heart as black as her name

Who: @wickedbellax​ Where: Ministry of Magic

Alice stepped in to the elevator absent-mindedly running a hand through her hair, combing through her notes. It had been a while since Alice had needed to visit the department of mysteries. It was a rare occasion when a case called for it, and special permission needed to be given. Alice was just happy to have something to sink her teeth in to. They were making excruciatingly slow progress on the Solstice ball and Alice felt a little like they were letting Amelia down. A case like this was a good distraction from that creeping sense of guilt. As the elevator reached the next floor, someone stepped in, Alice was ready to give them a polite smile until she realised who it was. A feeling of rage building up in her, Bellatrix was almost certainly somewhat involved in the events at the ball. All she wanted to do right now was curse her. She focused on trying to get hold of her emotions. “You and your friends won’t get away with what you did” Alice stated, the anger she was trying to control still evident in her voice.

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It wasn’t often that Bella found herself visiting the Ministry of Magic, especially after such a success that was the Solstice ball, but she had papers to deliver to her father. And she decided that on this short visit she might as well investigate some conversations, get all the details she could about where Claudette and Marlene currently stood in their trials. It seemed lips were wound up tightly this time around as she failed to find any new information and finally found herself back at the elevators, impatiently waiting for one to arrive. The familiar ding of arrival had her irritate schooled quickly as she moved to enter before she recognized the person already occupying the space. Rolling her eyes and crossing her arms over her chest, the brunette moved to the opposite side fully expecting to take the short trip in silence though it seemed Alice had other ideas. It didn’t surprise her that Alice or anyone else in the Auror office wanted to accuse her of being involved in everything, of course she was but she was sure to leave no trail they could find back to her. “I truly don’t know what you’re going on about, Yen,” Bella lied firmly, lazily glancing over at the other woman out of the corner of her eye. “You’re going to have to be more specific in your accusations.”

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“Of course he would enjoy spending time with us. Name two prettier girls who are as ruthless as they are attractive. I would say that you couldn’t. We’re simply irresistible as a team really.” She found the brunette rather irresistible all on her own if Dahlia was honest. She adored nearly everything about Bella though she lacked a touch of the warmth that Dahlia found in Narcissa. It was what made the blonde sister so enrapturing to Dahlia after all. Her own perfect angel. “I’m sure you’re at least on the list of suspects for him if it makes you feel any better my darling. Just enjoy watching him having to live in such a miserable state. At least you have friends who know of your wonderful victory against him.” She had no ill will for the man personally but he was the fool who fought for the wrong side. It couldn’t be helped. “Shall you write to Jae and tell him to meet with us? I hate having to ask for things and you demanding things from others is so beautiful to watch.”

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“You’ll find no argument from me on that,” Bella mused, “We’re as beautiful as we are crazy and that’s something that I think he’ll find the most enjoyable for an evening.” Whether it was the vampire gene that was in the blonde or just the rutheless in the stories they had shared, the witch was happy to have found such a friendship amongst the men in their ranks. Sure she could easily find a dark conversation with someone like Evan or Castor but occasionally it was nice to be able to spend a bit of girl time with someone like Dahlia as well. “No doubt, I’m always on the list of suspects for people like him,” The witch shrugged her shoulders, the Order always turned immediately to her in situations like this. Only this time they wouldn’t be able to find the prove they needed to pin this on her. “Oh I plan to enjoy every minute of it, being able to torment him about the whole ordeal and he still won’t know it was me,” She smirked, placing her now empty glass of wine down as she nodded in the blonde’s direction. “Of course, first thing in the morning I’ll write something up and have an elf send it out. I expect he’ll have a reply for us by evening, I don’t see how he could pass the opportunity up.”

