Bellatrix
Melene led the three young ladies to their quarters. It was a rather spacious room with three beds spaced fairly generously apart. In between were three large chests for their personal effects. Jenny picked first and chose the middle bed mentioning her fear of the dark, and that she did not do well with corners. Bellatrix sat on the closest bed without fuss. It was when Melene pulled out some hefty, dark fabric from one trunk to hand to each of them that it dawned on Bellatrix: was she really going through with this? It still felt like a dream, being in an unfamiliar place with unfamiliar people in an unfamiliar culture.
"Dress up and make haste. The Queen will be needing you soon. Especially for the little prince." She left them with a loud bang of the heavy door. Alyssa held up the fabric against herself thoughtfully.
"No matter, these are free fitting. Help me with this, will you Jen? You heard her, we must hurry." Alyssa began to undress, shocking Bellatrix with her nakedness and at how it seemed so natural to her. She looked away as the two girls continued helping each other in the dressrobes.
"Bellatrix, do you need help? You best get changed as well." Jennie spoke this time.
"Ah, yes. I'll get on it. You two go ahead." Bella stuttered.
"Oh no, we better go together. She will need us all. Didn't you notice how exhausted she looked? Come on now, I'll help you."
Bellatrix stood and quickly, but awkwardly helped herself out of her dress careful to pull down her stockings before they could see it. The last thing she needed was for them to see how strange her cloth pieces were. She kicked them inconspicuously under her bed at the same time slipped the new dress over her head. She also did not want them to see her naked—no one saw ever her naked.
Alyssa was behind her as soon as she stood, ready to tie the knots at her back. As Alyssa gently bound the dress, Bellatrix admitted they were far more comfortable in the humidity, and more freeing for movement although they revealed much more skin which wasn't what she was used to. Her thick curly hair fell over her back as Jennie undid her hair to redo it into a bun, allowing strands of curls to frame her face.
It all felt too new for Bellatrix, to be dressed, to be regarded as an equal, as a friend. This would be her second time sharing a bedroom with other girls as in Hogwarts. Though she did not enjoy it back then, somehow this new place gave her a different sentiment. There in the magical world, people knew her by reputation and judged her accordingly. Here, in this strange place and time, she was unknown and it gave her a sense of peace. A sense of newness, a sense of belonging.
"There, good as new." Jennie commented as soon as she finished and Bellatrix spun around to face her smiling awkwardly.
"Suits you quite well, I must say." Alyssa added with hands on her hips as she assessed Bellatrix. "The queen will find be happy to have you in her service."
"She will with us all." Bellatrix heard herself say, and she meant it. Alyssa had auburn hair and light skin; Jennie had brown hair and tanned skin. Each of them were as contrasting as the other.
"Come on, then. Let's head back." Jennie said as she led the way. Alyssa and Bellatrix followed suit, Bellatrix forgetting that her black dress, strewn carelessly on her bed, beheld the time turner and her wand.
It was an uneventful rest of the day for Bellatrix and her new friends. She found the queen did enjoy having them to accompany her. Bellatrix mostly as she was soon appointed as the queen's personal accompany. Although Bellatrix said very little, the queen found a liking to having someone listen to her and her stories. Queen Rhaella, Bellatrix discovered, was well versed with books and histories of the Targaryen line. She spoke of her ancestors, their ways, their dragons, and their custom. It was a complete shock to Bellatrix to find that the King was the Queen's own husband and father of Rhaegar and the newborn Prince Viserys. Though dragons were not a surprise to her as it was to Jennie and Alyssa, she did enjoy finding out that they were a special exception to the Targaryens.
They were dismissed soon after the moon had risen to allow the Queen ample rest. Alyssa had been appointed as the Queen's food taster while Jennie was reassigned to sleep in Prince Viserys' chambers in shifts with Melene. She wasn't wrong about being good with children as Viserys took a liking to her right away. Bellatrix and Alyssa were inside their chamber when Bellatrix remembered her dress only to find her bed empty.
