Bad Romance

Chapter 79

Chapter 79: That's What My Therapist Says

"Well, now that you boys have made it home safe, we can take ourselves to bed," Geo Zabini said as Sabra covered a yawn with a slender hand. Her long sharp nails glittered with an iridescent red polish that was charmed to sparkle.

Bellatrix had never been a sparkle girl herself, but she supposed the look suited The Black Widow well enough.

"Yes," Sabra murmured, nodding in agreement. "I was up at 5am making poison misters for the Aurors and Geo was kindly helping me so we're both rather done in."

"Like poison spray?" Rabastan inquired in obvious interest.

Sabra nodded. "It should serve as an unexpected form of defense and protection that doesn't require a spell so won't set off any magical alarms," she explained.

"Good shit," Rabastan said, nodding in approval.

Sabra arched one brow in mild amusement and gave a slight nod as she rose gracefully from her chair. "Good night, everyone. Well done on ridding the world of Skeeter."

"Yes, thanks for that," Geo grinned, moving to the door and opening it for his wife.

"Good night, parents," Blaise called and Gellert grinned.

"Night," he echoed, his gaze fond on the Zabinis as they left the library together.

The couple would never have bothered making poison sprays for the Aurors were Gellert not Head of Defense, Bellatrix thought. They were never ones to interfere, being more into saving their own skin.

"It isn't odd thinking of people as your parents, who could technically be your grandchildren," Bellatrix asked Grindelwald after the library door closed behind them.

Gellert gave a careless shrug. "I don't think of it in that way. To me they are my parents, the only ones I ever knew."

As it turned out, the potion of youth had a slight danger. Unless you knew the exact age of the one who'd given their life to make the draft, you may end up younger or older than desired if too much or not enough youth was in the potion.

As the one Gellert took had been bought and was rather old, the amount of years it would give was unknown. When Gellert was youthened, he ended up around seventeen years old. As he quickly became attached to Zabini's hip, the parents took him under their wing. At the time, to hear Regulus tell it, Grindelwald was skittish and uncertain from fifty years in solitary in Nurmengard.

With all that considered, someone wanting to look after him in parental roles probably felt a bit reassuring in spite of the fact he was Gellert Grindelwald, Bellatrix supposed. According to The Minister, Grindewald's inner child was far too outer. Perhaps he would've always been young and carefree had he not felt the need to change the wizarding world. If only he'd take an interest in that again, because for Merlin's sake it certainly still needed changing.

"Your birth parents died when you were very young, then," Rodolphus asked sympathetically. Though he hadn't lost his own mum as a child, he was a young adult when it happened so could relate to a degree.

Gellert nodded.

"Sorry for your loss," Rod said.

"I don't remember them except for a few vague impressions, but thank you," Gellert said.

"So...is that why you see your therapist," Rabastan asked. "Not to be rude or anything, mate, but you did mention it, and of course I'm curious."

Bellatrix was not curious at all. She wanted no part of therapy or any Mugglefucker rummaging about in her mind, pretending to understand her.