Hello, there! This is my first foray into the HP fandom. I've done several Naruto fics, so if you like that, check out my profile:D
Anyway, for this, I have done my research about the birth years and major events of the characters. I've chosen to telescope it, which just means squish things together. JKR likes to stretch things out. That's the only real difference from canon. That being said, enjoy it!
Oh, some basic info: Cygnus and Druella Black are the parents of Bellatrix (1955), Andromeda (1956), and Narcissa (1958). Orion and Walburga Black are the parents of Sirius (1959) and Regulus (1961). I don't know the actual birth days of the characters, so if someone could send me a link or info on that, it would be awesome.
Well, enough babbling! Read already!
Disclaimer: I will say this once. I don't own Harry Potter.
Chapter 1: Beginnings
December 31, 1961
"You are the oldest out of all of them, Bellatrix. You must always look after them, protect them, do you understand?"
Bellatrix Black looked up into her mother's eyes and nodded solemnly. "I understand, Mother."
Druella Black nodded her approval. "Good. Your father and I will be back soon."
With that, she turned around and walked out, leaving the five children in the care of a few house-elves, and of course, Bellatrix. The almost-seven-year-old surveyed the room, and her younger relatives.
First, there was Andromeda. If Bellatrix needed help, Andromeda was the closest to her in age, but she wasn't very responsible. Even now, she was pouting and sulking over in a corner. Mother and Father had told her that she was coming to the party and that she would be wearing her green dress. It didn't matter that Dromeda had been talking about the party for weeks, or went to sleep staring at the pretty dress each night. When Mother had said what was going to happen, Andromeda threw a fit. She even went so far as to rip her frock in half.
But that was Andromeda. Whatever someone said, she had to contradict it. Mother called her a contrary, Father and Aunt Walburga called her a brat. Eventually, it would end with a couple of Punishment Spells and Andromeda would be dragged along, sulking unhappily.
Bellatrix just rolled her eyes at her sister's antics and, naturally, Narcissa followed. Narcissa, she knew, would make a good Black. Someone just had to show her the way. Cissa was always ready to please her family, wanting to see a smile from them.
Then there were the two cousins, boys both. Sirius and Regulus, named after stars. Bellatrix smiled as Sirius ran up to her, grinning. His hair was flopping in his face and his pudgy hands were held out.
"Bella!" He chirped. "Tell us a story!"
She laughed at his demand; already she'd heard the adults talking. Sirius was the Black heir, and he was sure to grow up to be handsome and smart. Already, he was showing promise. He was talking on the same level as Narcissa, who was a year older than him and had made the cookie jar explode when he wanted one, even though he was only three.
"Which one would you like to hear?" she asked.
Sirius's brow furrowed as he thought over the ones he knew. His eyes cleared as he decided. "One I don't know! Tell me one I don't know!"
Bellatrix began to pace, scratching her chin in a way she'd seen Father do. Doing that meant you were thinking hard. Finally, she decided on one. "Alright then!"
With a squeal of delight, Sirius threw himself at her feet, looking up eagerly. Narcissa joined him a moment later and, though Andromeda refused to budge, Bella knew she was listening, too. Regulus just gurgled in his crib, staring at the window.
"Do you remember our great-great-grandfather Phineas?" she asked.
The toddlers in front of her bobbed their heads, but Sirius was starting to pout, thinking he'd heard this one before. Quickly Bellatrix continued. When he had tantrums, things got ugly.
"Well, he had a sister, Elladora Black. She was beautiful and smart, just as all Blacks are. Great-great-grandfather loved her, and taught her the ways of our family. One day, she was going out for a walk, and a terrible animal attacked her."
Sirius and Narcissa gasped. "Was she alright?" Narcissa demanded, her eyes watering.
"Of course she was fine." The two relaxed. "She was a Black. No mere animal could hurt her. She just pulled out her wand and killed it."
"Why did it attack her?" Sirius asked, gray eyes narrow.
Bellatrix pursed her lips. "It wanted her money. She was going shopping and had lots of Galleons with her."
Sirius made a face. "But . . . but what would an animal want with money? Animals don't buy things."
Bellatrix stared down at him. "I don't know. It probably just liked shiny stuff."
