AN: dodges tomatoes being thrown at her I know, I know, I know! I took WAY to long to update. And this chapter isn't even that long. But the next will be longer, I promise. Oh yeah, you'll see why Narcissa missed meeting Jeremiah here. She was a little preoccupied. I was looking over past chapters of this fic, and am content to say that the writing has improved a smidgen. Yay for May! (Am I crazy, or is that an AWESUME COOL saying? I know!) But I also noticed how Bella became slightly less evil, and more human. I'd like to think that it was in her all along, and now she's sort of realizing some things. I dunno. Andie and Narcissa seem pretty similar to the way I first created them to be (though Narcissa is about to encounter a change in her life that will make her less innocent) What do you think? Please tell me in a review (which I desperately need to fuel this fic, yo!) because I always deeply appreciate them. For those who did:

Magic Crystal Rose:

Don't worry, I can't kill Andie. That would be just…well, that wouldn't work out. The reason why Bella didn't show up is sort of explained in this story. Thanks.

Soccergirl:

Hehe, yes a…bad man indeed. As for what happens between Bella and Lestrange, well my lips are sealed. ; )

Tonks is very cool. Can you see some of the Tonks I tried to incorporate in Andie? I hope so.

Hmm. I hope I didn't make the fact that it was Jeremiah….hmm. Hey do I have any Jeremiah/Narcissa shippers out there?! Hehehe

Thanks.

Soleil Luna:

I don't need you to prove it, I actually found out that Arthur had three brothers on the JK Rowling website a very cool site. You all should visit!) and I was like "Oh crap, then Charlotte has no chance of existence, and neither do her sisters." But, being the lazy ass I am, decided not to point it out, and hope you all didn't know (I'm big on pride…hehe.) So thanks for getting my butt in gear. I apologize for the mistake. : ) and thanks for pointing it out. buries head in shame Ah! The Quidditch mistake. I hope you all can forgive me for THAT…hehe. Thanks for your very helpful review.

Chapter 16

Wet. It was wet.

And cold. Why was it so cold?

She opened her eyes carefully as she could; glancing around to find herself slumped on the wet floor of a dungeon cell.

"Andromeda Black. Welcome to The Dungeons of The Lestranges." Through the steel bars of her cell was the sneering face of Rodolphus Lestrange.

"What do you want with me?" She snapped from her place on the floor, narrowing her eyes angrily.

"Well, I'm a Slytherin, Black." His eyes glinted in the dim light of the candles that shone behind him, and his smirk only grew wider as he continued in his speech, "I'd do anything to get my way."

"What does that have to do with me?"

"Why, you're my bait."

"Bait to what?" She hissed, trying to wipe the slime from the ground out of her hair.

"Don't be daft. Oh wait, I forgot." He turned around dully, lighting another candle with the snap of his finger, "You can't help it. After all, you are a…" he paused, his lip quivering in obvious disgust, "A Gryffindor."

"You're using me to get my sister?"

"Took you long enough." He said, rolling his angry eyes.

"Well it's not doubtful to me now why you had to kidnap someone in order to get a broad to marry you…" She muttered darkly, looking away from the Lestrange, "Ugly git…"

"That's funny, because it's not doubtful to me now nor was it ever that the only bloke that would ever date you is a fucking mudblood." He snapped back quickly, his voice dripping with hatred.

"How dare you call him that!" She sprung up, fumbling through her robes for her wand.

"Just in case you haven't noticed, I'm the one outside the cell. I'm the one with the wand." He said softly, grinning maliciously as he pulled out his wand and pointed it through the bars, "So I can say whatever I want."

"You can't use that wand," She replied, her confidence dying a bit, "You're not allowed to use it outside of school."

"You think I'm unaware of that?" He laughed cruelly, the sound tore at Andie. How could Bellatrix, as weird as she was, possibly have considered loving this guy? "My father has put anti-magic tracking wards all around these dungeons, all around this entire house. A Lestrange is never unprepared. Crucio."

The instant she felt the spell touch her, it was as if being thrown into a blazing fire inside out. Her outside felt like it was being stabbed by a thousand knives. He kept it on for about a minute, but it felt like her entire life had flashed by in that short time.

"Remember that. I'll be back. Try and get some rest." He cackled at his mock kindness as he exited the dungeon, the clicking of his heels against the damp corridor eventually blending into silence, except for the dripping of the cell she was trapped in.

"Someone, where are you?"

Blood spilt on dungeons floor

Andromeda will be dead

If you don't agree

That soon we shall be wed

Narcissa spotted it slashed across her pink wall as soon as she rolled out of her canopy bed.

And when Andromeda's bed proved absent, she knew something was very wrong. Her heart began to bang against her ribs as she ran to the other room to wake her sister.

Bellatrix sat in front of her mirror, yawning as she tugged at her black hair with a brush.

She turned at the sound of Narcissa, and when she saw Bellatrix, she discovered her to look quite disheveled. Her skin was paler than usual, except for the dark, puffed skin that encircled Bellatrix's eyes. She must have been crying.

"Bella." Was all she could say, and it came out strangled. Her sister looked at her blearily.

"Narcissa, could you please leave me alone?"

Narcissa shook her head quickly, "Bella, this is an emergency."

