Ch. 160

"What is she doing here?" Frank demanded.

Harry noticed the hostile look in their eyes and sighed. He and Bella had hoped that they could avoid having the Longbottoms run into the former dark witch, and she'd done a pretty good job of avoiding them for the last few days. Bound to happen, though, Harry admitted silently. It wasn't like they could keep it a secret forever. Bah, forever. A few days more would've been enough, he amended sourly.

"She's my wife," Harry told them evenly.

Both of his visitors blinked, looking at each other and then back at him in unison. It would have been comical, had the situation not been so tense. "I don't think I heard you correctly, Mr. Potter," Frank said. "I could have sworn you said that she's your wife."

"Your hearing's fine, Mr. Longbottom. Bellatrix Potter is my wife. Of, oh, around ten months now."

"Your… what ?" Frank hissed. "Are you out of your mind?!"

"I'm feeling quite sane, thank you," Harry replied acerbically. He'd seen the expression that had crept up on his two houseguests' faces a hundred times. It was the same look of disbelief and hatred that Ron Weasley gave him these days.

"What do you think you're doing ? That woman is a demon! She's worse than the dark lord!"

"She's my wife, and I'd appreciate it if you could keep your opinion of her to yourself."

"She's a twisted, evil bitch! What did she do to you? Blackmail you? Torture you?" Frank's eyes widened in horror. "She seduced you, didn't she! Can't you see what she's doing? She's just trying to use you to-"

Harry slammed his palms on the table as he stood, his chair sliding out from under him. "That's quite enough," he said calmly, his face neutral. "Despite the fact that your question is unwarranted and does not deserve an answer, let me put you at ease. She has not manipulated me in any way, and she's certainly not out to rule the world, unlike a certain evil maniac we all know who's now dead, thanks in great part, to her ."

"She is much worse than the dark lord ever was," Alice joined in, "while Voldemort just kills his enemies, she… she relishes their agony. She'll torture you to the point of death, only to heal you and torture you again - look at what she did to us !"

Harry sighed. He could understand where they came from, but it was that precise attitude that had caused the wizarding world so much trouble. "Yes, I am fully aware of what she has done in the past. But are you aware of what she has done during the past year? Let me tell you, then. She has risked her life in becoming my informant within Voldemort's ranks. She provided me with information about raids and attacks that have allowed the Ministry, the Order, or myself to prevent them from happening. She has single-handedly saved thousands of lives. And you know what? After I was thrown into Azkaban, she was fully prepared to die by my hand to atone for what she did. She taught me what I needed to learn to break out of that god-forsaken place."

"She-"

"It's because of her that I'm still here, still alive. She was there when the rest of the world, my so-called friends and family," Harry spat angrily, "gave a damn about me. If it was up to them, I'd be a rotting corpse in Azkaban by now. When the whole world was prepared to lock me up as their scapegoat, she saved me. And you know what? She didn't do it to save her own skin - she did it to save a kid who'd been wrongly condemned. Do you have any idea what she went through these last twenty years?"

"Frankly, Mr. Potter, I couldn't care less what that… woman went through. She has inflicted enough pain and harm on the rest of us that the best place for her would be six feet underground," Frank snarled.

"Manic Schizoaffective Disorder," Harry said calmly.

"What?"

"It's a form of psychosis where the individual suffers from severe mood swings, manic episodes, and epileptic symptoms. The behavior can, in extreme cases, be very violent, and the individuals affected usually lack a sense of self-fulfillment. They seek self-gratification any way they can… usually in violence," Harry replied. Hermione had done some research into Bella's state of mind after he'd shared his suspicions about Bella's extreme behavior during her service to Voldemort.

"A… a mood swing ?" Alice shrieked. "You call what she did to us a mood swing ?!"

"And we're supposed to just believe she had a change of heart just out of the blue?" Frank shook his head as he comforted his wife.

"Fifteen years in Azkaban will do that to you," Harry told him dryly. "Imagine living through fifteen years of hell. I was in the presence of Dementors in my third and fourth year at Hogwarts, and just one of them managed to knock me unconscious. A dozen of them, and I thought I was going insane. Fifteen years, and hundreds of Dementors change any person." Ask Sirius, Harry almost added, the thought of his dead godfather sending a stab of pain through him.

"That's exactly why we send criminals there!" Frank shouted. "That's what they deserve!"

"And innocent children?" Harry shot back acerbically.

Frank took a deep breath and rose to his feet, pulling his wife up with him. "I can't believe I just heard you correctly, Mr. Potter. I was wrong. Neville is wrong. The wizarding world is right about you. You've let the power go to your head, and now you're defending a woman who has a history of torturing and killing others. Your parents would be ashamed of you - cavorting with a dark witch, letting her seduce you. You disgust me. I am taking my family and leaving. If I ever see you again, I will personally put an end to you."

Harry remained seated behind his desk, leaning back in his chair casually, but underneath the table, he had his wand within reach. "Do whatever you like, Mr. Longbottom. I owe no one an explanation, and to be perfectly frank, I don't care what you think of me. If I did, I'd still be in Azkaban and most likely dead, you'd still be in a coma or dead, and Voldemort would have control of the country." He narrowed his eyes, glaring at the older man. "Neville is always welcome here, but as long as you show this kind of attitude for my wife, then you are not. A word of warning, though… I don't take well to threats."

Frank glared back at him and left the room, slamming the door behind him. Harry let out an exasperated sigh and closed his eyes, letting himself slump in his chair.