Chapter Text
1st June 1983. Catherine arrived at work on this Friday morning. She placed the cup of coffee she had got down in one of the Ministry's staff room on her desk and took of her long trench coat. She hung it on the coat hanger and her heeled boots clicked softly as she went to sit down. She had been working at the Ministry for 7 years now. Her work had just continued to be admired and she had risen to Head Auror in chief of the Defense Against Dark Wizards and Witches department. Her Daily Prophet was waiting for her on the edge of the wooden desk. She took it, taking in the familiar newspaper smell. She tossed it open and read the front headline :
BELLATRIX BLACK-LESTRANGE SIGHTED AT DIAGON ALLEY
Catherine's breath hitched as she turned the first page to read the article.
Bellatrix Black or Lestrange is a notorious Death Eater and closest lieutenant of the Dark Lord himself. After a year of crimes signed with her signature strong magic but no appearance since the first Wizarding War, she has finally been spotted at Diagon Alley, last night, near Wizarding Bank Gringotts'. She allegedly stayed on site for a few minutes and Disapparated away. Specialists say this appearance was totally intentional and nearly mocking.
Authorities were not alerted early enough as inhabitants of Diagon Alley hesitated as we only seldom sight this Dark Witch.
For any future sightings and general public preservation, a detailed description and picture is provided in this edition. Awareness posters have additionally been distributed around major public areas.
Catherine turned the page to a big picture of Bellatrix, a few years back. Her hair was wild and curly, as always, her skin very pale and her overall body angled. She wears black corsets, heeled boots and skirts. In the picture that moved, she held her wand in one hand and was looking at something, like she was waiting. A little description was provided under the issue.
Bellatrix Black-Lestrange's last public capture was on the 14th March 1981. Here, she was waiting for sister Narcissa Black-Malfoy in a forest near Coventree, South of England.
Underneath, Catherine read a detailed physical portrayal.
Bellatrix Black-Lestrange (married to Rodolphus Lestrange)
30 years old (6th January 1951)
5'3
≈ 5'5 with shoes/heels
Long (past waist), black, curly hair
Pale tint
Small and thin figure
Dark brown/black eyes
Voice described as high-pitched and shrill
Often : black clothing : corsets, heeled boots, skirts, hair let down, leather elements, silver jewelry
Signature features : manic laughter and grin, sneer, harsh vocabulary, "unhinged" and playful walk, predatory energy.
Catherine placed the article down. So that was all the Patronus messages and letters she was receiving last night. But she hadn't made it to the call because she was at a hearing and left straight for home afterwards. Shit. She had to schedule a meeting with her team as soon as possible.
She marched down to the staff room and wrote down at 1PM : meeting in room 5H - Bellatrix case. There. She knew her whole team would see it if it was on the board.
In the meantime, Catherine worked on other urgent files that were stacked on her desk every morning. After lunch, she headed to room 5H at the very end of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement floor. She sat down in her usual chair, at the head of the table and got her meterials out : self-writing quill that had learned her handwriting, her notebook, coffee and the enchanted chalk for the whiteboard that synthesized and noted down everything on its own.
A few minutes before 1, people started filing in, filling up the chairs. They nodded at Catherine or made polite chitchat while they did. At 1, Catherine was about to close the door when it squeeked open again to Millicent Bagnold, Minister for Magic, closely followed by Albus Dumbledore. The brunette Auror's eyes widened slightly.
"Good afternoon, Albus and I should like to attend this meeting, thank you." said Millicent as she sat down elegantly at the other head of the table, Dumbledore to her left.
"Of course." Catherine replied simply and she closed the door.
"Today's topic : the case of Bellatrix Black-Lestrange" she spoke clearly as the quill and chalk started writing simultaneouly. The others' quills did the same.
They started discussing the possibilities of the reason behind her sudden, clearly intentional appearance. The Wizarding War had just ended, two years ago, although, the Wizarding World was still healing, and thanking the Boy Who Lived practically every day, or, at least, that's what the "statisitics" column of the Prophet claimed. The people remembered her as the Dark Lord's top lieutenant and closest soldier, one of the last still uncaptured, out in the wild.
"Maybe she's playing the long game ?" suggested Doyle, his dark circles growing darker as he spoke : it was already 5PM.
"Bellatrix ?" Catherine said, as if it were logical that Bellatrix would never in a million years play the long game.
"Why not ?"
"Bellatrix Black is not the profil to be patient, or take her time. She can only stand in place and wait for things she truly desires. It's just the way she works."
"And how would you know that ?" Doyle snapped back, clearly exhausted and, maybe hungry.
"Doyle, no need to get defensive, it's just based of her prior behavior but it was a good idea. Here, have a Pumkin Pasty." Catherine offered one of the pastries by tilting the bakery's box, just a little, in his direction. Doyle took one and, gradually, his sneer disappered.
