Belladonna

The girls weren’t joking when they said that payback was coming for Aberforth Dumbledore. Karma was a bitch, and it took the form of three teenage girls. Public humiliation wasn’t even near to what they wished he would get, but it brought them a little satisfaction, when a week after the song was realeased, there was revenge in the front page of the Daily Prophet. Aberforth Dumbledore and Belladonna Rizzo break up and SHE WROTE A DEVASTATING 10-MINUTE SONG ABOUT IT. The girls couldn’t keep the giggles while a bunch of students asked Bella to sign the newspaper cover.

“You ladies are the devil” Potter stared at them in horror, as if they had grown horns in their foreheads.

They only laughed harder.

That Friday evening, Bella had her meeting with Theseus. She was scared that he was going to set the appointment at the Hog’s Head, or Forth’s house even. But thankfully, he set it in another inn called the Three Broomsticks, which had a sort of office upstairs.

“Bella, there she is! My right-hand man” he greeted her with a hug, “how've you been doing? Happy birthday by the way.”

“18... A full adult.”

“Ah, don’t act like that. You’re still young” he laughed, “I brought you a gift!”

“I don’t see any box...”

“Oh, this is another type of gift, but let’s get to business first.” He gestured for her to sit in the chair in front of his. “There’s a new ‘threat’, and I count on you to help me solve it.”

“What’s going on? Are the acolytes–?”

“I’m afraid the Grindelwald’s followers have nothing to do with this. Werewolves.”

“Werewolves?”

“Werewolves” he nodded, “they have been rattling, assembling, in the dark corners of London. There has been two attacks to muggles. Three deaths. They are trying to send a message to the Ministry. They want something.”

“And you need me to negotiate with them, so that this don't end in another massacre.”

“I need you to find out what they want.”

“Easy” she chuckled, “they want rights, Theseus. In case you forgot, some pureblood families hunt them for sport. The murders of muggles are nothing compared to what they have done to them for centuries.”

“They are calling our attention.”

“Murder is never the solution, of course. I bet that they are going to be very violent about it, but I know that I can get into a type of negotiation.”

“This is their leader” Theseus pulled out a folder with pictures. “He’s name is Tobias Berker.”

Oh, Bella knew this man. His picture wasn’t very clear, but she remembered him.

“I met him at Knockturn Alley. He was with his pack.”

“What were you doing there?”

“It doesn’t matter” she said, “I was with Potter. They approached us as if they were going to attack us, but then he recognized me from the news. He said we would see each other again. Soon.”

She looked at the second picture, where some important members of the pack were standing next to him.

“He was there too.” She pointed to the nasty-looking boy. “Berker called him Fenrir.”

“That’s his second in command. He’s... feral.” Theseus grabbed a pen and wrote his name beneath his face. “I’ll let you investigate on the matter then.”

“Thank you...” she accepted, “what is it that you wanted to gift me then?”

“That’s an important matter...” he sighed, “I’ll be running for Minister this year.”

“Theseus, that’s amazing! Congratulations!”

“It is, but I could never do it without my right-hand man.” He smiled and then took a deep breath. “I want you to have my current spot at the Ministry...”

This was it. Bella couldn’t believe this was actually happening. At the end of 1946, Theseus Scamander had been promoted from Head of the Auror Office to Head of the Department of Law Enforcement. This was her dream. This department answered directly to the Minister itself and governed the rest of the departments, excluding the Department of Mysteries. Theseus was asking her to have under her jurisdiction the Auror Office, the Misuse of Muggle Artefacts Office, the Improper Use of Magic Office and the Office for the Detection and Confiscation of Counterfeit Defensive Spells and Protective Objects.

But more importantly, she was above the Wizengamot. The Magic parliament, which Albus Dumbledore was Warlock Chief of, was under her power. Oh, he was going to be so mad...

“People are going to be pissed...”

“Yes, indeed” Theseus agreed, “not every day an 18-year-old gets so much power. Achieving a job like that doesn't happen until you are 40 at least to them. But look at me, I got it at 29. I’m young and I need to prove to the world that young people are willing to change the Ministry for the best. We are willing to get our hands dirty, to do what the older wizards are too lazy to do.”

She would be superior to Dumbledore. Oh, karma wasn’t just a bitch. Karma was Bella’s bitch. Revenge was going to be so sweet.

“I know this may be too rushed for you–”

“I accept!”

“Really?”

“Of course, yes, I do. This is my dream. I’d be a fool to say no.” She stood up and showed him her hand. “Partners.”

“You are the only one I can trust at the moment” Theseus confessed, as he raised from the chair. “Partners.”

They kept talking for a couple of minutes about some details about the campaign that would start as soon as she would finish school. Then, she left.

On her way back to the castle, she was so happy for the news that she didn’t notice when she stumbled into something. It was a someone actually, but what her forehead hit was the closed newspaper that person was holding.

“Sorr–!” she didn’t finish when she realized who that was.

“What is this?” they held the newspaper so that she could read the headline with her name in it.

