The Empress of Magic

Minister Cornelius Oswald Fudge never had thought that he would have to fear for his life after the last War, with Lord Voldemort having been defeated.......

But right now, as an incredibly furious Arcturus Black and Lucius Malfoy stood in front of him, Narcissa Malfoy née Black standing by her husband's side, he was beginning to think otherwise.

,, L-Lord Black! Lord and Lady Malfoy... How do I have the pleasure of greeting you three in my office on this fine Afternoon ?" he asked, quite pale in the face and gaze traveling anywhere that wasn't theirs.

After all, nobody would ever be stupid enough to look a furious Arcturus Black straight in the eye...

Unless, of course, they wanted to appoint a meeting with death at the earliest convenience and make their last few moments as miserable as humanly possible.

The look Arcturus Black held on his face after those words left his mouth made him inwardly plead for the ground to swallow him up so that he hopefully never had to stand before the Lord of the Black family again.

,, Minister Fudge......" Narcissa decided it was for the best if she took over the process of talking, seeing that they wouldn't get anywhere when the man was shaking like a leaf while her husband and great-uncle were busying themselves by glaring holes into his skull. ,, We came here, because my Goddaughter, Celestia Grindelwald-Lestrange is currently residing in St. Labouré, the French Wizarding healing facility, after having been attacked by an XXXXX-Classified Beast at Hogwarts."

,, Pardon !?!?!?" exclaimed Minister Fudge his eyes widening and his pulse rising.

XXXXX-Classified Beasts were the most dangerous Creatures recognized by the Wizarding World for the simple reason that encountering one usually led to either a painful death or a life of misery.

,, A nest of Acromantulas and a Basilisk to be specific." added Lucius, at which the Minister went as pale as a sheet.

Cornelius did not want to believe it.....

But when Arcturus slid the girl's Medical Record toward him, he couldn't help but feel sick.

Name of the Patient : Celestia Morgana Aurora Grindelwald-Lestrange

Age of the Patient: 13

List of Injuries : 

- Two fractured ribs in the upper region

- Untreated burns over the whole body

- Slashes along the back area 

- Open stitches

- Blood loss ( blood transfusions were required for the Patient ) 

- Minor Head Trauma

- Fractured right forearm, from a clean bite through the flesh of the Patient by an XXXXX-Classified Beast ( List of Injuries and an accompanying tooth brings to the conclusion that it most likely was caused by a reptile. Measuring at least forty-seven feet. )

- Scarring 

- Regrowth of Bone, skin, and muscle tissue required

- Basilisk Venom may cause long-lasting after-effects on the Patient

The sides of the paper crinkled from the pressure Cornelius used in holding it.

, Dumbledore...!!!!! That damned Bastard....!...' He thought, his blood pressure rising.

He had not been informed of any of this!

,, Madame Bones was the one who Interviewed my Goddaughter in the morning after the Acromantula attack... She also was with us on the evening of the disappearance of three young students." Narcissa informed him, the coldness in her eyes enough to display her feelings over the matter.

,, I see........... I'll be sure to visit her as soon as possible, to inform myself of the Case's details, Lady Malfoy...." replied Cornelius, sighing in exhaustion.

This was not good...............

An Heiress to two Noble and Ancient Houses, and next in line for the throne having not been attacked once but twice in the spawn of a few weeks......

Merlin, the Papers were going to drag him through the mud once they got wind of this.

Especially if Rita Skeeter was leading the campaign....

Arcturus, though, still looked quite dissatisfied with the other man's reply. ,, I hope you will..... The board of school governors has already scheduled a meeting concerning Headmaster Dumbledore's questionable choices. Young Celestia is to be the betrothed of my Heir Regulus, which makes her part of the family......... and as you know, we of the Black family place family above everything....."

The Blacks were as close to actual royalty as a noble House that did not hail from the Pendragons or Le Fays could get.

They had been one of the firsts to swear loyalty to the Pendragon siblings and had long since served as a Vassal House to them, similar to how the Bones and other Great Houses had over the course of the past thousand years.

