Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter nor its characters, blah-blah-blah. JKR doesn't go undercover on this site folks! Well, if she does, it ain't me. I'd know if I were the most terrific authour out there, right?
Rating: M, sir.
Pairing: None real pairing. I'm putting this under the Voldemort/Bellatrix category, however, because the story will be all about Bellatrix's life as a Death Eater, but I will not go beyond what it possible in the cannon (meaning, he will not buy her flowers on her birthday). Voldemort is Voldemort, Bellatrix is Bellatrix, and OCC makes my skin crawwwlllll!
Timeline: Starts shortly after the end of Bellatrix's education at Hogwarts, and will end at the end of the seventh book. I will try to follow as I remember, I might mess up some details, but I will do my best. This story is more about filling the holes than recopying Rowling's book (a bit like I did with my DBZ fic Addiction). Oh and I don't know the Black family tree by heart so I might mess up a little with the sisters' age, but who cares, at least I have them in the good order lol. At the beginning Bella's 18, Andromeda's 16, and Cissy just turned 15.
Faithful
Chapter 1: 'til death do us apart
It was the first day she wore white - truly. And she knew it would be the last day she'd ever wear white. Sighing heavily, Bellatrix Black glanced at her younger sister Narcissa through the huge mirror in from of her. The third and yougest of the Black sisters was gracefully sitting on the edge of the bed. She wore a beautiful blue satin gown that matched her eyes perfectly, and her long, golden blond hair fell in elegant waves on her pale shoulders.
"Why isn't she wearing white too?" Bellatrix growled at the house elf who was currently arranging her long dark hair in an overly complicated chignon. "It's unfair."
"Only the bride gets to wear white," the small creature replied with her high-pitched voice.
"It wouldn't match my fair skin anyway," Narcissa added, looking at her perfect nails.
Bellatrix rolled her eyes.
"Doesn't match mine either, Cissy, I'm just as fair-skinned as you. Change the colour of my gown, Fluffy, I hate it. Make it black, or at least blue like Cissy's."
"I cannot-"
"Of course you can," Bellatrix snapped, "Because I am your mistress and I'm ordering you to change my gown."
The elf shook her head frenetically.
"Mistress said the young mistress would say that, and she said I was not to obey unless I..."
Fluffy shivered.
"Unless I want to receive clothes."
"You're gonna receive far more than a decent hat or pair of socks if you don't obey me!" the bride growled menancingly, reaching for her magic wand.
"Let it go, Bella," Narcissa sighed, forcing her sister to lower her wand. "Mother would turn the dress back to white as soon as she'd see you, so no point bothering with that, right? You'll just be wearing black for the rest of your life anyway."
"Exactly," Fluffy said, very relieved that her youngest mistress had came to her aid. "It is traditional."
"You're both fussing around about the dress' colour," another voice said, "Like it's what actually matters right now. That Bella is gonna get married in a gown she doesn't like."
Bellatrix, Narcissa and even Fluffy turned to the sound of the voice: Andromeda, wearing a dress just like Narcissa's, had been sitting in a corner of her sister's bedroom in silence ever since the preparations had started. She had been so quiet that they had came to forget that she was even here, which often happened with Andromeda anyway. Physically, she bore a very strong ressemblance to her elder, but the similarity stopped where it began: at their looks. Other than sharing the same traits common to most of the Black family members, they were nothing alike. Andromeda did not fit in the family: she had never fitted, and it had always been a concern for their parents.
"What should matter," she continued, her arms crossed, "Is that you're getting married to Rodolphus Lestrange, repeat, Rodolphus Lestrange. I've seen him at Hogwarts, he's an idiot."
"He is a fine young man from a very respectable family," Bellatrix replied flatly.
"Such passionate feelings," Andromeda said. "You're just repeating what Mother's been telling to you for the last three years."
"Passion is for idiots like our cousin Sirius," Narcissa snorted. "Pure Blood weddings are meant to reinforce the relationships between the families. Bellatrix is doing what is expected of the three of us."
"That's easy for you to say, Miss-I'm-going-to-become-Mrs.-Malfoy," Andromeda spat. "You love Lucius, good for you. But Bella and Rodolphus? She hardly ever spoke to him! She can't marry a guy she barely knows, it's insane! It's just not right, Bella, please reconsider! This is not right!"
