Chapter 155: Voldemort and Bella [bonus]
Lestrange Manor sat in the Oxfordshire countryside, and even under mid-morning sun it managed to look bleak.
Servants moved through the corridors in matching dark uniforms, silent as ghosts. House-elves were rarer still, glimpsed only when a candelabra needed replacing or hearth ash needed sweeping. They'd flicker into existence, finish, and vanish.
Green flames roared to life in a lesser fireplace tucked in the corner of the parlor. Bellatrix stepped out and landed hard on the carpet.
The manic thrill hadn't fully left her face. Her eyes glittered. That strange smile still clung to the corners of her mouth.
She didn't go looking for Rodolphus. Instead she turned and climbed the stairs.
Her bedroom occupied the far end of the east wing corridor. She pushed through the door into a large, lavishly decorated space: a carved four-poster bed, silk hangings. Sinister magical portraits lined the walls. A glass cabinet displayed an assortment of dark artifacts that looked dangerous at a glance.
She tossed her cloak onto the foot of the bed, pulled a robe from the wardrobe, and changed.
This was the Lestrange household. She owed Rodolphus a brief account. Then she'd go see the one who mattered.
Back out of the bedroom, retracing her path along the corridor. Near the family council chamber, she rounded a corner and walked straight into someone emerging from the library.