Chapter 34: Amelia Bones Pt. 2
Chapter Text
A/N: Harry and Amelia explore her submissive side together~
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Harry makes an impulse decision before Amelia can recover enough to realize how she's currently acting. He finds himself wanting to explore this submissiveness, so as the Director of the DMLE sits there frozen in his chair, he moves himself behind her. The first hand on one shoulder is joined by a second on the next and Harry hums to himself.
"Very, very well done Amelia. Your work today was inspired."
At first, Amelia tenses up further under his touch. She shivers almost violently. But Harry just plows on ahead, working his fingers into her shoulders and starting to give her a massage.
"Hard work deserves a reward. I'm sure you agree, Amelia."
The more he works away at her shoulders, the more she relaxes. Fortunately, Harry is very good at this. Just one of the many skills he'd learned while trying and failing to save the world in the future. He can even go a step further and push his magic through his fingers to make the experience truly spectacular… but he holds off from doing that for the moment. Instead, he focuses on helping her relax while he waits for her answer. Finally, the beautiful witch finds her voice.
"Some… some would say hard work is its own reward."
The words themselves could be interpreted as a rebuke, as censure. But Amelia's voice is neither sharp nor hard. Her tone is not that strong. Instead, she sounds faint, almost as if she's saying something she thinks she has to believe but doesn't actually. Or maybe more like she's trying to fight against her own desires… against her own wants and needs.
Harry smiles softly, even as his shadowy fingers continue to dig into Amelia's flesh, slowly forcing the tension out of her shoulders, bit by bit.
"Some, perhaps. But they aren't here, are they Amelia? It's just you and me right now, is it not?"
Not seeming to trust herself to speak again so soon, Amelia manages a shaky nod in response. Leaning in close, Harry presses a kiss to the top of her head, making her freeze up again as he murmurs into her hair.
"Well, I say that hard work deserves a reward. And so a reward you shall get. Understood?"
"U-Understood, sir."
The words slip out of her lips before she can think better of them. Harry can feel her tense up all over again when she calls him 'sir', but he doesn't draw attention to it. Instead, he continues with the massage, feeling as she slowly but surely relaxes once more into his touch. The longer he goes without directly calling her out, the more comfortable she becomes.
Still, Harry is turning the word over in his head all the same. Sir. The DMLE Director had called him 'sir'. Could it really be? Could he really have stumbled upon such a perfect woman? Amelia Bones as she was, as he'd thought he knew her to be, was already a valuable ally that Harry had had every intention of cultivating into a Minister of Magic that would work with him instead of against him.
At the same time, he'd never considered her a candidate for the ritual… until now. He hadn't thought she would have the temperament for it, truth be told. And he had no intention of forcing himself on anyone either. They had to be willing, both in terms of sex and in terms of sacrifice. Even Rita, Harry was cajoling down the path of corruption. She would eventually submit to him willingly.
But Rita was a different story, or so Harry had assumed. Amelia Bones, at first glance, didn't seem like she had a submissive bone in her body. And yet… and yet, here they were. The first glance didn't always paint the full picture, now did it? One should never judge a book by it's cover, and Harry had clearly fallen into exactly that trap here.
As soon as he's done with Amelia's shoulders, Harry moves onto her neck and back. The Director of the DMLE stays quiet, or at least tries to. She's biting her tongue and pressing her lips together in an effort to keep her whimpering and moaning to a minimum, but Harry can still hear the small, minute noises escaping from her tightly shut mouth.
Still, he can't deny that he's curious to know just how deep her submission might really run. She seems willing to place herself in his power… almost eager even. But what will she do if he goes further? What will she do if he gives her a direct order? In the end… there's only one way to find out. Pulling his hands off of her, Harry hums.
"Your clothes are in the way, Amelia. Too many layers. Stand and strip, please."
A step too far, if she was any less submissive than she seemed. Certainly not the sort of thing that their relationship so far called for. And yet… Amelia only hesitates a moment before ducking her head and rising from her seat. As she ducks her head and stands, Harry thinks he catches the hint of a smile on her lips before she turns away to hide her expression from him.
He doesn't order her to turn around. Instead, Harry merely watches her quietly, even as she removes her robes and then her top and skirt. She strips down to her underwear slowly, methodically, and in a word… inevitably. As though she always knew things would lead to this. As she gets down to her underwear, Harry admires the Hufflepuff Gold of her bra and panties. At the same time, Amelia finally hesitates.
"That's enough."
