White Rabbit

As soon as she woke the next morning, Bellatrix was vexed. This was because, to her annoyance, she realized that in her glee over the previous night's success, she'd quite forgotten to speak to Blaise and Gellert about her idea for enchanting the sponges to respond to magical attacks for defense. Deciding to write directly before she could forget, again, she headed for the library even before her morning coffee. Harold intercepted her at the bottom of the stairs with a letter that had just arrived from Grindelwald. It requested them to drop by Enchanted Odds that evening to pick up their wands that Mag Snape had just dropped off along with the bill for them.

"Brilliant," Bellatrix breathed. She couldn't wait to get a wand into her hands that promised to make her spells twice as strong. That and it was likely to be very pretty. Though a fox Animagus, she considered herself more of a raven at heart after marrying into the family Lestrange, and all ravens liked their pretty shinies.

Continuing to the library with a spring in her step at the prospect of her new wand, she hastily wrote a thank you note to Gellert, confirming that they would definitely be there that evening. She'd speak to him and Zabini about the sponges then. After giving the note to Harold to send off, she stumbled into the dining room for that much needed cup of morning coffee. Though it was Sunday, and Sundays were usually lazy days of recovery from parties or the week in general, this day she felt invigorated by the prospect of their new wands combined with the previous night's success.

Excitedly she shared the news that their wands were ready while Rodolphus and Rabastan were busily shoveling breakfast into their faces. They still managed to look pleased.

"Freaking awesome," Rabastan said around a full mouthful of egg. "Why can't we go get them now?"

Bellatrix shrugged, scowling over at him. "Because they said to come in the evening, prat. I assume they're working or something if they're at the shop, but if you care, why don't you write and ask?"

Rabastan shrugged, scooping more eggs into his mouth. "Because I don't care that much."

"What wands, and why didn't I get one?" Lyra demanded as she slunk into the dining room.

She looked disheveled, large dark circles under her eyes. If she'd gone out drinking with her little friends when Bellatrix had told her to come home, there were going to be issues. Being out of control in public with Delphini and hers at large was stupid at best.

"I was up all night reading before you get all trifling," she told Bellatrix, evidently noticing the look she was being given. "I was trying to study up on crafting artifacts in case I could help Graven, but I couldn't learn anything she couldn't by getting better information from her own people. I even tried to research a bit on love but didn't find much on that either. I did find an interesting book on sex magic, though."

She arched her brows inquiringly at her parents and Bellatrix shrugged. "We stole that when we broke into the Durmstrang library for the Dark Lord back in seventy-nine," she recalled. As soon as the words left her mouth she realized she'd slipped up and called Voldemort the Dark Lord. She'd felt nothing reverent for the monster in a long time. Still, the title they'd used for so long left the tongue too easily, which was annoying.

"HE wanted a book on sex magic?" Lyra squawked, eyes wide.

"No. Your father and I thought it may be a lark so stole it for our own personal use but never got around to it," Bellatrix replied, glad Lyra's antics had momentarily distracted her from her own annoying thoughts of self deprecation.

"That's almost good to know," Lyra said with a shudder. "What about the wands, though?" she pressed, mind returning to the original topic that had drawn her interest upon entering the room.

"Didn't we tell you," Rod asked. When Lyra shook her head, he gave her a look of chagrin over his cup of orange juice.

"We must have forgotten, what with something constantly needing to be done. Anyway, as it turns out, our shrink makes wands. That's her actual career or whatever. The wands are rather special, as they're made from crystal quartz and other stones. The quartz enhances magic twofold, and before you begin squawking like a raven that's choked itself on a bit of glass, yes, we got you one. She even custom designs them and asks a bit about each person to get a feel for them. She was rather impressed with your work with Auras or chakras or whatever."

"Really? That's so awesome! Thanks, both of you," Lyra said. Then she stunned Bellatrix by rising to give both her and Rodolphus quick hugs.

"Do you think she would make one for Cassius," she asked, and Bellatrix shrugged.

"We can ask at our next shrink session."

