Disclaimer: Own nothing
Summary: Sequel to "Sacrificial Lamb." Vela stared in shock at the grim-faced Aquila. "You knew?!" She almost screamed, making several students from different houses turn to stare at the sisters and cousins. Aquila, the second oldest daughter of Bellatrix and Hermione simply shrugged, "I wasn't aware it was my place to tell you."
What we Know:
Vela stared in shock at the grim-faced Aquila. "You knew?!" She almost screamed, making several students from different houses turn to stare at the sisters and cousins. Aquila, the second oldest daughter of Bellatrix and Hermione simply shrugged, "I wasn't aware it was my place to tell you."
The two girls from two different houses faced each other. Aquila, a graduated student, once belonging to the house of Gryffindor and Vela cloaked in robes with the Hufflepuff insignia both stayed still in the ever moving bustle of different students. Vela couldn't believe her ears. Aquila had known about how their mama, Hermione Jean Granger Black felt towards Narcissa; Vela's mother and Aquila's aunt? This whole time?
"How long have you known?" The blonde hissed, staring hard at the calm blue-purple eyes of her unpredictable older sister and cousin who had been invited back to school on behalf of one of the teachers that favored Aquila greatly-unsurprisingly professor McGonagall.
"Quite a while now," Aquila said, slowly sitting down on the bench of the Gryffindor table where she had once eaten her meals with her fellow students, "Are you really surprised? Mama really does love my mother best. I'm sure you knew that."
Vela's throat tightened, wanting to yell at her sister, but deep down, she knew Aquila was right. How could she-or anyone for that matter, not see the tolerance that was in Hermione's eyes whenever she looked at Andromeda or Narcissa-and then see the absolute pure love and devotion written on each inch of the muggle-born's face and eyes when she saw Bellatrix?
No, Vela had known for a while. When she was a child, she might not have realized it before she was eight-before she saw that terrible scene in the kitchen between her mother and Hermione, when Hermione slapped her mother and told her what she really meant to her. But, even before that, Vela had always sensed that there was something different between Hermione and Andromeda and Narcissa than there was between Hermione and Bellatrix.
Children aren't as foolish as adults tend to think they are. Weren't Hermione and her friends Harry and Ron's adventures that were famous throughout Hogwarts proof of that?
Vela had felt it. There was just an energy that had been different between Hermione and Narcissa and Andromeda, very different from the energy between Hermione and Bellatrix, and she had known it, even if she didn't know how to point it out or what to call it.
The blonde stared at the floor, angry. "Maybe I did know." She said quietly, "Or some part of me knew."
"Yes," Aquila said dryly, "I had a feeling for a while. I had a feeling something was off between my aunts and our mama since I was a kid. I didn't like thinking about it, but I suspected it. I certainly did when I saw…." Aquila trailed off and Vela lifted her head to inspect the curled black haired Gryffindor but the black-haired witch shook her head.
"Never mind." She waved her hand, "Let's forget it. The point is, we both know now. You don't need to wonder about it. Yes, our mama just puts up with Narcissa and Andromeda. She tolerates them and benefits from them. And she utterly adores and loves Bellatrix Black. But you know what? There's nothing we can do about it. That's why parents have problems. It's not the child or children's places to interfere. If parents divorce, it's not the child's fault. Just forget about it."
Vela narrowed her eyes. "Would you have that opinion if it was Bellatrix-your mother that mama just tolerated?" Seeing the darkness that veiled over her older sister's eyes, she nodded, "I thought so." She hesitated, taking a breath, "But you're right. As usual. There's nothing we can do about it. We can't force Hermione to love Narcissa and Andromeda. Even if we could, it would be really wrong. Mama is in love with aunt Bellatrix. She would do anything for her. And she feels nothing for aunt Andy or my mother." Vela was twelve now, she had told herself a long time ago that she was too old to cry, but she couldn't stop the tears from falling.
When the heated moisture fell from her eyes, Aquila seemed startled, but jumped up from the bench of the table, wrapping her arms around her younger sister, holding her close as the blonde wept. Vela cried into her sister's shoulder, not caring that they were probably being stared at by everyone in the Great Hall. Certainly loads of Gryffindor students were giving them funny looks, but Vela didn't care. She had been holding this in for so long. To find out that someone else in their family besides their mothers knew…..she just couldn't restrain her pain anymore.
Aquila stroked her left hand down Vela's head soothingly. "Shh," She whispered tenderly, "It's okay. It's going to be okay. Aunt Narcissa….she still has us, even if Hermione doesn't want to accept that. I'll always love aunt Cissy, no matter what."
Vela sniffled, parting from her sister's grasp. She looked up at the eighteen-year-old's remorseful eyes.
"Hey, buck up," Aquila said, grinning, "Maybe one day, aunt Cissy will find someone that will treat her like she deserves. Maybe Cissy will meet someone that will love her just as much as she loves them."
