"Sir, I'd like to ask your daughter's hand in marriage." Rodolphus asked nervously.
"Well…I suppose yes, Mr. Lestrange." Cygnus Black said thoughtfully. "As long as you take care of her. She's quite delicate." He sniffed in approval. "I'll go talk to your father about this and draw up the plans for the wedding."
Rodolphus was confused. There was nothing 'delicate' about Bella. She was fiery, passionate, sassy, sensual, dark, alluring, sexy, smart, and boisterous. However, he nodded.
"Thank you, Mr. Black." He said. Cygnus nodded and stood to talk with Rodolphus' father. The boy wandered off happily, thinking about his love and soon-to-be wife.
"Dear, you are to marry Rodolphus Lestrange in three months' time." Cygnus said fondly to his youngest and fairest daughter, Narcissa. Said girl stood up, alarmed.
"Father! You know I don't like Rodolphus! I love Lucius!" Narcissa cried. Rodolphus' father drew back, affronted, and Cygnus sighed.
"Narcissa, it is impolite to decline a marriage offer. Besides, this is the perfect way to join two old pureblood lines. I'm sure Rodolphus would be a good husband." Cygnus said sternly. This caused the young blond-haired, blue-eyed girl to storm off petulantly.
"I'm sorry, Romulus. I don't know what's gotten into her. She's usually very meek and obedient." Cygnus apologized embarrassedly. Romulus chuckled.
"She's quite headstrong…but I always thought Rodolphus was into headstrong girls anyway. She'll be perfect for him." The elder Lestrange said. At this, the two heads of their families walked off, chatting amicably.
"Bellatrix, you really need to get married. Now that Narcissa is engaged, you, as the eldest, should be engaged as well." Druella Black née Rosier fretted. Bella pouted.
"I don't want to, mother. You know I don't." She said angrily.
"Bellatrix! Narcissa is entering a perfectly respectable marriage to join two families together! I think the Malfoy boy would be perfect for you. Don't you?" Druella's severe voice allowed no space for an argument. Bellatrix blinked in shock.
"What? Lucius? I hate him! Besides, isn't Cissy marrying him? She's certainly fawning over him all the time." Bella asked. Druella looked at her eldest daughter incredulously.
"Haven't you heard? The eldest Lestrange boy proposed yesterday, Bella. What have you been up to?" Druella said. Bella backed away, eyes going wide.
"What?" She whispered. Druella looked at her daughter strangely.
"Why, Bella, you should be happy for your sister." Druella frowned.
"Rodolphus proposed to Narcissa?" Bella yelled furiously, tears beginning to well up in her eyes.
"What's wrong with that?" Druella asked, more confused than ever.
"I thought he loved me…" Bella mumbled, running off. Druella paused.
"Wait, what?" She called after the dark-haired beauty, who wasn't listening, who wasn't stopping, who ran out of the door and into the harsh rain, sobbing uncontrollably, her heart broken.
"Mate, I'm getting married!" Rodolphus said cheerfully, entering his room in Lestrange Manor. Lucius, who was visiting, glared at him. Rodolphus eyed him curiously. "What, aren't you happy for me, Lucius? I'm finally marrying the woman of my dreams!" He said rather cheesily, grinning stupidly. Lucius didn't say anything, just staring at the floor moodily. Rodolphus frowned.
"What's wrong with him?" He asked his younger brother Rabastan, who shrugged.
"Beats me, Rod." He said. "Maybe he's just jealous." Rabastan suggested.
"Jealous? What for?" Rodolphus asked. "It's not like I'm marrying Narcissa or anything." He joked. Lucius' head whipped up, a snarl on his lips.
"Don't joke around about something like that! And anyway, how could you know you're not marrying Narcissa? Didn't you propose?" Lucius growled. Rodolphus blinked, stunned.
"What?" Rodolphus practically squawked. "Narcissa? Where…how…when…did I propose to her?" He asked, totally lost. Lucius looked at him angrily, but still a bit astonished.
"You didn't propose to her?"
