The house of heroes
{for the Anything you want to write challenge round three}
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Narcissa walks through the empty shell of her childhood home, misery etched in every line of her face. In every room there seems to be a reminder of those who have left and she clasps Andromeda's hand tighter, as if she's six years old again and her middle sister is the only one who can protect her from the nightmares in Bella's stories.
It takes her a few moments to realise that Bella will never tell her another story and maybe that's the saddest fact of all, because Bella has always told her stories, right up until her last day when she told her younger sister how the legendary battle would pan out. How they would be heroes. Narcissa knew it was fantasy, Andy was the hero not Bella, but she knew the importance of family and from their family, heroes were outlawed.
She's ripped from those thoughts by Andromeda's voice, "Cissy, are you okay?" She wants to cry, she wants to fall down onto the floor, curl up into a little ball and cry like she did as a child but she isn't seven anymore, she's a grown woman.
She simply nods and asks if they can go outside. They don't break the link in their hands and for a moment it's almost as if a spectral of two laughing children can be seen tracing the very same path.
There's a long silence as the sisters are submerged by memories but this time it's Narcissa who breaks it, with words she has been holding in for too long. "That's where Sirius pushed Bella into the river" This words are some of the most important of Narcissa's life, they are remembering her cousin, another outlawed hero, something she hasn't done since she was sixteen years old.
"I thought he was wiped from your mind?" It was something Narcissa had said when she was young, naive, sixteen years old. She had been an airhead then, more concerned about popularity than which side she would chose in the upcoming war, she likes to think that if she had of had her head screwed on, she could've been a hero too.
"I tried to forget him. I tried to forget you. I tried to forget that you were both family but I never completely forgot." She would never tell Andromeda that she cried a little for her lost sister, ever birthday, every Christmas. She would continue doing that but now it would be for a different sister.
There's another silence, they haven't spoken in a long time but strangely today as they look around in their past, it isn't the time to exchange news. There'll be many days for light hearted chatter in the future but today is a day of mourning.
Mourning for the excitable cousin who had always made her laugh when she was supposed to frown.
Mourning for the older sister who tried her best to keep the family together, despite misguided views.
Mourning for the youngest cousin who kept his secrets close to his chest to protect them all.
Mourning for the loss of the heroes.