LII.

After the party finally died down, Narcissa and Cassandra retired to Narcissa's (and Bellatrix's, and probably just Cassandra's too, because who were they really kidding at this point?) bedroom, closing and silencing the door behind them, as this was certainly not something they wished to have overheard. Bellatrix had left to do whatever the Dark Lord had instructed her to do almost a half hour ago, and as she was making a point to have it done quickly, the two women knew they did not have much time in order to discuss this privately, and therefore jumped right into it despite Cassandra, in particular, not looking like she was quite emotionally ready for such a large conversation.

"Was my dad," Cassandra explained in a soft voice after she had sat on the edge of the bed, unable to look Narcissa in the eyes. She looked ashamed of herself, but whether it was because she lied or simply because of who she was, Narcissa did not know. "Didn't know till I was twelve though— Mum always told me I was pureblood growin' up, an' 'cause it was just me an' her I had her surname, a pureblood surname, so that's what I was raised to think I was. Didn't know my dad, obviously, so I had no reason not to think I was anythin' but what she said I was."

"She lied to you?" Narcissa asked softly as she sat beside her girlfriend on her bed, the crease between her brow deepening. While she understood the benefits of being accepted into pureblood society, Cassandra's mother must have known what kind of risk she was undertaking— Pureblood linage was something their community took very seriously.

"—Wait," Narcissa realized before Cassandra could answer, as she realized she had a family tree of all the remaining purebloods in the country; that was how she was able to connect herself to Cassandra's linage and find out they were third cousins all those years ago. All of the predominant families had an updated one, as it was imperative they recognized and respected one another for who they were. The Rowles were the family who kept it updated for the last fifty-odd years, but it wasn't specifically one family's duty. It was that very tree that Cantankerus Nott used to create the Pureblood Directory in 1930, thus dubbing the only truly pure-blooded families left in Britain the Sacred Twenty-Eight. To them, that book had become almost gospel.

"Your father is on the pureblood tree; wasn't he a Bulstrode?" Narcissa asked, wracking her brain as she tried to remember the specifics. "I'm confused— I know that family has been tainted now with the birth of that mutt-girl Millicent, but back then they shouldn't have been—" Narcissa eyes widened, realizing a little bit too late what she had just said. Mutt wasn't exactly a slur — not like mudblood was, at any rate — but it certainly wasn't a nice way to refer to someone halfblood. "Oh my God, I'm so sorry. I didn't—"

"Why?" Cassandra asked, giving a small, sad little laugh. "S'what we are, yeah? There are purebreds in this world, an' then there's people like me an' that Millicent girl. You're not sayin' anything that's not the truth. 'Sides, I still use the bloody word myself; be a bit ridiculous if I got all bent outta shape about it when it comes outta my mouth just as easily as yours."

Narcissa pursed her lips, still feeling badly for her slip. Cassandra sighed though, moving on from that as she continued her story. "That Bulstrode bloke was who my Mum was s'posed to marry," she revealed to the woman beside her. "He fucked off though— ran off with this big-breasted bitch from Romania right before the weddin'. Piece of shit, really; but it was an arranged marriage, so. Ya know they can sometimes go shitty if people actually grow the stones to say to hell with tradition an' shit. I dunno, I say he's a piece of shit but I think my Mum was a little relieved; I know she wanted the status that would have come along with that marriage, but she didn't love him or nothin'."

"Anyway," Cassandra continued, her thumbnail absentmindedly being pressed into her palm as she spoke. She still would not look at Narcissa. "Mum found out she was pregnant right after he fucked off, an' everyone just assumed that that bloke was my dad, an' my Mum found it better not to correct them 'cause she knew I'd have a better life if people thought I was pure. She knew I wasn't though; her and that bloke never even shared a bed before, and she had another lover who I found out later was halfblood. That's who my real dad was, though I never met him. Mum said he died not long after I was born, but at this point, I wouldn't be surprised if that was a lie too so that I'd never go lookin'."

Truthfully, Narcissa didn't blame Cassandra for not trusting her mother in that regard; she couldn't imagine growing up thinking you were one thing, only to find out twelve years later that you weren't. "How did you find out the truth?" Narcissa asked gently, her fingers tracing soft patterns on the younger woman's thigh.

"I mean, Mum was always super weird 'bout me bein' 'pureblood'. Always tellin' me to remember that I'm better than others 'cause of it, that I will always have a place in this world 'cause my blood deems it so— all that rubbish I'm sure your Mum shoved down your throat as well," Cassandra began, settling in for yet another long answer, and it struck Narcissa then how very little she actually knew about the woman she loved, and she hated herself a little bit for that. "She was almost… frantic about it, would probably be a good word. I didn't realize how weird that was until I was like seven, an' realized that even though we're pureblood, that there were people like us and then there were people like you, an' my Mum was tryin' to get me to act like someone I wasn't born to be. Didn't find out till later that our low status wasn't just 'cause my Mum was an unmarried mother, but 'cause my grandparents publicly denounced Christianity an' worshipped the old Gods instead. I dunno if you knew, but my Mum's birth name was Mórrígan; she hated it though, hated any connection to the old Gods, which was why she went by Móra instead. Growin' up with my grandparents was hell for her though; she hated them for ruining the status the family had, an' for giving her a shit upbringin' because of it. She wanted better for me."

"…And yet she was an unwed mother," Narcissa responded, not wanting to sound like a dick about it, but that definitely did not help. "Sorry, just…"

"No, I know," Cassandra acknowledged, looking sad, perhaps on her mother's behalf. Despite the woman's flaws, Cassandra seemed to love her very much. "She didn't want that though— she had her whole life set up for somethin' better despite the terrible reputation my grandparents had put on the Burke name, only to realize that somethin' 'better' might not be what her heart wanted at all; why she got reckless with my Dad, an' ended up knocked up. She loved him though— Mum told me he was everythin' to her, but that that was the problem. She said her choices ruined my life, an' that that was her biggest regret. She said she had been selfish, an' didn't think about how the consequences of her actions would affect me. When I was older, I told her that was a load of bollocks 'cause she didn't even know there was gonna be a me when she did it, but…"

Cassandra trailed off, shaking her head. "Sorry, gettin' off track. I found out 'cause I came home one day durin' the summer an' told her I was in love with some boy I knew from down the road— just some stupid, silly little preteen crush or whatever. His parents had sent him to Durmstrang, so I never saw him in school, but we played together down by the river when we were young, 'cause he was the only one 'round that didn't find me weird or nothin'. But then when we got a little older I realized he was cute an'… well ya know how that goes. He was my first kiss. Truthfully I didn't even think 'bout the fact that he was halfblood. Mum pushed the idea that I needed to marry someone pureblood, with a more respected surname than ours, but I was twelve— the last sodding thing on my mind was marryin' the bloke, but Mum… she flipped out."

Cassandra exhaled a small, sad laugh. "I wish she told me from the beginnin'— I know she was just tryin' to save me from feelin' badly about myself when everyone around me was shitty about blood purity; she even made sure never to say anythin' real derogatory about halfbloods herself, yet her pushin' the pureblood rhetoric on me so I could fit in an' seem like everyone else fucked me up regardless. She didn't even mean to tell me the truth, really— but that was 'round the time that spell backfired on her an' she started losin' her marbles, so she wasn't able to control her emotions real well anymore. Why she quit most magic all together, actually— save Divination, though all that rubbish really is just intuitive guess work; she shoulda stuck to somethin' useful, like Potions or some other shit that didn't include spell work. Think she woulda been happier; less obsessive, at any rate. Tryin' to constantly read the future tends to fuck a person up; think it made her psychosis worse, in the end. She was just so afraid she fucked my life up though, so she… I guess she just wanted to make sure she hadn't. I dunno."

While Narcissa could easily see how something like that could turn into an obsession— considering if she was any good at Divination she probably would have been glued to crystal balls herself trying to make certain Draco was alright, but something Cassandra had said stuck out to Narcissa and her brow wrinkled, as it didn't fit the image she had of her.

