Bellatrix shrugged. "How about twenty-five thousand galleons? If you can provide me a report detailing how it was spent and another report detailing further needs, I could then offer an additional amount later."
"We are greatly indebted to you," Professor Dumbledore said, apparently accepting twenty-five thousand galleons as Bellatrix's best offer.
"I'll send you a bank draft by owl later," Bellatrix said, putting away her flask. "I don't happen to have my purse with me tonight."
"How could you forget to bring your purse? Sirius chuckled. "I didn't know there was a witch in this world who would leave home without money."
Despite harboring the same question herself, Lily shot Sirius a glare and was about to reprimand him, but was cut off when Moody decided to voice his own paranoid suspicions.
"I did not realize there was so much liquidity in the Black holdings," Moody commented.
"The goblins have intimated to me that there is plenty of liquidity in the Black holdings," Bellatrix countered. "Howbeit, you should probably know that this money is not strictly coming from the Black family."
"Is that so?" Dumbledore asked, his eyes peering curiously at Bellatrix over the rims of his spectacles.
"In his final moments, Romulus Malfoy turned over the Malfoy family's liquid holdings to my husband," Bellatrix informed the Order. "For some reason, he took offense when he saw that his son was among the Death Eaters who had just assassinated my father and were about to kill him as well. Remember that not all purebloods are evil. It was Romulus Malfoy, my uncle, and my father who took the first steps against the dark lord. To this day, their resources are being used to counter the Death Eaters."
"We will of course remember that," Dumbledore said, his eyes twinkling.
"I wonder what Lucius would say if he found out that every person he has killed will result in increased expenditures from the Malfoy fortune," James snickered.
"We shall probably never know," Professor Dumbledore declared. "Mr. Malfoy happens to be our next topic of conversation. I think it also relates to Bellatrix."
"Oh?" Harry, doing his level best to impersonate Bellatrix, asked as the gathered Order members stared at him.
"The details are still extremely vague at best," Dumbledore said, "but it sounds like Lucius Malfoy may have been killed. There has been no news or word of his son, Draco. My sources tell me that you probably are involved."
For Harry, calculating the appropriate Bellatrix-like reaction was simple. He quirked Bellatrix's lips and put on a smirk. "What if I am?"
"It means that we will have things to discuss privately," Dumbledore said. "But perhaps for the sake of the Order, you could tell me how you were able to arrange the events in Albania and confirm the status of Lucius and Draco Malfoy."
"Lucius is dead and Draco is none of your business." Harry declared. "How did I manage it? Simple. You can buy nearly anything with gold."
"It was my understanding that mercenaries have not been reliable of late, particularly when they are engaged to perform work against the Death Eaters," Frank Longbottom said slowly as he peeled apart Harry's attempt to make a vague explanation. "It would seem to me that once you sent your hired wands to Albania, you would never hear from them again."
Harry stared back at Frank Longbottom as he raced to formulate a Bellatrix-like response. Finally, it came to him, and Harry pasted a smirk on Bellatrix's face. "I paid cash-on-delivery."
.....
Apparently times were not so desperate for the Order so as to preclude them from having refreshments at meetings. Harry had only enough time to grab a small slice of one of Mrs. Weasley's cakes before Professor Dumbledore had taken Harry aside for a heart-to-heart conversation with Bellatrix. The house the Order used as a meeting place had a small room that had once probably served as somebody's study.
Dumbledore fetched a chair from one side of the room and set it down for Harry, who was still impersonating Bellatrix. Harry took another swig from his Polyjuice flask as Dumbledore brought another chair over for his own use.
"Am I to understand that Peter Pettigrew is in your custody?" Dumbledore inquired as soon as they were both seated.
"That is correct," Harry said, using a fork to cut off a small piece of cake. He supposed that Bellatrix might have foregone the cake entirely, but at any rate, if she had taken a slice of cake, she would have definitely been dainty about eating it.
"And what of Draco Malfoy?" Dumbledore inquired.
"Also enjoying my hospitality," Harry said, taking a small bite of cake.
"I am not convinced that you taking it upon yourself to hold prisoners is the best thing for all involved," Dumbledore said.
"And how would we all benefit from you assuming the safekeeping of Mr. Pettigrew?"
"He no doubt has information about the Death Eaters and Voldemort," Dumbledore said.