A/N: I know a couple people are reading this story. SO if they, or anyone who happens to just stumble across it, is thinking, "Good grief, Bellatrix is SO out of character here!" Well, yes…yes she is. But it's because her timeline has diverged with Mr. Greengrass breaking her out of Azkaban months before Voldermort. Bellatrix even alluded to this last chapter, when she wondered how things might have been different if she had been broken out with the others by Voldermort. But never fear, a good bit of the old Bellatrix is still there; she's just turned morally grey instead of dark. Shutting up now. Hope everyone who reads it enjoys the chapter.
EASTER HOLIDAY: PART ONE
"Pureblood will guide your way,
Look to the inside to break the seals;
Bleed out the dark decay,
Ascend to places beyond the real…"
There was a copy of The Daily Prophet hanging on the wall above Neville's desk in his dorm room. Said newspaper had been hanging above his desk for three and a half months now. The reason this particular edition of The Daily Prophet had adorned the dorm room wall all that time was because of the headline it bore:
LONGBOTTOM HEIR AND GREENGRASS HEIRESS BETROTHED!
Lord William Greengrass Announces Engagement of His daughter Daphne, to Neville Longbottom, at First Major Social Event of the New Year!
Beneath the words was a picture of him and Daphne kissing and then smiling as they raised their joined hands. Neville glanced at the paper frequently; and no matter how bad his day had been, he would smile when he read the headline.
Dean and Seamus had been teasing Neville about it since classes resumed after the Christmas and New Year holidays. Even Harry had tossed a bit of good natured teasing at Neville, though he was very glad for his friend. Yet to everyone's surprise, Ron had not said a word about it. At first only Neville and Harry had known why Ron was so quiet about it. But now, Ron wanted everyone to know about his feelings towards Tracey Davis. He wanted the entire school to know that he had his own beautiful and bold Slytherin girlfriend. Whenever the two of them were together, they were always holding hands. That had started New Year's night at Tracey's house, when Ron had found her crying on a back staircase, and it showed no sign of stopping. His sister, Ginny, was not happy about her brother taking up with a Slytherin. Not happy one bit.
Now, to be fair, another copy of the same edition of the Prophet also adorned the top of Daphne's dresser in her own dorm room. Soon after students returned from the holidays, Pansy had made some rather snide and disparaging comments about Neville. Daphne did not take kindly to it, hexing Pansy to the point of Pansy needing to pay a visit to Madam Pomfrey, after which she shut up about Neville. Wisely, Pansy had refrained from making any comments about Tracey and Ron, though it was obvious she was dying to…Pansy hated the Weasleys much more than she disliked Neville, since the Weasleys were considered blood traitors by many. But Pansy valued her own skin above all else—well, all else besides perhaps Draco; and she knew that she was no match for Daphne, let alone Tracey and Daphne together. So in an uncharacteristic move, she kept her mouth shut.
Whatever Millicent happened to think about the love lives of her dorm mates, she kept to herself.
The situation at Hogwarts was rapidly deteriorating. Umbrige and her tactics were becoming intolerable. Harry and Hermione had organized a group of students into what they called "Dumbledore's Army". They were training their fellow students in how to better defend themselves. Daphne had wanted to join them when she found out about the clandestine meetings, but many of the other students had balked at having a Slytherin join them, "especially from a family as dark as the Greengrasses are," Seamus had muttered. This almost caused a fight between he and Neville, which Harry stopped by stepping between the two boys. Hermione went on to lash out verbally at Seamus, rushing to Daphne's defense…prejudice was obviously not exclusive to the "dark" side.
Disappointed but not daunted, Daphne had insisted she was able to help in some way. So, much like her head of house, she became a spy for Dumbledore's army within Slytherin. She reported any information she gathered to Neville, as since they were already a well established couple, no one would suspect anything if they were seen together.
Concerned for his betrothed's safety, Neville also took it upon himself, with Harry's blessing, to train with Daphne one on one. When they could focus on the training, Daphne excelled. But many nights the training unwound into some rather passionate snogging sessions.
True to his word, Severus had begun to keep a closer watch on the Greengrass girls. He took to tutoring them in various skills: Daphne was excellent at potions—a trait she believed she had inherited from he mother. Astoria, on the other hand, was excellent at transfiguration. Snape also schooled both girls on magics of the mind, such as legimancy and occulmancy.
And out in his hut, Hagrid slowly became aware of a disturbance within the Forbidden Forrest…it felt darker and colder, while the centaurs were sensing the presence of creatures they were unfamiliar with. And they were afraid.
Soon, the Easter break was upon them, much to everyone's relief. Once again, the seven friends all crowded into a single compartment on the train. This time it was Tracey who sat on Ron's lap. Daphne and Neville sat across from them smirking, remembering the trip to school at the end of Summer.
Ron glared at them, remembering the start of term train ride as well. "Alright, alright," he muttered. "Go ahead and joke about it if you want. I s'pose it's only fair after how much I bugged you guys before."
Tracey, her arm around Ron's shoulders while is encircled her waist, shot a pleading look at Daphne. Daphne's eyes flickered to Tracey a moment before returning to Ron, and her smirk softened into a genuine smile. "I'm not saying a word, Weasely. It would be rather hypocritical of me, after all." She leaned forward and her voice turned serious. "Except, you better not hurt my friend or I will hurt you." Her smile dissolved into a short lived glare.
