Maddy awoke with a soft smile playing on her lips. She kept her eyes closed, trying to hold onto the trailing edges of a lovely dream. She and Bellatrix had been decorating her bedroom at home with garlands of evergreen and bright sprigs of holly.
"Where are Rab and Mr Lestrange?" Maddy had asked.
Bellatrix gave her a playful smile, touching Maddy's cheek. "We have everything we need right here."
Maddy sighed happily and stretched, luxuriating in the satin-smooth feel of the bedsheets against her skin. Even with her arms flung wide, she could not touch the edges of the enormous bed.
Blinking into slow wakefulness, Maddy let herself imagine that this was her own room she was waking up in. It was more than twice the size of her bedroom at home - perhaps even larger than the dormitory she shared with her roommates at school - and yet it was not so chilly as that stone vault under the lake.
Maddy sat up, noticing that a fire had been lit in the hearth. How long had it been burning? Glancing about the room, she spied a carriage clock on the nightstand.
With a cry of dismay, Maddy tumbled out of bed. She had not meant to sleep in until almost half-ten in the morning. Why had no one come to wake her? Surely the house-elf should have come ages ago to announce breakfast. Rabastan's family would think her a dreadful sluggard. Imagining her good impression dashed before she had even truly begun, Maddy hurried into her robes, pausing only to run a comb through her hair, before flying down the stairs.
She found Bellatrix in the conservatory, sipping tea from a delicate china cup in her dressing gown, dark hair in sleepy disarray. Maddy could not help noting with envy that even in that state, Bellatrix looked as lovely and elegant as ever.
A smile lit her face as she caught sight of Maddy standing in the doorway. "Bright Solstice, my dear," Bellatrix greeted her warmly. "You needn't have dressed for breakfast."
"I thought I'd missed it," Maddy admitted, accepting the seat opposite her. "Has Rab been down yet?"
The house-elf appeared silently, pouring a second cup of tea, and setting a tray of toast, eggs, butter, and jam in front of her before vanishing once more.
"He's been and gone," said Bellatrix.
Maddy frowned. "Gone where?"
"Out." Bellatrix made a dismissive gesture. "He and Dolph are having a lads' day."
Her face must have given away her dismay at being abandoned by Rabastan in an unfamiliar place, for Bellatrix touched the back of her hand lightly in reassurance.
"I told them to go," she confessed, a smile playing on her full lips. "I said I wanted to have a girls' day with you; just the two of us, getting to know one another properly. Doesn't that sound lovely?"
Nervous excitement thrilled in Maddy's belly at the thought of spending an entire day with the most beautiful, sophisticated witch she had ever met. She took a swallow of her tea to hide her nerves.
"It sounds great. Um, what d'you want to do?"
The sky outside was heavy and grey with unfallen snow, but inside sunbeams danced and shone from the enchanted glass walls and ceiling, sparkling in the cascading waters of a fountain which stood at the centre of the foyer, reflecting from ripples in the pool below, and warming Maddy's skin with the light of a late spring day.
"This is a Solstice tradition for the women of my family," Bellatrix explained. "A sort of ritual cleansing, in preparation for the new year. My Grandmother Rosier used to bring me and my sisters here every winter. But since she passed, and with Narcissa married now, and Andromeda ... gone, I haven't had the heart to come by myself."
"I've never been to Bath before," Maddy admitted. "I didn't even know there was a spa for witches here."
Miniature blue and purple water lilies floated in the fountain pool. Every now and then, one of them would shoot upwards, rising into the air and drifting about the room like a soap bubble. Maddy held out her hand, and grinned in delight when a tiny purple blossom settled on her palm.
"This place has existed in one form or another since before the Romans came," said Bellatrix. "In ancient times, when women's magic was thought to be connected with things like water and the moon, this was a holy site for witches. It's impossible to find unless you already know where it is. The secret has been passed down from mother to daughter in wizarding families for more than a hundred generations. Of course, your mother is from the continent, so I wouldn't expect her to know about it."
