Don't Tread on Me | Bella

Zeke was home. Her darling and most treasured Zeke Maxwell. Bells had to physically stop in the hall and press her hands to her chest - willing her heart to stop beating out of control. Her fingertips pulled at the tie that was around her neck, loosening the silver and emerald fabric as she took in a deep breath. She was supposed to be calm and collected; this was the eldest Daughter of the Black household, not some common hormonal teenager. But there was little she could do to keep herself from laughing. The echo of the chuckle reverberated down the corridor - coming back to her in tiny spurts of sound. Sounds anyone would have mistaken as the laughter of a deranged psychopath and not Bellatrix Black.

For a moment, she remembered that Zeke was the reason that their father was gone - he was the reason that Cygnus Black had crossed over into another world - an undoubtedly hotter and less pleasant world. A smirk grew on her lips. A few months ago, she would have been distraught at the fact that her lover had murdered her own father, but now it settled easily in her stomach. The anger that she had once held toward Zeke because of her father’s death were nothing now that she knew the full story - he was a Death Eater. Climbing the ranks to the top and her father had been just another head to step on. Grasping her hands together, Bells looked up at the ceiling, silently praising Tom Riddle and their band of followers for everything. Then she continued her way to the Common Room.

“Sanguinem.” She heard the distinctive creak of the Common Room entrance as she pressed her hands into the wall and stepped into the dungeon that she was happy to call her home. The fire was still ablaze in the fireplace, giving the room a slightly golden glow in stark contrast to the emerald of the lanterns and paned glass windows that illuminated the outside lake. Her green eyes moved across the few people that were in the room - all of them buried in their school-work until she settled on one in particular who had crammed herself into a corner, seemingly trying to go unnoticed. But nothing went unnoticed in the Slytherin Common Room - especially not by Bellatrix Black. This was her kingdom and these were her subjects.

“Andromeda,” She had hardly recognized her younger sister sitting in the corner of the Common Room. The girl was staring at a nearly blank piece of parchment, undoubtedly willing herself to write more. Bells raised both of her eyebrows and strolled towards her - eyes never leaving her sister’s form as she put one food in front of the other, meticulously. When she finally reached her, the eldest sister took a strand of the younger girl’s hair into her hand, slowly twisting it around the curl as she looked down at Andy, “Tell me you haven’t been avoiding me for such a wretched excuse of an essay.” She breathed, though her voice was no where near as dangerous as she normally was. Bellatrix was in a mood - an uncharacteristically wonderful mood. She twirled the hair amongst her hands as she read over her sister’s shoulder. Certainly not her finest work - but who really had time for schoolwork when such things were afoot?!

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tag; @andromeda

notes; hi hi! :]

Bells’ green eyes settled on her sister’s own as she looked up. The surprise was evident in her face, the way she studied her older sister as if she was expecting her to suddenly decided that she wanted to pull her hair from her scalp instead of calmly twirling it around her finger as she was now. The smile on her lips seemed to grow a little larger at the thought - she could never be so cruel to her darling Andromeda. The older two sisters had never particularly seen eye to eye...Bells always sensed that there was something a little off about the way that Droms carried herself. Narcissa she could shape and mold to her own design, but Andy? Andy sometimes acted as if she had no regard for their state of affairs as Pureblood Royalty. Almost immediately after looking up at her, Andromeda turned her attention back to the parchment, “Work work work, what’s the point?” She mused, letting the strand of hair that she had been playing with fall back into the delicately curled tendrils.

“I don’t need anything. Why do you always insist that I need something, sister?” She raised her eyebrows and took a seat on the edge of the table that Andromeda was using to write her essay. The older sister folded her arms across her chest as she looked out over her kingdom, “I’ve just...” She sucked in a breath and let her arms fall to the edges of the table, which she gripped with tightness, “Missed you.” She raised her eyebrows and tilted her head to the side as she watched Andromeda from her peripheral vision, “And I hate to think that this is what is keeping you so busy.”

