Author's Notes: Chapter edited and corrected by Scott Fellman.
Bellatrix POV.
"Bella, Cissy! Come in! " Andy said with a huge smile as she opened the door to her house.
"Andy, it's good to see you." I said with a small smile as I walked inside.
"Andy!" Cissy didn't have much composure and hugged Andy, who seemed surprised, but quickly returned the hug. I rolled my eyes before feeling some needles pricking my back. I looked at Cissy and raised an eyebrow. She just looked at me. I rolled my eyes once again, but still, I went over and hugged Andy.
"Wow, you're being more affectionate." Andy laughed with a wide smile, but she hugged us both tightly before letting go. Andy looked at us before her gaze shifted to me. She smiled and hugged me tightly again. "You're getting married!" Andy squealed with joy. I sighed.
"You already knew, in fact, you reacted the same way when I told you, and when I asked you to attend my wedding, and when I asked you to be my bridesmaid, and when I told you I wanted to have my bachelorette party here," I said dryly, yet I smiled and let Andy hug me tightly.
"Yes, but this time it's more real, you're getting married tomorrow!" Andy squealed before pulling away. "Do you have everything ready? Is everything set? Can you really be here? Do you need help? " Andy asked, one after the other. I raised an eyebrow, silencing her.
"Don't worry, everything is ready. Sera and the others are making sure everything is ready." I said easily. Andy sighed in relief before nodding.
"Let's sit down, we have a lot to catch up on." Andy said excitedly as she grabbed our hands and pulled us toward her living room. Andy pointed to the large sofa where Cissy and I were sitting. Andy sat on an armchair to one side, perched on the edge, and looked at us. "I know you said I shouldn't prepare anything, but... are you sure? I can still go and make something quickly." Andy said, almost anxiously.
"Don't worry, Andy, we brought everything," Cissy said as she pulled out a small bag, then tapped it with her wand, and various items flew out. A steaming teapot, a matching teacup, trays of freshly prepared snacks, and various desserts flew through the air before settling on the small coffee table. When that was full, they made their way to the other surfaces of the furniture.
"Wow." Andy said in surprise, watching as the teapot poured tea into the cups before one of them approached her. Andy gently took it.
"Try it, Serena made it," Cissy said as she sat down elegantly and took the teacup between her fingers. Andy looked at the cup curiously before bringing it to her lips. Her eyes widened as she drank the tea.
"Wow, this is delicious, you said Snape prepared this?" Andy asked in surprise.
"Prince." I corrected myself unconsciously. Andy looked at me curiously. "Serena is Prince. Also, call her Serena. She's going to be my wife." I said easily. Andy smiled amusedly as she nodded.
"Good, Serena," Andy said playfully, then grabbed a snack and gently bit into it, finally moaning with pleasure. "By Morgana, Bella, if your wife cooks like this every day, it's really unfair," Andy moaned with pleasure.
"Oh, believe me, it is." Cissy said, grabbing a sandwich.
"How is she so good? Do you think she'll give me the recipe if I ask her?" Andy asked curiously. I sighed.
"She's good at potions," I said easily. Cissy snorted.
"You know she hates that comparison," Cissy said playfully, and I just smiled.
"She's not here," I said mockingly. I heard the growl in the back of my mind, and my smile only grew wider. Cissy shook her head playfully.
"I see you're still as spoiled as ever," Andy said dryly, but a smile was growing on her face. "I really can't believe you found someone you want to marry," Andy said, amazed. "Or that that other person actually wants to marry you, and willingly at that!" I raised an eyebrow at what was practically an insult.
"Oh, believe me, I didn't believe it either, but Serena is just as crazy as her; they're made for each other." Cissy said playfully, I rolled my eyes.
"I'm glad my love life surprises you so much," I blurted out dryly, and both of them dared to laugh.
"And yes, she'll have no problem giving you the recipes, although it rarely turns out the same for other people, other people have tried." Cissy said easily, and Andy just sighed in regret.
"That's a shame. You'll have to invite us to dinner often, Bella; it would be really unfair to deprive us of this." Andy sighed, and I paused momentarily before nodding.
"We'll do it." I said without hesitation—a house. Serena was already planning to have a house here in Britain, just for appearances. I unconsciously looked around.
Andy's house was small compared to our mansion in the underworld, or even the Black mansion, but it definitely wasn't the smallest house I'd ever been in; that still belonged to the Miach family.
Even though we now had money, Miach and Naaza hadn't really considered moving. The shop had been improved several times, and various necessary amenities had been added, but neither seemed eager to move, and I didn't really mind; it was quite cozy.
