xıɹʇɐllǝq

{ insert something Shakespearean involving death and relating to your inevitable doom here }

[bcllvtrxx]

* ∘⡊ ☆ﾟ*・⊹  sirius ⊹

Bellatrix had very likely been the last person on Earth Sirius would have expected to be at this exact location at this exact time. There had been a lot of ties Sirius cut off when he chose to run away, not all of them even members of the most noble and ancient ( although Bella wasn’t technically a Black anymore; she had taken on a new pureblooded name ). Still, he would have guessed any of the other’s he had managed to piss off before thinking he would be spending a part of his birthday with her this year. 

It was moments like this that made him realize just how much his life had changed. 

“What are you doing here, Bella?” He had managed the words faster than he could even turn to face her, any trace of what had been a happy evening until that moment wiped from his features. Contrary to the amount of times Sirius rambled on about how he held no ties to his blood, how relation or a last name didn’t make him a Black and how glad he was to have been blown off their repulsive family tree, he had been quite quick to dismiss the coworker he had been speaking to in order to deal with family business.

* ∘⡊ ☆ﾟ*・⊹  bellatrix ⊹

“What am I  doing?  --having a drink, obviously.” She lifts her glass in demonstration, the liquid sloshing and betraying the fact that she had been there for a while. Her features were split in a mocking smile, enjoying his surprise and the small advantage it afforded her. “I see glasses in your future, old man.” Bellatrix’ teasing sent her frame into shuddering laughter, the sound releasing a burst of tension within her chest she hadn’t noticed until it was gone. His acknowledgement, good or bad, meant more to her than she cared to admit.

“Happy Birthday, Sirius. . . . You didn’t think I’d forget such an important event, did you? Because that would be  stupid.”  With a limp wrist, she raised her drink for a toast, her tone difficult to read but heavy with its usual superiority. It wasn’t only him, the familiar tone like a nectar for her sharp tongue. Although to say there was some great love lost between the two cousins might’ve been an exaggeration. If anything, her doting on Regulus gave an air of favoritism that anyone with a brain cell could’ve noticed. And Bellatrix had to admit, with something like regret, that Sirius had a few brain cells jostling within that head of shaggy hair. The low light allowed her an excuse to search his features, curiosity the theme of the night. She decided, with the similarities of two brothers unmistakable, that that was why she had come all this way, driven by some uncomfortable stirring in her chest. Regulus had, from wherever he currently hid, set her heart in motion and forced her hand. “Have you  missed  me?”

[bcllvtrxx]

* ∘⡊ ☆ﾟ*・⊹ narcissa ⊹

Narcissa just raised an eyebrow as she watched her sister settle into the seat opposite her. Other than Draco and Lucius, Bellatrix was probably the only person she truly loved in this world Bellatrix had been her best friend for longer than she could remember. She was the first person that Narcissa had truly loved, and she was so glad that through everything she still had her by her side. The world was a unknown place, even these years later, and she was grateful that Bellatrix was still at her side. “Since when have I ever stepped foot into a office to work” She pointed out with a laugh. Narcissa had not worked a day in her life and didn’t intend on changing that any time soon. “Oh? Must I? Oh. However will I cope”

* ∘⡊ ☆ﾟ*・⊹  bellatrix ⊹

“How true, sweets. That sordid affair is utterly beneath you,” Bellatrix  reassured the blonde with a quick dismissal,  her tone shifting into something so soft it would be a shock to anyone overhearing. It was true too, Narcissa would stick out like a pearl in a sea of trash at the Ministry. Her fingers waved away her teasing and she sat forward in her seat so their conversation appeared almost conspiratorial, like two young witches chattering away in a common room. They were close, their relationship strong as two pillars holding up a crumbling colosseum must be. The Blacks, if she took a moment to be honest with herself, were a dying breed. But it was  more  than family loyalties that kept her coming back for her little sister, more than ideals, or circumstances. “Must is an understatement,” Bellatrix lifted the glass to her lips for a sweet sip before continuing, “I am in dire need of your ear, Cissy. I hope you didn’t have plans as they must all be cancelled for the sake of  me.”

