Chapter 3
Bellatrix kissed this man once. After him was a woman. Then there was another woman. After her, there was another man. And they all had one thing in common: they were all very uninspiring kissers. Such that Bellatrix never cared to kiss any of them a second time.
So when she placed a peck on the Princess Hermione Granger's lips, Bellatrix expected that same pattern to continue. Yet, the second their lips touched, the princess gasped into her mouth like Bellatrix was feeding her life. Making things feel, well, not so uninspiring. And Bellatrix immediately stumbled back, wholly fooled by what was supposed to be a chaste kiss.
“You’re—“
She looked at the Princess Hermione’s pretty pink lips again and pouted. What was it with princesses and their dainty mouths. “Leaving,” said Bellatrix, as she turned around.
“No, wait.”
The Princess Hermione sat up quickly, which proved not to be the wisest decision.
“Oh. Why do I feel dizzy.”
Bellatrix stalked back to the Princess Hermione’s side, rolling her eyes. Also princesses and their helplessness.
“Because you’ve been sleeping for quite some time.”
“Sleeping?” She looked around. “And in a wheelbarrow?”
“Yes. You were put into a sleeping curse. As for the wheelbarrow, it’s how we got you here.”
“And exactly where am I?”
“Druella Black’s castle.” Her mother’s name would surely instill some fear into the young princess’ heart. But her delicate sensibilities did not concern Bellatrix in the least.
“Oh, I hear she has a beautiful rose garden, is that true?”
“Yes,” said Bellatrix slowly, squinting at her. Curse Cissy for teaching her mother those frilly ways. Now the reputation of her rose garden preceded that of her frightfulness. “But that is not all. Druella Black is also an evil queen.”
“An evil queen?”
“Yes, and I am her daughter. I am Bellatrix and I—“
“Yes I remember. We met by the apple tree. You had on a blue dress when I saw you last.”
“Focus here, Princess.” Bellatrix wanted to snap her fingers in the princess’ face so she would stop staring at Bellatrix with such earnestness. “I am also an evil queen.”
“You’re an evil queen too?”
Bellatrix smiled slyly at her. “Yes, I am one of the most evil queens in the land.”
“If you’re so evil, why did you save me?”
“I—“ And then Bellatrix remembered about the kiss and the stupid implications of it. “Mother!” she shouted.
Her mother and sisters came rushing back into the room.
“You were right, Cissy,” said Andy, eyes wide with surprise. “Bella was able to wake her.”
“Well of course I’m right.”
“Now, now, dear, let’s not gloat. Your sister needs our support right now.”
“I don’t need your anything,” said Bella, grimly. She then pointed to the princess. “She is awake. My job here is done. I am leaving.”
“Of course you bolt for the door the second your little damsel in distress is awake.”
“Watch your mouth, Cissy,” Bellatrix spat out at her. And her sister had the gall to smirk about it.
“Um, can someone help me out of this wheelbarrow?”
“Fine, just—“ Bellatrix frowned. She returned to the princess’ side and offered her hand. “They’re not helpful.”
Bellatrix made sure the princess was steady when she found her footing.
“Thank you,” the princess said to her, smiling up at Bellatrix, all feminine and sweet.
She didn’t understand why the princess continued to be this way. Because it made Bellatrix feel…it made her feel a little... not like herself. “Yeah, well—“
“Oh brother,” said Cissy. “We really are in a fairy tale.”
“Fairy tale?”
Bellatrix rolled her eyes. “Don’t mind her.” She then turned to her mother. “What is the quickest way to bring the princess back to the castle?”
“By carriage, if I were to do it.”
“Alright, then get the pumpkin and the mice,” said Bellatrix.
“A pumpkin and mice? Why?” her mother asked, a bewildered look on her face.
—
They were able to take the princess back to her castle with little fanfare.
Bellatrix declined to stay for tea when the princess asked her. Said no to staying for lunch altogether. And didn’t look back when the princess called after their departing carriage. “But when will I get to see you again?”
Cissy was insufferable the entire ride back. “You know what this means, Bella. You kissed her awake.”
Kissing a person awake. What an idiotic concept. “I did no such thing.”
“Hiding in denial isn’t healthy. Plus, the girl turns twenty-three in three days. What will you do about the prophecy?”
“Oh this is more like a Greek tragedy than a fairy tale if you ask me,” Andy supplied from her end of the seat.
Her mother had a troubled look on her face. “This isn’t good. There is no one in our family equipped to handle Greek tragedies.”
“We could ask Harry,” Andy said. “His whole life sounds like a Greek tragedy.”
“What? Who is Harry?” Bellatrix asked.
“You know who Harry is! He was a prince in a neighboring kingdom. He married a commoner and had a falling out with his family. It’s a whole mess and people can’t stop talking about it.”