Just like Andy's house, it was small but quite cozy. I had been here a couple of times before, but practically the whole house screamed Andy. I was sure her husband hadn't had a say in the interior design of this house.
The only thing that disrupted everything was Nymphadora's belongings. There were clothes, toys, and stuffed animals scattered all over the furniture.
Our underworld mansion was almost the same; there were so many rooms that they kept adding up, and each one had its own unique touch. Like Enid's, its door was already colorful enough, and its interior was even more so because of the thousands of stuffed animals and colorful clothes it contained.
And she wasn't the only one. Sera left books and magical artifacts everywhere. Once, I found a Philosopher's Stone in the refrigerator. How did it get there? I didn't even want to ask. Narcissa left thread, needles, and fabric all over the place. There were weapons, bullets, and gunpowder that Rebecca was constantly losing, and lots of robots and technology that GLaDOS dragged around, and much more.
Each of us had our quirks, and it showed in the mansion, easily, which made it more… welcoming. The only places Dobby cleaned almost religiously were the grand halls and living rooms where we entertained, but in the other living areas, Dobby couldn't keep up with our messiness.
"Criticizing my house, Bella?" Andy asked casually. I turned to look at her, confused, while frowning.
"No? Why would I do that? It's a nice house," I said easily. Andy looked surprised, and I heard Cissy laugh slightly.
"Oh... wow, you've really changed, haven't you? " Andy asked gently. It took me a few seconds to understand what she meant before I grimaced. Wow, if my two year ago, self had walked into Andy's house, I would have sworn 50 things in the first 10 minutes.
"Don't get me wrong, we just channel her craziness elsewhere. Serena keeps her sane," Cissy said dryly. I rolled my eyes.
"If it's something sexual, I don't want to know." Andy said dryly, and Cissy laughed slightly.
"Partly," Cissy said, her eyes sparkling. I snorted.
"So, I was looking at all the information they were giving me about the wedding and the guests, I-" Andy stopped when Nymphadora started to cry. She stood up without hesitation and went to where her daughter had been sleeping, picked her up, and began to rock her lightly while gently patting her back.
"Give me my niece, I want to hold her for a little while before she goes to sleep," Cissy demanded. Andy just sighed, but carefully handed her daughter to Cissy. Cissy cooed as she gently took the baby in her arms and began to rock her back and forth.
"So, you were saying?" I asked Andy as I looked at the sleepy Nymphadora.
"Huh? Oh yeah, I saw that on Serena's side there were only a few people: Enid Sinclair, Ravel, Rebecca, Lucyna Kushinada, Caroline Johnson, and Riveria Ljos Alf, and... the officiant is someone named Syr Flova? I must admit I have few memories of Serena at Hogwarts, and no offense, but... I thought she didn't have any friends or family besides Evans, and that was ruined the year I left." Andy said curiously, and I hummed.
"They are our lovers." I said without hesitation, without taking my eyes off Nymphadora. Andy let out a muffled noise of shock, and I heard Cissy sigh in suffering.
"Lovers?" Andy whispered, almost in shock. I shrugged and finally looked at her.
"Sera is insatiable in bed," I said easily. "Besides, it's fun being with the others," I added with a lascivious smile. Andy blushed deeply.
" D-do you and she have sex with other people? " Andy asked, almost in shock. I just nodded.
"You said it yourself, Sera didn't have family or friends, so... she formed her family with the people who were important to her, whether some of them were friends or lovers, it doesn't really matter." I said, shrugging.
"Doesn't it matter? Don't you care that she... sleeps with other women?" Andy asked, almost scandalized. I snorted.
"She doesn't sleep with just anyone, only with those I give her permission to, and it's not like she sleeps with them alone; I'm there when we have sex too." I retorted curtly. Andy just stared at me in even more shock and horror. Cissy sighed as she carefully handed Nymphadora to me. I took her gently and smiled slightly as I looked at her.
"Don't worry, Andy, I told you they were both crazy," Cissy said casually. I snorted. "But seriously, don't worry, they're good girls, they don't hurt anyone, and Serena and Bella love each other deeply, no matter who's in their beds," Cissy said dryly. I rolled my eyes.
"Just don't think about it," I said easily.
"Then you shouldn't have told me!" Andy blurted out, blushing. I lifted a box.
"Did you want me to lie to you?" I asked dryly. Andy pouted.
"So... those are their real names?" Andy asked, changing the subject. I sighed, but played along.
" Yes, they are, they're all foreign," I said easily before smiling at my niece. "And really, Andy, you're the one who can least talk about names, after all, you named your daughter Nymphadora." I teased, and I could hear Andy's indignant gasp.
"I'll let you know that Nymphadora is an excellent name," Andy replied, and both Cissy and I sighed.
