'Andromeda, would you mind explaining what you are doing in bed with this creature?...'

On a regular day Bellatrix could be said to be an angry witch. When she didn't get her way, or when she was forced to spend time in the company of lesser wizards she could be said to be murderously aggressive. Seeing her sister in bed with muggle Ted Tonks made her want to slaughter an entire Muggle neighbourhood, said muggle's family included. Her voice, however, came out calm and aloof, similar to Narcissa's when she spoke about fashion. That was when Bella was most dangerous.

'I am still waiting for an explanation, Andromeda,' Bella said, her hand moving distinctively towards her wand. Ted Tonks had turned red as a tomato, using the bedcover to hide his assets, while Andromeda shamelessly revealed hers to the world.

'I don't need to explain myself to you, Bellatrix,' said Andromeda, imitating her sister's haughty manner. 'Whom I see and what I do with him is none of your business.'

'You don't need to explain, yourself?' said Bellatrix, clearly enunciating each word with painful accuracy. 'I find you copulating with a filthy creature, and you dare give me this attitude!' Her hands had begun to shake slightly, her right especially twitching on her wand.

'Bellatrix, Andromeda and I…' started Ted, attempting to calm down matters in good fashion, before being interrupted by the pureblood witch.

'You dare address me Muggle, Silencio!'' the grey beam of light hit Tonks, whose mouth moved dumbly, unable to comprehend why sounds would not come out.

'Bellatrix, you can't curse him!' said Andromeda, jumping from bed, trying to find her wand. Bella proceeded to ignore her completely, Ted Tonks having her full attention, regrettably.

'Your family has crawled out of the cesspit you lived in and rubbed shoulders with magical beings and you believe you can address me,' raged Bella, taking small steps towards Ted Tonks, who was trying to put as much distance between him and the angry older sister. ', the noblest of wizards, a Black? I will teach you proper manners.' Her wand went up in a dramatic pose, while the words 'Cru-' began forming on her lips, a dangerous red light accumulating on her wand tip. She had stopped thinking for a moment, the insanity some worried about surfacing at the same time as her anger. She did not care about using an Unforgivable right under Dumbledore's stuffy eyebrows, or the consequences of such actions. Nothing could have stopped her from teaching the muggle in front of her his proper place in this world, except one thing. In the confusion, Andromeda, who had managed to locate her displaced wand, stepped between her sister and her boyfriend, striking a duelling pose.

If the situation was not as serious, the scene would have intrigued an outsider. Still dressed in resplendent black robes with silver lining that she had worn while meeting her father, Bellatrix, with an Unforgivable curse waiting to be unleashed on her wand, being confronted by her sister, as naked as the day Jupiter breathed magic on her body, the generations of careful breeding showing on her delicate, blooming curves, her brown hair sticking to her face with sweat from her previous activities, but her wand pointed towards her sister.

Bellatrix and Andromeda did not get along, but that did not mean she would cast the Cruciatus Curse on her sister.

'Step aside, Andromeda, you have been merely confounded by this filthy muggle,' Bellatrix said, annoyed at having to wait to punish the muggle for touching one of their own.

'He is not a muggle, he is Muggleborn!' shouted Andromeda, at loss for anything else to say.

'Fine, a Mudblood, if you wish to get caught up on the technicality of names,' said Bellatrix, 'now move aside.'

'I will not,' said Andromeda, her resolve steeling, 'if you want to curse him, you will have to go through me.'

For several seconds it looked as if Bellatrix would indeed curse her own sister. In a rare act of kindness, one she would probably end up regretting, she put her wand down, letting the curse die out. The atmosphere in the room relaxed, although Andromeda still stayed between her sister and her boyfriend. Ted Tonks, in the meantime had managed to get some clothes on and stand up, at a loss for what to say. Bella held no such issues, however.

'Andromeda, you are not to speak, see or touch him ever again,' said Bellatrix, staring down at her sister. 'If I hear otherwise I am going to tell father and he will arrange matters in his own way,' then turning towards Ted Tonks, who had a dumb smile on his face, 'as for you mudblood, if you ever go near my sister again, I will personally maim you, until not even your mother could look at you in a kind way ever again. Do you understand me, or is your simple mind incapable of such complex operations?'

