Alrighty, the very last entry. Thank you for the lovely reviews for the last chapter (I'd expected to get roasted for Bella's death but that didn't happen so i'm greatful). We're whizzing back in time to '66 which is Bella's fifth year and I like to think Rodolphus is a little older than her so we'll say it's his sixth year. Filch and Mrs N. are both at Hogwarts just for the purpose of the chapter. I loved writing this, might have to do a story dedicated to them in their youth.

Song: Andrea Bocelli and Sarah Brightman, Time To Say Goodbye

Epilogue: The Button Boy
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, October, 1966

Dieing embers sparked and crackled in the grand stone fireplace in Slytherin common room. The early hours of the morning were still pitch black in those first months of winter. Every Slytherin student was either tucked up in bed or out betraying curfew - if they were brave enough. The common room was deserted and lieing in disarray, the house elves would be around in a few hours time.

In his dormitory, Rodolphus was wrapped up in his sheets, snoring and occasionally murmuring the odd word and groaning as his dream took him off to a woman's bedroom...

'You wake him.'

'Why me?'

'He's your brother.'

'You're the one trying to please Narcissa, not me,' Rabastan argued in a hushed whisper.

Lucius huffed and he made his way over to Rodolphus' bunk and gave him a poke.

'It'll take more than that to wake him up,' Rabastan commented. Lucius glared at him and turned back to Rodolphus, giving him a soft punch in the arm.

'Rodolphus,' Lucius hissed.

'Pathetic.'

'Well you do it then!'

Rabastan gave an over-dramatic sigh and walked over to his older brother and seated himself on Rodolphus' face.

'Arghmmaaargh!'

Rabastan jumped up and slapped a hand over Rodolphus' mouth. Rodolphus struggled and then stopped, not fully awake and not at all pleased at being yanked from his sleep.

'What?' He growled, slapping his hand away and sitting up. Rabastan made some hand signals that made no clear sense to Lucius or Rodolphus.

'Just come with us,' Lucius whispered and made for the door after scouting the rest of the sleeping boys to make sure they'd not disturbed any of them. Reluctantly, Rodolphus grabbed his wand and located his pyjama shirt buttoning it up as he followed the other pair out into the corridor that adjoined to the girls dorms. Standing in the dim light, two young girls in their night dresses were huddled together waiting for them. Rodolphus had seen them both before but only knew Narcissa Black's name. Everyone knew the Black sisters.

'Someone care to explain?' Rodolphus grumbled slightly louder than a whisper.

'I woke Lucius-' Narcissa began.

'And I woke Rabastan,' Lucius joined in. 'And he woke you.'

'I'm worried, Rodolphus,' Narcissa continued. 'Bellatrix isn't in her bed. I know she was meant to be going out tonight but she still isn't back yet and I think something's gone wrong.'

'Narcissa, I'm sure Bellatrix can handle herself. You're only a first year, it's still just the beginning of the year - you'll learn that your sister can pretty much take care of herself.'

'But she said she was going to the Restricted Section in the Library,' she whined. 'She was meant to be back hours ago!'

'And what do you want me to do about it? Why didn't you send fancy-pants Malfoy?'

There was an awkward silence between the five present pupils.

'I didn't want him to get hurt,' she admitted. Rodolphus laughed once. 'Please Rodolphus, I'll give you a bottle of fire whisky.'

'And what would you be doing with fire whisky?'

'Bella always has a stash.'

Rodolphus thought about this, folding his arms as he weighed up his options. Go back to bed like nothing had happened or risk detention for some fire whisky. Plus there was no point denying he was in admiration of Bellatrix, though of course he'd no reason to actually talk to her. Though he had his own past with the curious Black witch. In his second year, her first, he tried to give her back a paper she had dropped and she was more than rude and then last year in his fifth year, he had plucked up some courage and asked her to the Yule Ball. She accepted but later on things went bad when he tried to kiss her. And that pretty much summed up his interactions with her in exception to the occasional jaunting comment exchanged between themselves in corridors, they wasted no time with each other. When he first set eyes on her, he like almost every other male had grown fascinated with her beauty and wayward independence. But his efforts were in vain and so he admitted defeat and set about pursuing the easy girls in their house. But he had grown bored, the current girlfriend was clingy and uninteresting. He wanted what he couldn't have. He wanted the curiously enchanting eldest Black sister.

'Oh, alright. What is she doing in the Restricted Section?'

'She wanted to find a book.'

