The cleaning moved to the dining room, and in an effort to prevent any more incidents, Sirius set about giving Bellatrix tasks, the first of which was to help him clear out the spiders living in one of the dressers in the room. They were massive, as large as some of the dinner plates Bellatrix had seen in the kitchen. That did not concern her, however, as she had seen much larger spiders in the Forbidden Forest, and - when Sirius threw open the doors again after Ron fled the room and said "Go at it, Trixie" - she happily snatched up spiders in her teeth as they tried to scurry away and crushed them.
Andromeda winced at the crunching sound each time Bellatrix attacked a spider and was less than pleased when Bellatrix would toss them aside, broken and twitching on the floor, to attack the next one. Bellatrix's enthusiasm brought Crookshanks into the spirit of the hunt, and together they managed to ferret out and kill most of the spiders as the children and the adults focused on cleaning up the bodies after them.
Andromeda and Sirius spent most of the time cleaning the room bickering over one object or another. When Sirius went to toss all of the china - which bore the Black family crest and motto - carelessly into a sack, Andromeda snatched the pieces from his hands, hissing, "Cissy will murder me if you break these. What if she wants them?"
Sirius snorted. "What's she going to do with them? I'm sure she won't even notice. Just toss them in the bag."
"We have to ask Cissy first, I'll not be the one to deal with the fallout if you go throwing out Black family heirlooms without at least asking her - "
"These are hardly heirlooms. And I'm the one tossing this rubbish, I don't see why you care, it'll be me Narcissa comes after - "
"No, it won't, because Cissy doesn't expect anything of you , she expects better from me - "
"I'm wounded. Truly." Sirius rolled his eyes and scooped several pieces of china off a shelf into the bag. "There, you tried to stop me, but I am chaos incarnate, nothing is safe from my vengeance, blah blah blah, toss the china in the fucking bag, Andy."
Bella looked up from her game with Crookshanks. Crookshanks had chased a rat out from under a cabinet displaying all manner of shiny objects, and she and Crookshanks took turns blocking off its escape routes and batting it around. Finding the argument between Andy and Sirius more entertaining at the moment, she snatched the rat up in her jaws to pause their game and padded over to sit between Sirius and Andy, looking back and forth between them as they argued, the rat wriggling in her jaws.
Crookshanks mewed reproachfully. Bellatrix ignored him. He batted at the rat's tail, clearly irritated by the interruption.
Andy still held on to the china pieces in her hands. "Maybe I want them. Am I not allowed to have nice things?"
Sirius raised his eyebrows. "Oh? You want them?"
"Ted has been wanting to get some new china to replace ours."
Sirius's eyebrows climbed higher. "Ted wants china with a pureblood crest and motto on it?"
"Ted appreciates irony and making my ancestors spin in their graves."
Sirius was about to retort when the rat in Bella's mouth regained enough energy to start squeaking and thrashing furiously, drawing his and Andy's attention.
"Bella, what is in your mouth?" Andy asked, her voice high and strained. Put that down now."
Bellatrix stared at her.
"Bella, put that down, don't you dare - "
Bellatrix bolted from the room, Crookshanks streaking after her.
"Bellatrix, I swear to Merlin if I find that in my bed - !"
Bellatrix stopped outside their bedroom door. If she couldn't play with it in Andy's room, where could they go? Maybe Buckbeak would like to join the game.
Buckbeak, it turned out, did not understand the game at all, and killed and ate the rat within a few minutes of them entering the room. Crookshanks cried and hissed at Buckbeak, who watched him with a critical eye. Nervously, Bellatrix picked Crookshanks up in her mouth, causing Crookshanks to cry louder, and carried him from the room. She set him down in the hallway. He hissed and batted at her nose then stalked off.
With Crookshanks giving her the cold shoulder, Bellatrix wandered dejectedly back to the dining room.
Andromeda and Sirius worked together more smoothly with the rest of the dining room. Andy grabbed her own sack to carefully place some pieces of china inside, spelled the bag to keep the china from breaking, and gave it to Bellatrix with the order to take it to their room. Bellatrix grabbed the bag in her mouth, brought it to their room and returned to the dining room to see Andy and Sirius look at each other, nod, and then sweep a bunch of old tarnished photographs into a bag together, ignoring the outraged screams from the people depicted as the glass of the frames shattered.
