Summary: Four-year-old Draco learns to read the names off the Malfoy Tapestry. He wants to know more about the women named Bellatrix and Andromeda in the tapestry. And he doesn't mind looking at some old photos with Mummy.
"N-A-R-C-I-S-S-A. Nar-cissa! Mummy that's you!"
Four-year-old Draco Malfoy had just learnt to read. Consequently, he was putting this new skill to good use everywhere he could – reading the chunky headlines of Papa's newspapers and Mummy's magazines, the elaborate dinner menus the lady of the house sent to the servants, Gran'pa Abraxas's letters enclosing checks to the Minister of Magic, Fairies have no Tails by Madame Elfrida Clagg…and now the tapestry chronicling the lineage of the House of Malfoy for the past five centuries.
Narcissa Malfoy could hear her son's high-pitched little voice from across the massive parlor – a feat in itself considering that the Malfoys' Salon was the size of your average ballroom. Scribbling down the menu for tonight's banquet, she rustled over to him just as he began to read, "B-E-L-L-A-T-R-I-X. Bella-tricks. Mummy – who's she?"
"Bel-la-trix," Narcissa corrected her son's pronunciation. "She…she is…she was…well, she…" Narcissa was at a loss for words. Finally, her voice cool and distant she said, "Bellatrix Lestrange is your aunt."
Draco wrinkled his small nose thoughtfully. He cocked his head to the left a bit like a thoughtful little sparrow – a habit he'd had from infancy. Narcissa felt like hugging him just then – but then the not-quite-dry ink on her carte du jour would smear. In the meantime, Draco started to read again. "A-N-D-R-O-M-E-D-A. Mummy can you say that?"
Narcissa frowned slightly. "Never mind, Draco. That…person is of no consequence whatsoever."
"Why?" Draco demanded. "Is she my aunt too?"
"Yes," Narcissa said automatically and sighed. She remembered Meda's last letter – a short note she had received a few days after Draco's birth.
Congratulations, Cissy. So I've finally become an aunt! I love you, darling – you and the baby. Write to me, please
Bella had thrown the letter into the fire when Narcissa showed it to her. Her dark eyes flashing she'd hissed, "You are to receive no more letters from that blood-traitor, Narcissa. Do I make myself clear?" Lucius had said pretty much the same thing when he'd heard – and he had banned her from ever contacting her older sister.
"Mummy." Draco tugged impatiently on the hem of Narcissa's robe, "Where's Aunt Bellatrix? And 'Dromeda?"
It hurt, it still hurt. The pain of losing her family, of having to let go of everything. The sister whom she'd practically worshipped and her beloved cousin were in Azkaban for life, darling little Regulus was dead and Meda…well, she was as good as dead to her too. Narcissa felt like crying.
"Would you like to see pictures of them?" she asked, blinking back her tears and smiling. She was no child, she'd shed tears over them all once – now there was no room, no time in her life for tears.
Draco nodded.
Draco bounced on his parents' wide bed as his mother searched for old albums. Finally she was back, a heavy book bound in dusty black leather in her pale hands. She sat on the edge of the bed, idly dusting the cover. The contrast between the blackness of the leather and the whiteness of her skin was stark and raw.
Draco bounced over to her and opened the book. There was a large photograph covering the entire first page. Three young women and two boys in formal attire grouped around an armchair in which the older boy sat. Draco recognized his mother at once – a slender girl in her early teens with a childlike face. She was the fairest of them all with pale hair and skin that seemed to glow in the relative darkness of the scene, and soft, wide eyes like her son's. She was gripping the armrest of the chair tightly as if nervous, her smile shy and gentle.
"Bellatrix," his mother said shortly pointing to the tall woman standing behind the armchair. Draco didn't like at her. True she was beautiful – not as pretty as Mummy, he thought loyally – with a sharply defined face and sleek black hair that set off the natural paleness of her skin well but…he couldn't help thinking that there was something just wrong with her. It could be the cruel sneer on her handsome face, the way her nails dug into the hair of the boy in the armchair or the manic gleam in her heavily-lidded eyes but there it was. She wasn't safe and loving and lovable like Mummy.
