Birds of a Feather

The rest of the week was uneventful. Bellatrix wished she didn't find that fact so unsettling. It felt as if Delphini was psychologically playing with them, and Bellatrix didn't like to play games that she and hers weren't running. Things weren't just peaceful in Azkaban either. In general, no news came from the Ministry of any new disruptions there or elsewhere. Either Delphini was playing snake and mouse with them, or she was busy with something that would make itself known in the worst of ways when the time was right… or rather, wrong. Either option plagued Bellatrix with a gripping feeling of dread when she allowed herself to dwell on it.

That Sunday, they had a note waiting at breakfast. It lay on the table between Bellatrix and Rodolphus's plates, and it was from Gellert.

"It came nearly an hour ago," Harold divulged as Rodolphus unrolled the scroll.

"Mag left Winterhaven's wand at the shop. Grindelwald says we may pick it up any time today."

"Ooh," Lyra squealed. "I'll write Cassius that it's ready. May we come with you to pick it up? I'd love to see the shop and besides, he'll need to pay for the wand anyway. I doubt you will be trying to pay for anything when it comes to him," she added bitterly, giving her parents a baleful look.

"He's been green with envy over my wand all week," she continued giddily, her eagerness returning.

"I suppose you both can come along," Bellatrix said. "He does need to pay for his own wand, after all."

"I'll just go write him now," Lyra said, springing from her chair after only casting Bella the slightest of dirty looks.

"After breakfast. Finish eating first," Rodolphus said firmly before gesturing Lyra back to her chair.

"Fine," Lyra said and slouched back into her chair. Snatching up her fork, she began attacking her breakfast.

"Eat like a lady," Bellatrix snapped.

"If you don't, you shall have indigestion," Rod chimed in, but where Bellatrix was frowning, he struggled not to smile.

Lyra slowed a fraction, glancing at her mother briefly before returning her gaze to her plate. "I'm just sorry you both forget what it was like to be young," she grumbled.

The comment brought their recent session with Mag to mind with a pang of discomfort, which only caused Bellatrix's frown to deepen.

"Oh, we didn't forget," Rodolphus informed his daughter calmly. "In fact, as far as we are concerned, we are still young."

"Damn right," Rabastan agreed enthusiastically.

Lyra looked up from her plate to give Rod an incredulous glance. "First of all, you all aren't young!"

"Shut your mouth," Bellatrix said, aghast.

"Second of all, do you know how psycho it is to have different rules for young you waaaay back then and young me?" Lyra continued relentlessly.

"Oh fuck, did we say we weren't psycho," Rabastan asked his niece, grinning.

"Tell Winterhaven when you write to be here within an hour, because I'd like to leave soon," Bellatrix said in an attempt to keep the peace by changing the subject.

Lyra nodded, brightening. "Good. The sooner we go the better. I can't wait to look around that shop! I mean Grindelwald owns it and makes enchanted items for it, so it's got to be BRILLIANT!"

Rabastan nodded. "Yep, it's pretty sweet, especially the back room. That's where all the really dark items are."

Lyra hurriedly scooped up the last few bites of her breakfast, then rose. "I'll tell him to hurry," she promised, then dashed off.

Bellatrix sighed, suddenly feeling tired. "Should we ease off, do you think," she asked, gaze straying nearly desperately to Rod's face. She hated feeling as if she would lose Lyra if they did.

Rodolphus shrugged and gave a quick dry grin. "Not yet, but maybe soon."

Winterhaven arrived half an hour later. At least he was punctual. Today, for once, he'd chosen to eat breakfast with the Malfoys, Bellatrix thought as she frowned at his sunny smile of greeting.

"Thanks so much for asking Mrs. Snape to make me a wand," he told Bella and Rod. His expression was humble and grateful, causing Bella's scowl to deepen.

"Has Lucius done anything suspicious," she asked.

Winterhaven shrugged apologetically. "Not that I've noticed. Granted I don't know him well, so let's be safe and say nothing obvious."

"That'll do," Bellatrix replied. "Now let's go get your wand and look around the shop a bit."

She, Rod, and Rabastan hadn't actually gotten to browse Enchanted Odds in quite a while, what with the constant work before and after the new Ministry takeover. Lyra eagerly led the way to the front door.

"Rabastan, you Side-Along Apparate Winterhaven," Rodolphus instructed once they were outside the manor.

He grasped Lyra's upper arm and gave Bellatrix a nod. "Meet you there."

Bellatrix nodded back and with a pop they were off.