'Well obviously! What kind of book?' He asked. Rabastan, Lucius and Narcissa's friend moved their heads back and fourth in unison between Rodolphus and Narcissa.

'I don't know - she wouldn't say. Will you go get her now?'

'Get the fire whisky first.'

'Jasminda, go get it please?' Narcissa's friend huffed but did as she was asked and disappeared into the dormitory. 'Thank you for waking him up, Lucius.' Narcissa smiled shyly, twirling a piece of her hair as she looked up at him through her lashes.

'That's alright, Narcissa. I'd have gone but I don't know the Library quite as well as Rodolphus,' the third year replied smugly, while tossing back his head with a vain expression. Rodolphus sighed and looked at Rabastan.

'What's in this for you?' He asked his brother.

'I dunno, Lucius is me pal - ain't you Lucy?' Rabastan patted his 'pal' on the back with a dazed grin. Rodolphus shook his head.

'Here it is,' Jasminda whispered as she reappeared, handing it to Narcissa, who handed it to Rodolphus.

'I'll go stash it and then I'll go look for her.' He informed them, going back to his bed to retrieve a jumper and some boots. When he returned, Narcissa and Lucius watched him off, Rabastan and Jasminda were huddled up in a corner, getting intimate.

'Bring her back safe.' Narcissa called after him. Rodolphus rolled his eyes as he made his way down the narrow passage to the stone door. He left the cellars and came up the steps to the first floor, pausing a moment to listen for any tell-tale signs of patrolling teachers. Prefects he could bribe, teachers were harder to get around. He took off at a run down the corridor, taking care to listen before turning onto a new hallway. As he navigated his way through the great walls of his school he wondered how exactly he'd go about bringing Bellatrix back. He was quite certain she wouldn't need any help from him, she was often very good at making that quite clear. But before he had much longer to think things through, he had arrived on the fourth floor, at his destination. As he hurried around the corner to the doors of the Library, a purring noise halted him in his tracks, he backed up and leaned in against the wall.

Mrs Norris was purring away while Filch could be heard talking to her about some fish eyes he had saved for her when they got back to his room after their shift. Rodolphus dared a peek around the corner, Filch sat in a wooden chair with the blasted cat sitting in his lap. They were sat right in front of the open double doors to the Library. Rodolphus squinted at the stacks of shelves beyond the big doorway but couldn't see much. He hid back out of sight, resolved that he'd more or less done his duty. He's gone looking for her, it wasn't his fault if she wasn't where Narcissa had told him. He was free to go to bed unscathed with a nice bottle of fire whisky to keep him company. But although he knew there was nothing wrong in heading back to the common room now, there was still a niggling desire to be chivalrous and find Bellatrix. He dared another peek around the corner, trying to seek her out in the shadows of the bookcases beyond the charmed gates to the Restricted Section. Much to his surprise he found two eyes in the darkness, a small ball of glowing light illuminated her face and she stared directly at him from far off behind Filch. Mrs Norris yowled and Filch was on his feet, the cat glared into the dark room but the light was gone and darkness played Bella's cover again.

'What is it?' Filch gruffed, hobbling over to where his cat stood and peering into the room, he shone his flashlight into the dark but didn't seek out anything out of the ordinary. He inspected the stillness a moment long before resigning to his chair. 'Come on now my sweet, there's nothin' there.'

The cat wouldn't be swayed, she sat there, tail flicking from side to side. Rodolphus moved back behind his corner. Now he had a predicament, Bellatrix had seen him and though there was no obligation on his part to rescue her from Filch, there was something very alluring about the idea of having her in his debt. Rodolphus fidgeted, trying to form a plan. He looked around himself for an idea. And then it came to him. He pulled off his jumper and discarded it on the floor, then pulled two buttons off his pyjama shirt. He picked up his jumper and wrapped it around his head, allowing himself a little space to see. He took the first button and threw it down the corridor, as it hit one of the walls and rattled across the stone, Filch jumped up out of his seat and he and Mrs Norris ran into view, heading for where the button had landed.

'Engorgio,' Rodolphus whispered. The second button began to grow, rapidly becoming larger than his finger, then his fist, then falling from his palm and rolling across the floor, growing bigger and bigger until it became so big it reached the rafters. The cat hissed and darted back down the hallway towards Rodolphus but Filch was not so fast and got trapped down the corridor by the massive pyjama button.

'Naa! Hey!' Filch yelled, waving his arms as he disappeared out of sight and the button wedged between the walls. Rodolphus sprinted into the library.