It was an unspoken rule amongst the old families that so long as no Pendragon sat on the throne, the Blacks would make sure that those who dared to pose a threat against it would never be seen or heard from again.

This had escalated to a concerning degree after Violet Grindelwald and Regulus Black the elder were betrothed to one another shortly before Theseus died......

He could still vividly remember the day he had entered the office of the Minister at the time when he was still but a mere intern only to witness Cassiopeia Black deliver the head of some Muggleborn witch to them with a vindictive smile on her face......

She had killed that woman in cold blood, for the simple reason that she had implied that if there ever truly was such a thing as a King or Queen of Magical Europe, someone like Dumbledore would deserve the position far more than whoever actually was sat atop the throne.

When asked why she hadn't just brought her to the Ministry to be punished accordingly, the older witch had replied with ,, She spoke treason against your King. Such an act deserves no kindness other than death.... Or did you think I was going to let her stupidity spread through the masses?"

It hadn't been the first nor the last time someone had been killed for daring to voice such thoughts aloud.

'T was a good thing that before the victory against Voldemort a great many people fled the country, else a majority of the population would have not been able to escape the wrath of the Blacks who had no idea where their next Queen was left by the Potters and had lost several of their own to both sides of the war.

They had been weakened, but they still lurked in the shadows patiently waiting for the day the lost Heiress returned and they would be allowed to resume their post....

The heavens knew the Potters were more than likely the first on their long list of people they wanted to see dead for many years.......

And now Albus Dumbledore had possibly taken their spot as most likely to end up dead the day Celestia Grindelwald turned seventeen.

Cornelius gulped in fright. , Dumbledore... what were you thinking.. going against the Black's of all people !?'

,, O-Of course, Lord Black! You mustn't worry! I will personally look over the investigation taking place!" He assured, and almost shed a tear of relief as Arcturus gave a nod of satisfaction.

That relief was very short-lived.

,, We thank you, Minister........ Especially since we are in need of your assistance, for neither my sister nor brother-in-law have been informed about the situation as of now." spoke Narcissa, unable to imagine how her poor elder sister and her husband would react once they heard that Celestia ähad been seriously injured while fighting a Basilisk.

At that very moment, Minister Cornelius Oswald Fudge inwardly cursed Dumbledore with every word in the English language.

------------------

Azkaban Prison could only be accurately described as a fortress on an island in the middle of the North Sea.......

Serving as a prison for convicted criminals, for the magical community of Great Britain, Scotland, and Ireland, it held some of the most vicious and murderous Dark Wizards as its inhabitants.............

Its placement in the middle of the unforgiving sea meant constant stormy weather, the waves of water crashing against the murky walls of Stone every few hours like clockwork......

And serving as Guards in that prison were Creatures, some described to be the closest humans would ever be able to get to Death...

Dementors.

Those creatures fed on the souls of the living....... It mattered little if those living creatures were humans or other beings, so long as they could make a decent meal out of them.

Some said that those who died at the hands of a Dementor would be condemned in death to join their ranks, forever chained to their creator to punish those that sought to follow their path of misdeeds for the rest of their existence. 

Cornelius visibly shuddered as another Dementor passed by him and the group of Aurors accompanied him.

He really did not want to be here............

In the back of his mind, he had silently prayed, that as soon as Lord Black and Lord and Lady Malfoy left, he would only need to write a Letter addressed to the Lestranges and not actually step foot on this piece of rotten stone.

But with both Lucius and Arcturus present, he had no other choice but to.......

,, They're on the fourth level, together with Sirius Black and Theodemos Nott." One of the Aurors, Kingsley Shacklebolt, informed them as they continued walking through the cold and wet halls, screams of terror and fright echoing through them, as the Dementors made their rounds.

,, It shouldn't take long....." voiced Arcturus calmly though he knew that they couldn't promise anything positive to come out of this visit when heeding Bellatrix's state of mind.

She had never been the most mentally well out of all members of their family, too headstrong and too anxious to trust anyone who wasn't more powerful than her.

Eliza Grindelwald had been the only one willing enough to challenge her and try to tame the beast gnawing at her inner self, and even then Bellatrix wasn't someone you should have left alone for more than an hour, because when she got bored she searched for trouble, and by trouble he meant she went around and started firing spells at random passersby.

