Chapter 26

To say Arcturus had accepted Bellatrix Black probably would never get married was an understatement. He knew his granddaughter would probably hex any male who looked her way, let alone any male who suggested she need to play the role of a society witch.

He knew many a thing about his grandchildren. He knew Andromeda would never be happy to be married off like some sort of prize long before she had brought the matter to him. She was too free, too liberal, even as a child. And for a time, he had been unsure of whether she would approach him when such a time came, or if she would take matters into her own hands to remedy the situation. He supposed however that his second youngest grandchild was to thank for her remaining in the family and not running off in the fear that she would never be accepted.

He also knew that the marriage contract that seemed like a trap to Andromeda would seem like a blessing to Narcissa, who would readily accept such a marriage without as much of a second thought. That it would offer her the life she had dreamed off, of wealth and riches, of a title she could covet and a place in society as the Lady of a house. It would be everything Andromeda would run from and everything Narcissa would dream of.

He knew that his oldest grandson, Sirius, would never be the heir that his parents desired him to be. He would never put blood purity above all else, and instead, like the Gryffindor he was, would chose his loyalty to his heart to guide his actions. And perhaps, with the changing tides of the political world, that would be what was best for their house, if their ancient and noble house had a change in directions. If it was what it took to survive and not go extinct, then maybe it was for the best if their family shed some of their prejudice.

And Regulus, his grandson who only wanted to please everyone. Who only wanted his parents to be happy and his brother's love. His youngest grandchild had a while to go before he truly found out who he could be as a person without the desire to please everyone in his life and figured out who he was without the restrictions of social guidelines.

Draco Black was another story. He was hard to read and constantly surprising Arcturus with his actions. Such as persuading Andromeda not to leave the family. He knew that it would be a tense couple of years between his Heir and Sirius' parents, and Sirius fought more and more to be his own person and his parents tried to guide him to the path they believed was right. And he knew he would need to play a more active role to prevent his grandson from being disowned all together. But he knew that if anyone would be more successful in stopping Sirius from running off and disowning himself, it would be Draco, who showed him it was possible to accept their family and his own values.

Bellatrix Black was another story from what her parents wanted for her. She was not like her sisters. She was not Andromeda who would follow her heart in regard to love and damn her family in the process. Nor was she Narcissa who would marry for duty and let love come in the process. And it wasn't that she wasn't cut out for love all together, it was that she was not cut out for the life she was forced into, by her own ideals on blood purity, which narrowed down her options, but also her desire to follow her own heart and try and find someone who made her happy.

She was not cut out for such a life, and he had long since accepted that. It was why he had told the story of Cassiopeia, his cousin who did not want to marry, and had cursed herself so she would never have to. Because he did not want his granddaughter to take such extreme measures just to avoid marriage all together. He wanted better for his children, for his grandchildren. He wanted them to be able to achieve their full potential.

And Bellatrix was a powerful witch, who would most likely excel at whatever she put her mind to. If she decided to become an Auror, she would be the fiercest one the Ministry had to offer. If she had decided to go into curse breaking, then not a single spell or curse would be able to stand in her way. She would be able to achieve whatever it was that her mind was set to.

She deserved such a life; despite what her own parents may want for her.

So when he received the formal offer, he was shocked. Shocked that Bellatrix had even allowed such an offer to make its way to him, and that she hadn't hexed the man who had considered marrying her. He was surprised to receive an offer from an old family, one who he was almost certain would hold Bellatrix to their own ideals of what she would be allowed to do and what she wouldn't be allowed to do. That she would almost all by be a society wife to the Lestrange Heir, forced to bear him a child and give up any asirpations she had for herself.

Would she even be happy in such a life?

And better yet, did she even know that such an offer had been made for her?

The Lestranges were a dark family; they always had been and always would be. It didn't say much however, considering that the Blacks were often thought to be just as dark. They had as many skeletons in their own wardrobes. But he knew too with Sirius as the heir of the house, their family would be moving towards a greyer direction. And would such a nature cause conflicts for the future of their two houses? Especially if a union were made?