Bellatrix turned to leave, disgusted at how events had turned out, even as Andromeda started crying in the background, and she could feel the creature approach her, she continued walking, completely forgetting the reason she came here in the first place. Rodolphus, however, whistling happily at having finished detention and looking forward to his activities with Bella, did not notice the door opening, knocking straight into his girlfriend.

'Ah Bella, sorry I was late. McGonagall held me up later,' said Rodolphus, moving to embrace her, only to be scoffed of, as Bella disentangled herself from his arms.

'I'm sorry, it was not my fault,' Rodolphus said, not realizing that silence was the best option in the situation. 'Why are you leaving the room, I thought we were going to…'

'Not now, Rodolphus, I am not in the mood anymore,' said Bella, refusing to elaborate. Having dealt with enough arguments for the moment, she prepared to make her way towards the dungeons. Rodolphus would have none of that. Completely at a loss for what was causing Bella to act that way, convinced it was not his fault, confident in his ability to make it better, he placed a hand on her elbow, trying to stop her from leaving. Bella immediately flashed around, wand drawn, pointed straight at his forehead.

'Rodolphus, I have said it once already, I am not in the mood. If you care about your arm, you will let go of me immediately.'

'Merlin's sake, I was only trying to understand what was wrong with you,' Rodolphus said, letting go of her and putting his hands up in mock surrender. Seeing that the action did not bring even the semblance of a smile to her face he began to be irritated. He had already dealt with McGonagall in detention on a Saturday; he was not in a mood to deal with whatever annoyed Bella now.

'Fine, I am going to go to see Lucius,' spat Rodolphus, 'come see me when you have calmed down.' Just then, Andromeda, looking dishevelled and with puffy red eyes came out of their room, followed by a timid looking runt of a boy. Understanding dawning on his features, he turned towards Bellatrix.

'Bella, I'm sorry, I didn't know,' said Rodolphus apologetically. Bellatrix' eyes reached unprecedented size at seeing her sister and the mudblood.

'Rodolphus, you must swear,' Bella said turning towards her boyfriend, 'swear to never repeat what you saw to another soul.'

'Bella, relax, our families are allied, why would I?' said Rodolphus, getting angry again at his honour being questioned.

'Make a wizard's oath, now!' screamed Bella, hints of her madness surfacing.

'Fine, if it calms you down,' said Rodolphus, withdrawing his wand from his robes, 'I, Rodolphus Lestrange, scion of the House Lestrange, swear to never repeat what I saw here today to another person.' Tendrils of magic shot from his wand, enveloping him, Bella, Andromeda and Ted Tonks in a purple glow. Andromeda looked about to cry at the disgust showing on Bella and Rodolphus' features, Bellatrix seemed merely subdued for the moment, while Ted Tonks looked like a five year old at his first visit to the circus.

'First time you see proper Wizarding Culture, boy?' asked Rodolphus, staring at Tonks.

'Yes, sir, I never meant to…' started Tonks, stopping at a loss for words, looking at Andromeda for support.

'It would be the last, if it were up to me,' replied Rodolphus nastily, causing the younger boy to shiver and Andromeda to get annoyed.

'Come, Ted, leave them amongst their own kind,' said Andromeda, trying to sum up whatever dignity she could find, while dragging her boyfriend towards the Great Hall.

'Remember my warning, Andromeda,' Bella's voice followed her, like a curse from a Muggle fairytale. Andromeda merely turned around and raised her middle finger at the two.

'What does that mean?' asked Rodolphus looking at Andromeda's face contorted with fury, with her middle finger pointing upwards.

'Probably more muggle trash,' replied Bella, feeling suddenly tired as adrenaline and magic left her, 'I am sorry Rodolphus, but I am not in the mood anymore, I'll see you at dinner.' Rodolphus, left alone in the dark stone corridor, muttered a “Blacks, insane the lot of them!” and shook his head, leaving to see if at least Lucius was up for a drink and sane at the same time.