Ron gulped. Tracey and Daphne shared a smirk.
Neville, on the other hand, couldn't resist. "I swear, if you two start snogging—" he began, but Ron cut him off. "You'll leave the compartment, yeah yeah."
"No," Neville replied, pulling Daphne closer to his side while the smirk grew larger on his face. "I'll just snog Daph even more."
Daphne blushed bright red, and gave Neville's arm a gentle smack. "Prat," she muttered, but the smile on her face betrayed that she wasn't upset at all.
Arriving at King's Cross, the friends filed out of the train and onto the platform. Amidst the crowds of parents and other students, they saw Mrs. Davis smiling and waving at them. As the group approached, Astoria broke away, running up to Liz and enveloping her in a hug.
"How are you, Aunt Elizabeth?"
"I'm fine, dear. How is school going?" Liz smiled at the enthusiastic young girl.
"Eh, pretty good, I reckon, except for that toad Umbridge." Astoria stood on her tiptoes and glanced around the station. "Where's father? We thought he was coming with you?"
"He said he was running a little late," Liz replied. "But he should be here any minute."
The others joined them, Daphne giving Liz a hug as well. Ron, still clinging to Tracey's hand, was scanning the crowd for his own parents. On the ride back to King's Cross, he had invited the group over to the Burrow for the weekend after Easter, and wanted to clear it with his mother. Ginny and the twins joined them, the twins engaging in hearty conversation with the others, while Ginny stood back from the group…she alternated between glaring at Daphne (What does Neville even see in her?), glaring at Ron and Tracey's joined hands (I can't believe my own brother has taken up with a filthy Slytherin!), and grinning at Harry (Merlin, Harry is so incredible and wonderful!).
"There you lot are!" A harsh voice yelled. Molly Weasley was bustling towards them. She hugged the twins and Ginny, fussing over them profusely. Her face darkened when she, too, noticed Ron clutching Tracey's hand. But hugged him nonetheless….though, perhaps not as energetically as she had her other children.
Then she greeted the others, fussing loudly over Harry and Hermione as well, giving Neville and Daphne a more subdued yet still polite greeting, congratulating them on their betrothal. Turning last, and somewhat reluctantly, to Tracey, she said, "And you must be the girl who's captured our Ronald's attention. It's nice to finally meet you, dear." Her voice was overly sweet and polite.
Tracey swallowed hard and took the hand Molly had extended towards her. "I'm pleased to meet you, Mrs. Weasley."
Molly's laugh sounded rather forced. "Oh, none of that Mrs. Weasley nonsense, now! You must call me Molly."
Molly then looked at Liz, her face turning into a nasty sneer. "Nott," she spat, a disgusted tone in her voice.
Liz returned Molly's sneer with an equally nasty one of her own. "Prewitt," she replied. The teens noted how the women had both used the other's maiden name, indicating just how far back their animosity for one another went.
The two women continued staring each other down until Ron cleared his throat. "Um, mum, I was wondering if my friends might come over for the day next Saturday, if it's ok with you and dad."
Molly blinked, and broke eye contact with Liz as she turned to Ron. "What was that, love?"
"I was wondering if it would be ok for my friends here to come over to our place next Saturday before we head back to school," Ron repeated.
Molly stared blankly at Ron while Ginny's mouth dropped open in shock. Noticing this, the twins jumped into the discussion before Ginny could say anything negative. They loved their little sister to pieces, but she was very like her mother when it came to personal prejudices…and Slytherins.
"I think it would be a swell idea, mum!" George said.
"Yeah, we could even have an impromptu quditch game! It would be fun!" Fred added.
Molly thought Ron's request over. She did desire to speak with Neville (whom she already knew quite well) and Daphne (whom she did not). She didn't think she'd be able to break their feelings for each other, and in fact Dumbledore had told the Order not to interfere in the relationship between Neville and Daphne, as the relationship would give them an edge in the coming war. But Molly wanted to try and sway Daphne more to the light side, and away from what she considered the "dark leanings of the Greengrass family". Even though the Greengrass estate was in rather close proximity to the Burrow, there had never been much interaction between the families. And Molly's innate prejudices often clouded her judgment.
She had, of course, been told of her Ronald's current interest in Tracey Davis. Ginny had been all too eager to inform her mother of that fact. Ginny shared her mother's extreme dislike of all things Slytherin, and both women felt Ron had betrayed them by starting to date the Davis girl. But Molly's concern went far deeper than that.
Molly knew there was a close alliance between the Greengrass and Davis families, so she had known that Ron was spending more time in close proximity to certain Slytherins. However, she still harbored deep resentment towards Elizabeth Davis for killing the brother of her best friend, hence the two ladies coldness towards each other. Daphne feared this dislike of Liz might extend into a dislike of Tracey dating Ron. And indeed, it pained Molly to think of her baby boy dating the daughter of one of her greatest enemies.
Besides her hatred of Liz, Molly still believed in her heart of hearts that Bellatrix was one of the Death Eaters who had murdered her brothers, though no real proof existed to confirm her suspicions; and Bellatrix herself had told Daphne's father that she had not been there. So she also held dislike for Daphne's father, justified or not, because of his past (and Molly believed current) relationship with Bella.
"Well, I believe that would be fine." She seemed to consider it a moment more before nodding. "Yes. It would be a nice way for you all to spend some nice time together before returning to Hogwarts with that horrible Umbrige woman."
