Her eyebrows furrowed. "Isn't Rodolphus your father, dear?" she asked, following her newfound niece to the couch. To Narcissa's knowledge, Bellatrix had only ever been married to Rodolphus Lestrange, and to her it would seem logical that they would have a child. But her brother-in-law disappeared ages ago. How could he have affected Mariæth up till now? It was exceedingly obvious that Narcissa missed the better part of the conversation between Lucius and Mariæth earlier - the truth of her paternity having been revealed then.

She sighed as Mariæth had asked her how life had been. "Oh my dear, life could be so much better if we had never gotten involved in this kind of life. But I can't fault Lucius completely. I watched as he got involved, and I couldn't do a thing to stop it." Narcissa gestured around the room. "And now, well, here we are," she chuckled slightly, her voice like a woman of her age. "I admit...I should be at ease living in my ancestral home - forgive me - our ancestral home, but it's rather lonely. And times have changed. We took so much from the world, that it's finally taken everything away from us. Your cousin and your uncle have not seen eye to eye since we moved here. But I don't know if there will ever be a way for us to make things as they were before. Would you like some tea or coffee?" she offered.

"Tea would be wonderful, thank you," Mariæth replied. "And no, Rodolphus is not my father—my father was the Dark Lord."

She waited to see how Narcissa would react.

As Narcissa had the okay for tea, she stood up slowly, until Mariæth told her out flat that Voldemort was her father. Her back was instantly rigid and she backed up a little. "How? The Dark Lord...and Bella...please, excuse me!" she replied until she ran into the kitchen to start on tea. Her hands were shaking as she started the stove and retrieved the kettle and tea bags, with the terrible need that she had to sit with Lucius in his study right about now. And Draco. She was concerned that if he found out, he'd be as easily influenced towards his cousin as he was with the Dark Lord.

Mariæth was inwardly thrilled at the reaction her announcement created. But, mindful that she had to keep up a façade of concern for the Malfoys' well-being, at least in front of Narcissa, she hurried after her aunt, who was in the kitchen preparing tea.

"Please, Aunt Cissy," Mariæth said soothingly, "don't be alarmed. The Dark Lord was trying many ways of immortality at the time, and he originally planned to raise me himself—I've also heard that he'd planned to transfer his soul into my body were his body to decay, which I must confess I am glad he did not do. At the time the he decided to have a child, Bellatrix was his best-loved and most loyal servant. It was all very quiet and secretive."

She placed a hand on Narcissa's shoulder. "Please, don't think of me as some kind of strange creation—I'm fully human, and I'm simply your niece, come to introduce myself. I just want to get to know what's left of my family, and help you out if I can."

If her already-pale hair could get any paler, this was one of those "right" times. She flinched as her niece touched her shoulder. Mariæth was born out of wedlock, but Bellatrix had kept the surname of Lestrange. Was Rodolphus still even alive when Mariæth was conceived? And if so, did he know about her?

The tea kettle was already boiling hot, with the aid of Narcissa's magic, as she went on and poured the hot liquid into the teacups. They weren't fine china, which was also something Narcissa and Lucius had to adjust to, but rather plain ceramic mugs. At least they were of use. But her thoughts went back to Bellatrix and concealing her pregnancy. "Of course it was secretive. I didn't see her for months. None of us had any idea." She shook her head, still in shock.

She didn't want to admit it but the words flowed out from her anyway. "It would have been nice to keep Dobby around, but of course, he's in a better place now." She looked briefly at her niece. "I couldn't ask help from you, dear. You're Bella's daughter, and all I need to know is that you're safe and sound. Besides, your uncle is far too proud to accept any outside help."

Mariæth considered her aunt thoughtfully. "Well, I can understand Uncle Lucius' pride—and his shock. As I recall, he and mother never got on very well after your son was born. Draco, right? Is he around? I'd love to meet him. He must be just a few years younger than I am."

