Welcome back to my old readers and welcome to the new ones! Thank you for reading my story thus far and thank you so much for the 3 new reviews, they are always very appreciated! Here is the third installment of my story. It took longer than the previous ones because I changed my mind several times about its direction, I had to do a lot of research regarding canon events, and I tried to redeem it by making it longer than the previous chapters! I hope you all enjoy it and have a great read.

Chapter 3

Narcissa's deep slumber came to a sudden halt after she was awoken by a light tapping on her dorm room's window. Peering at the windowpane through one eye, she realized it was still dark outside. She silently groaned and felt for her wand that she always kept beneath her pillow in anticipation of any sudden threats, as taught by her mother. The tip of her perfectly manicured fingernail grazed over one of the many silver-beaded studs on the handle of her sleek and elegant wand. She slid her fingers around the handle and pulled it from underneath her pillow.

"Lumos," she whispered carefully, attempting not to wake up her entire dorm along with her.

A bright iridescent bulb of light began erupting from the tip of her wand and she directed it towards the clock hanging at the end of the room. When she realized the time read '4:15' she let out a soft whimper and slid out from beneath her covers. She slid into her silk night robe hung beside her bed and slipped into her silver fur slippers. She approached the window while letting out a stifled yawn only to find her family's barn owl Antlia perched on a twig on a nearby tree with a carefully rolled up piece of parchment, sealed with the Black crest, nestled in the crescent of her beak. Antlia was a highly skilled and competent flier with impeccable knowledge of her way through the country, however, Narcissa now understood her father's complaints about her sooner-than-expected arrivals interrupting his slumbers. She gently opened the window allowing Antlia to shuffle onto the indoor windowsill.

"Well done Antlia, thank you," whispered Narcissa while tenderly stroking the owl's head and detaching the letter from her beak. After Antlia kicked off her flight back to the Black's mansion, Narcissa slowly closed the window and tiptoed her way back into bed. As she unsealed the roll of parchment, a small neatly sealed golden pouch fell onto her lap. Drifting her illuminated wand over the piece of parchment, she began reading.

Dearest Narcissa,

I hope you are having a splendid second half to your third year. I know your exams are approaching and even though most attention is on Bellatrix for her N.E. and Andromeda with regard to her O. , that makes your endeavors no less important. Your father and I want to wish you the best of luck and success. I have enclosed a special bag of sweets to give you a sugary reminder of home.

Everything at home is quite acceptable at the moment. Your father is currently preoccupied with work and I have been busy organizing and hosting luncheons. Your Aunt Walburga and Orion visited today and brought along your little cousins Sirius and Regulus. They have grown to be fine young boys aged 9 and 7 respectively, however, little Sirius has been driving Walburga to insanity with constant pranks. I would not be lying if I said I was looking forward to their departure out of fear the boys, notably Sirius, would destroy something at home. Thank heavens your father and I were blessed with three beautiful daughters, although Bella did break a fair share of furniture in her youth.

We look forward to welcoming you at home for the summer.

Yours,

Druella Black

Narcissa smiled at her mother's thoughtfulness. She opened the golden pouch to find an assortment of caramel sea salt fudge pieces, Narcissa's favorite candy. Druella was a very proud and haughty woman with an impenetrable masked exterior, nevertheless, she was incredibly loving towards her daughters and loved to spoil her youngest.

After unsuccessfully attempting to continue her slumber, she rolled out of bed, slipped into her robe and slippers, grabbed a quill and empty parchment, and descended into the common room to do some light revision. She was shocked to find that she was not alone even at the ungodly hour of 4:30.

The common room was occupied by a small shadow sunken on a couch to the left and a small group of seventh years circled around a table to the right.

"Andy?", Narcissa exclaimed after recognizing the silhouette of her sister melted into the couch to the left.

"Cissy! What are you doing awake so late?"

"You mean early. It's practically the morning Andromeda, have you not slept yet?", she replied in a concerned tone.