Maddy watched enviously as Bellatrix dipped her fingers into the clear water of the fountain pool and touched them to her lips; a sacramental gesture, claiming her ancient birthright.
"Will I be able to find it on my own now?" asked Maddy, gazing wistfully at the stone figure that stood at the centre of the fountain. Its features were worn away by centuries of flowing water, but it retained the vague shape of a woman.
Bellatrix smiled. "Of course. Consider it a gift, from my grandmother, to me, to you. After all, aren't pure-blood witches all sisters at heart? You're every bit as entitled to this place as I am."
Maddy's throat tightened with sudden emotion. To be accepted by someone like Bellatrix - to be told that she truly belonged somewhere - after being so long excluded from wizarding society was all she had ever wanted.
"Thank you," said Maddy softly. "It's wonderful."
She lowered her hand gently into the pool, releasing the purple lily, then raised her fingers to her lips, self-consciously copying Bellatrix's gesture.
With a soft pop, a house-elf appeared at her elbow, clad only in a loincloth made from a well-worn flannel. It bowed to them, wordless, then ushered them down a corridor whose walls were painted with garden scenes.
Maddy drank in the sights, wide-eyed. Perhaps she could bring her mother here, as a surprise. She wondered what a visit cost. A flash of gold had passed between Bellatrix and the Greeting Witch when they arrived. Maddy dared not ask how much.
The house-elf led them to a chamber with rows of hooks lining its walls, and bowed again before vanishing. Dozens of robes and cloaks in every colour hung from the hooks, as well as corsets and bloomers, with pairs of shoes and rolled-up stockings set in neat pairs on the floor below. Maddy's mouth dropped open as a pair of elderly witches strolled past them, completely unclothed, and without a hint of shame, and disappeared through gleaming waterfall which poured from a marble archway at the end of the room. When she turned her questioning eyes toward Bellatrix, Maddy found her unfastening her own clothing.
"W-we have to go in ... naked?" she asked, horrorstruck.
Bellatrix shrugged out of her robes and began unlacing her corset. "Some prudish old biddies like my mother wear bathing costumes, but most of us don't bother."
"Do I have to?"
She did not wish to be thought timid or prudish, but if she had known about this place, she might have thought about bringing her bathing costume.
Bellatrix looked up from her laces, heavy-lidded grey eyes incredulous. "Do I haaaave toooo?" she repeated in a mocking baby-voice, mouth twisting into a sneer. "I've already paid for you, and it's through there." She indicated the waterfall archway. "If you don't want your robes getting soaked, you'll have to take them off, won't you?"
"I'm sorry," Maddy winced. "I'm just not used to doing things like this."
Bellatrix laughed. "I'm only teasing you, Maddy dear. Do you want me to summon the elf to bring you a bathing costume?"
Maddy straightened her shoulders and raised her chin. "No, that's all right." If this was what she must do for Bellatrix to think her daring and sophisticated, then she would do it.
Turning her back, Maddy undressed quickly, before she could think too much about it. She carefully hung up her clothes, hoping Bellatrix would not notice the small bruises on her breasts left by Rabastan's pinching fingers when they had said goodnight the night before. Taking a deep breath, Maddy turned to face her companion.
The breath left her in a rush, and Maddy stared openly. Bellatrix displayed no shyness regarding her own nudity. And why should she? She was perfect. Tall and slender, with long legs, elegant curves, thick dark hair cascading to a narrow waist, and exquisite small breasts with delicate rose-coloured nipples. But what stunned Maddy most of all was that Bellatrix had no hair between her legs; only smooth pink skin, split like a ripe peach.
She realised she was staring, and tore her gaze away from the dazzling sight.
Bellatrix giggled. "Come on," she said, holding out her hand.
Hesitantly, Maddy took it. Bellatrix's touch was cool and light. Feeling deeply self-conscious, Maddy followed her to the archway. She held her breath as the fall of sparkling lukewarm water enveloped her.
