Bellatrix smiled triumphantly. At last, Potter was cornered, and the Longbottom boy lay at her feet. Her wand was trembling a little with excitement; rewards from the Dark Lord lay ahead for her.

Just then, the doors opened with a bang, and five people burst into the room. She snarled with fury at the sight of two of them – her worthless cousin, and the abominable by-product of her sister’s humiliating marriage. At that moment, she could not decide who she wanted to kill more.

The young girl fired a Stunning Spell at Lucius, and made Bellatrix’s decision for her. Well, well, well…so be it. Forgetting about Potter, and with murder in her heart, she rushed forward to duel with the girl.

The girl saw Bellatrix heading for the stone steps and seemed to prepare herself for the duel. Bellatrix raised her wand.

“Protego!� shouted the girl even before Bellatrix had uttered her curse, and she was pushed backwards by the force of the spell. The next instant, the shield vanished. The girl look surprised for a second. Then, she sent a Stunning Spell towards the older woman, jumping down the steps.

Bellatrix deflected the spell easily and retaliated. “Cruci-�

“Petrificus Tota-�

“Crucio!� shrieked Bellatrix, but she was blocked again. Changing tactics rapidly, she shouted the curse in her mind. It found its target now. The girl gave a scream, went limp and came tumbling over the stone seats towards her. Perfect. Looking at her, Bellatrix was struck by how much the girl resembled the Mudblood which Meda had run away with. Finishing off the girl would be even more satisfactory for that reason…

She raised her wand.

“Ava-�

“Protego!� shouted a man behind her. She fumed at the interruption and turned around, only to be delighted upon recognizing her attacker. This man she knew very well; this man was a better candidate for death than the girl. Smiling, she prepared to meet her traitor of a cousin.

***

Bellatrix entered her room in a blur. She could not see properly for the angry tears, but she raised her wand and blasted off everything she could discern. She flung herself onto the bed, her body heaving; she was not weeping, no, but her cheeks were stained with tears of shame.

The jeering laughter of the Death Eaters still echoed in her mind – but that she could deal with. They may be her comrades in the Dark Lord’s crusade, but they were nothing more than that. However, the Dark Lord’s mocking was something entirely different.

“No higher pleasure…even compared with the happy event that, I hear, has taken place in your family this week…I’m talking about your niece, Bellatrix. And your, Lucius and Narcissa. She just married the werewolf, Remus Lupin. You must be so proud.�*

She had sworn to her lord, her master, that she will get rid of that filthy little freak of nature. But, all the same, he was disappointed in her. And was it her fault? She had been set against Mudbloods and half-breeds as long as she could remember! She had tortured them, punished them for being what they were. And, as far as blood traitors went, they were the same brand of low-life to her. Was it not she, Bellatrix, the Dark Lord’s most faithful servant, who drove the blood-traitors Longbottoms out of their minds?

Why should she be held accountable for her sister’s blasphemy?

Abruptly, she got up from the bed and went to the antique cabinet. She opened it and searched for a photograph which she had flung into one of the shelves a year ago. She rummaged the shelves for a while but could not find it.

"Accio Photograph!" she said harshly.

The photograph zoomed out from behind a stack of robes and flew straight into her hands. It showed two girls, one around eight and the other around six, sitting on a bed of blue roses and laughing merrily. The older girl was showering the younger one with the petals.

Meda and Cissy.

Bellatrix returned to her bed and sat down, gripping the photograph tightly. This piece of paper which cost only three Sickles – it was the symbol of betrayal. Betrayal and treachery in so many forms…

She remembered arriving at Malfoy Manor to be received by a sister who had never paid her a visit during her years at Azkaban. Narcissa had welcomed her with an embrace, but Bellatrix had sensed the hesitance all the same. It had not troubled her then, it did not trouble her now. Whatever the distance between them, Cissy was a sister she could be proud of.

Not like Meda.

They had never been close, Bellatrix and Andromeda, not even when they were small kids who shared toy brooms. Meda had always been a bit of a puzzle to her older sister – soft, yet difficult to control, difficult to influence. Cissy had been a stubborn kid too, but she had listened to Bellatrix, wary of disobeying her oldest sister and incurring her wrath. Perhaps, that was why she had been closer to Meda, who was much more tolerant.

But then, Meda had turned out to be a traitor to her own family. Meda, Cissy’s favourite, had run away as soon as she graduated from Hogwarts and left her behind. She had run away and brought shame to their family.

That was when Bellatrix had decided it was time to be the fully functional sister she had never really cared to be. She had stepped in and added fuel to the fire. She had fed Cissy’s pride, had shown her that Mudbloods only created trouble for those of nobler blood because they were jealous. They were dangerous, they were impure, and Meda had betrayed her family for one of them. She was, thus, as worthless, as dirty.

