A/N: So I watched The Family Stone the other night and couldn't get this idea out of my mind. This'll bea two-parter.

Disclaimer: JKR's characters and plot line from The Family Stone.

"No, no," Bellatrix shook her head and grabbed the orange sweater out of Lucius' hand. "Are you crazy? Do you want your father to look like a Weasley? Here, buy him the green one."

She thrust the green sweater into his hands and tapped her nails on the counter. Lucius sighed and handed the green sweater and silver picture frame to the girl behind the counter. The girl looked at him sympathetically as she tallied his purchases.

"You'll do fine," Lucius insisted as he shrunk his suitcase and placed it in his pocket. "They'll love you."

Bellatrix snorted. "It's just... Meeting your family for the first time is a bit overwhelming."

"The Lestrange brothers will be there. You remember Rabastan?" Lucius asked. "He was in your year at Hogwarts."

"Oh yes." Bellatrix rolled her eyes. "The little scum who followed me around like a puppy. How could I forget."

Lucius smiled. "Well at least you know there will be more than one friendly face. Besides, I've spoken of you to Rodolphus so many times he says he already feels as if he's known you for years."

"You speak of me to him?" Bellatrix grinned. "Do you speak of me often to people?"

"Why of course," Lucius said and pulled her into his arms. "Why wouldn't I?"

"She's horrid," Rabastan said and lifted the sifter of brandy to his mouth.

"Oh come now Rab," Abraxas said. "She can't be too bad if Lucius is taken with her. My son has impeccable taste in his women and I'm sure Miss Black will not be the exception."

"I think we should hear Rabastan out." Emmiline scooted forward in her seat, eager for gossip. "Tell us, is our son making a mistake with this girl?"

"Oh yes," Rabastan said with a nod. "I was in her year at Hogwarts you know. She treated everyone with contempt. Only talks about herself. Never listens to what anyone has to say. She's got a horrible temper. And she has this terrible habit of tapping her nails."

"Tapping her nails you say?" Abraxas asked. "Well how bad can that be?"

Rabastan cocked his head and began tapping his nails loudly on the coffee table. "Imagine this for hours at a time."

Emmiline scrunched her nose in distaste and put a fingernail between he teeth. "A wretched habit."

"Better than biting her nails though," Abraxas said and looked pointedly at his wife. "Wouldn't you say Em?"

Emmiline flushed and lowered her hand. "Yes well. We'll give her a chance."

"And do be nice Em," Araxas said. "The Blacks would make good alliance."

"You ready?" Lucius asked.

"I..." Bellatrix looked around the flat to see if she'd forgotten anything. "Yes. Yes, I'm ready."

Lucius guided her to the fireplace and offered the small bowl of floo powder. "Just wait for me in the reception room. I'll be right behind you."

Bellatrix smiled and took a pinch of the powder. She stepped up to the fireplace, threw the powder, and clearly said, "Malfoy Manor."

All conversation in the library stopped as the bell sounded. The three looked at each other with piqued eyebrows and then threw themselves off their chairs and hurried to the reception room.

"Oh, hello," Bellatrix said as Lucius' parents and Rabastan rushed through the door. "Lucius should be here... Ah, hello Darling."

Lucius smiled at Bellatrix before turning his attention to his parents and friend. "Father, Mother. Hello Rabastan."

Emmiline bit her lip, looked at her husband, and then launched herself at her son. She grabbed him and pulled him into her arms and said, "Oh Luc, how I've missed you."

"Happy Christmas Mum," Lucius said affectionately and took a deep breath. "It's good to be home."

"And it's good to have you home," she said and then dropped her voice. "She's very pretty."

"Yes, I know." Lucius grinned and stepped away from his mother. He gave his father a rushed hug and shook Rabastan's hand. "Where is Rodolphus and Octavia?"

"Rodolphus should be here shortly," Emmiline answered. "And your sister is with Elan's family until tomorrow."

Bellatrix cleared her throat and looked pointedly at Lucius for an introduction.

"Oh yes. Mother, Father, this is Miss Bellatrix Black," he said and ushered Bellatrix forward. "Rabastan, I think you'll remember Miss Black."

"Oh yes," Rabastan said, smirking. "How could I forget?"

The five of them stood there for a moment in an uncomfortable silence. Bellatrix began tapping her fingers on the fireplace and then Emmiline said, "Well, I think we should let these two get settled. I've had Doddy make up your room Lucius. The two of you should be comfortable."

