Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Bellatrix ran her finger through Rita’s short wavy hair, trying to tame her unruly hair down from its defiance against gravity, she stroked her hair gently. It was an early Summer morning so the heat was filling the room, yet Rita still had a blanket over her as she always did. Through the window light that shone bright streamed inside. The white almost see-through curtains didn’t help the matter but Rita didn’t have the time to change it or rather she didn’t want to change it, as it was the only thing waking her up besides Bellatrix that is. Bellatrix’s eyes traveled down to Rita’s back taking note of how the sun hit it perfectly. Bellatrix traced circles on Rita’s naked back. She stopped when Rita groaned and turned toward her. Her light green eyes glowed in the rays of sunlight escaping into the room as she squinted at Bellatrix. Rita moved her arms from under her head so her elbow was propping her up and looked at Bellatrix still squinting. Bellatrix smiled lazily before turning to the other side of the bed and grabbing Rita’s small glasses pushing them on the bridge of her nose before placing a kiss on Rita’s nose. 

Bellatrix’s eyes ran all over Rita looking at everything that she could see and then back up at Rita’s face. Rita yawned as her morning greeting before pulling Bellatrix toward her. Half her body fell on top of Bellatrix as she groaned at the unwelcome warmth in the already sweltering room she kicked the cover off herself, but there was still more heat than she would have liked, considering that Rita still had the covers on the lower half of her body. Rita shushed her with a kiss on the forehead. Bellatrix sighed and decided to distract herself from the heat by taking in Rita’s familiar features. The mole next to her left eye, her forever-painted nails curling into a fist in Bella’s long thick curly black hair, the curve of her lips as she tried to fall back asleep, still keeping her glasses on which meant she wasn’t going back to sleep. The crease of her forehead with the irritation of the sun shining on her now closed eyes. Bellatrix smiled softly, a sight that not even her family got from her often. She continued to stare at Rita reveling in how after so many years it still made her squirm. 

“Rita…” She started preparing for the battle that was waking up Rita Skeeter. She was met with a hand on her mouth and shushing. Bellatrix giggled, the vibration woke Rita even more. Bellatrix moved her hands to Rita’s waist shaking her gently. Rita groaned again leaning into Bella. 

“Trixie, please” Rita muttered, and hid her face deeper into the crook of Bellatrix’s neck. Bellatrix groaned knowing what Rita was doing. She knew Bellatrix couldn’t resist her like this. She knew that she was weak to a power like that. If Rita continued on this path Bellatrix wouldn’t be able to get up, and Bellatrix would fall into bed with her and neither of them would move for several hours after it. Bellatrix bit her lip looking up at the ceiling and started shaking Rita harder. Rita groaned but rolled onto her back, in defeat her lower half still under the covers. Bellatrix kissed her on the cheek before yanking the blanket off Rita to her side and partly on the floor.  Rita glanced at her a smirk forming on her lips, the blonde eyed her up and down and stared at her glancing all over her. 

“You act like you haven’t-” Bellatrix was interrupted by the throwing of a pillow. She dodged and sat on the edge of the bed. Rita knew that she was right. Bellatrix moved her hair off her shoulders so it was down her back. 

“You're having elevenses with Narcissa today. "Rita reminded her, which caused Bellatrix to groan. Rita only laughed softly, rolled toward her, and started to play with her hair. Bellatrix leaned into Rita’s arms before turning around and placing a kiss on her right cheek, then her left, her chin, her nose, her mole, and then her lips. Rita giggled falling back on her bed but Bellatrix just leaned on top of her putting all her body weight on Rita refusing to stop kissing her as Rita laughed she leaned back exposing her neck to Bellatrix who started kissing her neck.

