Quill of Darkness

Quill of Darkness

Chapter Two: Of Books, Wands and Ice Cream

A little over a month later, Bellatrix's long awaited Hogwarts letter arrived--during dinner. The weary-looking barn owl who carried it tapped insistently at the glass windowpane until Mr. Black discovered the source of the noise and opened the window.

Bellatrix's dark eyes positively lit up at the sight of her name written in green ink. A mildly smug smile of satisfaction firmly in place, she scanned the contents of the letter.

"What's it say Bella?" asked Andromeda, a slender nine-year-old.

"Oh, nothing of importance," responded Bellatrix airily. "The text books look rather easy though...at least I'll be able to use magic at Hogwarts, even if I don't really learn much from the books--and I'll have my own wand. Can we go to Diagon Alley tomorrow, Mother?"

Mrs. Black looked somewhat noncommittal. "That's not really necessary--school starts at the beginning of September, not the end of July."

"But I want to read my books," whined Bellatrix. "And I definitely want to try my hand at potions--I won't get in trouble with the Ministry for that!"

"Unless," inserted Mr. Black dryly, "you make a mistake and blow the entire house up, rather than just a wall."

Bellatrix rolled her eyes expressively. Mrs. Black had said that Bellatrix's father would know nothing about that incident. Unfortunately, he arrived home earlier than expected and went straight to his bedroom, where he found his wife directing the repair of the blown-apart wall. Naturally, he inquired as to the reason for this state of things. Mrs. Black was rather nervous about his reaction, but he surprised her by finding the whole thing hilarious. Of course, he didn't tell Bellatrix that, but he made it clear that the bargain she had made would not be broken.

"That was ages ago! Are you still on about that? And besides, I've behaved myself since then--I really wanted to do something horrid to Sirius when Aunt Zaviera came over last, but I didn't."

"You also wanted to drop Regulus out the window," piped up Narcissa, "and you almost did do that!"

"Bellatrix!" exclaimed Mrs. Black, scandalized. "You didn't!"

"Of course I didn't!" snorted Bellatrix, after swallowing her mouthful. "Though I daresay that Aunt Zaviera wouldn't have minded."

"Oh? Why is that?" asked Mr. Black.

"Well, he's such a push-over, I don't know why they kept him. I suppose that they simply didn't know that he would likely turn out to be a Squib when he showed up, huh?"

"Leave Aunt Zaviera and your cousin out of this and finish your pudding," said Mrs. Black. "We'll go to Diagon Alley for your school supplies later in the afternoon tomorrow. But be warned, I am withholding your wand until September first unless you swear to me that you will not use my chandeliers for target practice!"

"When will you forget about that?" exclaimed Bellatrix, annoyed.

***

The next day, at about four o'clock, Bellatrix could be found standing most impatiently on a stool at Madam Malkin's while one of the seamstresses adjusted the hem of her new school robes.

"Ow! You pricked me!" she snapped irritably, when one of her fidgets brought her too close to the sharp end of a pin.

"Well," mumbled the witch, a frazzled looking thing with thick, wavy brown hair, "if you would stop nancing around up there and stand still, then you wouldn't have a problem!"

Bellatrix stopped moving immediately and did her best to imitate a statue.

"Fine," she sniffed.

Bellatrix's mother had gone next door to Flourish & Blotts, leaving Bellatrix, much to her chagrin, to "have your robes fitted, and for the love of Cortez, try to stand still!" while Mrs. Black purchased the necessary school books unhindered. Bellatrix was extremely unhappy with this state of things, because she desperately wanted to browse the bookshelves. She had be saving her pocket money for some time in the hopes of being able to buy certain select books without her mother's knowledge. For one reason or another, she was convinced that the bookstore would have something, anything, that her mother would not approve of and that Bellatrix would find interesting. Bellatrix knew for a fact that there were a large number of books that fell into just that category in the library at home. This, of course, was precisely why she wasn't permitted to read them.

