Written for E. Greyjoy's Ultimate OTP Competition
Pairing: Bellatrix/Andromeda
Prompt: "Actually, I don't want to have kids. Not ever."
The low, rumbling sound of thunder rolling through the dark skies rent the still air of the bedroom. Heavy droplets of rain pelted the glass of the French windows that revealed a dense fog obscuring the view of the manor grounds. The light knock on the room's thick wooden door was like the footsteps of a mouse compared to the thunder but Bellatrix heard it just the same. She had been expecting it.
The door gave a creak as it was slowly opened and Andromeda tiptoed inside. The hem of her white nightgown brushed together around her ankles as she made her way to her sister's four poster bed. Bellatrix turned down the comforter on the left side, sliding over just a bit to give the younger some room. A flash of lightening momentarily illuminated the room and Andromeda tensed in anticipation for the sharp crack of thunder that followed.
"How can you stand it?" she whispered, her voice holding a slight tremor as she snuggled closer to Bellatrix, relishing in the warmth of eldest sister Black as the wind howled outside, rivaling the cry of a Banshee, "The thunder?"
Bellatrix made a soft sound of amusement at the back of her throat, running a hand through her sister's soft, wavy hair. "It comforts me."
The fourteen year old's brows furrowed in confusion as she gazed up at the elder, trying to make out her features in the pitch black of the room. "How can something so loud comfort you Bella?"
"It distracts me," was the soft reply, "And besides, the noise in my head is louder."
There was nothing Andromeda could say to that and so instead, she slid her fingers into the cup on Bellatrix's palm, holding her breath as a jagged fork of lightening cut through the night sky.
"Distract me Bella."
"And how should I do that?"
"I don't know, talk to me I guess."
"What should I talk about?"
"Anything."
Bellatrix sighed. It was a strange feeling in the center of her chest as she held Andromeda's trembling body close to her own. The middle Black sister had always been terrified by violent thunderstorms since she had been a child. And Bella had always been a source of comfort for her even with a thunderstorm of her own raging within her.
"Where do you see yourself in the future Andy," she murmured.
"That's easy," her sister said and despite the dark, Bellatrix knew a ghost of a smile had graced her face, "Married to a wonderful wizard. Expecting our first child. The mistress of my own home. And it won't be like this. I won't allow it to be."
Delusions of grandeur, Bellatrix knew but she held her tongue. Another thing Andy had always been was imaginative, always envisioning for herself something greater than what the fates had already decreed. But it was one of things she loved about her. And something she would never take from her. Let her have as many sweet dreams as she could for it would only be a matter of time before they would be all shattered by the heavy blow of their father's name. They were daughters of the Noble House of Black and the only thing the future held for any of them was the life of a brood mare trapped in a loveless marriage.
Except Bellatrix knew her own future would be different. The cacophony in her head told her so. It came as no relief to her though for all she heard was her own mad cackles amid screams of agony and flashes of red and green light. And she could not, for the life of her figure what to make of it. Part of her did not want to try.
"What about you Bella?"
The question effectively derailed the speeding train of thought but even still, the chuckle that burst from her lips was laced with an almost tangible bitterness.
"I don't see a future for myself."
"What do you mean?" Andromeda inquired, the smile that had tugged at the corners of her lips moments before turning down into a frown, "Surely you see yourself married. With a family?"
"Actually, I don't want to have kids," Bellatrix said with sharp conviction, "Not ever."
"Living in this place can make you feel that way," the younger witch said softly and in that moment, in so few words, she sounded far older than fourteen and her own inner turmoil could be heard, "I used to feel like that too. But you'll make a wonderful mother Bella. I know that."
"Storm's dying down now. Best try to get some sleep."
Andromeda sighed softly and leaned forward to press a light, lingering kiss on her sister's lips before laying her head on her shoulder.
"What was that for?"
"Just a different sort of distraction. Goodnight Bella."