Bad Romance

Chapter 72

Chapter 72: The Power in Words

Bellatrix was in high spirits during the entire work day at Azkaban. Zabini and Grindelwald hadn't even considered her ointment idea before she'd mentioned it! They were both geniuses so that really said something about her. She was being appreciated for her mind! Grindelwald even said he may want her to pose as a bodyguard at specific political meetings and interject any ideas she had. GRINDELWALD! And he apparently trusted her enough to allow her to just speak out when she felt she had something productive to say.

Considering most of the world believed her to be insane, and as such likely never to be trusted, that really felt nearly shockingly good. Of course, Rod had always thought highly of her, but he would. He was her tribe. Both of them, along with Rabastan, had hoped to rise in power with the Dark Lord, but there hadn't been time for that before everything went to shit. Now, though, it was finally happening, and under Grindelwald as well! Their skills were at last being appreciated and even better, allowed to flourish!

Such thoughts kept her spirits high, so Snape showing up at Azkaban at the end of the day just as they were getting ready to go home put a bit of a damper on things. She'd never really liked Severus. His personality wasn't interesting or engaging and he was generally annoying. Of course, Rod agreed and he wasn't thrilled by the sight of the greasy git either.

"What do you want, Snape," he asked, but Severus's obsidian gaze rested on Bellatrix.

"You're almost looking good for a dead man," she drawled.

Severus frowned down his hooked nose at her as though she was a wayward student. She remained unimpressed.

"I am not about to start caring what you think today or any other," he bit out.

The large white owl that was perched on the shoulder of his black robe was vaguely familiar. Then it clicked. He'd started bringing it to meetings with him that last year for some reason. Severus Snape with a pet was still a strange idea for her to grasp, so she looked away in order not to put her imagination through unnecessary strain.

"I came to speak with Bella, but the matter is not private from you," Snape told Rod.

"That's good because I wasn't going anywhere," Rodolphus said, flinging an arm around Bellatrix's slender shoulders.

Smirking, she leaned into him. "What is it that you want, Snape," she asked, not bothering to hide her impatience.

"I want you to take care of Rita Skeeter...now," he said, his expression highly annoyed.

There were so many sarcastic things Bellatrix could've said to that, but she was too shocked so she merely asked, "Why?"

"Because she needs to be stopped! There is...there is some sort of twisted power in her words. Blaise Zabini, Albus, and I believe it is being used against us."

Though Bellatrix wanted to dismiss this out of hand because Snape annoyed her, she hesitated. Not because two other names were dropped, as honestly her opinion on both Blaise and Albus was vague or sketchy. It was because she thought they may be onto something. She wanted Rita dead because the so-called journalist had hurt far too many people with her blatant and outright disrespectful lies, Bellatrix most of all as she saw it. There was more to it, though.

"Twisted power," she mused, leaving the words hanging there for Snape to pick up and turn into something she could get behind.

"How did you feel when you read the ridiculous article that she wrote about your...more intimate involvement with the Dark Lord," Severus asked.

Bellatrix bristled. For some reason, her mind just could not grow accustomed to those lies to the point that she did not have an adverse emotional reaction when hearing of them.