I've been home nearly a week now! It's such a relief to not be on the road anymore. #loveArizona
Trixie Black Lestrange
"Athena!" called Nymphadora, huffing in frustration. "Athena, I need your help!"
"You always do," sighed the eleven-year-old as she walked into the room. "Turn around."
"Thank you," Dora sighed, yelping as Athena tightened her corset. "Hey!"
Athena smirked. "Be thankful I'm not mother," she told her sister, finishing the tie and linking her arm with Dora's. "Mother is always extra strict when we go to Ravensden, and she's probably going to fuss over us more before we leave."
Nymphadora rolled her eyes. "Well, we do represent the noble House of Lestrange," she sighed dramatically. "But nothing we can do will make them treat us more kindly."
"Well, it also seems that they disapprove of you and your adventurous ways," Athena pointed out. "Grandmother is mean to only you."
"She's an evil old woman and I hate her," Dora said shortly. "At least they mostly ignore me."
"True," Athena agreed, both girls jumping in surprise as Andromeda hurried into the hall after them, Arielle following her.
"Excellent: you're both ready," Andromeda said in relief, straightening the ribbon in Athena's hair and retying Dora's corset as she whimpered wordlessly.
"Honestly, Nymphadora," Andromeda said to her, "it isn't as if I'm hurting you. I expect you and your siblings to look proper—"
"Here it comes," Dora sighed. "We know, Mum."
Andromeda turned Dora to face her. "And yet I often feel the need to remind you of the proper manners and conduct that is expected of you," she said firmly. "I've told you that my mother and father are very picky about pureblood manners and it is my duty to make sure my children step up and become decent members of pureblood society." Unlike their father, Andromeda thought.
Athena wrapped her arms around her mother's waist and the older witch paused, returning the embrace. "We will do our best, Mum," she promised. "It'll be fine."
"Yeah, she'll follow me around and make me 'behave,'" Dora muttered.
"Don't be angry, Dora," Andromeda murmured, drawing her oldest daughter into the hug as well. "It's all just pretending something. I know you do that easily enough. I have to pretend just as much as you do, sometimes more."
"Why do we have to pretend?" Dora questioned. "Why can't I just roll my eyes and yell at or ignore whoever I want? Why should I dress a certain way because of pureblood standard? Why is there even a pureblood standard?"
Andromeda frowned. "It's the way it's always been," she answered finally. "It is expected of us all, not just you. We must uphold the honour and pride of your father's family."
Arielle slipped her hand into her mother's hand. "But I don't even know Dad, Mummy," she pouted.
Andromeda's heart ached as she regarded the child, remembering Rabastan's anger and confusion when he learned of their third child. Nymphadora sighed, looking at her youngest sister. "I barely remember him either, Arielle," she told her sister. "But he was a very good dad."
"He was," Andromeda murmured, sadness flooding her mind. "He loved you all so much."
"Even me?" Arielle questioned.
Andromeda couldn't answer, but Athena said gently, "You were born after Dad was taken, but I'm sure he loves you just as much as we do now."
Arielle nodded seriously, then turned as Laverne entered the Entrance Hall. "If you ladies are ready," he smirked, "shall we go?"
All of the children gathered around their mother, and she apparated them away to Ravensden.
Nymphadora rolled her eyes, turning away from the group of boys she'd been watching. "Dora!" hissed Athena, but Dora didn't care.
"You think I'm embarrassing!" Dora sputtered as Athena led her away from the other children. "My father this, and my father that. How awful does it sound for our little cousin to go on and on about that?"
"Well, he's a spoiled brat, and can't help it," Athena answered firmly.
"You know, at least he has a father," Dora spat.
Athena flinched. "And if we had ours, Laverne might be the same way," the younger girl answered.
Nymphadora disagreed. "Laverne knows how to be quiet and good and to blend in," she said. "He wouldn't brag all the time."
"Dora, Athena," came a breathless voice. Lauren Avery came up to the two Lestranges. "We've just arrived—Merlin, Dora, your hair is red. What happened?"
"Nothing," Dora said, too quickly, immediately morphing her hair black. "Some of the younger ones are talking too much."
"Of course," Lauren laughed, then turned to Athena. "I've something to tell you." She glanced at Dora. "I'm stealing your sister for a moment, if you don't mind."
