Happy Battle of Hogwarts anniversary. Here's something to make you guys forget about the sadness of the fallen warriors, an escape to a universe where at least one dead character is still alive haha
Please read, enjoy and please do leave a review for our latest installment of our story.
Bella
The couple of Black Manor were awoken at 9am the next morning. This would have been something to rejoice in, though the new born babe had not slept through the night, far from it. This was in fact the fifth time little Bella had decided to wake her parents from their intermittent sleep that night, though as Dora mumbled and opened her arms for Rabastan to bring the girl to her to feed she was sure from the way he shot out of bed that he had not truly been sleeping since they were last awoken. After a few moments Dora opened her eyes, turning her head towards her husband and smiling warmly. The man was gently shushing the girl as she whimpered up at him, reaching for his stubble with her tiny hands.
"She is beautiful." Rab sighed, carrying her over to her mother.
"Yes, she is." Dora agreed, pulling herself to sit up against the headrest whilst trying to hide her wince of pain.
"You don't have to see the children today if you are not up for it, Dora." Rabastan frowned.
"Don't be silly." Dora said, leaning over and kissing his cheek with a small smirk. "You need a shave."
"I don't know, I thought I'd try out a beard." Rabastan teased. "I think it makes me look more mature."
"You look mature enough, old man." Dora laughed as her husband nudged her gently in the side.
"Charming." Rabastan rolled his eyes before nodding for her to take Bella.
"I don't like stubble." Dora pouted as she adjusted her night dress before taking Bella and helping her find her meal. "It's scratchy."
"Hmmm." Rab smirked, leaning down and grazing his chin against her neck. He couldn't help but laugh as the girl cringed against him despite her giggles.
"Behave." Dora warned him in her amusement, leaning her head back and closing her eyes again.
"Oui, Madame." Rabastan said. He got up from the bed, walking over to the wardrobe and beginning to change. He smirked as he caught Dora peering at his body in the mirror as he was midway through pulling on his trousers. "Not for a while yet, love."
"You do not need to tell me that." Dora shook her head avidly as she looked down at her daughter, putting on a childlike tone for the girl "Daddy is insane if he think's Mummy is thinking of that, yes he is."
Rabastan scoffed as he walked over and kissed his wife and daughter's heads in turn, stroking the little girls arm as he sat back down next to the pair. The pink haired witch leant her head on her husband's shoulder, the pair sitting in a comfortable silence as they watched Bella feed. The witch was practically asleep again by the time Bella had decided she had finished feeding, bringing her up to her shoulder to wind her.
"Can you go get Andromeda, please?" Dora murmured.
"Why?" Rabastan sat up instantly, looking to her intently "Are you okay? Do you need more potions?"
"No," Dora gave the man a tired smile "she won't let me see our son nor my sister until she's seen me—though potions do sound beautiful too. Just pass that little one on the side to me."
Rabastan obeyed her request for the potion, watching as she drank it. "Do you want me to put Bella back in her crib?"
"No." Dora adjusted the girl in her arms, leaning down and kissing the child's dark hair. "I would very much like our son and my sister though."
". . . Fine." Rabastan sighed, walking to the door. "Though may I remind you Andromeda said she'd see 'if you're strong enough to see them'. You may be able to bend me to your will but I can't see you attempting to change her mind anytime soon."
"That's where you're wrong." Dora smirked. "Now go get her . . . please."
The woman watched the man leave the room as a small whimper came from the child in her arms. "Hey, beautiful." Dora whispered, kissing the girl's little hands as they reached up to her face. She truly was perfect (though perhaps she was so adamant of this because she was her own flesh and blood, though she was sure it was the truth), with her dark locks the same shade as her father's and her deep dark eyes Dora knew to be her own natural shade. "You are going to be a little heart breaker when you're older." Dora grinned "Yes you are." The woman giggled for a moment before she frowned thoughtfully "That is if we ever manage to find a way to get you children out of this Manor without us being clapped in irons . . . I'm sorry baby, it's not fair . . ." Dora sniffed, adjusting her grip on her daughter as she blinked back the tears threatening to come. "Hey," Dora cooed as her little girl screwed up her features as if to let out another cry "you can't cry. You're all fed and warm and loved . . . You are so loved."
Nymphadora looked up from her bed as Andromeda slipped into the room, smiling as she tried her hardest not to let her tiredness show on her features. "Morning." Andromeda smiled politely back as she walked over and sat on the edge of the bed next to Nymphadora, leaning over and stroking little Bella's hair. "Morning Bella," Andromeda shook her head "that will take some getting used to."
"Rab said the same thing when I suggested it." Dora shrugged.