Harry smiles as she jolts at his words, her hands having been tentatively reaching back for the clasp of her bra. She turns to him then, looking at him as he admires her underwear-clad figure. With a nod of his shadowy head, Harry gestures and conjures a massage table in the middle of the office, causing Amelia's eyes to go wide at the casual display of power. She bites her lower lip a moment later, shifting from side to side. Not quite rubbing her thighs together in arousal… but rather, attempting to resist the urge to do so from the look of things.
"Lay down."
Again, she does as she's told. It's coming easier and easier to her in fact, if Harry isn't mistaken. The more she obeys him, the happier she is. Of course, laying face down with her face in the hole of the massage table, Harry can't actually see her facial reactions in real time… but he can tell she's happy all the same.
With her on the massage table, Harry continues the massage, turning it from a simple shoulder massage to full body. And now that he's doing full body… well, he doesn't see much reason to hold back anymore. As his fingers dig into Amelia's flesh directly, he pushes his magic through his digits into Amelia as well.
He can see the moment his magic makes contact with her magic. If he went too hard, he could harm her this way. But then to be fair, that was true of all massages. They were based on pressure points, and so were martial arts. The only difference between healing and harming was the amount of strength applied.
In this case, Harry doesn't use his magic to outright dominate Amelia or damage her own magic, even if he very much could. Instead, he uses his magic in the same way he's using his fingers. Amelia's metaphysical nature is as tensely strung as her physical nature. The stress isn't good for you, not in mind, body… or spirit. Muggles had all these ideas about spirit and the soul and what not, but the truth was, it was wizards and witches who actually had to worry about their spiritual selves.
The more stress a magical being found themselves under, the more tightly wound their magic could get. That was what Amelia was dealing with right now, and that's what Harry slowly began to unravel, even as he turned her physical body into a mewling, pleasured puddle at the same time.
In the end, she couldn't keep her voice quiet forever. The more he touched her, the harder it became. Her moans eventually echo through the office as she loses that internal battle, her self-control completely destroyed by how good he's making her feel.
Of course, eventually her bra does get a little too in the way. His fingers constantly have to go over or under the Hufflepuff Gold undergarment, until finally Harry just reaches up, undoes the clasp, and lets the bra snap free. Her modesty is still mostly preserved, of course. Amelia gasps from the action but makes no move to stop him. And without the straps of her bra in his way, Harry is able to dig all the deeper into her back, moving his magical fingers up and down and pushing into her flesh in all the right places.
She quivers and moans under him, all but egging him on as he goes, while Harry just concentrates on making this the best experience she's ever had. Massaging a topless Director Bones might not have been within his expectations for how this night would go, but Harry can't really bring himself to complain… especially not when she's so very clearly enjoying herself so damn much.
A small smile spreads across Harry's face. He considers going harder. He considers upping the pace again. Stripping her the rest of the way naked, climbing up onto the massage table, sliding into her right then and there… it would be so easy. And Amelia would probably enjoy it immensely as well. At this point, she was like putty in his hands. There was nothing he couldn't do to her that she wouldn't go along with, save actively harming her.
… And yet, did he really want to go that far that fast? As submissive as Amelia was turning out to be in the bedroom, she was also still valuable for the other things she represented. He still wanted to make her Minister of Magic. He still wanted to use her as an ally to effectively remove his enemies from the Wizarding World, those who would stand in his way and keep him from saving everyone.
She'd done well today. Very, very well. And she deserved this reward, of that Harry has no doubts. But… at the same time, if he went any further, it would no longer be a reward for Amelia, but a conquest for Harry. If he kept going from here, he would be turning Amelia's victory into his domination. It would… detract from all the good she'd done today; he couldn't help but feel.
No. He didn't need to bed Amelia Bones right this moment. He had plenty on his plate already, and so did she. This much… this much would have to be enough. It likely would be enough, Harry suspected. Because Amelia would almost certainly come out of this feeling better than she had in a long time, not just physically but also magically. And she would want more.
Smiling softly, Harry continues the full body massage but doesn't say another word. Nor does he do anything to keep Amelia from drifting off. It's as easy as that in the end. She was already so tired, already so exhausted. The only thing keeping her awake was her work and then his presence. But with him being quiet and turning her entire body into jelly, she just can't keep her eyes open anymore.
Only once he feels her presence quieting, only once he knows she's fully asleep, does Harry pull his hands back from her half-naked body. Ah, but she truly is absolutely gorgeous. In just her bra and panties, Amelia Bones looks absolutely delicious. But… the best desserts are all the sweeter if you make yourself wait. If you make yourself EARN them.
