Written for the Dark Lord's Most Faithful Forum challenge number 70.
Prompt: write your fic in a style you've never used before. If you're used to writing humour, try drama; if you perfer the past tense, try present, etc. The only guidelines are that you shake up the status-quo!
This is my attempt in getting away from my usual writing.
Waiting for Nothing
She waits, despite the fact that she knows her sister will never return back to her, that Andromeda will not return home. Like the doting sister she is, Narcissa waits for her older sister to return- heartbroken, feeling as if she can never trust anybody again, because if one person that she was close to ran away, what would stop the others from running away as well?
No matter how many times she tells herself to stop crying, that everything is going to be alright in the end. That she still has Bellatrix who loves her and will take care of her in Andromeda's absence, the tears still fall and ashamed, she brushes them away before anybody can see and say something to her. She tries so hard to be strong but how can she? When her heart feels like it is in tatters and will never be able to repair itself, or that she will never stop crying no matter what she tells herself.
She notices Bellatrix looking at her from across the room and ducks her head, knowing that her sister could see the tears on her cheeks, knowing that her sister does not approve of such weaknesses but she can't help herself. She misses Andromeda and her heart is broken because of it and when she remembers that Andy left without saying one word of goodbye, she gets so angry that she slams her fist into the table and breaks down once more.
In an instant, Bellatrix is at her side soothing her, rubbing her arm and saying nice things to take her mind off of the tragedy of losing one of their own. Then just as she calms herself and manages to look at Bellatrix, she bursts into tears once more, imagining the day where her eldest sister would leave her alone and not want anything to do with her as well.
She notices that Bellatrix is impatient now, her voice isn't as kind anymore and the hand on her back was clenched tightly, as if her sister was holding a knife and she tries to calm herself, not wanting to become a disappointment to her.
"I am sorry," She says to Bellatrix when she manages to stop crying, her sister had resumed rubbing her arm and back. "I didn't mean to... what you must think of me."
Then she becomes surprised when Bellatrix pulls her into a rare hug and says to her that everything is going to be alright, that she still had her no matter what happens and that she will never leave her alone.
"I miss her too, Cissy." Bellatrix releases her from the hug and gazes at her intently, still holding onto her tight, as if afraid of losing her the same way they lost Andromeda. "However, she made her choice and we have to pick ourselves up from where we left off. Become strong Cissy, like me."
For the first time since Andromeda left, she smiles and notices that Bellatrix is smiling too. She realises that just because one person who was close to her left, doesn't mean that everybody else will follow suit and she feels better.
However, she will still wait for her lost sibling to come back and even though she knows that for right now she is waiting for nothing, that one day she will see her sister again.