"I don't understand why you lot didn't explain to him that if Delphini used Muggle wars to win, we may not have a bloody world left," Lyra complained.
They were back at Raven's Nest having dinner. The work day was over...basically. Bella had invited Blaise and Gellert to share the evening meal mostly so they could discuss Dolohov. Lyra was, for some reason Bellatrix failed to understand, speaking with her mouth full of roast chicken.
"Why must you speak with your mouth full," she inquired, frowning.
"Because I'm hungry, and I wanted to say that before I forgot, again. I was thinking about it all day, but we've been so busy I haven't had an opportunity to say it out loud," Lyra explained...still with her mouth full. Bellatrix sighed and looked away.
"Because if someone is already that gone, there's no reaching them with basic logic, or they'd already know it...because it's basic," Rod said, answering Lyra's initial question.
"Guess that's true," Lyra said, after a thoughtful moment in which she chewed her food and actually swallowed it.
"Those who followed her believed they were like the old guard, but they were nothing like us. Gellert wanted to preserve the wizarding world and if Muggles are allowed to ruin the world in general, that can't happen. Only a complete idiot would fail to see that… So I was hard pressed not to hurt him more than once during that bloody conversation," Bellatrix ranted with an exasperated shake of her head. "Hurt him too soon, however, and the information won't flow as swiftly."
Lifting her glass of wine, she downed most of it before slamming it back down onto the table. "She was the complete opposite of what Gellert stood for and what we all wanted."
"Thank you for that, and for your amazing self restraint, Bella," Gellert said, flashing a grin in her direction.
"I'd say stands for, but you got lazy and sat down on the Muggles versus us issue," Bellatrix complained.
Gellert shrugged. "Perhaps I did… Utter satisfaction can do that to one. Then again it could've been perhaps, just perhaps, that I was kicked in the face far too many times by general wizarding society for my attempts to do the right thing."
"Fucking fair enough, I suppose," Rabastan said. "I mean it leaves wizards like us shitting in the cold, but we get it."
Gellert smirked. "Feel free to shit inside where it's warm any time you like."
"You don't need to free us from Muggle mass hysteria to be the greatest wizard I know, and write that down because I'll only say it once," Bellatrix told Gellert.
"Delphini wanted to use the Muggles to fight her war. Undependable, unreliable, insane, and unstable Muggles. You, however, wove a complex net of magic to draw her in, and you knew the proper wizards to utilize in order to kill her - Wulfric and Loughness.
"You did that, and you could do it again, and you kept us all safe. That is impressive and in the end it's worth more than a new society that I've finally begun to realize will eventually only be ruined again anyway. Nothing stays. Empires fall because people ruin everything they touch, so getting rid of the worst evil while keeping us all safe is what everyone should truly value."
Gellert gave her a hesitant smile that she returned. "Thank you, Bella. I did have a lot of bloody magical irons in the fire from blood magic to magical alarms to Crom Dubh luck spells, voodoo, and goblin magic networking around Delphini to track her. Otherwise we'd never have known where to place those scrying crystals that finally located her. I didn't do it alone, though. Having a partner like Blaise at my side has truly augmented my skills far more than I ever could've imagined." He turned to Zabini and the smile he gave him was dazzling, causing Bellatrix to sigh and roll her eyes.
Blaise caught Gellert's hand in his and pressed it tenderly to his lips before turning to Bellatrix. "Speaking of blood magic, I had Loughness burn your dagger. I figured with her blood on it, you'd not want it back even were it thoroughly cleaned."
Bellatrix nodded, giving a slight shudder. "Indeed. Every trace of her should be gone, beyond the shadow of a doubt."
"While I agree, you all know evil is like shit and tends to float to the surface, right? She's gone, but it doesn't mean that more like her won't come along," Lyra said.
"Your point is," Rodolphus asked.
"Nothing just...everything will be better… Likely way better with her gone, but we can't get too comfortable."
"We are aware," Bellatrix said. "Happily ever after is only as happy as we make it. It's about protecting our happily ever after by all means necessary any time we need to."
Gellert nodded, raising his glass to Bellatrix. "Well said."
"Speaking of that, did you want us to ask Dolohov anything else before we end him," Rabastan asked Gellert.
Gellert nodded. "Yes. I want to know every name and location of any of Delphini's former followers that he is aware of. We'll want to bring them in as well for questioning before we dispatch them."
They really were sticking with the get rid of them rather than locking them up, Bellatrix thought in satisfaction. Good.
Before more could be said, the door chime rang.
"What bloody now?" Bellatrix groaned. "We aren't expecting anyone to my knowledge. Is it Cassius, Lyra?"
"I don't think so," Lyra said. "He was tired so planned to turn in early."
"It's your mum with a surprise for Gellert," Rabastan said. "She wrote to ask us to invite him to dinner at hers at his earliest convenience because she has something for him, so I told her he'd be here tonight if she wanted to stop over. I must have forgotten to say what with the day being so busy," Rabastan concluded with an apologetic shrug.
Gellert straightened in his chair, blue gaze suddenly alight with intrigue. Bellatrix recalled then that her mum was supposed to look for some of Gellert's people...what was it they'd called themselves? The Alliance?
Harold knocked at the dining room door before poking his head in. "Miss Druella is here with several people. May Harold show them in and should we feed them?"
Did they have that much dinner prepared? Bellatrix doubted it. "No. Please show them into the library and offer them drinks. Tell them that we will join them shortly."