"Fine," Dora said passively, waving them away.
She was glad of a few moments by herself. She loved Athena to death, but the girl could get on her nerves almost too easily.
It was a shock to her when she turned and found Cygnus Black watching her. "Oh," she said nervously, though she immediately went to go back to her family.
"Don't run away, child," the man told her. "I've hardly come over her to force you back into the festivities."
"I was trying to speak to Athena," Dora said crossly, "but Lauren stole her away."
"While your mother is distracted," Cygnus said, ignoring the girl's words and nodding toward Andromeda speaking with Marshall and Laurel Avery, "I was thinking I'd show you, as my oldest granddaughter, something that your mother does not want you to know."
"Oh, well..." Nymphadora wondered about all the warnings her mother had given her concerning the man before her. "I don't know," she said doubtfully. "I really shouldn't—"
"It'll only be a minute," Cygnus told her. "We'll be back before you can be missed."
Nymphadora slowly nodded. "Okay," she agreed, and turned to follow the man up the grand staircase. He was right: it didn't take long for them to reach the man's study, the place her mother had told her never to go. Dora took a deep breath and entered the room.
"You are a very special young witch, Nymphadora," Cygnus Black said softly, taking a seat behind his desk. "Your powers obviously set you apart."
"But Arielle has the same powers," Nymphadora said without hesitation. "I'm just not afraid to show off."
The man chuckled. "Of course not," he agreed, "you have nothing to be ashamed of, Nymphadora."
Dora's curiousity got the better of her, and she asked, "So what makes me different still?" she frowned.
"Do you remember that day at Grimmauld when you touched the Black family tapestry and it burnt you?" he questioned her.
"Yes," Dora said with a frown. "Athena touched it and was fine...and neither Mum nor Dad could heal me. Regulus had to do it. Do you know why?"
The man sighed. "Yes, child. Sit down, and I'll tell you." He waited for her to be seated, then continued, "Your mother, as well-behaved as she seems, was a very wicked child."
Dora laughed, and Cygnus gave her a look that made her freeze in place. "She was practically disowned for what she did, and that is why she could not heal you."
"What did she do?" Dora said in surprise.
"She tried to run away from her family, to abandon us," the man said quietly, "for a Mudblood."
Dora's mouth dropped open in shock. "No!"
"Oh yes," Cygnus nodded. "You can ask your Aunt Narcissa: she was there. And after we dragged your mother back from her filthy lover, we soon found out she was pregnant with the man's child."
"You're lying," Dora sputtered. "Mother wouldn't—"
"I do not lie about these things," Cygnus said, getting to his feet. He pulled out a vial, unstoppered it and held out his hand for Dora's. She held out her hand, still in disbelief, and watched as he poured a single drop into her palm.
"Ow," Dora hissed, but the man held her hand still as the liquid sizzled, turning a greyish colour. Dora's eyes widened in horror.
"You are that child," Cygnus said to her firmly, but quietly. "The unfortunate daughter of your mother's misdeeds."
She stared at him for a minute, then at her hand. "N—no," she said, her voice shaking. "I don't believe you."
Cygnus released her hand and straightened up to look down at the girl. "But you do," he said to her. "You know it's true. It's why certain people treat you differently, even your mother. The whole House of Black knows about your real father, but it is a secret carefully kept so that the father of Andromeda's other children isn't shamed over it all."
Dora's hair was tinging white as she rubbed the potion off of her hand. "Mum can't have done that," she said sharply. "You're just making this up."
"I wish I were," the man said soothingly, "but no. Though I am not about to tell anyone, as those who matter already know."
"No," Dora whimpered, and Cygnus placed his hand on her shoulder.
"This changes nothing," he assured her. "I thought your mother would have told you by now, but I see that she has wanted to hide the truth of her deeds from you even though those around you are aware of it. I will make sure you are taken care of and treated well in spite of your mother's mistakes."
"She loves me," Dora said, her eyes flashing, and he raised an eyebrow at her.
"Being more harsh with you than she is with the others?" he asked. "Always picking at you because she subconsciously feels that you can't measure up to your sisters? I know you're special, Nymphadora. I have confidence that you can do whatever you want to do."
The girl's mind was reeling, half-believing, half refusing to believe what her grandfather had just told her. "I—I—" she choked, pulling away from him and getting to her feet. "I have to go."