After all, Amelia had deserved a reward for HER hard work today, but what had Harry really done? It was like he'd told her before, he'd merely pointed her in the right direction. All of this was her accomplishment, her achievement.
His smile growing fond, Harry lifts Amelia up off of the massage table with his magic and then vanishes the conjured furniture. Then, he takes her over to the couch and once more tucks her in, making sure she's nice and cozy under a couple of blankets. She doesn't wake up, a testament to just how tired she clearly was, even as he gets her into position. And yes, he gets a good eyeful of her breasts in the process, but knowing what he knew now, he doubted she would really care.
Then, after making sure no one would interrupt her slumber, Harry folds up her discarded clothing and robes and sets them down next to her.
His plans for Amelia Bones would have to change. There was simply no denying that. Now that he knew her true nature, he would need to begin working her towards a state of mind conducive to the ritual. He would bring her under his control, not just for himself or for the world, but for her own sake.
Harry had intended for her to be an ally, but now it seemed their relationship would become something more. Amelia Bones would join her magic to his and together, they would ensure the survival of the Wizarding World. No matter what.
Leaving the DMLE Director's Office behind, Harry slips back into Hogwarts with no one any the wiser. Dumbledore is still hopelessly distracted with trying to save Snape's neck from the upcoming inquisition into the Potions Professor's actions. Harry wonders if the Headmaster will be foolish enough to ask Harry to speak on Snape's behalf, but he suspects not even Dumbledore would be that silly. Still, who knows right?
Arriving back in Gryffindor Tower, Harry makes his way up to his dorm and approaches his bed. Really, Harry can't wait to put his head down for the night. Sure, someone like Amelia had certainly had a tougher few days then Harry had, but ultimately its been a lot for him as well and he's ready to be done.
Unfortunately, before he can actually lay his head down for the night, he finds himself stopped by one more thing he has to take care of.
Chapter 35: Bella's Proposal
Chapter Text
A/N: Harry and Bella have a chat~
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She at least has the decency to wait for him to engage privacy charms over the bed's curtains before making his move. As Harry sits in the middle of his bed, he doesn't think much of Bella hopping up in her animagus form. Bella the Dog spent many a night sleeping in his bed, adding her body heat to his after all.
He also doesn't really pay much mind to her nuzzling and sniffing at his chest and neck. Instead, he simply pets her head and scratches behind her ears as he uses his wand to make sure that he's secure. The curtains around the beds in the Hogwarts Dorms are actually designed to be incredibly susceptible to enchanting on top of having a basic suite of security charms on them. It was up to each and every student whether they were willing to learn enough to utilize them to their full effectiveness or not.
The moment that Harry puts his wand down, however, Bella transforms and pushes him onto his back, straddling him in her naked human form in an instant. Not that Harry minds this very much, seeing how he'd actually denied himself any sort of sexual release when it came to Amelia. But he's a little surprised when Bella, despite no longer being in her animagus form, lets out a rather animalistic warning growl the moment he tries to lift up his hands and grab her by her hips.
Brow furrowing, Harry doesn't back off… in fact, he grabs Bella by her hips even more harshly, digging his fingers in as she stiffens at his touch.
"Bella… what's gotten into you?"
Whimpering now, she looks at him with big, mournful eyes that glow somewhat in the darkness of the closed-off canopy bed.
"I can smell HER all over you, Master! She's seduced you and now you're going to give me up to appease her!"
Wait, what? Harry is baffled, even as Bella grinds her naked, wet crotch against him, whimpering and raking her fingers down his chest in fear and worry. With a flex of his will and magic, Harry stops her in her tracks, freezing her in place on top of him.
"Calm down, Bella. Explain what you're talking about."
Huffing, Bellatrix bites her lower lip.
"… That woman… Amelia Bones… she's gotten to you, Master. You've been so busy playing games with her that you haven't used me once! And then… then you were even gone for a week! Now you come back smelling of her scent… her arousal. She's making you lose sight of what's really important!"
That gets a scoff from Harry, mostly because he's pretty sure Bella isn't talking about the future apocalypse so much as she's talking about what SHE considers really important… namely his and her relationship. She's a very needy pet, that much is for sure. She always has been. But Harry… tch, alright so maybe he had been neglecting Bella just a little bit in recent times.
For all his power, he's just one man trying to juggle an awful lot of plates. The amount of magic he can now call upon helps him to juggle more plates than even your average witch or wizard could, but there's still a finite number that he can handle.