The tea was tasty, for all that it was served in a plain mug. Mariæth's distaste for seeing her relatives in such squalor was only partly borne of pureblood pride; there was a part of her that was possessive, that wanted her relatives to have nothing but the best. She lowered her voice. "Aunt Cissy, are you sure you don't want any sort of help? I was going out to get a house-elf myself shortly, as the manor hasn't had one for at least a decade. It would really be no trouble..."

Draco had helped his mother shop, but he found that once he was outside the thought of returning to that dark and decrepit house made his stomach tie up in a repulsed knot. So before his mother had returned home, he said a quick goodbye informing her that he would return later...That the fresh air would do him some good. He had left her just before she had purchased today's daily profit, and with lack of anything better to do than simply stay outside he went and purchased one himself. The headline causing his throat to constrict, and his eyes to buldge...
Snape had been caught?
No. No. No...

Draco suspected that if he could see himself at that moment he would be of a greenish color, because right than he leaned over where he was standing and dry heaved violently. People were beginning to stop and stare, so he quickly pushed his way out into the muggle streets of London.

After walking around for another hour, face still pale from the news, he took himself and his thoughts back to Number 12. Opening the door, he quickly said "I didn't kill you." with shut eyes and opened them when he heard voices. He walked in on his mother and some woman drinking tea and he immediately felt himself tense up. |Who is this than?" He asked, trying to hide the dejected tone in his voice. Today's paper still crunched up in his balled fist.

Narcissa thought about the possibility of owning a house-elf again. It would certainly do them a lot of good. “Mariæth, dear, we haven’t anything to repay you with,” she reminded. Her fingertips drummed themselves around the teakettle, avoiding the parts with which she would be burned by the hot surface. “Your uncle and cousin aren’t that fond of my cooking, either. I do admit, it was a bit difficult to adjust to common housework while we are incapacitated here.”

She frowned a little. “No, I don’t think Bellatrix was very fond of Lucius at all. Though we are pureblood, I never really understood why they instantly disliked each other.” Memories flooded back to her of the day the captured Harry Potter and his friends arrived at Malfoy Manor, especially with her older sister being so bossy – and in Narcissa’s own house! “How long were you with your mother, if you don’t mind me asking?”

Before she knew it, Draco had returned home. “Darling, you’ve arrived. Are you all right?” she asked, rushing over to him, but stopping halfway in between her niece and her son. “Draco, this is Mariæth, your cousin. The daughter of your aunt Bellatrix. She is in need of close relatives, as, well, her parents are no longer around to care for her.” Narcissa skirted around the fact of Mariæth’s paternity, leaving it for the girl to reveal it herself if she so wished. “Will you be staying for dinner?” she asked Mariæth. “I’ve already shopped for ingredients. You won’t mind if we have a guest tonight, do you Draco?” It wasn't a grand dinner, by any means, but she had to care for family, even if they were distant relatives.

"Aunt Cissy, please," Mariæth said, "the only repayment I ask is your health and welfare, and the occasional introduction to some of the old crowd. I'd be more than happy to get a second house-elf when I'm out, and send it to you." Aunt Cissy would, Mariæth was sure, be very easy to gently push into doing more and more out of gratitude for a few simple acts.

"I was with mother for about four years, long enough to begin to recognize what was going on in the world," Mariæth explained. "I was born in 1977, when father was solidifying his grip on the wizarding world. When mother and Rodolphus were arrested in 1983 for trying to get information out of the Longbottoms, I'd already been moved to the Clearwater family residence. Mother knew that I'd be at risk as her daughter, so she made arrangements."

Mariæth heard footsteps in the hall. Ah, the arrival at last of her cousin, Draco. Mariæth stood up politely to shake hands. "No, Aunt Cissy, I'll need to do my own shopping and arrange for the house-elf," she said. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Draco," she said, trying to take his measure without being obvious.

She inhaled deeply, wondering what to do about the situation, and then let it out. "The old crowd, as you put it, is more connected to your uncle Lucius than I. You'd have to convince him to do that for you." 'Likewise,' she added silently, 'he would do anything to be a part of them again. To be his old self.' Narcissa looked to Draco. "Don't tell your father about this," she instructed, shaking her head. She was quite sure that the tension between father and son would never permit Draco to speak to him anyway unless they were harsh words that would lead to an in-house brawl.

