A/N: The first 3500ish words of this chapter cover Bella and Narcissa's convo in Loyal to the Dark Lord with minor additions/insights that weren't in that one because now we are looking at it through Narcissa's perspective. If you don't want to see that rehashed just skip about halfway down the chapter and read the last 3500ish words. And then stay tuned for the next chapter, which is about New Year's Eve (and includes nothing ever seen before… yay!). Like I already stated, the New Year's Eve chapter is one of my faves. This is because it includes… their first official date! Hope you'll like it too. Thx! AL
Chapter Twenty-one – Christmas Afternoon & Evening, 1997
She didn't care what Bella would say – it was past lunchtime and she needed to eat, if not for her own health than for that of the baby. Thus Narcissa, who was feeling a bit tipsy from the half bottle of wine she'd consumed between breakfast and lunch, heated some soup (okay, from a can) and threw together a small fruit salad on the side. She arranged the plate and bowl on a tray and headed back to her sister's room, thinking she really should have had Squeakers the house elf do this instead.
But Bella still didn't want to eat.
"Who is she?" asked Bellatrix, pulling herself into a seated position and picking up (but not eating) a grape. "The woman who's having an affair with my husband. Do you know?"
"I… what makes you think he's having an affair?" Narcissa twirled her hair, a habit she'd been fighting for months but found herself picking up again.
"Snape told me. We had quite the illuminating chat."
Narcissa blanched. "I… He… what did he tell you?"
"Weren't you listening? He told me my husband is having an affair! Do you know who he's messing around with? Does Lucius?"
"Does Lucius know who your husband has been sleeping with?"
"Dammit, Cissy, give me an answer! Do you know who my husband's screwing or not?"
"I'm sorry," she said softly. "Does Rodolphus know he's going to be a father?"
"He's not."
"He's… not?"
Bellatrix huffed. "The hell is wrong with you today, Cissy? Stammering and repeating back everything I say? You're hiding something. I can always tell. Look at me."
Narcissa shifted her gaze to the far wall. "I won't look at you."
"Because you know I can always tell."
"Because you'll rifle through my thoughts. You know I'm no good at Occlumency."
Getting better, though, Narcissa didn't add.
"What are you afraid I'll see, little sister?" Bella pulled her thick hair into a ponytail and regarded Narcissa carefully.
"Noth… nothing."
"You lie. Look at me."
Despite her better judgment, Narcissa made eye contact with Bellatrix, who, of course, then penetrated her mind, which was a rather unpleasant feeling.
"You're trying to force me out," Bellatrix said, sounding amused. "There is something in here you don't want me to see."
Narcissa knew she couldn't keep her sister at bay with a brick wall and a blue ocean for long, so she pushed a memory to the forefront of her mind instead, knowing full well it would distract Bellatrix and keep her from finding out anything more personal.
"You…" hissed the Dark Lord, beckoning to Narcissa, who stood frozen in the doorway to his chambers, "You will act as Bonder as Severus makes the Unbreakable Vow."
"I've never done this before," whispered Narcissa, who wanted nothing to do with whatever promise Severus Snape was about to make to the Dark Lord.
The Dark Lord gave a curt nod, as if acknowledging her worry, but then said, "If you value the life of your sister, you'll manage."
For the briefest moment, Narcissa thought He meant Andromeda. Her stomach churned. She looked to Severus, but before she could ask any questions, he, presumably having read her mind, answered.
"Bellatrix is not well, but she should live."
Bellatrix watched the whole thing, the entire Unbreakable Vow, all the way up through when Narcissa grabbed Severus' arm and confronted him in the hall.
"You worry too much, Narcissa."
"I worry about my family," she replied, stepping closer to him. "I worry about everyone I care about. I'm not built for war. I'm not strong enough."
"I think you're stronger than you give yourself credit for." Now he stepped closer. They were separated by mere inches.
"She's my sister. If the Dark Lord knew…"
"Sometimes you surprise me," he interjected, leaning in toward her, his hand making its way to her waist, drawing her in. "I wouldn't have thought…"
"No!" Narcissa hadn't meant to say it aloud, but she couldn't let Bellatrix see another moment. Neither Severus nor the Occlumency book taught her how to end a memory someone else was in the process of viewing.
"What the bloody hell was that?" asked Bellatrix. "Are you sleeping with Snape? What secrets are you sharing with him?"
