Disclaimer: Characters are not my own and are the property of J.K. Rowling. Also, the lullaby is based on the one from the Tin Man series.

Bellatrix Black walked silently along the hallway of her house to her parents' room. Her bare feet hit the wooden floor with a barely audible tap. She glanced curiously around at the portraits lining the walls as she went. The paintings always interested her and even after seven years of life she still hadn't grown accustomed to the little people moving around inside of them like her sisters.

There was something so magical about the portraits. The fact that someone could still live on in a way even after death filled her with a warm, comforted feeling. The thought that there were certain ways to cheat death had interested Bella ever since she had lost her cat three months ago. The sting of his passing still had yet to disappear.

It was still early daytime and the weak rays of the morning sun shone in through an open window. She smiled as she past it, the heat washing over her like the warm hug from a loved one.

Her parents' door was shut to the world and Bella hesitated outside of it. Normally she wouldn't intrude upon their privacy (she was likely to get in a lot of trouble for something like that) but her mother should have been up hours ago like Daddy, who was currently playing downstairs with Cissy and Dromeda. Mummy was supposed to have taken her to Hogsmeade today so they could go to the candy store she so loved. Her sisters had wanted to stay behind and, at her mother's insistence, their father would to; apparently there was something she wanted to talk to Bella about . . . alone.

With that in mind, the little witch raised her hand to the doorknob that was just a little way above her head and gave it a good turn. The door opened with a creak that echoed loudly throughout the silent house and Bella grimaced.

On the bed her mother slept, her form shrouded by the darkness of the room, although the light from the doorway allowed her to get reasonably good picture. At the sound of the door opening her mother had raised her head slightly, green eyes locking with her grey ones. The penetrating gaze made the girl a little uneasy and she shifted slightly where she stood, silently contemplating whether to back out, close the door and forget about the little candy store in Hogsmeade that her little heart yearned for.

After a pause, her mother offered her a weak smile that eased Bella's worries and she sagged with relief.

"Come here, Bella," she whispered, patting the spot beside her on the bed. "Come rest with me."

The child didn't hesitate and she crept towards the bed, pulling back the covers so she could climb in. Once she found herself nestled against the soft, warm form of her mother, the woman reached out and caressed the side of her face. Bella closed her eyes and leant her head against her mother's chest.

"We aren't going to Hogsmeade today are we, Mummy?" she whispered, her voice quiet so as not to disturb the peaceful atmosphere.

"No, I'm afraid not, my dear." She pulled Bellatrix into a weak but firm hug and her daughter let out a sigh, feeling the beginnings of sleep starting to take hold. She'd barely had any last night as she'd been too exited about today to even think about closing her eyes.

"Three little witches spinning in a row,

Where their lives will take them

Nobody knows," her mother sung. She kissed Bella's forehead. "Sing to me, Bella."

"Three little witches all dressed in bows.

What will become of them?

Nobody ever knows," she sang, in between yawns.

It was a lullaby their mother sung to her and her sisters every night in bed and she knew every word by heart.

"Three little witches playing in the snow.

Two stay outside,

The other one goes.

Three little witches dancing to and fro

Little faces smiling,

Six eyes aglow.

Three little witches spinning in a row,

Where there lives will take them,

Nobody knows . . ." she trailed off, finally giving into the forces of sleep.

…

Cygnus Black gazed upon his two daughters, Narcissa and Andromeda, as they slept soundly in their beds. About ten minutes ago he'd removed them from the lounge room where the three of them had been happily playing a game of indoor hide and seek. His eldest daughter, Bellatrix, had been playing with them to at first but where she had disappeared to was a mystery.

Deciding that it was about time he went on a search for his most mischievous daughter who could very well have found her way to Paris by now, he stood from the chair he'd been occupying up until then and walked out the door, careful to make too much noise so he wouldn't wake Cissy and Dromeda.

Cygnus closed the door behind him and was confronted with the sight of the very girl he was looking for making her way towards him. She had a befuddled look on her face that made her look even more adorable than she usually did and he smiled.