“You're the one who wanted to get up!” Rita exclaimed through her giggles. Bellatrix hummed her response biting down on Rita’s shoulder before reluctantly getting off her before going back for just one more kiss. Bellatrix trudged toward the bathroom of Rita’s small bedroom. Rita eyed her again but laid back on her bed grabbing the covers and putting them over herself. She stared at the ceiling before adjusting her glasses and grabbing the newspaper that was on her bedside table. She opened it glancing at the door every five minutes waiting for her Trixie to come back out. Come back to bed with her, part of Rita knew logistically she wouldn’t– Bellatrix couldn’t she had plans with her sister and her family always came first. The other part of Rita dreamed that maybe someday after so many years, Bellatrix would choose her. For once, she would be her priority– she would be the one Bellatrix yearned for– the one she took care of– the one she thought of. So she kept glancing at the door, kept waiting for Bellatrix to walk out in her robe and lay back down beside her. To complain about how she was wrapped in a blanket despite how hot Bellatrix felt to yank the blanket away attack her with kisses and take the newspaper out of her hands. That even if she grew mean and bitter as she’d done so many mornings she’d be unarguably hers. 

Bellatrix comes out an hour later. She’s dressed in a green floral short-sleeved maxi dress, her hair was pulled into a messy bun and the front pieces of her hair were still out. She looked ravishing as she always did, she looked less like herself but, of course, that’s what she goes for when going to events. Bellatrix dropped her eyes to the floor looking for her shoes from the previous night. This prompted Rita to get up, out of her daze. She dropped her newspaper on the bed. Rita tied her robe around herself and got up to search with her. 

“Why does Narcissa want you at this thing anyway?” She asked hesitantly, kneeling to search under the bed. 

“She doesn’t want to host alone. She’s just a little nervous is all.” Bellatrix replied irritated at the questioning. She sighed in relief grabbed her heels and started to step into them. Bellatrix looked down at Rita who was still kneeling. 

“How do I look?” Bellatrix asked, moving her hand to Rita’s chin and making her look up to her. 

“You look perfect,” Rita replied taking in the sight before her. Rita grabbed at her in awe of her beauty– her pose – her features. Bellatrix smiled wickedly, clearly pleased with Rita’s answer. She turned away from her and dropped Rita’s chin without a care. She grabs her purse hurriedly before looking at her watch again and adjusting her bracelets. She walks toward Rita who is standing again, dusting her robe off, her eyes glossy, and gives her a chaste kiss.

“You’re perfect,” Bellatrix whispered, it was almost inaudibly but Rita heard it and it made her smile against Bellatrix’s lips. Bellatrix pulled away as if in disgust not with Rita but with herself. It wasn’t her first time doing this and it’d be far from the last but she pulled away it made Rita stumble back as she took note of the mood change. Bellatrix turned to the door, putting her finger on the knob. 

“Will I see you tonight?” Rita asked, as she did most days. 

“Perhaps,” Bellatrix replied, as she always did. She ruined around a smirk on her face. She leaned in again but Rita pulled back. 

“You’re going to be late.” Rita reminded, holding the shoulders of her lover down, keeping Bellatrix away from her. Bellatrix glanced at her lips again, she nodded but did not move. She just continued to stare in awe at how she could have a creature as divine as Rita all to herself. She leaned in kissing her slowly, Rita dropped her hands putting them around Bellatrix’s neck wrapping them around the back of it keeping her flush against her. Bellatrix deepened the kiss before pulling back and pressing her forehead against Rita’s. Rita slowly let go of Bellatrix still keeping their foreheads together. Bellatrix took a step back. 

“You will see me tonight.” Is the last thing Bellatrix said before apparating away. Rita was left there in her small bedroom, alone, in her tacky old robe, and having to start getting ready for a job she hated while Bellatrix was able to go to a party like she always could. While Bellatrix got to do whatever she wanted like she always did. Bellatrix with no regard for anyone who wasn’t herself. She was standing there where she would always be with tears threatening to fall down her face just because she was leaving. It wasn’t just for that but, it was so foolish. Rita was standing her about to cry over a girl. A girl who barely gives her the time of day. The one who only comes to see her when it’s convenient for her. A girl who can’t compliment her without feeling sick. Who can’t touch her if the door is open? Who would choose the smallest of things over her? She sniffed and wiped the tears off her face. The clock chimed– she was late. 

