Chapter 56. Masquerade Ball. Part 2. Dance
Standing in the corner of the hall, Bella wearily watched everything, doing her best not to draw anyone's attention. Even if she was an aristocrat, she had never liked events like this, and if not for Walburga, Bella would not have come here at all.
And besides that, Bella had her own problems, one of them being the hunt for that bastard who was producing those artifacts. Bella never should have agreed to this assignment. But after almost three months of investigation, Bella had not gotten much farther than Lestrange. Even search rituals did not help, as if whoever was making them had erased every trace and left nothing at all. The only specimen they managed to recover from a wizard's body exploded when they tried to dismantle it, leaving the artificer without hands.
But even that was not the worst of it. Enduring Crucio as punishment for failing the assignment was not that difficult, though there was one oddity: the pain. Yes, Bella felt it, but it was purely physical. It hardly touched her mind the way it used to, and thinking became much easier, as if someone had lifted a thin veil off her thoughts. What was most unpleasant, what stirred unbearable fury, was that this had started that day, the day she met him, the man who drove her mad just by being near her. The man who dared to kiss her, a filthy half-blood who dared to touch her.
Yet even through all that hatred, Bella did not lose her rationality. Bella understood it was his doing, or at least that he was connected to it. No matter how much she wanted to torture "Severus," to beat the truth out of him, she could not, because the Dark Lord's order was to draw him to their side by any means. Severus was a decent battle mage, with enormous potential in potion-making, and he was one of the best students in his year. Pawns like that were worth having.
And though the news that the recipes had fallen into the Ministry's hands threw Voldemort into real fury, he did not immediately charge at full speed for the half-blood's head. He decided to wait. The potions Lucius had bought up, which Voldemort still received quite regularly, were enough for now. There had been no real clashes between the Death Eaters and the Ministry, only small skirmishes, though the Order of the Phoenix's interference had ruined many plans.
But there was another reason the Dark Lord did not try to take the recipes by force and make the Slytherin churn out potions under the Imperius Curse. That reason was a report from Crouch Junior, one of the Death Eaters who was Voldemort's agent in the enemy camp, and the son of Barty Crouch Senior, Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement.
From the report, Voldemort learned about the father's plan, and how it failed spectacularly. The boy even ended up free, having struck a very profitable deal. And after the Lestrange brothers' investigation, Voldemort learned about the incident with the gangs in Diagon Alley. Then the Dark Lord understood why the Ministry, with its enormous combat power, had decided to make peace with a mere wizard who had not even finished school. It was not kindness. It was fear, fear of a confrontation with a powerful wizard, or with a group of wizards standing behind Severus.
That conclusion became the basis for the decision to leave Bella to keep watching him, and, if possible, to draw him to their side. They already had enough enemies in the face of almost the entire magical world of Britain.
Clicking her tongue in irritation, Bella shot an angry glare at a group of wizards who had been sneaking looks at her a few seconds earlier. They flinched and looked away.
How they annoy me, and what Narcissa sees in this.
"Miss Black, are you bored?" a cheerful male voice asked, playful at the edges. Bella's eye twitched. She turned toward the speaker and raised an eyebrow, faintly surprised. The stranger's costume looked odd.
"And you are?"
"Your secret admirer, because the moment I saw you, I fell head over heels." He took her hand and kissed it. "Would you do me the honor of granting me one dance?"
"Hmph!" Bella yanked her hand back, snorted, and turned away. "Disappear, or else."
"Miss Black, I cannot. I will never forget the taste of your lips."
At those words, Bella nearly tripped on flat ground. She stared in shock at the red-haired young man.
"You?!"
"Me. Who else could it be?" Severus stepped closer and offered his open palm. "Do you think there is anyone in this hall who would dare invite you to dance besides me?"
"If I could, then." Bella clenched her fists, hatred burning in her eyes.
"I know. So, what do you say about the dance, or should I take payment?"
"Tch!" Bella placed her palm on his and dipped into a small bow. "I accept your invitation." she hissed through clenched teeth, looking straight into his eyes.
The guests watching went into real shock. Everyone knew Bellatrix Black's sadistic temper, so almost no one approached her, afraid she might fling a spell at them. Legends were told about Bella's love of Crucio. What Severus had done looked like a miracle, because the last time Bella danced with anyone had been about ten years ago. Now this strangely dressed person was leading Bella away, and when they stopped and Severus put an arm around her, most hearts nearly stopped. But what everyone expected did not happen. Bella placed her palm on Severus's shoulder too, smiling, or so it seemed to the onlookers. Narcissa and Regulus could see it clearly: Bella was barely restraining her anger, and both of them felt a strange respect for him.