The Lestranges were also a warrior family, which could be seen in their family. They courted violence and fighting with every turn. And he knew his granddaughter did the same, so in that sense, perhaps it wasn't all that bad of a marriage proposal. However, he still worried. It wasn't just the nature of family magic that mattered when attempting to pair two children, their magic had to also be compatible. And with two volatile types of magic, it could often lead to clashing over harmony. It could lead to unhappiness and pain. And if there was no true love between a pairing, be it born from desire, from respect, or from commitment, then magic itself would not bless their union to allow them to have a child. Magic, in its sentient nature, would overrule whatever the individual families wanted and hoped for, and determine the pairing to be unfit.

But it also did not just matter what he thought, or what the Lestranges thought. It mattered what his granddaughter thought. What she wanted and hoped for, for her own future. Did she want to get married at all? Did she consider Rodolphus Lestrange a worthy husband, or would she perhaps hex him until next year for even considering sending in a formal offer for her.

"You wanted to see me, Grandfather," he heard his oldest grandchild say, as she walked into the room, head held high.

She had grown distant from their family in the past year, and he wasn't a fool; he knew very well it was because she disapproved of his actions in regard to her sister and believed he had allowed for their family to be tainted. How naïve of a belief, to think that blood purity lay only with who one's parents were, and not in the magic itself, and the power that came from family magic. But she had changed again in the past few months, holding her head higher, as if she had a new purpose in life. One he had a very good idea about.

"I received a formal offer for your hand, Bellatrix," he told her as she sat across from him at his study. "I wanted to wait to approach your parents about it until I had spoken to you and listened to your own thoughts on the matter."

"Oh?" she asked in a tone that showed nonchalance, but he knew she must have known more than she was letting on.

"It is from the Lestrange family. It appears as if their oldest son, Rodolphus, wishes for you to become his bride. He had made an offer for you which is quite generous," Arcturus said, trying to gage her response.

"Are you going to accept?" she asked, sounding a bit tense at the notion that he would make a decision on her behalf.

"I asked you here for a reason, Bellatrix," he reminded her. "Not to tell you that you will be marrying him, but to ask if it is what you want. If this makes you happy, then I will let the Lestrange family know that we accept their offer. However, you are given the same liberties as the rest of our family. If you do not want this marriage, then I will decline it and let you be. But the choice lays solely with you."

She looked slightly taken aback at that, clearly not having expected him to have given her a choice. He watched her take a deep breath before responding.

"I want it, Grandfather. It is a fruitious match, and Rodolphous had agreed to let me live the life I desire over the one that is expected for me. He will let me do as I please as long as I give him a son. And he is one of the few men of good standing who will allow me to live such a life," she told him, "I'm tired, Grandfather. I'm tired of watching our world fall apart when we belong on the top. When we can make a difference. I want to make the world a better place, and Rodolphus will give me the freedom to fight for what I believe in."

His eyes widened at that, and he wondered how he had missed it. He had known the darkness was coming, that a war was coming. Yet he had not expected his own granddaughter to be thrown in the midst of it, fighting for a war that will only bring pain and suffering. Fighting in a war that would tear their world apart, over bring it together.

He had seen the war coming for months, knowing fully well that many of the houses that once stood by his side would jump at a chance to rid the world of those they deemed impure. Jump at the chance to follow a man who claimed to be powerful if it meant making the world better.

"Just because you believe you might be making the world better by joining such a cause does not mean it is what is best for our world, Bella," he warned his granddaughter. "I urge you to think through your actions fully, to think of the consequences fully, before you join such a cause. Think of the lives that will be lost, on both sides. The pain that will occur."

Her eyes hardened, "It is my life to live, Grandfather. I wish to accept the marriage proposal that was brought to you. And if that is all you have to say on the matter, then I will see you at the next family gathering. Please let my parents know my wishes, so we can proceed with the union. It is rude, after all, to leave such a prominent family waiting for a response."

He nodded after her, not knowing what else to say. He prayed sense would come to his granddaughter, and that she would not make foolish mistakes; especially those that would tear their family in half as they fought on opposite sides of a war that should never have come.