As Sirius, Andy and the children all moved through the different rooms, Kreacher attempted to steal back items from the sacks Sirius was using to throw items out. He glared at the sacks Andromeda used, where she often pointedly dropped something of value into it, usually something related to the family such as jewelry - or sometimes something Sirius hated in particular just to annoy him - that she had Bellatrix run up to their room for safekeeping until Narcissa dropped by again and could look through it for anything she might like to keep. Kreacher did not attempt to steal anything from these sacks, perhaps content that a "worthy" member of the family would be backing the decisions regarding these items.
Bellatrix watched Kreacher attempt to remove items from the sacks that Sirius filled with things to throw away - often unsuccessfully - until she decided, when Sirius's back was turned while he snapped at Kreacher, to grab the item from the sack Kreacher had been trying to remove. She slunk around the perimeter of the room, slipped out the door, and dropped the leather gloves into the hallway.
It was a game to her, and one that Sirius seemed to hate. Catching on to what she was doing, he started batting her away from the sacks with increasing irritability until one day his hand caught her hard on the nose. Bellatrix yelped and backed away, startled.
"Sorry. Accident," he mumbled, though he did not seem sorry at all. Andromeda glared at him but said nothing.
Bellatrix spent the rest of the day wandering the house, getting increasingly restless. Everyone was busy with the cleaning, and with her one game being taken away, she did not know what else to do with herself.
She stalked past the latest room being cleaned, irritated. From inside she heard Sirius's voice threatening Kreacher with clothes. Bellatrix poked her head through the cracked door.
Kreacher muttered to himself that Sirius would never throw him out because Kreacher knew what "they were up to, oh yes, Kreacher knows, they plot against the Dark Lord, these Mudbloods and blood traitors."
Sirius grabbed Kreacher by the back of his loincloth and hauled him into the air.
"Sirius, no!" Hermione said. "Please, he's old, and he doesn't know what he's saying, just leave him alone - "
Sirius ignored Hermione, stalking toward the door which he threw open with the obvious intention of tossing Kreacher into the hallway. Bellatrix caught sight of the distress on Hermione's face. Jumping up, she snapped at Sirius's wrist. He dropped Kreacher in surprise.
Kreacher landed hard on the floor. Bellatrix stepped over him, glaring at Sirius.
Sirius scowled at her, rubbing his wrist. It was red with indents in his skin where her teeth had dug in. She had not broken the skin.
His jaw clenched, teeth grinding together. Kreacher crawled out from underneath her and cowered behind her.
"Fine," Sirius snapped, "have it your way. Just take him away from here."
Bellatrix escorted Kreacher from the room. She paused in the doorway and looked back at Hermione, who mouthed "thank you" gratefully.
Then Sirius nudged Bellatrix roughly with his foot, causing her to step out into the hallway, and slammed the door.
Kreacher trudged back toward his den after that, and with little else to do, Bellatrix followed him curiously. Under the boiler, he had created a den for himself. It reminded her of the ones the leaders of the pack would dig in the spring for raising and protecting the pups. It was dark, warm, enclosed. Bellatrix had not spent much time in the dens, which were primarily for the leaders, though she had once or twice returned a pup who had ventured too far. Still the association brought her a sense of comfort and security she had not felt since Sirius and Dumbledore removed her from the Forest.
"Kreacher apologizes for the mess, Miss Bella," he said, rubbing his hands together. "Mistress and the old Master never visited Kreacher here."
Bellatrix did not mind. She sniffed curiously at the artifacts he had gathered. One was a large locket that she did not recognize. She thought she remembered watching the children struggle to open it. Kreacher picked it up, placed it inside a dirty cloth, wrapped it and reverently tucked it beneath the pile of blankets serving as his bed.
"Master Regulus's locket," Kreacher murmured.