Bellatrix had succeeded to an extent, but she never managed to fill the gap left behind by Meda. She had returned from Azkaban to find out that Cissy still had not fully let go of Meda. They had been at Cissy’s room that night, looking for spare robes which Bellatrix could wear until she was ready to order hers. And, out from a set of robes, fell this photograph. Cissy herself had looked surprised on seeing the photograph; she had flushed deeply, and the embarrassment had been accompanied by anger, but when Bellatrix took away the photo, she had not said a word.

Betrayal and treachery…one sister who had committed the greatest crime of all by besmirching her family name, the other who had nourished a little love for her– a crime of lesser magnitude, but one which offended Bellatrix all the same. She stared at the photograph resentfully for a few moments, and then dropped it on the floor.

“Pyrus!� she said firmly, pointing her wand at the photograph. It burst into flames.**

I will make sure it is I who execute your daughter, Meda. And when that has been done, and this war over, I will come for you.

***

Bellatrix flew on the Dark Lord’s left, hooded and tying to keep her broomstick into pace. Her thoughts were on the Death Eater who was flying on her master’s right: Severus Snape, her rival. But, tonight, if Snape was correct in his calculations, she was going to win over him. She was going to impress the Dark Lord by murdering Meda’s daughter, who, as a member of the Order, was sure to turn up as part of Potter’s guard.

She was going to spill her own family blood, and it was an act she felt honoured to commit.

The Dark Lord was flying, unsupported by anything, the expression on his face was calm, unmindful of his followers. He slowed down, and so did the rest.

“We have reached the area where Potter lives,� he announced. Bellatrix and the twenty-seven Death Eaters did not need any further instructions; they took positions around the area, forming a circle. All of them cast Disillusionment Charms on themselves and their broomsticks, and in a few seconds, none of them could see the others, except perhaps a slight glimmering as though the air was moving in specific patterns.

The Dark Lord had vanished, too.

Bellatrix waited with excitement that sent shivers down her spine. Soon, very soon, she was going to show the Dark Lord that she always kept her promises.

Without warning, some feet below them, an odd group materialized out of mid air. There were seven pairs of people, four on broomsticks, two on Thestrals, and one on a huge machine which Bellatrix could only gape at. And, to her shock, she saw not one, but seven Harry Potters, one in each pair.

But there was no time to wonder; she revealed herself, as did the rest of the Death Eaters, and the chase had begun. She did not join in immediately although both groups were dispersing. She took her time flying around swiftly, looking for the one prey. She found the girl quickly, the scum with the freakish colored hair, an abomination, and there was a Harry Potter behind her. Whether real or not, it did not matter: she was going to get the Mudblood’s daughter.

She raced towards the pair, and saw that two Death Eaters had already reached them. No! She is mine. She saw the Harry Potter behind the girl Stun one of the Death Eaters, and almost rejoiced. She did not want anyone else to get her. She moved in quickly, taking off her mask. Just then, the other Death Eater turned towards her, and spoke, “Bella!�

“Rodolphus,� replied Bellatrix angrily, recognizing the voice of her husband. “Get away. It is I who should kill her.�

The girl took the split second’s reprieve to send them a hex, and so did the Harry Potter behind her. Bellatrix saw the curses coming, but she could not shield herself in time. It was Rodolphus who flew ahead of her and took both curses. He screamed and threw away his mask, his face covered in blood red boils. Bellatrix swore angrily but she could not stay back for her husband; the pair was getting away. She gripped her broom and pushed it forward, and with a mad surge of speed, it shot towards the escaping pair.

“Crucio!� she shouted, but they were too far away. Harry Potter turned around, and Bellatrix was delighted to see fear on his face. And then, she realized something: this was not Potter. Potter would be defiant, Potter would like to retaliate in kind, no matter how inept he was. So…she could freely kill both of them.

Laughing madly, she sent curse after curse flying at them. The fake Harry Potter fired the Shield Charm again and again, but neither of them could really get the other. The girl was flying expertly, taking turns unexpectedly and going around in loops. Bellatrix’s complacency soon turned into impatience, and she was concentrating harder now. She waited for the girl to make one wrong move.

The girl made the mistake soon enough. She was about to take another dive, when Bellatrix sent a well-chosen hex at her broom. It slowed down, spinning on the spot, and the girl’s face came into view. Bellatrix saw anger, fear and disgust written all over her so-called niece’s visage, but the girl had raised her wand quite confidently.

