Now we have the final chapter. Thank you everyone who has read and reviewed this fic. I hope you all have enjoyed it and find the ending satisfying. I do not think there will be a sequel, but never say never. I think Adele may make a reappearance somewhere in the future, though I cannot say where.
So here we go: The ending :)
August 1993
(Almost one year after the last scene)
Like a person putting their finger near a deadly monster, with considerable uncertainty, Bella dangled her finger down into the cadge. It was latched onto straight away and she jumped slightly. She could easily have extracted herself from its clutches, instead she stared into the crib with curiosity as the barely one week old baby held her finger as tight as it could.
"You should get Narcissa to babysit," Bellatrix said casually from her position at the crib as she turned around to the Dark Lord who was standing in the corner. "From the way she babies Draco, I think she misses having an actual baby. Besides, he did not turn out that bad."
"Bella, I own the country. I have the choice of hundreds of nannies," he said in a rather matter of fact tone with a roll of his eyes. "I hardly need to settle for Narcissa."
"I suppose," she murmured turning back from her Lord to stare back at the baby who was looking at her as if transfixed. "He looks like you already. I can already see just from the shape of his face."
She smiled cheerily over her shoulder, but the Dark Lord did not seem too interested as he walked closer to stand beside her.
"I have already been told this countless times," he said as if he was rather bored by the prospect.
"It is a good thing," she urged, pulling her fingers from the baby to turn her gaze from son to father. "Any way he takes after you is a blessing and an honour."
She only received a curt nod from her Lord who stayed silent. Now he looked down to observe the baby, but, unlike Bella, he did not make any action to touch him.
Now that her Lord was talking Bella did not want it to stop and continued speaking, "At least she did something right."
That made her Lord smirk and chuckle lightly. "Indeed. She finally gave me the heir I wanted. Too bad she did not get the chance to see the boy."
Her Lord's smile increased but Bella openly let out a shriek of laughter.
"Oh yes, too bad indeed!" Calming down her tone a little, she looked at him cautiously. "Is there any chance it will be discovered Adele did not die in childbirth?"
"Not a chance at all. There is nothing to suggest otherwise."
"Wonderful." She grinned ruthlessly at him. "King dead by your work and now his daughter dead. Your son will rule one day but in the meantime you rule as regent. Who knew this would have ended so well?"
Her Lord's lips curled into even more of a smile.
"I did."