“Oh, I didn’t know you were illiterate, Aberforth” she ridiculed him, “especially with all those pretentious books that you own.”

She wore her best stuck-up face, but the truth was that she was weak on the knees. She hadn’t seen him in weeks and that was all she got? A nasty question because his name was on the headlines of the national newspaper? He looked the same. Same hair. Same eyes. Same stupid beard. But that look he gave her wasn’t the usual one. That hurt. And making her feel hurt was a terrible mistake Aberforth just couldn’t seem to learn from.

“You wrote a very detailed,10-minute song about us” he ignored her irony, “what is wrong with you? This is the same as going to the tabloids and telling them about our relationship.”

“It’s a free country. I can write a song about whatever I want, Aberforth” she got serious, “sue me.”

“You can’t be this resentful, Bella–”

“Resentful?” she questioned, lowering her tone, “oh, Aberforth... You have no idea how bad I can be.”

Forth swallowed before speaking.

“Surely not worse. You already had everything you wanted to say in a 10-minute song” he emphasized in hopes that the joke might make her laugh.

And it did, except she didn’t laugh with him... she laughed of him.

“Oh, you are not going to like what we did...”

“What did you do?” he clenched his jaw.

“We sign a contract with Celestina Warbeck to do an album” she announced, “that will be two hours long.”

“You have two hours of shit to speak about me?!”

His eyes almost popped off his face.

“Pff, don’t be ridiculous. The sun doesn’t revolve around you.”

That was half a lie. Ninety per cent of the album was about him, only because the other ten per cent had not been written yet. But she still had the chance to find a new muse of inspiration.

“Well, see ya around.... or not.” She walked away.

“And I don’t have your bloody scarf!”

“Yes, you do!”

“I told you I hate when you fight with Forth” Monty said, “it reminds me of my parents.”

“We are not together anymore.”

“Just like my parents” he sighed, “where are we supposed to play if you can set foot at the Hog’s Head?”

“I don’t know. We’ll figure it out.”

They were heading to Hogsmeade, as it was a Saturday, and all the students were allowed to go. They were helping take care of the younglings. Although escorting the third years was the prefects' job, Bella enjoyed doing it. There was nothing as nice as watching them enjoy their first bites of freedom. And it was even funnier watch her brother sulk because he wasn’t old enough to go.

“Maybe I can talk to him” Potter thought out loud, “his business will fall down if we don’t play there anymore.”

“Even better.”

“He’s probably waiting for us to go an ask him, y’know?”

“I don’t think so” Bella admitted, “he doesn’t want to listen to me sing about how much I hate him now that I realized the dickhead he is.”

“Yeah, I’ll talk to him” Potter decided without paying much attention to her.

“Don’t say I didn’t warn you!” she yelled at him once he started to walk away into the village.

“They grow up so fast...” Minerva said, standing behind her and watching the Gryffindor boy go.

“Already flying into his next mistake, my boy” Bella agreed and then turned to her, “do you have any plans for today?”

“I was going to buy some candies at Honeydukes and then go back to my room and study.”

“Oh, you must be so eager to beat me” Bella beamed. “I’ll tell you what. I’ll invite you for a cup of tea.”

“Where?”

“That new place, Madame Pudifoot’s.”

Minerva questioned her with her eyes for a moment. “That’s where the couples go.”

“Good, then it must be fancy” Bella said obliviously and started to head there.

“Alright” Minerva accpeted.

The place was pink and full of ribbons, too girlish for Bella’s style, but Minerva seem to like it. There were many couples drinking tea and eating biscuits whilst chatting in a low, romantic tone.

“This place must be full on Valentine’s” Bella pointed out.

“Yes” Minnie agreed, “is this your first time here?”

“Duh, could you imagine Aberforth in a place like this?”

“Not at all” Minnie giggles nervously, “so... how was your first date?”

“He took me out on the woods, and we rode some thestrals” Bella answered with nostalgia, “but I guess that our official first date was when he took me to the movie theatre.”

“Do you like movies?”

“Yes, I suppose–Why are you making so many questions?”

“I’m just making conversation” Minerva shrugged, “what? You rather I don’t talk at all.”

Bella narrowed her eyes in suspicious. Minnie was nervous. She wondered why.

“Did Poppy used to bring you here?”

“No, it was too public” she confessed, “but I always wanted to come.”

Bella smiled at her with a little bit of pity. “It must be very hard to date someone in secret.”

“It isn’t that hard. You just love the attention. That’s the problem. Poppy didn’t.”

“This has nothing to do with my little attention problem” Bella leaned into the table. “If you were my girlfriend, I would want everyone to know it. I would kiss you in the Daily Prophet’s front page if I could.”

Minerva blushed a little. “You, Belladonna Rizzo, are a shameless flirt.”

“Guilty” she admitted and sipped a little of her tea still making eye contact with the Gryffindor girl.

“Can I ask you a question?”

“By all means...”