Without warning, Astoria had darted away from the group. A bright smile on her face, she called, "DADDY!" This caused a few heads in the crowd nearby to turn. Most seemed curious, but a few faces morphed into scowls or frowns upon seeing the Greengrass patriarch among them.
But William ignored everyone else around him, all his attention fixed on his daughters, and their group of friends. "Hello, sweetheart," he said, dropping to one knew so he could hug Astoria as she ran to him with her arms open. "I'm glad you guys are home for a little while."
"I missed you so much," Astoria murmured, her voice muffled by Will's chest.
Will gave her an extra squeeze. He realized that sooner or later, a boy would capture Astoria's attention just like Neville had won Daphne's heart. And he would become a secondary person in both his daughters' lives. And that was as it should be. But for now, he enjoyed the closeness. "And I missed you too, honey."
Placing a kiss on her forehead, he stood and the two of them walked to the others. "Sorry I'm late, everyone," he said, stopping to kiss Liz on the cheek before Daphne moved to hug him. When she stepped back, Will noticed Molly standing near, scowling at him, arms folded tightly across her midsection. Beside (and slightly behind) her stood Ginny, her face and body posture mirroring her mother's look of disapproval. Ginny had never met Will before, but she had heard her mother ranting about him in the past, and she felt a bit scared. But her mother's presence bolstered her confidence somewhat.
Will forced a smile onto his face. "Hello, Mrs. Weasley. It's…nice to see you again. You look well." He had no great love for Molly Weasley, to put it mildly.
Molly raised her chin and sniffed, a look of disdain replacing the scowl on her face. "Thank you, Mr. Greengrass," she replied, her voice sounding haughty.
Will smirked. The Weasley might be purebloods, but they were exceedingly poor, and he couldn't help but wonder what her arrogance stemmed from. Probably because of her unwavering belief in the "evilness" of everyone even remotely associated with Slytherin house.
With another sniff, Molly turned back to the teens. "Anyway, you are all welcome to come to the Burrow next Saturday for a back to school party." The she turned and her scowl returned as she addressed Will and Liz. "Just the children, mind. You're not invited Nott!"
"I wouldn't set foot in that filthy shack you call a house if you paid me to, Prewit! Oh, wait…you couldn't pay me—you're far too poor!"
Will was torn between snorting with laughter at how Liz and Mrs. Weasley were sniping at each other, and trying to diffuse the situation between the two women. He'd known that Liz harbored deep resentment towards Molly, and it was obvious that Molly returned the favor. The scowl turned to a glare, and he feared the two women might start hurling spells any moment. Meanwhile, the teens were all watching the interaction between the adults closely, and not saying a word, their eyes wide. Time to end the conversation.
"That's fine, Mrs. Weasley," Will said, drawing her attention to him. "I'm sure the kids will have a marvelous time at your home. I'm glad that they've managed to see each other as friends rather than adversaries, coming from two houses that don't often get along well." He plastered the sincerest smile he could muster across his face, which wasn't much. He didn't hate Molly to the same extent that Liz did, but he certainly didn't care for the woman at all. She was loud, overbearing, opinionated…everything his dear Mary had not been.
Molly huffed, and swept her gaze across Will. Her chin raising again, she replied, "Yes, one can only hope that the next generation will be able to leave behind the prejudices and…actions of their parents." She narrowed her eyes, glancing from Liz to Will and back to Liz.
Her words weren't lost on the adult Slytherins. Liz let out a soft growl, glaring back at Molly. Will raised an eyebrow. "Indeed, Mrs. Weasley," he said, giving a pointed stare at Ron and Ginny before looking Molly in the eye. "One can only hope so."
A flicker of indignation flashed across Molly's face, and a soft gasp escaped her. How dare a dark wizard like William Greengrass accuse her sweet children of holding unreasonable prejudices! But before she could get an angry reply out, Will turned with a bright smile to the teens. "Mr. Longbottom, always a pleasure to see you." He shook Neville's hand. He turned to Hermione next. "Miss Granger, charming as always." he extended his hand and kissed the back of Hermione's, who blushed.
"Mr. Potter, Mr. Weasley, it's been too long. I hope you are both well." The boys both shook his hand, and they made some small talk about how much they all hated Dolores Umbridge. Fred and George joined the conversation, eager to introduce themselves to Daphne's father. Unlike most of their family, they seemed to not be bothered by the presence of so many snakes. Will decided he like them far and above the other Weasleys.
Finally Will turned to Ginny. "And who is this delightful looking young lady?"
Ginny's eyes went wider in fear, and she inched further behind her mother.
"My youngest, Ginerva," Molly ground out, her glare deepening. Youngest? Oh thank Merlin…that meant the Weasleys were done making more Weasleys to turn lose and inflict on the world. Will's smile was genuine as he gave a slight bow to Ginny. "A pleasure to meet you, Miss Weasley."
Ginny gulped, and managed a small nod, before moving even further behind her mother, who kept glaring at Will.
Will turned to his daughters and Elizabeth. "Well girls, Liz, if you are all ready to go, we'd best get home."
He heard Molly mutter something under her breath that sounded like, "Yes, run back to your Death Eater whore."
