~Anne~

Anne Boleyn has been portrayed as many things.

An adulterer of the noble King Henry. A squib desperate for power. An unsavoury demon of magic.

But only one person could have told a modern-day historian what Anne was really like. The Queen's ups and downs, wishes and secrets, dark motives and revealing dreams. Bellatrix Lestrange, before her untimely death, knew Anne in person. Or, if you were going to be entirely correct, she was Anne in person.

Estimated Release Date: January 21st 2017

Prologue

Her
steps were slow as she climbed to the platform, bowing her head as a single
tear trickled down her cheek. Lifting her head nobly, she looked to the window
were she knew Henry would be viewing from. She tried to picture his face, his
expression. She tried to imagine what he was feeling.  Sorrow? Satisfaction? Hatred?

In
her heart, the last emotion swelled as she turned to address the crowd. Her
cold, clear voice rang across the courtyard as she repeated her speech – a
speech that did not echo her feelings in the slightest and was the greatest lie
she had ever told.

“I
have come here today to be punished for my sins. For I have sinned against the
greatest King we have ever known. I have wounded him and now wounded myself.
Yet I hope now, as I come here to die, my sins are forgiven, and my death is
penance to the crimes I have committed.”

Anne
turned her head to look up at the window once more, delicate face noble as she
continued.

“And
I pray for his Majesty’s health and well being, I pray for his life and I pray
for his happiness.” She took a deep breath, feeling as if she was poisoned by
the lies she spoke. Still staring at the window, she readied herself for her
last words. But as she did so, she caught sight of his face. Henry’s expression
as he looked down on her. A deep satisfaction that rose fury in her heart as
she turned back to the crowd to avoid it. And that’s how her last words became
those of an omen never to be forgotten.

“God
save the King!” Her voice was higher now, raised with energy, and as she
continued, the people around her grew frightened at her words. “For he hath
sinned greater than any man on earth! I am accused on witchcraft and adultery,
when he himself should burn in hell for these actions. And I tell you, good Christian
people, that he is dangerous! He has magic!”

Her
words rang through the courtyard as she looked up once more to see Henry’s face
pale and tight with anger. And now, she returned his previous expression,
smiling with satisfaction before turning to the executioner.

“I
am ready.”

The
crowd was silent as Anne took the cloth cap and pulled it over her dark hair,
calm and collected as she knelt on the platform. And her last words, uttered as
the executioner raised his sword, heard only by Charles Brandon as they rang in
his ears vengefully.

“I shall destroy the family who bore the
monster who claims the throne. That I swear forever more.”

Chapter One

Twelve-year-old
Bellatrix Black could not help but gasp as the impressive sight of Blickling
Hall came into view as the carriage came round the bend in the road. It was
truly a majestic building; the yews lining the path that lead of to its great
doors trimmed into a sharp, uniform shape and scattered with crimson as the
poisonous berries clustered; the clock tower glistening with gold as the hands
moved ever so slightly; the huge windows dark in the night and eerily black.
From the outside, the hall looked buried in the past, an echo of its former
glory.

Bellatrix
wiped the smile off her face as she saw her sisters were stirring as their
Mother also began to move as she sensed their arrival. Bellatrix herself had
not slept on the journey – not that there had been much of a chance to sleep
until half an hour ago when they’d taken the carriage from just outside the
grounds. They’d used a portkey to get to outside the grounds and then hopped on
the offered carriage to approach in style. Their host seemed to want to welcome
tem in splendour, but Bellatrix felt more scornful than honoured.  Atticus Lestrange seemed to be stuck in the 19^th
century.

She
listened to her sisters gasp at the view as the approached the hall and rolled
her eyes, keeping her expression cold. Of course it was impressive, she had
admired it herself, but they had to maintain some degree of maturity. Bellatrix
also knew that she had to be the leading example, and with implication, cleared
her throat, attracting the attention of Narcissa and Andromeda and raising an
eyebrow at them to signify her displeasure at their behaviour. Eight-year-old
Cissy immediately looked down, ashamed, and composed herself, but Andromeda
stuck her tongue out at her sister before turning back to look at the view as
the carriage turned and came up the drive. Bellatrix glared at her sister –
Andromeda would make them look bad and they couldn’t have that. But Druella
Black was ahead of her daughter and quickly reached forward and pushed
Andromeda back from the window, giving her a warning look as her Andromeda
sighed and leaned back in composure and Bellatrix smiled with satisfaction.