"Are you sure you want to be introduced to them...the other Death Eaters?" They had marked Lucius as useless ever since his wand was destroyed and for his numerous failures in the eyes of the Dark Lord. It was a subject she wasn't sure she wanted to foray into again, and she wasn't sure if they would accept her family into their circle. She dearly missed her Bella and after her death, it was quite lonely in Narcissa's world. But Bellatrix wanted to involve Draco into the world of the Death Eaters, something Narcissa couldn't quite forgive herself for doing.

Mariæth gave her best charming and innocent smile—the one she'd practiced for weeks in front of a mirror. "I don't think of them as Death Eaters so much as old compatriots. You may not remember that I was actually around, on the fringes of the Death Eaters, during the last few years. Father was not yet ready to acknowledge me publicly; and I think quite often he forgot about me," she added, sighing. "He'd put so much effort into his Horcruxes that I was merely a by-product from a previous plan."

Mariæth tried not to let her anger show over that. She ought to have been at her father's right hand, at his side, reigning as the Princess, his undisputed favorite. He'd liked her well enough, as an obedient Death Eater, but hadn't given her any special treatment. That still rankled, and Mariæth vowed that not only would she revive his memory, but surpass it. She wouldn not just be known as the Dark Lord's daughter, but as a Dark Mistress in her own right.

She felt her face twisting slightly at her thoughts and, with careful effort, schooled it smooth again.

"I'd love for you to acknowledge me as family to any of your previous acquaintances from the old crowd," she said with a smile. "I know, Lucius wasn't very happy to meet me," Mariæth said. "I... rather lost my temper with him," she admitted, lowering her head slightly in a pretense of regret. She raised her eyes and met her aunt's. "I should probably leave and give him time to cool off, come again in a few days. Do pass on my sincere apologies, Aunt Cissy."

She looked at Draco. "Are you planning on going back to Hogwarts, cousin, to finish your schooling? I know your friend Pansy Parkinson is there right now; surely she misses you."

Draco sat silently listening to the two women talk about house elves. It was when the conversation took another turn that he tuned in, his eyes going blank as he made the connection from his 'cousins' words. She was the daughter of the dark lord...and she was looking for connections to the remaining death eaters... He stood up, the armchair sliding backwards causing a loud screech to echo through the room.

"No, I will not be returning to Hogwarts... In case you haven't noticed, my family is currently hiding from authorities... Now, if you'll excuse me." Draco left the room, venom building up in his mouth. He felt like he could kill his father at this moment... How dare he let her in, after all he put his mother and him through... How dare he. Pulling out his wand, he magicked open the door, almost blowing it off it's hinges.

"Why did you let her in?" He asked, glaring at his father. "Think she'd get you back in with all your old friends?"

Lucius stood up abruptly as his son blasted the door open. "How dare you raise your voice to me, Draco?," he sneered. "If you were here, boy, you would have seen that I didn't want to let her in. She gave me no choice!" He rubbed his neck as the reminder of the Torture Curse still gave him an aftershock. He had no intention of talking to his son, and if Draco was still a boy, he would have been in for a well-deserved spanking.

"Is she still here?" he asked, his voice rather loud. He didn't want to see his niece in his house any longer than it was necessary. "If she got me back in with my friends, then maybe we could get back to the life we deserve. The life that is rightfully ours!"

Narcissa held herself up as Draco didn't take the presence of his cousin very well. As the mediator of the family, she smiled, without mirth, to Mariæth. "I believe we'll think on it for a while. Where are you staying, should I ever have the need to contact you?"

((I giveth up on formatting... :XP))

Mariæth was extremely disappointed that Draco proved to be as flammable as Lucius. Damn, she thought. Another one I'll have to bully somehow. Narcissa, at least, was the kind of fly drawn in by honey, tempted a step further by a pretty bauble.

"I'm sorry, Aunt Cissy," she said, heading towards the stairs which led up from the kitchen back to the hallway. "I should really let you get on with caring for your husband and son. I'm staying in the old Lestrange mansion, which is now located a convenient distance from most places. The Floo Network is always open to you, and an owl should be able to find me within a day or so."

