March 1977
They left behind the grisly scene at the Muggles' home to hold the initiation ceremony. There was no need to have an altercation with the Muggle policemen, which staying could have caused. The boys knelt in a line in front of the Dark Lord. "Each of you boys performed honorably tonight." He stopped walking in front of the Snape boy. He was Lucius's recruit, but she had approved of him when she had met with him as part of the screening process. "Stand."
The Snape boy did as directed, looking rather small and insignificant next to the Dark Lord. Short and slender though he was, she'd seen him use a spell of his own invention to slice a grown man wide open that night. It wasn't the most efficient form of murder she had ever seen, but Bellatrix did approve of his showmanship.
"Spells of your invention were of great help to you and your friends tonight. You will be an asset to this family we call the Death Eaters- your new family. Hold out your left arm," the Dark Lord commanded.
The boy rolled up his sleeve and presented his pale, slender arm to the Dark Lord. He barely flinched as the black brand appeared on his skin.
"Join Bella and Lucius," the Dark Lord instructed.
The Snape boy walked over, nodded to Bellatrix, grateful for her endorsement, and stood on the other side of Lucius. Lucius gave him a one-armed hug. She knew that Lucius considered the Dark Arts prodigy the brother he never had, though she thought he would do better not to grow attached. A half-blood who experimented with Dark Magic seemed likely to meet an unpleasant end.
The Dark Lord continued to pace up and down the line, stopping before her cousin Evan this time. "Rise." The Dark Lord commanded. Evan was tall, good-looking, and muscular- everything a perfect Death Eater and pureblood gentleman might be. "You demonstrated great fervor for our cause and were able to use the killing curse to snuff out the life of one unworthy of life. Your dedication to our ideology will not be forgotten. Hold out your arm." The Dark Lord branded Evan, whose eyes were alight with pride as he looked at his mark.
Now, it was Bella's turn to be proud. Her cousin walked over, hugged her, and shook Lucius and Severus's hand before joining the end of the line. Evan exuded confidence, as one would expect from a Rosier, a prefect, and the star chaser on the Slytherin Quidditch team.
"Mulciber, stand. Your use of the Imperius Curse was truly… fascinating. You will be of value to us. Hold out your arm," the Dark Lord accepted the third recruit of the night.
"Avery, your ability to inflict agony made tonight much more entertaining. Show me your arm," the Dark Lord accepted him.
"Wilkes, you were quiet tonight." The boy hung his head. "I gave you a difficult task, because I doubted your commitment. You did what I required of you, though. Your spells were not flashy, you were not particularly creative, but I told you to kill the Muggle child, and you did it. You succeeded where many would have failed. We have a place for those who can be counted upon to do that which must be done. Hold out your arm."
After Wilkes had joined them and only Regulus was left, the Dark Lord turned to address them all. "You may have asked yourself why I left this young man for last. The rest of you are seventeen. You are all in your advanced studies at school, proving your effectiveness to your self and your peers before attempting to join me. Regulus, at the tender age of sixteen has realized the importance of our movement. He has taken the risk of attempting to join us before he has proven himself in exams and advanced courses, and he has performed admirably. He demonstrated the second best attempt at the Cruciatus Curse that I have seen during an initiation. His prowess is worth mention, and his dedication to our movement, to our family, is impressive. Regulus, it is your turn. Hold out your arm." There was something impressive about Regulus as he stood there, practically still a boy, but taking on the responsibility of a man. His rolled up sleeves showed well-toned arms to go along with the dark handsomeness that men in her family so often possessed. Regulus would make the Black family proud. The Dark Lord burnt the mark into Regulus's arm; he was brave, showing no reaction to the pain at all.
Bellatrix hugged her cousin and told him to take the spot next to her.
"Gentlemen, your decision to join our movement, to do what must be done for sake of pure blood and for the elevation of magic is most admirable. When we win, you will see the rewards you are due as loyal members of our organization. Feel proud of what you have done tonight, and look back on this day fondly, as the day when you chose to leave behind weakness and anonymity for greatness. Gentlemen, you are dismissed. Bella, stay."
As the boys walked away Bellatrix heard Lucius invite all the boys over for drinks. "The house is big enough that we won't bother my parents, and Narcissa loves to entertain," Lucius persuaded the boys.
