Author's Note: This is for the seven kisses challenge over on the forums. The idea is to pick a character and tell about seven significant kisses throughout their life. I chose Bellatrix Black. Enjoy! :)
The Seven Kisses of Bellatrix Black
i.
The Blacks weren't much for showing affection- especially towards the children. Bellatrix had gone her whole five years of life without receiving a kiss or a hug from her stoic father, and since she didn't know any different, she didn't care.
She knew that her father wanted a son, and his disappointment in Bellatrix and her younger sister Andromeda, was beyond her control. She watched him kick a house-elf furiously when her mother, Druella, told him that the third child she was carrying was another girl. So Bellatrix never expected any show of love or affection from her father. She was, after all, a weak girl that would never carry on the family name or make her parents proud.
When Bellatrix stole her father's wand to play with one afternoon, she wasn't expecting anything to happen. But when the house-elf told her it was time for bed, she grew angry. She pointed the wand at the cowering elf, intending just to scare him into leaving her alone. However, her anger fueled the wand into emitting sparks of red light that hit the elf and caused him to fall over, dead.
When her father stormed into the room, Bellatrix cringed slightly, expecting punishment for stealing his wand. However, he looked from Bellatrix to the dead house-elf and his face lit up. "Did you do this?" he asked, gesturing excitedly to the corpse of the elf.
Bellatrix nodded tentatively. Her father beamed with pride and scooped her up. He gently kissed her forehead. "You're going to be a great witch when you get older."
Bellatrix grinned. His kiss felt like acceptance.
ii.
Bellatrix was ten and took joy in using the wand her father recently bought her to torture her sisters and cousins. She wasn't supposed to use it, not yet, but Bellatrix never followed the rules.
That day, Sirius and little Regulus had come over, and Sirius was sulking about something-or-the-other and refused to answer Bellatrix when she spoke to him.
Bellatrix felt the familiar rise of anger at his sullenness and pointed her wand at his chest. Red sparks flew out and Sirius fell back, moaning in pain. Their mothers came rushing up and Bellatrix heard fragments of sentences like "…like he's been Stunned", "….need to take him to St. Mungo's?", and "….can't believe a ten year old did this."
Bellatrix anxiously stood back, ignoring her sisters' judgmental looks, until her mother turned to her with fury all over her face. She strode to Bellatrix and twisted her arm painfully. "You could have killed him," she hissed. "Wait until your father hears about this."
Bellatrix knew her father wouldn't be pleased. This was different than a dead house-elf, house elves were disposable, and Sirius was the eldest Black boy of the generation. "I'm sorry," she whispered, but her mother ignored her and strode out of the room with Aunt Walburga, who had brought Sirius back to consciousness and left him lying on the day-bed.
Bellatrix creeped towards Sirius. She gently pushed his black hair off his clammy forehead and avoided his eyes. "I didn't mean to hurt you," she apologized tearfully. "It just happened!"
Sirius looked at her and then surprised her with a gentle kiss on the cheek. He closed his eyes and went back to sleep.
Bellatrix let a tear fall. His kiss felt like forgiveness.
iii.
Bellatrix was thirteen and the most popular third-year Slytherin. On her first Hogsmeade trip, she broke away from the cluster of students, and wandered into the Hogs Head. She noticed a third-year boy sitting at the bar and slid into a seat next to him.
She couldn't immediately tell his House, which surprised her, but he looked vaguely familiar so she assumed he was in Slytherin with her.
He grinned at her. "You're Bellatrix Black."
She smiled coyly. "And who are you?"
The boy ignored her question. "I've always thought you were the most attractive girl in school," he said. "My mates said I don't have a chance with you."
She giggled softly. "I wouldn't say no chance."
The boy beamed and grabbed her face in his hands. He kissed her roughly and she broke away gasping. That had been her first kiss.
The boy watched her, smirking slightly. "Would you have done that if you knew I was in Hufflepuff? And my folks are Muggles?"
Bellatrix stared at him in shock and gagged, wiping her mouth furiously with her hand. His kiss tasted like shame.
iv.