Spending the past decade surrounded by creatures that thrived in making others miserable did not help her in any kind of way.

Their steps slowed as they arrived at the fourth level of the prison. The floor awfully quiet in contrast to the rest..........

,, Oi! Lestranges, you've got visitors!" Another Auror called out, his voice ringing through the entire fourth level as he banged his gloved hand against one of the empty cell doors.

,, Ahahahahaha!! Visitors~ ? Oh~ Who is it ~?" Bellatrix's voice asked, her mad cackle sending another shiver down Cornelius' spine.

,, Bellatrix.." Arcturus and Lucius stepped towards her cell and were met by the sight of a tall woman with long, thick, shiny dark hair. Her face had a strong jaw, a thin mouth, and heavily lidded eyes with long eyelashes. She was incredibly malnourished, and there was a skull with a snake coming out of its mouth tattooed on her forearm.....

This, without a second doubt, was no other than Bellatrix Druella Lestrange née Black.

,, Lord Black........ it's been quite a while..." The hoarse voice of Rodolphus Lestrange greeted them, stepping up to stand next to his wife.

Arcturus could hardly believe that the once handsome young man who had married his niece was the very man who now stood before him.............

Azkaban had clearly made him age.........

Far worse than anyone could have ever expected.

He looked gaunt, his once luscious black curls a matted, greying nest, his skin pale from lack of sunlight and covered in open wounds. 

His pantlegs were covered in dried blood, and he was dragging one leg against the floor while trying to keep himself upwards, his pride too high to ask for assistance from his wife.

,, Rodolphus............." Arcturus greeted, still in quite a shock......

Merlin...... He had forgotten how quickly Azkaban could physically ruin someone....

He definitely had not expected this sight to greet him when he came into Cornelius' office this afternoon...

,, Where is Rabastan..?" Lucius asked, being the first to snap out of his shock.

,, Over here.." A tired voice answered from the cell next to the two Lestranges.

They turned to look.....

And Rabastan did not look anywhere near better than his older brother and sister-in-law...

No, he actually looked worse, the dark circles under his eyes so heavily prominent that they could almost be categorized as black.

It seemed like he hadn't slept a wink since he was imprisoned... Not that anyone could blame him.

,, As to why do we have the pleasure of greeting you here in Azkaban? With the Minister at your side no less ?" He tiredly asked, a loose smirk dangling from his lips.

Lucius was inwardly glad to see his old friend hadn't lost that very side of him too.

,, Oh! Did you finally kill old Dumbles, uncle? Do tell us!" Bellatrix cheerfully exclaimed, childishly clapping her hands together as an expression of crazed glee made its way onto her face.

,, Bellatrix......" Lucius started, his tone making the older witch stop and curiously await what he had to say.

Lucius only ever called her by her full name when the situation was serious.

And something about the nervous glint in his eyes made her wonder...........

,, Is my little Star okay..?" She asked, tilting her head.

The genuine concern on the woman's face shocked the present Aurors and Minister Fudge.

When Lucius nor Arcturus immediately answered her, she banged her chained fists against the cell doors, Rodolphus barely managing to stop her from trying to grab onto the closest Auror and shake him by the shoulders.

,, WHERE IS MY DAUGHTER, LUCIUS !?!?!?!?!?" She screamed, her upper body shaking in rage.

,, Bella... deep breaths..." Rodolphus whispered into his wife's ear, holding her back by the waist, one of her hands in his own, just to be sure.....

Kingsley Shacklebolt watched the interaction, somewhat feeling sympathy for the convicted Death Eaters, who looked genuinely concerned for their Goddaughter, even calling her their own....

He stepped forward, deciding it was for the best if he informed the unstable woman himself, so as to not risk the life of the Minister or one of his colleagues. ,, Lord and Lady Lestrange.......... your goddaughter is currently being treated at St. Labouré, France. A few days prior she was attacked and bitten by a Basilisk that has been residing inside of Hogwarts........" 

