Belladonna

GRINDELWALD CAPTURED AND SENT TO NUMERGARD. AN END TO THE MAGIC WAR. December 20th, 1945.

Those were the words the next day on the Daily Prophet. That morning, everyone found out that the war was over, which was a cause of celebrations for some wizards and anger for some others. But Ofelia's friends weren’t worrying about the Wizarding society. They had spent the night at St. Mungo’s, attending their wounds. And now, they were keeping some company to Chuck, as he had broken his left leg in the battlefield.

“Chucky!”

“Wally?” he raised his head from the pillow, but he couldn’t even see her properly as she jumped over him covering him with kisses.

“If you ever put yourself in danger again, I’ll be forced to lock you down in my room and not allow you to come back out.”

“I missed you too, babe” he hugged her back.

“Your boyfriend took five acolytes before he broke his legs!” Potter announced to the three girls that had come into the hospital room.

“I don’t believe you” Minerva laughed and they started chattering.

Ofelia looked at her friends and knew that this was what she needed, what she loved. She had no vengeance in her heart anymore, so she was very happy to be with the people she loved the most. Druella laid her hand in the girl’s back and smiled at her knowingly.

“You did it...”

“Yes, it’s over now” she felt like crying, but she didn’t want to do it in front of everyone.

“The threat goes for you too, Belle.” Walls stood up and hugged her as well. “If you do something like that ever again, I’ll make sure you don’t ever come out from the castle for the rest of your sorry life. And I’m being dead serious about it!” Everyone laughed at her words. “Don’t laugh! I mean it!”

“How did you get here?” Ames asked them.

“We were heading home for the holidays, when Professor Dumbledore intersected us and said he would take us to you” Minerva explained. “We couldn’t say no.”

“Your parents...” Chuck whispered to her girlfriend.

“Don’t worry. They think I stayed for the rest of the holidays.”

“And where do your parents think you are?”

“At school as well” Druella answered to Ames’ question.

All of them turned to look at Minerva, like questioning where her father thought she was.

“My dad knows exactly where I am. I am not a liar.”

The truth was that her father didn’t care if she came back for the holidays or not.

“I’m glad you’re all here” Ofelia confessed after a brief silence. “If you ever leave me again with these three, I won’t survive. I swear, Walls, your boyfriend hasn't properly taken a bath in two weeks.”

“Oi!”

Ofelia was heading out of St. Mungo’s after a couple of hours of being with her friends. But she had to go home now, as it was the winter break. Walburga and Druella were going to stay at the Black’s beach house, as her family would never visit it in winter. And it was perfect because they were close enough to see Chuck.

“Belladonna!” she heard Dorothy yell from one of the beds.

“Palazzo, you’re fine.” Well, saying fine weren’t the correct words. She was still missing a leg, but she was alive and that was a lot more than half of the aurors could say.

“Mum, dad, this is the girl I was talking about...”

Ofelia turned to look to the muggles standing right next to the bed. It was obvious they had been crying. The mother gasped and then brought her into an awkward hug.

“Thank you, thank you for saving my girl.”

“The mediwizards said that if you hadn’t help me, I would have probably died.”

That was a lot to process: thinking that she might have died if she hadn’t found her. Ofelia couldn’t think about death at the moment. That was a lot to handle and if she gave it a second thought, she might be lost in grief for the realization. After all, she had helped Palazzo, but she had also left tens of other aurors in agony just to pursue her own justice.

Therefore, she accepted the kind words of these strangers and kept on walking. She had to go back to her family. The people for who she had done everything, who were also the people that she had been neglecting for the past two month. She hadn’t answered to any correspondence her father or her older brother had sent to her because she was too scared to lie to them. They didn’t know she was the secret tool of the resistance. After all, she had told her brother she would stay out of it. Regarding Filipe, she had bribed him with 10 sickles a week, so that he wouldn’t snitch on her. Of course, a lie has short legs. Now, her face was on the papers posing next to Professor Dumbledore and Theseus Scamander, and her family probably already knew what she had been doing these past two months.

“Papà, sono arrivato!” she yelled when she arrived at their cottage in Clovelly.

“Bella? Figlia?” her father appeared from the kitchen.

When he saw her, he practically ran up to her and grabbed her by her shoulders. He was somehow checking if she was fine, if she wasn’t injured or hurt in some particular way. When he finally understood that she had come home in one piece, he hugged her tight.

“Sei pazza, ragazza...” he whispered. “You’re grounded for the rest of your life. I don’t care if you’re a big hero now. I am your father and you have lied.”

“I understand” she accepted. “But I had to do it. I had to confront him.”