Another face, one that had been cloaked in the shadows shone slightly, rubbing his hands with glee. So, the Black family was not as perfect as everyone believed. Whistling, delighted at the piece of information he had acquired, he went to write a letter to one of his “friends”, detailing the gossip. Now he would finally be able to buy dress robes for the coming ball.

Bellatrix spoke the password to the Statue of Salazar that guarded the Slytherin Common room entrance, their great founder moving aside to allow her passage. Descending the steps quickly, she scoffed at a couple of first years that ran frightened to clear her path and went down to the fifth year bedrooms. Seeing Narcissa on her bed writing a letter, she headed straight for her sister, before noticing the other occupants of the room.

'I need to have a word with my sister,' announced Bellatrix, staring at Parkinson and her giggling friends. Seeing no reaction, she drew her ebony wand, using it to open the door and then point it at the three previously giggling girls. 'Must I draw a picture for you?'

'No, of course not Bellatrix,' said Parkinson, getting up, 'we were about to go down to dinner anyways.' With that she and her friends exited the bedroom, giggling once they were out of sight.

'It wouldn't hurt to be nice to my roommates once in a while, Bella dear,' chirped Narcissa happily, while she paused from writing her letter.

'They are simpering idiots,' Bella said, closing the door and making it sound proof, 'and I don't like idiots.' Narcissa looked mildly intrigued at her older sister's actions, but choose to remain quiet, smiling serenely, as though she were daydreaming.

'Why the need for secrecy?'

'Something terrible has happened,' said Bella, still nervously looking around, expecting someone to listen in.

'Oh Bella,' Narcissa said, standing up to extend an arm towards her sister, 'you got pregnant? Mother has always warned us about that. Don't worry, Alexandra knows a discreet healer at St. Mungo's. I am told the process is relatively painless.' Bella merely shook her head, not believing what she was hearing, looking as though she was purging her mind of what she has just heard.

'No, Narcissa, where do you get those ideas from?' replied Bella, exasperated, 'It's Andromeda.'

'Father and she didn't argue again, did they?' asked Narcissa, for the first time loosing some of her serene happiness.

'If only it were that, I found her in bed with a filthy mudblood, Ted Tonks. We argued, I warned her to distance herself from him, but you should have seen her Cissy, she was defending him. She even drew her wand against me.'

'A mudblood?' said Narcissa, 'I wonder how she could bring herself to touch that thing. Still, don't worry; it's probably a passing fancy.' Narcissa tried to convince herself.

'You know how Andromeda can get in her defiance, Cissy, I am worried,' replied Bella, fussing with her robes.

'You're not going to tell father, are you?' asked Narcissa, tentatively.

'I don't want to, he'll get so angry at her, but I will if I have to. If she doesn't come to realize that he is beneath her.'

'Let's hope it doesn't come to that, Bella,' replied Narcissa. 'Now, let me tell you, I had such a wonderful day with Lucius…'

'I wish Andromeda could be more like you Cissy,' sighed Bella, 'Lucius is the perfect match for a Black.' Narcissa nodded dreamily, her mind still dealing with the day, not at all attentive to what Bellatrix was complaining about.

'Excuse me, Bella, my mind wandered off, what were you saying?' Bellatrix huffed in annoyance.

'I asked you what you thought about Lord Voldemort, Cissy. I think father is wrong about him. If he is willing to help us regain our supremacy we should support him at all costs.'

'I don't know, Bella,' replied Narcissa, suddenly unsure of herself. 'I don't think I am cut out for that. I couldn't imagine going on raids and secret meetings. That is something best left to wizards.'

'I could,' replied Bella, a fanatical gleam in her eyes.

'Promise me you won't go against father's wishes, Bella,' replied Narcissa, her voice adopting a serious tone. Seeing that Bellatrix was not paying attention and her eyes held a bloodlust she had not seen in her sister, Narcissa grabbed her hands, squeezing her to attention. 'Bella!'

