tHeRe is No such tHinG aA An aCcIdEnt; iT is fAtE miSnaMed.
Nine Months Prior on Friday, December 9, 1960, in Black Estate at 11:00 a.m.
Christmas was coming around the corner, and the Blacks were preparing for their annual Christmas gathering where the most prestigious families were invited, so every minuscule detail had to be planned out to perfection. Even though the children were at such a young age, the gatherings were a way to make alliances with families through marriages. The house elves were running around to put up decorations, clean the house, and make the food. From almost every room, the girls could hear their mother and aunt shouting orders at the elves. Druella was usually not a harsh woman, but when it came to planning events like this, the stress opened up a new part of her.
"NO! The tables need to be exactly aligned with each other. What did I almost trip on!"
"Mummy, I'm hungry," Narcissa whined to her mother.
"CYGNUS. Get the children out of my way."
Reminding himself that this was not his usual wife, he grumbled to tell the children to go to their rooms. Also exasperated by the girls, to keep the children from getting in the way, Walburga sent the girls to Madam Malkin's to buy dresses for the occasion. She put Bellatrix in charge of making sure her sisters chose dresses that were suitable, wore hair appropriated enough for a pureblood, and had an overall presentation that would make their parents proud. Narcissa and Andromeda were unhappy of this, but did not dare to argue. Before they left, Walburga gave them a speech, more like a lecture, on the proper behavior of the pureblood society.
"Girls, sit down," she told them as she pointed to the three chairs in front of her.
"I am in a hurry, so this will be crisp and to the point." Andromeda looked at Narcissa rolling her eyes passively.
"Now, when you go to Madam Malkins, I want you to be on your best behavior. Actually, from this point forward, you must be on your... Narcissa sit up straight! … best behavior. There will be no arguing or bickering. We certainly cannot have that out in public or around the rest of the families. Use your manners, say please and thank you when you ask for a dress, and make sure you look ladylike…"
Bellatrix whispered to Andromeda, "Is she almost done with her spiel because"
"BELLATRIX! Are you paying attention"
"Yes, Aunt Walburga," Bellatrix squealed as her face turned beet red, while Andromeda was holding back her giggles.
"Where was I? Oh yes, Kreacher will be apparating you to the shop, and when you are done, you will immediately be transported right back home. Understand?"
Each girl nodded in unison as if it were planned.
"You best be on your way. I am busy and must not be distracted again." With a huff, she left the girls sitting there staring at the wall.
"Well, I guess we ought to go," Andromeda awkwardly announced as she was starting to stand up.
"Kreacher!" Narcissa called.
"Miss Narcissa, Miss Andromeda, and Miss Bellatrix, Kreacher is here to serve. Are you ready to go to Madam Malkins to pick out dresses?"
"Yes." Crack and with that, they apparated. When the girls arrived, they were all caught off their guard because they usually didn't apparate. Once they had gotten situated, Madam Malkin greeted them, "What are these fine ladies doing here?"
Narcissa excitedly told her that they were buying dresses for a formal holiday celebration. Madam Malkin, then prompted them each to stand by the mirrors to be measured and fitted. As her usual routine, she measured the height from head to toe, the sleeve length from shoulder to fingertip, the inseam length, the waist size, and the chest size. After she measured each girl, she walked towards the back to get the dresses.
"What color dress do you want, Bella?" Andromeda asked.
"I want a black dress that goes to the floor, but doesn't drag."
"You know mother would not approve. She thinks that's too mature for your age."
Bellatrix mocked, "Girls, those dresses are to be worn when you are growing into womanhood."
"You girls don't understand now, but you will understand later. Just wait." Narcissa added while fluttering her eyes.
The three of them giggled until they heard Madam Malkin walking back. She had three racks of dresses; one for each of them. Bellatrix started first. She picked one that was a dark maroon with lace sleeves, and a skirt that trimmed right passed the knees. Her sisters judged and told her that it looked too innocent on her. Bellatrix walked back into the dressing room and tried the next one on.
