"Silver over everything
The rivers all wet
You're all chrome
Dripping with alchemy..."
Heads Will Roll
HP
Mechanism of Destruction
Lucius Malfoy was irritated. All the effort he had put into becoming his Lord's right-hand man was about to go to waste: he had just been informed that Bellatrix Lestrange had returned. After almost six months without hearing from her, Malfoy had hoped the lunatic was dead.
Malfoy needed to confirm it. He ordered his servant not to disturb him and went personally to receive Bellatrix Lestrange in the foyer. Damn it. It was her.
"Our Lord will be pleased to see you again; we feared you had died," said Lucius, extending his hand, which she took in hers. Malfoy noticed the coldness of her skin, her dirty nails, a faint metallic smell… and was she thinner than before?
Bellatrix smiled, showing yellow teeth in a fake grin.
It seemed that these six months had not been kind to her.
"Don't lie, Lucy. I'm sure that in my absence you've been climbing up like the little pale worm you are," she said, pulling her hand back. "But despite my hardships, I bring a gift for our Lord." She pointed to a bundle Malfoy hadn't noticed before.
Lucius was surprised.
"You caught him?!" he exclaimed, realizing that the bundle was a person—though it wasn't Hermione Granger, the reason for Bellatrix's absence.
Their Lord, fed up with Granger's interventions, the great mechanic, and her latest invention—bracelets capable of neutralizing a wizard's magic—had assigned Bellatrix, the cruelest and most effective in his court, to finish her off.
At first, annoyed by Bellatrix's delay, Voldemort launched several attacks on villages, affecting even his followers, including Malfoy. But after the first month, Voldemort showed a slight concern. By the third month, Malfoy had advanced subtly to become Voldemort's right-hand man. And now, with Bellatrix's return and this prisoner, his chance seemed to vanish. Bellatrix Lestrange had captured Harry Potter, the Thunder Alchemist, leader of the resistance, and the prophesied end of Lord Voldemort...The boy destined to unite alchemy and mechanics to defeat Voldemort...
A long time ago, Lord Voldemort, a great alchemist, had obtained the location of the Potters—not only great wizards but strong opponents with access to arcane alchemical knowledge. On the night he attacked them, all that was known was that the Potters did something to ensure their son survived, simultaneously weakening Voldemort. Soon after, the Potters died mysteriously, consumed, as they say…
No one knew exactly what happened, but the young Potter had become the world's best alchemist; he seemed one with matter, bending it as if it were mere clay. Much was said about his parents' alchemy having something to do with it…
"I'll inform our Lord," Malfoy managed to say, caught between disappointment and frustration.
The mechanical creak of the hinges on the doors to the room where Lord Voldemort waited echoed as Lucius activated the correct valve. At least Bellatrix hadn't objected to him being the one to inform their Lord first; perhaps she was more tired than expected. Capturing Potter couldn't have been easy.
The mechanism stopped before closing behind him.
Looking back, Bellatrix was smiling, holding the door.
"You'll be the one to tell him, Lucy, but I'll be right behind you with my prize," she said, carrying Potter like a sack of potatoes.
Perhaps she wasn't as tired as she seemed.
Lucius cursed under his breath but allowed her to follow him, each heavy step of Bellatrix's leather boots trailing him, aggravating him. Couldn't she be a bit more subtle? Did she have to stomp so loudly? Did she have to come back at all?
With Potter incapacitated, they didn't need the doors. Magic and mechanics didn't mix. The only thing magic couldn't bend or affect was machinery—hence the mechanical doors that protected their Lord.
"My Lord," began Malfoy, but Bellatrix interrupted him.
"I've captured Potter, my Lord. These iron bracelets are the same ones Granger uses against us," Bellatrix cut in as she laid Potter's body at their Lord's feet.
"You captured Granger then, Bellatrix?"
Lestrange made a sound that could have been a growl or a laugh.
"Not quite, my Lord, but I was very close."
Lord Voldemort rose and approached Potter, unconscious and neutralized on the floor.
"I suppose your failure may be justified for now. No doubt, Potter is an acceptable substitute."
"My Lord," Bellatrix smiled and gave a slight bow.
Lucius would never understand how women could bow in corsets, but even Bellatrix now seemed to do it with more ease.
"Is he dead?" asked Lord Voldemort, as if asking if it would rain today.
"No, my Lord. I left that honor for you."
Voldemort smiled, something that, although generally a good sign, Malfoy preferred not to see.
"I'll wake him before putting him to sleep eternally. I want to see the look of his defeat."
Voldemort moved part of the body with his foot, but as he went to give it a second kick to turn the boy face-up, Harry reacted with unexpected speed.
For a moment, Lucius Malfoy thought Potter was kneeling, begging Voldemort, but he soon realized what he was doing: he was quickly switching the bracelets from his own hands to Voldemort's legs.
Lucius Malfoy's eyes widened with surprise, just in time to grasp the betrayal, but before he could draw his wand, Bellatrix had already placed a pair of bracelets on his wrists.
Voldemort's furious scream rivaled that of a cat splashed with water.
"Bellatrix!" screeched the Dark Lord. "Traitor!"
Potter smiled, almost amused.
"Not at all. She was disgustingly loyal to you until the end," he said, as he skillfully immobilized both Voldemort and Malfoy with his magic, making them easy prey without access to their powers.
"So disgustingly loyal that Hermione and I decided she should be the one to send you to hell." Harry reached behind Bellatrix, who bent like a broken doll… That wasn't Bellatrix. It was an automaton. The best automaton he'd ever seen.
Potter, frowning and completely focused on the machinery, fiddled with something inside the Bellatrix simulation.
"Hermione explained what to do… but… I hope I don't mess it up. She's the expert on this, you know?" Potter had the audacity to wink at them. "It took her a lot of work to do this. I think it's ready."
With some effort, he placed the top half of Bellatrix back in place.
"Destruction sequence in thirty seconds, thirty, twenty-nine…" Bellatrix began, with her usual arrogance. Granger truly was an excellent mechanic.
"Well, goodbye then," said Harry, dashing out and closing the heavy mechanical doors behind him.
HPHPHPHPHP*
"Off with your head
Dance 'til you're dead
Heads will roll
On the floor"
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Mechanism of Destruction
steampunk. Lord Voldemort had tasked Bellatrix Lestrange with capturing the great mechanic Granger… but she came back with something… better… or worse, if you ask Lucius.
I'm not sure if I was too subtle in Malfoy's small observations about Bella... connecting them... well, maybe it wasn't so obvious that she was no longer human. Yes... maybe I was too subtle... hmm.
Thank you for reading and commenting.