Tonight was going to be another one of the Malfoy's outrageous parties. It was New Year's Eve and Narcissa had been decorating the house and getting things ready since the crack of dawn. So much had happened the last few days that Bella was ready for some peace and quiet, but she would do this for her sister. Tomorrow would be her quiet day. Her master had done a lot of work to cover up her being swept off in the middle of a fight, but she had a sinking feeling that her brother in law had an idea about what had really happened. She could not understand why the Dark Lord was being so unpredictable and so cautious. He was pulling the strings behind Britain's Ministry of Magic, they were more successful than they had ever been and there was no one that could stop them. That night just stirred up more questions that Bella did not need on her mind, especially while trying to focus on finding something to wear to this silly thing. Her sister had somehow convinced Rodolphus to send over Bellatrix's wardrobe from their old house, but there was no way that she was going to be able to wear half of that stuff ever again. It was nice to have a full closet again, but most of it was old memories that she did not want any longer. She had pulled a few dresses that might be candidates for that evening out when she stumbled upon her wedding dress. She pulled it out and looked it over before incinerating it and tossing it in the fireplace. No wonder Rodolphus had agreed to have her stuff sent over, that sick little prick. After trying on the few dresses that she had deemed acceptable, she finally settled on a sleek black and white striped gown that still hugged her in all the right places. Now if only the rest of the day would fly by so she could get ready with her sister and get this party out of the way.
It was not long before Narcissa came looking for Bella to help with the finishing touches. Bella sat using her wand to string decorations throughout the house while she listened to her sister go on about how great tonight was going to be and how Draco had invited a girl and that was probably the reason that he had decided to return to Hogwarts after the holidays. She listened and helped until Narcissa sent her upstairs to grab her stuff so they could get ready together. When Bella returned to her room she found a large black box laying in the middle of her bed, wrapped with a large silver bow. She eyed it suspiciously before flicking her wand and unwrapping the bow and removing the lid. Inside was a stunning emerald and black lace gown, she was stunned. It was much nicer than the old one she was going to wear. She pulled it out and held it up to herself in the mirror, admiring how perfect it was. It was not until she went to place it back in the box that she noticed a smaller box lying next to it. She placed the dress down and carefully opened the little black velvet box only to find the most stunning emerald ring she had ever seen. Bella was now completely speechless as she admired the large stone. She quickly grabbed her new dress and ring as well as the necklace her master had gotten her for Halloween and hurried off to her sister's room. Last time there was a party the Dark Lord surprised her with a necklace, could all of this be from his as well? At this point, there was no telling and there was no time to dwell on it either, as per usual her sister was going to spend half the afternoon trying to turn Bella's hair into something manageable.
The sister's talked casually while Narcissa did Bella's unruly hair, and then her own. It was not until it was time for them to get changed that her sister noticed the new dress her sister was proudly wearing.
"Where did this come from? It's gorgeous Bella!" Narcissa exclaimed while Bella added the finishing touches to her look for the evening.
"I don't know," Bella replied nonchalantly, "It was sitting on my bed when I got back upstairs." she added as she turned in her sister's giant mirror.
The dress looked even better on her, the high neckline gave it a very sophisticated look, but the high-low cut on the skirt added a little fun to it. Then there was the giant rock that was placed carefully on her left hand where it could be shown off. Maybe tonight was going to be better than she thought. Narcissa was eyeing Bellatrix very suspiciously but dropped the subject. Her sister seemed genuinely happy and she was not going to put a damper on things. Narcissa was dressed to the nines as always, wearing a long black gown with diamonds from head to toe.
"Cissy you look beautiful!" Bella exclaimed as they locked their arms to walk downstairs.
Thankfully this party was not as formal as the last one and she would not need to be escorted in by Rodolphus, in fact, she was not even sure if he was going to be there and she could not have cared less. By the time they arrived downstairs the party was already in full swing, the music was playing everyone was dancing and drinking and having a good time. Lucius quickly snatched Narcissa off to the dance floor. They really were perfect together, Bella thought as she grabbed a glass of champagne from the bar and watched her sister and brother-in-law glide around the dance floor. Even Draco was dancing, albeit a little awkwardly, with a pretty little girl Bella assumed must be from Hogwarts. The cherry on top was that her "husband" was nowhere in sight. For this moment, all seemed right in the world. It was a strangely comforting feeling that Bella was certainly not used to. Bella swayed to the music while she drank her glass of champagne, wandering contently around the room watching the party around her. It was nice being in her own little world just enjoying the atmosphere and the drink in her hand.
There was no telling how much time had passed when she felt her forearm begin to burn, calling her back from her head and to her master. Her heart raced as she tried to casually make her way through the party and to somewhere she could safely disapparate without drawing attention to herself. She carefully opened the large double doors and stopped dead in her tracks. Her master was waiting for her just outside the doors. She could not keep the smile off her face as she let the doors shut behind her.
"My lord," she said softly bowing her head before looking him up and down. He was all dressed up in some of the finest dress robes she had ever seen. If she thought he was handsome before, now there were not even words.
"Having a good evening?" he asked casually enough.
"Very good, my lord," she said contently. "Though it would be nice to have someone to dance with," she added with a soft sigh. Bella watched her master closely as she spoke, her deep eyes never leaving his.
The dark lord reached for her hand, kissing it softly before leading her back into the crowded room. Shock was the only feeling that could adequately describe how she felt as the Dark Lord himself led her into the crowded room. Her master never made public social appearances, and it was clear by the stunned looks on everyone's faces as they walked into the room and over to the dance floor. The stunned looks only fed Bella's ego as she danced in the center of the floor with the only man she ever wanted to dance with. Her smile was unyielding as they glided across the floor, her eyes glued on his. She felt like a princess in a fairytale, what an idea that was. They danced for what felt like hours before he finally led her off the dance floor, out the double doors and outside onto balcony overlooking the garden. Not a single word had been shared between, but honestly, there did not need to be. A slight shiver rushed through Bella's thin frame as the icy winter air rushed through her. Voldemort led her over to the railing, overlooking the grounds of the manor, a bucket of ice and champagne resting next to them. Her master unclipped his cloak and draped it over her bare shoulders as they stood, listening to the party raging inside the stone walls. She watched as he popped the cork in the champagne and poured each of them a glass, handing Bella's to her as the countdown to the new year echoed from inside. Bella looked up into her master's eyes as the party inside erupted in shouts of 'Happy New Year'.
She smiled, "Happy New Year, my lord," she said softly taking a sip from her glass.
"Happy New Year, Bella," her master hissed as he drank his glass of champagne, her hand still resting in his.
After finishing his glass, he placed it down on the railing, moving his hand to brush against Bella's face before pulling her close and kissing her. Butterflies erupted and soared through her body as her lips met his and she kissed, really kissed, the only person she had ever wanted to. If this was any indication of how the next year was going to go she was more than excited.