Anger surged through him and he shot a look of pure hate at Molly. His hand was subconsciously moving for his wand when Liz put her hand on his shoulder and gave it a tight squeeze. The teens were busy telling each other goodbye and hadn't seemed to hear Molly's comment. But Liz had. Knowing Will's fierce protective feelings towards any one he cared about, she gave her head a discrete shake when he glanced at her. He relaxed his posture, and Molly smirked in triumph for getting a rise out of him.
Ron and Tracey were standing a little apart, holding hands. "I'm sorry about how my mum acted, Tracey," he mumbled, looking down.
Tracey smiled. Putting her hands on his face she directed his gaze back to her. "It's ok, Ron…my mum wasn't too kind either."
Ron returned her smile with a weak one of his own. "I just wish they got along better. Seems like they really hate each other." He leaned in and gave her a gentle kiss, then rested his forehead against hers. "But I'm not like them anymore. I've learned that not all snakes are bad. I—I'm crazy about you, and Daphne and her sister seem great too." Then he frowned. "But I still hate most of them…especially Blaize, for what he did to you." His frown morphed into a cheesy smile. "Of course, if he hadn't you and I would never have gotten together. But I'm still mad at him for hurting you so much."
Tracey smiled. "I'm not. In fact, I'll have to thank him the next time I see him." They hugged again and kept hugging, until they heard an impatient "Ahem!" from behind. Turning, they saw that Daphne and her family were walking away, and that both their mothers were giving them impatient stares. Liz was tapping her foot.
Looking back at Tracey, Ron smiled. "Our mum's may hate each other, but right now they're on the same page." They shared one more kiss, drawing catcalls from the twins. Tracey blushed but Ron just rolled his eyes. "See you later, Trace," he said as he walked to his family.
"Owl me!" She called after him as she moved to join her mother.
"Every day!" Ron called, grinning. "See you Saturday!"
Tracey stood beside her mother as the two women watched the Weasleys walk away. Tracey was smiling whilst Liz was frowning. "I'm not entirely certain I like you hanging around with that boy, Tracey," Liz muttered.
"Ron's ok, mum," Tracey replied. "His mother, not so much. Nor his sister. The twins are nice, though."
"But…he's a Weasley! Couldn't you have found some better young man? Maybe someone not so poor? The son of one of your father's friends, for instance? Well, at least he's a pureblood…"
Tracey rolled her eyes. "Come on, mum. Let's go home."
Liz huffed as she and Tracey left the platform. They caught up with the Greengrasses and the group headed for the Leaky Cauldron.
(XXX)
Bellatrix greeted them when they arrived home later that evening after having a leisurely dinner at the pub. Will stepped out of the fireplace and walked over to her, hugged her tight and kissed her on the cheek. Daphne and Astoria stepped out behind him, setting their school bags on the sofa.
"Welcome home, Will," she murmured. "I missed you."
"And I you," Will replied, kissing her again, and on the lips this time. Then they smiled at one another until a quiet snicker sounded next to them.
Bellatrix pulled back, her face turning bright red. "Oh, um, h-hello, girls. How are you?"
"I'm ok, Ms. Bella," Astoria replied, smirking. "How are you?"
"I'm fine, Astoria. Thank you." She gave the girl a small but warm smile.
Daphne was observing the woman. Bellatrix definitely looked better than she had before: her hair was shiny and looked healthy, she had filled out a little more and didn't look as emaciated as she had when they'd first met her at Christmas. Her skin was no longer pale, and glowed with health. Daphne had to admit that Bellatrix was a beautiful woman, especially considering all she had gone through in her life, including almost fourteen years In Azkaban.
"Hello, Daphne," Bellatrix said with hesitance. She knew the girl still didn't trust her, and Bella didn't want to do anything to ruin the small steps Daphne had taken towards accepting her.
"Good evening, Ms. Black," Daphne replied, her voice cool but polite. Now that Bellatrix's husband was dead, her surname had reverted to Black.
Daphne meant to keep her promise with Neville about giving Bellatrix a chance to prove that she'd really changed. But it still hurt Daphne a little to see this woman filling the role in her father's life that had been—and still should be—her mother's. "You look well, ma'am."
Bella's eyes widened at the unexpected compliment. "Th-thank you."
"You girls can go unpack and settle in if you'd like," Will said. "If you're still hungry, I'm sure Lizzy will be thrilled to bring you something."
Daphne rolled her eyes. "I'm stuffed. I probably won't be able to eat for a week."
"I'm sorry to hear that, Daughter, as Easter dinner will be tomorrow at Noon," her father said with a smirk.
"I'll eat her share!" Astoria chimed in.
Will and Daphne both laughed, then Daphne yawned. "I think I'll just go up to bed. It's been a long day. Good night, everyone. Lizzy!"
The elf appeared. "Yes, Miss Daphne?"
"Will you please take my things up to my room, Lizzy?" Daphne said over her shoulder as she started up the stairs. Lizzy snapped her fingers and the bags disappeared.
"Got anything good in the kitchen, Lizzy?" Astoria asked.
Smiling, the little elf replied, "Miss Astoria may come with Lizzy and see." She was always so happy when the girls were home, Will noticed.
Astoria grinned and yelled, "RACE YOU, LIZZY!" as she bolted out of the room. Lizzy looked at Will. "Does Mistress Bella or Master need anything from Lizzy?" She asked.
Will glanced at Bellatrix. "No thank you, Lizzy," She told the elf.
A mischievous smile graced the elf's face and she snapped her fingers, disappearing from the room. Seconds later they heard a Astoria shout, "No fair, Lizzy! I can't aparate!"
