Hello again! Thank you to all the people who reviewed this story. It makes me so happy! I hope you enjoy this next chapter.
Chapter One
For the every child of the Wizarding World, September first was a day that had been long awaited for, and for Andromeda Black, it couldn't have come sooner. She sat at her dresser, her small hands placed elegantly in her lap as the nanny brushed her long, mahogany hair and pinned it up with a green ribbon. Although her exterior remained impassive, her insides were bursting with excitement. No longer would she have to listen in envy to Bella's stories about the old castle, pretending to appear bored so as not to provoke her sister. No longer would she have to entertain Cissy, who was an impossible, spoilt brat at the best of times. Most importantly, Andromeda was longing for the day to be finally out of her parent's grasp. For eleven years, she had put up with their silent quarrelling; assuring Narcissa that it was merely playful banter. But it wasn't. She knew that. And despite what Bellatrix said, Andromeda knew it hadn't escaped her older sister's knowledge either. Her parent's marriage was crumbling to pieces and Andromeda was glad to finally be left out of it.
As she sat in silence, the nanny reminded her of what her mother had told her the night before. Behave yourself. Don't speak unless spoken to. Don't disgrace the family name. Respect the professors and prefects. And the most important; don't mingle with Mudbloods. Andromeda had heard it all before. She was a well mannered girl; polite, refined, everything the daughter of a great Pureblood family should be. She snorted and was punished by a sharp rap of the hairbrush on her shoulder.
"Ladies don't snort," the nanny scolded, poking and prodding more pins into Andromeda's head. Andromeda rolled her eyes but remained still, until she was presentable. The nanny stood up and turned Andromeda around to face her. Her smile was one of pride and accomplishment as she admired her handiwork. With a nod of her head, she bid Andromeda goodbye and left the room in a flourish, leaving Andromeda by herself. She stood up hastily, patted down her skirt and stood in front of the full length mirror in the corner of her room. Even she had to admit, she looked very pretty. Her mother had certainly gone to much trouble to make sure she looked presentable. Already dressed in her Hogwarts robes, with a black skirt and tights underneath, she looked exactly like any daughter of a wealthy, aristocratic, Pureblood family should look. She held herself with poise, her regal nose pointed in the air as she had been taught to. She had even perfected that little sneer that women of her background usually possessed.
"Lovely."
Andromeda turned her head to see her sister standing in the doorway, already dressed in her school robes and Slytherin attire. Andromeda glanced over at her in disdain.
"What do you want, Bella," she asked rudely.
Bellatrix shrugged and flicked her long tangle of ebony curls over one shoulder. "Nothing, dearest Meda," she sneered. "Just making a comment on my sister's appearance. I'm allowed to do that, aren't I?"
Andromeda huffed and returned to looking at herself in mirror. To say she resented her older sister was an understatement. She positively loathed everything about her. Bellatrix was rude, obnoxious, and cruel and had the makings of an evil mastermind at the young age of twelve. Poor Andromeda often had to witness her acts of malice, often taken out on poor innocent birds or rodents that happened to be in her way.
Bellatrix snorted loudly in the corner and Andromeda threw her a look of disgust.
"You're just like Cissy," the older girl drawled. "Trying to impress the boys at Hogwarts are we, Meda? Hah. Looks will get you nowhere. Men want women who are strong willed and confident." In an effort to prove her point, Bellatrix held her head high in the air, giving off an aura of arrogance. Andromeda rolled her eyes at her sister.
"Bella, I'm eleven. And you are twelve, may I remind you. What concern should we have for boys at our age?"
"I have none," Bella said firmly, her grey eyes narrowing under her thick, black eyebrows. "Though the same cannot be said for you and Cissy."
With an exaggerated sigh, Andromeda flopped onto her bed and picked up the book she had been reading before being interrupted by the nanny.
"Is there any other reason you came in here, other than to insult me?" she asked in a bored voice as she flicked through the pages.
Bellatrix turned on her heel with an angry huff and stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind her. Andromeda chuckled happily. Her sister hated when Andromeda didn't react to her taunting. It had been happening for years, so she was used to it by now. Still, Bellatrix liked to hope.
She continued to hum to herself as she read her book, becoming more and more intrigued as time went on. There was something about reading that Andromeda adored. The fantasy, the far off places; it was food for her imagination. Nothing was better to pass the time stuck in a house full of glum, insolent and self-absorbed people than reading, and it was a good way to keep out of her mother's eye. Just as she was getting to the climax of the novel, there was a sharp rap on her door.
"Andromeda?"
She lifted her head at the curt voice and sighed deeply. "Yes, mother," she called back.
"It's time for us to leave. Hurry up and get downstairs."
"Right away, mother."
Shutting her book and stowing it away in her Hogwarts' trunk, Andromeda hauled it down the marble staircase with much difficulty to greet her waiting family. Her family was certainly an attractive one. Standing tall above the rest of them was her father, Cygnus Black, looking down upon his family over his long, regal nose, his dark hair slicked back over his forehead. Next to him, Narcissa clutched her mother's hand, the pair looking quite the matched set. Both were small, slight and fair, with pale blonde hair and large, blue eyes. Bellatrix stood proudly by her father's side; his long, pale fingers rested on her shoulder. Andromeda sighed. Only Bellatrix was a worthy daughter in the eyes of her father. And with Narcissa never leaving their mother's side, Andromeda often felt left out. Not that she particularly minded; her parents weren't the affectionate type.
