The Taste Of Your Magic Chapter 3, a harry potter fanfic

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"Calm down Cissy! I'm fine. I've merely... been distracted with a project lately and have spent the last few months working in solitude. But what has happened to you?"

Narcissa took a deep breath and visibly calmed down. "They took Lucius! Almost everyone has been captured and is on trial, even your husband, Rabastan and Crouch's brat. They came for Lucius here, in our own home! He had to claim he was under the Dark Lord's Imperious curse, and they're asking for more and more gold or they'll have him Kissed!"

Another deep breath.

"Your husband's little group decided to go and look for the Dark Lord, by torturing Aurors, the fools. The Longbottoms, the two top Aurors, can you believe it? If the Dark Lord failed to kill the Potter boy, it's obviously him, not the other. They managed to hold them for all of two minutes before they were beaten back and captured. Tried on the same day and sent to Azkaban for life. Crouch didn't bat an eye, threw them all away within minutes. I'm not sure wether to be sad or happy for you, considering."

There wasn't much they kept from each other. Bellatrix smiled at her sister reassuringly.

"Definitely happy, sister. But what of you? I know you were still hoping for a love-match." It escaped Bellatrix as to why, but then Lucius apparently wasn't as bad as Rodolphus, and her sister was a romantic.

Narcissa avoided eye contact for a time and gave a small nod, smile gone. Bellatrix sighed. "Cissy... I hate to say it but I think it might be too late for that. If Lucius goes to Azkaban you won't see him again, not really. And if he bankrupts you bribing his way out, only to have the stigma of it over his head, tainting you and your son as well for the rest of your lives, wouldn't that be worse? And it would bankrupt you to bribe his way out, he carries the Mark for goodness sake. And if Crouch can throw away his own son... Cissy, I think it's over."

Narcissa ran into her sister's arms and cried. A waved wand conjured a familiar comfortable lounge behind them and Bellatrix brought her sister to sit down with her, stroking her hair and murmuring soothing sounds. This was not the first time she had comforted her sister, nor would it be the last. There was almost a routine to it by now. Hold her tight, stroke her hair, whisper soft words, and then reassure with logic and support.

"Cissy, shhh, it'll be ok. You will be better off without him, yes? You are young and beautiful and powerful, you can find someone else for a love-match. You will have the Malfoy wealth, and you have your son, Draco. Now he'll be all yours. I can be his godmother, if you like. I'll help you with him whenever you need. Shhh, that's right Cissy. Everything's fine. There, not so bad, is it?"

Narcissa pulled back a little and gave her a watery smile. "Oh Bella, how did it all go wrong? The Dark Lord was so powerful- yet he was beaten by a mere baby! They say he'll grow up to be a champion of the Light, slaughtering us all. Or that he'll be the next Dark Lord. He survived the Killing Curse! He must have some incredibly powerful magics already."

Bellatrix couldn't hold back her grin. "Don't worry about that, it's part of my project."

Narcissa pulled back as if struck, and paled even further. "Bella! Tell me you aren't trying to revive the Dark Lord!"

The older sister, tilted her head and raised a single eyebrow. That would have been treachery not so long ago, and many would consider it so even still. Anyone who was anyone knew the Dark Lord had experimented with immortality and had doubtless made it possible to recall his spirit or some such thing.

The younger sister scrambled to defend herself. "I mean, necromancy is dangerous! You shouldn't get involved in magics so black. There-"

"Cissy... Why don't you want to Dark Lord back?"

Bellatrix found herself curious. It was true that she didn't want her old master back either, but she had a reason: Harry. There was no way her old master would let the boy live, let alone with her. And Harry was precious to her, more important than virtually everything else. But Cissy didn't have Harry, so what reason did she have for this blatant dislike?

"I- I- I don't think he cares about pure-bloods. I think he's just after power. Did you see him in the last great battle? There must have been a half-dozen Old Families lined up against him, and he slaughtered them all, without offering surrender, without hesitation! More Old Lines have been ended by him than any other, even the old Blood Feuds."

She paused, as if considering how to say what she wanted. Then her voice dipped lower.

"And remember cousin Regulus? Quiet, proud, kindly Regulus. They say he tried to get out, and that the Dark Lord made him scream for days before finally killing him. He served the Dark Lord loyally as soon as he came of age, arguably even before, and yet He did such a thing... Bella, I think He would have killed us all, in the end."

