The Black house never really seemed welcoming to some people, with its stone features and the heads of deceased house-elves on the wall. But to Bellatrix, this really was home. She sat upstairs in her bedroom, reading a letter from a friend. She liked getting letters, yes, but she hated it when people she didn't want to speak to wouldn't back down and stop writing to her. Didn't they get the message? She didn't want to have to tell them bluntly I don't want to speak to you. But there just didn't seem to be any other way to do the job.

Her sisters were probably doing something else downstairs. Narcissa was most likely to have been doing her hair or applying yet more needless make-up, either way she'd be stood in front of a mirror staring at herself in adoration. Andromeda on the other hand would probably have been reading a book, she was into history and astronomy. Bellatrix did get on with her sisters, most of the time. Although, it had to be said that she much preferred the company of her youngest sister, Narcissa, to Andromeda. She couldn't actually find a specific reason why she got on with Narcissa better, they just seemed to have more in common.

The door creaked open, and Narcissa poked her head around the door. Bellatrix glanced up at her and went back to reading as her sister let herself inside.

'What are you reading, Bella?' She asked casually, perching herself on Bella's bed.

'Oh, just a few letters. Nothing important.' Bella sighed, throwing the letter across her messy bedroom.

'Anything from Roddy?' Narcissa questioned. Roddy was Bella's boyfriend… or at least was.

'Nope. But why should there be? He's not my boyfriend anymore.' Bella told her sister strongly.

'Oh,' Narcissa seemed slightly shocked to hear this. 'I thought you were in love with him? You seemed really into him. Who finished who?'

'Always one for the gossip, aren't you, Nancy?' Bella smiled at her. She was only one who called her Nancy, most people abbreviated her name to Cissy.

Narcissa shrugged and smiled back. 'You could say that.'

'Well, if you must know. I finished him.'

'But why? He seemed really nice…'

'Exactly,' Bella told her. 'he was really nice, but I wasn't looking for that, you know? He's just… tame.'

Narcissa laughed. 'I can understand why you didn't stick with him then, you're hardly tame, are you?' She grinned at her sister.

'Not really, no,' Bella smirked. 'what about you? Any letters worth reading?'

Narcissa shook her head. 'No. Got a fair few, but nothing that I would miss.'

'And how many from boys? Five? Ten?'

'Twelve, actually.' Narcissa said proudly. She did like to impress the boys. Bella rolled her eyes.

'It's not good for you, you know. You don't have to be the one all the lads like,' She paused and looked back at her sister. 'but was there anything from that guy you like?'

'Um… depends who you mean,' Narcissa replied, genuinely confused by this question.

'The one you actually like. Not the ones you might consider going out with.'

'Oh. Then no. I wanted Lucius to write, and I thought he would, but he didn't,' She said sadly. But she picked herself up quickly. 'We're going out tonight, Bella.'

''We' as in me and you or 'we' as in a family thing?'

'Family.'

'Ah, crap.'

'Yeah well, it gets worse. We're going to Aunt Walburga's.'

'Oh for God's sake. This family is ridiculous, Nancy, I'll tell you that now.' Bella moaned, getting up off the floor and opening her wardrobe doors.

'You don't have to dress up, Bella. It's only a social call.' Narcissa said with a tone of shock.

'I know… I wanna find my Quidditch hoodie.'

'Why?'

'Because I just really feel like pissing off Sirius.' Bella mused, finding her hoodie and shutting the wardrobe doors. Narcissa smiled at her as she got out a green Slytherin hoodie.

'If you say so, Bella. But Annie's not going to be happy about that, you know how she reacted when you ripped that poster in his room.' Narcissa reminded her. Last time they were at their cousin's house, Bella tore up one of the posters in Sirius' room. Sirius put up posters of Muggle girls and motorbikes along with Gryffindor banners, just to annoy his family. Bella got so annoyed with him for it that she ripped up a poster of a Muggle girl in a bikini, she told him that not only was it wrong to keep a picture of a Muggle, but that it was degrading to women as well. Although the last part was more of an afterthought, for something else to insult her cousin with.