Bella rolled her eyes and swished to look fully at her sister, "What?"

"Lestrange. Lestrange's got Andie!"

Her eyes widened, "What? How on earth do you know that?"

"Come see this."

"Well, it's obvious what we have to do, isn't it?"

Narcissa shook her head, plopping down on the floor, confusion weighing her down, "No. If I had found something obvious, I probably would have already said it."

"We have to go get Andie before Father finds out."

Narcissa furrowed her brow, shaking her head as she stared at Bella's pacing heels, "Well, I don't know Bella. That seems a little…"

"What now?" Bella whined.

"Don't you think that's what Lestrange wants you to do? Come back to him? Obviously, he wants you two to get married. I think he's convinced that if he gets you in his house, he automatically has you in his grasp. No, you can't, Bella. I'll just go." Narcissa insisted, swishing into her cloak, and Bella laughed.

"Yeah, right Cissa. You can't go to the Lestrange manor alone!"

"I don't want anyone to get hurt. It wouldn't be logical for you to go. That's what he wants you to do." Narcissa replied smartly.

"You don't know anything about that place."

"Sure I do. We are 'family friends' with them. I've been there like a million times! The passwords pure. The door to the dungeons is in the back, the password for that is mudblood hell."

"Nope, I'm not letting you go by yourself." Bellatrix decided, "I'm going with you."

"And…you're sure you want to do this?"

"For the hundredth time, yes!" Bellatrix hissed as they flew through the warm air.

"You know, I'm real proud of you." Narcissa said, smiling as Bella snorted, "No, really I am. I thought you hated Andie. And now you're helping me save her! It's just like something we'd do, you know, when we were very close…that was a long time ago…"

"Don't think Andie and I are going to be all buddy buddy now. I still don't like her. But as Blacks, we have to take pride in our family and have certain…obligations for it."

"But I am proud. You've changed so much this year."

"How do you mean?" Bella asked.

"Well, at the beginning of this year, it seemed like the only person you cared about was father. And now, it seems like you care about all of us."

"I suppose Father just proved himself to be a bit less wonderful than I thought."

"You used to idolize him though! Stick on every word he said! Really, you did!"

"Well, I got smarter. You can't trust anyone I suppose."

"I don't think that you're taking the right lesson out of it." Narcissa replied sulkily, and Bella gave a nervous smile.

"Well, I was always good at doing that."

There were a few moments of sheer silence, until Narcissa piped up again, "What made you change, Bella?"

"I'm not that changed, Narcissa. I still follow the beliefs father laid out for me, and I still plan on being a death eater, and you can't talk me out of it. But Andie…she was right. Father never loved anyone, and he never will. Perhaps that's the way I should live. If you never love anyone, you never ever get hurt." Bella felt her throat seize up, begging her to stop pouring all her thoughts out on the floor for her little sister to pick through.

"But if you never love anyone…than you never love anyone!"

Bella rolled her eyes, leaning into the broom, "Great bit of logic you got there, Ciss,"

She wondered now how her family was reacting to the fact that she was gone. She sighed. Yeah, like they actually ever noticed.

Narcissa and Bellatrix, she knew them better than anyone else. She didn't really understand them, but she knew them. And she knew, or she hoped, that by some dumb luck, they'd come to save her.

She froze at the sound of footsteps, and shut her eyes tightly, curling up in a ball, hoping he'd leave her alone if she was asleep.

It had been a few hours since she'd woke this morning, and he'd come in more than five times. The Cruciatus Curse seemed to be his favorite, though he enjoyed using Imperius and making her bang herself against the walls, pledge that she was a blood traitor and mudblood lover, and if he was feeling particularly creative, dance. She felt completely humiliated and degraded, but took it with pride, because, she was a Gryffindor.

"Can we wake her up?" She heard a soft voice whisper, and recognized it. Lestrange couldn't be here.

"She's faking it. Come on, stupid, it's just us, your brave sisters, coming to save your ass. I'll have you know this is the last time."

Andie opened her eyes, completely enthralled to see her sisters. She stood, running up to the bars, and grinning.

"Took you long enough. You can do magic to undo the lock. Since you're saving me and all."

"But, we're outside of school. We're not allowed." Narcissa said quietly, and Andie shook her head.

"No, it's fine, they're some kind of wards."

Bella nodded, leaning over and whispering, "Alohamora," at the lock, and the cell door squeaked open.

"Thanks." Andie breathed, smiling at her sisters, "I didn't think you'd ever do anything like…" She stopped, and her eyes widened. Footsteps could be heard turning the corridor.

RUN! She mouthed, and they did so, sprinting down the corridor.

They heard a cruel laugh echo through the hall, as they struggled to open the door knob.

"Alohamora! Alohamora!" She cried, but it did nothing.

"Come now, Black Sisters. You didn't think you'd actually get away, did you?" Drawled Lestrange, and they all gasped to find their wands fly from their fingers to his. "You're staying here, now."

COOL FACT: This fic was going to be called "The Black Sisters" originally. The document is actually labeled "TBS" But in the end, I decided Welcome to The Blacks was better since…it sounded cooler. Hehe All right, thought it was a cool thing to know. Tell me what you think about it! REVIEW! HAVE MERCY AND REVIEW!