In another step, she was out the other side, standing in a vestibule lined with pink marble. The stone was warm under her bare feet, and the air was damp and heavy, and smelled of mint and roses.
Another house-elf - or perhaps the same one, for it, too, wore a flannel loincloth - awaited them.
"My sister and I will have a private sauna," Bellatrix informed it imperiously, and again Maddy felt a surge of strong emotion.
The elf bowed and led them to a weathered wooden door. Inside was a small dimly-lit chamber, lined from floor to ceiling with the same worn wood, and a wide bench running the length of one wall. A large brazier of glowing coals stood in one corner, and the air was hotter than a midsummer day. By the time the house-elf closed the door behind them, the water beading Maddy's skin had already begun to dry.
Bellatrix sank regally onto the bench. She gave an appraising look as Maddy settled awkwardly beside her.
"This is cosy, isn't it?"
Maddy bobbed her head, still shy of being naked with someone so perfect. The low light hid small flaws, and the heat flushing her skin saved her from blushes, but even here, there could be no mistaking which of them was the self-assured beauty, and which was the fumbling ingénue.
"You're a sweet, plump little thing, aren't you?" Bellatrix chuckled. "Ripe and ready to be ... plucked, I'll wager."
Maddy hunched her shoulders. "Mum says it's just baby-fat, and I'll grow out of it," she said a touch defensively.
"Nonsense!" Bellatrix gave a throaty laugh. "You're a lovely girl. Between you and me, men like a little something to hold onto. Especially when it comes with a pair of lovely big tits like yours."
Her fingertips grazed the curve of Maddy's breast, making her skin tingle, and startling her into speechlessness. Bellatrix's light touch was enough to make her nipples draw up into tight little buds.
"So sensitive," murmured Bellatrix. "How wonderful. Rab must adore them. Dolph would love it if I had tits like yours."
"Oh, but yours are so pretty!" Maddy objected.
Bellatrix looked gratified. "Do you really think so?"
She casually cupped her own small breast, stroking the pink nipple with a thumb. Maddy swallowed. The heat of the sauna had made her mouth and throat dry.
"They're perfect," she rasped. "Mine are so heavy, they make my back ache sometimes."
"Well, yours are very nice to look at, my dear," Bellatrix assured her. "A much more pleasant view than Granny Rosier's saggy old titties."
Maddy giggled uncertainly.
"Oh, come now," teased Bellatrix. "It's just us girls here; we can laugh about these things. But I forgot, you don't have any sisters, do you, Maddy?"
Maddy shook her head. "Just cousins."
"Yes, you said so yesterday. The Corbet girls. Do you never talk about such things with them?"
"Sometimes," Maddy admitted.
Bellatrix grinned. "I thought so. I grew up with two sisters, and we were forever whispering and gossiping late into the night when we were girls. But when you're grown, it's different. You all have your own lives." Her expression turned wistful. "I've missed having a sister to giggle and play with."
"I've always wanted a sister," admitted Maddy.
Though she had known Bellatrix for less than a day, she was already sure she wanted to be her sister, almost as much as she wanted to be Rabastan's wife.
Bellatrix's long fingers laced through hers, giving them a squeeze. "Every girl should have a sister."
With a sigh of contentment, she released Maddy's hand, and leaned back to recline on the wooden bench, one knee drawn up, an arm draped over her eyes. "I could stay in here all day."
"I - um - it's nice."
With Bellatrix's eyes closed, Maddy dared to sneak another look at her. Bellatrix even sprawled elegantly, with her back arched as if to show off the tapered shape of her torso and the narrowness of her waist. Maddy noticed she had no hair under her arms either. She wondered how one managed that. Was it a spell or a potion?
Her gaze drifted again to the hairless skin between Bellatrix's legs, and Maddy realised with a shock that, with Bellatrix's knee cocked at that angle, she could just see a hint of glistening pink between Bellatrix's pouting lower lips. Flushed with the heat of the room and feeling slightly dizzy, Maddy looked away. Bellatrix might be comfortable showing off her body, but what would she think if she caught Maddy staring at her most intimate parts?