He seemed to accept this. "Well, is that all that happened?"
"No," Bellatrix answered and picked up the tale again. "Some of the other animals had seen her do it, and they got angry, even though she had every right to kill the beast."
Narcissa and Sirius were hanging on her every word; even Andromeda in the corner was caught up.
"The animals ran towards her, grabbed her. She was killing them as fast as she could with her wand, but there were just too many of them." Bellatrix gave a sniffle as she thought of brave, brave Elladora, fighting all by herself against monsters.
Narcissa looked on the verge of tears and Sirius was biting down on his lip.
"The animals tied her up and dragged her away. They snapped her wand in half!"
The other three gasped. To have your wand snapped, how dare those animals!
"They locked her up in a cold, dark room and starved her. She called for her brothers, but they were too far away and couldn't hear her. Then, when she had lost all hope, the animals carried her to a pile of sticks. They threw her into it and—and—"
Bellatrix broke off, unable to stand the horror of what the animals had done. Narcissa was crying freely now, and Sirius was scrubbing at his eyes.
"Finish, Bella," Andromeda pleaded.
Bellatrix nodded, took a deep breath, and blurted out the truth. "They burned her!"
Sirius' eyes got wide and he shrank in on himself. He whispered, "They b-burned her? Like in a fire?"
She nodded, looking into his large, scared eyes. "Yes, the animals set her on fire!"
Narcissa screamed loudly. Bellatrix winced, covering her ears. "Cissa, stop it!"
"Muuuuuuummy!" Narcissa cried. "Muuuummy!"
Andromeda glared at Bellatrix. "Bella! Make her be quiet! She's loud!"
Sirius nodded energetically, edging away from his cousin. "Yeah, c'mon Bella!"
"How?" Bellatrix demanded. Glaring, she spun to the house-elf cowering behind a table. "You! Make her be quiet!"
The elf, unable to disobey, stepped forward, hands outstretched to Narcissa. "There, Miss. It's alrighty, Miss."
Narcissa, who had never taken to the short, ugly creatures, only screamed louder as it approached her. She turned around and ran, passing right by Regulus, who had been watching the scene in eerie silence. This, however, seemed to be his breaking point. His lips trembled as the house-elf chased a screaming Narcissa around the room.
A second later, he had joined in the caterwauling. Narcissa was bawling, the house elf was chasing her, pleading, Sirius was shouting at Regulus to be quiet and Andromeda was screaming for Bellatrix to do something.
Bellatrix screwed her eyes closed, shaking her head. Someone was bound to hear this. They'd come up and then she'd get in trouble.
"Be quiet!" she whimpered, pressing her hands over her ears.
She grimaced as Narcissa's screaming went up an octave. They had to be quiet.
"Be quiet!" she shouted, trying to regain some control. She heard voices outside. They were coming and she'd get in trouble. This was her job, they were her cousins, they had to obey her!
"Be quiet!" she hissed, feeling something grow in her chest and slide out with her words.
Magic.
She shivered as the magic expanded in the room, wrapping around the sounds and quieting them. This was her magic, not anyone else's.
The door burst open. Her father and Uncle Orion stepped in, eyes alert and wands out. Narcissa, still silenced by Bella's magic, ran toward her father, arms out. She latched onto his robes when he wouldn't pick her up and he shook her off to inspect the rest of the room. Uncle Orion performed some Revealing and Diagnosis Spells.
"What happened here, Bellatrix?" Mother inquired, her voice hard from worry and anger.
Uncle Orion gasped. "Look, Druella," he said, indicating the results his spells had shown.
Green magic was wrapped around the throats of Andromeda, Sirius, Regulus and Narcissa. It all trailed back to Bellatrix. The adults stared in amazement at her.
"Bellatrix?" Father asked. He stepped slowly over to her and knelt in front of her. "Tell us what happened."
Bella swallowed, but tilted her chin up. She knew what Angry Father looked like, and this wasn't it. "I told them the story about Elladora. Narcissa got scared and started crying. Soon the others were, too."
Sirius stomped his foot on the floor, protesting the thought that he was crying.
"I ordered the house-elf to make them be quiet, but it couldn't," she continued. The elf whimpered and Aunt Walburga glared at it. "So I did."
