Bellatrix's Vow
*I do not own anything related to Harry Potter. None of the characters, nada . . . it is a very sad thing.*
***
"Little monsters, aren't they?" chuckled Alphard Black as he waved his wand casually over the head of his young daughter Bellatrix. The flames, which had erupted there seemingly spontaneously (causing Bellatrix to scream in pain and surprise) went out, leaving nothing but a few slightly singed tufts out of place with her sleek black curls. Bellatrix resumed her play, chasing after her cousin Sirius, to whom she was elder by three years.
"Yes," sighed Rigel, Alphard's older brother and father to Sirius. "Raising wizard children . . . especially multiple wizard children . . . it's a nightmare." He seized his oldest son by the collar as he ran past, hotly pursued by Bellatrix. The boy froze, though resentfully, and did not flinch as his father leaned down and snarled a threat in his ear, "If you set your cousin's hair on fire again . . . "
He let Sirius go and the boy pulled away, though with a slightly more dampened spirit. His Uncle Alphard watched him go with pitying fondness in his eyes. "You do know he can't help it, don't you?"
Rigel was firm. "He needs to learn to control his temper."
Alphard shook his head. "It will come soon enough. He's only six. For now, at least you know he's got his powers. Oh goodness yes-- I was worried Andromeda might be Squibb until she knocked her oatmeal all over Narcissa for taking the last cookie sometime last week. And that's some knack Sirius seems to have there-- he's a regular little firestarter, the pyro!"
"It will all go away as soon as he gets a wand," said Rigel rather unenthusiastically, bored with Alphard's enthusiasm.
"The power won't, though. He'll be a natural at the Incendiary Charm. See, Bella's got power, but she's got no particular skill with one element or another. She just--"
His words were cut short by a wail that rose up from the adjoining room, rising in pitch and intensity like an air-raid siren. The two brothers hastened in, followed by their wives. The scene that met them was mildly inauspicious: Bellatrix, driven to revenge by the events of two minutes ago, was standing over Sirius, her eyes boring into him with the type of glare many would claim "could kill." Her stare was not killing Sirius; however, it was coming rather close. The boy's eyes were clamped shut, his body had gone rigid, and he was proceeding to scream at the top of his tiny lungs.
"Bellatrix!"
Her mother's shout broke her concentration; Bellatrix snapped her head to look in the direction of the noise, and Sirius fell over onto his back, whimpering. With her liquid-black eyes hooded by darkened lids and long eyelashes, Bellatrix looked from her aghast audience to her twitching cousin on the floor and promptly burst into hysterical laughter.
"Er . . . perhaps I spoke too soon," said Alphard awkwardly.
Rigel grinned. "That's a foreshadow to the Cruciatus if I ever saw it. It's lucky I've put a charm on the house so the Ministry can't meddle in; they'd be after us."
Alphard nodded unsteadily. Though Rigel seemed aloof and unconcerned, Sirius's mother had gone to her son's side. Sirius did not cry nor cling to her, but simply shuddered, his eyes set on Bellatrix, whose demonic laughter had transformed into a sweet, innocent smile.
"You two!" Sirius's mother admonished. "The two of you are family! You are to play nicely with one another-- look at Regulus and Narcissa!" She pointed to Sirius's four-year-old brother and Bellatrix's five-year-old sister who were seated before Narcissa's dollhouse. Regulus smiled boastfully, but Narcissa stared mutely back, calm, aloof, somber, and as pristine as a kitten. Little Regulus, overcome with glee at having provided his mother with something to be complimented on, threw his arms around Narcissa, who stiffened. As soon as her cousin released her, she patted her flawless blond curls vainly, recalling a cat cleansing itself after being jostled-- or at least girl much older and more self-conscious than one would expect a five-year-old to be.
"I play nicely with Andromeda," said Sirius defensively, though without much passion. "I just don't like her." He shot Bellatrix a poisonous glance- - which she returned, causing him to draw back and let out a yelp like a wounded dog.
His mother drew back, her face disgusted. "Traitorous! She is your cousin, Sirius, and the two of you shall get along; blood ties demand it!" She stood up quickly, so fast that her wand dropped from her pocket and fell to the floor. She walked off, seeming not to have noticed . . .
