(A/N: Short chapter, but the next one will be longer, promise.)
Chapter 2-Permission
Lord Voldemort was pleased, his Death Eaters had done well today. Their success had led to the capture of the current Minister for Magic. Right now, the ministry would be in a state of panic and dissarray, exactly how he wanted them.
The Minister himself had been a dissapointment, although Voldemort had not expected him to be very useful. He had given them very little information that they did not already have, and had known next to nothing about the Order of the Phoenix. This did not surprise Voldemort at all, Albus Dumbledore had never been one to trust the ministry.
If it weren't for Dumbledore and the Order, everything would be so much easier. But his Death Eaters outnumbered Dumbledore's foolish army, and Dumbledore was an old man now, and not as powerful as he used to be. Once Dumbledore was out of the way, everything would go much more smoothly.
There was a knock on the door to his chamber. "Enter." He called lazily, knowing who it was before he saw her.
"My Lord." Bellatrix bowed. He glanced at her, she wore a simple black dress and her dark hair hung loose down her back.
"Did you dispose of the Minister?" Voldemort asked, his voice bored.
Bellatrix smiled slightly, "Yes my lord." She paused and looked up to meet his red eyes. "My lord..."
"Bella?"
"I am going to France next week." She answered hesitantly.
"Oh?"
"I'm going to look after Onyx while my mother is in England for Lucius and Narcissa's wedding. That is, if I have your permission, my lord." She held her breath, hoping that he would not object.
She thought she saw a hint of a smirk flicker across his face, "Ah yes, your sister's wedding. You're not going?"
Bellatrix resisted the childish urge to roll her eyes, "I am sure I wont miss anything terribly exciting."
Voldemort looked amused at this, "Come Bella, I thought you liked Lucius, or you did once..." He watched as Bellatrix shifted uncomfortably. When she said nothing he continued, "You have my permission to go to France."
"Thank you my lord." She said, relieved that he did not object. It was hard for her to go for so long without seeing Onyx.
"Three years." Voldemort mused, and Bellatrix frowned.
"My Lord?"
"She'll be three years this December." He frowned. He had not seen his daughter for nearly a year. "You saw her last...?"
"In the spring, my lord." Bellatrix replied. "At Easter. She talks now, she's..." She stopped suddenly and Voldemort looked down at her. He reached out a hand and ran his fingers through her dark hair. "Master?"
"It wont be long before we can bring her back to England." He whispered, "Not long at all."