Chapter 281: The Toad’s Agenda and The Dementor’s Leash

Bellatrix tilted her head, her dark, heavy-lidded eyes narrowing slightly as she studied him. She didn’t immediately draw her wand, nor did she snap at him for asking questions above his station.

Instead, a look of genuine consideration crossed her face.

"You want to learn about the attack?" Bellatrix mused, trailing a finger thoughtfully against her own chin. "What use is this information to you, little star? You are a student. A brilliant one, apparently, but still just a boy."

Interesting, Orion noted internally, his mind whirring. She isn’t rejecting the request outright. She is actively weighing the merit of telling me. The Familiar’s Orb is already establishing the baseline of trust. She wants to indulge me, but she needs a logical reason to justify sharing operational intelligence with a child.

He needed to provide that justification. He needed to prove he wasn’t just asking out of childish curiosity, but out of a shared, intellectual competence.

"I have a passion for mystery solving, Aunt Bella," Orion explained smoothly, stepping slightly closer. "I find the mechanics of strategy fascinating. As I am sure you are aware from the reports regarding the Chamber of Secrets, I do not like puzzles left unsolved."

He paused, lowering his voice conspiratorially.

"Furthermore," Orion continued, demonstrating his insider knowledge, "I already know that Antonin Dolohov was the one at the epicenter of the explosion."

Bellatrix’s eyes widened a fraction in genuine surprise.

"The Ministry has not released that detail to the public," Orion smirked, a cold, knowing expression. "But I was at ground zero. I saw the aftermath. I know he was there."

He crossed his arms, presenting his query as an intellectual debate between equals.

"But I am stumped by the logistics," Orion admitted, frowning slightly. "How was Dolohov able to command so many Dementors to coordinate an assault? From my extensive reading, Dementors do not listen to standard commands. They are driven by hunger."

He looked at her intently. "I am also immensely curious as to who exactly attacked Dolohov in the first place, forcing him to blow up the shack and reveal himself to the trainee Aurors."

Bellatrix stared at him for a long moment. Then, she threw her head back and let out a loud, delighted, manic cackle.

"Oh my, you want to have grown-up talk!" Bellatrix laughed, clapping her hands together. "How incredibly cute of you, my dear godson. You truly are a sharp little thing, aren’t you?"

She stopped laughing, a wicked, indulgent smile spreading across her face. The magical bond was subtly encouraging her to reward his curiosity, framing it as a proud aunt nurturing a promising prodigy.

"I suppose it would be fine to tell you," Bellatrix decided, waving a dismissive hand. "It’s not as if you are going to run to Dumbledore with it. And it proves you have a head for war."

She stepped closer, dropping her voice to a harsh, conspiratorial whisper.

"It is true that Dementors do not listen to just anyone," Bellatrix confirmed, a sneer twisting her beautiful features. "Those foul, rotting wretches barely have a brain anyway. The Dark Lord is capable of dominating them through sheer terror. But they certainly do not follow the commands of a standard Death Eater. Not willingly."

She began to pace slowly around him again.

"Currently, the Ministry has a fragile, bureaucratic alliance with the Dementors," Bellatrix explained. "They feed them prisoners in exchange for guard duty. However... the Dementors always want more food. They are starving for pure misery."

Bellatrix stopped in front of him, her eyes gleaming with dark amusement.

"And we happen to have a certain, highly placed Ministry employee who possesses high enough clearance, and a dark enough soul, to have a significant pull with the Dementor liaisons," Bellatrix revealed. "She handed their leash over to us."

Orion kept his face perfectly still, his mind cataloging the devastating admission.

"The arrogant, foolish woman actually thinks she is using us for her own benefit," Bellatrix sneered, genuine disgust lacing her tone. "She thinks that just because she hatched a secret deal with Pettigrew to orchestrate our release during the Halloween panic, that she now somehow owns us. She thinks we are her personal attack dogs."

Bellatrix spat on the frosted gravel. "She is drastically overestimating her own worth, and vastly underestimating us. That vile, simpering pink toad."

Orion didn’t miss a beat.

"Of course," Orion muttered, a cold realization settling over him. "It’s Dolores Umbridge."

Bellatrix stopped, looking at him with profound, genuine admiration.

"My, my," Bellatrix grinned, showing teeth. "You recognize her description instantly. You truly are observant, Orion."

"Yeah," Orion sighed, rolling his shoulders, remembering the grating, high-pitched ’hem, hem’ from the Headmaster’s office. "She is one of the very, very few people in this world I would have preferred to have never met at all. Her aesthetic alone is a crime against humanity."

Bellatrix laughed again, a shorter, sharper sound. "We are in complete agreement on that, little star."

Orion paused, his brow furrowing as he processed the political implications.

"But I do wonder, Aunt Bella," Orion asked, pushing the interrogation further while she was compliant. "Why would Umbridge orchestrate your escape? And why would she help secure a Dementor swarm for yesterday’s attack in Hogsmeade? What is her endgame?"