I do not own the characters, locations, nor situations described herein, those remain the sole property of J.K. Rowling.

Author's Note: Nearly done with the first part of this story. I'll likely advance in time quicker once the setup is all said and done.

Chapter 14

-=aPBR=-

Bellatrix Lestrange looked up from the floor of her cell, surprised at the commotion that was being raised outside of the stout wooden door. Add in the removal of the Dementors an hour before, and today was certainly turning into a day of days in the witch's opinion.

"Stand up," shouted the gruff voice from behind the door.

Bellatrix took her time to stand, a bit of rebellion.

"Quicker," demanded the voice.

"I'll take my own sweet time," replied Bellatrix in a lilting tone.

Once she was standing a wand tip was stuck through the bars of the small window in the door and a spell shot out. Knowing that it would be pointless to resist, but wanting to anyway, she twisted her body, mostly hidden by the loose prison robe she wore, and dodged the red stunner, "You'll have to do better than that."

"Bella, just hold still," came another voice, once that obviously wasn't one of the normal guards, for they never used her name when talking to her, just making demands.

It took a second or two, but Bellatrix finally recognized the voice, "Cissy?"

"Yes Bella, now, hold still so we can take care of this and get you out of here," said her youngest sister's voice.

"What's going on, did Lucy finally scrape up enough galleons to bribe the Minister to let me go too? Or did something happen after our dearly deluded cousin passed?" asked Bellatrix.

Unfortunately for the witch, she was distracted by her sister, and didn't noticed the wand sending out another stunner, and collapsed in a heap on the far end of the cell.

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Bellatrix was awakened from her unconsciousness, and with a startle, noticed that much had changed while under the stunner's effects. She'd been moved from her dark, dank, and dusty cell into a bright, dry, and clean room. Instead of standing with her back next to the far wall of her cell, she'd been placed in an only slightly uncomfortable chair, its cushioning charms having begun to fade. And instead of her loose and frankly disgusting prison robes, she'd been changed into a black skirt and a loose grey tunic.

Upon looking around she noticed that she'd not been restrained, and quickly stood, backing away from the table in the center of the room and into a corner, knowing that having two walls at her back limited where danger could come from.

The sole door in the room, located near the opposite corner, opened, and Bellatrix was surprised to see her youngest sister, Narcissa, step through. She was about to say something when to even more surprising people followed Narcissa.

The second into the room as Andromeda, the traitor that had married a mudblood and had been practically banished from the House by their aunt Walburga (though as she was not Lady Black, the "expulsion" had not had the force had Bellatrix's Grant Uncle Arcturus or even cousin Sirius, done the deed). Bellatrix couldn't decide whether to sneer at or ignore her sister, and was shocked from doing either by the final entrant into the room.

The young boy was perhaps five years old, with wild black hair, piercing green eyes, and a lightning bolt shaped scar on his forehead. Although she'd been captured only days after the Dark Lord's apparent defeat at the hands of the Potters, even she knew the legend of the Boy-Who-Lived.

"What are they doing here?" asked Bellatrix, pointing to Harry and Andromeda.

"It's complicated, but it's why you're no longer in your cell," replied Narcissa. She gestured to the chair that Bellatrix had vacated, "I think it best if you heard this sitting down."

"I'm fine here, thank you very much," replied Bellatrix, nearly spitting out the last words.

"As you wish," said Narcissa.

Bellatrix was surprised when the Boy-Who-Lived chuckled at what Narcissa had said. "What's so bloody funny?" she demanded.

"Harry here was likely reminded about a story my husband likes to read him, about true love and a dashing rogue who marries a princess," said Andromeda.

"Ah, a muggle story," spat Bellatrix.

"Perhaps, but a good story nevertheless," added Narcissa.

"What would Lucius say about your reading muggle stories? Or cavorting with blood traitors and half-bloods?" asked Bellatrix.

"I care not what that man," and Narcissa spat as she spoke, "thinks. And you would do well to keep a civil tongue in your head. If it wasn't for this so-called 'blood traitor' and 'half-blood', though neither is really true, you'd still be enjoying the visits of the Dementors in your old cell. Instead, you have a chance at freedom, at least, more freedom than you have here."