“Don’t think that I’m trying to be rude, I’m just curious” Minerva explained, “why do you still have an Italian accent? You’ve been here for years. Shouldn’t you speak perfect English already?”

“Huh! Nobody ever dared to point that out” Bella smirked, “come closer, I’ll tell you a secret...” Minerva leaned into the table so that she only had to whisper. “I can speak perfect English” she confessed dropping off her Italian accent.

“What?!”

“The only reason why I speak with my Italian accent is because I love being an immigrant. It reminds me where do I come from. I don’t want to lose my accent or my roots. And perhaps, I’m also scared that if I drop it, I may lose it forever.”

Minerva smiled tenderly. “I like your accent.”

“Do you?”

“Yes.”

They drank three cups of tea before finally leaving. They had been hanging out more lately, with their job as Head Girls and their little academic rivalry going on. One would have thought that they would have been more uncivilized about it, but they had found out they enjoyed each other’s silence while studying. So, they would study together in the privacy of their office.

If you have told eleven-year-old Bella that she would have enjoyed the hatstall girl’s company so much, she would have probably laughed in your face and then hex you.

“...And next year is the Quidditch World Cup in India. I would do anything to go. It’s like my dream to watch it live. Plus, I’ll die if I ought to listen to it on the radio.”

“Merlin, yes!” Bella agreed, “I bet I can get tickets if I work at the Ministry. We could go together.”

“I’d love you forever” Minerva cried, half-joking.

“Promise?”

“Get out of here!” they heard Aberforth’s voice coming from the Hog’s Head.

He was fighting with Potter in the front door.

“Oh, yes, I’m getting out of here” Monty replied, “and we are never coming back.”

“That’s fine by me!”

“You hurt my best friend in the whole world, Aberforth” Monty declared, “fuck you for that! She is the most caring being in this world. She helped me. She helped you. She is gonna change the world someday, and you know what? I’m glad you will not be a part of it. Merlin knows you are not worthy of it.”

He turned around to leave, just to find the two girls watching the fight. Bella was so honoured by his words. She was the one that didn’t deserve a friend like him. She jumped at him to embrace him in a hug that Monty accepted.

“Don’t worry, Monty” Bella spoke high enough so that Forth would listen, “we don’t need that hideous pub anymore. We are famous now, and next thing you know, we’ll be playing on a Quidditch stadium.”

They decided they would leave even if they were still hugging. No reason to keep on seeing his stupid face anymore.

“Bella...” Forth’s voice wasn’t more than a whisper, but it was still enough to make her stop on her tracks and turn around. “I would like to have a word with you.”

“Well, I don’t.”

“I’m leaving for China tomorrow...” he dropped the bomb.

Now, Bella didn’t want to be with him anymore. She was sure of it. She had also pushed any feelings she might have had for him deep inside of her and locked them in a chest with so many locks that nobody would ever open it again. But... those were their plans. Going to China was their plan for the summer, and now, he was going without her. It pained her so much. And then it hit her. Aberforth was leaving for good this time. There would be no more time to argue with him. He was leaving... and he wanted to say goodbye.

Therefore, she chose to walk inside. She came into the house that she had shared so many moments with him. The house where she had learnt. The house where she had grown.

“I found your scarf” Aberforth said standing behind her, once he closed the door, “while I was packing. You were right. It was where you said it would be.”

“Yeah...” she shrugged looking at the green piece of fabric hanging from his hand.

“I’m leaving” he declared, “I don’t want to be here when your album comes out.”

“You are coward.”

He thought his words carefully. “I did love you, Bella.”

“Don’t say that. I don’t want to hear that.”

“I never wanted things to end this way.”

“Don’t say that!” she screamed this time with tears in her eyes, “stop acting like we broke up because of life! Your betrayal. That is what happen. And I will never forgive you nor forget what you did to me.”

Something shined across Aberforth’s face for a split second. Bella recognized it as pain, but she didn’t believe that. There was no way that he could regret this. He was the one that broke up their relationship. He was the one that said all those mean things to her and made her feel so unimportant.

“I hope you live a full life, Bella” he whispered.

“Well, I hope you don’t” she said heading to the door, “I hope you die in your sleep in a lonely bed and that someone finds you three days later.” But something made her stop. She was being immature, and that was not what she really wanted to say. “I hope you find something that makes you happy, Forth, I truly do.”

She heard him sigh and then walk towards her. She still stood facing the door, she couldn’t watch his face while saying goodbye. Aberforth reached the scarf to her, so that she would take it, but she didn’t grab it.

“I don’t want it anymore.”

“It’s yours...”

“No, it’s not.”

She stepped out of the house. With the breeze of spring hitting her skin, she realized that Monty and Minerva waited for her outside. Potter was the first one to come close to her with a reassuring smile. But her eyes seemed to have a life of their own, when they insisted on glancing at Minerva, who looked worried and somehow insecure. As if she had been trying to peep through the window to know what was happening inside.

So, Bella smirked and winked at her, showing her that now she was perfectly fine.