Chapter 3
The thick shadows of the stairwell swallow her up.
A cobweb brushes delicately against the pale column of her neck. It tickles, and she purses her lips to silently hush herself. A giggle dies in her throat.
She reaches her dancing fingers into her hair to brush away the gossamer threads, and when she pulls her hand back a spider is scuttling towards her wrist. She holds it before eyes which are bright and dark and suddenly swimming with something alive. She crushes the spider between her thumb and forefinger, and inspects the black smudge it leaves behind. Her lips curve.
Lucius feels his house change. He doesn't hear or see anything, but he knows she's here. He rubs his hand over his face, his stubble whispering against the parchment of his hands, and walks to the stairs with his back straight.
The entrance hall is cold this time of year. Give it a few weeks, and he may be able to see his breath, but that is not why he shudders. He takes a few more steps forward.
"Boo." The voice is quiet, and he jumps. He turns sharply, his attempt at dignity ruined, and looks at the woman leaning against the banister.
"Bella."
Bella smiles at him, the enigmatic, seductive smile which had once made him long to claim that mouth, and which now sends chills down his spine. Her waist is small, like her sister's was, but she has the curves Narcissa always longed for, and which never failed to lure the boys at school, though none would ever confess what they had done together. Her ebony curls are pinned back clumsily and many have sprung free to tumble around her face and down her back. Lucius can see a few strands of grey, which do nothing to detract from her sinister beauty. He tries not to look at the deep, rippling pools of her eyes, but finds himself drawn to them, and then he can see the thing the boys at school were scared of.
The attraction he feels towards her is like shame.
"You got my owl."
She smirks.
"I got your message, yes."
"I wasn't sure. The owl hasn't returned."
"Hasn't it? Must have gotten lost. Poor little birdy." Her grin is almost predatory. They both know that the owl is not lost.
Bella pushes herself away from the wall and walks toward Lucius, her heels clicking quietly on the marble floor. She stops an inch away from him and looks up. When she speaks he can feel her breath against his jaw.
"You got me out of my little box." She's swaying gently. She glances down again, and he can feel the heat of her eyes against his throat. "I assume you want something in return."
"I want Snape."
"Are you sure? I think old Big Nose ain't as purdy as me."
"He has my son. The Ministry have lost interest. They've given the case to some Griffindor kid who couldn't find a slippery bastard like Snape if his life depended on it."
Bella seems to be considering it. She absent-mindedly runs her fingers over Lucius' chest, and he feels both need and guilt wash over him.
"Please, Bella. If you bring Draco back to me, Severus is yours."
Bella grins up at him. He sees the light pink flicker of her tongue behind her teeth. She whispers her agreement, and then pulls away. She glides up the stairs, her hands tracing patterns in the air around her, and Lucius forces himself not to follow her.