For just a few moments Bellatrix was breathless. Her father had a small box open in front of her and in it, was a dagger. The blade was so sharp just one touch looked enough to split skin. One quick, sharp drag and a person would be dead. It was defined perfectly, the contours of the blade made perfectly, and sharpened to a point so fine that she could very possibly carve with it. It was beautifully crafted.

"I had Mr Borgin and Mr Burke of 'Borgin and Burkes' have it tracked down and delivered especially," her father said, smiling at his daughter's reaction as she picked it from the box so carefully and ran her finger along the flat of the blade, enjoying every touch of it, "You see, the hilt is carved from a phoenix's beak. It's hollowed and filled with a unicorn's blood, which hardens into the hollow and spreads through the blade. Now, the blade is made from a type of steel born from a dragon's fire which can never be broken or damaged. It's sharpened for months on end before finally, its ready."
"Daddy," Bellatrix said breathlessly, "this is the most beautiful thing I've ever seen in my life."
"This will never fail you in anything you do. Be warned, it is worth a lot to many people. Know how to use it and it will be purely yours and will never belong to anyone one else."
"I'll never lose it." She smiled, biting her lower lip before she pressed herself into her father with a hug and pressed a kiss to his cheek.
"This is one of the wedding gifts I couldn't exactly give to you in front of your mother and everyone else." He chuckled, hugging his daughter back and smiling at her excitement, "But promise me one thing? The first kill you make with this, animal or human, you'll show me how well it cuts?"
Bellatrix nodded, kissing her father again on the cheek, leaving a red print on his trim bearded face.

Having rejoined the party, some half an hour later, Bellatrix was forced back into Rodolphus's side to act as if they were happy. There was one thing left on her seat. No one had left a claim nor given it to her directly, and Rodolphus hadn't yet noticed it. Bellatrix was quick to pick it up. No one said anything nor paid attention. The box was small and delicate, she opened it to find a small and slight silver crow's skull attached to a black chain. Bellatrix furrowed her eyebrows, it was perhaps one of the most beautiful things –aside from the dagger her father had given her, she had seen in her life.

She smiled a little, wondering who on earth would have given such a present. Surely it must have been someone she knew and someone who knew her very, very well. No sooner had she thought this than she noticed a small note also in the box. She opened the crumpled piece of paper quickly and immediately scrunched it up again. It was the note she had given Sirius one summer ago on the Hogwarts Express. Bellatrix sighed deeply for a moment, her lips pursing tightly as she sat beside Rodolphus, deciding to herself what to do or who could have helped him.

The couple had been given many things, including from both Bellatrix and Rodolphus' fathers combined a huge manor estate which Rodolphus had lived in when he was young, but not after his mother had died for his father had desperately wanted to move out. He was of course, very happy that he was able to move back in, and that his father had given it to him. Bellatrix knew how beautiful and large the manor was, and she was more than happy to live there. She knew they would have their friends over often. They were still young, and they both knew exactly how to host a party better than anyone they knew. They had been given beautiful crystals and china sets, crates of expensive wines and even a house elf by the Malfoy family, all they had to do was marry and move in.

But the prospect of it wasn't exciting to Bellatrix right now. Rodolphus was being cruel and cold, and while she didn't care much, without her best friend, she would feel very lonely and she knew it. That's why her intentions were as clear as the crystal glasses she had been given by the Rosier family, she would host parties – they had enough champagne, and she would work more, get out more, spend her days working and her evenings at parties, whether they were hers or not.
Without so much as excusing herself, Bellatrix stood. No sooner had she however, than Rodolphus was quick to grip her hand.

"Where are you going?" he spoke lowly enough so no one would hear him. Everyone was drinking and talking now everyone had given their gifts to the couple.

Bellatrix pulled her hand away from him, replying, "After my sister. And I don't need your permission to be excused to do that."
Rodolphus fumed, running his hand through his dark hair, brushing it back once more and watching as she left.

Andromeda watched from a distance as her sister had picked up the present, smiling a little at her reaction, but realised immediately she knew who it was from. She remembered the exact conversation she'd had with Sirius when he told her to give the present to Bellatrix.

