Disclaimer: All of the characters below belong to J.K. Rowling.
A/N: This is just a short story I wrote a while ago. I wanted to write more, but it seems to be just fine where it is. Oh well.
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The Noble and Most Ancient House of Black
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"The greatest weakness of all is the great fear of appearing weak"
-Jacques Benigne Bossuel
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Two teenagers and three children were sitting in a large room, marked with serpents and colored with green and silver. The first teenager was a girl who was sitting in an overstuffed chair with a sulking look on her waxy face. Her eyes were dark as her hair and heavy-lidded. Her round mouth was turned into a scowl and her arms crossed in front of her chest.
The other teenager was girl, her sister, about a year younger than former. She was sitting in the widow seat, reading a book. She was short, with plain, brown hair, and pale skin, though it was not waxy like her sister. Her eyes were dull green as they moved back and forth across the pages.
The next oldest was a boy about ten years old. He was leaning against the wall next to the other two. He had long, messy black hair and startling gray eyes. He was taller than the second girl, though the first had a good few inches on him. He was looking extremely bored, as though he didn't want to be there. He kept glancing at the door.
Yet another girl, about the same age as the boy, was sitting at a table playing Wizard Chess with herself. She was the complete opposite of either of her sisters. She had extremely long, silvery blond hair. Her eyes were blue, a baby blue color. She was also short, but about the same height as her sister.
The youngest was a boy of eight who was sitting on the floor playing with one of his toys. He looked almost the same as the other boy, but his eyes were blue and less startling, almost unintelligent. In fact, they were glazed over and when he looked up at his family, he looked through half-closed eyes.
The oldest girl sighed and glanced at the other girl sitting at the window. She didn't even look up at her, but kept reading. Instead the smallest girl answered her, though she didn't look up as she captured a rook.
"What's wrong, Bella?" she asked.
"I just wish we could go home. I hate being here!" Bella complained. The older boy snorted as the middle girl's eyes flickered up for a moment.
"I'm not sorry, Sirius. It is dull here, just like Drama's eyes." she whined at boy.
"Try living here," Sirius, the older boy, answered. "This house and family is going to the dogs."
Bella scowled at him. "Our family is not going to the dogs, you ungrateful boy. Just you wait, soon we will be the most well-known and respected family in the Wizarding world."
"Narcissa, that's a pretty ring, were did you get it?" the small boy asked her. Narcissa glanced at her pale finger at the pretty little ring that was enclosed around it. She was betrothed to a boy about Bellatrix's age; named Lucius Malfoy. The ring was a sign that she was spoken for. She glanced at it with contempt in her blue eyes and frowned. Regulus cocked his head and looked at her questionably. He looked at his older brother, who full on arguing with Bella and Bella had even stood up and was practically screaming at her cousin.
"You think that you're all high and mighty because you're in the Black heir, but you hate it! I can see it! You don't try and hide it! You would see this family fall and crumble and not blink an eye!" she was screaming at him, her face glowing like the setting sun.
"You're wrong and right. I don't think I'm high and mighty, unlike you, just because you're older. You're just as dark as this house and equally insane," he countered back her.
"How dare you!" She screamed at him. "How dare you!" She pulled out her wand and stuck it in his face. He glared at it coolly.
"Are you going to hex your own cousin, Bella?" he said icily.
"I might," she answered, her lip curling.
"You don't have the guts for it," he said, but it seems as though he took it too far this time. She took a deep breath and bellowed out a hex. As soon as the words left her mouth, as scream erupted, making the whole house quiver. It was a scream of utter pain. Bella dropped her wand rushed over to Narcissa. Sirius was looking slightly dazed, but then realized what happened. Andromeda had jumped up and ran from the room, going to get her parents or her aunt or uncle. Regulus backed up from the screaming girl as though she was made of fire and slipped quietly out the door.
"Cissy, what's wrong? What's wrong Cissy? Tell me what's wrong?" Bella was sobbing to the girl as she screamed. Sirius pulled Bella away and positioned Narcissa so she was lying down. She was shaking violently as though she was being electrocuted. Suddenly she lay quite still and ghostly white, her eyes wide open, and gazing into a nightmare only she could see.
Suddenly something hard and powerful slammed into the back of Sirius' head. He stumbled, and then turned around. Bella was holding a book in her hands, trembling.
"What did you do to her?" she yelled. "What did you do?" she raised the book again and was about to hit him when Sirius grabbed her wrists and held them. Bella immediately dropped the book and let out a loud sob and fell into her cousin's arms. He put his arms around her and she cried into his shoulder.
The door suddenly burst open and the four adults streamed in. They glanced from Sirius holding Bella while she sobbed, to Narcissa, lying life-less on the couch. The girl's mother, Druella, rushed over to her daughter while their father, Cygnus, went over to Bella and pulled her away from her cousin and slapped her. She collapsed on the floor, a red mark burning into her face. Sirius' father nodded to his brother and walked over to his eldest son.
"What happened? Who tried a spell?" he asked softly, anger flashing in his eyes. Sirius simply replied,
"Either me or Bella tried to hex each other and that lovely curse you put on this house made it backfire and hit Cissy. I'm not telling you which one did it though."
Bella stopped sobbing and stared at her cousin. He was protecting her from more pain. She didn't understand this boy. One minute they were fighting, the next, he was protecting her like she was his younger sister and there was a bully trying to hurt her.
