Bejeweled

Remus could tell Lily was nervous as they made their way to the 7th floor. It was an unseasonably sunny day, the light illuminating the corridors through the arched windows, giving the entire castle a cheery glow, though the chill in the air still made most Gryffindors and Ravenclaws stay safely by their common room fires. The pair had almost exclusively passed Hufflepuffs and Slytherins in the halls, making their way towards the library or various other spots to enjoy the sunshine. 

“You know you don’t have to do this? There’s nothing wrong with backing out, you don’t owe her anything,” Remus reminded his companion. 

“I know, but I want to. She really seems to be trying, you know? But it’s still…Bellatrix,” Lily sighed, cringing a little as if she expected him to be upset by the statement. 

“It is, but I wouldn’t let you do this if I didn’t trust her,” Remus assured her. “And I’ll be there the whole time.” 

Lily shot him a tight smile in thanks as they rounded the last corner. Bella was casually leaning against the wall opposite the Room of Requirement, waiting with a dark brown picnic basket in her hands. She pushed herself upright upon seeing them and smiled nervously. 

“I’m sorry, I thought it would be just the two of us. So I brought…well, that’s fine. The House Elves always give out so much food, I’m sure we’ll have enough,” Bella waved away the issue as she thought of it. 

“Sorry, I just thought it might be more comfortable for both of us if Remus was here. Since we both know him, you know?” Lily explained. 

“Nothing to apologize for,” Bella assured her. Remus suspected Bella knew the real reason he was there, because Lily didn’t feel safe alone with her. But either Bella didn’t realize it or chose to ignore it because she said nothing more on the matter. 

“So are we just going to have tea here?” Lily asked, looking around the empty hallway. 

“Not quite,” Bellatrix grinned and then walked past the right spot three times, a focused look on her face. 

“Woah, is this..?” Lily asked, realization dawning. 

“Yep,” Remus smiled back. “Bella found it.” 

Inside they found the perfect little space for tea. It was much smaller than any of the versions of the room Remus had seen before. The space was painted in a light pastel mint shade, decorated with tasteful filigree with a rose motif in a pastel pink that matched the main shade and white accents. On one side was a small fireplace, merrily alight, with three windows around the rest of the half-circle room which let in the sunshine. In the middle was a mosaic table with a single large rose formed by the tiles, outlined in white and then a mint background to tie it all together, with three wrought iron chairs with cushioned seats surrounding it. 

“Beautiful,” Lily grinned and chose a seat. 

Remus sat as well, as Bellatrix put the picnic basket on the last chair and began unpacking its contents. A full tea set, with the pot kept magically stable and warm, as well as enough sandwiches and pastries for five. 

“They always send so much,” Bellatrix muttered with a bit of fondness to her tone. 

“The House Elves in the kitchens?” Lily asked. 

“Yeah, have you never gotten food from them?” Bella responded. 

“Oh, no,” Lily admitted awkwardly. “They kinda make me uncomfortable.” 

Bella’s eyebrows scrunched towards each other and she tilted her head slightly. “Why’s that? They’re always so welcoming.” 

“Yeah, but they’re,” Lily looked uncomfortable, glancing around the room instead of looking at either of them, “slaves? And…legitimately happy about it? It’s…weird. When I first found out about them I was horrified, so I went to the kitchens and actually talked to them, and yeah they really are happy about it, but that’s….” she trailed off as if unsure how to end the sentence. 

Bellatrix bit her lip slightly, glancing down at her hands in her lap. “Not…all of them are,” she said. 

“What do you mean?” Remus asked curiously. 

“Well,” Bella began, “I know of one. My family owns him, actually, Dobby. He kinda…raised me and Andy, actually. When our parents were busy or didn’t want to deal with us, they always handed us over to him, but we were too fond of him, I guess. So…” she paused, looking at Lily and Remus for encouragement to keep going and seemed to get it because she continued, “so my parents…forced us to iron his fingers. I had to do one hand, and then Andy had to do the other, and then-then we haven’t been allowed to speak to him since. Cissy’s going to inherit him since she…yeah.” 

Remus and Lily shared a horrified look. Remus reached out and rested his hand over Bella’s to get her to look up at him. “I am so sorry you were forced to do that. It’s not right.” 

Bella visibly swallowed, then shook her head and straightened her posture. “It’s fine. It’s whatever. He’s just an elf,” she brushed it off, but Remus understood her better now, knew that the look in her eye meant that she did very much still care about that elf. 

“He’s not,” Lily frowned. “Why haven’t you freed him?” she demanded.

”Freed him?” Bellatrix scoffed. “My parents would hex me for even having this conversation with you. What do you think they would do if I freed one of our House Elves?” 

“But-but-but he’s enslaved! And you said it yourself, he’s not like the others, he wants to be free!” Lily insisted. 

“And I don’t want to be Crucioed,” Bellatrix answered flatly. 

Remus felt his jaw clench. He knew Bellatrix wasn’t exaggerating, she would be tortured by her own parents for something like that, and the fact that there was anything she could do to be tortured by her own mum and dad made his insides boil. He remembered her mum from Platform 9 ¾. The woman was hateful to the bone. Cruel and cold and everything Bellatrix had the reputation for being, but that didn’t reach her core. The same could not be said for the mother. He was lucky he’d just been called ‘trash’, and he knew it. Honestly, while he’d appreciated Bella’s apology in her letter, it hadn’t been necessary. He was friends with Sirius, he knew what parents in the Black family were like, so he’d been glad Bellatrix hadn’t done anything in his defense for her own good. 

Lily was simmering on the inside, Remus could tell. She wanted Bellatrix to be Gryffindor brave, throw caution to the wind and free the elf, but she also at least partially understood the situation Bella was in. 

The three sipped their tea and nibbled on their sandwiches and pastries as the uncomfortable silence stretched on for what felt like hours, but was probably less than five minutes. 

Finally, Lily broke the tension, attempting to return the conversation to something pleasant. “Remus said you were interested in more muggle music recommendations, is that right?” 

“Oh, yeah,” Bellatrix nodded. “Though Hoben gave me some. She caught me returning those albums and somehow I didn’t get in trouble. She’s even letting me borrow more from her.” 

“Oh, that’s great,” Lily smiled genuinely. “What’d she give you?” 

Remus watched, but didn’t say much, as his two friends chatted happily, getting to know each other. It struck him how impossible the scene really was. Bellatrix Black and Lily Evans having tea together, talking and laughing and actually seeming to enjoy each other’s company despite the growing pains. It gave him hope for the future; for the war. Things were seeming darker and more divided day by day out in the wizarding world. Fear, suspicion, more and more mysterious disappearances. Lines in the sand were being drawn. People could feel war in the air. But at that moment, in that cheerful little room with sunlight shining through the windows, everything was okay.