Author's Note: Hi, everyone. Well, I'm new here at and this is my first ever fanfic.. I'm really excited and I would appreciate reviews. Constructive criticism and praise are both welcomed, but please don't be too harsh. This fic is about the young Black family as I think of them, so I thought Christmas would be a good time to get them together. I'm a huge Bella fan and I'm really particular about how Bella fics are written. I hope as I write more chapters on this fic that I can get her more in character. Thank you so much for reading and please review!

December 15, 1968

Cygnus Black sat in the crimson armchair, the golden designs illuminated by the firelight. His dark eyes remained expressionless as he watched the two house elves haul the luggage down the stairs and to the fireplace, sending the trunks through to Number 12, Grimmauld Place via the Floo Network. Yes, he could have easily used his wand to handle the heavy trunks, but the house elves needed something to do lest they forget their places. It was not until Druella Black, his wife of nineteen years, descended the stairs and entered the sitting room that he put out his pipe, clearing the smoke from the room with a flick of his wand.

"That's the last of the trunks, Wally," she informed one of the house elves, which exited the room with a low bow, the other quickly following. Once the two were alone, Cygnus stood, his eyes scanning the staircase in the adjacent hallway. "The girls will be down in a minute, Cygnus. Cissa hasn't finished getting ready, and she's catching hell from Bella and Andi," Druella explained, compassionate eyes set on the foot of the staircase her husband was watching as she pushed a stray stand of her straight black hair from her face. As her gaze fell to Cygnus, she knew what he was thinking. Their youngest daughter, Narcissa, was only thirteen but she was the most concerned about her appearance in the family, much to Cygnus, Bellatrix and Andromeda's annoyance.

Suddenly, a loud thud rang through the house from upstairs, followed by a shriek. Cygnus and Druella quickly moved out into the hall, watching as a laughing Bella was hauling little Cissa down the stairs feet first, Andromeda having a grip on her shoulders. "Put me down! Stop it, Andi! You're tangling my hair! Bella, you're hurting my ankles! Put me down, you two!" pleaded a distraught Cissa.

Cygnus remained silent, forcing back an amused grin, but Druella wasn't pleased. Scowling, she approached Bellatrix and Andromeda as they put a whining Cissa down at the bottom of the stairs. "Bellatrix Black! I've told you too many times to stop harassing Narcissa. You are seventeen years old and ought to know and behave much better! The same goes for you, Andromeda. Fifteen years old is much too old for such manners as well. Fifteen and seventeen year old witches need to act like ladies. How else will you find suitable husbands?" As Druella began her lecture, Narcissa scurried to the other end of the hall to a mirror, fixing her appearance from the encounter with her sisters. Druella had still been reprimanding her oldest daughters when she returned, until Cygnus interrupted.

"Ahem," he coughed, catching Druella's attention and pointing to the grandfather clock. "Druella, I think it is time we leave. You know Walburga. She'll be pitching a fit if we are late." Druella scowled one last time at her daughters before moving toward the fireplace, followed by Bellatrix, who still looked amused. Andromeda and Narcissa moved behind her, and Cygnus stood behind his wife and daughters. Once by one, they stepped into the fireplace, flooing to the destination of their luggage. When Cygnus finally stepped out of the Grimmauld Place fire behind Narcissa, Walburga and Orion Black were there to greet them, joined by nine-year-old Sirius and seven-year-old Regulus.

"There was such a long gap between your luggage and your own arrival, we had begun to wonder whether or not something had happened," finished Walburga as her eyes fell to her brother Cygnus. Her guests now stood before her, cleaning the soot from their clothes and bodies with their wands. By the time they were finished, Bellatrix and Andromeda hardly had time to breathe before Regulus and Sirius pounced on their older cousins. Druella had pulled Narcissa over to her and Walburga as she began to recount Bellatrix and Andromeda's offense.

"No, we were fine, Walburga. Bella and Andi decided to haul poor Cissa down the stairs to hurry her up, so they naturally had to be disciplined." Narcissa seemed uncomfortable, and quickly slipped away from her mother and aunt to greet her younger cousins with her sisters. Walburga then took her opportunity to scoff. She never feared giving anyone her opinion, solicited or not.

"And Bellatrix joined in, Druella?" she inquired of her sister-in-law, who nodded, embarrassed. "The girl is seventeen. She's of age! Don't you think it is high time she grew up? Have you and my brother picked out a husband for her? Perhaps marriage would be the best thing for her after Hogwarts. It really would be in her best interest, Druella—"

"No, Walburga. Not this soon. Bella doesn't know, of course, but we have discussed marriage with the Lestranges. They have two boys, their eldest being Bella's age. Cygnus and I were twenty, so I think Bella should wait a year or two after Hogwarts. It will be the same for Andi and Cissy." Druella had snapped back at Walburga, obviously irritated with her prying in-law.

Beside the magnificent Christmas tree, the children were unaware of the tension between Walburga and Druella. Sirius and Regulus were showing off the pretty packages they had, and the sisters tried to guess what could be hidden under the wrappings. As Sirius held up a large box, Andromeda beamed for her favorite little cousin.