Chapter Text

The fireplace roared as it always did, it was emptier than it usually was, the common room usually bustling with life was now dead except for  the two girls sitting on the floor of the cold tile of the Slytherin common room. It was cold as it always was but the fire helped even if it was only a bit. They sat on the rug snakes, green, and silver scattered everywhere. Their books scattered on the wooden table in front of them. 

One of the girls, had untamable black curls cascading down to the front of her shoulders down to her arms as she glanced at the girl next to her over her quill as she grabbed ink. Her silver eyes were burning and cloudy. The girl sitting next to her was blonde, her hair reaching her shoulders, small thick glasses hung on the bridge of her nose that was hidden behind a charms textbook. The raven haired girl dropped her quill leaning on her left elbow turning fully to the girl beside her. It was the first semester of the girls' sixth year at Hogwarts. Yet, the blonde insisted it was never too early to start studying for N.E.W.T.s. 

“Rita?” Bellatrix called out, still staring at the blonde next to her. 

“Yes, Trixie?” 

“Are you finished?” 

“No,” Rita said, still focused on her book. Bellatrix frowned but dropped her left hand, picked the quill back up and resumed her writing. She groaned and dropped it again. 

“It doesn’t take so long to read one bloody chapter.” Bellatrix complained, absentmindedly plucking at the feathers of her quill.  

“It doesn’t take that fucking long to write and essay but here we are.” Rita bit back not looking from her textbook. Bellatrix's eyes bulged and she clenched her jaw turning away from Rita, her usual pale face slightly flushed. She looks down at her essay, her eyes scanning for some kind of mistake, something wrong with it.  She crossed out a line and rewrote it– she crossed it out again. 

“Bellatrix.” Rita dropped her book, staring at her. “I’m sure the essay is fine, if you keep scratching things out. She’ll deduct points and make you rewrite it in detention.” Bellatrix sighed and leaned back onto the bottom of the couch and snapped the quill in half. Rita just rolled her eyes and started reading her textbook again, seemingly without a care. 

Bellatrix looked at her for a moment, her eyes looking down to Rita’s plush pink lips. Bellatrix thought of the way they curved when she smiled, how when she’s sad she bites down on them anxiously, when she absentmindedly bites them when she’s writing in her journal. When Rita noticed because Rita always noticed. Bellatrix looked away, hastily, her eyes moving back to her essay paper. Bellatrix took another quill and her scribbling continued, she stopped realizing her handwriting was just chicken scratch at this point. The essay was probably shit anyway. 

Bellatrix felt Rita’s eyes burning through her. Then, she looked back, and hunger overcame her. Rita’s lips were jumping at her trying to capture her, dragging Bellatrix down into Rita’s clutches. It was making her weak, not being able to control her urges. Urges she’s been able to control since she befriended Rita. Bellatrix always knew how pretty Rita was— it was the part of the reason they were friends. Rita was so gorgeous in a Sharon Tate way and before Bellatirx told her she didn’t even notice. It was pathetic how you could wake up in the morning and look in the mirror everyday and not notice how beautiful you were. It was unseenly. Bellatirx bit her lip, she walked her head back looking upside down at Rita before looking back to her essay. She took out her wand whispering. 

“Incendio!”  She said as she lit her essay on fire. Bellatrix sighed as anger bubbled inside her. Why couldn’t she be good at these things? She understood the concept— she could explain it just fine but writing it was the limit? She scoffed and glanced at Rita again looking at her fingers that were still wrapped around her Charms Textbook. Bellatrix gulped as she continued to stare. 