'Lumos,' he whispered, hurrying to where he'd seen Bellatrix and pulling the jumper off his head.

'Alohomora,' she said, opening the gates to the restricted section, carrying a thin leather-bound book with her. She locked the gates behind herself. 'What are you doing here?' She queried.

'Your sister got worried. Come on, Filch will already be on his way. Let's go,' he led the way out of the library and the pair of them ran back the way he had come. There was some talking from the adjoining corridor. Rodolphus stuck his arm out and herded Bellatrix into a charms classroom.

'Nox,' he said, putting out his light. Bellatrix deposited her own wand in her pocket and stuck the thin-spined book in the waistband at the back of her school skirt. 'I hope it was worth it for that book.' He eyed her as she pulled down her jumper.

'Filch wasn't meant to be there tonight,' she snapped. 'That bloody cat. I'll roast on her day of graduation.'

'I can only assume you're joking,' he mumbled, looking out of the glass in the door.

'The button thing was cute, Lestrange,' she grinned. He shrugged. 'You needn't have come out at all.'

'Yeah, well. It didn't look like you were handling yourself that well,' he spat and then he turned to her when he realised her comment had been said amiably as a pose to spitefully. '...Sorry.'

She narrowed her gaze at him as though trying to see something. She leant back against the wall, watching him in the dark.

'What are we in here for?'

'I thought I heard some movement over on the East corridors. Thought we should take cover, as it were.'

'They'll only have been a few Gryffindor Prefects. They'll go off into the broom cupboard together in a minute and coast'll be clear.'

He turned to her with a frown.

'You're often out past curfew, aren't you?'

She cracked a devious smile and he couldn't help but grin to himself as he looked away.

'Wouldn't you like to know?' She breathed in his ear. Her close proximity startled him and he jumped back. She laughed to herself and took the opportunity to yank the door open. 'Come on, button-boy.'

She stuck her head out and glanced both ways, moving out of the doorway and taking Rodolphus by his hand as he stepped out into the corridor after her. She took off at a sprint, pulling him along behind her. That mad, curly hair all wild about her head as they ran along.

'You're very sure of yourself, aren't you?' He half-whispered as he caught up with her pace. She turned her head to him and smiled with a slight wink as they both set off towards Slytherin dungeons. She had to be the most utterly intriguing creature he'd ever met but he wouldn't let her know her charms were working on him. Or else he'd seem like every other boy she bothered with. And Rodolphus did not want to be every other boy.

'And it kept getting bigger and bigger! Mrs Norris ran after 'em,' Filch was explaining to someone. Rodolphus and Bellatrix stopped and looked at each other, alerted to potential discovery. Rodolphus pulled her into a cupboard, pulling the door closed behind them as the voices came nearer. They both listened, for a moment oblivious to how the situation had physically brought them nose to nose. The voices were right beside the cupboard when Rodolphus realised he had his arms around her, his hands actually sitting on the small of her back. Had she not noticed or was she resisting pushing him off to avoid them both being found out? Her head was just beneath his chin, tilted upwards as she listened. He could feel her steady breaths on his neck, making him quiver in quiet excitement.

'Not to worry, Mr Filch. Mrs Norris is back, isn't she? We will find the culprits of this... button escapade.' It was Dumbeldore, who knew why he'd woken the Headmaster up for such a trivial problem. The voices grew dimmer and the footsteps more distant and Rodolphus decided to retract his hold on her petite waist before she bollocked him. She shot him a glance as he drew back his hands.

'Sorry,' he said in exasperation as he expected a lecture about knowing what was his to touch.

'Whatever for?' She asked innocently, though her eyes beamed with mischief as her hand reached behind her and opened the cupboard by the handle. They walked the rest of the way to the common room, with their hands to themselves much to Rod's quiet dismay. As they reached the stone wall, Bellatrix said the password.

'Pure-blood,' she said confidently, strolling through into the common room without a glance in his direction.

'Oh Bella, I was so worried!' Narcissa gushed, practically jumping on her elder sister. Lucius sat comfortably on the sofa, watching the reunion with general amusement.

'Oh, get off Cissy! I was just fine.'

'Yeah, you were handling things brilliantly,' Rodolphus grumbled sarcastically as he stifled a yawn and flopped in a vacant chair. Bellatrix shot him a glance he didn't notice.

'What took you so long?' Narcissa asked with a frown as she clung to her sister's arm.

