Saturday, November 20, 1993
Nordaustlandet, Norway
(Third person POV)
The wind howled endlessly across the frozen wasteland of Nordaustlandet, carrying with it sharp needles of snow that stung any exposed skin. The sky above was a dull, endless grey, the sun little more than a pale smudge hidden behind thick clouds. The world here felt ancient and empty, a frozen desert of jagged ice ridges, distant glaciers, and vast fields of snow stretching toward the horizon.
Somewhere far off, the mournful cry of a seabird echoed across the ice.
Rabastan Lestrange hunched his shoulders against the cold, his boots crunching loudly over the frozen ground as he trudged through the snow. His breath came out in thick white puffs, and his fingers had long since gone numb despite being stuffed into his pockets.
"I still don't get what we're doing on this deserted island," he grumbled miserably, stamping his foot in the snow. "There's only ice and animals here."
Beside him, Rodolphus Lestrange stopped walking and slowly turned his head toward his younger brother, his dark cloak whipping violently in the wind. His expression was a mixture of annoyance and disbelief.
"Don't let Bella hear you question our Lord," Rodolphus said coldly. "I won't be able to defend you."
Rabastan rolled his eyes and opened his mouth to complain again, but Rodolphus cut him off sharply.
"And you're a fucking wizard," he added with irritation. "Use a heating charm, you idiot."
Rabastan blinked, then sheepishly pulled out his wand as if the thought had only just occurred to him.
"Oh. Right."
He muttered the incantation under his breath, tapping his chest with his wand. A faint wave of warmth spread through his body almost instantly, chasing away the biting cold that had been gnawing at his bones.
Rabastan sighed in relief, his shoulders relaxing slightly.
"Much better."
Then he glanced sideways at his older brother and sneered, the warmth apparently restoring his courage as well.
"What kind of man are you?" Rabastan asked mockingly. "You can't even control your wife."
Rodolphus stopped walking completely.
The wind whipped between them as silence stretched for a few seconds.
Slowly, Rodolphus turned his head and fixed Rabastan with a flat, dangerous stare.
"Feel free to do it yourself," he said dryly.
Rabastan snorted, clearly unconvinced.
"You know she's got the Dark Lord's favour," Rodolphus continued, his voice growing more irritated. "And has been personally taught by him."
He gestured vaguely in the direction of the distant frozen cliffs.
"How the fuck do you expect me to rein her in?"
Rabastan didn't answer that.
Rodolphus gave him one last annoyed look before continuing to walk, forcing his brother to follow through the knee-deep snow.
"And for your information," Rodolphus added after a moment, "since you never bother to pay attention…"
Rabastan rolled his eyes again.
"…Durmstrang is located on this island."
Rabastan blinked in surprise.
"What?"
Rodolphus gestured vaguely at the endless frozen landscape around them.
"That's the reason why everyone thinks nobody lives here. There's strong magic in place to prevent Muggles from settling here. Wards, illusions, repelling charms… the usual."
Rabastan looked around again, squinting through the blowing snow as if expecting a massive castle to suddenly appear in the distance.
"All I see is ice."
"That's the point," Rodolphus replied flatly.
Rabastan opened his mouth to respond, but suddenly both brothers stiffened as a voice drifted through the wind behind them.
Soft, sweet, and utterly wrong.
"Is it treason that I smell?"
Both Lestrange brothers spun around so quickly their cloaks whipped through the air.
Bellatrix Lestrange stood several feet behind them.
Neither of them had heard her arrive.
Snowflakes clung to her wild dark hair, and her pale face looked almost ghostlike against the endless white landscape. Her lips were curled into a thin, unsettling smile, and her dark eyes gleamed with manic amusement.
She looked as though she had simply stepped out of the wind itself.
Rabastan felt a shiver crawl down his spine that had nothing to do with the cold.
Rodolphus reacted immediately.
"It's nothing like that, Bella dear," he said quickly, raising both hands slightly in a placating gesture. "I was just lecturing my stupid brother who never pays attention."
Rabastan opened his mouth to protest, but Rodolphus stomped on his foot hard, making Rabastan wince and shut up.
Bellatrix tilted her head slowly, studying them both. Then her eyes narrowed slightly.
"See that it doesn't repeat itself," she said softly.
The sweetness in her voice only made the threat more obvious.
Then her expression shifted instantly, irritation replacing amusement.
"Now," she said sharply, "what is taking you idiots so long?"
The wind howled louder around them as if punctuating her words.
"Our Lord sent you for food," she continued impatiently. "Why aren't you back with it yet?"
Rabastan's shoulders sagged miserably.
"But there's nothing here," he protested weakly. "Only ice and animals. Where do you expect us to get food from?"
For a moment Bellatrix simply stared at him.
Then she chuckled.
A small, quiet sound.
Rabastan felt a knot form in his stomach.
The chuckle slowly grew louder and louder.
Until Bellatrix was laughing outright, her head thrown back, wild laughter echoing across the frozen wasteland. The sound carried strangely across the snow, sharp and unhinged, making several distant seabirds take flight in alarm.
The Lestrange brothers stood frozen.
Neither of them joined in.
After several seconds Bellatrix abruptly stopped laughing and her head snapped forward.
She stepped toward Rabastan so quickly he barely had time to react.
Then she shouted directly into his face.
"ANIMALS ARE FOOD, YOU IMBECILE!"
Rabastan flinched so violently he nearly slipped on the ice.
"Use your flobberworm-sized brain for once in your miserable life!"
Spittle flew from her mouth as she spoke, her eyes blazing with fury.
Rabastan stared at her in stunned silence.
Then Bellatrix slowly straightened, brushing a stray lock of hair from her face with exaggerated calm.
She crossed her arms and gave them both a long, cold look.
"Well?" she asked.
Seeing that neither of them moved, her lips curled into a dangerous smile.
"Now are you going to do it," she asked sweetly, "or should I do it for you?"
She lazily pulled out her wand and twirled it between her fingers.
"But I can't promise my aim will be perfect," she added thoughtfully. "With this cold my hand could tremble…"
Her gaze flicked between the two brothers.
"…making my spells hit you instead of my prey."
Rabastan paled, but before he could say something stupid, Rodolphus stepped forward.
"We'll do it," he said quickly.
Bellatrix watched him with mild interest.
"You can return to our Lord," Rodolphus continued. "We'll be right back."
Bellatrix held his gaze for a few seconds longer, as if deciding whether she believed him.
Then she gave a small nod.
"See that you are."
With a sharp crack, she vanished.
The spot where she had been standing was suddenly empty again, snow swirling gently through the space she had occupied.
The wind howled across the ice once more, and Rabastan slowly exhaled.
"…I hate it when she does that," he muttered.
Rodolphus rubbed his temple wearily.
"Just find something to kill," he said.
In the distance, across the frozen sea ice, a large white shape moved slowly near the shoreline.
Rabastan squinted.
"…Is that a polar bear?"
Rodolphus stared at it for a long moment, then he sighed.
"…Yes."
Rabastan groaned.
"Fantastic."
…