"Not until you're older," her mother had said when pestered about this particular rule. Of course, the fact that there was a rule against going into 'The Library', as Bellatrix thought of it, did not really hold any weight with the budding witch, but the fact that the door handle alone was loaded with multiple hexes, charms, jinxes, curses and alarms did. (Obviously, though none of these were particularly lethal, they would be sufficient to cause enough pain to make any attempted break-in unpleasant. There would also be enough evidence to prove that Bellatrix was guilty of the crime that the alarms would have told everyone within twenty miles had been committed, and by association, enough trouble to last Bellatrix a month.)

After having pretended to be a work of art, (much to the sewing witch's relief,) for ten more minutes, Bellatrix was told that she could move again. The girl maintained her frozen position even after the last robe had been removed. She merely raised one haughty eyebrow and stayed right were she was. The seamstress pursed her lips for a moment, then rolled her eyes and set about making the changes to the hemline permanent.

After that task had been completed, Bellatrix deigned to step down from her stool and take up the bag that held five pairs of plain black robes. (The number and colour of these robes had been the source of a rather lengthy argument--"But Mum, black makes me look so peaky!" "Too bad, Bella, that's what you have to wear. Besides, despite what your father may think, you would do well to make an effort to actually learn something at Hogwarts, not just find a husband." "But why five robes? The letter only says I only need three." "Because you always manage to damage your clothes! And Potions is messy." "Are you implying that I'm incapable of doing anything neatly?"--and so on and on. Finally, Mrs. Black had given up and simply continued with her order, pointedly ignoring anything that Bellatrix said. Bellatrix had even tried saying, "There's a rampaging purple hippogriff eating random wizards and there's a lot of blood and gore," in bored tones and had received strange looks from everyone within earshot, with the exception of Mrs. Black, who continued to ignore her. )

"Thank you very much," said Bellatrix, nodding graciously, but distantly to the seamstress; and with that, she swept elegantly out of the shop.

She walked as quickly as she could to get next door to Flourish & Blotts, but was disappointed to find her mother checking out.

"Mother, may I get a book? Just one? I have my own money with me," she pleaded.

"That's fine," replied her mother distractedly. "Spend all your pocket money on books, I don't care."

"Thank you," chirped Bellatrix happily as she headed down the nearest row of books. She wandered down the aisle, head to the side, skimming the titles as she passed. Nothing eye-catching presented itself, and soon Bellatrix found herself at the end of the row. In the back corner, to her right, stood a single bookshelf, a little apart from the others, marked, 'Rare Editions'.

That looks rather promising, thought Bellatrix. She had no sooner pulled out the first book on the shelf nearest her in height (A Discussion of Magic and its Origins) and glanced at the price before she added to herself, and rather expensive! after doing a double take.

Do all of them cost this much? I'd only be able to buy one.... But I guess I might as well look. There might be something very good in here....

She trailed her finger along the spines, pausing at some titles.

Magical Aphrodisiacs: A Guide? What in the world is in that? She drew the book from the shelf and opened it randomly in the middle. She frowned at the page for a moment, then her eyes widened and she snapped it shut.

Oh...! Well that would certainly bother Mummy-dear, but it doesn't have much practical application for me. Bellatrix snickered at the thought and continued her perusal.

Six Great Wizards, A Discourse on the Relations Between Muggles--Bellatrix stopped reading there and moved to the next one--Mythical Creatures: Fact or Fiction?, An Encyclopaedia of Curses for Revenge.... Bellatrix arched an eyebrow. Interesting.

She pulled out the book and scanned its contents quickly.

Oh yes, lots of practical application potential, definitely. Watch out dorm-mates!

She snapped the book shut and went to the front desk. The check-out clerk looked at her rather disbelievingly when he saw the title of the book she wanted. Bellatrix stared coolly back, and placed the correct number of coins on the counter. The clerk shrugged and sold her the book.

Mrs. Black was not outside the shop and Bellatrix craned her head this way and that for some time before spotting her catty-corner across-the-way at Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour, chatting with a witch Bellatrix had never met. Bellatrix made her way across the street and took several of the bags from her mother's hands.

"Oh, Bellatrix! Bellatrix, this is Mrs. Lestrange, the wife of a friend of your father's from work. Rochelle, this is my eldest daughter, Bellatrix Elaine."