,, Huh...?......." Bellatrix blinked, the gears in her head turning as her mind tried to make sense of the information given to her.

And when she did, she began shaking her head in denial. ,, Nonononononono..... My little Star is supposed to be safe........... She's alive and well.... She even sent us letters right before her Exams week!"

Kingsley silently watched the woman processing everything...... noticing Rodolphus's skin paling, something one would think impossible by how pale he already was.

,, How is she !? Is she alive !?!? Who is with her ?!" Rabastan asked, when nobody dared to answer he yelled. ,, ANSWER ME!!!! "

And with Rabastan's anger at its peak, Bellatrix's last resistance snapped.

She got out of her husband's hold and grabbed Kingsley by his Robes, bringing him directly towards her, only the cell's bars stopping her from pulling him further. 

The other Aurors drew their Wands, but Bellatrix didn't care....

No......

She was livid.

,, HOW COULD MY DAUGHTER BE BITTEN BY A BASILISK AT HOGWARTS !?!?!?!?! WHERE WAS THAT DAMNED HEADMASTER WHEN MY CHILD WAS ATTACKED !?!?!?!?!?!?!" She yelled at Kingsley, letting her vent her anger on him.

Bellatrix Lestrange may be a prisoner, but before that, she was a mother, whose child was currently in the care of a foreign government, which meant nobody besides Xavier Lestrange, who was with her, knew about the girl's current state of health.

Hell, she could be dead by now and none of them would know until it was already too late.

,, I do not know myself, Lady Lestrange..... The case is still being investigated." He calmly answered, remembering his training as an Auror.

Grieving people were more likely to burst into rage, and this being Bellatrix Lestrange made the situation even more delicate.

,, Bella...." Rodolphus grasped her hands in his, carefully pulling her away...............

,, Rodolphus....... she can't be......" Seeing the tears in his wife's eyes he wrapped his arms around her, obviously holding back his concerns and worries for his daughter to focus on his wife.

Tears streamed down her face and she screamed, trying to get out of his hold.

,, WHY !?!?! We just got her back!!! You took her away from us once before!!! I'll kill you!!!! I'll kill you for every strand of silver hair missing atop her head you filthy Half-bloods!!!!" She screeched, fighting against Rodolphus's hold.

Arcturus turned to Lucius, knowing fully well that if this continued, Bellatrix would go on a rampage.

And nobody would be able to stop her after that.

,, Get them here." He told the Malfoy, who looked conflicted, seeing his sister and brother-in-law in such miserable states.

,, Lucius, they won't calm down until you get them and they can see for themselves." That finally made the blonde wizard agree, and before anyone could stop him he Apparated away.

-------------------

,, 'Tia!" Celestia whirled around when she heard Regulus' voice coming closer, his footsteps quick as he sprinted up to her, Narcissa with Fenris and Chrome at her side, not too far behind.

,, Reggie!" exclaimed the witch, immediately being trapped in a hug, the force of impact making her stumble a few steps behind.

He held her as close as humanly possible, gently grasping her face with his hands, caressing her cheeks with his thumbs, slowly and wordlessly assessing her overall condition.

She noticed the tears in the corners of his eyes and wrapped her own arms around his waist to take a better look at him........

He looked tired......

And stressed..........

However, it also seemed like a huge boulder had been lifted off of his shoulders.

,, You're all right..." He breathed out.

When Regulus had been told that Celestia was bitten by the Basilisk, he had to be held back by Marcus Flint and two seventh years from attacking the Headmaster, who had delivered them the news with an almost gleeful twinkle in his eyes.

He sadly did not manage to get to him, as Marcus had covered his mouth, while his arms had been seized and his Wand taken by the Taylor twins before he could utter a single word....

Draco had shakily informed them about the situation after Dumbledore had left the common room, having turned green as he recalled the amount of blood Celestia had been covered in.

,, As healthy as one can be..." She replied calmly, not wanting to concern him even further..

Regulus looked deep into her Bi-colored eyes, wanting to assure himself.

When he was sure she was actually fine, he pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead, both teens glad to be in the presence of the other.

