Chapter One:
I was sitting at the same table, in the same Hall, four years later. I flipped absentmindedly through a book in one hand, and a piece of half eaten toast in the other. I was reading our fifth year textbook on Astronomy. It was my favorite subject, and I wanted to be well prepared for our lessons. No doubt Professor Sinistra would be extra hard on us, with O.W.L.s coming up. I carefully put the book down in my lap, sighing at the prospect of another Herbology lesson with the Ravenclaws, which was in less than an hour. Taking a napkin a wiping off a smear of jam on the book cover, and stuffed it into my book bag. I stood and walked out of the Great Hall, to join the buzzing mass congregating in the hall leading to the doors outside. The crowd itself didn't bother me as much as it had when I arrived, though I was still scared of them. Well, perhaps I wasn't scared of the crowd. Perhaps I was only scared of the individual people.
"Hey Black!" I turned around to face Hermia Frillin, a fifth year Ravenclaw. A group of her friends surrounded her, looking reverently toward their leader.
"Is it true you're part vampire?" She sneered, and her friends laughed.
"Her robes are so old-fashioned, I wouldn't surprised if she really was hundreds of years old!" Hermia trilled in her odd, dolphin laugh.
"Yeah, what's with the collar? Are you going to visit the Queen? Or did you just get your rabies shot?" I gritted my teeth. This was my favorite robe, dark as a raven's wing, with flowing sleeves and a long, thin neck piece that flared out, just at the ends. I thought I highlighted my long, slender neck, which I was quite proud of. My hair was in my customary bun, and my shirt was pressed, in stark contrast from the others in my year. I kept walking past them, trying to ignore them. Hermia followed not far behind.
"Tell me, are you related to Count Dracula? You're not a witch, you're a monster!" I began to walk faster. Students were starting to watch, and eyeing me apprehensively. I lowered my head and ran through the doors and into the courtyard. When I looked back and realized Hermia wasn't following me, I slowed down my pace. I kept my face passive, but inside I was boiling. Was that the latest rumor? That I was a vampire? I rolled my eyes. Count Dracula. After five years of magical education, was that the best she could come up with? Count Dracula wasn't even a real vampire I thought, stomping my way toward the greenhouses. He was just some crazy old wizard that took pleasure in frightening muggles. If she wanted to compare me to a vampire, why not Alfred the Bloodsucker, the leader of the Vampire rebellion and signer on the Treatise on Vampire and Human Interrelations in Transylvania, passed in 1897? I shook my head, disgusted. How did Hermia get to her fifth year in History Of Magic, I had no idea. I to the greenhouse number three, and went inside.
Already there was a short, portly witch with a bent hat inside, patting fertilized into a pot, ducking at the plant's stems swung around in a whirl. When I entered, she looked up, surprised.
"Ah, Miss Black!"
Professor Sprout disappeared for a moment at she ducked under a table as the plant she had been fertilizing flung itself in her direction. It leaped up, pot and all, only to crash down on the table, the ceramic pot shattering and fertilize thrown everywhere.
"Oh dear." She was peering up again, then stood, which didn't add much to her height. Drawing her wand out of her robes, she quickly gave it a wave.
"Reparo!" The pot's shards clattered together as they went back, remaking the pot good as new. With another flick of Professor Sprout's wand, the fertilizer jumped back into the pot, sifting around to cover all the roots. The plant was beginning to whirl around again, this time with new intensity.
"Oh no you don't." Professor Sprout huffed. "Petrificus Totalus!" And the plant stopped moving abruptly, frozen in mid swing.
"Now, how can I help you my dear?" Said Professor Sprout, putting her wand back into her robes. I shifted my feet.
"Well, our lesson is in the next forty minutes, so I thought I might come early just in case…" Sprout nodded.
"That's fine. But I have to say, as long as I've worked for Hogwarts so far, you're the only student that comes early for classes. Are you sure you don't want to go walk around the grounds? It's a lovely day, you know."
"No thank you, Professor." I said, my eyes downcast. Professor Sprout shuffled uncomfortably.
"I'm not getting onto you girl, don't think that, but wouldn't you rather spend your free time with your friends?" I had to resist the crazy urge to laugh. My only friends hadn't changed since I began Hogwarts. Bellatrix was doing Defense Against the Dark Arts class right now, and Narcissa was still eating breakfast. Some of the other Slytherins were nice to me, but I had the feeling that was only because they were scared what Bellatrix might do if they did not except me…I was still Bellatrix's shadow, after all this time…
"Well, if you're going to stay, can I get you to help me fertilize some of these?" Professor Sprout asked, waving at a few stumpy looking saplings. She handed me a pair of gloves, and we both got to work.