(And the rest continues later, from Bellatrix's point of view . . . )
*I do not own anything related to Harry Potter. None of the characters, nada . . . it is a very sad thing.*
***
"Little monsters, aren't they?" chuckled Alphard Black as he waved his wand casually over the head of his young daughter Bellatrix. The flames, which had erupted there seemingly spontaneously (causing Bellatrix to scream in pain and surprise) went out, leaving nothing but a few slightly singed tufts out of place with her sleek black curls. Bellatrix resumed her play, chasing after her cousin Sirius, to whom she was elder by three years.
"Yes," sighed Rigel, Alphard's older brother and father to Sirius. "Raising wizard children . . . especially multiple wizard children . . . it's a nightmare." He seized his oldest son by the collar as he ran past, hotly pursued by Bellatrix. The boy froze, though resentfully, and did not flinch as his father leaned down and snarled a threat in his ear, "If you set your cousin's hair on fire again . . . "
He let Sirius go and the boy pulled away, though with a slightly more dampened spirit. His Uncle Alphard watched him go with pitying fondness in his eyes. "You do know he can't help it, don't you?"
Rigel was firm. "He needs to learn to control his temper."
Alphard shook his head. "It will come soon enough. He's only six. For now, at least you know he's got his powers. Oh goodness yes-- I was worried Andromeda might be Squibb until she knocked her oatmeal all over Narcissa for taking the last cookie sometime last week. And that's some knack Sirius seems to have there-- he's a regular little firestarter, the pyro!"
"It will all go away as soon as he gets a wand," said Rigel rather unenthusiastically, bored with Alphard's enthusiasm.
"The power won't, though. He'll be a natural at the Incendiary Charm. See, Bella's got power, but she's got no particular skill with one element or another. She just--"
His words were cut short by a wail that rose up from the adjoining room, rising in pitch and intensity like an air-raid siren. The two brothers hastened in, followed by their wives. The scene that met them was mildly inauspicious: Bellatrix, driven to revenge by the events of two minutes ago, was standing over Sirius, her eyes boring into him with the type of glare many would claim "could kill." Her stare was not killing Sirius; however, it was coming rather close. The boy's eyes were clamped shut, his body had gone rigid, and he was proceeding to scream at the top of his tiny lungs.
"Bellatrix!"
Her mother's shout broke her concentration; Bellatrix snapped her head to look in the direction of the noise, and Sirius fell over onto his back, whimpering. With her liquid-black eyes hooded by darkened lids and long eyelashes, Bellatrix looked from her aghast audience to her twitching cousin on the floor and promptly burst into hysterical laughter.
"Er . . . perhaps I spoke too soon," said Alphard awkwardly.
Rigel grinned. "That's a foreshadow to the Cruciatus if I ever saw it. It's lucky I've put a charm on the house so the Ministry can't meddle in; they'd be after us."
Alphard nodded unsteadily. Though Rigel seemed aloof and unconcerned, Sirius's mother had gone to her son's side. Sirius did not cry nor cling to her, but simply shuddered, his eyes set on Bellatrix, whose demonic laughter had transformed into a sweet, innocent smile.
"You two!" Sirius's mother admonished. "The two of you are family! You are to play nicely with one another-- look at Regulus and Narcissa!" She pointed to Sirius's four-year-old brother and Bellatrix's five-year-old sister who were seated before Narcissa's dollhouse. Regulus smiled boastfully, but Narcissa stared mutely back, calm, aloof, somber, and as pristine as a kitten. Little Regulus, overcome with glee at having provided his mother with something to be complimented on, threw his arms around Narcissa, who stiffened. As soon as her cousin released her, she patted her flawless blond curls vainly, recalling a cat cleansing itself after being jostled-- or at least girl much older and more self-conscious than one would expect a five-year-old to be.
"I play nicely with Andromeda," said Sirius defensively, though without much passion. "I just don't like her." He shot Bellatrix a poisonous glance- - which she returned, causing him to draw back and let out a yelp like a wounded dog.
His mother drew back, her face disgusted. "Traitorous! She is your cousin, Sirius, and the two of you shall get along; blood ties demand it!" She stood up quickly, so fast that her wand dropped from her pocket and fell to the floor. She walked off, seeming not to have noticed . . .
(And the rest continues later, from Bellatrix's point of view . . . )