A/N – Written for round nine of QL, with the optional prompts [word] deceit, [emotion] jealousy and [word] feather. Very loosely based off of Much Ado About Nothing.
And thank you Firefly81 for beta'ing.
"Bellatrix? I hear your sister's dating a Muggle," a nasally voice called from across the Common Room.
"What gave you such a ridiculous idea? She's a Slytherin; a Black. She would never lower herself in such a way." She quickly cut off the gossip.
"I'm pretty sure she is, Bellatrix," Lucius murmured with a feigned air of indifference.
"What do you care?" she snapped, still careful to keep her voice low.
"I plan to marry your sister as soon as she's graduated." He turned to face her with sharp eyes. "But that will change if the other one can't act appropriately. I will not be linked to such behaviour."
"You aren't a part of our family yet, Lucius," she hissed. "And this is a family matter. I will deal with it. And it is certainly no business of yours how and when I do so."
"Just see to it that you do," he said, standing and heading to his dorm room.
She'd think of something.
"I can't believe you want to marry that... that... that tosser! He's such a self-righteous arsehole!"
"Bella, calm down," Narcissa tried to placate her sister. "His blood is pure. Shouldn't that be enough?"
"Of course he's a Pureblood. That's a given. But he's so controlling. You'll never be your own person with him. He will take all the power and leave you with none!"
"It's not about power, Bella," Narcissa said in the same gentle tone. "I love him."
"Love? You love him?" she asked incredulously.
"Yes. That's what I said."
"Merlin, you're almost as bad as Andromeda and that Muggle. Love has nothing to do with marriage."
"It has everything to do with a marriage. I wish you could see that."
"You're wrong. And so is Andy. I'll show you both."
She watched her sister from across the room. They looked similar enough. Andy's hair was lighter and her eyes a little wider – she was overall softer looking – but it was of no matter.
She knew her sister was meeting the Muggle later that night. It would be dark enough that he probably wouldn't notice their differences. She could only hope – her entire plan was based on this theory.
"Look, Black, I don't know what you want here," the Shafiq boy said.
"Just do as you're told," she snapped.
"I can easily give you detention. You're out after curfew."
"Really," she smirked. "Go ahead, then. She leant closer and whispered, "I dare you."
"Dromeda?" a loud whisper interrupted them. Bellatrix grinned, shoving Shafiq into the wall.
"Touch me," she whispered.
"Wha-"
"Do it," she snapped, clearly irritated.
"Dromeda? Where are- Oh."
She didn't turn around to look – that would ruin the plan – but she clearly heard the sharp intake of breath and the loud footsteps running over stone floor.
"Bella, I don't know what happened!" Her sister had tears staining her cheeks.
"What are you talking about, Andy?"
"Te- This boy. I was dating him. We were in love, Bella! And this morning he told me he didn't want to see me again!" she wailed.
"Why?" she asked, mustering as much false sympathy as she could.
"I don't know! I asked, and he said I knew what I did. But I didn't do anything, Bella." It was a little pathetic, really, how low this Mudblood had brought her. Maybe they deserved each other after all.
"What? Tonks didn't even give you a reason?" She knew as soon as she'd said it that she'd made a mistake. Even Andy, in her distraught state, couldn't have missed it.
"Tonks? You- Merlin, Bella, you didn't."
"Didn't what?" She tried to sound innocent, but innocence had never been something she was particularly good at.
"What. Did. You. Do?" Andromeda yelled.
"Nothing, Andy," Bellatrix began.
"Don't you 'nothing, Andy' me! You must have done something! I just knew I couldn't tell you! After you found out who he was you'd... you'd... What did you do?"
"Andy-"
"No. Y'know what? I'll just go ask him. I can explain everything and-"
"And he can explain how he so easily mistook me for you?"
Andromeda's silence said more than words possibly could.
"Oh, Andy, I told Shafiq you'd help him with a charms problem he was having," she said nonchalantly over breakfast.
"Who?"
"Ravenclaw prefect."
"Ravenclaw? Why's he need help?"