'What?' replied Bellatrix, snapping out of her dreams of power and glory.

'The last thing this family needs is more separation. Please promise me you won't do anything foolish.'

'I promise you Narcissa,' Bellatrix said, shaking her head as if to clear her thoughts. 'I must go see Rodolphus; I was quite rude to him before.'

Narcissa stared at her sister as she left the dungeon, not entirely convinced of the veracity of Bella's claims. An apocalyptic image flashed in her mind of her family torn apart, Bellatrix in prison, her and Lucius hiding from the ministry, father dead. It was at that moment that she swore she would not let anything happen to her family. It was all Narcissa cared about, the rest of the world could burn in flames, but the Blacks would make it on top yet again.

Meanwhile, in the Owlery at Hogwarts, a shady figure was humming happily to himself. Disgusted at having to use a school owl, like some common mudblood, while delighted at the payment that would surely come from this business venture, he tied the parchment roll to a small brown owl, threatening eternal damnation if she did not deliver it instantly and promptly.

The owl stared at him, in defiance, then at the last possible moment before getting cursed, took flight, her magically enhanced wings beating powerfully, reaching Southern England in a mere half an hour.

Igor Karkaroff sat down in a large armchair, close to the fire, enjoying some of life's well deserved luxury. An enchanted orchestra played his favourite opera, “The Warlock of Atlantis”, his favourite glass of cognac, carefully brewed by wizards in the south of France. Say what you will about the French Magical Kingdom, but French wizards could brew proper alcohol. His moment of sublime relaxation was interrupted by the rude arrival of a small brown owl that proceeded to land and scratch the carved wood at the window. Igor made to draw his wand and teach the small avian a lesson in manners, but froze when he recognized the Hogwarts brand on the owl's forehead. Quickly abandoning his glass, he nearly ran towards the owl. The Dark Lord had always placed extreme importance on news from Hogwarts and his informant had been quiet as of late, much to his lord's displeasure. This would certainly earn him favour, if the news was good. Reading the short, concise note, a smile made its way on his figure. The news was certainly worthy of disturbing his master.

Karkaroff made his way towards his master's study, pausing to knock respectfully at the tall double doors, awaiting the serpentine “enter”, before making his way into the place few people ever saw. Contrary to popular belief, the Dark Lord despised cold, dark places. They reminded him too much of his time spent in that thrice damned Muggle orphanage. His study was done in warm colours, with a lighter shade of wood panelling than would have been appropriate in a Pureblood office, the emerald carpet being the only tribute to the legacy he was heir of. Sitting in a large, throne like chair, with a serpent motif, the Dark Lord looked like a monarch receiving an audience from his lieutenant. It was an image he thought about a great deal, along with his plans once he took power. Noticing the gleam in his servant's eyes, he decided the news was worthy enough to warrant disturbance, and broke the silence.

'Yes, Igor, what can I do for you?' asked Lord Voldemort, his voice adopting a friendly tone, meant to put the naturally predisposed nervous wizard at ease.

'Master, I have news of Hogwarts and the Blacks,' replied Igor, an almost giddy look on his face as he handed the letter to his master. Lord Voldemort read the offered parchment roll quickly, his brow furrowing in thought.

'This is grave news indeed. The situation must be cleared at once, and Cygnus must be warned of this development. Write back to your informant; tell him to meet us at the edge of the Forbidden Forest this evening. We need his memories,' ordered Lord Voldemort cryptically.

After Igor Karkaroff had dispatched the Hogwarts owl back on its way with a response, he had made ready for the trip to Hogwarts. Since secrecy was paramount, the Dark Lord had ordered the mask and cloak to be worn. After a quick nod from Lord Voldemort, the two Disapparated to the Forbidden Forest.

Lord Voldemort walked silent ahead of his lieutenant. Thoughts of the significance of Hogwarts wandered in his mind. Although a mere school, Hogwarts was a symbol, a place of power. The legs on which their society stood-The Ministry of Magic, The Lords and Commons Palace and Hogwarts Castle. He thought of his plans, how each and every element of society had to propel him to power. For now, however, he had to take one insignificant step in his ascension to power. A step, of which though insignificant, had his entire attention.