Bellatrix watched as her youngest sister pranced around Hogwarts with her new boyfriend. Bellatrix was a seventh-year but Narcissa was just a first-year and had managed to snag a fifth-year Slytherin, Lucius Malfoy, one of the best purebloods at the school.
Bellatrix was disgusted and tried to vent to Andromeda at every possible opportunity. "Look at her," she whispered late one night. "Running around like a common tramp with Lucius, of all people."
Andromeda always glared sternly at her. "She's so happy. Leave it alone."
But Bellatrix couldn't. It wasn't fair. Narcissa didn't deserve him. When the Common Room was empty except for Bellatrix, who was pretending to read a book, and Lucius and Narcissa, she watched. Narcissa gaily kissed Lucius on the lips and headed upstairs to her dormitory. As Lucius yawned and prepared to go upstairs himself, Bellatrix slammed her book shut and stood up.
She walked towards him seductively. "You look sad," she whispered.
He frowned. "I'm rather happy, actually."
Bellatrix raised her eyebrows as she stopped, inches away from him. "You could be happier."
He shrugged, a little nervously. "Well, yeah, I guess."
Bellatrix leaned forward and kissed him. He responded rather eagerly and kissed her back for several long moments. Then he pulled away.
"I'm dating your sister," he growled.
Bellatrix shrugged, turning away. His kiss tasted like guilt.
v.
Bellatrix was twenty-two and getting married. She couldn't stand her husband, Rodolphus Lestrange, who was dull and boring and everything Bellatrix was not.
Yet she would marry him, like her parents expected of her. Still, she wouldn't bear his children, and become a trophy wife like Narcissa, she would become a Death Eater like Rodolphus already was- the most interesting thing about him- and fight.
The music started and Bellatrix grimly headed down the aisle, her black curls bouncing against her cream-colored dress- Bellatrix had fought against wearing white, arguing that she wasn't pure and innocent.
She reached her husband-to-be, who was licking his lips, and tuned out the minister. After several boring minutes, the minister pronounced them husband and wife.
Bellatrix cringed as Rodolphus reached out and kissed her. There was no passion in the kiss. His kiss tasted like regret.
vi.
Two years later, Bellatrix hated her husband and hated the marriage and hated everything about married life. She began to have meaningless affairs, knowing the risk involved. She would shame her family and the Lestrange family if she was ever found out, and normally, that would be enough to stop her, but Bellatrix couldn't go back to just Rodolphus.
She ducked into the flat of the tall and lanky wizard she was seeing this week.
He grinned at her. "Well, hello, madam. Do I get the honor of your name tonight?"
"No," Bellatrix snapped. She always gulped down Polyjuice Potion before an affair. She had a different identity for each wizard, and the disguises were thrilling.
He ran his fingers down her cheeks, sending tingles up her spine. "Well, should we get on with it then?"
Bellatrix rolled her eyes, but allowed him to kiss her softly. His kiss tasted like secrets.
vii.
The next year, Bellatrix was finally, finally admitted into the Death-Eaters. The last few years had been difficult; Bellatrix had had to prove her loyalty countless times by submitting to the Cruciatus curse and of course, using it against others. It was a long and hard journey, as she never knew when the Dark Lord would finally accept her, but she persevered and now it was finally her time.
Rodolphus led her into the circle of Death Eaters, gripping her hand. The Dark Lord stepped out of the shadows and Bellatrix immediately dropped Rodolphus' hand and fell to her knees. She heard her Lord's high-pitched cackle and his familiar scream of "Crucio!" and she writhed on the floor, biting her lip to keep her scream in until blood poured from her mouth.
The Dark Lord finally stopped, staring at her with pleasure as she gasped on the ground, composing herself. "Stand up, Bella," he ordered.
Bellatrix stood up, panting. She held out her left arm and bowed her head deeply, barely clenching her teeth as the Dark Lord burned the Mark into her skin.
When it was over, Bellatrix let out a moan of pleasure. "Oh thank you," she breathed reverently. "Thank you so much."
She dropped to her knees and kissed the edges of his robe. Her kiss, finally, felt like passion.