To Narcissa's credit, she never batted an eye as not only Aurors, but goblins, Acromantulas, elves who weren't servants, a Dumbledore, and a Muggle, all passed through her door on the night of Bella's party.
She greeted each and every one pleasantly, her gracious smile never wavering. Lucius, on the other hand, wore a strained, constipated smile almost constantly and kept disappearing into the library when the party was being held in the parlor. Rabastan, with Parvati as his plus one, drank up Lucius's unease with open glee, introducing a giant spider or goblin to him every time he made a brief and reluctant appearance.
Rod and Bella watched on in amusement, Rod shamelessly devouring finger sandwiches and cheese cubes. Gori stood beside Bellatrix, a bemused expression on his face.
"What are goblin parties like," Bellatrix asked, bending slightly to speak closer to his ear so as to be heard over the room full of conversing individuals.
Gori shrugged. "I don't know. I rarely attend them."
Bellatrix felt her brows come up. "Why? Don't you get invited?"
He seemed nice enough, at least not the sort to make problems at a party. "I try to avoid it if at all possible," he said with a slight dry smile.
She hesitated before asking, "So why'd you come to this one?"
The question was uncomfortable, and she wasn't accustomed to that. That is, she was unaccustomed to uncomfortable situations that she wasn't gleefully the reason for. She'd always had few friends and never attempted to be accepted by anyone not in her narrow inner circle. Too many didn't comprehend her, or anything she valued or stood for, outside of family and their pureblood friends of like minds.
And even they shied away once she and the Lestrange boys grew up and got a little wild, but it only came with the territory. When you stepped up to fight for your right to be magical, you learned to enjoy the ways of war. If you didn't, you'd hate it, and it would break you. That's why people like Cissy worked from the wings where it was comfortable, and Bella got her hands dirty because she liked red.
Making friends outside of that, though, made her feel uncertain in a way that was oddly disconcerting. Gori was a pureblood as she saw it. Goblins were as magic as they got. Still, for whatever reason, goblins and wizards hadn't united until now, and she knew little of their ways or temperament even if it did seem they could match her own. She wasn't quite sure where she stood with Gori yet.
"I suppose I thought...it was the thing to do," he answered carefully, and she smiled when she saw he was as uncomfortable as she.
"It's alright," she said, giving him a warm smile. "All this rubbish is strange for me too. I never fit in anywhere truly, except with Rod and Rabastan. Finding that I enjoy the company of others, even if only a few, is surprising."
Gori nodded, shoving his hands into the pockets of his black suit jacket.
"I was good working at the bank. I knew what I was doing, and I didn't have to think about it much. Then Griphook put me in the bloody Ministry, right under the bloody Minister, with too much authority as if I actually belonged there and knew what I was doing!"
Bellatrix blinked. "You didn't want the job?"
He shook his head. "I didn't want it and wasn't at all qualified for it, as I still see it even today. And I was bloody terrified as a result! I guess that's why I related to you when you lot came to the Ministry that first day. You seemed about as uncomfortable there as I did."
Bellatrix nodded, then smiled as she remembered how surreal it was to be surrounded by Aurors and not fighting them! "We're quite accustomed to each and every Auror bloody hating us. Granted, we may have given them reasons later on, but in the beginning it was simply because we had different politics. They didn't even try very hard to find out who killed Rodolphus and Rabastan's mum.
"It was categorized as a burglary gone wrong, and she was the only one home at the time, but had it been one of their own, rest assured they'd have found out who did it and fast. We proved that when we took the Longbottoms, and they were quick to use all sorts of nifty location charms to find their precious own. Showing they have skills when they wish to have them."
Gori gave a short laugh. "So you're the goblins of wizarding society, then. Aurors would care no more were we to report crimes to them and expect help."
"Don't you lot report crimes," Bellatrix asked.
Gori shrugged. "I suppose sometimes, if we believe a wizard did it. Otherwise, we handle our own. If a wizard did do it, unless it was a criminal that the Aurors are already after, they'd not care any more than they did about the death of your mother-in-law."
"Well, we're as rich as goblins, so I like that," Rod commented as he handed Bella a drink with one hand and passed one to Gori with the other, before he snatched one for himself.
He'd taken the drinks from a laden tray as it floated by. Narcissa had acquired the self-serving trays from Enchanted Odds. Apparently Blaise, Gellert, and Kreacher chose to benefit from the fact that many families had…lost their elves… Or, rather, been forced to free them when the revolution began.
"Thanks," Gori said, giving Rod a quick smile before gazing down into the drink.
"Sure," Rodolphus nodded. "Any time."
"Hey, Rhadamanthus," Rabastan called.
The Acromantula crouched behind Rodolphus in the nearest corner but shifted forward at Rabastan's voice.
"You promised," Rabastan reminded.
The spider let out a low rasping chuckle as he rolled all eight eyes at the youngest Lestrange. Then as quick as the predator he was, he slid around Rodolphus and leapt into the air. He snatched up a glass from the floating tray in each of his eight legs. Opening his mouth, he tossed all eight drinks back at once, like they were really Acromantula-sized shots, while sitting on his bottom, moves as practiced as if he did it daily, before throwing the glasses into the air.
Lucius choked on his drink, and Rabastan clapped happily as he floated the empty glasses to the nearest table before they fell from the air. "That was just to fuck with you, Lucy," he admitted.
"He actually called him Lucy," Rod whispered loudly into Bella's ear. The party wasn't even an hour old and everyone was quite drunk.
"I mean… but it sort of suits him, doesn't it," Gori asked with a laugh.
"It does," Bellatrix replied with a smile, pleased that he'd noticed through his obvious, and justified, lack of interest in humanity.
"Only he is somehow unaware of that, though, so we keep trying," Rodolphus chuckled.
Just then, Harold hurried up, giving a slight bow as he stopped in front of Bellatrix. "Miss Bella, Miss Lyra is helping your sister manage the replenishment of refreshments and such. Should Harold assist?"
Though he still wore his plague mask, the elf still managed to look guilty for not helping. Perhaps it was his posture, but Bellatrix could literally feel the guilt radiating.
"No. It's a party. My party. Enjoy yourself. I thought Cissy was hiring help. If she didn't hire enough, it isn't your problem. If Lyra chooses to help, it's her business, and I don't care."
"Not to mention she'll be bratty if we attempt to forbid her," Rodolphus chuckled.
"Children are complicated," Gori shuddered. "I'm never having them."
"Have a drink," Rod told Harold, snatching another drink from a tray as it floated by and passing it to the elf.
Harold took it eagerly, nodding his thanks and lifting his mask to down half the glass.
Bellatrix gave him an amused smile. "Feel more comfortable now?"
He considered, then nodded slowly. "Harold believes so."
"Hey Harold, did you see what I dared Rhadamanthus to do?" Rabastan called, waving happily at the elf, causing Lucius to cringe again and murmur a frantic 'excuse me' as he slipped from the room.
"Rab is a bloody genius," Rodolphus murmured, chuckling.
"Harold did," he called back, nodding. "Please do not ask Harold to drink eight classes at once," he added after a second of consideration.
"I'd never ask you to drink eight glasses," Rabastan said with an injured expression before he ruined it with a grin. "At least not all at once."
Parvati laughed, waving a greeting to Harold as well. "Hi, Harold."
Harold smiled at Parvati before finishing his drink and lowering his plague mask again. "Hello, Miss Parvati. It is nice to see you again."