Bellatrix snickered, glancing at Will. Her eyes sparkled as she grinned. "Those darn elves are so sneaky."
Will grinned back at her. He had never seen Bellatrix exhibit this level of genuine happiness, not since…well, since forever, actually. Even when they were still in school, she'd never appeared this at ease and just…happy. There had always been something else, haunting the depths of her eyes. Part of it had been her parents, he was sure. her parents were now dead, and Will and Bella had both gone through their own private hells since leaving Hogwarts. But this one moment made the entirety of the last two decades worth it all.
(XXX)
When they had finished their Easter meal, and before Lizzy brought out the desert (another of Bellatrix' favorites), William cleared his throat to get the girls' attention, as they were carrying on a lively discussion about their plans for the rest of their vacation.
"Um, girls, there is something that we would like to, uh, tell you…" his voice trailed off. The girls fixed their attention on him, Astoria with a bit of anticipation, Daphne with a slight feeling of dread.
Their father cleared his throat again. "We…that is, Bella—er, Ms. Black and I…we would…um…"
Bellatrix decided to have mercy on the poor man. In a burst of bravery she'd not experienced since she had fought her way out of her madness, she placed her hand on William's shoulder. Giving him a small smile, she turned to the girls.
"This may be difficult for you to hear, girls, but…" her voice trailed off and she gave Will a nervous glance of her own. He smiled and squeezed her hand. Looking back at the girls, whose undivided attention she now had, she took a deep breath. "Your father asked me to marry him and I said I would." She said it in a rush, and her face turned as red as an evening sunset.
She then glanced as the girls and chewed her bottom lip anxiously. Astoria and Daphne glanced at each other, then at their father, then at Bellatrix. Astoria couldn't contain herself any longer, and let out a loud, "YAAAY!" She got up and enveloped Bellatrix in a hug, then gave her father one as well.
Daphne was staring at her plate while Astoria gushed on about never having been to a wedding. Once Astoria had calmed down and returned to her seat, Daphne's eyes flickered across Bellatrix before resting on her father. "When will it be?" She asked.
"Not until this whole mess is over, for several obvious reasons," Will replied in a quiet voice. "Could be months, could be years. We're not sure."
"Please don't wait years!" Astoria pled. "I don't want to wait years before I get a new mum!"
Daphne flinched, and Bellatrix, who had been watching her noticed. "Please don't think I'm trying to replace your mother, girls. No one could do that, so I'm not even going to try." She glanced at Will. "I didn't know your mother well at all. We Slytherins, well I'm sure you know what our house is like since both of you are in it as well. We didn't associate much with people outside of Slytherin, but your father has told me a lot about your mother, and she sounds like an amazing woman. I can't hope to replace her in your lives. But I hope we can at least be friends." She was looking at Daphne with such a pleading, hopeful look that Daphne's attitude towards the woman melted a little.
"That sounds great!" Astoria chirped, blissfully unaware of the tension in the room. "What should we call you, Ms. Bella?"
"You can call me whatever you feel comfortable with, Astoria," Bellatrix replied with a smile.
"As long as it's respectful," amended Will, casting a quick glance at Daphne, who rolled her eyes.
"I call your sister Aunt Andromeda, may I call you Aunt Bellatrix?" Astoria's voice was eager.
"Of course you may, dear," Bella told the girl, feeling elated that Astoria felt comfortable enough with her to use the same title for her as she did for Andi. Bella knew how close the girls were to her sister.
Daphne sighed. "You make my father happy, ma'am. Keep making him happy, okay?"
Bella sent a small smile to Will. "I intend to spend the rest of my life making your father happy."
Daphne nodded. "Then, I'm ok with this."
Bella's eyes teared up. "Thank you, Daphne." She wanted to say more, but didn't feel the time was quite right. Besides, Lizzy chose that moment to bring desert out, and the conversation turned to how school was going and loud complaints about Delores Umbrige from the girls.
The girls eventually left the table. Daphne was going to get ready for Neville, who was coming to bring her to visit his grandmother for the second part of Easter. Astoria intended to take a nap and then write a few letters. Stopping on her way out of the room, Astoria gave Bellatrix a tight hug. "I'm glad you've come into our lives, Aunt Bella," she murmured before ending the hug. Flashing Bellatrix a bright smile, Astoria skipped out of the room.
Bellatrix watched her go, and her eyes began filling with tears again. She turned to Will, and he noted the tears, placing his hand on top of hers.
Bellatrix swiped the back of her hand across her eyes. "Ugh! I never used to be this sappy, did I Will?"
He smiled, squeezing her hand. "Time changes us, my love. For the better or for the worse. And sometimes both."
(XXX)
Neville called to say he would be over in five minutes. And everyone got the point. He didn't want to see Bellatrix, because he was still dealing with his hate towards her. Will was grateful for his honesty, and Astoria teased her sister by batting her eyelids and saying, "Oh, what a gentleman he is!"
Bellatrix was still struggling with guilt over what had happened to Neville's parents, so she went out into the kitchen with Lizzy, only coming back out after Neville had arrived to collect his fiancé, and the young couple had departed. The three of them spent a peaceful evening in the living room talking, until Bella and Astoria had gone to their rooms for the night.
