"What the bloody hell?" Bellatrix growls from beside Rodolphus, stopping halfway through her meal.

"What is it?" Rodolphus asks, but as he looks up and follows her gaze, he sees exactly what it is that's so upsetting to her. There, entering the Great Hall together, and wrapped tightly in each other's arms, was Lucius and Narcissa. They had a rumpled look, but neither seemed to really care. They were too engrossed in each other. Even from a distance, Rodolphus could see the enamored look in both of their eyes, and they stared at each other as if there was no one else in the room.

"I'll murder him," Bellatrix says with another throaty growl. She clutches the fork she had been using to eat with as a weapon and Rodolphus holds her arm, keeping her down.

"Woah, there, Bella. A murder at dinner might put people off their appetites."

"You're just saying that because he's your friend," Bellatrix says threateningly, turning to him with violent eyes. "That's my sister, Rodolphus. My kid sister. I thought I had fixed things here."

Rodolphus's eyes narrow. "Why, Bella? What did you do?"

"Told Cissa the truth," she says haughtily. "That Lucius is an asshole playboy only trying to get her into bed. He's going to ruin her, and she's too naive and trusting to see through his little games."

Rodolphus frowns. "He likes her, Bella. Really likes her. You should have seen how upset he was when she didn't show for an entire week."

"So you're admitting to me that you knew about their little affair and kept it from me?" Her eyes were simmering with anger and accusation.

Letting out a heavy sigh, Rodolphus nods. "Yes. I figured it out when they started. Lucius wasn't good at keeping it secret. But I had him swear to me that they would come clean to you before having sex."

"Well." Bellatrix's voice is scathing. "Look them over, Rods. Go ahead and assess them. How well do you think Lucius held up his little side of your deal?"

Rodolophus's eyes flicker over where Lucius and Narcissa have sat down. They haven't broken their physical touch and are practically wrapped around each other. They seem too distracted to even eat much of their food, staring at each other and sneaking kisses when they think eyes aren't on them. Rodolphus lets out a sigh. It's clear that Bellatrix's analysis is accurate, but he doesn't want to give her the satisfaction. "We can't jump to conclusions."

Bellatrix snorts. "They wouldn't be so bloody brazen if they hadn't broken your little promise, Rodolphus." She stands up, dropping her fork and grabbing her wand instead. "I'm going to murder him."

Rodolphus grabs her arm, trying to stop her. "Bella, please. Come on. They're happy. Cissa's happy. Look at her right now. I mean, really look at her. She's smiling. Laughing. When was the last time that you saw her like this? I can't think of a time. And yes, they should have talked to you first, but maybe they were worried that you wouldn't be supportive of them. I mean, you said it yourself. You tried to convince Narcissa to stay away from him."

The couple down the table laugh loudly, Lucius pulling Narcissa to his chest as she giggles. The affair draws Bellatrix's eyes, but she sits back down, still clutching her wand. "So what if she's happy?" she grumbles. "He's going to ruin her. And then what do you think is going to happen, Rods? She'll lose her prospects. Especially now, with how salacious they're being. What are people going to think? They're not even being subtle about it all. Everyone is going to call her a whore, Rods. That's what they're going to think of her. And once Lucius has used her up and discarded her? Once he's had enough and tossed her to the side? She'll be ruined. Mum and dad won't be able to find her a match anymore, and she's always been counting on that. Not to mention her emotional state. Narcissa isn't strong enough for this. She's going to fall for him and she won't recover when it's over. She'll be a mess and he won't give a damn."

"Hey…" Rodolphus says softly, reaching out and touching her arm again, though this time to comfort her. "Lucius wouldn't do that to her. He does care about her." Rodolphus is surprised to see what looks like tears in Bellatrix's eyes. He had never seen her cry before. In a moment, though, the tears are gone, replaced with a fiery anger.

"And how am I supposed to believe that?" Bellatrix demands. "Based on what, Rods? Lucius's dating history? He's strung along a new girl each semester and left a mess of them behind. I mean, just look at Circe Fairmonth right now-" She gestures down the table at a glowering Circe whose eyes are also on the couple. "That's going to be my sister in a few months! And I'm not supposed to be upset about this? It's so bloody easy for you guys. You get to play your little games and come out unscathed. We don't have that luxury. Especially not Cissa. She was the epitome of the pureblood heiress, Rods. Beautiful, intelligent, and, above everything else, pure. He's going to take all that from her for his own pleasure and she doesn't even realize how much this is going to cost her."

Rodolphus pulls her to him, wrapping his arms around her. "That's not how it worked for us," he reminds her softly.

"Yeah, but you love me," she grumbles.

"And Lucius cares about your sister," he tells her, holding her tightly. "He really cares about her. I don't see the doom and gloom that you see with them… I think they're going to turn out okay. Better than okay. They're rather good for each other, you know. They bring out the best in each other."

"But what if he hurts her?"

"If he hurts her at all, if he breaks her heart or ruins her prospects, I give you full permission to murder him. Fair?"

"Fair," she sighs.

"And yes, I do love you," he tells her softly. "And I'm going to marry you. Because I found a girl that matches my energy and my hopes for the future. Is it so hard to believe that Lucius and Cissa found the same thing in each other? I haven't seen Lucius this happy in a long time, and I know the same can be said for Cissa. So let's not mess this up for them before they're even able to see what it is for them."

Bellatrix sighs but he can see that he's calmed her. "I'm still not happy that she didn't tell me."

"Well, did she try to?" he asks, wrapping an arm around her shoulder and tangling a hand in her curls.

Bellatrix grumbles but doesn't answer. "I'm also not happy that they had sex."

"Maybe they didn't, maybe they-"

She turns to him with an incredulous look on her face, gesturing broadly at the couple. "Don't be an idiot, Rods. They had sex. It's clear on their little faces. I bet if you walk by them, the stink of it is still on them."

He sighs. "It's too late now. We'll just have to take it as it is."

"He better do right by her or his death is going to be gruesome and extraneous."

"I know, my darling," Rodolphus says, kissing her. "I'll keep him in line. Make sure he doesn't fuck this up. And if he does, I'll be right there with you to help you kill him."

Bellatrix continues to grumble but kisses him back. "Don't ever keep anything from me again," she threatens, raising her wand so that it digs into his throat as she kisses him. "Not about anything, but especially not about my sister." She bites his tongue, hard, but he doesn't jolt back. Rather, Rodolphus pulls her in even closer, the taste of blood in his mouth as he kisses her hard.

The wand is slowly lowered from his throat as he continues to kiss her. Eventually, he breaks from her lips, smiling at his manic girl. "I wasn't trying to keep it from you," he tells her. "I just wanted to give them a head start. I believe in them."

Bellatrix snorts. "We'll see," she says. Her eyes dart back to the engrossed couple, eyes narrowed. "We'll see."