CHAPTER ONE - THE NOBLE AND MOST ANCIENT HOUSE OF BLACK
The villagers called it ty wrach - witches' house. Unable to pinpoint exactly what was strange about the inexplicably wealthy, secluded family who lived at Rhosader Castle, they blamed faeries, vampires, malevolent spirits; great wealth, a tie to the crown. For generations the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black lived in Llanberis; they were cordial to the rest of the village at best, downright cruel at worst. But always secluded; indeed, no one dared approach them.
In the autumn, 1951, a baby girl was born to Earl Rhosader and his wife, Druella; they called her Lady Bellatrix. A good Welsh baby, with wild black curls and bright berry-brown eyes, she was. But she wasn't a son. And so she was given to the nursemaids and forgotten, except every day at teatime for ten minutes. Eventually Bella, as she called herself, was joined by two more beautiful young disappointments. They were called Andromeda - Didi for short - and Narcissa - better known as Cissy or Cissa. Still there were no sons and the Earl reluctantly handed over his title and fortune to his brother in London when he died.
Bellatrix was nine, Andromeda seven, and Narcissa five; none had ever set eyes on another child. Their only companions were each other; three girls, different in feature and temperament as night, dusk, and day, but identically dressed in their mourning weeds; identically known as disappointments.
Still, as their mother told them, they were better than the Muggles in the valley below. They were destined for greatness, even if that greatness was naught but keeping their glorious magical blood alive another generation, for that was the duty of a pureblood girl.
They were nine, seven, and five, and so they never questioned it.