"This is going to be epic for sure," Lyra whispered excitedly to Cassius as they pushed open the door.

Rabastan hung back so Rodolphus and Bellatrix hesitated as well. The door swung shut behind Cassius and Lyra, leaving the three of them outside.

"What is it," Bellatrix asked with an annoyed frown in Rabastan's direction.

For his part, Rabastan was peering covertly through the window that was set high in the door of the shop. "She's in there," he whispered. "I'm going in as a raven."

"But why?" Rodolphus wondered as Rabastan shifted.

"Because it'll be cool," Rabastan the raven croaked. "Someone open the door, because now I can't."

Sighing, Bellatrix pushed it open, and Rabastan flew inside first with her and Rod following. Lyra and Cassius were at the counter as Cassius paid for his wand.

Rabastan flew directly to Parvati and tried to land on her shoulder. Giving a little shriek of surprise, she dodged away. "What the hell!?"

"It's only Rabastan...playing at something," Bellatrix explained drily.

"Oh," Parvati gave a slight chuckle and allowed the raven to land on her shoulder. "Hello, then."

"Hello," Rabastan croaked.

"Oh, you can talk! How neat."

"Of course I can!"

"Well, most Animagus forms can't. Then again, those animals I've seen can't naturally talk and ravens can, right," she asked.

Rabastan nodded. "They are the most intelligent of birds...just as Lestranges are the most intelligent of wizards," he bragged.

"That's right," Gellert called cheerfully from the back of the shop. "My favorite guards are the smartest and most vicious to be had."

He appeared from the back of the shop with Zabini trailing behind. Gellert held a thick wooden wand in one hand nearly as long as his arm. As Bellatrix had seen him use a crystal wand from Mag, she assumed this was something the two were crafting rather than a personal wand. Though it looked different, being thicker and smoother with a high red polish, she wondered if they were trying for Elder Wand 2.0.

"This is our daughter Lyra and her...Cassius Winterhaven," Bellatrix introduced, hesitating over how to refer to Cassius then avoiding it entirely.

"Parvati Patil," the young dark skinned woman said, smiling a friendly greeting to Lyra and Cassius.

"Oh, you're from India," Lyra enthused. "We studied the magic of your culture extensively in Australia! I bet you know a ton about chakras and Auras."

Parvati gave a slight shrug, a faintly apologetic smile crossing her lips. "A bit."

"You do," Gellert demanded. "Why was this never mentioned? I could've had you at the Ministry helping ages ago with the Auror training in such matters. We're trying to use it for defense, but the process would've been far easier with a native expert on the scene."

Parvati shook her head. "Oh, I'm far from that," she assured. "Whatever Lyra is teaching is far more than I could offer."

"How do you know that," Lyra asked.

"Because I didn't have extensive training as you did. I just read a few books. My parents were born here, so they were not as exposed to the culture as they perhaps should've been. It's the grandparents that came directly from India on both sides. I can see a few things when I look at a person, but it's like my readings, open to interpretation and nothing I can really teach others. What I have is a skill. You have it or you don't, and I have always had it, I just didn't understand what I was seeing around people until my parents gave me the books on pranic energy after I graduated Hogwarts."

She chuckled. "Why, my friend Mag knew about chakras before I did. In my defense, her father's library does practically have every magical text known to man, though."

"So how does your skill with Auras and chakras or whatever help you?" Rabastan croaked from her shoulder.

"Well… It helps me to see who a person is where it matters, I suppose," Parvati answered thoughtfully. "What I see of their Aura makes my natural instincts about them stronger."

Lyra frowned. "I never thought of using it that way, but I'm certainly going to try now."

"I'd love to see what you're teaching at the Ministry," Parvati said. "Perhaps I could go in like one day a week or something to get an idea." She glanced toward Blaise and Gellert. "We'd have to close the shop, though, and that would be no good. Do you think Bramble could come in at least one day?"

Blaise and Gellert exchanged a doubtful look. "He's really always such a prat about helping in the shop," Blaise complained.

"We'll do it," Rabastan said hastily. Bellatrix flashed her brother-in-law a surprised look before nodding in agreement. She did hate working at Azkaban, and if they could get out once a week she was glad to keep an eye on Enchanted Odds for a change of pace.

Blaise and Gellert exchanged another look. "If Kereston doesn't mind the three of you being away from Azkaban once a week, I don't see why not," Gellert said.

"I've practically primed the prison to run itself," Rodolphus said. "It can certainly hold its own for a day. My Aurors are well trained and ready for whatever comes."