Vela nodded, though she doubted her big sister believed her own words any more than the young Hufflepuff did. Still, Vela squeezed her arms tighter around her sister's abdomen, a silent 'thank you' for the former Gryffindor's kindness. Aquila slid her right hand along the side of Vela's face, turning the younger's head to look up at her, "Now, go get some food, okay? You won't be able to follow any of your classes if you don't fill up and get strong."
Vela nodded, chuckling. "And you'd know so much about being a studious learner, right?" She asked, grinning. Aquila smirked, swatting at the blonde and the younger witch ducked out of the way, giggling. "Okay, brat," Aquila quipped, "No reminding me about my delinquent days, thank you very much. Get to your table."
"Yeah, yeah." Vela laughed, walking away from the older, giving a grateful smile to the former Hogwarts student.
Aquila watched, considering. Much to Aquila's lack of shock, she observed as Sagitta looked at Vela sitting down before getting up herself and walking to Aquila.
"Hey, Quil," She said, smiling apprehensively, "What was that about? Vela looked really upset."
Aquila shrugged, "What can I tell you? She was upset about our mama and our aunt Cissy and your mother's….arrangement. I mean what their relationship really is. That it's nothing like her and my mother's relationship."
Once again, there was an utter lack of surprise on Aquila's part at Sagitta's startled look. "She knows?!" The seventh year Hufflepuff demanded, brown eyes shocked.
Aquila let a snort out, "Everyone seems to keep saying that. We all live in the same house when we're not at Hogwarts, you know. It's not that surprising when we find something like this out. But yes she knows. I think she's known for a while, but kept it from us."
Sagitta glanced over her shoulder, making sure that Vela was still at their table, chomping on roasted turkey legs and when she wasn't, shoveling a spoonful of Yorkshire pudding into her mouth. The seventh year brunette tried not to chuckle. Sometimes she wondered if Vela and their uncle Ron had the same appetite.
She turned back to Aquila, locking eyes. "Quil," She said firmly, "Vela is to never know what we saw. And she's never to know that we agree with mama."
Aquila smirked, glancing at where Vela sat, "Oh please. Do you think I would? I want her to think that we care about aunt Cissy. The moment Narcissa walked out on my mother in Azkaban and never did anything while my mother suffered at our grandfather's hands," Aquila practically growled the word, "grandfather" out, "The moment aunt Cissy did that, she made her bed. She can lie in it now."
Sagitta nodded, fully agreed. She was a Hufflepuff. They were loyal. She was loyal utterly to her mama and aunt Bella. Her mother, Andromeda knew the deal. No matter how much love she had seen in Andromeda Black's eyes whenever she was near Hermione, Andromeda knew the arrangement and didn't argue with it. The second Black sister understood that Hermione's decision was unshakable.
But Narcissa clearly hadn't understood. Or at least thought she could work her way around it. Just like a snake.
"You promise me," Aquila turned to Sagitta, all attention on her little sister, "That whatever happens, Carina defends my mother and mama's relationship. I want her to have the same devotion to mother as we have." Aquila's blue eyes became agonized, "Bellatrix…..my mother….she's been through so much pain. I hate Narcissa for not doing anything and for saving her own ass while Bellatrix rotted in Azkaban."
Sagitta winced, hating to see her big sister like this.
Aquila devoted her life to being protective of Bellatrix after she found out about Cygnus and Druella Black's abuse of her mother. It had been awful to witness how Aquila fell apart when she learned from her big sister Hydra the details she had learned. Cygnus Black, damn him to all of hell. He had been a monster to Aquila's mother.
He had abused her till she broke and had no one to turn to except the darkest wizard in history.
Well, Aquila, Hermione, Hydra, Sagitta, Gemini and Carina were going to fix that-make sure Bellatrix had someone to protect her. She always would have them, whether Narcissa Black liked it or not. Bellatrix would always have them, Narcissa would not.
Aquila looked her sister and cousin in the eye one last time, enacting the agreement they made long ago when Sagitta had entered her third year, finding out for the first time that Narcissa Black, Narcissa Malfoy at the time had abandoned Bellatrix in Azkaban and claimed that she had had the "Imperius curse" controlling her to save her own skin.
"For Bellatrix, my mother, wife of our mama." Aquila said, voice steel.
Sagitta nodded, "For Bellatrix, my aunt, wife of our mama."
Aquila smiled in satisfaction. She got up and turned, striding down the hall.
Sagitta smirked. No one had heard them. Vela had no idea. Perhaps their tow-headed sister was uncomfortable with the idea now, but she'd come around when she learned just what kind of a self-serving kind of person her mother Narcissa Black was.
In the meantime, Sagitta resolved, she and her sisters would have to lay low.
So yeah, Aquila and Sagitta got kind of creepy. Not sure where the ending came from. I just knew I wanted to keep it dark.