Bellatrix sat at the bottom of the table in the dining room of Malfoy Manor quietly fuming. Since the end of August she'd sat back and accepted the way The Dark Lady was treating her, but she wasn't going to stand for it any more. Maybe if she was being honest with herself she could admit she made a mistake with changing the time of the attack in the summer, but that was no excuse for the way she was being ostracized. She'd been one of Voldemort's top Death Eaters and she deserved better than to be relegated to the bottom of the table and practically ignored.
The final straw for Bellatrix had just happened a few moments earlier. For the last few weeks Lucius had been talking about a Christmas party for the Death Eaters that The Dark Lady was organising. The thought of one party with The Dark Lady was bad enough, but moments ago she'd just announced there would be a New Year party held at the Manor. Bellatrix was just mentally grumbling about a second party when The Dark Lady announced it was for a select few Death Eaters that had impressed her over her first few months in charge. The Dark Lady then explained that the party's for everyone would be held twice a year, at Christmas and in the summer, and the party's for the Death Eaters that had impressed her would be happening every few months. When the invitations were handed out Bellatrix was fuming to discover she didn't have one.
For the rest of the meeting Bellatrix silently seethed. She also checked out the other Death Eaters who failed to receive invitations and see how they were reacting. To Bellatrix's annoyance they seemed to be taking it in their stride and seemed to accept that they needed to step up and impress The Dark Lady. Bellatrix however wasn't planning on stepping up and impressing The Dark Lady, she was thinking of ways to get rid of her.
When the meeting was over, Bellatrix decided to pop along and see Narcissa. If The Dark Lady saw fit to exclude her from the party she could try getting an invite directly from Narcissa. The Manor was her sister's house and if Narcissa wanted to invite Bellatrix to spend New Year with her, surely The Dark Lady couldn't complain.
"Cissa." Bellatrix greeted her sister with a wide smile as she found the blonde witch in the Manor's front room.
"Hello, Bellatrix." Narcissa replied, without looking up from the magazine she was reading. "I didn't expect to see you today."
"Can't I visit my baby sister?" Bellatrix asked, perching on the sofa beside Narcissa.
"Not without wanting something." Narcissa snorted, finally looking up at her sister. "What do you want, Bella?"
"Fine, you've got me, I want something." Bellatrix sighed. "I heard about the party you were having at New Year."
"No." Narcissa interrupted her sister, knowing exactly what she was going to ask.
"No, what?" Bellatrix frowned. "You don't even know what I want."
"You want an invite to the party." Narcissa predicted.
"Okay, I do." Bellatrix admitted. "I'm sure The Dark Lady just forgot to give me one."
"If she didn't give you one, then you're not getting one." Narcissa said. "The Dark Lady sorted the guest list."
"But it's being held at your house." Bellatrix argued. "Surely you can invite who you want."
"It's The Dark Lady's party." Narcissa answered. "Lucius and I are just letting her hold it at the Manor."
"So, you're not going to get me an invite." Bellatrix stormed, standing up and glaring at her sister.
"No." Narcissa shook her head before returning to her magazine.
"Bitch." Bellatrix hissed, before turning on her heel and storming out of the Manor.
The second she was past the Manor's boundary line, Bellatrix apparated home in a fury. When she got home she found her husband, Rodolphus and his brother, Rabastan, sharing a glass of firewhisky as they laughed and joked together.
"Where did you get to?" Rodolphus asked as Bellatrix stormed across the room and poured herself a glass of firewhisky.
"I went to see Cissa." Bellatrix replied, drowning her firewhisky in one go and pouring herself a second glass.
"Don't tell me you were trying to get an invitation to the party." Rodolphus groaned.
"It didn't work. Cissa wouldn't give me one." Bellatrix muttered as she dropped into a chair beside the fire.
"Of course she wouldn't, it's not her party." Rabastan remarked with a smirk. His sister-in-law wasn't his favourite person so he had no problem with seeing her finally brought down a peg or two.
"But it's her house." Bellatrix countered. "She could have invited me if she wanted to."
"I've told you before Bella, you need to stop this." Rodolphus told his wife. "Getting angry with The Dark Lady isn't helping your case. Just accept she's in charge and move on."
"No." Bellatrix screamed, throwing her glass against the wall. "I won't let that bitch win. I should be running the Death Eaters not her. I was The Dark Lord's right had woman, I was his top Death Eater."
"Please, you were never his top Death Eater." Rabastan said with a laugh. "Lucius always held that position, you were just too bloody stubborn to admit it."
"The Death Eaters will be mine." Bellatrix promised with a wicked smirk. "I'm going to sort The Dark Lady and her precious side kick once and for all. Just you watch, she's going down."
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Hermione smiled in contentment as she whirled around the dance floor in Draco's arms. The Christmas party for the Death Eaters had been a massive success and so far the New Year party was also proving a hit. Hermione was making sure to mix with all her father's followers and she continued to integrate herself as their leader. She'd already made a statement about how ruthless she was when she first took over, but she knew for things to really work out she had to have the Death Eaters backing her because they wanted to. Luckily she was making a great impression and the Death Eaters were loving her.
"I can't wait until the party's over." Draco whispered in Hermione's ear. With all her mingling this was the first time he'd managed to get her on her own all night.
"And why would that be?" Hermione asked.