,, Celestia........ it's wonderful to see you in better health." Narcissa greeted, pressing a kiss to each teen's head as she hugged them both.

,, Mistress!" Fenris jumped on his hind legs managing to reach up to her shoulders with his front legs, Chrome balancing himself on top of the Asgardian-Wolf's head.

,, *Chuckle* Hello there, Fenris, Chrome." She greeted them, petting them both.

Chrome nuzzled his snout against her cheek while making angry noises, glad that his human was fine, but also furious that she let herself get injured to begin with.

Regulus sweat dropped. ,, I don't know if he's glad that you're alive or angry at you because he had to stay in my dorm while you were here."

,, I'd say both." She answered, looking at the still scolding Niffler.

,, Ehm........ Excuse me....." That brought back their attention, Celestia having for a moment forgotten about Aelius who had a small smile on his face, one of his hands up in an awkward wave.

,, Oh my.....Excuse us, we did not notice anyone else in Celestia's company." said Narcissa, a bit embarrassed about not having seen the handsome young man at her Goddaughter's side.

Aelius was quick to shake her apology off, blushing. ,, Oh no! It's quite all right! There is no need to apologize to me."

Regulus raised an eyebrow, discreetly turning to look at Celestia, who gave an amused chuckle, silently nudging him so he would introduce himself to the shy male.

He faced the unknown male again, noting his delicate feminine features...........

Had it not been for his body's stature and voice he could have easily been mistaken as a tall girl.

,, Regulus Canis Black of the noblest and ancient house of Black." He introduced himself, watching as the male turned his focus to him.

,, Aelius Polarius..... of the most loyal and sacred house of Pollarius...." replied Aelius, shaking Regulus offered hand.

When Regulus heard his family name some things became clear in his mind.

The Polarius were one of the twelve distant Royal lines, some of them distant relatives or Illegimate children of the past Kings and Queens of Magical Europe.

Aelius seemed to come from the main line of the family, his blueish hair and matching sapphire blue eyes a plain giveaway to that fact.

The main line had also produced at least one of the Royal Concubines in almost each Generation, which came from an alliance with the Wizarding Royals......

For all they knew Aelius could very well become Celestia's Concubine, should the male be the closest to the girl in regards to their ages.

,, It's a pleasure to meet you, Heir Polarius." greeted the Black Heir, both teens bowing to show the other respect.

,, Lady Malfoy..." Aelius kissed the back of the woman's hand, Narcissa nodding politely in greeting in return.

,, Ah... We should probably return before Fred and George decide to search for us." said Celestia, knowing fully well that the twins would probably be banned from ever stepping foot into the hospital again if they were left unattended for too long.....

Merlin knows from who they got their mischievous and vindictive sides.

,, The Weasley twins ?" asked Narcissa, as all of them began walking back towards Celestia's room.

,, ... Not quite..." replied the young witch, making Regulus and Narcissa furrow their brows in confusion.

--------------------

,, 'Tia, you're back-!"

,, And you brought dear Regulus and Lady Malfoy with you!" exclaimed the twins, happily welcoming them back.

Narcissa gasped at their appearance, Regulus left in disbelief at the sight of the two Gryffindors.

,, Good Morgan...... What in the seven hells happened to you two ?" Narcissa asked, approaching the two boys with a worried look in her eyes, one that only a mother carried with her.

Fred and George nervously scratched the back of their necks, shifting on their feet as Narcissa grabbed them by the chins to inspect them closer. ,, Our Mother.........-"

,, She may or may not have threatened to disown us should we follow Lord Lestrange here.."

,, She did what !?" Narcissa and Regulus shouted in outrage, both appalled by what they just had heard.

Narcissa could not believe the nerve of Molly Weasley......

Lucius and she had waited an incredibly long time, met with failure after failure, before finally conceiving Draco, only to be informed that they would probably not be able to conceive another child after his birth.

Mother Magic had blessed Molly Weasley with seven healthy magically gifted children, even though she had thrown the Olde ways away and betrayed their traditions by celebrating and embracing Christian ones.....

And the woman spat in the generosity of the Fates by doing this to two of her sons !?!?!

