Disclaimer in Chapter One.

CHAPTER TWO

The Not-So-Safe Haven

Bellatrix awoke to the sound of the crickets and a splitting headache. She tried to sit up off the grass but she grunted in pain as the back of her head seared and she fell back onto the cold ground.

"Don't try to move, Bella," Narcissa said, her soft voice breaking through the pain in Bellatrix's head. Bellatrix felt a soft hand against she cheek as her head was lifted up slightly to be placed on her sister's lap. "I've mended the gash in the back of your head but you still lost a lot of blood."

All Bellatrix could do for a moment was do as her sister said. She was so going to murder Lucius for this one, she thought to herself. After a short while she gathered the strength to ask, "Where are we?"

There was a pause before Narcissa spoke, "Outside of Severus's house. I wanted to..."

But she was cut off by her sister wrenching herself up off her lap and yelling, "Snape?!" Before screaming in pain and crumbling back onto Narcissa's lap, holding her head in agony.

"...See if that was okay before we went in," Narcissa finished with a sigh. "I told you to lie still."

"The filthy half-blood traitor! I wish I could have tore out his lying tongue! I wish I could have cut of his—"

"Bella!" Narcissa interrupted, placing her hand on Bellatrix's head to keep her still. "Please, relax."

"Relax?! He was the biggest traitor to the Dark Lord there ever was!" She tried to sit up but with being in a weakened condition and having Narcissa's hand to keep her still, she couldn't move.

"Well do you have anywhere better we could go?" Narcissa countered.

Bellatrix fell silent and Narcissa took it as a sign of having no more arguments for the time being. Narcissa picked up her wand and placed Bellatrix's head gently back on the grass as she started to get up. "Severus is dead, we'll be safe here for awhile. I doubt the Ministry will come back here this soon." She knelt down next to her sister and asked gently, "If you move slowly, do you think you can get up?"

Bellatrix grunted and put her weight on her hands muttering, "I think so." Narcissa tried to hold out her hand to help Bellatrix rose, but being stubborn she ignored it, and it took all of her strength to push herself off of the ground. But as she rose to full height she became light headed and was about to fall back before Narcissa caught her.

"Let me help you," Narcissa said, slightly pleading.

Bellatrix didn't answer, just had a look of pure annoyance plastered on her beautiful but hollowed features. She did, however, let her sister help her into Snape's house.

The door creaked open as the two sisters stepped inside, Bellatrix leaning heavily on Narcissa. The place was dark and dusty, and smelled slightly of rat. Though, with Wormtail staying there prior, it wasn't much of a surprise.

Narcissa helped Bellatrix over to the couch and she collapsed onto it, breathing heavily. Narcissa sat opposite of her and looked down, silently. There was a long period where nothing was heard except the creak of the window which swayed slightly with the chilly breeze outside.

Finally Bellatrix sat herself up on the couch and peered at her sister, who hadn't moved since sitting down. Her long blond hair was covering her face and her delicate fingers twirled her wand as she stared at it.

"Why?" Bellatrix demanded softly.

Narcissa looked up, her hair tumbling around her face like streaks of brilliant silver. "Why what?" she asked.

Bellatrix pushed back her still blood matted dark locks out of her face and asked again, "Why... everything?" It wasn't like Bellatrix to be this soft and curious. But with the days events she was worn out, beat up, and felt plain defeated.

Narcissa hesitated for a minute, deciding how to answer the question. Finally she looked into Bellatrix's eyes and said honestly, "Because you're my big sister. You're my blood." There was a pause, "You're my hero."

Bellatrix found herself at loss of words for what seemed to be the first time in probably forty years. She looked at the woman across from her and after awhile asked, "How can I be your hero, Cissy?" A question that she never thought she would have to ask in her life. A question, she thought, had to answer. They both clearly have wanted different things from the beginning

Narcissa got up and crossed the distance between them to sit down next to her on the couch. She touched Bellatrix's hand and said, "Because you've never been afraid of anything and you've always been so sure in the path you chose in life." Narcissa signed and looked away for a moment before adding, "I wish I was as sure."

Nothing more was said that night. Bellatrix didn't know how to answer so she just stayed silent. The two sisters ended up drifting asleep next to each other on the small couch, the light and dark hair mixing together like they were never meant to be apart, and the sound of the creaking window being silences as they fell into peaceful unconsciousness.