The
carriage pulled up and Druella, with poise, climbed up and out of it, followed
by Bellatrix and the Andromeda and Narcissa. At least there’s no outside welcome, thought Bellatrix as her
mother approached the great wooden door. She’d been imagining servants lined up
and was very glad that there seemed none in sight.

A
house elf answered, the bent little creature wiping its nose on the old blanket
it wore and ushering them in. Bellatrix looked at it with disgust to keep up
appearances as they followed the elf into a dark room where the family sat, the
only source of light being several candles in one corner.

“Welcome,
ladies.” Atticus Lestrange stood up from his armchair and advanced, reaching
out a hand that looked just as slimy as his greased hair and greeting Druella
as Bellatrix stared around the room at the other occupants. She identified
Drusilla, a niece of some sort she knew from Hogwarts, and Epaphroditus,
Atticus’ wife, but the rest were others she did not know. What she was confused
at was the absence of Rudolphus and Rabastan, the brothers of the family and
her schoolmates. Seeing her look around for the two boys, the cunning and
typically matchmaking Epaphroditus addressed her with a smile.

“Bella,
my dear, the two boys are waiting for you upstairs.” Bellatrix looked at the
woman and saw right through the act, but simply questioned.

“What
for?”

“They
wanted to give you a tour from top to bottom – it’ll help you know the house
better as well.” Epaphroditus said silkily, turning Bellatrix round as Narcissa
and Andromeda greeted Atticus.

“Where
are they, then?” Bellatrix answered, trying to keep the begrudging tone she
felt like implying out of her voice. Epaphroditus always got on her nerves and
she didn’t particularly want to go wandering around the large and gloomy halls
looking for her schoolmates.

“Go
up and main staircase and along the second corridor. They’ll be there waiting.”
Epaphroditus told her, still smiling smoothly. “Go on.”

With
an inaudible sigh, Bellatrix turned and exited the room, ignoring the advancing
Atticus Lestrange and leaving at once. She couldn’t abide the old-fashioned,
irritating Epaphroditus and Atticus – they just got on her nerves and made her
have to restrain the urge to yell at them when their boring and often spiteful
gossip became annoying beyond words. Rudolphus, however, was another matter –
and Rabastan wasn’t too bad either. Rudolphus, at the age of twelve, was very
handsome, witty and exceedingly evil – Bellatrix’s best friend and soon to be
more, hopefully. Rabastan wasn’t to bad either, although he could be a little
immature compared to Rudolphus and Bellatrix, who acted as if they were in
their twenties than rather not yet in their teens. Bellatrix enjoyed their
company reasonably enough. They worshipped her for one, and of course,
Bellatrix couldn’t get enough of that.

Climbing
up the stairs, however, she felt her Slytherin bravery waver as she began to
ascended the set of stairs that lead to the upper floor. She heartily wished she
could cast lumos at that moment, stumbling on the stairs as she climbed them in
darkness. Reaching the landing at the top, however, it was no better, and she
could see no giveaway to where Rabastan and Rodolph may have been waiting – she
was simply surrounded by ink black in the eerie, creaking house. Despite her
mature persona, she felt herself loosing hold of her bravery and began to walk
briskly down the nearest corridor, hoping to find her friends as soon as
possible. She ventured slowly, hoping not to bump into anything and bracing
herself for a possible scare from her friends.

But,
walking down the corridor, nothing happen. It was spookily empty. Well, until
she reached the end and suddenly a slither of pale light snuck out from
underneath the door of the room facing her at the end of the hallway. Bellatrix
smiled, relieved, believing she’d found Rabastan and Rudolphus. Raising a hand,
she pulled on the cold metal door handle, turning it and expecting to enter the
room and be faced by her two friends.

Instead,
she was faced by an vision she would never forget.

Standing at the window was a ghostly figure - a figure that turned to expose even more horror. For the woman had no head - instead cradling it in her arms. The scariest thing was when the ghost turned to walk towards her, Bellatrix stepping back in terror as the woman approached. Bellatrix could only gasp in horror as the ghost disappeared and instead became a cloud of silver that approached her.

"No...No!"

But it was to late. The silver snake of spirit wound it's way towards Bellatrix and breathed a hushing sound as it entered her body. A whisper that sounded throughout the room as Bellatrix fell to the floor.

"At last."