I no Andromeda's nickname is usually Dromeda, but Ana worked better for this. Please review! I don't own any Harry Potter material (Why do we have to do these?)
"Bella, I don't think this is a good idea." Her older sister looked back at her.
"Stop being such a wuss, Ana. Even Cissy is being braver than you." Bellatrix kept walking with Narcissa close behind. "Go stay back in the house with Sirius if you are scared. Regalus is only going to admit that all girls aren't stupid and helpless if we find a phoenix feather."
"But, Bella! Even daddy said there aren't phoenixes in this forest! And last time we listened to Regalus, we got into a lot of trouble!" Andromeda, who had stopped walking while she spoke, ran to catch up to her sisters.
"Just go back Ana, and take Cissy with you, I don't want to watch her."
"Mum would be angry if we left you alone."
"Then stop complaining!" Bella never enjoyed her sisters' company. Ana was too scared to be any fun and Cissy was too little.
Behind them, two figures were slipping through the trees. Narcissa, who had stopped to pick up a shiny rock, saw them first. Assuming they were her father and uncle, she wrapped her arms around the taller one's leg.
Bella noticed her sister's absence and turned to look for her. As she turned to look for her, the taller one was picking Narcissa up by the waist.
Both sisters let out a scream, causing Andromeda to turn around and see the scene.
"Well, look what we have here. There little girls lost in the woods. This one is very pretty. She'd pull in a good ransom, don't you think?" The other man laughed.
Bella pulled out her brand new wand she had just gotten that morning. "Put down my sister." She walked toward them.
"Ha, John! We've caught a little witch!"
John, still holding Narcissa let out a loud chuckle. "What are you going to do sweetie? Say Hocus Pocus and make us poof away?" Bella didn't notice the other man sneaking up behind her.
"Bella!" She heard Ana's voice and turned quickly as he snatched her wand. "Give Bella back her wand!" Andromeda ran forward and gave John a kick in the shin, causing him to loosen his grip enough for Narcissa to wiggle out of his grasp.
Before they could get far enough away, John recovered and grabbed the back of the two girls' shirts and pulled them backwards.
"Marcus, take the little blond one and tie her up. Bella isn't going anywhere without her sisters."
Bella kicked and punched the men, but nothing was working. They were taking her sisters, and John was right. She couldn't just leave Ana and Cissy.
John picked up the younger girls and started walking. Bella felt a hand grab her ponytail and she was dragged along.
The group arrived at a small cabin. They entered to find three rooms. The men pushed the girls into the small bedroom, locking the door.
Bella ran straight to the window to find it boarded up. They truly were stuck.
Narcissa and Andromeda were sitting on the floor crying. Bella wanted to cry. She could feel the tears stinging in her eyes. But she couldn't, not in front of her sisters. Bellatrix Black didn't cry.
"Cissy, Ana come here." Bella sat down against the wall. The two crawled over.
"Bella, what are we gonna do?" Cissy rarely spoke, and it scared Bella that she did.
"First we need to tell them nothing. Don't eat anything they feed us and Ana and I will take turns sleeping so someone is always on watch. They are only pathetic muggles, they can't do much." Bella took a deep breath. She hoped she was right.
"I want to help." Cissy's face showed determination like it did when she was trying to get away with dropping dungbombs in Sirius's crib over the holidays.
"No, you need to get as much sleep as you can. You're only seven." Both of her little sister started crying again.
"Cry now but don't when we aren't alone. We are Black women. We are pureblood witches."
Time seemed to stretch on for Bella as the little girls slept. She thought through different escape plans, but nothing would work. Without her wand, she was magic less. All she knew was magic.
Bella let the girls sleep through the whole night, knowing she was stronger on little sleep then they were.
After sunlight had peaked through the window boards for a few hours, John and Marcus entered the room.
"Alright girls, one of you talk. I want names and ages." His voice startled the younger girls awake.
"I'll talk," Started Bella, "But not in front of my sisters and neither of you can stay in the room with them.
"Reasonable deal. Follow me." The men led her out of the room, locking the bedroom door behind her. "Marcus, lock the front door. You missy, talk."
Bella took a deep breath and sat on the couch.
"I'm Bella, short for," She took one more breath. This was easy. What muggle can't be fooled by a pureblood wizard? "Isabella. I'm 11. The blond one is Cassandra, Cissy, who is 7 and Ana is short for Annabelle. She's 9." She watched the men, not being able to tell if they bought the lie.
"Last name?" John took out paper and a pen to start righting a ransom note. Why make this easy for him? Bella never made anything easy for anyone.
"Why should I tell muggle scum like you?" She watched as both men turned to look her directly in the eye.
"Muggle scum?" Marcus raised an eyebrow and had an edge in his voice. Bellatrix started to tense.
"Ya, that's what I said." John came closer to her.
"I don't know what that means, but it doesn't sound good. How about this? We'll ignore that comment if you tell us your last name."