"I'm surprised he agreed to it in the first place." Andromeda replied.
"Well . . ." Dora chewed her lip as she tried to search for the words she needed "he could see how much I wanted it . . . We did compromise on the middle name."
Andromeda raised an eyebrow as she looked to the empty potion bottle on the side "Oh?"
"Yes . . ." Dora sighed "Well . . . I mean, Rigel has his name as a middle name—he tried to tell me I should give her my name as her middle name, though my name has never been one of my favourites."
"Of course," Andromeda nodded "so what did you want?"
"I—" Dora blushed noticeably, too tired to think of morphing it away quickly enough as she looked down to her daughter "I wanted Andromeda . . . but Rabastan . . . didn't think it was wise."
"Oh," Andromeda looked to the girl, both slightly shocked and honoured at the same time "well I can see his reasoning. I'm sure he wouldn't want a blood traitors name for his child." Andromeda decidedly ignored the scoff from her once daughter "So what did you settle on in the end?"
"Narcissa." Dora sighed "She did do a lot for me when I was taken back to mum . . . more than most people know. She deserves it too—though not as much as you do."
"Of course." Andromeda smirked, leaning and kissing Dora's head. "Bellatrix Narcissa Lestrange is a fine name, very pureblood—very Black."
Dora nodded with a small sigh before a she looked up to Andromeda with a purposely innocent smile "Can I see the children now? Please?"
Andromeda looked the girl up and down, drawing her wand down her to inspect that her magic was settled before gave a small nod. "I suppose so."
"Yes." Dora grinned, her hair bright pink. "Are they outside with Rab?"
"No, they're outside on their own—being perfectly well behaved." Andromeda said as she walked towards the door "Rab has gone to find Rod—he does need to meet her too, I suppose."
"I suppose." Dora smirked.
Andromeda Tonks opened the girl's bedroom door to look to the two patiently waiting children outside the door. She looked to both of them in turn before giving them a small nod, Rigel grinning back up at her as Delphi merely smiled slightly at the thought of meeting her niece. "Remember what I said, Dora's still very tired." Andromeda looked more to Delphini as she spoke, more worried of the girl misbehaving their she was Rigel "Be quiet and behave."
"Of course." Rigel nodded, calming himself as he slipped past Andromeda.
"Since when did I not behave?" Delphi couldn't help but smirk as she went to walk past Andromeda, stopping as she felt her gentle hand on her shoulder.
"Perhaps you should let Marvolo remain elsewhere." Andromeda gave the girl a stern look as Delphi was clearly ready to protest "Do you think Rabastan would be pleased if he walked back here and found a snake next to his new born daughter?"
"No." Delphi reluctantly agreed. She looked down to the snake currently who had currently draped himself around her shoulders, a gentle hiss passing her lips. After she had let a few more words exchange between the pair Delphi bent down to let the snake comfortably slither from her hand to the floor. The snake had made its way around the corner when she looked back up at her Aunt. "Happy?"
"Ecstatic." Andromeda drawled before she gestured for the girl to go into the room, carefully shutting the door after her as the two of them had entered the room.
Rigel was stood next to his mother, looking down at his new sister in awe "She's so tiny."
"You were that small once." Dora laughed, adjusting the girl in her arms so she could reach a hand out to her son. "Come here, baby."
"Mum," Rigel blushed furiously "I am not a baby."
"Oh nonsense, you'll always be my baby." Dora pouted, stretching her hand out to the boy again until he relented and sat on the bed next to his mother as she wrapped her spare arm around him. "Do you want to hold your sister?"
"Yes." Rigel quickly said with another grin.
"Sit up properly, Rigel." Andromeda sighed, walking over to the bed and showing him how to hold his arms before she took Bella from her mother's arms. Rigel looked terrified as the little girl whimpered slightly though as the girl was placed into his arms, calming with a few gentle shushes from Andromeda, his hair turned a bright turquoise.
Delphi looked at the small family thoughtfully, the twelve-year-old unsure of what to do with herself as she stood at the end of the bed. The room was silent for a few moments before she decided to speak "Is she a Metamorphmagus?"
Dora looked to the girl kindly, shaking her head slightly as she knew her son was watching her intently for an answer as well. Delphi was merely more blunt, more unafraid to ask what she wanted. "No," Dora replied "I don't think so. She hasn't done it yet—Rigel had nearly morphed his hair through the rainbow within a few hours—you changed your hair a few times too."
"So she doesn't have any morphing abilities?" Delphi asked.
"No. Perhaps we have enough people that can do that under one roof." Dora winked at the girl as Delphi couldn't help but laugh at that slightly.