Maddy closed her eyes and rested her head against the wooden wall. Sweat gathered between her breasts and at the back of her neck, trickling down her ribs. Her thighs were sweating too, wetness pooling between them. It must have been the heat of the room that caused it. She had not even been thinking about Rabastan; there was no reason for her to feel so aroused. If she were alone in the sauna, she might have tried touching herself to find a little relief.
Maddy wondered idly whether Bellatrix ever touched herself. Perhaps married women did not do such things. Still, she could not help imagining those long, slender fingers -
"You're not falling asleep, are you?" Bellatrix sounded amused.
"I - no -" Maddy stammered, blinking, "it-it's just ... hot in here."
"I suppose we've sweated enough," said Bellatrix with a sigh.
She rose gracefully from the wooden bench, and Maddy scrambled to follow. The brightness of the daylight made her blink rapidly as they stepped out of the hot room. Maddy shivered. The air felt cool and fresh on her skin, though it had seemed warm before.
The house-elf was waiting outside the sauna. It led them through another archway into a vast, open space lit with bright sunlight, which glinted from the ripples of several large, steaming pools. A hubbub of chatter and laughter, and the sound of splashing water echoed from the enchanted ceiling. At least half a dozen witches swam or dove or floated in each pool. There were mothers with infants and young witchlings, old grizzled hags, fat witches and thin, pale or freckled or brown. Almost all of them were naked, and seemed utterly unconcerned about it. Maddy had never seen such a variety of bodies. Seeing them made her feel less self-conscious about her own.
"We'll have a private frigidarium," Bellatrix informed the elf. "And a private caldarium, after."
Maddy did not know what either of those words meant, but she soon found out, when the elf showed them through a white curtain, enclosing a single smaller pool. When Bellatrix dove in immediately, ducking her head under the water, Maddy hurried to follow suit. It was all she could do not to shriek in shock as the icy-cold water gripped her, setting her teeth chattering and goose pimples rippling over her skin.
Bellatrix seemed impervious to the cold. Not wishing to seem weak or childish, Maddy closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and ducked her head under, counting to three before she let herself surface. Bellatrix laughed and splashed her playfully.
"That should wake you up," she teased.
Maddy forced a grin, resolved to bear the cold as long as Bellatrix did.
Mercifully, she found they were not expected to remain long in the chilly water. Maddy was just beginning to become accustomed to the temperature when Bellatrix wrapped a familiar arm around her, helping her out of the water. They proceeded through another set of gauzy curtains to a second secluded pool. Gentle wisps of steam rose from its surface. As she sank into the hot water, Maddy sighed with relief.
"You don't care for the frigidarium?" Bellatrix asked with a teasing smile.
Maddy shrugged. "I'd just rather be warm than cold."
"I love it," said Bellatrix. "It gets the blood going. Makes one feel truly alive."
She snapped her fingers, and another house-elf appeared bearing a silver tray on which stood two slender crystal goblets, containing a golden beverage through which tiny bubbles rose. Bellatrix stood up, water cascading from her glistening skin and dripping from the tips of her breasts.
"Champagne?" She raised an eyebrow, offering one of the goblets to Maddy.
Maddy accepted it eagerly, though she tried to keep her own chest modestly below the waterline.
"I've always wanted to try champagne," she admitted.
The wine was bright and refreshing, and the bubbles tickled Maddy's tongue.
Bellatrix smiled. "A clever witch should be open to all sorts of new experiences."
"I am," Maddy said fervently.
"I'm sure you are," Bellatrix murmured.
Her fingers tucked a lock of damp hair behind Maddy's ear. She was so close, Maddy could feel her movements in the rush of water against her skin. Maddy cleared her throat, feeling oddly flustered, trying to think of something to say to distract her from the strangeness of it. Her eyes lit on a faint red mark on Bellatrix's forearm.
"Oh! Have you burned yourself?"