"Don't be ridiculous," said Narcissa, refusing to make further eye contact. "Will the Vow be affected, since you'd seen into my thoughts?"
"No. Severus has been sworn to secrecy, you haven't, nor have I."
"I didn't know what they were referring to, when they spoke of your condition. I'm still not certain. They could mean… this…" Narcissa gently touched the bruising on Bellatrix's wrist, "Or that." She indicated her sister's slightly protruding midsection.
"Does it matter? Now you know I'm pregnant, and Severus does, and Rodolphus does, and the Dark Lord does too, and I'd say that's quite enough people, wouldn't you?" Bellatrix conveniently left out the name of the first person to whom she'd revealed her pregnancy – sister Andromeda, cast out of the family for marrying a Muggle-born.
"I... yes."
"Are you sleeping with Snape?"
"No."
"Are you sleeping with Snape?"
"I'm married."
Bellatrix took Narcissa face in her hands, forcing her to make eye contact, intending to see for herself. "Are you sleeping with Snape?"
"I told you I'm not!" Narcissa stood, turning her back to her sister, arms folded defensively across her chest. Clear your mind. "I'm married."
"Does it matter? Marriage? It's a contractual agreement, not a declaration of love."
"It is both," argued Narcissa, spinning around to face her sister again. "I swore to respect and honor and obey my husband when we were wed, but I also loved him then and love him now."
"You know that he cheats on you?"
"I don't care."
"Yes, you do. I can tell that you do. It's alright if you cheat on him too."
Narcissa bristled. "Your marriage of convenience is nothing like mine. I love my husband and he loves me. I married him because I loved him, not simply because of his last name and parentage and bloodline."
Bellatrix grinned. "Don't pretend his bloodline had nothing to do with it. Mother nearly died of delight when you said you were marrying a Malfoy. She kept prattling on, 'Oh, if only your father were alive to see this!' Remember?"
"I remember her saying it. I don't remember our father. Do you?"
"Of course I do. Don't change the subject. Come back, sit by me." She put on a pout, which looked even more pathetic with her busted lip. "Please? I'm lonely."
Narcissa crawled up next to her sister on the other side of the bed and made herself comfortable. She let Bellatrix place her head in her lap and stroked Bella's hair, knowing well the comforting feeling of long nails working their way through her own hair from her temple, above her ear, and to the base of her spine. With a flick of her wrist, Bellatrix vanished the tie holding her ponytail in place, freeing wild dark curls.
"Everything hurts, Cissy," whined Bellatrix, silently cursing the tears building up in her eyes. "He punished me for hours and it still hurts."
"I'm sorry, Bella."
"Has Lucius ever hurt you, Cissy? Physically, I mean. Has he ever… has he ever raped you?"
"Don't be ridiculous," said Narcissa, her voice soothing and maternal. "He can't possibly, he's my husband." She wanted to talk about something else, anything else, but couldn't think of a way to end the conversation, which only got worse from there.
"I know he's your husband, but has he… ever tried… to rape you?"
"Your question doesn't make sense, Bella," said Narcissa. "He can't rape me, we're married."
"That doesn't mean he couldn't force himself on you if he wanted to."
"He wouldn't have to. If he wants me, I'm available to him. That's how marriage works." That's how it worked that very morning, anyway. Lucius, for the first time in months, desired the physical affection of his wife, and she gave him what he needed, out of a sense of duty, even though it had very deeply hurt her to hear his declarations of love breathed into her ear while he was on top of her, mostly because she assumed every single one was a lie. She'd gone so long without being touched and gone even longer without feeling loved. Ignored by Severus, rejected by Lucius, alone. She rubbed her temples. Her head hurt. She shouldn't have had all that wine. Not at ten-thirty in the morning.
Bellatrix was staring at her, as if awaiting an admission that wouldn't be forthcoming.
"Why are you asking?" Narcissa's voice shook. "Did Rodolphus…?"
"No."
"Oh." Narcissa let out a breath of relief. "That's good."
"Sometimes you're so dense, little sister." Bellatrix closed her good eye, from which tears were now streaming down across the top of her cheek and over the bridge of her nose, then dripping onto Cissy's lap.
"I don't understand, Bella. Tell me."
