Bad Romance

Chapter 104

Chapter 104: Know Thyself

"Have you heard anything from Gellert today," Bellatrix asked Parvati. She was curious what they'd found in the cave.

Parvati shook her head.

She'd just write him when they got home, Bellatrix decided. "Let's get your spider and head home," she told Rodolphus, who nodded.

"What day is good for you," Rabastan asked Parvati.

It was then that Bellatrix recalled that Parvati had said yes to his offer of a date. She couldn't keep her brows from climbing. Being around Rabastan while he asked a girl out was...weird. He usually "hit it and quit it" as he so classily tended to put it, so this more civilized act from him was just...weird.

Parvati shrugged. "Any day is fine except for Sundays. I have dinner with my family on Sundays."

"Yeah, Sunday I don't fuck with going out because no reason to go to work Monday all hung over. Takes the fun edge off torturing the prisoners," Rabastan explained.

Parvati's brows lifted. "You really get into that for fun?"

"Sure we do," Rabastan said. "Besides, it's not like they don't deserve it. How's this Friday?"

Parvati pretended to think, then flashed a grin. "I'm free and down for whatever." Her smile widened, turning into a laugh. "I'm sure you'll traumatize me somehow. I mean I'm technically asking for it, going out with a Lestrange."

"Can we go now," Bellatrix asked.

"How is eight Friday night," Rabastan asked, ignoring Bellatrix save for an annoyed frown before returning to Parvati.

"That's fine. We can meet here and go from there."

Rabastan nodded. "Sounds great. See you then." He turned to Bellatrix with a roll of his eyes. "Now we can go."

Parvati bit back a grin as Bellatrix wordlessly turned toward the door. Rodolphus stepped up hastily to open it for her and they exited with Rabastan trailing. No one spoke as they walked around to the back of the shop to meet Rhadamanthus.

Rodolphus placed his hand on the spider's back and they vanished with a crack. Bellatrix and Rabastan followed, joining him at the front door of Raven's Nest. It was good to be home, and back in her element again, Bellatrix thought as Rodolphus flicked his wand at the hex locks on the front door. As it swung open, she breezed past him and headed for the library to write Gellert.

Her letter was brief, consisting of only one line.

Did you discover anything in the cave?

Bellatrix

Surprisingly the reply came before Harold served dinner, less than an hour later.

We did. As it happens, the cave was that of Merlin and Nimue, and Merlin told me where his stash of personal items was located under the cave, hidden deep in the earth. While it is unfortunate that their cave, and Vivian's lake, were defiled so grievously, we now have some very powerful items to work with. Granted we're still working out how to use some of them, but still. Hopefully we'll have more information to share when we meet Wednesday.

After reading, Bellatrix silently passed the note to Rodolphus. They sat in the library sipping pre-dinner wine as Rabastan told Lyra of their day.

"So, as it happens I do not look old," he concluded with a satisfied smirk. "Parvati is at least as young as the witch who rejected me and called me bloody old. I should've hexed her," he lamented and Bellatrix laughed as Lyra's eyes widened.