Bellatrix nodded slowly. Her little sister made a fair point, one she had not really considered before. She could come up with almost a dozen Old Families the Dark Lord had utterly destroyed for opposing him, just off the top of her head. Far too many for someone supposedly trying to preserve their way of life. There were less Old Families now than there had ever been!

Besides, it lined up rather well with her own wishes. Yes, it would be best to let Narcissa think such things. So she nodded in agreement, ignoring her sister's relieved sigh, and quietly answered.

"I agree. For one supposedly protecting the Old Ways, he has come closer to wiping us out than any other. Do not worry, I am not trying to bring Him back."

Her voice dropped even lower, and she double checked the privacy wards, catching her sister's eye.

"Far from it in fact."

Those few words had Narcissa's eyes wide with shock, before she mutely nodded.

"Now, Cissy, tell me who exactly is demanding your money, and we will decide what to do."

The next few hours were spent in earnest discussion, with Dobby bringing them refreshments whenever they wished. Narcissa soon agreed with her persuasive older sister that any hope of a love-match with Lucius was gone. All he could do now was bring debt and ruin upon their house; it was better to cut him off. So she would not pay any bribes, and would in fact secretly testify against him to ensure he did not wheedle his way out of life in Azkaban. It would be troubling to have him come back after a number of decades in that hell, so better to make sure it was for life.

Then of course a visit to Gringotts to ensure the family vaults could not be accessed by him, just in case. A formal document, proof of Lucius' life imprisonment from a guilty trial, a large fee and a gift of something Goblin made would see everything settled shortly, and she would be Narcissa Black once more.

Most of the time was spent going over her exact performance for when she testified against Lucius. It would have to be convincing, hold up to veritaserum, and neatly tie up any chance of her being accused as well. Neither were particularly worried on that front; they were both very good actors. Some preemptive planning with veritaserum antidote would help as well.

It was eventually settled. Narcissa would go in that same day and testify in secret before Crouch and a witness, likely Dumbledore or some other like him. The trial would be brought forward on the new evidence, Lucius would be put away, and then Narcissa would visit Gringotts to finish everything in a neat little bow.

That Bellatrix planned a slightly more permanent solution to their ex-husband problem went without saying.

They stood to leave, and Bellatrix ordered one last glass of sweet wine before she went, and Dobby appeared, helpful as ever.

"That reminds me, Cissy. I could use a house elf. May I have Dobby?"

Narcissa considered this quickly but shrugged elegantly and agreed. It was no great loss, they had other elves. "Of course. Dobby, you now belong to my sister, Bellatrix. Do you understand?"

Dobby squeaked with delight and bobbed his head many times. "Oh yes Mistress Narcissa Malfoy, Dobby understands and agrees. Dobby now serves Kind Mistress Bellatrix."

They both ignored everything he said after that. The little thing really could ramble, but he was a very devoted house elf and would serve her well.

"Good luck, Cissy. You won't need it."

They embraced at the front door, and Bellatrix held her sister a little closer and a little tighter to comfort her.

"Farewell, Bella. Oh, and wear your ring!"

Back when they had been very young, Bellatrix had charmed a matched trio of rings. By stroking the black gem it would send a pulse through the other rings and let the others know they wanted to talk. Bellatrix had made them when Narcissa had been lonely being left behind as her older sisters went to Hogwarts before her. So she would stroke her ring and let her know she was thought of, and when their littlest sister sent three pulses, she and Andromeda would escape the school wards and sneak home for a quick visit.

They hadn't worn the rings in years. Not since Andy had run off with the mudblood.

Bellatrix smiled and nodded. "I'll come visit you tomorrow to hear how well everything went, and to visit little Draco. Bye for now, Cissy."

And with that she left the manor and disappeared with the blue glow of a portkey.

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Narcissa left Gringotts feeling like the weight of the world had let her shoulders. Everything had gone perfectly. Her testimony had been moving, leaving more than a few witches and even wizards in tears. Unfortunately she had to testify before the whole Wizengamot, but it went even better than expected. Veritaserum was administered half-heartedly, and with a sealed capsule of the antidote concealed as a tooth, she was able to answer the damning questions as she liked.