"Bella."

She cocked her head to the side.

"Daddy, Mummy won't wake up." Bella gazed innocently up at him, oblivious to the strength of her words and the exact meaning behind them.

Cygnus's breath caught in his throat at her words; surely they couldn't mean what he thought they did. He moved quickly along the hallway and to he and his wife's room, barely registering Bella's stumbling steps behind him, trying to keep up with his pace.

Upon reaching the room he slammed open the door and rushed to the bed where Druella's still form rested. Not wasting any time he reached out a hand and placed it on the side of her throat. He waited, holding his breath, for that one movement that would erase his fears. When it didn't come, even after a minute, Cygnus hung his head, defeated.

He shouldn't have been shocked really. Both he and Druella had been expecting something like this to happen ever since the healer had given them the diagnosis. Still, he hadn't thought it would be so soon. She'd been doing well yesterday and had even decided to take young Bella to Hogsmeade for the day. She'd planning to explain her situation to Bella then, in the most delicate way possible. They weren't going to tell Cissy and Andromeda though, who were far too young, only Bella who'd begun to notice something was off with the way her mother acted.

At the reminder of his eldest daughter, Cygnus swung his head around to see her standing there in the doorway. Curly black locks framed her pale, confused face and the effect of the light fanning out around her from the doorway gave her the appearance of an angel; his angel.

The father forced a smile, for her sake, and got up from the floor he was crouched on. Slowly he made his way towards the door and knelt down in front of her, so that their eyes were level. He fingered a rather prominent strand of her hair, wondering how best to tell a young girl that their mother would never return again, never hold her in a hug or whisper a lullaby in drowsy ears.

"Daddy, why won't Mummy wake up?" she asked, once again instigating an innocent cock of her head.

He smiled sadly. "Your mother hasn't been well lately, my Belle. Sometimes when people aren't well they simply go to sleep and don't wake up."

Bella's brow furrowed as she tried to make sense of his words. "Do they wake up some time?"

"No, I'm afraid not."

"Will Mummy wake up some time?"

"No," he whispered, caressing her cheek softly.

"Will she be taking me to Hogsmeade soon?" His daughter still didn't seem to be grasping the truth of the situation and he wished for a moment that he could share in this childish innocence.

"No, my Belle."

There was a pause in which Bella continued to gaze at him, confused.

"Why?"

Such a simple question yet one he doubted anyone could answer. "I don't know."

Her brow furrowed once more. "Daddy, is Mummy like . . . like Jinkers."

Ah yes, the cat they'd lost over summer. He'd almost forgotten about the little fur ball but clearly Bellatrix hadn't.

After a pause. "Yes, Mummy's like Jinkers."

A tear slid down her porcelain cheek and he hurried to wipe it away.

"Do not cry, my Belle. Your mother is at peace now; she has been in a great deal of pain up until now. We should be happy that her suffering has finally ended."

This seemed to still the upcoming sob about to wrench its way out of Bella's throat and she gazed at him curiously.

"Daddy, is Mummy going to sleep a good thing?"

He wouldn't exactly call it a good thing but if it meant easing Bella's pain slightly he would agree. "Yes, my Belle, Mummy going to sleep is a good thing." If Cygnus had gone to the future then and seen what was to become of his eldest daughter he would have seen the mistake of those words but alas he did not and after a small nod from Bellatrix he pulled her into a tight hug.

"Three little witches spinning in a row,

Where their lives will take them,

Nobody knows," he sung, rubbing her back, rhythmically. Bella sighed and wrapped her arms tightly around his neck.

…

"…Three little witches all dressed in bows.

What will become of them?

Nobody ever knows," Bellatrix sung softly as she crept forward down the hallway. Her voice reverberated throughout the filthy muggle house and she smirked, red lips twitching into an expression that was somewhere between energetic and malicious.