"Very good," Harold said, nodding as he hurried away.
"We're nearly finished with the meal and dessert can wait," Bella offered in way of explanation.
Gellert nodded. "Of course."
As they finished up with the meal, Bellatrix noted that Zabini looked a bit pensive. Likely he was on edge about meeting Gellert's old guard. He never seemed the insecure type, so it was odd for Bella to picture him wondering how, and if, he'd fit into Gellert's old life.
"Are you wanting us to come with you or would you prefer to meet your people alone," Rod asked Gellert as everyone was rising from the table.
Gellert shot him a surprised look. "It's your home so I should think you'd accompany me. Even if it wasn't, I'd like you there," he added, after a second of hesitation.
The smile he gave Rod made Bella think Blaise wasn't the only one feeling a mild touch of nervousness at the situation.
"We're honored," Rabastan said with a cheeky grin, but it was clear that he meant it.
"Good. You should be," Gellert said, tossing back his curls.
And just like that, he was back to himself again, Bellatrix thought, biting back a chuckle.
Rodolphus and Bellatrix led the way into the library with Blaise and Gellert following, Lyra and Rabastan bringing up the rear. Blaise and Gellert were basically surrounded by an honor guard of Lestranges.
The library was fuller than it had been in ages. Bellatrix's mum sat near the door chatting with several older wizards and witches on the various sofas and chairs.
The only witch who wasn't seated threw herself at Gellert with an inarticulate cry, tears streaming down her face. Unlike the others, she seemed almost ageless. Her face was unlined, and she looked distinctly Japanese. Small with long dark hair that was only peppered with a bit of white, she had something unusually youthful about her.
Looking as if someone had hit him with the strongest stunner there was, Gellert embraced the small witch in return. "Is it truly you?" he managed, voice coming out incredulous and breathless...though perhaps the breathless part was a result of her squeezing him so hard.
"I don't know," she said, then drew back and slammed him hard in the chest with a small fist.
Frowning in alarm, Blaise took a step closer.
"I thought you were dead," the little witch shouted angrily, tears still streaming unchecked down her face. "But you weren't dead, and you didn't even come to find me!"
Gellert shook his head, tears standing in his eyes now as well. The moment was becoming uncomfortable, and Bellatrix found herself exchanging an uneasy glance with Rodolphus.
"I did," Gellert said. "I looked all over for you and came up with nothing. I believed they'd killed you because of me...I had to carry that, so whatever you feel I've done, I've paid for it."
"I didn't want you to pay," the witch sobbed, pressing her face into his chest. "I wanted to be with you! That's all I wanted! Once, five or so years after they locked you up in your own prison, I even tried to scale the wall, but the bastards caught me half way up. I tried everything...I didn't forget that you took care of me, and I tried to take care of you...I tried." Her words gave way to sobs as she simply clung to him.
He stroked her hair, rocking her gently as though she were a child. "It is well now...all well now," he crooned.
Bellatrix wondered why she had the impression that he was talking to himself as much as to this little witch of whom they'd never heard until now.
"This is Atsuko," Gellert said, directing his words to a still frowning Blaise. "She is the first Obscurial I ever trained."
"Saved… He saved me," Atsuko managed. Raising her head from Gellert's chest, she drew in a shuddering breath.
"I got married. That's why you couldn't find me. My last name changed," she told Gellert. "My husband...he's great. I know you'll like him."
Gellert grinned. "Same here… His name is Blaise, and he's a great deal like me, so I am certain you shall like him as well."
Turning to Blaise, he gave the dark haired wizard a quick smile. "Blaise, this is Atsuko. The closest thing I ever had to a pain in the ass little sister, before Kereston."
Blaise and Atsuko blinked at one another in shared shock. After several seconds, Blaise was the first to speak. "He really did believe you were dead, and it hurt him more than you can know."
Atsuko wiped at her eyes, considered for a moment, then nodded. "Okay. The man on man thing is going to be a little hard to get used to, but if you're like him, I can work with it."
Blaise flashed her a quick grin. "That's precisely what my mum said."
Gellert turned to the other nine witches and wizards with a chuckle. "Well, now that the hard part is over with..." Laughing, they all stood and moved in to embrace him.
Gellert exchanged warm greetings and hasty explanations as he shared how Blaise and some of his friends helped him escape Nurmengard in exchange for assistance against Voldemort were it required. The elderly witches and wizards explained how they'd been under close surveillance for decades after his imprisonment lest they attempt to free him.
"I never believed Voldemort killed you for a moment, though. I kept waiting for you to resurface like you always do, you sly fox!" The comment came from an elderly wizard with brown hair peppered with a great deal of white and an American accent. The accent made Bella think they should speak to Gellert about having him perhaps networking with Arthur if it became necessary for their new pet Muggle to connect with American wizards.
Gellert laughed happily. "You were always a wise man, Abernathy."
Turning he glanced around, obviously searching for Blaise, who stood quietly beside Atsuko near the far wall. "Baby! Get over here! I need you to meet everyone."
Blaise's eyes widened in horror as his usually tan features turned scarlet. Atsuko snickered, clapping a hand to her mouth. Abernathy grinned, waving expansively at Blaise. "Hi there, baby! It's nice to meet you."
At that, a laugh burst from Bellatrix that, unlike Atsuko, she didn't bother attempting to hold in.
"And these are my Lestranges, everyone! I finally got some good ones. As you can see there are four of them," Gellert said, smiling proudly as he gestured the Lestranges forward.