For once, all three of the Lestranges were looking forward to their shrink session. As soon as Kreacher led them into the library of 12 Grimmauld to join the others, Bellatrix spoke eagerly.
"Well," she demanded, seeking out Gellert where he sat across from Mag at the large reading table in the middle of the room. "What did you find in Merlin's cave?"
"Was there anything to help us kill Delphini," Rabastan asked hopefully.
Gellert replied "Yes, we found things, but we don't know if we can use them to help in our fight or not. We're still trying to figure out how to use them, if indeed they have uses at all."
The open skepticism in that last bit caused Bella to silently arch her brows.
"Stands to reason they would have uses," Mag murmured. The redhead was studying an array of stone items that were spread out on the table in front of her.
"Are those the things you found," Rabastan asked Gellert, waving a hand at the items holding Mag's attention.
When the blond nodded, Bellatrix moved closer to the table to study the trinkets in more detail. Some were set into silver as jewelry, and some were loose stones. One large fist sized chunk of stone was carved into a statue. It was a squat looking seated figure crudely carved but with a definite feeling of power.
"Isn't that Crom Dubh," Rodolphus asked, gaze following Bella's to the strange little statue.
Gellert gave a slight nod. "Or Crom Cruach, if there is a difference."
At that, Bella's mind went back to the class called Old Ways and Ancient Religions that she and Rod had taken as an elective in their final year at Hogwarts. "That's a harvest god, yes? Or god of the dead."
Gellert gave another slight nod. "And also of leprechauns according to Merlin and Filius."
"So is Ole Crom going to be lucky or something," Rabastan asked.
"I hope so," Gellert said gravely.
"Leprechauns aren't lucky. They're mean little shits who give you fake gold that vanishes away. I read a book about them when I was seven, and it scarred me for life," Rodolphus declared.
Mag chuckled, glancing incredulously up from an amber pendant wound with heavy silver wire that she'd been regarding. "Not Voldemort," she asked Rod.
He shrugged. "No, I suppose he isn't lucky either."
Mag's lips twitched. "No. I mean a book about nasty leprechauns scarred you for life and not Voldemort?"
Rod grinned, shrugging. "Sure he did, but the leprechauns were first."
"Fair enough," Mag said, chuckling.
"I didn't consider that," Gellert murmured half to himself. Reaching out, he ran his fingertips lightly over the squat statue of the harvest god in the middle of the table with the other finds from the cave.
"What," Blaise asked, speaking up for the first time since the Lestranges had entered.
"I didn't consider reversing the aspect to be unlucky," Gellert replied." I was thinking of how the leprechaun can bring luck to itself and thus to us. But if it bestows bad luck to those who take what should not be theirs, such as gold, I can work with that even better." As he spoke, his blue eyes flashed with an eager light, excitement beginning to creep into his expression as the thoughts formed. "Rodolphus, you are a genius, no matter what people say!"
Rod frowned. "Hey! Who the hell says I'm not a genius," he demanded.
Bella's lips twitched. "You, sometimes," she reminded him.
"Ah, well...don't listen to me," he said, waving a hand dismissively and she laughed.
It was only after Voldemort's twisting of their minds that Rodolphus had, at times, become nearly submissive to Bellatrix, thinking her more skilled and brilliant than he by far. It left her encouraging and pushing him, but he was always an outstanding Death Eater for all that. They were equals.
They were a power couple, complimenting one another's strengths with supporting ones. What she'd seen as his odd lazy streak had utterly baffled her until, of course, they discovered what Voldemort had done to them the night Orion was killed. Considering how intolerant Rod was of her being in the least emotional about anything these days, it seemed he'd recovered his self-confidence enough to be annoyingly assertive, Bellatrix thought with a small frown.
"So you plan to use that to bring bad luck to Delphini," Rodolphus asked Gellert.
"That's the idea," Gellert replied, tone and expression calmly thoughtful. "I need to talk to Filius. Perhaps he can help. I'm thinking of bringing her bad luck in a particular sort of way. General bad luck could be too wide spread to properly serve our goals and as such would not be bad enough. I am aiming this toward bad luck for her specifically when she works her magic in our direction or, of course, against us. I don't need her to stub her toe three times a day. I need her to lose her following or get eaten by one of whatever pet monsters she keeps."
"So do you believe there is some power specifically imbued into that statue, or are you going to try working directly with the god Crom Dubh himself," Mag asked.
"Am I the only one who finds the idea of attempting to work directly with gods unsettling?" Blaise wondered. He arched one brow elegantly. He probably believed it made him look extra posh, Bellatrix thought, trying not to laugh.
Kreacher, who sat silently in the corner of the room on a small loveseat at Regulus's side, shook his head vehemently. "Gods make Kreacher nervous. They give him unpleasant risings of dread in his stomach."
"I'm not eager to seek aid from gods, but nor am I willing to allow Delphini a victory," Gellert said.
Blaise sighed, nodding. "I know. You're right. I just don't have to like it."