"I'm doing some last-minute cramming I'm afraid. I have my Arithmancy and Divination OWLs tomorrow afterno-"

"You mean today", interrupted Narcissa with a soft chuckle

"Oh Merlin Cissy, I can always count on you to tell it to me straight", said Andromeda whilst looking at her little sister in admiration.

Andromeda and Narcissa were soon interrupted by a dark shadow approaching them from behind who turned out to be their eldest sister Bellatrix. Bellatrix draped her arms around their shoulders pulling them into an embrace.

"What are you two still doing up, if only mum and dad could see their precious Andy and Cissy out of bed after midnight", she said with a laugh that closely resembled a howl.

"We could ask you the same thing!" chimed the two younger sisters.

"Oh don't be silly, mom and dad would never expect such trivial nonsense from me anyways. They could never get me to do anything really. But since you asked, I've been having a private tutoring session for my Charms N.E.W.T, if you know what I mean", she mentioned with a cheeky wink while tilting her head towards her latest conquest Rodolphus Lestrange.

Narcissa widened her eyes in shock and Andromeda let out a giggle. Narcissa rolled her eyes in disgust on behalf of her mother. The Black daughters were taught to be pure and respectful. She could not comprehend how one could engage in such scandalous acts let alone speak so openly about them. Druella Black closely resembled her youngest daughter in terms of personality. If Bellatrix had inherited her fiery spirit, it would have been from her father. Cygnus Black had a rambunctious temper, however, had learned to manage it and only let it engulf his body on rare occasions.

"Oh Bellatrix, have some respect for yourself!", snapped Narcissa leading to Andromeda collapsing in a fit of laughter watching her youngest sister lecture her oldest sister.

"How far did mother shove that stick up your arse Cissy!", fired back Bellatrix.

"Mother taught us to-"

"Take it from me, my dear sisters, following mother's bloody exhaustive list of manners will only drain your life away. Loosen up and live in the present. If you want to do something, don't wait for tomorrow, and do not let some lousy teachings stop you from doing anything. This is why, if you excuse me, I'm going to continue my private lessons. They don't come cheap.", Bellatrix interjected with a smirk and wink before twirling back to Rodolphus.

"Have you not studied at all? Professor Flitwick told us the Charms N.E.W.T is one of the difficult ones", replied Narcissa in a concerned and disapproving tone.

"Cissy dear, what do our grades matter anyways if we have to become perfect pureblood wives anyways. I thought you were a follower of mother's rules, tut tut", Bellatrix snorted before blowing a kiss at her sisters and walking away.

Narcissa gazed at her sister with absolute abhorrence and turned back to Andromeda who seemed to be vigilantly reflecting on Bellatrix's advice. Narcissa was not surprised. Bellatrix and Andromeda, being closer in age, and despite having widely different personalities, were always extremely close and bound to the hip. The two sisters balanced each other out and formed the inseparable Black sister duo. Bellatrix kept Andromeda free-spirited while Andromeda kept Bellatrix as sane as she could. Narcissa cherished a tight bond with her older sisters but accepted that it would never be the same as theirs. Andromeda truly embodied the symbol of the middle child through being the balancing force between the personalities of her polar opposite sisters.

"You cannot take that seriously Andy, mother knows best"

"She would be very proud of you Cissy, you're going to grow to be a remarkable young woman", replied Andromeda with an adoring smile on her face while placing her palms on Narcissa's face. She planted a kiss on her forehead to bid her goodnight and walked her back to her dormitory.

Narcissa was awoken at 8:30, four hours into the depths of her sleep, by her friends for breakfast served in the Great Hall. Plagued by an initial wave of confusion and disorientation, Narcissa was not even sure if the events in the Common Room had taken place or if it was merely a fragment of her imagination. After breakfast, Narcissa and her friends shuffled into one of Hogwarts' spacious examination halls to sit their final assessment of the year: Transfiguration. She was relieved to have adequately revised all of the material included in the test. Nothing out of the ordinary had occurred other than a Gryffindor being pulled out for having an enchanted quill and 50 points being deducted from his house. Rumors circulated that a Slytherin had in fact enchanted it and revealed the information to Professor McGonagall in efforts to topple Gryffindor and achieve a last-minute victory of the House Cup.