"With all my love, Andy, your daughter will hate her name." Cissy said with an apologetic smile, and Andy glared at her.
"Of course not, she'll love it," Andy said with a pout. "It's not like you guys thought of baby names, you can't judge me," she retorted.
"Mine will be named Draco," Cissy said, smiling affectionately. Andy stared at her in shock, then looked down at her stomach.
"are-"
"No!" Cissy squealed, embarrassed. I chuckled before rocking a Nymphadora that startled slightly at the shout. I glared at Cissy, and she smiled apologetically before turning to Andy. "Lucius and I don't have any plans to have a child yet! Maybe in a few years! " Cissy said, blushing slightly. Andy coughed softly to compose herself.
"Yes, of course, they still have to get married and all that," Andy said quickly, then nodded. "Draco is a good name," Andy said, and Cissy smiled broadly and nodded.
"It is," Cissy said softly. I shook my head while smiling. Truly, when Cissy learned of Draco's existence, she had already fallen completely in love with him. Serena had told her several times that it was quite possible that, with everything we had changed, with everything Cissy and Lucius had changed, he wasn't the same Draco, or that he might even be a child if they had a son. Even so, Cissy was surprisingly stubborn.
Luckily for Lucius and all of us, she was still sane enough not to insist on trying to procreate Draco prematurely.
"And you?" Andy asked, looking at me. "Do you have any children planned? I know you're both women, but there are ways to have children anyway," she said excitedly. I stopped and looked at Nymphadora in my arms.
"Maybe," I said softly. "I hadn't really thought about it, but in the future... when things calm down, or at least we're not so busy... maybe." I said with a small smile. Andy sighed.
"That's unfair, your children will grow up together." Andy complained, and I rolled my eyes.
"It's not my fault you decided to get pregnant even before leaving Hogwarts." I said dryly. Andy blushed slightly and cleared her throat.
"Well, things just... happened with Ted," Andy said sheepishly. I rolled my eyes.
"I don't want to know how my niece was conceived," I said with a grimace of disgust. Andy blushed.
"I wasn't going to tell you!" Andy squealed, embarrassed.
"Fine, because I was going to have to kill your husband if you did," I said smugly. Andy rolled her eyes.
"I thought we were past threatening my husband," Andy said dryly as she picked up a sleeping Nymphadora and carefully placed her in her rocking chair.
"Your husband isn't special, Andy. I have threatened and tried to kill my own fiancée a dozen times, and I've threatened Lucius at least a hundred times," I said dryly. Andy just raised an eyebrow and looked at Cissy; she just laughed.
"Her threats lose their power after the fiftieth time she doesn't follow through." Cissy said playfully, I snorted and glared at her while both of my sisters laughed at me.
"I'm capable of leaving them both widows," I blurted out, which only made them laugh even more.
"You love us too much to do that." Narcissa pushed me with her shoulder, and I just huffed.
"Let's say yes." I slurred the words; they giggled slightly, then Cissy cleared her throat and looked at both of us shyly.
"By the way, I have a little something that might... well, update it. I thought... it would be the perfect time." Cissy said shyly. Andy and I looked at her curiously. Cissy squirmed slightly before clearing her throat. She timidly pulled out a small bag before reaching inside and taking out a small box. My eyes widened slightly.
"Oh... I haven't seen this in years," Andy said fondly as she took the small box. I stared at it, almost in surprise. A keepsake box. OUR keepsake box. A box our parents had given us before we left for Hogwarts to strengthen our bond. It was made of wood and goblin-forged silver, and on top, it was engraved with a skull wearing a cloak.
Most importantly, the box had three enchanted locks; they could only be opened by a method chosen by each of us.
Andy smiled fondly as she took her wand and placed it on the lock; the tip of her wand glowed faintly before it opened. A happy memory—that was her key. She handed the box to Cissy, who smiled slightly.
Cissy opened her mouth as she began to sing, and I allowed myself to close my eyes as memories easily came to the front of my mind.
I sighed softly—Narcissa's key. The ancient lullaby passed down within the Black House for generations. Something our parents had sung to us time and time again. I had no doubt Andy and Cissy would sing to their children. Cissy handed me the box, and I just sighed before biting my thumb. A drop of blood trickled from my thumb, and I placed it on top of the third and final lock.
A happy memory, a lullaby, and a blood payment—the three locks opened before the box opened, revealing its contents. The interior was lined with green fabric and bore an impression of the family crest.
But most importantly, the box was divided into three sections. Two of them were occupied, while one was empty.
