Chapter 26: The Sibling Squabbles
The tall blond witch stepped through the only floo fireplace in the Black's Grotto House.
She was relieved to find the small study empty. She paused in front of the closed door to collect her thoughts. Leaving and owling her excuses was still an option. Narcissa rubbed her temples. She'd already excused herself from three scheduled visits with her sister. In good conscience she couldn't postpone yet another visit, and on a such short notice too.
Bellatrix wasn't happy about the missed visits. Her delayed one-word acknowledgements of Narcissa's letters made it clear.
She was most likely on edge about the consummation too.
And then, there was the actual reason Narcissa was hesitant to face her sister. Bella had to know by now that Narcissa presented her situation as more dire than it actually was. Narcissa was not proud of herself, and yet couldn't find it in herself to feel guilty enough to apologize.
How cross the older witch would choose to be about either topic remained to be seen.
Narcissa felt the headache coming on already.
The Grotto House was quiet.
Narcissa stopped by the library, the sunrooms, and even peeked into the mailroom.
Either Bellatrix hadn't opened her letter and didn't know she was coming, or she made herself hard to find on purpose. Narcissa wasn't sure whether she preferred her sister ignoring her letter or ignoring her visit.
She went upstairs.
Bellatrix's rooms were empty.
Narcissa's unopened letter lay on the coffee table serving as a coaster for a mostly empty wine bottle. There was another sealed letter on the table. Her name was scrawled under the recipient on that envelope.
Narcissa was about to summon one of the elves to find out Bellatrix's whereabouts when she spotted the black-clad form walking through the orchards. As she watched, Bellatrix went to sit on the bench. Soon thereafter, an apple flew off the tree to land in her sister's hand.
Narcissa put the letter addressed to her in the inner pocket of her robes to read later, and headed outside.
'Bella!'
The dark witch visibly startled, and quickly whirled around. The five strong streams of chilly water coming out of her fingertips flew in an uneven arch as she turned. Everything close by was drenched, including the blond intruder in elegant dress robes.
'Cissy?'
The hand clenched into fist.
The water stopped.
'Wh-' Narcissa sneezed the water out of her nose, mortified at the unladylike noises the act brought out of her. Blue eyes flashed in annoyance at the surprised blacks. She hastily waved her wand to clean her airways, and dry her robes, her face, and her hair. 'What are you doing?!'
'Practicing Aguamenti.' Bellatrix stated, then frowned, remembering she didn't see Narcissa for more than a week. 'Fancy to see you here, sister dear.'
Narcissa dried the bench, sat down, and motioned for her sister to join her.
The blonde squeezed the still wet hand in greeting, and, after getting no rebuke, leaned in to lightly hug her sister.
'Bella, you look… unwell.' Bellatrix didn't look and feel as waiflike as she did the last time Narcissa saw her. She however now spotted prominent dark circles around reddened eyes. 'What's wrong?'
'Good to see you too, Cissy.' Bellatrix took a bite of her mostly finished apple. 'Nothing is wrong. You might even say something is right.'
'I can?'
'The marriage is consummated. You don't have to worry about me being hauled to the Ministry dungeons just yet.' Black eyes looked straight at Narcissa. Something flashed in them before the impassive look was back and the dark witch gaze returned to the trees. 'Of course you obviously weren't that worried anyway.'
Narcissa let go of the slender hand.
'Are you angry?'
'You have to be more clear, Cissy,' The remnants of the apple turned to ash between the pale fingers. 'Am I angry that you disappeared for days… or am I angry that you led me to believe I'm about to die at any moment… Did you even go to France?'
'I did... So, you are. Angry.'
'Yes and no. Are you going to continue to be petty about the last year?'
'Two years.'
'Two years.' Bellatrix repeated agreeably.
'I'm not sure.'
The dark witch hummed. She expected no less from her little sister. Narcissa was slow to anger but also slow to let go.
'That is a good news. The consummation.' Narcissa finally said, trying to reconcile the good news with Bellatrix's unfortunate appearance. 'Why do you look like this, then?'
'Can't sleep.'
'Nightmares?'
Dark head shook in a no.
'Have to fall asleep to have nightmares.'
Bellatrix shifted uncomfortably under the worried gaze of her sister.
'How long has it been? Why?'
'Cissy, can't you just be happy with my good news.'
Narcissa waited. Bellatrix ran her hands through her ruffled hair. She already started talking, might as well finish.
'Several days. I may have added the valerian root and snake venom to the lust potion we used. It disagreed with my mind order. Pulls the buried stuff to the surface before I can even fall asleep.'
'You used a lust potion to-'
'Was not working otherwise. Stop judging.'
'I'm not- I fail to see how it would work better with those things! Valerian cancels the feeling altogether… and venom… it paralyzes!.. Are you sure the marriage is even consummated?'
'Only I drank that, Cissy, don't be dense. The girl took the regular version.'
The girl... At least, Bellatrix appeared to have moved on from the mudblood...
'You don't like to be restrained.'
'I don't like to be close to Dementors slightly more.' Bellatrix snapped. 'Granger flinches every time I so much as blink out of order, and we were past the deadline. My head will sort itself out. Eventually.'
'Don't you think your head has enough to sort out already?!'
Bellatrix focused on the trees ignoring the last remark.
'And Miss Granger agreed to that?'
