I don't own Harry Potter. Obviously. Or the song The Call
Part I- It Started Out as a Feeling
September 1968
"Nar-cis-a Black are you ready, yet?" Bellatrix called, banging on the bathroom door.
"Of course I am," she answered as if there were no reason at all to question her timing. She slipped through the doorway, her robes swishing about her easily. "You're awfully impatient today."
"Just today? How about this whole month?" Andromeda grumbled.
"I am sorry if I'm not as angelic about waiting as you two fine ladies," Bellatrix sneered, "but I do have other things on my mind." Narcissa looked worn out with this and Andromeda laughed.
"And what may I ask is on my darling sister's mind?" Andromeda asked dryly.
"Is it a boy?" Narcissa questioned.
"Annie, I've told you I can't tell you," Bellatrix told her. "And Cissy, you know me better than to think I'd get attached."
"I thought you might have been becoming exciting," Narcissa told her in a monotone type of voice. "Well are we ready?"
"I don't know, I'm ready and Annie's ready but you're the one we have been waiting for the past half hour."
Narcissa seemed to ignore the sarcasm. "Good then; let's go. I wouldn't want to miss the train."
"I've always wished we would. Then we could just use floo," Bellatrix sighed.
"But I promised Lysandra that I would meet her on the train," Narcissa protested. "And I-"
"Well, I did not say we would miss it. I just thought it would be easier. Annie where are you going?" Bellatrix asked Andromeda who was heading down the hall ahead of them, leaving her book bag behind.
"I've just remembered that I promised to say good-bye to Siri and Regulus," she answered. "You reminded me with your talk about the floo."
"Why did you promise them that?" Narcissa asked her.
"Because they adore her," Bellatrix answered simply. "What's wrong with her talking to them?"
"They're only children."
"They're still going to grow up and if she wants to there's no harm."
"But-" Andromeda left her two sisters in the hall to argue. She walked into the living room and crouched down by the fire, throwing in some of the green powder.
"Number 12 Grimmauld Place," she hollered into the constant flames. They were cool because of the summer, charmed to give off only light and no heat. The fire changed to a rich emerald and she ducked her head inside of it. Through the length of space she could see the smaller of her two cousins sitting on the floor playing with a set of small figurines.
"Regulus," she said, calling his attention toward the fire as she tried to shift her legs into a more comfortable position on the rug back at home.
"Annie!" he called happily as he dashed to his feet. "Just a second." He raced out of the room, leaving his toys on the ground. A moment later he returned with his older brother in tow.
"Hi!" he greeted, his large, sloppy smile filling his face. Regulus glanced between watching her and watching him. Some of his excitement seemed to have dissipated after he had left the room and come back. She was willing to bet he had figured out she was Flooing to say good-bye.
"Hello, Siri. I have got to be going really soon but I said I would say good-bye first."
"You're leaving for Hogwarts already?" he said, looking like a scolded puppy. Neither he nor Regulus ever took good-byes very well.
"I'm afraid so."
"Bye then I guess," Sirius pouted. His brother putting on a matching look behind him. Andromeda fought not to laugh.
"Good-bye," she told them and then slipped back through the fire. When she looked around she saw Narcissa and Bellatrix waiting for her.
"Are you ready now?" Bellatrix asked.
"Of course," she answered as she pulled herself off the ground, her knees practically singing with relief. "Let's go."
The three girls followed their mother out of the house and down the street to where a portkey was waiting. It took them right to Platform Nine and Three Quarters. Their parents did not want to fraternize with muggles where not necessary. Their mother said hardly a word as her three daughters disappeared into the crowd. Narcissa quickly found some of her friends, most of them in the same year as her, third year. Andromeda and Bellatrix discovered a compartment of their own and sat down. No one bothered them. Most people were afraid of Bellatrix. The two oldest Black sisters mostly kept to themselves. Just after the train had begun to move, Andromeda got up and began to walk through the compartments of the train. She had to go meet the prefects. Receiving her badge was a subject of much teasing from Bellatrix. Narcissa saw that Rodolphus had said he was proud that Andromeda was a prefect and thought there was no greater honor. Andromeda found herself leaning more toward Bellatrix's side.
