A/N: Since I already have this Chapter ready, here you go. Also, I'm not sure whether or not the Chapter was indeed posted, so I deleted it and posted it up again. So if you have two emails, ignore the first one. If not, then ignore this.
Anyway, it's a short chapter, but they'll get longer, I promise. This one is just like a sort of working ground for subsequent chapters. You'll see what I mean when we get on with the actual story.
Chapter 1
In 1964, the summer before Bella left to Hogwarts, my mother mistook Darius Nott for a girl. We had been allowed the luxury to accompany her to Diagon Alley, to purchase everything Bella would need for her upcoming first-year. She had received her letter five days prior and, after much insistence, Mother had finally given in and agreed to take her that morning and had allowed us to accompany them as well. Because we rarely ever ventured outside the walls of the Black Manor, Narcissa and I saw it for what it was, a special treat, and promised to be on our best behaviour.
We were walking along the busy streets of Diagon Alley, toward Ollivanders where Bella was to purchase her wand, when a rich feminine voice spoke from behind us. Mother stopped and turned to acknowledge the shockingly lovely woman who had spoken.
"Mrs Black, how good to see you!" the woman said, giving Mother a delicate smile and I instantly recognised her as being Clementine Nott, whom I had seen only passingly during one of the gatherings my parents' hosted every so often. As far as I know, my mother and Mrs Nott were not close friends, although they did know each other the way people from Pure-blood families do.
She was, of course, with her son, Darius, who was around Bella's age and whom I had rarely, if ever, talked to. They were considered a prominent family, although not as much as our family was, and, as is the case with most Pure-blood families, were related to us, distantly. As they exchanged the usual pleasantries, we stayed rather silent and still, observing one another, the way children do when presented in awkward situations.
"My daughters, Bellatrix, Andromeda, and Narcissa," my mother said, giving us a slight push. We made a gesture that was not unlike curtsying, just as we had been taught to do. "Bellatrix is just starting her first-year at Hogwarts," my mother continued, "much like your daughter, although I was under the impression that she was around Narcissa's age."
A silence ensued, during which I am certain Mrs Nott was deciding how to proceed in correcting my mother. We exchanged looks that spoke of laughter and mischief, but we did not dare say a word because we all knew the punishments would be severe.
At last, placing a gloved hand on Darius' shoulder, Mrs Nott said, "Yes, my son Darius is starting his first-year as well."
My mother, who thought herself too important to be embarrassed, merely laughed as she placed a hand to her chest. "Why, you'll have to forgive me, Mrs Nott, for a moment I thought your son was a girl."
It had never occurred to me that the eldest Nott boy could be confused as a girl. It was true that he had unusually long eyelashes framing his blue eyes and blond hair that had gotten a bit shaggy since I had last seen him, but it wasn't too long; it was still far shorter than my hair, which cascaded down my back in light brown waves. And there definitely wasn't anything feminine about the trousers and vest he wore. You have to remember that at the time, it was highly unacceptable for a woman from a Pure-blood family to wear anything other than a dress—wizard-made, of course.
Mrs Nott smiled, although it was clear, at least to me, that it was forced. "Yes, I do believe it must be time to get his hair trimmed, isn't that so, Darius?" Mrs Nott asked, looking down at her son. He said nothing, as if having his gender be in dispute meant nothing to him, just shrugged. "Well, we must get going," Mrs Nott continued. "There is still a lot we have to do for Darius' upcoming year. It was good seeing you, Mrs Black. We must have tea one day."
"Of course, Mrs Nott, I'll make sure to owl you."
"Darius, say goodbye to Mrs Black and her daughters," she said, giving him a push forward.
"It was a pleasure seeing you all," he said, bowing slightly, as was customary for boys to do at the time, and when his eyes met mine, he lifted his eyebrows twice. I thought nothing of it, although I'm quite certain my mother did, for she placed her hand on my shoulder.
"Well, isn't that interesting," my mother said as she ushered us away, a smile playing on her lips. "Our little Andromeda has caught Darius' eye."
I considered the idea and immediately dismissed it. The thought, to me, seemed absurd. Darius and I barely knew each other and, while my mother might have known something's, she was completely oblivious when it came to children. After all, she hadn't even recognised Darius as a boy.
From the minute Bellatrix left to Hogwarts, I must admit that it felt as if a missing part of me had left and I'm certain Narcissa felt the same way. For the first time in our lives, we were separated and it seemed as if the whole world had been turned upside down. During the first few days, we roamed the gardens aimlessly, no longer taking joy in our games. As an older sister, I felt it my duty to keep Narcissa entertained and took Bella's place, at least until she returned. I must admit, I was a poor substitute, for I possessed none of Bella's rowdy streak. If it hadn't been for Sirius, whom our Aunt brought regularly with her while she and my mother had tea, we would surely have had a worse time during Bella's absence.
Even at the young age of five, Sirius was already showing promising signs of being a prominent prankster. He kept us entertained for hours at a time with his antics—locking unsuspecting house-elves in closets or else placing Dungbombs throughout the manor for them to find. I grew closer to him during that time, despite our age difference, and I know now that it was because, even then, I could see some of my doubts reflected in his grey eyes. Of course, at the time I believed it was because Sirius possessed some of the magic Bella had taken with her.
I believe the nights were the hardest for us both, because by then Sirius would be long gone and Bella's absence seemed more pronounced. We all had separate rooms, of course, connected by a series of doors, but more often than not, we would all find ourselves in either one of our beds. Even on those rare occasions when we slept alone it had been comforting to know that my sisters were sleeping just a few feet away. But now Bella was neither.
During one of the first nights without Bella, I woke to find Narcissa sitting in the edge of my bed, her knees drawn up to her chest. I could tell she was crying by the way her small shoulders shook and I immediately went to her, placing my arms around her.