"Where my dress!" She asked, frantically riffling through the trunks to no avail. Alyssa watched her, puzzled.
"Maybe they were taken to be washed?"
"Washed?" Bellatrix spun round to glare at her. "Where?"
"In the wash houses?" Alyssa replied carefully.
"Goblins." Bellatrix cursed under her breath as she hurried out the door ignoring Alyssa's calls.
Bellatrix hurried down to the grounds and out of the castle to where Amos had instructed her to meet Siris. Her heart and mind were racing with thoughts she hoped beyond hope would not be possible.
Sirius was standing hooded under the light of the moon when he heard her come down the stone steps. She appeared looking so bothered he thought she was about to cry.
"My wand- the time turner!" Bellatrix said in a hiss, looking around to make sure they were alone.
"What about them?" Sirius queried, "what's wrong?"
"They're gone! My dress—inside—they were— we had to change and— Sirius, we've got to find them!"
"Yes, what happened to your dress?" Sirius was looking at her now as if just noticing her body for the first time. "Woah, Bella, you look— well, not yourself. Actually, not bad. We really are related, I see." He said admiringly.
"Get a grip and listen to me!" Bellatrix smacked him on the temple. "The time turner is gone!"
"Gone?! It can't be gone, it's just— it should be somewhere in there. Calm down."
"I can not be calm right now, I need my dress! Alyssa said it might be at the wash houses. Where's that?"
Sirius glared at her dumbly, "really, you're asking me?"
"Just take me to Amos, you blithering idiot. You're no help!" Bellatrix groaned. Sirius took her hand and somewhat dragged her through the streets to Amos' keep.
Amos listened calmly while Bellatrix explained frantically.
"The wash houses are on the other side of the castle. We should be able to find out tomorrow."
"Tomorrow?" Bellatrix held her tone, "that can't be any sooner? My wand is in there! I'm practically missing a hand without it!" Sirius pushed her to sit and motioned for her to breathe.
"It would not be safe tonight," Amos said, "there are guards everywhere and more alert at this hour. Trust me, tomorrow will be much better day to find it."
"Bloody hell, I'm dead. I'm a dead witch." Bellatrix chanted miserably. "How could I be so stupid."
"We'll find it, Bella, don't worry. Amos and I will get on it first thing in the morning. Right, Amos?"
Amos nodded agreeably, though he seemed rather distracted in his thoughts. Sirius noticed this and waved a hand to catch his attention. Amos blinked himself back to see them staring thoughtfully at him.
"I understand the urgency, Bellatrix, but I have news. News that may or may not be in your favor."
Bellatrix and Sirius exchanged worried looks.
"The royal council has come to a decision on Prince Rhaegar's betrothed and there is a plan underway for their first meeting."
"Congratulations to him," Sirius clapped in mocked interest, "but what's it got to do with us?"
"The meeting is to commence in King's Landing, the capital of Westeros. The travel will take less than a fortnight from here, and I do believe the queen will be attending." Amos said carefully looking at Bellatrix.
"So?" Sirius' unconcerned voice did not faze Bellatrix.
"I'll have to go." She said matter-of-factly completing Amos' argument.
"No, you can't. We'll be back in our time by then, won't we?"
"Listen, Sirius, as long as we don't have the time turner, we will have to continue as we are now–today. Me, as the queen's accompany, and you as whatever you are. Otherwise," she stopped coming to a realization that just made everything that much more real than it could ever be in that timeframe.
"Otherwise what?" Sirius was impatient now.
"We could die." Bellatrix looked at him worriedly. "For as long as we aren't going forward into our time, we have to try and survive in this day and age. You see? One wrong move and it's easy for them to be off with our heads. In my case, I can't just step out from my duty. I need to play along."
Amos was rather relieved that he did not have to say those exact words.
"You're joking." Sirius scoffed this time more emotionally.
"I wish I was."
Bellatrix returned to her chambers that night, and as peacefully as Alyssa was asleep on her bed, Bellatrix lay awake unable to fathom the mess she and Sirius were in.