"I can't help but agree with that comment." Andromeda smirked as she sat on the end of the bed, gesturing Delphini to come sit with her.
"What's her name?" Rigel asked, frowning slightly as the baby gripped onto his robes.
Dora bit her lip for a moment before taking a deep breath, stroking the little girls arm for a moment before casting her eyes on Delphi. "Bella—her full name is Bellatrix Narcissa Lestrange." Dora didn't miss the look on her sisters face, nor the gentle hand of Andromeda moving to rest on the young girl's shoulder.
"After Grandmother?" Rigel asked.
"Yes, Rigel." Dora leant down, kissing his head as she adjusted his hold on his sister for him. "After my mother and Aunt Narcissa."
". . . It's a nice name." to Dora's surprise it was Delphi who spoke, she smiled at her.
"Thank you, I'm glad you like it." Dora truly was glad; she was worried how Delphi would react to her using their mother's name for her new daughter. Though it was clear from the girls face that she wasn't ecstatic about the use of the name she wasn't exactly protesting it, which was as good a sign as any in her books. "Do you want to hold her?"
Delphi shook her head; she did not want to hold baby Bella when the baby's father could walk back in any moment. "No . . . thanks."
"Well," Andromeda declared, standing from the bed as she gestured for Delphi to get up "in that case, we should leave you to get some rest—don't pout at me Nymphadora, you're not a child."
"Fine." Dora huffed, smirking as Rigel couldn't help but laugh in amusement. ". . . Can you put her in her crib please, Andromeda?"
"Of course." Andromeda walked over to the girl, very carefully taking Bella from her brother's arms. She kissed the girls head and shushed her slightly as she laid her down in the crib. Both Rigel and Delphi said their goodbyes to Nymphadora (Rigel pretending to be embarrassed as his mother managed to pull him in for a hug, placing a big kiss on his cheek) then all three of them left the room as Andromeda promised to check in on her if Rabastan had not returned soon. Nymphadora Lestrange smiled contentedly as she managed to slowly lay herself back under the sheets of her bed, watching her daughter mewling happily in her crib until her eyes were too heavy to keep open and she let herself be taken by sleep.
The youngest Lestrange was merely ten days old as the the Lestrange brothers and Nymphadora were in the main sitting room. Dora laid against her husband on the couch as she cradled Bella on her chest, stroking her back as she watched her brother-in-law pour himself and her husband a glass of fire whiskey.
"I could have a tiny bit." Dora sighed.
"Not whilst you're breast feeding." Rodolphus shook his head as he passed his brother his glass and returned to his own seat.
As she huffed in annoyance Rabastan leant down and kissed her head through his small chuckle of amusement. "You've never liked fire whiskey much anyway."
"True," Dora nodded thoughtfully, "but not being able to have it makes me what it oh so much more."
"The temptation of that you can't have." Rodolphus smirked.
"Exactly." Dora agreed.
"I know the feeling." Rabastan chuckled as he brushed the hair from his wife's neck "How long until . . .?" Rab winced as Dora hit his leg playfully, though the boyish grin on his features still remained.
"Not for—" Dora's eyes widened as she felt a subtle knock on the wards "What—?"
The door to the sitting room burst open, Rodolphus was already on his feet as she sat up to look to Andromeda. The witch was panting for breath, struggling to keep up her usual prim and proper demeanour around the boys as she grasped onto the door frame to stop herself. "I—It's Narcissa."
"What?" Rabastan frowned, getting up from the seat.
"You heard me." Andromeda snapped. "I was re-enforcing the wards when I saw her walking down the lane towards the manor."
"Is it just Narcissa?" Dora asked, walking over to Andromeda and gesturing for her to take her daughter. "She's knocking the wards to get in . . ." Dora looked between the two boys, unsure of what to do.
Rabastan thought for a moment before he nodded "Well she has been here already since . . ."
"You're a fool if you let her back in!" Rodolphus growled at his brother, enticing a whimper from Bella as she stirred in her mother's arms. "What if she brought the Ministry straight to us?"
"She wouldn't." Dora shook her head, wincing as the wards knocked again. "Andromeda—take her."
Andromeda reluctantly took the whimpering child from her mother's arms. "I'm sure she's alone . . ."
Dora nodded "Take Bella to the nursery and wait there—take Rigel there too." She waited for Andromeda to reluctantly leave the room before she looked between the two brothers "You two come with me, wait in the entry way—out of sight—I'll morph and go to the gates. That way if anyone from the ministry is watching I will not look like who they are looking for. If anything goes wrong, you'll have my back." Dora didn't waste any time, morphing instantly into a much older woman—though she ensured to keep many of the Black traits in her appearance so she could claim to be a distant Black relative if needed. She didn't wait for the boys to respond before she left the room.
