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Bella
Dora was sat in the grounds of Black Manor, staring out at the grand water feature centre piece of the immense grounds as she sat on the cool marble bench. She closed her eyes, her black curled hair moving in the light summer evening breeze as she listened to the faint babbling water in the distance, decidedly ignoring the footsteps coming up behind her. It was only when she felt the presense stop just behind her that Nymphadora decided to speak.
"Evening, Rab." Dora sighed.
"How did you know it was me?" His amused voice sounding in her ear as he climbed the bench to sit next to her.
"The way you walk." Dora smiled, leaning her head on his shoulder as she opened her eyes.
"The way I walk?" Rabastan raised an eyebrow before kissing the woman's head "Do I walk funny?"
"No." Dora laughed slightly, taking his hand in her own, tracing small circles in the palm of his hand "But Andromeda never wears flat shoes, I used to sit up at night as a child when I was attempting to sneak down to the kitchens and listen out to the clinking of her heels on the wood."
"She wore heels at night around your house?" Rabastan frowned.
"Yes." Dora sighed in amusement "Could you really imagine Andromeda walking around barefoot—or perhaps in a pair of fluffy slippers?"
"No, I suppose not." Rabastan laughed at the thought.
Nymphadora smiled thoughtfully, looking up at her husband before a slight confused look passed her innocent features "Why are you in dress robes? You look like you're going to a funeral."
Rabastan smirked mischievously, gently manoeuvring Nymphadora off of his shoulder before standing up and holding his hand out to her. She took his hand without question, though with a little confusion. The pair walked back into the manor in silence, up the grand staircase and down the corridor into one of the wings they rarely explored. It was only when she saw the door he was leading to that Nymphadora spoke again, biting her lip for a moment before spluttering out her words "Rab, why are we outside my mother's old room?"
"Well," Rabastan sighed, wrapping an arm around her shoulder as they both stared at the door "Andromeda and I have been speaking—"
"You two have been talking?" Dora raised an eyebrow "Without me to mediate? Merlin, are you okay?"
Rabastan rolled his eyes at his wife's nervous joking, shaking his head "Andromeda and I have been speaking—" he paused to see if Dora had another joke in her before he carried on "we think you need closure."
"Closure?" Dora asked, crossing her arms across her chest.
"Closure." Rabastan nodded, opening the door to the once room of Bellatrix Black.
The room was one of the larger ones of the manor, yet not the largest by far. It was dark, with the walls covered in some swirled black wall paper design, the only colour in the room a deep emerald green in the satin sheets and the odd photographs in matching ornate silver frames of various sizes around the room. Nymphadora took a step into the room, forcing a slight nervous smile at Andromeda Tonks, currently sat on the grand dark oak dressing table stool. She didn't miss the large bottle of fire whiskey and three glasses behind her, though Andromeda did look to be slightly uncomfortable in her once sisters room.
"W—What are we doing in here?" Dora asked, walking over to the nightstand and frowning at the small silver rattle on the side. Clearly it was one of the few objects that Bellatrix did not depart with when she gave over Nymphadora as a baby and left for Lestrange Manor. "Why does this room look untouched? Mum prepared the manor, most of the bedrooms are either empty or—clean."
"She wouldn't have touched this room." Andromeda shook her head "Too many memories I suppose—Narcissa's room isn't touched either."
Dora nodded, sitting on the edge of the bed as she ripped her gaze from the old rattle. She dared not ask Andromeda if her old room had been touched or not, though from the aversion of her gaze from the younger witch she knew Andromeda could tell she wanted to know.
"So," Rabastan sighed, walking over to Andromeda and reaching straight for the fire whiskey "I vote we drink, retell old stories—Andromeda found the book of old pictures of your mother. We can give her her own funeral, a celebration and remembrance of her life between us."
Dora smiled sadly "That sounds nice. Thank you."
Rabastan shrugged nonchalantly, handing Dora a glass of fire whiskey, sipping at his own whilst Andromeda merely swirled the amber liquid around her glass "Anything for you, mon amour."
A few hours and three quarters of a bottle of fire whiskey later (ninety percent of which had been consumed by Rabastan and Dora alone). Dora was laid back on her mothers old bed, giggling at her husband who was currently laid back on the bed with her as she rested her shoulder on his chest. Andromeda had moved over to the window seat, taking a small sip of her drink as she watched the drunken pair of adults before her.
"I remember," Dora giggled, "when we were both pregnant and ended up in the kitchens together at 2 in the morning. She almost killed a house elf when he told her there weren't any chocolate frogs in the manor—actually tried to convince me to go get some until I reminded her of the time, she didn't see the whole wanted criminal thing as an issue because I could 'morph into some old hag'—a pregnant old hag seemed very reasonable. I was far too distracted trying to eat an entire pot of raspberry jam to care too much, I was rather upset when she decided that was what she was craving next and I had to settle for strawberry."
