A/N: No idea how many of these there are going to be or what pairings etc. I'll be exploring... actually, if you have a request, go ahead and make it in the reviews, I'll do my best to fufill.
Bella
I should be happy. It's the happiest day of my life, it's the day every witch dreams about.
So why am I sitting in my dressing room glaring at my reflection?
Of course I know why. Because no amount of sleek-easy is smoothing out the knots in my curls and the veil makes me look like a chicken crashed into my head. Mother and Cissy picked it. I didn't get a lot of say in what I wore to my wedding, no surprise there. Bella can't be expected to pick something pretty, after all.
No surprise that Cissy's bridesmaid gown makes her look like a princess. I've already heard four people ask if she's the bride, through my open window. That bitch. Perfect, beautiful Cissy.
It's not fair. The only reason I'm even being married is because the Malfoy boy's proposed to Cissy and by tradition the oldest daughter has to be married before the younger. So they scrambled and found a boy I didn't object too much to and planned a wedding in record time.
He's not so bad I suppose. He's just not the man I love.
But he's got money and he's sort of close to my age and in any case, the important thing is that Cissy can marry the Malfoy boy. I hate him as well, he's another pretty, perfect little example of a pureblood.
Not like the ugly big sister with knotty hair and a constant scowl.
My dress makes me look like a dead hen. I said I wanted a silver dress, white makes me look ridiculous. But no, I had to wear white, or what would people think?
They're going to think I look like a dead hen.
I wanted to get married inside, use the dining hall of the house as a ballroom, but father insisted that it would be a shame to waste the sunshine at this time of year.
It's raining. The elves are scrambling to put tents up. And it's humid as hell. By midday the place is going to reek of drying robes. I'll look like a wet dead hen.
My bouquet's full of white roses. I wanted lilies, I almost got my way on that one before Cissy showed up with a herbology book and pointed out that they're funeral flowers. I remember her once telling me she wanted white roses at her wedding.
I'm a dry-run for her big day.
The wedding cake was the worst bit. Wizarding tradition says the topper is the bride and groom's patronus', animated atop the fondant. His is a big wolfhound thing, not unpleasant to look at, appropriate for an old wizarding family.
Mine's a bat.
It's not like it's an ugly little bat, it's got pretty eyes and big ears. But Mother wouldn't hear of such a silly match up on her daughter's wedding cake. A bat and a wolfhound? Unacceptable!
Cissy was grinning in the background the whole time she said that. They tried to change my patronus for weeks, get me attached to some other animal or person to change the silver shape. It didn't work.
But It's the one thing on my wedding day that I've been allowed to pick and keep, there's nothing they can do about it, it's stayed a bat.
There's a knock on my door.
'Come in.'
Cissy almost skips into the room. Making a show of performing her maid of honour duties. Mother's probably sent her in to try and make me look halfway decent and make sure I don't run for it.
'Oh you look loves Bella!' she squeals, tightening my corset. I wish she'd suffocate me, maybe then mother and father would get angry with her.
She scrapes a brush through my hair and I bite my lip enough to draw blood. I don't think she even notices, too busy cooing about how lovely everything looks, and isn't it a shame about the rain but they say its good luck on your wedding day. Smug bitch.
She heads for the door, 'I have to get back to the guests Bella, oh, by the way, mother thought we should make an adjustment to the cake, I hope you don't mind.'
She's gone before I can question it. I fly across the room to my window and peer out to the food table in the grounds, through the humid haze the rain left behind.
The white monstrosity is already melting in the warmth of the sun. But it would be too much to hope for that the whole rotten thing would be gone before anyone saw.
There's his Wolfhound, safe and sound.
My bat is gone. In its place a swan is standing, elegant and graceful, the picture of feminine beauty, everything a witch on her wedding day should be.
Cissy's patronus is a swan.
There's another knock. Mother's voice cuts through the air. 'Bellatrix, we're ready for you now!'
No they're not. No-one is ever going to be ready for what I'm going to do to them for this final indignity, on my wedding day.
'Bellatrix!'
I clench my bouquet so tightly the flowers wilt. Narcissa's choice.
'Coming, mother.' I reply, like a good daughter.
