Hopefully I have all of the facts straight. I spent a lot of time on the Harry Potter wiki to figure out the ages of everybody. The year is approximately 1969.

"Are you excited?" Andromeda asked, shoving Narcissa out of the way of the mirror. "I hear the Lestranges and the Malfoys are coming."

"Of course!" Narcissa squealed. "I love dinner parties."

"I do not," I said sullenly, not looking up from the book I was reading.

"Why ever not?" Narcissa asked, running a brush through her long blonde hair.

"Ignore her, Cissy," Andromeda said dismissively. "She's just sulking because she got kicked out of her room and is back to sharing with us." My middle sister walked over and sat beside me. "It's only for the weekend. You'll have your room back on Monday."

"I'd be mad if that weirdo was staying in my room, too," Narcissa said. My youngest sister was always quick to side with me. She was referring to my odd cousin, Sirius, who was staying with us for an extended weekend because my Aunt Walburga and Uncle Orion thought it would be good for him to spend more time around some good, true, pure-blooded wizards. He was only ten, not even old enough to have started Hogwarts, and already he was showing tendencies to be sympathetic to mud-bloods and Muggles.

"I'm not mad because Sirius is staying in my room," I told the two younger girls. "Although I don't get it. We are the wealthiest and most powerful wizarding family in all of Britain. Why is anyone in this household sharing bedrooms? I just think dinner parties are stupid."

I heard a sharp knock on the bedroom door that could only be my mother. Narcissa grabbed the door. "The Malfoys are here early and the Lestranges are arriving any minute now," she said. "Now girls, you are all getting to the age where you must start considering marriage. These are two good pure-blood families, and they both have sons the right age."

I rolled my eyes. "I know, Mother. We're all at Hogwarts together, remember?"

Mother ignored me. "And so you must all look your best. Stand up girls."

We stood for our once-over.

"A little more blush, Andromeda dear," she said. "Hair down, Narcissa, you're too young to pull off that sophisticated bun." She winced when she got to me. "Bellatrix. Did you even try to brush your hair? And you've a run in your stockings."

"There is nothing I can do about my hair," I said. My sisters had inherited my mother's fair, fine hair, but I had my father's dark, unruly curls.

"At least try, Bellatrix," she insisted. "Now, I mustn't keep Abraxas and Lucius waiting. Come down as soon as you're ready, girls."

Narcissa pulled the bobby pins out of her hair and let it fall loose. "I'm going down," she announced. "I want to talk to Lucius."

"I'm right behind you," Andromeda said after touching up her makeup.

"I'll be there in a minute," I said. "Or I won't. Most likely I won't. Andromeda, kick Cissy for me if she's about to say something idiotic to Lucius."

"Bella, what do you mean you're not going?" Cissy asked.

"I mean, dinner parties are stupid and I'm not going," I repeated, determined now. I laced up my black boots. "I'm going for a walk in the woods. You can tell Mother I have a headache. Or that my hair simply refuses to cooperate and obviously I cannot be seen in public for fear of disgracing wizards everywhere."

"Stop being melodramatic, put on decent shoes, and come downstairs with us, Bellatrix," Andromeda, ever the practical one, insisted.

"You know Rodolphus is fond of you," Narcissa reminded me. "He's kind of cute. And you'd do well to marry a Lestrange."

Fiercely, I tied a knot in the shoelace of my left boot and stood up. "I am going for a walk in the woods. You may tell Mother I am dead."

This was totally going to be a one-shot. Then I realized it was getting awfully long for a fanfiction and decided to break it into chapters. The exciting part is coming up next. Review please?