"What took you so bloody long?" Rabastan demanded as Bellatrix and Rodolphus met him at the front door, Rhadamanthus close on their heels.
"Lyra's boyfriend," Bellatrix said with a frown of distaste twisting her lips.
"As it turns out, he's almost tolerable," Rodolphus said. "A shame he'll be dying and all."
Rabastan snickered as they headed out and was still laughing as they all Apparated.
Throughout the first half of the workday, Rodolphus and Bellatrix were both brooding, neither even interested in torturing any of the unfortunate prisoners.
Neither spoke much after filling Rabastan in on the conversation with Cassius. Rodolphus put the Aurors currently on guard through terse defense drills while Bellatrix checked the wards on all the prison cells, just in case. For his part, Rabastan busied himself in their shared office checking mail and reading over the report left by one of the night guard Aurors. The mail consisted of news updates from the Ministry for the most part.
The three didn't meet up again until lunch in the newly built break room with all the Aurors.
"Oh yeah, Grindelwald had a note in for us with the Ministry reports this morning. He wants us to meet him at Regulus's for dinner tomorrow," Rabastan said, speaking unabashedly around a full mouth of turkey sandwich. "He said it's just a catch up on intel, nothing to worry about."
"Good to know," Rodolphus said. "The last thing we need is more to worry about."
Bellatrix nodded. She was curious to know what Grindelwald had to share.
"You think Regulus will be cool enough to have drinks for us," Rabastan asked, and Bellatrix's lips twitched.
"There should definitely be tea, milk, pumpkin juice… You know, the usual." She shrugged, struggling not to laugh at the scowl on her brother-in-law's face.
"Now you're just being mean," Rabastan chastised.
"Well, she has to take our mood out on someone, doesn't she," Rodolphus asked.
Bellatrix sighed. She did have a very good reason to be in a foul mood. For a moment she'd almost forgotten. "What are we going to do about that," she asked, turning a worried gaze to Rodolphus.
"I suppose we'll be asking Grindelwald tomorrow night if he has a use for the boy's talents. If he says no, I can just kill him and have done with it," Rodolphus said, an eager light glimmering in his eyes.
"He has useful abilities," Rabastan asked in open interest.
Bellatrix shrugged and Rodolphus silently glared.
"He can unlock any hex lock if he speaks the truth, and he can lock things just as thoroughly as he can unlock them. The ability isn't limited to wards. He can also lock spells in place. If he can lock an attack or defense spell in place SHE can't unravel it," Bellatrix said.
"Sweet," Rabastan acknowledged regretfully. "Killing him will be a waste if it comes to that, but what can you do?"
Rodolphus nodded. "Exactly! I can't let him take my baby girl away when we just got her back."
"Plus the idea of her doing adult shaggy things makes me all sick," Rabastan said, making a face. "It's like in my mind she's still three if the boyfriend topic comes up."
"Exactly," Rod and Bella agreed in loud unison.
After lunch, they got back to work, and the rest of the day went far more cheerfully. At least more words were exchanged with far less sulking. When they arrived home in the evening, it was to discover a fuller house than usual waiting for them. Druella and Cygnus were present as well as Corvus. They were all in the library having pre-dinner drinks and chatting with Cassius through the fire. Gorse was even present, looking almost recovered from the morning's curse removal for Lucy.
"So how the hell does this come to be that I meet the boyfriend last?" Rabastan demanded, giving Lyra an affronted frown.
The three Lestranges stood in the doorway of the library, united in their displeasure.
"You could've met him this morning if you'd wanted," Lyra said. "And besides, Cousin Regulus has not met him yet, nor has Aunt Narcissa or Uncle Lucy."
"None of them matter and you know it," Rabastan dismissed, not giving an inch.
"You must be Rabastan," Cassius called from the fireplace. "It is wonderful to meet such a famous and interesting wizard. Lyra has spoken of you often, of course in the fondest of ways."
Rabastan stepped further into the room to get a better look at the fireplace where Cassius's boyish face ringed in soft brown, messy curls was framed in crackling orange flames.
Idly Bellatrix wondered if they'd ever killed anyone so cute before. Probably not, but she was certain they could manage.
"Flattery will probably get you nowhere," Rabastan said firmly. "But yes, I am Rabastan."
"I wanted the grandparents to meet Cassius too," Lyra said, turning a suspiciously intense gaze on both of her parents. "Now that the two of you have met him, it only seemed fair."
Rodolphus scowled. "Fair for what?" he demanded.
"Fair that I got a chance to plead for my life to all family members, I think," Cassius replied. "Good evening, Mr. Lestrange, Mrs. Lestrange," he greeted as a polite after thought. "What's it like working at Azkaban? I mean, I can see it as dreadfully dull considering you already had to spend so much unwanted and undeserved time there, but then again it could be cathartic being in charge."
Undeserved! He was really trying to suck up, though his voice did seem oddly sincere, Bellatrix thought. "Dreadfully dull for the most part," she replied drily.
"Although a little cathartic at times," Rod added.
"Come and sit down, the three of you. Have a drink with us before dinner," Druella said, gesturing them over to the long sofa.
"Actually, a drink sounds good," Rabastan said, heading over to the liquor cabinet.
"I'll get it, you sit," Druella said and he gave her a grateful smile.
"So are we expected to dine in here so that Curls can dine with us?" Rodolphus demanded darkly as he and Bellatrix settled with Rabastan on the sofa.
"Of course not," Lyra said, frowning in exasperation at her father. "I did ask Harold to make your favorites for dinner, though."
Rod perked up at that, but he tried to hide it with another frown. "Why? What have you done? And how do you know our favorite foods anyway?"
"To butter you up a bit. I haven't done anything, so I am offended that you asked, and I asked the grandparents for all your favorite dishes," Lyra replied.
"If I might say so, I rather like the nickname Curls," Cassius said a bit shyly. "Especially because it was given to me by the famous Rodolphus Lestrange."
Famous, not infamous. The kid was definitely at least a little warped, Bellatrix thought happily.
Rodolphus grunted in reply, and somehow Cassius took this as a form of encouragement, so he continued.
"I really admire each and every one of you and being in your company is a true honor. I know we already have one thing in common, and I hope it can bring us together. It is our love for Lyra. She is a wonderful girl, and we all know this.
"I don't want to take her away from you, so if you are concerned about that, please don't be. If your Ministry can use me, I will gladly move to London. I would never expect Lyra to return to Australia when she's finally reunited with you all. Besides, London is way cooler anyway," he concluded, breaking into a roguish grin.
Bellatrix felt tears springing to her eyes, though if at his understanding of the situation or her fear of losing Lyra, she couldn't say.
"What a darling boy," Druella said, giving Cassius a doting smile as, with a flick of her wand, she floated the three drinks she'd just poured over to Rabastan, Bellatrix, and Rodolphus.
It was obvious that Curls had won her over. "Your grandma has such a precious French accent, Lyra," Cassius said.
"Unlike Rabastan, I am completely open to flattery," Druella said with a chuckle.
Lyra gave a triumphant smile. "I knew having him meet the rest of the family would work. They see how brilliant he is, and they won't allow you to kill him," she told her parents.
"While that was a brilliant idea, I was hoping I could manage that on my own merit," Cassius said, gaze moving worriedly between Lyra and Bellatrix and Rodolphus.
"We'll see," Rod said cryptically and Bella nodded.