Their year at Hogwarts was coming to an end. Narcissa was going to celebrate the end of the year with a final trip to Hogsmeade with her friends. The students were soon called by their heads of houses to collect their grade transcripts. When Professor Slughorn reached the surnames beginning with 'B', all three Black sisters were called and collected the rolled parchment sealed in the Hogwarts crest. Narcissa's heart was pounding rapidly. She carefully unrolled the parchment and her eyes began proudly trailing through the grade list. She had achieved the grades she expected and was relieved to see that Herbology was an EE as she had expected an Acceptable.

Narcissa Black

Potions O

Transfiguration O

Charms EE

History of Magic O

Defense Against the Dark Arts O

Astronomy O

Herbology EE

Arithmancy EE

Study of Ancient Runes EE

She turned towards her sisters to see their reactions to their more important grades. The highly intelligent and competent Andromeda had received straight O's except for an EE in Charms.

"It must have been that wretched levitation charm in my practical exam. I must have mixed it up with the Growth Charm due to poor sleep", muttered Andromeda in a slightly disappointed tone.

"Bloody hell Andy, you practically have straight O's. I'm going to get a mouthful from father for my divine grade list," Bellatrix replied with a snort while Narcissa and Andromeda looked down at her list of N.E. .

Bellatrix had only achieved a humble three N.E. , however, did record an impressive 'O' in Defense Against the Dark Arts. Narcissa was sure this was actually due to Bellatrix's knowledge of the Dark Arts itself taught by her father. The Black family was highly skilled in the Dark Arts and proud. Her father had a large assortment of artifacts carefully hidden in their mansion.

"Merlin's beard Bella, you could apply for a Defense Against the Dark Arts teaching position with that grade!" muttered Narcissa in an impressed tone.

"I would definitely make many changes to the curriculum. Firstly, by renaming it 'The Dark Arts' and removing the Defense part", Bellatrix replied smugly leading to Narcissa letting out a soft chuckle.

Even being in the preface of July, it was a cloudy and gloomy day at Hogsmeade. The Highstreet was lined with cobblestoned streets and picturesque little houses and cottages. Narcissa, Evan, and Nancy were headed towards the Three Broomsticks to meet Ramona, Arthur, and Phoebe as a celebration for the concluding of their third chapter at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Despite the morbid weather, Hogsmeade was fully charged with sparks of life. Narcissa had never seen it so vibrant and animated as it was saturated with students, third year and above, celebrating the end of the highly stressful examination period.

She passed by Honeydukes, Dervish and Banges, Ceridwen's Cauldrons, and Madam Puddifoot's Tea Shop which was filled with young witches and wizards on dates. It was not up to Narcissa's standards and she would never permit being taken on a date in such a small cramped tea shop. Outside one of the many shops lay a stack of copies of the Daily Prophet with a large animate photo of Minister Nobby Leach titled:

June 28, 1968

Minister for Magic Nobby Leach leaves Office due to Mysterious Health Condition

A sudden illness has torn away from the ability of Minister of Magic Nobby Leach to continue serving his position. Numerous employees in the Minister of Magic have expressed their sheer sadness at the news commemorating his many achievements and reforms recorded over his shortened reign of power. Several ministry officials, notably from the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office, have expressed the urgency of conducting a rapid full-scale investigation suspecting foul play. An official statement from the spokesperson of the Minister of Magic insists it is merely a normal illness most likely hitting the Minister as a result of old age.

"Father told me there are whispers that Malfoy's father Abraxas poisoned him", whispered Nancy Parkinson, whose father was well connected with Abraxas Malfoy.

