Searching Light (Remus Lupin)

15: My Evil Stepsisters

I wake up in Dumbledore's office. The first thing I see when I open my eyes in Narcissa and Lucius pass out in two chair, just like me. We're all in front of Dumbledore's desk, where he sits, looking down at parchment. I try to remember blacking out before I say something, but I barely remember anything. The last thing I remember is McGonnagall's shrill voice in my ear and then nothingness.

"Professor?" I croak, rubbing my eyes. He looks up, then smiles.

"Miss Diamanté. Happy I see you're up."

"What's happened, Professor? I didn't hurt anyone, did i?" Panic fills up my brain, but then I realise that Dumbledore doesn't know I killed my aunt and uncle. Best to keep that a secret.

He furrows his eyebrows, then takes of his glasses, setting them down on the desk. They clink against the wood. "Why of course not, dear. Everyone is just fine."

"Then how come-"

"Miss Diamanté," Dumbledore interjects, "Professor McGonnagall walked in on you revealing yourself as a Rectornatura. She put to sleep all three of you, and now you're here, in my office, and I am going to erase their memories."

Relief fills me up and swallows me whole. "Oh, thank god," I sigh, exasperated. I don't know what I would do if Narcissa knew. She would tell everybody, I know it. Narcissa loves to run her mouth. She couldn't keep a secret to save her life. And she hates me, too, so she would make it even worse.

Bitch.

I hate her. I hate her with every part of my body, and I've always hated her, her and Bellatrix. I've hated them both as far back as I can remember. The two of them, my whole life, have treated me terribly, trying desperately to find a replacement for their shitty parents. They're cruel and selfish yet beautiful, so no one can see it. It makes me sick, how me and Andromeda are really the only ones who see how utterly horrible they are.

I mentioned earlier that Andromeda was my only friend. It's not really true, because I don't think she likes me much either, but she has eyes. She's kind, and really just a lovely person in Slytherin. I wish she did like me enough to be my friend, but she's alone a lot, and secretive.

But anyway, I just hate Narcissa and Bellatrix. They just ruin things. That's all they've ever done.

*****

Dumbledore had me leave while he took away their memories. I'm not sure why he did, because I don't know that type of magic. I walk back to my dormitory, where a very patient person sits on my bed.

"Bella? What are you doing in here? How did you even get in? What-"

"Ugh, God, shut up, Diamanté," she snarls, twirling her puffy hair between her fingers. Her presence seems to dark the room somehow, and as flowers bloom in the spring, darkness followed Bellatrix wherever she went. "I'm here because I have a little confession."

"What kind of confession?"

She rolls her eyes, for some reason. "Well," she sighs, "long story short, I took away what you loved, because you took away what I loved." Her black fingernails dig into her palm. One thing came to my mind: Remus. But then, I thought of my aunt and uncle.

"What the hell are you talking about, Bellatrix?" I question, my heart racing in my chest. God, what does she mean?

She rolls her eyes, again. "You stupid bitch, I know you're a rectornatura. I know everything. I know that your parents were killed by a werewolf. I know that your mother was one too and your father was a wizard. I know we were the only family you had left. I know that you used to sneak out by the water in the middle of the night to do your freak element powers. You really should be more careful on who follows you. I know that you were the one who lit our house on fire, the very fire that burned my parents alive. They were my parents. My parents, Amber. I know they sucked, but I loved them. And so since I did, I knew I had to do the same to you. I decided not to kill him, because that would be way too easy. So I took away the chance that he'll ever, ever love you, because that's exactly what you deserve."

The room is still. I know everything except one thing: how to breathe.