"Oh, Sirius! Perhaps it is a broom! Yes, the finest racing broom on the market! Or a new potions kit—"

"Nah, most likely one of Aunt Elladora's house elf heads for your bedroom. Or a massive pack of bogey flavored beans. Yeah, that's what you hear rattling about in there—"

"Bella, you're lying!" shouted an angry Sirius, glaring at Bellatrix. Regulus was sitting on her lap, laughing innocently at his favorite cousin's remarks, though he clearly did not understand that it was ill intended.

"Come on, Bella, leave him alone. You two always fight. Sirius has never done anything to you. It's the same every Christmas, and you're setting a bad example for Regulus." Andromeda's soft, dark eyes moved to little Regulus, the youngest heir to the Black family. Regulus had always favored Bellatrix while Sirius preferred Andromeda. Narcissa was held somewhere in the middle, though when she wasn't admiring her reflection in the mirror, she tagged along behind Bellatrix.

Bellatrix laughed, shaking her head. "A bad influence to Reg? Never! Reg's always been my little buddy, haven't you?" she asked, looking to a beaming Regulus. "Yep, Regulus Black has never hidden my things, played mean pranks on me or tattle to Mum and Aunt Walburga. And I don't recall Regulus putting paste in my hair while I was asleep. Oh, but Sirius has never done anything to me!" Bella snapped, her voice dripping with sarcasm as she eyed Andi.

"Bella, Siri was young. He was only trying to get you to play with him. Can't you two just get along this year? Bella, this is your last Christmas as a Hogwarts student. You'll be a complete adult after the spring." Sirius nodded as Andi spoke, sticking out his tongue at Bella (who returned the immature gesture as Narcissa and Regulus giggled).

"Yeah, thanks, Mum!" snapped Bella as she glared at her sister. "But I'll handle my life the way I want to. Besides, just take one look at Siri's face. He loves being a bloody prat. Are you going to take that away from him at Christmas? Shame on you." She laughed, her eyes moving to the doorway as her mother stepped in, a warm smile on her face.

"Dinner is almost ready. Why don't you kids go wash up? Oh, and Aunt Walburga says you girls will have to share a room, because she and Uncle Orion are expecting more company later in the week. I think the house elf put your things in the room across from Reg and Sirius." Beaming at the sight of the cousins that seemed to be getting along so well, she exited the room without another word.

Bella lifted Regulus off her lap, setting him down as she stood, allowing Cissa and Sirius to head out of the room first and up to their bedrooms. Andromeda walked beside Bella as the sisters entered their room, all of the trunks waiting for them. It was a rather large bedroom for most houses such as Grimmauld Place. There were simple yet refined decorations, and the furniture was all walnut. Two four-poster beds were pushed against the back wall, one beside the window looking down on a snow-covered London street, the other closer to the door. On the emerald and silver colored rug in the center of the room lay a mattress for one of the sisters to sleep on. "I call the bed by the window!" announced Bella lazily, flicking her wand and moving her things by the bed. Andromeda and Narcissa dared not protest.

As Narcissa eyed the other bed and the mattress on the floor, she quickly exclaimed, "I've got the other bed!" Pointing her wand at the trunks, she screwed up her face in concentration, shouting "Wingardium Leviosa!" at the trunks as she moved them over to her bed. Being a third year, she had not yet mastered nonverbal spells or gained the abilities of her older sisters. Not bothering to watch Andi grumble as she moved her things toward the mattress, she began to brush her hair, inspecting every inch of her appearance in the mirror.

"Really, Cissa, it's going to be Mum, Dad, Aunt Walburga, Uncle Orion, Reg and Siri at dinner tonight. You don't have to be so concerned about your hair for dinner," stated Bellatrix as she quickly ran a brush through her raven curls without the aid of a mirror. "You know, you've been sort of funny about your appearance lately. Is someone picking on you at school? Just say the word and I'll hex them."

Andi shot Bella a reproachful glare, never agreeing with her methods of problem solving, but Narcissa laughed. "No, thank you, Bella. I just wonder if he'll ever notice me…" She paused, observing her sisters' questioning glances. "You know! Lucius. I don't think he even knows who I am!"

While Andromeda made and effort to offer a sympathetic smile, Bella didn't bother to suppress a laugh. "Lucius Malfoy? Surely you don't mean that little blonde fourth year you eat breakfast with and get to do your homework doesn't know who you are! Cissa, you are so dramatic! How can he not know you when you talk everyday?"

Cissa was about to retort when Sirius and Regulus burst in the room, Sirius calling out, "Cissa like a boy! Cissa likes a boy! Cissa likes a boy!" in a singsong voice as he climbed on her bed, bouncing on it until Bellatrix grabbed him, holding a kicking Sirius in a firm grip as she pretended to make a move to throw him out the window, causing both Bellatrix and Sirius to laugh hysterically as she threw him on Andromeda's mattress.