Falling into the trap

[Veronica White]

Veronica wasn't really planning to come to New Zealand for her holidays, no, she had infact thought of spending the holidays in Durmstrang enjoying her last holidays with her friends in school before she graduated. The thought of graduation brought sad thoughts but she ignored them for now because at the moment she had embraced herself to face her mother, Dympna Bella Donna who had told her to come home for the holidays. She wondered what new mess she would find herself in this time because she was well aware that her mother was not the goddess she portrayed herself to be, she was infact very evil but Veronica did not know how exactly she controlled the children's mind who lived in her manor and how they were not allowed to speak of it. It was all very evil and Veronica was walking right into it this summer.

She apparated to the land just outside their big mansion because one could not apparate in it. Watching the forest that stood right beside the manor casting a spooky air over the place she chuckled at her thought of the place being spooky. It was the morning of her first day into the holidays and as she walked through the main gates of the manor that swung upon magically for her she wondered who she would be seeing today. She certainly had no intention of seeing William Morte because she disliked him very much for all that he was doing. She would like to see Jasper Clow, her adoptive brother from Durmstrang and maybe her sister and the Soul children but she was unsure whom she would meet because what went inside the walls of the manor was only know to Dympna, she was the master mind behind it all.

As she walked into the manor, the familiar view of the huge and elegant drawing room stood before her, the big kitchens adjacent to it and the huge marble staircase that led one up to the first floor where some bedrooms where located. She spotted her mother and gave her a smile, it didn't come from her heart, it never did at least not for her but it would do. "Greetings mother, how are you?"she asked her mother as she walked up to her. She had turned of age and had done some terrible things that night which she regretted but she didn't want to behave badly with her mother, not until her graduation was over.

 

[Dympna Bella-Donna]

A daughter, a girl of age came to her. How Dympna would have loved to have her daughter when she was younger, more shapable. Her father had done a number on her alright. She was honestly kind and caring. The Soul girls where well aware that kindness always had to come at a price. If it was to get what you wanted then you had to be perfectly kind and sweet. A more flies with honey than with vinegar type of thing. Yes her plans where twisted but she never saw it that way. Dympna saw it more like she was doing the world a lot of good. She kept her children under control with the potions and other little experiments she did on them in order to tap into their natural abilities.

She had learned quite a bit about the human mind over the years of doing this. The first to survive William had been both a success and failer. He was had lived yes but he had also married that worthless halfbreed. With each the progress was showing. The Clows had been total and complete errors that where going to see the streets the moment they turned seventeen but the Souls oh her prefect little Soul children they would be strong children who would grow into strong adults and bring the world to their knees. This was Dympna's dream, to see the darkness spread through out the world and herself as the originator of it all.

Dympna reflected on this as she looked at her only known blood daughter, Veronica. "Come here and give me a hug dear. I'm fine as always." She said with a bright glittering smile on her face. Dympna always seemed like a kind mother, kind of like the witch in the Gingerbread house. There where a few of the children in the basement, taking the medication while putting the Clow children to work. Dympna now used the few that remained in the house to administer the potions to the Soul children as planed. Well for as long as they where here anyway. At the end of the vacation Ruby and Sapphire would be going back to their respective schools and Dympna would be giving all the potions herself which she didn't mind. They where her treasures after all.

 

[Veronica White]

Veronica was of course expecting this kind of welcome from her mother, a fake glittering smile and kind words. She wondered if it was known to both how empty and fake they were to each other, there was no way to know. She smiled back, brightly as she walked to Dympna and embraced her mother into a hug. "Its so good to see you" she said to her mother. She could almost have laughed at the irony but she was controlling herself.

"Look what I got you" she said as she took out a small necklace from her pocket.It was a necklace, an expensive one that was worn by witches a century back. She had collected it at one of the shops in Bulgaria. Looking at the silent drawing room, silent as grave asked her mother, maintaining the polite tone "Where are the other children, mother? I thought I'd see them all and say Hi before I go to my room to fresh up for lunch"

 

[Dympna Bella-Donna]

Dympna knew that there was little love for her in Veronica. It had been due to the fact that she had not grown up with her. That and Veronica was starting to gather clues what she did her. The "Orphans" and things like that. She was gathering clues but not putting things together. Dympna wanted to keep it that way but knew that Veronica was a persistent one. "My Soul girls are being tended to. An epidemic of Dragon-pox was going around in Rosemarie's school spread it to all of the little ducklings." She said with a sad sigh. The reality was a lot darker but this was Dympna kept to. "The Clow girls are helping me take care of them." She added. Might as well do something useful Dympna thought bitterly.

