Bad Romance

Chapter 75

Chapter 75: The Wild Hunt

At the casual mention of her impending death, Rita Skeeter began to scream.

"I've already cast a silencing charm in here, so go ahead and howl your throat ragged," Rabastan called to the blonde over her own racket. "No one shall hear you but us, and we enjoy the sound of screams."

Rodolphus smirked. "That we do."

Bellatrix smiled in satisfaction as Rod lowered Skeeter into the bathtub with a flick of his wand. With a flick of hers, she thrust the woman under the water, effectively silencing her screams. She struck her with a body bind when she started to thrash. After around five seconds, she yanked Skeeter back up with another flick. While Skeeter choked, spluttered, and gasped, Bellatrix drained the bath with a final flick, leaving the woman sopping wet and huddled in her tub.

"Move and I kill you," Bellatrix said calmly. "Now are you ready to answer my questions?"

Skeeter's hand was shaking as she used it to push dripping hair out of her eyes. "I told you, I don't know what you want!"

"Well, that isn't exactly what you said, and we don't believe you regardless," Rabastan spoke from where he idly leaned against the door jam.

"Why did you say I shagged the Dark Lord," Bellatrix asked carefully. She was struggling not to lose it, because she hated the very thought so much. She wanted to make Rita Skeeter pay for writing those words until she was beyond sorry.

"I mean she said so, didn't she?" Skeeter demanded. "Delphini. So I wrote it."

"She said it first, not you?" Bellatrix demanded, truly not knowing what to believe.

Rita blinked in confusion. "That is...I think she did... Sometimes I have dreams that give me ideas, so if I had a dream... but no, I think she said it first."

She didn't sound fully certain of herself. The comment she made about dreams unsettled Bellatrix, due to what Roger Bulstrode had revealed about Jekyll and his family having some dream enemy who was dealing with Delphini for whatever fucked reason.

"Crucio," Bellatrix screamed, and Skeeter screamed back only with no words as she thrashed in the tub.

"Watch she doesn't hit her head," Rabastan warned and Bellatrix turned to glare at him.

"You bloody watch her head! Use a padding charm or something. Can't you see I'm busy? Make yourself useful!" Turning back to Skeeter she continued, her voice restored to calm, until Skeeter set her off again. "What about Dumbledore? Why did you say he was gay with Grindelwald, of all people? It isn't even as if the two would be friends, for Merlin's sake. One sickeningly kind, wise, and open minded. The other a respectable Muggle-hating soul who had plans to fix the wizarding world until he was so rudely interrupted."

Skeeter blinked in surprise. "I... Well, that one I honestly didn't think anyone would believe! Besides, he was dead at the time or at least everyone bloody thought he was! That's hardly my fault that he faked his death. Rather inconsiderate of him, I might add," she complained. "I just wanted to...you know, write something that would sell. Please stop hurting me! I...well, I hadn't sold anything big in months, nearly a year, actually, and...I need to pay my rent too, you know. Besides, if we're being honest I missed the sensational attention."

She peered up at the three Lestranges incredulously. "I'm expected to believe that you really care about what I say of Albus do-gooder Dumbledore? And if it's Grindelwald whose reputation you care about, which is frankly more logical to my mind, he's long dead so I should hardly think he'd mind a girl making a galleon or two."

As she was the last person on earth, or any other world, that they'd tell Grindelwald was actually alive, they made no comment. Instead Bellatrix asked her another question. "Why the Lily/Snape rubbish? Because we all know that wasn't true. I mean it's bloody Snape," she sneered.