The light in her dark

23. The mark

A loud crash that seems to come from downstairs wakes me up. I look at the clock that's across the room. 3 am. Who would sneak into Bellatrix Lestrange's Manor at three am in the morning? Thinking about Bellatrix, I turn my head to see she's not laying next to me anymore and her side of the bed looks like someone had dragged her out of bed. Oh shit, what if it's aurors?
I hesitate before getting out of bed and quickly hurrying downstairs, making sure to be as quiet as possible. I watch as a shadowy figure limps into the kitchen, turning on the lights and walking somewhere in the kitchen where I'm unable to see them. I walk towards the kitchen slowly, hesitating for a long moment. 

Right before I can do anything though, I'm pinned against a wall, my wand ripped from my hands and thrown across the room.

I flinch and look in front of me.
"Oh. It's just you." Bellatrix says coldly, releasing me from the wall. I can't see her since we're in the shadows, the light farther away from us, but I can tell it's her from her voice and her scent.
"Yeah. Sorry, I thought someone else was here."
"Mhm, whatever. Just go grab your wand and either go back to sleep or join me in the kitchen." She walks away and I go to grab my wand before walking into the kitchen after her. Bellatrix is standing at the counter, pouring milk into a cup and warming it up in the microwave.
I raise an eyebrow, Bellatrix drinking something other than whiskey? Now that's a bit odd.

She's still turned away from me, so I can't see her face, but I notice that her right arm is wrapped around her stomach while her left is holding onto the counter, as if she's stabilizing herself. "Do you want something or what?"
"N-no, I'm alright."

She nods and takes her cup of milk out of the microwave, coming over to the table and sitting in front of me, although she avoids my eyes.
I'm immediately alarmed at the appearance of the woman in front of me. She has eyebags under her eyes, a red handprint on her neck, bruises on her face, and quite a few cuts that are dripping blood.
"What the fuck happened to you?" I blurt out before I can stop myself.

She rolls her eyes and takes a sip of the milk, biting on the edge of the cup when she finishes her sip.

I lean over the table and try to wipe the blood away from her face, but as soon as I extend my arm out, she shrinks and presses herself back into her chair, getting away from me. I scrunch my eyebrows together. "I'm not going to hurt you, Bellatrix."
"Don't. Touch. Me." She says in a threatening voice, although there's a hint of fear in it.

I look down at her hands to see they're shaking a bit. "What happened?" I ask lightly, moving back and making sure my hands are nowhere near her.

"Nothing different than usual."
"This is...normal for you? Coming home with scars all over your face and neck?"
"Yes."
"Bella-"
"I've told you many times before, muddy, I don't need your help, nor your pity, so you can keep your pretty mouth shut." (Or find better use for it-    ...Sorry-)

"Well could I at least help heal you?"
"I can do that on my own."
"Then why is your arm covering your stomach?"

"Because stab wounds aren't the easiest to heal."
"S-stab wounds?"
"Mhm."

"What if two people heal the wound?"
"You're not going anywhere near me."

"Please?"
"No."

"At least tell me what happened?"
"I got summoned about two hours ago, I went to Malfoy Manor, and then I came back a few minutes ago."
"You're missing like half the story."

"And you're getting too comfortable with pushing me."
"Because I want to help!"
Bellatrix simply rolls her eyes and continues drinking her milk. She finishes her sip and her tongue licks her top teeth for a few seconds as she stares off into space, until finally, she sighs in annoyance. "The Hufflepuff cup. It was in my vault. When you told him that they had it..." She trails off and takes another sip from her cup.