Bad Romance

Chapter 57

Chapter 57: Taking Care of Business

When they arrived at Azkaban, Rabastan was actually putting the Aurors through a combat drill! Bella and Rod exchanged a surprised look as both had expected him to be lazing about.

"Baby Bro is growing up a bit," Rodolphus muttered, stepping close to Bellatrix to murmur into her ear. "I don't know if I'm proud or sad," he admitted.

As she completely agreed, Bellatrix could only nod silently.

When Rabastan caught sight of them, he lowered his wand and waved a cease and desist motion. "Okay, the boss is here, and I can't appear too useful, now can I? All of you fuck off and check the perimeters or something."

Bellatrix grinned and leaned to whisper into Rod's ear. "There he is being himself again, Dearest."

Rod nodded. "I am soothed," he whispered back.

Rabastan approached them as the Auror guards scattered.

"Lookie what came for us today," he said, drawing a dagger with a Basilisk fang for a blade from his robe pocket and waving it in front of their faces. "We can now officially fuck up a Horcrux!"

"That actually makes me breathe easier," Bellatrix said with a sigh.

Rodolphus's lips twitched into a flirty leer. "But I like it when you breathe hard."

Rabastan made a face. "SO," he said loudly, "How'd it go at the Ministry?"

"Well, actually," Bellatrix said. She explained the plan to give Lucy and Narcissa the 'cure' and how it would only work for Narcissa, at least for now.

"That's gonna be a fun aftermath to watch," Rabastan said with a chuckle. "While I am glad things went favorably for Narcissa getting her magic back, I think I had the more interesting morning, considering the fact I was the first one of the three of us to get my hands on our Basilisk fang."

"Ah," Bellatrix drawled. "You think you had the most interesting morning, do you? Well, what if I told you we got to talk directly to Merlin and Nimue?"

"What, necromancy? For real," Rabastan asked. His expression was intrigued but skeptical. Bellatrix and Rodolphus loved to have him on during their younger years and when he'd fallen for whatever line of shit they fed him, they laughed for days, much to his annoyance.

"No, it is even weirder than that," Rodolphus said.

Rabastan frowned. "What, the Ministry discovered some portraits of them stored away somewhere, and you talked to them through those? But I guess that's not specifically weird."

Rodolphus nodded. "Right. That would be neat, but not weird at all. No, we're talking reincarnation, other worlds, and Merlin and Nimue hiding from someone who's so bad that they had to forget who it is for their own safety or something along those lines."

At that, Rabastan's eyes widened. "You're shitting me."

"No. Not this time, we swear it," Rodolphus said. He then filled Rabastan in on what they'd learned, and how they'd spoken with the reincarnated Merlin and Nimue through the crystal devices.

"That's some weird shit indeed," Rabastan agreed when his brother had finished.

"Told you," Rod said.

"So...you two think he'll actually divine or rune cast us to a Delphini free world? Don't we need more help than his psychic guidance or whatever?"

Bellatrix shrugged. "It's all we've got for now."

"We also have a Basilisk fang, and right now, I'm feeling a bit better about that," Rabastan proclaimed. "Though I must admit, I wish I'd gotten to talk to the old druids too, even if it was just their reincarnated versions."

Rod nodded. "Yeah, it was pretty sweet."

"Rhadamanthus just ate two prisoners!" The shout came from Azkaban's other Acromantula guard.

"Ah, fuck," Rabastan groaned. Then he grinned. "Well, I'm at least glad that happened after you got back so I'm not blamed for it."

"Let's go and see what happened," Rodolphus said. He didn't look nearly as worried as Bellatrix expected.

"You don't have a problem with him eating prisoners? Because the bloody Ministry might," she said and Rodolphus shrugged as they set off in the direction of the Acromantula who'd announced Rhadmanthus's latest snack.

"He doesn't seem the type to just eat prisoners for no reason," Rod said easily. "Take us to him," he called out to the other Acromantula. Bella assumed he had a name, but she didn't know it and didn't care.

The huge spider lumbered off, faster than one might expect, and the Lestranges hurried after.

They were led through the prison, stopping at the end of a row where Rhadamanthus stood in front of two cells. A giant web stretched from where the spider stood, up to the top of each cell door then down into the cell itself. Each cell was now empty. Bellatrix understood at once that the Acromantula had used the web to capture and withdraw each prisoner. He was obviously able to ingest everything, for not a trace was left.

"What happened," Rodolphus asked him.

"They were talking of working with Delphini and having nothing to lose if they gained their freedom in doing so," Rhadamanthus replied, turning to Rod. "I simply showed them that they were indeed wrong, and that they did have something to lose after all."

Man and spider chuckled together in a way that would've chilled the bones of a Gryffindor, had one been present. Bellatrix only smiled. It was a good message that the spider had sent the prison at large.

"I'm glad to know that you lot can act without needing to be spoon fed," Rodolphus said. "I'll write the Minister directly. I'm sure she'll agree that the proper measures were taken."

Fortunately, Rodolphus was correct. While Kereston Boxwood didn't send Rhadamanthus a medal, she didn't raise a complaint about how the Acromantula handled the situation either, and that was enough for them.