"We know what we are, but not what we could be." -William Shakespeare.
-----------------> ROSE POTTER WAS RECKLESS AND QUITE FRANKLY, DARINGLY STUPID.
In theory, she sounded like the ideal Gryffindor.
It wasn't like she meant to be so, she just did. Of course, she would deny such an accusation if ever questioned. But to the handful of people who were aware of our dear Potter Heiress's existence, they would swear up and down that Rose Potter just had a penchant for trouble, similar to the way the Dark Lord had a lust for power.
Rose Potter did not chase after trouble, trouble chased after Rose Potter.
And after hearing Aunt Cissa rant about her father, James Potter, Rose just blamed her ability to create trouble on the thrice-cursed damn Potter luck.
The inner circle of the greatest dark lord of all time were the most bloodthirsty, loyal, influential, powerful, wealthy blood supremacists of Great Britain. Recently, however, a new title had been added to this list- babysitter.
Each of the inner circle had promptly been handed a schedule by Narcissa Malfoy nee Black (under the orders of Lord Voldemort) where they had each been designated a day and time where they had to complete the hardest mission of all- keeping Rose Potter alive and unscathed.
Not even the most loyal second-in-command, Bellatrix Lestrange nee Black had been exempted from the Schedule of Doom, as it would soon be called in the near future.
None of them knew why the Dark Lord not only wanted to keep the precious Saviour alive, but also have her pampered and in excellent health, but they were not going to ask.
An angry Dark Lord is, after all, a murderous Dark Lord.
They assumed that he wanted to turn Rose Potter into a loyal Death Eater via the process of brainwashing, or maybe he wanted to hold her hostage so that the Leader of the Light, one Albus too-many-middle-names Dumbledore can be blackmailed and manipulated into surrendering, and thus winning them the war.
The explanation that most of them had agreed on was that the reason he needed Rosalie Potter in tip-top condition was so that he could use her in a ritual and extract all her powers in the most painful and cruellest way possible. That did sound like something the Dark Lord Voldemort would do.
When it had been their turn to babysit her, they hadn't taken their job too seriously. After all, they would be looking over a seventeen-year-old girl. How hard could it be?
Thus, they had not paid attention to, -or had downright ignored- the carefully detailed set of instructions given to each one of them personally by Lady Malfoy. The dark circles seen under Lord Malfoy's eyes and the look of dilemma the Heir Malfoy seemed to face every time he heard his dear cousin's name had also gone unnoticed.
More importantly, they had forgotten about their Lord's unforgiving temper that had become increasingly thin- coincidently occurring around the time the girl in mention had been introduced into their lives.
They only remembered all of these very important facts when they were being kept under the Dark Lord's excruciatingly painful Crucio's a couple hours later they finished their babysitting term.
On the first day each of them formally met the Potter heiress, they had all clearly misjudged her ability to stay safe.
Rabastan Lestrange had been punished for letting Miss Potter almost jump off a window in order to test whether Wingardium Leviosa could be used on oneself to fly. (Thank goodness for Gigy the House Elf who had popped into the Death Eater meeting screaming hysterically about how "The great Rose Potter is trying to fly without a broom!")
Peter Pettigrew had been the very unfortunate victim- uh, mannequin to Rose's make up skills. The pink eye shadow, winged eyeliner and red lip he sported matched perfectly with the pretty flowers braided into his hair.
Bellatrix Lestrange sneered as she looked at the younger girl.
She had been given the night shift by her Lord. The instructions given to her by her younger sister, Cissa, were to be polite and not harm Rose Potter in any way, shape or form, mentally, physically or spiritually, and to also not let the girl eat any sugar. She had also been warned by her brother-in-law, Lucius Malfoy, to not fall for the girl's puppy-dog eyes, which she had been told was very effective.
All she had to do was make sure Rose Potter does not touch anything that could harm or potentially kill her, and to make sure that she eats her dinner and heads up straight to bed.
Bellatrix had to admit that she had found herself grudgingly admit to being impressed by the Potter Heiress. Being a parselmouth and speaking the Noble tongue of snakes was truly an honour, and the girl must obviously have some sort of power.
Not to mention that her Lord was fond of the girl. Fond enough to actually keep her safe and not locked into the dark dungeons of the Slytherin Manor.
Bellatrix supposed she had to be grateful to the girl. The Slytherin Manor was the Dark Lord's personal retreat and no follower had been allowed in or had even seen the Manor until the Potter girl had been taken.
Bellatrix was impressed, but there was no way she was going to be polite. Potter should be grateful that she was even worth the Dark Lord's attention. Did she even realise how lucky she was?
