Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, or anything related to it. Anything you recognize belongs to J.K. Rowling, and other arties I have to connect to. This fanfiction is made purely for entertainment purposes, and no profit is being made.
Dark brown eyes stared at the beige walls of a simple, yet expensive room. These were the eyes of Bellatrix Black, a young girl immersed in the unfairness of her life.
It was the first day of Winter Break, and she had just arrived home from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Bellarix had come home, proud of her placement in Slytherin house, and excited to see her younger sisters. However, there had been no chance to see either Andromeda or Narcissa.
The Black had been grounded since the very second she arrived, all because she had spoken to a few insignificant muggle-borns! Honestly, of all the ridiculous things to do, why did her parents have to ground Bellatrix for speaking with a few people below her stature? Bellatrix knew they were inferior, so what was the big deal?
A burning emotion swelled in the heart of Bellatrix, which had to be fury. If not so, exasperation or resentment. What was unknown, or maybe just ignored, by Bellatrix was that her emotions were dejection and confusion. Even though Bellatrix knew muggles and their so-called magical children were nowhere near her level, the muggleborn students at Hogwarts had acted like humans.
Such thoughts are appalling, the curly-haired Black tried to reassure herself. Those filthy mudbloods have no place at Hogwarts!
Instead of bringing superior and rightful feeling, as they were intended to, the thoughts increased the somber demeanor.
Her reddened brown eyes hardened and Bellatrix left the comfort of her green and silver bed for her window. She pulled open the emerald green curtain with a shaking hand.
Bellatrix gazed at the muggle landscape outside, terrified from how normal everything appeared. Muggles had no difference from wizards in appearance, other than their odd dressing habits. Outside, a few straggling adults wandered home through the thick smog, and a teenager could be seen selling papers on a corner. A girl slightly younger than the Black hurried about in a simple dress, followed by a boy who seemed a bit older. They were likely sent out to fetch some bread or milk.
Suddenly, Bellatrix was pulled out of her musings by a slight rap on her door.
"Bella?" Two voices asked as one.
Before she had even walked to the door, Bellatrix knew it was the voices of nine year old Andromeda and seven year old Narcissa.
"Cissy? Andra?" Bellatrix asked quietly, standing before the door, a hand reaching out as if she wanted to pull it open. "What brings you two outside my door this evening?"
"We want to talk to you, Bella!" Narcissa's attempt at a whisper made Bellatrix wince. How was it even possible to whisper that loud?
"Shh, Cissy, quiet down," Bellatrix tried to be polite, though she knew she sounded harsh. "You might want to lower your voice, lest we get caught. Speaking of which, you should not be outside my door."
Her voice slipped into a shameful murmur- a horrifying thought, with her being a Black! How dare she, a respectable pureblood, be doing such a low-life-level thing? Bellatrix almost laughed at the irony that it was her doing the act, not childish, pushover Narcissa, or ridiculous Andromeda.
"Oh, do lighten up, Bella," Andromeda sighed. "All you did was talk to some muggle-borns! You shouldn't be punished for that."
Bellatrix winced. Andromeda always spoke her mind, even when the brunette had an odd opinion. The behavior was outlandish, and frankly- Bellatrix shuddered at the thought- Gryffindorish.
With a deep breath, the preteen recited, "The muggle-borns are second class. I must not talk to them! Such actions are those of a blood-traitor."
Andromeda huffed in irritation, while Narcissa remained quiet.
Even though Narcissa was young and confused, she always had a sense of when she really needed not speak. For some reason, the quality calmed Bellatrix.
"Still," murmured Bellatrix cautiously, "I do enjoy your presence. I will let you in momentarily."
"Thank you, Bella!" Narcissa exclaimed- though her exclamation was not nearly as loud as her "whispers" from before.
The noirette grabbed her wand off the floor with a dramatic sigh. Her parents had been so furious when she got home that confiscating Bellatrix's wand had been the last thing on their mind.
Bellatrix once again approached the door, with her walnut wood and dragon heartstring wand gripped tightly in her hand.
"Alohomora!"
She waved her wand at the door to cast the unlocking spell. Her underage magic would not be noticed by the Ministry of Magic, since there were too many adult wizards within the house.
