Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters etc in this fanfiction – all were created by the amazing J.K Rowling.
AU: Okay, I admit it kind of rambles a bit and there's probably an unnecessary torture but hey, we see Lucitrix at the end of chapter 1 and there's a lot more coming. It's a T right now (just to be safe) but it will most likely change to an M in later chapters. Enjoy and please review!
A long night previously had left Bellatrix in bed until around midday even though the mattress in the spare room of Malfoy Manor was unbelievably brick-like. She knew that her father's funeral would take place later that day and that it would be over as quickly as it began but nevertheless she got up and ready so not to miss it.
Once dressed, Bellatrix made her way out of the far too small bedroom and down the grand staircase to where she could hear voices talking in low voices.
Before she reached the bottom of the stairs, Narcissa came out of the drawing room.
"Morning, Bella," she said chirpily. Her hair was as sleek and silky as always and she was smiling uncontrollably, "Good sleep?"
"Not particularly, no," Bellatrix answered truthfully.
"Oh, well," smiled Narcissa, "Never mind, eh?" she was being overly joyful given the circumstances.
She started to move up the stairs.
"When's father's funeral?" asked Bellatrix.
"Oh, I forgot you didn't know, sorry," she said, her smile only faltering a little, "it starts in about 20 minutes at the Black Cemetery."
"We're burying him there. Of course."
Bellatrix hated that place. She had attended too many dreary funerals there as a teenager. Knowing that one day she too would be buried there played on her mind for a moment until she shook herself of the thought.
"Yes, well we need someplace meaningful. And don't worry I've set some protective charms so we'll be unseen by Muggles. For a short time anyway," Narcissa answered slickly, continuing to move up the stairs, "Besides, it's private so no Aurors have the right to enter and see a gathering of a dozen Death Eaters."
Bellatrix accepted this explanation and continued down the stairs entering the drawing room where Lucius was sat reading a copy of the Daily Prophet in a large, very comfy, expensive looking armchair.
"Morning, Bellatrix," he smiled as he noticed her sitting down in a matching chair opposite him. She seemed to sink into the material suddenly as she put her weight on it.
"Morning," she replied half-heartedly.
"I almost forgot you were here," he chuckled, though his usual tone of sarcasm was absent. He sighed heavily, "Life is good."
"Life would be better if people weren't so happy on the day of my father's burial," she snapped.
Narcissa and Lucius were both acting very strangely.
"I thought Narcissa would have told you by now. No? Oh well," he said standing up. He folded up the Prophet and put it on an aged looking side table.
"What hasn't Narcissa told me?" she asked him as she too stood up.
At that moment, Narcissa poked her head round the door, "Bella, Lucius, time to go." She was holding up both their travelling cloaks and was already wearing hers.
There weren't many mourners in the old, overgrown graveyard, though the people who had turned up to say goodbye to Cygnus Black were all acting as subdued and undercover as they possibly could as not to draw attention to the private funeral. Narcissa had assured them that the necessary protective charms had been put in place to shelter the Death Eaters and friends for the short while needed to bury their father however; there was still the uncertainty of whether it was safe or not for them to be out in the open at all. Did Aurors still pay attention to what was private land if they got a lead on a possible gathering of Dark witches and wizards?
Lucius had brought Dobby along with him to serve as their waiter. The young house-elf did as he was commanded without question. Within three minutes of arriving, each guest had a large glass of expensive wine and was murmuring with several others in small groups.
Narcissa, who had been with Lucius since they had arrived, made her way over to Bellatrix, who was standing alone. Although her eyes showed something different, her head was held high, as normal, and her usual turned up nose was not absent.
"It's time," said Narcissa softly as she approached her sister. Just for a moment, the two women shared a sort of loving, caring look. Not a long one by any means, but by far a meaningful one.
Then everything stopped.
Bellatrix was the first to notice her. Somebody, a woman, had just appeared in the cemetery. Bellatrix knew who she was without a second glance.
How could she have known about this? How dareshestep foot within these grounds? How dare she turn up at Cygnus Black's funeral andshow her face amongst this crowd?
The woman lifted her delicate hands to the velvety hood of her travelling cloak and pulled it down, revealing a mass of slick brown hair and a face so similar to her own that Bellatrix might have been looking in a mirror. But the woman's eyes were different. They were softer, kinder than Bellatrix's.
It was then that the conversations in the cemetery drowned out as the people noticed the woman standing there quite still. She noticed Bellatrix within the crowd and suddenly her confident, peachy face drained of colour. The woman stood, her gaze stuck on Bellatrix, breathing heavily. Nobody seemed sure of what to do.
Narcissa was the first to speak.
"Andromeda?" she whispered coldly.
The woman's gaze broke as she heard Narcissa's voice. Many Death Eaters, including Bellatrix, drew their wands from under their robes and advanced towards Andromeda Tonks.
Andromeda jumped at this reaction. Apparently she thought she could turn up without a special Death Eater welcome.
"No!" Bellatrix screamed at the Death Eaters pushing to the front of the crowd, "Nobody but me is to touch her!"
Bellatrix pushed Dolohov out of her way.
"Bella, wait," said Andromeda raising her own wand and retreating several steps.
