Sept. 12 '79: They Gotta Get Through Me: Bella

[Narcissa Malfoy]

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directly following going west

Today was a day for lounging, at least that's what Narcissa's body was telling her. As she hadn't a thing on her calendar for this mid-week day, instead of forcing herself out into the day when her husband woke, she went back to sleep after seeing him off. It was as if she had been leeched of energy, and her back and head were aching like they did when her body dutifully reminded her she hadn't yet conceived a child - while it was early, if that's what it was, it was an extremely unwelcome reminder, doing nothing to convince her to leave the comfort of her covers.

Thus, she was in a rather sour mood when, a few hours later, she heard the front doors open of their own accord. Not wanting anyone to see her so disheveled - still in her silk dressing gown and she'd put nothing on her face or done anything to her hair but quickly tie it back, for Circe's sake - it was with relief that she heard Bellatrix's voice over the sound of Dobby scurrying to the door. The elf was so lax in its duties, it really was a mercy to it that the Malfoys even kept it. From her new lounging spot - the chaise lounge in one of the cozy parlors on the ground floor - Narcissa smiled, hearing tidbits of the elf stammering to please her sister.

"Narcissa! You won't believe who I just ran into..."

She looked up from the reading that had failed to distract her from her aches and pains and overall disappointment, it wasn't as if she and Lucius weren't trying, giving her eldest sister a beaming grin. This was just the sort of thing to cheer her up! Bella sounded pleased, which could mean many things, but the blonde was hopeful that this would be a good, if unexpected, visit. Thus, she genially held out her current snack-of-choice to her sister. Her lady times were coming, after all, and that was the only time she allowed herself to eat so poorly. She deserved it, for feeling so horrible.

"Do tell, Bella."

[Bellatrix Lestrange]

Dobby, the blasted thing, was at her feet after she entered the manor, muttering to himself as he hurried to grab her things. "Useless creature aren't you? Where's my sister?" Bellatrix snapped at him, shaking her head as his managed to stammer out the whereabouts of his mistress. Soon it was Narcissa's grinning face looking up at her as she sauntered into the room, taking an offered macaroon without hesitation. Making herself comfortable in a chair across from her sister, she tossed her hair over her shoulder as she shook her head with a smile. "I ran into Andromeda, drinking coffee at the Ministry. Can you believe it? Simply walks out on us and then sits around the Ministry like she's welcome," Bella ranted, giving a sigh before taking a bite of the snack. Andromeda had betrayed them all, running off with a muggle born of all things. While Narcissa was benefiting from the failure that had followed after Annie had left, it didn't make the betrayal any better for either of them.

Dobby was fumbling in with some tea, and Bella snatched the pot away in annoyance, shooing the elf away. How was Lucius supposed to provide for her sister if he couldn't even get an elf that did it's job? Pouring herself a cup, she fell back into her rant, the annoyance of the encounter still stinging, "Said she missed the coffee, and quite frankly I might believe her. I haven't an idea what kind of awful life she must have with that man. I might as well have been speaking to a complete stranger." Bellatrix leaned back in her chair, another moment of silence as she sipped the tea before she surveyed her sister. "You look dreadful, what's wrong with you?"

[Narcissa Malfoy]

Needless to say, Bella’s announcement brought the other Black sister to full attention. Narcissa felt her spine straighten at mention of their lost sibling, eyes fixated on Bella’s dark ones. The family never spoke of Annie, never saw her in public; while Narcissa had bent and had begun seeing her again after Nymphadora’s birth, that was something that the women kept silent. You said nothing to Bella, Annie, did you? Unless her sister was playing a cruel joke on her, this visit was only to tell her this news, not to chastise her for fraternizing with the runaway.

Breathe, Narcissa.

She shook her head understandingly as Bella went on, and her curiosity about what the pair discussed almost bested her. But it was better to not appear too interested, wasn’t it? Dobby’s entrance was welcome, as it gave Bella something to focus her ire on for a moment, but Narcissa sighed as she finished, wrapping her arms around her aching middle. "That’s utterly mad, Bella," she agreed, waving away the tea as Dobby brought a wobbling cup and saucer her way. "How can she sit out in the open like that, after what she did to us? Like she belongs!" Her sister’s betrayal was a deep wound that was still healing painfully, even with the balm of her adorable neice. Thus, her irritation hopefully rang true.

She hadn’t long to think on it, though, before this sister was insulting her. "Bella!" Narcissa gasped, miserable and affronted. "I feel awful enough as it is without you saying that."

Rather giving up any facade of wellness that she had clung to, the blonde slunk back on the couch and bunched up a pillow under her lower back to, with any luck, alleviate some of her physical pain. At least it was her sister and not her husband who was surprising her with this visit; she couldn’t bear for Lucius to see her like this, even if they had shared a life for years now. "I am falling ill, that's all," she declared peevishly.

