Bellatrix sat on the floor of her room in the Malfoy Manor. Tears fell from her eyes while screams tore through her throat like wild animals. Everything was crumbling around her. Her heart felt like it was caving in.
The words: 'Monster, Bellatrix Lestrange née Black, escapes from Azkaban' , were written on the newspaper she held in her hand. In the corner a little picture of the writer, Rita Skeeter, was smiling and waving while the larger image of Bellatrix's disheveled self cackled like a madman above. Despite all the years that had past, Rita still looked relatively the same as did when they were in their fifth year of Hogwarts. Her hair the same platinum blonde, her eyes the same shade of blue that never failed to remind her of a summers morning. Just seeing a physical picture of Rita, over the one that she stored in her heart, had turned her into a sobbing wreck.
Every memory they had ever shared came flooding back to her. Helping Rita with her articles for the school newspaper. Secret meetings in broom cupboards. Long afternoons spent wandering through Hogsmead. Mornings spent secretly making love. Meeting up after Hogwarts even though she was a married woman. Yelling at Rita. Telling Rita about everything she had done. The look of disgust and of curiosity that had appeared in Rita's eyes. Rita telling her they should stop meeting. The articles Rita wrote full of Bellatrix's most secret thoughts. Bellatrix's trust for Rita fizzling out before her. Her love for Rita lingering no matter what she did.
She forced her self to read past the headline.
'Deatheater and most loyal follower of He Who Must Not be Named, Bellatrix Lestrange, has escaped Azkaban where she was sentenced to life for the torture of Frank and Alice Longbottom.'
Her whole life was full of betrayal. She betrayed her sisters, her husband, her lover. Everyone that had ever meant anything to her. Something evil lived inside of her. Something that fed on her grief. She'll never forget the look in Narcissa's eyes when she discovered that she was the one who tortured Alice Longbottom into insanity. Maybe that was the thing in side of her that roared to life and screamed in delight as she ruined everything good in her life while she did nothing but watched the flames turn to ash. Maybe she herself, was insane.
'The escaped convict is known to be incredibly dangerous and under no circumstances should she be approached. Authorities should be contacted immediately if she is spotted.'
The whole article was devoid of emotion. As if the writer had never even seen the person being talked about, let alone exchanged secrets late at night under the covers. Bellatrix felt as the last hope she had of Rita still loving her flew away.
She tore the newspaper up. Scattered the pieces. Screamed. And screamed. And screamed. The feeling of hollowness that was flooding her heart and soul was becoming unbearable. She kicked and she screamed, dashing books, and pillows, and ornaments to the floor.
She threw herself onto the floor and she sobbed. She sobbed for herself. She sobbed for her sisters, Cissie and Andie. She sobbed for Regulus and Sirius. She sobbed for mother and her father and everyone else who was unlucky enough to have ever been in her life. And she sobbed for Rita. Rita who had betrayed her and also been betrayed by her. They each had broken so many promises that were made to each between the tender kisses that only existed in girlhood. Yet Bellatrix knew that it was her and whatever it was that lived inside her, who told her to kill and to torture.
It was the monster that lived at the heart of her that caused her to lose sight of everything. That had caused her to lose her last bit of humanity.