"What the hell are you talking about, mate! Are you blind or something? I love Bella! I was proposing to her, you idiot!" Rodolphus said. Lucius looked at him blankly, and Rodolphus paled.
"Oh. No." He said. "Please don't tell me they took this the wrong way and thought I was proposing to the meekest of the lot! I'm not even interested in her, dude!" Rodolphus groaned exasperatedly.
"Well go tell them!" Lucius jumped up. Rodolphus ran out of the room, the usually composed blond sprinting after him. Rabastan was left snickering at the irony of the situation. Ah, the drama of living a pureblood life.
"F-father! Mr. Black!" Rodolphus skidded to a halt, panting.
"Rodolphus, this isn't acceptable behaviour." Romulus frowned disapprovingly.
"But it's urgent!" Lucius gasped, his hair messy and ruffled.
"I don't want to marry Narcissa!" Rodolphus blurted out. Romulus looked at his son, and Cygnus raised an eyebrow.
"You proposed, Rodolphus." Cygnus said coldly.
"Sorry sir! I thought you knew who I meant…I want to marry Bellatrix, not Narcissa." Rodolphus explained. Lucius nodded furiously.
"I want to propose to Narcissa when she's a bit older." He said in a slightly shy way. Cygnus and Romulus looked at each other, blinked, and burst out laughing.
"Why didn't you tell us! I was worried about my eldest, Rodolphus! She's a hard one to marry off!" Cygnus boomed, clapping Rodolphus on the back.
"That does make more sense." Romulus chuckled. "Always thought Narcissa was a bit too refined for you."
"Alright then boys, we have a contract to change. Off you go, and make sure you tell the girls." Cygnus shooed the boys away.
Rodolphus and Lucius left the room with ridiculously relieved and goofy expressions on.
"Well, see you then, Lucius! Tell your girl that it's canceled, and I'll tell mine the news." Rodolphus said a bit too cheerfully.
"Alright. Don't let it inflate your big head anymore." Lucius laughed before the two flooed to Black Manor.
"Bella! Bella! Bella where are you?" Rodolphus called happily into the sunlight halls of the manor.
"She's not here. She ran away." Narcissa said. Upon seeing Lucius, she brightened up, then looked down again.
"By the way, Narcissa, you're not engaged anymore." Lucius said, eyes twinkling. At first, Narcissa nodded quietly, then…
"WHAAAT!" She exclaimed. Lucius grinned joyously as she flew into his arms, laughing happily.
Rodolphus didn't notice the couple. He was too busy searching the house.
"Bella? Where are you?" He refused to believe that she had gone. Where could she have gone to, though?
"It's no use calling, Rodolphus. Why don't you come in for a cup of tea?" Druella asked. Rodolphus followed her into the drawing room anxiously. They both sat down and Druella sipped her tea primly. Rodolphus left his cup alone, hands fiddling.
"She ran away as soon as she heard of your engagement to Narcissa." Druella said tiredly and Rodolphus noticed the dark circles under the woman's eyes. Clearly he was not the only one worried.
"But ma'am, I canceled it." Rodolphus said. "I mean…it was Bella I meant to marry." He said. Druella looked at him, smiling.
"I thought so. I take it that the Malfoy boy is proposing to my youngest soon, then?" She asked. Rodolphus was amazed by her perceptiveness.
"Yes ma'am." He said, nodding dutifully. "But…do you have any idea where to find her?" He asked. Druella shook her head and sighed.
"If I knew she would be back now." She said. Rodolphus nodded.
"Thank you for your time, Mrs. Black." He stood up. "I need to search for my fiancée." He said, a smile making its way onto his lips. Druella smiled.
"Of course Rodolphus. Get my daughter back." She said. Rodolphus nodded again and rushed off.
Bella rang the doorbell, tears streaking down her face, mingling with the rain. Her dark hair clung to her back, dripping. Some locks were plastered to her flushed cheeks.
The door cracked open to reveal the face of her younger sister, who was fresh out of school and who had ran away to marry a Muggleborn. Her disowned sister Andromeda Tonks née Black stared at her older sister.
