Bellatrix Lestrange

Cissy, Lucius -

I regret that I bring bad news. However, I bring it with the intent that you may prepare yourself for what's to come.

Tomorrow morning, they will put out an arrest warrant for Draco.

Now. If you have recovered from that unpleasant shock, I will share with you my knowledge of the various reports, as I feel it only right that you know precisely what was found in the course of the investigation. I am aware that you both have held fast to the hope that Draco was taken from the castle as captive. Perhaps there is even some truth to that, as the connection between Draco and Snape remains purely speculative rather than certain. However, what has become certain is that Draco will be charged with willfully engaging in miscegenous activities and exposing a legal nonperson to the magical arts.

Minus official jargon, the evidence is as follows:


PHYSICAL


Letters - The mudblood's correspondence could not be determined as authentic, since there are few samples of its handwriting. Handwriting analysis, parchment-matching, and ink-matching all determined that Draco's was authentic and non-forged. The contents of the letter (which I will spare you) leave no doubt as to the writer's romantic intent.

Recordings - These were obtained by Teddy Nott Jr., who before his death claimed to be collecting them out of a suspicion that Draco was romantically interested in the mudblood, or vice-versa. Only after capturing the recordings did Nott Jr. determine that Draco was teaching it magic. The recordings are both visual and aural, and of good quality. They were captured using magically charmed mirrors similar to those used by MLE in our own surveillance, and feature a tamper-proof time and date stamp. Nott Jr. claimed to have cut out the "insignificant bits." What is left confirms that Draco and the mudblood were in a "hidden" room together on at least fourteen occasions in the last six weeks. They usually arrived and left this room separately, but on two occasions arrived together, and on one occasion left together. In those times they left and arrived together, they can be seen speaking to one another. The transcript of their conversation was not determined as condemnable; the frequency of their meetings, however, was, as was the fact that it took place in a location that was inaccessible to others. After much searching Investigators did find this hidden room; it seems to be a storage space of sorts, full of abandoned rubbish. Experimentation with the room revealed that the room is only accessible to others when it is empty, or when the occupant is expecting someone else to arrive.

Colocation Devices - A set of boxes, one transfigured into a ring, designed to allow the passing of objects from one box to the other. The ring-box was found on Draco's finger, and a second box was found in the mudblood's sleeping area. Harry's testimony confirmed he also owns a box of this nature (given to him by Regulus Black), which he has not used in some time, and that a fourth box was stolen from his trunk some months ago. Nott Sr suggested that his son intercepted the letters (see above) using the fourth stolen box.

Wand - The mudblood's illegal wand, which it claimed to have stolen from Buckingham, is over one-hundred years old (Ollivander's work) but is in good keep. There are no records of a wand having been stolen from Buckingham since the mudblood came under Harry's ownership. P.I. indicated that the last five spells ranged from intermediate to highly advanced, suggesting that the mudblood had been either well-trained in magic, or (more likely, I think) had someone else demonstrate advanced spells to it using the wand.

Rings - Draco and the mudblood both wore rings on their left ring finger. On first glance they appear to have nothing in common. In-depth study revealed that they are in fact made from the same materials, only designed to look different; both, too, were imbued with a spell to make them largely unnoticeable. On my first search of the mudblood, I in fact missed the ring, and did not see it until it later animated. Draco's ring was in the shape of a dragon, and quite expensive in appearance. The mudblood's was a snake, and quite plain. The rings are designed so that the wearer can, in effect, poison and kill him or herself through nonverbal magic, should the need arise. These are not toys: the wearer must be in genuine fear for their life, at which point the animal comes to life and bites the wearer, injecting him with three poisons. Not only did both rings have the same function, they were also crafted by the same person: a witch, young in age. Possibly with the guidance of one extremely skilled at potions.


TESTIMONIAL:


Various Students - For brevity's sake, I won't list them all here. In the course of questioning, Penderyn determined that Daphne Greengrass, widely accepted as Draco's current girlfriend, was aware that Draco was keeping dangerous secrets from her, but was unaware of what those secrets were. Greengrass and Pansy Parkinson were also questioned extensively about their romantic interactions with Draco; neither felt he had any unnatural impulses, but neither have had sexual relations with him, either. Hydra Lestrange revealed that she was giving Draco occlumency lessons at his request, but that when they began those lessons, he already had some skill in the area. She did not know whether he came by the skill naturally or had been taught by someone else.

Bellatrix Lestrange - In the course of my initial questioning on Saturday, 7 June, Draco occluded rather than submitting to legilimency. Even when I assured him that he had nothing to hide, he continued to occlude, though denied that he was doing so. The mudblood did not successfully occlude under Hydra's interrogation, though Hydra did report that the mudblood made an attempt at it. It is well known that Severus Snape was a master occlumens who was also skilled at spell-cast legilimency, providing him with the means to effectively teach occlumency.


