Disclaimer: Not mine!
A cough and a sniffle were the first things that Bellatrix Black heard when she strode into her bedroom. It was dark, as usual, until she turned the single desk lamp on. As the room was slightly illuminated by the glow of the bulb, Bellatrix glanced around. She was attempting to figure out where the noises had come from, when her dark eyes spotted a crumpled heap in one of the three beds that occupied the room.
"Oh, Cissy, what's wrong now?" Bellatrix ran one hand through her long hair. She could not have been any more uninterested in the hysterics of her younger sister's life at that particular moment.
"It's not Cissy," The heap replied in an ill tone.
Her curiosity piqued, Bellatrix slowly made her way over to the bed and perched on the edge. She sat there for a moment, just a brief second, before grabbing the edge of the blanket and casting it aside, revealing the person beneath the material.
"Give it back! I'm cold!" Andromeda, Bellatrix's younger sister by just two years, demanded. She took the edge of the blanket from the hand of her elder sister and wrapped the quilt around her shivering body, giving Bellatrix a nasty glare just before her face disappeared along with the rest of her body.
"What's wrong, 'Meda?" Bellatrix softly inquired. It wasn't that she was truly concerned, but she did not want Andromeda to have a fit upon not being questioned about why she was huddled under the blanket.
"I'm sick," Andromeda answered, her voice muffled by the heavy covers. "Mum told me to sleep but I can't."
Bellatrix rolled her eyes, amplifying the dramatic voice her sister was using. "And you cannot sleep why?"
"Not sleepy." Andromeda peeked out from beneath the bedspread. Bellatrix almost smiled at the childish look in her sister's eyes, but the expression vanished before she could display it due to Andromeda's next request. "Will you lay with me?"
Raising one thin brow, Bellatrix scoffed. "Are you daft?" She laughed as she stood up from the bed and moved to the window that was next to Andromeda's bed. "Have you got a fever? No, I will not lay with you."
"Please, Bella?" Andromeda's voice became overpowered by the whining tone she used when she wanted a new dress that her mother refused to purchase. It was the voice that she employed when convincing their father that she had not misbehaved in any way and still deserved to go on a date. Bellatrix normally hated that tone, but this time it only made her feel sorry for Andromeda.
It was hard to deny her sick sibling, Bellatrix realized with a heavy sigh. Between the young teen's unusually pale skin and general weak look, Andromeda appeared to be more of a charity case rather than a member of the Black family.
"Move over," Bellatrix instructed. "If I'm to fit in there with you, a think a little more space is in order."
Andromeda quickly shifted to the right side of her bed, leaving plenty of room for Bellatrix's slender form. Before lying next to her sister, Bellatrix once again sat on the bed and removed her shoes. Her sister was sick and that was bad enough; she did not want to get any bits of mud or anything else on the bed. Once her shoes had been placed neatly on the floor, Bellatrix relaxed into the mattress.
"Happy?" She turned toward Andromeda with a grin upon her face.
"Mm-hmm."
Just before falling asleep, Andromeda nestled up next to Bellatrix, seeking a bit of warmth from her older sister. After a moment of Andromeda nudging her shoulder, Bellatrix groaned. "Oh, fine," She sat up, adding in another sigh for good measure. Just to show Andromeda just how annoyed she was with the situation. "Well, sit up. If you're going to get warm, better do it properly."
Confused, Andromeda pushed herself up from the mattress and stared at her older sister. Bellatrix wrapped her left arm around Andromeda's shoulder and pulled the younger girl back onto the bed, giggling quietly as Andromeda exclaimed noisily in surprise.
"Be quiet," Bellatrix told her sister, all the while a smile on her face. "Now you can stop prodding my shoulder and not freeze to death at the same time."
Her head on Bellatrix's shoulder, Andromeda tilted her head up to smile at her older sister. "Thank you, Bella," Andromeda sleepily smiled.
"You're welcome." Bellatrix tucked a stray black hair from Andromeda's face. "Now, you must get your rest."
Suddenly exhausted, Andromeda complied with Bellatrix's words. Her dark colored eyes closed, just before taking in Bellatrix's smiling face once more.