"When is that," Lyra wanted to know. "I'll feel better knowing Cassius is safer with a stronger wand."

"We'll find out from Grindelwald this evening when we meet them at their shop to pick up the wands," Bella replied.

They spent the majority of the day poring over the books Lucius had tracked down for them. Though Bellatrix understood in hindsight how Voldemort had applied the knowledge within them to extend his non-life – as she thought of it – she had no inspiration concerning how he or Delphini could be applying it today.

As a result, by the time five o'clock rolled around, she was feeling exasperated and glad to be done with the day's research. Rod told Harold to put three plates of dinner in the oven for them and not to wait up just in case they were at the shop later than planned. Bellatrix planned to speak to Blaise and Gellert about her idea of using the sponges for defense, after all. Though that shouldn't take long, one never knew, and it was better to be safe than keep Lyra and Harold waiting about all evening.

They Apparated to Knockturn Alley just outside of Enchanted Odds. The sign's ornate lettering read 'Closed', but light shone behind the glass window in the top of the door. Bellatrix tried the ornate brass door knob before knocking and it turned easily.

"Hi, it's us!" she called, slipping into the shop and pausing just inside the door to wait for Rodolphus and Rabastan. The lights were on and soft music played from the back.

"Oh wow! I think the floor is moving!" The feminine voice that spoke from the floor not far from Bellatrix's feet was unfamiliar.

She glanced down to see a slender figure with long dark hair clad in a royal purple robe lying face down on what looked to be a fur rug that was surely made from some extremely rare magical creature. Her face was cradled in her folded arms, and one slender sandaled foot kicked idly in the air.

"Well, hello," Rabastan greeted pleasantly as Rodolphus closed the door quietly behind them. "Even from the back you look far more attractive than the two blokes we came here to see."

"What..? No… I can't… Can't talk to you right now, whoever you are. Can't process. Do you think perhaps you could just kindly go away," she asked plaintively.

"I think she might actually need help," Rabastan whispered. "And while I am not usually the helpful sort, I may just be changing my ways for at least a minute if she looks as good from the front."

"We're rather tripping balls at present," Blaise Zabini's voice called from the back room. He and Gellert walked out into the front of the shop together, eyes a bit brighter than usual.

"I wanted to talk to you about perhaps turning those magic absorbing sponges into defensive...you're doing what?" Like the girl on the floor, Bellatrix was having a bit of trouble processing, though for an entirely different reason. Blaise Zabini and Gellert Grindelwald were about the last two blokes she could picture tripping balls. They just didn't seem to have whatever it took for her to imagine them being able to appreciate the experience.

"We needed...to see more...to see something we aren't seeing yet. We hoped with the help of this new tea, we may have a breakthrough or three," Gellert explained.

"Did you," Bellatrix asked curiously.

He shook his head. "We didn't. If Parvati did, that'll be good enough, though."

"No," the girl, still face down on the fur rug, muttered into her folded arms.

Gellert sighed.

"You're a seer," Rabastan asked Blaise, and Zabini shook his head.

"Trips can also help one process and compute patterns that the mind is already aware of, so I was hoping to make some new discoveries by connecting some dots that were previously unconnected," he explained.

"Whatever you say," Rabastan said with an easy shrug. "Can we trip too? We enjoy tripping."

Gellert chuckled. "Sure. I don't see why not. The teapot and extra cups are in the back. Help yourselves."

"Ooh, the back where all the good shit is," Rabastan said, and moved eagerly in that direction with Rodolphus following behind.

"Are our wands here, then," Bellatrix asked, and Gellert nodded, gesturing toward the long wooden counter and a small pile of long velvet bags that sat in its center.

"Bring me a cup too, please, Roddy," Bellatrix called as she went for the wands. Each bag had a parchment tag with a name and price attached to its satin drawstrings, along with a note that told what stones comprised the wand. At once, Bellatrix snatched up the bag with her name on it.

Her wand was made of clear quartz and black tourmaline. Both stones were polished and each had six sides tapering to a point at either end. The two were bound together back to back in the center with a band of silver like Regulus's.

