Hey! Here's the newest chapter of Babysitting. I would have posted this yesterday, but my mum came in just as I was about to and screamed at me to get of the laptop. So, it's up today. Oh, quit whining, you got your update!! :D Hope you enjoy it!
I am not JKR. If you think that, you have drunk wayyyy too much Firewhisky, man.
Oh, yeah, I'm thinking of knocking this story up to 20 chapters, instead of 15. Do you think that would be good?
Anyway, enough ramble, on with the Fanficcy!
Chapter 4
"I'M NOT HAVING A BATH! NEVER, EVER, EVER!! AND THERE'S NOTHING YOU CAN DO ABOUT IT!" Sirius screamed as he lay on the floor, arms and legs flying in a Bellatrix-worthy temper tantrum. The three Black sisters looked at him, identical expressions of disbelief etched on their faces. Regulus slipped one of his hands, the one holding his Blankie, into Bella's, and the other, with the wet thumb, into Cissa's. The blonde looked down at his spit-covered thumb in her palm and, making a face equal to someone who's forced to eat Bulbertuber pus, snatched her hand away and wiped it on Dromeda. The five-year-old, looking hurt, slipped his thumb back into his mouth and shuffled closer to Bella, mimicking her unimpressed expression as he looked down at his older brother.
"Sirius," Andromeda shouted over his screams, "Sirius, you are having a bath, no question. Now, are you going to do it the easy way, or the hard way?"
Sirius only screamed louder. Dromeda sighed. "Cissy, can you take care of Regulus? You could use the other bathroom downstairs?"
Cissa glared down at Regulus for a minute, who just looked up at her with wide, innocent eyes. "Stupid thumb-sucker…" She muttered, picking him up. "Come on." Regulus let go of Bella's hand, still holding Blankie, and let himself be taken downstairs, a scowl on his face.
"Bella," Dromeda yelled over Sirius' increasing screams. "You take care of Sirius. I'll be downstairs cleaning up the mess."
Bella nodded, and when her sister had left, she knelt down next to Sirius, one eyebrow raised. After about five minutes of this, Sirius stopped pounding the floor and looked up at her, scowling in exactly the same way as his brother had moments before. "What, Trixibell?"
Bella shifted so she was sitting cross-legged on the floor, ignoring the fact he'd used the name she hated. "Can you just grow up?"
Sirius stared at her, his arms flopping on the floor. "I don't want a bath." He said finally.
"I can tell…" Bella muttered. "And I don't care. You're having a bath."
"No I'm not."
"Sirius, you are. Stop arguing."
Sirius stuck his tongue out. Bellatrix just raised a dark eyebrow. Sirius looked at her, seeing an opportunity. "Trix- Bella…" He said, his voice as cute as could be, although Bella was buying none of that. "If I have a bath, can I have another bit of chocolate cake?"
Bella's answer came straight away. "No."
Sirius started screaming again. Bella's face contorted; she was having a mental battle with herself. Sighing, she made her decision. "Alright, alright, you can have your stupid cake!"
"And eat it?" Sirius put in annoyingly.
Bella glared at him, slinging him over her shoulder and standing up. She strode to the many taps running along the size of the swimming pool sized bath, turning them so normal, clear water gushed out. Sirius didn't reply, only wriggled slightly. Bella sat him on the edge of the bath, and he watched the water intently.
"Purple." He demanded.
"I'm sorry?" Bella asked.
"Purple. I want purple water. Please." He said, reaching out for the purple tap.
Bella slapped his hand away and turned it on herself, a smile tugging at the corner of her mouth when Sirius clapped loudly, reaching out to pop the huge bubbles. She switched a few more taps on, smiling properly as her cousin laughed in delight. There was one that spouted water that looked so much like chocolate they both tried it, but it tasted like bubblebath. Another made huge green bubbles that formed into soapy bubble-animals, which ran over the water. Sirius took a great liking to a big dog, but when he tried to stroke it, it burst. Bella snorted with laughter, so he hit her with his towel.