It was June when Bellatrix stood proudly at the next to her future husband as she watched her Lord stand before them, tall and filled with power.

She felt anticipation shake her very core as she stood around him, wearing dark robes and surrounded by her peers who all believed that he would make a difference in their world, who would save them all from the life they had been thrown into. Who would give them the chance to take their world back and set it on the correct path.

Rodolphus looked over at her, as he watched her captivated face, but she didn't care. She knew her heart would never belong to him, not truly. How could it when the man in front of her was so spectacular? So powerful and strong? How could anyone else even begin to compare?

It didn't matter to her that he was older than her. That he was years her senior. All she could see was his beauty, his face aged with grace as he commanded power with so much as a single look. And she wanted to give him everything; she wanted to give him her life, her devotion, her strength. She wanted to fight by his side, and if she died by his side, then so be it. She would be dying to make a difference. To rid the world of mudbloods and muggleborns. She would be dying to make the world better for her children, for their future.

She didn't care if Rodolphus had her in name and in their marriage. She knew her heart belonged to their Lord. And she would be his in any way he wanted her. She would do anything for him.

How could she not as he had yet to speak a word and she was ready to lie down her life for him? How could she belong to anyone but him?

"My friends," he spoke, voice booming out around them, filling her with anticipation and excitement, knowing whatever he was about to say would change the world forever. "It is time we stop hiding in the shadows. It is time we stop wanting to make a difference and talking about how different we want things to be, without doing anything to make it different. It time we stop sitting back and watch our world become polluted with those who are unworthy. We watch them come into our world, filled with their muggle ideals, and change our world to be theirs. No more. No more giving up what we want to try and make them comfortable. No more giving up who we are as a society because a few individuals are overwhelmed in a world they have no place belonging in. If they cannot assimilate then they do not deserve to be here."

She heard cheers from around her, and a wide smile filled her face, knowing fully well that he was right. Why should they give up who they were because a few mudbloods didn't know anything about magic and thought their world was uncivilized because they didn't do things the same way the muggles did? They were the ones who were on top.

"Why must we hide in the shadows?" Voldemort spoke out, "Why must we hide our very existence from the muggles when we are the one who could easy vanquish them with a single spell? When all we need to do is show them what their rightful place is, and they would bow to our power? They have called lesser beings Gods for simply showing a bit of magic. Imagine what they would do if they saw our power? What they would do to show them some sort of miracle. They would worship us, and rightfully so. And yet, Dumbledore would have us cover behind barriers and hide away. But what good is the Statute of Secrecy if we bring in mudbloods in constantly to our world? We inform their families of our existence. What is the guarantee that they will not turn around and tell their world anyways that we exist? No, my friends. We must end that link once and for all. We must stop bringing in impure blood into our world as if having an ounce of magic equalled our own power. Our magic which is centuries old and filled with power. How could their drop of magic be any think but lesser than ours? They do not belong in our world. They may be more powerful than muggles, but that does not make them our equals."

No, it certainly did not. She beamed up at him, and she could sense the excitement from around her. Finally, someone was saying the words they had only spoken in the shadows, afraid to ever formalize what they were thinking. Someone was finally willing to fight for what they believed in.

"No more," Voldemort said loudly, "Today is the day we change. Today we step out of the shadows and challenge the current administration. Today we return the wizarding world to its former glory by making sure witches and wizards are treated with the respect we so rightfully deserve. That we are placed on top of our world without having to bend over backwards, trying to please muggleborns. No more shall we cater to their needs, but instead they assimilate to their rightful places as below us, more worthy wizards. No longer shall we cry out for injustice and have our voices go unlistened to, because it is not what Dumbledore wants. We will take what we want, fight for our rights, for our homes. We will get the world we deserve, one way or another. And if the world will not hand it to us, we will take it by force. Today is the beginning of a new day."

She smiled brightly, knowing that she had made the right choice, and that finally the pain she had been feeling for so long would finally be remedied.