It was one of those things he knew he shouldn’t have been talking about ,   but after saving her life it was the only thing on his mind.   “ I’m not sure there’s going to be a lot of talking ,   not unless it’s her finding ways to attach my head to a stick. ”   Unless he told her everything ,   but he wasn’t sure if Bella would have approved of such a bold statement ,   so kept that idea to himself.  That was probably the only way he was going to make up all the questions to her.   By actually providing some real answers.   It wasn’t like he could just explain the injuries ,   especially if he wanted to get close to her once more.   But that was a thought for another time ,   he really had to get her out of her head.   After all ,   it seemed he’d been the one damselling and needed a rescuer ,   and she hadn’t been playing around. “ I may have to take you up on that offer if I’m here much longer.   Really hard to do anything when there’s nothing to do and you don’t really want to move… ”   His words drifted off as she mentioned about him being cared for.   He never really thought of that ,   about how it would have affected Bella.   “ Luck ,   yeah that’s probably what it was ,   but don’t worry.   I don’t plan on going to any balls anytime soon.   Sounds like that Order needs a little mix up to me. ”

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“Depending on how long she’s kept in Mungo’s, I’m sure you’re in for a long list there,” Bella spoke up, though she wasn’t entirely sure why she was. Maybe that small conversation she shared with the other woman in which they realized how strikingly similar they were was still sitting in her head, even after everything she had done. Surely this entire moment was going to change Christiano’s feelings about everything, about her and how she may no longer be a distraction for him anymore. She wasn’t sure how she felt about his attention shifting, of course she still believed her claws were keeping him connected to the cuase, but elswhere things were changing. “I’ll check in with Severus,” The brunette nodded, despite knowing of the curse and seeing it in action, she had no idea how long one would have to be bedridden for. The last people who had it used against them was Booker and they all saw how that turned out, it had been her original plan for Camille but the world thought differently. “Probably a smart decision on your part, they always seem to end up in complete and utter chaos, whether it’s our fault or not,” She mused, some had been fun but in the end the drama of the night would come back around for all of them. “They’ll get what’s coming to them soon enough.”

Her hands paused over her notebook, pushing it to one side as she raised her drink back up to her lips. Taking in the attitude of everyone else in the bar, it was somewhat nonchalant. No doubt, it made it more evident the political alignment, or lack thereof, of a lot of people who drank in the Grave Affair.  It hadn’t been a shocking revelation to Evangeline, the news of the Death Eaters or the Order of the Phoenix. What more shocked Eva was the discovery of Claudette’s face below the mask. The Claudette Delacour that Eva knew would not partake in such activities. It was an advantage that not many would know of Evangeline’s devotion to Claudette. Her family had done their best to keep that information under wraps. Perhaps, she could use this conversation to her advantage. It was a slim chance, but the possibility was there.

“I suppose, it may take a few days or weeks to sink in. That these two factions exist.” Evangeline shrugged, her glance returning back to the woman sitting in front of her. “It was obvious to the likes of us that there was a divide for decades..” A pause. “but I think for some people it’s only just reared its head.” At Bellatrix’s next statement, Eva tried her best to suppress a scoff. Was a dull evening really worse that what occurred. “Quite a shock. Claudette Delacour, she doesn’t seem the type?”  @wickedbellax· 

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With the knowledge of sides beginning to form now out in the world, Bella could see that people reacted differently to everything around them. Of course she found herself frequenting the same places she always did, but now there were other newcomers, newcomers that were eager to praise the destruction the Death Eaters had caused. There was no doubt in her mind that if she changed up her habits that those praises would quickly turn to harsh criticisms and negative feedback from the other half of the population. Soon enough it would seem both the Death Eaters and the Order would be gaining more support than they bargained for, the question was those who would end up with the most support and come out victorious? The dream was for the Dark Lord to be the true leader of this world, but the brunette knew they were far from taking those places in this world.

Bella duly nodded her head at Evangeline’s words, eyes drawn away to her closely as she tried to judge a positive or negative reaction to all the ball’s events, “Years in the making it’s a bit surprising something like this hasn’t happened until now.” She spoke up, polticially arranged explanations were the best way to approach anyone she was unsure of gaining support from. “Those who didn’t accept the reality that this world is split will be having the toughest time now.” Better yet those that refused to understand that there was still people in this world who knew what standards were and who knew they were still better than the rest. “Haven’t seen her name in the paper as much as everyone else here,” The brunette answered with a simple shrug, “Suppose the quiet ones always have some dark secret hiding being the silence.”

