Black Roses
Narcissa
The bright yellow daffodils mocked me from the page. I glared at them and threw down my crayon.
"Why wont they move for me Mummy?"
"Only photographs and portraits move Cissy, you know that."
I glared harder.
"Oh come now darling don't be like..."
CRASH
The chandelier rattled above our heads, swinging to and fro as we searched for the cause of the noise.
"I'm telling!" came a high pitched voice before running footfalls could be heard on the stairs.
"Don't you dare Dromeda! Come back here! Don't you dare!"
My sisters burst into the room letting the door slam behind them with another crash.
"Mummy, Mummy Bella broke your vase. The Rosier one that's worth 500 Galleons and..."
"Its not true Mummy, I threw the quaffle to Dromeda and she missed and it broke your.."
"No I didn't you deliberately threw it too hard!"
"Did not!
"Did so!"
"Just 'cos you're a baby who can't even catch a stupid ball"
"Shut up! Shut up!"
I watched mildly interested as Mummy dragged them away from eachother, their fists flailing.
"What sort of example is this to set your little sister? Fighting like mudbloods! And my vase. A Rosier family heirloom smashed! You just wait 'til your father gets home!"
At this Bella stopped kicking.
Please Mummy, I'm sorry we broke your vase-
"We? It was you, you lying ..."
"- really I am. We didn't mean to. I'll go to my room now."
Bella drooped her head, the very picture of dejection while Dromeda continued to scream.
"Oh Bella its ok. It was just a vase. I'm sure I can fix it in a heartbeat. Go outside and play and try to be more careful."
"Yes Mummy," Bella trilled as she skipped outside.
"NO! Its not fair! ITS NOT FAIR! She always gets away with it! ITS NOT FAIR!"
"Oh stop screaming Andromeda, you're giving me a headache," Mummy snapped. "Go to your room if you're going to scream and wail like a banshee. Why can't you be more like Bella. And Cissa for that matter"
Dromeda burst into angry tears as she ran from the room and stomped up the stairs as loudly as she could.
When would she learn! All she had to do was look sorry and she'd be off the hook. Wasn't that obvious to her.
Mummy sighed as she went to inspect the damage.
"Go out and play Cissy. I need some peace and quiet."
Pouting slightly (I hadn't done anything wrong!) I grabbed my drawing and followed Bella.
She wasn't there.
Puzzled I gazed round our perfectly tended garden.
"Cissy. Up here!" a voice hissed above my head.
I nearly died of shock.
Bella was hanging from Dromeda's window cill two storeys up! No broomstick. Nothing to keep her there but her own two hands.
"I'll teach her to call me a liar!"
And then she got that scary look on her face that she always got when she concentrated really hard. When she was about to do magic!
Bella could do magic really well. Almost as good as Mummy and Daddy. But they wouldn't buy her a wand. "Eight is too young" they would say.
Not that it stopped Bella. Nothing stopped Bella when she wanted something.
Using her arms she pulled herself up to stare in the window straight into Dromeda's room. Even so high up I couldn't properly see it her face was terrifying.
I heard a loud crack. Really loud. As if the ground itself were splitting. And then an agonised shriek.
In my minds eye I could already see the china face of Dromeda's special doll. Her most treasured possession. With its ebony curls and eyes as rich as chocolate. I could see that fragile face crumbling. And Dromeda's as she succumbed to heart wrenching sobs.
"Bella." I whispered horrified. "Bella put it right. Fix it, don't make her cry. Bella do it." My voice was hoarse and faint but she heard.
Her grey eyes were as hard as steel.
"she deserves it. Nobody yells at me and gets away with it. Nobody!" The venom in her voice made me flinch but I held by ground and glared right back at her.
When I had flinched her eyes grew wider, softer. Her expression became puzzled. Then, as if she had no idea why she was doing such a thing, she turned back to the window to resume her scary staring.
Almost at once the cries within stopped and Bella floated lightly to the ground.
She was staring at me as if she had never properly seen me before. Her arms made an involuntary twitch.
I closed the few feet that now separated us and launched myself into her arms.
"Thank you Bella."
She hugged me back ,all the while gazing at me confusedly. Eventually she gave a great sigh.
"No one can say no to you Cissa. You know that."
I grinned to myself. No no one could. And because of that Dromeda was no longer crying. For now at least. Soon she and Bella would make up, they always did, and we'd all be friends again.
I let go of Bella.
"Race you to the Apple tree," I hollered getting a good head start.
Life was good!