New Political Party Alliance Challenges Minister Eugenia Jenkins On Political Stance

By Rose Blishwick

In a surprising turn of events, the dark families of Wizengamot have welcomed a new political leader to guide them. While it has been a while since the Dark coalition has had a formal leader, never seeming to have agreed enough on political stances, for the first time in decades, they have welcomed a new leader which the majority of families have welcomed whole heartedly.

Lord Voldemort, who claims to be the rightful heir of the Slytherin house, has united dark families alike in his surprisingly aggressive views on muggleborns and muggles, claiming that they do not deserve a place in the current wizarding world.

One can only speculate the sorts of legislation that the Wizengamot will see now, given this shift in political tides.

And if this new party leader manages to be successful in his mission to "save" the wizarding world, as he claims to want to do, what does this mean for our current world as we know it?

Hermione threw down the paper, feeling sick to her stomach as she read the words. She knew it was missing a lot of key details, including what exactly Voldemort wanted to do now that he had gained a significant amount of power, or at least enough that he could start beginning to sway legislation.

She pushed her plate aside, unable to eat as she grabbed the paper and ran out of the Great Hall, heading straight for the library and to her own private corner. The one that she and Draco had spent so many hours in, planning and planning as to how to bring this monster down. And yet he was still rising up in the world, seemingly unaffected so far by whatever changes they had made. It didn't matter that he would never willingly get Regulus or Severus. He still had more than enough followers.

Did any of it matter? Were they even making enough changes yet? Or were they fooling themselves to thinking they were even capable of making a difference?

What difference did it make in the long run to "save" a few people, if they were all going to die soon enough? Did it matter if Regulus never turned, if Voldemort came after them all anyways? Did it matter that her brother no longer picked on students, if he would still be murdered because of a prophecy concerning his son, her nephew? Did any of it even matter?

She felt tears prick at her eyes as she threw the paper across the library table, overwhelmed.

She had known what they were fighting against; she had always known that Voldemort would rise despite what they tried to do. The only way to stop it all together was to stop him from being born. But that wouldn't stop the political climate from being as volatile as it was now. There was a reason so many people were quick to jump to his side. Because in the fall of Grindelwald, the world became Dumbledore's way or the wrong way. And people were tired of that world. No, she needed to bring him down, but also show the rest of the world that they were wrong. That there didn't need to be two extremes. That there could be shades of grey, without being wrong.

"Hermione," Draco's voice called out, as he sat down beside her at the table. He took her hands in his and looked at her, concerned. "Are you okay?"

She nodded, sniffling slightly, "I just, it's hard Draco. It's hard to watch it happening and knowing that we need to try even harder. He's a political leader, for Merlin's sake. That means so many people already respect his opinions to follow him. It's even more people we're going to have to fight. I knew he was out there already, we both did. We both knew he's been recruiting. But to see it so blatantly out in the open."

"I know," he murmured, as he stroked her hand softly. "It's hard to read about, knowing so many wizards and witches already support him so much. Already are willing to fight alongside him. Merlin, what if my sister has already joined him?"

"This is it, isn't it?" She asked him, a breath catching in her throat as she tried to stop her tears. "This is the moment it started. The moment Voldemort began his public rise to power. This is the point the world fell to hell, and where it started to all go wrong."

He didn't say anything, and she knew it to be true. How could it not be? For all they had tried to save important people so far, Severus so he never heard the prophecy, Regulus so he never felt the need to die saving a singular Horcrux, her brother's friends, so the three would never suspect one another, and even Peter so he never would betray them. All of it was so singularly based and wasn't anywhere near enough to stopping the war. It wasn't enough on its own to bring down Voldemort.

"From here on out, we're fighting his war, whether we like it or not," Draco told her, stroking her hand softly, "From here on out, every choice, every life we save or don't save matters. Every death, every action from here on out could change everything."

She leaned into him, and he held her tightly. She couldn't say anything, didn't know what to say. She had carried the weight of this mission for so long, knowing exactly what the consequences of them failing would be. But to see it laying to blatantly in front of them pained her. Knowing that people would still die, regardless of what they did. That there would always be those they couldn't save.

She stayed like that for a while, not wanting to move, as she took comfort in perhaps the only other person in this time who knew the true weight on their shoulders, and the pain she carried with her.