Bellatrix was in her zone. "Tie him up. TIE HIM UP! Gosh Cissy! Could you be ANY slower?" Narcissa Black anxiously knotted the last coarse rope, and backed away quickly. "Much better," Bella declared, advancing on the boy. "Now! You are our prisoner, and you're not allowed to move or scream, and we're not going to feed you. Okay?" She asked, smacking her lips. "Oh! And don't scream because Dromeda will never find you, and then we'll have to gag you, and you'll probably become rabid and die!" She gave the boy a feral smile, and turned on her heals. "Come on Cissy!" She shrieked. Narcissa gave the boy a last pleading look, and trailed after her sister. A door slammed, and Ted Tonks was eclipsed in darkness.

Ted was trapped in the Black Estate. And he could honestly tell you, he had know idea what to do. He was a small fifteen-year-old boy with honey blonde hair, and according to Miss Bella Black, "pudgy eyes." To make matters worse, he was muggle born. Mudblood.

Ted longed for Andromeda. But alas, she was nowhere in sight! She'll find me, he told himself. Maybe. Probably not…

Suddenly he heard footsteps. Eyes wide, he pressed his back to the chair. Was it Bellatrix, come to torture him? Or perhaps Dromeda, after all! He squinted blindly and found a small figure in the doorway. "Hi," she said shyly. "I brought you food, if you want it."

"Narcissa?" He asked, but there could be no mistake. It was hard not to notice her pale blonde hair. "Narcissa?" He asked again stupidly. In response a loaf of bread flew at his face. "Ow! What was that?" He yelled.

"Sorry!" She squeaked, and lit the room with a flick of her wand, revealing a long dark attic stuffed with archaic heirlooms. Flushing, she retrieved the bread from the base of his chair. "Its food, I forgot I tied your hands," she muttered.

"Could you untie me then?" He asked hopefully.

"Probably not," Narcissa answered. "I'm sorry! I really am, I just, I don't think it would make Bella happy, and she's upset as it is."

"Isn't she always?" He asked. The young girl chuckled nervously.

"Not always… just, a lot."

"Well its news to me," he said boldly, and another small smile appeared on the young girl's lips.

"She's really not so bad," Narcissa reasoned, "It's just that…well, you're a mudblood."

Ted Tonks blinked. He was used to threats and insults, but she'd said the word like common knowledge. He didn't know what to say.

"Okay, I get it," He finally responded.

"Good! Because really she'd not so bad if-"

"I said I got it. It doesn't change anything," Ted interrupted stonily. Now Narcissa was at a loss for words. She worked her face into a smile, fishing for a reply -

"Well, okay."

It occurred to Narcissa to leave, but she didn't want to. Outside was a world of sociopathic fits, cold parents, and rebellious fights. It was calm in the attic, where sound was distant, time aloof.

Narcissa caught his gaze and glanced away shyly, the two lapsing into silence. Seconds past, and another glance confirmed her suspicions; he was staring at her. After a minute she felt confused, then violated. "What!" She asked, turning to glare at him. Narcissa smiled at the strength in her voice; Bella would be proud.

"I'm trying to figure you out," He said, and the anger drained from her face.

"What's there to figure?" She asked more softly, curious what the mudblood saw. No one had ever tried to "figure her out" before. She was the good one. It was quite simple-

"You're sassier than people think," he said decidedly.

"What are you talking about?"

"You're stronger too."

"What?" She asked, trying to contain her smile. I'm strong, she repeated, immensely liking the sound of it. She'd always been the quiet one, but did that mean meek? I'll stand up for myself, she vowed. I'm strong-

"I said you're strong."

"I know," she responded, confident this time. I'm Narcissa Aurora Black.

"What's did you say?"

"I said: I know."

"After that! You were muttering."

"Was not!"

"You said your name."

"Why would I do that?"

"I don't know!" Ted cried in an exasperated tone. He was trapped in an attic with a girl who'd just called him a mudblood. And despite all of that, he was fighting not to smile. She was just… well she was cute! Strands of hair floated around her head like a halo, and her spindly eyelashes caught light as she blinked. She was so - so Cissy: curious and determined. She seemed younger than her thirteen years, yet wiser too -

"You're looking at me again."