"We should go buy Lucius Malfoy a pint then, my uncle was in the Wizengamot and resigned because of the appointment of a mudblood as Minister for Magic", replied Evan in a repulsed tone.

Narcissa scoffed and rumpled her face in disgust. She could not comprehend how the Wizarding World could be put in the hands of a filthy and unworthy mudblood. He socialized and associated with disgusting muggles and was not even aware of his wizard status, of which he does not deserve, up until he received his Hogwarts letter at the age of eleven. The past years had been an absolute tragedy for the Wizarding World with the appointment of a mudblood Minister for Magic and a mudblood sympathizer, Albus Dumbledore, as the new headmaster of Hogwarts. Her parents had considered withdrawing Narcissa and her sisters and transferring them to Durmstrang. They ended up reconsidering their decision due to the proximity of Hogwarts and ultimately preferring that Andromeda and Bellatrix continue their education where they began for the sake of their O. .

When they finally reached The Three Broomsticks it was packed to the brim. Narcissa, Evan, and Nancy scanned the crowd and raised their noses after seeing the mixture of students from different social classes and blood statuses. Narcissa was worried her new silk robes could get stained. They floated into a tight entrance in the back of the pub that expanded into an exclusive lounge with white leather chairs and black tables. This area of the pub was seldom visited by students due to its expensive nature and was rather filled with students from aristocratic families, professors, and visitors such as Ministry officials.

"This is more like it", muttered Narcissa as her friends nodded in agreement.

Browsing the lounge, it was more crowded than usual and over proportionally filled with Slytherins. She found Phoebe, Arthur, and Ramona seated in the corner with a fourth year, Augustus Rookwood. Narcissa, Evan, and Nancy joined their table and ordered themselves alcohol-free drinks as they were underage and Narcissa found drinking to be irresponsible.

As the night continued, the table began breaking out into smaller intimate conversations. Arthur and Phoebe were engaged in a heated discussion about when they'd visit each others' families over the summer and Evan was discussing politics with Ramona and Nancy. Narcissa found herself growing tired and fading out of the conversation. She was jolted by a soft and deep voice coming from her right.

"Narcissa Black right?"

Narcissa turned around to find herself face-to-face with Augustus Rookwood. He was quite handsome, she had to admit. He was tall for his age, had a long face with a finely sculpted jawline, hazel eyes, and dirty blonde hair.

"Pleasure", she courteously replied offering him her hand.

"It is almost strange to call you a Black, you're so different from your sisters"

"Being a Black is more defined in values, pride, and principles rather than appearance. Wouldn't you agree, Rookwood?", she replied softly whilst looking down and appearing to lose interest in the conversation.

Narcissa had always grown up hearing she did not look like a Black, however, she was very proud to be a member of the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black and did not appreciate being discounted. Augustus Rookwood smiled and turned his chair to face her.

"I would most definitely agree Narcissa Black, you are as Black as it gets"

Narcissa looked back up at him and remained composed with a neutral expression and her chin up, however, she had a twinkle in her eye suggesting that she had accepted the compliment. She could not show him that she needed his validation, however, she was too proud for that.

"And you? What does it mean to be a Rookwood?" she politely asked back.

"To be respectful, ambitious, and proud, but most importantly to have a strong jawline," he said with a cheeky smirk.

Narcissa let out a small chuckle, which was uncharacteristic of her. It was not easy to make guarded Narcissa Black laugh, especially after your first conversation with her.

"A list of equally important and admirable qualities, Rookwood", she fired back with a playful, yet serious tone.

"I hope Hogsmeade is up to your standards. This is the first year you get to visit it, correct?"

"Yes, indeed. It is a charming little town, but the selection of stores and establishments can be too fluffy and childish for my taste", she admitted sneering at the memory of the pink tea shop.