“How long have you known you have...?”

“The curse?” she finished his sentence. “I guess I’ve known my entire life.”

“But you never told me.”

“I didn’t want to worry you.”

“Belladonna, I can assure you I did worry when I saw you this morning on the newspaper.”

“Maybe I didn’t behave the right way.”

“Maybe?”

“Papà!” Filipe came down the stairs. “An owl has arrived! Oh, Bella...”

“Hello, fratellino!”

“Thank you very much” he said bitterly. “Now, I’m grounded for life.”

“I didn’t force you to accept the sickles, greedy arsehole.”

He handed her the letter that had just arrived. “It’s for you.”

“You’ve gotten a little cocky, since you were selected into Gryffindor.”

“Give me that. You aren’t allowed to receive correspondence” her father took the letter and opened it right in front of her.

“What?” she asked, since he seemed thoughtful while reading.

“It’s an invitation” he explained, “to a funeral.”

“Who died?” Braulio entered the room.

“A lot of people, Braulio. Haven’t you read the news?”

“Look who is back... The liar of the year.”

“It’s an invitation to Credence Dumbledore’s funeral. Do you know the man?”

“Yes, I do” she confirmed it. “He was a good lad. He sacrificed himself, so that we could defeat Grindelwald. In a way, he even saved me.”

“You’re going to ask me if you can go, when I just told you that you were grounded for the rest of your life” her father guessed.

“It would look awful if I didn’t go, papà. I should go and support my mates.”

Her father gazed at her, considering if it was a good idea to let his little girl go to the funeral even if he didn't want her to be out of his sight anymore. The thing was that Braulio Rizzo had just realized that her daughter wasn’t a baby anymore. She had grown into the most beautiful, courageous woman that he had ever met. She was flying away from him, and the flavour in his mouth was bittersweet as there was nothing worse than your child suddenly don't needing you anymore. 

“I’ll let you go, but you’ll come back before sunset” he ordered. “If you are not here by then, there will be severe consequences.”

“Of course, papà” she leaned in and kissed his cheek. “I’ll go and unpack.”

She climbed right up the stairs.

“Why do you go easy on her?” she heard her older brother asked their father.

“Braulio, it’s hard for a father like me to understand that he’s losing his little girl” she heard him say. “But we can’t stop her from growing up. In the past two months, she was forced into adulthood and we didn’t even notice...”

Ofelia had never visited the Potter’s house before, and a funeral wasn’t the best circumstances to do it for the first time. But ithe funeral was taking place in Godric’s Hollow and Ofelia had travelled by Floo Network to her friend’s house.

“Oh, I’m so glad to meet you, Bella” Potter’s mum hugged her as soon as she appeared through the chimney. “Monty is always talking about you.”

“You’re a very bright, young girl” his dad said.

“Thank you, Mr Potter.”

“Oh, please, you make me sound old” he chuckled. “Call me Henry.”

“Monty is upstairs, go find him.”

She followed the directions right up to her friend’s room. She was used to having no privacy with Fleamont, even less privacy when they shared a tent at camp. So, obviously she didn’t knock, she just entered.

“Fuck!”

“Relax, it’s me” she closed the door right behind her. “What are you doing? We’ll be late.”

“Just powering up” he quoted what the aurors would say at camp, as he hid the small bag of cocaine behind his pillow. “Let’s go now.”

She didn’t argue. After all, she didn’t want to talk about the war; she didn’t know how to address what her friends had seen on battle. What she didn’t had to go through because she was being Theseus’ right-hand man. She wasn’t surprised to see that Monty was doing cocaine again. That was what he had been doing for one month now.

The funeral was at the local graveyard. Everyone was there and they had a lovely service for him. Then, they reunited at the Dumbledores for some food and comfort. Ofelia had to admit that it was nice being there. After spending two months with all of them, it had felt weird staying back at home. Somehow, they had become her chosen family. The Dumbledore household was way bigger than the Potters'. It looked ancient, like no one had lived in there for ages. Thinking about it, it was probably true. Their parents were long gone, Albus had lived in the castle for ten years now and Aberforth... Well, Ofelia didn’t know much about Aberforth’s life. But from the way he moved around the house, she could tell that he hadn’t live there in a while. He walked like a ghost, staring at every object with nostalgia.

“Now, I wouldn’t say that wild strawberry is better than the marine salt one, but...” Ofelia yawned out of boredom.

She’d been listening to Potter go on and on about ice-cream flavours with Florean Fortescue, the owner of the Fortescue Ice-cream Shop in Diagon Alley. Apparently, he was a friend of Aberforth, back from his time back at Hogwarts. And if Potter loved something, that was the ice-creams from that stupid shop. Bloody obsession he had. 