Bellatrix decided that in this case, she should behave like a model daughter, so she said, "How do you do, Mrs. Lestrange?" exactly the way she should, polite smile and all.

Mrs. Lestrange, a lithe blonde woman, with the aristocratic features common to all those of pure Wizarding lineage, returned the smile kindly, "Very well, thank you, Bellatrix. Allow me to introduce two of my children: Rodolphus and Regina."

Bellatrix shifted her gaze to the girl and boy who had just started eating a dish of ice cream each. The boy had a book in front of him, but he looked up at the sound of his name, and the girl had been watching this entire exchange with interest. Bellatrix nodded politely in their direction, a gesture that both of them returned.

"Bellatrix, Mrs. Lestrange and I need to run one quick errand together. Would you like to get some ice cream and stay here with Rodolphus and Regina?" Apparently, this had been discussed beforehand, as Mrs. Lestrange did not look surprised, and the two Lestrange children happily continued eating their ice cream and reading, respectively.

Then again, thought Bellatrix, that might just be 'good breeding'.

Aloud she said, "Yes, Mother, that would be fine. You won't be gone long?"

"No. We still have to get some things for you, remember?"

Duh, yes, I've been wanting a wand for ages. You think I'm going to forget?

"Yes, mother, I know. Ollivander's is our last stop, right?"

"Right. Unless you want an owl." The statement was more like a question.

"No. You have Plato, and if I need something, I'll send a school owl." I certainly don't want to have to mess with one at the moment! All those feathers and things--more stuff for me to clean up; and they're noisy! Besides, I have the excuse of, "I couldn't find an owl to carry my letter to you, I'm so sorry that you don't think I apologised fast enough!", which is always a good back-up plan, if a rather lame one. I can push for an owl later.

"Very well then. We shouldn't be very long at all. Here's your money," said Mrs. Black, handing Bellatrix several galleons.

"Thank you," said Bellatrix, automatically, as her mother and Mrs. Lestrange took a left turn down the street and became lost in the other people.

I wonder where they're going.

"Knockturn Alley," said Rodolphus from behind his book, "to pick up an order."

"Did I say that out loud?" asked Bellatrix.

"No," said Regina rather sarcastically, "my brother and I can read minds."

Bellatrix smiled. This was the sort of humour she understood very well. "Oh really? Well then tell me, what sort of ice cream am I going to get?"

Regina looked critically at Bellatrix. "Not the special."

"What's the special?" asked Bellatrix, secretly resolving to get just that.

"Strawberry bubblegum flavour with pineapple sauce," said Regina calmly, popping a spoonful of her Caramel & Chocolate Tornado into her mouth.

Bellatrix inwardly changed her resolution. "Correct," she said dryly, "I will not be eating that. I think I'll have mocha chip."

Bellatrix turned on her heel and went inside to order. A moment later, she returned with, not mocha chip, but strawberry, chocolate, and vanilla ice cream, with chocolate and caramel sauce on top. She sat herself down in one of the vacant seats at the table the Lestranges were sitting at, and proceeded to mix all of these ingredients together; the results were not exactly aesthetically appealing.

Regina looked mildly disgusted. "What is that?" she asked.

"Tasty," replied Bellatrix after swallowing her first mouthful. "Why?"

Regina just grimaced and shook her head, digging her spoon into her own ice cream.

There was silence for a moment, and then Regina said, "Does your mother always introduce you by your full name?"

Bellatrix shook her head. "That wasn't my full name."

"Well the surname is assumed," said Regina.

"No, I mean that I have more names."

Regina just blinked for a moment. "More names? What are they?"

"My full name is Bellatrix Elaine-Marie Black. Fortunately for me, my mother decided to leave her surname off, because then my name wouldn't have fit on the birth certificate."

"But I have a long name and it all fit, even with Mum's surname on it."

"Is your mum Spanish?" asked Bellatrix pointedly.

"Erm," said Regina slowly, "she's French, mostly."

"Well there you are then," said Bellatrix, diving back into her ice cream.

