Bellatrix was waiting for her sisters in the atrium of the Ministry of Magic.
She'd wanted them to meet up ahead of time and appear all together in one grand tour de force, if you will. What she wanted was of course thwarted by the shallow necessities of others, however. Andromeda had refused to step foot in Malfoy Manor while Abraxas Malfoy still lived. (A valid complaint in Bellatrix's opinion. She'd never liked the old bat.) On the other hand, all three sisters agreed it best not to bring Lucius to Meda's home just yet.
She supposed there was also something to be said in the power of arriving separately. By being the first to arrive, it gave Bella a chance to gauge how people would take seeing the three Black sisters publicly united for the first time since Andromeda's elopement.
That, and it gave her the opportunity to see how uncomfortable people were in her presence.
Bellatrix Black would never get tired of seeing people quiver in fear of her, even after all these years. Despite not having gone on any Death Eater raids since discovering young Hermione's name on the family tapestry, the memory of her years at Hogwarts and early on among the Dark Lord's supporters would not be forgotten. Of course, the bright side of this was that since she had not been seen as an active Death Eater for so long, there was not enough evidence either side could use against her.
Plausible deniability was a wonderful concept, Bella mused as she grinned over her opened copy of the Daily Prophet towards a pair of light-leaning Wizengamot lords and cackled when they quickly looked away.
She was able to continue on with her menacing for a while after Narcissa and Lucius joined her. This wasn't out of the ordinary for any of them, so their presence was accepted as just another normal facet of the morning.
When Andromeda showed up, however, people began to take notice. The press had begun to trickle in by this hour, and a few of the boldest turned their cameras on the quartet. Still, an invisible barrier seemed to remain between them, keeping the vultures at bay.
Unfortunately, the same couldn't be said for several dark-aligned wizards. Lord Nott stomped up to them with a fixed grimace and eyes blazing.
"Lucius, and… company." His glare fixed on the Malfoy heir. "What are you doing?"
Lucius raised a single, perfectly manicured brow. "House Malfoy is supporting House Black. What else does it look like?"
"You are standing with a blood traitor–"
Bellatrix grinned wildly and twirled her wand over her fingers in a clear threat of how fast she could respond to any attacks. "Go ahead. Finish your sentence. See how it feels to be the first peasant sanctioned by House Black in three generations."
It was lovely to see the fear flood his eyes before he scuttled off like the coward he was.
"Bella, perhaps we should move to the chambers," Narcissa murmured softly.
She rolled her eyes. Someone always had to ruin her fun. "Alright, Cissa."
They had reached the center of the atrium when Bellatrix registered the sound of a floo flaring to life behind them and all periphery noise died. She held up a hand to stop her sisters' movement.
"Grandchildren. How kind of you to wait for me." The voice that spoke was rough and weathered with age, but there was no denying the underlying current of authority in it.
Narcissa's back went ramrod straight and Andromeda's eyes widened, but Bellatrix just sighed. She couldn't truly say she was surprised at this appearance. His timely entrance was something to respect.
"Of course, Grandfather Arcturus," she replied formally, spinning on her heel and bowing to the Lord of their house.
The silver-haired man harrumphed, unimpressed as usual. "Lead us down, dear Bella."
The crowd watches them pass in silence. Lord Arcturus Black had not made an appearance since well before the war with Voldemort, his delicate health keeping him at home. The fact that he had chosen now to return to Wizarding Britain, on the dawn of his only male heir's trial, was far more than anyone had expected for today.
"Yes, Grandfather." Bellatrix waited until the older man had reached her side before offering her arm in proper escort form. The ghost of a smile graced Lord Black's lips as he accepted the gesture and they led their family to the lifts and the trial that awaited them.
"Sirius Orion Black, this assembled Wizengamot finds you innocent of all charges. You have our, and the Ministry's, sincerest apologies. The matter of your reparations can be settled with the bursar at a later date, with a set sum for each week you spent in Azkaban. You may retrieve your wand and are free to leave."
Andromeda may have worn the label of blood traitor for years, but she had not forgotten the manners forced upon her by her upbringing. She resisted the urge to grin widely and instead descended from the first row of seats to place a chaste kiss to her wonderful, brilliant husband's cheek and greet her cousin with a quick hug. It wouldn't be proper to touch Sirius for more than the minimum amount of time, thanks to the infamous inbreeding of the House of Black. What could pass between other pureblood first cousins would not with them.