Bellatrix Lestrange nee Black was not going to play nice with her.
So during dinner, Bellatrix Lestrange made sure the girl knew exactly how fortunate she was that the Dark Lord was so merciful, and also just how unclean her blood was.
Nagini, her Lord's familiar, was curled around Potter's graceful neck and kept hissing at her. Bellatrix was sure that Nagini was grateful to her for telling Potter off.
Unknown to her, Nagini was actually teaching Rose Potter some very creative insults and was telling her in excruciatingly morbid detail exactly what she wanted to do with Bellatrix's eyeballs at the very moment.
"It's a pity that the Master deems this one important." Nagini hissed. "Her head would look much more pleasant being fed to the trolls while simultaneously being struck with the Organ Liquifying Curse."
Rose Potter, on the other hand, was caught on whether to be amused at Nagini or angry at her dear Aunt Bella.
However, one particular speech made by Bellatrix Lestrange really made her mad, as the older woman was talking about how disgraceful and filthy the Dursleys were. Vernon and Petunia Dursley might not have been her biological parents, but they had always treated her like their daughter and she could not stand somebody -anybody- speaking ill of them.
"You know, Lady Lestrange," Rose started, speaking for the first time since the start of dinner, making Bellatrix look at her. "Because my filthy muggle of a mother raised me to be a lady, I know when and what fork to use at a formal dinner." She spoke calmly, looking entirely at the gold fork in her hand. "And because she didn't raise a fool, I know what artery to stick it in so that you will bleed out in one minute." Rose finished, smiling sweetly like the epitome of goodness.
Bellatrix looked at her, shocked, for a few seconds, before she burst out into a peal of crazy laughter. Or was it a cackle?
As she finished laughing, a proud smirk could be seen on her face. "I think you and I are going to get along just fine, Potter. And please, call me Aunty Bella. I insist." she said with a smile.
Rose Potter smiled. "Alright, Aunty Bella. I insist that you call me Rose. We are family, after all."
------> 0o0 <------
The sight that Lucius and Draco Malfoy came to that night was a smiling Bellatrix Lestrange listening intently to Rose Potter as she spoke.
That sight itself would have brought immediate distress and worry to anybody who could use a brain.
The concern, worry and fear the Malfoy men felt was further intensified on hearing their conversation.
"-that is why I am saying that if you push a person of a large building or cliff, you won't get into trouble as you could get a solicitor to argue that the victim's death is not murder, since it would technically be a natural death as gravity is natural. Not only that, in the Wizengamot, but you could also press the unfortunate victim defamation charges, charges on their attempt to frame a Lady of a Most Ancient and Noble House of murder, and so much more." finished Rose Potter casually.
Bellatrix looked on with a thoughtful expression before smiling widely. "Excellent observation, Rose. It's very helpful. Perhaps we can get De Rossie out from Azkaban now. I'll contact my solicitor tomorrow. We can argue for unfair trials and lack of evidence as well. Maybe even get compensation from the Ministry for unfair justice."
Rose Potter blushed a rosy (pardon the pun) hue at the compliment. "Thank you, Aunty Bella."
Bellatrix smiled. "Anyway, has my nephew taught you the Castration Curse yet?"
"There is a Castration Curse?" Rose Potter asked excitedly.
Bellatrix nodded. "Of course. I cannot believe Cissy has not already taught you those. Your grandmother, Dorea Black was extremely formidable and fierce and thought her, you are a Black after all. All Black women need to know these very basic curses. Then again, Cissy always hated getting blood on her carpet. So I guess it's up to me now."
Lucius and Draco looked at each other in a wonderful blend of horror and terror at Rose's excited expression and Bellatrix's gleeful one.
"Sure, Aunty Bella."
Bellatrix nodded. "So Rose, as a Black, there are some very important curses you need to know how to use. Bring out your wand. We'll start with easy ones such as the Beheading and Castration curses before moving on to the harder ones. Now the wand movement for the beheading curse is a horizontal slash followed by a diagonal one- Yes! Exactly like that! Absolutely perfect Rose. You are a natural! Then again, you are a Black- Now moving on with the incantation, which is-"
"Look at them carefully son," Lucius Malfoy said softly. "That is why I never go against your mother's wishes. She was born and raised a Black. They are cursed with Insanity. Look at them, Draco. Rose Potter has already started getting affected by the innate Black madness."
Draco just looked at his cousin in horror as she asked whether Diffindo was also capable of castration and his Aunt smiled proudly at her before proceeding to answer her question in excruciatingly painful detail.