About two hours later Narcissa and I were walking back up to the castle, trying to the dispel dirt off our hands with a simple siphoning charm.
"Divination is next." Narcissa said as we approached the courtyard gates. A schedule she had pulled out of her book bag was now clutched in her pristine hands. "Followed by Transfiguration, and then later tonight is Astronomy. Sounds like a pretty good lineup. I'm just glad there isn't any potions today!" I looked at her curiously.
"Why? Professor Slughorn is always nice to us Slytherins, isn't he? He's the our Head of House!"
"I know, I like Professor Slughorn enough, but potions is always so precise! I much prefer Divination." Narcissa said, sighing. Of course, Narcissa would take to the murky unknowable paths of divination, rather than the detail-oriented potion classes. I myself was the opposite, preferring to understand exactly what I was looking at, and controlling it, as you did in potions.
"Shall we go look for Bella?" Narcissa asked as we passed the Great Hall. I peered at the schedule she was holding.
"All right, but we have to hurry." I sighed. "Meet you in front of the third story staircase?" Narcissa nodded, and dashed away, her head whipping around as she looked for Bellatrix. Though I would rather have gone straight up to the divination tower to wait for our lesson to begin, I forced myself to look around for Bellatrix.
When I found Narcissa and Bellatrix waiting at the third story staircase, Bellatrix was not happy. She was in a downright bad mood. As we started walking, she started venting her frustration.
"Can you believe Professor Beetleye took five points off of Slytherin?"
"Why did he?" Narcissa asked curiously.
"Just because I asked when we were going to learn something really good. I mean, think of what I've learn so far in that class!" She began to tick off on her fingers the spells as she named them: "The Disarming spell, the shield charm, the Stunning jinx…" She threw her hands up. "And now in my seventh year, we're wasting time learning how to do patronuses! Stupid little wisps of silvery smoke that's supposed to keep us from feeling bad." She said it with such hatred that I flinched. I had a knack for telling when Bellatrix was going to throw a tantrum, and at any moment now she could be set off. Looking for something to do, I undid my bun, letting my hair drape over my face, and pretended to try tying it back into place. Narcissa also seemed to feeling the tension growing, and did not make eye contact with Bellatrix as she continued.
"You think a teacher would understand that the only way to play a good defense is a aggressive offense. So I asked him to show us some basic curses. The old frog just stared at me, his eyes bulging." Bellatrix let out a nasty cackle, her eyes glinting. Both Narcissa and I nodded mutely to her, willing her to keep her temper under control. She continued to laugh crazily as we went down the corridor. Up ahead, Slytherins and Gryffindors headed toward the Divination classroom in twos and threes. I felt a pang in my chest, but from what, I didn't know.
"Black! Black!" All three of us turned, my half made bun becoming loose and releasing my hair. A group of half a dozen Gryffindors were coming toward us. Bellatrix crossed her and raised her chin, daring any of them to come closer. They did come, and soon they were standing right in front of Bellatrix, bold as brass. Bellatrix glared at them. A sixth boy stepped up in front of the others, looking at Bellatrix venomously.
"I have a bone to pick with you, Black." He said, his fists clenched. "Your cousin Orion just got expelled yesterday for putting Carvil in St. Mungos with a nasty hex."
"So?" Bellatrix asked, leering at the boy.
"Yeah, I'll tell you 'so'." The boy growled. "We were all really good friends of Carvil, and we reckon we should avenge his wrongdoers. We all had a nice chat with Orion before he left the school, and he told us you were the one who hexed Carvil.
"And what if I am?" Bellatrix asked lazily. A girl pushed her way to the front, her fists balled.
"When we'll fight you!" She replied angrily. Bellatrix laughed.
"No dear, I shan't be nettled into fighting your little muggle ways." She said, putting a hand on the girl's fist. "Gryffindors, are you?" She asked. The group nodded warily.
"Ah yes, the house of chivalry, trying to find justice, how noble." Bellatrix's voice grew louder, her pitch slightly higher. "The brave Gryffindors, here to fight six to one. Yes, very noble." A fifth year boy with tawny brown hair stepped forward, his gaze steely. "We won't fight you six to one. Carvil was my best friend, and I'll stand-" the sixth year boy grabbed his arm.
"You can't fight her alone Ted, we'll help you-"
"How touching." Bellatrix drawled. "You're right, of course. There is a fine line between bravery and stupidity, and you Gryffindors have been crossing it for some time now." The sixth year released his friend's arm, his face contorted with rage.