Bellatrix awoke from the sound of a tea kettle whistling. She yawned and grunted as she sat up on the couch, her head now just a dull annoying pain in the back of her skull. Her eyes adjusted to the bright sunlight streaming through the window and she saw Narcissa in the kitchen, leaning against the counter top as the eggs and bacon cooked themselves in the skillet. Narcissa smiled as she saw her sister rise, "Morning."

Bellatrix mumbled something inaudible as a reply and rubbed her eyes. She had never been much of a morning person. She went to push her hair off her face only to find some of it had stuck to her face. She cursed under her breath and tried to pry it from her pale skin.

"Go wash up," Narcissa said. "When you come back you can have some breakfast."

Bellatrix didn't say anything, but stumbled off towards the washroom, still cursing. Narcissa was four years younger than Bellatrix, but during times like these she felt like the older one. Her sister had always been slightly imbalanced, and her parents never seemed to notice. Probably because most of the Black family was a little deranged. But their other sister Andromeda, who was two years older than Narcissa , never got along with Bellatrix, and therefore never seemed to care about her well being at all. It was always Narcissa who cared for her, and in turn Bellatrix always looked out for Narcissa, especially when they were children. When the kids picked on Narcissa, Bellatrix would somehow always be there to storm in and hex them so bad even Madame Pomfrey had a problem fixing their face. After school, Andromeda married a muggle and was disowned, and that was the last either of them saw her. They are the last of each other's family, and Narcissa wouldn't even let Lucius take that away from her.

When Bellatrix got out of the shower she threw her wet hair up in some futile attempt to tame it and looked at her reflection in the dusty mirror. She had a large cut above her right eye and some visible bruising forming on her left shoulder. For the first time since escaping Azkaban she realized how much she had changed. Once she was considered beautiful. Now, her face had seem to hollow out and she cheek bones were plainly visible. She had dark circles around her eyes that gave a slight impression of walking death. She stared at her own reflection in disgust. She was once somebody, the best female lieutenant the Dark Lord ever had. Now... she was nothing.

She reeled back her arm and balled her fist before putting it through the glass as she screaming in anger, "Nothing!"

The shards of glass fell to the ground as Narcissa flew open the bathroom door instantly to see what was wrong, "Bella?" Seeing her sister with a bloody fist and the broken mirror around her feet she rushed over, grabbing a towel and wrapping it around Bellatrix's naked form, hugging her. "Come here," she said as she led Bellatrix back over to the living room. Using her wand she healed Bellatrix's wounds again and then washed off all the excess blood.

Bellatrix didn't speak, but the anger and self disgust still swam in her eyes as she made her way back over to the kitchen. "Get dressed Bella, " she said. She knew even if she asked what was wrong she wouldn't be told. Bellatrix didn't share her feelings, unless they're of hate.

Narcissa didn't look back from her cooking but heard the couch creak as Bellatrix rose to put on some clothes. She grabbed the skillet of bacon and proceeded to put the slices of meat on plates as the eggs did so of their own accord. Once she had the two plates of food on the table Bellatrix made her entrance, dressed in her usual black tattered dress. She sat at the table without a word and Began eating in silence.

Narcissa sat across from her sister in equal silence. She knew there was something bothering Bellatrix, but wasn't such a fool to inquire about it. She tried a different approach however because didn't feel like sitting there in silence. "I'm sorry you thought I betrayed you, Bella."

Bellatrix looked from her eggs and both pairs of dark eyes met. There was silence for a moment. Narcissa decided she completely used a bad approach and tried to back out of it, "Nevermind, I–"

"Shut up!" Hissed Bellatrix. Narcissa looked slightly panicked that Bellatrix was going to snap on her again but she added in a heated whisper, "I hear voices!"

"Voices?" Narcissa whispered back and instinctively grabbed her wand as Bellatrix did the same. Bellatrix got up and crossed the living room to peer out the dirty window. Not twenty feet away, three Aurors were coming up the pathway, talking amongst themselves, clearly not expecting danger.

Bellatrix looked back at her sister who had come up behind her and saw them too. Narcissa looked at Bellatrix and said, "No."

Bellatrix was grinning madly, "Yes Cissy, someone needs to pay.. Now."

TBC...