THE BLACK SHEEP OF THE FAMILY

Disclaimer: Harry Potter and its related copyrighted works belong to their rightful owners. All original characters belong to me.

Author's note: This is my very first fanfic. It is rated R for a reason, and it will contain material that may be offensive to others. I will not reveal any spoilers regarding the actual story. You have been warned.


Chapter 1

Family Ties

My breath fogged out before me as I walked through the corridors, tightening the collar on my thick cloak. The biting chill in the air was unusual for the mid-September weather, and the lack of properly distributed heat made the cold even worse indoors. At least the sunlight would provide comfort out by the forest, among the lush trees and patches of dry grass. I made my way through the gigantic front entrance, waving or greeting the occasional familiar face. I was once again relieved by the idea that I was the only Black in the entire school who was trusted enough to not randomly hex non-Purebloods, or anyone else for that matter.

But then again, it wasn't exactly something to publicly boast about.

A sharp crack suddenly pierced the air, followed by a yell and a muffled thump. I snapped out of my trailing thoughts, and realized that I was veering off towards the lake instead of the forest. My breath caught in my pounding heart, as I turned around and located the source of the unexpected noise.

Bellatrix and her group of Slytherins towered over a helpless second-year, whose shoes had been bewitched to shrink tightly around his feet and bound together by the bottoms. He sat in the dirt in a cross-legged position, his tormentors howling in laughter at his futile attempts to pull off the restraining shoes.

"Aw, does the little Mudblood need a new pair of shoes?" Bellatrix taunted. "Should've put your gold to better use instead of coming to a place for real wizards, darling."

Even from where I was standing, I could see the silent humiliation and the urge to fight back tears on the poor boy's face. His school robes were rather shabby along with the condition of his scattered books, and it was evident that her insult had struck home. My fury and pity for the boy overlapped and I prepared myself for a confrontation, wand ready in my hand.

It was then that I caught Narcissa's eye.

She stood a good distance away from the pack of her housemates, but close enough to see what was going on. Her gaze on me was rigid, yet her delicate, porcelain face displayed no emotion. It was as if she was daring me to do something. Despite her being two years my junior, she still unnerved me at times.

Narcissa. Blank, unpredictable Narcissa.

There was a great deal of differences between the three of us, especially between my eldest and youngest sister. While Bellatrix was quick to judge and lash out, Narcissa remained watchful and silent. Bellatrix painted her lips in a ruby pout, contrasting with her ivory skin, which in turn contrasted with her gleaming dark eyes and hair. Meanwhile, Narcissa's golden locks and pale eyes likened her to a fragile china doll. But it was her detached and indecipherable nature that perhaps made her the most dangerous. Who knew what kind of thoughts she harboured in her mind? At least Bellatrix made her actions and verbal jabs loud and clear, while trying to understand Narcissa was like finding your way home in the middle of a thick fog.

"Oy!"

My sister and I broke eye contact as we both turned towards another familiar figure. Sirius came marching towards the Slytherins, his three friends closely in tow.

"Leave him be; what's he done to you?" he demanded, his dark eyes flickering towards the boy on the ground. He was now covered in strange purple boils, and his shoes were badly scuffed from his frantic clawing. He had not used his wand, at the risk of accidentally dismembering his feet with the wrong spell.

"Sirius, Sirius, Sirius. Always the avid Mudblood lover, along with the rest of your pathetic friends," Bellatrix sneered, throwing disgusted looks towards the four arrivals. The group of Slytherins chortled and jeered, and Sirius's face darkened even more.

"For God's sake, stop it with your Pureblood nonsense," James Potter snapped as Remus Lupin performed the counter-curse, to the boy's great relief.

"Just what are you proud of? That you're all inbred and that your mothers might as well be your aunts? Congratulations on having family trees that run in single straight lines."

The laughing stopped among the Slytherins; their smirks fading into scowls. Bellatrix looked the most enraged out of all of them, and James looked pleased with himself while Sirius and Remus laughed. Peter Pettigrew however, looked nervous as always.

Bellatrix let out a shrill scream, drawing more attention from the vicinity. Her face contorted in blind rage as she spewed curses at our cousin, violet sparks shooting out of the tightly clenched wand in her hand.

"You repulse me, you squalid blood traitor! It's disgusting enough that you associate yourself with the scum polluting our ancient traditions, but how dare you allow that Muggle-loving trash to slander our good family name! You shame us all!"

With that last word, she hurled forth a menacing jet of light from her wand. Sirius intercepted the hex just in time, and the dark sparks flew apart and faded. James stepped forward as well, but Remus grabbed his arm.

"Lunchtime is nearly over. We should be heading back," he announced loudly, urging his friend backwards. Surely enough, the rest of the crowd out on the grounds began to amble back into the castle. Peter looked relieved, while Sirius's face was tinged with disappointment. I, on the other hand, was glad for a voice of reason among my impulsive cousin's friends.

With one last vehement glare thrown in Sirius's direction, my sister stomped away with the Slytherins. I looked up at Narcissa, who also glanced at me through her narrow, icy eyes and turned back with one graceful swoop of her cloak.