She had not wanted to reveal that anyone bearing the Dark Mark were His inner circle and in no way under duress, but Bellatrix had insisted and been oddly gleeful about it. So it was that the Ministry now had 'proof' that many of the possible Death Eaters were in fact absolutely guilty. It was even true.

Lucius was convicted and condemned to Azkaban for life that same hour, not knowing what new evidence was found against him, or that his wife watched the trial from the shadowy visitor section. He was dragged away swearing vengeance upon everyone and everything he could think of.

She would never have to see him again, and his imprisonment was as good as a death certificate. She was free to marry for whatever she wished, with anyone she wished, and had access to the entire Malfoy fortune.

Gringotts had been as difficult at first as expected, but the very offical paperwork, large fee and gift of a Goblin made bracelet soon had Lucius barred from ever accessing the Malfoy vaults. She was tempted to have them renamed as her personal vaults, but thought the Malfoy name might yet be useful and decided to keep it for now.

A quick visit to Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour and she was indulging in the sweet frozen confectionary as she hadn't since she was a little girl. It tasted better than she remembered. So she bought some extra for her little Draco, and apparated back home.

The very second she appeared she knew something was terribly terribly wrong. Icecream dropped without a thought, she stroked her ring with her thumb many times as she ran towards the manor. That the door was open nearly had her in tears, but she held on and kept her wand out straight.

The house was a wreck. Blasting and burning curses marred every surface she could see, and she silently cast the Homenum Revelio charm. No one was home except her.

Not even Draco.

And then she knew. And then she wept.

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Bella was just about to feed her beloved when her ring pulsed rapidly. This was not good. She stroked Harry's precious forehead and lulled him to sleep with a wandless spell. She could not take him to see this, whatever it was. It would not be safe.

Another illegal portkey brought her instantly near the Malfoy manor, and she could tell at a glance that some of the wards had been broken. She rushed forward, flinging herself through the air with her left hand while keeping her wand ready to strike down the first thing to make her twitch wrong. Then she saw her sister on her knees, weeping, and knew it was already too late.

She cast the same spell that her sister had mere moments before, and reached the same conclusion. Wards were quickly erected around the house, temporary measures until they could decide what to do. Then she went through the house towards the nursery, noting in some distant part of her mind that the more valuable objects around the house had been removed. It reminded her of her own exodus, and she bit back the thought viciously.

She was nothing like Lucius.

The nursery was quiet, and the bodies of two house elves were lying before it as if sleeping on the floor. At least they had tried, it would have been better if they had succeeded. Inside the room lay another elf, this one bloodied and unrecognisable. The reason for the mutilation made itself clear with the wet writing on the wall.

I know it was you. You took something from me, so I took something from you. The next time you see him, he will kill you and dance on your bloodied corpse, and we will both laugh.

Dramatic as always, damn him.

"Dobby." The poor elf appeared and gasped. She ignored his reactions and moved on. "I need you to bury them, but leave everything else. Narcissa will need to see this. Lucius, your old master, has kidnapped her son and done this. After you finish here you are to prepare us food and then try to find Draco or Lucius without risking yourself. If you can, bring Draco here. You are free to kill Lucius if you think you can, but I do not expect it to be possible. He will have taken measures against this. Just- try, please."

Dobby nodded silently and went to his grisly work. Bellatrix made her way back down the stairs to find her sister just starting to come up.

"Cissy..."

Words failed her. Narcissa shook her head and pushed past her, determined to see for herself even though she knew. The message in blood struck Narcissa to her core, and she swayed where she stood. Her sister caught her and took her back away from the room, conjuring the lounge once more and holding her fast. There were no words this time, just silent tears and loud cries.

Hours flew by with Narcissa switching between weeping and raging. Finally she exhausted herself and fell into a fitful sleep on her sister's shoulder. Bellatrix stroked her forehead and ensured it would dreamless and deep slumber, not knowing what else she could do. This was worse than anything she had thought could happen. How could the Ministry fail so terribly, to let a convicted inner circle Death Eater escape from full custody?

A bitter taste welled up inside her mouth as she fought back the realisation that it was partly her fault. If Narcissa hadn't followed her lead in testifying, Lucius wouldn't have done this. It was his fault, and the Ministry's for letting him escape, but even so she couldn't fight the feeling she was to blame for her sister's distress. For her nephew's plight.