Tilting his head thoughtfully at her question, he took a moment to collect his thoughts before responding. “I think it hasn’t all come out yet,” he admitted. “They’re publishing the information they have, sure, but I think there will be a few more twists and turns before it’s all said and done.” After all, it would make sense. The only place one would really hear about theories was the gossip column. Sometimes, it was right, and sometimes it was way far off. There had been rumors about the Carrows, for example, before it came out as fact. Victor had chosen to ignore the rumblings, simply because he didn’t want it to be true. However, for better or for worse, the truth usually did end up coming out. Victor’s gaze caught Bellatrix’s smirk in response to his words, and yeah, it was definitely the smirk of a Black who knew more of what was going on than she would ever let on. Maybe Victor was reading too much into it, but frankly, he doubted it. He liked to think he was pretty good at reading people, but unfortunately, some of his hunches in the past had been wrong. 

“Of course I mean no disrespect. I’m sure they had their reasons,” Victor said with a diplomatic shrug of his shoulders. The last thing he wanted was word getting back to the Black matriarchs that he’d been overly critical of their decision. He supposed it had all worked out in the end, considering the fact that if there had been fewer in attendance, he and Eleanor would not have been able to sneak off to safety so easily. It was much easier to blend in with more bodies present. Not to mention, more of the blood traitors and mudbloods had been the ones to end up at St. Mungo’s, proving their magic to be just as weak as their opinions. “I’ll be interested to see when they make their next public appearance. It’s good to know there are people out there that are willing to take a stand.” He considered himself to be one of those people, but at the same time, he was sure that it boiled down to an invitation-only type of group. A part of him was slightly insulted that he hadn’t already been invited, but he supposed the group was still in its infancy and curating its membership. 

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Bellatrix considered Victor’s words closely, she didn’t think the paper was publishing everything they knew yet just what everyone had seen. But he probably was right that soon enough things would come to light that no one dared to think of, whether that was someone’s slip up or not, though she didn’t believe Jae was the type to make a mistake when there was such a risk over his head. “Probably once they start interviews,” She replied, a bit surprised it hadn’t been like the Hallow’s Eve ball with an immediate shut down of the venue so the Aurors could start questioning people. But then again, most of those attendees had been in need of St. Mungo’s more. “I’d expect they’ll round of their forces and start tracking everyone down for a statement on the matter.” Something she was not looking forward to, she had even questioning from those pathetic Aurors to last her the rest of her life. Though the witch made a mental note to check in with particular people so they could properly work up a good cover story if need be.

“Reasons only the two of them seem to know,” The brunette answered with an eye roll, the ball was over and done with now so Bella felt as though it didn’t matter if her true feelings were revealed or not. She hated having to share such an event with the public, even if it was her least favorite event of the year. Though without so many of the Order and muggle lovers being there, their little show would’ve been less as fun and the prophecy would’ve been more guarded, so she supposed there were positives and negatives to it all. “We’ll see if they’ve decided to make it an annual thing or not next year,” The witch spoke again, silently hoping her mother and aunt had decided that the mudbloods and blood traitors only brought chaos and destruction. Probably not as both women knew the Dark Lord’s forces were the true influence of it all. “It’s quite possible they want to wait it out now,” Bella shrugged, things were so up in the air as it was now on what their next move was but no doubt the Order would be back to hit them where it hurt. “Maybe they’ll hear our praises for their involvement and see they have more support after everything.”

~

Andra found herself believing in the mission more and more every day, but she still had her hesitations. If Evan had never fallen under Bellatrix and the Dark Lord’s spell would she be standing among the ranks? She didn’t think so. She would have been content to watch from the sidelines. But fate had brought her here and she couldn’t deny that she liked the way that it felt to be powerful, to know that she was doing something that helped their cause. The only thing that held her back was Sebastien. She knew that nobody would understand their relationship, that nobody would support it. And that was fine before he was put in danger. She wanted to keep him out of the line of fire but she wasn’t sure how she could do that. Would her love for him put a target on his back more than it already had? Evan was just looking for an excuse to take him down and Andra had no idea how to stop it. It wasn’t often that she felt helpless, but when it came to Sebastien she found herself feeling that way more and more. 

