FIC: No Greater Privilege (AU - Bellatrix, Rodolphus, OC children - PG13)
Title: No Greater Privilege
Fandom: Harry Potter
Characters: Bellatrix, Rodolphus, OC female, OC children
Prompt: Bellatrix Black-Lestrange: 027 - Parents
Word Count: 2940
Rating: PG13 at worst. Really PG, but I tack the 13 on for implied sexuality at the end.
Genre: Death Eater fluff. Because I love it. Belongs to my Vittoria AU.
If anyone had told Rodolphus Lestrange a few years ago that he would come to enjoy nothing better than sitting on a terrace, watching his thirteen-month-old daughter play with crackers, he would have either laughed in hearty disbelief or hexed the offender into oblivion, depending on his mood. He had always expected to be the same sort of father as his own had been: proud but distant, supportive in finance more than emotion. He knew his wife had expected to be a similar sort of mother, and of course they had hired nurses to take care of the more distasteful aspects of child-rearing. That had just been good sense; their habit of getting Bellatrix pregnant once a year wasn't about to stop either of them from participating in the world they had worked so hard to win. But neither of them had anticipated actually enjoying spending time with their children, certainly not while they were still so young.
And yet here Rodolphus was, sitting outdoors at a café in Hogsmeade, utterly engrossed in watching Rakshasa break crackers in half, then pound them into salty dusty with her little fist.
Bellatrix was up at the school, having a meeting with Snape, discussing the progress made in reorganizing the school, and deciding what needed to be done next. Both of the boys were with her. Rasalhague had been curious to see the school, and Rigel of course wanted to be wherever Rasalhague was. Rodolphus wondered mildly how Bellatrix was going to bribe Rigel into behaving, or, indeed, if she would bother, and how Snape would react to Bellatrix showing up to their meeting with two toddlers.
An outburst from Rakshasa diverted Rodolphus' thoughts. "Ba!" she shouted, hurling a handful of cracker-dust at a congregation of sparrows on the ground nearby. They scattered momentarily, then returned to peck at the crumbs. "Ba! Ba!"
"That's right, Sha," Rodolphus said, reaching out to run the back of his finger over his daughter's cheek. They had begun calling her "Sha" almost immediately, just as Rasalhague had quickly become "Ras"; the large, dignified names were a bit much for such small children. "That's right, beauty. Birds."
"Ba."
"Birds."
"Bah."
"Birr-duh," Rodolphus enunciated.
"Bihr!" Rakshasa cheerfully declared, throwing more crumbs.
Rodolphus smiled, smoothing back one of Sha's short, dark locks of hair. "Close enough."
A sweet, high-pitched voice cut the air. "Mr Lestrange! Oh, Mr Lestrange!"
Rodolphus turned in his seat, throwing his dark hair back from his face, keeping one hand on Rakshasa's stroller. The very blonde and very buxom Elyse Warrington was skittering towards him, a broad smile on her pink lips. Still holding onto the stroller, Rodolphus stood and offered her a bow. "Mrs Warrington."
The flaxen-haired woman tittered like the girl she probably still was inside. "Elyse, please," she said, clasping his free hand. "And yes, of course, Rodolphus. No sense in formalities between old friends."
Old friends, indeed. Elyse Eldridge had been one of Rodolphus's frequent girlfriends back in school, and one of those whom it had particularly tormented Bellatrix to see him pay court to. She could never stand for any of her beaux to pay much attention to anyone besides herself, but something about Elyse particularly rankled her. Rodolphus had, for some time, half-expected to marry her; they were of the same social level, and certainly had always got on well enough. Fate, though, had held other, more turbulent plans for him.
Her smile, he noticed, was as dazzling as ever. Elyse was one of the genuinely good-hearted people Rodolphus had ever known; he'd wondered often how she had landed in Slytherin rather than Hufflepuff. Elyse Warrington had been born one of the Eldridges, considered fine breeding stock in the wizarding world for their pure blood and receptive genes; by all reports, Elyse had fulfilled her purpose in the world admirably, producing two sons, Everett and Patrick, in the five years since her marriage.
