Hey guys, so I know in the books Cissy is portrayed to be closer to Bellatrix than Andromeda but in my story she is closer to Andie for future story plot purposes. Oh, and Cissy is in the same year as Sirius and James and Lily, etc. so she is 11 in this story, Andie is 16 (otherwise Tonks would have to be a younger age come Harry's fifth year) and Bella is 20, the same age she would have been around this time anyways. Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter but I do own the movies :) . . . I know . . . that doesn't count . . .
Black Rose
Chapter 1
The Black Manor was quiet on the morning of 31 August, 1971. It was 6 a.m. and majority of the household was still asleep with the exception of Cygnus and Druella Black. Cygnus Black was reading the Daily Prophet while his wife read her book.
It was a perfectly normal, quiet morning in the Black Manor . . . until . . .
"BELLA, GET OUT! NO! COME BACK! GIVE ME MY WAND!"
Cygnus looked up and made eye contact with his wife, both of them rolling their eyes. "Andromeda," they said in unison. They stood and began to leave the room to see what Andie was up to when there was another outburst.
"YOU DON'T DESERVE IT, YOU BLOOD TRAITOR!"
At that, Cygnus and Druella stopped and looked at one another, alarmed. Quickly, the two of them hurried up the staircase and down the hall into Andie's room. In the room, they found Bellatrix and Andromeda, arguing as usual as Andromeda tried to jump for the wand Bellatrix held out of reach.
Cygnus tried a few times to say something over the girls' shouting. No matter how many times he tried to yell at them to stop, it was no use.
He was about to open his mouth to yell again, louder this time, when he heard: "STOP IT!"
The room went silent and everyone turned to the door, noticing Narcissa standing there in her nightgown and bare feet.
"I don't want my sisters fighting to be the last thing I see in this house before I go to Hogwarts for the first time," she said calmly. "Be nice to each other for once! Or at least try to get along!"
Bellatrix glared at her youngest sister. "Cissy," she started her voice dangerously low. "She is a BLOOD TRAITOR!" Her voice continued to rise. "IF YOU KNEW WHAT SHE HAS DONE—!"
At that point, Andromeda interrupted her. "I swear I didn't do anything!" her voice cracked and she was near tears. She turned to her parents and began to walk over to them. "I'm not a blood traitor; I promise I didn't do anything."
Their parents looked at one another and then at Bellatrix and back to Andromeda. She was in tears by then. "We believe you, Andromeda," Cygnus said. "Now, stop this foolishness and get ready to go to King's Cross."
Bellatrix stared at her parents in disbelief and started to say something before closing her mouth and storming out of the room. Andie bent over to pick up her wand from the floor as Cygnus and Druella left the room. Narcissa walked over to Andie's trunk on the bed and began to put its contents back, Bellatrix having emptied it in her fit of rage.
The two silently continued to place clothes, books and other school supplies back into the trunk. "I believe you Andie," Narcissa whispered.
Andromeda turned and looked down at her little sister in surprise. "You do?" she whispered. Narcissa nodded and flipped through the pages of one of Andie's sixth year books before placing it back in the trunk carefully. "Thank you," Andromeda added her voice swelling with emotion and gratitude.
Narcissa smiled up at her sister and placed the last piece of clothing into the trunk. "I'm going to go get dressed now," she said. "I already did my packing two days ago." At that she giggled. "I guess I'm just really excited."
"Everyone gets excited for his or her first year," she told her sister. "Except maybe Bellatrix!" she shouted after her sister as she walked out the door to her bedroom next door.
"Hurry girls!" Druella called to Andromeda and Narcissa as they neared the barrier between platforms 9 and 10. It was 10:30 a.m. and the train would leave in half an hour.
The two girls quickly passed through the barrier and their parents followed suit. Bellatrix had decided not to come with to see Narcissa and Andromeda off, being 20 years old and no longer in school. The two girls had merely shrugged it off as Bella being mad about the day's earlier incident.