When Daphne returned from the Longbottoms very late that night, she found her father sitting in his study in front of the fireplace reading a book. It was well after Midnight. She smiled to herself. "Are you waiting up for me, father?" she teased.
He turned to her with a smile, setting the book in his lap. "Not at all, Daughter. I trust you and Mr. Longbottoom to behave yourselves. Did you have a nice visit?"
Daphne walked over and sat in the chair next to his. "Of course. Any time I spend with Neville is amazing. His grandmother, maybe not as much."
Will chuckled. "Yes, Augusta can be quite the character. But she loves your betrothed, and while she might often smother him sometimes with rules, she thinks it's for his own good."
Daphne huffed and rolled her eyes. "Well I'm very glad you don't smother Astoria and I like that. I don't think I could handle it."
There was silence between them for a while, the popping and crackling of the fire the only sound as they both watched the flames dance. "I don't hate her, father," Daphne murmured, breaking the silence. "I did at first, and I was so mad at you for breaking her out of prison and bringing her into our lives. I mean, all I know of her was that she was a cruel, vicious, crazy murderer and follower of the Dark Lord. And I couldn't understand what it was you saw in her. And I hated her for what she had done to Neville's parents. Or what I thought she'd done, like everyone else thinks she did. And I hated her for taking mother's place in your life.
"Then I learned more about her, I saw how Tori took to her so fast…Tori is a good judge of character, not easily fooled. And I watched you with her, saw how you two acted towards one another, and…I saw that you were crazy in love with her, and she with you. And I asked myself, 'if it was you, would you break Neville out of jail despite what the media and government said about him when you knew the truth?" Daphne's voice trailed off and she fell silent.
"What did you answer yourself?" Will asked after a while. "Would you do for the boy you love what I did for the woman I love?" He was genuinely curious to hear what she had decided.
"Yes," she whispered. "Yes I would, without hesitation." She sighed. "It just seems so strange to think of you with another woman in your life. I want you to be happy, father, truly I do. I wished for you to find someone who would make you smile and be happy again for the longest time. And yet, part of me secretly hoped you wouldn't and didn't really expect you to. Then suddenly you did, and that secret part flared up."
Daphne turned and looked at him, and he saw the tears on her cheeks. "I miss her, daddy," she said, her voice small and wavering. "I miss her so much!"
Will slid out of his chair and knelt in front of Daphne. She leaned forward, reaching her arms out to him as she began sobbing.
"Oh, my poor, sweet, darling daughter," he murmured into her hair as he hugged her. "Please don't think for even one moment of your life that I didn't love your mother. Daphne, I loved your mother with every fiber of my being. She gave me the two greatest blessings that any man could ever hope to have—you and your sister. I miss her too, every day. But whenever I look at you and Astoria, Iyou're your mother…I see her in the color of your eyes, in the way you love to study and learn new things, in your love of potions. I see it in the color of Astoria's hair, in her infectious smile and laugh, her compassion for others and her desire to become a healer."
He leaned back and placed his hands on either side of Daphne's face. "I wish she hadn't had to leave us. I wish that all the time. And no one can replace her. Sometimes I wonder what things would have been like if your mother was still alive, and I had never saved Bellatrix from Azkaban. But I do love Bellatrix. I have loved her since we were both younger than you are now. And I think…I hope that she loves me too."
"She does," Daphne said, smiling through her tears. "I can see it in her eyes when she looks at you, and hear it when she talks. You two are so cute together." She sniffed. "It's going to take a bit of adjustment, but I promise I don't hate her."
Will smiled and hugged his daughter again. "Thank you. Now, I'm still your father, and I say you should nip along to bed. It's very late, and we have a busy week ahead of us.
She laughed and stood while Will returned to his chair. Pausing at the door, she looked back at him. "Good night, father. I love you."
Will smiled. "And I love you too, Daughter. Pleasant dreams."
(XXX)
The following Saturday found William taking Astoria to Diagon Alley so she could purchase a few items before returning to school. Astoria had not joined her sister and their friends at the Weasley's house because she didn't want to feel like the only non-coupled person there, and that she see the Weasley's soon enough as it was. So she and her father had spent the day together strolling through both Muggle London and Diagon alley.
They had completed their shopping and were heading back to the pub when Astoria saw Narcissa and Draco heading towards them. Her eyes lit with excitement, and she dug in her bag until she found the gift she'd bought for him back at Christmas, but had never had the opportunity to give him…at least not without giving Pansy a reason for attacking her in jealousy.
"Draco! Mrs. Malfoy!" She called, waving at the pair.
Narcissa frowned as she squinted to see who had called to her. When she saw Astoria Greengrass hurrying toward her, she smiled. Her smile widened when she saw Astoria's father was with her. Now maybe she could get an answer to the question she'd been wondering about for a while.
After the usual pleasantries had been exchanged, Astoria turned to Draco. Blushing profusely, she thrust the book into his hands. "Here, Draco, I got this for you a couple months ago. I—I heard you talking to one of your friends about it."
Draco looked down at the book in surprise. He looked wide-eyed at Astoria. "Thank you?" It sounded like a question, because it had caught him so off guard. But the grin of happiness on Astoria's face indicated she wasn't upset.
"You're welcome!" She replied cheerfully.
Narcissa didn't waste any time, asking the question uppermost in her mind. "So William, how is my sister doing?"
He stared blankly at her for one second before smoothly shrugging his shoulders. "And just how would you expect me to know that, my dear Narcissa?"