In all honesty, the raven-haired girl was desperate for someone to talk with her. Integra was lost to the hoards of Ravenclaws, Rodolphus refused to talk to her after their falling out in regards to his ‘other woman,’ Narcissa seemed to full of her own image in the mirror that she hardly had time to entertain Bells, and she was only allowed to see the others when they were summoned for meetings. She had grown restless in the castle. All she wanted to do was to escape to the castle and wrap herself up in the magic of the outside world - the world that Tom Riddle had opened up to her. He had shown her things that she could have never thought up in her wildest dreams. Intensity and dangerousness, torture and the rush that accompanied it all. And then there was Zeke - returned from the dead.

“What’s with me?” Bells’ eyes clouded as she realized that she was not so discreetly out of character. Even her thoughts a few moments ago had been lost to her own imagination. She had to reign it back in - she wasn’t allowed to tell anyone about her discovery. No one was to know that Zeke was back, he had said that it was their secret for now. Their precious little secret, “Absolutely nothing - don’t be ridiculous.” She breathed, brushing some of her dark hair behind her shoulder. She was tempted to deny it again, but she stopped herself, knowing another refute wouldn’t be to her advantage, it would only cause more speculation, “Have you seen Rodolphus lately?” She picked up the parchment out of Andy’s reach and held it up to the emerald lighting of the room, trying to focus on her sister’s delicate scrawl as she probed around the subject of what Andromeda knew about the end of their betrothal. 

The raven-haired older sister raised her eyebrows at Andromeda. Bells did want her to perpetuate the family name with honors and awards, but she also wanted the Blacks to be known for something bigger - something vastly more important. She wanted them to be known as the accomplices to The Dark Lord rather than scholarly star students. Just the same, Bellatrix knew that they must each play their part in the game of chess, “Hold your tongue, Andy.” Her eyes were fierce with the words that had come out of her sister’s lips. That was blasphemy and she wasn’t going to stand for her sister trying to reason that they might be on the same level as them, “You know better.” She narrowed her eyes and put the parchment back onto the table, still staring at her sister with dangerous warning.

Ex-fiancé. The news had traveled quickly - of that she was absolutely certain. There was almost a smile on her lips as she listened to Andromeda detail that she would exactly be sad that Rodolphus had disappeared from there life. He had been quite the annoyance to their family over the years - constantly in and out of the betrothal, etc. But it had been a marriage that had been brewed in good intentions of perpetuating the families’ bloodlines.

Andy was right, of course - she could do better. The smile on her lips grew a little larger as she thought of her darling Zeke, the only man who had really ever been able to keep up with her and match her. It was a match that had been brewed and made in hell from the very beginning. She knew the smile was suspicious and suddenly became hyper aware that she needed to shift the attention away from her and her own feelings else she had Andromeda asking her every question under the sun, “And tell me, sweet sister - what news of your romantic life?” She raised both of her eyebrows, “Do you want me to find you a betrothed to perpetuate our bloodline?” Her middle sister was the only one of them who had yet to consent to letting her find her someone to marry - it was almost as if she was holding out for something...

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tag; @andromeda

notes; --

Bella’s bright green eyes lit up with amusement as soon as Andromeda reached the peak of her rant. Of course she knew what she was suggesting - she was suggesting exactly what the Black family needed. They needed a united front and the only way that they could do that was if all the sisters were on board with the plan. She did love riling her sister up but she found herself actually listening to the words that her sister practically yelled at her. Andromeda had become stubborn and finally seemed to know what it was that she wanted, something that Bells could respect. Seeing her grow a back-bone after their father’s death had her feeling almost proud of her younger sister, “Fine.” Bellatrix Black raised her chin ever so slightly as she looked down her nose at Andromda, certain that her agreement would confuse her.

The older sister pulled one of the chairs from the small table that Droms sat at and turned it around. She threw her leg over it and sat down, putting her head on top of the back of the chair as she stared at her younger sister. She hadn’t had a change of heart - no, that was far above the single-minded Bellatrix - but she had realized that there was more than just betrothals. She had nearly lost her beloved because she had been so caught up with marrying Rodolphus for the sake of her family’s name. She hated her father and she’d hate to think that Droms thought her just like him...she actually had standards, class, and drive unlike alcoholic, gambling Cygnus Black. She looked at the notes on her sister’s page, feeling slightly envious of her curled and dainty handwriting.