Cygnus agreed, though when they reached the door of his study, she stopped, swatting away an angry, frightened tear. "You can use this knowledge to keep your mother from bothering you so much," he mused. "She will not be pleased that you know the truth."
"Everyone knows?" Dora whispered, finally looking up at the man.
"Your mother, Cissa, Bella, and all the older Lestranges know," Cygnus told her. "Rabastan knew, before he was incarcerated. He saved your life when everyone believed it would be best to get rid of you."
"Did Mum want to get rid of me?" Dora sniffed, her body trembling as she slowly began to realise some of what this news meant.
"There wasn't any way she could have hidden the fact that she'd been pregnant," Cygnus answered, sighing when he saw tears finally spilling down the girl's cheeks. "Dora, even though Regulus and I are fully aware of the situation, we have no desire to shun you, though my wife feels different, obviously. You will be part of our family, and the Lestrange family, unless your choices remove you from it."
Dora couldn't speak, and the man reached out cautiously, drawing her into a sort of reassuring hug. She clung to him tightly for several moments, then pulled away and rubbed away her tears. He cleaned her face with a simple spell, then opened the doors to his study. "Don't be a stranger," he said softly. "I'm always here if you want to talk."
She jumped in shock the moment the doors opened, for her cousin Regulus was barely three feet away on the other side, preparing to seek entrance. The man merely looked at her for a moment, then said quietly, "Your mother is looking for you, Nymphadora."
She did not respond, but brushed past him rudely as she rushed away down the hall. She couldn't bear to look at her favourite cousin, not if what her grandfather said was true. The girl made her way down the staircase almost too quickly and took a moment to compose herself as much as she could before quietly crossed the room and nonchalantly joined her sister and the Avery girl.
"Where were you?" Athena frowned, giving her a look of concern. "You know mother doesn't like us talking to him."
"He's fine," Dora said, rolling her eyes, though anger surged through her at the thought of her mother's warnings to them. "He's just a grumpy old man. I'm sure mother disapproves of him because he was too strict with her as a child."
Lauren giggled at this, but Athena just sighed. "Don't get in trouble, Dora. You know how paranoid Mother is."
Dora shrugged. "I'll be fine," she said. "It's not me that's in trouble." Athena just blinked, confused, but didn't press her sister further as Lauren watched them curiously. "Anyway, Regulus told me that Mother was looking for me, so I'll be off to find her," Dora added, nodding to the two girls.
She walked away without waiting for a reply, soon finding her mother speaking to Cissa, Laurel, Moriah, and Tempest. Dora sidled up next to her mother quietly, only speaking once Andromeda had acknowledged her. "I was told you were looking for me?"
"Yes, dear," Andromeda answered softly. "Tempest wanted a word with you, and I didn't see you with Athena, but Regulus said he'd retrieve you."
"Yes, he told me," Dora nodded, glancing at Tempest Black cautiously. As she followed the young witch away from the others, she wondered about her cousin's wife. She had resented the woman for a couple years just because she'd married her favourite cousin, but there really was nothing wrong with Tempest. She was smart and funny—rather plain, Dora thought—but her simple, kind way made her beautiful.
The two stepped out onto the balcony together, Dora grateful that it was climate warded. "We have a bit of news to tell our family in a little while," Tempest said, a smile playing about her lips, "and we thought you might want to know beforehand." She hesitated a moment at the unsure, questioning look of the girl, then said, "I'm going to have a child."
"Oh." Dora glanced at the woman's stomach, and Tempest blushed furiously.
"There are protective wards and things so no one will know," the witch explained. "We decided it would be safer that way."
"So...is it a boy?" Dora questioned, tilting her head slightly as she looked at the woman.
"We decided not to find out yet," Tempest answered. "I'm really nervous about it, so he agreed to wait." She glanced at the girl, then look out over the railing, placing one hand on the rail. "I just didn't want it to be a big shock to you when you found out."
"Oh," Dora shrugged. "Well, it's your duty...it's why you married him."
"Well, not really," Tempest smirked. "But it was part of the deal."
Nymphadora grinned at her, the woman slipping an arm around her shoulders. "Are you excited?" she asked the woman.
The witch sighed, brushing her hand over her stomach self-consciously. "Yes, but I'm scared too," she answered. "But I know it'll be okay. I'm just glad Regulus' mother is already dead and buried and can't interfere."