'I didn't send out the announcements, Cissy,' the dark witch stated tiredly. 'I did what I had to. She did what she had to. It was successful.'
'And if she wants to do that again? How long do you intend to go without sleep, Bella? You are barely alive as is!'
'I'm fine. I fail to see why she would.'
'What if she did?'
'Leave it be, Cissy.'
'What if, Bella?'
'I don't know, Cissy, we'll do it again, or we won't… I'll think about it when, and if, I need to.'
Bellatrix cut another apple off the tree and levitated it into her hand.
'Bellatrix, you must explain to her what that entails. No one wants to be with an unwilling partner!' Narcissa paused thinking of the Death Eater crowd she housed for two years, then added. 'No one decent wants to, at the very least.'
Bellatrix sliced a piece of the apple.
'I was perfectly willing. I fixed the potion, and I took it. And I resent your implication that I am somehow a victim in this, Narcissa. I am not a victim. Ever!'
Narcissa wanted to pull at her perfectly-styled hair.
'Bella, you must know that the relations of such nature should be enjoyable,' The blond witch again thought back to her recent house guests. Lucius did his best to keep the acts of cruelty and depravity that went on under their roof away from her eyes. But she housed the Death Eaters and their Dark Lord for almost a year while her husband was in Azkaban. She saw plenty. She sighed and added, 'at least between the spouses... You do understand that, right?'
The dark witch hummed indifferently, and sliced into the apple again.
'Naturally.'
'Enjoyable for both parties.'
'Let it go, little sister.'
'At the very least, Miss Granger should know what is going on in her own bedroom.'
Bellatrix remained quiet, thoroughly regretting mentioning the lack of sleep. She should have expected this turn of conversation.
Narcissa had enlightened ideas about such things. Where she got those ideas was a mystery. Why and how Lucius tolerated and actually joined in them was another mystery.
She hoped now that she had a wife and not a husband, Cissa would stop trying to improve her marital relations... Unless the blond witch had that sort of experience too.
She looked worriedly at her younger sister.
'Why? Why are you doing it to yourself?! Do you think if you suffer enough it would take away the harm you've done? Have you tried to apologize to Miss Granger instead?'
Bellatrix paused mid-chew and cocked her head. This turn in conversation she didn't expect. She wasn't even sure where Narcissa was going with that statement.
'I think no such thing-'
'Not her… then… Voldemort?'
Bellatrix cringed.
Narcissa was very pleased with herself that she did not. She had to practice in front of the mirrors until she stopped reacting to hearing or saying the dead wizard's moniker. Many aurors seemed to take childish pleasure from uttering it in her presence and getting a reaction out of her. She made sure to show nothing of the terror the three syllables still incited.
'The betrayal of staying alive… of wanting to be alive… is that it, Bella? Do you think that sick bastard would care how much you suffer now, do you think he ever cared?'
'Do not talk of HIM like that!'
Narcissa knew bringing him up was a mistake, but she just couldn't stop now that she started.
'He is dead, Bella! And I for instance am glad!'
Black eyes flashed in anger. Bellatrix stormed several feet away from the bench.
'You want reality, Narcissa! Talked to Lucius recently, dear sister? Draco has been talking for him an awful lot. Has that changed while you were doing business in Paris?'
Bellatrix knew she shouldn't play on her sister's fears. The woman lived in fear for her family for several years while Bellatrix was enjoying herself.
'Don't, Bella… My husband is alive… I'd know if he was not… he is just... busy'
Narcissa's eyes brimmed with tears but Bellatrix couldn't stop. Her sister's devotion to her husband never failed to irk her for some reason. And just then it wasn't even about Narcissa, or her remarks about Bellatrix's master.
Bellatrix was just so angry with everything. And she just so wanted to sleep!
'Perhaps, Cissy, perhaps…. and what is keeping him so busy, huh? Say, maybe it is you who should face reality, Cissa!'
'I cannot talk to you when you are purposefully hurtful.' The blonde witch whispered as she got up to leave. 'You must talk to Miss Granger, Bella, or I will!'
Narcissa headed to the main house to floo home.
Just as Narcissa was turning into the hallway leading to the study, Hermione Granger was coming down the stairs. The young witch was dressed up as if she was on her way out.
Narcissa couldn't help the glare.
How could the young witch not realize the person she was intimate with was not even moving?! How could she go out when her sister looked like death… Then again, if Bellatrix acted with the girl in the same snappy and mean manner… It wasn't surprising the young witch was leaving the first chance she got.
Hours later, Narcissa sat in the master chambers of Malfoy Manor brushing her hair and fuming anew over the conversation with Bellatrix. Her sister was impossible! Was it shameful to think with fondness of the days when Bellatrix just woke up and appeared more agreeable and less talkative?!
Bella's words stung.
They stung because they were true.
She hadn't talked to her husband since late May.
The rumors of suspicious deaths in the auror custody came mid May. The rumors that the DMLE started to reverse house arrests in favor of Azkaban and Ministry holds started a week later. She and Lucius didn't wait for proof. Lucius and Draco left the same night.
Since then she only ever heard from her son.
Draco contacted her three more times after that first floo call a month ago. Not once Lucius spoke or even showed his face in the green flames.
She wiped the errant tear.
She would demand the truth from her son the next time he called.
End of Chapter 26
