p class="MsoNormal"Chapter 7: The Garden/p
p class="MsoNormal"Luna sat next to Bellatrix in the moonlight, staring up at the sky. It was full of thin clouds, creating a kind of haze in front of the stars. It looked like a painting, to beautiful to be real./p
p class="MsoNormal""Do you want to know something interesting?" Bellatrix's voice made Luna jump. Bellatrix was staring up at the sky, quietly waiting for permission to keep going./p
p class="MsoNormal""Sure?"/p
p class="MsoNormal""The first night I asked about your mother, before I took down your food, I was looking at the moon through my window." She paused, and turned to the young girl, thinking carefully about what to say next. This needed to work. "I thought you and how your name was so perfect for you. You're bright, like the moon, a special kind of pale beauty, and you shine in the darkest places."/p
p class="MsoNormal"Luna just stared. Her mind was whirring with so many thoughts she couldn't focus. Should she say thank you? Was that a compliment? Was it honest? Did it matter? "Thank you." Luna finally whispered, but it didn't feel like enough. She wanted to say something else but couldn't think. Bellatrix smiled, and returned to looking at the moon./p
p class="MsoNormal""You hardly made a dent in the files I've collected. If you want to know more, learn more, about your mom and her past, it can be arranged." Bellatrix turned to look at the blonde, gauge her reaction. It was too risky to try and look into the girls mind again, she'd have to settle for reading her expressions./p
p class="MsoNormal"Luna looked surprised, and flushed. Oh how she longed to take a peak. em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"More fantasies? That's clearly more than the hope for knowledge./em Bellatrix grew impatient and added, "Or you can spend the rest of your time in the dungeons and hope that I won't be too busy to bring you food." She stood to make it clear that those were the only options. She hoped that the girl's curiosity was strong enough to keep her plan moving forward. If this doesn't work, she'd need to think of another way to succeed or the Dark Lord would punish her for her failure./p
p class="MsoNormal"Luna stood and moved next to Bellatrix, taking her hand once more. "I'd like to know more about my mother. Can you tell me while we walk?" Her eyes were on the ground, hair hiding her face. Luna sounded as though she was fighting tears, but Bellatrix couldn't see so she began to walk./p
p class="MsoNormal""Our mothers were brilliant. They didn't let anyone or anything stand in their way. From what I've read, they kept the creation and birth of Andromeda a secret. As you saw, they split before the announcement. My mother is dead and her portrait is as harsh as ever, so I have no idea why they didn't say anything. I grew up thinking Andromeda was the same as me. Narcissa thought so too. After the incident that cast her out, Andromeda married a Muggle and my mother lost it, refusing to speak of her at all. Most of what I know came from the articles I found. Do you want to return to the room to read them?" Bellatrix looked ahead as she spoke, not wanting to break the moment. em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"This needs to work./em/p
p class="MsoNormal"Luna kept a hold of Bellatrix's hand as they walked, but she wasn't as close as before. Her eyes drifted around the hedge as if taking it all in, but still listening. She finally stopped walking and sighed. Bellatrix turned to her and waited./p
p class="MsoNormal""I would rather hear it from you. But if I can be quite honest, I don't want to go back inside. How long have I been…down there? It feels like far too long. I enjoy the air and the moon. Especially now that I know you look at it too." There was a hint of something, like a sweet suggestion, but also a plea, in the way Luna spoke. If Bellatrix had a heart, it would've felt for the girl./p
p class="MsoNormal""The articles and photos will remain with me. Once a week or so, you shall have a bath and we will have dinner. If I am unavailable, the house elf will retrieve you. Unfortunately, I don't think it is wise to have you out of the dungeons for long. Other Death Eaters, especially from the Inner Circle, will not be as accommodating as I am." Bellatrix turned and began to walk the both of them out of the hedge./p
p class="MsoNormal"She lead Luna back into the manor and down to the dungeons. Before closing the cell, Bellatrix waved her wand and the wonderful dress was replaced with rags. "That little number will be our secret. Understood?" She gazed into Luna's eyes to make her point clear./p
div style="mso-element: para-border-div; border: none; border-bottom: solid windowtext 3.0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: wave windowtext 3.0pt; padding: 0in 0in 1.0pt 0in;"
p class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: wave windowtext 3.0pt; padding: 0in; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 1.0pt 0in;"Luna nodded and took a step closer, "Thank you. For tonight." Her eyes sparkled with the candle light. She was so genuine and soft when she spoke. With a smile, she turned and walked towards her sleeping area. Bellatrix closed the cell and walked away, a new idea forming in her mind./p
/div
p class="MsoNormal""So, I take it things are going well with the girl?" The Dark Lord sat in a high-back chair in front of the fire place. Bellatrix could hear the smirk, even though she couldn't see it./p
p class="MsoNormal""Yes, my lord." She answered from the doorway. She had not been asked to sit, so she remained, kneeling at the entrance./p
p class="MsoNormal""Have you decided what role you would like her to play?"/p
p class="MsoNormal""My lord?"/p
p class="MsoNormal""Will she be your pet? Your lover? Your toy? Surely I don't need to explain things to you. You are, after all, the smartest of my followers." Her stood and turned to face her. The Dark Lord was intense with the fire blazing behind him. He moved toward Bellatrix in a manner that resembled floating and stood above her. "Stand."/p
p class="MsoNormal"Bellatrix stood and looked her master in the eyes. With confidence, she answered./p