[Bellatrix Lestrange]

Out of everyone who could truly understand her irritation at today, Narcissa was the one she had come to. She was the only one who had felt the betrayal of Annie the same way she had, their sister leaving them behind for a muggle. The memories of the years before Narcissa was born were threatening to invade her mind, when it had just been her and Annie. She had done everything she had been told to be a good big sister, and all she got in return was a metaphorical slap to her face when Annie left school.

At least she could direct her attention to Narcissa, as said sister reacted to her words. Surely Cissy would rather know how awful she looked, rather than think she was a sparkling beauty. Especially with a husband as vain as Lucius... “It’s a shame your husband can’t do something to help,” Bella said with a pointed smile, taking a sip of the tea as a smirk played on her lips. He only owned an apothecary, and this was a clear indication that his mind was elsewhere than with his wife. Typical.

”Shall I fetch you a potion? Perhaps a hairbrush? Dobby!” she snapped, looking to the elf as he came scurrying back. “Your mistress is feeling ill, surely you have something to help her?”

[Narcissa Malfoy]

Narcissa, thoroughly too worn out by feeling ill, allowed her sister to see the ire she felt at her words. She frowned over at her, shifting on her makeshift sickbed to sit up enough to drink the tea procured for them by the elf. By the taste of ginger in it, the thing had thought to give her a stomach soother, and the young woman had a flash of anger that the elf was being more attentive to her than her husband was today. But then again, Lucius had left before she'd let him know that she was feeling poorly, and it wasn't his fault that he was no Legilimens. 

The disheveled blonde groaned as Bella summoned the elf again, and she waved it away impatiently. Obviously she wasn't going to be looking like this by the time her husband got home, but for now... "Bella, please - I will be fine." Will you not just let me sulk? I failed to conceive, again. "If it worsens, I will let Lucius know to bring me something. He just needs to be told what to do." This was something that Narcissa had never had a problem with, and maybe she would send her husband back to the apothecary tonight...The inconvenience to him would be small, hardly comparable to the crushing weight on her chest, but it wasn't as if she could argue her way into having their child. And while she would prefer to wallow in self-pity, this wasn't something she could very well express to her sister - either the want, or the want to have a child. Bella and Rodolphus were far too busy and lacking one parental instinct between the pair, nowadays to raise one of their own, and simply did not seem to understand why she wanted this in her life. She lethargically took another macaroon, sighing as she ate, and avoiding her sister's eye as she slunk back into the lounge. "Distract me," she stated simply, letting out another sigh as she looked to the chandelier overhead. "What have you and Rodolphus been up to lately?"

[Bellatrix Lestrange]

Lucius Malfoy was a waste of space, even with such an honorable family name to back him up. It hadn’t mattered how many times she had urged her parents to stop looking at the Malfoy family for her sisters, the union between the families had been as inevitable as her marriage to Rodolphus was. But at least her husband provided her with what she needed, and was capable of more than just looking pretty. Lucius had once gotten sick after a mission and needed as escort home. He was pathetic. It was a shame that her youngest sister had such poor taste - although admittedly not as poor of taste as Andromeda. Even the briefest thought of Annie was enough to spark rage inside of her, and Bellatrix sighed as Narcissa shooed Dobby away.

“What good is a husband that needs to be told what to do?” Bella chirped back at her sister, a satisfied smirk crossing her face. While her relationship with Rodolphus was hardly normal, he was an attentive sort of person when he was around. Perhaps it was the fact he’d been her companion from a very early age, something that Bellatrix felt should have been the same for both of her sisters. Perhaps then Annie wouldn’t have run off with common trash, and their family name wouldn’t be as tainted. Mind pulled from her thoughts at Narcissa’s instintence of a distraction, she let out a laugh. “Well, I’ve been having far more fun than you have been having, that’s certain.” Ever since they had rid of his parents and the Lestrange Manor had become theirs, and Rodolphus had the ability to work from home, he kept her quite occupied.

“I have a better idea,” she said suddenly, sitting up taller in her seat across from her sister. “If Andromeda is going to start showing her face in public, you need to learn legilimency.”

[Narcissa Malfoy]

Frankly, Narcissa did not have the energy to expel in arguing with her sister over her husband today. Bella and Rodolphus loved to throw stones at him, and she was weary from carrying a shield to protect him. Lucius was a good man in his own right, but the Lestranges hardly ever spared any underhanded measure they could take to get a dig in at him. Why did they abhor him so ardently? They all were worshiped the same devil, with no regard to their own security, with no regard to how those who loved them would be lost without them should the worst happen. "I believe he is a good man, Bella, whatever you say," she said tiredly, although she did laugh along with her sister as the other went on. "If only our definitions of fun were more alike, my love." 

