Screams and sobs erupted from a cell in Azkaban that belonged to none other than Bellatrix Black -or as she hated it, Bellatrix Lestrange-. For once since she's been in here, she's grateful that for now, nobody's occupying the cells opposite of hers, so she has at least a drop of privacy, except for the dementors that surround the cells who are supposed to watch the prisoners at all times, and the two men that are placed in the cells on her right and left, who could only hear what she's going through.
She pushed again and screamed. Her baby was coming, and despite what people say about her, The Minister is much more cruel for letting a pregnant woman with no strength whatsoever because of the dementors, give birth alone in a cold and dull cell.
"BELLA! Breathe, Bella!" Barty spoke from the cell to her left.
"I- I fucking can't!" Bellatrix spoke through her panting, and sobbed a little more. She was sweating a lot, and the pain was almost as unbearable as the Cruciatus Curse. The exception was that she's gotten used to the Curse, this was a whole new thing for her.
"The fuck you can't. You're Bellatrix Black, you can do whatever you want, come on now, Bella! You've survived the Cruciatus a million times, the birth of a child should be a piece of cake" Sirius spoke from the cell to her right. He knew the birth of a child is in fact NOT a piece of cake, but he was trying to convince Bellatrix of that at the very moment.
She was leaning against the wall that separated their cells. Surprisingly enough his words got to Bellatrix the right way.
She nodded even though none of them could see her and pushed again, another scream erupted from her mouth.
Sirius put their history aside and decided to be there for his cousin because at the end of the day, they're family and they're stuck in Azkaban togheter. He put his hand out through the bars of his cell and extended it in front of Bella's bars.
"Hold as tight as you need." He told her. He saw this at Harry's birth. Lily was squeezing James' hand so hard that it almost stopped his blood circulation but it helped because the moment she did that, it took only a few more pushes.
Bellatrix felt a bit humiliated but the pain she was feeling beat it. She extended her own hand through her bars and squeezed Sirius' as tight as possible. Sirius didn't mind much, of course, it was nothing compared to his parents torture. It was something none of them admitted but Sirius handled pain a lot better than James.
Bellatrix couldn't believe in what situation she's landed herself. She swears to Merlin, if Sirius or Barty say a word about this, she's gonna kill them herself.
"Come on, Bella!" Barty spoke encouragingly, breaking Bellatrix out of her thoughts as she remembered she had to push.
She let out another scream, and squeezed Sirius hand tightly, as she pushed again.
Sensing her pain, anger and humiliation, the Dementors went to approach her before Sirius spoke "Don't you fucking dare!", his voice was scary, cold and deeper than usual, you wouldnt recognize it was his. It reminded Bellatrix of Orion. She guessed he let out his inner Black for a moment.
He's never used that voice on anyone - or anything - but Snape when he called Lily a mudblood and on Walburga when she went to curse Regulus. His demeanor only changed like that when he wanted to protect his family.
The Dementors backed away, focusing on Sirius instead, but not trying anything just yet.
Another deep breath and another push, and suddenly the cry of a baby could be heard through the cell.
All three of them breathed out in relief.
Bellatrix withdrew her hand from Sirius' and picked up her baby.
A beautiful and healthy baby boy.
"Its a boy." she spoke softly, so soft Barty and Sirius wouldn't have recognized it was her if they didn't know. Her tone was usually manic and high-pitched.
Sirius smiled.
"Congratulations, Bella." Barty said quietly.
Bellatrix stroke her baby's cheek softly. "Mattheo.." she said as she looked at him with motherly love in her eyes.
She chuckled softly, forgetting shortly that she was in a dark cell, with her cousin and friend in the cells next to her.
They have failed to notice the dementor that left.
Sirius and Barty remained quiet, letting Bellatrix have her moment with her baby boy.
Barty, as he was the first cell from the door, noticed a man coming in, and he knew what was happening. They all did.
As she heard footsteps, Bellatrix smile fell slightly from her face, "I love you, Mattheo.." she whispered lovingly to him.
The door to her cell opened and closed as quick as you imagine and the man tried to get to her without stepping in the blood. Eventually he settled for getting out his wand and vanishing the blood from the floor as well as her clothes and skin, and approached her.
"Please!" Bellatrix sobbed as she clutched Mattheo to her chest. Deep down she knew it wasn't like she could raise him here, she knew he had to be taken away but it hurt her.
"Bella. It's for the best.." Barty spoke softly to her. And Merlin, she knew that but she didn't want it to be like that.
She sobbed as the man snitched the boy from her weak arms. "Please, be careful with him.." she spoke quietly through her sobs. The man blank expression changed slightly in a sympathetic one and nodded shortly before leaving as quick as he came.
And Bellatrix continued to sob and this time she didn't care about humiliation when she extended her hand through her bars and held Sirius' for comfort again.
She wouldn't get to raise her baby boy. She wouldn't get to see him grow up. And nobody would've thought but that was truly her last straw.