"Welcome back, cousin!" Bella simpered, kissing Sirius' cheeks next. As the eldest true Black of their generation who remained in the public eye, it was her place to traditionally greet him in such a manner to show the house's embrace of the heir. She had taken on the role of the Black matriarch after her very public and scandalous trial and divorce from Rodolphous Lestrange, who was now the sole tenant of a cell on Azkaban's illustrious tenth floor dementor row.
"Bella," he smiled, allowing her greeting. Andromeda knew he was probably cringing inside, but the three of them had hammered into his head how important it was to play their parts for now. And Narcissa and… Lucius. The hesitation was slight but she could tell it was there as he greeted the Malfoys.
Lucius' jaw tightened. "Heir Black," he formally acknowledged. "I am glad to see justice has been corrected on this day."
Sirius' smile, while polite, held danger just under the surface. "The day justice is a common occurrence in these halls will be one for celebration."
The hidden threat was clear to their party: Sirius would not say anything about the truth of Lucius' actions… yet. But the older man had better keep in line.
That was honestly better than Andromeda had hoped for. Now they just had to leave this hellhole without any blood being spilled and it would be a success in her book.
She glanced over her shoulder at the clamoring press that were convening in the exit hall. The story of a pureblood heir, innocent yet locked in Azkaban for months without trial, was the type of sensation any publication could only dream of covering. The purebloods were in horror over the thought of themselves suffering a similar fate, and those of muggle background and abroad could not believe that Magical Britain had jailed one of its citizens without due process. What she would give to be a fly on the wall of the Minister's office when he had to deal with the heads of the other ministry departments, let alone other heads of state.
But that was something to dwell on later, when they weren't in the midst of a media swarm. Right now, they needed to make it to the atrium so they could apparate away.
Then again, there would be no better time to make an initial statement before anyone else beat them to it. With a glance towards her family, she took a deep breath and stepped forward.
Andromeda raised her voice, and by Sirius' cringe, it was clear he was reminded of his dear old mum. "Excuse me!" She raised her wand and let out a firework bang. "The House of Black is prepared to make a statement."
There was a moment of silence before the media and other onlookers surged forward, voices layering on top of each other as they shouted questions and comments at the top of their lungs. Narcissa gave a Malfoy-worthy sneer as she erected a shield dome to keep their group from being physically accosted.
"The lack of manners nowadays," she huffed.
"Indeed," Lucius muttered.
Andromeda watched as Bella fought hard not to roll her eyes, but thankfully all her years of forced etiquette classes didn't fail her now. Like her sister, she stood tall, proud and silent, watching the pitiful clamor before her. How easily they could crush them all under their heels.
"Thank you, Andromeda." She turned to see Grandfather. "I shall see to it." He paused next to her, leaning in close enough that her thick curls brushed against his cheek. "Go to your cousin, before he sets Albus aflame with his glare."
Andromeda smiled as if he had told her good news instead of the incredibly vexing message in reality. "As you say, Grandfather." Withholding a sigh, she moved to corner Sirius, who indeed had turned to glare in the direction of Headmaster Dumbledore.
"Sirius, cousin," she called, drawing him into her side by looping their arms in a formal escort. She made sure to again use her hair as a curtain, hiding her lips from those who might read her words. "Look away now, before you cannot turn back." His arm tensed underneath her fingers. "Think of Harry."
"That's exactly why I want to make him pay, Meda," Sirius replied in a deadly calm whisper. She'd rather he been spitting angry, to be honest. A calm Black was a dangerous wizard to trifle with.
"Then focus your ire on Lucius," she shrugged, not at all guilty about throwing her brother-in-law under the bus, as it were. "Or even Bella, if you must. But the rest must wait for now."
Her cousin closed his eyes and sighed, and when he opened them, they were clearer than moments before. "Thank you."
Andromeda squeezed his arm. "Now come on. We'll be leaving the moment Grandfather finishes."
Sirius' gray eyes met her own, and for a fleeting heartbeat, it felt as if she were looking in a mirror. "Leaving to go where?"
Her voice was full of pride and mischief when she responded. "To where all Blacks plot best, of course."
"Ah." A slow grin spread across Sirius' face. "The Manor."