Her hand went out instinctively to touch the mark, and Bellatrix jerked back, looking self-conscious for the first time since Maddy had met her. She glanced around quickly, as if she thought someone might be spying on them, but even the house-elves had vanished. Then she laughed and held her arm out again for Maddy to see.
"It's meant to be a secret, but I suppose I don't mind you knowing about it."
Close to, Maddy could see that the mark had a shape to it: the pinkish outline of a skull, with a writhing serpent emerging from its mouth.
"Oh!" Maddy glanced up at Bellatrix, wide-eyed. "That - that's his mark, isn't it?"
Bellatrix nodded. "You know what it means?"
Maddy shook her head.
"It means I'm one of the Dark Lord's most trusted allies and confidants. Very few women have the honour of bearing his mark," Bellatrix added smugly.
"What's he like?" whispered Maddy, breathless with secretive excitement.
"Powerful," said Bellatrix, gazing rapturously into the distance, as if seeing something Maddy could not. "He's descended from Salazar Slytherin himself, and it shows. But it's not just the purity of his blood; he has a purity of purpose, too - a vision of a better future for all of us, and the will to achieve it. He is ... truly singular. There has never been another man like him, and perhaps there never will be."
"Might I meet him one day?" Maddy asked, awed.
Bellatrix appeared to return to her surroundings. She gave Maddy a thoughtful look. "Do you want to serve the Dark Lord?"
"I-I don't know," stammered Maddy. "I'm not sure what I could do for someone so powerful and important."
"You needn't trouble yourself about it," said Bellatrix, her smile returning. "Most women don't have a head for politics. They serve by lending support and comfort to their husbands, and by bearing the next generation of pure-blood witches and wizards."
"That's what I want to do," gushed Maddy. She bit her lip, catching herself. "I mean, someday. When I'm married."
Bellatrix chuckled. "Of course you do, my dear. And I have no doubt you'll do it admirably."
"I want to," Maddy admitted. "But I'm not sure how to - to comfort and support a man."
"It's not difficult," Bellatrix assured her. "Just don't trouble him with trivial nonsense and chatter. Keep his household in good order - that's easier if you have a house-elf. Give him sons. And of course, you must learn how to please him in bed."
"Oh. Um, that's -" a flush crept up Maddy's neck to set her cheeks aflame.
Bellatrix laughed. "I'm sure the man who marries you will be very pleased with what you have to offer; a pretty face, a plump bosom, a round backside, the sweet, slippery hole between your legs."
She leaned closer, voice earnest, confidential, fingers resting lightly on Maddy's thigh. Bellatrix's touch, coupled with the frankness of her words, made Maddy feel strange.
"A cock is no great mystery," Bellatrix continued, oblivious to Maddy's agitation. "With most men, all you have to do is lie back and open your legs. But you can easily learn to please a man with your hands or your mouth. As long as you make yourself available to him whenever he feels the urge, a husband is a simple creature to care for. But perhaps Rab has already taught you something of that?"
Maddy's heart skipped a beat. She did not want to lie to Bellatrix, but if she were to have any hope of marrying Rabastan one day, she could never admit to even a fraction of the things they had done together. Once they were married, it would not matter what they had or had not done before. But if Rabastan had inadvertently let something slip to his brother ...
"We've - I haven't let him - you know ..." she stammered.
"Of course you haven't," said Bellatrix kindly. "I imagine your mother has impressed upon you the importance of staying pure until marriage. But I know what boys are like; they'll do or say anything, if it means getting a girl's hands - or other parts - on their pricks."
"My mother says so, too." Maddy squeezed her thighs together under the water, as if to hide the memory of all the times she had let Rabastan touch her there.
The corner of Bellatrix's mouth curled up. "I suppose she would know, if anyone would. But as long as you haven't let him stick it in you yet, that's what really matters."
Maddy hoped Bellatrix could not somehow feel the hammering of her heart. The champagne seemed to have muddled her wits. She bit her lip, searching for a safe answer.