He shuffled over to a stack of photographs inside tarnished frames. One of the photographs had Spell-O-Tape piecing the glass together. A woman with thick black hair and hooded eyes gazed back at her with a haughty expression.
"This is you, Miss Bellatrix," he wheezed. "As you ought to be. Do you remember?"
Bellatrix gazed into the arrogant eyes of the photograph. Something tickled at the back of her mind.
Kreacher held it up for a moment. Then he grabbed another picture. This one was in a similar tarnished silver frame, but the glass remained shattered. Clearly this picture was not as well loved.
A woman with blonde hair and blue eyes gazed out at her, wearing white formal dress robes. A man with blonde hair stood beside her, similarly dressed up, though his robes were black, and he wrapped an arm around her waist. A smile played at the corners of his lips. Bellatrix felt an instant rush of dislike. The man pressed a kiss to the woman's temple - Narcissa, it was Narcissa. She held a bouquet of flowers.
Bellatrix's gaze roved over the picture again, taking in all the details. A wedding. This picture had been taken at Cissy's wedding. The man was...was... Lucius, she remembered, thinking of the tapestry. Lucius Malfoy.
Cissy smiled up at him. She kissed his cheek, and he grinned. Bellatrix felt her intense dislike lessen. Cissy looked happy. Lucius too. Bellatrix was sure she had reasons she did not like him, but clearly how he treated Cissy was not one of them.
Cissy glanced sideways, caught sight of Bellatrix's portrait, and waved enthusiastically. Bellatrix's picture rolled her eyes with a slight smile and waved back.
Kreacher set down Bellatrix's photograph and picked up another. This one was of Bellatrix with a tall, broad shouldered man beside her. Bellatrix wore white formal robes similar to the kind that Narcissa wore, and the man wore black formal dress robes. Bellatrix too had a veil lifted back to reveal her face, but unlike Narcissa, she did not hold a bouquet of flowers, and both her and the man's posture was stiffer, less at ease than either Narcissa or Lucius.
The man stood beside her, but he did not touch her with the easy and loving familiarity with which Lucius touched Narcissa. Bellatrix studied the photograph.
Rodolphus Lestrange, she thought, remembering the golden threads connecting her name to his on the family tapestry. Their wedding day had been a beautiful one, she remembered, eyeing the photograph.
About an hour before the ceremony, Rodolphus cracked the door to her bedroom open and whispered, "Bella! Are you alone? My mum is driving me mad, can I hide in here for a few?"
"It's bad luck to see the bride on her wedding day," Bellatrix quipped.
"Bugger luck, if my mum doesn't stop messing with my hair, I'll - shit!" Rodolphus slipped inside and dove for cover under her bed, hissing, "She's coming this way! I'm not here!"
It had only been Rabastan Lestrange, his younger brother, who had not believed Bellatrix's lies, and grabbed Rodolphus by his leg, dragged him out from under the bed and shoved him out of the room goodnaturedly.
"Mum keeps giving me tips for tonight," Rodolphus groaned as he was pushed from the room, "and Dad swears he knows positions that guarantee a son and bugger all that, they're driving me mad - "
Bellatrix had grimaced. She did not hate Rodolphus Lestrange - or rather she had not when they had gotten married. He was nice looking, came from a well-bred family, and he was decently intelligent. Perhaps, had they not had the stresses and expectations of marriage upon them, they could have been friends. But they were expected to have a child - a son, more specifically, no matter how many children that took - and Bellatrix could not imagine herself raising even one child with him. She did not want children, and she rather suspected that Rodolphus only wanted a son because it was expected of him.
The doorbell rang downstairs, a cacophony setting off the portraits, and Bellatrix looked away from the photographs. A hollow ache settled in her chest. Needing a distraction, she trotted out of the boiler room and down to the first floor where Andromeda and a woman Bellatrix vaguely recognized pulled the curtains shut and stunned the portraits.
"Sorry about that, McGonagall, we haven't been able to get her portrait down yet," Andromeda said breathlessly, running a hand through her hair.
"It's quite alright," the woman said. She wore a muggle dress and a hat, quite different from her teaching robes, but Bellatrix remembered that voice scolding children from her time lurking on the edges of the forest.