"So commanding." Rodolphus rolled his eyes as he drew his wand.
"I've missed this side of you." Rabastan smirked.
Dora couldn't help but smirk back at her husband slightly as she motioned for them to stop at the entry way to the manor. With a deep breath she waved her hand to open the main doors. She had to force herself not to run to the blonde witch she could see by the gates, merlin it had been too long. Narcissa Malfoy looked just as she remembered, though the tiredness of war was now gone from her features. She looked the perfect prim and proper pureblood wife again, her hair swept neatly up into an intricate bun, her pale blue summer robes hugging her figure in the perfect modest ways for a woman of her age. Dora held back her smile as she walked up to the gates, though Narcissa was already biting back a smile at the sight of her niece.
"What's the password?" Dora asked, her wand tightly gripped in her hand.
Narcissa didn't miss a beat "There has never been a password to get into this manor—unless you've decided to create one since I last visited you, it has been a while."
Dora looked the witch up and down for a moment before she spoke again "What was the first magic you used on me when I first came to Malfoy Manor?"
"A healing spell." Narcissa said "To comfort you and ease your pain, as you were chained to the wall in the dungeon—to which I told you you should be honoured that I took you down there myself as I did not go down there often."
Dora grinned, reaching her hand out through the ward and easing the woman through them. "I've missed you, Aunt Cissa." Dora said as she dropped her morph, hugging the woman.
"And I you." Narcissa smiled, hugging the girl back for a few moments before she pulled away "We should go inside."
Dora nodded, leading her Aunt up the pathway and back into the Manor. The men both looked at her questionably as she took Narcissa over the doorway of the manor, each of the men holding their wands firmly towards her. "She's fine, honestly. I asked her a couple of questions."
Rodolphus wrinkled his nose at the woman "How do you know she doesn't want to turn us in? Her and her husband turned their backs on us all—once again. Have you got her wand?"
"Don't cause a scene, Rodolphus." Dora glared, though she was surprised as Narcissa pressed her wand into her hand.
"Happy?" Narcissa raised an eyebrow "I mean you no harm."
"I—" Rodolphus went to speak again before he noticed Delphini out of the corner of his eye, stood at the top of the stairway. "Delphi, what are you doing here? Go."
Delphi ignored the man, her gaze focusing intently on the new woman in the manor "You're Narcissa."
"I am." Narcissa replied, glancing at the Lestrange men before she looked back to the girl "You've grown."
"I'm twelve." Delphi said proudly, ignoring the snake slithering up her waist to her shoulders.
"I know." Narcissa smiled kindly at her.
"Delphi," Dora looked to her sister "go to the nursery please, go take Rigel to the library or somewhere."
"Can we go in the gardens?" Delphi asked hopefully.
"No." Rabastan replied this time. "I'll take Rigel, I need to talk to him." Rabastan looked to his wife for a moment before he quickly kissed her cheek "Yell if you need me." Dora nodded before she watched Rabastan walk away. She rested her glance on Rodolphus for a moment before with a growl of annoyance he went to Delphi, taking her hand as he muttered about teaching her something.
"She's so big . . ." Narcissa shook her head in wonder "I suppose Rigel is just a big now?"
"Yes." Dora sighed "I think the boys are trying to train him to be head of the Lestrange household."
"Only now?" Narcissa frowned.
"Thank merlin," Dora pouted "they're making him grow up."
"Well unfortunately children do do that." Narcissa smiled sympathetically at the girl.
Dora giggled. It was just as if the war had never been lost, as if they were still living in Malfoy Manor together speaking of Dora's troubles with becoming a 'proper pureblood' again. It felt oddly comforting. She almost didn't want to ask what she knew she had to, though she forced herself to return to a serious demeanour as she looked to her Aunt. "What brings you here? Is something wrong?"
"No." Narcissa shook her head "I— . . . I daresay I simply missed you. We are not watched as we once were—which is not to mean you should relax in your hiding, you are definitely still being looked for. Though it is easier for me to slip away, I've been wanting to for months now, today my curiosity simply got the better of me."
"Well," Dora smirked "you have perfect timing."
"Oh?" Narcissa raised an eyebrow.
"Come on." With a giggle Dora walked off towards the nursery, Narcissa close beside her as she looked to each portrait she passed curiously. The younger witch stopped only as she got to the room, remembering who was inside and looking to her Aunt. "Aunt Cissa . . . last time you were here . . . You said Andromeda didn't have to hide from you."