Bellatrix had fallen to the wayside and he can sort of see where her fears are coming from, for all that they're unfounded and incorrect.
With a growl, Harry reaches up and wraps one hand around Bella's neck. Her eyes widen and she leans into his touch, not afraid of being choked even slightly. He doesn't actually choke her though, not yet anyways. Instead he just holds her, reasserting his dominance over her.
"I will never abandon you, Bella. I will never give you up, certainly not for something like appeasing Amelia."
He could do it, technically. All because of Bellatrix, as a matter of fact. Before she'd modified the ritual, Harry needed her alive to maintain his connection to her magic. But then she'd gone and altered the ritual, showing him another way and helping him to turn her incarcerated husband into a muggle as Harry took every bit of magic that Rodolphus Lestrange had to offer.
If Harry wanted to, he could suck the magic he was already connected to straight out of Bellatrix, turning her into a defenseless, helpless muggle. At which point he could throw her to Amelia just as she feared, where she would undoubtedly be given the Dementor's Kiss for daring to escape Azkaban Prison.
But Harry isn't going to do that. Not ever. Call it what you will, but Bellatrix is HIS. He'd claimed her by rite of conquest, tamed her, made her his tool, and brought her back through time itself via transporting a copy of her mind within his own. Harry had risked everything to have Bella by his side here and now… and he wasn't ever going to let her go.
Straddling him, Bellatrix doesn't look entirely convinced… perhaps because in her mind, the only reason that Harry could possibly have for smelling of Amelia Bones' arousal was being seduced by the other witch. Rolling his eyes, he gives his pet a reassuring smile.
"You don't have to fret, Bella. Yes, I smell of Amelia. Yes, we got closer tonight than ever before. No, we haven't fucked yet. Still… it'll happen eventually. Because Amelia will be joining you… under me."
Bellatrix's eyes widen in disbelief at that… but the disbelief lasts less than a second before she's grinning like the cat who caught the canary.
"T-Truly, Master?"
Harry lets his own smile widen, even as he nods. He also loosens his magical hold on Bellatrix, causing her to immediately begin gyrating her hips around in a circle over his crotch in an excited frenzy.
"A-Ah… but I thought… I thought you weren't going to force anyone, Master."
There's no censure in Bella's voice. Just curiosity. If he started going around and forcing himself on other witches tomorrow, she would be right there with him, helping him to hold them down so he could have his way with them. However, just because Bella was willing to do such terrible things didn't mean Harry was.
"I haven't changed my mind about that, Bella. I've merely had my eyes opened up to Amelia Bones' true nature."
Then, because he doesn't really feel like telling Bellatrix everything, he slides his hand from her neck to behind her head, grabbing a fistful of her hair and pulling her down to his face. Rather than kiss her, however, Harry presses their foreheads together and calls upon his magic to impart the experiences of these last few hours onto his pet. Bella gasps as she watches him handle Amelia with gentle dominance and tender control. She watches as he easily bends Amelia to his will and then stops himself from going too far.
When it's over, Harry allows Bella to pull back and look him in the eyes, though she insists on kissing him deeply first and foremost before pulling away.
"Master… you had her eating out of the palm of your hand! You could have taken her right then and there! Why didn't you?!"
Harry huffs in amusement at Bella's one-eighty. Mere moments again she'd been terrified by the thought of Harry and Amelia together. Now all of the sudden she was egging him on, wondering why he hadn't just fucked Amelia silly right there in the woman's office.
"That's not for you to question, Bella. My reasons are my own. Yours is not to wonder why."
Bella blinks and then blushes and ducks her head at the light admonishment. Then, she perks up.
"Ah… but really, I should be thanking Master. Because he didn't fuck that woman… he's pent up right now, isn't he?"
She grinds harder onto his cock, which admittedly IS throbbing with need at this point. A low rumbling growl leaves Harry's throat as his balls churn with a load that could have gone to Amelia but hadn't. Cooing, Bella grins wickedly.
"Oooh~ VERY pent up~"
Luckily for her, she doesn't tease him any more than that. If she had, she wouldn't have liked the consequences. Actually, she probably would have liked them quite a lot. Still, in this case Bella's eagerness gets the better of her before Harry has to act, causing her to hastily crawl down the length of his body until she's kneeling with her face in his crotch.
Pulling his cock free of his boxers, the lustful, obsessive, and altogether slavishly devoted witch coos over it for just a moment before diving down his length. Her eyes fix on Harry's face as she goes down on him and from that moment on, Bella refuses to break eye contact.