"You deserve nothing but the best, Narcissa Black. There are many hidden gems that took me long to find. Maybe next year I can show you sometime", he said with a courteous nod before smoothing his neatly pressed robes and standing up.

Augustus Rookwood walked back to a table hidden in the far-right corner of the pub. It was separated from the others on a platform guaranteeing both privacy and exclusivity. Narcissa peered over at the table and found it occupied by other fourth-year Slytherins including no other than Lucius Malfoy. Lucius' back was turned to Narcissa, but his sleek silver-blonde mane and expensive attire was enough to easily identify him. He seemed to be very close to a tall and pretty brunette girl, although only a fraction interested in her as she was interested in him, judging by his body language.

"What a lucky girl", snickered Nancy as she walked up to Narcissa.

Narcissa turned back to face Nancy with a cold expression plastered on her face.

"Not for long. His conquests end faster than they begin"

"I wouldn't mind a two-hour conquest, or one even, he's absolutely gorgeous", replied Nancy with a giggle.

"Oh Nancy, have some respect for yourself", Narcissa replied coolly with a subtle smirk on her face.

"Don't act so innocent, I saw you talking to Rookwood. Tell me all about it", squealed Nancy while linking arms with Narcissa and pulling her out of the pub. Narcissa gave a last look at Rookwood's table to find him animatedly talking to his friends. Lucius Malfoy had shifted, however, and was making conversation in a corner with Professor Slughorn. Narcissa admired his intricate ability to forge useful connections. Lucius Malfoy had more contacts than most adults would dream of at the mere age of 15.

Narcissa turned around and left the pub walking back with her best friend and telling her all the details about her conversation with Augustus Rookwood. She did truthfully enjoy their conversation and would be happy to speak to him again. Narcissa's pride, however, would never let her admit it. Nevertheless, she did not allow herself to give her heart to someone yet, she was too young. Nobody could break through the glass exterior of Narcissa Black, she would never let anybody in. Vulnerability is weakness. Her mother's saying: "Never let your guard down until you are sure that person is deserving" echoed in her ears during her walk back to the castle.

Bellatrix Black was on the other side of the pub draining down her post-examination stress in butterbeers with her inner circle consisting of Rodolphus Lestrange, Thomas Avery, and Alecto Carrow.

"He seems to be gaining followers at a fast momentum", acknowledged Avery.

"I heard he is only recruiting people fresh out of school. Maybe your father could arrange for us to meet him in the summer Rodolphus, I would love to hear his ideas in person", chimed in Alecto Carrow with a devious look on her face.

"From what I've heard, he's a wizard who attended Hogwarts in the 1940s. He goes by the name Lord Voldemort now. His ideology is centered around ridding the world of filthy mudbloods and even half-bloods alike. He believes in the importance and superiority of keeping the magical blood pure. He promises world domination and achieving pureblood dominance in both the magical and muggle worlds", explained Rodolphus in an eager, and almost fanatic tone.

The Lestrange family was known to be highly acquainted with the Dark Arts. Master Lestrange, Rodolphus' father, was a friend of Tom Riddle in his Hogwarts days and was even a part of his gang the 'Knights of Walpurgis' along with Thomas Avery's father. They were an exclusive and secretive tight-knit group of Slytherins formed in the 1940s and later disbanded in 1945 to form a newer and more official group.

"Father is always called for meetings with him now. He refers to his supporters as his 'Death Eaters'", added Thomas Avery.

Bellatrix sat wide-eyed and was almost hypnotized with lust at the idea of achieving pureblood domination.

"I want to join as soon as possible. We need to be a part of this", she said with an equally fanatical and passionate tone as Rodolphus'.

That's it for this chapter! I hope you enjoyed the developments. The next chapter will continue with Bellatrix's marriage to Rodolphus, first meeting with Lord Voldemort, and Narcissa's fourth year at Hogwarts where the Marauders will join. The next chapter will also feature more of Andromeda. As always, thank you for reading and reviews are very appreciated.