"How dare you!" screeched Bellatrix. She was so close to Andromeda's beautiful face that she could see her shaking with fear.
"I wasn't going to miss my own father's funeral!" Andromeda defended herself.
"You disrespectful piece of filth!" Bellatrix ranted, shoving her backwards, "Crucio!"
The Unforgivable Curse jetted bright red out the tip of her wand and directly into Andromeda's stomach. The middle sister fell to the ground with a blood curdling shriek of agony.
Bellatrix spat in disgust at her face as she squirmed on the ground.
"Enough?" Bellatrix teased.
Andromeda's face was now streaked with tears.
"Please!" she screamed, "Don't do this!"
"More?" taunted Bellatrix. Some of the Death Eaters behind her jeered her on. Narcissa stood sickened at her ex-sister's nerve.
"Would you like more, Andie?" she taunted Andromeda with her childhood nickname, "Hmm? Would you?"
Andromeda tried to reach for her own wand which she had dropped but Bellatrix got to it first and crushed it under her boot. It split scrappily in two.
"Crucio!" Bellatrix screamed again, "Crucio!"
Andromeda twisted and writhed and her back arched to far it looked as if it might snap in two. By the time her cries drowned into silence, the group had gained a lot of Muggle attention out on the street. Though they couldn't be seen, the cries of both pain and rage filled the street.
"Bella stop! I- I-" she couldn't talk as she panted to regain her breath.
"Should I kill you now or embarrass you further, I wonder?" Bellatrix asked as she crouched down next to Andromeda.
A few Death Eaters mumbled "Kill," under their breaths whilst chuckling at the woman's pain.
Bellatrix got as close as possible to Andromeda's quivering face before threateningly whispering "Before I kill you have the decency to tell me, scum – why did you come?"
Andromeda tried to speak but her voice failed her.
Bellatrix slapped her full force on the face, "Why?"
Bellatrix hauled her sister up and shoved her towards the gate. Her weak legs gave way and she slammed onto the gravel again. Blood trickled from a wound on her ashy forehead.
"Please," Andromeda pleaded, "I'm your sister, Bella."
"Ha!" Bellatrix laughed, "You are no sister of mine!"
"Nor mine!" Narcissa voice chimed from behind them.
"Oi!" a loud male voice echoed in the street. Everyone twisted to see who had shouted. It was a Muggle dressed in uniform; a police officer. The protective charms had worn off and Muggle police had swarmed in the street. An old woman wrapped in a knitted shawl was raising a pointed finger at the graveyard and shakily began to say, "There – oh my – officer, do you see? Oh my…"
While the Death Eaters were distracted, Andromeda managed to drag herself out of the open gate where an officer hurried to help her up. Just as Bellatrix noticed this and was ready to strike the last blow at her sister, somebody grabbed her arm.
Colours swirled before her eyes and the scene around them dissolved into a mash of unrecognisable shapes. Then the sensation of being squeezed into a hole much too small came and Bellatrix realised that the person who was clutching onto her arm was taking her by side long Apparation away from the cemetery.
When shapes began to form and colours return to their places once again, Bellatrix noticed that she was just outside the huge wrought iron gates on the gravely path that belonged to Malfoy Manor. By the time she had taken in her surroundings the person who had grabbed her arm had already began towards the gates, "Are you coming or not?"
It was Lucius.
An intense rush of something beyond hatred sparked through her body. Without realising what she was doing, Bellatrix whipped her wand towards the man she, at that moment, loathed and sent a jinx flying unstoppably at him.
When it made contact with his back it sent him hurtling forwards into the wrought iron bars, head first. He fell to the ground.
"What's wrong with you?" they both screamed at each other in unison.
"Why did you take me away?" Bellatrix insisted whilst promptly moving across the path, the stones crunching under her feet, towards Lucius who was scrambling up from the ground.
"I was trying to stop you doing something you would regret!" he replied.
"Like what? Disposing of filth? I was only doing us all a favour!"
"Yes, but in clear view of the Muggle police! They are on your case just as much as Aurors are nowadays!" Lucius argued, "And why do you feel the need to use your wand every blinking moment of the day?"
"Because I, unlike some, am not afraid of what I can do when I push the boundaries!" she screamed annoyed.
"And is that a reason to jinx me?"
"Yes, it is funnily enough!" she squealed. They were face to face, and neither one showed any sign of backing down.
"Do us all a favour Bellatrix," Lucius continued, "give it a rest! You always fight for your cause even when there's nothing to back you up!"
"That's where you're wrong because you, a Death Eater, just stopped me from killing a blood traitor!"
"I could have finished her in half the time but, oh no, Bellatrix has to do it. Bellatrix has to embarrass the blood traitor. Bellatrix has to make her feel pain before the worst thing in this world takes place!"
"There is nothing wrong with death!" Bellatrix argued, "I'd rather be fried in the depths of Hell than in a dirty cell in Azkaban!
Suddenly, the arguing halted and both drew their wands and held them menacingly to the other's face. After a long and threatening silence where both of them were breathing heavily from their heated argument, they each dropped their wands and were at each other's mouths in a devouring, hungry kiss.
