Cover - Bellatrix & Voldemort

8.

17 June 1968 (seven years ago)

Soon to be seventeen years old Bellatrix Black woke up to find a letter on her bedside table. It was carefully placed there, like the person who write it would want to make sure she finds it as the first thing in the morning. And Bella would recognize her sister's handwriting anywhere - the letter was from Andromeda. Bellatrix didn't think much of it, it was probably just one of her silly things to invite her sister into her room or something that would, like Andromeda says, "Make your day a little happier". Bellatrix hated everything that had something to do with love or affection, but she cared for her sister more than anything and didn't really mind of these differences in their scheme of things. She opened the seal and sat on the lower part of her bed to read the letter;
"Dear Bella,
By the time you read this, I will be far away from home. No - this isn't one of my childish games. I don't want to say I'm sorry, because I know it won't help and you'll still hate me - but I am sorry. You've all everything for me and even if you don't admit it, I bet you do love me. Because I, at least love you with my whole heart, and even if things go the way, they'll go now, I'll still always love you like this. You'll always be my big sister - even if you wouldn't even mention my name again.
This is the deal: Like you've probably guessed already, I've met someone. He's a muggleborn, Ted Tonks. And I tried, I really tried to deny it and keep him away from me and live far away from him, but love doesn't seem to work that way. He makes me feel something that no one else does - he makes me feel alive. And I really hope someone will someday make you feel line that too. And I really don't care if he has no magical blood in his family, because the whole pureblood mania of this family is stupid. There it is, I said it. It's foolish and I hate it, and won't look even a moment of it anymore.
I know you'll feel angry and betrayed, but please forgive me. Even though, I know you won't, because I know you so well, still I hope that one day you would. Thank you, Bella, for everything you've done for me.

You can always (which I do know you never will) visit me and Ted.

-Your sister Andromeda."

Bellatrix tore the letter apart and burned it to prevent herself from having a breakdown, then ran downstairs to find Narcissa crying in the kitchen table. Their parents were clearly arguing in an another room, and Narcissa lifted her hopeless eyes to Bellatrix. Her chin was shaking from the shock of what had happened - and Bellatrix figured out that Dromeda must've written to everyone else too - and as she looked at her older sister, Cissy realised that her anger was uncontrollable.
"What are you going to do?"
There was a long silence before Bellatrix took one of the old and expensive vases, and threw it against a wall with such force that a few pointing dropped to the floor;
"I want him dead!"

Bellatrix would kill Ted Tonks.

16 April 1975 (present)

The Dark Lord had just came back from France - and he wasn't happy. Not even satisfied. The things had gone worse with the French magical goverment than excepted and the trip ended sooner than he thought as he had to force them to do as he says. Their noticiable discomfort with doing everything they do would raise suspections and that's exactly what he didn't want right now. Bellatrix, on the other hand, was extremetly excited to have him back again. She knew she shouldn't think of anything like - that he was her master and could never return her feelings, that everything was only her imagination, that the kiss was a dangerous mistake. But she couldn't help it and only to think that what if -
"Bellatrix!"
She snapped out of her mind and lifted her head to see Lucius calling her. She had thought she was alone at the manor, but apparently no. As she watched Lucius more focused, she noticed his unusual cleanliness - his shirt was unbuttoned at the top, his hair wasn't in it's usual neat look but instead all tangled and he looked like he had been sweating or crying. Or both. Bellatrix and Lucius didn't usually come along well, and they liked to childlikely annoy each other, but Bellatrix couldn't help to be a little concerned of his brother in-law right now.
"What is it?"
Lucius didn't seem like he could get a word out of his mouth and was in trouble with only finding words to say anything at all.
"Is Narcissa alright?"
"N- no."
The word dropped out of his mouth so that it felt like someone had punched Bellatrix in the face.
"Why? What's wrong with her?"
Lucius looked down, trying to hold himself together, and took a deep breath.
"She - The baby is gone - and she-", Bellatrix heard his voice crack, "She lost a lot of blood."

"Narcissa, dear?"
Lucius and Bellatrix came straight running to the room they knew Narcissa would be in as soon as her healer had told them that she would be alright soon enough. Narcissa was laying in a sitting position on her own large bed at her manor, and when Lucius called her name, she looked away with an empty gaze in her eyes. With no intention of having any kind of conversation with her husband. To Bellatrix, Lucius looked absolutely pathetic in this situation and if it would be anyone else on that bed, she would be laughing. But this was Cissy, and although she would maybe never show it, she was the only person that Bellatrix cared for like this - this was her sister, and while it would not mean much to others, it was important to Bella. She had protected her little sister(s) since they were born from any danger - which meant mostly their father - and she wouldn't forget it and stop now.
"Narcissa, please, are you -?"
Lucius didn't have any idea what to say, how to comfort his wife or if he was even supposed to do so, but he tried and Bellatrix knew that showing love like this was what mattered to Cissy. But now, when she didn't even look towards her husband, didn't ask for any kind of affection or didn't want to talk about it - something was extremetly wrong. Lucius took a step towards Narcissa but she trembled a little like she was frightened and he gave up immediatly.
"Could you go outside for a minute?"
It wasn't an order line Bellatrix would've usually told him to do something. It was a simple request, like they would be equal for a moment and maybe that's why he did so. He also cared for his wife - more than anything - and he knew Bellatrix would only do this for Narcissa. And for another thing, Lucius wouldn't still dare to say no to Bella. He looked at Narcissa for confirmation to do so, but she still wasn't facing either of them. As soon as she heard the door close, Bellatrix locked it and without saying anything started moving closer to her sister. Bella didn't even bother to take her heels off, as she sat next to Narcissa to the bed. She didn't need to say anything, but only coming next to Narcissa made her turn towards her older sister. Cissy's expression was heartbreaking and as she broke down crying in her sister's arms, Bellatrix, for the first time in years, felt sympathy for someone. She knew how badly her sister wanted children and she could have had her first one in seven months; but then some fucking upper power had to make her miscarriage.

Bellatrix chose to let Narcissa and Lucius have some time to themselves, and knowing her father would be away for at least a month, visiting some family members in France and Ireland, she decided to stay at the Black manor. The Dark Lord was staying there, too, he had been ever since he came back. It was nearly midnight when she got into the house and was too tired to do anything at all. So ten minutes later, the Dark Lord found her shoes threwn to the floor and the woman herself sleeping on the couch, her dark curles falling towards the ground.

In the morning Bellatrix woke up with a blanket on and her shoes tidily placed next to a wall.

.