,, But-!"

,, We still got our dear little sister Celestia here."

,, So we don't regret a thing." They reassured, grinning, which made the older witch's heart clench painfully within her chest.

, Those poor boys........' She thought, carefully bringing the both of them into a hug, shocking them.

,, Lady Malfoy...?..."

,, Aunt Narcissa or Cissy." corrected the woman. ,, ........ If your own mother won't recognize you two, and Celestia sees you as a part of our family then you are as much nephews to me as Regulus is." 

The twins shared a surprised look, before glancing at Regulus and Celestia, who both nodded their heads and gestured for them to reply in kind.

Smiling they hugged the woman back. ,, Thank you, aunt Cissy...."

Celestia watched the scene with a happy smile on her face, her head leaning against Regulus' shoulder as he wrapped an arm around her waist.

Xavier put away his Documents and smiled as well, clasping the twin's shoulders with one hand each as Narcissa let go of them.

,, You two will have nothing to worry about..... We'll have come up with a solution for your little problem by the time summer comes to an end." He assured them once more, and one could have sworn Fred and Georges's faces would freeze up by how much they were grinning.

Only for the sweet moment to be interrupted by a disheveled Lucius arriving in the middle of the room, having just Apparated from somewhere.

,, Lucius / Uncle Lucius ?" 

Everyone was quite surprised by his sudden appearance.

,, Good meet everyone, I'm sorry for abruptly appearing, but I need Celestia to come with me. Immediately." He said, quickly walking closer to said witch.

,, Lucius, what is going on ?" Narcissa asked him, worried since she knew that he and Arcturus had left for Azkaban a few hours ago.

,, Bellatrix." Was Lucius' only reply, Xavier immediately getting to his feet in preparation for leaving with him.

,, She did not take the news well, I presume ?" asked the older wizard, to which Lucius almost audibly snorted.

,, Did not take well is a nice way to describe it. She attacked one of the Aurors and as far as I'm aware is currently still threatening dismemberment to everyone else." replied Lucius.

,, Wait- What do you mean by that ?" asked Celestia, unaware of what had been going on outside the hospital since her arrival.

,, Even if I'm your Magical Guardian, the Wizarding laws require your godparents to be informed about your status should a great concern for your health make itself noticeable... Your mother does not seem to have taken the news well." Xavier explained, watching as realization sunk in.

'Bellatrix' in combination with the words 'not taken well' was not only extremely dangerous but a guaranteed death for anyone in close quarters to her.

,, Arcturus sent me here, she won't calm down until she has seen for herself that Celestia is alive." Lucius explained.

,, I'll be coming with you, knowing Rabastan and Rodolphus they won't hesitate to follow Bellatrix's example sooner or later." spoke Xavier, before turning to the twins and Regulus.

,, This will only take a few minutes, so stay here and don't cause problems." The last part was directed more towards Fred and George, though it didn't hold much of a bite to it.

,, What?" asked Aelius, eyes widening as he realized what was going on. ,, Wait-!"

,, Yes Sir." said the twins, offering playful salutes, while still looking worried as they watched Celestia grasp onto her Grandfather's arm, Chrome and Fenris at her side, before apparating away. Aelius left unable to do anything but stare after them.

,, Father will kill me when he learns of this..." bemoaned the Veela, holding his head in his hands, the other occupants of the room suddenly remembering why they were in a hospital, to begin with...

They may or may not have forgotten that Celestia was still being treated for her injuries, and obviously needed to be accompanied by a Healer anywhere she went........

------------------

Celestia recognized the feeling of a pull towards her navel, her arm firmly placed on that of Xavier as they finally stood foot in front of the dark prison............

,, They're on the fourth level, we must make haste!" informed them Lucius, he and Xavier quickly running into the building, Celestia sitting down on Fenris's back after he had adjusted himself towards a bigger size, with Chrome on her shoulder, before following after them.

,, Towards the fourth level, do not stop until we've reached it." She instructed, aware that if she were to run now she had a good chance of collapsing in the middle of the stairs... Which would not be great when minding the fact that there were Soul-eating creatures at every corner of this rotten prison.