"You think you're so smart just because your whole family is in Slytherin. I bet you wouldn't be so cocky without them." Bellatrix stiffened, and I groaned inside. Without knowing it, this group had done probably the worst thing they could have: insulted the Black family. Nobody ever insulted the Black family. Full-grown wizards that had insult our ancient family tree were often reported days later in St Mungos, and those were the lucky ones. Our family was like a great serpent, lying in wait, silently striking off those who dare insult us. To have these people insult us so slanderously was unthinkable. Bellatrix was right; they really had crossed the line. For a moment, nobody moved. It was as if invisible storm clouds loomed overhead, crackling with electricity. Bellatrix was panting, which gave her a demented look. She looked ready to curse them into oblivion. I was scared, scared of what she was capable of. And then, she calmed herself. The others looked relieved, but I was not as assured. Bellatrix was probably planning different tortures for every one of them, like a judge condemning the damned. Like a serpent lying in wait, fangs poised.
"Torjours pur, miscreant mudbloods. If your precious Carvil was as thick as you all are, I'm glad he's gone!" With a laugh that sounded more like a scream, Bellatrix turned and stocked away. Narcissa and I hastened to follow her.
"Come back and face me, you coward!" A voice called from behind us. I ran up to Bellatrix, eager to escape the looming conflict. There were pounding footsteps behind us, and a rustle of robes. I was frightened now. They wouldn't attack us a few yards away from a classroom, would they?
"LEDITUS!" I was thrown off my feet by the spell and was sent crashing down on the floor a few feet away. Narcissa screamed from somewhere behind me. I gasped, rolling onto my side and curling into a small ball, hugging my ribs. It was as if I had been struck in the face by a bludger bat. The left side of my face was numb, except for spikes of shooting pain from my jaw. I closed my eyes. The pain was blinding-
"What did you do?!" Bellatrix was shouting on the top of her voice, not even trying to hold back her rage. It was a terrible thing to behold. "I can't believe anyone would do something so low…" Bellatrix was shouting at the Gryffindors. "You filth! You scum!"
"I-I didn't mean to hit her-" The voice was the same one that had shouted the curse, though now it had shrunk into a stunned whisper.
"Keep away from her, or I'll jinx you!" Narcissa threatened.
"From the back, I thought she was you-I wasn't thinking-blimey, is she okay?" I opened my eyes, and looked behind me. Bellatrix was towering over the group of Gryffindors, her eyes filled with mad light. The boy that had been talking was watching me, his brow furrowed with his wand held limply at his side.
"It's if you'll be okay after I'm finished with you that you should be worried about, you stinking cesspool!" Bellatrix shouted. "You and your little mudblood friends need to be taught a lesson, one which I will thoroughly enjoy giving to you!" She brandished her own wand, holding it high over her head like a bullwhip.
"Cruc-"
"No!" I scrambled to my feet, my body aching. Bellatrix stared at me, her wand still raised. Everyone's eyes followed me as I grabbed Bellatrix's shoulder.
"It-it isn't worth it." I gasped, clutching my side. My face was bruising where the invisible force had hit me. I was sure to have a black eye in the morning. "Just-let them go." Bellatrix didn't even bother to look at me.
"They will pay for their impudence!" She snarled.
"Don't-" I started to say, but Bellatrix interrupted me. "Don't? Don't?! They are vermin; dogs not clean enough to grovel at my feet! I will have my vengeance for this attack on my sister and on the House of Black!" She raised her arm again, and-
"Is there a problem?" Came the hoarse voice of Professor Simon, his head poking down at us of the trap door. There was a cloth tied around his eyes, showing that he was blind. His face was pointed in our direction. Everyone froze. Dueling was not permitted on school grounds, and could resolve on expulsion…nobody moved.
"No, Professor." I said, trying my hardest to make sure my voice did not betray me. "It's me, Andromeda Black. I'm so sorry that I'm late. Professor Sprout needed help with the Hesparidite trees after class, and I volunteered-"
"Quite all right, Miss Black." Professor Simon smiled kindly, probably imagining an eager student running down the corridor, breathless and excited for today's lesson.
"Andromeda Black…Slytherin girl, aren't I correct? Yes, yes, no need to worry. You have never been late for one of my classes before, one small slight shan't ruin your perfect record. Well, come in, come in!" And his head disappeared from the trap door, though the door remained open. I stood for a second, part of me not believing that Professor Simon had fallen for that trick, and the other part shocked-I had just lied to a teacher… I stooped and picked up my book bag, and rushed for the ladder.