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Chapter Text

Rabastan watched as Bellatrix battled Sirius as only she could.

Sirius had always been one of the best duelers the Order had. Sirius had always been one of the best at everything, if Rabastan was being honest.
Bright, funny, powerful, beautiful, charming...the list went on.

Rabastan had chosen never to duel Sirius, not because he didn't think he could win. He might be able to. Sirius was talented and knew how to fight, but Rabastan had been taught how to fight dirty by Bellatrix herself. He could probably beat Sirius; he'd have to cheat, but he could do it. Not that he'd want to.

He watched Bellatrix and Sirius from the shadows.
His love was so light on his feet, so funny, and despite the sweat pouring down his face while facing off against one of the strongest duelers of all time, he kept making jokes.
It's no wonder so many had fallen in love with Sirius; he was funny. It's too bad he was meant to belong to Rabastan.
Too bad for all the others.

He watched as Bella took advantage of a momentary distraction when Dumbledore arrived at the ministry and knocked him back towards the veil with a jinx.
This put a wrench in his plans.
Maybe he should just kill Bellatrix?

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Rabastan had always loved Sirius.
From the moment they met at 3 years old, Rabastan found himself taken by the little ball of magical energy that was Sirius Black.

Sirius grew into a beautiful man from the small butterball Rabastan had first met. Rabastan was sure the Blacks were descendants of the Fae or perhaps had some Veela blood because they were all beautiful. But none could compare to Sirius. It was just a fact.
His brother often commented that he wished Sirius had been of age when he was engaged to Bellatrix because he was the only one more beautiful than her.
Even Lucius had tried his hand at being attached to Sirius before being with Narcissa. Sirius got kicked out around the same time negotiations with the Black Family were happening, so Narcissa was the obvious choice.

Rabastan had breathed a sigh of relief at that, because he's not sure he could've found a way to break a marriage vow between the Heir of the Malfoy family and the Heir of the most Ancient and Noble House of Black even if he had been one of the Dark Lord's favorites at the time. He was too young to be marked, and too green to know how to compete with Lucius.
His 16-year-old self had naively thought that once he found his way to the top of the Death Eaters and gained enough power, it'd be easier to get to Sirius now that he was no longer associated with his family. He hoped that would leave Sirius desperate for support that Rabastan would happily provide.

Chapter Text

Rabastan's second time in Azkaban was both better and worse than the first.

It was better in that there were fewer dementors, worse in that there was no Sirius Black present for him to focus on.
The first time around, Rabastan had gone out of his way to try to talk to Sirius.

He had bribed the guards to leave their cells mostly alone. It did mean the dementors were more likely to make extra rounds, but it was a small price to pay to get a few words out of Sirius more often.

Pulling words out of Sirius for those 12 years was difficult.
But he enjoyed being at the other end of Sirius' rants about Rabastan's stupid pureblood ways; he'd even happily listen to Sirius drone on about everything he thought to be wrong with the Dark Lord. Rabastan loved it all; it meant his love was remembering that it was Rabastan he should be speaking to and confiding in. That Rabastan was here to help him through his problems by listening to him.

The few times Walburga came through, Rabastan watched intently. Rabastan's second time in Azkaban was both better and worse than the first.

It was better in that there were fewer Dementors; however, it was worse because there was no Sirius Black for him to focus on. During his first stay, Rabastan had gone out of his way to try to talk to Sirius.

He had bribed the guards to leave their cells alone mostly. While this meant that the Dementors were more likely to make extra rounds, getting a few words out of Sirius more often was a small price to pay.

Getting words out of Sirius during those twelve years was difficult, but Rabastan enjoyed being on the receiving end of Sirius's rants about Rabastan's "stupid pureblood ways." He would happily listen to Sirius drone on about everything he thought was wrong with the Dark Lord. Rabastan loved it all; it meant that Sirius remembered he had someone—Rabastan—there to confide in and help him through his problems by listening.

During the few times Walburga came to visit, Rabastan watched intently. Sirius seemed to find no solace in Lady Black's company. Rabastan filed this observation away in his mind, noting that it was something to think about later and now seemed like as good a time as any.

Rabastan had loved his mother dearly. She was kind and loving, doting on him nonstop until the day she died. He was her baby, and she reminded him daily how special and loved he was.

He thought about how wonderful it had been to have Bellatrix around when his mother first passed away because she was accustomed to caring for Sirius and Regulus, and now she had him. This connection made him feel a deep bond with Sirius at that time.

He also reflected on what he learned about Sirius from Kreacher during his visits to Malfoy Manor. It seemed that once Bellatrix left, Kreacher mostly cared for Regulus, while Sirius clashed with Walburga, sometimes out of a desire to protect Regulus.

Rabastan couldn't figure out where Lord Black had been during all this. But one thing he knew for sure was that Sirius should have come with Bellatrix; he needed to be with Rabastan from the very beginning. Rabastan's second time in Azkaban was both better and worse than his first.

It was better because there were fewer Dementors, but worse because Sirius Black was not there for him to focus on. During his first stay, Rabastan had gone out of his way to talk to Sirius.

He bribed the guards to leave their cells mostly alone, which meant that the Dementors were more likely to make extra rounds, but it was a small price to pay for the opportunity to converse with Sirius more often.

Extracting words from Sirius over those twelve years was challenging. However, Rabastan enjoyed being on the receiving end of Sirius' rants about Rabastan's so-called foolish pureblood beliefs. He happily listened as Sirius expressed everything he thought was wrong with the Dark Lord. Rabastan cherished those moments; it meant that Sirius remembered to speak to and confide in him, recognizing that Rabastan was right there with Sirius. Rabastan constantly reminded himself that the best way to help Sirius right now was by listening. Rabastan would be able to fix everything else with the support of his Lord once they broke free.

Rabastan watched intently during the few times Walburga visited. He noticed that Sirius found no comfort in Lady Black's presence. Rabastan cataloged this observation for later reflection, as it seemed worth pondering.

He had loved his mother dearly. She was kind and loving, showering him with affection until the day she passed away. He was her baby, and she reminded him daily of how special and loved he was.

He recalled how wonderful it had been to have Bellatrix around when his mother first died, as she had been accustomed to caring for Sirius and Regulus, and now she turned her attention to him. This made him feel a deep connection to Sirius at that time.

Rabastan also considered what he learned about Sirius from Kreacher during his visits to Malfoy Manor. It seemed that only Bellatrix was there to nurture Sirius and Regulus. Once she left, Kreacher mostly attended to Regulus while Sirius clashed with Walburga, sometimes to protect Regulus.

Rabastan couldn't figure out where Lord Black had been during that time, but he knew one thing for sure: Sirius should have come with Bellatrix; he needed to be with Rabastan right from the beginning. Him nonstop until the day she died.
He was her baby, and she reminded him daily how special and loved he was.

He thought about how wonderful it had been to have Bellatrix around when his mother first passed away because she had been used to babying Sirius and Regulus, and now she had him.