--
Downstairs, in a bathroom equally as big as the one Sirius was in, Regulus was sitting in the sink as Narcissa filled up the bath for him. Yellow steam flowed to the ceiling, where it crackled into little pink and green fireworks. Regulus gasped every time a new firework came, and it was getting on Cissa's nerves. She turned and walked over to him, fishing him out of the sink and settling him on her hip. He looked at the half-filled rainbow-coloured bath, clapping his hands happily. He then pointed to a tap on the side of the bath. "What does that one do?" He asked, tugging her long blonde hair. She knelt down, setting him on his feet, and smiled, turning the tap on.
Huge blue ribbons of water spilled out into the bath, changing to red as they hit the steaming water. He pointed to another tap, and she turned it, causing a fountain to set off in the middle of the humongous bath.
Soon, that room, too, was full of giggles and coloured smoke. A huge rainbow formed over their heads; leprechaun gold at the end. Narcissa tested the bath water to check that it wasn't too hot, and gestured that her baby cousin could get in. In thanks, Regulus put his Blankie on Cissa's head, smiling at her as if it were the greatest honour possible.
--
Andromeda stomped down the stairs, into the hallway. She stopped at the door, surveying the mess. There was a huge bloodstain down the wall from where Bella had cracked her head open against it; the carpet underneath the door was sopping wet, three shades darker with water.
When she walked into the dining room, things weren't much better. The pot plant was overflowing with tomatoes from where Regulus had tried to hide them. Dromeda took a deep breath, and turned back out of the room. She'd tidy it later…
--
"Are you happy now?" Bella, kneeling by the taps, snapped exasperatedly at her cousin, who'd spent the last fifteen minutes demanding every colour that was in the rainbow (and some colours that weren't), forcing Bella to the end of her tether.
Sirius tilted his head to the side, as if pondering this question. "I think so, Trixibell." Then, ever so slowly, he pulled off one of his socks.
"Oh, please don't tell me you have a toe ritual too!" Bella groaned. Sirius just shook his head at her. He slipped his leg over the edge of the bath, dipping his big toe in the water experimentally. He took it out and pretended to think for a moment more. Bella groaned and lent against the wall, wondering if Cissa or Dromeda would swap jobs with her. Why was she landed with the most annoying one, who happened to be the one who also loved driving her up the wall? Closing her eyes, she imagined a happy place, a Sirius-free place, until he clearing his throat brought her back to a Sirius-filled reality. He smiled at her as if her were a proud father, and patted her on the head. She raised an eyebrow. "Good Trixie." He whispered, before turning around and starting to strip off. Bella smacked her head against the wall.
--
Regulus leapt into the water, covering his cousin in soapy bubbles. She laughed, wiping the suds off her face and flicking hem back at him. He grabbed two handfuls of bubblebath and clapped his hands hard, sending the bubbles high into the air like snow. "It's snowing Cissy!" He giggled. "And you… are Father Christmas!" He laughed, picking up more bubbles and wiping them on Narcissa's chin. She made a face.
"Reggie!" She moaned, picking up a towel and scrubbing the soap from her face. "You can be Santa!"
Regulus looked ecstatic at this idea, and immediately began piling bubblebath on his face. He looked up, smiling broadly, until he breathed through his nose too heavily. He stared coughing loudly, wiping off the bubble-beard as he did so. Narcissa patted him on the back hard. When he'd stopped choking to death, he looked back at her and sniffed loudly, testifying his nose was bubble-free again. She laughed. "Come on, you, let's start with your hair." He nodded, taking a deep breath and diving under the water.
He came up a few seconds later, hair shining with the many different types of water in the bathtub. Narcissa laughed when he did, swirling her hand around in the multicoloured water, creating a kaleidoscope of colours.
--
"Sirius, just GET IN THE BATH!!"
"But Trixie…" The naked seven-year old whined at his older cousin, who was trying to look anywhere but at him.
"Shut up! Don't call me that!!"
"But it's your name!!"
"NO IT'S NOT!!" Bella screamed. Growling slightly, she turned and picked him up, ignoring his screams and the fact that he was pounding her back with clenched fists. She turned towards the swimming pool sized bath and threw him in.
The boy disappeared under the water, and stayed there. Bella's black eyes widened, and she bit her lip. Walburga's going to kill me if he's hurt… She thought, looking around uselessly.
Suddenly, a black-haired head erupted from the rainbow water. A grin plastered across his features, Sirius doggy-paddled to the side and clung on to it. "Wow, Trixibells, that was fun. Can you do it again?"