While Bellatrix was trying on her dresses, Andromeda had spotted a dress that she knew would match her features perfectly. It was a creme colored dress with gold lace. There were short sleeves, and a neckline that left her collarbone bare, but not revealing enough to the point that her parents would notice; finally, Bellatrix had come out of the changing room wearing an emerald dress that ruffled at the bottom like a Spanish dancer's dress with a black lace top and quarter length sleeves. Her curly raven hair appealed to the dress making it shine even more than it already had, and the minute Narcissa and Andromeda saw it on her, they knew it was the one. Andromeda picked up the one she had been looking at and tried it on. In the mirror, she knew even if her sisters disliked it, she would still pick it. When her sisters saw it, Bellatrix exclaimed that it was not fair how quickly it took for Andromeda to find a dress that fit so well.
When it came to Narcissa, she had no clue what dress to try on. All of them looked so beautiful she would have bought every single one if she were allowed.
Andromeda suggested, "Well, since Bellatrix has green, and I have gold, then you should get red, so we match the Christmas colors."
Narcissa picked out a red velvet colored dress with a black belt around the waist and sequence near the chest. The sleeves were quartered length, and the dress fell right before the knees. Her blonde hair was emphasized with the deep red making Andromeda and Bellatrix squeal with envy, so Narcissa chose to wear that one; finally done with trying on the dresses, Bellatrix brought them to the counter.
"Well girls, have you picked out your dresses?"
"Yes ma'am. We would like to purchase these three," Bellatrix said politely as she placed them on the counter. Once they purchased the dresses, Kreacher came in, and they apparated home.
At home, the girls each had a designated house elf to bathe them and as their mother said, "girl them up." When they all were readied, the house was decorated and everything was placed how Druella wanted it.
When it was time for the celebration to begin, the girls were to curtsy at every guest who arrived. It was fun at first, but then it just became so repetitive. For example, the Notts arrived, so each would say, "Merry Christmas" and then curtsy. "Welcome," and then curtsy. "Thank you for joining us this evening." Curtsy. Repeat. It surprisingly became quite difficult to make up so many greetings in so little time. Eventually, all the guests arrived and the girls were escorted to the tables.
For all the children, it was boring. The adults were talking and having a grand old time reminiscing their memories before them; meanwhile, none of the children knew each other. Trying to get a conversation to start, Andromeda asked the group if they were excited about Hogwarts knowing that would spark something. Rodolphus and Bellatrix being the oldest were most interested in the conversation, but they ended up just talking to each other about learning and practicing dark magic while Lucius, Narcissa, and Rabastan being the youngest did not talk much about school, but about their families and hobbies. Andromeda ended up talking to Stuart Craggy about quidditch and everything related to that.
From a distance, Thalia Nott was watching the children play. She asked Maia Lestrange about Narcissa and Andromeda.
Maia explained, "Why do you not recognize? Those are the ladies from the House of Black."
"I seem to have not noticed that they have had three girls. I remember Druella being pregnant with one, but not the others," Thalia giggled.
"I see. Piteous Cygnus Black has yet to have an heir. I guess someone has to produce the girls to keep the generations going. Do you know what they are called by?"
"Their names?"
"Yes, their names"
"As of what you know, the eldest, Bellatrix, is already nine years old, only two years from going to Hogwarts. She is the one with the long curly black hair that seems to never want to be tamed," Maia pointed out.
"Aw, her eyes have a beautiful dark tint to the brown; not quite black, but a beautiful shade of deep brown, in my opinion. Who's the girl sitting to her right?"
"Andromeda, their middle child, I believe is seven. The one with medium curly brown hair and chocolate brown eyes?"
"Yes, and that must be their youngest. Narcissa?"
"Exactly. Druella told me that she is five years old. She has the long luscious blonde hair and blue eyes full of curiosity that Druella once had. But now hers is dirty blonde."
"Imagine if one of those girls were our son's wives," Maia commented.
"That is if they could act like gentlemen, at least around them. Luckily for you, Lestrange is just as honorable as Black," Thalia said smiling. The conversation continued throughout the night.