"Don't be so stereotypical, Andy." The look Andromeda sent her prompted her to continue. "Maybe it's a difficult charms problem? I don't know! Just go over." She turned back to her food, to all appearances ignoring her sister.
"Which one is he?" Andromeda sighed.
"My year. Look for the prefects' badge." Bellatrix didn't turn away from her food, but kept Andromeda in her peripheral vision as she pushed herself up from the Slytherin table.
She switched her attention over to the Hufflepuff table, and Merlin, was she glad she did. The Mudblood couldn't take his eyes off her sister; at first he tried to hide it – a pathetic attempt, really – but it grew increasingly obvious the closer Andy got to the Ravenclaw table. He was practically purple by the time she sat down.
"What the fuck, Dromeda!" There was absolute silence in the Great Hall; all attention focused on one couple.
"What?" she asked innocently. Bellatrix couldn't suppress the small amount of pride she felt at that; perhaps there was hope for her sister yet.
"You know what!" Oh, this was brilliant!
"No, I really don't."
"Dromeda-"
"Are you sure? I mean, I do look an awful lot like my sister."
"Wha-" She could see the moment realisation hit the idiot.
"Dromeda, please," he begged. "Can't we just talk about this?"
"Talk? You want to talk? Go on then. Why don't we start with how you can't even tell me apart from my sister?"
"Well... I was expecting to meet you there," he muttered.
"Why?"
"You said you wanted to meet me. You gave the time and place. Your sister-"
"Please tell me you weren't stupid enough to think that Bellatrix was acting out of the goodness of her heart."
"But... She's your sister..."
"Merlin, Ted, seriously? She hates you! You're a Mu-ggle... born."
"Narcissa doesn't seem to care," he muttered petulantly.
"Narcissa probably doesn't even know! She's not concerned with anything that doesn't affect her."
"Really? I've spoken to her before. She seems... nice enough," the wince was audible in his voice.
"What on earth possessed you to start a conversation with Narcissa of all people?"
"She came up to me." Bellatrix was furious at that revelation, but she couldn't do anything without giving away her hiding position.
"Why?"
"To talk about you. And me. Us."
"But that's a secret!"
"Exactly."
"So no one knows."
"Everyone knows, Dromeda."
Bellatrix was furious; after all the lies and deceit, they were closer together. Parading around Hogwarts like love-sick puppies. Absolutely disgusting.
"Maybe you should just be happy for them?" Narcissa whispered.
"I will never be happy to see her tainting the family line. She has a duty – we all have a duty – to keep the blood pure." She pulled her hand away from the feather-light touch to her knuckles, glaring at her sister with as much hatred as she could muster.
"I don't think-"
"That's your problem, Cissi. You don't think." She ignored the hurt look on her sister's face.
She could hear the screaming from her room. Apparently rumours of Andy's relationship with the Muggle had spread past Hogwarts. She felt a sick sense of satisfaction at her parents' fury - she had been right - and Andy did deserve it, after all. She'd brought this on herself.
"Bella, maybe we should go help," Narcissa whispered, as though afraid of being overheard.
"I think our parents have it covered, Cissi."
Narcissa mumbled something under her breath.
"What was that?" Bellatrix snapped.
"Oh, nothing." Narcissa frowned. "What do you think they're going to do?"
"Put a stop to this ridiculous infatuation, of course."
"What if Andy refuses?"
"She won't. She's not that stupid."
"Cissi, please. You could come with me," Andy begged, gripping both Narcissa's hands in her own.
"I wish I could, Andy." Bellatrix barely managed to hold herself back from throttling both her sisters. "But this is where I belong." Narcissa pulled her hands back and Andromeda's fell to hang limply at her sides. Both were crying.
"Cissi isn't a blood traitor," Bellatrix hissed as she pulled her youngest sister behind her.
"Bella," Andromeda pleaded, reaching out to her older sister.
"Don't touch me," Bellatrix hissed. "I know where your filthy hands have been!" Bellatrix stalked off, dragging Narcissa with her.
She pretended not to notice when, later that night, Narcissa snuck out into the gardens for several hours, returning with red-rimmed eyes.