OTHER:


- The journal archive was torched. Enough said.
- There are multiple anecdotal reports of Draco being called in to assist "Milland" in unspecified ways, often involving detention; however, there are no official records of those detentions, nor any record of Draco having lost house points.



When taken as a whole, the above evidence is more than enough to justify arrest, interrogation, and a hearing with the Wizengamot, who - barring veritaserum evidence that reveals otherwise - would surely find Draco guilty of all charges held against him.

I apologise that I must be the one to deliver you such unpleasant news. Know that aside from my own testimony, I have been only peripherally involved in the investigation, lest my involvement only serve to further incite Nott and Mulciber.

Hydra,

A series of unfortunate happenings have brought me to the castle today. It seems that your cousin may have been caught up in some unsavoury activities.

Now. Mummy would like your absolute compliance in what comes next. No questions. I will fill you in on what is necessary for you to know. Let's test just how strong your abilities - and stomach -are, shall we?

I've a plaything for you. We're in Tosha's offices. Come alone and tell no one.

As harvest grows nearer, it seems an appropriate time to look forward - in gratitude - to the coming bounty.

Our fields have had time ripen and flower in the sun. In His light, our pastures grow greener and more verdant still. Meanwhile, the world peaks in through the gates, eyes wide to all our marvels. Soon, we shall invite them to cut a waltz in the meadows, to drink from the pure fountains of our visionary cities, and to feel, if only for a moment, that golden touch of light.

Please, join me and grasp their hands in welcome.

Today's observation and sparring session was effective, I think, if, as ever, somewhat of a let-down. I remember my own training programme all too well, of course. It took place in the real world, with no instruction beyond what we were willing to teach ourselves and each other, and what we took from the bounty of His teachings. There was no relief from our battle at the end of the day - no celebrations, no "awesome" music, no dancing with ghostly rock-stars. Indeed, there was no end to the day at all. We were fighting for pride and for purity, against an entire system that was bent on protecting muggles first, and wizards last. That we were able to topple it only shows how corrupt and malignant that system was, rotting from within like a stunted tree. To strike it down all of us would have gladly died - gladly! - and to be sure, some did. Those who survived were prepared to protect what we had helped Him to create, and we have done so ever since.

Sometimes, I wonder if a quaint little programme can really teach any of that. Perhaps something far more brutal is in order...something where survival is at stake. Not just your own, but the survival of everything and everyone you hold dear.

I am not sure that the current crop of hopefuls would last in such an environs. Certainly not McLaggen, who is certain to wash out within the coming weeks. Willet shows a shred of promise, if only because he is so very desperate to escape a fate at the Prophet. Desperation certainly helps, though not for very long.

What does not help is a history of having sought out and won my approval. Not unless you have the skill and savvy to show for it. When I attach my name to someone, say a certain Head Girl with aspirations of being an Auror, then I have, in essence, allowed that individual to function as an extension of myself. Any and all extensions of me are enjoying the privilege of my association, and with that privilege comes responsibility. Let me be direct: if you're one of mine, you go above and beyond the call. Anything less is unacceptable. And if my association to you becomes tarnished...then I will remove it, as forcibly as I see fit.

But I'm sure that we all understand that now, don't we?

The time has come for me to go a courting.

I have procured several goblin-made items (dagger, chalice, and something that looks grossly like a chamber pot but...surely not) from families looking to take up residence in the New Wizarding London. Homes and flats in Mayfair and Belgravia are being sought after by many who have hidden too long in the drear country, in draughty estates disguised as rubble heaps.

With the Lord's blessing, my committee for the Re-population of New London has almost completed the long and arduous task of making the city habitable for our good, upstanding citizens. So many things needed to be rid of, too: disgusting monumentry and useless bric-a-brac and all those poxing double-decker buses. Not to mention more shops full of foul-looking food than I could ever imagine. If there be something left off the long list of muggle inferiorities, it's surely that they are slovenly, wasteful creatures who consume at much greater speed than they produce.

We have a much cleaner - in all ways - London to inhabit now. These days I spend far more time at Saint James than I do at Le'Strange Hill, and find it quite marvellous to stroll through the peaceful, empty streets, dressed proudly in the clothes that mark me as a Witch. One day, I shall live to see these streets filled with young Wizarding children at play.

Now and then I'll stumble across a reminder. A stairwell leading to the underground trains. But it will make me smile all the more, to think of what we have won. Praise the Lord, and all the countless miracles He has wrought.



Cissy, Mother has owled me about some new young man in her life. What do you know of this? He best not be another one who's come after her money.