"Well, Yaxley," said Lord Voldemort where he sat in his office in Malfoy Manor, "How go things at my Ministry?"

Bellatrix sighed where she sat in a chair beside Voldemort's desk. Corban Yaxley had been the Minister of Magic for years now. The entirety of the Ministry was Voldemort's. Law after law had been passed bending to his will. They'd begun with the Half-Blood Marriage Incentive Act. Then they'd banned incoming Muggle-born students from attending Hogwarts. Next, they'd banned all Muggle-borns from working at the Ministry of Magic. Wands had been confiscated from Muggle-borns, who were on a registry now.

There had been resistance, of course. Some of Dumbledore's remaining allies had fought them in a series of battles, a war that had lasted two solid years until, one by one, the resistance had been eliminated. They didn't have wands, anyway. Ollivander had been killed, and his shop was run by Opalina Rowle, who had a good working knowledge of wandlore, now. How could the resistance fight well without wands? Still, there were bands of rebels hiding out in forests, in villages. Bellatrix knew this was true. But for the most part, it was shocking how quickly people could adjust to new realities. Even Half-Bloods and Purebloods who had originally been sympathetic toward Muggle-borns now used the word Mudblood in daily conversation. They followed the Ministry loyally. Things were peaceful. For the most part.

People knew who was in charge, too. Yaxley was the Minister, but Lord Voldemort was, well, the Lord. The Master. People knew that. People knew he was in the shadows, in the darkness, ruling everything with an iron fist and a magical ability none of them could fathom. Tom Riddle was long gone. Bellatrix was the Dark Lady. She could go into public now, but when she did, she was treated like a deity, bowed and curtsied to, called My Lady by even Florean Fortescue.

"Things at the Ministry are going well, Your Lordship," said Corban Yaxley in response to Voldemort's question. He wrapped his thick fingers around the arms of his mahogany chair and said cautiously, "We have evidence - from the Auror force - that the lingering rebels take pride in speaking your name. They seem to think that speaking your name directly makes them brave."

Voldemort laughed a little at that. He shrugged and rolled his eyes.

"Ordinarily, I'd be happy to let them do whatever they need to do to pretend to be brave," he said. "But in this case, it's a useful tracking tool. Put a Taboo on word Voldemort."

Yaxley's face went white, and he nodded nervously. The process of placing a Taboo was unnerving, for it required the person placing the spell to speak the word himself. Yaxley would have to say Voldemort, and he didn't want to do that. Bellatrix sucked her bottom lip, rather amused.

"Be certain to make this a Ministerial decree," Voldemort clarified. "A law, actually. The last thing we want is some stray Selwyn breaking the Taboo. I want the Aurors and Snatchers on this. Anyone who breaks the Taboo will be apprehended and summarily executed. That's the law."

"Understood, My Lord," Yaxley nodded. He smiled a bit then and said, "Things are going swimmingly in the Department of Marriages, Births, Divorces, and Deaths. The Half-Blood Marriage scheme has produced dozens of offspring. More than enough to make up for the numerical loss to the community we've seen by eliminating Mudbloods. We're classifying the children of two Half-Bloods as Class B Purebloods."

"Class B Purebloods?" Voldemort touched his fingers together, looking curious. "We have classes of Purebloods now?"

"We've decided, with your permission, Sir, to maintain a classification system of Blood Status," said Yaxley. "Those born to two Pureblood parents are Class A Purebloods. Those born to one Pureblood and one Half-Blood or two Half-Bloods are Class B Purebloods. Those born to any lesser combination are considered Half-Bloods, and of course there is the Mudblood classification. The separation among Purebloods is just to appease the Sacred Twenty-Eight. We can't exactly have the children of two Half-Bloods be considered the same as the child of a Mulciber and an Avery."

"No. I understand." Voldemort scratched a bit at the beard that was almost grown in now. Bellatrix studied it. He was keeping it neatly cropped, and since it was mostly silver, it shined a little. She wasn't sure whether she liked it or not. It made him look old. She wasn't sure whether she minded that or not.

"Finally, Master… there has been talk among Departmental Heads of a scheme to utilise the same techniques Hogwarts once used to identify Mudblood students. We would use the techniques to root out Mudblood children."

The office was so quiet then that one would have heard a mote of dust fall onto the desk. Voldemort sighed and said calmly,

"A scheme to eliminate Mudblood children before they grow into Mudblood adults."

"Yes, Master," Yaxley said, his voice lethally steady. Voldemort shook his head a little and folded his hands on the desk.

"Something like that could never be done in an official Ministerial capacity."

"Why not?" snapped Bellatrix, and Voldemort stared at her like she'd suddenly caught fire. He gulped, gathering himself, and then he spoke to Yaxley.

"As it is, wizarding Britain is increasingly isolated in trade and diplomacy. America, India, France, so many others… they've already expressed their sincere discontent with our approach. Excluding Mudbloods from society is enough to create problems for us internationally. If we start killing their children wholesale -"

"But they're a scourge," Bellatrix cut in, and Voldemort pinched his lips. He snarled at her,

"Have you ever heard the word genocide? Because MACUSA have, and so have the French Ministry, and the Japanese one. Anything like that would have to be strictly, entirely, one hundred per cent unofficial, unsanctioned, and condemned by the British Ministry."

Yaxley was quiet for a moment, and then he nodded. "I can make that happen. But it'll take some time. That is, perhaps, a project for a later epoch of your rule, Your Lordship."

