A/N: Hello, hello, I'm back with another update (which I really enjoyed writing)! This one is actually kind of intertwined with the previous one, so I hope it won't cause any confusion.

*ehm, I must admit, I gave myself some strong unintentional Cissamione feelings with the third and fourth chapter and I don't really know how I am gonna cope but don't worry I'll manage and I promise, it won't affect the story whatsoever! *

As always, thank you so much for the feedback, follows, or favs! I appreciate every single one of you so much, you don't even know!

ENJOY!

CARPE NOCTEM / BREAKING THE STARS / CH. 5

"Why is it you're sheltering a mud in your own house, Narcissa? And no, this time I'm not talking about your husband."

"Bellatrix!" The blond witch snapped angrily, looking over her shoulder to see the heavy door closing. The half-blood was already gone but without any doubts, she must have caught both the utterly outrageous insult and the humiliating remark addressing Draco's father. "How dare you—?!"

"How dare I?! How dare you, Narcissa!" the other one barked fiercely, not caring one bit whether the girl would hear this or not. "I cannot believe you're befouling our name in such a way!"

"I'm not befouling anyone's name! Just calm down and let me explain," Narcissa let out coldly, making her way towards the dark green sofa.

"Oh, please do explain, because I cannot wait to hear your excuses." Arrogance was dripping from every word Bella's mouth uttered. She made her way to the blond witch, looking at her from above. "Explain to me," she continued in a low voice, "how's it possible your only heir is making friends among mudbloods and similar scum of such sort—because dear Cissy, I cannot think of one single reason I'd ever allow this to happen had Draco been my son!"

'Maybe if he was yours, you'd actually understand,' Narcissa thought to herself before she spoke. "Sit down." She tapped the empty seat beside her.

"No." Bellatrix shook her head stubbornly exactly the same way she used to do thirty years ago.

"I'll tell you everything you want but I can't have you standing over me like I'm under some kind of an interrogation!" she nagged.

Taking a deep breath, the dark witch moved closer and sat down, crossing her legs, giving Narcissa a look full of expectations. "Well?"

"Believe me, until recently we had no idea this was going on," the blond one started. "How could we? Draco's been at Hogwarts and the only time we could actually see him or talk to him was during holidays and those exhausting Ministry assemblies." Narcissa shifted nervously, gripping her upper arms. She could clearly see the muscles in Bellatrix's jaw tensing up but other than that, the woman kept quiet.

"A few months ago, we had Fudge over, so you understand Draco needed to attend. After that fiasco of a dinner, when the man had finally left, Draco startled us as he calmly announced he wanted to invite the half-blood for the summer holiday. You can imagine our reaction. Lucius was furious!" Narcissa took a deep breath as her eyes were unfocused at the memory.

"What about you?" Bellatrix asked quietly, aiming for some firmness in her voice, but it betrayed her as the last syllable faded in fear, she so desperately tried to mask it behind anger.

Narcissa looked at her, confused, but then opened her mouth at the realisation.

"Bella, no! This is not— I'm not like her. You know that!" Narcissa stuttered as she understood what this was really about. It seemed that a penumbra of Andromeda was still haunting her sister just as much as it did her.

"Listen!" She moved closer to the witch, grasping her hands. "I'm not thrilled about this either! I too am angry! Don't even think for a second I enjoy having her here, but—"

"But what?" Bellatrix released her hands from Narcissa's own warm ones. "How is it that she's here when you feel this way? I don't suppose she was holding a knife to your neck when she appeared at the doorsteps."

"No, of course not. Just let me finish, will you?" Narcissa adjusted herself in her seat and continued. "Lucius had a nasty argument with Draco. Never in my life had I seen them talking like that."

"Got it. They had a fight." Bellatrix narrowed her eyes. "But the muddy's here anyway. What kind of quarrel was it then? I don't need to remind you how arguments between us and our parents went back in the day, need I?"