Sirius' father scowled at him, and stalked out of the room. Walburga Black was helping her sister-in-law in reviving the little girl and Cygnus was standing over his oldest daughter as though she was a large and disgusting bug. He kicked her in the stomach, knocking the wind out of her, and then he turned and followed his brother.
"We're going to take Narcissa to St. Mungo's. Watch over the younger ones," said Druella in a soft voice. She picked up her daughter and left the room, Walburga following.
Bella was still sitting on the ground, rubbing her red cheek and whimpering. Sirius bent down next to her and touched her shoulder.
"Are you alright?" he whispered to her.
"I'm fine," she muttered. "Why did you not tell your father that I did the hex?"
"You are like my sister, however much we fight. I could never watch you get hurt without me doing something about it," he said softly and gently.
Why was he being so nice? Bella couldn't understand him. She knew she had shown weakness when her sister was hurt, and her father wouldn't allow it. She must not show weakness now either.
"Next time just turn me in and get it over with. I don't need you to protect me," she snapped at him. He looked surprised at her haughty answer and stood up and stalked out of the room, closing the door with a bang.
Bella sighed. Why can't I ever just say thank you? She wondered to herself. Why do I have to be so mean to those who are nice to me? Why? Because weakness is not something tolerated! If you show weakness, those around you will get hurt. And what about this Tom Riddle who is growing in power and popularity? Is he right by killing?
So many thoughts whirled through this seventeen-year-old's head that she almost fainted, leaving Andromeda to help Bella regain strength. Bella scowled at her sister and pushed her aside.
"I don't need your help," she snapped at her, the word sounding so familiar. "I'm going home, are you coming or not?" she said, more gently. Drama nodded and followed her sister out the door.
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Bella smoothed down the front of her white dress. I hate white, she thought as she scowled at her image in the mirror. A girl of eighteen appeared behind her, her blond hair glinting in the sun. Her face showed no trace of a smile, but of a sneer, rivaling that of her sister. Another girl appeared on the other side, her brown hair swept back in a bun and her green eyes dull and cold as her sisters'. The blond Narcissa touched her sister's hair gently.
"Today's the day, Bella," she said, her sneer loosening. Bella glanced at her then back at her own pale face. Her face had not changed much over the last few years. It had thinned, making her cheekbones more visible. Her hair was longer and her eyes heavier, as though she hardly ever slept.
Her sisters, on the other hand, changed quite a bit. Andromeda was now twenty, her brown hair cut short around her shoulders. Her eyes were larger, her eye lashes longer and her face fuller. Her skin tone was darker, tanner, as though she was outside most of the time.
Narcissa had definitely grown into a beauty. Her blond hair was long and perfectly straight; her eyes were pale blue, her eyelashes long. She was pale, her face thin, but not quite as thin as Bella's.
A wedding march sounded, and all three girls jumped. A ring slipped off of Narcissa's finger and hit the ground with a thud. It was a small ring, a diamond, surrounded by two smaller emeralds. Narcissa picked it up quickly and slipped it back on her ring finger. She looked at it with a longing in her eyes and Bella sneered at her.
"Are you regretting your marriage?" she asked. Cissy's eyes snapped back to her.
"Of course not! But what if we are too young?" she answered, her eyes searching her sisters' faces.
"You passed everything at Hogwarts, you're married, and you're expecting! What more could you want?" Andromeda answered.
"Girls, get out here!" a new voice hissed, as low as a snake. The girls look around and saw their mother's head sticking out of the main door. The wedding.
Andromeda left quickly, her pace light and carefree, as though she was floating. After a few seconds, Narcissa followed, glancing back at her sister before slipping out of the door.
Bella turned and glanced at her reflection again. At first glance, she saw her cousin, Sirius, staring back at her with warmth in his eyes. She gasped and did a double take. Her reflection was ghostly pale and her eyes wide. Why was she thinking about him now? He had run away from home about two years ago. She wanted nothing to do with him. She turned around and gathered up her skirts and marched through the large oak doors. This was it.
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Narcissa glanced at the small pale toddler on the floor in front of her. How could anyone not love this little boy? His smile lit up her world and his little laugh made her smile. Lucius was standing next to her chair, smiling at the son his young wife had managed to provide for him. He put his hand on her shoulder and she raised her hand and touched it. She was happy.
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Andromeda put her hand on her seven-year-old daughter's head as she smiled at her husband. He smiled back her and bent his head down to finish what he was writing. A twinge of guilt ripped through her heart. She was a witch, and he was a muggle. She had married against her family and had not told him what she was. Her daughter would be a witch or wizard too. What would happen when the girl would show magical tendencies? Would he leave her when he found out? A tear slipped down her pale cheek and hit the girl. What would happen tomorrow?
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Bellatrix sat in the corner of her bedroom, her knees drawn up close to her face. The room was old and moldy and smelled of rotten cheese. The bed was old and sagging in the middle and a crumbling fireplace was against the far wall. Her husband was asleep on the bed, his face pinched with lack of food. Her own face was thinner than usual, her frame was eerily small and sucked in, as though she was anorexic. She stared miserably around the room. This was not what she had in mind for her future. She was supposed to be happy, like Cissy, she was supposed to have a child by now, and a large house with elegant furniture. She could not even sleep in the same bed as her husband without it breaking. He did not know that she did not sleep next to him. He was kind to his wife and would have given up the bed for her. Bella hugged her knees closer. A gaunt face appeared in her head, one with long shaggy black hair and startling blue eyes. A phrase echoed in her mind: Do not show weakness. She lifted her head up, a determined look in her eyes. I will not.