Note: PLEASE REVIEW! I know I say this a lot, but with this chapter, I REALLY want to know what you guys think! Hold on to your hats, ladies and gents. It's gonna be a bumpy ride! xoxo C.

The circle on the opposite corner opened up to reveal a small hidden chamber with a latch in it. She pulled the latch, listening as the old gears slowly came to life. She traced the sound, walking quickly to the bookcase. A single volume, no title on it's plain maroon binding, slid out from the rest. She picked up the book and as she did, a hidden drawer slid out from the bottom of the bookcase, just as Bellatrix had said.

There was a plain walnut box in the drawer, nothing more. She picked it up, moving to sit in the chair. Sitting down where she could so easily imagine a seventeen year old Bella poring over the volumes in the room was strange. She opened the lid to the box slowly, almost afraid of what she might find, or worse, that the box would be empty.

There were several pieces of paper in the box, most of them folded or in envelopes. Ginny took those out first, setting them in her lap. On the bottom of the box was another box, this one smaller, velvet. Ginny picked it up quickly, opening it and smiling with relief when the large diamond winked back at her. She knew she should put everything back in the box, go down the stairs and back to the car and drive away from this place. But she was curious, always curious.

She set the box on the ground, pocketing the ring box. Ginny had wondered why these things would be kept in the Black's childhood home, but now she realized that this was possibly the safest place for them. The first piece of paper she picked up was a marriage certificate, the date June 21st, 1978. She found herself smiling faintly as she refolded the paper, setting it aside. The next piece was a letter addressed to Bella from a woman named Ayanna Zabini.

Ginny remembered Blaise Zabini from school; she wondered if there was any relation. She couldn't help herself, opening the envelope and unfolding the parchment.

'Mia Belle,

Words cannot describe how happy I was to recieve your letter. I always told you, my love, that if you kept steady he would come around. You two were made for each other, forged by the hands of some twisted god. You were poured by the same hand, wrought by the same fire. Their is no truer love than the love I have seen between you and Rodolphus.

In response to your question in your previous letter, I must say that I am shocked you even had to ask me to be a bridesmaid. Darling, you know that there is nowhere in this world that I would rather be than standing beside you as I watch two of my most dearand cherished friends wed. Of course I will.

I hope I will be seeing you soon.

All of my love,
Ayanna'

Ginny pursed her lips slightly. She'd never heard of Ayanna Zabini before. But she'd clearly been very important to Bellatrix. Why hadn't she mentioned the woman before?

The next several items were letters of varying length between Bellatrix and her father, discussing matters that made Ginny's skin crawl; for even though they were written with some strange foreign code language, she knew what the truth in the words was. She shoved those back into the box, only two pieces of paper left.

She unfolded the first, dropping the other to the floor immediately, her hand rising to her mouth in shock.

The words 'Certificate of Birth' stood out in embossed golden script across the top of the page. Her eyes scanned hungrily until they fell on the name 'Catherine Avon Lestrange', date of birth, 14 August 1979. She was only a few years older than Ginny. "This is impossible," she muttered to no one, reading over the names of the parents again and again.

Mother: Bellatrix Artemis Black Lestrange

Father: Rodolphus Garner Lestrange

They had a daughter. They had a little girl. They had a child. Where was she now? Did they know her? did she have a different name now? They had a daughter and she probably had the same features of her mother, strong but still delicate somehow. Maybe she had piercing blue eyes like the man that was in all the photos with Bellatrix.

The knowledge was incredible. How had Bella not mentioned this? How did no one ever mention the Lestrange daughter? Ginny set the birth certificate on the arm of the chair, not ready to put it back in the box just yet. The next paper was about the same size, folded in half. She began to open it when a photo fell out.

In the picture, Bella sat on the living room floor of a house that wasn't nearly as cold and intimidating as the one she had grown up in. Rodolphus was sitting on the couch behind her, grinning wide as a clumsy little toddler wobbled towards them Bellatrix caught Catherine in her arms, raising her up in the air before bringing her in close to her chest. 'They look so normal,' Ginny thought, staring at the touching scene. It was hard to imagine that this woman and her husband were adoring parents by day and cold blooded killers by night.

When she unfolded the next piece of paper, she could nearly feel her stomach drop.

The words on the page were harsh and unceremonious. 'Certificate of Death'.

Her eyes scanned down the page, falling on the name.

Catherine Avon Lestrange

Date of Birth: 14 August 1979

Time of Death: 7:28p, 15 March 1984

Five years old. She was five years old. Ginny couldn't believe it. She tried to imagine for a moment, just one moment, losing her Lily and it stung to even entertain. The line beside cause of death had been filled with letters that spelled out 'unknown illness' but they were clouded through a glass of tears. Ginny picked up the box with a start, wiping her eyes as she put the box back in the drawer, sliding it closed and covering her tracks. She picked up the photo, the birth and death certificates, and the letter from Ayanna Zabini and left the room before her heart could break for Bellatrix Lestrange anymore.

She descended the stairs quickly, rushing out of the house. It was suffocating her now, the luxurious curtains, high ceilings, and marble floors. They seemed to laugh at her as she slammed the front door behind her, taking the steps two at a time as she hurried to the car. Harry met her halfway, catching her by the shoulders.

"What's wrong?" he asked, almost panicked. "What happened in there? Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, I'm fine," she shook her head, only just now realizing that her face was streaked with tears. She wiped her cheeks on the sleeve of her shirt. Harry watched her face, deciding whether or not to believe her.

"Come on," he said, leading her back toward the car. He helped her into the passenger seat before walking around and sliding into the driver's side. He turned to face her, eyes still full of concern. "What happened, Gin?"

"I don't know why I'm crying, Harry, I'm sorry," she shook her head. It was true enough. The sorrow wasn't hers to bear. She hadn't known the girl, and it was fair enough to say that she wouldn't have liked her much even if she had. She would have been a year above Harry, and there's no telling what kind of havoc she'd have been capable of causing. But the fact remained that she was the daughter who had been torn from what seemed like loving, if unorthodox, parents.

"I don't even know where to start," she said, shaking her head. "You're not going to believe this."

End note: This will all make more sense in chapters to come, I promise. Until then, C.