((Thank you to theslytherinrose for being my BETA for this story(for all future chapters, this first chapter wasn't edited by her, but by me personally so bear with me) and helping me edit))

I hope you enjoy! This is a little A/N before you continue that I couldn't quite add in the description: There are eventual pairings (BBxRL, NBxLM, ABxTT), but none right away! (: Enjoy. :P

The shouting and arguing between her mother and father was a normal thing, something she had gotten so used to, in fact, that it didn't even bother her anymore. As a younger child, she would curl up in her bed and just wait the screaming out, sobbing and rocking back and forth. That was before she'd had sister's, before she was the eldest, and before she had to look like some hero to them when they snuck into her room and cried. She loved her sisters, of course, but Bellatrix had never been one for closeness. After going two and a half years of her life on her own and in the care of Cygnus and Druella Black, it was most obvious her sense of love would be quite deaf, though not non-existent. When her sister, Andromeda, had come along, she'd been almost three years old, and she'd done her best to be nice to her younger sister. Not long after Andromeda came Narcissa, and at that time she'd been four. It was different now, having two sisters, and trying to shield them from her parents. Even at such a young age, she had done her best. Though she'd become used to her parents screaming, her sisters had not.

Narcissa was the worst. When the youngest child had turned three, it was obvious to all the others that she was the most fragile. Bella, seven at the time, did everything to keep Narcissa from tears. If her younger sister broke something, Bella took the fall for it, and she received the punishment. When they were younger, the punishing wasn't quite as bad. Their father, Cygnus, might scream and send her to her room, sometimes sending a last minute curse in her direction. It was by circumstance that Bellatrix became used to this just as much as she was her parent's screaming. Andromeda never caused problems, she was always quiet and careful, and never crossed into the anger of their parents. If not for Narcissa, Bella would have been the same way. It was only luck that their parents never heard what their youngest daughter would say in the privacy of Bella's room, always speaking of wanting to meet muggles. By the time Bellatrix was nine, she had heard enough conversations between her mother and father, both at the dinner table and away, to know that being born to muggles was one of the most disgraceful things in the wizarding world. And that being pure-blood was the only way. At this age, she did not fully understand why, just knew that if she didn't agree with her father, bad things happened. Even when Narcissa got older, Bella would need to cover for her constantly. It was beginning to become quite aggravating, and she sometimes took her anger for their father out on her sisters.

Father's punishments got worse over the years, and by the tender age of eight, he seemed to decide they were old enough for the worst of all. While most parents gave their children time-out, no dinner, or groundings, Cygnus Black believed in a more wand-on approach. One good dose of the Cruciatus curse, and that seemed to satisfy him. Bellatrix had gone through too many of these 'punishments', and her anger had built up far too much. One evening, while their parents were off to a dinner with the Lestranges', Narcissa had broken one of their mother's favorite vases. When Bellatrix had found out about this disaster, she'd yelled at Narcissa, claiming she absolutely refused to stick up for her this time.

"Do you know what father does?" she had screamed, shoving past Andromeda, who had been trying to stop the other two from arguing. "And you keep doing naughty things because you know you won't get it!"

"No, Bella, I didn't mean to! I just wanted to look!" Narcissa had insisted, tears appearing in her blue eyes, and her lower lip trembling. Andromeda had hurried over and put her arm around the girl, glaring bitterly at Bellatrix.

"You don't have to shout at her, Bella!" she huffed.

"Say as you like, Andi. But I am not covering for her anymore. If you are so worried about her, you do it." Bellatrix hissed, and she'd stormed up to her room. She regretted yelling later, when Andromeda told their mother and father, and she'd been punished anyway. After that, she spoke less and less to Andromeda, and instead stuck to conversing with the younger Narcissa. She'd apologized, reluctantly, for yelling, and the girl had accepted the apology without hesitation.

At the age of ten, Bellatrix met Rodolphus Lestrange. He was a whole year older than herself, and was starting Hogwarts in a week exactly. Bellatrix thought the boy was completely idiotic, but she forced niceness during the dinner party, and pretended as if he was the most charming boy she'd ever met, because she knew that's what her parents wanted. After the Lestranges' had left that night, she'd snuck into Narcissa's room and they'd verbally bashed the boy for a while. Narcissa didn't say much, just giggled when Bella said something awful. Bellatrix figured that Narcissa didn't really know what she was giggling at.

Finally her time to go to Hogwarts came. As they shopped for her things in Diagon Alley, Narcissa cried, and Andromeda held a small smile the entire time. Their parents were emotionless as always, though they feigned politeness with shop owners. Upon returning home, Narcissa hurried to her room and stayed there. She called through the door every time someone would knock, saying she wouldn't come out until Bellatrix promised not to go. Eventually she'd wandered out for dinner. Later that night, Bellatrix had snuck into her room once more and promised she'd write every single day. When the day arrived that she would get on the Hogwarts Express, Cygnus and Druella told Andromeda and Narcissa they were to stay home while Bella was being dropped off. That struck up Narcissa's tears once more, and she hugged Bella tightly. Andromeda gave Bella a gentle hug, and then left the room without a word. Bellatrix watched her go with a feeling of irritation deep in her stomach. No respect, she wouldn't last a day once she got to leave this house. And with that, she turned and headed out the door with her parents.