[supagirl]

I’m a Falcone. This city is my birthright.

[bcllvtrxx]

* ∘⡊ ☆ﾟ*・⊹  lucius ⊹

Not even Alastor Moody could terrify him as much as the woman before him did.

Having to be sociable with her came with the unwritten laws of marriage. How could someone as delightful and mesmerising as Narcissa possibly be related to Bellatrix Lestrange? Not that he ever let his thoughts be knows, her husband was practically an older brother to the man, though Lucius admittedly had to give him credit, how he lived with her was admirable. 

A displeased look crossed his face in a flicker as he realised who had approached him and the distaste only grew with her words. Now he had to endure her company, excellent.

The Head of the Malfoy family was not one to be full of words unless needed. Lucius spent more time with silent looks and internal conversations, his personality juxtaposed the one he presented to the public, then again, that was his job and he excelled at it. 

“As I stated. It was this way when I found it,” he muttered, leaning against the nearest bookshelf and crossing his arms, preparing himself for the parade to follow. 

A weary sigh left his mouth before he pinched the bridge of his nose. “No, the mess didn’t quite help on that part,” he replied, his arm returning to its folded position. “This looks like it’d be more your taste,” he implied her general reckless attitude he’d witnessed over the years. He was very orderly, strict and methodical. This was definitely not his way of dealing with things.

“What are you doing down here?”

* ∘⡊ ☆ﾟ*・⊹  bellatrix ⊹

“In that case, you must be the most unlucky man in the world.” Men irritated Bellatrix in a way that was difficult to explain, their easy possession of things she had to fight tooth and nail for would’ve been a good place to start.  “But we both know that isn’t true, with my beauty of a sister on your arm. And fair-haired heir to boot.”  As his expression flickered with dislike, so did her’s, the witch tallying the poor encounter in a long list of grievances she had against the inadequate wizard.

In the pause, Bellatrix studied her brother-in-law with great care, taking in his discomfort with the sweet taste of satisfaction. His dislike was evident, but not so clearly understood by herself, after all, their lives were intricately entwined. In all fairness, however, she was a prickly one, unrepentant in her pricking of egos and relentless taunts, as though each interaction amounted to a small scale battle of wits  She had trouble letting the old ways go, her desire for a fight like a great beast scratching at the barriers of civility. “I believed your excuse was some sort of slippery ruse, but the credit was clearly misplaced. My  apologies.” She teased the stiff gentleman, eyes dancing as she circled the mess. 

His lack of answers was disappointing, the sight made all the more puzzling but she let a swift flick of her wand assemble the fluttering books in a playful dance. “I’ve been a busy bee, brother. The Senior Undersecretary would like a portrait installed in this hall. Wouldn’t Merwyn the Malicious add some much needed history and a  helpful  eye to this dark section of the Ministry, Lucius? Hell-- perhaps he could help you in your search for further misdeeds, hm?” Her pacing paused as the last of the books settled delicately into place. “You’re welcome,” Bellatrix’ tone hit a condescending note, her annoyance reaching a peak with the poor footing their relationship could never quite overcome. “I thought we might have lunch. That is, unless your new duties as janitor will eat up the hour.””

[bcllvtrxx]

 * ∘⡊ ☆ﾟ*・⊹  evan ⊹

“Oh Bella. Lovely to have you bask in my mediocrity. Now I don’t know if it would make you want to stay or leave knowing that I will likely be incredibly poor company tonight, but that is hardly news,” Evan replied, letting his head roll back as he seemed to almost lazily toss back his shot. Bella was one of the very few people that made him keep up the disguise of a man who actually cared about the Dark Lord as he had in the beginning. She understood him on a level not many did, but her loyalty to the man was unending from what he saw. He would hate to lose her by letting this part of him show.

He attempted to give her one of the winning smiles he gave his dueling crowds. Those felt so forced and empty these days, but no one had told him they appeared so. Maybe she might be convinced as well. “Was that convincing?” he asked, honestly not sure. “I will say missing you was on a list of the reasons I am drinking tonight, if that helps,” he offered.

