This chapter was too long to upload in one piece so I'm making it into two parts. Here is part one :P Thank you for your support! Keep giving me your feedback and I hope you enjoy! :D
It was a dreary Thursday afternoon at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in the spring of 1968. At sixteen years old, Bellatrix was in her sixth year at Hogwarts and at nearly thirteen, young Narcissa was in her second.
The two sisters walked side by side down the lengthy dungeon corridor to the Slytherin common room. The hallway was unusually crowded and Narcissa stuck close to her sister. Alone, the second-year was scarcely noticed. A ghost, trampled and forgotten by other students, but with Bellatrix by her side things were different.
When Bellatrix came down the hallway students parted like the red sea. She was fierce, smart, and absolutely bewitching. Boys practically dropped at her feet, but she ignored them. Her only concern was her younger sister Narcissa.
"How was Transfiguration?" Bellatrix asked as they strutted down the hall, proud and poised.
"Perfect!" Narcissa beamed, a dignified smile decorating her porcelain face. "I'm the only one in my year so far to turn a pair of rabbits into slippers!"
Bellatrix slapped her sister playfully on the back. "I'm proud of you," she smiled. "You sound just like me."
Narcissa folded the third-term course sheet she had been carrying and tucked it away into her cloak "You had Potions just now, right? How was that?"
Bellatrix groaned. "Dreadful, absolutely dreadful. We've been doing Hiccoughing Solutions all week and I still am yet to make even one acceptable brew." She laughed to herself. "I'm telling you, best in my year at practically everything but can't make one simple potion."
Narcissa laughed with her. Upon reaching the common room entrance, the younger of the two witches proudly spoke the password and the dungeon doors opened.
The blonde stood on the tips of her toes to see over the heads of some of the older students. It was raining outside and the common room was packed.
"Aw, they took our spot," Narcissa remarked, gesturing to a group of fourth and fifth year students lounging in a couple of arm chairs by the fish tank wall.
"I can fix that," Bellatrix smirked.
"Bella, no I-"
"Hey! You three!" Bellatrix was already approaching the group of boys. "Move it. Our spot." She gestured with her chin.
"Who put you in charge?" snorted the oldest boy. He flipped his hair out of his face.
Bellatrix's eyes practically caught fire. She drew her wand with a firm hand and clenched her fist around it. "I said… Get… Out. Don't make me hurt you… because I will." Her wand jerked back and forth from one boy to the next.
"Hey, who do you think y-
"Damian, shut up!" The middle boy, a pudgy faced fourth year, elbowed his friend in the side, looking frantically back and forth between him and Bellatrix.
"What was that?" Bellatrix asked in a mock sweet voice. She cupped her ear with her hand and leaned in closer. "Didn't quite catch that, dear."
"N-nothing," the older boy stuttered, retreating into the chair.
Bella's piercing stare met each of their eyes. "That's what I thought," she spoke, eyes squinted. "Now scram."
The four of them scrambled to their feet, running so fast that one of the boys lost his shoe. However, he did not return to claim it.
Bella wore an accomplished smile, laughing in what sounded like a loud cackle as she took a seat in one of the chairs. "Come sit, Cissy." She patted the seat of the chair, gesturing for her to sit.
Narcissa sat down awkwardly, her face turning a deep shade of pink. "You didn't have to do that, Bella," she muttered, avoiding eye contact to the best of her ability.
The raven-haired teen gave her sister a startled look. "But they were in our spot," she defended. "We always sit here."
Narcissa pushed a lock of silky blonde hair out of her face, tucking it carefully behind her ear. Her eyes were glossy when she finally looked up at Bellatrix. "I mean you didn't have to threaten them like that…"
Bellatrix suddenly looked very innocent. Surprised, almost, at her own ability to frighten people. "Cissy I'm – I'm sorry." She looked down at her hands, as if she did not know what had become of herself.
Narcissa looked away again. "You didn't used to be this way," she said softly. "You used to be nicer to people."
"I just want you to get what you want, Cissy. What you deserve."
Narcissa sighed. "I would have been fine finding another spot."
"Oh." Bellatrix looked down at the table. "I'm sorry… I was only doing it for you."
"Well, next time could you just be a little nicer?" the blonde asked, the sisters' eyes meeting this time.
The older witch nodded. There was a long pause before either of them spoke. Finally, Bellatrix cleared her throat.
"You were invited to Slughorn's Christmas Party, right?"
Narcissa nodded. "I don't think I'm going though…"
Bellatrix nudged her sister playfully with her elbow. "Come on, sis, you should go! Just ask one of your little second year friends to go with you."
The young blonde looked grimly at her sister. "What friends?"
Bella's smile faded a bit but returned after a moment. "I'm sure there are plenty of pure-blood boys in your year who would love to take you."
Narcissa retreated a bit into her cloak, her cheeks turning pink again. "I don't know…" she spoke quietly. "Who are you taking?"
"Oh I don't know," Bellatrix sighed, admiring her nails. "Just about every boy in my year has asked me, not to mention a handful of seventh years and one or two fifth years." Bellatrix glanced around the room, triggering more than one of the Slytherin boys to look away rather quickly.
She seemed uninterested, but Narcissa could tell she liked the attention.
"I'm thinking of asking Levana Burkins," said Bellatrix, gesturing vaguely to a seventh year girl across the common room. She was tall like Bellatrix and had straight black hair, a thin nose, and very dark eyes, her haunting image resembling that of a vampire.
Narcissa glanced back at Bellatrix, obviously confused. "Hold on, you're asking a girl?"
Bellatrix looked up from her nails. "Yeah," she said casually. "What's the problem with that?"
Narcissa looked away. "Well, I mean… can you do that? How do you know she'd even go with you?"
Bellatrix laughed a maniacal sort of laugh. "Cissy, honestly, do you think anyone's going to try and stop me?" A flare of mischief lit up in her eyes.
Narcissa laughed. "You're right, you win." she looked away into the fish tank for a short while before speaking again. "Who is Andromeda taking?" she asked.
Bellatrix continued to admire her nails but her brow furrowed. "Some half-blood filth asked her and she said yes." She practically spat the word 'half-blood'.
"You can't be serious." Narcissa looked disgusted. "Why would she say yes?"
"Don't ask me," she scoffed. "Haven't got a clue."
There was a silence between them while they both thought. Wondering where their sister had gone wrong. After a moment, Bellatrix smacked the palm of her hand against the arm of the chair, as if to initiate something important.
"Alright," she stated, turning to face her sister. "We've got to find you a date!"