"Not Rodolphus," she said. "I don't… I don't quite remember. But the Dark Lord, He was very angry, and Severus Snape… Snape… he had to help me, afterward he had to fix me up, and he said… he told me…"
"Did the Dark Lord rape you?" Narcissa immediately ceased her actions with her sister's hair, looking horrified. Severus had not told her this. Severus had said her sister had been punished. She could see that her sister had been beaten. But raped? Surely, if that were the case, Severus would have told her!
Wouldn't he?
Bellatrix sat up.
"I hurt so much, Cissy," she said, tears flowing even more freely now. "I don't understand! I would have… I would… Like you said, with your marriage… if He'd wanted to, I would have… I… He… if He did, He didn't need to!"
"Oh, Bella," Narcissa whispered, unwilling to fully process what she was hearing.
"Has he ever hurt you?" asked Bellatrix, 'he' meaning Lucius. "On purpose, out of anger? Hit you or… or pulled your hair… or… anything?"
"You live here, Bellatrix. Don't you think you'd have noticed if my husband was abusing me?" Without realizing she was doing it, Narcissa caressed her right hand with her left, in the exact spot Lucius' cane had left a large bruise several months ago. "Let's talk about something else."
"Fine." Bellatrix sighed, closing her good eye for so long Narcissa thought perhaps she'd fallen asleep. "Do you ever think about Andromeda?"
Narcissa blinked, puzzled. They hadn't spoken of Andromeda – not to each other – since before Bellatrix got sent to Azkaban, save for the first time they saw each other after she escaped to Malfoy Manor and asked, "Is the blood-traitor still married?" A simple "yes" was all Narcissa had to say. Bellatrix spit on the ground, making clear her disgust, and that was the end of it.
"I hate to admit it," Narcissa began, wondering how honest she should be, "But I used to think about her all the time, especially when you were first in Azkaban…" And Narcissa told her older sister how lonely she'd been, how much she'd wished Draco and his only cousin could have grown up knowing each other, but, to be safe, she ended by saying she rarely thought about their middle sister anymore… even though that was untrue.
Bellatrix snuggled closer, her right arm wrapped around Narcissa's waist. "She's going to be a grandmother."
"What?" Narcissa pushed Bellatrix away so she could look at her. "How do you know that? I didn't hear anything."
"I don't remember from whom I heard it, but I learned the news back in September and it's since been confirmed. That half-blood daughter of hers and that half-breed werewolf Lupin are expecting."
"That's bizarre," said Narcissa, suddenly worrying again about her son's relationship with that awful Parkinson girl. "We're too young to be grandmothers."
"Especially me," said Bellatrix, again settling her head in Narcissa's lap. "I first have to become a mother."
"You're the eldest," Narcissa reminded her. "If any of us could be ready to be a grandmother, it would be you."
"Do you really think I'm old? Perhaps too old? When it's born I'll be a month away from forty-seven."
"And how old is the father?" asked Narcissa, too casually. In her head she played the old Who is My Husband Fucking Now game, but with her sister's name in place of Lucius'. She ran down a mental list of possibilities for her sister:
Lucius himself, unfortunately, came to mind first. Perhaps it wasn't Juliet Rosier he was stepping out with all the time. Come to think of it, many of the times he disappeared, Bella was gone too. Narcissa's ears burned. Was it possible? If not him, who? Crabbe? Yaxley? Rowle?
"Don't do that," snapped Bella. "Don't try to trick me into telling you who the father is. If you want to know, simply ask."
"Alright. Who's the father?"
"I'm not telling."
"Promise me one thing? It's not my Lucius, is it? You'd tell me if it were?"
"Seriously?" Bella sat up again, even though it pained her to do so. "Why does everyone assume I'm sleeping with Lucius? Have I ever given anyone any indication I feel anything beyond sheer loathing for that smarmy bastard?"
"He'll fuck anything that moves," answered Narcissa, with an unusual hardness in her voice. "You move, so I have to wonder."
"I'm not sleeping with your husband," Bellatrix assured her. "Nor would I ever want to." She settled down for a third time. Narcissa returned to stroking her hair. Bellatrix sighed almost contentedly. "Cissy… have you ever lost a baby?"
"Yes," Narcissa answered simply. "Have you?"
"Once, on purpose, but that's all. How come you never told me you lost one?"
"I've lost three."
"Three? Shit! Does this run in our family?"
Figuring her sister had the right to know, Narcissa told her everything, about having been pregnant when she got married, about being afraid she'd lose Draco, about the two pregnancies that followed him…
"One I lost and one…"
She let that last word hang in the air, unable to finish her thought.
