DISCLAIMER: Harry Potter belongs to JK Rowling.

~ No Unicorns on the Christmas Tree, and That's Final! ~

"Are you putting a Christmas tree in every single room of the manor?" Bellatrix asked incredulously as she stared at the huge pile of trees that were on the lawn.

"Of course we're putting a Christmas tree in every single room of the manor," Narcissa replied. "Evil people like presents too, you know."

Bellatrix scrambled out of the way as Narcissa waved her wand and began to levitate the trees into the house.

"You can help decorate them," Narcissa said. "There are ornaments and tinsel in the dining room."

Bellatrix didn't really want to help decorate a Christmas tree, but once her sister got in a bossy mood like this, there was no arguing with her.

Bellatrix went to the dining room and grabbed a box of ornaments at random. She also took a packet of tinsel, even though she wasn't overly fond of tinsel personally, because she didn't want to have to hear her sister complain about there not being any tinsel on it later.

Bellatrix picked the tree in the living room to decorate, because if she had to decorate it, then everyone else was damn well going to look at the terrible job she'd done of it!

The ornaments in the box were in the shapes of assorted magical creatures. Bellatrix hurriedly hung up tiny house elves, goblins, trolls, Thestrals, hippogriffs, a Slytherin house crest, Nifflers, and dragons. She paused when she found a glowing 'POTTER STINKS' badge that Draco must have slipped into the box at some point a year or two ago, but shrugged and pinned it to a branch anyway. No one in the house was likely to object to the sentiment, although a few might protest the aesthetic.

She had just picked up a garland which was strung with dangling charms shaped like unicorns, when Lord Voldemort entered the room.

"What are you doing, Bella?"

"Decorating the Christmas tree for my sister."

"Obviously. But what are you doing with that? Surely you weren't going to put that on the tree."

Bellatrix, who had no idea why her master might object to unicorns going on the tree, replied, "Why not? It was in the box of decorations, so I was going to put it on there."

Voldemort's gaze flicked to the 'POTTER STINKS' badge pinned to the tree with the rest of the decorations. Ah, yes. Malicious compliance, AKA following directions to the letter if not the spirit. He was familiar with that tactic. But still... unicorns. He shuddered internally.

The Dark Lord declared, "No unicorns on the Christmas tree, and that's final!"

The unicorn garland went back into the bottom of the box, and the two of them proceeded to shroud the branches in tinsel.

~end~