"I received your owl," McGonagall said to Andromeda. "There's been a development with Madam Lestrange?"
Bellatrix growled. Andromeda jumped, and McGonagall dropped her eyes to Bellatrix who prowled over to stand beside Andromeda. Andromeda placed a hand on her back, silencing her growls instantly.
"She doesn't like to be called that," Andromeda said.
McGonagall hummed through pursed lips. "I see. Very well."
Aunt Walburga's portrait gave a loud snore behind the closed curtains. They were silent for a few tense seconds.
Andromeda whispered, "Let's take this somewhere else."
McGonagall followed Andromeda to the drawing room. Curious, Bellatrix trailed after them, slipping in before Andromeda could close the door. The desk rattled threateningly, and Bellatrix pinned her ears back and bared her teeth at it.
Andromeda locked the drawing room door behind them. "Kreacher," she said by way of explanation. "He likes to wander the house and eavesdrop."
"Your letter," McGonagall prompted.
"I...yes," Andromeda said, and for a moment, she seemed nervous. Andromeda told McGonagall of the interest Bellatrix had shown in the Black family tapestry and of the accidental magic she had performed. "Or, I think it was accidental," she amended. "She hasn't done it since. But she knew what she was doing. She pulled me into her mind and showed me a specific memory. Could she do it again? Is this a way we could communicate with her?"
McGonagall watched her thoughtfully. Her expression had softened as Andromeda spoke, but when she answered, her words were cautious yet firm. "I would advise against reading too much into incidents like these. If Bellatrix has not performed similar magic since, it is possible she acted on instinct. She may not have been nearly as in control as it appears."
She placed a hand on Andromeda's shoulder. "But it is a good sign, nonetheless. It is a step in the right direction. Please keep me informed of any further developments."
They said their goodbyes, and Andromeda walked McGonagall to the door. Bellatrix trailed after her as Andromeda moved about the house, finally going back to their room. She sat on the bed and buried her face in her hands.
Bellatrix nuzzled her cheek. Andromeda did not respond.
Trotting along side Dora, Bellatrix explored previously unused rooms on the third floor. The twins slept in a bedroom by the landing, as did Molly and Arthur, but the rooms further down had not been checked or looked at yet.
Dora rarely stayed long, usually just dropping in to have a hushed conversation with someone else, during which Molly harshly shooed Bellatrix away for reasons that Bella did not understand. Something about a "private conversation" as if that made any sense. What did that have to do with wanting to greet her pack mate? Molly was lucky each time when Andy caught up with her and gently tugged Bellatrix away or else Bella would have fought Molly.
This time Dora had smiled, said "It's alright, Molly" and quickly finished her conversation with Remus before nearly skipping over to Bella and dropping to her knees in front of her. She scratched hard at Bellatrix's neck and shoulders and sides, and Bella panted and growled happily as Dora cooed, "It's nice to see you, Aunt Bella. I'm going to help clean today. Want to come explore with me?"
Bellatrix had been more than pleased and, after Dora had found Andy to say hello and give her a quick kiss to the cheek and pass along the newest letter from Ted, they had climbed the stairs together. The cobwebs on the third floor were thick as was the dust that coated the carpet. Their footsteps kicked dust up into the air, and Bellatrix sneezed hard, which sent more dust flying up from the carpet.
Dora chuckled then coughed as she inhaled a mouthful of dust. "Just doing a quick check," she said as she poked her head into each room they passed. "Make sure nothing is up here the kids shouldn't get in to by themselves. Then we can - "
Bellatrix stopped, eyes pinned on the last door in the hallway. The whole house still smelled faintly of rot and the dust was so thick, she had at first missed the foul smell wafting down the hallway as something dead in the walls. But she could not dismiss the sound of something big shuffling beyond the door.
Dora approached it, reaching out to grasp the handle. Bellatrix growled and barked in warning. Dora froze. Bellatrix's hackles stood on end, and she barked again. Every muscle was tense and ready to run. Dora lowered her hand slowly and backed away from the door.
"Right," she said slowly, "let's go get Remus and Sirius before opening that then."
