Bad Blood // Friday, 13th of October 1972

[Rita Skeeter]

The Lestrange Manor was hardly the ideal setting for this particular interview, considering the elder Lestranges were about somewhere within the massive halls, potentially influencing how candid her subject would allow herself to be, but they would make the best of things. Rita had requested a meeting with Bellatrix, her long-time friend of sorts, after hearing the news that her sister had abandoned her family. Sadly, another pureblood defecting from the warmth of their family’s love and support, not only to forge their own way in life (a perfectly understandable endeavor), but with the intention of tarnishing their family’s reputation in the process. The details were still spotty, hence Rita’s presence at the mansion.

A mid-October breeze wafted through the garden, bringing a floral scent in their direction; alstroemeria and roses. Busy bees flirted with the flower bushes but thankfully someone in the home had the forethought to enchant the patio to keep it pest free. Rita hoped some distance from Bellatrix’ in-laws and husband would afford her enough privacy to open up about what really happened the night Andromeda Black abandoned her family.

“Dearest, I’m so terribly sorry that you’re going through all of this. I say this as your friend, of course. Not a journalist.” Careful not to say anything was ‘off the record’, Rita patted Bellatrix’s hand sympathetically twice before focusing on the tea tray the family’s house elf had brought upon her arrival. She poured milk into her tea and stirred it gently before setting her teaspoon on the saucer and looked back up at the dark-haired beauty. If anyone was going to give her the real scoop, she knew it was Bellatrix. “Is there anything you need? Anything at all?” Her handbag twitched at her feet, her quill itching to be released but ready to write regardless of its current constraints.

[Bellatrix Lestrange]

In the months since Andromeda had left, Bellatrix had tried to find something to fill the hole in their family. It wasn’t like she had been particularly close with her sister in recent years, but her absence was still felt. They had also been a trio, the three Black sisters, ready to take on the world. But it turns out she hardly knew Andromeda at all. Her sister had always had dreams of her own, to be a mediwitch. Bella felt that was probably where she was now, and if Bella wanted to find Andy that was where she should be looking. Bella had always thought Andromeda would make a good ally to the Dark Lord. There weren’t many skilled at healing within their ranks. But no, Andy had run off and abandoned them all, with only a note left as to why she was going.

“Thank you love, it means a lot to me that you can be here for me in this trying time,” Bella said politely, taking a sip of her tea. Rita was an old friend, but Bella knew quite well that anything she said would be put into an article. And maybe that was what Andy deserved, to have her business exposed. Perhaps then Andy would see what a terrible decision she had made. Of course, there was no taking her back if she tried to come crawling back to the family. Bella had already blasted her face off the family tapestry at Walburgas. “You’re company is a great help Rita, but I appreciate the offer.”

Was it worth it, smearing her sister to a journalist who had a tendency to take things out of context? It wouldn’t hurt to have Andromeda blasted in the Prophet. It would embarrass her, and that was something that she deserved after the way she had embarrassed their family. Narcissa was brokenhearted, and Bella hated seeing her youngest sister upset. Andy was dead to her, as far as she was concerned, but a little gossip would certainly make Bellatrix feel better. “You know, she was dating a muggleborn during school. She’d told Narcissa all about it, how she was in love with him. Cissy wouldn’t tell me his name, of course, but still. I bet she’s run off to be with him.”

[Rita Skeeter]

The original reporting of the event had been minor, only noting that the Black family was mourning the loss of a loved one, so shortly after their cousin had also gone astray. Political ideologies had hardly been mentioned – the Prophet’s readers hardly wanted to concern themselves with news of such things during these trying times – but the facts had all been laid out immediately following the event. The middle daughter disavowed her parents and sisters, having gone into hiding. Rita wasn’t about to allow her readers to wildly speculate about the reasoning as to the witch’s motivations, which was why Rita had insinuated that she was likely having an affair with a vampire or possibly a centaur. Rita’s more recent visits to the wizarding hospital in London – for a separate matter altogether – gave her better clarity on the situation, though Andromeda Black was hardly willing to talk on the record.

Enter Bellatrix.

Her offer of support was accepted graciously, and Rita watched with eager eyes as Bella sipped her tea. Rita could practically see the gears turning in the brunette’s head. Was she pondering how much to say or if she ought to say anything at all? Certainly, the loss of such a close family member warranted a little impulsivity and disregard for social standards. Rita merely had to wait for only a few moments before Bellatrix unleashed her thoughts full force, completely unprovoked.

Rita gasped lightly. “A muggleborn?” she reiterated, knowing that her family’s blood purity was a point of pride among the Blacks. How delicious this news was already. “Your poor mother.” Rita tsked and shook her head. Leaning in closer, the hint of a smile on her face, Rita clarified, “and Narcissa helped her keep the affair a secret?” That was a juicy tidbit Rita’s earlier investigation had not uncovered. The blonde was practically buzzing with excitement.

[Bellatrix Lestrange]

Bellatrix was keenly aware as to the real reason Rita had made her way to the Lestrange estate today. Andromeda leaving their family, no real reason given by her family as to why their daughter was gone, it was all too juicy to not follow up on. While she may be here as a friend, which was doubtful, she undoubtedly would use anything said today to write about Andromeda’s disappearance. And Bella was thrilled, because she’d been waiting for Rita to arrive, her anger about her sister leaving ready to come out as slanderous gossip. She knew her parents would prefer if she held her tongue, as they had done, but Bellatrix wasn’t going to. The world deserved to know what a coward Andromeda was, and learning about her secret affair - while it brought shame to the Black family name - had only enraged Bella further. Bellatrix had been privy to the conversations about who to marry Andy off too, and she knew that Lucius and Andromeda had been friends, and that there had been talks of a marriage between the two of them. Truthfully, Bella found Lucius to be annoying and empty headed, and not good enough for Andromeda. It had always been Bella’s plan to make sure her parents picked smart matches for her sister, as they had done for her.

To learn that during this quiet courting, that Andy had been seeing a muggleborn, and tarnishing their blood purity, well perhaps Bella had been wrong. Perhaps Andy deserved whatever Rita was going to write about her, and Bella was going to make sure that her sister knew exactly how angry she was. Wherever her sister was, whatever she was doing, Bellatrix wanted Andy to know she would pay for what she’d done to their family. “I fear she might have permanently broken mother’s heart, can you imagine? Knowing her daughter was seeing a muggleborn, and ran away because of it. It’s almost too much for my mother to bear,” Bella said, trying not to let the smirk that was pulling at the edges of her lips show. Of course, Bella had let something slip in her anger she hadn’t intended to, and pursed her lips as Rita questionined Narcissa’s involvement. Cissy was too young, too much a believer in true love, and while she should have come to Bella the second she had learned of Andy’s affair, she was still young and vulnerable. Not the person that Bella wanted Rita’s writing to focus on. “Narcissa, poor thing, unable to come to me when she learned of Andy’s betrayal. She’s so young, and I’m sure she thought she could lead Andromeda away from him.”