Lucius, Narcissa, and Regulus stopped in every room that they passed, so that Regulus could fully explore each of them.
Regulus was already familiar with several of the rooms as he visited often, but he still looked around each of them. It was highly possible, after all, that he had missed something fascinating the last time around.
Then, the three friends suddenly heard the sound of someone speaking.
The voice was coming from a nearby room.
"That sounds like Bella," Narcissa remarked. "I was wondering where she was. She only stayed in the ballroom long enough for Father to introduce her to the Minister. Then, she just disappeared."
"I hope you're not complaining about that," Lucius commented, "because you most definitely aren't going to hear any complaints from me."
Narcissa laughed in amusement. It was no secret that Lucius and Bellatrix didn't get along with each other. And as much as Narcissa loved her sister, she usually found herself taking Lucius's side in their arguments.
"I don't think I want to know what she's up to," Regulus said in a worried voice. He hated to admit it, but he was a little scared of Bellatrix.
"Well, unless we want to go back the way we came," Narcissa spoke, "we're going to have to pass by the room that she's in."
"I really don't feel like going back," Lucius said. "We don't have to stop and talk with her," he told Regulus, seeing the horrified expression on the boy's face.
"All right, let's walk by her then," Regulus said in a low voice.
The three friends made their way out of the room they were currently in. They then began to walk down the hallway. They neared the room Bellatrix's voice was coming from.
The door was open, and a quick glance inside showed that Bellatrix was not alone.
"Wow, she's got quite the crowd with her," Regulus remarked, his earlier fear replaced by childlike curiosity. "I wonder what she's talking to them about."
It quickly became clear that Bellatrix was in the middle of some great speech.
"The Dark Lord is the answer," she declared. "He is the one who will destroy all the Muggles and the Mudbloods. He is the one who will lead us Purebloods into a better future, a future where we will rule supreme, as we were always meant to. If we join with the Dark Lord, we won't have to live alongside the unworthy any longer. Only those of us that have been chosen will exist."
Regulus listened in fascination. His parents were always talking about how wonderful and how noble the Dark Lord was.
Regulus hoped to one day join the Dark Lord's noble cause. Regulus wanted to help create a better world for Purebloods like himself. He knew that would make his parents so proud.
"What is that foolish woman thinking?" Lucius snarled, interrupting Regulus's thoughts. "The Minister of Magic is here tonight, along with some Aurors."
Lucius then made his way into the room and towards Bellatrix. He pushed people out of his way without losing a single step.
"What is Lucius doing?" Regulus asked Narcissa in a worried voice. "He's not going to try to tell Bella what to do, is he? No one tells Bella what to do."
"Don't worry about Lucius," Narcissa told Regulus in a reassuring voice. "He knows how to take care of himself, even against Bella."
"Well, hello, Lucius," Bellatrix said in a false cheerful voice. "It's such a pleasure to see you tonight."
"You idiotic woman," Lucius hissed into Bellatrix's ear, "what if the Minister was to walk in here? What if an Auror was to walk in here? You can't just go around talking about the Dark Lord where anyone can hear."
"The Dark Lord is always looking for new recruits," Bellatrix replied in a low voice so that only Lucius would be able to hear her. "I am just trying to be loyal and helpful to him."
"How much help will you be to him if you get sent to Azkaban?" Lucius snapped. "You can't do anything useful from there, Bellatrix. There are proper times for promoting the Dark Lord. Now is not one of those times."
"Fine, fine," Bellatrix growled, "I'll stop."
Bellatrix forced a smile onto her face as she turned to address the gathered crowd. "Lucius here has told me that we need to stop for tonight," she said. "Apparently he's worried about the Aurors."
A few of people in the room dared to chuckle at Bellatrix's mocking words.
"That's right, laugh," Lucius sneered. "I'm sure the dementors will be laughing as well when they have all your souls to feed on."
All the laughter immediately faded away, and everyone automatically turned serious. Everyone in the room knew all about dementors, and none of them wanted to be at the mercy of those dark creatures.
"Let's all leave this room now," Lucius then spoke, "before someone passes by and wonders why we're all doing in here instead of being down in the ballroom."
No one needed to be told twice. In a matter of moments, the room had emptied of everyone but Lucius and Bellatrix. Narcissa and Regulus were still standing right outside the doorway.
"Thanks a lot, Lucius," Bellatrix hissed angrily.
"You're welcome," Lucius smiled mockingly. "Please forgive me for trying to save your life."
Bellatrix looked like she wanted to pull out her wand and hex Lucius.
For his part, Lucius just smirked at her.
"I'll leave you to wallow in your misery," Lucius then said. "I have more important things to do tonight then to comfort you."
"I don't need you to comfort me," Bellatrix snarled.
"Good," Lucius replied. "Because I really didn't feel like comforting you anyways."
Lucius then turned and left the room.
Both Narcissa and Regulus gave Bellatrix a slight nod of acknowledgement before they left their spots to catch up with Lucius.
"I can't believe Lucius actually did that," Regulus whispered to Narcissa in awe. "I can't believe he actually got away with telling Bella what to do. He really isn't afraid of anything. I wish I could be as brave as him."
Regulus then looked at Lucius's back with an expression of hero-worship on his face.
"That's Lucius for you," Narcissa smiled, looking fondly at the blond-haired wizard's back. "He never backs down from a challenge."