No sooner had she said this that Sapphire Clow had her face poking out of the side of the door. Dympna gestured her to come forward. Sapphire needed no words to tell her what was going on. The paled look on her scrawny, have glasses covered face was enough to tell her what was going on. Dympna pushed her thoughts forward. If one of those children are injured because of your incompetence I will not hesitate to add your picture to the walls. the tone of the though was dark but her face was perfectly kind. That and Veronica wouldn't have been able to hear that. Still Dympna held her arm out for the now Hufflepuff third year.

 

[Sapphire Bookchild]

She didn't understand. Mother never understood! It wasn't her that hurt the Souls, it was the Souls that hurt one of them. Ruby to be exact. She had accidentally spilled the potion that was mean to go to Violet and that was all it took for all of them to start tearing into Ruby until she was in tears. Ruby was now cowering in the corner and Zeal was making it worse. It was a horrid state. With Zeal as jealous as he was he would think nothing of poisoning his sisters. Sapphire wanted to cry but knew that this would get her anywhere. Not with the young Bella-Donna, as Ruby called her, in the room. Mother wouldn't say anything in front of her and Sapphire of course could not.

Sapphire stepped forward to go into Dympna's welcoming arm even though she knew that there would be claws in her shoulder.Was it really so bad to care about others? Was it really such a sin want to smile at others and fall in love and have friends that were not powerful or some of the richest around? Jasper hadn't made it into Slytherin even though he was well conditioned for it. Sapphire had wanted to much to be in Ravenclaw but she had grown to love her house of Hufflepuff. There was nothing wrong with it. Again she wanted to cry but all Sapphire did was bury her face in Mother's skirts as if she where showing the cruel woman love.

 

[Veronica White]

Veronica nodded as her mother explained her about the Soul being seek and the Clow's tending the Souls. Of course, she thought with a shrug not wanting to think what it was that really was happening to them because she was well aware that someone or the other, or everyone in this house except her was constantly sick at one time or the other and people didn't just get sick all the time. "Such a pity to not have them with us right now, I had brought them gifts as well" she said with a smile. She really had brought goodies for the children because although she hardly talked to them, they were all ordinary children who seeked love and although Veronica hadn't been given any love, not by Dympna and certainly not by Joshua, she wished that wouldn't be the case for anyone else.

"Did you like it mother, my gift?"she asked Dympna curiously because she was expecting a reaction of sort, like or dislike but not ignorance. She smiled as she watched Sapphire come into the drawing room. "Hey Sapphire" she greeted her with a warm smile. "I've got you a dress, you could wear it to your yule ball if you like" Veronica said with a smile as she showed the wrapped package to Sapphire who was hiding her face in Dympna's skirt. Inside was a nice purple ball dress, she had got similar dresses for the other girls but different designs and colors.

 

[Dympna Bella-Donna]

Dympna had not ignored Veronica's gift, she was scanning it. Dympna, being Greek, knew about traps hidden in gifts. When the scan was done, Dympna pushed Sapphire way none too gently though the girl knowing what would come to her if she revealed anything made it look like she was really excited to see the purple dress. "I love it sweety, one of my dresses will compliment this oddment well." She said thinking of the wardrobe that she had collected over countless years. She could see Sapphire's eyes glitter thinking of what she could use that dress for. Dympna really didn't care about what she did any more. If the girl really displeased her she could always make her take a walk in the woods and meet her older siblings.

Dympna took the gift in her hands and smiled at Veronica. "I know the Soul girls will love the gifts you give them too." She said. Though there was one that tended to be a little bratty when it came to gifts. She too was Greek though and she knew the value of one. "Sapphire doesn't go to the balls. She has no one to take her." She said looking at the young girl. Dympna new of the small crushes she had gotten at school but there was nothing to suggest that Sapphire was starting to flower as a woman. This would come later.

