Bellatrix smiled crookedly in response to Snape's jibe, raising her hand to shoo the ghost away. At her command, Harry Ashworth's ghostly form evaporated into the night air, disappearing from view.
"What do you want from me?" Narcissa demanded, fighting a tremble in her voice that she was sure Snape detected. Narcissa feared Bellatrix might have been able to detect her sister's nervousness, as well, but her nominally older sibling appeared more focused on their surroundings than on anything else. Narcissa took that as a good sign. It meant that Bellatrix did not regard her as an opponent-for the moment, at least.
"Maybe I just want family fellowship," Bellatrix defended half-heartedly.
"I do not think so," Narcissa said flatly. "The letter your house elf delivered did not bear even the semblance of familial regard."
Bellatrix slid down from her perch, walked over to Narcissa, and stared into her eyes. It was not a searching gaze-rather, it was meant to intimidate. "I want Peter Pettigrew. Alive."
"I… I do not have him," Narcissa protested.
"I understand that your son and Lucius are searching for him. Surely, you know where they can be found," Bellatrix said.
Inwardly, Snape cursed Professor Dumbledore. The aged headmaster must have told Bellatrix about Lucius and Draco searching for Peter. Involuntarily, his wand arm twitched. I will not let yet another person in Narcissa's life exploit her, he thought fiercely to himself . Before Snape had managed to level his wand arm, however, he blinked, and to his great surprise found Bellatrix's wand already pointed directly at the spot between his eyes.
"You would lose, Severus," Bellatrix growled menacingly, "and you would lose badly. I do not think you can comprehend how bad it would be."
Still pointing her wand toward Snape, Bellatrix looked at her sister. "If I can have Pettigrew, this war will end more quickly. I will make sure that it goes well for you after the war-particularly if you help me in this thing."
"The Dark Lord will kill Draco," Narcissa whispered fearfully.
"As Peter himself has proven," Bellatrix stated plainly, "Tom Riddle cannot kill someone he cannot find."
"You make it sound too simple," Narcissa fretted.
"It is that simple," Bellatrix declared. "You tell me where they are. Presumably, if your husband is not a total idiot, Pettigrew is in the locale. I, a more talented person than Lucius, will find and capture Pettigrew. I will even capture Draco. As far as everyone is concerned, Draco and Peter will be missing and presumed dead. Your precious son can sit out the rest of the war."
"What about Lucius?" Narcissa asked halfheartedly.
Bellatrix shifted her glance back and forth from Severus and Narcissa. "It does not seem to me that you two are eager to see him come home, or continue living."
"How dare you!" Snape hissed.
"You cannot just go kill my husband," Narcissa said weakly.
"Your husband helped kill our father," Bellatrix said icily. "He helped kill his own father. He is a blood traitor. To be blunt, Lucius Malfoy does not figure in my vision of our world's future."
Snape was outraged, but Narcissa put a hand on his forearm, restraining him from speaking or moving. After a bit, she spoke up. "You can do as you will, but if I tell you where they are, you have to see to it that my son comes back to England safely."
"Very well," Bellatrix agreed. "In exchange for you telling me where I can find both Lucius and Draco, I will pursue every reasonable step available to me for having your son brought back to England."
"And hidden from the Dark Lord," Narcissa added.
"And hidden from your half-blood Dark Lord, Tom Riddle," Bellatrix replied evenly.
"Your oath," Narcissa demanded.
Bellatrix shrugged uncomfortably. "Your son's welfare is at best a peripheral concern to me. I cannot afford to be bound by oaths that could interfere with my quest against Riddle."
"He is your nephew, for Merlin's sake," Narcissa pleaded. She had first viewed herself as having the upper hand in this bargain, but now she realized Bellatrix had the advantage. Refusing to help Bellatrix find Pettigrew would annoy and inconvenience her. But Narcissa now could see a way-her only way-to get her son out of the war, and she wanted it desperately. While under Voldemort's near-constant supervision, Narcissa could neither hunt for her son nor smuggle him to safety. Bellatrix could perform for Narcissa and her son a service no one else in Magical Britain-including the Order-would likely be willing to perform.
"I have never even met this nephew of whom you imagine I should be so fond," Bellatrix responded coldly.
"This nephew could very well inherit your estate, Bellatrix," Narcissa pointed out. "Even if Professor Ashworth was still alive, I do not see you having children."
Bellatrix wrinkled her nose, stammering in the face of Narcissa's retort. Where's that vicious tongue of mine when I actually need the damn thing, Bellatrix thought bitterly. "I… I… well… Sirius would inherit everything! Or his son." Bellatrix then paused, thinking of her husband's kisses. "And you never know. I might have a child or two after this war."
Having placed Bellatrix briefly on the defensive, Narcissa seized the chance to plead Draco's case. "Please, Bellatrix," Narcissa begged. "I am willing to tell you. Just promise me that you will do good by Draco."
"I guess I could swear an oath to not kill Draco and to help him when I can," Bellatrix said.
Knowing at that moment that Bellatrix would promise nothing more, Narcissa satisfied herself with her sister's proffered oath. Narcissa drew her own wand before the sisters exchanged magical oaths while Snape sulkily watched. Narcissa then revealed to Bellatrix everything she knew about Lucius and Draco's whereabouts. "They've been in Albania," she began.