"Rodolphus, it's been an age. And who's here?" Elyse's voice slid easily into the cloying tone people tended to use when speaking to babies, a tone Rodolphus and Bellatrix both avoided at all costs. "Hello! Hello!" Elyse tucked her skirts behind her knees as she stooped to see Rakshasa. The baby was giving the woman a vaguely bemused look. "It's Rakshasa, isn't it? I haven't seen her since she was so tiny."
"She's just had a birthday," Rodolphus offered, trying not to sound too proud.
"Oh!" Elyse exclaimed. "Oh, the dear little thing. Getting to be a big girl, are you?" Rodolphus thought Rakshasa looked as though she was contemplating the wisdom of throwing crackers at Elyse. "Oh, Rodolphus, she's just beautiful. She'll be breaking my sons' hearts in a few years!"
He couldn't help puffing up a bit at that. He had been about to launch into a paternal soliloquy rhapsodising his daughter's virtues, but was prevented by the sudden intervention of his wife's voice.
"Why, Mrs Warrington," drawled the dark tone, "how nice to see you." Somehow she had approached without either Rodolphus or Elyse noticing, a talent that the typically vociferous woman had surprisingly developed. Rasalhague was walking at her side; Rigel was in her arms, his head cradling on her shoulder. Her tone was pleasant enough, but Rodolphus could see a tiny glint in her eyes, a minute flash of possessive jealousy.
Elyse, however, was unfazed, beaming brightly at her erstwhile schoolmate. "Bellatrix, darling!" she gushed, standing up and rushing forward to clasp Bellatrix's hand, only to find it unoffered, both her arms decidedly involved in holding her son. Unruffled, Elyse went on. "And with the whole family! Oh, I was just telling your husband how beautiful your little girl is. And your boys!" Touching one hand to her cheek briefly, Elyse beamed down at the two Lestrange sons. Rigel, head still on his mother's shoulder, barely acknowledged her presence, while Rasalhague gave her the sort of patient stare that would not have been unfitting on the face of a royal prince examining a lesser courtier. "Bellatrix, dear, they're just all so lovely."
Bellatrix typically hadn't cared much for Elyse's opinion on anything, but her pride in her children overrode her usual dislike for the woman. "Why thank you, Elyse," she said, not as coolly as she might have, then prompted, "Rasalhague, Rigel, say hello to Mrs Warrington."
Rigel only gave a half-sullen wave from his mother's arms, but Rasalhague lifted his chin and said, "Good afternoon, Mrs Warrington," in a voice a touch too mature and composed for a three-year-old child.
"Oh, gracious heavens, what fine manners," Elyse twittered. "Bellatrix, dear, how has everything been? I feel as though I haven't seen you in ages! But of course you're so busy now." Rodolphus noticed Bellatrix's shoulders draw together slightly; she had a habit of interpreting comments along those lines as a criticism of her decision to continue doing the Dark Lord's work despite having become a mother of three. She remained his trusted advisor and his capable operative, and though her midnight excursions, so frequent in her youth, had diminished somewhat, they were by no means a thing of her past. To this had been added the responsibilities of helping to run a country, and one still in the process of being reconstructed, at that. Both of the Lestranges knew that many of the other society wives disapproved of her activism; Rodolphus did not think, however, that Elyse's intent was malicious, as another's might have been. Her genuine smile did not falter, nor the brightness of her azure eyes dim.
"Everything's been most excellent, thank you, Elyse," Bellatrix replied, shifting Rigel's weight in her arms slightly. "As perfect as we could possibly hope for. I trust your family is well?"
"Oh, yes, we're all just fine, thank you, Bellatrix," Elyse chattered. "I've just been out doing some shopping for the boys -- well, I'm sure you know how it is, they outgrow everything so fast at this age! Oh!" She clapped her hands together slightly, looking extremely pleased. "We simple must set up a playdate for your boys and my Everett. Patrick's still a bit young, of course-"
"He's not much older than Sha, is he?" Rodolphus questioned.
"Just a few months!" Elyse replied brightly. "His birthday was in March. But Everett's just Rasalhague's age, and of course Rigel's plenty big enough to join them, aren't you?" Rigel, whose expression had been starting to darken stormily at the thought of being left out, nodded vehemently.