“We don’t want to get involved in that, dear,” their mother said. “Everyone in that family is very dramatic, especially Camilla. Let’s come up with a viable solution for your sister here. Forget about the Greek tragedy for now.”
“I don’t need a solution because I’ve got no problem,” argued Bellatrix. She looked out of the window, at the passing landscape. “I will come back to end the Princess Hermione’s life on the day before her birthday. It is settled.”
Cissy sighed. “Not this again. You try to end her. You put her in a coma. You wake her. Now you want to end her again. It’s like lather, rinse, repeat with you.” She looked to their mother. “Are we really going to enable Bella this way, mother?”
”Now, dear, what did I say about supporting your sister?”
“I didn’t know it would be this repetitive.”
“Repetition makes perfect, dear.”
“That’s not the saying, mother. Practice makes perfect. Repetition just makes you bored. And I am already bored.”
”Can we stop for ice cream?” Andy asked.
Gods. Bellatrix really wished she had agreed to stay behind with the Princess Hermione.
—
Two days later, she made a trip out to the Granger castle again. Bellatrix told herself she wouldn’t hold back this time. She was going to stay true to her evil queen name. There would be no mercy or second guessing because she won’t have another opportunity at this if she wavered. The princess will turn twenty three tomorrow.
Like before, Bellatrix snuck into the castle by way of the side entrance from the kitchen.
”Ah! The baker is back! Men, women, come quickly! The baker is back!” called out an excited kitchen staff when they spotted her.
Everyone gathered around Bellatrix, eyes rounded with curiosity and awe.
”We were waiting for your return. Where are the two bakers from last time? Are they well?”
Bellatrix didn’t have time for this. She needed to quickly find the Princess Hermione, not dillydally around with the kitchen staff who were obsessed with Cissy’s and Andy’s cookies.
”If you let me be, I will tell them to return,”she said.
They heeded her words, immediately dispersing.
Bellatrix found the Princess Hermione’s room after that. She listened for sounds of company from the outside of her door. When she was confident she was alone, Bellatrix pushed the door open.
The princess looked up from the chair she was sitting in. Her eyes were red and her cheeks were tear-stained. She looked startled by Bellatrix’s sudden entrance.
”Who hurt you?” was the first thing Bellatrix thought to ask when she caught sight of the princess. “Tell me who hurt you.”
The princess shook her head.
”Then why are you crying?”
”The prince that I was supposed to marry has disappeared without a word. My reputation will be ruined when I stand at the altar tomorrow by myself. They will think I’ve driven him away.”
Driven him away? Bellatrix had never heard something more absurd. Just because he was flaky shouldn’t reflect any on the princess. Oh. And then Bellatrix remembered something: the frog.
”Wait here,” she said as she stalked around the room looking for the animal.
The princess giggled, wiping at her tears. “What are you doing? The prince isn’t hiding in my room.”
”He is, actually.” Bellatrix spotted a leathery green leg by her dresser and pounced on the thing, capturing it in her hands. She then brought it over to the princess, presenting the frog to her. “Your prince.”
The princess cleared her throat softly. “That’s a frog.”
”No, you are mistaken. He’s the prince. You can marry him now and stop being sad.”
The princess stared up at Bellatrix, eyes shining with something she couldn’t quite decipher. She chewed on her bottom lip. “You care that I am sad?”
“I—“ Bellatrix didn’t like this sudden line of questioning by the princess. She pushed the frog closer and repeated, “Your prince.”
”I can’t marry the frog, Bellatrix.”
The princess was proving to be difficult to please. Bellatrix couldn’t help her if she wasn’t willing to marry the frog.
”Will you marry me?” the princess asked.
”Me?” Did Bellatrix hear her correctly? Why in the world would Bellatrix agree to marry the Princess Hermione? She was here to end her before the prophecy came true.
The princess nodded, a half smile on her face. “You.”
”Why would I marry you?”
”Do you not like me?”
Bellatrix crossed her arms in front of her chest. “I don’t like these hard questions you’re suddenly asking me.”
The princess’ face softened. “The hard questions are the important ones.”
Bellatrix narrowed her eyes at the princess. Before she could respond, a knock came at the door.
“Come in,” said the princess, and then, “oops, sorry I forgot. Are you not supposed to be here?”
The door opened and a man came strolling in. He had a crown on his head and looked to be older than the pope.
”Hermione, dear—“ He stopped mid-step and eyed Bellatrix cautiously when he noticed her presence. “Who are you?”
Bellatrix rolled her eyes. Every man who had walked through that door so far had rudely asked her identity. Perhaps she should turn this man into a frog too.
”Father,” the princess said, “this is Bellatrix.”