"I've told Rab I want to stay pure, and he says he understands."
"I'm pleased to hear it. Sometimes men forget about such things when they're blinded by a woman's beauty." Bellatrix's thumb stroked Maddy's thigh, as her lovely grey eyes studying her face. "Rab is very fond of you, my dear. I must say, I can see why. You're such a lovely girl. Are things getting serious between the two of you?"
"I love him," Maddy breathed. "More than anything."
"Of course you do." Bellatrix's eyes twinkled. "You practically glow when you're around him. I'm sure he feels the same about you, though men are often bad at showing such things. He wouldn't have brought you home to meet us if he didn't think you were the right sort of girl."
"He's wonderful," declared Maddy. "So clever and strong! He's kinder to me than he is to anyone else. And he has such dreamy eyes. I always feel so happy when I'm with him."
Bellatrix sighed wistfully. "You make me long for the days of my own girlhood, Maddy. Those first thrills of young love ... there is nothing like it."
"Were you and Mr Lestrange in love when you were at school?" Maddy asked hesitantly, rolling the stem of the crystal goblet between her fingers.
Bellatrix shrugged. "Dolph and I were betrothed when we were still at school, but that was more our parents' notion than our own."
"Oh!" Maddy felt a pang of sympathy. "You had another boyfriend? Did you parents force you to split up when you were betrothed?"
Bellatrix giggled. "No, no boyfriend."
"Then who -?"
"Maddy, can you keep a secret?" Bellatrix lowered her voice, a glint of mischief in her eyes.
Maddy nodded, breathless.
Bellatrix closer still, until her lips were inches from Maddy's ear, her voice low and breathy.
"When I was about your age," she murmured, "I learned that women make much better lovers than men."
"You - what?" Maddy jerked back in shock, gaping at her.
Bellatrix was teasing her again, surely. She was not the sort of woman who did such things; she was beautiful and feminine, and she was married to a man. It made no sense.
"Oh, sweet, innocent Maddy!" Bellatrix laughed. "There's no need to come over all prudish. Surely you must know that most girls play at love and practice kissing with their girlfriends long before they ever get to know a man that way. I just - played a little more than most."
"I've never done anything like that," objected Maddy. "And neither have any of my friends."
Bellatrix raised a sceptical brow. "Do you think they would tell you they had, if this is how they thought you might react?"
Maddy squirmed uncomfortably. Her friends were the ones who told her about lesbians. But if any of them had ever done such things, they gave no hint of it.
"I would advise you to try it sometime," Bellatrix continued easily, as if she were speaking of nothing more scandalous than some delicacy Maddy had never eaten. "You'll learn more about pleasure, and about your own body, from a woman than you will from any man. The only pleasure most men care about is their own."
Maddy hunched her shoulders, pushing away the memories of all the times she had tried to please Rabastan, and how rarely he had made much effort to return the favour. But if that were truly typical masculine behaviour, then perhaps it was not a reflection of his feelings for her, or any deficiency on her part. That would be a relief. Maddy could not help worrying sometimes that Rabastan was less interested in her than in the things she did for him.
"Most girls do it?" she asked. "Truly?"
Bellatrix raised a white shoulder in an elegant shrug. "My sisters both kissed other girls, and I certainly never had any difficulty finding playmates."
That much Maddy could believe. What girl who fancied other girls would not want to kiss someone who looked like Bellatrix? Questions teemed in her throat. What was it like, kissing another girl? Did Bellatrix miss it, now that she was married? Did her husband know, and if so, did he mind?
Before Maddy's curiosity could overcome her shyness, the house-elf reappeared, its spindly arms piled so high with thick, white towels that it could not see over them. Maddy followed Bellatrix out of the pool, accepting a towel from her hand. It was soft and luxurious against her skin, and when Maddy tucked the ends between her breasts, it covered her almost to her knees.
Two more house-elves awaited them in the next room they came to. These wore short tunics that looked as if they were made from white tea towels. Each elf stood at attention beside a reclining chair, with an array of pots and instruments on silver trays beside them.
