Thank you to MzMalfoy for reviewing... the oddities of the last chapter are partially explained in this one so please do let me know what you think - I hope you enjoy it!

Disclaimer: I am not J K Rowling and so do not own Harry Potter or any recognisable content.

Chapter 25

Narcissa was once more alone in her room. Snuggled under the thick comfort of her duvet, she struggled to drift off and instead reflected on what she had experienced. After they'd all floated back to earth and their senses had again been grounded, Mrs Black had recited a tale in verse, the original legend of the Black's Norman ancestors. Of course Narcissa had heard it before, but not thought of it in years. The myth claimed that one of the original Black men had wedded Diana, a demi-goddess. Diana was supposed to be the celestial deity of the moon and her ethereal divinity and faery magic ran, according to the tale, in the blood of the Black family.

It had just seemed a fairy tale to Narcissa when her Nanny had told it – on a par with Babbity Rabbity and the others, just a little more glamorous. As a young girl it had captured her imagination, and she had doodled a divinely fair beauty all over her sketch books. That had just been a phase… the next year she had discovered the tales of Camelot and was enthralled by them instead. But seeing the family matriarchs and her sister after the ceremony it was clear that they, at least, took the Diana Myth seriously. Rumour was that the almost translucently fair skin, which was so characteristic of the Black family, was the legacy of the Lunar Queen Diana. Narcissa looked at her own pale hand, luminous in the darkness, and reasoned that the colouring could easily be coincidence. Yet the thrumming energy that had grown with her proximity to the full moon of the Winter Solstice and the way her magic still seemed to be singing through her, was much harder to explain away.

Narcissa was a practical creature, she didn't want to believe in such old-fashioned nonsense. In truth she liked her legends confined to the pages of books. In History of Magic they had already talked about the pagans and druids who experienced phenomenon during the Solstices. Sat there in the dusty classroom with the ghost of a teacher droning on Narcissa had found the 'inexplicable occurrences' laughable. Out there in the midst of nature, under the sensational phenomena of the Solstice moon, and here in the darkness of her ancient home, it was actually quite believable.

Narcissa tried to imagine what her friends would think; whether Amelia, Marius or even Malfoy would ever take the tail of Diana or Narcissa's own experiences seriously. Narcissa doubted it, besides, it seemed a family secret. And she didn't want to slur her reputation by seeming to make up nonsense. She'd had a few joking comments about being a daughter of the moon goddess from those at Hogwarts who remembered the story. They had only been teasing, the idea was a joke. Narcissa had a feeling that when she returned to Hogwarts the night's activities would seem too surreal for her to take seriously either – unless she decided, definitely, what had happened before she went back.

…

Narcissa gently tapped on a door at the other end of the East wing, before pushing it open. The room was filled with soft yellow light that streamed forth from the fire between two sash windows and turning her head Narcissa caught sight of the room's occupant in a corner by a lamp. Andromeda was stooped over the book in her lap but she glanced up to give a brief smile when Narcissa approached. Seeing her sister was pre-occupied, Narcissa perched opposite her on the side of the bed. Andromeda's room was all ivory and many shades of purple. The armchair she occupied was upholstered in mauve brocade, and the sheets where Narcissa sat were of pale lavender silk. After a while Andromeda slid a scrap of gilded leather into the book she read and pressed it closed, looking up at her little sister. The title was mostly covered by Andromeda's clasped hands, but it started 'Myths of'.

Narcissa felt comfortable enough to dive right into the reason for her visit. "Andromeda… I suppose you had more time to prepare for this? I mean, you're thirteen so they probably told you it was-" Andromeda was nodding. "I didn't really believe in all that… did you? I mean, do you feel different? Because I, I think I might…"

Andromeda waited for Narcissa to finish, and soon her little sister did trail off. The wonder and particularly the uncertainty in the younger girl's blue eyes and half-whispered voice sent a pang of compassion to Andromeda's heart. Narcissa looked particularly young sat on the big bed in her night dress nibbling her lip, and Andromeda felt she should reassure her as much as she could.

"Yes, I knew something of what we were going to do. At least, I knew it was linked to the Solstice and replenishing our powers… sort of letting our magic rejuvenate? Mother reckons the ritual is half the reason why the women in our family have had such strong powers. I didn't realise how linked the ceremony was to the moon though – that was quite extraordinary. I hadn't expected it to revolve around that old legend. And I didn't really want to believe it but I do feel different. More aware of the magic in me, you know?"

Andromeda spoke with such sincerity, allowing her own awe to show on her face, that Narcissa was quickly comforted. She felt relieved, and could now describe with some confidence the feeling she had experienced of magic channelling through her. Andromeda agreed with what she said. The two girls phrased what they had felt differently, and the charging of magic did seem to have manifested itself a little differently, but there were enough similarities for them both to feel reassured.

Eventually the sisters surrendered to sleep that would have been longer coming without having the other to confide in. The night had been long and revelatory. The plump sickle of the moon now hung low in the sky, already beginning to wane, and the frosty night was still and quiet. Beneath her fluttering eyelids, Narcissa dreamt: she was flying once more, effortlessly rising and relishing the freedom of flight. She could almost feel her hair being swept back by the wind; hear the quiet sound of it as she drifted along. In her mind's eye the moon was still high and from the ground a fair skinned and silver eyed faery watched her soar.