Rabastan burst into laughter, downing the rest of his fire whiskey "Wait, is that why you spent nearly a week muttering about raspberries in your sleep?"
"Maybe." Dora giggled.
"Why didn't you just give her chocolate?" Andromeda frowned.
"Because they didn't move." Dora sighed "She found enjoyment in moving foods."
"Of course she did." Andromeda rolled her eyes.
"Oh Bella," Rabastan chuckled, reaching across his wife and taking her fire whiskey glass, ignoring the pout on his wife's face "that bitch was crazy—and I call her a bitch in a loving way, I knew she took it as a complement since I first called her one when I was 14 and when I thought she was going to crucio me she simply said 'thank you' and walked away."
"She—" Dora giggled "She was funny." The witch nodded her head, placing her hand firmly on her chest as she leant over and grabbed her glass back with her teeth, downing the last of it with a giggle before she dropped the glass on the bed and fell back in laughter as whiskey dribbled down her chin "Dromeda! Andy! Andy Pandy! Drommie—"
Andromeda shook her head in amused disapproval "Andromeda or Dromeda, Dora."
"You've been told, Nymphie." Rabastan giggled.
"Dromeda," Dora giggled as she hit Rab playfully "pass the fire whiskey."
"No." Andromeda sighed.
"Why?" Dora whined.
"Because you drank it all."
"Ooops!" Rab laughed as Dora sat up on the bed "Where you going?"
"Rigel." Dora pulled herself to her feet "Delphi . . . My son and my sister. Lot's of s's there . . . Need to check on them."
"No you don't." Andromeda said "You two have had far too much to drink, you stay. I'll go."
Rabastan frowned, considering the woman for a moment before he nodded. Dora grinned drunkenly again, watching her leave them room for a few moments before with a deep sigh she went over to her mother's old dresser. She looked over the old trinkets, the silver engraved jewellery box, the abandoned empty bottle of fire whiskey. As a hand rested on her shoulder, her husbands lazy head soon joining it as he pressed a sloppy kiss on her cheek enticing a small giggle out of her.
"I love you, Rab." Dora smiled, leaning back into the man.
"You beat me to saying it." Rab sighed, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her backwards towards the bed again.
"Rab!" Dora laughed "I'm not having sex with you in here."
"I knooow that." Rab breathed, laying back on the bed and pulling his wife on top of her and holding her close. He stroked her back and kissed her hair "Just lay here."
Dora snuggled in closer to her husband, playing with the buttons of his robes as she mumbled "Rab . . ."
"Yus?" Rab smiled contentedly before he looked down at his wife.
Dora reached up, stroking the stubble on her husbands face for a few moments before she pressed a soft kiss to his lips, smiling slightly as she whispered "Thank you." She stared into his dark eyes, a contended smile on her face as she nuzzled her head into his neck, each of them falling asleep in the old bedroom of Bellatrix Black.
Nymphadora Lestrange sat in what was now the play room of Black Manor, sat in the pile of pillows she had assembled in the corner as she flicked through an old photo album she had found days previously. She had been waiting for both Rabastan and Andromeda to be preoccupied with something before she had looked through the old book. It wasn't as if she wanted to hide the fact that she had such an item, though she didn't want Andromeda to be upset if she saw some of the pictures in there and Rabastan . . . well she simply wanted to see these before she had to go ask Rabastan who all the people she didn't recognise in the small moving pictures were. A small smile tugged at the corner of Dora's mouth as she watched a ten year old Bellatrix Black sitting on the fountain in the gardens, a book in her lap as she looked at the camera with disdain.
"Dora?" the witch looked to the now nearly 3 year old Delphini looking to her sister, her silver hair flowing down past her shoulders in a way far too perfect for a child of her age, all held in place by a single emerald green pin. "What you doing?" Delphi asked, resting her hand on her sisters knee as she tried to see what she was looking at.
"Just pictures, Delphi." Dora said, sitting up slightly as the girl ran round to her side.
"What pictures?" Delphi frowned.
"Umm—" Dora hesitated for a moment before she breathed "pictures of my—our family."
"Oh." Delphi tilted her head slightly.
"Mummy!" Rigel called from the other side of the room, grinning broadly when Dora looked up to him "Look!" he pointed to a pile of bricks, nearly twice his height, with a sense of triumph.
"Well done, Rigel." Dora smiled "Very—Delphi!"
"Whaaat?" Delphini whined.
"Don't snatch." Dora scolded, pulling her photo album back from the little girls grip.
"Why?" Delphi imitated her sisters tone "My family book."