Bella knew she was pushing it, but she felt as though she had too. They were muggle scum, just like she called them.
"No." That made him angry. Once again, Bellatrix felt her hair tugging at her hair. John led her by the burning fireplace and grabbed one of the hot pokers.
"I'll give you one last chance girl. What is your last name?" He wouldn't. He wouldn't stab that thing on the flesh of a pure blood Black. Didn't he know what her kind could do to him and the other one?
"I won't tell you." She chuckled. Stupid muggle. Did he think he could break her that fast? Her own father threatened her, but never actually laid a hand on her.
Then she felt it. It burned. Bellatrix never knew that kind of pain. The kind that lingers even when the object isn't making contact with her skin. She felt it poke her back again. Bella opened her mouth to scream, but clamped it shut remembering her sisters in the other room. The burning continued.
"Samuels." She gasped. "Isabella Samuels." She felt the poker lift off her back, but the burning continued. Bella crumpled to the floor, staring at the fire. It was strong and as she looked at it in the fireplace she felt the burning on her back again.
Fireplace! That was it! Their escape!
Narcissa kept a small bag of floo powder in her pocket because the color and shine of the dust distracted her from conversations our parents didn't want a seven year old to hear or interrupt. Maybe it was the enough to get the three of us home.
"Please, let my sisters come in here. We just want to watch the T.V" Bella found it hard to talk through the pain.
"Fine, but first a little test. Marcus, open the bedroom door and tell Cassandra to come out." Marcus opened the door.
"Cassandra, come out here little girl. Come out to big sissy Isabella."
To Bellatrix's delight, the little blond head poked out of the room and scampered over to Bella.
"Ana! You can come out too!" Bella tried to make her voice sound strong like her mother's but she knew it didn't work. Cissy looked at her sister hearing her voice waver.
As Andromeda came out the door, John grabbed hold of her arm. "What's your full name?"
Bella felt her stomach twist. They were in for it now. Would the Narcissa and Andromeda feel the burning on their backs as well?
Ana just smiled and casually answered. "Annabelle Samuels." John let go of her arm in surprise.
Bella finally felt herself willing to smile. The girls had listened at the door like she had taught Ana to do years ago when their parents shut them out of the living room. The three girls sat on the couch, Bella in the middle.
They watched cartoons for an hour while Bella tried to think of an exact plan.
When the men weren't looking, she whispered in Narcissa's ear. "Cissy, pat the pocket your floo powder is in." Again, Narcissa looked at her sister mysteriously while she patted the pocket closest to Bellatrix. "Now, I'm going to pull it out of your pocket to keep it safe for you." Narcissa nodded. Bella's hands easily grasped the little cloth bag and she slipped it out.
Bellatrix waited another hour.
"Marcus, shut off that dang T.V. Those kid songs are giving me a headache." John put a hand to his head.
"But then how are we gonna kept the midgets entertained?" The two men stared at each other.
"I know a magic trick." The men turned to look at the eleven year old girl. "I can make all three of us disappear." The men let out a loud laugh.
"Really? More witch craft. Daddy must tell you that you're pretty special." John laughed as he spoke.
"My father tells me I'm special quite regularly actually. Every pure blood is." She cracked a smile.
"Pure blood? Muggle? You have a weird vocabulary, but now I'm intrigued. How do you manage to disappear?" Marcus looked at John questionably.
"Well, the fire in the fireplace needs to be out." Bella tried to sound as innocent as she could, but no Black was innocent.
Andromeda guessed at her sister's plan and poured the big bowl of water sitting next to the fireplace onto the fire. When, the embers died, Bella continued letting her plan fall into place.
"Now, my sisters and I stand in the fireplace." The three girls moved to their escape.
"Wait! John what if they climb out?" John laughed loud once more.
"You don't think we won't be able to catch them before one of them gets out?" He laughed harder. "It's only three little girls."
Bella pulled the pouch out of her pocket.
"Look! They have pixie dust!" By now, both men were doubled over laughing.
"No," Started Bella. "It's floo powder." The younger girls grabbed tight to her legs as she dropped the green powder, laughing maliciously.
Eighteen year old Bellatrix stood facing the Dark Lord.
"Bellatrix Black." She stated.
"Will you be loyal to me?" The voice was silvery and alluring, drawing her in every time he spoke.
"Your loyalist, my lord." She could have sworn he cracked a slight smile. Oh yes, she would be loyal. He was the key to everything she wanted since she was eleven. The men who kidnapped her and her sisters were dead now, but their kind would pay for the burn on her back.
She kept the burn as a reminder of what happened without magic. The muggles would get the same treatment.
"Bare your left arm, Bellatrix Black." She pulled up her sleeve and placed her arm in his waiting hand.
The Dark Lord pushed his wand into her unmarked flesh. She felt the pain stinging on her arm, but this time it was different. This was pain that would make her undefeatable. This was pain she wanted, waited seven years for.
The burn on her back began to sting again like it was one day old.