Chapter Seven
Regulus headed straight for her.
"Bellatrix," He nodded, unable to keep the cold tone from voice.
Amused, Bellatrix's lips curled in a superior smile as she nodded back.
"Welcome cousin," she said. "I trust you had a safe journey?" There was a flash of cruel fun in her eyes.
"Can't really go wrong with a portkey," Regulus shot back shortly, meeting her gaze. Once again, Severus was grudgingly impressed with the surprising nerve the younger Black sometimes showed.
Bellatrix merely smiled, although her eyes were alight with vicious humour.
"Our little joke, cousin. You must forgive us," She paused, looking past Regulus to Severus. He nodded his head in greeting, and Bellatrix held out her hand, her eyes searching his face for a moment until she could place him.
"Snape! Severus Snape…My, it's been a long time,"
"Yes," He agreed, shaking her hand. "I'm surprised you remember me at all,"
"I do, I do." She assured him. "Lucius wanted you to attend today. You were his little apprentice, for a while, weren't you…" It wasn't a question. Severus stiffened, levelling her gaze.
"I've made my own way since then," He said calmly. Bellatrix raised her eyebrows, but said no more and looked vaguely approving. She turned and looked back at her cousin.
"I suppose it was he who told you about the portkey?" She asked. Regulus flinched.
"No," He said defiantly, shooting a look at Severus. "I could see for myself what it was,"
"Then why, dear cousin, did you bombard me with owls asking for maps and directions?" She asked, arching one perfectly shaped eyebrow and lowered her heavy eyelids, looking so condescending that Regulus seemed to visibly shrink.
"I…I was joking with you," He muttered, his cheeks flaming. Bellatrix smirked.
"Ah. I see. I rather thought you had taken me seriously," And she laughed. Regulus flushed deeper, but mercifully for him at that moment Bellatrix' fiancé Rodolphus appeared. Tall and dark-haired, he displayed a cold, haughty arrogance that Severus often noticed in such young, rich people.
"Good afternoon, Regulus," Rodolphus said smoothly. Still recovering from his humiliation, Regulus could not bring himself to reply.
"Lestrange," Severus said instead, nodding his head.
"You remember Severus, don't you dear?" Bellatrix asked, turning to her husband-to-be.
"Of course. How are you, Snape?"
"Well, thank you Lestrange. And yourself?"
"Very well, thank you."
The pleasantries dispensed with, Bellatrix turned her attention back to Regulus.
"So, dear Regulus. Where is my cousin?"
Regulus stared at her, completely nonplussed.
"I - I'm…Bella, I am your cousin," he frowned.
"No, not you, boy. I meant your brother, of course. Why is Sirius not here?" The corners of her mouth were curling upwards, hiding a smirk, and Severus was suddenly and forcibly reminded of Sirius Black's own smug grin. It struck him how very alike in both appearance and attitude Bellatrix and Sirius were, even while they stood for such radically different principles.
Regulus was looking furious. At the mention of his brother, his face twisted unpleasantly and he spat vehemently on the ground.
"Don't talk to me about him! That filthy traitor, he's as bad as any mudblood!" He said disgustedly. "Mother blasted him off the tapestry when he left. Said he was a sickening disgrace to us all."
Bellatrix seemed mildly interested in this.
"A powerful wizard one day, though. Wonderful pureblood lineage, we could have done with him on our side," she argued lightly.
Regulus' head snapped up.
"What about me?" He snapped. Bellatrix shrugged and opened her mouth, but before she could say anything, Regulus interrupted.
"Tell me Bella, where is your sister?" He glared. Bellatrix didn't bat an eyelid.
"Narcissa is here," she said smoothly. "She disappeared with Lucius earlier, no doubt to discuss politics" She sniffed. Rodolphus leered over her shoulder., but Regulus was not to be deterred.
"I meant your other sister. Where is Andromeda?" He imitated the tone she had taken with him when talking about Sirius. Bellatrix's eyelids flickered, but she kept her cool remarkably well.