"Bellatrix?" She asked fearfully. "What do you want?" She asked. Bella shook her head, spraying water everywhere.
"Andie." She said hoarsely. "Can I please stay here for a few days?" She pleaded, eyes wide. Andromeda looked at Bellatrix for a few seconds, hesitant. Bella looked at Andromeda with puffy eyes, her expression pleading.
"Come in." The door swung open.
Rodolphus wandered the streets of London, running a hand through his hair. Where could Bella be? She definitely wasn't in any of the manors, nor could she be in Hogwarts. She couldn't be at Grimmauld Place because the kind aunt of hers would send her back immediately with a few slaps and harsh words. So where…Rodolphus froze.
"No…" He muttered, starting to walk again. "She wouldn't. She hates her." He said doubtfully. "But she's still family…" He said thoughtfully. "Why not?" He shrugged. Changing direction, he hurried through the drizzling and dreary roads of London, heading for the Leaky Cauldron.
"Hello, Mr. Lestrange." The bartender, Tom greeted him. "Can I get you anything?"
"No thanks." Rodolphus didn't even look at the man before rushing to the flooing point.
"Black Manor!" He whispered.
He landed on the other side clumsily in his haste, searching the house again.
"Narcissa!" He called. He reached her room and knocked. There was a mad scrambling noise inside as he went into the room. He looked at Lucius and Narcissa sitting on the bed, flushed and hair ruffled. He chuckled despite his hurry.
"I'll just be a moment, and you can be back to your snogging session." He said slyly.
"Hurry up then." Lucius said irritably, a slight flush on his cheeks. Narcissa blushed as her ex-fiancée's eyes moved onto her.
"Narcissa, I know you're not allowed to mention this, but where is Andromeda living?" He asked urgently. Narcissa looked at him coolly.
"Why do you want to know?" She asked suspiciously. "And what makes you think I'd know?"
"Andromeda must have left an address. Even though you've disowned her, she still loves you. I think Bella might be there. I need to find her." Rodolphus explained impatiently.
"Why would Bella be there?" Narcissa asked incredulously.
"So that I wouldn't know where to find her." Rodolphus sighed. "There's been a misunderstanding, as you know. I need to explain it to her. She must be feeling so hurt and betrayed." He said worriedly. Narcissa smiled at his concern for her sister.
"Alright, the address is…"
"Number 3, Maple Street!" Rodolphus whispered into the fireplace and dropped the handful of floo powder. The world spun around him and he was spat out of a homey-looking fireplace into a warm atmosphere. A brown-haired man walked into the room.
"And you are?" He asked.
"Rodolphus Lestrange, sir." Rodolphus hid his sneer from the man who was obviously a Muggle.
"You're a wizard, I presume. Welcome. What do you need?" The man asked warmly. Rodolphus was taken aback at the hospitality the man's shown.
"I…is Bellatrix staying here?"
"Bellatrix…black hair, violet eyes, Andromeda's sister?" The man asked.
"Yessir." Rodolphus said.
"Sit down. I'll go get her. Feel free to refresh yourself." The man gestured at the table, where Rodolphus could see a pile of chocolate frogs and a box of Bertie Bott's Every Flavoured Beans and some strange looking things—Muggle candy, he supposed. He sat down gingerly.
"And sir? Please don't tell her my name or what I look like." He said. The man paused at the doorway and nodded before walking out.
Rodolphus could only wait in silence.
"Thank you for your time, Cygnus." Romulus said.
"I'm just relieved that this is over. Never thought anyone would like Bellatrix. Thank you, Romulus." Cygnus shook his friend's hand.
"Ah, it's no problem. Besides, Bellatrix is a feisty one. She will be good for Rod." Romulus said.
"So the wedding is in a week, then?" Cygnus asked.
"Yes, of course." Romulus said.
"Wouldn't do for the girl to run away from the marriage." Cygnus chuckled.
"Somehow I doubt it. I've seen those two youngsters." Romulus chuckled.
"Alright then. I'd better get back and tell Druella. She'll go ballistic with only a week to prepare." Cygnus sighed. Romulus cringed.