The glossy, high polish feel of the stones in her hand was extremely pleasant to the touch, and Bellatrix found herself mesmerized. The note card on the bag informed that black tourmaline amplified magic, protected, was a stone of healing, and also transmuted negative energy into positive, which could work well against attack spells.

Roddy's wand was the same as hers, as it happened. Rabastan's was very similar in style, only the black stone on his was black jade rather than tourmaline. Lyra's was clear quartz combined with blue and gold lapis lazuli. Bellatrix really enjoyed the feel of all of the wands and would've used them all if it were possible.

"Here's your tea," Rodolphus said, coming up on her right with a steaming cup that smelled strongly of mushrooms and other herbs. "Which wand is mine?"

Bellatrix took the cup into her free hand and handed him the velvet bag that held his wand with the other before picking her own wand up again. She really enjoyed the feel of it in her hand. "I think it even feels stronger just holding it," she murmured.

"If you're going to try out a spell, please do it before you drink the tea." The voice had come from the dark-haired girl. Though she was still on the floor, she was now sitting up. Her lovely dark features looked Indian, which matched the name Gellert had used when mentioning her… Parvati, wasn't it? "Trip spells can either go very well or very wrong."

Bellatrix nodded. "That's reasonable."

She glanced around, wondering what she could try the wand on that would be safe. If the thing was twice as strong, it had to be something that couldn't be damaged with that much magic. At last she settled on the velvet bag in which the wand had come. Though boring, a levitation charm would do for a start. Pointing the quartz end of the wand at the bag she spoke the charm. "Wingardium Leviosa!" The bag shot upward and smacked hard into the ceiling, remaining there.

Rabastan laughed as he approached. "Come on, Bella. What's the point of overdoing that one? It's basic."

Bellatrix opened her mouth to say that she hadn't, but before she could, Parvati rose and smiled widely at Rabastan, causing the younger Lestrange to catch his breath. Bellatrix felt her brows shooting up. Rabastan never showed reactions to pretty girls.

"Are you already drinking the tea," she asked him, and he shook his head.

"Not yet. I wanted to try my wand first too." So he wasn't tripping… Interesting.

"No spell is basic with twice the strength behind it until you get used to it," Parvati told Rabastan.

"I checked all the prices for the wands and paid that plus a bit extra as Mag was so fast," Rodolphus told Blaise and Gellert, gesturing to a pile of gold on the counter where the wands had been. "Lyra's is in my robe pocket so we don't forget it," he commented to Bellatrix before turning his attention to his own wand.

"Good thinking," she said before glancing back at Rabastan. "Let's see what hot-shot here is going to do with his first spell."

Rabastan flicked his quartz and jade wand at Bellatrix's velvet bag, still happily hanging out on the ceiling. It smacked into the counter and he laughed. "Damn! Every spell is going to need a bit of practice!"

"Not every spell," Rodolphus said. "We'll get the hang of it soon enough." He directed his wand at Bellatrix. "Wingardium Leviosa."

Picturing herself slamming into the ceiling, Bellatrix let out a shriek. Gellert and Blaise cursed as Parvati, looking a bit confused, screamed as well. Rather than slamming into the ceiling hard enough to send her to a Healer, or worse, Bellatrix only floated a hand span or so off the ground.

"It only takes a bit of focus and the awareness that you want to be exact," Rodolphus said casually.

"You didn't even spill my tea," Bellatrix said, impressed. Feeling the need to be in an altered state now, she took a deep drink from her cup.

"Want to put me down, Roddy," she asked, her voice still shaking slightly. When she drifted down to gently land on the floor, Bellatrix let out a sigh of relief before draining the rest of her cup.

"Hey, wait for us," Rabastan protested. "Come on, Bro," he added, pushing Rod's shoulder before beginning to chug.

With a grin, Rod saluted with his wand, raising his tea cup with the other hand.

"Why were we screaming again?" Parvati wondered. "And who are you people anyway?"