"Hey Andy wait up!" he had called to her from across the hall as she was walking to classes.
"Hi Sirius." She smiled. The only person in her family who understood her, he was so kind and sweet to her and he was the only person who lately deserved her genuine smile.
"I was wondering if you could help me out... You know, cousin to cousin, and keep it that way?" He winked, giving his charming grin as always, nudging her and taking a small box out of his bag.
"Sure, what is this?"
"Well, look don't tell anyone but I meant to give this a long time ago to her, so yeah I don't want it anymore. It was kinda going to be for her birthday but I couldn't find her on her birthday, so..."
"For Bella?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.
Sirius shrugged, "yeah but whatever you know, if you think she won't like it because it's from me, you know... You can say it's from you"
Andromeda opened the box while her cousin talked and for a moment didn't know what to say, "Are you kidding? She's going to love this. Besides, she'd dislike it as much if it were from me."
Sirius smiled a bit, shrugging once more and running his hand through his messy hair, "Yeah well. You know, I still love her. Despite..." Sirius realised what he had said and suddenly frowned. Andromeda watched her cousin carefully, understanding fully that when he said he loved her, it was altogether a completely different kind of love a boy should bear for his cousin, and also that there was something more about his sister that only Sirius knew.
"I'll give it to her." She said with a slight smile as he cleared his throat and nodded quickly.
"I've got to go," He said as he gestured to a classroom door and smiled at his cousin as he walked away, turning to call out, "thanks by the way Andy! You know... for helping me out."

The moment her sister had stood again, Andromeda left for the gardens and intended to go as far out of reach as she could until her sister had forgotten all about it. She was quick to leave, just passing Regulus who hadn't yet seen her but had been sorting out his tie.

Regulus was the first person Bellatrix saw. He looked handsome, a head taller than her now, he smiled at his cousin, "there you are... I was looking for you Bella!"
Bellatrix hugged her cousin as he pressed a kiss to her temple. He looked very similar to Sirius, he had the same dark hair and haughty look, but he was smaller, slighter and rather less handsome than Sirius. But he certainly did look handsome tonight.

"You look great, Reggie." She smiled, straightening out his collar for him.
"And you, as always... wow." He grinned. Now he definitely looked like Sirius with the mischievous grin and he even sounded like him every now and again such as just now.
Bellatrix bit on her lower lip and nodded, "thank you. Now why were you looking for me?"
"Can we talk in private somewhere?" he asked.
Belaltrix nodded, gesturing for them to go outside, exactly where she had intended to leave to find her sister. Regulus furrowed his brow as he looked at the necklace in the box, "What's that?"
"Just a present," she answered simply, "What's up?"

He picked it out of the box and furrowed his eyebrows further, "this looks so familiar. Come, let's put this on you." He unclasped it to place it around his cousin's neck.
She tried to stop him first, "I don't think..." she began but it was too late, he had already fastened it around her neck. She felt it with her fingers, touching the cool silver as it pressed to her hot skin.
"It looks beautiful." He smiled a little, trying to place where he had last seen it.
"Why don't we sit down," she said quickly to distract him of the necklace. She gestured to the seats, "What is it?"

"I was just talking to your father, and he told me in confidence that you're working for The Dark Lord?" he said curiously.
Bellatrix watched her cousin carefully, "And?"
"And I was hoping you could... Introduce me." He said carefully.

It was the last thing Bellatrix was expecting to hear from her seventeen year old cousin, "Really?"
"I understand if it's no," he said quickly, "I heard he's pretty hard to convince of loyalty and well you're the first person younger than thirty and the first woman to have his mark and his loyalty.

"No, of course," she answered happily, "I'd love to introduce you. I'm sure he'll take well if I tell him you're of my blood. You want to fight for him?"
"I want nothing more than to fight for him."
"You're sixteen. A perfect age," she smiled through long lashes, pressing a kiss to her cousin's forehead as she stood once more, readying herself to rejoin the party once more, "I'll come by soon."

"I don't want to fight with you anymore," Rodolphus said with a sigh as Bellatrix returned to his side and the two were alone, "I don't know what to do… you're my best friend, Bellatrix. I thought you were happy about this marriage proposal."

She said nothing for a few moments before she too sighed, a frown reaching her beautiful features as she regarded the man who was to become her husband soon.

"I am… I just feel like it's so soon we're getting married." She confessed, finally relaxing to him once more.

"Bellatrix," he grasped her fingers, "you are my best friend.Do you think for one moment I would make you do anything you don't want to do? All we have to do is get married. It's just a piece of paper. We'll have our freedom from our families. We can do whatever we want, to wherever we want – you can't tell me you're not excited for that?"

She hadn't thought of it that way. Yes, she was marrying someone with exactly the same ideals as her… what was the problem? Sirius. That was the problem. She would never see him again. Unless of course Rodolphus was out of town, or on a mission for the Dark Lord. That surely couldn't be too bad could it? But cheat on him? No. That was cruel. Rodolphus deserved more than that from her.

She nodded with a faint smile, "thanks for the rock, by the way."

He laughed, finally – she had given him genuine laughter, a real smile – even if it was a small one, "you deserve it. And a lot more. We've got a good life in front of us Black. Money, power, glory. Plenty of killing… and loads of sex." He trailed off and shr raised an eyebrow to him, to which he returned her expression and said simply, "don't look at me like that, you're a slut for the way I give it to you."

She laughed and he grinned, leaning into one another as onlookers watched on into what they believed was sweetness and a young engaged couple, but in fact was the notoriety of two soon-to-be convicted criminals.