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❛    of  course  you  can  have  them  .  she  left  them  for  you  .   ❜   bellatrix  closed  the  lid  on  the  velvet  case  ,  their  mother’s  pearls  resting  gently  inside  slipping  out  of  sight  .  druella  black  had  never  missed  a  thing  and  if  she’d  bestowed  the  ornaments  to  her  fair  haired  daughter  ,  she’d  done  so  intentionally  .  it  was  nothing  less  than  she’d  expected  from  her  mother  .  utter  cow  .  even  if  she  hadn’t  wanted  them  ,  it  was  the  final  slight  of  her  mother’s  that  stung  .  ❛    it’s  fine  ,  cissy  .  heir  or  not  ,  along  with  her  broaches  they  suit  you  best  .  anyways  -  mrs.  lestrange  tried  to  have  me  wear  pearls  to  my  wedding  ,  remember  ?  if  i  ever  so  desire  them  she’d  have  some  tied  around  my  neck  in  an  instant  .    ❜ 

Fabian had almost decided not to go to the funeral.

The formal clothes were thrown back inside his trunk along with what few possessions he had with him. Funerals were for the living, they were not for the dead –– the dead felt nothing, knew nothing of what’s going on outside the casket, whether the ones they left behind had wept for them or fought over the material things they’ve left behind. Besides, he was not sure he wanted to see the Black Family, not after everything they’ve done, not after he’s known where they stood in this war.

But they were still family. Bellatrix was still family. So he discarded his intentions to bail and put on his suit. The fabrics and cutting of the drab felt stiff on his body, restrictive.

He remembered the laughters they shared when they were younger. The woman had always been just a little wicked even when they were kids, her ideas of plays were just a bit crueler than what he’s used to. Like a fool, he had brushed it off. Like a hopeless fool, he had happily blinded himself of the little signs, the mean streaks she had often displayed as a little girl. The Blacks were still family after all, and he wanted to believe that when it came down to it, they would know when to stop their bullshit.

Current events had proved otherwise.

‘Bellatrix,’ even now, he still offered his smiles to Bellatrix Black. ‘Dreadful way to describe your mother’s funeral. It’s truly a shame that we’re only brought together again because of a funeral –– of all things. I’ve missed you. Had your mother been sick long?’ he was away most of the time, not here, not there. Not anywhere. When was the last time he had seen Bellatrix? He supposed it was around the same time he had seen his own sister. 

ft.           𝐋𝐄𝐒𝐓𝐑𝐀𝐍𝐆𝐄   ,   𝐁𝐄𝐋𝐋𝐀𝐓𝐑𝐈𝐗 .

once  upon  a  time  ,  some  twenty  years  ago  -  bellatrix  had  considered  the  other  a  close  companion  -  her  brother  where  both  her  sisters  and  younger  cousins  failed  .  yet  a  badger  could  not  remain  in  the  grip  of  a  snake  ,  and  with  the  years  and  distance  her  grip  on  fabian  had  withdrawn  .  

a  grip  which  she  would  now  ,  by  all  means  possible  ,  do  her  best  to  reclaim  .  ❛   quite  foul  wasn’t  it  ?  but  i  expect  nothing  less  from  someone  of her  sort  .   ❜  even  with  her  ever  so  pure  name  ,  iris  could  no  more  claim  to  be  a  pureblood  than  merlin  could  claim  to  be  a  ravenclaw  .

❛    a  true  shame  .   ❜   she  responded  ,  words  utterly  unconvincing  .  ❛   long  enough  to  help  plan  her  own  funeral  .  nagged  to  us  about  it  until  the  end  .  prudent  woman  ,  wasn’t  she  ?   ❜  

always  looking  out  for  her  own  image  more  like  .  

druella  black  hadn’t  wanted  to  chance  it  on  bellatrix  planning  any  part  of  the  event  .  still  ,  she  was  happy  to  be  saved  all  the  trouble  of  dealing  with  things  herself  .  she  suspected  narcissa  would  be  too  busy  in  her  grief  to  handle  any  more  than  she  had  .

❛    and  i  you  ,  you’ve  stayed  away  too  long  .  you  do  plan  to  stay  longer  this  time  ,  don’t  you  ?   ❜

❛    yes  well  ,  we  appreciate  your  support  in  this  trying  time  ,  but  do  be  careful  repeating  such  vile  things  when  you  offer  my  father  your  condolences  .   ❜  with  a  tight  smile  and  a  nod  of  dismissal  ,  bellatrix  was  off  .   it  was  mad  to  think  eugenia   flint  thought  telling  her  all  about  how  she’d  suspected  druella  would  pass  soon  (  oh  and  she  so  regret  not  having  said  something  before  it  was  too  late  )  would  be  appropriate  funeral  discussion  .  she’d  enjoy  dealing  with  her  later  .

eyes  wandered  the  crowd  for  someone  less  mind  numbing  to  converse  with  and  ,  spotting  his  familiar  shape  ,  she  slid  in  next  to  him  and  linked  her  arm  in  his  .  ❛    tell  me  ,  fabian  -  are  you  enjoying  my  mother’s  funeral  ?  event  of  the  year  according  to  iris  fawley  .   ❜

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