“There were all rather repugnant, weren’t they?” She muttered as she looked down at her manicured nails, turning them back and forth to see the way the dim light of the dungeons reflected, “Beneficial for alliances, not much else. I’m not even certain they’d know what to do with a wife if they ever got one.” She took her eyes from her nails and leaned back in her chair, looking around to see if there was anyone else in the room that could be listening to their conversation.

Was she even ready to be a wife? Bellatrix shook the thoughts from her head - she had larger concerns now...an impending plan of attack, the Dark Lord’s Army, and getting marked to name a few. Somewhere along the lines, she had shifted her viewpoints. She valued protecting their bloodline, but what better way to do so than to eliminate all threats rather than marrying the allies? She smirked at her own internal thoughts, “Let’s try again, sweet Andromeda-” Her voice was too sweet, like a honey suckle that had been baked in the sun for a bit too long, “Any gentlemen catching your eye, disregarding the fact that you think I'm going to marry you off to the next eligible bachelor that steps through the dungeon entrance?”

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TAG; @andromeda

NOTES; sorry this took so long! i’m trying to figure out how bells feels about everything <3 

“Toads and weasels?” She very much liked her sister’s analogies because they seemed to hit the nail right on the head. Much of the Slytherin boys were so caught up in their lives that they didn’t understand the gravity of what was actually going on - the gravity of the changing world around them, “No what you need is a Prince.” She raised her perfectly arched eyebrows as she drummed her steady fingertips upon the chair, trying to think of boys with whom she could see Andy. Lucius was obviously out of the question, as were the Lestrange boys - given recent circumstances, the Rosiers? Surely Andy would frown upon them too. Maybe she needed to go unconventional, “What about Jacen Frost? Hufflepuff, but normal...” She inquired, sticking out her fingertips as she examined her nail beds. It was just a suggestion - if Andy didn’t want conventional, she would offer her alternatives, but there was no need to force it.

Bella knew that it was only a matter of time before her sisters brought up what she had said at the funeral. Those had been such important words...such a trying time for the eldest daughter. She was focused on fostering a relationship with Tom Riddle himself and the dark army that he was building. Bells wanted to be a the very center of it all - but it was something that she wanted her sisters to share in as well. She would pull them into the society very slowly, teaching them what they needed to know and helping them grow under the Dark Lord’s expert hand. The smile on her face seemed to only grow as she thought about it. Realizing that Andromeda wanted an answer, the black-haired sister opened her mouth, “Of course I didn’t mean marriage...”

She looked around the room and was pleased that everyone seemed to find their way out of the Common Room, leaving the two sisters alone and free to discuss whatever it was that they needed to, “Surely you’ve heard, Andy.” She breathed, scraping her fingernails against the wood of the chair that she occupied. Her green eyes followed her nails until she looked up, suddenly alive with a thousand thoughts as she stared into the eyes of her middle sister, “I want us all to be a part of the new world order - together, Andy.”

The laughter that now bubbled over her lips was mildly terrifying to say the least, but she simply couldn’t hold it in any longer. It was as if she was sharing a secret that had for so long wanted to get out. She wanted her sisters to join up with her - to unite them together as the Black Sisters: The most powerful women in the Dark Lord’s Army. There they would thrive, there they would make a name for themselves and abolish the terrible reputation that their father had tarnished for them. Bellatrix was picking up the pieces of the puzzle that he had destroyed and finding a new use for them, “What do you know about Professor Riddle, pet?”

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TAG; @andromeda

NOTES; --

What Bellatrix should have taken for terror and nervousness, she instead took Andromeda’s question as excitement and surprise. Of course her sister could have never fathomed the plan that she had in store for all of them - it would have been near impossible for her to understand the sheer gravity of the situation. What she wanted for them was power and prowess: she wanted them to be the sisters that they were destined to be. They would be at the helm of an army - together, “Andromeda, sweet sweet sister. You have no idea the depth of the plans that I have in store for you. For all of us.” The sisters three, united finally under a common cause.