"But you got an O in Divination," Narcissa responded, looking confused. She might not have paid attention to much in Cassandra's life before they started fucking, like the absolute selfish trash bag of a human being that she was, but she did at least know that. "You must have been good at it, yet you still think it's rubbish?"

"I only knew shit 'cause of my Mum, really— planetary alignments an' what they can do with the development of your personality. There's an actual basis in that, somewhat, even though too many people use it as bloody gospel," Cassandra explained, although looked exasperated by the very thought of it. Narcissa knew some people like that though, to be fair. "Most of the shit is just readin' people right though, an' tellin' them what you think they wanna hear; or takin' somethin' likely to happen and goin' with the odds— I passed my OWL by sayin' the bloke was gonna trip when he left; the idiot's shoes were untied."

Well, at least she was observant— the only bloody thing Narcissa paid attention to most days was herself, which was why she was both terrible in school and a terrible girlfriend, apparently, as there was still so much she didn't know about Cassandra, and it had been twenty-five bloody years…

"I wish you would have told me," Narcissa whispered, putting this on her even though she knew she was partly to blame herself. Still, Narcissa may not have ever asked about her childhood much, but Cassandra had consciously chosen not to tell her either— about quite a lot of things, frankly. "I know I was… well, I know how I was, but did you really think that would matter to me now? Did you really think I would leave you over something so— so bloody stupid? That ring I gave you wasn't just for show, Cassandra; it meant something to me. You mean something to me."

"I know— I know I do, but you gotta understand something: I've spent my fuckin' life pretendin' to be pureblood that, honestly, sometimes I forget that I'm not," Cassandra explained to her, although for some reason looked a little guilty about that. "I know it sounds— but I can't think about not bein' pure, 'cause all it does is remind me of what happened after I found out I wasn't, an' I don't wanna go back to that place."

"What happened?" Narcissa asked softly, concern coloring her voice at just the look on Cassandra's. The younger woman wouldn't look at her though and she pursed her lips, staring out the far window for a long moment before she aggressively shrugged.

"I mean, I already told ya what I did when I was twelve, yeah? Got back to school, feelin' like a worthless fraud, an' I desperately wanted to feel like I mattered an' so I…" Cassandra trailed off, but it didn't matter that she wouldn't voice it, as Narcissa already knew. That was when she let boys that were almost fucking men take advantage of her. "I equate sex with my self-worth a lot 'cause of that shit," Cassandra admitted softly. "An' I hate it. It still fucks me up. I went from thinkin' that, okay, maybe I wasn't an elite pureblood like you an' Bellatrix, but that I was somethin'. That 'cause of my blood, I innately had value, but as it turned out… I didn't. That fucked me up in ways I can't even bloody describe to you, Cissa."

"That's bollocks though, of course you have value," Narcissa practically spat, offended on Cassandra's behalf even though it was her who thought that. "You have value to me, you have value to—!"

"Who, Bellatrix?" Cassandra interrupted with a sad laugh, her eyes glistening over with tears. "Ya said yourself we can't tell her. It may seem like I have value, but it's really the façade I wear that's got value to her, Cissa— not me."

"You're more than your blood, Cassandra," Narcissa aggressively reminded her, even though it was strange to hear those words come out of her mouth, truthfully. "Bellatrix values you as a person; she's just— she can get hung up on stupid things, and frankly I'm just not going to let her this time. It doesn't cheapen your relationship with my sister if you're simply omitting things to save it."

"That what you used to tell yourself when ya lied to her?" Cassandra asked flatly, miserably, which was why Narcissa tried not to get mad at her for that comment. At least, until the woman continued on with, "To me? To Lucius?"

Narcissa's expression set. "That's not fair—"

"Forget it," Cassandra muttered, looking a bit like she was spiraling all of a sudden, her anxious tick of digging her thumbnail into her palm getting worse until Narcissa reached out, grasping onto Cassandra's hand and pulling it into her own lap instead. "I'm doin' that self-sabotage bullshit; tryin' to get ya pissed at me. Dunno why. I feel a bit like I'm drownin' all of a sudden; like, I thought I could trust Peter with this secret, but he always held it over my head every time we argued, an' now he's dangling it above me once more tryin' to use it to make me come back to 'im— an' not even 'cause he wants me, but just 'cause he wants to punish me. What if you…?"

"I would never," Narcissa was quick to assure her, as she didn't want Cassandra thinking she could seek to ruin her life like that. Even if she was angry with her, even if she had her heart broken, she wouldn't do something like that to her. "Cass, look at me." Cassandra exhaled a defeated sigh but did at least meet the blonde's gaze. "I would never," Narcissa repeated, needing her to be assured of that. "No matter what happens, I would never."

"…Okay," Cassandra responded softly, choosing to believe her. She tightened her grip on Narcissa's hand as they sat side by side on the bed, and while Narcissa had thought she was comforting Cassandra, all of a sudden the younger woman sniffled while a tear rolled down her cheek.

"I feel bad just talkin' about it," she admitted in a whisper. "Like it paints my Mum in a bad light or somethin'. She really was just tryin' to do the best she could by me, an' I know that. She loved me more than… anythin'. For a long time, she was my only bloody friend in this world. Everyone thought I was weird 'cause I talked too bloody much, didn't have any social boundaries or whatever— maybe in the end that was why I latched on to that boy so quickly too; he was the only one who didn't really judge me for tellin' him I could see rainbows 'round people."

"Rainbows?" Narcissa asked, confused. She was fairly certain Cassandra had never mentioned that before.

"People's auras, probably?" Cassandra responded, although sounded as uncertain as Narcissa did. "I haven't seen them since I was a kid though— trauma tends to rip the most beautiful things from people, I think. That was mine." Cassandra smiled sadly, and Narcissa's heart broke. "Another reason Mum used to tell me I was a fairy; 'cause I had magic others didn't, or couldn't tap into as easily. When I grew up though an' lost it she was devastated— seemed to think I was s'posed to be someone special, but in the end I just ended up bein'… this. I feel like I disappointed her."

"I don't think you disappointed her," Narcissa softly assured her, running her thumb over the back of her girlfriend's hand. "And you are someone special; maybe you can't see auras anymore, and maybe you no longer feel like a fairy, but that doesn't mean that you aren't the most special fucking person I've ever met." Cassandra sniffled again, but she looked appreciative of Narcissa's words as she glanced over at her.

Narcissa's chest felt heavy though, her brow crinkling as she looked at the woman next to her sadly. "You know, it's been twenty-five years, and sometimes I feel like… I feel like I don't even know you. I'm sorry. I'm sorry for never fucking asking anything about your life, I'm sorry I never learned how to claw my way out of my own bloody bubble. Is it too late for me to ask you to tell me your life story?"

Cassandra exhaled a small, disbelieving laugh. "Well, it'd be long now, so," she responded before exhaling a drawn-out breath and looking back out the window at the night sky. "S'not just you, truthfully; a big part of the reason I loved bein' with ya was 'cause it was always about you. Yeah, sometimes it made me feel like my own past and my own pain was invalidated in the wake of yours, but at the end of the day… I didn't wanna talk about it. I hated talking about myself, because I… because I…" But something hit Cassandra then, and she pulled away from Narcissa as she began crying harder. Narcissa's heart broke, her own eyes welling up with tears as she assumed the rest of that sentence.

"Please don't— please don't say it's 'cause you hate yourself, Cass, please…" Narcissa begged, reaching out to grasp onto the woman's hands again, not letting her get away from her that easily. Cassandra just shook her head though, although whether that meant that wasn't what it was, or that she didn't wish to talk about it, Narcissa was unsure until it took a few moments of Cassandra trying to calm down in order to speak.