'Well Annie can go and stick up for poor little Sirius if she likes, but I won't be joining her. Will you?' Bella turned to her sister.

'No,' Narcissa laughed coldly. 'obviously not! Although… his friend at school is quite fit…'

'Which one?'

'James something? Don't really know his name. He's hot.' Narcissa grinned. Bella shook her head in disappointment.

'You didn't mean James Potter by any chance, did you? Because if you did, then I think you need to find yourself some glasses, because he is not fit.' Bella told her sister, a smirk on her face. Narcissa shrugged.

'It's not as if I'd ever date him or anything, but I'm just saying that I don't mind looking at him.'

Bella couldn't stop herself laughing. 'Oh, God, Nancy. Where would the world be with you?'

'The lads would all be extremely sad in a world without me, Bella. I mean, what would they look at?'

'You mean what would they jack off while thinking about?'

'Don't be disgusting, Bella!'

'You know it happens.'

Narcissa shrugged. 'Fair enough.'

Bella found her sister, Annie, downstairs reading a book, as she presumed she would be. Annie looked up at her sister, smiled briefly and went back to her book.

'We're going to Aunt Walburga's tonight, Annie.' Bella said flatly.

'I know,' Annie replied, not looking up from her book. 'Mum said we were.'

'So you can go and have a nice little chat with Sirius, eh?' Bella teased, picking up the daily paper from the table and scanning over the front page.

'Leave it out, Bella. He's your cousin, too.' Annie told her calmly, her eyes still not leaving the page.

'Wish he wasn't. He sure doesn't fit it with this family.' Bella said, jumping up onto the table and crossing her legs.

'Don't be so cruel, Bella. Just because he's different.' Annie was still keeping a calm tone. Bella wanted to wind her up, but nothing seemed to be working.

'So, you're okay with hanging out with Muggles and mud-bloods then?' Bella asked her in a casual tone.

Annie slammed the book shut and placed it down in the table. 'What do you want, Bella? I'm not in the mood to argue with you.'

'Aw, come on. Humour me.'

'No,' Annie hissed. 'why can't you just be nice to Sirius for a change? What did he do to you? Who cares what he likes and doesn't like, and whether he's different!'

'What did he do to me? He hexed my boyfriend last year!'

'Roddy started it! I was there!'

'He did not! He yelled at him and Sirius hexed him, it's not the same thing!'

'I hope you girls aren't fighting again.' A cool voice said from the doorway. Both girls turned to stare at them. Druella, their mother, stood in the doorway, her blonde hair tied up in a tight bun.

'Nope,' Bella replied smoothly, dropping down from the table. 'I was just going to ask when we were leaving.'

'Whenever you're ready. Where's Narcissa?'

'Upstairs probably.' Bella replied, slipping past her mum in the doorway.

'Could you go and get her?'

'Yeah!' Bella called back, jogging up the stairs.

She opened the door to her sister's bedroom. Narcissa was sitting by her window, it was open and a draft was circulating its way around the room.

'What are you doing, Nancy?' Bella called to her, making her way over to her sister.

Narcissa spun around, a grin on her face. 'He wrote to me! I didn't think he would, but he did!' She squeaked, genuinely excited about this.

'Oh… that's good, right? I mean, what guy's not interested in you, Nancy? So, what did he have to say?' Bella questioned her, sitting down next to her.

'Not a lot really, just stuff about what he's done over the holidays, nothing that interesting. However, he said that he's really looking forward to going back to school so he can see me again, because he's realised that he misses me when I'm not around!' Narcissa beamed at her sister, clearly very impressed with herself.

'Very nice,' Bella grinned back at Narcissa. 'he clearly likes you, Nancy. I reckon you'll be going out by… first weekend back at school, second by the latest,' Bella smiled at her. Narcissa smiled back and nodded.

'Hope so.'

'Anyway, come on, mum says we've gotta go now,'