,, As you wish." replied Fenris, picking up speed to follow after the two grown Wizards.

The temperature inside was freezing cold, and she spotted her fair share of Dementors floating around, closely monitoring their every move as if waiting for the moment they stepped too far away from the others to snatch them away.......

, Who would let another human live in conditions like these ?' she asked herself, Chrome hiding further into her shoulder as he spotted the Dementors patrolling the premises.

Hearing panicked and rage-filled yelling, she knew they were close to reaching their destination, which is why she did her best to ignore them for now....

,, Bellatrix, calm yourself!" hearing Xavier's voice, Fenris took the final steps toward the fourth level and Celestia wasted no time getting off of his back and catching up with her Grandfather.

The Aurors and the Minister noticed her, all of them widening their eyes at the thirteen-year-old, who was completely bandaged up from her neck down, who had arrived with a gigantic Wolf and a Niffler at her side.

,, Lord Malfoy, are you insane !?" one of the Aurors asked, in disbelief as to why the man thought it would be a good idea to bring the young girl here, while the Dementors were up and about.

,, Would you rather have your prisoners go on a rampage and kill us all ?" Lucius asked, making the Auror quickly shut his mouth.

,, Let me go! I will kill you all even if it's-!" Bellatrix stopped resisting and turned quiet as her eyes spotted the young silver-haired girl standing beside her father-in-law...............

Rodolphus who stood behind his wife had equally turned quiet, both staring at Celestia with wide eyes.......................

Celestia, with an encouraging nod of Xavier's head slowly walked up to the cell, acting as if she was approaching a cowering animal....

She stopped directly before Rodolphus and Bellatrix, the three of them silently taking one another in................

Silver-white hair, Bi-colored eyes, a small beauty mark on her face, and faint scars littered her skin............. There was a Niffler on her shoulder and a Wolf standing next to her, watching everyone closely to make sure his Mistress wouldn't be attacked with her back turned.

Bellatrix kneeled down so she could look even closer..... slowly reaching a hand out in between the cell bars, as if hesitant, fearing that she was imagining the girl before her......

Celestia noticed her hesitance and slowly grasped onto Bellatrix's hand with her smaller one, the gasp leaving the woman not going unnoticed...........

She gently intertwined their hands, her pale, bandaged skin a stark contrast to Bellatrix's dirty and boney one...

,, Hello mother.......... it's good to finally meet you..." greeted the half-Veela, offering the older witch a smile.

,, My little Star......... is this really you....?..." Bellatrix asked, her body still shaking, only this time from shock.

This must have been a cruel joke of the Dementors.............

She would probably soon be woken up by Rodolphus and see that this was all a dream....

Celestia nodded, squeezing her hand in assurance. ,, It's me, mother......"

Seeing the girl's eyes briefly turn Gold from the overflow of emotions, all reluctance was thrown out of the window.

,, My sweet Star!" Bellatrix moved as close to the cell bars as she could, wanting nothing more than to hug her daughter and never let her go. ,, My baby...... you came back... you're back....." She muttered, grasping the girl's face with her hands.

,, Merlin....... Celestia, you're really here." Rodolphus kneeled down next to Bellatrix, gently holding onto her smaller hand with all the strength left in her.

,, My lovely little Celestia.... you've grown so much.." Bellatrix said, letting out a small laugh as she looked at her daughter.

,, Celestia..?..." Rabastan's voice hesitantly called out, at which the girl let out a small laugh. ,, Hello uncle Rabastan, I would come and greet you face to face, but mother refuses to let go!"

Rabastan's disbelieving cackle rang through the fourth level of Azkaban, the girl unable to see the mad grin plastered all across his face, but able to vividly picture it. ,, It's good to finally hear your voice after a decade of absence!"

 ,, Oh 'Tia...... you're going to give your poor father a Heart attack..... I mean, bitten by a Basilisk ?..." said Rodolphus, the father and daughter sharing a small laugh as he said that.

Those observing them were sharing put-off expressions, unsure what to make out of the pair that took her almost death with humor.