Harry just smiles an affectionate, amused smile, even as he reaches down to run a hand through her locks. But he lets her set the pace of the actual fellatio, more just enjoying her mouth and tongue on his cock.
Yes, it was true that he could have had Amelia Bones impaled upon his cock with relative ease today. And yet, he hadn't. He'd refrained because Amelia… hm, maybe Bella was onto something. Maybe he was growing sentimental over the DMLE Director.
He wouldn't let that stop him though. No matter what, he would keep his eye on the prize. Amelia would get what she needed and so would Harry… by the time he was done with her, they would both be quite satisfied with the outcome, that Harry was sure of. But at the same time, she wasn't the be all, end all. Harry still had a world to save after all.
"Glughk! Glughk! Glughk!"
Of course, just because he's not taking control of Bella's blowjob doesn't mean the lusty little bitch isn't going to wind up choking herself on his cock all the same. Completely of her own accord, Bella bobs her head up and down his shaft more and more aggressively, gurgling and gagging quite happily to herself even as she continues to stare him in the eye.
Her own eyes grow more and more watery until she'd shedding involuntary tears while drool and saliva collect around her stretched lips and the base of his cock. However, even then Bellatrix doesn't stop, even as she's practically asphyxiating herself on his dick.
After all that unintentional foreplay and blue balling with Amelia, Harry doesn't see any reason to hold back. Letting out a contented sigh, he proceeds to firm up his grip on Bellatrix's hair and pull her all the way down his cock one last time before beginning to cum. She gurgles helplessly but also lustfully, swallowing every last drop of his seed like the needy little slut she is as Harry stares down into her devoted, adoring eyes.
Finally, he's finished emptying his balls into her belly… but of course, that doesn't mean they're done. His cock remains hard and despite just loosing one load down Bella's throat, his balls continue to churn, already producing the next. Noting this, his pet witch hurriedly pulls off of his cock and then crawls back up him, straddling his crotch once more.
This time though, she buries him inside of her, impaling herself upon his shaft and moaning as her pussy walls tighten and flex all along his length. She's sopping wet by this point and Harry isn't remotely surprised, even as he grabs hold of her hips again.
Moaning and mewling, bouncing up and down on his cock, Bella doesn't bother trying to contain her voice. Not that she has to, not when the spells that Harry has put up keep anyone from hearing or seeing anything that's going on past the curtains on his bed.
Still, as she really starts to get into it, Bella suddenly leans forward, running her hands over his face.
"Master, I beg of you… unleash me."
What? Harry frowns, not quite sure where Bellatrix is going with this.
"Bella…"
"I swear I can be of use to you, Master. Send me after my sister. Send me after Cissy."
Harry's eyes narrow at the mention of Narcissa Malfoy, especially when it brings to mind her husband, Lucius Malfoy. Dealing with that slimy git today had been the exact opposite of enjoyable, truth be told. Even still…
"I already told you I wasn't going to force myself on any witch, Bella."
But Bellatrix is undeterred.
"I know, Master. I know… but you don't know Cissy like I do. She doesn't truly love Lucius. She hates him, in fact. Her sprog, Draco… she loves him well enough, but Lucius is an albatross around her neck that she would be glad to get rid of. Allow me to contact her. Allow me to explain some things and I swear I can bring her to you. I swear she'll submit to your power willingly."
That was… a big promise. Even as she speaks, Bellatrix continues to ride him, bouncing up and down on his cock. Harry enjoys the feel of her body and the way her cunt walls are milking him for all he's worth very much. At the same time though, he now finds his attention split as he considers the curious case of Narcissa Malfoy.
He believed Bella when she said that Narcissa loved Draco. He knew firsthand how deep that particular mother's love ran for her son. But her husband… now that relationship was somewhat more shrouded in mystery. The Malfoys had almost always presented a united front until the end of the Second War, when Narcissa had broken ranks to save Draco.
Could Bella be telling the truth? Didn't Harry already have a way of checking for sure? Reaching out, Harry beckons Bella down to him once more. She doesn't hesitate, happily bringing her forehead back to his and allowing him to call up the memories in question that make her belief so unshakeable.
There, in the depths of Bellatrix's memories, Harry finds a tearful encounter between sisters, both Bella and Narcissa much younger as Narcissa cried over having been married off to Lucius Malfoy. According to her, she was convinced that Lucius was a poof. Bellatrix had comforted her younger sister in her own way, telling her to just grin and bear with it, and that they would find their own ways to have fun no matter what.
