The next morning the manor was filled with a new energy, they were so close to having control of the British wizarding world. It would not be much longer, a few weeks at most, and then the rest of the world would fall in turn. Bella floated into the small dining room for breakfast where the Malfoy's were already sitting. She joined them with an oddly pleasant smile on her lips which was met by a playfully raised eyebrow from her brother-in-law, Lucius.
"Good Morning, Bella," he said almost too cheerfully for her tastes.
"Good Morning Lucius, Cissy, Draco," she spoke to each member of her little family before turning her attention to the plate in front of her.
She did not have much time to eat before having to go to her first training session of the day. She could not wait to see the energy level of their newest, they would be put through their paces to make sure that they were not becoming too cocky. They had all been doing so well that Bellatrix was really rather proud of them. Breakfast went as breakfasts normally did though it was a pleasant change to have her nephew Draco home with them. She loved his newly found confidence after successfully completing his task. He might be a little full of himself but that was not necessarily a bad thing. Confidence was a trait that, to Bella, could not be more important.
As her day continued her pride swelled. She was so incredibly proud of their followers. The morning's training session was easily the best on that they had so far. In the afternoon's group, Draco joined in and was continuing to impress her. For a mere boy of 15, he was becoming quite an extraordinary wizard; Bella was contributing that success to her wonderful teaching abilities. Yes by the end of the afternoon Bella was about as full of herself as one could be. As the evening approached Bellatrix lounged lazily on a chase in the sitting room. Her long dark hair spilled off the side and onto the wood floor beneath her. She had decided to stop training with Rodolphus and Rabastan for the time being, so as far as she was concerned she was done for the day. Now all that was left was to enjoy some relaxing time alone. She was running her long silvery grey fingernails through her thick hair when she felt the air in the room change. She sat up quickly only to find the figure of her master gracefully gliding over to her. She smiled, trying not to look too excited to see him.
"My Lord," she said bowing her head to the Dark Lord.
He smiled, his hand brushing against her check before using a finger to raise her chin until her eyes met him. Her heart skipped a beat as his skin touched hers, her large dark eyes now searching his icy ones. She knew that she would never know what was going on behind his eyes, but that did not stop her from trying. He smiled at her looking deep into her dark eyes.
"My dear Bella. You see I was going to wait and just let the minister resign but I think it would be more effective if we kill him." Bellatrix hung on every word her smile growing as her master spoke and nodding her head eagerly in agreement.
"When would you like him killed my Lord?" she asked excitedly, more than ready for the task at hand.
"Tonight, I will come and get you when it is time." That was all she needed to hear, not only was she going to be allowed to kill the minister but she was going to get to do so with the Dark Lord himself. What an honor this night was going to be, as long as everything went properly.
"Yes my Lord," she said as she bowed her head, failing to hide her excitement.
With that he was gone, leaving Bella to wait eagerly for tonight. There was no telling when her master would come for her so she rushed upstairs and got ready. Not like she had much to do, but she wanted to freshen up and grab her winter cloak. It was growing colder by the day and she did not want to be caught without her winter cloak.
The day dragged on into the evening and by the time she went down to dinner Bellatrix was beyond anxious. She was so excited and so ready to go she could hardly contain herself, let alone eat and hold a normal conversation. Her sister noticed as soon as she joined them for dinner and she knew that something was going on. After being in the Dark Lord's inner circle for so long, Narcissa knew better than to pry when her sister had that excitedly murderous look in her eyes but she did need to talk to her.
"Rodolphus was looking for you earlier," Narcissa said as nonchalantly as she could.
It was returned with an equally nonchalant, "I'm sure he was." That man made Bella's blood boil and if he did not back off quickly he was going to find himself in a very bad situation.
It was more than obvious to everyone that knew them how little Bellatrix cared for her husband and how her husband, despite her cruelness, loved her unwaveringly. Narcissa was never able to understand her sister's indifference but she had learned to leave it alone. The rest of dinner stayed pretty quiet, just the usual mundane dinner conversation. Bella finished her dinner quickly before anyone could bring up anything else about her unconventional marriage and hurried upstairs to her room. Since it was obvious that she would not be able to waste time with her family without having them damper the mood, she would have to just wait alone. Her room seemed to be the only place she was safe from unwelcome visitors.
It must have been late into the night when she felt the burn of her mark across her left forearm. She had not even realized that she had drifted off to sleep, but the burning in her arm snapped her back to reality. Her master was calling her, the thought alone made her heart leap. She smiled wickedly as she threw on her thick black traveling cloak, ran her hand through her long curly hair and apparated to her master's side. Upon her arrival, she looked over to her left and was pleased to see the Dark Lord standing beside her. They appeared to be standing in the shadows of an icy alleyway in a seemingly small village. Her heart was racing.
"My Lord," she said softly her breath clearly visible on this cold night.
A wicked smile crept onto her master's face, "Shall we?"
Her smile grew as she followed after the Dark Lord as he made his way out onto the street. She could hardly contain her excitement as they strode through the village and up the front path to a rather unassuming home. It was a simple little home, one that Bella did not see as grand enough for the Minister of Magic to reside in. To each his own she thought as her master swung open the front door. It was very late and she was assuming that the minister as his wife were most likely in bed. Her large eyes darted around taking in as much as she could while keeping her master in her sights. They crept quietly up the stairs and down the hall to the door that led to the minister's bedroom. She could hardly contain herself and when she felt like she would surely burst her master blew the door off its hinges. Bellatrix cackled widely wasting no time sending a cruciatus curse flying after the occupants of the room. The jet of red light hit the minister's wife square in the chest, her screams filling the air before the dust had even settled. As she entered the room she sent another jet of red light at the minister's wife who was writhing in agony on their bed, the minister in tears pleading for them to stop. Oh, how Bella loved it when her victims begged, it made the torture so much more enjoyable. Her laughter grew wilder as the minister's wife's screams grew louder. Sweet old Cornelius Fudge was pleading with the Dark Lord to end his wife's suffering, and Voldemort being a merciful Lord obliged. The Dark Lord turned his wand to the minister's wife and sent a jet of green light flying at her, killing her instantly. The only thing Bellatrix loved more than killing people herself was watching her master kill people. She quickly turned her attention back to the minister and her master, resisting the urge to prematurely celebrate their first kill. The minister was sobbing now, muttering his wife's name and holding her in his arms. It was all so pathetic that she was quickly losing interest in the whole affair, having thought that killing the Minister of Magic would be accompanied by a decent duel. She pursed her lips looking up into her master's eyes, asking for permission to carry out her assignment. She need not wait long as Voldemort's eyes met hers, clearly he was as disappointed in the minister's behavior as she was. Without a second glance, she cast the killing curse and the minister fell silent, his lifeless body still wrapped around his lifeless wife. The minister had certainly been a buzz kill but they accomplished what they had sat out to do, and touching her wand to her arm she sent the dark mark into the sky above the house. The ministry was theirs now. Just as her eyes had once again made contact with the Dark Lord's she heard a pop from downstairs. Her eyes widened quickly as it was soon obvious that aurors were beginning to arrive. Before she had time to react her master wrapped her in his arms and disapparated.