Cygnus spun the neck of the wine glass between his thumb and pointer finger, watching Bellatrix carefully. This conversation hadn’t gone at all how he had expected it to. He had brought her in for a lecture. She had shamed him, after all, as far as he was concerned. She had also apologized, and come to see the error of her ways, just as he had expected her to do so. The thing about Bellatrix was that she always did what he expected her to, often times before he even knew to think such things. It was as if she had always known what she ought to do, by only being told one time. He told her one time that he expected her to do well academically during her time at Hogwarts, and she consistently brought him O’s. He told her to look out for her sisters, and now, not a soul in the castle didn’t know of her fierce protection of them. He told her to be strong, and she became the right-hand general to one of the fiercest Dark Wizards of their time.
Some men would find this troubling. Lesser man would balk at the idea of their daughter holding more power than them. These men would scold their daughter, order her to stop, and then ultimately, that daughter would disobey. Those lesser man would alienate her, simply because of their lack of strength. Cygnus Black was not a lesser man. Cygnus was a strong man, in all of the right ways. Cygnus understood things that most fathers didn’t, couldn’t, perhaps. The edges of his lips twisted into a smile, and he brought his glass of wine to his lips. He took a sip, delighting momentarily in the taste, thinking of the good things to come. Cygnus had not planned this new development. He had not ordered it, and he had not known about it. Of course, this did not mean that he planned to allow Bellatrix full reign. But to shun her for what was, it seemed, a strong and powerful decision that could bring their family great prosperity if done right… that was not smart. He must guide her on this journey now, and do everything he could to see the Dark Lord to victory. He had worked in the background, faintly, staying mostly focused on his personal family affairs. But it seemed that now, the Dark Lord’s victory, was certainly a personal family affair.
He would guide her now, he decided, as he set his glass of wine back on the table. He was her father, and whether Bellatrix understood it or not, she was the future of his legacy. She would change her name one day, but she would always be his. It was not clear to Cygnus whether or not Regulus would amount to anything other than a shy, foolish follower. Sirius had been a lost cause from the earliest moments of childhood. Andromeda… she just did not share their vision, and therefore would never bring them greatness. Meekness, perhaps, but greatness never. Narcissa would bring greatness to Lucius and his name, as was expected of her, that was perfectly acceptable. But Bellatrix… she was his, and if this was done right, their names would echo forever in the halls of history.
I think that… power should be in the hands of those who know how to wield it. Triumph burst in his chest at the sound of those words. His smile widened, and he chuckled, nodding his head. “Good answer.” He brought his cigar to his mouth, placing it between his lips with a pensive look on his face. There were so many possibilities now, with this new development. This conversation truly had not gone where he had expected it to, yes, but he did not fear that. Instead, he chose to embrace it, thinking of all the different outcomes. His eyes flickered back to Bellatrix. Power should be in the hands of those who know how to wield it. “Let us put aside the theatrics, shall we?” He quipped. He pointed to her abandoned glass of wine. “Go on, drink. It is just you and I here.” He waved his own glass slightly in encouragement. He blew smoke from his mouth, and then plucked the cigar from his lips. “So, you’re the Dark Lord’s general.” All traces of amusement were gone from his voice, replaced by a point-blank bluntness. It was not unkind, but Cygnus wanted to be frank with his daughter. He played silly games all day, and while he enjoyed them thoroughly, he believed this moment called for more seriousness.
“Do you believe you know how to wield power?” It wasn’t a trick question, meant to make her stumble or falter. He knew the answer, he would bet an entire limb on that, but he wanted to hear it from her. Because he knew the answer, he did not wait for her to say it aloud. He plowed forward, keeping a tight grip on the conversation. “Because I think that you do.” He tilted his head to the side, looking at her plainly. “I think you can do great things by the Dark Lord’s side, but let me make one thing clear.” He placed his elbows on the table, leaning forward over the table. “You will not ever make such a big decision without consulting me again. You will not. You will make a wonderful leader, but do not ever forget who taught you those skills.” He leaned back, and then brought his wine glass up for another sip.
“We are family, Bellatrix.” His voice had lowered, now carrying a sort of soft importance, a stark contrast to his sharpness a moment prior. “You are Bellatrix Black. You are never to forget where your loyalties lie. Not ever. As your father, I can, and I will help you. But you will never be dishonest with me again, do you understand?”