"It's a little unladylike isn't it?" Bellatrix complained as she watched her bags grow to normal size. "How does it make me look?"

"She wouldn't have put us together if she didn't feel it was acceptable," Lucius said, a bit exasperated. "Would you just leave it?"

Bellatrix narrowed her eyebrows.

"Told you," Rabastan chuckled as Bellatrix's screeches filtered into the library. "Quite the temper."

Emmiline looked at her husband, her eyebrows raised. "She sure has got a short fuse. They only just got here."

"I can't make out what she's angry about," Abraxas said.

"Probably the sleeping arrangement." Emmiline grinned at Rabastan conspiratorially.

"What have you done now Em?" Abraxas asked.

"Well, I just wanted to see if she would behave like a lady should or not," Emmiline said and took a sip of her tea. "I hoped she'd just say she felt uncomfortable sleeping in the same room under his parents roof before marriage. I didn't count on the yelling match."

"I told you she has a temper," Rabastan said again.

"So was this a... A test or something?" Abraxas asked.

"Or something," Emmiline said quietly, smiling behind her tea cup.

"I'm very sorry for the trouble," Bellatrix said to Emmeline as she watched the house elf carry her bags to the room next to Lucius'. "I just felt uncomfortable."

"No problem my dear," Emmiline said and suppressed a giggle as one of the portraits rolled his eyes at Bellatrix. "I shouldn't have assumed like that. But you know how Lucius is. I just figured..."

"Hello?" A voice called from the bottom of the stairs. "Is anyone... Lucius!"

Emmiline dropped Bellatrix's dress and ran to the balcony. "Rodolphus!"

"My, my Mrs Malfoy," Rodolphus said as he looked up at her. "I do believe you become more and more beautiful every time I see you."

Bellatrix watched as Emmiline rushed down the stairs to greet Rodolphus then she picked up her incredibly expensive discarded dress, glared down at the happy family, and marched into her room.

"Lucius," Emmiline said, "go grab Rodolphus a drink."

"Brandy?" Lucius asked Rodolphus.

Rodolphus nodded and Lucius took off.

"So how bad is she?" Rodolphus asked as he watched Bellatrix march into her room. "Doesn't look too happy to me."

"She's a witch," Emmiline said with a shrug. "Taps her fingers like a madwoman."

Rodolphus laughed.

"So where's your lady friend?" Emmiline asked, looking past Rodolphus to try to catch a glimpse. "Is she here?"

"Oh, no," Rodolphus shook his head sheepishly. "We broke up."

Emmiline's face fell. "But I thought you really liked this one. I promised your mother when she died..."

"She just wasn't right for me," Rodolphus said. "That's all."

"Well I'm sure you'll meet someone exceptional soon," Emmiline said with a sigh just as Bellatrix began descending the stairs.

Rodolphus' eyes never left Bellatrix as he murmured, "Yes, I'm sure I will."

"So," Emmeline said as they sat down to dinner. "Bellatrix, how did the two of you meet?"

Bellatrix looked at Lucius and grinned. "It's really a rather funny story. Isn't it Lucius?"

Abraxas slapped the back of Rabastan's head as he vehemently shook his head at that comment.

"Well go on dear," Emmeline said expectantly. "We're waiting."

"Well, my father works at the ministry. He's the head of the treasury and I was there to see him one day. There had just been a large deposit left on his desk when I'd arrived. So I picked it up to have a look and then, all of the sudden, there was a curse flying just past my ear." Bellatrix looked at Lucius and laughed. "So I pulled my wand and Stunned the curser so fast it'd make your head spin. As it turned out, it was Lucius."

"So you first tried to steal money from the National Treasury and then Stunned my son?" Emmiline asked, looking appalled.

"Oh no," Bellatrix shook her head. "No, I was just trying to get a feel for how much the deposit was. See, I have this ability to lift a pouch of coins and know almost exactly how much is in it by the weight."

"That's a bit obsessive, isn't it?" Rabastan asked and earned another slap to the back of the head.

"I..."

"I think it's an exceptional talent," Rodolphus said with an encouraging smile. "Not many people can do that."

"Thank you," Bellatrix said, looking down at her plate.

"So you Stunned my son," Emmiline said flatly. "How does that get you to where you are now?"

"Well, when my father returned an hour later he couldn't believe I had Stunned the one giving the donation. So he quickly ended the..."

"You left him Stunned for an hour?" Emmiline gasped.

"Well I didn't..."

"Mother," Lucius warned.