So saying, she stepped up the stairs into the hallway. She could hear Lucius shouting something at Draco, who was clearly taking his temper out on the house, and then froze midstep as she caught, "...life that is rightfully ours!" A wide smile that would have rather frightened Narcissa had she been able to see it spread across Mariæth's face as she finished walking to the door and let herself out.

---

Two hours later she sent the male house-elf Darby off to Number 12, Grimmauld Place, with the clear instructions that, despite waiting on the Malfoys as if he were their, he was to consider himself Miss Mariæth's elf from now on. Darby, whose previous family had fallen victim to the Order of the Phoenix, was more than happy to be allied to such great people. Mariæth hoped the Malfoys would at least be civil to him; though house-elves were unquestioningly loyal to their owners, fake loyalty might be stretched if abuse went too far.

For herself, she obtained Gabby, a young elf who had never had a mistress of her own before, and whose elf parents currently served what remained of the Fudge family. They might prove to be a useful, but not too risky connection.

As Gabby set about cheerfully preparing a meal in the Lestrange mansion for her new mistress, Mariæth sat down again to her letters and plans.

Originally Posted by kionaredhawk

Hermione looks at the three others as she stands up, grabbing her bookbag; which, naturally, had all of her books in it. "Is everybody ready for out first class?" She looked down at her schedule. "Oh. Potions...well, you guys ready to go in any case?" She smiled a little. Even if it wasn't with Snape, she never really liked the class, being naturally ungifted in it. But she would endure it and still manage to do well in it, she was sure.

Harry smiled. "I'm really happy it's not Snape," he said. "Slughorn's odd, but at least he's fair." Though, he felt a twinge of guilt at the thought of Snape awaiting the Dementor's Kiss unjustly. "And... about Snape..." he said, lowering his voice and leaning in closely to Ron and Hermione, "I think I need to write to Kingsley as quickly as possible. I, er, have evidence, you know. He didn't murder Dumbledore; Dumbledore chose his own death."

His throat closed up briefly, remembering what he'd seen in the Pensieve; how Snape had loved Lily Evans all those years. He remembered, too, that Snape had wanted Harry to look him in the eyes as he thought he was dying, and now Harry understood: he had his mother's eyes, in his father's face. It must have seriously unnerved and upset the Potions Master, seeing so much of his hated rival, with that startling touch of the woman he'd loved for so long.

Honestly, it gave Harry a creepy feeling, thinking that Snape might find his eyes attractive. He pushed down a shudder and looked at the other two to gauge their reactions.

"I think I can save Snape," he whispered. "I think I'm probably the only one. And I might have to testify in public. Hermione, what should I do? You know all this legal stuff much better than the rest of us."

Hermione's eyes widened with shock at Harry's revelation. She was definitely stunned. It wasn't like she wanted Snape dead but she had assumed that Snape had killed Dumbledore and that was that. She shook her head to clear away the shock so that she could think about what Harry was saying. She frowned a little, obviously in thinking mode as they all started to walk.
"Well, you should definitely get a hold of Kingsley, though how I'm not sure. Not by owl because anybody could interfere with that. Hmm." She almost ran into another student going the other way as her mind ran away thinking. But as always, the other person saw her in time and side-stepped. "Why not try talking to McGonagall? Surely she could help you with that. Since we're not allowed to leave school grounds and such. You could do it right now, since we're about to pass her classroom anyway." She gestured at the almost closed door.

As usual, Hermione was completely and utterly right. McGonagall was absolutely the best person to go to. But on the other hand, the memories he'd seen in the Pensieve were, well, embarrassing. He'd been through a lot during the hunt for the Horcruxes, and having been dead once had rather changed him, he liked to think. But still, going to McGonagall about something like this, talking about Snape and his mother—that was still a bit much.

"I don't know," he hedged. "What can McGonagall do?"

((*pokes RP* Er, guys? I know I'm busy and all, but that doesn't mean I'm not on at all. See the post in the OOC...))