'Ran into trouble with Filch. No bother, I'm back now. What are you doing here, Lucius?' She stared him down as he prattled around trying to form an answer. 'Go back to bed. The next time you want to take advantage of my sister you'll take care not to do it under my nose.'

Lucius didn't bother to retaliate, he went off to his dormitory with an annoyed huff and Narcissa shortly went to bed after.

'Not heading for bed?' Bellatrix asked, perching on a sofa as she retrieved the book from her waistband.

'I suppose I will,' he said boredly, gazing at the flames while running his fingers through his hair. 'What's in the book?' He asked, turning his attention back to her.

'It'll sound stupid,' she said, smiling down at the book now open in her lap. 'But it's poetry.'

'Poetry? What poetry is sitting in the Restricted Section?'

'Not much as you'd imagine. This is a small collection by Salazar Slytherin himself. In his original hand writing.'

'That'll be missed, surely.'

'This is just a copy I made of it when I got there. I can pass it off as the real thing.'

'Surely that's quite difficult?'

'My mother taught me. I thought it useful to practise.'

'On a restricted poetry book?' She shrugged, flicking through the pages. 'I thought you were more into the Dark Arts than charms and transfigurations?'

'Oh, I am. But it's a useful skill to have, nonetheless.'

'Anything good in that thing?'

'Well, I wouldn't have picked it if there wasn't some good stuff in it.'

'Gonna read me some?'

Bellatrix looked amused at this request, meeting his waiting gaze with the pursing of her smiling lips. She got up, walking slowly and purposefully towards him and standing in front of his chair. Curtly, she turned around and sat herself down in his lap, shuffling around to get comfortable and resting her legs over one of the arms of the chair. Rodolphus stared at her, eyebrows raised as she continued smiling to herself as she picked a poem. He hadn't ever been so close to her as this, even the broom cupboard incident didn't feel quite so... intimate. He was holding her in his arms while she read him poetry. Certainly not what he'd expected given that only a few months ago at the Yule Ball she slapped him when he moved in for a kiss he thought she wanted.

'I like this one,' she said. 'It's a romantic. 'A Prayer For Us, By S. Slytherin',' she read aloud. 'We pray you'll listen, we pray you'll stand, Hearken our call as we command, Our love, our bond in darkest hour,' she glanced at him as he looked up at her while she read. 'Hear this call, we find out power, For now in harshest storms we feat,' her voice dropped in volume, becoming a seductive whisper as she came to the end of the poem. 'Hear our voices, we entreat.'

'I think I like that one too,' he grinned at her as she closed the book. To her surprise she found herself noting the handsome way his cheeks dimpled with his smile, the strong, masculine jaw and hard-set features of his face. His eyes were deep and settled on hers in a way that spoke silent promises. Much to her own shock, she realised his expression was a mirror of her own. He delicately brushed hair back from her cheek as her hands settled around the base of his neck. Without hesitations, her eyes closed and she let her lips find his. His mouth was so foreign to her. The smooth touch of it and the way it felt against her own plus the heat that seemed to boil through her and bring out a light flush in her cheeks was new. But it was pleasant new. It was more than pleasant, it was addictive and she wanted more of his kisses. Their first kiss was innocent and chaste but as it broke and she stole a glance at him, tiredness was forgotten and adrenalin surged through the pair of them, winding them up in intense passion. His tongue moved across her lower lip, mingling with hers with burning hot sensation. His hands on her waist, moving over her body without demand but in seeming affection and appreciation for her young body.

It wasn't like either of them had not kissed before. Bellatrix knew all she had thought she wanted to about the experience and Rodolphus was practised but unbothered with the activity. That changed very quickly.

There was a light crack and the elves were in the room. Bella pulled back, whipping her head around to skin alive whoever had caught them but she settled at the sight of the busy elves.

'Should be getting to bed. Everyone will be up soon,' she said, turning back to him.

'Can I see you again, Bella?' He asked, trying to keep the hope out of his voice but it didn't work. 'Nothing has to be public, just let me see you.'

'I... Um, err...' She fumbled for words, getting out of his lap and trying to straighten her disgruntled appearance.

'Bella,' he requested her to look at him. His words were honest. 'Nobody has to know.'

She blinked, lowering her gaze and then nodding her consent. He got up and offered her his hands, he wasn't yet feeling so bold as to demand physical contact. Hesitantly, she took them to his relief.

'Nobody has to know,' he repeated. 'After last class tomorrow, before dinner. Meet me on the fifth floor, there's a few storage classrooms up there. Will you come?' He looked hopeful, Bellatrix frowned at his sudden request, somewhat stunned at his apparent wants to be with her after one affectionate encounter.