Infuriated by the foolish girl’s daring, Bellatrix raised her own and shouted, “Avada Kedavra!�

She saw the green light explode from her wand, but there was no one to receive it. Both the girl and the fake Harry Potter had vanished into air.

Bellatrix screamed.

***

Bellatrix entered the Entrance Hall, taking off her hood and leading a large group of Death Eaters. They spread out quickly, eager to follow the Dark Lord’s instructions: do not let Potter come to harm, but kill as many as possible.

A group of students were running down the stairs to meet them, and Bellatrix raised her wand and shouted, “Deprimo Maximus.� The balustrade of the marble staircase was blown off, and so were huge slabs from the staircase itself. Some of the students fell from the stairs; two of them lay motionless, dead.

Satisfied, Bellatrix moved on towards the Great Hall, leaving the others to do the rest of the work. As she neared the Great Hall, she saw that many a duel was raging on inside. A young girl was fighting a Death Eater a few feet away from the door, her back turned towards Bellatrix. She walked up to the girl, taking out a brand new silver knife. At that moment, the girl had been Disarmed by her opponent, but the Death Eater did not do anything on seeing Bellatrix walking towards them with a finger on her lips. The wandless girl turned around at the sound of the approaching footsteps, but Bellatrix was too quick for her; she grabbed the girl’s hair, pulling her head to expose the neck, and slit her throat in a smooth semi-circle.

Bellatrix moved on without glancing back. Something else had caught her eye. The werewolf, who had been Sirius’ friend, who had married Meda’s daughter, was duelling hard with Dolohov, whose hood had fallen off.If he is here, his wife would not be far away. She scanned the hall with her eyes; Meda’s daughter was not anywhere.

She will come.

Bellatrix walked towards Dolohov and the half-breed, flinging curses at whoever she could. She was about to reach them when someone bumped into her and ran ahead. A young woman with mousy brown hair. Just as Bellatrix was about to send the Killing Curse towards her, she heard the woman shout, “Remus!�

At last!

“Nymphadora!� shouted Bellatrix.

Meda’s daughter turned back, her face yet again a reminder of the Mudblood who had ruined the Black family’s reputation.

“Running away from your aunt, are you?� asked Bellatrix, leering with a twisted smile on her lips.

The young woman stopped, looking furious. “You are no aunt of mine, and my name isn’t Nymphadora, you bloody hag!�

Both women raised their wands at the same time and started duelling. Although Bellatrix knew she was better skilled, and more dangerous, she was surprised to find that Meda’s daughter was proving to be quite a match for her. She attacked her with all the curses she could summon, and the young woman struck back just as viciously. In a matter of seconds, Bellatrix found herself hurled from the floor, crashing against the wall.

“Remus! No!� cried Meda’s daughter, and she rushed off. Bellatrix sat up slowly, a little disoriented. A masked Death Eater dashed towards her, no doubt to help her, but she stopped him with a single look. Someone shouted, “Avada Kedavra!� and her fellow Death Eater went rigid and fell in front of her. Kingsley Shacklebolt was striding towards her, wand pointed firmly at her forehead. Bellatrix was helpless; her wand lay two feet away from her. Just as Shacklebolt had raised his, he was attacked from behind. Rodolphus was standing there, his expression determined. Shacklebolt was twitching on the ground, howling in pain.

Bellatrix nodded at Rodolphus, picked up her wand, and went straight for who she was meant to kill. She pushed aside those who stood in the way with a swish of her wand, her mind a blank; she heard nothing but a loud ringing in her ears, and only dimly registered the brilliant flashes of red, green, and purple light. She found her prey at last, her victim-to-be, duelling Dolohov along with the werewolf. When they saw her coming, the girl detached herself from the duel, turning towards her nemesis.

Just then, there was an explosion of green light behind the girl, and she turned around to see the falling body of her husband. She screamed and ran back, forgetting about her own approaching death, and Bellatrix took no chances this time. She signalled Dolohov to leave, unwilling to let anyone see her struggling in a duel, and the latter did so at once.

Bellatrix reached there in no time, and walked around the crouching figure of Meda’s daughter, who was holding the limp body of Remus Lupin. The young woman seemed to be weeping her loss, and even though Bellatrix was standing right in front of her, she did not pick up her wand to defend herself.

Bellatrix shouted at the young woman to look up; she wanted to see the light of life going out of those defiant eyes. The latter obeyed willingly, and this time, there was no defiance, no anger in her eyes. She seemed to welcome her impending death.

Bellatrix felt for a moment that this was no victory. But she raised her wand anyway, for only she will know this truth, and she shouted the Killing Curse, a thrill of pleasure running down her body.

Meda’s daughter was dead.