"Because she's been at you house for a few months now, has she not?" Narcissa was smirking.
"I have no idea what you're talking about. Now if you'll excuse us, we must be heading home now. Come along, Astoria." He turned to go.
Narcissa hadn't actually expected to get William to give up the information so easily, but it had been worth a shot. She now switched to a different tactic: entrapment. She'd often been able to trick William into telling her things when they were growing up by catching him when he was off guard or distracted. Time for a sneak attack.
"They'll just find Bella and take her away from you again, Will;" Narcissa said. "You know that, don't you? The Aurors will find her and take her back to Azkaban. Or the Death Eaters will track her down and bring her to the Dark Lord."
William spun on his heel and leaned close to Narcissa. Eyes narrowed, a look of rage covering his face, he hissed, "And I'll kill anyone who tries to take…her…away." His voice trailed off as he realized what he'd just, by default, admitted to. No more point in denying it, he supposed.
William sighed. "Yes, your sister is at my house, and has been since I had her rescued from Azkaban. And she is quite safe." He returned Narcissa's triumphant smirk with a chagrined expression. "Touché. Well played, Cissa. Well played indeed. A classic Slytherin move."
She snorted. "What else would you expect from a Black married to a Malfoy?" Her face grew serious. "I take it that you are responsible for the deaths of Rodolphus and Rabastan as well?"
William smirked, his eyes glinting as he recalled the satisfaction he felt as he saw the life leave Rodolphus Lestrange. "You would be correct in your assumption."
A frown marred Narcissa's face. "You're taking a huge risk, Will." Even though she'd cast a muffliato when they began talking, Narcissa lowered her voice and stepped closer. "The Dark Lord was furious when he found out Bella was missing from Azkaban back in September. Lucius had found out from Fudge and told the Dark Lord. And when the Lestranges turned up dead, he went berserk for a short time, crucioing several of his people and even killing one. He's furious. And when he finds out it was you that did both, he'll send his people after you. When, Will, not if…he always finds out."
"Let him find out," Will snarled. "He's not the strongest wizard out there! His arrogance and egomania will be his undoing. There are forces in play that even he can't hope to defeat, dark lord or not! Let him send people after us—I'll send every one of them back to him in pieces!"
"It's not just the Death Eaters, Will…he's got lots of dark creatures in his service."
"So do I, Cissa," Will replied. "So do I. I got your sister out of Azkaban, after all…and there are three dead Dementors to prove it."
Narcissa was worried for her sister. She didn't want Bella taken back to the Dark Lord or prison. But Will did have a point: Dementors were supposed to be unkillable, and yet…
"How is Bella doing, Will?" She needed to know. She needed to know that her big sister was well. Bellatrix had always been there for her and…and her other sister whilst they were growing up, sometimes even taking the blame for things they'd done so that their parents' punishment would fall on her instead.
A smile that only someone who was totally in love could have spread across Will's face, and his eyes got a faraway look in them. "Beautifully. She's so happy, Cissa. It's almost like how it was when we were all at Hogwarts. A little tension between her and Daphne, especially at first. But things seem to be getting better now. And Astoria gets along fine with her, don't you sweetheart?"
Astoria grinned. "I like your sister a lot, Mrs. Malfoy," she said, looking up at Narcissa. "She makes my dad so happy!"
Narcissa felt tears pricking at the corner of her eyes. But, a Black does not show emotion in public…especially not one married to Lucius Malfoy. She turned to Will. "I would like to see her, William." Narcissa had to exert even more willpower to keep the tears from falling at the thought of seeing her beloved sister again after so long.
A slight frown covered Will's face. "That may be a bit difficult. Too many people are beginning to take note of the situation, and I don't want Bella—or you —getting hurt. It might be too risky at the moment. Someone might notice you popping in and out of our house and connect the dots."
The look of sadness that entered Narcissa's eyes melted Will's heart. He sighed. "I'll see what I can do, Cissa. I'm sure we can work something out. I'll talk it over with Bella and we'll see what we can come up with. And I know she would want to see you as well." He paused, looking at Narcissa with his eyes narrowed some. "I should tell you that Bella has patched things up with Andromeda. They spend a lot of time together." He paused again. "Would that be an issue for you?"
Narcissa was shocked. Bella and Andi, on speaking terms? Not only that, but spending time together? In person? Narcissa's head spun. "I…perhaps it would be best if I could see Bella alone first? Just the two of us? I mean, if she has…reconciled with…with Andromeda, then I suppose that's good. But I'm not certain if Andromeda is ready to reconcile with me. Or I her, if I'm being honest."
Will nodded. "I understand. Family dynamics can be tricky, to say the least. Give me a couple days to try and come up with something. In the meantime, please say nothing about this. Bella and I are safe enough at the estate, but I don't want anything happening to my daughters. I've taken certain measures to try and ensure their safety whilst they are at Hogwarts, but even so…I would not be at all pleased if something were to happen to them because someone mentioned this to the wrong people." He looked sharply at Draco, who gulped.
"We won't say anything, Will," Narcissa interjected, noticing the look Will had shot at her son. "I promise."
"Very well," Will rumbled, shooting one last frown at Draco. "At any rate, I think it's time we headed for home. I'll speak with your sister this evening. I'm sure she'll be in touch with you soon. Good evening, Narcissa…Draco." Giving them a nod before turning and starting down the street. "Come along, Astoria," he said over his shoulder.
