2.
The orange-red glow of the setting sun highlighted the three young girls on the creek bank. The eldest lay on her back amidst the barley and bishop's lace, her hair sprawled out like a wild black flame. She was absentmindedly stroking the long blonde hair of her youngest sister, who was sitting rigidly next to her, intently watching the middle sister leap and bound in the shallow water.
"What ever are you doing, Andy?" the eldest asked lazily.
"Catching frogs!" the brunette yelled back.
"Well, you don't have to do it like a Muggle, do you?" she teased, propping herself up on her elbows and watching Andy splash around clumsily as the frogs slipped out of her grasp.
Andy froze. "There's another way?"
The eldest threw back her head and laughed heartily. "Of course, silly! The way Mother and Father do it." Her voice dropped to a low whisper. "The magic way."
In a flash, Andy was scrambling up the bank towards her sisters. "Bella, will you tell me how!? Please!?"
"Well, we'd need a wand, won't we?" Bella said, grinning mischievously. "Why don't you go fetch Mother's?"
Andy's face fell slightly. Mother would most definitely not approve of this. The formidable Druella Black was not one to be crossed; Andy could feel the phantom stings on her backside from past misbehaving. But her older sister's face was alive with excitement. Andy shifted uncomfortably, torn by inner conflict.
"Won't...won't I get in trouble?" she asked meekly.
"Oh, don't be daft. I would never let you get in trouble," Bella assured, eyes gleaming.
"Do it, Andy!" The youngest piped up, sensing her oldest sister's enthusiasm. Bella laughed and embraced the little blonde, then looked up at Andy with her patented puppy-dog look.
"Puh-pwease, Andy?" she begged in mock sadness, lip pouting.
"Yeah, pwease?" The youngest mimicked, jutting out her own lip.
"Oh, fine," Andy conceded, and Bella's grinned widened triumphantly. "But 'Cissy, don't breathe a word to anyone about this."
The youngest made a show of sealing her mouth with an invisible latch, and Andy sprinted off into the barley and towards the Black mansion.
...
Nearly a quarter hour later, she was back, brandishing a long, hawthorn wand.
"You did it, Andy," Bella grinned, an odd look in her eyes.
"Do you even know how to use it?" Andy asked skeptically, handing the wand to Bella.
"'Course I do!" Bella snapped confidently. "I'm going to Hogwarts in September!"
Andy and Cissy followed their sister down the grassy incline, hand-in-hand and eager to see magic. Bella marched into the creek, her bare toes curling in the cool mud. She bit her lip nervously, not wanting to disappoint her audience. She pointed the wand at a spotted frog and waved it purposefully. A small spark shot out of the tip and shocked the frog, which retreated downstream.
Bella laughed in jubilation as her sisters squealed.
"I'll catch you one this time, Andy!" Bella cried.
She found another frog hidden amongst the cattails. She concentrated hard and jabbed the wand forward. The frog froze mid-croak. Bella picked it up and dangled it proudly. Her sisters cheered, and she carried it over to them.
"Here you go," she grinned happily, dumping the frog in her sister's outstretched hands.
"Oh, Bella he's beautiful," Andy cooed.
"Do you want one then, Cissy?" Bella asked, kneeling down so she was level with the blonde, who nodded frantically.
Bella skipped back into the pond, and waved the wand at another frog. This time, however, red sparks shot out again.
"Like last time, Bella!" Cissy called from the bank.
Bella frowned. She tried again. Purple sparks. The frog croaked lowly, unaffected. Bella felt a growing rage.
"Come on, you stupid frog," she growled through gritted teeth, jabbing the wand violently. A jet of white light shot out, simultaneously throwing Bella backwards. She landed with a loud splash, and her sisters rushed toward her.
"Bella! Are you okay?" Andy asked, making a move to help her up.
Bella shook her off. "I'm fine. Where's the frog?"
They looked up. Andy gasped.
A small brown figure laid on the opposite bank. As they approached it, they saw it was twitching slightly but was otherwise immobile.
Bella nudged the frog with her foot, and it rolled over lamely. Then it stopped moving all together.
"Bella," Andy's voice was barely audible. "You - you killed it."
Cissy buried her face in Andy's robes. Bella frowned down at the frog. Andy looked at her, shocked to see that her face showed not horror nor shame but rather a curious wonder. She nudged it again, and it flopped back without struggle.
"It really is dead, then," Bella muttered softly, though her eyes were alive.
"BELLATRIX ADIRA BLACK!"
They looked up to see a tall witch tearing through the barley towards them, her dark brown hair whipping behind her and a look of madness etched across her pale face. She stopped at the water's edge, apprehensive of getting her silk robes wet. Andy quickly released her amphibious friend.
"Bellatrix, what are you doing with my wand?" Druella demanded, on the verge of breathing fire.
Bella stole a glance at Andy, whose eyes widened pleadingly.
"I was just playing with some frogs," she said simply, stepping forward and shielding her sisters from their mother's wrath.
"You know full well you are not allowed a wand yet!" Druella snapped and looked around anxiously. "What if you would have been seen?!"
"Then we would have hidden," Bella said boldly. "We're pretty good at keeping out of sight."
Druella noted the subtle dig at her parenting, and for a wild moment, it seemed as though she would risk ruining her outfit and march across the creek to deliver a swift beating. Instead, she closed her onyx-colored eyes and breathed deeply.
"Come back here. This. Instant," she hissed, each word a dagger.
Bella stomped loudly through the creek, visibly attempting to splash water on her mother's precious robes. Once she was back on dry land, Druella grabbed her arm and dragged her back towards the house.
Cissy clutched Andy's robes even harder, and the two gulped fearfully for the fate of their sister.
Bella twisted around, and gave them a secret grin and wink.
Whatever punishment she faced, it was always worth the adventure.