"No, not— not now, not really," she told her through tears, her breathing uneven and voice raw. "But for a long time… yeah. Yeah, I fuckin' did. I dunno; just… see, this is why I don't like talkin' about myself, Cissa; it just takes me right back there, an' I can't— God, not today, not after Peter…"

"Okay, okay," Narcissa gently shushed her before wrapping the younger woman up in her arms, holding her close. "Shh, hey. We don't have to talk anymore if you don't want to. If you— if you want to just rest, you can. It's late, and it's been a long day…"

Cassandra exhaled a shuddered breath, pressing the back of her hand beneath her eyes. She honestly did look so very, very tied. "But Bellatrix…"

"I'll talk to Bella, okay? I know today has been a lot for you; let me do this, okay? I'll let you know how I decided to spin it afterward, I promise," Narcissa softly assured her, not wanting Cassandra to have to worry about how to lie, or at least omit stuff from Bellatrix, on top of everything else tonight. Cassandra looked at her for a long time, her lips pursed into a thin line as her cheeks glistened with fresh tears. Finally she nodded, allowing Narcissa to lay her down on the bed and help her get undressed.

When Cassandra was comfortable, Narcissa laid beside her for a moment, gently brushing the hair out of the younger woman's eyes. "Are things okay with you and your son at least?" Narcissa gently asked, a little afraid that she would make things worse if they were not, but also needing to know if Cassandra had at least managed to repair a little bit of her relationship with her family while the rest of it practically crumbled away to dust.

Cassandra nodded, her brow softening as she felt a lot better speaking about something that actually made her feel good. "Me an' Greg have always been closer than Peter an' him… Gregory still doesn't get what I'm doin' or why I'm doin' it, but… but he is startin' to get real mad 'bout Peter talkin' shit about me to him all the time. I know that's a crap way to get my son to come back to me, but at least it's somethin'. It's a step in the right direction, at the very least. Right now, Greg just says he's countin' the minutes till he graduates an' can use his inheritance to buy a house of his own. He's not happy that he's gotta stay there over the summer, but he also knows it's a better option than here."

Narcissa's eyes widened at the mention of inheritance though, and Cassandra's brow knit. "What?"

"You have Gregory's kick in once he's graduated from Hogwarts?"

"Yeah… course. I know they're technically adults when they turn seventeen, but until Greg's out of school, he's still a child in my eyes. Why, when does Draco's?"

Narcissa held her breath. "…In three days; his seventeenth birthday. Shit," Narcissa swore, knowing her son would have more of an opportunity to practically flee from her should he have access to quite a lot of money. "I need to keep him here, but I don't even know if he'll ever be able to go back to school; he's wanted— oh." Narcissa stopped then, allowing her brain to catch up to the situation. "He's still limited in what he can do, isn't he? So long as he's still a person of interest in Dumbledore's murder."

"For now," Cassandra gently reminded her, not wishing to give Narcissa false hope. "But the Dark Lord is going to completely take over the Ministry sooner rather than later— him, Bellatrix, all of them will no doubt be able to come and go as they please by the end of the summer. Although, if that happens, then Draco will at least be able to return to school, so…"

Right. Narcissa pursed her lips before shaking her head, realizing this was not Cassandra's problem, nor was it something they needed to discuss now. Worst came to worst, Narcissa would just bribe Draco with Bellatrix's house so that he did not have to purchase one himself, thus giving him a greater fortune. It wasn't like Bellatrix even wanted to live there anymore and frankly, Rodolphus' complaints wouldn't be her problem. The deed had been transferred to Narcissa after Bellatrix and her husband were arrested per the paper that they both bloody signed, and if Rodolphus didn't want to lose his house then maybe he shouldn't have gotten thrown into fucking prison. Whatever. Keeping Draco in her life was far more important than Rodolphus' sodding ire, that was for damn sure.

"Sorry— I shouldn't have gotten into this now. Rest," Narcissa encouraged her girlfriend, pushing the hair back from Cassandra's face before she rested her palm against the back of the woman's head, looking at Cassandra with a soft crinkle at the edge of her eyes. "I'll deal with Bella when she comes back."

Cassandra looked as though she felt guilty for putting this on Narcissa, but at the end of the day, Narcissa knew she would do anything for her, and that perhaps it was time that she start pulling her emotional weight in her respective relationships. Thankfully, it didn't take long for Cassandra to fall asleep, the day's events having exhausted her into a deep slumber. Narcissa laid with her for a long time, her body nestled into the taller woman's with her head tucked beneath her chin, feeling Cassandra's heartbeat gently pound against her pulse. Narcissa almost fell asleep herself, but of course her sister was like a bull in a bloody apothecary and barreled in the door so quickly it was like she body slammed the damn thing in order to get it open.

God, if she was drunk Narcissa was going to kill her.

"Shh!" Narcissa frantically hushed her, looking at Bellatrix like she must have lost her damn mind coming into a room like that at nearly one o'clock in the morning. Bellatrix scrunched up her nose as she noticed the sleeping form of Cassandra, which was as close to an apology as she was probably going to get. Thankfully their girlfriend was a rather heavy sleeper and wasn't roused by Bellatrix's less-than-delicate entrance, and Narcissa climbed out of bed before motioning with her sister to follow her with a brief nod of her head, a dangerous look in her eye as she assessed Bellatrix's demeanor.

Thankfully, Bellatrix just seemed to be clumsy, or bloody oblivious to how aggressive she really was even when doing something as simple as opening the door, and that saved Narcissa from yelling at her as she realized Bellatrix hadn't gone off and done something selfish while their girlfriend was at home falling apart. Truthfully, that no longer seemed to be the type of person Bellatrix was, but when the Dark Lord and his followers were concerned, sometimes Narcissa wasn't sure; in the end, she would always have PTSD with her sister's heart coming second to her loyalties to Voldemort.

Narcissa brought Bellatrix into Cassandra's room in order to get some privacy without accidentally rousing the younger woman. After closing the door behind them, Narcissa leaned against it with her hands pressed into the small of her back, her gaze taking in all of their girlfriend's stuff before she had a thought and asked her sister, "Is it stupid for her to have her own room at this point? It's not like we're really separating our respective relationships anymore."

"If you're asking if I want both of you in my bed every night, the answer is obviously yes," Bellatrix responded, her expression set as though Narcissa should have known better than to even ask that question. Her gaze flickered past Narcissa then, almost as though she was trying to see Cassandra through the wall. Her body was stiff, posed for a fight as Bellatrix no doubt remembered the woman crying after her confrontation with Peter.

"She's alright?" Narcissa nodded silently, and Bellatrix followed that up with, "What the fuck happened earlier?" Because in the end, her sister never was one to beat around the bush, and at this point just seemed to be looking for more reasons to justify her desire to kill Peter and quite frankly… Narcissa was perfectly content on giving her more.

The blonde's expression masked in distress as she remembered how much pain Cassandra had put herself through in her attempt to be brave and finally stand up for herself and what she wanted out of her life. "He is… awful, Bella," Narcissa whispered, her stomach twisting in sickness and rage. "She stood up to him, she told Peter she wanted a divorce and I was… I was so fucking proud of her for that, but he treats Cassandra like she's his property now; like what she wants doesn't even matter because now that he no longer loves her, it's like she's lost her entire value as a person and it's disgusting. The things he says to her… Cassandra already has such terrible self-esteem, and he purposely hits her where he knows it'll hurt."

"He's angry, Bella," Narcissa revealed, her voice quaking with emotion as she practically begged her sister with eyes to do something, to fix this. "He wants to hurt her. He told Cass he was going to make her choke on her mistakes, choke on his dick as he forced her to make this embarrassment up to him. I don't— God, I don't want her near him; he was trying to threaten her into coming back home to him just so he could fucking abuse her, and—"

"Threaten her how?" Bellatrix asked, interrupting, but Narcissa just snapped back with, "Does it matter?" and Bellatrix looked a little taken aback from the force of that reaction, considering the blonde's eyes were starting to fill with tears.

"He's threatening to poison Gregory against her, okay?" Narcissa answered, knowing avoiding it would only make Bellatrix more curious, and that wasn't something either she or Cassandra wanted, as the real answer was that Peter was threatening to tell Bellatrix that she was halfblood. "Cass loves her son, and she's already terrified she's lost him over her decision to date the both of us— we can't let him do this, Bella, we can't let him—!"

