In The Beginning, I Summoned Bellatrix To Be My Wife In Harry Potter

Chapter -18.

"Ouch! What happened? Why did you stop so suddenly?" Theodore asked, catching Bellatrix just in time before she stumbled forward.

"Oh, it’s nothing. I was just a bit startled by a few unexpected faces," Bellatrix replied, meeting his gaze and subtly signaling for him to let her go. It felt a little awkward being held like that in public. Understanding her cue, Theodore smiled and helped her stand up straight before taking a step forward to sneak a glance at the uninvited guests she had mentioned.

"Are you talking about the Aurors?" he asked, noticing a group of men in black robes standing around, making the shopkeepers uneasy. Bellatrix looked like she was ready to turn back, and she soon voiced her thoughts, "Maybe we should head to Diagon Alley first. I have some important things to pick up."

Seeing her come up with a reason to change direction made Theodore chuckle. He reached out, took her hand, and gently pulled her along, saying, "Why worry about them? They’re probably just here for a routine check or something."

Bellatrix hesitated for a moment, not wanting to agree, but since Theodore was still holding her hand, she had no choice but to go with him. As they walked past the group of Aurors, she realized she had been overthinking it; neither of Aurors seemed to pay any attention to them at all.

"See? What did I tell you? It was just your imagination running wild," Theodore said, noticing that Bellatrix was starting to relax a bit.

"You’re right, but it’s not that simple. Plus, you’re not the younger version of a mass murderer, so you might not get it," Bellatrix replied, pulling her hand back and drifting into her own thoughts as she followed behind Theodore. Who figured it was best to let her have her space for now.

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"We're here!" Theodore called out, trying to catch Bellatrix's attention, who seemed to be deep in her own thoughts.

Finally snapping out of it, Bellatrix looked where Theodore was pointing and asked, "Is this the shop where you're planning to buy the magic lantern?" She glanced at the shabby storefront and couldn’t help but think it looked more like a junkyard.

"Don't worry, I'm sure we'll find it," Theodore reassured her with a smile before stepping inside. The shop had a strange smell, a mix of odd substances and metal. It was cluttered with broken items, and behind the counter, a young man about Theodore's age was dozing off with his head resting on the table.

Bellatrix followed him in, unfazed by the smell, and stood there with a raised eyebrow. "Who sleeps in a shop instead of taking care of it? as i've said this was not best place to go shopping," she remarked.

"Hey, take it easy!" Theodore said, noticing her fiery mood. He raised his hand to calm her down, then pulled out his wand and gently placed it on the sleeping guy's neck, whispering an incantation.

Bzzt!

A sudden electrical buzz filled the air, followed by a startled shout from the man who jolted awake, rubbing his neck. "Merlin's beard, who did that?" he exclaimed, still groggy and a bit angry as he squinted at the two of them.

Theodore, quickly hiding his wand, pointed at Bellatrix, which startled her for a moment. But before she could react, the man, still recovering from the shock, focused solely on Theodore. "You! What did you do? And why are you here?"

Seeing that the man wasn’t playing along with his teasing, Theodore sighed and pointed his finger at him. "Avada Kedavra," he said with a mock disappointment, then added, "You should be grateful I don’t know wandless magic; otherwise, I might have really done something!"

"Ah, Theo, you’re still the same as ever! So, what brings you here after almost a year of ignoring my letters?" Adam sighed, pulling out his wand to conjure up two chairs from the junkyard for Bellatrix and Theodore to sit on.

"Nothing too fancy; I needed a magical item, and since you deal in that kind of stuff, I thought I’d come to you instead of going elsewhere," Theodore replied, puffing out his chest a bit. Then, with a hint of annoyance, he added, "And you know why I’ve been ignoring your letters, right, Adam?"

Adam couldn’t help but chuckle at his friend’s reasoning. "Fair enough," he said. Who would want to work in a shop full of second-hand junk after graduating from Hogwarts with top marks? But since this was his family’s shop, he couldn’t really complain.

Noticing Bellatrix’s raised brows and confused expression, Adam said, "Please, have a seat! This guy and I go way back to our Hogwarts days; we were both in Slytherin." He then shot Theodore a look, encouraging him to introduce her.

Understanding the hint, Theodore put on a serious face and said, "Bella, meet Adam, my schoolmate. Adam, this is Bella, my fiancée." He continued with the same introduction he had used with Tom.

"What? Fiancée? And you? How did that happen?" Adam was so surprised that he emphasized each word, making it sound like he had a dozen questions.

Theodore didn’t mind his friend’s comments, but when he heard Bellatrix chuckling under her mask at Adam’s reaction, he couldn’t let it slide. "What do you mean by that? What’s wrong with me having a fiancée? If anyone shouldn’t have a fiancée, it’s you, who just dozes off at a job you only got because it’s your dad’s shop!"

As soon as the words left Theodore’s mouth, he realized he might have gone too far. The atmosphere in the shop turned awkwardly silent.

Feeling the need to apologize—especially since Bellatrix was staring at him like he was a monster—he opened his mouth to speak. But before he could, Adam slowly said, "Well, I can’t deny that, but just so you know, I already have a beautiful wife, and she’s seven months pregnant."

Without realizing what had just happened, Theodore hugged Adam and exclaimed, "Congratulations, buddy! I always knew your pants’ zip was a bit loose!" Hearing that, Adam burst into laughter and replied, "Haha, you rascal! You really haven’t changed in all these years!"