Your eyes can be so cruel

Chapter 9

Minerva did not get much sleep that night, as a matter of fact she barely slept at all. Instead she took to wandering the halls, giving a detention or two here and there, though for the most part the corridors were empty. Nothing but the wind and soft pitter-patter of the rain as it collided against the stone wall of the castle, the wind managing to squeeze through the holes in the wall, whistling every now and then. Her mind wandered back to the dark witch that took joy in tormenting not only her colleagues but her students as well. Minerva was always quite certain Bellatrix hated most everything and everyone , save Severus, Albus and surprisingly Trelawny. Then Sybil came and messed up her train of thought, followed by the events of the evening, that only added to her already conflicted mind.

Minerva didn't nor has she ever hated Bellatrix. But she's never been overly fond of the women either. Sure she cares about her Well being, and makes it a point of knowing when the woman attends or doesn't attend the great hall for food , but that's her job. As deputy headmistress, Minerva takes her job of ensuring the staffs' and children's safety very seriously, especially when Dumbledore appears to lack in that department. Minerva can't even remember when this bitterness started.

A whooshing sound made Minerva loose her train of thought, instead she dashed towards the window, peering out over the grounds. She was in her cat form, and could just about make out a figure lurking by the gates. Minerva cursed herself for now her curiosity and need to protect the school got the better of her, which is why she found herself heading towards the large doors that leans out onto the grounds. In the rain. Minerva did so hate the rain.
The door opened a jar, enough for a cat to slither it way through, though the tabby feline was quite hesitant to step outside in the now pouring down rain, though the Gryffindor in her urged her on. There she went, trudging through the mucky ground, stealthily approaching the figure. The lifeless figure as it seemed. Minerva approached the figure that lay unmoving on the ground, the rain now bouncing high off of the floor, earning a his from the overly sensitive feline as it came crashing down against her bare skin. The figure moved causing Minerva to halt her steps, she knew that smell.
"Why are you out in this weather? Do you want to die? Stupid woman!" And with that Minerva was scooped up and carried inside before she had time to register what was happening. Once inside Minerva was placed carefully on the ground, it took her a few moments to realise what had happened and who that was who'd dared pick her up and hold her so close. Minerva instantly chased after the dark figure, eventually falling into stride beside her. The feline had so many questions and so many internal debates that she didn't even know where to begin. But she did know that staying as her animagus form would be the wisest option right now, just incase she said something.
"Stop that internal prattling please, my head is killing me as it is." That sentence lacked its normal sharpness, it was rather blunt in all honesty, and did she say please? Truth be told, Minerva had expected the woman to tell her to bugger off in harsher words, and yet she didn't. It was almost as if she welcomed the company, she even held the door to her chambers open and the feline dashed inside.
"Before you bombard me with all your questions and allegations I would really appreciate a coffee. I'd appreciate it even more if you threw in a little something extra." Something was off here, and Minerva knew it. Without a word she headed to the woman's kitchen, turned back into her human form and prepared them both a hot beverage. She did not include the something stronger Bellatrix hinted towards. It took her a tad longer to find everything she needed but eventually she returned to the living quarters, placed the tray on the coffee table, thankful to see everything still intact.

Her eyes did widen in surprise however when she noticed the droplets of blood that led to the woman who had yet to remove her cloak.
"Damned thing is stuck." She muttered to no one in particular. Another attempt led to the same failure as the first four tries.
"For fucks sake." She snapped before remembering she had company, she averted her attention to Minerva, noticing the little set up on her coffee table, before turning back to her.
"Pardon my language. I forgot you were here." She said matter of factually.
"It's quite alright, I've heard far worse slip pass the students lips, when they think I'm not in hearing range."
"I'm sure you do. I don't make it a habit. For your information, I don't swear all that often, only when I'm frustrated, like this stupid cloak!" She failed again, as the droplets of blood slowly began to form a pool around her. Minerva was very much concerned now, what had this woman done?

Minerva made quick work to close the gap between them. The cloak was on a latch, Minerva was about to swat the woman's hands away instead she inhaled sharply when she noticed the blood treakling down Bellatrix's hand.
"What happened?" Bellatrix lowered her hands and shrugged, already knowing what the woman had spotted.
"Oh that, well the spell didn't last all that long did it. I was hoping it would hold out a bit longer, or at least until I got the the sink. Now I got blood everywhere." She didn't answer the question, instead she glanced around at her trail whilst Minerva undid the clasp. The clasp wasn't all that tricky to undo, so why was Bellatrix finding it hard. The woman's cloak fell to the floor, Minerva took a step back at the sight before her.
"Now it's not as bad as it looks."
"Not as bad...Bellatrix, you're ...you're covered in blood. Even through your black clothes you can see the blood oozing out." Minerva didn't fall into a state of panic often, and this certainly wasn't the opportune moment to start.
"I'll call Poppy-"
"No, absolutely not. The woman hates every fibre of my being." Bellatrix stumbled ever so slightly "I can take care of it myself." She stumbled further, Minerva instantly moved to her aid, guiding her to the settee.
"I don't think you can, you're trembling."
"That's because I need a drink to calm my nerves woman." With that she shuffled slightly, moving away from the concerned witch.
"There's scotch in the top right cupboard." She added, fumbling with the front laces of her corset. Her hand wasn't co-operating. In fact it started to become rather limp, much to Bellatrix's frustration.
"Make yourself useful and get it." The frustration was clear in her voice, Minerva made no effort to move towards the kitchen, instead she reached for her wand.
"No!" Bellatrix snapped, sending a warning glare to the other woman,
"No magic. I fucked up when I apparated here. Not to mention the spell I used to hide it." She glanced back down at the knots.
"If you're really eager to help, undo my ties." Bellatrix gave very little room to argue, not that arguing with the woman was at the front of Minerva's mind at the moment. No, Minerva did as she was told and undid the ties.
"Okay, now due to my current situation. I'm going to need you to take this," she gestured to her corset with her barely functioning hand "as well as my dress off. I need to asses the damage." Surprisingly the woman seemed quite calm given her current situation, as if this happened every Friday night.
Minerva however, internally wasn't calm at all. She tried to keep a level head, and help the woman out as much as possible. But she had no idea what had happened, what was causing it or what is going on in general. All she can do at this moment in time is follow Bellatrix's orders.

The clothes clung to every inch of the witch, not only soaked right through with rain but also covered in blood. Minerva noticed Bellatrix becoming weaker by the minute, her tremble worsened and Minerva really worried over the woman's safety. Poppy would be so much better at this than she could ever be.
Bellatrix hissed as Minerva peeled the woman's dress down over her shoulders, and between the two of them they managed to rid of the offending fabric. Minerva's eyes nearly left her head in absolute horror.
"Hmm, tad worse...than I thought." Her breathing altered, it became more staggered as she looked down at the two large gaping wounds across her abdomen, and her right arm. The wounds appeared to be slowly deepening, blackening the tissue around it.
Minerva's heart nearly stopped when the realisation hit her.

"It's dark magic." Not only is it dark magic, it's the equivalent of the muggles flesh eating disease, only much much worse. Now Minerva Understood, Bellatrix had to remain calm, she had no choice. She'd already worsened the process by agitating it with unnecessary magic, and panic would only feed it. No wonder she didn't argue with Minerva or bite her head off on their walk here. Bellatrix glanced at the woman skeptically.
"You know what it is?" Minerva nodded. It was ancient dark magic. She'd seen it once before, only the man wasn't lucky. He began panicking, which was his biggest mistake. Instant dread filled Minerva when the reality of this situation hit her. Bellatrix wasn't just struck, she was dying. Slowly and painfully.