"Andromeda, for Merlin's sake," shrilled her mother, angrily. "Use your wand, girl. You are not some filthy Muggle."
Andromeda scowled as she reached the bottom stair, her chest heaving with the effort it took to drag her full trunk down the staircase.
"But, mother, I'm not allowed to use magic outside of school," she reminded her. Bellatrix cackled and glanced up at their father.
"But, mother, I'm not allowed to use magic outside of school," she mocked in an uncharacteristically high voice. "Are you afraid you'll turn out to be a dirty Squib and embarrass the entire family?"
"That's enough Bellatrix," the deep voice of their father boomed. His cold, expressionless eyes bored into her and she immediately quietened. "Let's not waste our breath on your incapable sister."
Flashing her sister with a triumphant sneer, Bellatrix followed her father to the lounge, where the fireplace was waiting to Floo them to the station. Druella tugged on Narcissa's arm and followed her husband passively. Andromeda crossed her arms and scowled at her father's retreating figure. She could understand Bellatrix being cruel and hurtful; she was only twelve years old and would surely grow out of the phase by the time she reached womanhood. But her father was a different matter.
"Come on, Meda," Narcissa's pointed face appeared behind the doorframe, her large blue eyes widened in fear. "You'll be late," she whispered fretfully. "We don't want to make Daddy angry."
Andromeda sighed and called for Quigley, the House Elf. The tiny creature instantly appeared before her in a puff of smoke and bowed low before her. Andromeda instructed him to carry her trunk for her, as it was too heavy, and then went to join her family. Quigley fell into step behind her, her Hogwarts trunk floating by his head.
"There you are, Miss Andromeda," Quigley bowed low again, before setting the trunk at her feet. "Quigley wishes you a pleasant term at Hogwarts. Quigley will miss you very – "
There was a crack and a yelp of pain. The House Elf cowered and shrunk away from Andromeda.
"Silence, filth!" Cygnus bellowed, withdrawing his long, black cane from where he had hit the creature over the head. "Away with you."
Quigley whimpered and slowly backed out of the room, continuing his string of bows. "Of course, Master. Quigley is sorry, Master."
Andromeda turned on her father in outrage. She could not believe what he had just done. But he merely held up a hand to silence her and then ducked his head as he and Bellatrix stepped into the fireplace. Andromeda looked pleadingly at her mother for some sort of support. Druella at least had a heart, even if she was strict and somewhat incapable of showing affection to anyone but Narcissa. Her mother merely shook her head and gave Andromeda a silencing look.
"Platform 9 and ¾," Bellatrix cried and the two of them disappeared in a flash of green.
Druella and Narcissa stepped into the empty fireplace, gripping each other's hands tightly. Her mother beckoned for Andromeda to join them and she grudgingly dragged her trunk into the pit. Druella took a handful of Floo powder and soon, they plunged into pool of green flames. When Andromeda opened her eyes again, she was standing on the platform. To her left, the Hogwarts Express waited patiently for the students to board, a thick plume of steam puffing out of the top. It rang loud and clear, echoing off the brick walls. All around, hundreds of students were preparing to board, some already dressed in their robes like she was, some still in their everyday attire. Andromeda gazed around in wonder. The year before, she had waited with Narcissa, muttering a bitter goodbye as Bellatrix left for Hogwarts. This year, Andromeda was going to experience the same wonder and excitement as her older sister had before her. And she couldn't wait.
Her instincts told her to run away from her family and board the train without a second glance. But she was a young lady, and young ladies handled everything with grace and elegance. Her father and Bellatrix were standing by the train, waiting for the three of them to catch up. He frowned down at Andromeda as she approached, but gave Bellatrix a small, stiff smile. It was the most affection she had ever seen on the man's face.
"Have a good term, Bellatrix," he said formally, shaking his daughter's hand as though she was one of his work colleagues and not his daughter about to leave for three months. Bellatrix smiled up at him, though it was more scornful than sweet.
"Thank you, father," she simpered, causing Andromeda to roll her eyes.
Cygnus cast his gaze over his second daughter, his eyes emotionless as he regarded her.
"Goodbye, Andromeda," he said shortly.
Andromeda nodded her head respectively, keeping her teeth gritted before turning to her mother. Druella embraced her stiffly and pressed her lips to her forehead. Andromeda hugged her back. Her mother wasn't so bad. At the very least, she seemed to care about her daughters.
"Have a good term, dear," Druella said. "And remember what I told you. Don't misbehave. Don't talk out of turn. Don't disgrace the family name. Respect your teachers and prefects – "
"And most importantly, don't mingle with Mudbloods. Yes, mother, you've told me a thousand times already."
Druella rapped her sharply on the shoulder and narrowed her pale blue eyes. "Don't be rude," she said. "Now, say goodbye your sister."
Andromeda was glad to be out of her mother's cold arms and went to kiss Narcissa's pale, soft hair. The younger girl sniffed and swiped at her nose with the back of her hand. Andromeda stroked her pale cheek and tilted her chin to stare into her clear, blue, watery eyes.
"Hey," she said gently. "Don't cry, Cissy. I'll only be gone for a few months. Then I'll come home for Christmas."
"I know," Narcissa said weakly. "I'm just going to miss you."
Andromeda kissed her cheek again and squeezed her shoulder. "Be strong."
With a final glance over her shoulder, Andromeda stepped onto the train, ready to embrace whatever Hogwarts had to offer her.
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