Ch64. Bellatrix Black, recreation.

It was Boxing Day and Narcissa and Hadrian exchanged their gifts. Hadrian also received the Cloak from Dumbledore and could only sigh that he didn't need it anymore.

Narcissa cast every scanning charm or spell she knew on the cloak. She was at it for two hours but still did not find any tracking charm on it. Expect a small sewn part of cloth to the inside of the cloak. That part had a tracking charm.

Well, figures that ol' mighty Dumbles can't actually enchant an item given out by Death. There is no way he could cast a tracking charm onto it so he just sewed a small cloth inside so it would not impair its invisibility but could be tracked.

It was quite clever, Hadrian thought. If Narcissa didn't find the tracking charm by looking very meticulously over the entirety of the cloak, even she would miss it.

Well, something like this was expected. There is no way Dumbledore would be able to look past the cloak even Death is unable to find. While Hadrian didn't need it anymore as he had his transfiguration... he was glad it was not in the hands of Dumbledore anymore.

The duo enjoyed themselves until noon, cuddling and talking.

At noon, Hadrian sighed.

"Ok, Cissy." He patted her head lying in his lap. "It's time. I want to see Bellatrix."

Narcissa groaned as she turned around to face her lover.

"Is it really necessary? I can handle Bella just fine..."

"Yes, I want to see what you are doing to her. I saw it on your face. Remorse and sorrow. It clearly pains you to continue." Hadrian shushed her and gave her a long emotion-filled kiss.

As their lips parted, the two looked into each other's eyes until Narcissa relented.

"Okay." She quietly whispered and her gaze softened.

Standing up, they went deep into the basement of Grimmauld Place 12.

Narcissa stopped near one door and put her hand on the handle in hesitation. She turned to Hadrian with a wry smile.

"Whatever you see... know I had no other choice."

Hadrian nodded but started to be quite freaked out.

Narcissa opened the door and he could see Bellatrix. Her small frame sprawled on the chair, bound to it. Her messy curly unkempt hair. Her gaunt but still pretty face. But most of all... her hollow soulless eyes.

"She is looking quite good." Narcissa nodded at the corner where a house-elf stood. "She was much worse when I brought her here. Malnourished skin and bones." She turned to Hadrian.

Hadrian hummed in acknowledgment, his eyes looking at his second wife.

"The elves are taking care of her. Cleaning and feeding her. Her figure is getting a lot fuller too." Narcissa stated.

"And her eyes?" He asked Narcissa directly.

Narcissa flinched and looked to the floor but answered.

"I had to shatter her mind."

Hadrian clearly saw she expected to be admonished or even punished but he only sighed, walked closer to her, and embraced her warmly. He might not know what that meant… not fully, but Narcissa was his supporting pillar for half a year already.

"I don't care. I love you, Cissy."

Feeling his arms around her, and hearing his soft words Narcissa felt all tension leave her. Her worries disappeared as tears trailed down her cheeks.

"I had to... There was no way she would join us." She wailed as her arms tightly clung to his form.

"What exactly does shattering the mind entails?" Hadrian gently asked.

"I destroyed everything she ever was." Narcissa sadly uttered. "Bellatrix Lestrange as you knew her, is dead. She won't return no matter what we try. Not entirely like she was before but close. She might be worse or better but the influence the Dark Lord's Legilimency had on her would be gone.."

"Like a puzzle." Hadrian said and Narcissa chuckled.

"Yes... like a puzzle." Her expression was saddened. "But, it is impossible to say how her new expression turns out. She was still psychotic. I understood it is impossible to change her psycho personality with the pieces I have. But I didn't yet find anything that could be used as a foundation for Bellatrix that would make her less of a... wild card." Narcissa's eyes again teared up in exhaustion as she hung her head on Hadrian's shoulder. "I even tried our happiest childhood memories but they would still be insufficient. I am honestly at the end of the rope."

The two lovers spent the next half an hour looking at the unfocused eyes of Bella, thinking about what to do.

Hadrian suddenly stood up and approached Bellatrix.

"Hello." He didn't get any reaction. "It is such a pity, you know? I am married to you, yet, you are but a mindless doll..." He sighed and gently put his hand on her cheek.

It was then that Narcissa's eyes bulged out from what happened.

Bellatrix shuddered and raised her head.

She reacted!

Hadrian was about to pull his hand away in disappointment when Narcissa stopped him.

"No! Keep it on her cheek!" She shrieked and quickly walked closer.

Hadrian obliged and noted that Bellatrix's hollow gaze was aimed directly at him, still completely blank and mindless. It was weirding him out somewhat.

"Incredible." Narcissa muttered and hysterical laughter filled the room. "What are the odds!"

"Uh, Cissy? Care to enlighten us magic-noobs?" Hadrian asked her awkwardly.