"Alright, alright—" Bellatrix hushed her, crossing the distance between her and Narcissa as she gently placed her hands on the blonde's forearms. "We aren't going to fucking let him, okay? I already bloody told you. Narcissa— look at me." The younger woman swallowed, her gaze catching her sister's. "I am going to fix this," Bellatrix assured her, her eyes searing into Narcissa's. "The only thing I need to know now is whether or not you're helping me do it, because that'll probably change how I fucking go about it, truthfully."

Narcissa exhaled a long breath, her heart beating heavily in her chest. Despite having already decided to do this, it was still nerve-wracking to admit to wanting to participate in premeditated murder, even if it was just to one of the most violent women in England. "Yeah," Narcissa finally breathed, making sure to keep her voice low. "Yeah, I'll help you."

Bellatrix's eyes darkened substantially at those words, excitement beginning to map in the lines of her expression as her breathing quickened. "Yeah?" she coaxed as she took another step toward her, her body language leaving little for interpretation. "You wanna murder someone with me, Cissy?" And although the question was framed in such a way that it sounded as though Bellatrix was merely double-checking to make sure that Narcissa did not have any reservations, Narcissa knew her sister, and was well-aware that that wasn't the reason Bellatrix was asking at all.

Narcissa exhaled a frustrated breath. "I'm not doing this for you, Bella; I'm doing it for her— so she'll be safe, so she won't have to worry anymore. I want Cassandra to be free to make her own choices, because she deserves that. I know this is your idea of some warped fucking sex game, but—"

"I'm obviously not just fucking doing it because it makes me horny, for fuck's sake," Bellatrix snapped, but her breathing was still a little labored, as despite her words, she still was very turned on by the prospect of the woman she loved joining her during one of her favorite extracurricular activities. "I'm trying to bloody save her, but I'm not going to fucking pretend that you wanting to tear straight into someone until the light fades from their eyes isn't the goddamn sexiest thing I've ever seen on you. Cissy—"

Bellatrix grasped for her then, pressing her up against the door and causing the blonde's breath to instinctively leave her as, in the end, she would always be weak for her sister's rough demeanor. Narcissa looked down at her, her own chest heaving with emotion as she allowed the reality of this to overtake her. Once they did this, there truly was no coming back for her morally. Narcissa's hands might already be bloodstained, but Margret was an accident, and while Narcissa could justify murdering Peter with about fifty-four different reasons, at the end of the day, it would still taint her soul with a stain that could not be washed away, and that was a scary thing to think about.

In the end though, her sister knew her better than anyone, and Bellatrix cupped the back of the blonde's neck possessively as she reminded her, "If we're going to do this… then at least let us have fun doing it, because I fucking know you, and I know if I don't hold your hand through this every step of the way then this is going to shatter you inside, whether or not you believe that fucker deserved what he got. Let me distract you with something better while you fulfill a very specific subset of my violence kink, yeah? Believe me, love, in the end you'll thank me for it…"

Bellatrix's lips covered hers, but she was still rather gentle and Narcissa's eyes fell closed, trying to block out the world as she allowed her sister to guide her through the unknown. Problem was, both of them knew that Bellatrix was neither calculated nor subtle, and that this needed to be different than what she was normally used to doing, as if the Dark Lord realized that Bellatrix robbed him of a soldier, he would no doubt do something terrible in retaliation. So when the two sisters broke the kiss, Narcissa held on to Bellatrix as she pressed her forehead against hers, her voice barley more than a whisper as she told her, "No one can know it was us." Narcissa took a moment, trying to ignore how hard her heart was beating as she resigned herself to the reality she had chosen for herself. "Bella— we have to be smart about this. We either need to make his death look like an accident, or like he was killed by the Order."

"I'll play this however you want, Cissy," Bellatrix told her softly, her own breathing labored but for an entirely different reason than nerves and anxiety as she began getting one of her greatest fantasies fulfilled as Bellatrix listened to the woman she loved plot a murder. "Talk to me."

"Oh, you would like that— Jesus, Bella…" Narcissa began to chastise, except the last part came out more of a breathy moan as suddenly her sister's mouth was wrapped around the base of her ear, her hands already pushing off her robes. Narcissa exhaled an uneven breath, her nails digging into her sister's forearms as she held on to the only sanity she had in that moment, which did not say much about what the hell they were trying to do. Still, Narcissa fell into it all the same, as it was easier than fighting against it when she already knew how this was going to end. "The boys are staying with him— if we stage an accident, then it's best to lure them out of the house and do it there. If… shit—"

Bellatrix's hands had hiked up Narcissa's robes enough to allow her fingers to slip beneath them, her digits finding their way inside of the blonde's knickers. "Keep talking," Bellatrix husked in her ear and, Jesus, this was such a fucking mess, but of course this would be the next logical step in their sexual relationship, as it wasn't like they hadn't already ticked every other bloody box. Why not find a fetish in planning a murder; what else was left?

"You talk, I'm not the only one planning this, you know," Narcissa breathlessly reminded her, widening her stance so that her sister had easier access. A slow smirk curled at Bellatrix's lips and the blonde softly chastised her with, "Shut up— I want to know what you think is more feasible. If you can't figure out how to do two things at once then I'm going to make you stop touching me."

"Yeah right," Bellatrix chuckled beneath her breath, gently pressing against the blonde's clit and causing Narcissa to inhale a sharp breath. The younger woman narrowed her eyes at her, and Bellatrix's smirk only widened in response. She eventually did as she was requested though and told Narcissa, "Trying to make it look like some Order wank offed him will be harder than it seems— those arseholes don't hunt us down or kill for sport like we do, so the only option we have— I'll have, is trying to murder him during the next confrontation we have with them, but we wouldn't be alone and if someone fucking saw me do it, it isn't like I can just play off having shit aim— everyone knows I'm way too good to screw up that badly."

"Okay," Narcissa acknowledged, trying to think even though her sister had apparently decided that fucking her beneath her clothes was annoying, and had slipped her fingers out of her knickers in order to actively undress her. Narcissa let her though, feeling the fabric being pushed off her skin after Bellatrix had unbuttoned her dress in order to free her from it. The cool air of the room hit Narcissa's nipples, tightening them beneath Bellatrix's hungry gaze as the brunette dragged her tongue across the swell of it before allowing her mouth to cover Narcissa's entire areola. The blonde inhaled a sharp breath, her hand coming to the back of her sister's head as she fisted her fingers in a mess of curls. "So we lure the boys out of the house, and make Peter's death look like an accident. Perhaps he… he fell down some stairs, or the fat fuck choked on some food—"

Narcissa interrupted herself with a short hiss as Bellatrix bit into her nipple before falling to her knees before her, the woman's nails raking along the outside of the blonde's thighs. Narcissa shivered, her breathing coming out in uneven bursts. "Agreed?" she prompted, knowing Bellatrix was getting off on her being the one to plan this, but she also needed the woman's input and agreement because, in the end, they both knew Bellatrix was far better at executing murder than she was.

Bellatrix's nose wrinkled in distaste as she began sliding her sister's knickers down her legs, at least uncovering a prize that she found much more appealing than this tame murder plan. "Sounds far too fucking boring and not at all like the brutal death that wank deserves, but—"

"We have to be subtle, Bella; your way of doing things is like a bloody calling card— everyone will know it was you! You've always been far too sodding—" Narcissa protested, before exhaling another sharp hiss as her sister sunk her teeth into the inside of her thigh. The blonde grabbed Bellatrix's hair, nearly wrenching the other woman's head back to look up at her. "That one hurt, you arsehole."

"Oh please, discipline me," Bellatrix goaded, enjoying being in her sister's hold as the older woman's desire to be dominated seemed to return to her, although no doubt primarily because she wanted Narcissa to be in charge of this elaborate murder scenario, as her taking the lead in this regard made Bellatrix exponentially wetter.

