His Final Riddle

11. I will be stronger

Belatrix Lestrange.

She smiles evilly over at me as she walks into the room her heeled boots hitting the dark wooden floors with a heavy snap each time.

"Silly childish spells like that don't work against dark magic, that was a test." Without even looking at it she shoots a bright green spark into the corner causing all the darkness from before to turn into dust before my very eyes.

I bite down hard on my tongue as I take in the woman before me, Draco's aunt, the woman who lives in Voldemort's pocket, the very bitch who killed Sirius. Her own cousin.

"You hate me?" She leans her head forward raising her eyebrows mockingly at me "you mourn for my blood traitor cousin don't you?"

I try very hard to swallow the anger building within my body however I feel my hands begin to shake "he was a great man. He had a life, he had people who loved him. You stole the opportunity of a second life and a second chance of love from him."

Belatrix let's out a cold high pitch laugh "you're such a sheltered little lamb aren't you?"

"What?" I feel the anger begin to disappear as confusion takes over.

Bellatrix walks towards me, she begins to circle me slowly her eyes darting around my face "you realise you just showed your weaknesses don't you? You showed me that you care, that you're weak, you showed me that you have people you love." She stops moving as she stands behind me her words whispering in my ear "you just showed me how to truly torture you."

I hold my breath as realisation hits me, it's true. Why spend all that time with Snape hiding my memories and my thoughts if I am just going to tell my enemies whatever they need to hear.

Bellatrix comes back to stand in front of me raising her wand "well I suppose it's time to see what that ridiculous school has taught you." She darts her tongue out to wet her lips as her gang like teeth shine at me.

I stagger backwards "I don't know enough to duel with you, I thought that's why you're here. To teach me."

"What's better way to learn then to feel the effects against you?" Bellatrix barely allows me time to realise what she means as she screams "ignis fictus" before a spark of red flies from her wand hitting me squarely in the chest.

I scream as the burning sensation takes over my whole body, dropping to the floor I feel my legs and arms hitting the floor repeatedly. Blind hot pain tears at my chest as I continually scream my throat growing hoarse.

As suddenly as it started the sensation of my skin burning stops, I lay panting on the floor before turning my head slowly to look at the woman who is stood laughing in a shrill manner.

"What the fuck?" Weakly I roll on to my stomach climbing back up into a very shaky standing position.

Bellatrix smirks at me her eyes alight with joy "that was a very efficient burning curse, it doesn't actually cause the victim any pain. It's all in their wind, which is what makes it so fun."

Gritting my teeth I raise my wand determined to be prepared for her next trick, as I stare at her I force my mind to think back to her wand movement as she cursed me. I am going to have to find a way to practice that later.

Ignis fictus

I force the words she had used also to the back of my mind as I see her smile becoming more evil.

She blinks at me slowly before suddenly darting to the left, she leaps in the air crossing the space quickly and lands in a crouch. I spin around to face her my wand a second behind my body as she raises her wand first.