"Oh, but—" Narcissa let out a soft, incredulous laugh. "I hope you're not suggesting I should have beaten my own son senseless. I think you remember I promised never to touch anyone in my family that way." Narcissa gazed into Bellatrix's dark eyes. "We both did."

"All I am saying is," the dark witch started as her glowing eyes roamed over the wild flames larking in the fireplace across the library, "it wasn't explained clearly enough for him to understand that people of her class are far below ours." She looked back at Narcissa with a dark expression. "Maybe I should talk to him. The girl will be gone before you know it. What do you say?" The corners of her mouth curled into a small but frightening sneer.

"No, Bellatrix! You don't have to talk to anyone!" The blond one leaned back, her eyes widened at the notion of her sister chatting with Draco.

"Do you want to get rid of the girl or not?!" The dark one raised her voice again.

"I do, but I can't— ugh, you don't understand!" Narcissa buried her face in her hands.

"Then explain already! Cissy, speak!" Bellatrix was obviously losing her patience.

"It's just— the half-blood saved Draco's life. I can't just let it pass as if nothing happened, can I?!"

There was a moment of silence so Narcissa looked up, finding her frowning sister gazing at her with puzzlement. She used the moment to elaborate. "They both got a detention and were sent to the Forbidden Forest where they met some kind of a wolf-like creature and I know what you're thinking, it really does sound a little too fabricated and ridiculous, but—"

"'A little'?" Bellatrix snorted. "Are you seriously trying to tell me that the girl who got all scared by my mere presence battled a werewolf or something and saved my nephew along the way?"

"To be fair, Bella, there are quite a few people who'd rather face a werewolf than you being in a bad mood," Narcissa pointed, quickly carrying on and not giving her sister another chance to interrupt her, "but the point is, I've read the girl's mind. She's not lying."

Bellatrix furrowed her brows, clearly pissed. "Fine, let her be a hero, but why did they get the detention together in the first place? This must have been going on for quite some time," she added darkly.

"It wasn't like that. Whilst the half-blood got the detention from Snape, Draco got his from that caretaker, the squib. Lucius has been to school and required that Dumbledore fire the scum, but you know how he is." Narcissa clarified, shaking her head.

Bellatrix nodded. "So, the thing is, Draco's in debt to the half-blood. All right, I understand—but why didn't you give her something to repay her? Why do all this?!" Bellatrix gestured vehemently.

"You think I haven't tried that?! Of course I have, but Draco's too stubborn." The blond witch shook her head again.

"Excuse me?! Draco's too stubborn? I think you and Lucius are both too soft! Cissy, you must shake some sense into the boy while you still can! This isn't something you can compromise on. We cannot let him gamble with our reputation! Tell me, who else knows about this?" Bellatrix asked, a slight drop of panic lingering in her tone.

"Well, " Narcissa gulped.

"'Well, everyone' or well what?" Bellatrix barked.

"Look, Bella. They're in the same year, have classes together. The rest of the students must have noticed that he stopped insulting her, that they somehow grew closer over the past few months."

"Stop right there, you're making me sick," Bellatrix growled, scrunching her nose in disgust. "Listen, the boy likes the muddy one, it's clear as day! You have to stop it before it's too late!" She stood up abruptly, having Narcissa follow her.

"Bella, however much I dislike it, I cannot dictate my son whom he can or cannot like! It's just not possible. I know and I'll try my best to end this while it's still innocent, but I can't promise—"

"Did you really just say that?" Bellatrix widened her eyes in disbelief. "Cissy, what is it with you?! Why are you still defending this whole situation! She saved the boy's life, so what! Give her some gold and that's it! He'll forget about her pretty little face in no time!"