"One…?" Bellatrix prompted.
"I'm content with one child."
Understanding dawned on Bella's face. "Ah. So you got rid of one, too?"
Narcissa closed her eyes and fought to keep her voice steady. "Last year. After Lucius was sent to Azkaban."
Bellatrix would have sprung up into a seated position again but her body was already exhausted from having done it before, so she clutched Narcissa's left wrist instead.
"Cissy, you killed your baby last year? How? When? Where did you go? How didn't I know? Why didn't you tell me?"
"I didn't kill my baby, I terminated the pregnancy."
"It's the same damn thing. You're arguing semantics."
Narcissa opened her eyes and drew her gaze up to the ceiling, willing back tears. "I can't think of it as killing my baby, Bella. I have to think of it as terminating the pregnancy."
"Fine, then, whatever," said Bellatrix flippantly. "Tell me about terminating your pregnancy."
"It was early enough, all I had to do was take a potion. Severus made it. It was a matter of weeks before… before he and I made the Unbreakable Vow. That's why he told me the Vow was the last favor he'd do for me, that I couldn't ask him for anything else…"
This was the most intimate conversation they'd had in such a long time. Months definitely. Years, maybe. Possibly since before Bellatrix went to Azkaban. Even though Narcissa was terrified she would accidentally reveal her secret about Severus, or her other secret, about Andromeda, she couldn't help feeling comforted by the sheer act of confiding in her sister.
Bella moved her head from Cissy's lap to her chest, arm still around her sister's waist. She could hear the rhythmic thump of Narcissa's heart beating against her ear.
"Are you aware that there are rumors about us?" asked Bellatrix. "Inappropriate ones."
"I'm not surprised," answered Narcissa, which, to Bellatrix, was indeed a surprise. "I think my husband started those rumors. It's a twisted fantasy of his, seeing me with another woman, you in particular. He fancies you as much as he loathes you. He always has. He tells me these things but I ignore him."
"Men are pigs."
"I concur."
"I've been with women," Bellatrix said, casually-but-loftily, as if she was discussing to having sampled caviar. "I enjoy it, for the most part. Something different."
"I wouldn't know what to do with a woman," said Narcissa, lip curled in disgust. She hadn't wanted to believe it, when Severus told her that her formerly promiscuous sister had slept with women, but apparently it was true. She tried not to look as repulsed as she felt, for fear of hurting Bella's feelings.
"I hardly know what to do with a man… perhaps that's why Lucius cheats on me. It's December and we've had sex only seventeen times this year. This whole year. I know; I've kept count."
Of course, Lucius had been in Azkaban until July, but that didn't bear bringing up. Seventeen times in sixth months for a married couple wasn't much better than seventeen times in one year, she figured.
"That's so sad," said Bellatrix with genuine pity. Though it was a lie, she added, "I've had more sex with my husband and I don't even like him."
She tried to shift positions but winced, letting out an involuntary whimper.
"Snape gave me a potion and a salve and I used both but fuck, Cissy, everything hurts."
"Why don't you sleep now?" Narcissa coaxed her sister back to her own side of the bed. "When you wake, I'll have more food brought to you. You have to eat. For your own health and for that of the baby."
"I don't want to be left alone, Cissy," Bellatrix whined, no longer caring about showing weakness in front of her sister. "Stay with me?"
"You sleep. I'll stay."
"You won't leave once I'm sleeping?"
"I'll stay. I promise. Close your eyes."
Bellatrix closed her one good eye, settling onto her back, not her usual sleeping position, but the least painful possibility for the moment. Narcissa closed her own eyes, exhausted from two nights of worrying and drowsy thanks to the wine.
"You'll stay?" asked Bellatrix again, sounding very much the way Narcissa used to when they were little, when she didn't want to be alone in her bed, when she was afraid of their Stepfather and whether he might pay a nighttime visit.
"I'll stay," Narcissa promised. "You sleep."
Bellatrix slept.
Narcissa stayed.
But, despite her overwhelming exhaustion, Narcissa didn't sleep. She was consumed by guilt.
She hated outright lying to her sister, though she couldn't help being glad to have been able to keep Bella from discovering one or both of the two things she was most afraid she'd find out, which meant either Bellatrix's ability to read people was waning or that Narcissa's ability to deceive them was improving.