Suddenly, he saw a small boy, walking down from the castle, towards the edge of the forest. With a flick of his wrist, Igor Karkaroff made himself seen in the rapidly dwindling light. The boy, recognizing his paymaster, walked briskly towards him, until he finally entered the comforting darkness of the Forbidden Forest. Towards his shock, Karkaroff was not alone, being accompanied by a tall man, dressed in midnight black robes, his figure obscured by a pure white mask. Awaiting Karkaroff to speak, the boy remained silent, staring at Igor and his companion. To his great surprise, with a slight bow of his head, Igor stepped towards the side, leaving the taller man to face him alone.

'What is your name, boy?' The voice that came from the tall man had a commanding glint, making the small boy desire to spill all his secrets out.

'Traditore de Luca,' said the boy, puffing his chest outwards, Pureblood to the fifth generation.

'Italian?' asked the man. Traditore simply nodded, awaiting the next round of interrogation.

'How is it that we find an Italian Pureblood studying in dreary old Hogwarts?' inquired Lord Voldemort, twirling his wand. The sight of the yew wand made the boy even more nervous than before, if that were possible. 'Your kind generally goes to Beauxbatons.'

'My family died, sir, in the war, and I am staying with my squib great uncle,' spat the boy, resentful at his situation.

'Very well,' replied Voldemort, the faking concern he had dispelled, 'you said you have worthy information for us.'

'I have, sir, I saw the middle Miss Black arguing with the older Miss Black and Mister Lestrange concerning her relation with a muggle,' said de Luca.

'You saw that with your own eyes?' asked Voldemort, drawing closer, his hands at his side, his wand held lightly in the right one.

'Yes, sir,' replied Traditore, a bit uncertain, wishing he were dealing with Karkaroff instead of the menacing one. Without, paying any attention to the boy anymore, Lord Voldemort snapped his fingers. Igor came quickly from the shadows, and handed him two pearly small bottles. Lord Voldemort pointed his wand at de Luca's head and proceeded to draw a pearly white strand, guiding it with his wand towards one of the bottles. De Luca felt the unpleasant sensation of his brains being squeezed out through his ears as the memory was collected from his mind and stored into the Pensieve Bottle. The process was repeated a second time until the other bottle was also filled with the swirling, pearly liquid.

'You have done well, and I always reward those who serve me,' said Lord Voldemort, reaching inside his robes for a sack of galleons. Traditore made to grab the sack, but Voldemort quickly withdrew it from his reach.

'There is one more thing I need you to do for me,' said Lord Voldemort. 'You are to take one of these bottles and give it to Lord Black. I know he is here at Hogwarts. He will be leaving soon. Intercept him on his way out and give the bottle to him. Don't mention from where it comes, but tell him it is about his daughter. Do you understand?'

'Yes, sir,' said de Luca, 'I will give it to him.'

'Good,' said Lord Voldemort, 'make sure you do, for Lord Voldemort always knows.' The threat left hanging in the air, Lord Voldemort handed the sack of galleons and the Pensieve Bottle to Traditore and after a flick at Igor, Disapparated.

'You have done well, boy,' said Igor, 'the Lord was pleased. Keep this up and we shall have many such fructuous meetings.' That being said, Igor Karkaroff nodded his head in goodbye and Disapparated, following his master for some well deserved sleep.

Traditore, shaking slightly after the unnerving meeting, opened the sack, counting the galleons inside, smiling at what he was about to do with it, made his way quickly towards the Entrance Hall. There the sight of the picture perfect Black family greeted him. Cygnus Black was saying goodbye to his daughters, all of them showing the timeless elegance that old money conferred upon them. Besides him, the livered carriage awaited, with the Keeper of the Grounds oaf fawning over the horses. A servant, with The Noble and Most Ancient House of Black livery embroidered on his chest waited patiently, holding the door open for Lord Black.

