Black Manor (1971)

(Bellatrix is 21, Sirius is 14)

Warning: Mentions of a lot of blood.

It'd been a year since Andromeda had left. It'd been a year since Narcissa smiled or laughed. It'd been a year since Bellatrix and Sirius saw each other. Slowly, so slowly that one might not have even noticed, she was falling apart. Day by day, she was losing. Just like the year before, when Sirius had helped Andromeda, she had been losing. And it was becoming extremely difficult for her to win. And again, just another not so normal day, she was going to lose. Not her dignity, not her pride, but someone's beating heart.

"Narcissa, come now, it'll do no good for you to sulk around the house today. Honestly, child, brighten up!" Narcissa's mother ushered, patting the seventeen year old blonde on the back. "Your cousins are coming in a few moments, be sure to tidy up as much as you can." She added, looking herself over in the mirror.

Bellatrix stepped out from the bathroom in her old bedroom, clutching her wand in her hand. Rodolphus turned from his place by the body mirror, buttoning up his shirt. He slightly smiled at his wife's miffed expression. "Something wrong, dear?" He asked, throwing a jumper over his head. Bellatrix shook her head, sending her black curls dancing around her shoulders. "Is it alright?" He asked, raising an eyebrow. Her hands made their way to her stomach, rubbing it gently. She nodded, not saying a word. She was only a month pregnant. "Good." He grinned, finally adding his black robes to his wardrobe. They heard the doorbell ring a floor beneath them, and Bellatrix stiffened.

Rodolphus took her hand gently in his, drawing small circles on the back of it with his thumb. "It'll be alright, love." He soothed, kissing the top of her head, getting no reaction from her. He led her out of the room, and downstairs, where Sirius, Regulus, Walburga, and Orion Black stood. As soon as her eyes made contact with his, she wanted to rip him apart. Hurt him for taking away her sister. Narcissa was soon at her sisters side, avoiding contact with Sirius. She tried her best to smile for Regulus, but all she managed was a sneer.

Walburga, Orion, Druella, and Cygnus Black all made their way into the drawing room, leaving the five standing in the hall. Then Narcissa'a tongue slipped. "How dare you." No one had expected her to be the one to be upset with Sirius. "How dare, you take my sister away from me." She sneered, and soon tears leaked down her cheeks. No one would've guessed that she was talking more about Bellatrix than she was about Andromeda. Sirius averted his gaze, ashamed for having one of his favorite cousins angry with him. In another moment, Narcissa had left the room, wiping her eyes. Regulus followed her, trying his best to cheer her up.

"Rod, go help Cissy." Bellatrix instructed, reaching for her wand in her back pocket. Without hesitation, Rodolphus left the room, leaving the two alone.

Instantly, both had their wands drawn. "I'm sorry, Bella." Sirius pleaded, the two circling each other. She sneered, throwing back her head and laughing.

"Bullshit!" She screeched, twirling her wand in her fingers. "If you were sorry, this wouldn't have happened in the first place." She added. For about ten minutes, they sent spells back and forth, cursing and jinxing one another. They ignored everything else around them, including the shattering glass and furniture.

"Avada Kedavra..." Sirius whispered, closing his eyes and aiming his wand at his cousin, without thinking. The blast of jet green light caught her off guard, and she was sent flying into the staircase. For a moment, Sirius was sure she was dead. He dropped onto his knee's, refusing to believe what he had done. She had began whimpering and softly crying after a second or two, and Sirius noticed a large pool of blood form from under her skirt. The pool got larger and larger, but soon stopped. Bellatrix lay there, clutching her stomach, her eyes shut as hard as they could be. At first, he didn't understand. Why wasn't she dead? Only when a mass of sticky, reddish, blackish clumps had joined the pool of blood did something light up in his head. There is...or was, something inside of her. Something that had saved her.

"My...my child..." She whimpered, clutching her stomach. She opened her eyes, glaring at Sirius. "You...you killed my child..." She whispered, then soon started screaming. "YOU KILLED MY CHILD!" Sirius backed away, his eyes getting wide. He was responsible. He was responsible for the death of a baby. With a last pleading look at his cousin, he ran out the door, blood covering his hands and tears staining his cloak.

He returned a month later, only to be tortured and nearly killed by Rodolphus; only because Bellatrix refused to socialize since the death of the child. As he lay on the cellar floor, blood oozing from his mouth and body, Sirius finally clicked two puzzle pieces in his mind. He didn't dislike Bellatrix. He hated her with a burning passion. "Coward..." He whispered, sending droplets of blood to the floor. "Cowardly Bella..."