A group of silent people filled the drawing room. They were seated at a long and ornate table with nervous looks upon their faces. An assortment of furniture lined the walls and appeared to have been pushed carelessly aside. A roaring fire lit the dark room in wonder beneath a picturesque marble banister. Just above the fireplace was a mirror that reflected the pregnant atmosphere lingering in the room.
There was a single man who paced the room, looking at each individual with more rage than the last.
"What is the condition of the Mudblood?" he asked slowly. "Anyone?"
He took a lazy stroll around the room and inspected the faces of very person there. "No volunteers?" said Voldemort. "Yaxley!"
The man in question looked up in shock.
"Y-yes, my Lord?"
"Can you report on the condition of Hermione Granger?"
"No, my Lord, I‒"
Quicker than anyone could see, Voldemort pulled out his wand.
"Avada Kedavra!"
A flash of green light illuminated the room, then Yaxley fell down. He was dead.
"That," Voldemort said, resuming his pace. "Is what happens when you fail to be of use to me. Dolohov, you shall take over Yaxley's position at the Ministry." Dolohov nodded in understanding.
In response, the rest sat up straighter in their seats, and their faces were vibrant with terror. Some were even shaking. But not Bellatrix. She leant in her chair toward Voldemort and had a look of pleasure on her face.
"My Lord," Bellatrix said, her voice oozing with desire. "I believe I know how to find her."
Voldemort turned toward her quickly and walked her way. "Go on, Bellatrix. I am intrigued to find out what you think might work that I haven't already thought of."
She flinched, but didn't hesitate. "You know, of course, my Lord, that the Mudblood was close with the blood-traitors, the Weasleys, as well as with Harry Potter." Some of the other Death Eaters, in particular her sister Narcissa, looked at her in horror. She had said the boy's name? Voldemort had killed for less than that, with a few moments earlier as proof. But the Dark Lord made no movements to stop her. "And while we may have already used the weasels as much as we can, we may not have been asking for the right answers.
"Perhaps we need only to find out from them whom it is that does know where the Mudblood is."
"Is this true?" Voldemort looked at no one in particular. "Did you indeed refrain from asking about who might know where Hermione Granger is located?"
Dolohov coughed. "My Lord, well‒"
"It is a simple 'yes' or 'no' question, Dolohov."
"Yes, but‒"
Screaming in rage, Voldemort looked as if he were about to reach for his wand again, then paused. "I have already done away with one of my Ministry informants tonight, and there is little reason to do the same with another, so long as he continues to be of use to me." Dolohov seemed to have gotten the hint and managed to stammer out a "yes, my Lord".
Bellatrix was a little put-down at not having gotten an acknowledgement of her great thinking and decided to put the spotlight back on herself.
"However, I don't see any reason why my Lord is afraid of her. She is but a filthy Mudblood; not even a real witch. While you are the most powerful wizard in all of time."
"Let it be known that I am not afraid of this girl. It is simply my wish to tie up all loose ends," Voldemort said.
"Thank you for the clarification, my Lord," said Bellatrix. "There is no higher pleasure than knowing your might."
"No higher pleasure," Voldemort repeated. "Even compared with the happy even that, I hear, has taken place in your family this week?"
"To what are you referring, my Lord?"
"I'm talking about your niece, Bellatrix. And yours, Lucius and Narcissa. She has just had a child with the werewolf, Remus Lupin. You must be so proud."
A nervous laughter clamoured the room. The Death Eaters were enjoying taking pleasure in Bellatrix and the Malfoys' humiliation, but they were still too frightened too break into jeering. Bellatrix's face flushed red with embarrassment.
"She is no niece of ours, my Lord! We ‒ Narcissa and I ‒ have not set eyes on our sister since she married the Mudblood. This brat has nothing to do with us, nor any beasts she births."
"What of you, Draco?" Voldemort asked. "Will you babysit the cub?"
They burst out in cackles as the humility mounted. Draco looked at his parents in terror, as if they would provide him with the answer of how to respond. Neither looked back at him.
"Enough," called Voldemort, effectively silencing the room. "Some of our oldest family trees become diluted over time, and it is our job to cut out those parts that threaten the health of the rest."
"Of course, my Lord," whispered Bellatrix, her eyes wet with tears of gratitude. "At the first chance!"
"You shall have it," said Voldemort. "And in your family, so in the world, we shall remove the cancer that infects us until only the purest of blood remain." There was a chorus of agreement surrounding him.
"But, it is also of importance to make certain our children keep our lines pure.
"What of your son, Nott?"
"He is still in school, my Lord. Surely he will look for a wife after he is done at Hogwarts."
"And of yours, Lucius?"
"My Lord, Draco has found a nice Pureblood girl from Germany, and they are to bed wed once Draco finishes at Hogwarts."
"Not soon enough!" Voldemort seethed. "Bot of you! You are to pull your sons out of Hogwarts. There is little need for N.E.W.T. scores in this world when they both make for such fine Death Eaters. Nott, find your son someone immediately. I've heard the Parkinsons have a daughter about his age. And Lucius, Draco and this girl shall be wed at once! It shall be an event to mark the first Pureblood marriage of the new world." The two men nodded.
"Yes, my Lord."
With that, he disappeared from the room entirely, along with most of the others. Only four people remained.
"Cissy," Bellatrix murmured. "You didn't tell me that Draco had found someone!"
Her sister looked at her and blinked. "I… it must have slipped. " Bellatrix ignored her and walked behind her nephew. She put her hands on his shoulders and leant in close.
"Draco, you're going to be a right and proper man now," she whispered into his ear. "You're going to have a wife, children, and be the best heir to both the Malfoy and Black families as possible. Isn't that right?
Draco shivered and nodded. "Yes, Aunt Bella."
She giggled in delight. "Now I must meet my future niece-in-law. Bring her here, will you, Draco dear?"
His eyes went wide and Draco looked to his parents for guidance. They said nothing. "Alright. Wait here, I'll go get her."