'Mm, alright,' she straightened up, back to her challenging posture. 'I'll come and we can discuss things then.'

'Ok,' he grinned at her renewed formality as she tailed off to bed. He wasn't far behind her, though he knew he wouldn't sleep. He was far too awake now for sleep, thoughts of what he'd say to her the next day spiralled around his head. Meanwhile in the girls dorm, Bellatrix was curled up in a ball, willing sleep to fall on her. She tried to shake the fresh memories of Rodolphus' kisses out of her head. It hadn't been her intention to let him in so easily and she was pissed off now she had. She threw back the covers and sat up, taking a quick glance around before reaching under her bed for her bottle of whisky. She grabbed at empty space. Suddenly alert, Bellatrix dived under her bed and found one of the three bottles she had in storage missing. And then it twigged, only Narcissa had seen her stash before - she must have used it to pay the price for her safe return. Bella didn't bother waking her sister, she corked open a new bottle and curled up in bed and after a few slugs, finding hazy dreams about leopard unicorns and pumpkin juice waterfalls and a boat with a herd of goats on it and a devilishly handsome captain steering the ship that looked oddly like Rodolphus and suddenly he wasn't wearing any clothes...

The next morning at breakfast, Bellatrix was half asleep in her porridge. Narcissa constantly poked her sister to check for signs of life but she received a swatting.

'Bella, I'm sorry but I was worried,' Narcissa whimpered for the tenth time.

'I could handle myselfs,' Bella mumbled.

'Yeah? Than why were you still stuck when Rodolphus found you?'

'I was waiting for Filth to move. Then I could have unlocked the gates and run away to live on the goat boat.'

'What?'

Bellatrix forced herself to drink three cups of pumpkin juice. It wouldn't help to turn up to class tired and half-drunk today, she needed her head to be functioning properly. There was a loud shriek from just down the table, Bella cowered at the sound, sticking her hands over her ears and wincing.

'You cannot be breaking up with me!'

'I'm sorry I just don't think it's working out-'

A loud sob met Rodolphus' attempted consolations and a cluster of girls ran out of the hall and the crying faded with it. Rodolphus bit his lip to stop from smiling, he looked in Bella's direction but she was still face down on the table.

'Bellaaaa, pleeeaaasssee,' Narcissa whined, yanking on a clump of her sister's hair. Bellatrix didn't look up but gave Narcissa a rough shove to the left, right into Andromeda who was too busy mouthing things to some Gryffindor kid across the Hall to take cover in time. Narcissa and Andromeda came backwards off the bench, landing in a heap on the floor.

'Narcissa!' Andromeda growled, getting up and dusting off her robes.

'It wasn't me, it was Bella!'

'For goodness sake, Bella, stop being so childish.'

'Well said considering you are a child,' Bellatrix retorted, sitting up and folding her arms.

'Merlin, you can be so crude.'

Bella rolled her eyes, off-guard as Andromeda gave her a shove. That flicked the switch and suddenly Bellatrix was into primal mode. She got on top of the bench and literally dived onto Andromeda, clawing at her and pulling her hair and kicking. The pair of them rolled across the floor like a couple of animals. The whole Hall went quiet as the sibling rivalry became morning entertainment.

'Bella... Hey, Bella - stop it!' Rodolphus grabbed her under her arms and hauled her back to her feet. Andromeda shot daggers at her older sister, getting herself to her feet as McGonagall approached. Bellatrix squirmed out of Rodolphus' hold.

'Both of you, into my office at once!' The professor waved an authoritative gesture and the two girls slumped out of the Great Hall whilst throwing occasional remarks at each other. 'Mr Lestrange, I think I'll also have an account from you. Wait outside my office.'

Rodolphus skulked off with a smirk.

'As for the rest of you, there's nothing to see here, so I suggest you go on with breakfast,' she sternly addressed the remaining students before swanning out of the hall after the other three pupils.

Up in McGonagall's office, the two sisters were sentenced to a months detention each. Rodolphus wasn't able to sway the sentence with his opinion, fighting was fighting, afterall. Andromeda would shovel out the thestral stables under the gamekeeper's supervision while Bellatrix would clean dishes with the house elves. No magic allowed. Detention was two hours long on a nightly basis after dinner in the Great Hall. This didn't affect Rodolphus and Bella's plans to meet however, and when the finish of lessons for the day came, Rodolphus felt about 3 years old with the way he was quivering with quiet excitement.