Bella glared at him, plonking onto the closed toilet seat next to the bath. "Siri, just… have a bath…" She muttered.
"Fine." The younger muttered, diving back into the water again.
Bellatrix massaged her temples. She had a feeling that this night was only going to get worse…
--
"Cissy, what does this do?" Regulus asked his blonde cousin, holding out a bottle of shampoo.
Narcissa glanced at the label. "It's shampoo, Reggie. It makes your hair clean."
Regulus' hazel eyes widen in fear at the word 'clean', and Cissa held back a laugh. He was so like his brother. Throwing it across the room with surprising force for a five-year-old, Regulus glared at it.
"Your hair could do with a wash, Reggie…" She muttered, running her hand through his dark hair. He shrunk away when she said it, shaking his head vigorously. She rolled her eyes. "You are far too much like Sirius, Reggie."
Regulus looked confused, trying to work out whether this was a compliment or not. Narcissa laughed out loud at his face, before ruffling his sopping wet hair.
"Come on, Reg, let's get this hair washed…"
Regulus scowled for a minute, his resemblance to Sirius suddenly striking, before muttering, "Fine!" under his breath, slumping back against the side of the bath. Narcissa grinned, and fetched the shampoo from the other side of the room.
She squirted half the bottle onto her cousin's wet head, and started washing the greasy mop.
--
"Bella?" Sirius asked as he watched his eldest cousin fiddle with her hair in front of the mirror.
"What?" Bellatrix replied, bored.
"Nothing." Sirius said, and doggy-paddled to the far side of the bathtub.
Bella glared at him, and walked to the door. "Urgh. I can't stand you anymore, Siri. I'm gonna go get Drom. You like her better."
Sirius shrugged, as if this were a fair comment, and watched her stalk down the corridor, before giving himself an Afro of bath bubbles.
--
Andromeda was sitting on the sofa reading when her older sister walked in. She stood up immediately; stashing the book under the sofa she had just been sitting on.
"What happened to 'cleaning up the mess'?" Bella accused, glaring at the brunette.
"I-I, err… what happened to bathing Sirius?" Dromeda snapped back, hands on hips.
"He's annoying. It's your turn now." Bella said, fiddling with the silver ornamental clock that sat, ticking away, on the mantelpiece that she was now leaning against.
Andromeda rolled her eyes at her sister's response. "Fine. But you have to go and check on Cissy and Reg."
Bellatrix locked eyes with her sister, glaring. "No I don't." She said slowly.
"Yes, you do. I'm in charge. And I say you do."
A quiet snap echoed around the room; Bellatrix had just broken the clock, she was so angry. Pretending it didn't happen, the raven-haired girl sauntered over to her sister, leaning in close as she hissed, "And I don't need a wand to cause you great pain, Andromeda."
The younger stepped back, scared against her will, and Bellatrix smirked, standing up straight. Dromeda regained her confidence. "Go check on Regulus and Cissa, like I asked, Bella."
The arrogant grin, that was so similar to Sirius', slid off Bellatrix's beautiful face at her little sister's reply. "You know what, Drom? I will. Not because you told me to. Because I want to." And with that, she turned on her heel and strode towards one of the doors.
Andromeda sighed, shaking her head slightly. "They're that way, Bella." She said, pointing to a door over the other side of the room to Bellatrix.
Bella glared once more at her sister, before turning and walking to the other door, and slamming it shut behind her as she walked out.
--
Sirius slipped out of the bathtub as soon as Bellatrix was out of earshot. He pulled his special stool out from underneath the sink, and dragged it to the mirror. Jumping up on it, the seven-year-old opened his eyes wide. He'd learnt this trick years ago, and sure enough, his eyes were watering. A few more minutes of this, and he'd look like all the tragedies in the world happened to him.
When he heard Andromeda coming up the stairs, he kicked the stool back into place, and leap into the bathtub.
The door creaked open, and he turned his back. "Siri, you ok?" Came Dromeda's voice.
Sirius turned to face her, eyes red and blotchy from fake crying. He sniffed. "Bella hurt me." He said meekly.
Dromeda ran over to the side of the tub and pulled him into a hug. "Shh, it's ok. I'm here. What did she do?"
Sirius only shook his head, as if he couldn't say it, and his cousin hugged him tighter. He stifled a laugh; he was too good at this. Only Bella didn't fall for it, and that was because she had used exactly the same tricks when she was his age, and older.