Understanding slowly etched itself on his face. “Bellatrix, the evil queen, stay away from my daughter!” he shouted.
”Father, no, there is no need to worry,” she pleaded with him. “Bellatrix is a friend of mine.”
Friend? When had they become friends? Bellatrix needed to set things straight with the princess because she was getting the wrong idea in that pretty head of hers.
”We were talking about marriage.”
”Marriage?” The king looked absolutely scandalized by the prospect. “You mean between the two of you?”
“Yes.”
”Darling, we are still looking for the prince. I am sure we will find him before day’s end. I promise you will be able to marry him tomorrow.”
The princess shook her head. “Even if we find him, father, I do not wish to marry him. I never wanted to marry him in the first place.”
”And you wish to marry the evil queen Bellatrix?”
The princess looked to Bellatrix again, a pink hue dusting her cheeks. “If she will have me.”
If Bellatrix will have the princess... something stirred inside of her.
”That cannot be. I refuse to let you marry an evil queen, Hermione,” her father warned.
The Princess Hermione was on the brink of tears again, so Bellatrix did the only thing she could think of.
—
“You agreed to marry her and renounce the ‘evil’ in your title?” Her mother fell down into her seat. “Bella, dear, must you always try to surprise me so? I am an old woman. I have a weak heart.”
”There was nothing else I could do, mother,”said Bellatrix. The princess didn’t want to marry a frog and Bellatrix did bear some responsibility in the matter. But the king didn’t trust Bellatrix unless she was no longer evil.
”You could just not marry the girl,” said Cissy. “But I guess that’s too hard for you to do, considering everything.”
”I have a plan.”
”Not another plan.” Her mother rubbed her temples.
Bellatrix understood why her mother might not be too keen on the idea of another plan. But she was being really short sighted here. Bellatrix explained to her mother that renouncing the ‘evil’ in her title was the loophole in the prophecy. “I will still reign over my land, just not evil for a while. In short time, I will divorce the princess and reclaim it.”
”Right.” Cissy rolled her eyes. “Because that’s definitely going to happen. The pretty girl smiles at you and you forget everything.”
”You could just end her, Bella. Wouldn’t that just prevent the prophecy from coming true?” Andy asked.
”Andy—“ Bellatrix began.
”I know, I know. It’s not the way you want to go about it,” Andy sighed, and Bellatrix was starting to think she was spending too much time around Cissy.
Her mother stood again. “So what do you need from us now, dear?”
”Well,” said Bellatrix, “there will be a wedding and I hear people show up to those things.” She then looked at her sisters. “Also, the annoying kitchen staff wants you two to lead their baking station on the big day.”
—
The wedding happened without any spells being casted or a threat of war. Which, according to the Princess Hermione, was a good thing, considering all the parties involved.
Now, a week later, after the required festivities had ended, she and the princess found themselves lounging about under the same apple tree. Or, at least, one of them was.
”Bella, we are married now. You don’t have to sit in the tree anymore. Just come down and be next to me.”
Bellatrix slid down and plopped down by her side. “I like it up there.”
”And not next to me?”
The princess was growing bolder now that they were technically married. Bellatrix should tell her not to get too comfortable because she had a plan to divorce her soon.
“Narcissa told me about the prophecy,” said the princess.
Of course she did, Bellatrix thought. Cissy was never tight lipped about anything. “Do you regret that you married me then?”
”No, I don’t,” she said. She shifted her hand and their pinkies touched. “I don’t regret a thing.”
Stupid girl.
”I am not the honorable person you think I am.” Bellatrix turned to her, holding her gaze. “I plan to divorce you and reclaim my ‘evil’ title at some point.”
”Yeah?”
”Yes,” Bellatrix said, even though all she wanted to do right now was… lean in close. Was this what marriage made of people? Sentimental and soft? Bellatrix was disgusted.
”But if you intended to divorce me and didn’t care for me, why did we do those things on our wedding night? And then again last night?” The princess’ face turned red. “I’ve never done those things with anyone before and—“
”Those things!” Bellatrix rubbed her hands together tightly. “I—“
The princess shifted her weight so that it fell against Bellatrix’s side. Her head came to rest on Bellatrix’s shoulder. “I think I’ve come to understand you some, Bella.”
”What?”
”Do you want to read this book with me?” the Princess Hermione asked, ignoring her question. She flipped open the book in her lap. “It’s about a princess who falls in love with another princess.”
Curious, Bellatrix shifted so that the princess’ head would slot more comfortably in the space between her neck and shoulder. She started reading the first line. ”I’ve got a plan, you know,” Bellatrix said after some time.
The princess hummed softly. “Mhm, I know.”
And it was the best plan ever. But, in the meantime, Bellatrix guessed sitting under the apple tree with the princess wasn’t too bad.