 

[Veronica White]

Veronica smiled as Dympna said that her necklace would match one of the dresses. "I'm glad it could be of use" she said with another smile as she swung her purse to her shoulder. "Oh Sapphire, you could always go with your friends, who needs boys for balls?"she said with a slight chuckle. She had always been asked by boys to go to the balls in Durmstrang but the first two years she had turned down all the offers and had attended the ball with her friends, plain and simple. "I'll go and fresh up" she said as she magically levitated her luggage and climbed the staircase to her room.

After having a relaxing bubble bath and getting dressed in a nice presentable dress she walked back down. Seeing the drawing room empty she wondered where everyone was. It wouldn't take the Clow girls forever to take care of the Souls, for sure someone had to come up for lunch. Seeing no one in sight she walked towards the kitchen and grabbed a swiss chocolate and spun sharply as she heard a voice, almost a faint shout that seemed to be coming from the basement. Curiously hoping this was her chance to discover the truth she walked towards the end of the drawing room and removed the carpet and opened the door on the floor and climbed down to the basement. It was too dark and cold here, her eyes took a minute to adjust.

 

[Naomi Keith]

Ever since Veronica had arrived and gone upstairs to "freshen up", Naomi had been spying on her as asked by Dympna. It was a good thing that she was barefooted, and knew where to walk so the carpet didn't creak loudly as she stepped. She followed Veronica, and smirked as she saw the girl head down to the basement. Veronica should've known that the basement was forbidden, so she ran to her mother's quarters, an evil smirk on her face. 'Mommy!' She called rapping on the door. 'She went down to the basement!'

Ever since Veronica had visited last, everything had changed at Belladonna manor. Violet and Naomi were still in charge, and they were Dympna's favourite. They were her eyes and ears around the place, and even though she may know things, they were able to spy on the other children when they thought Dympna couldn't hear them. Another thing Violet and Naomi had been assigned with was making everything difficult for the Clow girls, which was why when Ruby had spilt Violet's medication, Naomi and Violet led the other girls into tearing into Ruby, making her burst into tears. Naomi personally loved the Clows weakness, but she knew what a disappointment they were for her mommy.

 

[Veronica White]

Veronica walked through the basement. At first the sights of a normal old basement met her. Unused furniture, old clothes and wardrobes but as she walked further into it she could hear voices of naturally as she could make out the children. "Whose down here?"she called out but she didn't hear a reply, instead the voices grew silent. It was as silent as a graveyard and she could only hear her own footsteps. Then she approached an old rust iron door which was slightly open. Pushing it with all her strength she entered another room, not a room but an enormous room with cells or like a prison and what she saw next was something that would haunt her forever. Some of the faces of the familiar kids were in the cells, one in each and they looked sick and desperate, in need of help. "How did you all get in here?"she asked them as tears poured down her eyes. "How do I get you out?"she continued as she fumbled to the walls of the cellars to see the children. They were pale and looked as if they were tortured. One of them shouted at her and told her to leave while another one, who looked a little better compared to the others said that they were being experimented upon. She stood there, the world spinning around her, confused and scared.

 

[Dympna Bella-Donna]

Dympna nodded at her little Poppy. She and her sister Violet where lovely little experiments. They where all turning out very nicely but Poppy was her pride and joy at the moment. "Lets see if we can't get out nosy older sister to stop her interfering." She said though her voice was kind it was as if a dark shadow had dropped over her face. She knew that Veronica would find her way down there. She walked over to where Naomi was and picked her up into her arms before heading down. She knew that the little girl would love to see what she did to Veronica. There was nothing more pleasing to her girls than showing how much power they had gotten from being daughters of Bella-Donna. She took the steps ever so slowly. The ones in the cage where the ones that had not taken to her treatments very well. Dympna had a suspicion that the Seven wanted to keep their numbers the same but still Dympna loved it this way. They where growing stronger by the day.

Descending into the basement she heard one of the children talk to Veronica telling her what they where going through. "Loose lips are a sign if ill manners." She said softly as she crept up behind her blood daughter. God her ex had done a number on her. "They where orphans Veronica, or as good as, unwanted by parents that did not deserve to be parents. They are mine now." She said as she reached out to one of the newer once and ran a hand down his cheek. He looked scared of her but leaned into her hand anyway. "Don't worry they will see sunlight soon enough. Unlike you well not as a whole anyway." She said as a spark of magic came out of her. Dympna put Naomi down in order to do it.