"It's not that easy and you know it! I had some time to think about this. I'd forbid him to talk to her and what do you think would be the first thing he would do? Once he'd be back at Hogwarts, he'd run straight to her!" Narcissa theorised, gesturing with her hands. "We'd grow apart over the years. He would eventually stop talking to us and run away. Just like Sirius did—just like she did, and I cannot lose him, I can't! He'd be the first one to go if there ever was a war." Narcissa tried to turn away to hide tears creeping into her beautiful eyes but Bellatrix stopped her, seizing her left arm.

"Get a grip on yourself! You're exaggerating, Cissy..."

"You must have heard the rumours!" Narcissa lamented as she tried to release her arm.

"No, stop, nothing like that is going to happen so suck those tears back!" She managed to swing the blonde around. Narcissa lifted her chin to look at her sister—she had never been an emotional one. Of course, an awful temper was a whole other story, but tears? Never.

"What I wanted to say," the dark witch started as her eyes locked with those blue ones, "I don't enjoy seeing you like this," she added in a calmer voice. Bellatrix really did love her sister and even though she would never admit it, she was scared of losing her the same way she had lost Andromeda; the same way Narcissa was afraid of losing Draco.

The blond witch's lip quivered as she let out a barely audible sob. She moved closer, putting her arms around Bella, tugging her into a warm embrace.

The other woman reciprocated the hug, gently stroking Narcissa's back—and suddenly they both felt like they were small girls again, comforting each other over all those years before it became perceived as pathetic.

Bellatrix waited for her to pull away: She wanted to give her sister some time to calm down. After a few seconds, her grip loosened and the witch took Bella's hand into her own and lead the way back to the sofa.

They sat down, facing each other.

"I," Narcissa wanted to say, but Bella held out a hand.

"It's all right. I understand, but don't expect me to hop around pretending—"

That's when they heard the sounds of quiet footsteps. They both turned around, only to see Draco with a very nervous girl budging behind him.

Narcissa let go of the girl's arm and hurried after her sister.

She alone wouldn't keep the half-blood from leaving—quite the opposite—but she couldn't help herself upon noticing the expression creeping up Draco's face.

A feeling of déjà vu slipped into her mind when she remembered the exact same disappointment and hurt painting Andromeda's eyes years ago when mother had forbidden her to see that mudblood, Tonks.

The witch's steps carried her through the dark manor, leading her away from the past into, unfortunately, a very unpleasant present. Narcissa had a strong feeling where she'd find Bella—and she wasn't mistaken. Solar had always been her favourite part of the house, so it was obvious the witch would be heading right there.

The door had been slightly opened, urging the blonde to enter, so she slipped into the room causing no more sound than a plain wind. Bellatrix was there, facing a huge window illuminated by silver light that was slowly easing away with a forthcoming promise of a dark morning.

"I didn't hex the filth, what more do you want from me?" Bellatrix grumbled, annoyed when she sensed the presence of the blond witch.

Narcissa took a moment before speaking. She slowly approached a wooden chair and sat down facing the woman's back. "To be patient with him, be not so cold," she answered quietly. "He loves you very much in case you haven't noticed."

Bellatrix frowned, taking a small golden apple resting on the cabinet next to her into her slim fingers. She, too, cared about the boy, but what he'd done was just unacceptable.

"How are you, Bella?" Narcissa cut through the silence when no reply found its way into her ears.

The witch turned around with her eyebrows raised. "Are you seriously asking me that?"

Narcissa exhaled loudly. "Look, let's forget about this whole catastrophe for a while. Merlin, I haven't seen you for one whole year, so what's so wrong with asking how you've been?"

"I'll tell you exactly what's wrong. It's inappropriate!" Bellatrix hissed with an incensed look. "You expect me to drop—" she aimed to continue but Narcissa spoke over her.

"No, you know what is really inappropriate? You showing up here at one a.m. without any word, but I'm not calling you out for that!" Narcissa snapped back.

"Well, you just did." Bella frowned, but the other woman only sighed.

"I don't want to fight anymore. If you— if you care about our family, then stop being so exasperated, we can talk about it later." She gave out the ultimatum.