'Now, girls, promise me you will listen to what I said,' said Cygnus, 'especially you Bellatrix.' Cygnus kissed Narcissa and Bellatrix on the cheek, looking fondly at the two of them.

'We will, daddy,' replied Narcissa, smiling serenely, 'give our regards to mother for us, please.'

'I will, darlings. Andromeda, I am disappointed at you for missing our lunch, but I am sure that Cissy and Bella can tell you what we discussed,' said Cygnus reaching for his daughter, who flinched as her father kissed her on the cheek. 'Do try to write sometimes, if it is not too much of a bother.'

Then, looking at all of them, 'Now go inside, dinner is about to start, and I don't wish to inconvenience the routine. Horace, see you at the Ministry Ball.' With that being said, Cygnus, walked down towards his carriage, before being interrupted by a small boy. His daughters, led by Horace had already retired indoors, leaving the plain desolate, except for his servant, the half-breed and this strange appearance of a boy, in hand me down Hogwarts robes.

Cygnus sighed; he was in no mood for beggars at this time of the day. Still, he reached inside his robes for a few sickles to hand over.

'My lord, a word if I may,' said the boy, respectfully.

'A word?' said Cygnus, puzzled.

'I have news of your daughters that concerns you,' replied the boy cryptically, 'I thought you should be warned.' He produced a pearly bottle, which Cygnus recognized instantly of holding a Pensieve memory.

'Why would you give this to me?' asked Cygnus, suspicious of the boy's motives.

'I serve Pureblood interests my lord, and this is a threat to them,' said the boy, pushing the bottle forward. 'Please take it my lord, you must see this.'

'Very well,' replied Cygnus, extending a gloved hand to take the Pensieve Bottle. 'What is your name, so I may reward you properly if what you brought to my attention is truly important?' Traditore de Luca smiled; this night was going twice as good as before.

'Traditore de Luca,' my lord, 'Pureblood to the fifth generation.'

'Very well, Signor de Luca,' said Cygnus, placing the bottle inside his robes, 'one of my agents will contact you if the information is worthy of attention. Now I must be going. Goodbye.'

Cygnus got into the carriage, the servant closing the door after he was seated, then moving to take his place in the driver's seat. Whipping the horses, the carriage moved briskly towards the tall gates, which opened and closed themselves after the carriage sped towards Ravensden on the road.

Shortly after, the magical horses had drawn the carriage to Ravensden, Cygnus got out of the carriage, thanking and dismissing the driver, and entered his grand residence.

'Druella, darling, where are you?' asked Cygnus, taking off his cloak and handing it over to a house elf.

'In the drawing room, darling,' came the voice of his wife. Cygnus made his way towards the drawing room, to find his wife seated on a sofa, a book in her hand.

'How was your day?' asked Cygnus, kissing his wife, and then sitting down on another sofa across from her.

Famulus, the trusty Head Elf brought the customary tea that Lord Black served when coming home, mixed in with a little cognac when he seemed particularly aggravated. Thanking the elf for the tea, Cygnus turned his attention towards his wife, who proceeded to tell him every little detail of her day, from the brunch she had with Lady Lestrange to the unhappy encounter with Lady Parkinson at the Salon on the Alley. The small talk and gossip bored Cygnus to no end, but he listened, and nodded in appropriate places. His wife had missed a confidante since the unfortunate death of Lady Malfoy three years ago. It made Druella feel better, and it cost Cygnus nothing, except for a few minutes of chatter.

Remembering the encounter with the Italian Pureblood, he excused himself as his wife went up to change for dinner, and went into his study, calling for the elf to bring him his Pensieve. Emptying the bottle into the swirling surface of the Pensieve, he stirred the surface with his wand and then entered to see a familiar Hogwarts corridor. Blushing slightly at the thought of his daughters repeating family history, his face froze when he saw who his middle daughter repeated family history with. Cursing he made his way out of the Pensieve, slamming the Library doors open, calling for his wife. Druella, worried at her usually calm husband's reaction, met him in the hallway, halfway ready for dinner, her hair loose and her robes half way fastened.

'Cygnus, what's wrong, what happened?'