“Bella, where are you going?”

“I’ll wander around” she said. “All this talking about ice-cream is making me feel cold.”

“She doesn’t like cold things” Monty explained to his new friend.

“Hot ice-cream!” the man exclaimed. “That’s brilliant.” He took a handbook and a quill from his pocket and wrote ferociously.

She could have talked to the other boys, but they were drooling over Aberforth’s ex-girlfriends. They were gorgeous, mature women that already had a life put together. That wasn’t what she was really interested in seeing. So, rambling around a house that wasn’t hers seemed like the best idea. However, she was bored and when Ofelia was bored, she would get herself in trouble. Up the stairs, she found a study room full with lots of books. The desk was covered by old parchments. It seemed like an investigation was going on in there.

“This used to be my brother’s study room” Forth said from the door.

His voice made her jump. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to snoop around.”

“It doesn’t matter” he said entering the room. “It isn’t my study room.”

“Why would he need a study room anyways?”

Aberforth doubted for a minute if he should tell her about it. He wasn’t sure if it was the right thing to do.

“My brother and-”

“Aberforth, I’ve been looking for you” Albus entered the room. “Oh, Miss Rizzo, I didn’t see you standing there. Everyone’s leaving, Aberforth.”

Forth glared at him. They stood quiet for a while until he left to escort the people outside, leaving her with her professor.

“Miss Rizzo, thank you very much for coming today.”

“Thanks for the invitation. I’m glad I could be here.”

“I’ve been meaning to talk to you about the battle, Miss Rizzo...”

“If you’re going to be mad about something I did, I don’t want to hear about it, professor” she tried to get out of there, but he stopped her.

“No, no, no” he denied and then took a wand from his back pocket. “This wand belonged to-”

“-Grindelwald.”

“Yes, this wand is very special, you see?”

“Special why?”

“You disarmed him and now the wand answers to you” he ignored the question.

Ofelia observed the wand that Dumbledore was offering her. It sure looked powerful, but it bugged her that it had belonged to him. That was the wand that was responsible for millions of murders. It had terrible vibes. That’s all she could think about.

“I don’t want it. I’m comfortable with my own wand.”

Dumbledore glanced at the wand and then he put it back in his pocket.

“Very well, Miss Rizzo” he smiled widely. “May I ask you to stay over for dinner? My brother and I can really use the company.”

Bella took a glance at the window to check out where the sun was at. It wasn’t sundown yet, so she decided to accept the invitation. By the time they went down, all the guests were already gone and Aberforth was serving dinner in the dining table.

“Hope you like good-old toad in the hole.”

“Yummy!”

“My brother is the best cook, Miss Rizzo.”

“I usually don't agree with you, professor” she laughed after tasting the food. “But I have to agree with you on this one.”

“So, what are you planning on doing now, Miss Rizzo?” her professor asked trying to have a casual conversation with her.

He was just getting on her nerves, as he kept on repeating her name like he was going to forget it.

“I have to catch up with all my lessons” she explained. “The girls have sent me all the homework and notes I need, but I still have to do them before the winter break ends.”

“You have to defend your tittle as the head of your class.”

“Oh, I see” Aberforth grinned. “I’m having dinner with two nerds.”

“I’m not a nerd. I just like coming up in first place.”

“So, you are top of your year, the saviour of the Wizarding World, the singer of a band” Forth enumerated. “What else are you?”

“The best potioneer at Hogwarts, former Quidditch player, the best in the debate team, the most gorgeous woman you’ve ever seen-” She shut her mouth immediately.

She didn’t know why when she was talking with Forth. She didn’t know when to shut her piehole. It was as if she was chatting with her friends.

“Of course,” Dumbledore said “that is where your nickname comes from.”

“Nickname?” Forth asked, confused.

“Belladonna” she answered.

“That’s your nickname?”

“Yes, didn't you know that?”

“No, what’s your name then?”

“Ofelia.”

“Ofelia” he tasted her name with his tongue. “Like the girl who drowned.”

“Wow! The man can read.”

He chuckled. “I’ve always said that muggle fiction is way more entertaining than the one’s written by wizards. Right, Albus?”

She wasn’t blind. She could see that there was some real tension between both of them.

“I should probably head home” Ofelia said, breaking the eye battle between them. “Can I use your Floo Network?”

“Yes, of course” Albus nodded. “Aberforth, show her the way. It was a pleasure to have you here, Miss Rizzo. I’ll see you at school.”

“Evening, professor.”