"What's wrong, Cissy?" I whispered as she leaned back, placing her head on my shoulder.
"I miss Bella," she said in a small voice.
"I do too, but just think, in a few months, she will be back for the holidays."
"And then she'll leave again."
"Well, yes, but then she'll be back for summer."
"But it's not fair, Andy," she sniffed. "Because then she'll leave again and you'll be gone too and I'll be all alone."
"You won't be alone, Cissy. You'll have Sirius to keep you company."
"But it just won't be the same," she insisted.
"I'll write often," I offered.
"You promise?" she asked, tilting her head back so she could see me.
I nodded. "Every day if you want to."
She considered it for a moment, before nodding slowly. After that, I would wake most nights to find Narcissa curled in a ball next to me. Others, she would wake to find me.
We wrote to Bella every day and she wrote just as often, but she told little of her life in Hogwarts, although she did talk a lot about the friends she had made, whose surnames I recognised because they belonged to the people our parents associated with. She particularly talked about a third-year boy she had encountered, Rodolphus Lestrange, whom she apparently found fascinating with his passionate views of our world.
Most often than not, her letters offered an insight to her eleven-year old mind, full of unfinished thoughts, sharing with us new ideas she encountered and asking our opinions. Sometimes, she would write more than twice a day; I imagine that whenever a new thought occurred to her, she would rush to her quill and write back home.
It would surprise you, she once wrote, how many wizards seem to think that muggles have the same rights as we do! Have you ever heard of anything more absurd? Of course, I don't talk to such people, but it surprises me how many Pure-blood families seem to be losing their reputation by becoming muggle-lovers.
It had been ingrained into the mind of every child born into Pure-blood families, that we were above anyone else. To think that many Pure-blood families were denouncing this belief seemed outrageous. How anybody could embrace this new way of thinking was beyond me. It would have never occurred to me that I would be amongst those who did.
Just as I had promised Narcissa, summer was upon us faster than either of us could have imagined and with it came Bella's return. We were whole again, the magic we had lost had returned to us. Bella hadn't changed in the slightest, at least not to us, and it felt as if she had never left, as if those last ten months had never happened. Sometimes, though, she would walk around with a small smile on her face, which made it seem as if she knew a secret she couldn't tell.
We knew that when summer ended, we would be separated once again—Bella and I would be in Hogwarts, while Narcissa would be left behind—so we made the most of our time together, exploring our grounds like we had before she had left. Sometimes, though, we would sit in the shade of the large maple tree by the stream just north of our house, and Bella would retell stories of her stay at Hogwarts. We listened with rapt attention as Bella described her first-year in vivid detail. She spoke of the classes she took, the people she met, and the castle, with its vast grounds and many towers.
As I listened to her, a part of me yearned to be in Hogwarts already, despite the fact that it would mean that we would be separated once more. I didn't want to leave Narcissa behind, but I wanted nothing more than to experience everything Hogwarts had to offer. And so, the count-down began.
On the eve of my departure to Hogwarts, my father summoned me to his office. Rarely had my father ever requested to speak to me alone, so it was with great surprise and curiosity that I entered his study. He was standing with his back to me, his gaze directed out of a window, seemingly lost in thought. I hesitated, not knowing whether I should interrupt him or not.
"You summoned me, Father?" I asked after a moment, in the strongest voice I could muster.
My father turned, but he did not acknowledge in any way that he had heard me or was aware of my presence. Instead, he directed himself toward his desk, pouring himself a glass of firewhisky. He took a sip from it and only then did he finally speak.
"The Black family is one of the most ancient and most respected Pure-blood families in existence. I believe you are aware of our family motto?" He looked at me, his grey eyes piercing mine and I nodded.
"Toujours Pur," I recited.
"And have you any idea what it means, child?"
"Always pure, Father."
"Indeed. The Black family does not associate with Mudbloods or Blood-traitors and I expect nothing less from you, understand?" Again, I nodded and he continued, seemingly pleased with my response. "Generations upon generations of the Black family have been sorted into Slytherin. That blundering idiot of a Headmaster might have let the attendance standards decline in Hogwarts, but they have not done so in Slytherin. To be sorted into Slytherin is a great honour and a tradition, one that I expect you to withhold. No child of mine will be sorted into the likes of Gryffindor, have I made myself clear?" he asked sharply, as if daring me to disagree.
"There can be no higher honour than to continue with the family tradition, Father," I responded and his expression softened minutely.
"Good girl," he said and then he did something he had never done before: he placed a hand on my shoulder. "I know you shall not disappoint me, child."
"Of course not, Father," I said vehemently, feeling my heart swell at the small gesture.
He nodded as he returned to his spot by the window. "You may go."
I left his study that night, as if in a daze, his words replaying over and over in my head as I lay awake at night. I made a promise to myself that night, a promise that I would break in subsequent years.
A/N: Ooh, so what's that promise she made to herself? Any guesses? Anyway, a big thank you to my first three reviewers for this story:
Manatocfox: Now that you mention it, that's probably where I got the idea for the prologue from. I just loved that story! But it really isn't the same story, though, as I'm sure you'll see in later chapters. Anyway, I'm glad you liked it so far!
RuterDam: I love Andromeda and Ted, too! They're my favourite pairing, right after James and Lily.
Fire The Canon: Narcissa and Bellatrix will definitely be playing a major role in this story, too. I just love Bellatrix's character and I think it'll be fun to write how she changes, at least from her sister's point of view. And thanks for pointing out that mistake! I already changed it :) I'm glad you're interested in the story so far and I hope I can maintain that interest.
Again, a big thanks to all of those who took the time to review and to those who are now following the story. You guys Siriusly rock!
~SirEvy~