A/N: Sorry this one's so short. It's my attempt at fluffiness… well, at least the last part. Anyway, hope you like it!

Bellatrix looked around her room, shaking, seething with anger. She was now slim again, and her baby Nefaria was sitting quietly in her crib in the other room. But for now, Bellatrix couldn't care less about her child.

She stood up and made a split second decision to take out her anger in the only way she knew how. She ran out the door of her hidden house and ran down the street. It was a cold fall night, and the sky was clear. The full moon shone brightly down on the pavement- the only light illuminating the street. She ran and ran, feet pounding against the asphalt. She turned a corner, trying to decide on her destination.

Finally, she stopped, panting, in front of a small, quaint house. There were a few lights on, shining out of the windows and casting a yellow glow on the road. Insides burning with frustration and ire, Bellatrix pointed her wand at the front of the house and shouted, "REDUCTO!"

There was a huge bang, and a large hole was blasted out of the house. Before the neighbors could come out, Bellatrix rushed inside and quickly found the inhabitants. The muggle woman's surprised screams were nothing compared to the shrieks of agony that came from her just moments later, when Bellatrix sneered, "Crucio!"

Bellatrix joined in, shouting along with the tortured woman, letting out her fury. Finally, Bellatrix stopped. The anger was gone, replaced by only devastation. She couldn't get the image of Narcissa standing in front of her, delivering the news, the horrible news. Bellatrix's shoulders drooped, and she pointed her wand at the terrified muggle half-heartedly. "Avada Kedavra," she said, finishing the job. Then, she turned on the spot and disappeared with a CRACK.

Bellatrix reappeared back in her house. She immediately collapsed on the floor, the burden of the news bearing down on her almost physically.

He was gone.

---

A year had passed, and Bellatrix was getting used to solitude. But of course, she wasn't really alone- she had Nefaria with her. Bellatrix smiled at the thought of her daughter.

Nefaria was really a remarkable baby. The resemblance to both her parents was uncanny. Like her mother, she had curly, jet-black hair and heavily lidded eyes. From her father, she had inherited both his frightening light blue eyes and his snake-like nose. Bellatrix absolutely adored Nefaria and had to use all of her will power not to spoil her to bits.

After breakfast, Bellatrix headed straight to the backyard. This had become a routine for her; although Nefaria was still too young to train, Bellatrix had used the training area very effectively for her own benefit. She sat Nefaria down in her playpen. The little girl toddled over to the other side of the playpen, picked up a toy broomstick, and began zooming around on it, only rising a foot or so off the ground.

Bellatrix glanced up at the glaring sun and quickly cast a spell around the yard that would get rid of the glare. She took a deep breath and set to work. First, she started practicing transfiguration. Completely ignoring the box full of small items meant for Nefaria to learn transfiguration on, she walked to a medium-sized boulder. She pictured her enemy just feet away from her. Glaring at the invisible member of the Order of the Phoenix, she successfully turned the boulder into a miniature dragon (nonverbally). This spell was one of her own creation, and had taken an exceptionally long time to master; magical creatures were hardly ever the subject of transfiguration. They were just too complex.

The dragon turned and began spouting fire at Bellatrix. She raised a shield charm just in time, and the flames bounced off. Nefaria squealed as the dragon turned towards her. With lightning speed, Bellatrix vanished the dragon and paused to take a deep breath. Maybe she would hold off on transfiguring something into a Quintaped. (A/N: See Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by Newt Scamander… a.k.a. JKR. Or just Google it.)

She turned now to the target practice area. She focused in on a small rock that stood on a ledge about 50 feet away. She steadied her arm and pointed her wand at the rock. "Avada Kedavra!" she shouted, and a jet of green light shot from her wand. The killing curse missed the rock by an inch, blasting a hole in the wall it was resting on. Bellatrix muttered a quick "Reparo," and the wall re-built itself.

Nefaria was now watching intently, curious as to what her mother was doing. She loved watching the flashing lights fly everywhere; her favorite, and the one her mother made most often, was the bright green, glowing one- it was so pretty!

Bellatrix readied herself again, determined to hit the rock right in the middle. "Avada Kedavra!" she cried, but it missed again, this time soaring out of the yard and toward the neighbor's house. Cursing, Bellatrix conjured up a muggle baseball and sent it flying into the window that her killing curse had just broken. This made it look like someone had broken the window with a baseball.

Bellatrix readjusted and prepared to send the curse once more. She aimed her wand, squinted her eyes, and shouted, "Avada Kedavra!" The green-glowing spell hit the rock right in the middle, and the rock was blasted into bits. Bellatrix smiled confidently, and she heard a small giggle behind her.

She turned around to see Nefaria standing up, holding on to the side of the playpen for support, smiling at her mother. Bellatrix rushed over and picked the grinning baby up. She set her down and summoned a golden snitch from the playpen. "Look, Nefaria!" Bellatrix said, and let the snitch go. "Can you catch it?"

Nefaria shrieked and began chasing the snitch, which couldn't go more than two feet off the ground. Half-crawling, half-running, the baby tackled the snitch and grasped it tightly.

"Mama!" she said- it was the only word she could say.

Bellatrix stepped towards her and said, "Mmhmm?"

Nefaria scrunched up her face, concentrating hard. "Av-a… K-avra. Av-a… Ke-avra. Av-a-a Ke-avra. Avada Kedavra!" she squealed, finally getting it right. Bellatrix's whole face lit up. She picked up Nefaria and twirled her around, then hugged her tight.

"That's my girl," she whispered.