#p011

Bellatrix had been sitting at the dining room table with the Lestranges and her parents when the owl arrived to alert her father of the investigation about a missing Auror. Her breathing stopped for just a moment as she thought the worse, that was until Cygnus uttered the name of the man, not Alastor but Angus, her heart completely stopped at that point and all her thoughts centered around what could’ve happened. She didn’t realize how close she could’ve come to losing the only man she properly loved until her husband spoke of a Death Eater mission given to a few of the lower ranks. It was supposed to be the older one. She managed to keep her cool for the rest of the meal but as she sent her in-laws off, she quickly apparated to Alastor’s place, no matter if he chose to hate her because of what happened, but found the place empty. Bella sat around waiting until morning, waiting to see if he’d come home a mess or just come home at all. He didn’t.

She continued to show up and wait for him whenever she had the chance to escape her family, she’d wait and wait in the bedroom they had claimed as their safe place so long ago but he’d never appear. She hadn’t even grieved for her friend yet simply because she needed to see how Alastor was reacting to the news, she needed to tell him that she knew more and that she could help find him, but not once did anyone else appear in the flat other than her. The routine continued for three more days before she completely lost it.

It was the sixth day after she had found out that her family began to get suspicious of her, Bella’s emotions were on an extreme scale. She could go from yelling and screaming in anger to completely shutting down the next moment and no one knew why, they were left to assume that maybe it was something to do with Rodolphus but he was just as clueless. Narcissa tried to corner and question her once but only caught the end sound her apparating and was left in Bellatrix’s room alone, among more destruction than when Andromeda had left them and even more confusion.

The flat was silent yet again on the seventh day. Bella had taken to hiding away in the bedroom again despite the absence she felt as she curled up in the bed, she only let the tears fall when she was sure she was alone here but by now she wasn’t sure she could cry anymore. It was the surprising sound of someone else entered the flat that had her shooting up out of the bed, her wand at the ready in case it was one of his Auror friends finally decided to check on him as well. She slowly made her way out of the room, down the small hallway, as she tried to decide if whoever it was was indeed alone. “You fucking bastard,” The words came falling out of her mouth as soon as she laid eyes on him, if it weren’t for the fresh tears rolling down her face of seeing him right in front of her, her body would’ve been taken over with rage. She could vaguely hear her wand clattering to the ground in her attempt to hold onto something to prevent her from following. He was there, he was alive, part of her wanted to start yelling and screaming at him for leaving like that but another part of her--the part that won out-- just wanted to cry in relief that she hadn’t lost him like they had lost Angus.