* ∘⡊ ☆ﾟ*・⊹  bellatrix ⊹

She brushed at unshed tears, mocking his piteous self deprecation. “Poor thing, if only I were so easy to chase away.” Bellatrix was not a kind woman. She was strong. Unyielding. But she was no stranger to love and affection. Hell, she  lived  for the feeling, her choices dictated entirely by the consuming, if warped, feeling that duty was equal to love. Her success added to her family’s tree, as their successes had brought her all she had, and failings? Well those reflected on her as well, as astute and painful as the highest of betrayal. He was right to hide. As each lost member of her dwindling family fractured at the frail edges of her mind, fragile in all the ways her personality and talents were not. “Mediocre you are not, if you’re winning streak is truly to be believed.”  The witch raised her brows, tipping her glass in a small show of appreciation, the remark meant to show her silent following of his career, her pride evident in the lift of her lips.

Of course, she offered no other congratulations, as perfection was to be  expected.

“It’s passable, possibly drink worthy.” Bellatrix was a difficult read, and she preferred it this way. Despite her words and her arm rising to call over the cocktail waitress for a round, it was hard to say whether the smile had truly passed inspection. Perhaps she simply wanted a drink, and someone to drink with. “I better have been high on this list of yours. Priorities, Evan. What could possibly be more devastating than my absence?”

[gaylecleven]

#me doing an assignment

[bcllvtrxx]

* ∘⡊ ☆ﾟ*・⊹  antonin ⊹

𝘼𝙉𝙏𝙊𝙉𝙄𝙉'𝙎 relationship with Bellatrix had always been complicated, one built upon similar goals and marred by clashing dispositions. Both had been intimately involved in the inner workings of the Dark Lord’s plans, though he’d never particularly trusted the witch. 

“Bellatrix Lestrange, an excellent judge of character,” he repeats, chuckling at the thought. “If that’s so, I’d be delighted to hear what you think of me,” he continues, “and I’ll make that judgment for myself.” 

“Every day at the Ministry is a bad day,” he replies evenly, as if it hardly bothers him that his days are spent filing paperwork and casting simple memory charms on Muggles and dim-witted wizards. “But I suppose you wouldn’t understand, would you? With the Black and Lestrange fortune at your behest, your life must be quite mundane nowadays.” A teasing lilt enters his tone as he searches the other’s face. Antonin does not mean to deride one of his own, though he cannot help but poke at her arrogance and status. “I don’t call it loneliness as much as I’d like to interpret it as a hatred for the people around me.” He pauses, before giving her a mocking wink. “Present company excluded, of course.” 

* ∘⡊ ☆ﾟ*・⊹  bellatrix ⊹

“Delight wouldn’t  begin  to cover the privilege of my thoughts, Antonin. I can only assume you are nothing short of an ungrateful, arrogant, son of a bitch.” Her laugh was clear as a bell as she crossed her knees, her posture loosening with company that she felt comfortable in. The rim of her drink met her lips and silenced her amusement, but her gaze shone bright with pleasure as she met his eye. “Don’t get offended. All the best people have some similar, if unfortunate combination.”  She did not check his reaction, content to settle further into her chair and steal another sip before abandoning the glass on the table. 

“You’re a public servant, Antonin. As a citizen, I am positively floored by your dedication.” He was not incorrect in his assessment. Bellatrix  was  bored, the sense that her glory days had passed without fruition crawled beneath her pale skin on a near daily basis. For a woman of near infamous ambitions, the shift was nigh unbearable. Anyone with eyes could see her dissatisfaction. She could not quite meet his eye, fingers straightening the pristine cut of her suit jacket, as she took a breath. After a pause, she leaned over the table, a smug smile returning to the corners of her lips, “Since we are such old friends, you must come with me to Armenia. On business, of course. There is a portrait there, I mean to collect from an . . . unwilling  seller. The excitement might do your sour disposition some good.” The invitation, at first dredged up on a whim, seemed to grow more appealing by the second, an old flame flickering in the witch’s gaze as she studied the wizard. “Come.  Dust off the rust from those persuasion skills, dear.”

[bcllvtrxx]

* ∘⡊ ☆ﾟ*・⊹  bellatrix ⊹

“Husband!” 