Andromeda stood at the back of the train compartment as the head boy and girl, a mousy Ravenclaw girl and a stout Hufflepuff boy, informed them of what they were supposed to do. She and the other fifth year prefects were supposed to lead the first years from the Great Hall to their common rooms. That was easy enough. She looked around to see who the other Slytherin prefect was. She growled under her breath as she saw a lanky boy by the name of William Yaxley. It wasn't that he was an awful person but she found him highly annoying. He had an interest in Narcissa and spent far too much of his time attempting to strike up a conversation with Andromeda about her younger sister. Thankfully, he fled every time Bellatrix came up. Andromeda stretched her back and focused a blank stare at the Ravenclaw girl who was leading. Her mind wandered out the window in the remaining quarter of an hour until she was allowed to leave.
Bellatrix had been joined in their compartment by Rabastan Lestrange and a couple of his friends. Bellatrix rolled her eyes over at Andromeda when she entered. She nodded back at her sister in agreement as she sank down in the seat next to her. "How was it Annie?" Bellatrix asked softly.
"Dull," she answered. Bellatrix nodded as Andromeda pulled a book out of her bag and began to read. She answered politely but distantly when one of Rabastan's friends attempted to include her in the conversation. He shortly gave up and attempted to get Bellatrix to join in the conversation, leaving Andromeda to her book. It was too much longer before Rabastan and his two friends were talking only to themselves. Both Bellatrix and Andromeda felt that they had better things to do.
When they arrived in Hogsmeade, Bellatrix and Andromeda exited without saying anything to their fellow Slytherins in the compartment. The climbed into a carriage behind the invisible horses and sat down, chatting only amongst themselves. A group of people from their house joined the carriage and greeted them. Andromeda replied politely to them but Bellatrix wasn't saying anything. At first this didn't seem strange but she wasn't even saying a sarcastic hello to Avery, someone she had spent a good deal of last year alone in broom closets with.
"Are you all right?" Andromeda asked as they exited the carriage on the grounds and began walking together in a small group up to the castle.
"Fine, Annie," Bellatrix answered, seeming somewhat surprised.
"You're just acting more reclusive than ever."
"So what?"
"Is there a reason?"
"Perhaps."
"Then tell me," Andromeda told her exasperatedly.
"No."
"But you tell me everything."
"Up till now."
"What's different now?"
"Annie, I can't tell you. You wouldn't understand."
"I'm not dumb you know. I get better marks than you do," Andromeda insisted, pausing on the path up to the front doors. Bellatrix sighed and grabbed her arm, pulling her along. Her eyes glanced around at the people milling around them. She didn't want to appear out of place.
"I know you do. But you're not smart about people."
"At least I speak to them."
"No, Andromeda merely picking up small conversations with people is not 'knowing' about people in general. Narcissa knows about people because she joins in among them; I know about people because I watch them; you know nothing about people. You are too busy getting to know a handful of people."
"What is that supposed to mean?"
Bellatrix smirked, looking over at Andormeda. She loved to feel superior. Andromeda didn't much like it when her sister did this to her; usually she just played games with other people. Now, however she seemed to be making an exception. She figured it had something to do with Bellatrix trying to hide some secret.
"I mean that you know the people you chose to know very well: me, Sirius, Narcissa, you know. You do not, however, know all that much about people in general, how they really work in life. You think of people far too personally."
"And Narcissa doesn't? She treats everyone like her best friend."
"Exactly. Everyone. Narcissa treats everyone worthy of her attention the same; I treat everyone the same. You treat people individually."
"You treat me differently," Andromeda pointed out.
"We all have our faults. Mine is you and Narcissa," Bellatrix answered simply. "I am sure it will be understood."
"Understood by who?" Andromeda asked suspiciously.
Bellatrix grinned, "In good time you'll find out. You aren't useful to the cause yet. You will be; I'm sure. I'll make sure you are."
"Bella!" Andromeda pleaded. Her sister kept moving and walked through the doors, quickening her pace.
"We should head inside. I want to see if we know any of the first years."
"Why are you keeping this from me? We have never had secrets between us before. You know we haven't."
"Come on don't you want to make fun of the little first years as they're terrified up in front of everyone?"
"No," Andromeda said. She actually hated watching the sorting. She hated remembering that sickeningly nervous feeling of expectation and worry in her stomach. Bellatrix knew that. "I want to know what my sister is keeping from me."
"Come along," Bellatrix told her. She opened the door and ushered her sister in. Andromeda walked in, sulking as the pair started toward the Slytherin table.
As always, please review!
*Edited for a bit of description*