Once they were all on to platform 9 ¾, their parents hurried them through the platform—crowded with students and parents—and toward the train. They ran into a few other pureblood families while doing that and Narcissa swore she saw Andie smile at a sixth year Hufflepuff boy.
Their parents stopped once they got closer to the train and turned to the two girls.
"Andromeda," Cygnus said, pulling his middle daughter into a light embrace. "Have a good term darling. And watch over your sister. Remember, you are the oldest Black girl at the school now."
Andromeda smiled and gave her father a quick peck on the cheek before turning to her mother and doing the same.
Cygnus and Druella then turned to Narcissa and smiled. "I'm going to miss your company during the day, darling," Druella whispered, hugging her youngest child.
Narcissa turned to her father who had knelt down to her small height. She threw her arms around her father's neck in a tight hug. "Papa," she whispered. "What happens if I am not in Slytherin?"
Her father pulled her away from him and studied her face, lightly touching lightly freckled nose. "You will, princess," he assured her. "The entire Black Family has been in Slytherin and so will you."
Narcissa hugged him again. "I'll miss you, Papa," she whispered.
"I'll miss you too, princess," he said. "Promise me you'll write every day." Narcissa nodded her head, making her white blonde curls bounce. "Good girl," her father said. "Now, go join your sister on the train before you miss it."
Andromeda grabbed her hand and took her to the train. Two of the conductors lifted their trunks into a compartment and they got in after them, closing the compartment door.
After waving goodbye to their parents, the train began to pull away. Andromeda turned to look at Narcissa.
"You don't mind if I go sit with a friend of mine, do you?" she asked. "I'll even go find Sirius and bring him here for you if you want."
Narcissa shook her head. "I'll be fine," Narcissa assured her. "You go."
Andromeda smiled and hugged her sister. She turned to the compartment door and opened it, letting the Hufflepuff boy from earlier in. He helped her take her trunk out and Andromeda said thank you to her; assuring her she'd only be a few compartments down if she needed her. The compartment door closed before Narcissa could say anything at all. But Narcissa just shrugged and sat down with a book in hand, opening it to the first page.
She had only gotten to the third page when the compartment door suddenly opened again. Half expecting Andie to be there with Sirius as she had promised, Narcissa looked up. But it was not Andie standing in the doorway, nor Sirius; it was a small girl with red hair and green eyes who was not much taller than herself, she herself being rather small for her age. She was with a rather tall boy with greasy black hair and a slightly crooked nose who was dressed rather shabbily.
The girl looked at her and flushed shyly. "Do you mind if we sit here?" the girl asked. "Everywhere else is full."
Narcissa studied the girl carefully and nodded, turning back to her book and ignoring the boy. She knew that they most likely weren't purebloods, but it wasn't as if her parents were going to find out. Andie wouldn't tell; Bella maybe, but never Andie.
"My name is Lily," she said. "Lily Evans. It's my first year at Hogwarts."
Narcissa smiled at her. "Narcissa," she replied. "Black. It's my first year too."
Narcissa knew she probably shouldn't be talking to this girl, but for some reason she didn't understand, she didn't care what her parents would think at that moment.
Lily smiled and seemed to relax a bit, all nerves about meeting new people gone. "This is Severus Snape," she told her, gesturing to her friend who gave her a small, slightly lopsided smile.
"I've been reading up on Hogwarts," Lily said. "I found the Houses and their founders really interesting. I wonder how they sort us. Well despite that, I guess it all pays off when we find out what House we're in" She paused for a moment and looked at Narcissa who looked a bit baffled at how fast she was talking. "What House do you think you'll be in?"
She knew what House her parents wanted her in, but she never actually thought about what House she wanted to be in. "Well," she started. "My entire family has been in Slytherin . . ." She saw Severus flinch slightly at the name. "Including my sister Andromeda who really isn't Slytherin material. So I suppose I'll be sorted there. But I never actually thought of which house I want to be in. I have thought of the possibility of not being in my family's House, though." She stopped and tried to imagine herself in a different House than the image her parents had planted in her head. "What House do you want to be in?"