Narcissa was also glad she hadn't had to share the full truth about her pregnancies woes with her sister. Throughout the years that followed her second miscarriage, Lucius asked repeatedly for another baby, and as recently as the summer, she'd actually tried to give him one, but there were no more pregnancies. Lucius blamed her, calling her barren, assuring her that he knew beyond a doubt that it couldn't be his problem, which she took to be code for "I've gotten other women pregnant." She was tempted to ask why he didn't just have a baby with any one of the sluts he kept on the side but never did, for fear he would say fine and do exactly that.
Last year's pregnancy had been different.
Part of her wanted it.
But she was certain it wouldn't be a Malfoy.
And she couldn't have that.
She'd told Severus at the time that she didn't know who the father was, and technically that was true, but she had a feeling… she had a feeling it was his. Call it mother's intuition, but in her heart, she knew. And sometimes, late at night, when she was alone, and drinking, and crying, she thought about that baby she'd chosen not to have. She wondered what it would've looked like, whether it would've been a boy or a girl, whether it would have his black hair or her gray eyes, whether it would have made him happy… whether it could've made him forget about Lily Potter…
Beside her, Bellatrix stirred and twitched. Narcissa could see her good eye moving rapidly behind its lid and wondered whether she was having a nightmare, whether she should wake her. Much the way she stared at baby Draco when she was unreasonably terrified that he would stop breathing in his sleep, she kept her eyes on Bellatrix for as long as she could, watching for any sign that something wasn't right, worrying, until her own exhaustion became too great. She had a nightmare, as she always did when she managed to doze off without the aid of Dreamless Sleep.
Sometime later she awoke out of breath, drenched in sweat, having had an awful nightmare. It took a second to realize where she was. Beside her, Bellatrix was still out cold. Narcissa's heart slowed to a normal pace. At a loss for anything else to do, she settled back down, used her wand to summon a quilt from the top of the hope chest, and covered them with it.
Then she thought about Andromeda. They had just seen each other in September. Why hadn't Andromeda mentioned that she was going to be a grandmother? How did Bellatrix know?
Narcissa dozed off again. The next time she opened her eyes, she realized it was getting dark outside. It had to be at least four, maybe five o'clock. She woke Bella, told her she was going downstairs to make soup, and left the room.
Downstairs in the kitchen, she sliced and diced assorted vegetables, leaving broth simmering on the stove. She wondered whether she'd missed the opportunity to say goodbye to Severus. Surely he'd finished his business with the Dark Lord by now, and in all liklihood, when he couldn't find her, he'd headed back to Hogwarts. She sighed, disappointed.
"Everything alright?" asked a voice from behind her.
She didn't need to turn around to see who it was.
"Severus! I was just thinking about you."
"What a coincidence," he said, entering the room. "I was just thinking about you. What are you doing?"
"I'm making soup. Better soup. Earlier I just heated up a can of chicken broth, which she didn't eat, but since she must be starving by now I thought something heartier would be ideal." She didn't look at him, instead keeping an eye on the large yellow onion she was chopping. Beside her, in a green glass bowl, she'd already mixed diced carrots, celery, green beans, and mushrooms.
"What kind of soup is this?" he asked, peering into the pot, where the dark brown broth was beginning to boil. She used her wand to turn down the heat from high to medium.
"Vegetable soup."
"You plan to put raw onions in it?"
She shrugged. "They're good for your eyes."
"I believe carrots are good for your eyes."
"Great," said Narcissa, adding the onions to the other veggies in the bowl. She plucked out a piece of carrot and fed it to him. "She'll have very healthy eyes."
He chuckled.
"What else do you reckon I should toss in?" Narcissa stirred the broth, then, little by little, began to add the cut up veggies. "Cherry tomatoes?"
"No, I think onions, celery, carrots, green beans, and mushrooms are quite enough." Unable to help himself, he slipped his arm around her waist, settling his left hand on her lower abdomen, then moved her hair aside with his right to kiss her neck. She tilted her head to grant him better access and sighed contentedly, resting her back against his chest. She then placed the wooden spoon in the center of the stove and reached her right hand up to the back of his head, under his hair, as he sucked on that spot below her ear. His right hand drifted up the front of her body. He took her left breast in his right hand, squeezing it, eliciting a gasp from her, before he slipped his fingers under the front of her dress, fondling her without the fabric in the way. His other hand moved from her abdomen to between her legs, pulling her even closer to him. She could feel his arousal growing against her lower back. Instinctively, she thrust against him, which made him moan.