The Head Auror's eyes landed on Dumbledore's. The man had been her headmaster, and, had actually received her in his office more times than Catherine would like to admit. But, obviously, she was never alone. Always glued to the hip with the criminal at hand. Dumbledore hadn't said anything about the past relationship only he, and Catherine at the table knew about, and she was thankful for it. She had kept the secret for so many years now, it almost felt like a given to not address it, ever. Plus, Dumbledore always had had a nack for knowing everything, sometimes even before the people concerned even knew so, and Catherine had a feeling Dumbledore knew that she had felt more than friendhsip for her old bestfriend.
They had started tackling Bellatrix's history, to try and understand her motives and where she might be have been hiding out over the last two years.
"So, she was born on the 6th of January 1951in the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black, Benjamin added air quotes, pureblood mania. She is apparently the eldest of three sisters, one who married a Muggle-born, which is considered high treason in their family. What's her name again ?" asked Benjamin, the younger of the men here.
"Andromeda Black-Tonks." Dumbledore and Catherine said at the same time, causing a moment of silence in the room, that was quickly filled with the scratch of the quills hurridly noting the information down.
"Married to Ted, or Edward Tonks" said a girl just coming in, that Catherine immediately recognized as Margarita Greengrass, she had gone to Hogwarts with her, although she had since rebranded herself as Rita Skeeter. Her blue eyes landed on Catherine's green and the brunette felt a twitch coming.
Firstly, Rita was and had always been a total annoyance to Catherine, even in their scholar days. She was often one of the girls who would go tattle on Bellatrix and her to the staff and secondly because, due to this knowledge, Rita could simply refer to the past friendship between the two women that are Catherine and Bellatrix.
"Rita, welcome."
Rita had just started being reporter for the Magical Law Enforcement department, much to Catherine's distress but she didn't have a say in this particular matter as Rita had started reporting at the Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes but then transferred here. The smug blong sat down, ully decked out in lime green and prune, her blond ringlets bouncing.
"Here are the notes on Bellatrix Black-Lestrange" stated Magnus, another Auror as he handed Rita his clipboard.
"Ah, your old bestfriend, Catherine." Rita said with a sly grin. The whole room turned towards her, except Dumbledore, who had already been looking, that knowing twinkle in his eye.
"Um... yes, if you put it like that." Catherine said, the anxiety etching into her voice.
"Care to explain, Catherine ?" said the Minister expectantly.
"Bellatrix and I were friends at Hogwarts." Catherine stated matter-of-a-factly. Millicent's eyebrows rose.
"Friends ?, Rita scoffed, no the best of friends." she corrected.
"When we are young, every one seems like the best friend we will ever encounter, no ?" Catherine chimed.
"No, not in your case, no, but I have said enough." Rita chanted, leaving the room to mumbles.
"Hey ! People; if this were serious or would have changed something to this case, I would of course had shared that information but it seemed inappropriate and, frankly, useless. My knowledge of Bellatrix is maybe a bit broader than yours, but I haven't seen her in a decade, most I forgot, and, the rest has surely evolved since then."
This seemed to calm the others down as they looked at their Head with the usual trust they always showed.
"Meeting adjourned for today, it's 7PM. Go home !" Catherine chirped, flashing a tired smile. Her colleagues filed eagerly out of the room, faces showing exhaustion. Catherine walked out after everyone else, making her way to her office.
But instead of leaving like the others were, as Catherine could oberve through her office window that gave onto the grand hall of the Ministry, where were all the chimneys to Floo away and the fountain, and the billboards, the brunette slid down into her chair and took on her notes from the meeting, reading them and annotating them with personal add-ons and facts she knew of Bellatrix.
It was 10:30PM when a knock on her office door startled her slightly.
"Come in." she answered to the visitor and in walked Albus Dumbledore.
"Headmaster, to what do I owe this pleasure ?" Catherine said, smiling politely as she stood up to greet him.
"It is rather late for a Head Auror to stay in her office, is it not ? You are the last one here, apart from the night guards."he stated simply, the twinkle in his eyes not at all hidden by his hald-moon, gold-rimmed spectacles.
"Oh, yes, I often stay late to finish up some files before going home." Catherine said, looking at her watch and realizing that time had indeed slipped by much quicker than expected.
"Well, I shan't disturb you further, I would just think you should like this, you left it behind in the meeting room." He gave Catherine a thin golden chain, that, usually hung around her neck.
"Oh thank you, Headmaster-" But he had already Apparated away.
Catherine noticed the clasp of her necklace had indeed broken off. A soft-spoken Reparo had sufficed to mend it and she closed the dainty chain around her neck with a simple flick of her wand. She peered in the mirror and observed her necklace ; it had a round pendant on the end, with a star, engraved on the back of it. Only she in this building knew what that star was. The star named Bellatrix, or Gamma Orionis for the Astronomy experts.