Forth took her to the living room, so that she may finally leave. Thankfully, she was still arriving on time, though she wasn’t particularly worried about time. Losing focus on her exit, she saw the huge portrait hanging on top of the chimney. It was a girl that smiled slightly and shyly. The similarities with the Dumbledore brothers were undeniable. But it was normal for high-class families to have portraits of their relatives.

“Who is she?”

“Ariana, my sister.” Forth must have noticed how surprised she looked because he continued to explain it. “She died when she was twelve.”

“But I never saw her in the school recor-” Mouthy girl, she was.

“She never got to go to Hogwarts because she was very sick.”

“Did she have the same problem as Credence?”

“Yes, she had-” he responded softly, but then he realized what she had said. “Did you just say school records?”

“What? No, I didn’t. I...” She was feeling cornered, as he started getting closer and closer. “It’s just that we were curious about who you were and what was your connection to Dumbledore. So, maybe I went through the Gryffindor records and searched for all the Dumbledores in the past forty years.”

“To know who I was?” He finally cornered her against the couch.

Why would she would get herself into this type of trouble?

“Yes...”

“You can’t stand not knowing something, am I right?”

“No, I can’t.”

“Admit it” he whispered right into her lips, “you fancy me.”

“Ha! Then, they say that I’m the egomaniac.”

“Deny it will not make it less true, dear.” He grabbed her cheek, like trying to drive her insane, but she was not going to break so easily.

“What is wrong with men? Why are they always bragging about how much we like you?”

“I’m not sure about what the other men do, but I’m sure that either you fancy me or you are planning to murder me.”

“Don’t flatter yourself” she said dead serious.

He took a step back, not wanting to push too hard. He knew when to admit defeat. Not matter how shattered his ego was at the moment, he wasn’t the type to put pressure on people.

“If I wanted to murder you, you would already be sleeping with the fishes.”

She grabbed the collar of his t-shirt and brought him in to kiss him. She was bold and wild, and Forth thought that she tasted like a summer afternoon of his youth. Bella had stood up on her feet to touch his neck and be closer together. She had never kissed someone with a beard before. It was weird, but she liked how it felt brushing on her skin. Maybe what she liked about him was how mature it felt. She wasn’t fighting with Riddle or begging for Minerva’s attention. It was just Forth and her snogging like full on adults (even if she wasn’t one and he was totally ignoring that).

“I guess it’s the first option then” he breathed heavily, when they broke apart.

“Fine” she admitted. “But you have to admit that you are crazy for me.”

She saw him clench his jaw. Aberforth was fighting with his pride to spit the words. He knew that he would not get anything from her until he said it word by word. And he knew that she was enjoying every second of his suffering.

“I...” He leaned in and kissed her softly on the lips. “Am...” he repeated the action. “Crazy...” He gave her a peck on the nose. “For...” He went down to her neck and pressed his lips against her soft skin. Then, he looked up right into her eyes. “You.”

Ofelia went for his lips again, but this time was more passionate. Like he couldn’t help himself, Aberforth used his hands to explore her figure, daring to touch her in places that only a few had dared. And she adored how his firm hands felt diving on her body. Suddenly, his lips slowed down and he rested his forehead in hers, trying to control his heavy-breathing.

“Stay.”

He didn’t have to ask twice. It was her who grabbed his hand and guided him upstairs, even if she didn’t know where his room was. Forth opened the door to his childhood dorm. It was pretty obvious that it had been in disuse for many years, as there was nothing inside, other than the bed and some furniture. It looked like a hurricane had passed in there, taking everything with it. But she didn’t actually care about the empty room they had just walked in. She cared only for his lips and how he pushed her into the old mattress.

His hands travelled to the laces of her funeral dress and untied it without trouble. And when her body revealed itself, he made his job to discover it with his mouth. She had never experienced something like it. She had never felt so anxious, so desperate for someone. She had never desired someone like she did in that exact moment. The interest that he had provoked for his own body was unbelievable, as she explored it with her hands.

“Bella, tell me if you want me to continue” he asked before joining their bodies.

She was so wet it was embarrassing. It was the way in which he had taken his time to discover her. Nothing was pressuring him to go faster, even if he was urged. He wanted to enjoy it as must as he could, and for her, that meant everything.

“Do you even need to ask?” she asked playfully, spreading her legs.

“I need a proper answer.”

Ofelia took a deep breath. “Yes.”

That night, Cupid’s arrow went through her chest way deeper than she had noticed. And even if some time after she might have regretted it, Ofelia fell too hard to understand all the reasons why a man like him could never be with a girl like her.