Of course, shortly after Bellatrix had made her fateful mistake of sneaking into Voldemort's quarters late at night only to be Crucioed until dawn for her impertinence. The broken, insane woman that had come out the other side had been the perfect weapon for the Dark Lord's purposes but would never be the sister Narcissa had known ever again.
Pulling back, Harry sighs. It was entirely possible that Bellatrix was right and Narcissa would be amicable to a change in Masters. It was also possible that Bellatrix was wrong and Narcissa had grown up and even managed to grow close to Lucius Malfoy somehow over the years.
Was it worth the risk of letting Narcissa know her sister was out of Azkaban? Letting Bellatrix get in touch with Narcissa could either be an excellent move towards his long term goals, or it could turn out to be the biggest mistake since he'd come back in time…
Chapter 36: Narcissa Malfoy
Chapter Text
A/N: Harry lets Bella make her move. Narcissa finds her pleasant if overbearing life suddenly interrupted.
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After a moment more of quiet contemplation while bouncing Bellatrix up and down on his cock, Harry makes his decision.
"Very well, Bella. I will allow you to try to convince your sister to willingly betray her husband and join our cause. But you will have to be careful about this. I don't want you to risk yourself for Narcissa, alright? You matter more to me than her."
Bella actually blushes a little bit at that, before all but lunging forward to cup his face in her hands and kiss him deeply.
"Thank you, Master. Thank you, thank you, thank you."
Harry just grunts as their sex grows far more enthusiastic and energetic after that, Bellatrix's excitement proving to be contagious. Even still, as he rolls them both over and pushes her down onto the bed, Harry looks her in the eye.
"Thank me once your sister is kneeling at my feet of her own volition, Bella. And I'm serious… I can't afford to lose you. So… I suppose I'll have to empower you."
Bella moans under him, right up until he slides fingers into her mouth for her to suck on. At the same time, Harry opens up the connection between them, letting some of the magic he'd taken for himself flow down to Bellatrix. Of course, it's still his magic, which means he can direct it in the way he wants. He's not giving Bella any more power than she already had. She doesn't need to be any better at killing or torturing others than she already is.
Instead, he focuses this gift of additional magic towards one thing and one thing only… subterfuge and stealth. For a moment, Bellatrix actually fades out of view completely underneath him, though he can still feel her lips and tongue on his fingers, her breast beneath his other hand, and her cunt wrapped tightly around his cock. He can also still feel her through their magical bond. Others however… even all but the most powerful revealing charms won't expose her presence.
When she fades back into view a moment later, having quickly gained control of her newfound ability, Bella blinks up at him and then sucks all the more fervently at his digits, almost reverent in her actions as she gurgles happily at his gift.
Harry just grins.
"No excuses now, Bella. The only people who will see you are those who you want to be seen by from this point on."
Pulling his fingers free, he watches as she nods her head.
"Yes, Master."
Then, grabbing her by her tits and giving them a good hard squeeze, Harry sets out to really make Bellatrix scream. He's done all he can to assist his loyal pet in her newest venture. What happens next will be up to Bella.
-x-X-x-
"Ta-ta for now, ladies!"
As the serving staff escort the last of her guests out of the private room of Diagon Alley's fanciest and most expensive dining experience, Narcissa Malfoy leans back in her chair, sipping from the wine glass in her hand and letting out a soft sigh.
The rigors of holding court over the other noble wives of the Wizarding World are as exhausting and time consuming as ever. And for what, so that she can report on the latest gossip to her husband so that he has more tidbits of information to use against his peers in the Wizengamot?
Oh, but Narcissa knew she couldn't truly complain. Not that much. Even if there was no love lost between her and Lucius, even if their marriage was one completely of convenience… at least their marriage had lasted. And at least they'd managed to stay out of Azkaban Prison.
Like happened all too often these days, Narcissa finds her thoughts moving in the direction of her sisters. She, Andy, and Bella had been thick as thieves when they were younger. Then Hogwarts happened and though they'd all been in Slytherin, at some point they'd begun drifting apart. Maybe because they were all in different years? If they'd been triplets, perhaps they could have stayed together better.
… Or perhaps Andromeda would always have married a Muggleborn who would foist a daughter on her before inevitably betraying her by taking some muggle woman into his bed and ultimately breaking up their marriage. Merlin that whole debacle was frustrating to say the least. And yet, even though their parents were gone, even though House Black was all but dead… Narcissa's sister had made no effort to contact her. Not even once. Despite being a divorced single mother with a metamorphmagus of a daughter, Andromeda hadn't even tried to apologize for her poor judgment.
