By blood
“Gosh she really does look like Bella.”
-.-.-
“Trix?” Severus has been looking for her for a few hours now, but can’t seem to find her anywhere. Its not like she apparated- Oh Merlin.
He apparated so fast he got whiplash, he had to find her fast. Terrified she may have sintched herself and can’t call for help. He finds her in the attic, the locked attic. She’s as strong as her biological mother then, no one learns to apparat by themselves; let alone a child. As he finds her, she laughs. Her smile bright and warm. Adopted may she be, He’s raised her, and she’ll be as happy as she is strong. Severus can practically feel her magic.
“Severus?” He hears Narcissa call his name a few moment later, “Did you find her?!” Of course she’s just as panicked as much as he was, this is her niece. He holds Trixie close as he walks down to the living room.
“I have news.” He deadpans to the Malfoys, Little Draco sitting on the sofa with Trixie’s snake plush. Narcissa see’s the young girl back in his arms and worders what the news could be. “Well, Severus? Do tell.” She asks quietly.
“Trixie.. Has learnt to apparate. I believe Bella also taught herself at this age, correct?” He directs his attention to Narcissa who nods slowly, baffled. Before he can continue Trixie has apparated out of his arms and down over to Draco who holds out the snake for her and smiles.
They look down at the children and wonder just how much trouble raising Bella’s child is going to be.
-.-.-
On Trixie’s first birthday they didn’t do anything special. Not because they thought she didn’t deserve it but to a girl her age it wouldn’t be important or a memory for her so instead – the Malfoy’s sent presents and the present sent from Bellatrix to Severus.
He was reading to her when the presents arrived and Trixie started floating, Severus had taken notice that she usually can’t control it when she’s excited so he lets it go instead of telling her off for it. He walks over to the fireplace where the gifts had landed then his own on the top. He picks them up and walks back over to where Trixie had sat back down and started clapping in excitement.
“Which one would you like to open first?” He asks, Severus had read somewhere that children learn to talk faster if you speak to them normally instead of a high pitched baby tone, which he wouldn’t do either way but it’s a plus.
Trixie giggles and babble what Severus swears sounds like ‘dragon’ but he could be hearing things. “Draco? Would you like to open one from Draco first?” Obviously Draco hadn’t bought it, he pointed at the gift when they went out to find gifts for her. Again with the babble that sounds like dragon, he hands her the gift and watches as she rips apart the very loosely wrapped gift, she opens the box inside, she smiles and babbles as Severus sits down next to her and takes a look at the gift. Inside a beautiful dragon hair pin, She doesn’t have enough hair for it yet but he can see her in the near future wearing it every day. She closes the box and puts it down next to her and pats it, Severus ogles for a moment before handing her the next thing ‘From Aunty Cissa and Uncle Lucius.” He smiles slightly as she opens this one.
Inside wrapped in delicate paper, a wand. Not one made of wood – or the growingly popular “Baby’s first wand.” That all parents seem to be buying their children – but a beautiful hand crafted wand, Narcissa made it and Lucius put the charms on it, inside the paper was a note for Severus.
“Severus. Thank you for looking after her. This wand – made by myself. The amethyst butterfly is to protect her from any physic attacks that may come from being my sisters daughter while also added to keep her at peace. Amethyst is for calming anxiety’s you see and her life will have many struggles in the future, so I want her to know we will always look after her. The pearl at the end is a blessing for her to have easy healing and endurance for any trouble she may have. Lucius has charmed the wand, the snake at the end specifically. A protection charm that gets stronger as she gets older, and a communication charm, connected to Draco’s own wand we got for his first birthday. When they get older, they will figure out how to use them and when the time comes, we will help them with the wands they get from Olivander.”
He tears up as he reads it and watches how Trixie is so delicate with the wand in her hands. She looks at it like she can feel the love it took to make and he noticed just how pure this girl in front of her is. She’s just a child, Bellatrix isn’t raising her – he is.
The next gift she is handed is the one from him, a box with no wrapping paper. She struggled for a moment as Severus huffs out a laugh and helps her with the lid. Inside a necklace with her birthstone on it, Peridot, an elegant gem hanging off the chain and a bracelet to match.
She stares in awe as she touches the green gem, smiles then looks up at Severus. He carefully takes the next box as she’s looking at all the things she’s gotten. He runs his wand over the box – checking for curses or anything that may hurt Trixie. Then – once he knows it’s all clear – he hands her the gift. Inside was something he never would’ve expected. Potions for hair care, curly hair specifically, he was in shock. Trixie looks at the gift with a slightly tilted head then spots a little card and hands it to the man. He takes it and reads what is written.
“Severus. I know Trixie is in your care now, they won’t allow me to write to her unless for her birthday ‘because she did nothing wrong’ they said. Look after her for me. She’s yours now.
- Bellatrix.
P.S. don’t let her hair get matted. Use these.”
‘She’s yours now.’ Severus teared up over that, he can’t imagine what Bellatrix is feeling no matter how horrible of a person and yet she still cared to do this. And he reads that line over and over. She’s his now. His daughter. His Trixie.