Bellatrix strode through the double doors of her home with a sweeping gesture, her call echoing through the marbled entrance at a deafening decibel that would no doubt reach most corners of the great house. Bellatrix Lestrange was not a demure woman, cruel but in no way cold, her passions and presence were fiery in a way that frightened most, even as she sauntered through her beautiful life, home, her chin lifted in a proud way. She had been away for a short time, traveling in search of the perfect portrait to add to their growing collection, yet another tribute to their wealth and status. But an equally perfect excuse to stretch her greedy, small frame, somehow her very soul and limbs stifled by the opulence and domesticity that surrounded her.

“Rodolphus?” Her next call was not quite so loud, curious eyes searching in the usual places for his familiar figure. The space beneath her ribs stirred in an uncomfortable way, a sign that most would understand to be an ache, a longing, but that made the witch annoyed, as though her body had betrayed her in some way.  Her strides carried her quickly to the parlor and its promises of copious refreshment, her smile widening as she flung open the doors and eagerly approached a fully stocked cart, bottles arranged to entice. “Mama’s missed you,” she laughed, head thrown back with abandon as her full attention went towards selecting a glass, fitted perfectly for her palm. 

There was no doubt Rodolphus would find her, she reasoned as red liquid splashed against the clear cage, her doings were no mystery to his astute eye. Her impatience grew. The dull thudding in her chest remained distracting and as the seconds ticked by the pain of it inched its way up her throat.

// @viciousviscge​

[bcllvtrxx]

* ∘⡊ ☆ﾟ*・⊹  bellatrix ⊹

“It’s been said I’m an  excellent  judge of character.” Bellatrix assured the lone figure as she settled into the chair opposite. The witch spoke with a clear confidence but the truth of the statement remained unclear with the smirk that danced with playful jest, allowing room for doubt. A clear glass filled with a warm red wine swirled in her practiced grasp, it’s contents her clear remedy for the times. It wasn’t unusual for Bellatrix to dance around her true feelings, especially these days. Power had slipped away like sand beneath her feet and she stood in precarious circumstances, her intentions and opinions doubted constantly. Yet she survived, for the pure sake of annoying anyone who wished otherwise. “Let me guess,” her head lilted, gaze taking in their appearance with a cruelly critical flare, “bad day at the office? Or perhaps, you’ve been stood up. Whatever the case, loneliness is a bad look, dearie, and you simply must accept my company.” 

// @diagon-starters​

[bcllvtrxx]

* ∘⡊ ☆ﾟ*・⊹  sirius ⊹

𝐰𝐡𝐨: 𝐬𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐮𝐬 & 𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐧 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞: 𝐚 𝐛𝐚𝐫 𝐢𝐧 𝐦𝐮𝐠𝐠𝐥𝐞 𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐨𝐧 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧: 𝐦𝐢𝐝𝐧𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭. 𝐧𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝟑𝐫𝐝

Sirius had managed to get not just tomorrow off, but pushed all of his appointments back to get a total of a full three days to cope with the utter exhaustion he knew he would be feeling in the morning. He wasn’t a teenager anymore, sneaking firewhiskey into the Gryffindor common room-  he didn’t bounce back quite as fast these days. But still, your birthday only came once a year and he had every intention on celebrating it the right way. He had started fairly early before moving out to the same bar his fifteen year old self used to try to sneak out of Grimmauld place in attempt to get a drink from. Merlin, how times had changed.  He hadn’t even noticed the clock striking midnight, looking at the watch on his left arm completely by chance as the numbers moved ever so slightly away from the twelve on top and turned to face the person next to him, pausing for a moment before flashing them a wide grin, holding their drink out in front of them.  “I’d like to toast myself, as well as you for helping me somehow make it to twenty-fucking-six. Merlin’s beard I’m old.”