"Sorry," she said as Rabastan bit his lip to stop his laughter. "Continue Bellatrix"

"Oh, um, well when my father ended the spell he began apologizing instantly. But Lucius just smiled and told him he'd never seen that kind of wandwork," Bellatrix said. "He was impressed."

Rabastan snorted.

"I was," Lucius said. "I didn't even see it coming. She's very fast."

"A good quality in a woman," Rodolphus said and received a thankful smile from Lucius. "So what happened next?"

"They hate me," Bellatrix wailed as she fell onto her bed. "I wanted to scream."

"They don't hate you," Lucius told her and sat down beside her. He grabbed her hand and said softly, "They're just apprehensive. That's all."

"Apprehensive my ass," Bellatrix mumbled. "You're mother does not want me here."

"Of course she does," Lucius said. "Why wouldn't she?"

"I don't want her here," Emmiline said as she and Abraxas eased into bed. "She's going to ruin Christmas."

"Em," Abraxas warned. "You should stop trying to provoke her."

"I'm doing nothing of the sort."

"Oh yes you are," Abraxas said. "You and you're little cohort Rabastan."

"Well it's just so easy," Emmiline said. "Incredibly simple."

"Em..."

"Besides, her hair is too dark." She snorted. "Think of what the children will look like."

"I hope you don't mind Mother and Father, but Bellatrix has invited her sister to visit for the remainder of the holiday," Lucius said the next morning at breakfast.

"There's two of them?" Rodolphus asked.

"Yes," Lucius said shortly. "I've given her permission. Narcissa should be here shortly."

"Narcissa?" Rabastan asked. "I don't remember Bellatrix having a sister."

"She's in her final year at Hogwarts," Lucius supplied. "So no, I doubt you'd remember even if you knew."

"Good morning," Bellatrix said as she sidled into the breakfast room. She took a seat next to Lucius and upturned her cheek for a kiss.

"Nice to see you're awake and well," Abraxas said. "I hear that you're sister will be spending the holiday with us. I'm very excited to meet her."

"Yes, Cissy," Bellatrix smiled and began tapping her nails on the table. "I've missed her a lot this year."

"When will Octavia arrive?" Rabastan asked suddenly.

"Around lunchtime," Abraxas said.

"Father," Lucius said as he entered his father's study. "A word?"

"Of course Lucius," Abraxas said from behind the Prophet. "Please take a seat."

"Father, I think it's time for Grandmother's ring," Lucius said as he took a seat across from his father. "I'd like to give it to Bellatrix tomorrow."

Abraxas raised his eyebrows and lowered the paper. He took a deep breath and said, "Well she is from a respectable family. Can't do much better than a Black. Although, Lucius, well... Your mother and I always wanted you to marry for love, like we did."

"I am."

"I'm sorry son, but I just can't believe that."

"She's a great woman and I love her," Lucius insisted. "Grandmother's ring?"

Abraxas shook his head. "Lucius, I can't."

"Lucius sent me to tell you his sister's here," Rodolphus said to Bellatrix.

"Thanks," Bellatrix said and sat the book she was reading down on the bed. She watched as Rodolphus nodded and began heading towards the door. Suddenly, she said, "Does everyone hate me here?"

"Well Lucius seems to like you," Rodolphus said, turning around. "And I don't think you're too bad."

"Really?"

Rodolphus smiled. "Really."

"Ah, Bellatrix," Lucius said as she came into the parlor. "I'd like you to meet my older sister, Octavia."

"Hello." Bellatrix curtseyed.

Octavia raised an eyebrow and glanced at her mother. "Nice to meet you."

"So what took you so long?" Rodolphus asked. "I thought you'd be here at lunchtime. It's nearly time for Bellatrix's sister to arrive."

"Oh? So our household is being overrun by Blacks?" Octavia said sweetly. "How wonderful."

"You really dislike her don't you?" Lucius asked as he and Rabastan waited outside the property gates for Narcissa's carriage. "I asked my father for my grandmother's ring."

"I do dislike her," Rabastan said, sneering. "You're really going to ask her to marry you?"

"Tomorrow." Lucius nodded. "Why don't you like her?"

"She's fake," Rabastan said simply. "And the temper she's got is force to be reckoned with. You don't need someone like that Luc."

"And what kind of someone do I need?" Lucius asked.

Before Rabastan had a chance to reply, the carriage carrying Bellatrix's youngest sister pulled around in front of them. The door opened and Narcissa popped her head out. She smiled, took a step, and slipped with a thud onto the ground.

To Be Continued...