Then

Andromeda stood beside her younger sister, not wanting to budge forward even as her older sister was pulling her toward the train. She was lost in her mind, staring at the large train before her. Her mother stood next to Narcissa chatting with some other woman while her father had gone off to have a smoke with others from their social circle. She stood there, being yanked in one direction and wanting very much to go in the opposite as she took in the sights and sounds around her. She could hear crying, laughing, talking, and many other telling their parents goodbye.

The second eldest of the Black sister wrinkled her nose up into a tight sneer and pulled her arm away from Bellatrix with as much force as she could muster. She wasn't going to let her sister decide when she was ready to board the train. Instead she turned to Narcissa, who at the age of nine wore a light blue dress accompanied by a navy blue robe. Her blue eyes were wide as she gazed at the train. She had made such a fuss as she got up that morning, screaming at the house elves for having wakened her and then she had complained at her mother that she couldn't find the right robe that she had wanted to wear.

It was anyone's best guess what happened next after much fussing. It was very routine, actually, and Andromeda couldn't imagine having to acquire a new morning routine.

The nine year old looked up at her sister and scrunched up her nose. "You're lucky, you realize," she said with a puff, watching both of her sisters closely. "I do wish I could go. Oh, wouldn't it be exciting?"

"Cissy," Bellatrix drawled, looking down at her baby sister. "You said the same thing when Grandmother first said that she was going to give you painting lessons. Now all you can do is complain about how your hands hurt after mere minutes! Minutes, Cissy!"

Narcissa flushed and turned to their mother. "You'll see, Bella, one day I'll pain our portraits and they'll hang in the halls and all you'll be able to do is sing!" she hissed at her sister before tugging on her mothers dress and asking if they could go and get something to drink. Within seconds the two of them were out of sight and the elder two sister laughed.

But it wasn't long before Bellatrix turned toward Andromeda and held out her hand. It seemed to have hung in the air between the two of them as Andromeda leered at it before narrowing her eyes on her older sister. How did Bellatrix expect her to respond? In her heart she knew exactly what she was exected to do. Their parents had already said their goodbyes, Narcissa had more or less said hers, and now the two of them were left on their own. She did what she knew her sister would want and placed her hand atop of Bellatrix's only to glare up at the older girl.

They had begun to walk away from the spot where they had stood for ten minutes and made way for the train. Once aboard they managed, with help from some of Bellatrix's friends, to clear out a compartment and all took a seat. It had all been talk of the economy for most of the ride but Andromeda chose to look out the window, opting out of the obviously boring conversation and began drumming her fingers on her leg as she listen to the other three around her continue to chatter. She had already met one of the boys in the compartment with her. Rodolphus Lestrange, Bellatrix's boyfriend. He was her intended and it seemed like every other week they were fighting with each other about something the other had done.

And then there was Lucius Malfoy who Bellatrix had said was to be Narcissa's intended, but Narcissa wasn't to know until she turned eleven. Andromeda had raised an eye at this and quicked gazed at the boy and snickered quietly to herself. Another blonde, of course. She could already picture the two of them sitting in front of a couple of mirrors primping and completing each other on their looks. But Andromeda wondered if he would be able to stand Narcissa's constant need for attention, this was almost cause for her to laugh but she covered it up with a cough.

"So, Andromeda," Rodolphus began, pushing aside a strand of dark hair from his eyes. "You'll be getting Slytherin, I presume?"

She snickered. "It isn't as though I have a choice to which house I'll be in," she paused turning to face him. "Or have you forgot in your old age?"

To this Bellatrix raised her eyes to meet her younger sister and placed a hand on Rodlophus' knee, smirking ever so slightly. "You have to, you know," she said, turning her head to the side, allowing a few curls to fall over her shoulder. "We're all one big family. And you know what Mother says about that."

"That she wishes the lot of hers would just fall off the face of the earth?" Andromeda replied coldly, glaring at her sister. "I'll get whatever house I'll get, Bella. There really isn't a thing I can do."

Both sisters flushed and only Bellatrix got up to leave, Rodolphus following soon after.

Then there was two and both Lucius and Andromeda sat in complete silence, neither bothering to look at the other. But it was clear that by the look on the boys face that he was on the verge of saying something either very witty or remarkably stupid. When he didn't, Andromeda was glad, but when he began to stare at her with a bemused look she began to get bothered. Having two sisters just about left her with little patience to deal with the likes of anyone just staring at her with a feeling they had something to say to her. She had little patience for anyone remotely friendly with Bellatrix at the moment.

"For the love of Merlin, Lucius," she said exasperatedly turning to the boy. "What do you want?"

And for the longest time Lucius smirked. "You're just like you're sister, you realize." He said, crossing his arms. "You'll be a Slytherin faster than you can even say Quidditch."

"Oh, shut up, Lucius."