"Bella?" Druella tugged gently at the bed covers that concealed her eldest daughter's face, "Darling, are you awake?"
Bella moaned a feeble reply, and Druella quickly drew back the sheet, and proceeded to dab a small wet cloth on her daughter's forehead. She pushed back tears, as she examined the other cuts and bruises on Bella's body. Most were not deep and could be repaired with simple healing spells, but two large gashes; one on Bella's left thigh, and another on her right shoulder, were beyond Druella's curing expertise. The woman sank back on the bed, and gently caressed her daughter's face. "Oh Bella", she whispered, "I'm so sorry." Bella stirred and fluttered her eyes, "Mother?" she groaned weakly,
"Shhhh", soothed Druella, "You need to rest." She patted her daughter's head and kissed her softly on the cheek. Rising slowly from the bed, the woman pulled the blankets back upon her daughter's sleeping form and turned quickly toward the door. As the door clicked sharply behind her, Druella Black sunk to the ground, filled with guilt and regret, how could she have allowed this to happen? She was their mother, it was her duty to protect them and she had failed dismally. How could she ever explain herself to her daughter's? They would never forgive her, nor did she deserve their forgiveness.
Bella's tortured shrieks echoed through her head, and Druella leaned her back against the wall, allowing the twenty year build up of tears to fall freely from eyes. The emotion seemed surprisingly familiar to Druella, despite it being suppressed for so long. The memories of the last time she had cried, came flooding back to her, and the image of her reflection in a silver plated mirror, dressed all in white replayed vividly in her mind. Was she to condemn her daughter's to her own miserable fate? Were they too, doomed to end up as useless and unhappy as her?
"Black", the woman murmured to herself, and the image of her first encounter with her doomed fate surfaced in her memory. A handsome, young man of no more than twenty stood before her, in her old parlour. His dark hair was pushed elegantly behind his ears and he surveyed her keenly, with dark mysterious eyes.
"Cygnus Black", he nodded his head toward the young Druella and she smiled sweetly, just as her mother had taught her.
"Druella Rosier", she stated perfectly, as she tucked the long blonde locks behind her ears to reveal her light blue eyes.
"It is my pleasure to finally meet your acquaintance Druella", the man's hand reached for her own and he grasped it tightly, "I have heard of your beauty, but I must say, you have far exceeded my expectations."
Druella blushed, and withdrew her hand from the man's grasp, something in his tone made her feel uncomfortable.
"You are pureblood?"he inquired, seemingly undeterred by her suspicious manner.
"Yes", she replied, her mother had told her to expect such a question, and whilst Druella understood why, she was surprised by the lack of subtleness in his execution.
He nodded, "Have you finished your education?"
"Yes, I have completed my OWL's and I am currently awaiting my NEWT results."
The man smiled, "Hogwarts?"
"Yes, I was a member of the Slytherin house", she attempted to return the smile, though she managed little more than a nervous twitch.
Cygnus Black's expression remained unaltered as he examined the girl seated in front him, after a few moments he lowered himself to her level, "It has been a pleasure, Druella", his dark eyes bore deeply into her own and she fought hard not to falter in her gaze, as a sickeningly uncomfortable feeling lodged itself in the pit of her stomach.
"And mine also", she stammered.
He rose slowly, his eyes remaining fixed on her own, "Take care, till we meet again", and with one last nod he was gone.
While the meeting had been brief, Druella had known from that moment that her fate was sealed. She would become Druella Black, a pureblood housewife, lost in a materialistic world of supremacy and superficiality. A world where love is an emotion never discussed, and weakness of any form is forbidden. For Black's are renowned for their nobility, purity, intelligence and above all, strength. It would be her duty to live each day as a witness to the name of Black and she would proudly display the qualities that such a name incurred. Druella sobbed loudly as she recalled the foolish ideals that had ruled her life.
Druella pondered what her husband would do to her if he saw her in this state, here sprawled helplessly in the hall way of her home, she was an insult to the name of Black. The lady to be envied by all ladies, the beautiful bride of Black, was now nothing but a weak, vulnerable and submissive woman.
Druella Black cradled her head in her arms as she realised that no type of magic could ever remedy the doomed fates she had created for her daughter's.