Chapter 41

The Last Battle

The Longbottoms were not clueless fools. They knew perfectly well that they were prime targets for the many Death Eaters that believed there was still hope that their master would return. That is why they sent their young son to live safely with his grandmother and constantly changed the security spells guarding their home. Unluckily for them, Rabastan Lestrange was a master at breaking security charms and only a night after hearing Crouch's revealing inside information he was outside of the Longbottom home showing off his special talent. In an alarmingly short amount of time Bella, Rodolphus and Barty heard the click of a door unlocking and silently entered the home. While the three men secured Frank and Alice, Bella tore through the house looking for their child. When it was obvious he was nowhere to be found Bella joined the rest of the party and stated with a sick amount of joy, "The kid's not here so I guess we will have to do this the hard way"

All three followed Bella's lead and shouted "Crucio". Screams echoed through the halls of the Longbottom home as they were mercilessly tortured. After a minute or two, Bella raised her hand and the curses were lifted.

"Now" Bella addressed the couple who lay on the floor panting, "I want to know where the Dark Lord is. You were there and I know there were clues, tell me now!"

Frank looked up at his deranged tormentors and gasped,"There was no trace of him, I swear it. The Ministry has no idea what happened that night"

Bella pointed her wand at Alice, "You really do want to do this the hard way, don't you. Maybe watching your wife die a slow, painful death will jog your memory. CRUCIO!"

"NOOOO!" Frank cried as his wife screeched in agony, "We know nothing! Please, stop!" He crawled to Bella and grabbed her booted leg "I beg you, leave her alone."

Bella laughed as she kicked Frank off of her. "She dies, and then, so do you."

The Death Eaters held the Cruciatus curses on their victims so long that soon the screams stop and they were reduced to silently twitching.

"We had better get going, they will be dead soon enough." Rodolphus barked to the others. The spells were lifted and, leaving the Longbottoms to die, they made a hasty retreat.

Bella yawned as she took the morning Prophet from the owl that had just flown into the foyer. The headline made her not only stop yawning but stop breathing all together. It read 'Auror and wife nearly tortured to death last night' It was the word 'nearly' that took her breath away. She read on. 'Respected Auror Frank Longbottom and his wife Alice were brutally assaulted in their home last night by angry followers of You-Know-Who. By means of the Cruciatus curse they were tortured by these known Death Eaters who were desperate for any sign of their defeated master. A spokes-wizard for the Ministry told reporters that there was a strong chance that, though severely injured, the Longbottoms may be able to name their attackers.'

As the paper slipped from her grasp, the front door crashed open and before she could even shriek, bellowed stunners knocked her off her feet and into blackness.

"Envenerate"

Bella regained consciousness only to realize that she was sitting on the floor in the foyer with her hands bound behind her back. Three aurors had their wands out and ready. There was no sign of Rodolphus.

"Where is my husband?" Bella demanded.

The answer was a slap across the face and a barked order.

"Shut your face bitch!"

"Fuck you!" she spat out as she furiously tried to kick anyone within reach. The man who had slapped Bella grabbed her by the hair and slammed her head against the wall.

"I said shut up! You have no right to speak to me. You are a filthy, murderous whore not even fit to lick my boots."

Bella leered at him defiantly "Men lick my boots, not the other way around, asshole."

"Get off of my wife you fucking bastard!"

Rodolphus Lestrange, hands bound but still struggling, was escorted into the scene by Alastor Moody.

"Let go of her, Nigel. If you hurt her it will mean an investigation by internal affairs and I hate dealing with those idiots"

Nigel reluctantly released his grip on Bella's hair and backed off. Moody pushed Rodolphus down to the floor next to his wife and gave orders for the house to be thoroughly searched.

"Check everywhere but be careful, you can be sure this place has some pretty nasty security jinxes in place. You saw how many of us it took to just get through the front door."

Rodolphus looked very puzzled as they sat there and Bella started to laugh.

"Who would have thought we would be rounded up in our pajamas? This is the silliest thing that has ever happened to me."

Rodolphus cracked a smile; he could see what she meant. He was wearing black silk pajama bottoms and no shirt and Bella had pulled on his white linen shirt from the night before just to dash downstairs to get the paper. They looked far from dangerous and intimidating. Rodolphus leaned in, kissed her and whispered, "It will be alright"

Bella nodded and laid her head on his shoulder. After what seemed like hours, Moody came in and got the couple to their feet.

"Time to go. The Dementors are just dying to meet you and I hate to keep them waiting."

Bella tossed her hair with a proud arrogance and Rodolphus held his head high. But the confidence was a show for the Ministry. In reality, they were both afraid. There had been no sign of the Dark Lords return and, without that, the possibility of a prison stay seemed eminent.

Azkaban was a foreboding fortress on a jagged rock of an island in the middle of the Irish Sea. As Bella was marched down the dank corridor eerily lit by torchlight, the howls and whimpers of prisoners echoed around her. Some just stared out the bars of their cells in silent despair; a few reached out and tried to grab her. Bella's heart was racing as she started feel the effect of the Dementors. Flashes of horrible memories began to invade her mind. As she continued walking she tried to avoid the eyes of those who still had the curiosity to wonder who was coming to join them. And then she saw him. His black hair was long and scraggly and his face sunken and pale but there was no mistaking who he was. Sirius met her gaze with an oddly sane expression. Bella held her head high and kept walking toward her fate.