Narcissa gently bit into her bottom lip as she looked down into her sister's dark and excited gaze, remembering how bloody long it had been since Bellatrix had been comfortable trying to experiment with submission. She had gotten into it a little bit when Narcissa was ordering her to fuck Cassandra that first time, but as Narcissa was still trying to focus on Lucius, that was as far as they had gotten. It had been nearly a year since Bellatrix had tentatively first broached the subject, but then everything had fallen apart between them and the trust Bellatrix had in her needed to be rebuilt. This arrangement, it seemed, went quite a long way in helping that, as finally Narcissa was acknowledging and giving Bellatrix what she wanted, the freedom that she had always wanted, and yet had to watch Narcissa get while being left with nothing in return. It hadn't been fair to her, and Narcissa knew that she owed Bellatrix quite a lot because of that, and while this wasn't going to make up for it, it was certainly a step in the right direction as Narcissa gave her sister everything she wanted and wrenched the woman's head back further as she crouched in front of her, keeping Bellatrix's neck cocked back at an uncomfortable angle.

Hell, at the very least, it would give Narcissa some sense of control in a situation where she felt so bloody out of it.

"Do not interrupt me when I am speaking again, is that clear?" Narcissa told her, voice deadly serious as she watched her sister's breathing pick up at the tone. "And you will keep your teeth to yourself unless instructed otherwise. Look at me—" Narcissa pulled Bellatrix's head back so that their gaze would meet, yet still held the woman by her hair as she continued, "I understand you are not fond of the way we need to go about this, but you will express your displeasure in another way. However, before I allow you to do so, I need you to exercises some self-control over that mouth of yours."

Narcissa let her go then, although only briefly as she rose to her full height once more, allowing her back to lean against the door as she reached out with her leg, placing her heel on her sister's shoulder as she roughly encouraged her toward the apex of her thighs. Bellatrix made a small sound as the spike of Narcissa's heel dug uncomfortably into her shoulder, but by the look on the older woman's face she was into it, so Narcissa did not concern herself with the notion that she might have hurt her. "You will earn the right to speak back, using only your mouth. When I come, only then may you have an opinion. Until then, you will listen to the plan that I have, which we will take as bloody gospel until you have sufficiently proven to me that you deserve the right to have a voice. Nod if you understand."

Narcissa could see the urge to be defiant in her sister's eyes, as that was just baseline who she was, but Bellatrix seemed to coax herself into trusting Narcissa and letting go as she ended up nodding in respectful silence, knowing she was going to enjoy this a hell of a lot more if she just allowed Narcissa to trample all over her not just with their murder plot, but sexually, as for Bellatrix that went hand-in-hand. She wanted to look at Narcissa like she was the one in control, because maybe then they could share something she had never experienced with another, and they could become closer because of it.

Fuck me up, Cissy.

Narcissa scoffed, exasperated by her sister's response as the woman used wandless magic to get inside of her head. And while that was impressive from a purely skillful viewpoint, it was also not something Narcissa enjoyed and she dug her heel harder into her sister's shoulder, making Bellatrix hiss. "None of that," she scolded. "While your bratty point has been taken because I know you just wanted to prove you could get off on a technicality, you are well-aware that is not something I am okay with. Now get to work earning back your privileges; I don't have all night."

Bellatrix's smirk lingered on the edge of her lips, but she did as instructed and leaned in, tracing a long line up the younger woman's slit with her tongue. Narcissa exhaled a shuddered breath as she allowed her weight to rest against the door behind her, closing her eyes as she allowed herself a moment to enjoy the feeling of her sister pleasuring her. Her foot was still propped up on Bellatrix but she made certain to level her weight so that her heel wasn't digging into her shoulder blade anymore. The angle gave Bellatrix more room to work though, and she made a bloody elaborate showing of slowly dragging her tongue against the surface area of Narcissa's labia, being careful not to stimulate her clitoris too much yet.

"Jesus, yeah— keep it slow," Narcissa breathlessly encouraged, wanting to savor this for a moment before she had to start mixing a terrible reality into the pleasure she was receiving for her sister's benefit, as talking about murder — even in a fashion that was decidedly more boring than Bellatrix would go about it — would get Bellatrix wetter than anything else. The woman beneath her touched her thighs then, but before she could do anything, Narcissa opened her eyes told her, "—No. I said only your mouth and I meant it. Clasp your hands behind your back and keep them there until you've finished your task."

Bellatrix quirked a silent brow at her, but did as she was told before she locked eyes with her sister, flicking her tongue out to have the tip briefly tease the blonde's clit. Narcissa bit down on her bottom lip, reaching out to push the hair away from her sister's eyes. "There's a good girl," she breathed before she used the same hand to rest against her own pubic bone, parting her fingers in a V so she could spread herself for Bellatrix's hungry gaze. "Fucking worship my cunt, my love, and I'll tell you a story in return."

Bellatrix's gaze darkened and her mouth wrapped around the apex of her sister's thighs, gently teasing and sucking on her tender flesh as she got to work doing exactly what Narcissa wished of her. "Christ, you really are good at that," Narcissa praised as she felt her cheeks flush and her nipples tighten in response. She allowed herself one more long moment to feel it, before Narcissa tried to organize her thoughts which, granted, was much more difficult with her sister's mouth on her, before she told Bellatrix the outer-lying structure of her plan, as she knew the details would probably have to be filled in by the woman who was currently making love to her with her mouth.

"If framing the Order is out, then our only option is making it look like an accident," Narcissa reiterated breathlessly, feeling her body begin to heat up from what her sister was doing to her. "Unfortunately, that means we have to get the boys out of the house, and Draco is… not liable to listen to me any time soon," Narcissa admitted, her voice catching in her throat a little. Bellatrix did not say anything, as instructed, but she did pause what she was doing enough to leave a gentle kiss upon her sister's mound, her silent way of apologizing to Narcissa for her part in all of that. Narcissa appreciated the gesture and she looked down at her, giving her sister a small smile before she inhaled a deep breath, forcing herself to move on.

"Draco's birthday is in three days though, and I have… an idea for a present that you may not entirely like, but it at least has the ability to get him out of the house for a night because he would no doubt want to check it out for himself," Narcissa began, feeling her sister hesitate in her deep kissing of her cunt at the implication that she may not like the solution she had come up with. Narcissa did not specify at first though, choosing instead to mention, "I am fairly certain that it would not take much effort to convince Gregory that he wants to tag along, as I'm sure both of them want their freedom. According to Cassandra, Gregory hasn't been very happy with his father as of late."

Bellatrix's brow rose in a silent question, although to her credit she was still lazily swirling her tongue around her sister's clit. Narcissa bit down on her bottom lip. "I have decided to give your manor to my son for his seventeenth birthday."

Okay, that ended up breaking Bellatrix's submissive resolve as she pulled back, a disbelieving, "—What?" falling from her lips. The jerking movement caused Narcissa's foot to fall from her shoulder and the blonde tsked her, staying in her role because, one, she knew Bellatrix would be okay with the plan once she laid it all out for, and two, her sister would definitely regret stopping this little role play prematurely.

"Ah, ah—" Narcissa chided, grasping onto her sister's hair once more so she couldn't pull away very far. Bellatrix actually growled at her, but Narcissa kept her tone soft to calm her as she spoke. "Don't be cross, my love. I know this isn't ideal, but let's be honest; you do not have an emotional attachment to that house— merely the memories you made inside of it, most of which were with me. I'm not trying to make you disregard those, but rather hope you find solace in the fact that if you no longer have a house to go back to, then this would be your home. Not just when the Dark Lord resides here, but… permanently."

Bellatrix noticeably relaxed then, but her lips were pursed and she still looked as though she wished to say something. Surprisingly, despite the unexpected news, it seemed Bellatrix was still attempting to adhere to the rules of their little game. "I want to ask Cassandra to live here too," Narcissa admitted in a whisper. "But… with Peter gone, she'll have the option to go home. I—" She stopped, knowing she was getting too far ahead of herself. Besides, Cassandra and Bellatrix's relationship was still new; yes they lived together now, but it was an arrangement of convenience. They might find later that they need some space in order to function as a couple, and Narcissa didn't want to force them into a dynamic that may not work for them, just because it worked for her respective relationships.

