Title: Just Wait Until September.
Author: Didget
Rating: T for mentions of rape and physical abuse. (There isn't too much graphic detail.)
Fandom: Harry Potter.
Disclaimer: nope I don't own, if I did, what Bellatrix and that generation of people would have books about them too.
Author's Note: This is an (rather long) oneshot, about Bellatrix and her sisters getting ready to go to Hogwarts, despite what is happening around them. It is set in 1966, Narcissa is eleven, Andromeda is fourteen (For the purpose of this Fanflic) and Bellatrix is fifteen, it is September the 1st (as suggested by the title ;)
Just Wait Until September
Bellatrix ran, up the abandoned servant's stairs and through the dark kitchen. Even here she could hear her parents fighting. Her father gruffly roaring curses and her mother's pained screams echoing in the hollow halls.
"Soon he'll be finished with mother...then he'll come looking for me." Bella thought, dread creeping up her spine. They never used to have fights, not like this. Now all she could do was watch, as they drank the night away, Screaming curses and threats. She knew soon her mother would collapse, and he would leave her damaged on the floor before searching for someone to satisfy his lust. She shuddered in the thought of what she knew he would do, desperately praying Narcissa and Andromeda would stay hidden and not accidently see what would happen next.
She heard him storm up the stairs, in the last few seconds she was caught between flight and fight, if she ran he would chase her and then, he would really hurt her for making him wait… or even worse he could decide to go after Cissy or Dromeda, but even if she stayed where she was he'd still be brutal. Trapped by her indecision, she didn't realise he was behind her until he roughly grabbed her around the waist and threw her to the ground. Drunkenly he raped and tortured her until she passed out, the agony of the Cruciatus Curse quickly becoming too much to bear. The next morning she woke up, still naked, her clothes ripped to shreds and covered in blood, her blood.
If it was still the holidays, he would try and make up for his moment of weakness, as he called it, tomorrow. Buying her useless gifts and promising empty promises. While her mother just cried, sobs and high-pitch wailing echoing throughout the house. She hated him, for what he did to Dromeda and Cissy, for how he treated his wife and especially for the all-to-frequent use of his 'wand'. She was so relieved she could escape to Hogwarts today, so grateful Both Cissy and Dromeda was old enough to go with her. She lived in fear of what her 'darling father' might do and had done to her sweet younger sister's when she wasn't there to protect them.
'Cissy…' she thought suddenly. Hurriedly Bellatrix walked to her sister room, relived she had already washed away the blood and other signs of her abuse. Gently she sat at the edge of Narcissa's bed, softly shaking her to wake her up. Narcissa eyes opened instantly, sweet, slightly fearful blue eyes glancing up at her from beneath her thick blond hair.
'Hmmm... Bella, what is it?' Narcissa asked sleepily before stumblingly out of her warm cacoon.
"We're going to Hogwarts today, remember? We need to pack properly and you need to eat." Said Bellatrix, grinning happily as excitement flashed across Narcissa's face. "Come on lets go before Father gets up. We need to drag Dromeda outta bed too."
Quietly they both snuck to Andromeda's room. Looking down at her peaceful face, Bellatrix struggled to contain the pangs of envy that fluttered through her stomach; Dromeda could sleep for hours at a time, without any dreams at all, despite everything. Grinning slightly Narcissa poked Andromeda until she woke up.
"Wakey wakey… rise and shine… time to get up!" Narcissa said in a sing-song voice, all the while poking Andromeda backside lightly.
"Come on, we get to go to Hogwarts today" sung out Bellatrix happily.
"Alright, alright, I'm up" grumbled Dromeda into her pillow, "I'm awake so you can leave now."
"No, I do actually remember what happened last year. You're getting out of that bed now!"Laughing slightly, Bellatrix ripped off the blanket that covered the middle sister, and quickly dodged the pillow that sailed towards her head. Grinning madly Bella ran out of the room and into the kitchen, barely stopping to order the house elf to make breakfast for her sisters.
Exulted she danced silently around the dining room. 'We're going to Hogwarts today!'' Bellatrix sung madly in her head. Overjoyed Cissy and Dromeda scarfed down breakfast while Bellatrix impatiently bounced, waiting for them to finish. Once they gathered there belongings and school items, they rushed off to the station, glad that yet again their parents were indisposed.
Together Bella, Andy and Cissy boarded the train, ignoring the heads that turned their way and the crude shouting from various males. In the privacy of their compartment, after Andy had cast a silencing spell; they happily sang and generally celebrated together, only leaving their self-imposed seclusion to order food from the trolley.
'We're finally free' Bella mused, 'maybe someday soon I'll be able to sleep at night.' Smiling properly for the first time in ages, Bella lounged over one of the seats and pulled both her sisters into a hug. 'It was all going to be ok.' She thought to herself.
She revised that statement a few hours later, when the Lestrange boy began to bang on the door, demanding to see his 'future wife'. 'Damn it! The ugly oaf hasn't gotten expelled yet." Bellatrix snarled angrily to Dromeda. Smiling coldly Andromeda walked to the door, opened it and silently cursed him.
"Do kindly piss off now," said Andromeda coolly, "your 'future wife' doesn't want to see you today." Grinning in a mad way, Bellatrix looked at Narcissa and laughed at the look of total disgust on her face. "Don't worry I'll get out that relationship somehow." Bellatrix promised her youngest sister.