Then the music started again. They took the first step together, and though Bella tried to take the lead, she failed every time. The difference between them was too great. Even knowing it, Bella refused to give in so easily.
At moments the simple waltz turned into a real war. Their movements sharpened, and the distance between them widened and then shrank until they brushed against each other. Connoisseurs noticed, of course, and besides surprise, faint smiles flickered on their faces, smiles they tried, with some difficulty, to hide.
Each new attempt by Bella to take the lead met powerful resistance from Severus. Somewhere deep down, Bella was even a little surprised by his skill, but it did not soften anything. If anything, it only pushed her harder.
Three turns, and again the distance between them collapsed, their faces a few centimeters apart. One wore a smug smile, the other only displeasure. The tempo changed again, the steps grew faster, and neither of them intended to yield.
After a few minutes, the struggle ended, but the moment the music faded, their bodies were pressed close. Severus's lips hovered millimeters from Bella's. It was a complete defeat for her. With a scowl, and without the former hatred, Bella bit her lower lip, pulled away, forced her expression back into place, bowed with a slight lift of her dress, and walked toward the corner.
"Miss Black, that was a wonderful dance. I hope you will not mind keeping me company again sometime in the future?"
"If we happen to meet again," Bella replied without turning around. She paused for a moment, and there was a hint of threat in her voice that made him smile.
"Of course. I will make every effort to ensure it happens again."
"Hmph!"
The guests watched this exchange with cheerful faces, and some even clapped. There were displeased faces too, among them the Lestrange brothers, Rabastan and Rodolphus, the second of whom was Bella's fiance. Both burned holes in his back with their gaze, fists clenched tight.
Another was Walburga Black, the current head of the family. Walburga had arranged and proposed this marriage between the families. To have some unknown person openly flirt with Bellatrix in front of everyone was a slap in Walburga's face. Walburga summoned two servants and ordered them to learn everything they could about the guest in the strange costume.
With a satisfied smile, Severus returned to the table where Regulus sat.
"Sorry. I drew unwanted attention. Now you will probably catch it from your mother."
"You do not look guilty." Regulus snorted, met the elderly woman's gaze for a heartbeat, flinched, and hurriedly looked away. "She will definitely torture me about your identity."
"Do not worry. You can tell her about me, but warn your cousin first. I am sure Bella will help you. Your training will just get much harsher."
Regulus nearly howled. Regulus understood that perfectly well. Somewhere deep down, he regretted inviting Severus, but it was only a fleeting feeling.
"All right, I will survive somehow, and it is probably for the best. But I have one question. How?!"
"What do you mean, how?"
"How did you do it?! Bella is a beast. The last person who tried to invite her to dance ended up in St. Mungo's for three months! And you are still alive, and you are smiling."
"Regulus, my young friend, you are still too young to understand." Severus smiled paternally, patted Regulus on the shoulder, and looked toward the stage. "Tell me instead, why did you start this foolish game? Do you really think I do not understand that all the families gathered here belong to. the Death Eaters?" At those words, Regulus flinched and went pale.
"When did you figure it out?"
"From the beginning, when you invited me. Your behavior was suspicious, so I asked someone to check who else received invitations." In truth, Severus had simply read Regulus's thoughts that day, when the invitation arrived.
"You did not trust me from the start."
"There is a saying: 'trust, but verify.' I might not have checked anything if you had not acted so suspicious." Seeing Regulus lower his head, unable to meet his eyes, Severus nodded with satisfaction. "Remember this once and for all. I am not going to interfere in this foolish war started by that creature. Even if it somehow wins, I will just move to another country, that is all. If you keep trying to drag me into this meaningless game like this, our friendship ends. Was I clear?" Severus reinforced the last words with a wave of bloodlust. Regulus flinched and nodded.
"If you knew, then why did you come?" Regulus forced a crooked smile.
"For Bella, of course, and to see Bella's fiance. Nothing more. So I hope we understand each other?"
"Yes. sorry."
"Good. Then I am going." Severus glanced at the head of the Black family, who had not taken her eyes off him all this time. "Someone will eat me alive soon. anyway, good luck. Consider this punishment for deceiving me." Severus patted Regulus's shoulder one last time and headed for the exit. At the same moment, four more wizards followed him, and that did not escape the gaze of one dark-haired lady, or Severus himself.
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