"I want you," he murmured in her ear. She closed her eyes as he kissed her neck again. "I can't wait until New Year's. I want you now."
"Why now?" she whispered, though she wasn't planning to protest.
"I've had a very long meeting with the Dark Lord," he said, envisioning her nipple in his mouth rather than under his fingers. "Now I have to deliver a message to your sister, then return to Hogwarts for a long week of dreadful meals with my colleagues, who hate me, while looking after all the insufferably brats whose parents didn't take them home for the holidays – they also hate me. I'm not looking forward to it. I'm looking forward to you." He moved his lips to her shoulder. "You changed. You weren't wearing this this morning. I like it." His hand moved from her left breast to the right as his teeth scraped ever-so-lightly against her skin.
She turned her head so she could kiss him. It wasn't the most comfortable pose, but his hands massaging her chest and rubbing between her legs more than distracted from the slight pain that came from rotating her neck to that degree. After a few seconds of making out in this position, she twisted her body until they were facing each other, still attached by the lips and tongues, as she used her hand to stroke him through his robes.
"You're making me hard," he growled into her ear, grinding closer to her.
"That seems fair," she whispered. "You're making me wet. Let's lock the door and do it right here."
He ran his hand up from her ass to her lower back, prepared to do exactly that, when a burning sensation against his knuckles made him yelp. He pulled away.
"What?" she asked, alarmed.
"Your hair!" he exclaimed. "It's on fire!"
Her waist-length hair had apparently managed to connect with the flame on the stove, and she'd been so distracted by desire for him she hadn't even noticed.
"Help!" she shrieked, jumping up and down in place, which, if anything, made it worse. "Help me, Severus! Help! Do something!"
"Stay still!" He grabbed her by the arm, swiveled her around, and used Sectumsempra to chop her hair off from just above where it was burning. It landed on the floor.
"Aquamenti!" he said, pointing his wand at the floor. The stream of water put out the flames. He Vanished the mess, but there was nothing he could do about the sickening smell of burnt hair that had filled the kitchen.
"Oh…" Narcissa said weakly, looking to the floor where her hair had been. She reached up and tugged at what was left, which was now barely long enough to touch her shoulders. "My hair."
"What's going on?" asked Lucius, entering, with Draco right behind him. "We heard you scream."
"My hair…" said Narcissa weakly, fighting tears. "My hair… my beautiful long hair…"
"Your wife set herself on fire," said Severus, shifting uncomfortably, grateful his robes weren't form-fitting. "She's fine."
"My hair! My hair, Lucius! I burned off my hair!"
"Damn it, Narcissa! You could've hurt yourself!" snapped Lucius. "Or worse, you could've burned down Malfoy Manor. What the hell were you trying to do?"
"My hair," she whimpered.
"She was making soup for her sister," explained Severus. Draco, eyes narrowed, shot him a look.
"What were you doing?" the boy asked. "Apprentice chefing?"
"Chefing is not a word," answered Severus. "Chef is a profession, not a verb."
"He's right, of course," said Lucius, moving to his wife's side. "Speak properly, Draco. Haven't we taught you that much?"
Draco ignored his father, still glaring at Severus, while Lucius assessed the damage.
"You can fix it, Narcissa," he said. "Even it out in the back. It'll be a lot shorter, but it's fine."
"Fine?!" she asked, utter despair in her trembling voice. "It'll be fine?!"
"We have more important things to worry about than the length of your hair," said Lucius dismissively. "Severus, did you tell her about her sister?"
"I was about to," he said, "But then I realized she was on fire."
"Severus, Dolohov, and Hortensia Higgins visited your sister yesterday," said Lucius, guiding Narcissa to a chair while turning off the stove with his wand. "Tortured her and that Metamorph for an hour or so, but they won't give up where the werewolf is hiding."
"Is she okay?" asked Narcissa, rubbing the end of her hair between her thumb and forefinger. "Andromeda?"
Lucius shrugged. "Who cares, really?"
Narcissa looked to Severus. He couldn't say anything, not out loud, but in her head she heard his voice: "Yes. I'll explain later."
She nodded, ever so slightly, then put her head down on the table, resting on top of her folded arms.
