Bellatrix lay in bed that night ruminating on the day's events. There had been uproar after the Minister's pronouncement, although the search for his missing artefact had been hampered by his complete unwillingness to admit to exactly what it was that he had lost. He had blustered and blundered, cast a locating spell, searched the party guests, all to no avail. Eventually, even the children had been called up from the kitchen and questioned, one by one. Had they taken a golden necklace?

Sirius had pretended to be a tracker dog and had started sniffing the guests. (He had been hastily removed from the room).

Narcissa had informed the Minister that she had her own gold necklace that her mummy had given her, thank you very much, and didn't need to steal someone else's, she wasn't a beggar.

Andromeda had earnestly informed the Minister that her book had also gone missing, and if he caught the thief, could he please let her know, because she really would like her book back.

Bellatrix had looked at the Minister coldly, and pointed out that if he had already cast a locating spell with no success, it was highly unlikely that his "necklace" was in the house at all, unless he thought that wandless children were capable of concealment charms so powerful that they could subvert the skills of the Minster for Magic.

In the end, the Minister had had to accept that he had probably lost the necklace before he had ever arrived at Grimmauld Place, and he had been forced to apologise, albeit grudgingly, to Walburga and Orion. Orion's voice when he accepted the apology had, Bellatrix noticed, been tinged with danger, and Bellatrix suspected that Ignatius Tuft would not be Minister for very much longer.

The children had been sent to bed after being questioned, but Bellatrix and Andromeda, unconvinced that the drama was entirely over, had sneaked out of their rooms and watched the party from the top of the stairs. No one but Alphard had noticed the two tiny, ghostly figures in their white nightgowns peering through the banisters, and Alphard had just smiled indulgently and told Kreacher to bring them up some cauldron cakes and pumpkin juice, which the girls ate gratefully and conspiratorially; greatly enjoying their unexpected night-time feast. They learnt little, however, other than witnessing a palpable tension in the air, and had eventually, after waiting for the great gongs on the wireless that rang in the New Year, retreated back to Bellatrix's room, where they had fallen asleep together.

As she lay in bed, however, Bellatrix could not help but think of the strange coincidences that tied together her dream and the night's events. Sirius had stolen a necklace, and a necklace, that Bellatrix should have had no knowledge of, had disappeared. Andromeda had left one of her most prized possessions in another time, and that possession had disappeared. Could they have time travelled? Was it possible? Or had it been a prophecy? A warning for the future? She shook her sister.

"Anna."

No response.

"Anna."

"What?"

"Do you remember falling asleep?"

The response was made sleepily, with more than a hint of grumpy-why-are-waking-me-up-to-ask-me-stupid-questions in Andromeda's tone.

"No one ever remembers falling asleep. It just happens."

"No, not just there. I mean on the stairs today. I don't remember even feeling tired."

Andromeda sat up at this remark.

"No, actually, I don't. I remember you opening the door to the stairs, but nothing after that."

She looked horrified.

"Do you think someone cursed us?"

"No. I expect we were just more tired than we realised."

It was all coming together. The children had been obliviated in her dream, and Andromeda was experiencing blackouts. She looked round at her sister, but Andromeda had fallen back to sleep. So Bellatrix crept out of bed and along the corridor to the room her parents were sleeping in. She opened the door as quietly as she could, but it was an old house, and the door creaked treacherously. Her mother looked up.

"Maman?"

"Viens-ici, ma fille."

Bellatrix hurried over to her mother, all attempt at secrecy and decorum forgotten, and climbed under the covers.

"I hope you haven't been worrying about the Minister, Bellatrix," came her father's voice.

"A bit."

"He will be dealt with. I'm not having some jumped up little politician coming onto Black land and threatening my family. But you know, Bellatrix, you're getting too old to be coming into our room at night."

"Tais-toi, Cygnus," came Druella's voice. "Elle ne sera pas une enfant beaucoup plus longtemps. Laissez-moi en profiter pendant que ça dure. "

Bellatrix smiled with satisfaction at her mother's response, and fell asleep.

A/N A lot of the pure-blood families in the Harry Potter series have French names, so I have pinned Druella as French, hence the slightly random language change at the end! It should read as "Shut up Cygnus. She won't be a child for much longer. Let me enjoy it while it lasts." If I have mangled the translation, please let me know and I will amend it!