While Bellatrix remained silent, Narcissa spoke yet again:
"Andromeda, stop bothering her! She follows her heart-"
"Her heart?" the second sister repeated after the blonde. "Bella, how can you truly consider Rodolphus with your heart? Have you ever spoke to him all night long? Have you ever held his hand, heck have you ever stared at him in the eyes and just... felt good, only by meeting his eyes? This is how you are supposed to feel with the man you marry, Bella."
"Grow up, will you?" Bella snapped. "Girls like us don't get these foolish things, girls like us just do what they have to do. We are Pure Blooded witches: we have duties."
"It's not right," her sister insisted.
Bella shrugged.
"What does it matter? All I need is a respectable marriage, which is what I'm doing right now, then a heir, I'll be working on that, then I do whatever I want as Mrs. Bellatrix Lestrange, and I'm looking forward to it. Cissy and you will do the same in due time. She'll be Mrs. Narcissa Malfoy, and you'll be Mrs. Andromeda... whichever Pure Blood is unlucky enough to marry you, I guess."
Andromeda shook her head.
"Oh hell no," she said, a light of fury in her dark eyes. "The day they force a dress like yours on my back so that I can walk down the aisle to a man I don't want to get married with, I'm gonna start running the other way. They'll have to catch me. I swear that I'd rather lose my name and my heritage than be forced to marry anyone."
Narcissa shook her head. She, despite being younger than Andromeda, understood Bellatrix much better than she did. She knew Bellatrix had made her mind and forgot about a love wedding long ago: Andromeda was only making this harder for her.
"If you do it then," the blonde finally dropped, "As of that day, I will say that I have only one sister."
"And so will I," Bellatrix coldly added.
"Bella-"
Andromeda held her tongue when the door was opened by their mother. She was a tall, elegant woman who had obviously given her aristocratic allure to her three daughters, and her stunning blue eyes to her youngest child. The witch looked at her daughter, fixing a stray of dark hair here and there, admiring her. In all fairness, as much as Bellatrix hated wearing white, she looked absolutely stunning that day. She was a beaufitul young woman, of course, but the wedding gown magnified her natural beauty.
"You look perfect," she finally dropped.
Her elegant lips curved into a faint smile.
"I am so proud of you," she said, "So proud that you have chosen such a fine man to be your husband."
"Yes," Bellatrix said snidely, glancing at Andromeda over her mother's shoulder, "Unlike someone I know, I suppose."
Her mother frowned.
"Whatever do you mean, darling?"
Bellatrix shrugged, taking the red roses bouquet her mother had brought of her.
"I suppose you will know in due time," she said, her eyes still on her sister. "Is everything ready outside?"
"Yes, if you are ready, we can begin."
"Actually, there's one last thing I wanted to ask, Mother."
"Yes?" the Pure Blood asked, lifting her eyebrow.
"We both agree that everything in the ceremony should please the bride, right?"
Her mother smiled.
"You are not getting another dress, Bella," she simply said before walking out.
"I told you, sis," Narcissa said with a smile.
"Still had to give it a try, I guess," Bellatrix smirked back.
The huge backyard of the Black manor was already beautiful and elegant in normal conditions, with its expensive-looking flowers, prefectly green grass and beautiful trees. Today, however, as it had been prepared to hold the ceremony, it was more magnificent than ever. Rodolphus' head turned when he heard the orchestra's slow music starting, announcing the bride and her maids of honour's entrance.
Bellatrix's beauty was breath-taking - purely breath-taking. Her long, dark curles had been arranged into an elaborated chignon, but a few stray still fell elegantly on her creamy shoulders. With her red lips that matched the roses she was holding and her feline eyes, she was certainly the most beautiful young woman he had ever seen. As she walked towards him, escorted by her two sisters, he could not help but think about how lucky he was - sure, like most Pure Blood, he wasn't marrying a woman he had fallen in love with, but at least, she was gorgeous. And wealthy, too, even wealthier than he was.
She stopped next to him, not smiling at him, barely looking at him, and he met with her sisters' eyes for a very short moment. While Narcissa smiled discretly to him, Andromeda - who bore a striking ressemblance to Bellatrix, now that he saw them together - was leering at him as though he had just caused her the greatest offence. Rodolphus merely shrugged it off - what did he care if his sister-in-law didn't like him anyway? - and they both turned to face the mage, ready to go on with their wedding.
End of the chapter: There you go, my lil' beginning :) As you can see, I went for a super-gorgeous Bellatrix as it is said in the books that Azkaban left her with the ghost of a great beauty, meaning that she used to be super smexy! XD Also, I'd apologise for the non-love Pure Blood wedding cliché, but JKR said it! ;)
