Mind, Body and Soul

“Master,” Bella said softly, the hem of her robes rustling around her ankles as she fell into a graceful curtsey before the Dark Lord.

“Bella,” He said, His voice quiet as well, and Bella
dreamed she could hear love in His voice. No–she knew without question that it was there.

“You summoned me.” She stated this; a Death Eater never asked questions of the Dark Lord. A Death Eater could not hope to live as one for much longer if he or she did.

“Yes, Bella. I have a task for you.”

“Anything,” she said, sinking further into her curtsey though inwardly she was floating above the floor. The Dark Lord had a task for her Just for her–not her sniveling husband or the arrogant coward she had for a brother-in-law. “I am yours to command.”

“It will be difficult,” He continued, His voice as even as His gaze on her.

Bellatrix raised her head just enough to look up at Him. “I would die for you, Master ”

“Ah, but what use would you be of to me then, Bella?” He asked, His voice now nothing more than the barest whisper

She knew then that He loved her; loved her more than the others–why else would He care? There was a reason she was the only female Death Eater amongst the thirty or so of the group. No other women possessed the dedication that she did. The love for the Dark Arts and, more importantly, the Dark Lord. Not even the sister she still acknowledged. She ducked her head in recognition of the compliment. “I am Yours, Master.”

“This task will take cunning, Bella.”

Bella was silent; one did not brag of one’s talents to the Dark Lord. He was the greatest Dark Wizard to have lived. Anything she could do was paltry compared to His own powers. His own powers told Him so. But she had the cunning, she knew that she did. As did He, apparently.

“There will be a child born,” He continued.

“A child,” she echoed, her low voice doubling in the cavernous room.

“He will possess powers equal to my own, perhaps greater.”

“Surely no wizard can be born greater than Yourself,” Bella protested gently. It couldn’t be possible.

“Ah, Bella,” He said, and she heard a loving caress in His voice once again coupled with a trace of sadness she was sure she had imagined a moment later, “but there will be. A prophecy has been made and it will see to its own ends, as prophecies do. And I need your help.”

Bella was nearly levitating above the ground. Surely– He couldn’t be asking what she thought He was asking? It wasn’t possible. But He had said–a child and a prophecy, a child with powers greater than His own... She controlled the urge to beam. “My Lord, I am yours; You know this. My allegiance is Yours, as is my mind, my heart and my body.”

Silence fell on the two of them. As each moment passed into the next, Bella felt a slowly growing sense of unease. Had she misunderstood? Surely if a child was going to be born with powers greater than the Dark Lord, He would have to be the child of the Dark Lord Himself?

The Dark Lord chuckled softly, the sound filling the darkened room, lit only by the torches bracketed to the walls, their shadows dancing across the stones. “Bella, I am above such...physical things.”

She fought down the blush beginning to travel up her neck. Black’s did not blush. It did not matter that she was a LeStrange now; the blood of a Most Ancient and Noble House flowed through her veins and she, she was an idiot of the highest order. How could she have believed, even for an instant–

“Bella,” the Dark Lord interrupted her thoughts, “do not chastise yourself. I find your dedication...endearing. And if such things were possible....” He trailed off, almost musing. “As it is, the child will not be mine.”

Bella nodded in acknowledgment, not yet able to speak over her embarrassment as confusion filled her. A wizard with power’s to rival the Dark Lord’s? Who would not be of the Dark Lord’s own get? How was such a thing even possible?

“You know of the Potters,” the Dark Lord continued, “as well as the Longbottoms. They are both expecting at the end of July. I must have you watch over them.”

“Yes, Master,” Bella whispered, refusing to believe that this child would be born to either of the two young couples. The Potters? The Longbottoms? Powerful magic between them all, to be sure, but still...the Potters? The Longbottoms? Their very names were laughable, let alone their positions in Wizarding society. The Longbottoms were Purebloods, to be sure, but Lily Potter was a Mudblood of lower class London and all were Muggle lovers. Of these two couples? It was neither to be believed nor borne.

“Both women must die,” He said simply.

“Of course, Master,” she agreed. It would be her pleasure to kill her cousin’s best friends and their unborn child. A great pleasure. Perhaps she could do it while he watched....

There was a pause.

“Go now, Bella,” He said finally.

She felt shame fill her as she rose; she was being dismissed. She started to back away from him–a Death Eater did not turn his or her back on the Dark Lord– when He spoke again: “Know, Bella,” he said quietly, “that you will be rewarded. I know the thoughts of those around me. You will be aptly and justly repaid for what you have given me and what you have offered.”

She ducked her head, backing completely out of the room before daring to give in to the smile.