Dora laughed at this, Tempest joining in as they turned back toward the doors to the house. "Wait," Dora said quickly, pulling her hand away. "I mean, you must know if it's true…."
Tempest Black looked at her in concern, and Dora's hair faded to brown as she murmured, "Is Rabastan really my father? Did Mum really try to run away from her family when she was a girl?"
The young woman blinked, definitely not having expected what Dora had asked. "I'm not sure I'm the one you should be asking," she replied. "Why do you ask?"
"It is true, isn't it?" Dora breathed, streaks of white in her hair. "Or you would deny it."
"Nymphadora," Tempest said sternly, "you should be speaking to your mother about this, not me."
"I don't want to talk to her," Dora hissed. "She's lied to me my whole life, and so has everyone else!"
Tempest stepped forward, reaching out to grasp her young cousin's hand, but Dora backed up, her eyes wide with realisation and fear. "I can't make excuses for Andromeda," Tempest sighed, "but way back when she was bound to Rabastan and found out she was pregnant with you, Rabastan promised he would claim you as his own. He always counted you with Athena and Laverne, and he definitely knew the truth. Your mother hated him when they were first married—she was forced to marry him against her will. She only changed toward him when he accepted you into the House of Lestrange."
"And now that I know?" Dora whispered. "Now that I've told you, won't things change?" She shivered, even though it was not cold.
"I can change nothing," the witch said firmly. "Nor would I want to. Those who know will not speak of it because your father—Rabastan—did not want your mother or his family shamed."
"Shamed because of me?" Dora cried out against those words.
"—did not want to cast doubt on the House of Lestrange," Tempest corrected herself. "It was nothing against you—he loved you, Dora. Both he and Andromeda love you."
The door opened, and Regulus stood in the doorway, making Dora start and step backward, wondering why she always seemed to run into him in doorways. "Nymphadora, are you all right?" he asked in concern.
Tempest looked over the girl's white-streaked brown hair and sighed. "Get out, Regulus; you're not helping."
"Well, fine," he said in surprise, half laughing. "I'm ready to leave when you are, though."
"All right," Tempest answered as he left, not turning from her distraught cousin.
"You'll tell him I know," Dora whispered. "And I'll be disowned. I don't have anywhere to go…."
"He wouldn't make any sort of decision like that," Tempest said firmly. "He only has control of the proper House of Black and who stays on the tapestry, and I've heard him say the tapestry is charred enough without adding to it. You belong to the House of Lestrange, and no one needs to know differently. You're a wonderful girl, Nymphadora. Your family loves you."
A single tear dripped down Dora's face, and Tempest finally reached out, pulling the girl into a hug. "You poor child," she sighed. "How did you find out?"
"Grandfather told me a little while ago," Dora sniffed, glad of the young woman's reassurance.
Tempest drew a deep breath. "Well, Dora, he only does or says things that are to his advantage," she said gently. "He's probably up to something."
Dora looked up defiantly. "He told me when my own mother wouldn't," she hissed. "What does that mean?"
"That Cygnus Black wants something and is willing to disrupt our families in order to accomplish that," Tempest replied, then held out her hand entreatingly. "Don't be mad, Dora. I don't want you to think he's a friend and then he hurts you."
"I—fine," Dora muttered numbly, staring down at the floor of the balcony. "I don't want to face my mother...or the others ever again."
"Come on," Tempest said, slipping her arm around Dora's shoulders a second time. "I'll go with you. I'm sure your mother's about ready to leave anyway, and I know Regulus is ready. Just morph your hair back to black."
Dora obeyed, allowing the witch to clear her face with a spell before they walked hand in hand back to the others, Tempest with her ever-present soft smile on her lips. Dora could always tell from the way Regulus looked at her that he loved her, and that was the reason that she had finally just accepted Tempest as her cousin. She couldn't deny the woman was lovely, considering she'd been rude to her a lot at first.
Tempest slipped her arm around her husband as Athena hurried up to Dora, the family seeming all happy together. Dora nodded to her grandfather secretly before she turned to follow her mother to the apparition point. She'd see to it that her mother got properly yelled at for her wrongdoings, though she didn't know if the time would come today, orsome day in the future.
Cygnus...what are you up to?
Trixie Black Lestrange