"Why? What's your mum's name?"

"In full? Estrella Elaine Rosario Mirabel de la Vega Castillo Black."

Regina's eyes bulged, understandably, and she exclaimed, "How did you say that so fast, all in one breath?"

"Practice. And we all have fairly long names. What's your full name?"

"Regina Annette d'Arcy Lestrange," rattled off Regina in bored tones.

"Annette...that's a pretty name," mused Bellatrix. "What's your brother's?"

"He got a nice, normal, short name," said Regina, shooting an envious glance at her brother, who remained apparently oblivious. "His full name is Rodolphus Alexander Lestrange."

"It's not a nice, short, normal name," protested Rodolphus, proving that he was not dead to the world. "I got named 'Rodolphus', for Merlin's sake! The only way you can shorten that is to call me 'Rhody'!"

"But at least you haven't got 'd'Arcy' thrown in the middle of it all," pointed out Bellatrix.

Rodolphus lowered his book and looked at her over the top of it. "True," he said, "but if I had to have a nickname, I'd rather be called Alex. At least that's ambiguous."

Bellatrix snorted through her ice cream. There was another lull in conversation. Bellatrix looked to see if she could spot her mother, but Mrs. Black's deep red robes were nowhere to be seen. She sighed, and scraped the bottom of her ice cream dish. The ice cream was fairly nice, but Bellatrix really want to get her wand and go home. Suddenly it occurred to her that she could read An Encyclopaedia of Curses for Revenge, and her mother still wouldn't know that she'd bought it. She leaned over the arm of her chair, and, after digging through several bags, triumphantly pulled out the book she was searching for. Eagerly, she opened it to the first page and began to read.

Dear reader,

This is a book that we, the authors, sincerely hope you will find useful. Contained within these pages are as many of the nasty spells (of the type that lend themselves well to revenge) we could find. Included with each spell is thorough instruction on how to work them and suggestions for their use. (Please note that the authors cannot be responsible for any damages resulting from the use of these spells.) They are all arranged alphabetically, and the number of stars at the top (next to the name) indicate the level of harm the spells inflict: one star meaning merely irritating, (i.e. the Pebble Hex,) and five stars being lethal (i.e. the Killing Curse).

Bellatrix's eyes went so wide that she momentarily wondered, in a detached sort of way, whether they would fall out.

This book teaches the Killing Curse?!

She read on.

All spells with five stars are not recommended, and merely the effects are described.

Oh. Too bad. Then again, on reflection, she wouldn't exactly be allowed to go around killing the people she didn't like. Father might not be too terribly upset, after he had time to think about it, but Mother would go on and on about how much trouble I was going to be in and how many years I would have to spend in Azkaban. Bellatrix rolled her eyes. As if that were likely to happen!

"Hey!" Regina's voice broke into her musings. "What's that?"

"A book," said Bellatrix, being deliberately irritating.

Regina, in her turn, rolled her eyes. "I know it's a book. I was asking what the title was; what's in the book?"

"I don't think I should tell you," replied Bellatrix. "No offence meant, but I mean, you aren't exactly a bosom friend or any of that rubbish. I only just met you."

"You know my full name."

"Only because that was the topic of conversation, not from long-time acquaintance."

"Look, you and I are going to be in the same year at Hogwarts; it would be a good idea to make friends now."

"Mother says I'll be in Slytherin," said Bellatrix flatly. "Slytherins don't make friends."

Regina stared at Bellatrix. "I wasn't proposing friendship. I was suggesting an alliance." She paused. "But anyway, Rodolphus is in Slytherin...."

She turned to her brother, who looked over his book and said in a tone as flat as the one Bellatrix had used, "I'm a Slytherin. Slytherins don't make friends." Then he added as an afterthought, "But they don't immediately make enemies either, not at first anyway, and alliances are useful things sometimes." After this profound statement, he once more buried his nose in his book.

Bellatrix considered this. She liked Regina, from what she knew of her, and found her quite entertaining. In addition, several of the replies she had made to some of Bellatrix's questions had been neatly diplomatic, toeing the line between yes and no, certain and probable. There was a fairly good chance that she might be in Slytherin alongside her brother. After all, an alliance could do no harm....

