PRETENDING TO LIVE~ {The Lestrange Daughter #2}

𝟒𝟒. Mother

By the time Bellatrix was stumbling into breakfast, everyone else was almost finished eating.

Valentine glanced up from her eggs to watch the woman struggle to keep herself standing, over correcting herself to avoid tripping over her feet or spilling whatever was in her goblet.

"Well, that seems like a waste of good breeding." Valentine scoffed.

"Bella!" Narcissa admonished the woman as she staggered her way to a chair. "It's not even ten in the morning!"

"Oh, hush." Bellatrix waved her off, taking another sip. "I spent the last fourteen years dry as a bone. I think I deserve a drink or two."

"Or twenty by the looks of things." Lucius sent her a distasteful glance. 

"All in good time, Luci." Bellatrix laughed, though mostly to herself. 

"Bella, it really isn't acceptable to be drunk at the breakfast table." Narcissa sighed.

"Well, I would have been perfectly fine staying drunk elsewhere but it was you that had me called down for breakfast, Cissy." Bellatrix slurred.

"Than by all accounts, feel free to be drunk elsewhere." Said Lucius.

"Lucius." Narcissa shot him a look. "She is part of our family and should eat breakfast with us. And Bella, in the future I except that you leave the drinking until after lunch at the latest."

"Spoilsport."

"Bella, please."

"Fine, fine. But only for you, baby sister. Though you've become droll in over the years, you're starting to sound like our father. You're not quite over the hill yet, Cissy, you are perfectly allowed to still have some fun."

Narcissa's eyes dropped to her plate. Valentine and Draco shared a glance.

"Bella...about our father...I should tell you-"

"Yes, I'm sure he's furious I haven't been too seen him yet." Bellatrix rolled her eyes and took another swing of her drink. "Always the nick picker, that one. I'm certain even if he was the first person I saw once he reached the mainland, he'd say I took too long and scold me for not placing him above some frivolous distraction. Life of the party our dear old dad."

"About father-"

"Yes, Cissy, I hear you. I will visit today if it will keep you off my back-"

"No, that's not what I-"

"Then what? Speak up!"

"He's dead." Said Valentine, drawing all eyes to her. "I'm afraid your visit will be three years too late."

Bellatrix blinked. 

"Valentine!" Narcissa gasped at her. "How can you be so indelicate?"

"Quite easily, I assure you."

"So, the old codger finally croaked, did he?" Bellatrix mused, not appearing to be overly rattled by the news aside from the initial shock. 

"Bella, don't say it like that." Narcissa muttered, eyes downcast again.

"Oh, don't act like he was a pleasant man. No one thought so. Not the people who claimed to be his friend and certainly not his family. It's only a shame he didn't live long enough to see the Dark Lord return-"

"Bellatrix." Lucius cut her off coldly.

"What?" 

Narcissa abruptly stood up from the table and left the room. Three judgemental eyes turned to the culprit.