'Andromeda,' started Cygnus, not knowing how to put this situation to his wife, 'is sleeping with a mudblood. And she seemed serious about him to. What have I done to deserve this?'

'That girl was always too headstrong for her own good,' said Druella, trying to calm her husband, whose hand was clenched on his wand.

'I know it is not done so much nowadays, but we need to arrange her marriage to someone,' said Cygnus.

'Who, though?' The two went through several dozen unsuitable candidates, nearly running out of options, until Druella came up with another.

'What about Evan Rosier?' asked Druella, her mind going through the suitable, available bachelors of the Wizarding World.

'That boy has no talent whatsoever. His father spoiled him rotten and he now wastes his life in shady bars,' replied Cygnus, 'he is unsuited for a Black.

'Well at least he is more suitable than a muggle!' snapped Druella at her husband, 'Why don't you come up with an idea?' Suddenly his face lightened, and a small smile crept on his features.

'Rastaban Lestrange. I know he is younger than Andromeda, but he is the perfect match. And if your suspicions about Bella and Rodolphus are true, then it will be a perfect combination.'

'Can you convince Lord Lestrange, though?' asked Druella, allowing a small glimmer of hope to creep in her heart.

'Certainly, my dear; He cannot find a better match than this one for Rastaban.' said Cygnus. 'I shall speak to him about it tomorrow at the House of Lords and announce it by the Ministry Ball. It is perfect.'

Meanwhile at Lord Voldemort's residence, Igor returned with the information he had been sent to obtain. Disgusted at having to trudge through Muggle sources for this one, he nonetheless still returned with the necessary information. His master had strange ways, that was true, but in the end they all seemed to bear fruit.

'My lord, I have the required information,' said Igor, entering the master's chambers, announced by a surly looking elf.

'Excellent Igor,' said Lord Voldemort, congratulating him, but then cutting strait to the point, 'Where do they live?'

'Newcastle my lord, not far from Monument Alley.'

'Come Igor, we have to get Bella a Christmas present. We have missed the first 17 ones, so this one has to be grand enough,' said Lord Voldemort, grabbing his cloak.

The two wizards Disapparated, arriving at the Monument Alley in Newcastle, called so due to the Monument dedicated to the Aurors who helped Dumbledore defeat Grindewald in the last war. Sneering at the idiotic statue of two heroic Aurors, standing side by side, their wands outstretched, Lord Voldemort looked into Igor's eyes, impatient enough to merely obtain the information from his mind rather than ask for it. Slightly confused at what happened, Igor nonetheless followed his master, Apparating in a Muggle apartment building, on the fifth floor, scaring a young muggle girl, who began to scream at the appearance of two strange people from thin air.

Undisturbed, Voldemort pointed his wand at the muggle girl, 'Avada Kedavra!' the green light sped through the air, unseen by the girl, who proceeded to drop dead. Not exactly Ministry procedure, but Lord Voldemort had never been very good at Memory charms.

'One makes do with what one can,' remarked Lord Voldemort, as he knocked on the door that bore the number 13, laughing inside of him at the irony of the matter. A middle aged woman answered the door, still dressed with an apron from her cooking activities.

'Yes, can I help you?'

'Are you Mary Tonks?' asked Lord Voldemort haughtily. 'Is your husband home?'

'Yes I am, and yes he is right here. Something happened to Teddy?'

'What do you mean woman?' asked Lord Voldemort, annoyed at being questioned by a muggle.

'Well you are,' she moved in and hushed her voice 'wizards'', 'so it must have to do with Teddy. He is such a wonderful boy. Almost made the top 50 in his class. My husband and I never amounted to anything, but Teddy has a chance at greatness.'

Annoyed at the matter, and not willing to indulge the woman gushing how wonderful her mudblood son was, Voldemort cast a banishing charm, sending the woman sprawling until she hit the opposing wall. By now learning the queue, Igor shut the door behind them, and soundproofed the apartment, then stood to watch, awaiting a prompt from the Lord if he needed assistance. That Igor doubted, as Lord Voldemort preferred to do his own work.