"Our family Delphi," Dora sighed, batting the girls hands away as she turned the page and pointed at a picture of the girls all in Slytherin uniforms "there's Auntie Cissy—you probably don't remember her but she's fun—then there's Andromeda in the middle, she doesn't look very happy but I think that's about the time she met Ted, then there's mummy. Our mummy."
"Mummy?" Delphi asked, looking to the picture curiously as Dora nodded, waiting a moment before she flipped to the back of the book, lose in the back page was a worn photograph of Bellatrix Black, a pink haired one-year-old sat giggling in her lap as Bella hugged her tightly "That's me and mummy."
Delphi looked at the photograph curiously for a few moments before she reached out and picked it up, looking at the pair. She pressed her finger to the one-year-old, giggling slightly as both occupants of the image looked up to the curious little girl. "My mummy?"
"Yes . . ." Dora nodded, watching the photograph carefully "my mummy and your mummy." She chewed her lip for a moment, flipping through the book until she found a photograph of just Bellatrix, sitting at Grimmauld Place with a glass of wine in her hand, from the looks of it it must have been just before she conceived Nymphadora. "Here." Dora held the picture out for Delphi, letting her take it "You can keep that one, can I have mine back now please?"
"Mine?" Delphi asked as she took the picture, waiting for Dora's nod before she looked at the other picture "This mine too."
"Delphi no, that's mine." Dora reached out for the picture, managing to grasp the corner of it before Delphi tried to pull it away "Delphi don't rip it, be careful."
"It's mine!" Delphi yelled, causing Rigel to yelp in shock as he knocked over his tower.
"No—Delphi!" Dora groaned as she stood up from her comfortable seat as her sister ran away from her, running behind the rocking horse and throwing a small plastic hall and laughing in delight as Dora stopped herself from falling flat on her face at the last second. "Delphi!" Dora panted, stopping as she put one hand on her hip, the other hand warningly pointing a finger at her "Don't you make me use magic, missy!"
"Don't you make me use magic!" Delphi screamed at her sister.
"Mummy . . ." Rigel whimpered, shuffling back to sit against the wall as he put his hands on his ears.
"Hey, it's okay Rigel." Dora comforted Rigel before she looked right back at Delphi "Delphini Riddle, you put my picture down and behave right now or you will be going to bed with no dinner—or I'll put a sleeping charm on you and you can go to bed right now!"
"No!" Delphi screamed, her hair shooting bright red as in a flash of rage fire came shooting towards her older sister. Luckily Dora reacted quickly, shielding herself from the flame only to look back at the girl now stood around burning furniture with a look of horror on her face. Dora looked to her cowering son, flicking her wrist as she opened to door.
"Rigel get Daddy!" Dora yelled, barely waiting to see the boy shoot out like a shot before with a deep breath she ran over to Delphi. Dora yelled in pain as she ran through the flames, grabbing Delphi in a one armed embrace as she yelled a spell at the flames to make them disappear though as the girl continued to scream Dora hissed at the dark magic radiating off of her. The elder witches hair went white, gritting her teeth in pain as she still tried to rock, shush and comfort the small girl into calming down.
"Dora!" Nymphadora barely registered the yell of concern, though she gasped in relief as the pain stopped along with the cries of her sister. The weight was lifted off of her as Dora slowly opened her eyes to see Andromeda cradling the small girl, Rabastan soon dropping to her side as he took her cheek in his hand.
"Where's Rigel?" Dora asked, looking up to Rabastan.
"He's fine," Rab snapped, lifting his wife into his arms on her lap as he looked her over for wounds "your dress is singed!"
"I'm fine, Rab." Dora winced as she sat up "What did Dromeda do to Delphi?"
"She just put her to sleep." Rab shook his head, drawing his wand and waving it over her body "Fuck. Dora, she cursed you."
"Ha!" Dora winced "I got cursed by a fucking three year old."
"She's dangerous." Rabastan shook his head "We need to keep her away from Rigel, that is too dangerous for her first accidental magic. . ."
"No." Dora shook her head, taking Rab's hand in her own as she kissed his knuckles "We just need to train her. Come on, help me fix the room."
Dora held back another wince as she pulled herself to her feet, ignoring her husband's disapproving glance as he waved his wand at the burnt rocking chair. Dora looked to the floor where Delphi had stood, biting her lip as she saw the singed photographs at her feet. She hesitantly bent to the floor, reaching out as her hand hovered over the two pieces of paper, her eyes closing for a moment and expelling a deep breath before she picked them up. She slowly turned over the pictures, barely noticing the tear of relief that fell from her eyes when she noticed the pictures themselves were unharmed, only singed slightly on the border. She tucked the photographs into her pocket, summoning the photo album and putting it out of the way before she got to helping a disgruntled muttering Rabastan fix the play room. Merlin, it was not easy to raise the child of The Dark Lord.