Bad Romance

Chapter 3

Chapter 3: I Want Your Horror

"Have a seat, Mrs. Lestrange," the rat-faced man invited in a tone that said the invitation was an order. He nodded to a hard straight-backed chair, the only seat in the room. Bellatrix knew this meant he would stand while she sat. He was trying to play the dominance card. He had no idea who he was playing cards with. She sat, regarding him through narrowed eyes.

He stood in the middle of the room a few feet away. Other than the single chair the room was entirely empty. She thought this was some room for questioning criminals, but they'd done nothing wrong so Bellatrix was feeling defensive.

"I think I am calling you Mr. Rat. You haven't given me a name, and I don't want one. Mr. Rat suits you far better than any name your mouse-faced mother could give you."

Unruffled by the insult, Mr. Rat moved to the right wall and flicked his wand at it. It rolled aside to show what at first Bella took to be a mirror, only she didn't reflect when peering into it. It seemed instead to be a large panel of clear crystal quartz. It flickered with an inner blue light that rapidly changed to green, then purple, then orange, then red, then gray, then black, before going back to blue again.

"What is that?" she demanded, wondering if he'd actually tell her.

"I will answer that at the end of this conversation, I assure you, Mrs. Lestrange," he said calmly. "First I have a few questions for you. Well, more than a few, actually. First, what do you know of the girl Delphini?"

"Who?" Bellatrix blinked in confusion. "Is that someone I'm supposed to know?"

Mr. Rat shrugged. This was another question he apparently wasn't going to answer. "Did you have a close relationship with the man you called Lord Voldemort?"

Bellatrix glared. "This is stupid! You know we did. Rod, Rabastan, and I were his top Death Eaters, and you bloody know that! What is this about?" she demanded. "Haven't we been good little killers for you?"

Seemingly not one for answering questions, Mr. Rat asked, "Yes, of course, but were you and your Lord Voldemort closer than even that?"

Bellatrix blinked in confusion as she scowled at him. "He taught me when I was young. Just before Rod and I got married I impressed him enough to have private lessons so I could better fight and kill for him!" She felt that old avid admiration and worship rising up in her heart again which caused her scowl to deepen. This time it was directed at herself, though.

That life was over and done. Not only that, but their Lord had turned on his closest more than once, a point that had become painfully clear to Bella in the end. When he started treating her and some of the few others he held close like dirt under his feet instead of powerful wizards fighting for him who adored him and deserved none of his ill will, it forced her to see things about him she never wished to know.

He nearly treated them as enemies back then. That's what Horcruxes did to one, she supposed. Unless he was mad even before he made a single one because not even she would've ever done that. She loved Bellatrix and wasn't trying to part with any of herself! Though she, Rod, and Rab were beginning to waver even near the end, at least a little, hearing of his Horcruxes had been a horrifying blow.

A glance at Mr. Rat showed him studying the large crystal panel which took up most of the right wall. Its lights were flickering again, this time to a darker blue. Nodding to himself, he turned his gaze back to Bellatrix. "Did he ever attempt to touch you during these private magic lessons?"

Bellatrix drew herself up indignantly, ready to defend the man she'd just been thinking treasonous thoughts of a moment before. "Of course not, don't be disgusting! It wasn't like that, and he knew I was with Rod. Everyone knew!" The idea of The Dark Lord doing anything like that was offensive as it lowered him to a more base primitive position. Rather than uplifting him to the god they had all believed him to be back then.