Ch86. Bella visiting her cousin!
Neville Longbottom sat in the hospital room of his parents, thinking about the death of Bellatrix Lestrange. He didn't have a chance to visit his parents since Christmas and was busy with his duties as the heir of House Longbottom so this was the first time he saw them since he got to know of her death. It infuriated him, to be honest. The woman caused this! His eyes looked at his catatonic parents as his thoughts started turning 'dark'. These years were quite hard on Neville. Not only was he drowned in expectations by his grandmother as the sole heir of the House Longbottom but he also had to watch as other kids had caring parents while his parents just lifelessly stared at the ceiling, not responding no matter what he did.
Neville looked towards his parents and his heart lightened. He lived his entire life, knowing his parents are alive but can't be with him. At times, he even thought about if it wouldn't be easier if they just died that fateful night. At least, he wouldn't feel so lonely and his mind wouldn't be full of those dark thoughts of revenge and hatred. He hated the woman who was responsible for his parent's state. Many nights did he spent crying due to his powerlessness and insufficient magical talent as it meant he would be powerless if a chance to end the woman was presented. But now... times have changed. Neville smiled to himself, happiness plainly visible on his face. "Mom, Dad, don't worry. The madwoman who did this to you is already dead." A lone tear streamed down his cheek.
Suddenly a hand grabbed his shoulder while an eery and elated feminine voice whispered into his ear. "Are you sure of that?" Neville would jump at the scare if the hand didn't hold his body firmly in the chair, not giving him much freedom of movement. As he was about to turn around to see who startled him, the person continued speaking despite his discomfort as her harsh bony fingers strongly buried into his shoulders. "Longbottom boy..." The voice stated and Neville could almost see the grin on the unknown person. He could feel a warm breath caress his earlobe as the person ever-so-quietly cooed into his ear. "It's not nice to proclaim people dead in their presence." Neville's body went instantly rigid. He tried to grab his wand but as he grasped it, in his nervousness, he actually dropped it, letting it fall onto the floor. As he watched his wand rolling away from him and felt his body unable to move due to the strength of the person that was pressing him into his chair, his heart started to be drowned in despair. He now had an inkling who was behind him and he didn't want to believe it, hoping it was a nightmare.
Bellatrix watched the Longbottom boy with a bemused gaze, seeing him nervously sputtering and flailed his hands around like a child he was while looking at his wand on the floor. In a way, it was cute and Bellatrix even momentarily pondered about getting her own kid from Hadrian. Well, at least she did for two seconds before she mentally laughed that idea off. She would be a horrible mother... similar to her own. Of that, she was sure.
"Be-Be-Bellatrix! What d-do you want!" The boy exclaimed bravely and Bellatrix raised her eyebrow even though he couldn't see her since she was behind him. With a smirk, she let go of his left shoulder and started to slowly trail her finger over it, towards his neck where she made a slitting motion, cackling at how frightened the boy looked. As if she came here to kill him or something...
Surprisingly, while she did get a measure of sadistic glee from what she was doing, she no longer felt satisfaction from it. She scared a kid... Big deal. Mentally sighing to herself, her eyes redirected at the two people she showed the meaning of pain after they were such a pain in the ass. It was a peculiar feeling, seeing her handiwork.
"If you came to k-kill me, then be quick!" She heard Neville and turned to him. He was fearfully fidgeting in her hands and it made her roll her eyes. "Gryffindor... how distasteful." She commented while sniffing her nose. "But no, I just came to visit my cousin, of course!" Bellatrix said, enjoying the gaze of the boy as the realization hit him somewhat hard. "Yes... your mother's mother was the sister of my mother. We are family." She cackled at that.
"We are NOT a family!" Neville screamed. "No! You are murdering bitch! We are definitely not a family!" He shook in rage, uncaring about the consequences anymore. The bitch wanted to proclaim being HIS family after she mentally crippled his parents!?
Bellatrix only laughed again. "Boy, no matter what you want to believe, the reality won't change." She released his shoulders fully and started slowly approaching the beds with Neville's parents. Neville tried to jerk himself towards his wand but found out he was as if glued towards the chair! "Don't bother, I used a slightly modified pranking spell to make sure your butt doesn't leave the chair." Bellatrix offhandedly stated as she leaned towards her 'cousin'. "Hmm... she has such a peaceful expression." She stated and quickly cast a silencing charm at Neville. "Shh, we don't want to wake them, now, do we?" Bellatrix quipped but then corrected herself. "Well, I don't want to wake them. You most likely do... but even then, I'd like it if you were quiet." She told the boy.
Bellatrix leaned forward and put the tip of her wand on Alice's forehead while closing her eyes. Neville watched her warily, hoping the madwoman won't hurt his mother. After a few minutes of just staring at her unmoving form, her wand still on his mother's forehead, he started to get antsy and even forgot he was silenced. But before he could say anything, Bellatrix finally moved. Neville observed as she quietly strutted around his mother's bed and now approached his father, doing the exact same thing. Another few minutes passed and Neville could only powerlessly watch as Bellatrix Lestrange did something to his parents.
Bellatrix finished and opened her eyes, nodding to herself with satisfaction. Her eyes trailed towards the bound and silenced boy, finding the mix of peeved and worried expression he had on his face quite amusing. "Don't look at me as if I killed your kitten. I just unlocked their mind." Bellatrix rolled her eyes at the boy in exasperation as she removed the silencing charm.
Her statement stopped Neville short. "Unlocked... minds?" He blurted out in disbelief. "Wait... I can talk!" He exclaimed.
"Yes... I am sure your parents will be proud of that feat." Bellatrix sarcastically quipped.
"I-, I will tell everybody you are alive!" Neville shouted at her, trying to sound threatening but failing miserably at it.
Bellatrix just tilted her head at him. "Do as you wish." She said, making Neville gape at her. "I mean... Sure, tell everybody that the 'dead' Bellatrix Lestrange whose body was witnessed by no less than twenty Aurors and then burned is alive, had a conversation with you that didn't start and end up with the word 'Crucio', AND that she betrayed Voldemort by waking up your parents" She snickered. "Yeah, that will go so well!" Bellatrix shrugged and left through the doors, making herself again invisible with the nifty transfiguration trick of the young Bones girl.
"Wait! ..." Neville shouted and tried to jump at her. Due to thinking he was still bound to the chair, he used too much power and was sent sprawling on the ground with painful groans. It was only then that his mind registered her good-bye sentence. "Did she say 'waking up your parents'" He turned his head, only to find two pairs of emotion-filled eyes intently watching him.