Written for The Houses Competition Year 11 Round 6

House: Gryffindor Stand-in

Class: History of Magic

Category: Drabble

Prompt: [Speech] "I can make you disappear."

Word Count: 702

TW: Bellatrix. But she's young and mostly sane here

Thanks to Bailey, mari, and CharlieManx for beta!

Lucius sipped from the delicate Bone China teacup he'd been offered, looking perfectly at ease as Bellatrix slowly circled the armchair he'd settled on. Her high heels clicked against the wooden floor of Black Manor's drawing room, and Lucius could feel her stare on the back of his head.

She was still mostly behind him when her robes swished and her breath warmed his ear.

"I can make you disappear," she whispered.

Lucius closed his eyes to beg the Goddess for patience and set his teacup in its saucer.

"Bellatrix," he said with what he thought was admirable evenness.

Bellatrix straightened so quickly that her robes snapped in the rapidly displaced air. In two long steps, she was in front of him, next to the table laden with the tea service as well as an assortment of cakes, pastries, and biscuits in deference to the Blacks' sweet tooth.

"You think the Malfoy name can protect you?" Bellatrix hissed, looking down at him with a predatory gleam in her hooded eyes. "You're nothing more than French upstarts."

Lucius sighed heavily.

"My family moved to England in 1432."

"The Black family was a Noble House in the tenth century!" Bellatrix retaliated immediately to his matter-of-fact statement. "Not everyone," she continued, with a pointed glance at his Malfoy heir signet ring, "can claim the title of Most Ancient. We're not equals, you Malfoys and us Blacks, no matter what my little sister may let you believe."

Lucius reminded himself how much Narcissa loved the only sister she could still claim and held his tongue. A duel with his future sister-in-law would be a terrible way to herald a wedding.

Bellatrix smiled like a shark smelling blood in the water when he made no move to contradict her.

She tossed her head back, wild curls slipping off her shoulders—her black mane so different from her sister's golden locks.

"If you ever," she continued, a dark gleam in her eyes, "stop treating Narcissa as she deserves as a daughter of House Black, I will make you disappear. I'll make it so there won't be enough of you left to mourn, and no one will be able to stop me. Not the Ministry, not your family. And I'll get away with it. No one will fight for your memory. And if your father bleats about it…" Her canines shone white in between her crimson lips. "That will be the end of your House."

It was too much. Lucius's right hand flew to his left hip, grasping for his wand, ready to answer the insult with curses.

"Bella!" Narcissa called out, throwing open the door and gliding into the room as Lucius was about to rise. "Stop threatening my fiancé. You won't scare him off now that we're finally settling on a date."

Bellatrix smoothed her features into a saccharine mask, and Lucius stood to greet his fiancée, caressing his wand but leaving it in its sheath as his future sister-in-law turned towards Narcissa with a twirl.

"Just making sure he'll treat you right, Cissy. You know how it is," Bellatrix said, emphasising her words with the flick of a carefully manicured hand—her sharp nails pointing in Lucius's direction for a second.

Narcissa graced her sister with a thoroughly unimpressed look before she joined them around the skilfully carved table.

"Lucius has never been anything less than a gentleman," she said with enough warmth and confidence in her voice to unknot Lucius's shoulders and make him puff up with pride.

"And I'm sure he'll keep being the model of a perfect fiancé!" Bellatrix claimed before eyeing him once more. "If he knows what's good for him."

Lucius ignored her, extending his arm towards Narcissa with a slight bow. He grasped her hand gently when she offered it and didn't avert his gaze as he laid the softest kiss on her skin. Her fond regard warmed his heart. To be looked at in such a way by those blue eyes was worth putting up with any threat Bellatrix could come up with.

Lucius knew he was safe anyway. He would ensure Narcissa had everything she deserved and more, and he would always treat her as the absolute gift she was.