"I know Lucius will be angry, but this is my home," Narcissa admitted, although at least had the decency to feel a little guilty about that. "It's my choice." Besides, she doubted Lucius would complain about the huge advantage in life that not having to purchase a house of his own would give his son. If the downside was that Bellatrix would have to live with them permanently, well… it wasn't like Lucius hadn't expected something like this eventually. Now that the two sisters were 'out', separating them was going to be next to impossible, and it seemed Lucius had resigned himself to the inevitable the moment Bellatrix escaped from prison.

Narcissa took a deep breath, resolving to push that aside for now, as it was tomorrow's problem. "Do you consent?" she asked her sister instead. "I don't know what we'll do with Rodolphus yet, but I'm sure we'll figure out something that does not involve him living here. I just… I don't want you to go home, Bella. I want you here, with me, forever, and this… will work to our advantage in regards to our plan, so I feel as though it would be foolish to pass it by just because it's a rather significant decision."

Bellatrix caught her gaze from her knelt position on the floor, allowing Narcissa to do what she wished as she consented with a head nod. Narcissa exhaled the breath that had been trapped in her chest, and as she did Bellatrix leaned in again, continuing with her sister's pleasure once they had come to a reasonable accord. "Shit— yeah, there," Narcissa encouraged as she raised her leg again, however this time merely draping it across Bellatrix's shoulder as she pulled the woman she loved closer to the apex of her thighs. Bellatrix having teased her for so long had left her sensitive and Narcissa hissed, lovingly weaving her hand in her sister's hair as she held the woman's mouth to her.

"So we get the boys to leave by promising Draco a bloody house," Narcissa continued, her chest heaving as Bellatrix sucked and pulled on her sensitive flesh. "And then you fucking torture the bastard."

Bellatrix growled in approval, going at Narcissa with renewed vigor. Narcissa knew what reaction that would elicit in her lover and she moaned, her chest flushing a deep rose as she helplessly banged the back of her head against the door. Still, she had amendments to that as she struggled to say, "But… no marks, Bella— listen to me: the Cruciatus Curse only… fuck— Jesus hell!" Because Bellatrix was on a mission now, and she always knew how to play Narcissa far better than anyone else.

No longer was Bellatrix taking it slow. Instead, she was coming at Narcissa like a woman starved for every drop the younger woman could give her, knowing full-well that her continued assault on Narcissa's clitoris was going to have her sister begging and screaming and coming. "Bella, Bella… oh my God—!" Narcissa cried, her knuckles flashing white as she struggled to hold on to her sister and keep herself upright. "Fuck, you bitch, I'm gonna—"

Because Narcissa didn't want to come this soon, but Bellatrix wasn't giving her much of a choice in that regard as suddenly her cunt was pulsing and her knees were giving out. Bellatrix, having finished doing what she was instructed to do, thankfully now had use of her hands and steadied Narcissa against the door as she continued slowly dragging her tongue across her sister's swollen clit, a wicked gleam in her eyes as she watched Narcissa's chest heave as the blonde tried to catch her breath.

"Well done," Narcissa conceded, as while she did not wish to come that quickly, she still had to respect her sister's ability make her fall completely apart. Bellatrix's smirk widened as she placed a gentle kiss upon her sister's thigh, looking up at the woman who was still half-above her, as in her orgasmic haze Narcissa had slid down the wall a little.

"With all due respect, I know what the fuck I'm doing when a cunt's in my face, Ma'am."

Narcissa snorted, amused by Bellatrix inability to submit completely. "Oh, I know you do, my love," she breathed, a lingering smile tugging at the corners of her lips as she brushed the hair from her sister's eyes. "And you have earned the right to have your voice heard. Is there anything you wish to say to me, or about the plan thus far?"

Bellatrix looked at her for a long moment, savoring the feeling of her sister's palm against her cheek. "All I've ever fucking wanted was to grow old with you, Cissy," she finally told her, and the sincerity in Bellatrix's voice made Narcissa's heart clench in her chest. She fell to her haunches so she could be eye level with her sister then, grasping the older woman's hands in her own as Bellatrix continued, "I want to stay with you. I want to live with you. I don't give a fuck about my house next to that. I don't give a fuck about anything next to that. You've always been my whole bloody world, Narcissa, and you're right; I don't want to live on the outside of that anymore."

Narcissa's eyes welled up with tears and she leaned in, pressing a desperate kiss against her sister's lips as she grasped for her, holding Bellatrix by the back of her neck as she tried to pour all the love she had for the woman in front of her into the gesture. When they broke Narcissa kept her hand on the back of her sister's neck, their uneven breathing tickling each other's lips. "I love you," she whispered, and she could feel Bellatrix smile.

"I love you too, Cissy. Fucking forever."

Bellatrix said that like she was trying to convince Narcissa of something, but the blonde was already more than aware that she had her sister's heart. Yes, perhaps Bellatrix had now sectioned off a part of it for Cassandra just as Narcissa had, but at the end of the day, her and Bellatrix weren't just soulmates, but shared a soul that was one in the same. "I know, my love," Narcissa assured her with another smile, leaning in to kiss the corner of her sister's mouth. "And since you were such a good girl tonight, I would like to show you just how much, but you'd have to trust me. Can you do that?"

Bellatrix's brow furrowed. "You already know I fucking trust you, Cissy." A beat, then a revision, albeit with a bit of an eye roll. "Ma'am."

"You don't have to call me that if you don't want to, you know," Narcissa reminded her, as she didn't want to force Bellatrix into a specific dynamic that may not compliment her personality. "I can control you without needing the title."

"No, the title's fucking hot— just… I dunno, doesn't naturally come out of my mouth yet; give me a bit to get used to it," Bellatrix requested, and Narcissa obliged her with a nod as, at the end of the day, even though she was supposed to be the one who was in control, this show was for Bellatrix's benefit more than her own. Her sister had been aching to let go for some time now, and their relationship was finally in a good enough place that Narcissa was able to oblige her.

"Stand," Narcissa instructed, and when Bellatrix did the blonde held out her hand, encouraging Bellatrix to help her to her feet, as she was still naked in nothing but her heels and was in an odd position that would have probably made her topple over if she had tried to get up on her own, and that would have been very undignified, and not at all like the role she meant to have slipped into. When she got to her feet though Narcissa kicked off her heels, finding them to be useless now. "Don't move."

Bellatrix did as instructed as Narcissa circled her, her eyes raking down her sister's form as though she was appraising her before she moved forward, beginning to disrobe her. She undressed Bellatrix slowly, her fingers taking a moment here and there to press into the curves of her sister's body as she appreciated her form. "My warrior," Narcissa breathed, pressing her lips to the back of Bellatrix's shoulder after the woman had been rid of everything but her undergarments. While Narcissa knew now was probably not the time to say something like this, the words fell from her lips without thought. "I have not been as appreciative as I should about what you've sacrificed for me, and I'm sorry." Bellatrix stiffened a little in response, and Narcissa leaned her chin against her sister's shoulder while she gently touched the small of her back. "Thank you for protecting me, and thank you for wanting to protect her now."

Bellatrix wet her lips, staring at their reflection in Cassandra's vanity. "—A little bit fucking heavier than I was expecting there, Cissy."

"I know," Narcissa breathed apologetically, placing another kiss at the base of Bellatrix's neck. "I just… wanted you to know, before we went any further, that I appreciate what you're willing to do for us. If you get caught, it is no small sacrifice. I will make sure Cassandra knows that when the time comes; I will not let her blame you for something you're doing out of love."

"I don't love her," Bellatrix stressed, the words coming out as almost a warning. Narcissa caught Bellatrix's reflection in the mirror, the edges of her lips pulling into a smile.