Was Bellatrix actually pleased? It was hard to read her cousin and Andra would never pretend that they had ever been close, especially not close enough to read her. There was certainly a pettiness that she had been picked to complete the mission over her cousin, that she had proved that she could handle herself just as well as the rest of them. Andra nodded her head in recognition and took a sip from her own drink. She wasn’t seeking Bellatrix’s approval the way that she had been when she told Evan, and quite honestly the petty part of her would rather it annoy her cousin than make her happy. But that was just her being petty. They were on the same side, and she would never pretend that she had the rank that her cousin had. She wasn’t sure if she would ever want it. “I don’t need a reward I’m just happy that I was able to help,” Andra said with a shrug of her shoulders. Let the Dark Lord reward her however he saw fit. Andra shifted in her seat when Bellatrix revealed what she had been up to. She raised her glass in acknowledgement of what Bellatrix had done before she took another drink from it. “That’s impressive,” she said grudgingly. It would be dumb to deny that Alastor Moody wasn’t a big target. But the thought also turned her stomach. “He’s going to be out of commission for a while I imagine.” She wasn’t sure there would be any reversing such damage. “Good job.” She paused. “Have you spoken to Evan?” She asked, keeping her voice neutral. 

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Unlike when she was younger and saw every minute they weren’t recruiting their next soliders, Bella knew that patience was going to be the key to being successful. They had held out until the ball and the result had been more than satisfying to her. Although many things had been left up to chance and the true skill of some individuals, there could be no denying that it had been the best they had ever performed. And even with her mixed feelings on those involved, the brunette continued to remind herself that it would not matter in the end. All that mattered is that the Dark Lord and his cause were seen as the most powerful, the most invincible force this wizarding world had ever seen. When that day came around then she’d get the recognition she deserved for all her work over the years while everyone else would get clumped together as one whole organization, she was going to make sure she always stood out no matter the cost.

Bella made an attempt to hide her surprise at Alexandra’s response, the only give away being the slight raise of her eyebrows, how could someone not want to hear the Dark Lord’s praise? Reap in the reward that was deserved, no matter how much she wanted to personally deny it. But she let the surprise slip away as the conversation had taken a turn towards her achievements, towards her show of loyaty and power. A conversation she could never get tired of, no matter how often she spoke about it. “Of course he is, few weeks is my guess but I can always hope for longer,” She mused, readily accepting the praise despite Alexandra not being the one she was hoping to please. Although maybe now her achievement would outshine her cousin’s for just a moment, though both were just as good for the Death Eaters moving forward. “I spoke with him after the dust had settled,” The witch shrugged her shoulders, remembering she had stopped by Evan’s place shortly after the ball but couldn’t recall any other time as of late. “He appeared to have had quite a fun time dealing with Frank Longbottom.”

“Definitely not,” he agreed. Narcissa’s older sister had always had a certain air of mystery about her. She was older than them, so much older that they hadn’t even been at Hogwarts at the same time. Still, her reputation preceded her, and she seemed so effortlessly cool that even Victor was sort of impressed by it. At the same time, she knew how to keep her cards close to her chest. How to keep a conversation moving along without really saying too much to give anything away. If it were anyone else, it would be maddening, but she sort of got a pass for doing it. As his order was placed in front of him, he took a sip as well. “And what turns out to be the truth,” he commented. Victor was sure that if anyone knew more than she let on, it was Bellatrix. Still, he couldn’t push the issue without being, well, pushy, so he decided to let it drop for the moment. 

His head tilted to the side a bit, both surprised and a bit emboldened by her swift and decisive approval. “Right?” he agreed, patting his hands on his thighs for a moment as if he was literally drumming up his own interest in response to her comments. “I mean, no offense to Walburga, she planned an awesome event, but that was our event, you know?” It had always been for the smaller circle of pure bloods, a circle he’d been part of since birth. He nodded his head as she commented about the ratio of who’d ended up in the hospital and who hadn’t. “And they clearly knew how to plan ahead and make their statement, too. They’re organized, you know? And their message…” He leaned in a little bit. “I mean, come on. They’re not wrong.” 

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Bella had found it easy to find her own circle of friends once she started school at Hogwarts, knowing both of her sisters had done the same when school came around for them. It was probably the start of them slowly separating from the closeness that came with being home together all the time but it had been health for them. Andromeda was able to find her quiet and studious little friend group, even if there were a few questionable people there, just as Narcissa had found her clique of mean girls. All different personalities to the three of them, so she had only seen the younger friends in passing if they had ever come over to Brideswater to visit someone. Though from Rabastan { @youngestxlestrange​ } she had been able to find out the particular people who seemed to lean more into the blood purity idea than others, the Yaxley family being one of them. With the bullying of the inferior students and holding themselves to higher standards than most sorcerors. “You don’t think what the papers have said is true?” The brunette questioned, being pulled out of her thoughts by his words. It was pure curiosity to his thoughts that prompted her to even ask the question.