"Imagine my wife's reaction, Cygnus." He reminded the Black patriarch. Cygnus patted Romulus' back in sympathy.
"If you need any potions, you're welcome to take my stock." Cygnus chuckled.
"Just make sure that you leave some Skelegrow and blood-replenishers. Then I think I should be set." Romulus said nervously.
"Best of luck, Romulus." Cygnus said.
"Thanks. I'll need it."
"Rodolphus…?" A shocked voice asked from the doorway. Rodolphus looked up from the floor and smiled when he saw Bellatrix standing there, beautiful as ever.
"Bella!" He said, leaping up.
"Don't come near me!" Bella spat venomously. Rodolphus halted, hurt on his face.
"Bella…I love you." He said. Bella glared.
"You proposed to Narcissa!" She said, tears welling up into her eyes. "I thought you love me as well! Seems like I was wrong!" She said harshly.
"It was a mistake!" Rodolphus suddenly cried. In a few powerful strides he crossed the room and held her in his arms. She struggled to get away. "I meant to propose to you…" He whispered into her ear, nipping at it. She stilled, and he looked into her eyes.
"W-what?" She asked softly. She seemed strangely vulnerable in this state, Rodolphus noted.
"Your father mistook my intentions, Bella." Rodolphus said. "I love you, and only you, ma chèrie." He said. Her large eyes looked at him, shining hopefully.
"You want to marry me?" She asked. Rodolphus broke away and knelt on one knee, producing a black velvet box. Bella gasped, heart fluttering. He wouldn't…not here…not now…what was he…surely not?
"Bellatrix Black…from the first day I set my eyes on you, I have vowed that you would be my wife one day. You're beautiful, fiery, passionate, and I love every bit of you. You're perfect and a goddess to me…I know we fought in school, and I admired you so much when she stood up to me and the other boys. You're independent and headstrong, and I love you for that." Rodolphus said nervously but confidently. "Will you marry me?" He gazed into her eyes again, mustering every bit of his strength and love and conveying it. Bella thought she would melt. After what seemed like an eternity of waiting, she finally spoke.
"Yes, Rodolphus Lestrange, yes, I will marry you!" She finally shouted. Rodolphus thought he could conjure up the world's best, brightest, and largest Patronus at that moment. He slipped the brilliant ring onto her ring finger onto her left hand, signalling the promise of a beautiful future together. The ring itself was silver, snake-shaped ring with an emerald gem set in the middle with diamonds encircling it. On the inside of the ring was engraved 'Pour Toujours'. Bella was rendered speechless by the beauty of it. It might not be the most glamorous of rings in the world, but for her right now, it was the best ring ever. She couldn't wait for the actual wedding ring nor the wedding itself.
Before she could react to anything, Rodolphus had already lowered his head and was sweeping her away to heaven with a soulful kiss. They poured all of their emotions and love into it, tongues swirling around each other in a fervent battle. In the middle of it there was a flash, but they thought nothing of it, being so caught up in the moment. In the end, Rodolphus dominated Bella and she surrendered herself heart, body, and soul to him. It felt like forever.
"That was amazing…" Bella whispered when he pulled away, both breathless. "But you've got to admit, the speech was cheesy, Rodolphus Lestrange." She teased.
Rodolphus rubbed his head sheepishly, a silly grin on his handsome visage.
"But cheesy or not, I can't wait to be known as Mrs. Bellatrix Lestrange." She winked.
"That was so cuuuuuute!" A new voice squealed. Bella and Rod whirled around to see Andromeda with a camera in her hands, grinning from ear to ear.
"So that was the flash…" Rodolphus mumbled. "Oh dear…someone's going to have to run…"
"Andromeda Black-Tonks! Destroy that photo this instant you little…!" Bella shouted, blushing furiously.
"Nah! This is brilliant!" Andromeda giggled. Bella lunged at her, but missed as Andie danced out of the way.
"Can't catch me!" The middle Black sister laughed and ran. Bella scrambled up.
"THIS MEANS WAR!"