"What are we doing now?" Maddy asked nervously.
"Manicures," said Bellatrix. "Normally, I'd have a wax, too, but I just had it done last week."
Maddy frowned, puzzled. "Wax?"
"A depilatory potion to remove unwanted hair," Bellatrix explained, her fingers casually brushing the hairless mound between her legs.
Maddy swallowed, unable to keep herself from staring.
"You don't have to do it if you don't want to, my dear," Bellatrix continued, "but my husband likes it, and some women enjoy the clean feel of it."
Maddy summoned up her courage, and nodded. Rabastan had never made a secret of his disgust over her body hair. Once they were back at school, with no risk of being discovered by his family, she could surprise him.
She climbed into one of the reclining chairs, and leaned back, lower lip fixed firmly between her teeth. The wax potion stung and burned from the moment it touched her skin. Maddy squeezed her eyes shut as the silent elf gently urged her thighs apart, using a delicate silver spatula to spread the substance into her every crevice.
"Maddy, I feel I must apologise," said Bellatrix quietly.
"Um, must you?" Maddy mumbled, feeling awkward and exposed.
"I had no desire to make you feel uncomfortable with all that silly talk of girls and kissing," said Bellatrix. "It's only that there are so many things I wish someone had told me, when I was your age. And as I said before, I've so missed having a sister and confidant. If I've put you off, I'll never forgive myself."
"Oh, no!" Maddy assured her quickly. "I was just ... surprised. You don't seem the type - or what I thought was the type - to do things with other girls."
Her eyes flicked uncertainly to the house-elves. They continued ladling on the waxy potion and fussing over Bellatrix's cuticles without appearing to take any notice of the conversation.
"You can say whatever you like in front of them," Bellatrix assured her. "They're sworn to silence. Or they've had their tongues removed. I can never remember which."
The thought of tongue-removal gave Maddy a qualm, but she shook it off.
"I just never imagined someone like you doing things like that," she said in a rush. "You're so beautiful and - and perfect, and you come from such a good family. You could have had any man you wanted!" She could feel her cheeks growing hot again.
Bellatrix's eyes twinkled. "I told you; girls are more fun. They know how and where to touch to make it feel so good you almost can't bear it. They can touch you like you touch yourself." She cocked her head to the side. "Do you touch yourself, Maddy? Or are you innocent of such things?"
Maddy bit her lip. "Sometimes. A bit," she admitted.
Bellatrix gave a throaty chuckle. "There's no harm in it, my dear. It's normal and healthy for a girl of your age to explore. A little fingering never hurt anyone. One of my roommates used to fuck herself with a big, fat candle, and her silencing charms were never any good."
Maddy's mouth dropped open in shock, and she almost forgot the burning wax between her own legs.
"But - her maidenhead!"
Bellatrix shrugged. "Girls find ways of getting their needs met. Either on their own, or with another girl, or if they're sluts or mudbloods like my roommate was, they let some oafish male stick his cock in them. But clever pure-blood girls know not to overdo, if they want to have something left to give their husbands on the wedding night."
"Does your husband know? About you and the girls?" Maddy asked.
"Oh, Dolph knows." Bellatrix grinned wolfishly. "He likes hearing about it. It excites him. He especially likes the story about the time I fingered two girls at once, under the table in the Great Hall at supper, and neither of them knew about the other. One of them came so hard she screamed and fell off the bench, and the other -"
The house-elf made a sudden gesture, and there was a sharp, ripping pain between Maddy's legs. She gave a squeak of alarm, and sat up sharply. The wax was gone, and all of her womanly hair with it. The skin where it had been was smooth and pink and tingling. It felt very strange, but Maddy was shy of exploring it too much in front of Bellatrix.
The elf bowed and indicated the tray of coloured pots and instruments.
"Oh. What are you having done?" Maddy asked, quickly covering herself with the towel once more, and peering over at Bellatrix's nails.