"Andromeda declined to attend today's meeting. She is not here". Her tone was cold and formal, as if she had rehearsed that sentence a thousand times.
Severus could not help but admire her. Bellatrix appeared perfectly in control of the conversation, and even though her feelings towards her sister were probably much the same as those Regulus held towards Sirius, her outwards cold and complete indifference allowed her to gloss over the subject with ease, as if to demonstrate how little importance it was of to her.
Rodolphus was evidently growing bored with this family tiff. In a loud, obnoxious voice he changed the subject to the possible union of Narcissa Black and Lucius Malfoy, and Severus found himself rapidly losing interest in the conversation. He stood to one side, accepting a glass of champagne from a waiter carrying a silver tray and feeling uncomfortably bored. His attention wandered over the guests all around the field, noting the excited, almost feverish atmosphere that hung over them, as though they were expecting something.
"Severus! Sev!" Severus turned, recognising the voice even before he caught sight of it's owner. An exceptionally handsome, well-groomed young man was heading towards him, his black robes sweeping around him and his long blond hair tied back loosely. All around the field, eyes tracked his progress across it, such was the attention Lucius Malfoy commanded.
"Lucius," Severus greeted him, not at all surprised to see Lucius dressed in the height of style. Even at Hogwarts, Lucius had displayed impeccable taste. Under his cloak he wore an expensively tailored black suit and a crisp white shirt, and the gleaming silver buttons on his black silk waistcoat were imprinted with the Malfoy family crest.
Severus smirked, and Lucius laughed and shook his hand firmly. Over his shoulder Severus caught sight of the slender, willowy figure of Narcissa Black in the background. Lucius followed his gaze.
"Yeah, she's gorgeous, isn't she?" He turned back to Severus, drawing a sleek silver cigarette case from his breast pocket.
"Hm?" He offered the case to Severus, proffering one of his hand-rolled, Turkish cigarettes.
"No thanks," Severus said, shaking his head. Lucius had begun to regard him with a searching expression that unsettled him, and he would rather have looked him straight in the eye than through a cloud of upper-class, imported smoke.
"Well then, Sev. It's been quite a while since I saw you last. How's life at Hogwarts?" Lucius asked, still scrutinising him.
"Fine," Severus replied, a little too quickly, forcing himself not to think about his most recent confrontation with James Potter.
"Fine? That's not what I've heard," Lucius narrowed his eyes.
"Really? Pray tell, Lucius, what have you heard?" Severus snapped irritably. Lucius was an old friend, it was true, but he that didn't mean he had any right to comment on his life at Hogwarts.
Lucius shrugged, and lit a cigarette.
"Only that you might have been having a bit of trouble from a few certain Gryffindors"
"No. There was trouble, there won't be any more." As he said it, Severus felt an odd certainty within himself that that statement was true. No doubt Potter would want to keep his girlfriend happy, but more than that, something about the way Lucius had suggested Severus was in trouble had sparked an iron resolve inside him. No, there would not be any more trouble.
The conversation turned to old times at Hogwarts, back when Severus was in his first years at Hogwarts and Lucius had been something of a mentor to him. Remembering those early years, Severus felt that maybe he had made the right decision in coming here after all. He had almost forgotten the feelings of companionship and belonging he had felt in the company of his older friends, competent wizards and witches, unlike the naïve, pathetic beings in his own year…
Lucius shook his arm, snapping him out of his thoughts. Bellatrix Black's voice, soaring over the field by means of an amplifying charm, was announcing that the Gathering was officially beginning.
"…Everyone will now make their way to the marquee. Our esteemed host, Antonin Dolohov, apologises for the fact the Gathering could take place in one of his many mansions," Here Bellatrix shot Dolohov, who was standing near her, an icy reproving look, "As, I quote, 'someone might have suspected something'."
Her voice faded, and through the crowds making their way towards the marquee Severus saw the way Dolohov's face was white with anger and embarrassment as he stormed after Bellatrix.
Lucius chuckled and turned to Severus. "Doesn't say much for his loyalty, does it?" he remarked, as they followed the crowds through.