"It breaks my heart that she never knew her death was coming, and that Gellert won," Bellatrix lamented.
She was happily drunk, but so was everyone else around her. It was almost a week after Arthur met the Malfoys and the Weasleys. Romeo and Kereston had finally had time to put together the promised pensieve party so everyone could share memories of anything they'd missed during the final showdown against Delphini. Bellatrix and Gori had just finished watching Wulfric's memory of killing Delphini with a sword in the back.
"It nearly feels too easy, but I suppose the big battles are mainly in books," Gori said.
"Oh, trust me, it wasn't easy," Wulfric groaned, raising his glass and draining it.
"You can say that again," Gellert said with a tired sigh.
"I could, but she isn't worth it," Wulfric grinned. Turning to Bellatrix and Gori he added, "I was scared shitless, though, that she'd turn around right when I was ready to give it to her good."
"That's what she said," Rabastan called from across the room and Wulfric laughed. Yes indeed, everyone was quite drunk.
"I really enjoyed your memory of driving over those Muggles in Arthur's car," Gellert told Bellatrix with a nearly embarrassed smile. "To my horror, it looked fun. Don't ever do it again...unless there is another emergency, of course." His lips twitched and Bellatrix laughed.
"It was a great deal of fun," she admitted shamelessly. "I shall very much miss the experience. It's one I could perform at least once a week if given the opportunity. You know, for like therapy or something. Only on Muggles, though," she added hastily.
She wouldn't like anyone present to fear for themselves. Though she may enjoy running over particular magical folk in a Porsche as well, none were present, and there was no reason to convolute things.
"It's a pity you couldn't enjoy the experience by driving superfast over dummies or something for practice," T. Valdez told Bellatrix. She sat across the table from the Lestranges at her husband's side.
Bellatrix sighed and shrugged. "It could make for good battle driving practice, but it just wouldn't be the same."
"Ah well," T. grinned good-naturedly. "It shall just have to be one of those moments you cherish for what it was, holding it close to your heart and looking back on it fondly after a hard day." As she spoke, she reached for her drink and accidentally knocked Romeo's glass into his lap. "Sorry… Oh, I am so sorry!" she exclaimed, snatching up her wand and aiming it drunkenly at Romeo's balls. "I'll clean it!"
"No, no. I've got it," Romeo assured hastily. The momentary look of wild terror in his dark eyes caused Bellatrix to wonder if T. happened to be dangerously accident prone.
She chuckled both at T.'s comment concerning savoring a fond memory on a bad day as well as Romeo's fear-filled reaction to the prospect of his wife cleaning up her own spill.
"I suppose so. Speaking of fond memories...I nearly forgot. My sister is having some sort of party for me next Friday. She said she's sent out invites, but if anyone here didn't get one, you're all welcome to come. It's at Malfoy Manor."
"Oh yeah, I got my invite, and Romeo got one too," T. Valdez said, nodding.
"If we didn't get one, is it alright for you to just invite us, though," Wulfric asked hesitantly. "I mean, wouldn't that be rude if we just show up?"
Bellatrix shook her head. "No. Cissa told me to invite whoever I liked because she didn't have time to pass out invites to everyone I know here at the Ministry." She waved a dismissive hand. "She doesn't have an elf anymore after Harry Potter freed hers, then I killed it. So things are a bit more difficult for her when it comes to anything she once made him help with, party invites included."
"You...killed the elf," Graven asked, eyes wide with shock. "She killed the fucking elf," the goblin girl yelled at Wulfric, laughing as she drunkenly slapped his shoulder. "I mean, she seems to like Kreacher and the elf Aurors, so that's kind of fucked up."
"He was a dreadful elf and could've gotten my family killed by helping the enemy," Bellatrix explained drily. It hardly mattered that the Lestranges would also consider the Dark Lord their enemy now. That lot would never be true allies. So Bellatrix would never be sorry for any attacks she'd made on Harry Potter or his little friends either, Dobby included.
Graven smiled. "Okay, well that makes sense. I just need shit to add up, you know?"
Wulfric chuckled, shaking his head at both of them as he put an arm around Graven, before kissing the top of her head. "It's like she's scary as hell, then she'll say something adorable," he explained in the way only a drunk man can.
"Remember, your children shall be helping the wizarding race to remain pure," Bellatrix told them with a grin. "I wrote an entire article about it."
Wulfric nodded sagely. "I really enjoyed that article. It also makes sense."
Graven's dark eyes widened. "We're not trying to have children… At least not for quite some time."
Wulfric nodded. "Not for five or ten years. We have a lot of traveling we want to do first."
"Cas and I plan to travel with them," Lyra spoke up. She pushed the Pensieve toward Gori and Bellatrix. It held Rabastan's memories of talking to Arthur while Bellatrix and Gori were busy driving over Muggles in his car. Considering she was knocked out when all that was happening, Lyra had missed it, so she got the first go at that particular memory today.
"Plan in one hand and shit in the other and see which fills up first," Rod advised with a smirk.
"I think they should travel if they like. They should be young in the way we weren't able to be," Bellatrix found herself speaking up almost against her own will.
"Ah, thank you, Mum," Lyra said, giving her a warm smile.
She'd called her Mum, a rare thing, and Bellatrix found herself smiling back until Lyra continued speaking, ruining the moment. "Thanks for understanding and not making things difficult."
Bellatrix scowled. "You are aware that we call you Lyra-Brat when you aren't around," Rodolphus shared.
"I am very aware now," Lyra replied drily. "Wanting to be young and enjoy life isn't being a brat, in case you weren't sure."
"It's the attitude," Rodolphus explained. "It needs to go."
"You won't allow it to," she shot back. "Constantly stonewalling everything."
"That's how my dad is too, which is one reason we're looking forward to traveling," Wulfric said with an easygoing grin. "But mostly because we want to explore the world and discover new things."
Bellatrix nodded. She understood that.
"If you all ever get any time off work, you're welcome to join us. If you can behave and not act too much like parents," Lyra said almost shyly.
"We'll try," Rod said, smiling at their daughter, mood suddenly softening.
Bellatrix nodded, feeling a thrill of excitement at the prospect. Eventually with things calming down, Kereston should be alright with the Aurors running Azkaban at least for a week or so. Perhaps the experience of traveling and exploring the world without it being work related could somehow serve to restore what they felt they'd lost of their youth.
"I need everyone to show up at Bella's party," Rabastan announced suddenly. "I need all you Acromantulas there, fucking goblins, elves, fuck even come drunk already if you can, but if you can't, don't worry, we'll keep the drink flowing. You'll all need it to deal with Lucy for any extended period of time."
Gori arched his brows, peering at Rabastan suspiciously over his own glass of fire whisky. "I'd have come to support Bellatrix anyway, but the way you're talking doesn't make it sound like the most thrilling of prospects, I must admit."
Rabastan nodded. "Right. But it will make Lucy Malfoy even more uncomfortable, and I need more of that shit in my life, right up there with fun traveling to reclaim our youth and all that."
Bellatrix smirked as she exchanged a gleeful look with Rodolphus. Suddenly, she was quite looking forward to her party. Lucius would simply detest offering up his home and hospitality to goblins, elves who weren't serving him, creatures, and if Arthur could make it, a Muggle!