I have had a startling revelation. I think that all of my chapters are boring, save a very select few. Hmm...hope you like this better than I do!
Chapter 14
My breath was a silken hiss against my sister's ear, and she jumped up in terror at my statement. I smiled dangerously, my hands resting on the back of the chair she had been sitting in. She looked...tired. And sad. I felt a brief twinge of sympathy for her, but steeled my heart against it.
She swallowed almost convulsively, and smiled weakly.
"Bella," she said, trying to look pleased to see me. I was not fooled.
"Ah, so you do remember who I am," I sneered, dropping gracelessly into her now vacated chair. "Did you, on any sudden whim, decide to keep my wand when it was sent to you, or should I be looking into getting a new one?"
"What's that supposed to mean?" she snapped, steel in her voice.
"You know perfectly well what that's supposed to mean!" I shouted, shifting so that my feet rested on the floor and I sat up straight. "You should have tried to get me out of there! If you couldn't do that, you should have at least come to see me! Anything!" My voice cracked from lack of use, and I felt disgusted by the hoarse, sick sound that was issuing from my throat.
"Bellatrix, you know perfectly well that there was nothing I could do about it! Lucius would have murdered me if I had drug his precious family name through the mud by paying a visit to Azkaban!" she shouted back. There was a flicker in her eyes that told me she was lying. Lucius wouldn't have cared if she had come to see me. I, however, was not going to press that issue.
I rose to my feet and grabbed her jaw in one fluid motion. She stared up at me, the terror in her eyes thinly veiled by arrogance. My face twisted into a mask of anger.
"Then you should have written, you should have done something! Anything except what you did, which, may I remind you, was nothing!" I screamed in her face. "I am your sister! I taught you how to ride a broomstick! I bought you your first sweets from honeydukes, I bought you your first butterbeer! I introduced you to your husband! I was your matron of honor, I am your son's godmother!"
The anger and rage that surged through my body, fueled by the pain that I was trying to shunt away, was beginning to fade. The pain that I was trying to mask with other feelings was working its way to the surface. I couldn't hold it off any longer. I was hurt. I was hurt that not only did Severus refuse to admit that he had ever cared for me, but my own sister refused to show any kind of love or support for me.
"And all of that meant nothing to you," I whispered, my hand falling to my side.
Narcissa had tears in her eyes. I felt the hot burning of tears at the back of my eyes and my throat felt blocked. I took a slow deep breath, closing my eyes and pressing my fingers against the lids, trying to regain my composure.
"Bella, I tried--" She began in an anguished whisper, but I held up my hand.
"I know you tried," I said wearily, lifting my face and staring her in the eye. "And I know that you didn't try like you should have. Someday, perhaps, I'll have the opportunity to repay the favor."
She sighed heavily, her shoulders drooping slightly. I turned to walk to the fireplace. On the mantel were pictures of her and her family. There were many pictures of a young man I did not recognize, and I assumed that it was her son Draco. There were two pictures of her and I from school, and in both we were smiling and looked quite happy.
"When did you get here?" she asked suddenly.
"Just before Severus walked out the front door," I replied coolly. "He and I spoke briefly."
"Didn't you speak to him at the...compound?"
"Yes," I snapped, whirling to face her. "And he was, as usual, in denial about everything in his life. And when we spoke here he was simply trying to goad me into doing something stupid."
She nodded, her eyes studying my face carefully.
"Have you seen yourself?" she asked gently.
"No," I said quietly, lifting my hands to my face.
I knew that I was far too thin and that I looked unhealthy, but just how bad it actually was, I had no idea. Narcissa took my arm gently and led me up the stairs to her private bathroom. She turned on a light.
My gasp was harsh in the silence of the house. My eyes were dull, bloodshot, and sported dark bags. My cheeks looked shrunken and pinched. My once lovely pale complexion now looked sickly and far too white. It was like I was a ghost of myself. My lips, always large, looked almost cartoonish in my thin face. My hair was far too long. It hung past my elbows. The silky, satiny tresses were now a matted mess of what appeared to be black strings. Tears dripped down my cheeks, and I lifted my fingers to my hair. It felt like sandpaper. I touched my cheeks, horrified by my appearance.
"Do you have a brush? A comb?" I asked softly. "Can I use your shower?"
Narcissa smiled faintly and nodded. She walked out, only to return moments later with a large towel, brush, comb, and some of her clothes. I smiled faintly and took the items from her, setting them on a counter.