"You're impossible," He muttered.

"I just want to know why you're doing it, thats all."

"You're different than your sisters," He lied carefully. Narcissa deflated; she already knew that. It was funny, Andromeda and Bellatrix were polar opposites, but they were more similar than she was. I'm stuck, she thought. Dromeda and Bella are extreme. I got caught in the middle.

"You're upset," Ted said.

"No. No of course not."

"Tell me."

"No."

"Tell me."

"No.

"You need to talk."

"No!"

"You got issues, girly."

"Quit it!"

"Tell me."

"You just said it," she cried.

"Said what? That you're different?" He puzzled.

"That," she answered flatly.

"So, why does it matter?" He asked honestly. "You're sisters, not clones!"

"What's a clone?" She asked. He sighed.

"Its a mudblood thing. You wouldn't understand."

"Oh," she answered simply.

"What I'm trying to day Narcissa, is that your you're own person. Of course you're different! Dromeda and Bellatrix are too. You want to know the first thing your Dromeda said to me?"

"No."

"She said 'you have a weird nose. But I bet you're really smart," he informed her. Narcissa let out a watery laugh.

"That doesn't make me feel any better."

"That wasn't the point."

"What was the point then?" She asked. He sighed.

"I don't know." Silence fell, but after a few seconds he continued. "Promise me something."

"What?"

"You have to promise."

"I'm not letting you free, if that's what your wondering."

"Not that! Here's what you need to promise: promise you'll take pride in yourself. You're beautiful." He said genuinely.

Narcissa broke into a toothy grin, and sunk onto the dusty rug. "That's so stupid," she said in a fit of laughter, but she was happy, and he could tell. Ted Tonks didn't know why he so badly wanted to please her. But for all the pain, the waspish comments, and the insecurities, her smile was worth it.

"Umm...thanks?" She said, before dissolving in another fit of giggles. She didn't mean it cruelly, so he smiled along with her.

"Okay, your turn!" Cissy said bouncily.

"What?"

"I'm going to try to figure you out," she said, staring at him intently. This time Ted couldn't help but smile. The girl arranged herself on the floor with her head cupped in her hands. She stared for a minute, than two. "I give up," she said finally.

"What? You can't give up!"

"Well I do."

"That's against the rules."

"I didn't know we were playing a game!"

"Yep," he said matter-of-factly. "And since you lost, you have to do a dare." Cissy flushed.

"I will not untie you," she said.

"Well that's your dare," he said teasingly, "take it or leave it."

"I leave it!"

"Then you have to do something else."

"What?"

"Kiss me."

"NO!" She said springing up. Her heart was racing and she didn't know why. "I absolutely refuse!"

"Then untie me."

"Stop it!" She shrieked, almost in tears. Ted noticed, and felt instantly horrible.

"It's okay Cissy, you don't have to do a dare."

"I don't?"

"No." He said. The girl stood to her feet.

"Thanks. I'm being stupid, I- I'm your captor," she paused, staring at him. "Here, I'll got tell Dromeda where you are. She'll untie you."

"Why can't you?"

"I just can't!" She said, trying to hide her remorse. "I'm not the blood traitor; I'm Cissy."

"You're Cissy! Exactly! Not Bellatrix! So why are you following her around like a dumb lamb?" He yelled, unsure where this temper had come from

She slapped him across the face, turned off the lights, and stormed out.

Why did you say that, Ted? He thought, cursing himself. If there was any hope of escaping, he'd ruined it. There was no way she'd get Dromeda now...

So he was surprised a few seconds later, when the door opened once more.

"Dromeda?" He asked as the figure stalked towards him. A small hand slid onto his shoulder. And a head loomed down. "Dromeda?" He asked again stupidly.

"Shhh," she hissed, mashing her lips into his. The girl let out a giggle, whispered, "would Bellatrix do that?" and scurried off. He open his mouth to say something, then closed it.

It would've been hard not to notice her pale blonde hair.