He legged it from his potions class on the dungeon floor, up the grand staircase and waited around on the fifth floor. There were students everywhere, moving from classrooms to go to common rooms or to other places - Rodolphus didn't care where. As the numbers of students dwindled and the wait drew in length, he plonked himself down and inspected his watch for the tenth time. 4:05. Class was out 20 minutes ago. Did she even remember? Was she standing him up for a laugh? He sighed and looked down the staircase one more time. It was more or less deserted in exception to movement four floors down. He grinned as he saw her running up the stairs, black crazy hair getting more wind-swept as she hurried up to meet him. Rodolphus got up from the floor and dusted himself off, leaning against the bannister and trying to maintain some cool. Bellatrix came bounding up the stairs towards him, a little out of breath. He gave her his best disapproving look and she responded with an annoyed sigh.

'Not my fault! I was half-asleep in Potions and when we drank our practise Draught of Peace brews I'd made a mistake and it actually did make me fall asleep. Old Sluggy had to brew me an antidote.'

'It sort of does sound like your fault.'

'Whatever... What did you want to say?'

'I, umm... huh?'

'You wanted to ask something? Isn't that why we're here?' She cocked her head to the side with one eyebrow raised expectantly.

'Don't play coy,' Rodolphus said, straightening up.

'Whatever do you mean?' She batted her eyes and wandered away from him. 'Where we going?'

'There's a disused classroom next to 5B,' he told her, catching up and matching her pace.

'And what are we to do in such a classroom?'

'I'm sure we'll be inventive.'

As they let themselves in undetected and Rodolphus closed the door. Bellatrix perched on a dusty desk, leaning back on both hands while he cast the muffliato charm on the room and locked the door. Rodolphus walked over to where she sat, sitting on a desk near hers, hands in pockets.

'You don't have boyfriends do you?' He asked.

'I don't see need to bother. You have girlfriends though.'

'Not anymore.'

'Pff, you'll always have someone on the side.'

'And that can't be you?'

She narrowed her eyes at him, suddenly jumping off the desk. 'What do you take me for, Lestrange? I am not one of your dick-munching bimbos!'

'I get that, I do... But I like you. And surely your parents are nagging you as much as mine are about marriage?'

'So?'

'So, what would be wrong with trying to earn a few suitors?'

'I'll do that when I have to.'

'You're not interested in me at all, are you?' Bella turned her back to him but didn't answer. 'It's not like I'm going to go tell people we've met up, y'know. It's only me and you...'

He got off his desk and came up behind her, she had her arms crossed and was trying to make her mind up about him. Rodolphus swallowed his pride and clung to some belief that she had felt as he did last night when they kissed. His hands slipped around her waist, his front pressing into her back, stopping her from whirling around. She froze.

'What are you doing, Rodolphus?' She asked quietly, without bitterness. His lips lingered at her cheek, pressing to her soft skin. Her head turned and she looked up at him.

'Would we be so bad together?' He asked, his lips hovering above hers as his gentle, trusting gaze melted her inital alarm.

'No...' She answered uncertainly, her eyes fluttered closed and her head was swimming in ecstasy at the sensations of his lips moving with hers once again. She forgot herself and her desires took hold of her actions from there on when she was around him. She had made up her mind.

When Bellatrix went home that Christmas, Druella Black noted a considerable change in her eldest. The rough edges and manic aspects to her personality remained, but there was something else new in her daughter. And it wasn't until the following Christmas when Bellatrix announced her engagement that Druella realised she had been in love. Throughout their school years until Rodolphus proposed, he excelled in keeping his relationship with Bellatrix quiet. It was what she wanted and he didn't dare betray her. Not after he'd experienced her wrath at the hands of one bottle of fire whisky. They met in their classroom every day after class, spending an hour together and meeting again, usually past curfew in a storage room on the dungeon level. They remained faithful to one another and though Rodolphus never asked her about it, he was delighted when he found he had married a virtuous woman.

And after graduating from Hogwarts... well, you know how the story goes. They fought tragedies that bound them closer together in their chosen life of darkness and commitment. They had two children who excelled as remarkably talented in magic and carried on the line of Lestrange and Black blood for just one more generation. The importance of blood purity seemed lost in value in the new wizarding world. And with many other names and noble households, the Lestrange and Black names finally faded out to dust as do all things which must come to an end. And here their story does end too.

And it's done. Thank you J. K Rowling for this incredible magical world which you've given us to share. And thank you to all of you and good night!

Tullulah x