The grown-ups murmured at this and all scurried off to a side of the room to talk amongst themselves. Bella closed her eyes and felt her magic. Suddenly, there was a push at it.
What?
She waited, and predictably, there was another push at her magic, stronger this time. She opened her eyes and immediately saw Sirius, arms folded, eyes closed in concentration.
He's fighting me.
Bellatrix closed her eyes again, feeling her young cousin push hard against her magic.
Oh, no you don't.
"The idea of doing this to four at once—"
"She must be trained—"
The conversation halted as the magic in the room changed. They all spun around and Orion re-cast the spell to see what was going on.
Bellatrix's green magic had dropped from Andromeda, Regulus and Narcissa. It was now all wrapped around Sirius, who was fighting it. Blue magic was pushing out from him, in direct opposition to Bella's. The two children both had their eyes closed, concentrating fiercely.
Druella stepped forward to stop it, but the other three held her back. "Let them fight," her husband, Cygnus, ordered.
Orion nodded. "Yes, I wonder who will win."
Sirius shoved hard against the stuff around his throat. He could feel it there, encircling him like a snake. It felt like Bella, but she wouldn't hurt him. Well, whatever it was, he didn't like it.
No one made Sirius Black do anything.
He took a deep breath and gave one, giant shove, throwing everything he had into it.
It was gone.
Sirius giggled happily, his hands coming up to feel his neck.
Nothing!
Bellatrix seethed as Sirius rejoiced in his victory.
How dare he!
With a cry of rage, Bellatrix launched herself at Sirius, intent on—on—on doing something!
He couldn't just do that!
Once again, she felt the pressure in her chest, the wonderful, powerful pressure. This time, she held it in until she was closer. She saw her cousin's eyes widen as the magic pulsed around them.
He was afraid.
Something in Bellatrix howled in delight as it scented the fear.
But only for a moment. His eyes hardened and his lip jutted out, determination bringing his magic back full force.
She felt it, they were coming together and this time, she would crush him.
Then, they were gone. Both magics were being suppressed. Strong arms wrapped around Bella's middle, lifting her off the ground and away from Sirius. Her father spoke into her ear.
"That's enough now, Bellatrix," he ordered.
Orion said something similar to Sirius, and both children relaxed slightly, though they were still glaring at each other. Something in Bellatrix was still crying to attack, to fight.
Bellatrix's breathing returned to normal and she frowned, confused at what she had just done. Sirius was her cousin, but she wanted to hurt him when he fought her. She resolved to think about it later, to figure out why she had just attacked her family.
She knew one thing, though. When the magic had built up, when she'd released it, it felt good. It felt right.
Aunt Walburga stepped up to Sirius, brushing his hair off of his forehead. "So, you know the story of Elladora, Sirius?"
The little boy nodded. "Uh-huh—"
"Yes, mother," Orion corrected, setting his son back on the floor.
Sirius huffed. "Yes, Mother. She was killed by animals."
"Do you know what kind of animals?" Walburga asked.
The little boy shook his head. "No, Mother. Bellatrix didn't say. What were they?"
"They were the worst kind of animals," Walburga answered seriously.
"Why?" Sirius wondered. "What were they called?"
"They were called Muggles," Walburga answered. "And they are the worst kind of animals because they think they are as good as us. They may look like us, they may speak like us, they may even act like us sometimes, but they will never be as good as us."
Sirius blinked. "Why?"
"They can't use magic," Orion replied.
Bellatrix's eyes bugged out. "What?"
"How can they not use magic?" Andromeda wondered. "That, that just doesn't make sense!"
Walburga nodded. "Exactly. You see. Muggles as we call them, are just like your pet cat. They are animals and must be controlled."
The children were silent as they absorbed this; for once, not even Andromeda protested. After a minute, Orion spoke up again.
"There is one thing we must warn you about," he said gravely. Instantly, every eye was on him. "These Muggles are tricky. Some of them can get magic."
Narcissa gasped. "How?"
"By killing a wizard and stealing his magic," Orion answered. The children trembled. "Once they have this wizard's magic, they will try to become one of us. They will go to our school, take our jobs, marry true wizards. These Muggles, we call Mudbloods. They are not purebloods, like we are. They are descended from filth and have the audacity to masquerade as one of us."