,, Barty would have loved to see you........... never let go of the Moon Pendant with your picture in it, he did. Not even the Unspeakable could pry it out of his hands." He told her, placing a loose strand of hair behind her ear.

,, Lovely expressions they wore when he bit one in the hand." recalled Bellatrix grinning at the memory of Barty Crouch Jr. biting the Unspeakable who had tried to take the last remaining piece that he had from Celestia in the hand until it was a bloody mess and he had blood that was not his own pouring out of his mouth.

They had given up after he wouldn't even loosen his grip after five of them had tried to beat it away from him.

Most of the Aurors present flinched at the memory, able to remember the mad look in his eyes as the young boy picked the human flesh out of his blood-covered teeth and greeted them with a pleased smile.

None of the Unspeakables wanted to even go near his cell after that day.

,, We've been searching for you everywhere after that day...." Bellatrix told her, looking somber.....

That made everyone listen, Kingsley raising an eyebrow, while Cornelius got confused.

,, Those Longbottoms took you away from us in the middle of the night........... Filthy Bloodtraitors...... brought their Allies and attacked us right after Narcissa left with itty-bitty Draco.............. And they dared to call themselves parents of their own." She said through gritted teeth.

Kingsley furrowed his eyebrows. ,, The Longbottoms kidnapped Miss Grindelwald-Lestrange as a baby ?"

The couple glared, Rodolphus not letting go of Celestia's hand. ,, Why do you think we went after them specifically? They took our daughter, and by Magic, we had the right to punish them however we deemed right."

,, W-Wait... Does that mean..."

,, We used the Cruciatus Curse on them to get the whereabouts of Celestia out of them.... but they deliberately refused to open their bloody mouths!" Bellatrix hissed out, only stopped from lunging at them by the feeling of Celestia's hand on her arm.

Cornelius paled drastically.........

This.... could not be seriously happening......

,, You tortured a couple and made a son lose his parents.." A hoarse voice called out, making Celestia turn around.

Sitting in the darkest corner of the cell opposite of the one she was standing in front of was a man with a long mess of black curls and haunted gray eyes, his prison uniform hanging onto his thin frame like rags, and his skin a pasty shade of white that reminded her of someone she had seen die of a fever when she was three.

, Would you look at that.....' she wondered, immediately recognizing him from one of the pictures she had seen hanging in Arcturus' office. , ... Sirius Black in the flesh....... What an unpleasant surprise.'

If there was one thing she couldn't stand in adults it was cowards. Not only were they unreliable, but they left only misery and pain behind wherever they went thanks to their incompetence to think things through.

He had been too much of a coward to face a reality where he had to raise his son on his own and left him in the care of those he had once fled from himself.

Orion and Walburga Black may not have been as bad to their grandson as they were to their sons, but they still were far from what a little boy needed to flourish into the best version of himself.

,, Sirius Orion Black I presume..?.." she said, the fact coming out more like a statement than a question. 

,, Eliza....?......." he asked, squinting at her form. 

,, Not quite, I'm her daughter Celestia." She answered.

,, You should know Sirius.... after all, you were there when they returned with our child in their arms that day..." Rabastan said, both men glaring at the other.

,, They were both Pure-bloods.... If they were willing to separate a child from her birth family knowing the risks of a Blood Debt being called forth, then they deserved it.." Bellatrix added, seething.

She hated Sirius, hated him more than anything else in the world, and often screamed at him that Regulus the elder had been much more deserving of life than he was.

It hurt him. A lot. And she relished in it.

,, You called forth a Blood Debt to the Longbottoms ?" Kingsley repeated, just to make sure he understood them right.

,, Yes, yes, Rabastan, Rodolphus, me, and Barty! We called it right after the Blood Traitors left~!" confirmed the witch, grinning.

Kingsley glanced around him, spotting the shocked looks on his colleague's faces.....

This obviously had not been discussed during their trial.............

Then he turned back to look at Celestia.......

The girl was thirteen and up until a few years ago had been living in the Muggle World in an unstable environment....

,, Excuse me.." He said, Appariting back to the Ministry...........

He had a lot to talk about with Madame Bones....