"And what does this freedom cost me?" asked Bellatrix.

"A pledge of loyalty to your family and Lord," replied Narcissa.

"I'd gladly swear loyalty to my Dark Lord, but if you're cavorting with the likes of them, I have no family left," replied Bellatrix, surprisingly defiant for a woman nearly cowering in a corner.

Narcissa rolled her eyes, "Perhaps it's best if I told you a story. It's a story about family, our family." She gestured to Bellatrix, Andromeda, and Harry. "And yes, Harry is part of our family."

"Explain," demanded Bellatrix.

"Our grandmother Rosa, unlike what we were raised to believe, had not one, but three daughters," said Narcissa. She waived her hand and three silhouettes of women appeared in the space above the table. "The middle daughter was our mother, Druella, born at St. Mungos nearly fifty years ago," said Narcissa, and the middle silhouette became an illusion of her mother, auburn haired and dressed in the typical dark colors of Black women.

"And the others?" asked Bellatrix, intrigued by the story her youngest sister was telling.

"Eldest was Olivia Rosier, born fifty years ago last month, a squib, banished from the family into the muggle world," explained Narcissa as the rightmost silhouette turned into an illusion of a woman with strawberry blonde hair and wearing a green muggle dress. "She married a muggle, a Henry Evans, though his friends called him Harry," and Narcissa paused to glance at the younger Harry in the room," and the couple had one daughter. Olivia and Henry were killed by Tom Riddle during the last war."

"As for the youngest sister, she was born an hour before our grandmother died, just enough time to be named Lillian. Due to the Dragonpox our parents were suffering through, instead of coming to live with us, she was sent to live with her squib sister, and was adopted and raised as Lily Evans," said Narcissa, and with that bit of information, the final silhouette changed to an illusion of a twenty-year old Lily Potter, her red, nearly auburn, hair pulled back into a bun and wearing muggle clothes under a dragonskin robe. Bellatrix had fought beside her Dark Lord on two of the occasions that Lily Potter had survived his wrath, and recognized the battle robes of the witch she'd previously thought a mudblood.

"So, the little mudblood whore was instead a blood-traitor, and her sprog is our cousin, so what?" asked Bellatrix.

"As the son of James Potter, he's heir to the Most Noble and Ancient House of Potter," explained Andromeda.

"As the designated heir of Sirius Black, and the grandson of Dorea Potter née Black, he's heir to the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black as well," added Narcissa.

"And as the daughter of Lillian Rosier, or Lily Potter, he's heir to the Noble House of Rosier, now that the previous Lord Rosier is dead," added Andromeda.

"He's a Lord, again, why should I care?" asked Bellatrix.

"Currently you are incarcerated for a dozen life sentences here in Azkaban," explained Andromeda. "You've been here for three and a half years, and already I've seen what the Dementors have done to your body, and I'm sure you can tell what they've done to your mind. Another decade in here and you'd have likely been fully insane, and a decade or two more and you'ld have likely died in here. Instead, we offer you have choice. swear fealty to Harry and take up the position as Regent Rosier, and you'll be released into our care, or we can write your off and leave you here to rot." Andromeda then left Harry's side, walking around the table, "I'd rather have my sister back, than to think that you had a chance at redemption and lost it."

"Redemption?" asked Bellatrix, surprised and in a way, ashamed. "What did I do to deserve redemption?"

"You are my sister, that's all that you need," said Andromeda, carefully cupping her sister's cheek in her hand. "Come with us, let us be a family once more. Your old lord is dead and defeated, vanquished by your aunt Lily."

"Lily? Not the Boy-Who-Lived?" asked Bellatrix, surprised.

"According to the rights of conquest, Lily Potter née Rosier defeated Tom Marvolo Riddle, otherwise known as Lord Voldemort, as she died," explained Narcissa. "Which means that your Dark Lord, who was a half-blood, was defeated by a pureblood witch, and rightfully so."