Bellatrix stared on in horror, imagining rampaging Muggles, murdering innocent wizards and taking their magic. Her hand clenched tightly.
Animals.
Distantly, she heard them talking about the Black family tree and going down to look at it. Her mother grabbed her hand and tugged her along. Bellatrix pulled herself out of the terrible vision and followed her family. They arrived in the drawing room, with the magnificent tapestry taking up one wall.
The adults went through it, showing the children their ancestors. Bellatrix noticed several burn marks on it, but didn't ask. Uncle Orion was pointing to the top.
"The Noble and Most Ancient House of Black," he quoted. "Toujours Pur."
"Always pure," Aunt Walburga whispered in reverence. "Not one Muggle or Mudblood has ever been accepted into the House of Black. And none ever will be."
Bellatrix stared up at the tapestry in awe. She was from this! Such pure, powerful wizards. They fought the Muggles, and the Mudbloods, animals all of them. She felt pride swell in her chest and edged forward, searching for her name.
There!
She reached out and brushed the gold thread. Bellatrix Black. 1955-
"This is only part of it," Cygnus was saying. "The full family tree stretches back to the time of Merlin. We are the oldest and the most pure wizarding family in the world. That is why we are named after the stars. We are above them all, and must show the other wizards the way when they get lost in the night."
Orion knelt down next to Sirius. "You, especially, must be pure and true. Someday, you will be the Lord Black, the head of the House of Black. That is why we named you after the brightest star in the sky, Sirius."
Sirius nodded, his eyes returning to the tapestry.
Narcissa tugged on her mother's gown. "Mother, Mother, what is the star Narcissa?"
Druella tensed at her daughter's question. "I'll tell you when you're older, dearest." She looked back to the tapestry, refusing to meet her husband's eyes.
"Ah, look at the time," Orion declared. "It is nearly midnight."
Aunt Walburga laughed gaily. "Do you know what would be the perfect way to start off the New Year, Orion? By punishing that awful elf! We need a new one, anyway."
Orion nodded. "Indeed."
He left the room and came back not a minute later, dragging the elf. "No, no master, I is a good elf! I is a good elf!"
"No, you're really not," Walburga interrupted it. "What's the next one's name? Answer me!"
"Kreacher," the thing muttered, large tears falling onto the carpet.
"Kreacher!" she screeched.
A moment later, another elf appeared in the room, blinking its large eyes at the group. "Mistress called?"
"Yes, Kreacher," Walburga smiled. "Kill it!"
She threw her finger out at the other elf in the room. "You know what to use."
Kreacher bowed until his nose touched the floor. "As Mistress wishes."
He shuffled forward and grabbed the other elf. The two left the room, the soon-to-be dead elf crying pitifully. Sirius frowned, still slightly confused. He turned back to the tapestry, tracing the gold lines until he found his great-grandfather, who also happened to be named Sirius.
A scream sounded through Number 12 Grimmauld Place. Sirius shivered, but it was cut short not a moment later. The boy went back to his ancestry, deciding that someone had seen a spider or something.
Yuck. I hate spiders.
"Sirius, look," Walburga hissed, eyeing Kreacher as he entered, carrying a platter with—
The little boy gave a cry of alarm and stumbled back, into his father's legs. There was a head on the platter. The old house elf's head. No idiot, Sirius realized that the scream he heard was—
"Sirius, stop cowering," Mother snapped, dragging him to his feet. Sirius stared in horror at the head as it was placed on the coffee table.
"Elf, get us some champagne," Cygnus ordered. Kreacher turned around and returned with four goblets full of the finest champagne.
Bellatrix twined her hand with her father's as she stared at the family tree. So many wizards and witches. All of them from the purest of lineages. All of them defending the wizarding way of life.
She would be like them. Someday.
Orion, Cygnus, Walburga and Druella raised their snake-encrusted goblets to the new year as the clock in the hall started to chime.
"To a new year," Orion stated. "And new beginnings!"
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FYI: the three lines signals the end of the chapter. It always will.
So, how was it? Please tell me. Like I said, this is my first HP fic. I would appreciate feedback, even constructive criticism! Just push the little button! Yeah, that one! Good job!