(Untitled)

[dray_m]

Place: The Ocean restaurant
Date: August 1st
Time: 12.45

Comments

[theworsesister]

It was a lovely restaurant, and Bellatrix was pleased with Draco's recommendation. Of course, she never doubted that the boy would have impeccable taste. He was of her blood, after all. This was obviously a place of class, where she and her nephew could converse without being gawked at, as they were on the street.

Narcissa had trained the boy well. His manners were excellent, and she barely surpressed a small sound of delight when he pulled out her chair for her. This was the world she belonged in, that she'd missed so much. She had been willing to live in the filthiest hovel, forgo any luxury for the service of her lord--but this world of excellence and decorum was where she had grown up and where her heart lie.

"When one is in hiding, Draco," she surveyed the menu, glancing up at her nephew with eyebrows raised, "one doesn't always have the most reliable mail."

[dray_m]

You stupid idiot, Draco mentally berated himself. Of course she didn't get your mail -- and anyway, she was on the run. Not likely she would reply!

He tried not to look half as embarrassed as he felt and was relieved to note that his cheeks didn't colour furiously, as he had expected them to. Or at least they didn't feel like they had coloured furiously. Turning his head slightly he gestured towards the nearest waiter and smiled almost imperceptibly when they began rushing forwards. Excellent service.

"Forgive me, Aunt Bella," he apologised. "I didn't think ... I was so worried about you. There were rumours that you had been ... disposed of." He waited to see if she would have any reaction.

[theworsesister]

Bellatrix couldn't help but smile at the pink tinge that colored Draco's cheeks. He reminded her so much of Cissy, and his blush brought back memories of the same tell-tale color in her sister's face.

"It's alright, darling, I know you don't mean anything by it." Her expression tightened slightly when he mentioned the reports of her death. She took a sip of water from the glass in front of her. "They tried, Draco, they tried." Nights hiding in the dirt beneath trees, dodging hexes, sprays of blood all that remained of her attackers and sometimes her comrades--she shuddered. Bad times. She forced herself to smile at him, and push those thoughts from her mind. "But we triumph, as we always do."

[dray_m]

Draco did not miss the the slight tightening of his aunt's face. Though they disliked each other, his father and his aunt tended to have the same ... quirks. And Draco had learned as a child to look out for them.

"Of course we triumph, Aunt Bella," he grinned. "There was never any doubt we would, was there? The Blacks have never conceeded victory, if I recall correctly. Which I'm inclined to think I do -- Mother was persistant in making sure I knew all about my family history."

The waiter stopped beside their table. "I'll take a bottle of Château Margaux -- chilled."

"Anything else, sir?" the waiter asked.

"Bring me the soup of the day for starters, please." He nodded at the waiter. "That'll be all for me." He turned and smiled at Bellatrix, a smile that reached his eyes and made them dance slightly. "What would your heart desire, Aunt Bella?"

[theworsesister]

Successfully having brought herself away from the dark past to a much brighter present, Bellatrix nodded her approval, both to his statement about their proud bloodline and his choice of wine.

"The same," she told the waiter, before turning back to give Draco her most genuine smile. "My nephew has excellent taste." It was one of the highest compliments she could give, and she knew that Draco would recognize it as such. She had forgotten how fond she was of the boy.

[dray_m]

Draco dismissed the waiter and smiled at his aunt. "Thank you," he said. "I must admit I learned from the best." He lifted his napkin, smoothed it out on his lap.

Silence reigned for a moment, as Draco contemplated what to say. He wanted to know everything ... absolutely everything. But he was frightened to ask. Maybe this wasn't the best place in the world to conduct their first meeting. They should have went back to his flat were it was private and there was no one nearby to overhear their conversations and the only person who would look at them in an unsavory manner would be Draco's cat. He scowled as he thought of the blasted thing -- stupid pet had only ruined his favourite suit last week.

"I'm ... I'm not sure how to say this," he said softly. "I'm not positive if it's right to say this or not and Mother would kill me if she knew I was doing this but ... tell me everything. How have you been? Where have you been?" He dropped his eyes to his hands, fought the urge to fidget. "And I apologise for my loss of manners."

[theworsesister]

"You're curious, it's not a crime. Those who aren't curious?" She didn't wait for him to respond before continuing. "They're dead. Or may as well be."

She took another sip from her water, considering how she could respond to Draco's question. The restaurant was a good deal less private than she would have liked to hold this discussion. And her last owl from Cissy had been quite explicit on her stance towards Bella sharing any of her more...interesting misadventures with Draco. That was the only thing--besides marrying a prick like Lucius, but that was excusable because of his breeding--she could find fault with her sister for: she was far too protective of her son. Acted as though the boy was still eleven, not an adult.

"I was on the run, Draco. I spent a good deal of time in Transylvania, awhile in Germany. It was lovely there." She forced herself to smile, act like she was telling him about a holiday, not the most harrowing time of her life.

[dray_m]

To say Draco was shocked was putting it lightly. He didn't know what he had expected to hear from his aunt but it hadn't been that she'd been in Germany, or Transylvania. He had always entertained the notion that she was in England somewhere nearby, watching over the Ministry's actions ... watching over him and his mother. He supposed now that it was a stupid thought -- Aunt Bella cared for him, and for her sister, but it was ridiculous to think that someone as intelligent as his aunt would have stayed nearby at the risk of being captured, and killed possibly. Absolutely ridiculous.