Bellatrix shook her head. Lucius was an asset for his ability as a recruiter, but he truly wanted the life of an idle country gentleman more than a proper Death Eater. The Dark Lord valued him for his many valuable political connections, though, and Bellatrix could not question the Dark Lord.
"Bella, you are very quiet tonight. Did you not find the night pleasing?" The Dark Lord asked her.
"I enjoyed it greatly. I am very proud of my cousins, and I am happy for all the recruits," Bellatrix acknowledged.
The Dark Lord made intense eye contact with her. "They were good, but none of them had your flair. Of course, they are younger than you were." He summoned a bottle of wine.
"Thank you, My Lord," she thanked him for the wine and his hospitality.
"Pour, Bella," he commanded her. She quickly followed his order, pouring each of them a glass.
"Avery was a bit of a disappointment to me. He's not as sharp as his father," the Dark Lord commented.
Bellatrix remained silent
"To a speedy victory," the Dark Lord raised his glass.
Bellatrix followed suit. They each drained their glasses.
Bellatrix poured the Dark Lord another glass of wine. "Your cousins performed admirably tonight. I am pleased that they understood the importance of leaving Hogwarts for the Easter Holiday to join our movement," the Dark Lord silkily told her.
"Thank you, my Lord," Bellatrix replied to him, pouring herself another glass as well. There was likely no prouder witch in all of Britain that night. The entire recruiting class had performed admirably, but that her cousins had been worthy of special mention by the Dark Lord was something truly worth being proud of.
"Indeed, it seems the youth of today well understand the importance of our movement. You and Lucius likely deserve much of the credit for that," the Dark Lord told her.
"Everything I do is for your glory, My Lord," Bellatrix slavishly replied.
"You are a faithful servant, a witch like none other," the Dark Lord stroked her face.
Bellatrix moved closer to him, longing for his touch. In the depths of this war, there was little time for intimacy, and if he would allow it tonight, she wished to enjoy his presence to the fullest. "Thank you, My Lord. Your greatness is my inspiration."
The Dark Lord smiled. "There is no need to move closer, Bella, I do not require you tonight for that."
"Naturally, My Lord," Bellatrix tried to hide the disappointment on her face.
"There is, however, something else I require of you," the Dark Lord continued.
"Anything you wish, My Lord," Bellatrix whispered, eager to please him.
"The Lestranges posses a dragon guarded vault at Gringott's, do you not?" the Dark Lord inquired.
"Yes, My Lord," Bellatrix replied.
"Very well. I have a prized possession, a deeply magical object. I need you to place this object in you vault first thing tomorrow and ensure that no one removes it. You must tell no one about this," the Dark Lord informed her.
"I will do exactly as you instruct," Bellatrix agreed.
"Excellent." The Dark Lord rose, disapparated, and returned a moment later with a gold cup in his hands. "Take it to your vault tomorrow morning. Let me know once it's secured. Tell no one." There could be no mistaking that failure to comply would be punished most severely.
"Yes, My Lord," she curtseyed low.
He ran his hand over her hair briefly. "Rise, Bella. You are dismissed."
She stood and took the cup in her hand. It felt almost alive with Dark Magic, though she couldn't see any immediate abilities it would bestow upon the possessor. She left the room quickly, not wanting her curiosity to betray her. There was something about it that almost felt like him. It was not like direct contact, but like touching a hand through a glove, still reminiscent of the human it belonged to. His presence was with the cup. Bellatrix hid the cup in her small black bag with an undetectable extension charm on it, and disapparated home.
She knew she had no right to question the nature of what the Dark Lord had given her. It was a prized possession of his that she could feel his very presence linger upon. Nonetheless, she did question if this might be something she had read about once in the Black family library. It was an old piece of magic, and extremely rare. Most wizards lack the courage to try it, but the Dark Lord might have. It would explain his confidence in his own immortality, too, she mused. She would have to revisit the topic, discreetly, of course. If her suspicions were true, if he had entrusted her with a bit of his soul to place in her vault, he truly had bestowed upon her the highest honor possible. There could have been no prouder witch in the entire world that night.