 

[Veronica White]

Veronica waited and heard the small boy talk to her but he could only say a few words before he burst into tears and she guessed it was the spell that sealed his lips, something she had seen Jasper facing when he had tried to talk back in school. Shivers ran down her spine as she watched these children, she was scared and sad and she was not sure how she would help them get free before her mother discovered she was late for lunch. She did not hear her mother's footsteps and jumped as she heard her mother's voice speak softly. The softness in her tone did not hide away the coldness it held or its dark manner that now was clearly written on her face and in her voice. "This is a democratic world, everyone has a right to speech" she said remembering her elementary school civics.

"You talk of them as goods!" she said sadly as her eyes glared at her mother. How could Dympna be so evil, sink so low? "They have feelings, why have you put them behind bars in this cold dungeons? And why do they look like you torture them?"she asked but somehow she knew the answers. Her mother was pure evil and nothing else, how could she not have seen this all along? "What do you mean?"she asked more tears in her eyes.

 

[Dympna Bella-Donna]

Dympna narrowed her eyes. "This is a world full of half breeds and fools! This is what I'm giving my children the tools to change. They are the future and with my help it will shaped the proper way this time. No Dark Lord nonsense." She said with a slight hiss in her voice. In her eyes while the dark lord had the right idea he failed and there was no room in Dympna's heart for failures. The child that had burst into tears made Dympna want to snap his neck but this would defeat the purpose of having him in the first place. She unlocked the door to the cage and brought the boy to her. The rest knew better than to try and run. Quickly she locked it. These children had to earn their place in the house. By way of the Soul girls. They had been chosen by Dympna so they had full rights to their rooms and to the house.

"Shhhh my heart, you know now mummy feels about crying like this. It is beneath you." She said kindly enough. Dympna looked at Veronica now and sighed. "Sometimes power hurts dear. Sometimes the process is a painful one but one has to be a child for it to stick, when the magic is still growing and able to change to the will of who is teaching them." She said while calming the child in her arms. She directed the boy to her prized Poppy and gave her a very telling smile. "Take him and go play with your sisters. It seems you older sister has made him cry." She said. There was the sound of giggles and she knew that her will would be done. Things did not end well for the defiant in the Bella-Donna household something that Veronica would soon learn.

Dympna smiled at Veronica in that dark crazed way that she got when she was about to do something then took a hold of Veronica's arm. "Now my darling telling you would spoil the surprise and make it so you never learn." She cooed. "Come with me we have much to discuss." She said while thinking of what was it that she was going to make for Veronica. A controlling curse would be to easy and there would not be enough pain behind it for her to really learn her lesson.

 

[Veronica White]

Veronica stood bewilder as she heard Dympna talked. She couldn't believe that her mother was stating that what Voldemort once did was non sense and she was going to do it right this time, really was she challenging the Dark Lord? She did not want to agree with what her brain was processing for her but yes, her mother did mean it that way. She frowned, her eyes narrowing at her mother as she tried to imagine how these poor children were being raised only to follow Dympna's rules and then she wanted them to one day take over the world for her, was she insane? And Veronica knew the answer, her mother needed help because she was mental.She would have laughed at her for such kind of talk but at the moment shivers were running through her for she was scared at what was going to happen now, to her that she had discovered this.

She watched almost going to pretend that she was vomiting when she saw her mother talk sweetly to the boy. Ugh! Such fakeness, she hated it. She had always thought her mother had a lose screw in her head but never did she know that all the screws in there were rusted. "I made him cry?"she asked her frown still in place as her eyes changed to a darker brown and her smoky eye make up that she had on would have made her look scary but she didn't care not right now. "You've been starving them and doing other bad things, treating them like puppets. They're humans for Merlin's sake" she said now almost shouting because she could not stand here watch her mother talk 'sweet' while she was rotten, filthy scum inside.

Veronica watched as her mother smiled at her darkly. She had no idea what Dympna was up to right now and something told her she didn't want to know but she knew deep inside she had to bring an end to this craziness so she was going for it. "Discuss, what possibly would there be to discuss?"she asked her mother as she walked with her feeling irritated that Dympna had a firm grip on her arm and her physical strength, as weak as it was would never help her. "You need to remove the curse from them and let them free" she said angrily as she watched her mother's face.