Her lips formed a very amused smirk at Victor’s enthusiasm for her statement, obviously Rabastan had been right to tell her that he was on the right side of this whole idea. “I understand completely,” Bella spoke, shaking her head at the very thought of her family voluntarily inviting the rest of the community to their society’s ball. “I still don’t know what mother and aunt Walburga were thinking by making the night an open invitation.” Part of her was surprised that Victor seemed to think the whole event was planned ahead of time, when in realty it had just been a spur of the moment that they luckily jumped at the chance to take. She still didn’t know who had poisoned Linwood but that seemed like it had been a catalyst in a bigger plot, something that still bothered her to not have been aware of. “Of course they aren’t wrong,” She scoffed with an eye roll, “They seemed to hit it right on the head, I mean I highly doubt we’re the only two who happened to agree with what was said.”

growing up, rodolphus was sheltered – for a long time, his parent’s view of the world was all he knew. they lived far from any sort of civilization and just like each generation before, taught their family tree/genealogy and importance of blood purity. every book that he’d read before hogwarts was looked over by his mother and she would determine if he was allowed to even take in the first page which he didn’t mind. she was his mother after all – she knew what was best for him. as he got older, rodolphus realized that unlike most of his friends, he wasn’t obsessed with who was pureblood and who wasn’t – it wasn’t any of his business and he didn’t care. rodolphus knew he was better than anyone who wasn’t a pureblood and that was good enough for him. it still was. plus, he had to keep that same stance/attitude if he was to do his job objectively and remain impartial. 

“you seemed a little rusty out there,” he pointed out jokingly. “not as smooth as i’d expect from one of the black girls.” he nodded as he took another swig of his drink, clearing his throat before speaking as she asked her question. “i just think it’s a bit careless to try and cause a… hysteria, if you will,” he shrugged. “that voice mentioned ‘true equality’ – a bit broad if you’re trying to reign people in. not everyone’s as intelligent as, for example, you and i, are. what exactly is their vision of a different society?” rodolphus liked having all of the information before him, not just bits and pieces. with his job, it was almost like putting the pieces of a puzzle together. “you could say i’m indifferent – of course, you know my stance on certain issues but you also know that i’ve always tried to keep to myself and leave others to their own devices.” bellatrix was the one who led their group at school, always letting anyone who would listen know what she thought about almost everything – repeatedly. rodolphus, on the other hand, didn’t see the point in beating a dead horse again and again. 

@wickedbellax​

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Blood, the money you had, and the importance of your name was what mattered most. That was the teachings her parents taught her from the minute she could speak. Being a Black, Bella had been spoiled in every aspect of her life and as she grew older and began to socialize with the rest of the world, she could see that her blood got her the best of things as well. The Noble House of Black was akin to royalty in the wizarding world, one of Sacred Twenty Eight families that priding themselves on not marrying lower or associating with those that were inferior. When she started Hogwarts, she could see not every proper family saw things the way she did and she wished to make it all different. If those who were of a proper descent didn’t want to act like they were, then to her they were just as horrible as the Muggleborns and Muggles. It was a vision that Tom shared when they first spoke, he saw a world where they could rule over those of a lesser status and be treated like the kings and queens they truly were. And it had been easy for her to be swayed by the charisma and charm of the older man, especially when he promised to rid any who stood in their way.

Rolling her eyes playfully, the brunette found herself smirking over the rim of her glass, “Don’t let my mother and aunt hear you say that, I think they might have a heart attack. All those paid lessons gone to waste.” But even a bit of joking couldn’t shake her from her thoughts of the cause as Rodolphus spoke, she knew Andromeda was having more open thoughts with her job at the Ministry, but she didn’t think he would. Sure he had always taken a step back when her, Evan, and Castor chose to bully individuals, but he had grown up the same way she had. “What would you have preferred, a civil little speech at the end of the night?” She scoffed out quickly, a bit peeved that Rodolphus hadn’t immediately agreed with their plan of action. Not like he knew one of the masked figures was sitting right in front of him, or that another one was his own brother. “Maybe they see a new future like the one we’ve always been told of, a better heirarchy system with people like you and I sitting at the top as we should be.” Her words were partially the truth but partially said in an attempt to brush off any suspiscion that she knew what had really been going on. Leaning back in her chair as Bella crossed her arms over her chest, obviously she knew where he stood or at least she hoped she did but sometimes the things he did or said that he brushed off as work, just as her sister did, made it questionable to her, “You say that you leave people to their own devices and yet you’re out there openly defending a bloody werewolf. Not exactly keeping as quiet on things as you like to hope.”