Narcissa recollected herself after her outburst. She was just so happy! She finally found the solution to the problem that was her sister!

"Simply put, you and Bellatrix are soulmates." She answered with a slight smile.

"Soulmates..." Hadrian's expression became dull as he stared at Narcissa.

"It doesn't mean that you will love each other." Narcissa rolled her eyes. "It just makes you feel better in each other's presence. It is a magical connection on a deeper level."

"Really now." Hadrian deadpanned, receiving another smile from Narcissa.

"It does have a few advantages though..."

"Oh, do tell, wife dearest." He dryly quipped.

"It shows compatibility. Not everyone has soulmates, you know? But if you found one, then there are probably up to a hundred in the entire world." She lectured.

"Anyway, soulmates that have at least neutral feelings towards each other are more in tune. If you start a relationship, you will be protective of each other... and the sex. Well, you know, feels better." Narcissa blushed.

"Basically it is only a magical indication and empowering of our feelings of satisfaction when we are near each other?" Hadrian summed up as he understood it, he had read something similar somewhere...

"Yeah... but! But I can use this since Bella clearly reacted to you."

"Is there something wrong?" Hadrian blinked at Narcissa, not understanding what's so incredible at Bellatrix raising her head at his touch.

"Oh, simple. Bellatrix has NO working mind right now. She IS a doll. No matter what you do... hell, you could rape her and she would not even groan like a zombie. Even pleasure would not be registered in her mind. Similarly, you could chop off her limbs and she wouldn't even feel it." Narcissa explained. "Her mind is in pieces, Hadrian. Her personality core is not connected to her memories therefore Bellatrix is not a SHE but an IT right now. A thing." Narcissa stopped to see if he understood.

Hadrian nodded and Narcissa continued.

"But she reacted. A thing reacted! The connection from her side is so STRONG she, an unfeeling mindless thing, felt something AND her body instinctively reacted. It is a lot stronger than the happiest memories of our childhood! I can use it to rebuild her!" Narcissa excitedly shouted.

"The catch?" Hadrian though knew there will be something... more... involved. He was not such a lucky guy, after all.

"Ah... you know, it is not such a bad thing." Narcissa averted her eyes.

"Narcis..." Hadrian was about to press but Narcissa interrupted him.

"Her mind will be rebuilt with your soulmate bond as the foundation... She will be almost the same as Bellatrix Lestrange, maybe a little less crazy and more obedient. Just... not loyal to Voldemort." Narcissa was getting progressively quieter as she was saying it.

"Narcissa, what. Is. The. Catch." Hadrian strongly asked.

"Ah... It will do the exact same thing Voldemort did to her mind. Just instead of years, it would take a few seconds as there is a soulmate bond as the foundation and... well, thanks to the process of piecing together her memories. She will remember everything. Her servitude to Voldemort. Her marriage. Everything. Only her view on some things can be altered. With the bond as the foundation, however, I can direct the changes somewhat. Well, not really. I can only really aim her at the bond and piece her together. She might be even more brutal but one thing is certain..." Narcissa ranted but was interrupted by Hadrian.

"Just... tell it to me in direct simple terms, okay?" Hadrian sighed in exasperation.

"She will be a fanatic who will love you beyond the grave and would not mind burning the world for you." Narcissa told him.

"So... nothing changes except I will take Voldemort's place in her mind?" Hadrian deadpanned.

"Yes, only, worse... much worse. Or better... It all depends on the perspective." Narcissa smirked and aimed her wand at Bellatrix. "Now, keep your hand on her cheek. It wouldn't hurt to occasionally kiss her either. You know, to reinforce the newly made personality and its changes. She is your wife, after all." She playfully quipped.

Hadrian could only groan as he spent the next few hours touching and kissing Bellatrix Black while Narcissa was sweating as she was putting Bella's mind together and making it focus on the bond, binding itself to Hadrian through magic in much similar way the slavery contract, only with a different result.

What Narcissa didn't tell Hadrian, is that what she was doing will have a much worse effect than a love potion on Bellatrix. It would make Bellatrix literally unable to stop loving Hadrian forevermore. A true love, at that. Forget Voldemort... the effect will be much stronger than even years of mind-alteration!

Alas, no matter how much she loved her sister, her love towards Hadrian was stronger. She would not mind showing a bit of that love to her sister, ufufufu.

She only hoped it would cull a little of Bella's craziness as after creating new Bella through the magical bond her sister shared with Hadrian, steeping magic DIRECTLY into Bella's entire being during the CREATION of her mind from mixing available pieces of memories, the magically-enforced feelings towards Hadrian, Bella's and Hadrian's magic, it would be impossible to shatter Bella's magically strengthened mind anymore. This process was final.

Alas, it was not simply piecing together pieces of memories as she made Hadrian assume...