"Lucius gave me a Malfoy family brooch when he was courting me, as a promise and a way of showing me that he was serious about our engagement, that I would be his wife without a doubt," Cissy said fondly as she took the small brooch with the Malfoy family crest before putting it back.
"The first love letter Ted sent me and the flower from our first date," Andy said with a wide smile as she looked inside the box.
"You, Bella, never put a keepsake in it," Cissy said gently, looking at the empty space. "This box has mementos from Andy and me, from our love. I thought... I thought you might add something since you're about to marry Serena tomorrow," Cissy said shyly.
"Oh, Cissy, that's a wonderful idea." Andy sighed affectionately, almost looking like she was about to cry, and they both looked at me. I stared silently at the box. After several minutes, I finally opened my mouth.
"You know... months ago, I was planning to burn my engagement contract with Lestrange, keep the ashes, and curse the box, simply because I hated them all." I told them honestly. I could see their surprise, then I smiled gently. "I suppose I might add something now... befitting the situation." I said with a sigh. I could see both of my sisters bow slightly.
I examined the box closely, then reached inside my clothes and pulled out several items. Three rolled-up scrolls—I carefully and almost reverently took them out. I looked at them intently before smiling confidently. I quickly sent Serena a message to let her know my intentions and reassure her. I could hear Serena's concern through the link, but I immediately silenced her.
"These... are my contracts and commitments to Serena. Every single one of them, anything that binds me to her, is written on these papers." I told my sisters with a smile. I could see the surprise on both their faces, especially Cissy's. She understood what I meant. My contract with The Company that bound me to Serena was right here. "They all have an escape clause. If the contracts are broken, any arrangement is canceled," I said gently.
I smiled broadly before burning the three scrolls. I watched as they burned brightly, turning to ash. I could feel the seal bearing The Company's name instantly disappear from my body. I just smiled even wider, feeling that my love for Serena hadn't changed in the slightest.
Luckily, my powers and my mental link with her did not disappear, so I quickly reassured Serena while letting her hear my next words.
I moved my hand, and the ashes in the air gathered into a small cloth bag. I took off my ring, the one with Serena's seal, and used it as a clasp, magically tightening it. I looked at the bag of ashes and couldn't help but kiss it gently before placing it in the box.
"Now... nothing is forcing me to marry Serena tomorrow," I said softly. " And yet, tomorrow I will walk down the aisle with her, I will marry her, I will unite with her, not because a contract says so, but because I love her." I said with a small smile. "I love her so much that I will unite with her, become one with her, magically, physically, and mentally, without contracts, without clauses, without demands, without obligations... without anything, just because we love each other... and that... and that's all that matters." I smiled lovingly.
""Aww."" I looked up to see Andy and Cissy cooing with tears in their eyes. And it wasn't just them; I could hear Enid and the others cooing through the link. Especially, I could feel the love emanating from Serena. I blushed, but I let Serena's feelings envelop me.
"Don't exaggerate, it was just a sudden thought, it's not that important." I said, clearing my throat and trying to regain my composure. Andy sighed fondly.
"That makes it even sweeter, Bella," Andy said with a smile. "I'm really proud of you, I can't wait to see your wedding," Andy said excitedly.
"Me neither," Cissy said, giving me a side hug, which Andy quickly joined. I rolled my eyes. I glanced at the box before closing and locking it once more.
"You should keep it, Andy." I said gently. Andy pulled away and looked at me in surprise.
"Seriously? After all that, you want me to keep it? " Andy asked, looking delighted. I just nodded.
"We both know Cissy's the favorite." "Hey!" "But you know about my plans to travel the world with Serena, I'd rather you keep that to yourself." I said easily. Cissy pouted.
"I'll be traveling with Lucius too, maybe we'll travel together with Bella and Sera several times because we'll be seeing each other more often, so... yes, you should keep it, Andy." Cissy said with a soft smile. Andy looked at us before hugging us tightly.
"I love you both," Andy said with a shaky sigh.
"Us too," Cissy said as she returned the hug.
"Me too, idiots." I told them both. I could hear them both groan.
"We had a moment, Bella, did you have to ruin it? " Andy complained, but without letting go of our hug.
"Of course, it's my duty as the middle sister." I mocked them both, and Andy snorted.
"Well, it's my duty as the older sister to demand the following: let's repeat this when Cissy gets married." Andy said, as if demanding. Cissy laughed softly.
"Of course, I wouldn't want it any other way," Cissy said playfully.
"Great! Now, we still have some things to catch up on! " Andy said cheerfully as she pulled away. I smiled slightly as I glanced at the memory box in her lap; it looked like she wouldn't be letting go of it anytime soon. I sighed softly; I couldn't wait until my wedding tomorrow.