"The baby grew and grew until she wasn't really a baby anymore. She learned to walk, and run, and even twirl like a ballet dancer…" Andromeda started
…..
"Come on Cissy, you can say it! An-drom-eda!" the seven-year-old prodded.
The blond-haired toddler looked up at her sister "Ayama"
Bellatrix looked up from her quidditch strategy book "Andi...she's only a year and a half, she'll say it when she wants to"
Andromeda sighed "But Sirius can say my name"
"Sirius follows you around like a little puppy dog"
The copperheaded child looked up at her elder sister "Bella, why are Maman and Papa at St Mungo's? Is it cos of Maman's headaches?"
The dark-haired teenager sighed "All I know is that Maman wasn't feeling right yesterday and Papa wanted a healer to make sure the baby was ok"
"Will the baby be ok?"
"Papa said that he would floo Nana as soon as he knew"
Just as Bella said that the tall elegant figure of Madame Rosier entered the room.
"I have just spoken to your papa. Mes petites fées, your mother had the baby"
Bella's eyes widened in understanding "The baby wasn't due until Christmas…"
"He wasn't"
Andromeda had a bewildered look on her face "A brother?"
Her grandmother nodded "Oui, your parents him Jean."
"Like the man in Maman's book!"
The Frenchwoman nodded
"When will we get to meet him," Andi asked enthusiastically.
The look on the elegant woman's face became grim. "Girls, you won't be meeting your brother. He was too small, he's with your Grand-père now"
Andromeda thought a moment. Tears welled up in recognition. She had never met her grandfather but Madame Rosier spoke of him often, he had gone to live in the stars when the girl's mother was no older than Andromeda in that very moment.
Bellatrix sat there silent and still, staring down a corner of the room. "Et Maman?" The words almost shocked her. Although she was brought up with French, she barely ever spoke it.
The girl's grandmother simply replied "Elle a besoin de repos"
Bella nodded unemotionally.
The days that followed were full of tears and hugging. It almost felt like a nightmare to the little seven-year-old girl with wildly curled auburn hair.
The day of baby Jean's funeral was horrible. Druella clung tight to her husband's arm, still fairly weak from the birth. Cygnus….The girl's beloved Papa, he looked like he hadn't slept a wink. His normally well kept, always trimmed beard was unkempt and scraggly, the twinkle in his big chocolate pools was gone. Yet he held his family with inconvincible strength. The young grieving family was of stark contrast to the family that joined them in the front row.
A tall, arrogant man...a woman with eyes that could pierce your soul….a little boy who loved to laugh and pretend to be a pirate...not yet born was a shy ,quiet boy who loved to explore.