* ∘⡊ ☆ﾟ*・⊹  bellatrix ⊹

 She couldn’t have been here of her own accord, the dingy muggle bar the last place anyone would say they had seen Bellatrix Lestrange. But this was a  special  occasion. A day that had gone neglected in the last few years, but she now felt compelled to commemorate. As all bad ideas began, her stalking of her estranged cousin had begun innocently enough. Curiosity. Compulsive to the point she’d followed him through back alleys and passed by muggles too close for her personal comfort to continue to observe him. All the time nostalgia wriggling through her veins, adrenaline pumping the old feeling through her at a nearly uncomfortable pace. There was no need to speak with him, she assured herself, even as her tongue itched and feet vibrated with the desire to close the distance. Noting the finite differences in his appearance and demeanor was surely plenty of fuel for the curious beast to dispel any interest in her cousin’s well-being. Bellatrix did note, as he ducked within the muggle establishment, the urge to pull her wand from the depths of her pocket. A mercy, it would be. An opportunity like no other to save him from himself.

She had never claimed to be good.

But she didn’t draw her wand, reason, or something else winning out. She ducked her head as she moved to follow him within the brightly lit bar. A bar that grew oddly charming as time ticked away and she nursed a warm beer in the corner. Later she’d tell herself it was the alcohol, or a chance to give the rebel a scare but as the clock neared the hour of his birthday, Bellatrix approached Sirius, ignoring his companion, she spoke in a mocking tone just above his shoulder, in answer to a conversation she had no rights to.

“An old fool, I’ll give you that.” 

To her credit, she regretted it, the moment the words left her lips.

[bcllvtrxx]

* ∘⡊ ☆ﾟ*・⊹  evan ⊹

Evan sat at his familiar barstool in the now familiar bar, drinking far too much and not caring who knew it. His sister seemed to be not talking to him, which was fun. He could not find a dueling partner that he could not predict their every move within two minutes of the match. The dark emptiness inside him was growing larger by the second it seemed. Alcohol seemed to be the only thing that could numb the pain. Numbness was a new normal for him.

He had just ordered another drink when he heard the stool next to him move. “Are you sure you want to sit there?” he asked, making no effort to look in the person’s direction. If he looked, he’d have to acknowledge someone was there and lately, that never seemed to go well for him.

* ∘⡊ ☆ﾟ*・⊹  bellatrix ⊹

"The pleasure is entirely yours, Evan. But if you want me to  leave, I take all the more delight in troubling you.” Feeling contrary at her cousin’s lackluster greeting, Bellatrix settled into her stolen stool with a stubborn air, her gaze noting his drink of choice and a fine wrinkle in the collar of his shirt. Harsh words dripped as easy from her lips as fine wine, but for all her seemingly cruel displays, Bellatrix felt a special sort of kinship with her cousin, their indulgent and obsessive natures similar in scope and destruction. The look she now landed on the rumpled figure was softer than she would dare expose to many and the small, still fluttering in her chest was as near concern as the wretched witch could muster. Nothing brought out her humanity like family.

 “Merlin, must you look so bleak, dearie? I’d buy you a drink if you gave me a convincing enough smile.” Her own lips lifted in demonstration, her sharp chin landing in the palm of her hand as she leaned in a lazy posture against the bar’s table, her eyes imploring as she studied him. “Hell-- I’ll make it a whole cask if you admit this pouting is because you’ve missed me.”

[soif-de-sang]

She never forgets a slight, real or imagined. She takes caution for cowardice and dissent for defiance. And she is greedy. Greedy for power, for honour, for love.

― George R.R. Martin, A Dance With Dragons (via soif-de-sang)

[bcllvtrxx]

* ∘⡊ ☆ﾟ*・⊹  lucius ⊹

“It was like this when I found it.”

The day had begun fairly straight forward, arrive at work, spend the first hour at his desk with a warm cup of coffee to fight off the October chill. Then, Lucius would work through his to-do list set out by his overhead boss. He had to chase up new lines of information that they could report on to higher officials. It was his department’s job to know what was going on within the Ministry and report it, whether it be publicly or to those who overlooked all of the activities.

It was nearing lunch time for most but Lucius liked to eat later, it meant he didn’t have to deal with the fickle conversations that bored him. He really didn’t understand the need for small talk.

Finding his way down to the lower levels of the Ministry, he stepped out once he reached the archive for records. There had been a new piece of information to chase that had resurfaced from a very old case. It was most likely false information or lies to look good in a pub scene. The things people let leave their lips in those establishments baffled him to no end.