Family above all. Those three words had been hammered into Bellatrix’s head from the day she was born. She could remember staring at the family tapestry, fingers tracing the names of the past. The Black line dated back to medieval times, and from humble roots came one of the most powerful wizarding families. They emerged, among Peverells and Plantagenets. Although new, two things became abundantly clear to the other nobles: Blacks were ferociously loyal to their own, sometimes to a fault, and Merlin help anyone that got in their way. Every member of the house had a potential for greatness which trickled down the line. In some cases, they shone like the constellations they were named after. In others, power deluded the mind and turned someone to madness. Whichever path her ancestors took, they were accompanied with the will to do anything for family. Bellatrix knew the stories well: how William had killed his enemies in one single blast after they’d disrespected his sister, how Arcturus nearly started a war when the Ministry tried to oppose him. Every tale held the same values: family above all. For Bellatrix, that most fundamental of lessons would always ring true.
She listened to his invitation to relax, leaning back into her chair as her fingers took hold of the wine glass. The red wine swirled in the cup, decades in the making. Only the finest bottles were used by the Blacks. So, you’re the Dark Lord’s General..She took a sip, letting the flavor melt in her mouth before looking up. “I am.” Bellatrix replied, her voice unwavering. There was no point in dancing around her accomplishments. She’d clawed her way through fire and ash to sit at the Dark Lord’s right side. Her abilities had surpassed even seasoned duellers and at the ripe young age of eighteen, it was her tactics that had landed with deadly force. Now, all of this was coming to light for her father. Cygnus Black had jump-started her ascension to power the first time he took her to the Ministry. A small taste of it had graced her lips at six, and every year since she’d worked to achieve more than any Black prior had. Among her desire to succeed was also the pressure to live up to her father’s expectations. She’d been the faithful student, soaking up every tidbit of information he’d told her before Hogwarts. Come the school year, she’d consistently been a shining example of talent, every one of her professors had seen her excel at their subjects. Bellatrix was confident in her skill set, but ass sure of herself as she was, she still sought out her father’s approval. The opinions of others were rather meaningless unless she’d impressed her father. To hear him speak such things out loud did spark a sense of relief. But it was soured with the mistake of keeping him in the dark.
There was just no simple way to address joining the Dark Lord’s ranks. In her mind, it put them all in danger. Having ties to the Dark Lord could lead to imprisonment and a fall from grace for all Blacks. Bellatrix was willing to take that responsibility, knowing well that if she could control her situation, none of those things would come to fruition. She’d learned how to twist the strings from the Ministry’s most masterful manipulator. The less her family knew, at least her sisters, the better. That would put them in a distance in something went wrong… although Bellatrix would make sure nothing of the sort happened. It was why she took so many precautions in the missions. She would sit, analyzing every step of a plan, for possible failures. It was best to see potential mistakes and prevent them ahead of time than doing so in the moment. The Dark Lord would be her vehicle to greatness, not the thorn in her side.
While she knew this to be true, she could only assume what picture was being painted in her father’s mind. A split of loyalties between the Dark Lord and the Blacks. Never before had his heir gone behind his back nor did she make such a life-altering decision without consulting him. Her motives, at first, had been to escape the engagement to Rodolphus. However, as time went on, it became abundantly clear that the Dark Lord could provide her family with safety. And that, to Bellatrix, was of the utmost importance. It kept her grounded, it kept her present. It was something she would never forget. As she listened to her father speak, a small realization came to being. Bellatrix, for the first time perhaps in her life, had surprised Cygnus Black. Both of them had been expecting to simply talk about the Edward Bones incident, yet in a turn of events, her father finally found out who she really was. The Dark Lord’s most dangerous and skillful asset. Her accomplishment had springboarded his lecture on family. She kept her eyes trained on him, nodding in agreement. Bellatrix recognized his tone- she’d heard it before. Whenever her father had something truly important to say, the words would come out quiet.
“Yes, family always comes first...” She replied. “It always will.” She thought of her sisters, mother and father, Regulus. Those were her shining lights. Protecting them was her sole purpose. “Something like this won’t happen again.” Bellatrix was not one to disobey her father, or repeat mistakes. It was simply not in her nature. Setting her glass down on the table, she raised her eyebrow. “I suppose this changes things...” Revelations opened up a world of possibilities, for both of them.
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