A Fighting Chance
Summary: After years of fighting, Cygnus and Druella finally choose to divorce for the sake of their daughters. Bellatrix and Andromeda decide to stay with their father, while young Narcissa eventually decides to leave with their mother. The two lived peacefully in Calais for seven years, until the experemental resurrection of a deadly tournament brings three magical schools together. But when Narcissa is chosen to represent Beauxbattons alongside a platinum-haired boy from Hogwarts, does the young girl really have a fighting chance?
Disclaimer: I only own the idea, nothing more.
Chapter One
The overwhelming noise of screams of rage and shattering china resounded through the great house. The pair of adults who were arguing had long since given up on their efforts in keeping the noise down, their voices raised to the point of breaking. Any guest to the house would've found the sound unusually harsh, perhaps even almost unbearable, but not the girls sitting in their respective bedrooms just a few flights of stairs away. No, for the Black girls, it was merely routine.
Bellatrix's door had been violently slammed shut, a well-known signal that only her parents may enter, while Andromeda had more gently done the same. Both doors had almost as loud noises emanating from behind them, Bellatrix's own yells and Andromeda's music cranked up to full volume. Narcissa, however, had never been as extreme as her two elder sisters and such was noticable when you passed her bedroom, as very little noise was coming from behind the door, other than the subtle sound of sobbing.
Quite suddenly, though, the screaming stopped, as did Bellatrix's yells and Andromeda's music. Narcissa had no idea why, but her cries seemed to suddenly stop as well. Her mind had truly gone blank, but it was not destined to remain that way. At least, not for long.
Thirty minutes later, all three girls were standing in the drawing room with their parents before them, five pairs of eyes fixed upon a few pieces of parchment laid down on the table. As always, Bellatrix spoke first.
"So... what happens now?" the eldest girl asked, stepping forward from her sisters ever so slightly.
"What happens next is up to you, girls." Druella stated kindly, her gaze travelling across her three children, the only remaining part of her marriage.
"Your mother shall be leaving the house permanantly, as this shall be a clean break seperation. The choice that you have to make, girls, is who you shall be living with. You may make this choice individually or together, but it shall be final. Your mother and I shall not see each other again, so you may not see the parent you do not choose. Naturally, we shall give you some time to consider, but-" Cygnus elaborated, though he was stopped as Bellatrix spoke out once more.
"Excuse me, Papa, but I shan't be needing any time. I have already made my decision." she stated confidently, stepping forward yet another inch.
"Have you indeed?" Cygnus questioned. "And that would be?"
"I am staying here with you, Papa, of course. My life is here and I think it silly to leave it now, whatever the reason."
"Thank you, Bellatrix. Andromeda?"
"I feel the same, Papa." Andromeda responded, tilting her head to the side in an attempt to avoid her mother's slowly blurring gaze.
"Hm. And you, Narcissa?" Cygnus turned to the youngest, who was staring intently at the floor as if were the most interesting thing she had ever seen. Realising that everyone was staring directly at her, she raised her gaze, her eyes steadily filling with tears.
"I don't want to choose, Papa!" the youngest girl cried. "I just want everything to stay as it is, as it always has been. I want someone to tell me what to choose. Mama, Papa, please, just tell me who to choose."
"It truly is your decision, my darling. However, if your sisters are staying with your father, then... it kills me to say it, but perhaps you should as well." Druella sighed, her reluctance barely hidden as she spoke the words she had always dreaded saying. Narcissa met her mother's gaze, unshed tears blurring her eyes, mirrored in her mother's, before slowly and sadly nodding her head.
"Then it is settled. Druella, how long shall it take you to gather your things?"
"I already have, thank you. I'll fetch my coat and then I will be off."
The woman left the room briefly, returning with a coat. She moved forward to her daughters, kissing each on the cheek in turn, before lifting her two suitcases and exiting the room. The last thing heard before the silence was the slamming of the front door.
A slight gasp pierced the air before the blonde sister bolted from the room, taking the steps two, even three, at a time, leaving a few confused family members in her wake.
However, all became clear as Narcissa bounded back down the staircase, a small suitcase enveloped in her arms. She dropped the suitcase as soon as she entered the room, embracing both her sisters at once and then her father. She shared one last saddened glance with her family before grasping the suitcase and running, the slam of the front door audible for the second time that evening.
Meanwhile, Druella had reached the gates at the edge of Black Manor's rolling gardens. She knew that, once she crossed the line between the gardens and the small village beyond, she would be free. But she would have a weight upon her soul for the rest of her life. Still, she raised her boot and was about to place the foreshoe down when a shout came from behind her.
"Wait! Wait, don't go! Mama, stop!" The cry was unmistakable and Druella was more than relieved to hear it. She spun around immediately and enveloped her youngest daughter in her arms, lifting her from the ground in the process.
"Cissa! Oh, my Cissa, my darling!" Druella exclaimed. The pair embraced for a long while, before standing up and taking their first step together.
"Here it is, Mama. We're free."
"That we are, darling. This is our first step to our new life together."
A/N: All written today, so any mistakes will be corrected later. Please review!