But soon she rose from her self-pitying lounging as she eyed her sister, the unexpected offer an extremely tantalizing one, and just the distraction from the pain that she needed. "Why is that?" Narcissa asked carefully, trying not to let all of her excitement show in her voice or on her features. Because Bella’s offer was a good one, and regardless of her reasons (How does this connect to Annie? Do you know…?) Narcissa would likely take her up on it. Legilimency and Occlumency were challenging, and not practices to be taken up likely. But the blonde was bored, and these skills would most assuredly become useful. There were only certain times of the month that her voice was needed at the Apothecary, or her mathematics skills were put to use with keeping the books, tracking their income and expenditures. Beyond that, being a housewife - with no children to raise - left her to too many idle pursuits. How much better could she become, really, at horseback riding? Or the viola? And for what purpose were those practices? Unless she planned on becoming a professional - which she was not - no one beyond her family would see her talents, extraordinary as they admittedly were. And so the chance to once again give her mind a challenge?...

[Bellatrix Lestrange]

While Narcissa could speak as highly of her husband as she wanted, Bellatrix knew the truth. She knew quite well the sort of activities her brother-in-law got up to when her sister wasn’t around. She couldn’t blame him, of course. Sex with ones assigned partner could get boring, at least, she had to imagine that was the case when it came to her sister. Bellatrix had tried to offer her advice ages ago, but given Lucius wandering eye for younger woman it was easy to see her advice had been ignored. She also was quite certain that her sisters inability to have children had nothing to do with her sister, as the Black family line as positively perfect. A child would tie Lucius down to the house more, and she knew that was the last thing the weasel wanted.

So while she couldn’t say she understood Narcissa, the blonde woman was one of her most trusted friends. The sister that would never betray her, unlike Andromeda. And Narcissa was much smarter than many gave her credit for, as she’d easily adapted into the role of a proper pureblood wife. Bellatrix had not, and was quite glad to have been rid of social customs after Rabastan had graduated and helped Rodolphus deal with their parents. People knew better than to cross Bellatrix Lestrange - and yet would trust Narcissa when she was just as much of a snake.

“You could get close to her,” Bella said as she stood, moving to sit closer to her sister. She brushed some of Narcissa’s hair out of her face - making a mental note to send her something later in hopes of helping the younger woman feel better. “She wouldn’t expect you to pry into her mind, wouldn’t have defenses up. You would have to meet her in secret of course. What do you think?”

[Narcissa Malfoy]

While she regarded her sister warily, Narcissa nevertheless made room on the chaise for her and leaned into her touch. Her mind worked over Bella's words and, as she was feeling so horribly, she didn't bother masking her uncertainty with the plan. What she did reserve her energy for masking was her nerves. Was all of this, agreeing to let Bella battle her mind's defenses in the effort to teach her how to break down another's, a ploy to get her to reveal something she'd thought was safely secret? That she had been in contact with their third sister for years now? Spending time with Annie and little Nymphadora, and begrudgingly sharing space with Edward when his off time lined up with a visit, was all at once soothing to her bruised heart and wrenching to it. Even Lucius didn't know, a rare secret between them that she felt necessary, just in case...

Learning the skill was something Narcissa wanted - she was hungry for some sort of challenge that she could master, and spells were a strength of hers - but could she risk it? "Bella, what could I learn and use to take her down any farther than she's already taken herself?" she asked gently, assuming that this was the why of her sister's request. "I want to learn," she declared, emphasizing the statement by taking Bella's hand in her own delicate one. "But when she left..." Narcissa swallowed as she lost her words, forcing herself to keep her eyes on her sister. "I swore I'd never let her in again. If I'm going to open myself up to her..." A hard edge found its way into the young woman's voice as inspiration struck, eyes lighting with a rarely seen glint. "If I'm going to open myself up, it has to be worth it. We'd need to find something to hurt her, as much as she hurt us." While this was hardly something that Narcissa planned to follow-through on, she hoped that Bella would take the bait. If this went well, not only would she learn a new skill, but she could actually be seen out with her "long ignored" sister and not worry about Bella's reaction! Besides her checking in about what I've learned, she thought with an ounce of worry. But surely she and Annie could come up with something utterly dull for her to report...this could work.

