The Title: The Sisters
Disclaimer: All characters belong to JK
Summary: A glimpse of the life of the Black sisters from their childhood to their separation. One-shot.
Author's Note: A bit short, I apologize for that. Now go on! R&R ! Tell me what you think! )
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"Bellatrix?" Druella called from the master bedroom, "Come along now!" Little Bella scowled, arms crossed. A pretty child in a velvet black dress, tights and the customary Mary Janes. But she wouldn't budge.
"Bellatrix! Come in this instant!" Bella drooped and walked in, arms still crossed tightly.
"Come meet you're sister Bella, say hello. Hello Baby… Hello Andromeda!" Druella cooed, sticking her finger into Andromeda's crib. Bella peered in through the bars and sneered, looking away.
"She looks like a rat."
"Bellatrix Black!"
"Well she does!" The little rat in the crib gurgled and Bella glimpsed her small brown eyes. She sniffed in disgust, walking away, ignoring her mother's calling. "You can just get rid of her," she said over her shoulder, "Like that time with the hamster! I think she has rabies."
--
"Say 'good-bye' Andromeda," Druella whispered at her six-year-old daughter, "And stop sucking on your fingers!" Cygnus, Andromeda's father, looked away disapprovingly.
Andromeda pulled her thumb out of her mouth and murmured shyly, "Bye-bye, Bella."
Bella sneered at her, bowing her head at her father before heading off onto the train. Reaching the door she looked back, hesitant. But Cygnus was already leaving, and Druella scooped up Andromeda in her arms, too busy with the little girl to wave goodbye. Bella sniffed, then looked away in anger. She didn't care. She would go to Hogwarts then, a first-year, on her own.
--
"Bella?" a young, seven-year-old Andromeda whispered, struggling under the weight of the blonde mess in her thin arms, "What's going on?"
"Go away!" twelve-year-old Bellatrix growled at her younger sister, her sharp remark punctuated by the sound of breaking glass in the adjoining room.
Andromeda hitched up the child she carried, her little sister, trying to get a better grip, mumbling fearfully, "What about Cissy?"
"Take her with you!"
"But-"
"Just go and leave me alone!" Bella got up and shoved her sister back, slamming the door to her room. She could hear her parents shouting in the next room, followed by more breaking glass. A soft scratching sound was heard and she looked down to see a little mouse scurry up onto her black Mary Janes. Glaring at it she pinched its tail, hissing, "Why won't you all leave me alone!" She threw open her window and tossed the mouse out, smirking when she heard the crack as it landed. They should know better. They should stay out of her life, all of them.
A soft knock on her door made her angry again, and she ran to it, yanking it open.
"What do you want?" she spat at Andromeda's pleading face over the toddler's howling.
"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! It's Cissy!" she jiggled the baby helplessly, "She won't stop crying!" Andromeda wailed.
"Ugh! Come in already and stop blubbering. It's disgusting." Andromeda sniffed and ducked her head, taking a few cautious steps into the room.
Bella shut the door behind her, then stretched out her arms, "Here, give me Cissy."
Andromeda hugged the squirming mass of baby tightly, possessively, hesitating for a moment before reluctantly handing it over. Cissy was immediately subdued.
"Sh, Cissy, Sh," Bella whispered, looking up every time she heard the dull thud of a thrown object coming from next door, "It's me, Bella." And the baby looked up with such pale blue eyes, so beautiful. Andromeda suddenly felt hit by a pang of jealousy. Cissy was hers. Her baby sister. She felt left out, flinching as the yelling of her parent's continued. But Bella would always be better than her.
--
Andromeda tickled little Sirius in the tummy, her favorite cousin.
"Hiya Siri," she said, laughing. He rolled over on the floor, trying to get out, laughing all the while.
"Stop it! Mummy won't like that," Cissy whispered, bending down exaggeratedly, the way little kids do, scrunching up her face and putting a finger to her puckered lips, "Sh!"
"Does somebody else want to be tickled?" Andromeda giggled, reaching out to her little sister, "Does somebo-" She froze, looking up. A dark shadow loomed before them.
Strong arms enveloped Cissy, plucking her from the floor. Andromeda looked away, avoiding her older sister's gaze. Bella's eyes, black as death, were cold and hard, demanding, her thin lips in a permanent state of disapproval.
"Andromeda Black," she hissed, "You should know better."
Siri stuck out his tongue at his older cousin, making funny faces at her. Bella's nostrils flared as she whipped out her wand with her free hand, Cissy digging her face into Bella's chest.
"Bella let it go, he doesn't know what he's doing," Andromeda murmured, still sitting on the floor. Bella's eyes narrowed before she put her wand away and left, taking Cissy with her. From over Bella's shoulder Cissy waved, mournfully, tiny white hand swaying through the air.
"SIRIUS!" Andromeda's aunt called out, "SIRIUS BLACK!" Sirius ducked his head and scowled, giving Andromeda the sweetest of bear hugs before toddling after his mum.
"Bye-bye Andy," he whispered.
Andromeda sighed, "Bye-bye Siri."
She could hear Walburga, Sirius' mum, muttering under her breath, "We won't stay where we're not welcome, will we now!" Clearly the adults had been arguing about Sirius' constant misconduct yet again.
Within seconds she heard the front door slam, and then the yelling began, as usual. Another row.
--
"Sirius," Bellatrix acknowledged, but her attention was elsewhere. She was older now, nearly seventeen. She was gazing into the grand mirror in the hall, combing her fingers through her hair.
With a sneaky grin he dug the heel of his shoe into her ankle. Andromeda and Narcissa, both watching from around the corner, winced simultaneously.
Bella yelped, enraged, hollering, "COME BACK HERE YOU LITTLE MONSTER!"