Just then, the door to the living room opened, allowing a slightly balding, overweight man dressed in an undershirt that had been white once, several decades ago perhaps. Said muggle was also clutching an iron crowbar in his left hand, swinging it dangerously above his head.

'You must be Richard Tonks, then,' said Lord Voldemort, bowing his head slightly in mocking irony. Richard merely let out a war cry that would have made Godric proud and charged at the two wizards, much to Igor's amusement. Lord Voldemort chuckled then shot a flesh decaying curse at the muggle's left arm.

Roaring wildly in pain, Tonks dropped the crowbar he was previously holding, as the curse proceeded to rot the flesh on his left arm, exposing the bone briefly before it fell on the floor, the ligaments and muscle holding it together having decayed to nothingness.

'So much more effective than a Disarming spell, isn't it Igor?' said Lord Voldemort, looking at his work, 'remind me to teach it to you some day.'

'Of course my lord, you are correct,' replied Igor, staring in curiosity at the one armed muggle. By this point, Mary had risen to go join her pitiful husband on the floor, crying at the injustice of life.

'Why, why are you doing this to us?' asked Mary in between sobs.

'Because your filthy son had deigned to taint our blood. Because you do not have any place knowing about us. And because it serves my purposes. 'Crucio!' cast Lord Voldemort, gesturing for Igor to take care of the husband. After a couple minutes of incessant screaming from the two muggles, Lord Voldemort paused, willing to exchange a few more lines with the two before ending this matter. Sadly, the lesser constitution of the two muggles meant their minds strayed from the path quicker than a wizard's. At a simple prompt, merely drool and an unfocussed gaze was the response. Sighing at his impatience in the torturing, he cast 'Avada Kedavra!', with Karkaroff dealing the same magical ending to Richard Tonks' life.

Igor, we must vanish all evidence of what occurred this afternoon, said Lord Voldemort, transfiguring their bodies into wood and burning it with an 'Inferno'.

The next morning as Bella was having breakfast, alone, since Rodolphus, Lucius and Narcissa were not early risers, planning for a way to make it up to her boyfriend; a large hawk owl entered the Great Hall, carrying a small parcel. The owl beat her wings three times, landing on the bench, next to Bellatrix. Staring in indignation at the uncouth owl, she noticed her name written in an elegant script on the box. Curious, as to whose owl it was, Bellatrix untied the parcel, then tried to offer a piece of bread to the owl. Offended at the demeaning treatment, the owl spread its wings and took flight. She was not going to eat plain bread like some common barn owl!

Shaking her head at the strange character of the departing owl, Bellatrix turned her attention back to the parcel. She opened it carefully, discovering a pearly white crystal bottle, a large bowl with Egyptian hieroglyphs engraved on the side and a letter. Opening the letter, she began to read it at the breakfast table, setting the bottle next to her.

'Dear Miss Black,

You have undoubtedly heard of me from your father or Lord Malfoy. I am told we share the same ideals for our world, and that we are both willing to act upon those ideals to ensure the survival and eternal dominance of our glorious kind.

It has recently come to my attention that a filthy muggle had deigned to place his unfit appendices on your sister, Andromeda. Do not blame her too harshly, since I am sure the fault lies with the muggle.

The bottle you have received is a Pensieve bottle. I was unsure if you had a Pensieve, so I have taken the liberty to enclose one. They are precious artefacts, and one I am sure you will find most useful.

As I was saying, since I have heard of the unfortunate situation your sister got into, I have taken it into my hands to solve the matter. Please consider it an early Christmas present. I have missed the last one, and have made an effort to make it up to you.

I have delivered our justice upon the Muggles, and have enclosed the Pensieve memory for your viewing pleasure.

I hope we can converse again.

Yours truly,

Lord Voldemort'

Bellatrix could not believe what her eyes were seeing, threw everything inside the box that it came and made her way to her dormitory. Once inside, she made sure she was alone and poured the pearly silvery liquid into the Pensieve, swirling it with her wand and plunging herself into the memory.

'Are you Mary Tonks?...'