She gently laid her sister down and summoned blankets and a pillow to make her more comfortable. Then the whole lounge was carefully levitated to a guest room that held no reminders of anything.

Bellatrix then quietly left the room, placing more warding around it, and called for Dobby.

He appeared with a small pop and a sad expression. He could not find his old master, nor the small boy. They were warded against detection and none of the places he checked held a trace of them. Bellatrix sighed. She had not expected him to find anything, but she had hoped that Lucius had overlooked something. No such luck. If someone truly skilled wanted to hide, and used dark arts to do so, there was very little to be done to find them. The dark arts had many more ways to avoid detection than to seek someone out. Some of the names for the dark arts were literally 'the hidden places'. Shrouding something from view was much easier than revealing it.

What to do now? They would alert the Ministry, and maybe put out a bounty on his head and for the safe return of Draco, but it would likely come to nothing. Strategically, this was not a terribly thing except that another enemy was out there, but emotionally for Cissy this was a terrible loss. Her son was most of her reason for living, after all. She had always wanted a baby...

And Bellatrix had a baby, didn't she? That might actually work.

She ordered Dobby to move through the manor and make a list of everything missing, and made her way to one of the studies. Parchment and a dictation quill let her compose a note without a trace of her magic or her handwriting. She plainly explained what had happened, and then ordered Dobby to owl it express to the Ministry.

In the way of all important matters, the response came within moments. The Ministry sent its regrets, expresses its sorrow, blah blah blah, and explained that Lucius had been smuggled his wand by an underpaid guard who was promised riches and gained a quick death. Crabbe and Goyle had also been freed and the three had escaped not an hour ago, not missed in all the comings and goings of processing so many Death Eaters.

Their names and likenesses would be put out on wanted posters, and combined with the conviction and the kidnapping, Lucius would be the most wanted wizard on the planet.

For all the good it would do.

Her next letter went to a rather well known pawn shop in a disreputable alley. It was short and to the point. The convicted Lucius Malfoy's head was wanted, separate from its body, for ten thousand galleons and a favour from the Blacks. Draco Malfoy was wanted, whole, alive, unharmed and returned to his mother, for twice that much and two favours from the Blacks.

The money would attract the attention of mercenaries and opportunists everywhere, and the favours would keep their attention like nothing else. The Blacks were not a family to be ignored, and a favour from them was potentially priceless. The possibility of three would have the darker side of the Wizarding world scrambling over themselves to get at Lucius. Especially since he was a wanted man and they wouldn't get in much trouble with the law for killing him.

Dobby displayed a rather new vindictive streak with his smile when he understood the contents of the second letter. He transported it himself and returned within moments, getting right back to listing the stolen items. So far it seemed like every dark object from the secret vaults, plus the stashes of gold and all the easily reached valuables of the house were gone.

It was rushed and poorly executed, missing several more valuable but less visible items that decorated the once resplendent manor, but along with the stashes of gold it would keep Lucius swimming in wealth for the rest of his wretched life. Bellatrix suspected it had been the work of Crabbe and Goyle, with Lucius gathering the dark artifacts, the gold, and Draco. Probably in that order, too. At least Narcissa had sealed the family vaults against him. If he had the wealth there as well, nothing they did would be able to touch him. He could have literally thrown gold at anything they sent after him.

Now though his options were more limited. He would eventually be found and brought down. The problem was it could still take a long time. A very long time if Lucius laid low. And being the snake that he was, laying low was something he was very, very good at. The bounty on him would merely force him to keep to ground.

Bellatrix sighed and went to check on her sister. Still fast asleep. Maybe she would be better coming with her? She pondered her options for a while, reluctant to share her secret place even with her sister. Even more reluctant to share her Harry with anyone. But Cissy needed the help only he could give, so she gave in with a sigh and drew her silver knife once more. She was starting to hate it after all this use.

A slash gave her the blood she needed, and she drew her mark over Narcissa's forehead. The blood sank through her skin with a brief glow of magic, and now the more potent wards would accept her. She called out some more instructions for Dobby to tidy the house up and keep a lookout for Lucius, and then held her sister tight and the two disappeared with a blue flash.

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