Narcissa thought for a moment before she nodded "I did. She doesn't."
"Good." Nymphadora said carefully "Then I have two people I think you would like to see."
"Two?" Narcissa frowned, though as soon as she could say anything her niece had opened the door to the nursery. There, in the corner of the room on a rocking chair she recognised from being the one her own mother once used, sat Andromeda Black Tonks cradling a small bundle in her arms. Andromeda looked up to the two witches, whatever she was about to say lost on her lips as Nymphadora looked between the pair. "Dromeda." Narcissa breathed.
Andromeda hesitated for a moment before she stood, her dark eyes not leaving her sisters cold blue pair. "Cissa . . ." she breathed, standing perfectly still. Not a word was spoken between the three until Bella let out a small cry.
"Oh Bella," Dora sighed, walking over to the little girl and taking her in her arms "come to mummy."
"Bella?" Narcissa asked, looking to the small girl in Dora's arms. "Did you have another child, Dora?"
"Yes." Dora smiled "She's ten days old."
Narcissa smiled as she looked to the small bundle in her niece's arms, reaching out and stroking the little girls arm "And you called her Bella?"
"Well . . ." Dora bit her lip in her own amusement.
"She called her Bellatrix." To the pairs surprise it was Andromeda who spoke, seemingly having found her voice "Bellatrix Narcissa Lestrange to be precise."
"Bellatrix Narcissa . . .?" Narcissa looked to the pink haired witch, who nodded proudly "Oh—Well—I—Thank you." Narcissa finally smiled with a small sigh, kissing her niece on the cheek "I'm honoured."
"You're welcome." Dora smiled down at the child, laughing slightly as she whimpered in her arms pulling at her robes. "She's hungry . . . Why don't I leave you two to get re-acquainted. Aunt Cissa I'll be in the main sitting room with your wand."
Before either of the sisters could protest Nymphadora Black Lestrange left the room, shutting the door behind her and leaving the pair alone for the first time since Andromeda had left The House of Black many years ago.
"She is so much like Bellatrix . . ." Andromeda shook her head "Even if she won't admit it."
"Yes . . ." Narcissa said, pulling her gaze away from the door to look to her once sister. ". . . Andromeda I—"
"Please don't." Andromeda spoke curtly. "Do not talk of the past. It is awful, painful and I can imagine we have both done many things we are now not so proud of since we last saw each other—even before that. I suppose you cannot be here for long so shall we skip all the awfulness? I'm sure you actually do want to speak with Nymphadora and perhaps the children so—" Andromeda froze. To her surprise Narcissa had run at her, her arms tightly wrapping around her in a fierce hug as she buried her face in her hair. She was unsure of what to do or say, standing awkwardly as her sister acted as she had not since she was still a girl. Dromeda sighed, resting her head on her sisters and wrapping her arms around her as she gave in to the embrace. "Oh Cissa . . ."
"I've missed you." Narcissa practically whispered. "I—I came here to see you."
"Don't tell Dora that, she'll be offended." Andromeda laughed slightly, squeezing her sister close for a moment before she gently took her shoulder and stepped back to look at her properly.
"Well I have missed her too." Narcissa laughed, swatting away the few tears she had accidentally shed before drawing herself tall again "I wanted to see you were okay though—I know Dora can look after herself as much as she may doubt it, she also has the boys who would undoubtedly protect her and the children . . . You . . ."
"I never needed protecting either." Andromeda smirked.
"No," Narcissa smiled "I suppose you are right there. But you needed someone to love you, I know Dora loves you as much as it irked Bellatrix."
"Well," Andromeda rolled her eyes "what did she expect?"
"Yes, you're so lovable." Narcissa joked. "No—I know what you mean . . . but you are okay?"
"I'm okay." Andromeda nodded. ". . . Are you okay? Lucius? Draco?"
"Yes, yes." Narcissa nodded "We're grandparents now. Draco's son will be three soon—Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy."
"And here I was thinking Bellatrix Narcissa Lestrange was a mouthful." Andromeda smirked as her sister rolled her eyes in amusement. " . . . How long do you have here?"
"An hour." Narcissa said firmly "At the very most."
"Well," Andromeda said as she carefully wrapped an arm around her sister "how about you and I go and sit with Nymphadora and her daughter in the main sitting room and have some tea?"
"That sounds perfect." Narcissa agreed, letting her sister lead her down to their niece as it was nearly as if nothing at all had happened between the sisters. No mudblood, no disownment, no war . . . there was something comforting to the pair to know that the Black sisters remained united somehow after all of these years.