p class="MsoNormal"Luna sat next to Bellatrix in the moonlight, staring up at the sky. It was full of thin clouds, creating a kind of haze in front of the stars. It looked like a painting, to beautiful to be real./p
p class="MsoNormal""Do you want to know something interesting?" Bellatrix's voice made Luna jump. Bellatrix was staring up at the sky, quietly waiting for permission to keep going./p
p class="MsoNormal""Sure?"/p
p class="MsoNormal""The first night I asked about your mother, before I took down your food, I was looking at the moon through my window." She paused, and turned to the young girl, thinking carefully about what to say next. This needed to work. "I thought you and how your name was so perfect for you. You're bright, like the moon, a special kind of pale beauty, and you shine in the darkest places."/p
p class="MsoNormal"Luna just stared. Her mind was whirring with so many thoughts she couldn't focus. Should she say thank you? Was that a compliment? Was it honest? Did it matter? "Thank you." Luna finally whispered, but it didn't feel like enough. She wanted to say something else but couldn't think. Bellatrix smiled, and returned to looking at the moon./p
p class="MsoNormal""You hardly made a dent in the files I've collected. If you want to know more, learn more, about your mom and her past, it can be arranged." Bellatrix turned to look at the blonde, gauge her reaction. It was too risky to try and look into the girls mind again, she'd have to settle for reading her expressions./p
p class="MsoNormal"Luna looked surprised, and flushed. Oh how she longed to take a peak. em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"More fantasies? That's clearly more than the hope for knowledge./em Bellatrix grew impatient and added, "Or you can spend the rest of your time in the dungeons and hope that I won't be too busy to bring you food." She stood to make it clear that those were the only options. She hoped that the girl's curiosity was strong enough to keep her plan moving forward. If this doesn't work, she'd need to think of another way to succeed or the Dark Lord would punish her for her failure./p
p class="MsoNormal"Luna stood and moved next to Bellatrix, taking her hand once more. "I'd like to know more about my mother. Can you tell me while we walk?" Her eyes were on the ground, hair hiding her face. Luna sounded as though she was fighting tears, but Bellatrix couldn't see so she began to walk./p
p class="MsoNormal""Our mothers were brilliant. They didn't let anyone or anything stand in their way. From what I've read, they kept the creation and birth of Andromeda a secret. As you saw, they split before the announcement. My mother is dead and her portrait is as harsh as ever, so I have no idea why they didn't say anything. I grew up thinking Andromeda was the same as me. Narcissa thought so too. After the incident that cast her out, Andromeda married a Muggle and my mother lost it, refusing to speak of her at all. Most of what I know came from the articles I found. Do you want to return to the room to read them?" Bellatrix looked ahead as she spoke, not wanting to break the moment. em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"This needs to work./em/p
p class="MsoNormal"Luna kept a hold of Bellatrix's hand as they walked, but she wasn't as close as before. Her eyes drifted around the hedge as if taking it all in, but still listening. She finally stopped walking and sighed. Bellatrix turned to her and waited./p
p class="MsoNormal""I would rather hear it from you. But if I can be quite honest, I don't want to go back inside. How long have I been…down there? It feels like far too long. I enjoy the air and the moon. Especially now that I know you look at it too." There was a hint of something, like a sweet suggestion, but also a plea, in the way Luna spoke. If Bellatrix had a heart, it would've felt for the girl./p
p class="MsoNormal""The articles and photos will remain with me. Once a week or so, you shall have a bath and we will have dinner. If I am unavailable, the house elf will retrieve you. Unfortunately, I don't think it is wise to have you out of the dungeons for long. Other Death Eaters, especially from the Inner Circle, will not be as accommodating as I am." Bellatrix turned and began to walk the both of them out of the hedge./p
p class="MsoNormal"She lead Luna back into the manor and down to the dungeons. Before closing the cell, Bellatrix waved her wand and the wonderful dress was replaced with rags. "That little number will be our secret. Understood?" She gazed into Luna's eyes to make her point clear./p
div style="mso-element: para-border-div; border: none; border-bottom: solid windowtext 3.0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: wave windowtext 3.0pt; padding: 0in 0in 1.0pt 0in;"
p class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: wave windowtext 3.0pt; padding: 0in; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 1.0pt 0in;"Luna nodded and took a step closer, "Thank you. For tonight." Her eyes sparkled with the candle light. She was so genuine and soft when she spoke. With a smile, she turned and walked towards her sleeping area. Bellatrix closed the cell and walked away, a new idea forming in her mind./p
/div
p class="MsoNormal""So, I take it things are going well with the girl?" The Dark Lord sat in a high-back chair in front of the fire place. Bellatrix could hear the smirk, even though she couldn't see it./p
p class="MsoNormal""Yes, my lord." She answered from the doorway. She had not been asked to sit, so she remained, kneeling at the entrance./p
p class="MsoNormal""Have you decided what role you would like her to play?"/p
p class="MsoNormal""My lord?"/p
p class="MsoNormal""Will she be your pet? Your lover? Your toy? Surely I don't need to explain things to you. You are, after all, the smartest of my followers." Her stood and turned to face her. The Dark Lord was intense with the fire blazing behind him. He moved toward Bellatrix in a manner that resembled floating and stood above her. "Stand."/p
p class="MsoNormal"Bellatrix stood and looked her master in the eyes. With confidence, she answered./p