"I have to relay Andromeda's message to Bellatrix," said Severus. He glanced at Draco, who was still glaring back at him. "If you'll excuse me."
"Tell her I'll bring the soup up shortly," said Narcissa softly, not lifting her head.
"I will."
Bellatrix was just as happy to see him in the evening as she had been in the morning.
"Fuck," she said, rolling her good eye. "You again?"
"I missed you too," he said dryly.
"Why have you returned? Forget something?"
"Only a bit of information your sister insisted I share with you."
"Can't she share it with me herself when she's done making soup?"
He leaned back against the closed bedroom door, regarding her carefully. "Not Narcissa."
Bellatrix sat up straighter. He had her attention.
"Her daughter and the werewolf have reunited," he said, as if disinterested. "I believe you know that they're expecting."
"Why would Andromeda think I'd care about this?"
"She sent me with a message for you."
"Yes," said Bellatrix. "When you said you had information my sister insisted you share with me, I figured that meant she sent you with a message."
"If you don't want to hear it…" began Severus, turning as if to go. Bellatrix stopped him.
"Nonsense. You came all this way."
"All this way from the kitchen," said Severus. "I could just as easily…"
"What's my fucking message?"
He tsked. "So impatient. Andromeda wants you to know that her daughter and the werewolf have reunited. As you are aware, your niece is pregnant. As you may or may not be aware, your sister is terrified that you seek to murder the aforementioned niece."
"Why shouldn't I?" asked Bellatrix. "That blood-traitor. She almost killed my husband the night we took down Mad-Eye Moody. She deserves to die for that alone."
"Your beloved husband," murmured Severus. "Yes, I'm sure you'd have been heartbroken had he succumbed to his injuries."
"That's not the point."
"It so rarely is. In any case, your sister has asked me to inform you that, should anything happen to her daughter and unborn grandchild, she would be all-too willing to let slip what you revealed to her on the bathroom floor. She did not, in case you're curious, tell me what this secret is, but she seemed to think you'd be most disinterested in sharing whatever it is with the whole Wizarding World."
"She agreed to shut up about it," said Bellatrix.
"Perhaps that was before Death Eaters returned to her home."
"What?"
"Yesterday," explained Severus. This is what he'd been planning to tell Narcissa when he'd found her in the kitchen, but libido had gotten the better of him. "You were otherwise occupied. They were looking for the werewolf, having just learned of the end of the couple's estrangement. I was among those sent."
"You told me you weren't here yesterday because you had pressing business at Hogwarts!"
"I had pressing business at Hogwarts," he said, shrugging. "I took an hour away from that to visit your sister."
"Stop calling her my sister. She has a name."
"Mrs. Tonks," Severus amended.
"Not that name! Call her Andromeda."
"If you wish. I was among those sent to see Andromeda. Dolohov hit her with the Cruciatus curse the moment we were inside her house –"
Bellatrix interjected. "How did you get in? I told… I… she should have protective wards in place."
"She does. Once they were broken and we were inside, Dolohov aimed for her. Your niece – excuse me, Nymphadora – entered then and disarmed him. Hortensia raised her wand, but Andromeda said, 'I wouldn't if I were you.' She looked to me, I held up a hand to the others, and we waited to hear what she had to say."
Bellatrix leaned forward painfully, and whispered, "What did she have to say?"
"Weren't you listening, you dolt? She said 'should anything happen to her daughter and unborn grandson, she would be all-too willing to let slip what you revealed to her on the bathroom floor.' I thought I was perfectly clear."
"What did Hortensia and Dolohov think she meant?"
"I don't think they had a clue, but I did. So I told her we came seeking information concerning the whereabouts of the werewolf. Tonks – Nymphadora – assured us that he, like her father, is on the run so they couldn't tell us where to find him even if they wanted to, but she couldn't stop herself from adding that she wouldn't tell us even if she knew. Hortensia and Dolohov were itching to play a little longer, perhaps work out a bit of pent-up aggression, but I told them the Dark Lord would be most displeased should Andromeda make good on her threat, so we left."
Bellatrix was fuming. The Dark Lord had been right. Her 'condition,' and knowledge thereof, made her a weakness for their side.
"I did not tell this to the Dark Lord," Severus said. He had a knack for knowing what she was thinking, even without exercising his Legillemency skills. "Rather, I advised Nymphadora to stay out of our way, then, before departing, altered the memories of both Hortensia and Dolohov so they believe that we tortured both women for some time."