Bellatrix made up her mind and held out her hand to Regina. "Very well, I accept your alliance."

Regina took the proffered hand and shook it, firmly. "Good. You do realise that we may end up in the same dormitory, don't you?"

Bellatrix smiled. "Another reason to accept," she said.

"Now then, what was that book?"

"It's--" Bellatrix cut herself off and hastily shoved the book in question back into its bag.

"Mothers are back," she said coolly when she had turned herself right side up again. Regina raised her eyebrows, glanced down the street to where her mother and Mrs. Black were indeed making their way thither, and gave Bellatrix a small nod. The meaning behind the action was clear: "Later. I understand."

"Well, are you all alright?" asked Mrs. Black somewhat breathlessly.

Bellatrix briefly considered giving a cheeky reply (something along the lines of, "Do you see any blood?"), but decided against it. She was just going to answer more politely, when Regina beat her to it.

"Yes ma'am, we're fine. Bellatrix and I have just been talking. I think we'll get along fine. I do hope we are Sorted into the same House."

"That would be lovely," said Mrs. Black, her expression saying nothing about what she was thinking, which was something like, If those two get along, I'm glad I'm not their Head of House!

"Our last stop is Ollivander's as well," said Mrs. Lestrange, addressing Bellatrix, "so we'll be accompanying you, if you don't mind."

"Not at all," replied Bellatrix. As if I could tell you to shove off! She gave a little laugh at the thought of doing just that. The mental picture of the two women being thoroughly scandalized was priceless!

After the group had gathered up their respective bags and Regina had slapped Rodolphus over the head to "get him conscious again", all five of them headed off down the street toward Ollivander's.

As they passed the entrance to Knockturn Alley, Bellatrix whispered to her mother, "What were you doing down there?" She pointed.

Mrs. Black gave her daughter a sharp look that plainly said, "Never you mind." Bellatrix sighed. They never told her anything, these people!

Soon, they reached Ollivander's and crowded inside. Crowded was exactly the right word too. The room would have felt rather cramped under any circumstances, but with the five of them in addition to another family of five, Ollivander himself, and a large pile of discarded wands, it was positively claustrophobic.

Ollivander handed a sturdy-looking boy with light hair a long wand, saying somewhat doubtfully, "Hazel, phoenix feather core, twelve inches. It might work for you." The boy took it and immediately soft blue stars showered from the wand tip. The boy's family ooh-ed and aah-ed; the boy himself grinned from ear to ear in a rather surprised fashion, as though he had not been expecting that.

Ollivander evidently hadn't been expecting that either. "Well my, my. I had thought that that would go to a wizard from St. Mungo's! Perhaps you'll be a Healer. Curious...."

"St. Mungo's? What's that? And what's curious, sir?"

"Just you...and that wand...in these times...."

The boy looked as baffled as everyone else at Ollivander's reply, but Regina had picked up on something else. "Muggles," she whispered ominously, looking meaningfully at Bellatrix.

Bellatrix nodded, though she was slightly distracted by Ollivander's strange statement. What times? What was special about these times? There were dead boring in her opinion. She shrugged it off as the Muggle family paid for the wand and left the shop. The boy lingered at the doorway for a moment, looking back at Ollivander.

"Jason! Come along, we need to get home. I have dinner defrosting!"

The boy turned back toward his mother and joined his family.

"Well," said Ollivander. No one said anything; what could one say in response to 'well'?

Ollivander's large, luminous eyes fell on Rodolphus. "Ah, blackthorn, unicorn hair, nine and a quarter inches," he said. Then sharply: "Haven't lost it, I hope!"

"No, sir," said Rodolphus, evidently not in the least perturbed by the odd man.

"Good. I assume that you are here for your wand, Miss Lestrange," said Ollivander to Regina.

"Er, yes, sir, if you please."

"Step up here then. Wand hand?" Regina held out her left hand.

"What's your name," he inquired as he started taking, in Bellatrix's opinion, extremely bizarre measurements. Why in Merlin's name would the wand maker want to know how long Regina's left ear was?