If she had, Narcissa would have immediately accepted Andy's apology and happily claimed her as sister again, damn whatever Lucius might have had to say about it. But alas, Andromeda was stubborn. Even the letter Narcissa had sent to give her condolences over the muggleborn's infidelity had ultimately been rebuffed with all subsequent attempts at communications ignored.
Still, as… nonexistent as her relationship with Andromeda was at this point, Narcissa was well aware that things could be worse. Bellatrix was evidence of that.
After the Dark Lord's fall, Narcissa had tried to reach out to Bella. She'd tried to get her older sister to listen to reason. Lucius had a plan, and it was one of the few times in her life where Narcissa had agreed with his plan. With Voldemort dead and their Dark Marks faded to almost nothing, it was their one opportunity to be free of all that foolishness. They could claim they were under the Imperius Curse and be exonerated of all their crimes.
But Bellatrix wouldn't listen. She wouldn't hear of it. And so she and her husband and brother-in-law had rounded up a couple of other Death Eaters and done the unthinkable to the Longbottoms. The Lord and Lady of an Ancient and Noble House, tortured into insanity. The entire act was senseless, gratuitous, and overdone.
Narcissa supposed in Bella's fractured mind, it was what had to be done. She couldn't believe the Dark Lord was actually dead, so torturing two prominent members of the Order of the Phoenix for information on his whereabouts just made sense. As did disrupting the celebrations surrounding Voldemort's defeat, which Bellatrix had taken as a personal insult.
And yet… in the end, what did it get her? She, Rodolphus, Rabastan, and Barty Crouch Jr. were all captured within a fortnight, and then shuffled off to Azkaban Prison. Narcissa had considered visiting once or twice over the years, but fear had stayed her hand. She didn't want to experience the Dementors, even as a visitor. And more than that, if they wanted their Imperius Defense to continue holding up to any scrutiny, she and Lucius had to make it clear that they cared little for even former family members who claimed to have served the Dark Lord of their own volition.
… So yes, Narcissa supposed she could be doing a lot worse. She had a husband she had little love for, but who kept her in comfort and gave her quite a sizable allowance. She had a son who she loved, though with every year he became a little bit more like his father despite her efforts to curb his worst personality traits. And she had her freedom. Above all else, she had her freedom.
Truly, Narcissa Malfoy had no right to complain. So then why was she just so… done with it all?
"Hello Cissy."
Speak of the devil and she shall appear. Literally. Narcissa watches, nonplussed, as Bellatrix shimmers into view in the chair right beside her, coming out of absolutely nowhere. There's a wide grin on her big sister's face, even as she licks her lips and giggles.
"My, that was a rather boring and overbearing affair, wasn't it? I thought they'd NEVER leave. Ah… please don't scream."
Raising an eyebrow, Narcissa looks down at her wine glass. Had she been drugged? Or was this just her own mind playing tricks on her? Either way… why not play along?
"Hello Bella. Good to see you."
The look of surprise and confusion on the hallucination's face almost makes Narcissa giggle, but she has more self-control than that. Still to see her sister so stupefied is quite the treat, even if it isn't really her sister.
"… You don't seem all that surprised to see me, Cissy."
Shrugging, Narcissa takes a sip from her wine glass.
"That's because it's not really you, Bella. You're a figment of my imagination. A product of a bored and weary mind."
'Bellatrix' narrows her eyes at that.
"Is that so?"
Letting out a sigh, Narcissa nods before gesturing with her free hand.
"I mean… look at you. Sure you look older than the last time we saw each other, but you also look spectacular. Pretty much as good as me. Not like a woman who has spent the last fifteen years in Azkaban would look. Not to mention, if you'd escaped from Azkaban, we would have heard about it through Lucius' contacts by now. Just like we heard about the loss of poor Rudolphus' magic. Ergo… you aren't really here. I'm just hallucinating you."
It all made perfect sense to Narcissa. She wondered how a hallucination of Bellatrix being told she was a hallucination would react though. For a moment, Bella just sits there quietly… and then in a surge of motion, lunges forward and slaps Narcissa's wine glass from her hand.
Now it's Narcissa's turn to be a little stupefied as Bellatrix looms over her, grabbing her by the jaw and digging in her nails just enough that it actually hurts a little bit.
"Real enough for you, sister?"
But…
"H-Heh… this is exactly what my mind would show me Bellatrix doing, so I'm afraid not."
Sure, you weren't supposed to be able to feel pain in a dream, but Narcissa had already clocked that she wasn't dreaming, she was hallucinating. Her hallucination seemingly being able to interact with her was par for the course. Key word being seemingly.
