It's a cool summer night just like any other, and yet unlike any other.
Yesterday Andromeda graduated from Hogwarts. Tomorrow Narcissa will marry
Lucius. And, though she doesn't know it, tomorrow Bellatrix shall be alone.
Andromeda's eyes flutter open and she gently removes Bellatrix's arm from around her waist and Narcissa's leg from between her own. Narcissa shifts and mumbles something in her sleep, and Andromeda bites her lip. She needn't worry about Bellatrix, of course. Bellatrix is the deepest sleeper she knows. A war could go on in the yard and she wouldn't notice until morning. Holding her breath, Andromeda stands up, and looks down at her sisters, with only the moonlight to see by. They lie in Narcissa's bed, their arms now wrapped around eachother in Andromeda's vacancy. She studies their features carefully, knowing that this will be the last time she sees them for a very long time.
When she is awake, Narcissa is a lady, but while she sleeps, she is the girl with whom Andromeda has laughed and shared secrets with for most of her life. She seems fragile and vulnerable, with her pale skin and pale hair and delicate features. Her hair seems silver in the moonlight, spread across her pillow in a halo above her angelic face. But Narcissa is not fragile, or vulnerable, or angelic. Narcissa is a Black.
Bellatrix is still just a child, barely 13, but at the same time, she has never been a child. Unlike Narcissa, Bellatrix is unmistakably a Black. She has the heart-shaped face, the strong features and the long, dark hair. Her nose is aristocratic and her eyelashes are sinfully long. She is the fiercest of the Black sisters, but now she is curled up against Narcissa, and she shudders as if a nightmare haunts her sleep. Bellatrix is a Black.
For a moment, Andromeda tells herself, You don't have to do this. You could just go and crawl back into bed with them. You could marry a respectable, pureblood man. You could stay with your sisters. But she knows that she can't. She kneels down by the bed, and sticks a hand under it, until she feels her bag. Or, more precisely, a silken curtain wrapped tightly around some money and food. She pulls it up to her chest and rocks it against her as if it was a child. On the nightstand lie three wands. She takes her own hesitantly, and tucks it into her bundle. Then she stands and walks towards the door.
She is in the doorway when she hears Narcissa's voice. "Where are you going?"
Slowly, Andromeda turns to see Narcissa sitting up in bed, looking at her. "Away."
"When will you be back?"
"I won't."
Narcissa slips out of bed and moves towards her sister. "Don't."
"I must. This place is poison. There is nothing here for me."
"Me. I'm here."
"Yes," Andromeda concedes, "you are. But tomorrow you will be gone."
"I'll still see you."
"It won't be the same."
"Better than nothing."
"That's not the point."
"Andie. Please."
"Come with me," she says impulsively, clasping Narcissa's hand in hers. "Get away from this place."
"Where would we go?"
"To Ted's place."
"He hates me."
"That won't matter. He'll learn to love you as I love you."
Narcissa just shakes her head. "What about the family?"
"What about them?"
"We'd be burned off the tapestry."
"So? Why do you care?"
"We're Blacks, Andie."
"Tomorrow you will be a Malfoy."
Narcissa winces. "I will /always/ be a Black. And so will you."
"No. After tonight, I will no longer be a Black." Andromeda smiles sadly.
"Don't leave me."
"Come with me," she counters.
"What about Bellatrix? We can't leave her alone."
"She can come too."
"She won't, though."
"I know."
They embrace, and their lips meet in a brief kiss.
"Do not ask me to come with you a third time," Narcissa says in Andromeda's ear. "Because if you do I do not know if my resolve will hold."
Andromeda closes her eyes, and her grip on her belongings and her wand tighten as she releases Narcissa. "I love you."
"I love you forever."
"For eternity. Farewell, 'cissa."
She does not ask again. And she shall spend the rest of her life regretting that she did not say those three words, wondering what would be different if she did.