With the world changing around them, it was time for them to make a choice. They could choose to be innocent bystanders, or they could dirty their hands with the blood of the muggleborns that deserved to die. Bella knew the only way that they could ever reclaim what they once were was through this blood...through war. Her sister called her name, but she was far away, already lost in the world that she had practically concocted in her brain. The lessons that she had been taking with Riddle. Zeke. Damian. All of it was coming together into such a beautify masterpiece.

Her sister mentioned the name and she felt the skin on the back of her neck prickle with delight. Of course she had already heard about the prestigious group - they could only remain secret for so long, “Of course the Death Eaters, Andy. Keep your voice down, we don’t want anyone to overhear...” She answered, thrusting forward her arm and turning it over. Her fingertips found the edge of her sleeve as she slowly inched it up her forearm, revealing the tattoo that was practically withering with delight upon her skin. The skull and snake: the mark of her Dark Lord upon her, “I am among the elite few.” Her voice was barely more than a whisper now, teetering on insane chatter, “We’re going to cleanse the world together. Rid society of the blemishes.” The fingertips of her other hand began tracing the tattoo’s intricate lines up her arm as she clenched her fist together.

She was gleeful at the very thought, but her sister’s naivety seemed to bring her down ever so slightly, “I would have thought someone as bright as you would have had it all figured out by now,” The raven-haired Slytherin breathed as she edged forward in the chair, keeping her voice low. They were alone, but that didn’t mean that someone couldn’t have been listening from somewhere secret, “It’s him.” To say that Bellatrix was enamored with their Dark Lord would have been a gross understatement - she was intoxicated with everything about him. He was her salvation, he was their family’s salvation. He was everything.

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TAG; @andromeda

NOTES; --

Stunned. That was the only accurate description to depict how Bellatrix Black felt in that very moment. As if instantly her dreams of a family united under a common cause had shattered like glass in her hands, leaving her bloodied and momentarily stunned. How could she not agree? How could she be reacting in such a foul manner! This was not the younger sister that she had grown up with! Her sister would have done anything to protect their family and the Black family name. They were in this together! Because, without one another, did they really have anyone at all?

“Dont. You. Dare!” Her voice was loud in contrast to the silence that had settled between them in that moment of Andy attempting to run away from her sister. Immediately the raven-haired girl flew to her feet and clamped her hand around Andromeda’s wrist, pulling the girl back away from the door to the dormitories. She could feel the anger surging through her veins. She thought that Bellatrix was going to soil their family’s name? She thought that Bellatrix was the one who was stupid? She thought Bellatrix would ruin them? Andromeda had no idea what was going on in the world. She had no idea how much of an idiot she sounded in simply betraying her sister with her words, “How could you?!” She growled, the anger so obviously written across her face and strung through her tone of voice. Bells felt betrayed - she felt blindsided! They had talked of unity and here she was offering it to Andromeda, only to have it slammed back into her face.

“We are ridding the world of those less worthy, Andy. Of the toads of society...the ones that are unfit to live in a world in which we are meant to be rulers. There are people in this world who are not worthy. Muggles and mudbloods...halfbloods...” She breathed, turning Andy’s arm over by forcing her wrist. She traced her fingertips up the girl’s forearm, pain written across the furrowed brow that now adorned her face. Imagining the Dark Mark upon her sister’s skin was the only thing that was keeping her sane at the moment - the only thing that was keeping her from lashing out completely. Andy would understand eventually, she had to, “We don’t have to do it right away-” She whispered, unable to tear her eyes away from her sister’s arm, “We’ll wait. We’ll learn. I’ll show you that this isn’t evil, Andromeda. This is beautifying the world.”

Her green eyes begged for her to understand, begged for her to search her heart and realize that Bellatrix was right. She had always been right, she wouldn’t lead them astray, “It’s beautiful.” She had lowered her voice nearly to a whisper, putting her arm out again and comparing their pale skin; hers adorned with the black ink of the Dark Mark, “The muggles are the ones who caused the death of so many of our ancestors. The burning of witches like us at the stake? They deserve to be annihilated.” In Bella’s mind, what was more beautiful than annihilation?

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TAG; @andromeda

NOTES; I hope you don’t mind I had her grab Andy! Let me know and I can change it - just wanted to drag out the thread a bit more! :]