A Bellamort Tale

Part 20

He secured Delfini with one hand holding her in place, while he bent over and entangled the woman in a passionate kiss.

"There is no need to feel flustered. I knew about this time. I never told you or anyone. There are only a few people who remember that. But I grew up in a muggle orphanage and they weren't very kind. They had me do their work as punishment if they found my behaviour to be wrong. And well, not only was I to help with the smaller children, but sometimes also with the women who had gotten into 'trouble' and went there to either have an illegal abortion or to anonymously give birth and leave their baby behind. My mother didn't leave me behind, she died shortly after I was born. From a broken heart they always told me. I lied to you when I said I felt nothing when killing my father and grandparents. I felt happy. Happy because I had avenged the woman who had loved me despite everything she went through for me. And I still don't regret it. Maybe her love had been enough to change me for good."

Bellatrix stared at him in awe. Never had she even dared to hope, her master who she loved above everything else until lately, her lover, the dark lord would open up to her about something like that. She knew she was supposed to consider him of lesser worth after he had revealed to be just a halfblood. But he also was the direct heir of Slytherin and his family had been pure for centuries, nothing that one muggle father would be able to ruin.

"My lord, my beloved master, my heart. If your mother's love would have changed you for good, you weren't the great and powerful wizard you are now. Above them all. Only few even close to reaching your stage of strength, wisdom and mastery in almost every way. I can only name a handful and my OWLs and NEWTs were all 'outstanding' or 'exceed expectations', so that's saying something. Like Dumbledore, Grindelwald, Slytherin, The Peverell's, Merlin. None of them could do what you can, my love."

Voldemort's head shot up, after he had focused back on Delphini again. He seemed touched and cupped her face with one hand.

"You just called me 'my love'. It felt very nice. But my apologies for interrupting you, my dear. Go on!" He whispered softly.

Beaming, the new mother looked from him to her child and told him her thoughts about the love he had lacked.

"But despite what I just said, maybe our child's love and mine for you, will let you feel at peace in the end. Not turning you into a good and righteous little Gryffindor, but no matter if one is capable of loving, they can still receive love. By the way, it's mostly a rumour, and an old woman's tale, that a child conceived under the influence of a love potion or a curse can't love. And it's also a matter of correct translation from the original language. Translated into English it could mean knowing love, yet also understanding love. There's only a little difference when it comes to, for example, learning a language. Knowing and understanding means the same in this context, yet with love, I mean, barely anyone understands love, at the very least when they feel it! I love you the same way I love our daughter, unconditionally. And forever. As your mother would have if she had lived."

Bella shrugged and held out her hands when the newborn started to cry again.

The dark lord laid her into her mother's arms, then got to his feet.

"I assume you like some privacy while you..."

She didn't let him finish, knowing exactly what he was about to say.

"It's fine, I'm slowly getting used to doing that in front of others. Like Narcissa or even Draco. Though he looks away when I nurse her. Very courteous, the lad. Or very flustered." She cackled. "Please sit and rest, You look tired. Do you need anything? If so I will call for an elf to get it."

"I'm fine. I just had an encounter with an old man who I thought to show me more respect as I am basically continuing his work. I needed information from him, yet he refused to give it to me. Old mental git! What was that?"

He had heard a noise from the other side of the door and jumped to his feet. When he pulled it open he looked down at a young witch with silvery hair. The girl mumbled a quick apology and ran off, leaving him standing there. Bellatrix had only caught a glimpse of her back and now soothed him.

"Looked as if Draco had a girl visiting him. The house is too well warded for anyone to get inside who isn't a blood-relative of one of the inhabitants or brought in by one. So she must have been brought here by either Draco or Lucius or Narcissa. I was here all the time and so was Delphini." She explained.

Voldemort nodded and pensively sat back down.

"You're probably right. Still, something was different with this girl. She looked familiar yet I know, I've never seen her before!"

Now the witch giggled.

"You are aware that all the pureblood families are related, right? Sometimes characteristics from descendants of one family show up in another without having ever appeared there. She could have looked like someone we know." She suggested.

The dark lord gave in. She probably was right anyway and the strange feeling he had when he saw her was the simple fear for his child and beloved woman.

He gasped. Never before had he thought of Bella like that. He knew, he felt like it, he had known for some time. And her speech just before had only backed up his theory. All he had needed to be able to love was someone giving him the love he had so desperately craved. He still didn't feel compassion or regret for anything he had done, but he cared for those two persons in his life and that was a very large progress for him.

Voldemort sat down next to Bellatrix and watched her as she took off her blouse to reveal her full breasts which were already leaking a bit of milk. He gulped, as he felt the urge to not only touch them but to taste the white fluid slowly dripping out of the warts.

He had seen women feeding their babies before, yet never so close and he had never felt anything for them. This was different, this was his own flesh and blood, his daughter, his heir. And then there was also Bella, who he coveted all of the time, even when she was close to giving birth, yet he could hold himself back, when he could see how much she was suffering under the weight of the large belly and all the other things a pregnancy brought along. As he kept looking at his little family he remembered their last attempt, about a month before Delphini was born.