Narcissa watches her through the window until she disapears from sight, but not once does Andromeda look back as she leaves her home forever.
Andromeda is not a Black.
Andromeda's eyes flutter open and she gently removes Bellatrix's arm from around her waist and Narcissa's leg from between her own. Narcissa shifts and mumbles something in her sleep, and Andromeda bites her lip. She needn't worry about Bellatrix, of course. Bellatrix is the deepest sleeper she knows. A war could go on in the yard and she wouldn't notice until morning. Holding her breath, Andromeda stands up, and looks down at her sisters, with only the moonlight to see by. They lie in Narcissa's bed, their arms now wrapped around eachother in Andromeda's vacancy. She studies their features carefully, knowing that this will be the last time she sees them for a very long time.
When she is awake, Narcissa is a lady, but while she sleeps, she is the girl with whom Andromeda has laughed and shared secrets with for most of her life. She seems fragile and vulnerable, with her pale skin and pale hair and delicate features. Her hair seems silver in the moonlight, spread across her pillow in a halo above her angelic face. But Narcissa is not fragile, or vulnerable, or angelic. Narcissa is a Black.
Bellatrix is still just a child, barely 13, but at the same time, she has never been a child. Unlike Narcissa, Bellatrix is unmistakably a Black. She has the heart-shaped face, the strong features and the long, dark hair. Her nose is aristocratic and her eyelashes are sinfully long. She is the fiercest of the Black sisters, but now she is curled up against Narcissa, and she shudders as if a nightmare haunts her sleep. Bellatrix is a Black.
For a moment, Andromeda tells herself, You don't have to do this. You could just go and crawl back into bed with them. You could marry a respectable, pureblood man. You could stay with your sisters. But she knows that she can't. She kneels down by the bed, and sticks a hand under it, until she feels her bag. Or, more precisely, a silken curtain wrapped tightly around some money and food. She pulls it up to her chest and rocks it against her as if it was a child. On the nightstand lie three wands. She takes her own hesitantly, and tucks it into her bundle. Then she stands and walks towards the door.
She is in the doorway when she hears Narcissa's voice. "Where are you going?"
Slowly, Andromeda turns to see Narcissa sitting up in bed, looking at her. "Away."
"When will you be back?"
"I won't."
Narcissa slips out of bed and moves towards her sister. "Don't."
"I must. This place is poison. There is nothing here for me."
"Me. I'm here."
"Yes," Andromeda concedes, "you are. But tomorrow you will be gone."
"I'll still see you."
"It won't be the same."
"Better than nothing."
"That's not the point."
"Andie. Please."
"Come with me," she says impulsively, clasping Narcissa's hand in hers. "Get away from this place."
"Where would we go?"
"To Ted's place."
"He hates me."
"That won't matter. He'll learn to love you as I love you."
Narcissa just shakes her head. "What about the family?"
"What about them?"
"We'd be burned off the tapestry."
"So? Why do you care?"
"We're Blacks, Andie."
"Tomorrow you will be a Malfoy."
Narcissa winces. "I will /always/ be a Black. And so will you."
"No. After tonight, I will no longer be a Black." Andromeda smiles sadly.
"Don't leave me."
"Come with me," she counters.
"What about Bellatrix? We can't leave her alone."
"She can come too."
"She won't, though."
"I know."
They embrace, and their lips meet in a brief kiss.
"Do not ask me to come with you a third time," Narcissa says in Andromeda's ear. "Because if you do I do not know if my resolve will hold."
Andromeda closes her eyes, and her grip on her belongings and her wand tighten as she releases Narcissa. "I love you."
"I love you forever."
"For eternity. Farewell, 'cissa."
She does not ask again. And she shall spend the rest of her life regretting that she did not say those three words, wondering what would be different if she did.
Narcissa watches her through the window until she disapears from sight, but not once does Andromeda look back as she leaves her home forever.
Andromeda is not a Black.