The guests were starting to leave giving their regards to the Blacks. It had been a long night for the children, but that was good for the families for they had become acquainted with each other. Once all had left, exhausted, the children slipped into bed without a fuss and fell sound asleep.
Saturday, December 10, 1960, in Paris, France, at 7:00 p.m.
The next day, Druella and Cygnus were celebrating their fourteenth anniversary. The children were all at Walburga's estate to stay for the weekend while their father took Druella to France to eat at a fine winery in the heart of Paris. When they arrived, Cygnus had requested his wife's favorite flowers, daffodils, to be the table's centerpiece. There were wildflowers and wild grasses straight from their gardens added with the daffodils. Druella smiled as she blushed from the romantic gesture. After a few glasses of wine and an appetizing meal, they apparated back to the Black Estate. In bed, there was music playing, new sheets, lights dimmed, and everything a woman could dream of.
"Cygnus, you know you are a romantic, but you just hide it from the rest of the world."
"Now why would I not," he chuckled.
"Come here, you," Druella said as she pulled her husband closer.
Sunday, December 11, 1960, in the Black Estate at 9:00 a.m.
The next morning, Druella and Cygnus lied in bed for what seemed a lifetime talking on just about every topic from their childhood to their kids now to the most recent gossip. They had not cuddled together in such a long time. With three girls, it didn't even seem plausible. Imagine a fourth. They kept talking through the morning until afternoon when Cygnus suggested that they should pick up the kids. Hesitantly, Druella dragged herself out of bed to shower and dress. When both were readied, they apparated to twelve Grimmauld Place.
Sunday, December 18, 1960
A week had passed since their date night, and something felt odd to Druella. Thinking to herself it could just be a feeling that would pass, and she would not have time to worry since Christmas was in a week, she brushed it off.
Tuesday, December 27, 1960, at Bridgewater Brunch
Instead, of that feeling going away, it seemed to strengthen. One morning, for brunch, Druella was talking to Hestia Malfoy, an old friend of hers.
"I don't know what the feeling is but it's strange, Hess"
"So, you have never felt it before?"
"No, not exactly. It's faintly familiar, but I just can't pinpoint it out."
Hestia softened her voice, "Have you and Cygnus done anything recently?"
"No. Well, actually now thinking of it, our anniversary was two weeks ago, and well, I'll be discreet and just say, yes we did something recently."
"I can only recommend to either go to a midwife and get it checked out or wait for more signs"
"Which one would you do?"
"Honestly, I would wait, but you know the better thing to do is to go to Mungo's."
"If I am pregnant, then I can't apparate."
Hestia added, "You apparated to get here."
"That's because I had no clue. Hestia, you know how bad frequent apparition is for the fetus. I know, but the only other ways are floo, walking, or driving. Floo is just as bad, walking hurts the feet when pregnant, and driving is unsafe. For merlin's sake, the muggles made that transportation."
"I could fly," Druella insisted.
Hestia continued her speech and then recalled that she could bring a midwife to the manor. She suggested that they could walk to the manor which was a few blocks from them and she could apparate to St. Mungo's. Agreeing to the idea, they followed the plan, and in short time, Hestia brought back Lucy Abbott.
After examining Druella, she told the pair that the results are for some reason not coming out as clear as one would have hoped. She told them she would be back in the next week. Druella did not need a midwife to tell her she was pregnant at the state she was in. The next morning, Druella rushed into the bathroom the second she woke up. Cygnus unaware of his wife's recent incident ran to the bathroom with a look of concern on his face.
"What's wrong? Did the elves not cook the meat from last night all the way?"
After cleaning, herself up, she responded, "No, sweetheart. It is much bigger than that."
Looking at his confused face, she told him to sit on the bed. "I am pregnant," she stated.
She expected her husband to be shocked or even upset or have any emotion, but his face was blank. She repeated it again, but he waved her off.
After a long silence, she asked, "So, what do you think?"
"What are we going to name her?" With that, Druella smiled and laid her head on her husband's shoulder