"Well, I want to be in Gryffindor because it seems like the most honourable House," she started. "But I don't think I'd be brave enough so I suppose Ravenclaw is acceptable as well."
Narcissa nodded and the two girls looked to Severus who said he had no idea. The three of them sat in a comfortable silence afterwards as they pondered how they were to be sorted into their Houses.
"How we're sorted is supposed to be a secret," Severus explained. "Nobody is supposed to know until they get to the school."
"My sister Bellatrix says that we have to take a painful test," Narcissa started. "She told me they take your blood and everything."
Lily paled visibly, Severus stared with wide eyes and Narcissa shuddered.
"Well . . ." Lily started. "I certainly hope she's wrong."
Severus and Narcissa nodded in agreement.
"Now," Deputy Headmistress Minerva McGonagall started. "When I call your name, I will place the sorting hat on your head and you will be sorted into your Houses."
"I can't believe Bella told me they torture you," Narcissa whispered to Lily who shook her head.
"Abbot, Clarion!" Professor McGonagall called.
A boy with blonde hair and pink cheeks slowly walked up to the stool. It didn't take long for the hat to shout, "HUFFLEPUFF!"
"Black, Narcissa!"
Narcissa glanced at Lily and made her way up the stairs. As she sat on the stool, her legs dangling about 4 inches above the floor, Professor McGonagall placed the hat on her head.
"Well, you're an interesting one," she heard the hat say. "You are a Black but you don't seem to have all the qualities. There is still a slight discrimination against Muggles and wizards not of the pureblood variety, however it is only there because it was bred into you from birth. You have talent, oh yes there's talent, and intelligence, yes a fair amount of intelligence. You are a lot kinder than your oldest sister, aren't you? Yes, a very unusual young Black.
"Well, I know just where to put you . . ."
Narcissa held her breath as she heard, "RAVENCLAW!" shouted from the hat's mouth.
Her eyes widened and she jumped off the stool. The Ravenclaw table cheered but from the Slytherin table she heard whispers; even from some of the other tables. She sat next to a third year boy with jaw length white blonde hair.
"Xenophilius Lovegood," the boy said, holding out his hand. "Welcome to Ravenclaw, Miss Black."
She smiled and looked back to the front just as Sirius was being sorted into Gryffindor. Oh no, Narcissa thought. Aunt Walburga will kill him.
Lily Evans was also sorted into Gryffindor, as were three boys named Remus Lupin, Peter Pettigrew, and James Potter. There were only two other girls sorted into Gryffindor with Lily.
In Hufflepuff there was Lynelle Macmillan, a cute girl with dirty blonde pigtails and slightly chubby cheeks, Alixandre Smith, Calin Diggory, Alina Bones, and Emilie Peters.
Slytherin gained Arianna Parkinson, Melania Parkinson, Anthony Higgs, Fiona Blishwick, Jonathan Farley, Orion Quentin, and Severus Snape.
The other Ravenclaws who were sorted were Genevie Clearwater, Eric Turpin, Madeline MacDougal, Roger Belby, Tabea Brocklehurst, and Christopher Hilliard.
Narcissa didn't even notice everyone else who was being sorted, however. She sat in her own little world, thinking of what her parents would say. Silently, she glanced over at her sister at the Slytherin table. Andromeda only gave her an encouraging smile, one that said she didn't care and wouldn't judge her. Then she turned and looked at the Gryffindor table toward Sirius and Lily. Sirius didn't notice her because he was talking to some new friends, but Lily caught her eye and smiled. Narcissa smiled back.
Well, there was one good thing that came out of being in Ravenclaw; it would give Narcissa a chance to be friends with Lily without her parents finding out.
...
And that is all I'm going to give you for now. If anyone has any ideas for the story, feel free to PM me or review. Oh and one thing, I know many people may not see the Black family as being affectionate with their daughters, but they're daughters. I can see Cygnus doting on his girls, especially Narcissa since she's the baby. Anywho, please review, favourite, alert, etc. I have held Dobby hostage and he says that if everyone reviews he will give back all the Hogwarts acceptance letters he intercepted.
REVIEW!