To Tell or Not to Tell

"Tell him. If you don't now, he will be furious that you lied to him."

Alecto nodded, taking another deep breath. Each step against the stone flooring reverberated around the dimly lit corridor, matching the frantic beating of her heart. Narcissa was right; she had to tell him before he heard from someone else. It wouldn't be so bad… would it?

"Oh no, you don't, go on." Narcissa spun her around when she tried to run.

No, she couldn't do this, no matter how right it sounded.

The pounding in her heart grew and she jumped, a cackle echoing through the corridor.

"Oh dear, the little ones are always the most frightened before meetings," Bellatrix said, skipping up to the pair. "Don't worry, itty bit—wait a minute, no, I know that look. Oh no, no, no, that is a bad idea. I forbid you to tell!"

Alecto began to tremble, any amusement she might've once found at the fast change in Bellatrix's facial expressions (from glee to fear) fading.

"Now look what you've done," Narcissa said, pushing Alecto again. "You know she must tell him about Dominic; think of the punishment for hiding such information from him."

Bellatrix glowered at both of them, arms folded across her chest.

"Come on, Cissy, she'll be fine! If anything, I won't be! Think of my reputation—I introduced her to his graces," Bellatrix hissed, stepping in front of them.

Unfortunately, Narcissa was able to push past her sister, dragging Alecto the remaining steps into the meeting room. Her two companions then left and she worked hard to suppress a shiver. She turned her gaze to the floor, not daring to look up into the cold eyes of Lord Voldemort who stood before her.

"Miss Carrow. I've heard that there is something you need to tell me," he said after a pause, his voice cold. "Is it true?"

She could feel a tingling in her head like someone was probing her mind with a stick. "Y—yes, my Lord."

"I see. Who would've ever thought that two fine Purebloods such as yourself and Mr Flint would have produced a… Squib."

Alecto closed her eyes, the word sounding dirtier coming from Voldemort's lips than it did her husband's.

"I suppose it's one of the effects of keeping the blood pure?"

She knew it wasn't really a question and remained silent.

"Who else have knows of your son's… condition?"

"No—no one, my Lord. Only Dom—his father, my brother and Bellatrix Lestrange and Narcissa Malfoy."

Another pause. "Very well, I'd like to meet this son of yours. You are dismissed."

"Yes, my Lord, thank you, my Lord," Alecto stuttered, bowing out of the room.

Narcissa and Bellatrix were by the door, waiting for her. Their shock that she was still alive was covered up when Narcissa asked, "So, that wasn't so bad, was it? How did it go?"

Feeling like she was going to throw up, images of her Squib son—just a child—flowing through her mind. "Worse than I thought."

A/N: This fic/short story was written for the Daily Prophet Competition on the Quidditch League Fanfiction Forum and for the Quibbler on the Diagon Alley II forum.

Word count: 500 words

I chose Narcissa as a light character, based on how she is able to love and be merciful (as shown in her defiance of Voldemort in DH), and Bellatrix as the, well, Dark and selfish character. My headcanon for the DAII comp was that, similar to how haemophilia and other genetic diseases are often rife within families who practice inbreeding, including royal families (eg the Romanovs), the inability to perform magic (Squibs) is a side-effect of Pureblood breeding.

I used Alecto Carrow in this, hoping to briefly explain why she never married or had children (in my own head). Yes, Marcus' dad is the father of Dominic, and it is up to you whether you think Dominic was killed or had a name change (which would explain a lot).

Thanks for reading!