It took so much for Bellatrix to look away just for her to look back. Just for Bellatrix to feel the veins popping in her head, feel her heart beat out of her chest, and she felt her chest heave. To feel the need for their lips to connect just for a second– for a moment. That's all she needed, right? To get it out of her system. That's all! Then it could all go away. She would stop feeling like this. She saw how Rita’s lips curved into a smile when she noticed Bellatrix looking at her and that’s when she lost it. How could she smile at a time like this? Does Rita not understand what she is doing? She sees Bella struggling and she still smiles at her. How dare she? What was Bellatrix meant to do with it? How was she supposed to not touch her? How was she supposed to calm down? So she did what any sane person with such a beautiful girl sitting next to her with a fire roaring in front of them would do. Bellatrix fully turned toward Rita, grabbed her face, and kissed her.

It started slowly bruising anything but calm. Then it became frantic– dangerously needy. Bellatrix leaned into her and it felt intoxicating, the thrill that anyone could walk into the common room and see this. Her betrothed could see this but she didn't care all she felt was Rita’s lips against hers.  Bellatrix pulled away from Rita and yanked the textbook out of her hand discarding it somewhere unimportant on the floor. 

Bellatrix kissed Rita again putting all her body weight on her so much that Rita stopped sitting up and ended up lying on the floor with Bellatrix on top of her. Rita returned her kiss soft and gentle at first then it was more what she truly was rough and threatening. Telling her if she moved away– if she stopped this pleasure. Rita would tell someone of it. Tell someone that the oldest member of the latest generation of the Noble House of Black had her tongue down a girl’s throat. It wasn’t because she was a girl that mattered just the trampiness of it all. While not even reviewing a courting gift from the girl while she already had such a potential match with a Lestrange? So Bellatrix didn’t stop; she lifted up Rita’s shirt just enough to slide her hands under it and squeezed her core, positioning herself between legs as Rita grabbed her hair and pulled her closer and her legs wrapped around Bellatrix's hips so she couldn’t move. 

Rita moaned into her mouth and she played with the hem of Bellatrix’s white button down school shirt trying to pull it higher. Bellatrix made a snarling noise as she kissed her harder as passion consumed her. 

When they finally broke apart for air more than anything. The pair's lips were bruised and sensitive to even the air that did not stop Rita from leaning up with an arch of her back and planting a firm kiss on Bellatrix’s lips. That made Bellatrix break into her laugh. Not the laugh that was ever so practiced for pureblood balls and boys but her real laugh. Her body shook and she cackled with a wicked smile. Her thick raven black hair bounced, and her curls slid down on her shoulder. She laughed so hard she fell back onto Rita laughing into her shoulder. Rita shook her head in disbelief. She pulled herself up getting on her knees in front of Rita while Rita still laid on the floor trying to fathom. Bellatrix was still laughing and pulled Rita up by her tie kissing her again passionately before hissing away in pain. This made Rita want to start laughing. 

“Piss off! It burns.” Bellatrix muttered, as she watched Rita who was still laughing. Her gaze softened and she leaned close to Rita which made the blonde stiffen and stare at the other girl. 

“Rita.” Bellatrix whispered, gripping on to Rita’s collar. 

“Trixie.” Rita answered, gulping and staring into Bellatrix’s eyes. 

“Come with me to bed.” Bellatrix said softly, playing with Rita’s hair. She watched as Rita flushed as she turned pink in the face and down to her upper chest. Bellatrix laughed again, smirking at Rita. 

“Not to shag. Just to be in bed.” Bellatrix explained, kissing her cheeks softly, her lips still burning. 

“Oh.” Rita muttered, still blushing. 

“Oh.” Bellatrix mimicked and moved her hands to fix Rita's shirt and staring at her neck. She rolled her eyes before grabbing Rita’s hand. Bellatrix gently caressed Rita’s hand. 

“You’re a bloody git.” Rita said, trying to get back some control. As her cheeks got redder. 

“Mmm, you’re really fit.” Bellatrix said, rubbing her cheek on Rita’s face. 