"Or I could just leave, I know when I'm not welcomed," the dark witch stated and took a few steps towards the exit.

"No, you take one more step and I forget about that little oath we took!" The blond witch stood up, walking straight to her sister, who looked too perplexed to move any further. "What are you playing at?" she finally got out of herself.

Narcissa only lifted her chin. "Stop acting like a child! Come on!" She dragged the witch to a pair of chairs, pushing her slightly onto one of them, and sat down herself on the other one. She was perfectly aware that if it were somebody else handling Bella in such a manner, they'd be damned. So damned.

Her eyes found the black ones and she had to put a lot of effort to stop herself from forming a smile.

The dark witch looked like a rebellious child with her arms folded across her chest, squinting at Narcissa from underneath the thick mass of curls as if she'd been deprived of something she wanted so badly.

"I promise we'll talk about it later!" Narcissa's eyes, that were lacking that frosty feeling once she had thrown her pride aside, showed so much urgency Bellatrix just couldn't protest.

"All right," she growled, annoyed, pursing her lips together.

"So?" Narcissa asked carefully as Bella went back to playing with the apple, twisting it on the table with a mere shift of her index finger.

The dark witch gazed away from the item, rolling her eyes. "Merlin..."

"Can you at least try? For me?" her sister asked softly.

After a long intense silence, Bella's lips finally moved. "Apart from this— no wait!" She held out a hand as Narcissa opened her mouth. "Apart from this, it hasn't been so bad," she grunted.

"That doesn't give away much." The blonde pointed out with a barely visible smile.

Throwing her head back, Bella issued a sigh of frustration. "What else do you want me to say?"

"Well, I don't know, maybe some details? Merlin, you're harder to talk to than Draco— and he's a teenager."

The dark witch addressed her sister with a nasty look, but Narcissa only raised her eyebrows.

"All right," Bella resigned, "I've visited a lot of countries, met a lot of wizards..." Her head was tilting from side to side as she counted her blessings from the journey.

"And have you found anything?" The blonde cut to the chase, a little annoyed her sister wasn't taking it seriously.

"Yes and no," Bellatrix replied cryptically.

Merlin, this was harder than she expected. "Could you be more specific?" Narcissa asked, eyeing the apple that was now twisting a little bit faster.

"Actually, I can't," Bellatrix spoke as she glanced over at her sister, adding quickly, "it's not that I wouldn't want to tell you, I just don't have enough information right now."

"It's been four years. Are you sure you want to continue?" Narcissa implied cautiously.

"I'm not a coward, Cissy. I'm not going to abandon the task the same way Rookwood and Nott did!" She lifted her chin proudly.

"I know you're not, but you're all alone in this, it just seems like a waste of time! You cannot possibly get all the seven items on your own even if you lived a double life," the woman said openly.

"I know what I've gotten myself into, all right? I'm positive I'm capable of finding the last five of them before I die." Bella emphasised the number as her lips curled upwards.

The statement left Narcissa speechless. She opened her mouth, but no sound came out of it.

"I told you once, those idiots were just slowing the progress and my, wasn't I right again?" Bella caught the apple in her palm and let it melt into golden liquid slowly travelling down her skin but leaving no trace whatsoever.

"Are you trying to tell me you've already found two of them?" Narcissa finally found her voice.

"I'm not trying to say anything." The dark witch smiled mischievously as the liquid turned into powder, disappearing in the midair.

"But..."

"Oh dear Narcissa, it's been a long day, well—night I should say. I'm sure we can discuss it later, can't we?" She leaned in, kissing her sister's forehead. "We have all summer, after all." She got up from the chair, leaving the stunned Narcissa alone.

Okay, I think I've finally dropped a few hints here and there to show where this is actually going. I'll probably change the description over time and add a little more info about the AU this story is set in.

But for now, I hope you enjoyed the chapter and will be back for another one!

As always - I'm looking forward to your feedback!

Much love!