"Yes, we shall certainly have to arrange that," Bellatrix said, and Rodolphus could tell by the spark of mischief in her eyes that she was imagining just what sort of havoc her sons would wreak on Elyse's likely less-spirited offspring.
"That would be absolutely delightful," Elyse said, honest excitement written on her features. "And it would give you and I a chance to catch up!"
"Delightful," Bellatrix echoed, managing to keep outright sarcasm from her voice but unable to emulate Elyse's thrill.
"I'll send you an owl, then, shall I? I really must be off, my husband will be wondering what's taking me so long spending his money!" Elyse laughed. "But it's been splendid to see you both, and the children!" She gave a happy little sigh. "They really are just darling, Bellatrix, Rodolphus. You must be so proud."
"We are," Rodolphus answered, with another short bow. "Good afternoon, Elyse."
"Good afternoon!" she called merrily as she flounced off, with Bellatrix giving her only a nod of farewell on her way.
Rasalhague left his mother's side to go to the stroller, straightening out the collar of Sha's gown and touching her hair lightly. Bellatrix smiled at him; she was glad neither of her sons had perceived Rakshasa's arrival as a threat. Quite to the contrary, both boys adored their little sister, and Bellatrix had every intention of fostering their protective instincts towards her. No one knew the importance of sibling solidarity quite so well as she.
With a slight sigh, she moved Rigel from one arm to the other, turning her gaze upon her husband. "Well, that was pleasant," she said, a touch acidly. "And just what was darling Elyse up to?"
"Retract your claws," Rodolphus said, more amused than anything at seeing Bellatrix's hackles up. "I was sitting here with Sha, and she was, as she said, out shopping. She was more interested in cooing over Sha than anything else."
"Hm. Well, I can understand why," Bellatrix said, smiling at her daughter, who beamed back.
Sha demonstrated nothing but adoration for her mother, and held out her arms, calling out, "Ma! Mama!"
"All right, dear, just a minute," Bellatrix said, refusing to resort to the sort of honeyed voice Elyse had employed with her children. "Rodolphus, would you take Rigel, he's half-asleep. We really must get him home for a nap."
"Of course," Rodolphus said, taking Rigel's weight from Bellatrix and settling the child against his own shoulder. "What's got him so tired out?"
"We had a little temper tantrum up at the school," Bellatrix explained, bending to wipe at the crumbs around Rakshasa's mouth. "Remember that 'inability to not touch what he sees' phase that Ras went through when he was two? Well, Rigel's proving rather more explorative than his brother, and Severus had precisely the expected amount of patience for that."
"Ah. Is that why you're finished earlier than expected?"
Something both shrewd and amused entered Bellatrix's eyes as she removed Sha from the stroller and cradled the girl to her chest. "Remember that I said we had a tantrum. When Severus had more than a few unkind words for our little boy, well..." She smiled serenely, straightening and reaching for her wand with her free hand. "I'm sure you can imagine how well I tolerated that." A flick of her hawthorn, and the stroller folded itself up into a neat, portable package the size of a pocketbook.
Laughing, Rodolphus patted his son's head. "Well, you know I consider any day Severus has been thoroughly agitated as a win in my book," he said. "I assume you got enough work done to satisfy the Dark Lord, though?"
"Oh, of course. I dropped off the papers he needed to look at, and we had time to discuss the progress at the school before Rigel interrupted." Sha was playing idly with her mother's hair, tiny fingers batting at the curls, charmed into flawless ringlets for her afternoon out. "No, Sha, don't pull," Bellatrix admonished, and Sha left off immediately, though with a bit of a pout. "There, darling, don't look sad. Do you have a kiss for your Mama?" Puckering her little rosebud lips, Sha deposited a kiss on her mother's cheek, seemingly mollified by the suggestion. "That's my girl." Bellatrix turned her attention back to Rodolphus. "I don't think Severus appreciates my interference. Seems to think that if the Dark Lord has a problem with how he's running things, He would tell him so Himself. As though it weren't my duty to oversee these things..."
