"She'll have to terminate the child. I shall not have yet another daughter of ours drag the good and noble name of Black through the mud." Cecilia Black screamed as she paced round the study of Ebony Manor. Achilles sighed softly resting his head in his hands. He understood and sympathised with his wife's view on the matter but the procedure was so very barbaric and liable to have detrimental effects on his youngest daughter. "Do you not think Bella should have some say in the matter? After all it is her body."
"Achilles, are you out of your mind. You know as well as I do that Bella will not choose the sensible option. She is too headstrong and determined to go against my wishes. This is what comes of you mollycoddling her. Interesting isn't it that Narcissa should be our only daughter who doesn't disgrace our name. The one daughter you bluntly ignored throughout her childhood is the one who is making us the proudest." Cecilia ranted venomously.
"Cecilia you are not been fair. I am sure Bella did not wish to become pregnant and we do not know of the circumstances. How do you not know that she was forced into it."
"Oh do not humour me so. Bella is a little flirt and her appalling behaviour at the Halloween party only supports my claim. Our youngest daughter acts like a common whore and as such although utterly disgusted by her present condition it is not as suprising as it could have been." Cecilia said recollecting the behaviour of her daughter at the Halloween ball.
Flashback to the 31st October.
"Bella I shall not permit you to wear that outfit. It is far too provocative and you'll put this family to shame as if we need any more." Cecilia Black said chastising her youngest. Bella rolled her eyes used to her mother's tirades and simply examined her eyeliner in the mirror ensuring her eye-makeup was properly applied. Finishing with a layer of scarlet lip-gloss she smiled at her mother. "I don't expect to hear you say I look good, but then I never am acceptable in your eyes am I." Bella said softly her eyes looking up at her mother. Bellatrix had always been loathed by her mother for not been the longed for heir and now in her teen years if it was at all possible the animosity had gotten even worse between them. "You young lady will bring shame on this house just as your blasted sister did!" Cecilia said scathingly looking at Bella's outfit and turning her nose up at it. Bella felt tears prick at the corners of her eyes but refused to let her mother see that she had made her upset. "Narcissa dear you look lovely. Lucius will be unable to take his eyes off you." Cecilia said warmly turning her attention to her other daughter. Narcissa shuffled uncomfortably on the spot, she loathed her mother and Bella's spats and she sent a sympathising look towards her younger sister who sent a small appreciative smile back.
An hour or so later Cecilia eyed her youngest from the table at which she was seated. Ursula Parkinson was blabbering on about the match between her eldest son Hermes and the eldest daughter of the Nott's which held Cecilia's interest very little. She raised an eyebrow as she saw her youngest take the hand of the younger Lestrange brother and be willingly led to the dance floor. Not a brilliant match but suitable for Bellatrix should anything come of it. Narcissa was making the match that mattered with the Malfoy heir so as long as Bella married into a fairly well-off pure-blood family, preferably who could trace their descendant's way back into the past, then everything would be fine. The younger Lestrange boy was an attractive young man and there was no doubt that he and Bella would certainly have beautiful dark-haired children; for as much as Cecilia despised Bellatrix she could not deny that Bella was exceedingly pretty.
"Your sister looks very pretty tonight." Lucius commented to Narcissa as they danced together, his hand stroking a blonde strand of hair behind her ear. "Yes well pretty if flaunting so much of your body around is attractive nowadays." Narcissa said a note of disapproval in her tone as she gazed at Bella, who was dancing, Rudolphus's hands intertwined around her slender waist.
"My, Rudolphus does seem much taken with your little sister." Lucius whispered as his blue eyes rested on the dancing couple.
"Yes and he would do well to remember she is still only a child, she only recently turned 15." Narcissa stated a mixture of jealousy and protectiveness taking over her.
End Flashback.
"That's it. He must be!" Cecilia cried suddenly causing Achilles to jump suddenly from his chair.
"What my dear?"
"Rudolphus, he was particularly attentive to Bella during the Halloween ball and seemed very taken with her. He must be the father. Oh how happy I am. That dratted Henri Lestrange was so quick to scorn us about Andromeda. I wonder how he will feel to find out that his son is the father of an illegitimate child. He will live to rue the day he ever made a scathing comment about this family."
"Cecilia we have not yet established whom the father of the child is and I for one do not wish to evolve this into a tedious game about who has the upper hand. It may be wise to firmly establish whom the father is and what circumstances the child was conceived in before you start throwing around accusations which will only serve to taint our name more so particularly Bella's." Achilles said arising from his chair and looking at the photo of his three smiling daughter's that rested on his desk. Bella had only been 3 when the picture had been taken and she was sat cuddled on Andromeda's lap. Andromeda had always treasured her younger sisters especially Bella whom she adored with every fibre of her body. It had been Bella who she had cried the most over leaving, Bella whom she'd tearfully apologised to as she left the Black family home, the doors slamming rigidly behind her.
Achilles watched silently as Cecilia flounced out of the study, her long skirts swishing as she did so, her shrill voice barking at an unfortunate house-elf whom had the misfortune of getting under her feet. Achilles knew sadly that there would be no peace in the house until the matter of Bella and her pregnancy was resolved.