They passed Potter, Ron and Hermione on their way down to the kitchen in search of Sirius and Remus, but Dora did not seem to notice the buckets or mops they carried or that they continued up the stairs past the second floor on to the third. Bellatrix stopped, her ears flicking back. They were heading down the hallway. Too far down the hallway.
With an anxious whine, she nipped at Dora's hand and grabbed the sleeve of her robe between her teeth and tugged.
Dora stopped, looking at her in confusion. "What's going on, Bella?"
Bellatrix trotted back up the steps, and Dora followed her. When she reached the landing, Bellatrix's heart skipped a beat. Potter, Ron and Hermione stood at the end of the hallway, Ron grabbing the door handle to the last room on the right and saying, while he pulled it open, "Mum said she wanted us to start with the bathroom, and Sirius reckons this is still it if his mum didn't change it - blimey, it smells like something died in - "
Bellatrix barreled down the hallway at the same time Hermione screamed and the boys stumbled away from the door with startled shouts. Dora's footsteps pounded against the floor behind Bellatrix, racing after her. A ghoul burst out of the bathroom. It lunged at the children. Bellatrix leapt at it, latching onto its lanky, hairy arm with her jaws. She yanked it away from the children. Caught off guard, it stumbled.
"Bella, move!" Dora shouted, but before Bellatrix could do anything, the ghoul swung its other arm around. It caught her in the side, picked her up into the air and flung her against the opposite wall. Bellatrix yelped as she crashed into the wall and let out another when she hit the floor. The ghoul lunged at her, furious, one arm bleeding profusely. It grabbed her around the neck, hauled her into the air and slammed her against the wall.
"STUPIFY!" Dora bellowed.
The ghoul ducked the stunner. It swung Bellatrix around, slammed her to the floor and sprinted for Dora. Bellatrix thrashed weakly, struggling to breathe, her whole body searing with pain.
Dora! She twisted to see Dora cast another stunner, this time hitting the ghoul with enough force to lift it up off its feet and slam it onto its back.
Bellatrix closed her eyes. Everything hurt. Her ribs ached sharply where the ghoul hit her. When she moved, the pain flared sharply, nearly blinding.
"Stay away from the ghoul," Dora ordered. "Sirius, Remus take care of it, I need to check on Aunt Bella."
"Bellatrix?" Sirius's voice said alarmed as two pairs of feet thundered up the steps.
"What happened?" Molly demanded breathless.
Someone knelt beside Bellatrix and began running their hands gently over her body, stopping when they hit her side and Bellatrix whined and thrashed, snapping her jaws blindly.
"Bella?" Andy cried. "Dora, what happened - "
"The ghoul attacked the kids," Dora said absently, her hands returning to Bellatrix's body, running them down her legs. "She fought it, but it got her good. I think her ribs might be damaged. We need to make sure - " She lightly brushed her hands up over Bellatrix's sides, and Bellatrix thrashed and twisted despite the pain. Her teeth snapped the air where Dora's hands had been a second before.
"Severus might be able to - " Remus began.
Something ruffled the fur on Bellatrix's side. She snapped at it, but Dora pulled her wand away before Bellatrix could snap it between her teeth. "Learned how to detect injuries in Auror training. But..." Another tap, and Dora cursed. "The spell isn't working right. It's meant for people, not animals. Maybe if we forced the change..."
"We could make it worse," Sirius said grimly.
"I'll send an owl to Narcissa," Andy said, "maybe she knows something, what with those stupid peacocks - "
Bellatrix whined when Dora's hands brushed at her cheeks and the top of her head. She snapped weakly at Dora's hands, but Dora just held her head firmly and made soothing shushing noises.
"It'll be okay," Dora murmured. Then in a louder voice, she said, "Why don't you go start cleaning the bathroom? We've got this."
As several pairs of feet hesitantly shuffled into the bathroom, a small voice - Hermione, Bellatrix thought, but her head and side hurt too much to move to look at her - asked, "Is she going to be okay?"
"She'll be fine," Dora said, gently stroking Bellatrix's head as she panted rapidly from the pain. "We'll figure something out."