"Well, you know how Severus is," Rodolphus said. "He never appreciates any questions raised about his work, and he never has."
"And I wasn't even being that critical," Bellatrix went on. "For the most part, the transition is going quite well. But there are still a few matters that need ironing out, and it isn't as though Severus isn't aware of that." Sighing lightly, Bellatrix looked down at Rasalhague, who had been following the conversation intently. "Yes, young man? Do you have something to contribute?" she asked, half-teasing, but without such lightness as most people would address a three-year-old. Very few things could raise Rasalhague's temper, but nothing sparked it more rapidly than being treated as though he didn't understand what was going on around him.
"He doesn't like you," Rasalhague replied, simply. "Papa wouldn't have had as much trouble."
Bellatrix actually laughed. "Ras, my dear, I don't know what we're going to do with you."
"Have him working at espionage for us before he's turned seven, that's what," Rodolphus commented.
"I'm right. Aren't I?" Ras insisted.
"Quite right, son," Rodolphus replied, grinning as he watched Bellatrix's cheeks pink in irritation. "Professor Snape and your mother have never had the most amicable of relationships."
"Amicable?" Ras inquired, stumbling only slightly over the pronunciation.
"Friendly," Bellatrix supplied. Ras nodded, and began whispering the word to himself, to keep from forgetting it. Rasalhague's awareness and attention had prompted the development of a larger vocabulary than could usually be expected of a boy who had not yet reached his fourth birthday. "Well, personality clashes aside, you'd think the man could recognise I'm only trying to help."
"Don't let him rile you," Rodolphus said. "All you need do is report to the Dark Lord that Severus was disinclined to listen to your advice, and the problem will take care of itself."
"Quite." Bellatrix, left off stroking Rakshasa's hair idly and, after slipping the strap of the compacted stroller over her wrist, took Rasalhague's hand again. "All right, then, let's get this lot home."
That night, while Bellatrix sat at her vanity, combing her hair, Rodolphus came through the sitting area that connected their bedrooms and stood, leaning against the doorframe, observing his wife. "Why, don't you look pensive," she remarked, glancing at him in the mirror and arching an eyebrow.
"I was thinking about Elyse," he answered.
Bellatrix set her comb down very deliberately and half-turned in her seat to glare at him. "There had best be a qualifying addendum to that statement."
With a low chuckle, Rodolphus strode into the room and to her side. "Oh, mia cara. Jealousy always has been such a pretty colour on you," he commented, caressing her cheek tenderly. "And yes, there is a qualifying addendum." He knelt so they were on a level, looking into her sharp obsidian eyes, pushing a lock of raven hair behind her ear. "I was thinking how glad I am I married you, and not her."
A smile quirked Bellatrix's lips. "As well you should be," she said, reaching for her comb again. "Her children are as empty-headed as she is. And nowhere near as handsome as ours."
Rodolphus let her return to attending to her hair for a moment, simply watching her. Bellatrix's ego of course would not allow even the thought of her husband happy with another woman to enter her mind; it had crossed his, though. Life with Elyse would have been very different, and very simple. It would have been easy, and Rodolphus would have probably lived many decades with a wife he liked well enough but was not truly interested in, and children who earned his approval but only distant and dutiful concern. It would have been a life free from tempests, as bland and enjoyable as a sunny spring day, all cloudless skies and placid warmth.
And, Rodolphus had come to realise, it would have been dismally boring.
He stilled Bellatrix's hands with his own, leaning up to kiss her mouth, gently at first, then with greater need, his desire for her inflamed as always by her responsive enthusiasm. She dropped her comb, her fingers threading into his hair, pulling slightly as she clutched at him, then broke away breathlessly. "We're quite sure the children are asleep?" she asked, voice low and husky.
Rodolphus grinned. "Quite."
An impish smile broke over her features, a youthful expression Rodolphus hoped she would never grow out of. "Then what are you waiting for?"
In one fluid motion, Rodolphus lifted Bellatrix into his arms, pressing passionate kisses to her throat as he carried her over to her large bed.