He giggled slightly when Dromeda told him she'd yell at Bella for him, but managed to turn it into a sob before she realised.
--
"Cissy, why are you plaiting my hair? I thought only girls had plaited hair." Regulus whined ad Narcissa tugged at his hair.
"Boys can have plaited hair too." Narcissa said fairly, tying another multi-coloured ribbon at the end of his fifth plait.
"But Sirius laughed at me last time you did my hair like this."
"Sirius is an idiot."
"Bella laughed to."
"She's an even bigger idiot."
"Oh," Was all Regulus answered as the blonde started on a new plait, this time threaded with beads.
They sat in silence for a while, until Regulus reached out to grab a bottle on the side of the bath. "Le… le am- le amour…" He said, trying to read the label. "Cissa, what does this say?"
Narcissa's blue eyes ran over the bottle. "I don't know. It's in French."
Regulus giggled, and, in the childish way that all five-year-olds posses, he turned around and squirted almost the entire contents of the bottle onto Narcissa's blonde hair.
--
"Bella do this… Bella do that…I'm in charge, Bella, not you…" Bellatrix said in a mock-baby voice as she strode towards the bathroom where Narcissa was meant to be bathing Regulus. "God, she's just as bad as Mother. I have a say too, you know!" Bella raged, in half a mind to go back to Andromeda and show her that no matter what Mother said, Bellatrix was sill the most powerful.
But suddenly, Narcissa's scream jolted her from her thoughts. Bellatrix hurried down the corridor, and, just as she swung around the final corner, Regulus came hurtling through the air, and she caught him. A towel came soon after.
Regulus looked at her and patted her ear, before gasping and staring at his toes. Bella rolled her eyes, and wrapping him up in his towel, she all but dropped him on the floor.
She walked to the door of the bathroom, where she saw her sister lying facedown on the tiled floor, head and hair covered by another towel.
"Narcissa, I do believe you just threw our cousin at me. What on Earth did I ever do o make you that angry?" Bella asked, leaning against the doorframe with a smile playing on her lips.
"It wasn't you. It was Regulus." Narcissa murmured, her voice muffled by the floor.
"Oh. What did he do?" Bellatrix sat on the floor next to Narcissa and made to pull the towel covering her hair off. Cissa clutched at it. "Cissy, what on earth…?"
The younger sighed. "He squirted me with some special shampoo to make your hair go all… erm… Ok, Bells, I'll show you, but you must promise not to laugh."
"Yeah, yeah, whatever, just…" With that, Bellatrix pulled the towel off, revealing Narcissa's hair.
It was still blonde, but the enviable straightness had gone. Instead, her hair was frizzy, worse than the eldest Black sister's by far. There was no hint of curls, just crinkled frizzes. Cissa looked up at her sister.
Bellatrix burst out laughing. Narcissa looked hurt. "Bella!" She whined. "You said you wouldn't laugh!"
"You laugh at my hair every morning when I wake up. I think I'm allowed this one-off time." Bella said through her laughter. Catching her sister's tearful gaze, though, she sighed and grabbed the younger's hand, pulling her upright. "Come on. I've got some Sleekeazy's you can borrow."
Grabbing the towel to cover her head, Narcissa followed Bella out of the room, stepping over Regulus.
Once they were in Bella's huge room, Cissa flopped down on the huge bed. Bella knelt down and pulled a large box from underneath the four-poster. It was full to the brim with hair products, mainly Sleekeazy's. The elder grabbed one and dunked the whole lot on Narcissa's head, and began brushing it.
Cissa prodded the box with her foot. "Where do you get all this stuff, Bells?"
Bellatrix grinned slightly as Narcissa's hair began to return to its normal straight fashion. "Do you really think with hair like mine I haven't found some good hair products?"
JADE, YOU CANNOT SAY THAT I AM BEING MEAN TO CISSA! YOU SUGGESTED THE FRIZZY HAIR THING!!
-cough- Sorry about that…
Yeah, Siri fakes crying to get Bella into trouble. :D I can just see that… And I'm not saying Drom is a gullible idiot, but this is Sirius! He takes puppy-dog eyes to a whole new level… -hint-hint-
Drop a review and tell me what you think!
Ellie xxxx