The shower took longer than any pervious in my life, and I had to use inordinate amounts of moisturizer on my hair. My face looked much healthier when I again looked at myself in the mirror, probably due to the fact that the dirt had been washed away. I was saddened by how much older I looked.
"Bella, are you decent?" A male voice called through the door.
I walked over, clad in the clothes Narcissa had left for me, and opened the door to find Lucius standing there. He pulled me into a tight embrace. We had been fairly close at school, and had remained good friends until I had been sentenced to Azkaban, so I wasn't surprised by his actions.
"I am so very glad to see you," he whispered against my ear. His lips brushed my temple, my lips, before he pulled back slightly to stare down at me for a moment before releasing me.
That, surprised me.
"Well, I'm glad to see you as well," I replied carefully, my eyes flickering over his face.
"That place," he murmured to himself, his eyes still roaming my face. "What has it done to you, my Bella?" I felt an angry flush creep into my cheeks.
"Oh, thank you, Lucius, that is exactly what I want to hear right now," I snarled, grabbing a brush and dragging it through my long hair.
Had Ibeen paying closer attention,I would have questioned the use ofa possessive pronoun in conjunction with my name. However,I was preoccupied with what I perceived as an insult.I jerked one of the drawers open, revealing a plethora of cosmetics. I began applying make-up, in an attempt to make myself look more human. When finished, I turned to Lucius who still stood in the doorway.
"Do I look better now?" I demanded coldly.
"Substantially," he responded, smirking slightly.
"What has happened since I was...sentenced?" I asked quietly.
"Perhaps we should move to the sitting room?" Lucius suggested. I nodded my acquiescence. "There is much to tell," he said with a heavy sigh.
"It might be easiest if you were to tell me how long it has been since our Master regained his powers," I said quietly.
"It has been...less than a year," Lucius told me, leaning back against the couch. "And yet, he has learned of the loss of the horcrux he entrusted to me."
My eyes widened. "You lost one of his horcruxes?"
"It was destroyed, by that boy, Potter," Lucius snarled.
"How could you?" I hissed, terror welling into every fiber of my being. "I was half responsible for that item!"
"Our master does not blame you," he assured me. "You were, after all, locked in Azkaban."
I grimaced slightly. "What are our current activities?"
"Currently, we need to find out the entirety of a prophecy involving Potter and Our Master. We are trying to make our way into the department of Mysteries, so far though, we have been unsuccessful," Lucius told me calmly. "Although, you will probably have your own assignments and instructions."
"What of Severus?" I asked hesitantly.
"Ah, Severus. There is...much to tell in relation to Severus."
I stared at him, encouraging him to continue.
"Severus...I trust him implicitly," Lucius said carefully. "However...he did not respond to the first call of our Master. He has been teaching at Hogwarts since before our master fell. He has been at the school with Potter for upward of four years now, and has not taken any opportunities. He seems to be unfavorably close to Dumbledore. I really am not in any place to continue to tell you about Severus. You must hear it from him, or our master."
Each revelation confused me more than the last. How could Severus behave so...adversely to Voldemort's wishes? Was he really still loyal to Voldemort? I couldn't bring myself to consciously question his loyalty, and yet, if Lucius was to be trusted, his actions were highly suspect.
"Have you questioned him about all of this?" I asked quietly.
"Yes, and as you well know, he is a skilled Occlumens, I find it difficult to believe that I would have any idea if he were telling me the truth or not. However, our Master believes him, and I dare not disagree with our Master."
"Nor do I."
Boo-yah, another chapter down! Sorry that chapter 13was so...unresolved. I guess you'll just have to keep reading to find out what happens. As always, I love reviews, so please leave me one! I appreciate constructive criticism and praise is, naturally, always welcome.
Electra de Lioncourt -- I promise that very very shortly the problem between Narcissa and Lucius will be revealed, so try to be patient with me... :) Thanks, I love The Shining too!
nightangel -- Ha, sorry! I guess I didn't do as nice a job with that chapter as I thought. When I wrote it, I kind of had the idea that Narcissa really was afraid of Bella, she was just telling Lucius that she wasn't to be contrary, you know? Sorry, I'll try to be clearer in the future!
Dancer8428 -- Hmm, well, hopefully your feelings toward Snape will be addressed in some upcoming chapters.