Jae thought about it for a moment, knowing there was always a bit of art that went into recruiting people that weren’t too sure. “We can’t scare them off clearly, but if they’re already attached to someone in our group then they most likely would be a bit more understanding. Give them a good incentive to join other than what they already want,” Jae pointed at her with raised brows. “Like the amount of power and recognition you receive, use yourself as an example. Again it’s a prime example,” he made a gesture to her before laughing. “I’ll stop complimenting you I promise, I’m just proud to see a good friend like you get the recognition deserved.”

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Bella had been recruiting numbers since she was seventeen, when she first was introduced to the cause, and she had yet to fail with the numbers. “We’ll take every case individually, can’t go running around trying the same tactic on everyone,” She pointed out, though Jae made an excellent point to use a bit of leverage if they already knew someone in the cause. It was one thing to talk to Narcissa about it, but that was a case when she already knew what her sister’s thoughts were on the future of the world, not everyone was going to be like that. “Myself as an example?” Her question was accompanied with a quirked eyebrow as she rested her elbows on the table in interest. “I suppose over the years I have gathered quite the experience to tell a wonderful tale,” She mused, it was something she never thought of before but it could be useful. “Please, don’t stop them, it’s rather a good ego boost. Its about time everyone started to see how powerful I am, it’s all thanks to our wonderful master’s teachings really.”

☾ . ⋅ ˚̣- : ✧ : -˚̣⋅ . · @wickedbellax· · . ⋅ ˚̣- : ✧ : -˚̣⋅ . ☽

“That she is.”   He’d been thinking about that ,   and before now he’d have argued it wasn’t so certain.   She didn’t know but there was no way his absence would go without questions.   If he wanted to keep her ,   and wanted to make his save worth it ,   Chris knew he’d have to explain.   He just hoped his save hadn’t been for nothing.   The more he thought, the more he knew that this wasn’t going to be a secret he could keep even if it didn’t look like he’d been mauled by a bear.   “Well I don’t think I’ll be able to focus on much else. Maybe I’ll count the lines on the ceiling that’ll pass the time.”   He joked ,   but laughing too hard hurt and he couldn’t get away from the fact that he had nearly died.  “Pretty sure the only person who wouldn’t get over that is Andressa.   Everyone else could handle it ,   even you.   But thanks ,   for saving me ,    being here, bringing me here.   I didn’t mean to scare you so I’ll try to be more careful next time.   I have a feeling there’s gonna be a lot more of them flying around.”   I people were more careful with their targets after all.

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Hearing him confirm that Camille was still in the picture was a bit strange, normally Bella did her best to avoid mentioning the other woman but it was kind of hard to do that when the blonde witch was the reason they were here right now. She knew they were fighting before the ball, that dramatic entrance had been a big sign of that, and especially since they had been covering their faces with masks Camille probably thought Christiano had up and left her all alone. “I’m sure you’ve got a long conversation ahead of you there,” She muttered, obviously he probably knew what to expect more than she did on that matter. Rolling her eyes at his jesting, she did feel her lips twitch up in a small smirk, at least he felt good enough to joke around now, “If you get that bored, an elf can bring you whatever you please.” Her hand waving away the idea in a dissmissive manner, whether she asked for her own to watch him or one from his family it was an easy fix. “You’re cared for a lot more than that,” The brunette sighed, not wanting the thought of her devious plan having resulted in his death to sit on her shoulders. Having Camille’s there was one thing, but for someone she knew and had come to care for in a way was not what she had wanted at all. “Call it luck I suppose that I caught what was happening at the right time,” She lied, “But it would be in your best interest to stay vigilant, I doubt that bloody Order is going to let us move forward without a fight now.”

