Bellatrix could hardly believe she was actually about to speak to Merlin and Nimue, even if it was the reincarnated versions.
"Just put the crystal earphones on your ears and look into the crystal ball while performing the locating spell that I will teach you now." Kereston gestured at one of the empty chairs on the other side of the desk from her own. "Have a seat." When Bellatrix sat, Kereston carefully pushed the quartz earphones over to her, then slid the huge quartz ball on its stand after them. "You perform the location spell once the earphones are in place," Kereston explained.
As Bellatrix carefully lifted the band of what appeared to be ornate copper and slid it over her hair, settling the flat shards of quartz over her ears, Rodolphus settled into the chair beside her to watch.
"Are sounds actually going to come out of these," she asked with a skeptical frown.
"It doesn't work like that," Kereston said with a shake of her head. "You are communicating with them in thought form. We just went for the earphone concept because we are mentally hearing them, and the spell helps the crystal enhance our mental hearing." She shrugged apologetically. "You shall just have to try it and see for yourself. In this case, experience provides the best explanation." She gestured to the quartz ball. "Once the spell is cast, you will see them there, and their thoughts will be amplified through the earphones. Sometimes the spell must be cast more than once," the Minister concluded apologetically.
"Probably comes of communicating with them from another world," Bellatrix said drily and Kereston nodded.
"You point your wand at the crystal then draw it backward toward yourself and say, Merlin, Nimue, I seek thee. Say your name after I, it will help them to know who you are."
Nodding, Bellatrix took her wand from her corset and aimed it at the crystal orb, then drew it backward toward herself, saying "Merlin and Nimue, I, Bellatrix Lestrange, seek thee."
/Ah, you're finally talking to us, then? We've heard so much about you. In fact, I may be a little frightened./ The young woman who appeared in the globe had long red hair and green eyes.
"You used to have black hair," Bellatrix commented. "Rather like me...without the curls." She was babbling and probably sounded silly, Bellatrix noted in some mild horror.
"You don't have to speak aloud, but if it helps you to focus your thoughts toward them, by all means," Kereston said.
"Yeah, but I wanna hear what's being said at least on one end, so keep it up," Rodolphus interjected.
/As it turns out, I have black hair in some lives and red in others,/ Nimue replied. /I think blonde once or twice…/ she murmured as an afterthought.
Nimue's words, as Kereston had said, spilled into Bella's mind more as thought forms, though very clear ones, with a very different feel than her own.
"Why would you be frightened of me," Bellatrix asked, recalling the last bit.
/Well...the torturing people could be frightening to some/ Nimue replied slowly.
"Come off it! I am fully aware of the druidic sacrifices you and Merlin made back in the day when performing your war magic for Arthur," Bellatrix said. The more she practiced this, the stronger she felt her thoughts were becoming when directed to Nimue. Still she spoke aloud for Rod's benefit.
/But you lot aren't known to be particularly stable, so...it seems as though you could just torture at the drop of a hat./
Bellatrix scowled. "Many people believed you to be insane, you know...with those three druidic wounds, the wound of the spirit, the wound of the body, and the wound of the mind that you had to go through to become a full initiate?"
/Yes. The wound of the body can be any physical injury, the wound of the spirit would be any painful loss, and the wound of the mind is any sort of mental trauma,/ Nimue confirmed. /I don't recall torturing people as a result of mine, though. It just makes one feel that you could turn on them for no reason./
From the hesitant way the other woman spoke, Bellatrix could tell that Nimue wasn't saying that she was quite certain that she had not tortured people, just that she didn't remember it.
Bellatrix smirked, ready to push her victory home. She had read her wizarding histories, after all.
"But didn't you and Merlin have that thing," she began and Nimue nodded, one hand coming up in a mildly apologetic gesture. /Oh yes, there was that, but it was necessary. It was vengeance, you know, and that's quite different./
"I want to talk to Merlin," Rodolphus said suddenly, obviously wanting his turn.
"It doesn't always work like that," Kereston said apologetically. "You get who you get. That is, whoever can hear you. I actually got in contact with Morgana first when I was going for Merlin. The spell really isn't reliable."
"But aren't they enemies? I don't want to wonder if I am speaking to bloody friend or foe," Rodolphus complained.
/Are you still there,/ Nimue asked Bellatrix.
"Oh, they were friends," Kereston said. "That bit about Morgana not helping Arthur was all screwy politics and not at all true. She didn't try to shag him either, that's nasty."
Bellatrix bit her lip, trying not to laugh. "Good to know," she said and Rodolphus nodded fervently.
/What,/ Nimue asked, and Bellatrix frowned. Having two conversations was stupid, and she silently vowed to stop it this instant. If only Rod and Kereston would shut up!
"So," Bellatrix asked, directing her attention completely to Nimue. "What is it that you're doing to help against Delphini?"
Nimue hesitated, frowning in consternation. /Well...we aren't exactly sure. Our magic is different in this world, and we aren't certain how helpful we can actually be./
She was bloody kidding, Bellatrix thought, struggling not to grind her teeth in frustration.
Removing the crystal things from her ears, she passed them to Rod before pushing the large crystal ball to stand in front of him. As she did, Nimue's image faded, leaving the orb clear once again. "I heard her just fine, and she has no idea how to help us," she bit out to Kereston.
She was disappointed, let down, angry...wasn't that basically all the same thing? It certainly felt like more than one negative emotion. Merlin, Nimue, and even bloody Muggle Arthur were supposed to bloody return and bloody help Britain when it was bloody well threatened! Right now Delphini was a bloody threat so...
"It's just that they've forgotten a lot, as I said before," Kereston said a little tightly. "They believe their magic is different now and weaker, but we believe they can do far more than they recall. Blaise and Gellert have begun working on...retraining them to open their memories."
Bellatrix's eyes widened as she struggled against her frustrated rage. "Seriously?"
Kereston sighed. "What other recourse do we have? We did find them, so we have to try! We need help."
"Hey, I got Merlin!" Rodolphus crowed, and Bellatrix leaned forward to see a young-ish man with wide shoulders, short curly black hair, and intense blue eyes regarding Rodolphus with curious, thoughtful interest.
"That's some skill," Kereston said, openly impressed. "I can never get Merlin, just Morgana or Nimue. They're both quite nice, though so that's alright," she added hastily.
Bellatrix made a scoffing sound. "Nice, but useless."