[Bellatrix Lestrange]

This was such a perfect plan, Bellatrix didn’t know why she hadn’t thought of it sooner. Narcissa might have been a bit of a idiot in certain aspects, but her youngest sister was smart when it came to the things Narcissa dedicated her mind to. While Lucius may have been the face of his family's business, Narcissa did all the work. The whole business would have long ago been surpassed by the Bobbins multiple apothecaries if it hadn’t been for her sister taking everything from the idiot that she had married. Learning Occlumency and Legilimency would be easy for the young woman, and would certainly serve her well in all aspects of her life, if she dared to prod into her dim witted husband’s mind. Narcissa would see the benefit to all of this, she simply had to.

Bella hadn’t been expecting the first words out of her sister’s mouth to be to disagree, and she narrowed her eyes at her sister until Narcissa continued speaking. It was hard to think about Narcissa being hurt by Andromeda’s betrayal, but Bellatrix’s look softened as she listened. Because it had hurt when Annie had run off, her little sister that had looked up to her so much when they were children. They’d been so close before Bella had gone off to Hogwarts, and even then they were close for so many years after. Annie had started to become more distant in school, but Bella had been so busy with her own life then that she hadn’t questioned it too much. If anything, Bellatrix had felt that Annie’s betrayal of their family had been her own fault, for not being a good enough sister after they had started to drift apart. But - Andromeda had made her decision, and it was well past time feeling guilty for that.

“You’re right, Cissy,” she said as she stroked her sister’s hair gently, nodding as she thought. “What she did to us was cruel, and she hurt us both. She betrayed our trust, and I can’t ever forgive her for that.” One day, and hopefully with Narcissa‘s help, they would hurt Annie. They would take everything Annie cared about away. “But she can’t know what we are doing, so we’ll have to have to learn how to keep her out of your head. Don’t worry love, I’m the best teacher you could get.”

[Narcissa Malfoy]

Narcissa Malfoy was no fool, although she knew that some moronic wizards of equal or lesser breeding believed her to be. Those who did had a supreme lack of understanding of the skill it took to live the life she led. She had to be intelligent enough, but not so much so that she overshadowed her prominent husband. Even though she readily could. She had to be beautiful enough, but not so much so that she drew too much envy from her society partners. She had to be kind enough, but not so much so that her words rang false. Her life was full of compromising herself to protect her family, but now, as her able mind turned over the possibilities of learning these new skills, Narcissa knew that everything she had had to do had brought her here. What better student could her sister wish for than someone who was used to hiding facets of her true self when she was with any company? Even now she was carefully testing Bella’s perception of her, ensuring with satisfaction that her bait was taken up, that Bella believed that her initial hesitance was from hurts long scabbed over, rather than a fear of being found out by the very woman who was offering this tutelage.

Satisfaction, indeed. There were perks to being thought of as the baby of the family, the one to be protected, even when she had long proven herself to be the measure of any of them. For as Bella’s harsh look softened at her own hurt, as the eldest Black sister admitted that she was right, drawing her closer with affection, Narcissa knew she’d succeeded. The risk she’d taken years ago in reuniting with Annie was a secret she knew she’d have to keep - not that Bella would hurt her, but Narcissa knew she’d target Annie with more ferocity than anyone deserved because of mistakes made for love - but with these new skills…You’re doing me a favor here, Bella dear. She nodded along, eyes locked with her sister’s in resolution, pale pink lips quirking into a smile at her last. "You’ve always been the best teacher I could hope for. I love you, Bella." She took her sister's hand, kissing the back of it before holding it firmly. "How do we begin?"

[Bellatrix Lestrange]

While she often thought it was a shame that the Dark Lord hadn’t choosen Narcissa years ago. Her sister was just as capable as she was, but Bellatrix did understand the reasons against allowing the youngest Black sister to join up. Andromeda had been a dissapointment, and Narcissa was such a caring person. She had to be, to put up with the likes of Lucius. Bella could hardly imagine her sister covered in blood, fighting alongside her. But even a house wife could prove useful, especially if these lessons could not only provide Narcissa protection - but teach her sister how to pry into the minds of others. While there was little information that could be deemed useful in a tea with other pureblood wives, it was what in their minds that could prove interesting. Were their husbands being faithful (Lucius certainly wasn’t), did they admit their hesitations about the Dark Lords plan to their wives, trusting their secrets would be kept? Her sister was cunning enough to get that sort of information, from more than just Andromeda.

“I love you Narcissa,” she said to her sister, smiling at the woman across from her. One day the world would be theirs, a society perfect for Naricssa to raise the children she wanted, a world in which they had nothing to fear. They were Blacks, after all, and while Lucius may have thought his money meant he was just as worthy as they were - no one could compare to them. “Close your eyes, and clear your mind. More difficult than it sounds,” she instructed with a smile, giving her sisters hand a squeeze. “I’m going to pry into your mind, look for memories from when we were kids for you to think about. Your task is to keep your mind clear so that I can’t. Come now, let’s practice.”