Bellatrix leered, her lips pulled taut. "Things change, Lucius." Abruptly, her features brightened, and she swept backward, inviting them in. "Apologies for the change of location. Thankfully, Rabastan was happy to oblige."

None of the Malfoys moved.

"Marcus," Draco said, a sharp edge to his voice. "What brings you here?"

Flint's eyes glinted even in the distance. "Business with Rabs. Your aunt was generous enough to invite me to stay for dinner."

Narcissa smoothed her hair over her shoulder and offered a papery smile. "Shall we sit?"

Bellatrix gestured for Narcissa to sit next to her at the head of the table. Lucius approached Rabastan and Rodolphus, shaking their hands with barely-concealed disdain. Hermione assumed a blank expression as she sidestepped against the wall, following Draco.

"Draco, darling," Bellatrix sang. They both froze. "Come sit next to your auntie." She patted the place setting to her left.

Draco's jaw ticked before he slowly pivoted and crossed the room to take the chair across from his mother. Lucius sat to Narcissa's right. Hermione kept her eyes down as she moved toward the wall behind Draco.

As soon as her gaze flicked up, she caught Narcissa's cold eyes. Narcissa looked away, turning to Rabastan's booming laugh, and Hermione quickly did the same. But she could feel two black, predatory eyes boring into her even as she studied her shoes.

Hermione's stomach dropped at the sudden realization of the purpose behind the night's twists. Bellatrix and her husband were aware of her treatment at the Manor, and had kept the information from Voldemort for some reason. But with other witnesses — Flint, Rabastan Lestrange — the Malfoys couldn't protect her tonight.

She quieted her fear with deep breaths, focusing on the dark wood.

"Mudblood!" Hermione jumped.

The first course had appeared on the table: a murky soup that Lucius was currently sniffing at with a curled upper lip.

"Fetch the bread basket." Bellatrix didn't spare her a glance, but Hermione knew the command was for her.

Her eyes frantically scanned the table. When she found nothing, she looked to Narcissa, but she was staring at her soup, her lips in a thin line as her sister watched her. Then Lucius caught Hermione's eye, and looked pointedly at the sideboard — where the bread basket sat.

Hermione scurried around the table and maneuvered the giant basket into her arms. Stepping carefully to Bellatrix's side, she reached for the serving tongs. A sizzling pain shot up her fingers when she touched them. She yelped before she could stop herself, nearly upending the basket.

Bellatrix turned to glower at her, but quickly cackled, giving the game away. "I forgot about the curses on the silver to keep dirty little thieves away." Bellatrix turned to Draco and whispered, "Can't have a Mudblood mucking up our things, can we?"

Taking a shuddering breath, Hermione turned back to the sideboard, grabbed a spare serviette, and gingerly wrapped it around the tongs. She moved back to Bellatrix and steadily plucked a piece of bread to set down on her small plate.