"I know," she responded, and suddenly all the tension was released from her sister's body. Narcissa looked at her profile, gently tucking a few curls behind Bellatrix's ear. "But when the dust settles, when Cassandra is through mourning the memory of the man she used to love and is able to look at what you did for her objectively, when she feels that freedom she's wanted for so long, she's going to be one step closer to loving you for being the one who gave her it." Narcissa's gaze snapped back toward the mirror then to meet her sister's once more, her fingers fisting in the nape of Bellatrix's neck in warning. "Don't fuck it up; her heart is as precious to me as yours is. If you break it, I will go bloody feral, so be very aware of the magnitude of what you are doing for her right now, Bellatrix."

Bellatrix exhaled a hard breath, apparently not expecting the force of Narcissa's reaction. She respected it though, keeping her sister's gaze as she answered with the title she had not yet been able to say seriously, until now. "Yes, Ma'am."

Narcissa's fingers relaxed, letting her go. The blonde smiled, relieved that Bellatrix was taking this seriously, and didn't just want to kill Peter for the sake of killing someone. This was a big deal; not just to Cassandra, who was going to lose someone she once loved, or to Narcissa, who was in the midst of her first premeditated murder and was struggling with the morality of it, but to Bellatrix as well, as doing this would make a larger statement than she ever had to Cassandra before, considering the risks she was undertaking in order to set the woman they both cared for free. This said something, and Narcissa wanted to make sure that was something Bellatrix wanted to say before they did it.

"I get it, Cissy," Bellatrix assured her softly. "I know what I'm doing. I know what the fuck I'm saying here. I'd just rather we not fucking analyze it right now, okay?"

"Okay," Narcissa acknowledged, dropping the subject per her sister's request, as what Bellatrix had said made her feel better about it. With one smooth motion, Narcissa unclasped her sister's bra, allowing it to fall to the floor and leaving Bellatrix in just her knickers. "Now, I have a surprise for you, but this is also where the trust factor comes in, because I know your first instinct is going to be to balk about it."

Bellatrix's eyes narrowed, but she said nothing as she watched Narcissa step away from her, going into Cassandra's bottom drawer, where she knew the other woman kept her sex toys. What's theirs was hers now anyway, so Narcissa assumed the opposite was true in that regard, but before she grabbed what she was looking for, something else caught her eye and Narcissa smirked, looping a collar labeled 'KITTEN' around her forefinger as she held it up to her sister's gaze. "…Of course you did."

Bellatrix looked a little flustered at the expression on Narcissa's face. "Shut up— she fucking likes it, okay?"

"Oh I'm sure she does," Narcissa responded, still sounding amused as she put the collar back where she found it. "Believe me, I wasn't implying she didn't. I'm sure she gets wet as hell the second she puts it on." Bellatrix had a little prideful smirk in response to that, proving Narcissa's theory correct. The blonde shook her head, still finding the whole thing to be a little ridiculous and yet also a bit endearing now as a small smile tugged at the corners of her lips. They were a bit over the top about some things, but they were cute.

Finding what it was that she was looking for, Narcissa wrapped her hand around the large black phallus, pulling it from the drawer. The straps dangled from the harness as the blonde held it up to her sister's gaze, who snorted. "You're funny," Bellatrix deadpanned, yet despite herself still eyed the toy with interest.

"I won't use it if you're that against it, but you forget I've done this to you before, Bella," Narcissa reminded her as she rose to her feet. Bellatrix scrunched up her nose, yet said nothing. "I know you enjoy it— I know you enjoy it a lot but feel as though you shouldn't for whatever reason. Maybe a lot of it's to do with trust, as I'm sure it's a lot for you to feel that sexually vulnerable for someone. That's why I asked if you trusted me, but… it's understandable if you don't, because I know I did quite a lot to violate your trust over the past year, and I'm sorry. I want to rebuild it, but I can take it slow. We don't— God, maybe this was stupid; I'm basing our trust on a stupid sex game, we don't have to…"

Bellatrix snatched her sister's wrist in her hand before she could put the strap on away though, stilling Narcissa's movements. The blonde looked back at her, but Bellatrix didn't say anything for a long time. "You did fuck up the trust I had in you," she finally said, and Narcissa swallowed hard, the pit of her stomach twisting in her gut. "But you've been making up for it lately, so I don't hold that over our relationship anymore. If I did, wouldn't have allowed you to top me tonight. I trust you, Narcissa, but you're fucking right, okay? I feel like I shouldn't… like I shouldn't like that. I don't know why."

Narcissa pursed her lips, her eyes searching her sister's. "Does it make you feel like less of a lesbian?" she guessed, and Bellatrix just rolled her eyes. "No, listen— I know there's a woman attached to the other end of it, but taking a dick, no matter what form it's in, makes people feel vulnerable— especially if they're bottoming. And… and I know you struggled briefly with your identity as a lesbian when you began to have feelings for the Dark Lord—"

Bellatrix let go of her as though she had been burned. "Alright, sharing time is over."

"Bella, please. I'm not judging you— look at me," Narcissa requested, grasping for her sister's hand again. "You have always known you were," she told her seriously. "Ever since you were young, you knew exactly who you wanted to be when you grew up, you knew exactly who you would love; you never struggled with any part of your identity before, you never questioned who you were. I think bottoming for someone who's wearing a dick, even if that person is a woman, makes you question if you really are a lesbian if you like that, because I like it, Cass likes it, and we're both bisexual. Am I close?"

"Why are we doing analytical bullshit when I asked for you to specifically not do that?" Bellatrix snapped, very defensive. She wouldn't look at Narcissa though, which meant she was close, if not directly on the mark.

"Bella, me fucking you while wearing this is objectively the same as me putting my fingers inside you, except it's a bit bigger and then my hands are free to do other things. It does not make you any less of a lesbian, because you know what the biggest part of sexual identity is? How you view yourself," Narcissa reminded her seriously. "You are the only one who knows who you truly are, Bella, and no one can ever bloody tell you differently."

Bellatrix didn't say anything for a long moment, her lips pursed as she stared at the phallus in her sister's hands. Narcissa took that as a sign that she might actually want it and now just didn't know how to ask since she had pushed it away so fast, so the blonde tried to make Bellatrix more comfortable with, "I won't tell Cass that you like it, I promise." Because in the end, she knew Bellatrix didn't trust Cassandra like that yet. "And I swear, if you feel comfortable to let me do this, I will give you the best fucking orgasm of your life."

Bellatrix exhaled, looking a little grumpy as acting annoyed with Narcissa no doubt made her feel more comfortable with the entire situation as she relented, "—Fine."

Narcissa smiled, glad that she trusted her enough to do this. "There's a good girl," she breathed, leaning in to kiss her sister gently on the cheek. "Don't move."

Narcissa stepped around her, stepping into the harness while behind Bellatrix, wanting to build up the suspense as she strapped herself in, tightening it around her waist. Problem was, when she righted herself she remembered Bellatrix was facing a large vanity, and thus could see everything she was doing in the mirror. Bellatrix watched her with interest but she did not move, and Narcissa's gaze caught hers in the reflection before she pressed herself along the length of her sister's back, allowing the phallus to fit right against Bellatrix's arse as she wrapped her arms around the smaller woman, leaning down as she kissed her shoulder.

"Trust me," she requested in a breathy whisper, which was followed by her sister's quiet response of, "I do," before Narcissa smiled, wrapped her hand in Bellatrix's hair, and pulled. Bellatrix exhaled a sharp breath, allowing Narcissa to pin her body against hers.

"I won't make you beg," Narcissa promised her as she carefully guided Bellatrix toward the vanity, still keeping the woman tight in her hold. "But that doesn't mean you won't do it of your own accord by the time I'm through with you." Bellatrix snorted at that, but Narcissa just bent her over the vanity, forcing the older woman to lean against it with her palms. "Laugh all you want; it doesn't change what's going to happen," Narcissa promised her, finally letting go of Bellatrix in order to drop her hand between their bodies, pushing her sister's knickers down her thighs before running her fingers across the woman's sensitive flesh.

