The Beginning - Book 1 [COMPLETED]

Part 9

By Ebony and Bella (mainly Ebony) - Bella gave up

Ebony and Bella: *still running*

Bella: *runs into tree* ow...

Ebony: Ooo!

Lucius: Ooo!

Fred and George: Ooo!

Some rando in America: Ooo!

Ebony POV

A lot of time had passed at Malfoy Manor and Bella and I had turned 9 a few weeks ago and we were excited to be getting closer to being able to go to Hogwarts and get away from our uncle. We wore the necklaces every day and tucked them under our shirts so no one would see them. We spent most of our days relaxing outside in the warm summer sun. We went to the forest most days and played with the thestrals. Cissy came to see us when we were relaxing with the thestrals. 

"What are you two doing here?" she asked us, she was holding a large basket with a weird smell coming from it.

"We came to play with the thestrals," Bella remarked, rubbing the back of one of the creatures. Cissy looked surprised and opened the basket.

"Maybe you'd like to help me feed them," Cissy replied, the basket was full of meat, raw meat. Bella and I moved to the basket and picked up a piece each. We threw them at the baby thestrals which caught the meat in their mouths and ate it quickly. "Girls," Cissy continued, throwing a piece of meat, "Did you know, thestrals can only be seen by people who have seen death?" she told us. Bella and I froze,

"Death?" I exclaimed, "I don't remember seeing death ever!" Cissy sighed,

"Your mother, Bellatrix, killed and tortured a lot of people, in the early months the four of you were often present at Death Eater meetings, I would face Draco and Ally away from the killing but your parents wanted you to become great Death Eaters one day and faced you toward the torture and killing, you must have seen it then. Even if you don't remember, you have seen it," Cissy explained. 

"I remember," Bella said quietly, "I remember nearly everything, I remember the day that our parents were taken to Azkaban," Bella stopped moving and looked down at her perfectly shined shoes. I threw the last piece of meat to the thestrals then excused both myself and Bella, taking her by the hand and pulling her toward the house. Bella got very sick after that. Cissy, Ally and I would spend days and nights fetching water and tea, rubbing her sore shoulders or dabbing her hot, sweaty forehead with a wet towel. Lucius took Draco out nearly every day saying, "Wouldn't want him to catch Bella's nasty illness," Cissy would nod and wave goodbye before tending to Bella again. Bella lay in bed all day and night, the only time she moved was to go to the toilet or for Cissy to change the sheets on the sweat-drenched bed. 

"Come on Bella," I said to her one day, "You have to get better, you just have to!" Bella was asleep but her breath was raspy and dry. Cissy made me sleep in Ally's room, but I didn't care if I got sick, I wanted to be with my sister. 

She was sick for nearly a whole year! Our 10th birthday rolled around and Bella was still sick. We didn't celebrate because Cissy was taking care of Bella and Lucius and Draco were out for the day. Ally and I sat in her room, sitting on the bed in silence. Cissy came out of our room at noon for lunch and I snuck in. I hadn't shown Bella the letter because I was scared of what she would think so I pulled the box out from under my bed and reached inside, and grabbed the letter. I unfolded it and pulled a chair up close to Bella's bedside. Bella was snoring slightly but her breath was better sounding than normal. I began to read,

"Dear Bella and Ebony,

I'm terribly sorry I can't be with you. I am in Azkaban, I don't even know if this will reach you, I don't think I will ever see you again. Be strong, don't let anyone push you around; you are Lestrange's, one of the most feared wizarding families ever, with this name comes great power and reputation. You, my girls, are the only Lestranges left in the outside world. You are powerful little witches, and I'm proud of you. Your father misses you dearly, and sometimes at night, I hear him repeating your beautiful names over and over again.

I wish I could write more, but I'm only allowed one page,

I love you, my girls,

Love from your mother,

Bellatrix Lestrange," I felt a tear fall down my cheek, "Please get better, Bella, I don't want to be alone, I don't know what I'd do without you-" Sobs escaped my body and I collapsed onto Bella's bed. I cried for a few minutes and then got up, cleared my eyes and washed my face in the bathroom and left the room. I spent the rest of my birthday in the kitchen, helping the new cook make dinner.

-- A FEW WEEKS LATER --

Bella had been getting better every day but Cissy didn't allow anyone in the room just in case she got worse. I didn't care, I climbed through the secret passageway and looked out into the room. I didn't go in (didn't want to make her sick again), but I watched her sit in bed or move to the window seat and look out at the front yard. We would talk to each other every so often and I would help her with her reading. Bella's reading had been getting worse, not better as it should be, she said that the words were jumbled up and that she couldn't see them. I told Cissy and Lucius but Lucius said that she was lying and just wanting attention. Once Bella was a little bit better, she joined us for meals, talking and laughing with the rest of us. But she was still very pale and after she excused herself and then threw up on the stairs Lucius allowed Cissy to call the doctor. 

The doctor was in with Bella for most of the day and I trusted Ally enough to show her the tunnels and we watched Bella, the doctor, Cissy and Lucius through four eye holes that Bella and I had cut in every entrance to the tunnels. The doctor spoke moved Lucius and Cissy over toward the painting where we were hiding. We listened to the conversation,

"She should be alright in a few days, but she's been poisoned, may I see the food she's been eating. Cissy nodded and lead the doctor down to the kitchen. Ally and I crawled down to the kitchen and watched. The scraps from each person's meal had been kept separate and Cissy grabbed Bella's. The doctor examined and smelled them and then came to a conclusion, "I recommend sacking your cook, Miss Lestrange has been poisoned," I felt my jaw drop. The cook (who was standing in the corner) had a scowl on his face. Cissy turned to the cook, who immediately went pale,

"How dare you!? I let you into my-" she started,

"Our," Lucius corrected,

"Our house and you poison our niece!" she yelled, "You can pack your things and leave!" the cook scrambled up the servant's stairs and came out a few minutes later with two packed suitcases. He left the kitchen and we heard the front door slam moments later.

"Thank you Dr Wittle," said Lucius, "My wife will escort you out," Cissy nodded and opened the kitchen door. Lucius scowled at the retreating backs of the doctor and Cissy and when the front door closed he yelled, "Dobby!" the small house elf came into the kitchen, "You cook dinner, you useless wretch!" Dobby nodded and bowed,

"Yes, Master," he stuttered. I felt sorry for the elf, Dobby was kind and funny and he read Bella and me bedtime stories when we were younger, but I was reminded over and over that house-elves were beneath humans. Lucius kicked the elf and then left the kitchen. Ally retreated to her room but once I was sure that Lucius was gone I went into the kitchen and helped Dobby make dinner. When it was done I told Dobby to wait there and then I ran up to my room, grabbed an old pillowcase and ran back down to the kitchen. 

"I know it doesn't really count as clothes and I'm not your master but I thought you might want this..." I gave Dobby the pillowcase. He gasped,

"Thank you, Miss Ebony, Dobby is very thankful," Dobby told me. He quickly changed and then hugged my legs, "Thank you, thank you," he quickly put dinner on the table, hugged me one last time and then ran back down the servant's stairs into the basement. Bella got better within three days and was soon back to her normal self. We awaited the arrival of our 11th birthday with excitement for we knew that a Hogwarts letter (and a ticket out of Malfoy Manor) would be there when we woke up...

A/N - Sorry this part is so short, the next part will be longer