He gave a dry smile and Gellert smiled back, causing Bellatrix to sigh and roll her eyes. "I'd say get a room, but we're having a shrink session right now."
Gellert winked. "We could always be excused while the rest of you get shrunk," he offered.
"I don't think so," Mag said firmly but with a tolerant smile.
"Where did you find the items in the cave," Bellatrix asked, gaze drifting back to the glittering array of jewelry, stones, wands, and statuary.
"It was all in a chest buried in the earth under the cave," Gellert replied. "Merlin had to tell us where to look, and we had to get one of Blaise's school chums who excels in herbology to help with the earth magic."
"The chest has a very nice carving of Cernunnos on the lid, and you can tell it's bloody ancient," Blaise said admiringly.
He lifted what looked to be a simple wooden box from the floor. When he closed the lid it was evident that the box was an ornately carved druid's chest. The slanting lid was covered in elegantly carved runes surrounding a raised relief carving of the horned god himself.
"Badass," Rabastan breathed admiringly.
"So why aren't you certain all the items can be useful," Bellatrix asked Gellert.
Gellert shrugged, giving a sulky frown. "Because Merlin and Nimue don't remember what all of the items are or what they do. Merlin is certain they are all powerful and important and in their ways do great things, but we're still working out what those great things are and it isn't easy."
Blaise gave a slight nod of agreement. "If Merlin and Nimue were crafty enough not to make the purposes of their treasures obvious, or if said treasures were more focus tools than items that held true power of their own is yet to be decided." He sighed. "If Merlin and Nimue don't remember, they can hardly help."
"Perhaps you can cast some sort of extra strength memory enhancing charm for them," Bellatrix suggested in a thoughtful murmur.
Gellert gave a dry smirk. "Casting all the way from another world? That shouldn't be in the least difficult."
Bellatrix shot him an amused smile. "You're Grindelwald, so for you it should be elementary."
"So are we going to have a session or just spend the hour studying these items," Mag asked. "Because all of us here are gifted enough to perhaps figure a few of them out if we combine our efforts."
Rabastan gave the cluster of items on the table an eager glance. "I'm ready to give it a go," he said, eyes lingering on a thick oak wand with a round crystal set into its tip.
Bellatrix and Rodolphus nodded.
"I sort of...wanted to talk first." Regulus spoke quietly from his spot on the sofa with Kreacher in the corner of the room.
"Alright," Mag said. At once she turned her attention from the items on the table to Regulus. Her large green eyes were alert, attentive, and concerned. "What's going on?"
Regulus shifted on the loveseat, glancing self-consciously around at the group before dropping his gaze. "Kreacher and I had to take Gellert and Blaise to the cave so they'd know where it was. That, and Voldemort had set up a very difficult method of transport that involved one adult and one person under eighteen years of age or at least small or not human." He shrugged. "I'm not certain of the requirements, but it was strange, the way he had it arranged. Either way Blaise and Gellert wouldn't have been able to go alone. Voldemort never bothered to educate himself on the powers of most beings that weren't directly useful to him, so he was unaware that elves could simply Apparate in and out.
"Kreacher or any other elf can just go to the cave and take anyone they like. So today, the four of us went. I knew I would not relish seeing it again because of all the memories surrounding it. With what happened to Kreacher and then...with myself, but...just... I noticed that I disassociated while we were there. It was so disconcerting! It felt so strange, like part of me was stretched out on a string floating above the rest of me, looking down. I was detached, feeling far less emotion than I knew I should. The sensation was even physical, not quite like vertigo, but definitely noticeable."
He glanced up at last, embarrassed. "I'm quite certain I'm not explaining it properly, but it's a difficult thing to put into words," he concluded, tone apologetic.
"I'm just impressed you knew the term disassociate," Mag said with a soft smile. "That does seem to be what happened, and it's perfectly normal."
"I did read the psychology books that you recommended to me on trauma," Regulus told her with a small chuckle.
"Good. I wasn't sure that you would," Mag said.
"I always seek to learn," Regulus told her. "If the Muggles sorted out how the mind works, I will consider what even they have to say."
Mag nodded. "Knowledge is power no matter from where it comes. As for you, how are you feeling now?"
Regulus shrugged. "I'm not really sure. I think I'm still disassociated a bit. The surprising thing is, I didn't even think I was that upset. That was the odd part. I suppose after all that happened disassociating should be expected, but I'd think I would've felt upset on a conscious level first."
Mag nodded in understanding. "The mind is a funny thing, and a complex one too. At times, things happen, and even process, so fast that we aren't aware of on the surface, or conscious level as it were. To come back, as it were, you will need to focus on grounding back into your body and on things that make you feel safe and comforted."
Kreacher reached for Regulus's hand and Mag smiled, nodding. "Yes, that's good. He always responds well to you," she told the elf.
Somehow Bellatrix found herself moving across the room to her cousin. Bending, she reached to draw him into a hard embrace. "It's alright now, Regi," she crooned softly, and he clung to her hard with one arm as he held Kreacher's hand.