"Life affords no greater responsibility, no greater privilege, than the raising of the next generation." -- C Everett Koop
Fandom: Harry Potter
Characters: Bellatrix, Rodolphus, OC female, OC children
Prompt: Bellatrix Black-Lestrange: 027 - Parents
Word Count: 2940
Rating: PG13 at worst. Really PG, but I tack the 13 on for implied sexuality at the end.
Genre: Death Eater fluff. Because I love it. Belongs to my Vittoria AU.
If anyone had told Rodolphus Lestrange a few years ago that he would come to enjoy nothing better than sitting on a terrace, watching his thirteen-month-old daughter play with crackers, he would have either laughed in hearty disbelief or hexed the offender into oblivion, depending on his mood. He had always expected to be the same sort of father as his own had been: proud but distant, supportive in finance more than emotion. He knew his wife had expected to be a similar sort of mother, and of course they had hired nurses to take care of the more distasteful aspects of child-rearing. That had just been good sense; their habit of getting Bellatrix pregnant once a year wasn't about to stop either of them from participating in the world they had worked so hard to win. But neither of them had anticipated actually enjoying spending time with their children, certainly not while they were still so young.
And yet here Rodolphus was, sitting outdoors at a café in Hogsmeade, utterly engrossed in watching Rakshasa break crackers in half, then pound them into salty dusty with her little fist.
Bellatrix was up at the school, having a meeting with Snape, discussing the progress made in reorganizing the school, and deciding what needed to be done next. Both of the boys were with her. Rasalhague had been curious to see the school, and Rigel of course wanted to be wherever Rasalhague was. Rodolphus wondered mildly how Bellatrix was going to bribe Rigel into behaving, or, indeed, if she would bother, and how Snape would react to Bellatrix showing up to their meeting with two toddlers.
An outburst from Rakshasa diverted Rodolphus' thoughts. "Ba!" she shouted, hurling a handful of cracker-dust at a congregation of sparrows on the ground nearby. They scattered momentarily, then returned to peck at the crumbs. "Ba! Ba!"
"That's right, Sha," Rodolphus said, reaching out to run the back of his finger over his daughter's cheek. They had begun calling her "Sha" almost immediately, just as Rasalhague had quickly become "Ras"; the large, dignified names were a bit much for such small children. "That's right, beauty. Birds."
"Ba."
"Birds."
"Bah."
"Birr-duh," Rodolphus enunciated.
"Bihr!" Rakshasa cheerfully declared, throwing more crumbs.
Rodolphus smiled, smoothing back one of Sha's short, dark locks of hair. "Close enough."
A sweet, high-pitched voice cut the air. "Mr Lestrange! Oh, Mr Lestrange!"
Rodolphus turned in his seat, throwing his dark hair back from his face, keeping one hand on Rakshasa's stroller. The very blonde and very buxom Elyse Warrington was skittering towards him, a broad smile on her pink lips. Still holding onto the stroller, Rodolphus stood and offered her a bow. "Mrs Warrington."
The flaxen-haired woman tittered like the girl she probably still was inside. "Elyse, please," she said, clasping his free hand. "And yes, of course, Rodolphus. No sense in formalities between old friends."
Old friends, indeed. Elyse Eldridge had been one of Rodolphus's frequent girlfriends back in school, and one of those whom it had particularly tormented Bellatrix to see him pay court to. She could never stand for any of her beaux to pay much attention to anyone besides herself, but something about Elyse particularly rankled her. Rodolphus had, for some time, half-expected to marry her; they were of the same social level, and certainly had always got on well enough. Fate, though, had held other, more turbulent plans for him.
Her smile, he noticed, was as dazzling as ever. Elyse was one of the genuinely good-hearted people Rodolphus had ever known; he'd wondered often how she had landed in Slytherin rather than Hufflepuff. Elyse Warrington had been born one of the Eldridges, considered fine breeding stock in the wizarding world for their pure blood and receptive genes; by all reports, Elyse had fulfilled her purpose in the world admirably, producing two sons, Everett and Patrick, in the five years since her marriage.