But Sirius, young as he was, ran faster, darting around and waving at his other two cousins as he ran.
"One of these days he's going to get himself killed," Narcissa remarked, crossing her arms.
"I agree," murmured Andromeda.
"I SEE YOU! YOU LITTLE MISCREANT!" Bella continued from the second floor. Narcissa and Andromeda exchanged a look before splitting, Andromeda to go check and make sure Bella didn't actually murder Sirius, and Narcissa off to check on her mother and father, and greet her aunt. Just as Andromeda reached the staircase Sirius slid down the railing. Bella reached the top landing, whipping out her wand, "Stupefy!"
Sirius was thrown back a bit, mostly unharmed, but it gave Bella enough time to dart down the steps and pull him up by the ear.
"Ow! You're hurting me!" he whined as Bella stalked away, pulling Sirius along. He looked at Andromeda, who followed behind, "Can't you do something?"
"To be fair, you did start it Siri," she pointed out unhelpfully. Bellatrix nodded, pleased with her answer.
"You suck," he grumbled, "Ow!"
Andromeda sighed as they entered the adjoining room, "Sorry," she whispered. Bellatrix glared at her.
Just then their mother, father and Aunt Walburga looked up. Narcissa was trying hard not to giggle.
Walburga was the first to speak, "Bellatrix Black! What is the meaning of this?"
But Walburga had met her match in Bella, who replied, casually shoving Sirius towards his mother, "Auntie, do try and keep a closer eye on your son."
Walburga shook, "Are you implying I don't know how to raise my ch-"
"I am implying nothing," Bellatrix interrupted, her voice slow and demanding, "I'm merely telling you to keep an eye on your son."
Druella bit her lip, watching as her sister-in-law anxiously, whilst Cygnus wore a vaguely amused expression on his face. Walburga stuttered, unsure of how to respond, "I… I…" She looked around finally spying her snickering son, "Sirius Black!" and she cuffed him on the ear.
Bella smiled subtly, satisfied, and left. Andromeda shrugged at Sirius' murdering glare as his mother forced him to sit next to her and be still. Narcissa grinned. Victory to the Black sisters once more.
--
"Bella?"
"What is it Cissa?" Bellatrix asked, her patience wearing thin.
Cissy settled onto Bella's bed, chewing on her fingernail, "What was it like?"
"What was WHAT like?"
"Hogwarts."
Bellatrix rolled her eyes, getting up from the bed to go check her hair one more time, tying it in a neat ponytail, "Everything will be fine," she snapped, tired of her sister's cowardice. And then she smirked, "As long as you get sorted into Slytherin."
"Bella…"
"What?"
"What if they're mean to me?"
Bellatrix sighed and sat down next to her little sister, taking her hands, "If they're mean to you, I'll be mean to them."
"But you'll be graduated by then…"
"Doesn't matter. And I'll teach you all the good spells too."
Andromeda sat outside, ear glued to the door, eavesdropping. She remembered her first days at Hogwarts. Bella had promised to protect her too, but when the time came, Bella was one of the bullies as well. She'd wanted so much to be in Slytherin, yet now she was an outsider in her own House. She could only hope Bellatrix was not lying to Narcissa as well. Hogwarts would be harder on her than it had been on either of them.
--
Andromeda sat holed up in her room, shaking her head at how wrong she'd been. If anything it had been fun for Narcissa. Everyone had anticipated the arrival of the youngest Black sister, a Slytherin of course. But Bella, true to her word, had made connections for Narcissa before leaving the school, so the moment Narcissa arrived, she was a hit. She joined the after-hours get-togethers, she plodded with the rest of the purebloods and she was soon snarking after everyone else, just like them. She no longer listened to Andromeda, ignoring Sirius completely; Regulus was still way too young to attend Hogwarts, so her attitude towards him was irrelevant. Andromeda didn't like it one bit. But what could she do? Her parents encouraged Cissy, and no matter how hard she tried, she could never dissuade her sister from anything. An outsider in school and an outsider at home. Sirius Black was truly her only ally. And yet, sometimes, when their Aunt came for a visit, things would be like in the old days. Bella came and visited every now and then, and Narcissa and she delighted in watching their older sister's antics. If only things stayed the same forever… But then Andromeda met a boy who would change her life forever: Ted Tonks.
--
"Bella please! You're my sister!" Andromeda cried, "I thought maybe you would understand!" How could life have turned out so wrong? Disowned? It still didn't seem real… She was outside of what had once been her home, having managed to flag Bella down just as she left the house. Narcissa watched from the doorstep.
"Get away from me!" Bellatrix snarled, her once beautiful face now twisted and gaunt, "You blood-traitor!" It was true that they had never been all that close, but still… they were sisters! They has live in the same house, gone to the same school for so many years! But ever since Bella had taken the Mark, it had been different.
"You can't do this to me! We're bound by blood, Bella!"
"Not anymore! I never want to see you again!"
Andromeda faltered, her sister's words cutting deeply, "Bella…"
"Flittium!" Bella howled. Andromeda was thrown back into the ground, and Bella marched away, in that same confident stride she always used. Andromeda gasped, tears in her eyes. Who knew loving a muggle-born could have caused so much damage? Struggling, she turned to the house.
"Cissy?"
Narcissa was beautiful, so grown up now, no longer a child. Andromeda could remember having held her in her arms, a squealing little thing with big blue eyes. Narcissa's soft face was torn between anguish and pity. "I'm sorry," she whispered finally, "I can't… I can't." She stepped back into the darkness of the house and slowly shut the door.
Andromeda swallowed back her tears and nodded. For once in her life, she was truly alone. Breathing heavily she gave one last, longing look at the Black Manor before ducking her head away and leaving, never to return.