Hello readers! Thank you so much for the favorites, follows, and reviews! I really love seeing your feedback. I was hoping to get this chapter up a few days ago, but I'm in the middle of a cross-country move and it's been a little crazy and hectic. Anyway, thanks for your patience. This is a pretty short chapter, but I think it's quite juicy and I really like how it turned out. I hope you do as well. The next chapter will be fairly long and I should be able to get it posted within the next couple of days, especially if I have a lot of great feedback from you guys. :)
Narcissa would have much preferred to not be present for this conversation, but here she stood nonetheless, in the now quiet library with her sister, her husband, and the Dark Lord. Bellatrix had requested a private audience with him and, to Narcissa's immense relief, he had turned without a word and walked into the empty library, leaving Bellatrix to follow with her sister in tow. The raucous party had seemed to be disbanding as the two women reached the bottom of the grand staircase, no doubt with a new set of unpleasant orders to carry out.
As she was being pulled by the wrist into the library by Bellatrix, Narcissa had quickly scanned the hall for her husband. She found him walking dejectedly toward a door at the other end of the hall and caught his eye, motioning for him to follow her. Lucius looked surprised, and a bit lost, but heeded his wife without question.
There had been many quiet moments over the past few weeks that she'd considered telling him the secret she was keeping, but she had always stopped herself. Lucius was not well. He had returned from Azkaban the previous summer a shell of his former, noble self and his spirit had been further broken when the Dark Lord confiscated his wand. His confidence and sense of self-worth, which had always been unshakeable, had been dealt a heavy blow with his fall from the Dark Lord's good graces. With all this in mind, Narcissa had decided to avoid adding to her husband's anxiety with the news of Bella's condition. He might as well find out now though, she thought to herself.
Lucius did not seem pleased to be in such close proximity to his scornful master, who now stood behind the ornate mahogany desk, pressing his slender, white hands onto the surface as he leaned forward and eyed the three of them imperiously. Bellatrix took an eager step forward and was about to speak when the door of the library suddenly closed with a loud click. Bellatrix and Lucius turned in surprise to look at the door as Narcissa stowed her wand in her sleeve again. She tried to act casual but knew the Dark Lord was watching her closely, probably sensing her anxiety and urgent desire for secrecy. She met his gaze and he continued to scrutinize her for a moment before turning to face Bellatrix again.
"Well?" he asked coldly.
Bellatrix was positively bursting with excitement. Tears were beginning to form in her eyes and she spoke with a trembling voice.
"My lord," she said fervently. "I have the most wonderful news for you."
Lucius shot a sidelong glance at his wife, trying to guess what his sister-in-law could be referring to. Narcissa ignored him and continued to watch Voldemort closely.
Bellatrix continued in a rush, "My lord, I- I am expecting a child."
Her words hung in the air for a moment and Narcissa heard a sharp intake of breath to her right. Lucius had caught on.
Voldemort had not moved or reacted in any way and Narcissa wondered for a moment if he'd understood what exactly Bellatrix was telling him. Bella was clearly wondering this as well, because she quickly added, "Your child, my lord."
Tears of joy were flowing freely down Bella's cheeks now and her voice was choked with emotion. She took another small step forward, obviously yearning for closeness and approval from her master. He stared back at her blankly for several seconds and then, straightening up, he stepped purposefully out from behind the large desk.
"Well then," he said quietly as he passed the three motionless figures. "Let it never be said that the Dark Lord does not reward his faithful followers."
The door flew open with a tiny flick of his wand and the Dark Lord strode from the room without another word or backward glance, leaving his three followers standing frozen in stunned silence.
There it is! I really debated and debated on how Voldemort would respond, so I hope you like how it went. My number one goal is always to stay very true to character while also digging a little deeper and fleshing them out a little more. Be sure to leave a review and let me know how you like the story so far, and especially if any one moment has stuck out to you. Thanks! :)