Bellatrix fixed a fake smile on her face, even though she knew it would only make her look crazy, especially with her curly mess of black hair upon her head. The dark-eyed girl ignored the thought and pulled the door open. Narcissa and Andromeda must have been leaning on it, as they immediately toppled to the ground.
"Owe!" Narcissa whined, while Andromeda sat up slowly, while she rubbed the spot on her side that slammed onto the wooden floor.
Andromeda frustratedly complained, "You should have warned us before opening the door."
Bellatrix shook her head, her smile a little more real now.
"No way," she argued, closing the door. "That," Bellatrix waved her hand to where her sisters fell, "was hilarious."
After an amused chuckle, Bellatrix found herself wincing. Laughing in such a mainical way at her sisters made Bellatrix feel as if someone had tied a knot in her stomach.
Yet, Narcissa's slight glare at Bellatrix shocked the elder sister, and sent guilt pouring into her veins. Even worse, with the way Narcissa carefully clutched her left wrist to her chest, Bellatrix wondered if she was hurt.
The dark-haired girl was quick to approach Narcissa. Bellatrix wordlessly and gently pulled Narcissa' hand away from her chest and checked for bruises.
After seeing none, Bellatrix slowly pushed Narcissa's wrist up.
"Does this hurt?" she inquired softly.
"Only slightly," the smallest Black insisted with a light smile. Bellatrix's anger drifted away fast, as always.
Bellatrix was unable to subside a huge grin at the way Narcissa's pale blue eyes lit up. She always glowed in an unearthly way whenever she was happy. With her near-violet black hair and unblemished skin, Narcissa would grow from being adorable to stunning.
Why does her joy have to be so utterly heartwarming? Bellatrix mused, enjoying the uncharacteristic happiness spreading through her own body.
She warmly stated, "I've missed you too a fairly large amount."
Andromeda smiled slightly at that, but only for a second.
"Bella, are you okay?" the straight-haired girl demanded. "You look like you've been crying."
"What?" Bellatrix scoffed, reaching up to touch her eyelids. They were wet.
No! Bellatrix thought desperately as the world turned cold. She could not cry! She had to be the strong one, as the oldest child. Crying meant weakness. Crying meant fear. Crying meant she was not good enough to solve her problems on her own. It meant she was everything her parents wanted her not to be.
Rage at herself caused Bellatrix to shake. She laughed maniacally, and ignored the expression on violet haired Narcissa and brown haired Anddromeda's faces. Really, this could not be real. Bellatrix could not have done something else wrong! The blame must have rested upon someone else!
"Me, crying? You're an imbecile, Andromeda," Bellatrix mocked, drawing out every syllable of her sister's name. She refused to show fear! "You think I'm weak, like you two children? Well, I'm not. Eyes water sometimes, you know… or maybe wittle baby Narcissa and wittle baby Andromeda haven't wearned dat yet?"
The miserable faces of her sisters filled Bellatrix with regret, especially Narcissa's. If Bellatrix had not dragged her into a conflict that she hadn't been involved with, Narcissa may have held onto some of her earlier cheer.
Instead of focusing on the dismal attitude, Bellatrix focused on Andromeda's freckles. Such blemishes showed too much sun, and made Andromeda look like a Weasley. Someone who took so little care with their aristocratic appearance had no right to glare at Bellatrix, to stand tall like they were superior. Right?
Andromeda had no right to grab the hand of a teary-eyed Narcissa and whisper "C'mon, we'll come back here when Bellatrix remembers how to use her heart."
Most of all, Narcissa had no right to cry because of something Bellatrix, her older, protective, loyal sister, had said. Especially since her tears broke Bellatric's own heart more than the little girl's own.
Yet, perhaps even worse than that, Bellatrix had allowed her emotions to control her. She had shed tears- and over something miniscule! Really, all this would not have happened if Bellatrix had not been weak. So much blame rested on Bellatrix's mistake, a mistake that would seem inconsequential to others. A mistake the Black knew had just set her life of course. That is why Bellatrix vowed to never cry again, to never show any sign of weakness, of fear. The promise surfaced, and it would be strange to think it would lead Bellatrix down a dark path.
A/N: Thank you so much for reading this chapter! The next chapter will be posted one week from today.