“Keep information from Bellatrix Black?” Lucius laughed and leaned back in his chair. “I wouldn’t dare,” After finishing speaking and while listening to Bella speak, the man sipped a little more at his drink. Honestly this wasn’t something he expected to be brought up. Obviously the man remembered he’d done it, he just never thought it’d be something that would be discussed let alone with Bellatrix. The woman had obviously pieced the few pieces she had together. There would have been no point lying even if he had wanted to. She would have not only seem straight through it anyway but also severely chastised him for even trying to lie in the first place. “Ah yes,” He said, nodding slowly while setting his glass down on the table to his side. “I did spot that she was in an altercation and struggling, and the last thing I would have wanted was for her to walk away seriously injured and so I stepped in and helped her get back to having the upper hand a little.”

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Despite Lucius not being on board with the cause in the beginning, Bella had seen him come around to be a valued follower and friend. And she was pleased to know that even without a reason to visit him, had he heard anything that should be known to the Dark Lord he would’ve alerted her. “Good to see your head is still on straight,” She mused quietly, sipping off her drink as she waited. While everything seemed to be falling into a similar place, a small part of her was worried he was not the figure that helped Narcissa and then she’d be back at square one trying to figure it all out. Even though she thought she had figured things out, the brunette’s eyebrows rose slightly in surprise as Lucius admitted it all to her, she would’ve guessed he would have just brushed aside the situation or even denied it all together. “Well I know she appreciated the help,” She nodded, taking another sip of her drink as she looked at him over her glass. “As do I, I know she is quite a skilled witch herself but I still thank you for seeing the problem and helping to figure out a solution.” Bella didn’t know what she would do if something had happened to either of her sisters during the fighting. “I do want to know why Cissa and not anyone else, obviously there weren’t many individuals worthy of the help but there were still a few who were clueless in the battle.” Mostly referring to his girlfriend, who she had been fighting with early on in the night, or even another Death Eater. Why was it her sister?

—

“What a babe” Alecto mused, a little smirk on her face as she looked at Bellatrix. She didn’t mind if nobody would join her in her chaos. She could create enough chaos herself, and to be honest, she kind of enjoyed doing it all by herself. That meant she could take all the credit. Of course, chaos was most enjoyable when her brother was there with her. But Amycus was sadly not here, and so Alecto was going to have to do it all herself. At least she’d be able to tell him about all her chaotic tales when she saw him later that evening. Amycus had promised to come collect her once she got discharged.

“I mean it stopped them aiming spells at me so it worked a little I suppose….” Alecto murmured proudly. “I only wish I knew who it was. So that I could do it again.” Because she’d gotten a little taster of the kind of thrill that came with this kind of battle, and she wanted to do it again. So hopefully, the person she’d been allied with, would maybe know who she was, and decide to seek her out. Because she didn’t want to go back to her normal life, not when this was going on around her. Alecto wanted in, especially when she believed with everything that the mysterious voice that had appeared in her head was saying. “Bella….” The girl whined, a little pout on her lips, before she shrugged. “But I do agree. You are right.” Even if she wasn’t hurt that much. There was no point jumping into things without being fully ready, because that was just dumb. “You better not forget me. I have a lot to learn”

.

Bella only grinned back at the younger woman, she wasn’t too worried about how Alecto was going to get through her time stuck in this place. Maybe she’d hear stories slip through the grapevine about the chaos that ensued. “That’s something,” She pointed out, partnering up with the fighter was always a good way to keep yourself safer. Less dangerous spells coming at you as the brunette doubted the Order and their little followers were willing to start casting the more darker spells to get their way to a win like the Death Eaters were. “Well with values and traits like yours, I can’t imagine how they wouldn’t want to meet up with you,” Her words may be speaking of future comings but she didn’t really care, sooner or later she did see Alecto joining them. Rolling her eyes at her friend’s pouting, the brunette stood firm in her decision though she was glad to see the younger woman see that too, “I know you’re eager but take a minute. These spells aren’t going anywhere.” She would rather mentor a perfectly healthy witch than one still recovering from her lost battle. “Of course you do, but I’m telling you now I won’t forget. I’ll send you an owl and we can coordinate another time.”