"Thank you, Yaxley. If there's nothing else, you're dismissed," said Voldemort, and Yaxley slowly rose from his chair. He bowed first to Voldemort, then to Bellatrix, and he put his grey wool wizard's hat back on his head.

"I shall see you at the Dark Lady's birthday party on Friday, then?" he asked, and Voldemort nodded crisply. Yaxley walked briskly out of Voldemort's office, and the instant the door was shut, Voldemort snapped his head to Bellatrix and demanded,

"What the blazes is the matter with you?"

"Whatever do you mean? Master?" She licked her lip, and he narrowed his eyes.

"You were insolent," he informed her, "and unreasonable. What's the matter?"

She scoffed quietly and whispered, "It's been a month today."

A month since they'd taken Morganna away from them. A month since they'd said goodbye to her in the blown-apart foyer. They'd only seen her once since then; Narcissa had been in Knockturn Alley shopping with Morganna the only time Bellatrix had come to Malfoy Manor since the separation. Bellatrix shut her eyes, feeling them burn, and she whispered,

"I apologise, Master."

"When is the last time you came?" he barked, and she opened her eyes and stared at him like he'd gone insane. She shook her head, confused, and asked,

"I beg your pardon?"

"An orgasm. When is the last time you had one?" His voice and face were quite serious. Bellatrix's mouth fell open, and she shrugged.

"I… I dunno. It's been a… a long while."

"Then I should think you're overdue, My Lady." He stood slowly and made a move to walk toward her, but Bellatrix tensed up. She shook her head and insisted,

"I'm not in the mood. My Lord."

"Not in the mood." He sounded frustrated. "Bella, you've not been in the mood for over a month. Do you suppose you shall ever be in the mood again?"

"I hope someday I shall be," she said. She gulped, and then suddenly there was a knocking on the office door.

"Enter," said Voldemort, and a strange little smile crossed his face.

"Forgive me," said Narcissa's voice as she came walking into the office holding Morganna's hand. "We saw Mr Yaxley leave and she just couldn't wait any longer."

"Morganna!" Bellatrix flew from her chair and dashed over to the child. They'd dressed her in pretty black silk and velvet. Narcissa had always had impeccable style. Bellatrix threw her arms around Morganna, who embraced her back and whispered,

"Missed you, Aunt Bella."

"Missed you, too, Morganna." Bellatrix pulled away and studied Morganna's face. She looked healthy. Her cheeks were pink and plump. She raised her face to Narcissa and asked, "Is she eating well? Playing loads?"

"She's doing splendidly," Narcissa insisted, "though she asks after the two of you all the time."

"And I've got a surprise for you, Aunt Bella! My Lord!" Morganna grinned, and she fiddled with Voldemort's ring round her neck.

"A surprise?" Bellatrix swiped the tears away where she knelt. "What sort of surprise?"

"Morganna is learning to control her incredible magic a bit better," Narcissa said proudly, "and she's got a gift she wants to make for you."

"Ready?" asked Morganna, and Bellatrix nodded earnestly. Morganna swirled her hands around in a circular motion, shutting her ice blue eyes. Her silver hair fell in waves around her round little face as she whispered something Bellatrix couldn't understand. Then, abruptly, something began to form in the air between Morganna's hands. It was smoke at first, vibrant pink smoke, and then it began to solidify and turn into what looked like quartz. Soon enough it was a heavy, solid sphere of shiny pink quartz, and it was floating in the air between Morganna's hands. She pulled it out of the air and held it out to Bellatrix, who gasped and took the heavy ball.

Bellatrix glanced over her shoulder to Voldemort, who had approached and looked amazed where he stood.

"You are so very powerful, my little creature," he informed Morganna. "This is magic beyond most seventh-year Hogwarts' students' abilities with a wand, Narcissa, much less wandless. You do realise how gifted she is."

"We try not to discuss the matter in front of her," Narcissa said meaningfully, "but we are… very aware. She will be a good servant for you. A powerful servant."

"Yes, she will." Voldemort crouched down and took the solid quartz ball from Bellatrix's hands. He reached out and touched at the ring he'd given to Morganna - his Horcrux. The gifted obsidian. "You keep this on?"

"Always, My Lord," Morganna affirmed. Suddenly Bellatrix sensed a metallic chill about the child, and she curled her lips up. Yes, she thought. Morganna would be a mighty soldier.

"You promise me to listen well to your Mummy and Daddy," Bellatrix said, almost scolding. "You promise me you'll eat well and listen well all the time. Indoor feet and indoor voices. Promise?"

"I promise, Aunt Bella," Morganna said. "You can keep that present."

"We shall treasure it." Bellatrix stared at the quartz sphere in Voldemort's hand as he rose.

"Go play, creature," he told her. "Little girls should be playing all the time."

"Yes, My Lord." She nodded, and she gave Bellatrix another embrace before Narcissa started to lead her away.

"Cissy?" Bellatrix called after her younger sister. Narcissa, beautiful and slim and just on the cusp of womanhood herself, turned round at the office door. Bellatrix nodded. "Thank you."

Author's Note: Politics and Morganna and personal issues; oh, my! Maybe a birthday party will put Bellatrix in the mood again, hm? I know I update quickly, but I'm actually pleasantly surprised at how many people are reading Part III of this series, so if you get a quick moment, PLEASE do leave a review and let me know what you think! Thanks so much.