She was only in her cell for a few hours when Bartemius Crouch Sr. paid her a visit. She steeled herself, for their last encounter had been brutal and, had it not been for a coordinated rescue effort, she might not have survived it. However, as soon as he walked in she noticed a difference. His eyes no longer had that same zealous glow, in fact, they looked dead.

"He helped you escape me the first time, didn't he?"

Crouch's voice was steady, quiet and full of disappointment.

Bella surveyed the broken man in front of her. Would he condemn his own son to rot in this hellhole? She finally answered him.

"Yes, he helped me."

"Why? Did you seduce him? Were you having an affair with my son?"

Bella shook her head, "No, I never had an affair with Barty. He sought us out on his own accord. Your son didn't join Voldemort because of me. I never even liked him. He joined because he was cruel and violent and the Dark Lord gave him an outlet for his deviance. That boy was twisted well before I ever laid eyes on him. If you are looking for someone to blame, try looking in the mirror. "

Bartemius Crouch's only response was to inform her of her date with the Wizengamot.

"Tomorrow at 8:00 am you and your accomplices will face trial for your despicable deeds."

Bella spent a restless night trying to block out the draining effects of the Dementors and was relieved when it was finally time to be escorted to the Ministry. Unluckily she was such a high security prisoner that Dementors were the only guards anyone felt would suffice to escort such a dangerous witch into the courtroom. "Oh well" she thought "At least there are only six of them"

Outside of the prison she was reunited with her co-conspirators.

"Rodolphus!" She cried and rushed towards him only to be thrown backwards by the outstretched arm of one of the black creatures. A scuffle ensued as Rodolphus attempted to defend his wife but it quickly ended as a couple of extra Dementors swarmed them and then they apparated to London.

Outside the courtroom they stood. Bella, Rodolphus, Rabastan and Barty waited to be called before the Wizengamot. Each one of them knew their fate. A travesty of a trial followed by a declaration of life in Azkaban. There was however one last shred of hope. Barty was shivering and weeping like a small, frightened child. He was getting in full character before he appeared before his father. If he could get leniency he would be able to speed up the search for Voldemort and free the others. A booming voice finally summoned them.

"Bring in the accused!"

The Dementors escorted them to four chairs that immediately bound each prisoner with thick, heavy chains. Bella sat tall and proud, her gaze scorning the assembled audience. Barty's frail mother wept in the front row as his father began to read the details of their brutal crime.

"Frank and Alice Longbottom were viciously subjected to the Cruciatus curse until they were left for dead. A child is now left all but orphaned because of the love of a sick, criminal lifestyle and the delusion that the patriarch of that life will be resurrected."

Barty Jr. wailed, pleading, "Father, I didn't do this! I wasn't there!"

Crouch senior turned away in disgust and continued, bellowing over the protests of his only child.

"The last words uttered by Frank Longbottom before he fell into his silent world of madness were the names of his assailants. All of those who have seen the evidence and feel the just punishment is life in Azkaban; raise your hands!"

"Mother! Don't let him do this! I am innocent!"

His cries and tears did not faze the jury as, without the slightest hesitation, every single hand went into the air.

The crowd broke out into applause and cheers, drowning out Barty's pleas of innocence. The Dementors returned and as they began to lead the condemned quartet to their fate Bella shouted for all to hear.

"The Dark Lord will rise again! He will reward us for our unwavering loyalty! We alone tried to find him!"

The crowd was in an uproar at these words and it took several minutes after the prisoners left before order was restored in the courtroom. As outraged yelling turned to angry muttering, no one noticed that in her deep despair, Mrs. Crouch had collapsed. Just another soul shattered by Lord Voldemort and his malevolent followers. Pity that among those followers was her only son.

Back in Azkaban, Bella was separated from Rodolphus. Their only goodbye was a quick grasp of a hand and a whispered 'I love you' as she was led towards the women's ward. In a cold, dingy room she was given a faded prison robe and told to change. Narcissa had sent her a set of gorgeous dark red silk robes for court and she fingered the fabric for a long time before a matron barked at her to hurry up. Stripped of all of her possessions, she was escorted down yet another dimly lit corridor to her cell. It was barely more than a broom cupboard in size. There were no windows but that was fine because the dimmer the light the harder it was to see the ample supply rats and spiders.

"Your meals are shoved through the little slot in the bottom of the door and you get thirty minutes out in the yard once a week. That is until the Dementors drain you to the point where you can't walk."

The matron slammed the door with a self satisfied chuckle and Bella was officially incarcerated. She sat on the bed. The mattress was wafer thin and smelled like urine and sweat. The gray blanket was so worn it looked more like gauze than woven wool. She wrapped it around her shoulders though it did little to ward off the damp chill. As Bella sat shivering from cold and a bit of fear she willed herself to be strong, after all, the Dark Lord would be returning any day now. She was sure this would last at the most a month. Thirty days isn't that long to wait…….

The End

Wow, I can't believe it's done! I am posting this on the eve of the 'Order of The Phoenix' movie premiere and I am anxious to see Bellatrix on the big screen. I think Helena Bonham Carter will do our favorite femme fatale justice. Big thanks go out to everyone who read and enjoyed this story. The biggest thanks goes to JK Rowling for inventing such a fantastic world and great characters that make all of us look around when a car backfires because we are just sure that was a wizard Apparating.