Chapter 28 - Truce

The sound of two dozen Death Eater's getting to their feet filled the small drawing room as the meeting was adjourned.

Bellatrix Lestrange spotted her sister at the back of the room and started to make her through the crowd towards her. Narcissa was at the door before Bella had managed to get half way across the room.

Bella got to the door just in time to see her sister disappear round the corner of the corridor. "Cissy!" she yelled but she either didn't hear or deliberately ignored her.

She took off after her sister... sprinting down the corridor. When she got to the corner Cissy was half way down the next corridor, her boots clicking viciously on the floor as she increased her speed. Clearly she had heard her calling. "Cissy!" she shouted again, irritation creeping into her voice.

Narcissa showed no sign she had heard her, except speeding up again very slightly. Bella gained on her quickly as she sprinted down the hall, calling her sister's name several times to no effect.

"Cissy we need to talk!" she snapped at Cissy when she was only a few foot behind her. Narcissa stiffened and turned around, pale pretty face hard, blue eyes blazing like Bella's could when she was really angry. On Bella's face that look would mean someone was about to be in a great deal of pain. The cold fury on her sister's face hit Bella like a bucket of icy water.

"I have nothing to talk to you about" Cissy spat, turning her back on her sister and continuing to make her way down the corridor.

"Cissy Please!" Bella said, the anguish in her voice and her use of the word please making Narcissa stop and turn around again. "What do you want?" she said coldly. "We need to talk about what you heard..." Bella said quietly.

"Which part? The part where you got engaged without telling me? Or the part where you were still fucking my son?" Cissy spat derisively. 'I didn't tell you about the engagement because I knew it would get back to Draco. I didn't... I didn't want him to get hurt" she said truthfully. "Well maybe you should have thought of that before you seduced him" snarled Cissy.

"Cissy no one thinks worse of me than I do of myself right now" Bella said hollowly. "I know what I did was... unforgiveable..." she continued. "But you're my sister... can't you find some way to forgive me?" she said pleadingly. Some of the anger left Cissy's face.

"Even I could forgive you for sleeping with him... I will never... ever... forgive you... for making him fall in love with you" she said in a voice as cold as ice. "It wasn't something I planned..." Bella said contritely. "I never thought he could fall in love with me... or that I'd fall for him..." she finished.

Cissy flinched like she'd been struck and for a moment she looked like she was going to strike Bella. She gave Bella a look of death, and stalked past her… heading the opposite direction to the direction she was going in before..

"Cissy what are you doing?" Bella asked her voice full of sorrow and frustration. "Going to tell the Dark Lord what his 'fiancée' has been up to!" Cissy snarled, walking faster. "No!" shrieked Bella, darting after her sister. "No you can't!" she continued as her sister sped up. "Try and stop me..." Cissy said daringly.

"He'll kill Draco!" yelled Bella. Cissy stopped. "He'll what?" she said in a very quiet voice. "He'll kill him. You saw what he did to me when he found out. If I hadn't gotten in the way it would have been Draco that almost died" she finished, her fear clear in her tone.

"I don't care what he does to me... but I don't want Draco to die. Not because of me" she said beseechingly. Cissy slowly turned around. "I won't tell" she said in a cold, quiet voice.

"But you are never... and I mean never to touch him again" she said in a tone that would abide no argument.

"I don't think you need to worry about that" Bella said in a very brittle voice. "I doubt he''ll ever forgive me" she finished in a very small voice, her voice breaking as she felt the urge to cry.

"Good" said Cissy coldly, leaving with a toss of her long blonde hair


It was two days since Potter, Granger and Weasley had been caught by brought back to the manor.

Two days since Bellatrix Lestrange had called the Dark Lord with news of their capture… only to let them slip through her fingers.

Since then the inhabitants of the Manor had been walking on eggshells… afraid of triggering the Dark Lord's wrath… and there had been no sign of Bella.

Dinner was a somber affair. Though the furnishings were elegant and everyone was dressed in their best… there was very little conversation… and no one seemed to be enjoying the delicious banquet laid out in front of them.

None of the three Malfoy's did more than pick at their food… and everyone else ate considerably less than they usually would. With the Dark Lord in such a foul mood no one wanted to draw attention to themselves… and no one felt hungry.

Halfway through the 1st course the door swung open. Everyone stared as Bella walked in.

Her long dark hair was a wild, unkempt tangle and an elegant black dress was practically hanging off her unusually slender frame. Clearly she hadn't been eating either. Or sleeping… judging by the dark circles under her eyes.

Draco bristled to see the yellowing bruises on her cheek… her arm… her leg… her collarbone. A half-healed cut decorated her lower lip. She was even walking with a slight limp … as if her ankle pained her.

He couldn't help thinking that despite her state… she was still beautiful. And it killed him to see her like this. He wanted to hurt the person who did this to her.

He could tell by the way his Mother kept glancing at him that she'd noticed his reaction to Bella's injuries.

After the meal she motioned for him to follow her.

When they were out of earshot she turned to him. "Are you all right?" she asked concernedly.

"He did it to her didn't he?" he said through gritted teeth. An expression came over her face that suggested she had known that must be what was wrong.

"If you mean the Dark Lord… then yes… most likely" she said sadly. "But it's none of our business" she finished gently but firmly.

"Don't you care about her at all?" he said accusingly. "Of course I do!" she snapped. "She's still my sister. I'm as worried about her as you are. But I realize she doesn't have a choice… and neither do we. Not unless we want to be next!" she said in a no-nonsense tone.

"I know" he said resignedly. "But I still hate it" he said vehemently. "Unfortunately… there are some things… you just can't change... no matter how much you want to" said Narcissa with a sigh.