"Meda," Narcissa smiled slightly as she pointed to the girl sitting on the armrest, opposite young Narcissa. Draco liked her – she looked so happy. Even though there was no smile on her face there was laughter in her eyes, in her whole being Draco felt. She had messy brown hair and freckled skin that looked odd compared to the purity of her sisters'. She was idly twirling a wand and Draco saw that she wore no rings, unlike his own mother and Bellatrix.
"Regulus was your uncle." Narcissa's voice was tight as she pointed to the small boy at Narcissa's feet in the picture. He had Narcissa's eyes, Meda's happiness and Bellatrix's hair. Draco wished he could play with Regulus – he looked so nice and friendly.
"Sirius – Regulus's older brother." Narcissa pointed to the last boy and smiled. "Quite handsome isn't he?" Draco had to agree – the boy in the armchair was one of the best-looking people Draco had ever seen. And that included his parents. Longer than usual dark hair, a cocky grin, bright eyes and an air that said that he knew that he was drop-dead gorgeous.
"How come I don't know them all?" Draco demanded.
Narcissa rubbed her head wearily, her eyes shut. Then she spoke – and her voice was harder than Draco had ever heard. "Let me tell you a story, little son of mine.
Once upon a time there was a happy little girl…"
"Girl?" Draco made a face, "Like Pansy? Yuck…"
"Well that little girl's name was Cissy Black – not Pansy Parkinson. And she didn't like pink or dolls or flirting." Narcissa paused then amended, "Well…maybe not flirting. She did love to flirt with a certain Lucius Malfoy…but that's different. Well, Cissy had two big sisters – Bella and Meda. And two little cousins – Siri and Baby. They all lived in a huge house and when they were big they went to Hogwarts. Cissy and her sisters and Baby were sorted into Slytherin…but Siri became a Gryffindor. And then…well Bella and Siri used to fight a lot because of that and Cissy was sad because Siri didn't like her anymore and Baby started to not like Siri because he loved Bella and Bella hated Siri.
Then Siri ran away when he was big enough to look after himself and everyone was so sad and angry that they decided to forget about him."
"How can you forget about someone?" Draco demanded.
"You can't," Narcissa said softly. "You never can. But…well, they all pretended to forget about Siri. They could never forget – they loved him. Well, except for Bella – Bella really did hate him. And then Meda married someone no one liked and then everyone had to forget her too. Cissy didn't want to – but she had to. And Bella still missed Meda but she acted like she didn't – and Cissy screamed at Bella because she was angry that Bella hated Meda. And so, Cissy hated Bella for a long time. Then…Harry Potter arrived and the Dark Lord – you remember the story don't you, darling? – was gone but Bella had to go to Azkaban because…well, she just had to go."
"Why?" Draco demanded.
"Bella loved the Dark Lord – far more than anything else in the world, her husband and family included. She served him and the Ministry didn't like that but they couldn't catch her when she was with the Dark Lord. So when he was gone and there was no one to protect her the Ministry sent her to Azkaban."
"Wasn't the Dark Lord a good person?" Draco asked earnestly. "If he was why did Bella haf'ta go to Azkaban when he was gone?"
Narcissa almost snorted out loud. Fancy the Dark Lord being called a good person! "He-who-must-not-be-named was great – but he was not good. Remember that, Draco. Remember that."
"What happened to Cissy?" Draco couldn't understand the difference between good and great. If the Dark Lord, about whom his father and Pansy's father and Theodore's father talked about all the time, was great then he was good and vice versa.
"Cissy felt like someone had killed a part of her. Baby died just after Bella went to Azkaban, Siri went too even though he shouldn't have and she wasn't supposed to speak to Meda. So, all her family was gone. But then she had a baby and she was happy because she loved him and her husband and when you love you can be happy, even if you're sad." Narcissa smiled and tried to stop the choking sensation at the back of her throat. She ruffled Draco's hair. "Am I confusing you, darling?"
Draco shrugged. "I want a snack!"
Narcissa laughed out loud and wiped at the tears now streaming down her face. "We'll get Dobby to make one."