"Rodolphus, it's been an age. And who's here?" Elyse's voice slid easily into the cloying tone people tended to use when speaking to babies, a tone Rodolphus and Bellatrix both avoided at all costs. "Hello! Hello!" Elyse tucked her skirts behind her knees as she stooped to see Rakshasa. The baby was giving the woman a vaguely bemused look. "It's Rakshasa, isn't it? I haven't seen her since she was so tiny."
"She's just had a birthday," Rodolphus offered, trying not to sound too proud.
"Oh!" Elyse exclaimed. "Oh, the dear little thing. Getting to be a big girl, are you?" Rodolphus thought Rakshasa looked as though she was contemplating the wisdom of throwing crackers at Elyse. "Oh, Rodolphus, she's just beautiful. She'll be breaking my sons' hearts in a few years!"
He couldn't help puffing up a bit at that. He had been about to launch into a paternal soliloquy rhapsodising his daughter's virtues, but was prevented by the sudden intervention of his wife's voice.
"Why, Mrs Warrington," drawled the dark tone, "how nice to see you." Somehow she had approached without either Rodolphus or Elyse noticing, a talent that the typically vociferous woman had surprisingly developed. Rasalhague was walking at her side; Rigel was in her arms, his head cradling on her shoulder. Her tone was pleasant enough, but Rodolphus could see a tiny glint in her eyes, a minute flash of possessive jealousy.
Elyse, however, was unfazed, beaming brightly at her erstwhile schoolmate. "Bellatrix, darling!" she gushed, standing up and rushing forward to clasp Bellatrix's hand, only to find it unoffered, both her arms decidedly involved in holding her son. Unruffled, Elyse went on. "And with the whole family! Oh, I was just telling your husband how beautiful your little girl is. And your boys!" Touching one hand to her cheek briefly, Elyse beamed down at the two Lestrange sons. Rigel, head still on his mother's shoulder, barely acknowledged her presence, while Rasalhague gave her the sort of patient stare that would not have been unfitting on the face of a royal prince examining a lesser courtier. "Bellatrix, dear, they're just all so lovely."
Bellatrix typically hadn't cared much for Elyse's opinion on anything, but her pride in her children overrode her usual dislike for the woman. "Why thank you, Elyse," she said, not as coolly as she might have, then prompted, "Rasalhague, Rigel, say hello to Mrs Warrington."
Rigel only gave a half-sullen wave from his mother's arms, but Rasalhague lifted his chin and said, "Good afternoon, Mrs Warrington," in a voice a touch too mature and composed for a three-year-old child.
"Oh, gracious heavens, what fine manners," Elyse twittered. "Bellatrix, dear, how has everything been? I feel as though I haven't seen you in ages! But of course you're so busy now." Rodolphus noticed Bellatrix's shoulders draw together slightly; she had a habit of interpreting comments along those lines as a criticism of her decision to continue doing the Dark Lord's work despite having become a mother of three. She remained his trusted advisor and his capable operative, and though her midnight excursions, so frequent in her youth, had diminished somewhat, they were by no means a thing of her past. To this had been added the responsibilities of helping to run a country, and one still in the process of being reconstructed, at that. Both of the Lestranges knew that many of the other society wives disapproved of her activism; Rodolphus did not think, however, that Elyse's intent was malicious, as another's might have been. Her genuine smile did not falter, nor the brightness of her azure eyes dim.
"Everything's been most excellent, thank you, Elyse," Bellatrix replied, shifting Rigel's weight in her arms slightly. "As perfect as we could possibly hope for. I trust your family is well?"
"Oh, yes, we're all just fine, thank you, Bellatrix," Elyse chattered. "I've just been out doing some shopping for the boys -- well, I'm sure you know how it is, they outgrow everything so fast at this age! Oh!" She clapped her hands together slightly, looking extremely pleased. "We simple must set up a playdate for your boys and my Everett. Patrick's still a bit young, of course-"
"He's not much older than Sha, is he?" Rodolphus questioned.
"Just a few months!" Elyse replied brightly. "His birthday was in March. But Everett's just Rasalhague's age, and of course Rigel's plenty big enough to join them, aren't you?" Rigel, whose expression had been starting to darken stormily at the thought of being left out, nodded vehemently.