"I felt like getting a simple, classic look," said Bellatrix. "Short and neat, with the edges well rounded and smoothed. Sometimes I get something more elaborate, but I feel as if this will serve me better, this time."
"I'll have the same," Maddy informed the elf.
Bellatrix smiled.
After the manicures, a different set of house elves guided them to a pair of massage tables. Maddy sighed in contentment as warm, scented oil was worked into her skin by unexpectedly strong little fingers. Perhaps the oil had magical properties, for it seemed to relax her at once. She even began to doze a little, until Bellatrix's low voice roused her.
"Maddy?" She sounded a little sleepy, herself.
"Hmm?"
"I've had such a lovely time today. I feel the start of a real bond between us."
"Oh, me too!" said Maddy, delighted. "It's been wonderful. Thank you for inviting me."
Bellatrix reached across the short distance between them and squeezed Maddy's hand.
"I feel as if I can really talk to you," she continued. "And - I feel that I must talk to you. About Rabastan."
"What about him?" Maddy stiffened, suddenly alarmed in spite of her relaxed state.
"Only because you care for him so deeply, my dear," Bellatrix assured her quickly. "As deeply as Dolph and I do. He'll be a man soon, and he'll need a woman to look after him - one who truly understands him."
"I want to," said Maddy. "I don't always understand him, though."
Bellatrix sighed. "I think he must have been a very lonely little boy. His parents weren't very affectionate, I'm sorry to say, and Dolph was so much older than him. After Dolph and I were married, Mother and Father Lestrange decided they were done with being parents. They'd raised their heir, and made a good match for him, and Rab started at Hogwarts not long after. They wanted to travel, and not be bothered with the needs of a growing boy."
"That's sad," said Maddy, moved. "He never told me about that."
"Dolph and I didn't know how undisciplined Rab had becoming until about a year ago," Bellatrix continued. "There was ... an incident. Nothing serious, you understand, but it was clear that someone needed to take him in hand, so Dolph and I stepped in."
"That was kind of you."
"He's family," said Bellatrix. "Dolph and I are very fond of him. We've been on the lookout for a suitable match for some time."
The breath caught in Maddy's throat. She waited, afraid to say anything that might jinx her chances, but she crossed her fingers on the hand Bellatrix could not see.
"Of course, in most cases, it's not necessary for a second son to marry and have children to continue the family line," Bellatrix went on, "but in the case of our family ... Maddy, you may have noticed, Dolph and I have no children. It may be that we never will."
"Oh!" cried Maddy. "I'm sorry. I didn't think -"
"The situation is regrettable," said Bellatrix dismissively, "but the House of Lestrange must have an heir, and so it seems Rab must marry, and better sooner than later. He's an energetic and passionate boy, with wild oats to sow. All well and good; that's what half-bloods are for. And if one of them should fall pregnant or cry rape after, it's no great matter. Such things can be managed. But men don't always think clearly when lust seizes them, and I worry that it's only a matter of time before he accidentally devalues the daughter of a good house, and causes a scandal. So you understand why we must think about directing his energies elsewhere."
Another soft, warm towel descended on her shoulders, and Maddy realised that the massage was over. She sat up, clutching the towel to her chest to cover herself, as a thousand thoughts swirled in her mind. Alice Finch, whispered one of them, but Maddy pushed it away.
"I understand," she said solemnly, heart in her throat.
Did Bellatrix's words constitute an offer of marriage? Maddy did not wish to presume, and risk making a fool of herself. She searched for the right words.
"Y-you honour me with your confidence. I think - whomever Rab marries will be the luckiest witch in the world. Not only to be married to him, but to have you for a sister-in-law."
Smiling, Bellatrix stood, towel draped loosely about her shoulders, not bothering to cover herself. She took both of Maddy's hands in hers, raising her to her feet.
"Dearest Maddy," she murmured. "I feel as if we're sisters already."
She was so close that Maddy could feel the heat of her body. And when she bent her head and pressed a soft kiss to Maddy's trembling lips, Maddy shivered with joy.