He’d flicked through several cardboard folders before hearing a clang from the rear of the room. Grey eyes looked up before ignoring it. Then it happened again, only significantly louder. 

Shutting the draw he was looking through, he made his way towards the noise. A section of the archive was fenced off but the door open for all to access. The chain-link fence made the possessions inside look like a desirable treat, one you could look at but not touch.

Only, he quickly deciphered this was not how the room should look.

Shelves lay empy, stripped of the literature they’d hugged into some alphabetical order. Their counterparts were strewn over the floor. Some books were overlapping one another, others lay closed, most were scattered wide open for the world to see their insides. Like a careless crimescene. One that eyes should avert from out of decency than stare at these exposed pages.

It was then he noticed a familiar trait… all of these books had pages ripped from. Every book.

Kneeling down, he picked up the closest book and studied the pages either side of jagged rip. Then another, then another and another. 248… 250. Why would someone rob every book of its 249th page? What was it about these books? What was it about that page?

Footsteps echoed behind him and he heard them come to an abrupt stop. Turning around to meet the face of his new found company. His eyes trailed along the path of books that covered the space between he and them. This didn’t shine him in the best light but anyone who knew Lucius would know he was well educated, that he held a respect for books. So to have done this would be entirely out of character for the man. Still, he felt he had to defend himself these days.

“It was like this when I found it,” the man spoke clearly before rising to his feet.

* ∘⡊ ☆ﾟ*・⊹  bellatrix ⊹

The click of Bellatrix Lestrange’s heels set an unpleasant tone in the witch’s wake as she stumbled upon her brother-in-law’s precarious situation. The Black family pride was a long-standing tradition and the petite witch had always worn the distasteful trait with a particularly off-putting relish, even as she’d donned a new name and a new manor, the set of her shoulder’s remained just a step above those around her. And unfortunately, for the well-dressed man currently kneeling at her feet, he had married her most precious gem of a sister and could therefore,  never  be good enough, let alone  forgiven.

“Oh-- Lucius. Don’t get up on my account.”

The smile that graced her features was far from friendly, even as her eyes shone with mirth and an ever present smugness. Her graceful steps navigated through the mess with an enviable ease, sharp eyes flickering over the scattered books and their titles, the empty shelves noted.  

“This picture suits you,” she couldn’t help but to tease, old habits dying hard on the women’s quick tongue. With each passing year, there was a childishness that lingered in her laugh and delights. Touched in the head, the brave few whispered.

But as much as she was loath to admit it, there was truly no one better to have come upon the wizard’s transgression. Delicate wrist already reaching for the wand in her pocket to cover whatever misdeed he had surely been performing for the sake of their cause. After all, there was a feverish desperation to the chaos that she herself felt in her fiercest moments and that helped raise her opinion of him, if only a little.  “Did you at least find what you were looking for?”

[dcmultiverse]

CRYSTAL REED as Sofia Falcone in Gotham 4.11 ‘Queen Takes Knight’

[bcllvtrxx]

tags.

* ∘⡊ ☆ﾟ*・⊹ му ρυяρσѕє ιѕ gяєαтєя тнαη му ραιη ⊹ — { about }

* ∘⡊ ☆ﾟ*・⊹ тнє ѕιgнт σƒ тнє ѕтαяѕ мαкєѕ мє ∂яєαм ⊹ — { image }

* ∘⡊ ☆ﾟ*・⊹ αяє уσυ нєαяιηg νσι¢єѕ αgαιη? ⊹ — { chat }

* ∘⡊ ☆ﾟ*・⊹ ωнσ gєтѕ тσ мєαѕυяє тнє ∂ιѕтαиςє вєтωєєи єאָρєяιєиςє αи∂ ιтѕ яєρяєѕєитαтισи? ⊹ — { music }

* ∘⡊ ☆ﾟ*・⊹ ι ѕ¢яєαмє∂ ѕσ ℓσυ∂, вυт ησ σηє нєαя∂ α тнιηg. ⊹ — { words }