A Bellamort Tale

Part 43

"Where's Delphini? Is she with the girl?" He pried.

Bellatrix shook her head.

"She's fast asleep in her cot. I was just taking her to the mudblood to clean her and take care of her for an hour or two, when I noticed the girl's appearance and her symptoms. Well, I left her with Draco to go and get Cissy while the mudblood went to puke her guts out, and we later took her with us to let the children talk. When we returned, the boy had already cleaned her."

She swallowed heavily, remembering how the dark lord himself had failed to use that spell, yet her own nephew had obviously been capable of it. Bella recently had not been occluding her thoughts all of the time when he was around, as she didn't feel threatened by him so very much anymore, and so Voldemort had read those thoughts and he looked angry. Just for a moment, though, then he grinned.

"It seems as if Abraxas Malfoy's grandson had a bit of a feminine side, huh?" He said mockingly, making the woman cackle with him.

"Oh master, that's a hilarious thought. After being the way he was today, when he came here, can I please go and tell him that?"

The dark lord's laugh immediately died.

"What did he do? Was he mean to you? Or just to Lucius and Narcissa as usual?"

"He was verbally abusive to Cissy. And a lot today. As if he had already forgotten his last lesson. When I came to her support, he tried to insult me. But I didn't stay long enough to even listen."

Voldemort was furious.

"He obviously didn't believe me when I told them that your orders are equal with mine and that the only person you have to obey is me and that you have to be treated with the very same respect and fear as myself. I think, my dearest Bella, it's about time to reveal our relationship and our daughter to our fellow death-eaters, don't you think?"

She paled in an instant.

"What? No! My lord, I... I am very sorry for my disobedience but... Please, I... She is... I still don't trust anyone, not even some of my own kin. If Rodolphus still holds a grudge and gets the chance, he might try to hurt her. I don't mind revealing everything, even that Delphini exists. But don't let anyone near her, please!" Bella had let herself fall to her knees and begged him.

He sighed. Not used to anyone not following his orders, he didn't know how to react. This wasn't some random death-eater or some other despicable, lesser creature. This was the woman who had given birth to his child and who he... loved. She didn't even remember that he had told her that. She had been too focused on the pain while giving birth to even understand what he had said. He was certain, though, that Narcissa did.

"Get up!" He hissed angrily and held out his hand to help her. Something that had become a habit after all this time. Bella grabbed it and slowly got to her feet. "I heard you, and I understand you. Never before has anyone dared to object to me the way you just did. I let it pass because it's you and because you did it out of concern for your child. But I want something in return. If by killing him or by divorcing him, I want you to get rid of your husband for good. And then I want you to become mine. Forever. I'll explain it to you once Rodolphus Lestrange has been cut out of your life for good."

She stood there, her mouth agape.

"My lord, may I know the reason? Not that I would even think about not following your order. I... it's just... It's rather sudden after almost a year. Maybe... I need to go to our house and look for the contract our families made. I think I can even get the marriage annulled due to the things he did to me."

He nodded.

"That sounds good. Better than widowed or divorced even. I'll accompany you there. But now I will go and talk to the new parents-to-be!" Voldemort hissed with the most evil voice he had.

"Shush. She has just gone to sleep. If she hears that, she'll wake up and cry until you go and pick her up. She did the last time you were like that too!" The new mother scolded him.

He couldn't help but grin and remember the experiment he wanted to include her in. Maybe the girl's pregnancy would come handy for that.

Instead of punishing her as she had dreaded, he grabbed her around the waist and pulled her taut, then bent down and kissed her savagely.

"I like your guts, Bella. But try to keep them more controlled. If it wasn't again out of concern, I would have become rather mad with you. Still, seeing you like that made me want you very urgently. I can't wait for the day I can be with you again, my dear."

He disapparated without another word. With a sigh of relief, Bellatrix let herself fall backwards onto her bed.

Hermione was lying on her back on Draco's bed, both hands on her lower belly. She wasn't asleep, just resting like he had asked her to do. Voldemort appeared beside the bed as quiet as ever, yet the girl immediately could feel the cold his presence caused and opened her eyes. She shrieked in fear, seeing him standing so close and staring down at her. That alarmed the young Malfoy who had been in the bathroom to take a shower, and he quickly ran into the room, stopping without any motion the very second he saw the dark lord and was about to apologise when his superior spoke in his cold, high pitched voice.

"Go and finish what you were doing, Draco. I want to have a conversation with your woman here. And don't even dare to interrupt until you're allowed to come in again. It wouldn't benefit your beloved mudblood if you disobeyed my orders!"