Despite there being somewhat of a lull during their sex, Bellatrix was still very wet, which at least proved she was getting off on this at the very least, and wasn't just trying to see this submissive thing through without it actually doing much for her. "Because I know you, my love," Narcissa assured her in a husky voice, gently spreading Bellatrix with her fingers before she slipped one, and then another inside of her, wanting to make sure she was loose enough to take what was strapped to her groin first before she just barreled right in. "And I know how to make you gush without even fucking touching you."

Narcissa removed her hand then, giving Bellatrix just a bit of a tease before she allowed her anger, her hatred to overtake her as she grabbed her sister's hair in her fist again, forcing Bellatrix to meet her gaze in the mirror. "Look at me— I want you to make him scream, Bella," she seethed, knowing she had to focus on how deeply enraged she was by Peter not only to get through the act itself, but to give Bellatrix exactly what she had wanted from this encounter.

Bellatrix's eyes darkened and her lips parted, beginning to hang on her sister's every word as Narcissa told her, "I want him crying, I want him writhing— I want Peter to know how badly he fucked up by threatening the woman I love, the woman that we both care about. I want you to make him beg for you to stop until his voice is so fucking raw that he can't use it anymore, but I want you to keep going, because he deserves it, he deserves it!" Her hand slapped Bellatrix's arse then, her grip so tight her nails dug in and the older woman groaned, spreading her legs for her in invitation. But Narcissa didn't touch her yet, instead she allowed the rage she felt to overtake her as she attempted to channel it into something sexual, as perhaps then she might be able to handle what the actual fuck they were going to do in a couple days.

"Fuck, Cissy, yes…" Bellatrix encouraged, her own breathing labored as she got immensely turned on from Narcissa's fury. "Get angry, lover— you're so fucking hot when you're violent…"

"I want you to tear him apart, Bella— I want you to make him regret that he ever thought he could just shove his dick inside of her just because they're married, and in his eyes that meant he no longer needed consent. God, I wish, I fucking wish that we didn't have to be clean about this— I wish you could tear his cock from his body, I wish you could make him fucking swallow it, I wish it was bloody, I wish—"

Truthfully, she did not wish any of those things as Narcissa knew she wouldn't be able to handle it, but her words had the desired effect on Bellatrix, who groaned desperately as she reached down, trying to take care of herself as Narcissa was too caught up in her own anger to comply with her needs. "Don't you fucking dare," Narcissa panted, grabbing her sister's hand in her own. "I'm fucking you tonight, Bella."

"Fucking… Jesus, Cissy, just—" Bellatrix tried, sounding frustrated. Her fingers curled into a fist, causing her knuckles to flash white as she tried to get a hold of herself. She squirmed in her sister's hold, but true to her word, Narcissa did not make her beg as she pressed the cock against Bellatrix's entrance, already able to feel how much bloody wetter her sister had gotten just from that little tirade. "Christ…" Bellatrix panted as Narcissa slid inside of her, her breathing coming out in hard bursts as Narcissa momentarily stilled inside of her.

"You alright?" she asked, needing to make sure she wasn't hurting her.

"Yeah, just— it's fucking big; or bigger than the two or three fingers I'm used to. Just give me a second," Bellatrix requested, and Narcissa obliged her, gently rubbing the small of the older woman's back before Bellatrix murmured beneath her breath and began to move of her own accord. Narcissa let the other woman set the pace at first, not wanting to go fast for her prematurely. "Shit," Bellatrix swore, beginning to very much enjoy the feeling. "Keep fucking talking to me… tell me how we're going to kill him, tell me what you want and I'll give you every bloody thing you ask for, lover, just— fuck, just keep fucking doing this…"

Narcissa pushed inside of her, allowing her sister to take the cock all the way to its hilt. Bellatrix groaned, her cheeks flushing pink as her lips parted, her gaze meeting Narcissa's in the mirror. "You are going to break his neck, my love," the blonde told her, and the calmness in her tone seemed to get Bellatrix off further, as Narcissa seemed much more calculated about it. "And we are going to make it seem like his fat arse took a tumble down his stairs. It's not the death he deserves, but it's the one we will have to give him anyway— that's why I promise I will allow you some fun first, as I want him to beg for death by the time you're through with him, Bellatrix. Do you hear me? Promise me; fucking promise me that you'll hurt him, promise me that you'll break him just like he tried to break Cassandra, promise me—!"

Each declaration accented another firm, yet decidedly slow thrust of the blonde's hips and Bellatrix, who was not only getting off on the feeling, but on her sister's words, couldn't take not getting bloody ravaged anymore, as she was, quite literally, dripping down her bloody thighs at this point. "Fuck, Cissy— I'll fucking promise you anything, just fuck me harder! Fuck me— Jesus fucking hell, just fuck me!" she begged, practically slamming her hips back into the phallus strapped to her sister's groin. "Fuck me up, please— you fucking bitch, if you need me to beg, just…!"

"Seems a bit rude that you would call me a bitch when all I've ever done is try to take care of you, my love," Narcissa chided, causing Bellatrix to growl deep in her throat before Narcissa smirked, dropping the game. She didn't want to push it. "Don't worry, Bella; I'll take care of you. I will always take care of you…"

Narcissa slid her hand across the smooth surface of her sister's back, encouraging her to bend over further before she pinned her there, and began to go to town on Bellatrix's cunt. Narcissa slammed into her with much more force than she ever would have exerted with Cassandra, as she knew Bellatrix would enjoy a little pain with her pleasure as she nearly hit her cervix with each thrust. Bellatrix swore, her eyes falling closed as the muscles in her back tensed and rippled, her cheeks flushing red while her nipples scraped against the surface of the vanity as Narcissa practically slammed her into it over and over.

"Jesus— fuck, Cissy— don't stop; fuck, fuck… Jesus fucking Christ…!" Bellatrix shouted as Narcissa's body began to shine with sweat. She was exerting practically all of the energy she had in her to do this, but Bellatrix was loving it and Narcissa felt almost high from it, realizing there was nothing more beautiful than seeing her sister come completely unraveled as she practically begged for release. Narcissa slapped her arse with her free hand before she grasped onto her sister's hips, using the leverage to get her sister to take the cock as deep inside of her as it could go. The sounds of Bellatrix's soaked cunt slapping against her was drowned out by the woman's screams, and it didn't take long until it all became overwhelming for Bellatrix and she tensed, her clit hitting the edge of the vanity with each thrust giving her the extra push she needed to fall over the edge.

Bellatrix came so violently she slammed her hand against the surface of the vanity, making Narcissa endlessly thankful that she had had the self-awareness to at least not hit the mirror itself, as she no doubt would have shattered it. Bellatrix trembled with the aftershocks of her pleasure, practically crumpling into a ball as she rested her head on her forearms and struggled to breathe. Narcissa just lay atop her, feeling rather worn out herself as she pressed her ear to her sister's back, hearing the woman's erratic heartbeat as she realized that maybe bringing Cassandra into their relationship had, in some backwards way, managed to make the two of them closer.

"Bella?" she asked softly, still very much inside of her sister yet not willing to move as she wrapped her arms around her sister's torso. Her voice was small as she asked, "Killing him… it doesn't make me a bad person, does it?"

Narcissa knew she sounded stupid, but her desire to save Cassandra did conflict quite heavily with her morality, even though she knew she was, objectively, a pretty shit person for other reasons. Still, killing was… it was big. It was different.

"You're not going to kill him, Cissy," Bellatrix told her, thankfully not moving either, as Narcissa didn't want to let her go just yet. "I am. All you're doing is trying to protect someone you love, and you have bloody nothing to feel guilty about because of that, okay?"

Narcissa swallowed hard but nodded, accepting her sister's words because, in the end, she knew it would be the only way she could ever justify what she was about to do in her mind. She just hoped this decision did not come back to haunt her, as Narcissa wasn't sure what she would do if she was faced with something like that.

TBC…


Author's Note:
"
Kitten" Part 6, which is set between chapters 52 and 53, will be posted Saturday, February 27th.