“What?” Rita choked out, Bellatrix smiled down at Rita. Bellatrix kissed her again. Bellatrix doesn’t remember how long they stayed there or how long they kissed for or what happened after that. She just remembers Rita. Rita’s face in the dim lit common room in the firelight. As they kissed and how her eyes widened with pleasure. Bellatrix remembers her giggles and the feeling of her warm fingers around Bellatrix’s cold ones as they walked up to their shared dorm room. Bellatrix remembers taking off Rita's glasses and kissing her nose. The absolutely bonkers noise that Rita makes. The giggles as they kissed some more and waking up with tangled limbs and her lips to Rita’s forehead. 

Chapter Text

Bellatrix was used to having to conform. She was used to having to change herself— from her hair to her laugh. Bellatrix in her true way would never be considered normal. At least that’s what her mother said— as her father nodded along.

Bellatrix was good at conforming, maybe it was the years of practice. So when Kreacher apparated into Rita’s flat looking for Bellatrix, she knew what to do.

Conformity was the drum that beats in her head whenever she’s alone with herself and she finds herself doing something unseemly. Even when she’s not alone she feels the urge to hide herself away. It was a constant hammering in her mind. The drum only stops when she’s with… it doesn't matter. Bellatrix shook her head as she stepped out of the fire after her floo.

Bellatrix never thought she’d become friends with Rita Skeeter. Rita was odd– strange. She carried a notebook with her everywhere, she sounded like a dying mule when she cried, the only thing they had in common was the Slytherin dorm they shared.

Bellatrix shouldn’t have cared about her and she didn’t. She didn’t! That changed drastically in their fifth year. Bellatrix remembered it like it was yesterday. She remembered the sickly sweet sight that was Rita in tears, even when she noticed Bellatrix standing there. She didn’t stop. Rita didn’t care. Bellatrix noticed how Rita never pretended. Rita was always no matter how awkward completely and irrevocably herself. Maybe Bellatrix…maybe she was jealous of that. Maybe that’s why she spent the better part of four years breaking that part of Rita down and away.

It worked.

Part of Bellatrix hated herself for it, the other hated Rita for being so weak- minded.

What right did Bella have to pity Rita when at least she didn’t have to fuck a man she didn’t love? Bellatrix swallowed a staggered breath and she quickened her pace to the drawing room. Bellatrix’s light footsteps echoed through her childhood home— mansion if you will. She pushed the door open and moved inside the room, her body stiff as she met Narcissa’s glossy blue eyes, the white in her eyes usually sharp and clear now looked an ugly pink.

Bellatrix’s jaw tightened as the wind grew outside in the storm. Her eyes darted from person to person searching for her other sister– Andromeda’s eyes. She met her father’s cold ones then her mother’s dull ones but there was no Andy. Where was Andy?

Bellatrix could answer her own question in a second. Flashes of a certain mudblood filled her head. She felt a twitch in her lip as she removed her cloak, it dropped to the ground and she didn’t pick it up. Kreacher would get it. She sat at her usual seat. Her fist clenched, she stared down at the table cloth.

“Your sister has been disowned. Neither of you will contact her.” Her father’s voice boomed, Bellatrix could practically feel Narcissa’s cries. She shook her head pinching the bridge of her nose.

“What happ–” Narcissa started, she was swiftly cut off.

“We will not speak of it.” Father replied quickly, his tone was softer than before, likely because it was Cissy who he was speaking to. Bellatrix lifted her head, turning to her father.

“Father—” Bellatrix started her voice sharp, her teeth felt like a dog gnawing on a bone that’s likely what she looked like too.

“We will not speak of it!” Her father snapped and that was the end of it. They were never allowed to speak of her again. It was like Andromeda had never existed. They sat at the table, her chair empty and Bellatrix couldn’t even look at it. Her father spoke again after that but Bellatrix couldn’t hear it. Soon enough it was over and her cloak was handed to her by Kreacher. This time she apparated to her husband’s house.