"Hey Cissy don't look so horrified, your mother's favourite, so you got a pretty boy." Andromeda said, smirking slightly, her smile fading as she said the next sentence. "My future is as nasty as father and twice as dumb."
"And stinks, but spends all his time demanding to know why everyone in school avoids him." Said Bellatrix, looking kinda disgusted herself. "I think this is mother's way of punishing Dromeda and I for looking too much like her; she's miserable, so we must also hate our husbands. But you'll be ok Cissy, we've meet your jailer, his at least got some brains."
"That one thing at least," said Narcissa, trying and failing not to look completely depressed. "But then again, according to Aunt Walburga, that just makes it harder to control them."
"Yeah it does, Andromeda said, "but you never know Cissy, he could actually treat you with respect, there's no need to assume every men on this planet will be like our 'darling father'.
"No I guess not," Narcissa replied softly, "but I'm not worried about me, I'm worried about you two. What will happen if your future husbands realise you're not virgins?"
"If that's the case, they wouldn't actually leave us." Assured Bellatrix, "they will have a whole fifth of the family fortune to help with the sting."
"They're men, what they don't know, will not hurt them." Said Andromeda shrugging, "I doubt they would even think it's possible for two well-brought up pure blood ladies to have had sex with someone who isn't there future husband."
"And somehow, I doubt they'll actually care, as long as we fertile and healthy." Added Bellatrix, her voice filled with disgust. "And don't cause too many problems for them."
"Well I'm done for then," sneered Andromeda, "I have no intension of just lying down at his feet and being a good little pure blood lady. If he wants to own me, he'll have to do some damn hard work to get there."
"You two speak so roughly," said Narcissa in a small voice. "How can you both so brave about this? It our future too belong to horrible men, and there's no guarantee they're any different from father."
"Yes there is," said Bellatrix grimly, "if he lays a finger on you without your permission, he'll have to answer to us."
"Yeah we're not going to let any man, not matter his blood status, hurt you," hissed Andromeda coldly. "Unlike with father, we'll be older and stronger so Lucius 'bloody' Malfoy better watch his back."
"Thank you," Narcissa whispered sadly, before getting up to hug both Bellatrix and Andromeda. "But you two should be happy too." She added determinedly, baby blue eyes flashing with unusual anger.
"Don't worry about it Cissy," said Bellatrix smiling, "I still have at least two years of school left and Andy you have three. We can change things in that time."
"Yeah," said Andromeda smiling, "you never know, I could elope at the end of seventh year instead. Promise you'll only disown me technically." She asked Bellatrix, all the while grinning.
"No!" said Bellatrix in a frighting good impression of Aunt Walburga, "Blood traitors and scum, how dare you set foot in the noble house of Black! Oh the shame, oh the shame you have brought on my forefathers. LEAVE!" Bellatrix screamed the last word, unable to stop the feral grin spreading across her face.
"I see your impression is just as good as ever," Narcissa said, smirking. "No" she said to Andromeda, "I shan't disown you at all, if I have any control over anything."
"Good to know," said Andromeda sounding rather relieved.
"Why?" asked Bellatrix in confusion, "Are you planning to leave the family so soon?"
Andromeda hesitated, "well yes… but you have to promise not to tell anyone you know or do anything to stop me once I tell you who…" Unsure her voice faded away again. "I mean, I am going to be disowned once father and Aunt Walburga find out. You have to promise," She said ungently, looking directly at Bellatrix and Narcissa. "I don't want to lose either of you."
"Ok, I promise" said Narcissa, "who is it?"
"Bellatrix," Andromeda asked, uncertainly and worry flickering across her face, "promise?"
"Yes," said Bellatrix quietly, slightly worried because Dromeda had used her full name. "Who is it?"
"Ted Tonks." She said, staring them down, "are you going to say anything at all?"
"No," Bellatrix managed to choke out, "but I don't understand, he isn't pure blood."
"No he isn't," agreed Andromeda slightly angrily, "but his actually a nice person, good looking and would never in a million years hit me!.. You can't change my mind," she added as Narcissa began to argue with her. "I think I love him, and that's enough."
"You realise, Uncle Orion may try to kill you?" Asked Bellatrix quietly, "that everyone will be forced to disown you, because if they don't, they'll be disowned as well?"
"Yes," said Andromeda simply, "I understand exactly what I am getting myself into. Nothing anyone says or does will stop me!"
"As long as you know what you're doing," Narcissa said after a minute. "I try and sneak you an invite to my wedding anyway."
"Thankyou Cissy," said Andromeda smiling, "I will quietly invite you to mine, you too Bella"
"Although I don't approve," Bellatrix said softly, "I think you'll get enough trouble from everyone else so really I don't need to say anything. Good luck with it all."
"Ahh Bella you're talking like I've already gone." Andromeda said her twisted smirk back in full force. "I'm still here and will be for the next three years."
"Yes but I know what you're planning to do." Bellatrix whispered quietly, "and it feels wrong."
Together they changed into their school robes and stalked out of the carriage without another word. Inside Bella's head, she couldn't help but ask herself if she was prepared to lose her sister in three years.
Second Author's Note: Thank you for reading and please take the time to review =] I give you cookie? (Yes I know there was a lot of dialogue)