"Regina," said Regina simply.

"Ah, a queenly name," said Ollivander. "Perhaps...."

"Perhaps what?"

"Oh...," replied Ollivander, by way of an explanation. He scurried off to a shelf, leaving the tape to measure on its own, and drew out three long, narrow boxes. He opened the first of these and, after snapping, "That's quite enough, thank you!" at the measuring tape, (which dropped to the floor and coiled itself up,) handed a medium-length wand that was extremely white to Regina.

"Try that," he said.

Regina tentatively took it. She swished it and wrinkled her nose.

"No, not quite right," said Ollivander, evidently echoing her own thoughts. "Apparently alder and dragon heartstring doesn't agree with you. Try this one, rowan and phoenix feather, thirteen inches."

Regina took that one but it was snatched back immediately.

"No, no, no, definitely not! Here," he opened the last of the three boxes, "elderberry wood, unicorn hair, eight inches, quite nice for Charms."

Regina took it and the tip glowed yellow.

"Yes, I think that will do nicely," said Ollivander, nodding. "Next?"

Bellatrix stepped forward.

"Wand hand? Thank you. And your name is?"

"Bellatrix," said Bellatrix, holding out her wand hand as requested. The measuring tape leapt into the air and began measuring here, there and everywhere. Ollivander stared at Bellatrix for a long moment. Just when she was starting to feel rather unnerved, he snapped his fingers and pulled off seven or eight wands from different shelves.

Ebony and phoenix feather, twelve and a quarter inches, resulted in a broken windowpane before Ollivander could snatch it back.

"Dear me," he murmured, shaking his head, "very powerful little witch we have here."

Bellatrix was torn between being resentful at being pronounced little, or proud at being called powerful. She decided to ignore the little and concentrate on the powerful.

Rowan and phoenix feather, thirteen inches, (the wand that hadn't agreed with Regina,) was also discarded. Maple and unicorn hair, nine and three quarter inches didn't work either, and Bellatrix tried all of the rest of the wands that Ollivander had initially pulled out without finding the perfect match. The wand maker once more stared inquisitively at Bellatrix.

"Hmm...yes, we'll try it," he muttered, half to himself, before he scurried around the counter and out of sight. Bellatrix heard him saying, "Now where did that thing go?" before she heard, "Aha! Here we are." Soon, he reappeared with one more wand.

"Ash, dragon heartstring, eleven and a half inches."

Bellatrix took it and, almost instantaneously, a narrow jet of crimson sparks shot out of the wand.

"Well, unusual I suppose, but an excellent match. That dragon though...well," mused Ollivander, regarding Bellatrix with a half pleased, half puzzled look.

"What about 'that dragon'?" demanded Bellatrix after it became apparent that he was going to say nothing more on his own.

"Well, the core of that wand matches that of Charlotte Devreaux." Mrs. Lestrange raised an eyebrow, but Bellatrix didn't notice.

"That heartstring came from the same dragon as the one the heartstring in her wand did. That you and she share the same core is an interesting coincidence...I wonder...." Again that strange expression.

"Who is Charlotte Devreaux?"

"Who was; but perhaps you should ask your friend."

Bellatrix asked a couple more questions along the same line, but Ollivander was disinclined to say more, and Mrs. Black told Bellatrix to hush.

The two mothers paid for the newly purchased wands and all five of them exited the shop.

"Who was Charlotte Devreaux?" asked Bellatrix once they were outside.

"She was...a follower of Grindelwald," said Mrs. Lestrange slowly.

"The Dark wizard?" asked Bellatrix rather rhetorically. "And I share her wand core. Why is that curious?"

Bellatrix received no answer.

***

The Lestranges and the two Blacks parted ways at the Leaky Cauldron.

Once safely in her room after dinner, surrounded by her school things, Bellatrix opened An Encyclopaedia of Curses for Revenge and began reading from where she had left off. It was interesting, but Bellatrix couldn't concentrate. She lay there, wondering where she could find more information about Charlotte Devreaux. What was so special about her?