-

Dahlia took her usual seat a glass of red wine in her hand as she listened to Bella gush about the fun she had. She enjoyed seeing the girl so happy. She was a fan of destruction. She had glimpsed the auror that Bella spoke of and though she found him a handsome man his morals made her feel slightly ill at the thought of him. Such a waste of talent he would have been such an asset had he chosen the right side. “I am glad you enjoyed yourself my darling dove. You always look so adorable when you’re bloodthirsty. It is truly one of your best qualities.” She could watch Bella fight anyone and feel happy to do so. She was graceful and fierce in a fight. “That man will know for next time to not mess with you.” She took a sip of her wine before sighing. “Do you know Bella that I’ve been rather bored lately? I think we should go on an adventure. What do you think of Jae Mulciber? Would he be any fun to take along with us? We don’t want anyone too messy of course. I just want to torture some unsuspecting souls.”

.

While she had normally found herself surrounded by her friends from Hogwarts who had always known the type of person she would become, Bella loved that she could talk about all the gory bits with Dahlia. Though she might not have joined the fight herself, she at least lended an ear for when the witch wanted to rant and rave about her personal success. “Thank you,” She grinned, a true grin for her, as she settled herself into her favorite loveseat. “It’s just so unfortunate he didn’t get to catch my face, know exactly who had done it all to him, but I know if he knew it was me I would’ve been arrested almost immediately.” No one trusted her to begin with but especially not after the Hallow’s eve ball and that innocent arrest. “Jae? I think he’d be the perfect accomplice in torturing some unsuspecting souls,” She nodded, a night causing havoic with Dahlia and Jae seemed like it would be quite an evening, definitely a sign of terror for the rest of the world. “I think he’d enjoy a bit of time with us. Quite evenly matched with us in ruthlessness if you ask me.”

~

When Alexandra had pledged her allegiance to the Dark Lord in an attempt to get closer to her brother, she hadn’t known where things would take them. She hadn’t expected to like the power that she got from it. She still felt some guilt in her stomach for the things that she had done, and she wasn’t sure that she would ever be able to squash those feelings entirely, but she could live with them. She had liked the praise that Evan had given her when he found out what she had done, before the fury at what he had done to Sebastien had settled. It felt good to be on the winning side, with the prophecy and the fighting at the ball, it seemed that they had the upper hand now. 

It was certainly petty, but Andra had been waiting to throw it in her older cousin’s face that the Dark Lord had chosen her and Regulus for the mission over Bellatrix. She would never be so brazen to admit to throwing it in her face, but she had perfected the subtly of flaunting her achievements in people’s faces at Beauxbatons. “It was,” she said in agreement, a smile on her lips. “I was honored that he chose me for the mission. Regulus held himself admirably, you should be proud of him.” Regulus still had plenty of learning to do, but Andra thought that he had a good future. “I unfortunately missed out on a lot of the fighting, but I do believe that I put a certain Potter in St. Mungo’s,” Andra said. “And what about you?” 

.

Bella had enjoyed working her way up to the top of the ranks, forever grateful that her father and aunt had the connections that allowed her to befriend Tom earlier on in his crusade. But inviting the rest of her family into the mix was mostly done for image, to show that the Black family and those closest to them, were all in agreement for how the world should be. Up until now she had prided herself on being able to be seen as one of the most loyal, but the more followers they gathered and the more extravagent they got with thier methods, the brunette found herself getting a bit possessive of the dark power. She enjoyed her high position, she enjoyed being on such friendly terms with their leader, she enjoyed knowing every little detail that went on, but now that Alexandra and Regulus had shown their strenth and succeeded, she found herself falling into the insecurity of being outshined.

The fact that Alexandra was so prideful about the mission, talking up the success even more than Bella had wanted to, only grew at her irritation. Though she was in the presence of family so she was doing her best to show her pleasure in the matter instead. “I am,” She lied smoothly, taking a sip of her drink in order to distract herself from letting anything else slip. “I doubt your success will not go unrewarded.” It was more of a politican stance she took now, better to keep it civil than show the world there was more problems in their family. Although out of everything her cousin had spoken about, hearing that she sent Potter to the hospital was the most joyous thing, “How delightful.” She spoke, setting her glass down as things took a turn for something she was most interesting in talking about. “I’m shocked word has not gotten to you yet, but I happened to have sent Alastor Moody { @alastxrmoody​ } to St. Mungo’s as well. Though it is with great pleasure that I can say he’s missing a left leg now curtesy of yours truly,” Bella smirked, there was the whole ordeal with using an Unforgivable on Marlene and almost killing Camille but that was unsuccessful, so no need to speak on that matter for now.