"Bye Aunt Narcissa and Draco!" Astoria called as she followed her father.
Both Malfoys raised their eyebrows at Astoria's comment, aware that their family dynamics would most likely be changing soon.
Draco and his mother watched the Greengrasses walk away, both staring after them for a long time, Draco noting the way Astoria's long dark hair swayed across her back as she walked. He shook his head, wondering where that thought had come from.
Draco's mind was spinning…his crazy, psychotic Aunt Bella was living with Daphne and Astoria…had been at their house since their father broke her out of Azkaban months ago. Their father broke her out of Azkaban! Lord William Greengrass had broken Bellatrix Lestrange out of Azkaban months before the Dark Lord had gotten the other Death Eaters out. Then he'd hunted down and assassinated both the Lestrange brothers. And now, supposedly, his aunt was in her right mind again as well.
Was it possible, Draco wondered. Could Greengrass be as powerful as the Dark Lord himself? If he was…well, that changed things.
How could he leverage this knowledge so that it could benefit him, and his father? Give the info to the Dark Lord, and win his favor? Bribe the Greengrasses with the fact he'd keep his mouth shut in return for money or favors—perhaps a marriage contract between him and Daphne in exchange for his silence? Play both sides against the middle—let his father continue to cozy up to the Dark Lord whilst he attempts to become friends with the Greengrasses?
Even if the Dark Lord was pleased, he was unstable, and there was no guarantee that a reward would be forthcoming. The Dark Lord was notorious for promising things and never delivering on them. And he might instead punish Draco or his father for "withholding" the information from him. Draco dismissed that idea. And if Greengrass was as powerful as Draco was beginning to thin he was, then Draco didn't want to get on his bad side, in case things went poorly for the Death Eaters in this war. He remembered the look Will had given him before leaving, and gulped again.
Bribing Lord Greengrass…someone powerful enough to kill Dementors and make Aunt Bellatrix sane again? He shook his head, dismissing the bribery idea even faster than the last one. The Dark Lord himself did not possess the power to outright kill a Dementor. Besides, a marriage contract was binding. Daphne's father couldn't break it.
That left the last option: becoming friends with the Greengrasses. Daphne hated him. So if he suddenly started cozying up to her she'd see through it. He might hate her (and honestly he wasn't sure why he hated her, really), but she was smart. Probably about as smart as Granger. maybe they could at least declare a truce? That might work.
He looked down at the gift Astoria had given him. It was a rare book about Quidicth that he'd been talking of getting. Astoria must have overheard him telling one of his friends about it in the common room. Daphne might be lost to him, but…Astoria wasn't. She was a couple of years younger than he was, true, and yet she seemed to be rather fond of him for some reason. Perhaps he could build on that.
"Tell no one of this, Draco," Narcissa said, jolting him out of his thoughts. He glanced at her. She was still staring after Astoria and her father.
"But mother, shouldn't we tell father about—"
Narcissa spun towards him, grabbing his shoulders. Her eyes were wide with terror. "NO, Draco!" Her voice held a note of panic. "Do not tell your father! Tell no one! The current situation is fluid, and moving too rapidly! Your father would tell you-know-who, and he would go crazy! Bellatrix is my sister, and next to you there is no one that I love more…not even your father. I saw what happened to her all those years ago, and I don't want her going back to that!"
Narcissa glanced back the way Will and Astoria had gone, though they were now out of sight. "Will…Will saved her; saved her in more ways than one. You should have seen them when we were in school, Draco. No one has been deeper in love than they were. And now, at last, they have a chance to be together, as they should have had from the start."
Narcissa's voice had been soft, but when she turned back to Draco her eyes were hard and cold, and a fire burned deep within them. "Tell no one, Draco," she repeated, and her voice held the same cold edge that her eyes did. "It is imperative that we keep this between the two of us. Promise me that you will tell no one! Promise!" She gave his shoulders a shake.
Draco knew that look, knew that tone of voice. His mother rarely took a stand, usually just going along with whatever Lucius dictated, playing the part of the loyal pureblood wife as she had been raised to do. But when she got that look in her eyes, even his father would back down.
"I promise, mother. I won't say anything." And he wouldn't. Draco loved his mother more than anything in the world. She was the bright center of his universe, her love the anchor that kept him from giving in to complete despair. He supposed he loved his father, too; yet it seemed that relationship was built more on fear, and trying to win his father's love and approval. But his mother, she loved him with a pure and abiding love. Draco knew that Narcissa would die for him without hesitation, while Lucius would most likely not. Lucius valued his own skin above everything, and everyone, else.
Satisfied, Narcissa's face softened, and she pulled Draco in for a hug. Draco squeezed his eyes shut to prevent the tears from falling. He would die for his mother, do anything for her. And if she didn't want him telling anyone about his psychotic aunt shaking up with Lord Greengrass, then he wouldn't.
Draco lay awake for a long time that night, thinking over the events of that afternoon. His mind was still a swirling mess of emotions. He glanced at the book Astoria had given him, sitting on the table beside his bed. A gift freely given to him as just a gift, and not as some sort of bribe. And suddenly, out of the swirling mess inside his mind, one thought emerged bright and clear: Draco no longer had any desire to be like his father…..
(XXX)
A/N: There you go. We're getting close to the battle at the Department of Mysteries. I wonder how much it might be the same and yet different?