"Yes, we shall certainly have to arrange that," Bellatrix said, and Rodolphus could tell by the spark of mischief in her eyes that she was imagining just what sort of havoc her sons would wreak on Elyse's likely less-spirited offspring.
"That would be absolutely delightful," Elyse said, honest excitement written on her features. "And it would give you and I a chance to catch up!"
"Delightful," Bellatrix echoed, managing to keep outright sarcasm from her voice but unable to emulate Elyse's thrill.
"I'll send you an owl, then, shall I? I really must be off, my husband will be wondering what's taking me so long spending his money!" Elyse laughed. "But it's been splendid to see you both, and the children!" She gave a happy little sigh. "They really are just darling, Bellatrix, Rodolphus. You must be so proud."
"We are," Rodolphus answered, with another short bow. "Good afternoon, Elyse."
"Good afternoon!" she called merrily as she flounced off, with Bellatrix giving her only a nod of farewell on her way.
Rasalhague left his mother's side to go to the stroller, straightening out the collar of Sha's gown and touching her hair lightly. Bellatrix smiled at him; she was glad neither of her sons had perceived Rakshasa's arrival as a threat. Quite to the contrary, both boys adored their little sister, and Bellatrix had every intention of fostering their protective instincts towards her. No one knew the importance of sibling solidarity quite so well as she.
With a slight sigh, she moved Rigel from one arm to the other, turning her gaze upon her husband. "Well, that was pleasant," she said, a touch acidly. "And just what was darling Elyse up to?"
"Retract your claws," Rodolphus said, more amused than anything at seeing Bellatrix's hackles up. "I was sitting here with Sha, and she was, as she said, out shopping. She was more interested in cooing over Sha than anything else."
"Hm. Well, I can understand why," Bellatrix said, smiling at her daughter, who beamed back.
Sha demonstrated nothing but adoration for her mother, and held out her arms, calling out, "Ma! Mama!"
"All right, dear, just a minute," Bellatrix said, refusing to resort to the sort of honeyed voice Elyse had employed with her children. "Rodolphus, would you take Rigel, he's half-asleep. We really must get him home for a nap."
"Of course," Rodolphus said, taking Rigel's weight from Bellatrix and settling the child against his own shoulder. "What's got him so tired out?"
"We had a little temper tantrum up at the school," Bellatrix explained, bending to wipe at the crumbs around Rakshasa's mouth. "Remember that 'inability to not touch what he sees' phase that Ras went through when he was two? Well, Rigel's proving rather more explorative than his brother, and Severus had precisely the expected amount of patience for that."
"Ah. Is that why you're finished earlier than expected?"
Something both shrewd and amused entered Bellatrix's eyes as she removed Sha from the stroller and cradled the girl to her chest. "Remember that I said we had a tantrum. When Severus had more than a few unkind words for our little boy, well..." She smiled serenely, straightening and reaching for her wand with her free hand. "I'm sure you can imagine how well I tolerated that." A flick of her hawthorn, and the stroller folded itself up into a neat, portable package the size of a pocketbook.
Laughing, Rodolphus patted his son's head. "Well, you know I consider any day Severus has been thoroughly agitated as a win in my book," he said. "I assume you got enough work done to satisfy the Dark Lord, though?"
"Oh, of course. I dropped off the papers he needed to look at, and we had time to discuss the progress at the school before Rigel interrupted." Sha was playing idly with her mother's hair, tiny fingers batting at the curls, charmed into flawless ringlets for her afternoon out. "No, Sha, don't pull," Bellatrix admonished, and Sha left off immediately, though with a bit of a pout. "There, darling, don't look sad. Do you have a kiss for your Mama?" Puckering her little rosebud lips, Sha deposited a kiss on her mother's cheek, seemingly mollified by the suggestion. "That's my girl." Bellatrix turned her attention back to Rodolphus. "I don't think Severus appreciates my interference. Seems to think that if the Dark Lord has a problem with how he's running things, He would tell him so Himself. As though it weren't my duty to oversee these things..."