"Half-blood?" asked Bellatrix, confused.

"Voldemort wasn't his real name, as I'm sure you're aware, but what you likely weren't told was he was an orphaned half-blood by the name of Tom Riddle when he attended Hogwarts. So, by serving him, you might instead by the blood-traitor," said Narcissa. "Though, when you realized that last war wasn't about purity of blood, but instead about power, titles like blood traitor lose their meaning."

"That's what you never understood," said Andromeda. "I don't just love my husband, but I realized that he's powerful. How long has it been since a metamorphamagus was born to the House of Black?"

"Ten generations," said Bellatrix. "Before your daughter that is."

"Exactly, we'd thought it had faded from our House, a power we were once known for, and now, one muggleborn wizard later, and there's another metamorphamagus. Muggleborn represent not weaker blood, but fresher blood, no longer tainted by generations of marrying cousins, fading power, and growing numbers of squibs."

"Power?" asked Bellatrix, looking from her sister to her cousin across the room, and back. She then nodded, "The Dark Lord … no, Riddle, he had a favorite saying, 'There is no good or evil, no light or dark, only power and those too weak to seize it.' I think I should seize it."

Andromeda smiled, "Then come, swear your fealty to your Lord, and then join us in freedom."

-=aPBR=-

"I, Bellatrix Artemis Lestrange, born of the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black, cousin of Lord Harry James Potter, born of the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black, the Most Noble and Ancient House of Potter, and the Noble House of Rosier, do solemnly swear on my life and magic to serve the interests of my Lord as his regent above all other Lords and Ladies, and to faithfully act in the best interests of the Noble House of Rosier as his Regent until he comes of age and relieves me of my duty." A stream of bright red magic arced from the tip of Bellatrix's newly returned walnut and dragon heartstring wand in her right hand, across the table to Harry's chest, and back to her own chest. With the expectant flash, the red magic wrapped itself around the fourth finger of her left hand, settling in a rose gold band with a diamond setting.

"Welcome Regent Rosier," said Andromeda, echoing the words that the Herald of the Magical College of Arms had said to both herself and Narcissa.

Bellatrix raised her left hand, gazing at the ring upon it. Had she still had the wedding band from her husband, it would have likely gone to her right hand. She was about to say something when her youngest sister gasped.

"It's gone," said Narcissa in surprise, pointing at Bellatrix's left arm.

"What's gone?" asked Bellatrix, looking down her forearm, and then realized that the Dark Mark was no longer there. She blinked in amazement, and twisted her arm back and forth, checking to see that it truly was gone.

"I guess this vow supersedes the one you made to Riddle," assumed Andromeda.

"It's gone," said Bellatrix softly. She then smiled, and sighed contently, "It's gone." She then, in a flash, was at her youngest sister's side, and embracing Narcissa. "It's gone!" she shouted joyously.

"She seems happy," said Harry, looking at Andromeda.

"It seems so, yes," Andromeda said, surprised.

Bellatrix released Narcissa, and then skipped around the table to embrace Andromeda, who after first being surprised, returned the gesture of love and affection.

Finally, Bellatrix released Andromeda, and then rushed around, grabbed Harry beneath his arms, lifted him up into the air, and with a matched scream of glee, spun around in joy.

"It's gone! Thank Merlin," said Bellatrix, returning Harry to the ground.

"I like her this way, she's much funner now," said Harry with a smile on his face.

"I'd just like to know why," said Narcissa.

"I'm free," explained Bellatrix. "He can't control me any more. No more painful summons, no more curses when I failed, or even when I didn't succeed as well as I demanded. No more calls to his chamber." She stopped, and for a split second her body returned to the fearful and broken slump she had when she'd hidden in the corner of her cell, and then in the corner of the room. But then the fear was gone, and the renewed Bellatrix was back once more.

-=aPBR=-

Edit: correct "hair above the table" to "space above the table", and "and fresher" to "but fresher". Also, added an ellipsis ("…") in Bella's description of Riddle's "Good and Evil" quote.