened, she was in Ireland, talking with a leprechaun in a corner of the bar close to where Bella and Harry were observing. "So what do you do hot stuff?" the Leprechaun, who had introduced himself as Douglas; asked, smitten with the elf in front of him.
"Oh, erm, I work for a witch as a housekeeper;" she replied, sipping on her house-elf sized glass of Butterbeer. "It is quite relaxing actually."
"But, aren't you a house elf? Aren't you meant to work for your master all the time, no matter what?" Douglas asked, his curiosity peaking just as much as his lust for Claire.
"Not in my case. My master released me from his service about 20 years ago, and I found myself without a home or shelter. A young witch rescued me and brought me to her manor. She took care of me, in my time of need. In return I offered to work for her as a housekeeper. She would design and give me these dresses as gifts, and she was incredibly kind towards me."
"So who is this heavenly chick, and does she dig guys in green?" he asked, taking a swig of his Firewhiskey.
"Her name was Bellatrix Lestrange." This gave the desired effect, startling Douglas long enough for him to start choking on his drink. As Claire gave a little mischievous giggle, Bella couldn't help but laugh at her comments, and her handling of the situation.
As he regained his composure, something clicked in his mind. "Why do you say, was?"
"She died in Hogwarts last summer. I was passed on to a new charge after her passing." While this was not technically false, the official records were that Bellatrix Lestrange was no longer living.
"Wow," was Doug's only reply. "She must have cared a great deal about you for her to go to so much trouble as to make those dresses of yours. A contrast to her public face." He seemed to have a great deal of animosity towards her, given her cruel streak was almost legendary amongst the magical folk.
"She was a great friend, and she never hurt me in the slightest. Even after Azkaban, she was still as kind as ever. All she wanted was a friend. A companion. So I gave her one."
At this, Doug seemed to simmer down, before ordering two Firewhiskeys from the bartender. He handed one to her, with a cheeky, yet sombre grin. "Well then, a toast. To friends, old and new." As he handed the glass to her, she saw Bella's face in the reflection of the red alcohol. She then saw a vision burn through her mind, a feeling of pain, suffering, and loneliness. She woke from the trance by the sound of the glass hitting the floor underneath her as she had dropped it. "Bloody 'ell, what was that?!" Doug yelled as she realised where she needed to be. Turning, she dashed away from him, yelling back at him:
"A friend who needs me!"
The scene changed once again, this time the two spirits were back in Black Manor. "What happens now, Harry?" Bella asked, slowly starting to piece together the different parts of the puzzle. Harry stayed silent, and instead pointed to the immobile body on the floor. She immediately recognised it as her own.
"Bellatrix!" Claire yelled as she ran through the house, desperately looking for her mistress, before coming to a halt in the kitchen. "Oh my God! What happened in here?" she gasped, slowly approaching Bella's badly damaged and unconscious body. "What could have happened here?" As she stood up, she made a mental request to two other house elves she had met on her travels.
At almost the same time, the pair appeared. "Miss Claire, why have you summoned Dobby and Kreacher… here…?" Dobby looked at the lifeless, unconscious form in front of him. "What did Miss Claire do?" he asked in astonishment, as the trio turned her onto her back.
"Oh Mistress Bellatrix," Kreacher cried out, gripping her hand gently. "What happened to you?"
Quickly, Claire took charge. "Kreacher, I need you to go to Hogwarts and find some people for me, a student and a professor: Miss Hermione Granger and Prof. Tom Riddle."
"Why does Claire want the Mudblood girl?" Kreacher asked, unaware of the connection between Bella and her. After getting a quick death glare from Claire, he quickly realised his error. "Apologies, Miss Claire. Kreacher shutting up and going."
"Tell the two of them to get to St. Mungo's as soon as they can. Apparate them there if you have to." With a bow, Kreacher Apparated away. "Dobby, I need you to find her sister, Narcissa Malfoy."
Recoiling in horror, Dobby started to shake his head frantically. "No no nononononono! Dobby does not want to see the mean Malfoy man again. Please don't make Dobby go there. Please," he begged her.
"Dobby! I need Narcissa and her family so that I can actually get her to St. Mungos's. Please, go and get them," she replied, genuine panic starting to course through her.
"She means a lot to you, doesn't she?" Dobby asked solemnly, his voice quiet.
"She is my family. The only one that I have left."
"Very well. Dobby will find the Malfoys." With a crack, Dobby vanished, leaving Claire alone to watch over her fallen friend.
After almost 5 minutes of continuous checking and rechecking pulses around her body, Claire finally found an extremely weak pulse in her neck. Almost on cue, Dobby returned, with the Malfoys in tow.
"I swear, elf; if you are pulling our legs, I will personally turn you into a leather bag," Lucius threatened.
"Dad, don't be so mean, if he says something is wrong, then chances are…" Draco retorted, before seeing the sight of his aunt sprawled out on the floor in a pool of blood; "…there is."
"What happened here, Claire?" Narcissa asked as she crouched down to check on her sister. "Did you see her attacker?"
When Claire shook her head, Draco drew his wand and shouted a Charm he had read once. "Ostendo sum tentatio!" The 'Reveal Attacker' Charm blasted around the house, before the pinkish aura settled on Bella's limp body. Realising the implications, he cast it twice more, with the same end result. "Why would she do something like this?"
"I don't know son. I just don't understand. She had her whole life to live for, why would she want to throw it away?"
"She hasn't yet," Claire responded. "We need to get her to St Mungo's immediately."
"Yeah, and last time I checked, I don't take orders from a beast like you," Lucius sneered, only to get a fist to the chest, courtesy of Draco.
"Dad, you don't need to come if you don't want to, but she really needs medical help if she is going to survive." Draco and his mother grabbed Bellatrix firmly, and Apparated away. Claire followed suit, leaving Lucius to concede defeat and follow them. The spirits followed them to St Mungo's, where medical witches and wizards were desperately checking every possible permeation of spells that they could to try and save her life.
As Bella watched this unfold, she saw just how much her family cared for her, just as a new trio of people came rushing through the atrium of the emergency ward. Hermione, Kreacher and Tom were all racing towards the Malfoys, who were winding through the maze of doors, until finally, Dobby noticed her just before they headed into the Operating Room.
As Hermione caught up to them, the MediWitch informed her that they needed to begin treating her immediately. "Please, just don't let her die," Hermione told her. "I don't know what I will do without her by my side. I love her."
The witch noted her emotion, and rather than judge her lesbianism, she instead assured her that she would make sure she survived.
As the doors to the theatre closed, Bella found herself back in her room, now filled with everyone who cared about her: Hermione, Claire, Narcissa, Draco, Dobby, Kreacher, Tom and Lucius. All of them had a look of fear and anguish on their faces as they watched over her.
"You have a choice to make, Bella Black;" Harry said, directing her attention to the mirror in front of her. "You can either follow me to the Spirit World, and never feel pain again, or remain here, and see them all one last time." As he vanished into the mirror, she sat in the white vastness of Limbo, contemplating her choice: Live or Die.
Deciding, she materialised a knife in her hands, and looked at her reflection in it. Once again, she saw the mad Lestrange woman, her monster. She made her choice and through it at the mirror.
"I choose…
Life."
As she woke to the haze of bright light, she heard her family celebrating in their own ways, some were hugging each other, and others were kissing each other. Hermione, she held onto her hand, cherishing any touch she could gain. "Hun, I'm not going anywhere, not anymore." As Hermione hugged her, Bella saw out of the window, a crow with a suspiciously specific marking. "Thank you for saving me," she whispered gratefully. The crow nodded in acknowledgement and flew off into the sunset.