"Well, you know how Severus is," Rodolphus said. "He never appreciates any questions raised about his work, and he never has."
"And I wasn't even being that critical," Bellatrix went on. "For the most part, the transition is going quite well. But there are still a few matters that need ironing out, and it isn't as though Severus isn't aware of that." Sighing lightly, Bellatrix looked down at Rasalhague, who had been following the conversation intently. "Yes, young man? Do you have something to contribute?" she asked, half-teasing, but without such lightness as most people would address a three-year-old. Very few things could raise Rasalhague's temper, but nothing sparked it more rapidly than being treated as though he didn't understand what was going on around him.
"He doesn't like you," Rasalhague replied, simply. "Papa wouldn't have had as much trouble."
Bellatrix actually laughed. "Ras, my dear, I don't know what we're going to do with you."
"Have him working at espionage for us before he's turned seven, that's what," Rodolphus commented.
"I'm right. Aren't I?" Ras insisted.
"Quite right, son," Rodolphus replied, grinning as he watched Bellatrix's cheeks pink in irritation. "Professor Snape and your mother have never had the most amicable of relationships."
"Amicable?" Ras inquired, stumbling only slightly over the pronunciation.
"Friendly," Bellatrix supplied. Ras nodded, and began whispering the word to himself, to keep from forgetting it. Rasalhague's awareness and attention had prompted the development of a larger vocabulary than could usually be expected of a boy who had not yet reached his fourth birthday. "Well, personality clashes aside, you'd think the man could recognise I'm only trying to help."
"Don't let him rile you," Rodolphus said. "All you need do is report to the Dark Lord that Severus was disinclined to listen to your advice, and the problem will take care of itself."
"Quite." Bellatrix, left off stroking Rakshasa's hair idly and, after slipping the strap of the compacted stroller over her wrist, took Rasalhague's hand again. "All right, then, let's get this lot home."
That night, while Bellatrix sat at her vanity, combing her hair, Rodolphus came through the sitting area that connected their bedrooms and stood, leaning against the doorframe, observing his wife. "Why, don't you look pensive," she remarked, glancing at him in the mirror and arching an eyebrow.
"I was thinking about Elyse," he answered.
Bellatrix set her comb down very deliberately and half-turned in her seat to glare at him. "There had best be a qualifying addendum to that statement."
With a low chuckle, Rodolphus strode into the room and to her side. "Oh, mia cara. Jealousy always has been such a pretty colour on you," he commented, caressing her cheek tenderly. "And yes, there is a qualifying addendum." He knelt so they were on a level, looking into her sharp obsidian eyes, pushing a lock of raven hair behind her ear. "I was thinking how glad I am I married you, and not her."
A smile quirked Bellatrix's lips. "As well you should be," she said, reaching for her comb again. "Her children are as empty-headed as she is. And nowhere near as handsome as ours."
Rodolphus let her return to attending to her hair for a moment, simply watching her. Bellatrix's ego of course would not allow even the thought of her husband happy with another woman to enter her mind; it had crossed his, though. Life with Elyse would have been very different, and very simple. It would have been easy, and Rodolphus would have probably lived many decades with a wife he liked well enough but was not truly interested in, and children who earned his approval but only distant and dutiful concern. It would have been a life free from tempests, as bland and enjoyable as a sunny spring day, all cloudless skies and placid warmth.
And, Rodolphus had come to realise, it would have been dismally boring.
He stilled Bellatrix's hands with his own, leaning up to kiss her mouth, gently at first, then with greater need, his desire for her inflamed as always by her responsive enthusiasm. She dropped her comb, her fingers threading into his hair, pulling slightly as she clutched at him, then broke away breathlessly. "We're quite sure the children are asleep?" she asked, voice low and husky.
Rodolphus grinned. "Quite."
An impish smile broke over her features, a youthful expression Rodolphus hoped she would never grow out of. "Then what are you waiting for?"
In one fluid motion, Rodolphus lifted Bellatrix into his arms, pressing passionate kisses to her throat as he carried her over to her large bed.
"Life affords no greater responsibility, no greater privilege, than the raising of the next generation." -- C Everett Koop