"Why? And why tell me this now? Why not earlier?"
"I wasn't planning to tell you this at all, as I figured it would only make your blood-lust for your niece greater."
Bellatrix flushed. He was right.
"I've just come from a discussion with the Dark Lord during which He mentioned you."
Bellatrix shook her head. "No, you said you were down in the kitchen."
He sighed. "I had a discussion with the Dark Lord, after which I felt hungry. So I went down to the kitchen briefly, and am now here."
"What about me?"
"He wants you to be the one to do it."
"Do what?"
"Murder Nymphadora Tonks…" He looked into her good eye, which darted back and forth, and because she was unguarded he was able to see into her thoughts. She was committed to the task. He shook his head. "I wouldn't. Nymphadora is pregnant. The same sort of magic that protected Harry Potter as a baby might also protect your niece's unborn child. The Killing Curse could backfire on you. We wouldn't want that, now would we?"
"What of Andromeda?"
"If you were to kill her, surely her daughter would come after you, and then what? Then risk the Killing Curse rebounding? Is that wise… in your condition? I told the Dark Lord that it would not be wise for you to target Nymphadora at this time. He understands and agrees. In His words, 'We shall leave the Metamorph be, for now.' For the record, I do not enjoy meddling in your family affairs."
"Why wouldn't that same magic protect me?" asked Bellatrix. "The Killing Curse could not rebound on me because of… my condition."
"It was love that saved Harry Potter and it would be love that could save Baby Werewolf. Can you say for certain your baby would benefit from the same protection? Is your baby carried in love? Was your baby created through love?"
"None of your damn business," she snapped, but it was clear he had gotten to her.
"Have a lovely afternoon," said Severus, reaching for the door handle. "I don't expect I'll be seeing you again soon. Shall I send Narcissa up now with the soup? I believe she put onions in it."
"I hate onions." Bellatrix was pouting.
He smirked. "Narcissa says they're good for your eyes."
"What?" Bellatrix let out an exasperated sigh. "No, she's an idiot. It's carrots that are good for your eyes. Onions are good for shit."
"I thought kale did that? Leafy greens are a high source of fiber."
"I didn't mean… I meant onions are good for nothing. Oh, quit it!"
Severus was chuckling at his own joke. Bellatrix threw a pillow at him.
"Whatever she put in it," he said, gently tossing the pillow back onto the bed, "Eat it and pretend to like it. She's working very hard to throw together something edible. The least you could do is be grateful." Especially since it cost her half her hair, he thought.
"Grateful? I'll probably die of food poisoning."
"Well, one could only hope."
On his way out, Severus dropped by the kitchen. Narcissa was again alone, ladling the finished soup into a bowl. Her eyes were red and puffy. It was obvious she'd been sobbing.
"You're just as beautiful with shorter hair," he said quietly, unsure of whether anyone else was close by.
"My hair was my best feature and now, between the gray and the… the singeing… it's… it's… it's ruined!" Her eyes filled again with tears.
"Nothing is ruined. You're beautiful," he assured her. "You're beautiful no matter what your hair looks like. You're always beautiful."
"You don't mean that," she said, "But it helps to hear it all the same."
"I do mean it. Listen, Narcissa… I can't stay, I've already been here too long… and what… what happened earlier, it was stupid. Dangerous. And I don't mean because of the fire."
"Great!" she interjected, certain this was the start of another break up speech. As they had several times already that day, her eyes burned with tears.
"But I'll see you on New Year's Eve," he said, pleasantly surprising her. "I'll meet you on the grounds, near the apparition point, at six exactly. We'll get dinner before the play."
"I offered to cook for you," she reminded him, adding a hunk of Italian bread to the tray to her sister.
"Do you still want to?"
"No."
"In that case, we'll get dinner before the play. Bring my notebook with you."
"Bring… what?"
"My notebook." He leaned casually against the doorjamb as she poured her sister a cup of tea and placed it on the tray beside an empty glass, presumably for water. "The one you gave me for my birthday. I want it back. If that's alright."
She smiled, wiping stray tears from her cheeks with the sleeve of her dress. "I'd be happy to return it to you, Severus."
"Excellent," he said. He thought about crossing the kitchen to kiss her goodbye, but decided against it. "Until next week."
"Until next week," she whispered. "Thank you."