The previous day when they'd been talking Hermione had expressed her wish to spend the night with Draco after the New Year party. She was finally ready to sleep with Draco, but she wanted their first time to be special. Actually she'd been ready since just before they finished school, but she wanted to be able to spend the whole night with Draco, not just grab a few hours together in the Room of Requirement.
"There's the obvious reason." Draco grinned wickedly at Hermione, causing her to laugh at him. "But there's another reason." He added more seriously.
"What's that?"
"I want the real you back." He whispered.
Hermione currently had her hair charmed black and her eyes were a bright shade of blue. After the incident with Bellatrix she'd been thinking about having a more public face that she could show to her Death Eaters, at least until she could show them her true self. Hermione had settled on the black hair as that was how she was disguised the first time they saw her, plus in her opinion it made her look older and less like her normal self.
"Don't you like my public face?" Hermione pouted.
"It's very nice, but it's not you." Draco replied.
"It is in public." Hermione said. "But I promise the second we're alone, I'll go back to normal."
"I'll look forward to it."
Hermione smiled at Draco before reluctantly stepping out of his arms. "I have to go and mingle a bit more. I'll see you later."
"Find me at midnight." Draco called as Hermione stepped further away from him.
Hermione nodded before turning around and disappearing into the crowds. Weaving through the crowds, Hermione smiled and greeted several Death Eaters and their partners as she passed. Reaching the other side of the room she briefly spoke to her mother, who was on her way home to see the New Year in with Voldemort. After leaving her mother, Hermione made her way over to Lucius who was conversing with the Woods.
"Mr Wood, I'm delighted you made it." Hermione smiled at the man, before turning to his wife. "Hello Mrs Wood, you look lovely."
"Thank you, my dear." Mrs Wood smiled.
"Thank you for inviting us, My Lady." Mr Wood said. "I can't think why you did however, I haven't done much since you took over."
"Firstly, your work at the Ministry is very important." Hermione replied. Wood worked in the Ministry in a pretty high up position and he would be extremely useful when Hermione wanted a few new laws passing. "And secondly, I invited you as a mark of respect for Oliver. No doubt if he was still with us, he would be here. He was going to be a fine Death Eater."
"Yes, I'm sure he would have been." Mr Wood sighed.
Hermione smiled sympathetically and listened as the Woods spoke about their son. Eventually the couple drifted off, leaving Hermione and Lucius alone to talk.
"How's your evening going?" Lucius casually inquired. "I spotted you and Draco earlier, you looked to be getting quite cosy."
"We were just dancing." Hermione said with a smile.
"That wasn't just dancing." Lucius snorted. "I was getting worried the pair of you were going to rip each other's clothes off and go at each other there and then."
Hermione couldn't help the faint blush that appeared on her cheeks at Lucius's insinuation. "I'm sure we weren't that bad." She muttered.
"Probably not." Lucius agreed with a chuckle. "I probably noticed it because I know what's going on between you two."
"Does it bother you?" Hermione asked.
"Would it matter if it did?" Lucius countered.
"No." Hermione replied. "But I would prefer it if you approved of me."
"Of course I approve of you." Lucius responded quickly. "I think you're a great match for Draco. He needs someone to keep him in line."
Hermione chuckled and was just about to ask if the same applied to Lucius when a figure caught her eye over the other side of the room. "I don't believe it."
"What?" Lucius asked, looking for what had interrupted their light-hearted conversation and put a scowl on Hermione's face.
"Bellatrix." Hermione hissed, nodding in the direction of the witch.
"I thought she wasn't invited." Lucius said.
"She isn't." Hermione replied as she stalked off.
Lucius followed Hermione and in a few minutes they were standing in front of Bellatrix. Bellatrix looked momentarily confused by Hermione, until the fierce look on her face rang a bell with her.
"My Lady." Bellatrix smirked, sounding anything but respectful as she addressed Hermione.
"What are you doing here, Bellatrix?" Hermione asked. She didn't want to make a scene and ruin the night for everyone but she wasn't standing for such blatant disrespect.
"Enjoying the party." Bellatrix giggled, spinning round in a circle.
"You're drunk." Lucius sneered at his sister-in-law, totally unimpressed by the state she was in.
"It's New Year, lighten up." Bellatrix responded.
"It's time for you to leave." Hermione told the witch. "I'll deal with you later."
"I don't think so." Bellatrix giggled again.
"Get her out of here, Lucius." Hermione said to her right hand man. Throwing Bellatrix a disgusted look she turned around and slipped back into the party.
"Come on, Bella." Lucius grabbed hold of Bellatrix's arm and easily dragged her out of the ballroom and into the garden. He was rather surprised his sister-in-law was leaving without a fight, but she did seem pretty out of it.
Lucius dragged Bellatrix around the side of the house and escorted her to the front drive. There he let go of her and told her to get lost. Once he was sure she was leaving the premises he turned and headed back indoors, making sure to erect a ward that would keep her from returning.
The second Lucius had disappeared inside Bellatrix stopped in her tracks and straightened up, suddenly she looked anything but drunk. Bellatrix stared at the Manor for several minutes before turning and marching away from the party with her head held high. That was The Dark Lady's last chance and she'd blown it, now Bellatrix was going to destroy the witch who had the nerve to look down on her.
A/N - Thank you all so much for your great feedback. I've decided to publish three times a week, but it could increase as the story progresses. I'm still working on the third part of the trilogy, but I've now got over 20 chapters written and at the minute I'm really into it, meaning it's progressing quite quickly.