He sighed and ran his finger slowly around the rim of the water glass in front of him, contemplating his answer. He couldn't pry to far into this, he knew that. They were in public after all. A quick glance around showed him that it would be stupid to ask many pointed questions -- the place was swarming with Ministry officials, a few businessmen and Draco was almost sure he had just spotted an Auror in the corner watching them. It might have been the

[theworsesister]

"I'm afraid we didn't have the chance to partake in any higher culture," she sighed, toying with her napkin. "We did go on several tours of those camps they had there; Roddy was fascinated." She snorted a little to herself. She had certainly not shared her husband's interest, and had quite resented being dragged from site to drab gray site. Muggles kept bursting into tears--she found it most off-putting. "He's still there. He took to the idea that the pardon was an elaborate ruse to trick us out of hiding

[dray_m]

"Camps?" Draco asked, confused. "Camps? Why would Uncle Roddy want to stay and look at camps? It's so ... common." He couldn't think of another word for it, really, and hoped his aunt wouldn't take offence. Although he couldn't remember the last time that she had taken offence when any of her family slighted Uncle Roddy. Then again, maybe it was just around him she refused to take offence. He dared not think he had his Aunt Bella's psyche down -- every time he had in the past she had surprised him

[theworsesister]

"Darling." She turned her hand over under his so she could squeeze it, wishing the table was small enough that she could reach over and smooth his bangs. "Don't be upset with Cissy, she wanted to protect both of us. What if she told you, and the Ministry used Veritaserum? It would have killed us both."

Personally, she thought the boy was plenty old enough to participate fully in their fight for purity and honor. But, deeply as she loved him, Draco was not her son. She had no son, no heir, no child at all. Bellatrix could never complete the ultimate honor for her family, the continuation of their line. She still remembered the day the mediwizards told her, and she went home and chopped off all her beautiful hair. Cissy had been young then, not even engaged, but she had stared down at her dark sister near-catatonic with grief on the bathroom floor with perfect control.

What are you doing, Bellatrix? Have you lost all sense of pride? Stand up and cease this foolishness. Narcissa had forced Bella to her feet with venom, but

[dray_m]

"Of course," he said slowly, taking a breath. "Excuse my stupidity. Times were hard and the Ministry was incredibly harsh -- I don't doubt they wouldn't have hesitated to use Veritaserum on me!" But he did doubt this. He had worked for months, feeding information to the Order who then passed it to the Ministry, and he knew that -- should he happen to mention the name of his contact in the Order -- they wouldn't have used Veritaserum on him. He could have kept Aunt Bella safe, if only she had trusted him. Loyalty to the Order be damned. Loyalty to his family came first and always would

[theworsesister]

"Don't speak that way, Draco, you're being foolish." For a moment, the softness she'd managed to hold onto for their reunion slipped. It was the longest span of time Bellatrix had gone in a very long while without screaming or hexing something, and it showed. "Trust has nothing to do with it. There is no trust. Ask your father about trust." She hissed the last phrase, eyes narrowed at thoughts of Lucius, the bastard who didn't deserve her Cissy. If he thought she didn't know he was a miserly, ignorant, cowardly little twerp who never loved the cause more than he loved himself, he had another thing coming. He hadn't seen her since the pardon. He'd gone to Azkaban, not because he loved the Dark Lord, but because he was stupid enough to be caught. And he'd barely spent time there, not compared to the long years she'd given with constant devotion

[dray_m]

Draco started visibly when Bellatrix snapped at him. He admitted to expecting his aunt to snap openly at him when he had first seen her -- he had become accostumed to it during the war. He had not been the best Death Eater ever and he had known it. He had been unable to fulfill plenty of tasks and it was only because of Aunt Bella's intervention that he had not been murdered by the Dark Lord years ago. During those days he had been all too ready to have his aunt snap at him, sneer at him, reprimand him and, on occasion, discipline him as due to the Dark Lord's request. But since he had seen her -- for the first time in years -- standing with Potter and Granger she had not snapped at him, not sneered, and her pleasant mask had only slipped ever so briefly and then only once or twice. Still ... he had not expected her to snap. Had not expected her to criticise his father so openly

[theworsesister]

Bellatrix returned his smile, but her eyes were empty.

"Draco, darling, don't think I don't appreciate family loyalty. You know I do. He is your father, which makes you more...forgiving than I may be. We shan't speak of him any further, but I want you to remember--" she didn't bother lowering her voice, because the sociopathic blankness in her eyes spoke volumes "--if you attempt to threaten me again, I won't kill you, because you're my nephew and I love you, and it would break poor Cissy's heart. But you'll get a glimpse of why those who threaten me don't have the chance to do it again."

She smiled at the soup and tasted a spoonful. Anyone who started watching now would have no idea that she had just offered to torture her own nephew, who she professed to love. Such was the duplicity of Bellatrix.

"Delicious, a fine selection, Draco love. As for Cissy, chaste, maybe, but innocent? Not a day of her life."

[dray_m]

Draco hated himself for the minute shiver that rippled down his spine when Aunt Bella threatened him. And he had no doubt that it was a threat no matter how she phrased it. He made sure his hands didn't shake, he didn't flinch and no little spark in his eye showed the tiny sliver of fear that had just taken up residence in his heart and reached out to lift the spoon by his soup bowl. He was proud of himself when he managed to eat in silence for several minutes, looking straight at his aunt and not showing any outward signs of fear