A look of frustration spreads across Bellatrix's face as she leans back for a moment. The hallucination doesn't quite seem to know how to proceed.
That's when the door to the private room opens and a server steps inside with their head bowed as they turn and close the door behind them.
"Lady Malfoy, may I-!"
Only, instead of vanishing like a hallucination would under the gaze of another, the server looks up and freezes, eyes wide as they behold Bellatrix Lestrange looming over Narcissa Malfoy in all of her prison broken glory.
"Stupefy!"
Just as their mouth opens to scream, Bellatrix snaps up a wand and hits them with a stunner, sending them to the ground in a heap. Cursing under her breath, the escaped convict walks around the table and kneels down over the server.
"Obliviate."
Narcissa watches as her sister pulls the server up and sits them in a chair, draping them over it before finally looking back at Narcissa.
"We need to talk, Cissy."
Oh fuck. She wasn't hallucinating. Unless… but no, a quick check shows that her own wand is still in its holster. It wasn't her. Bella wasn't a figment of her imagination. Oh… fuck.
"Cissy… I told you not to scream before, remember? Please don't make me do anything unfortunate."
Swallowing thickly, Cissy leans back in her chair as Bellatrix comes back around the table to loom over her once more.
"B-Bella… how… how is this possible?"
A grin spreads across her crazed sister's face as she flops back down into the chair she'd originally appeared in.
"Easy. My Lord freed me. And it would appear that nobody has noticed my disappearance yet, or you and Lucius would already know I was out and about. Merlin, the Ministry really is incompetent."
Narcissa's mouth opens and closes soundlessly as she processes all of that. First, the mention of a Lord. The Dark Lord couldn't be back… could he? She ached to check her arm, to see if the Dark Mark had returned to full prominence on her flesh, but she didn't dare move right now. Second… nobody had noticed her disappearance?! As horrifying as that was, it sort of made sense. The only reason that the guards at Azkaban Prison had even learned about Rudolphus was that the man hadn't stopped screaming for help until they'd come to check up on him.
At which point… at which point he'd claimed some stupid story about how the Dark Lord himself had returned and taken Rudolphus' magic. Utterly ridiculous of course… and yet…
There was the third thing that Narcissa noticed about Bellatrix's speech. How… strangely sane she sounded. More than that, Narcissa had already noted it before, but Bellatrix looked good. She didn't look like she'd spent a decade and a half in Azkaban, she looked amazing… she looked restored.
In the end, Narcissa sees no choice but to placate her sister.
"What… what does the Dark Lord ask of me and Lucius, Bella? We are his loyal s-servants of course, we never-!"
Narcissa cuts herself off as Bella gives her an unamused look. She starts trembling as her older sister leans closer.
"… You don't have to lie to me, Cissy. Did I say the Dark Lord freed me? Of course not. He abandoned me. He abandoned all of us. He was… an unworthy Master."
What? Narcissa's mind blanks for a moment on Bellatrix's words. To hear such a thing from her sister's mouth… was this a test? Was Bella trying to test her loyalty?
"I… I am sure that-"
But Bellatrix presses a finger against Narcissa's lips.
"Hush. Just listen, Cissy. You're being silly. I serve a new Master now. A new Lord, even stronger than our old Lord. Look."
Bellatrix bears her arm and shows Narcissa her Dark Mark. The Lady of House Malfoy's eyes damn near bulge out of her skull at what she sees there. It's the Dark Mark alright, and not faded like the one she and Lucius had had for years. It's back to full prominence on Bella's flesh… except it's covered in chains. Wrapped up in them, like someone else had come in, usurped the Dark Lord's control over Bella's soul, and made it their own.
"Do you see, Cissy? The Dark Lord is a weak, worthless fool. But my new Lord is worthy of my loyalty and devotion."
Something catches in Narcissa's mind at those words and she can't help herself.
"I-Is? The Dark Lord DOES still live?"
Here, Bellatrix scoffs.
"Of course he does, Cissy. The Dark Marks would have disappeared entirely had Voldemort died completely. The fact that his brands still exist means he exists as well. But not to worry, my Lord will deal with him in time. And he could be your Lord as well."
Narcissa shivers as Bellatrix suddenly looks at her intently.
"Do you want to hear more, Cissy? Or do you want me to leave you alone? It has to be your choice. My Lord is very particular about consent. You must tell me here and now whether I should stay or go."
Narcissa hesitates, curiosity warring with caution, interest warring with fear. And then she opens her mouth.