Down the hall in the kitchen Rodolphus was disposing of the two adult muggles but Bella was sure there was someone else in the house. She'd heard scuffling not four minutes ago and it could easily be a sign that the two muggles weren't the only residents of the small house.

She made her way into the lounge room, grey eyes scanning her surroundings like that of a hawk. Nothing appeared to be out of the ordinary and she turned to leave only to be stopped by a soft cough. Bella grinned and walked further into the room.

"Come out, come out wherever you are," she called playfully, spinning around the room before her eyes zeroed in on where the cough had come from. A couch stood in the corner of the room, its tattered appearance nearly causing Bella to wrinkle her nose in disgust.

Smiling from ear to ear she made her way towards it, her feet hitting the floor silently. As she neared the couch the form of a child, crouched in the shadows behind it became more and more prominent.

Bella grinned as she finally reached her destination and the child's form came into full view.

The kid was a girl, probably about seven or eight years of age. Dark black curls hung to just below her shoulders and dark grey eyes stared up at her out of a pale, fearful face. Bellatrix bit her lip; the girl looked something like what she had when she'd been that age.

The girl whimpered, spotting her and for some reason the sound tore at Bella's heartstrings. She had no problem with killing people, no problem with torturing them yet the thought of doing something like that to this girl for some reason filled her with a tad sense of guilt. Perhaps because she looked so much like herself.

Of course, that should have filled her up with anger not guilt. How dare a filthy creature such as this look so like her? How dare it?

Bella should have crucio-ed her on the spot, just for that, but she couldn't summon up the right amount of rage to do so. How odd.

"What is your name?" she asked after a pause, cocking her head to the side. The brunette could hear the sounds of the child's parents' screams echoing from down the hallway and it took every ounce of her strength not to smirk in satisfaction at the sound.

The girl trembled, eyes wide. "Isabella." Bellatrix nodded, making an 'mm-ing' noise. "B-But everyone j-just calls me B-Bella."

Yes, this was very odd indeed.

Bellatrix smiled warmly down at her and opened her arms in a deceiving offering. Isabella eyed her warily for a moment but after a pause clambered into them. Her body shook with fearful sobs and Bella held her tighter, grinning slightly.

"Hush, my Belle. This is a good thing," she whispered into her ear. The girl didn't reply.

"Three little witches spinning in a row,

Where their lives will take them

Nobody knows.

Three little witches all dressed in bows.

What will become of them?

Nobody ever knows."

Bellatrix fingered the wand in her hand, whilst stroking the girl's hair with the other.

Three little witches playing in the snow.

Two stay outside,

The other one goes."

She turned the wand towards the girl's back.

Three little witches dancing to and fro

Little faces smiling,

Six eyes aglow.

Three little witches spinning in a row,

Where there lives will take them,

Nobody knows . . ." Her voice trailed off into a whisper. "Avada Kedavra."

Isabella's limp form dropped to the floor, dead and Bellatrix looked upon it with a maniacal grin. Fun, fun, fun . . .

Rodolphus who'd been watching the scene for about a minute rolled his eyes at his wife's behaviour. "If you're quite done toying with your victim, we do have another house the Dark Lord wants us to hit before morning."

"Of course, Roddy," Bella responded with a smirk, climbing to her feet.

She left the room without sparing a glance back at the girl on the floor. Perhaps if Bellatrix had known enough about herself she would have seen a deeper meaning behind the treacherous act. Perhaps she would have realized that in a way, deep down she knew that what she was doing was wrong and that she had to be punished somehow. And perhaps that little girl was so like her that her chaotic mind could almost mistake the body on the floor for her own; that she'd dealt her punishment, in a way that was so warped and confusing it didn't make the slightest bit of sense . . . but in her mind was perfectly logical.

Or maybe it was just a random killing, that meant nothing at all. Maybe she was just as merciless and screwed up as everyone seemed to think.

One thing was for sure though, Bellatrix Black was thoroughly convinced that it was a 'good thing'.

As she disapperated from the muggles house she found herself humming her lullaby beneath her breath and, oh, what a deadly one it was.