CHAPTER 4
Letter of Betrayal

Andromeda spent the rest of the day feeling anxious and guilty.

There existed a tacit rule in her family not to interact with muggle-borns. They were bad influences. They had no understanding of Pure-blood culture, lacked the good education of Pure-blood families and had minds corrupted by both the intolerance of muggles and the frivolity of the Ministry. Befriending a muggle-born could lead one astray. Because of this, it would always give birth to gossip which would affect negatively the family's image. Andromeda was aware of that. She had been told and repeated those facts all her life. And yet…

What worried her most was that she had not found the courage to tell Bellatrix or Narcissa about her odd encounter in the Owlery. When Bellatrix had inquired on her finger injury, she had told the truth about Otta, and because she had had time to go to Madame Pomfrey before joining her sisters for breakfast that day, she had not had to invent a story about the plaster. In short, no one knew that she had exchanged words with Ted Tonks the Muggle-born, except, hopefully, for her and Ted Tonks the Muggle-born. A week had passed, now, and she felt like a liar. She hated it, because her sisters had always been the only people in the world to whom she had never lied and never felt the need to. She knew they told her everything in return. Was she betraying them by keeping silent?

She had tried to ease her mind by telling herself that it had been nothing but an insignificant incident, that she would soon have completely forgotten about it, and that Ted Tonks would, in no time, have gone back to the distant oblivion in which he had been politely residing until a few days earlier. She should have known better. Whatever luck she had accumulated through the years was now asking for payment and asking impatiently. Wherever she laid eyes, he seemed to pop up. In the corridors? There he was, walking amongst his group of Hufflepuff friends in the opposite direction from her. In a classroom? There he was, seated at the table directly behind her. In the Great Hall? There he was, eating at the Hufflepuff table, in her unobstructed field of view. She could not ignore him and every time she caught a glimpse of him, she was reminded of her sisters.

'Andromeda Black!' yelled somebody in Andromeda's ear, making her startle and drop the book she had been reading — or rather, staring at.

She looked up and saw Joy was standing by her bed with a hand on her hip, looking rather impatient.

'Merlin, Meda,' said her friend, 'I've been calling you for ages.'

Andromeda sighed and rose into a sitting position. 'Sorry,' she said. 'I was lost in thought.'

'What were you thinking about?'

'Nothing,' replied Andromeda rather curtly. 'What do you want?'

Joy bit her lip unhappily. 'Jeez, you've been in a bad mood all week.'

'Have I?'

Joy rolled her eyes. 'I just wanted to know if you'd be coming to the Quidditch try-outs, tomorrow.'

Andromeda raised an eyebrow, but before she could say anything, a voice on the other side of the dormitory yelled: 'Please don't say no! Joy has been agonising over it all week and if she is kicked out, I'll be the only girl left on the team!'

Andromeda turned to Paloma Jones, a tall, athletic girl with black skin and blond-dyed hair. 'What do you mean "she's been agonising over it all week"?' she asked.

'Nothing,' interrupted Joy, looking very red. 'She's lying!'

Andromeda felt a knot form in her throat. 'Did you really think I wouldn't come?'

Joy bit her lip and started hugging herself, cheeks still flushed. 'Well, I don't know… it's as I said, you've been in a weird mood all week and I thought maybe you were angry at me or something…'

Andromeda stood from the bed and stepped closer to her friend. 'Of course I wasn't angry at you,' she said in a voice she hoped to be comforting. 'You didn't do anything.'

From her bed, Paloma laughed. 'I don't know,' she said, 'stupidity makes me pretty angry…'

'Oh, shut up!' yelled Joy, but Andromeda could see the flicker of a smile on her lips. 'Besides, I get better grades than you!'

'That's because you're a cheater.'

'Am not!'

'Are!'

Andromeda sighed dramatically and the two girls grew silent.

'Anyway,' she said, 'I wouldn't miss your try-outs for anything Joy.'

'Really?' asked her friend, beaming.

'Of course. But that's only because I know you'll be selected. You're the best seeker in the entire school. I don't make friends with losers.'

'Oh thank you!' squealed Joy who was glowing with satisfaction. 'That's so nice of you to say!'

'Not to mention, incredibly pretentious…'

'Oh, you're just jealous because Andromeda didn't call you the best chaser in the entire school, Paloma!'

Paloma rolled her eyes. 'I don't need Andromeda's approval like you do.'

Andromeda frowned. 'That's enough,' she said, grabbing Joy's arm. 'Let's go to the Common Room.'

They had only made one step towards the door when it opened and a slim, pale girl with wonky spectacles opened it and walked inside. She was so focused on her feet that she nearly walked into Andromeda.

'Careful, Annie!'

Anne Fawley froze and looked up. She met Andromeda's gaze and not even a second passed before she looked away.

'Sorry,' she said, staring at nothing in particular. 'I didn't see you there.'

'It's okay,' said Andromeda, side-stepping her.

She would have left it at that — Annie was weird and made her uncomfortable — but Paloma felt differently. 'I thought you were doing homework in the Common Room, Annie? Finished already?'

'It was too noisy and crowded, so I left.'

'Noisy? At this hour?'

'Let's see what this is about,' Andromeda said, quickly ushering Joy through the door.

As it turned out, Annie had been telling the truth. The Common Room was packed and younger students were huddled in front of the announcement board. A quick look around, however, indicated Narcissa was not amongst them. Instead, Andromeda's little sister stood proudly, or rather arrogantly, by Bellatrix's side. Bellatrix herself sat in the most comfortable armchair of the Common Room, near the glass wall that allowed to see the Black Lake. The two of them were surrounded with Bella's seventh-year friends, although Sophie was conspicuously absent.

At Andromeda's right, Joy chuckled.

'Looks like Slughorn has finally put up the schedule for the Hogsmeade weekend trips,' she said.

Andromeda nodded, her eyes still on her sisters. Joy followed her gaze and sighed.

'You want to join them?' she asked, and Andromeda did notice the drop of disappointment in her voice.

Of course she wanted to join them. Those last few days, she felt as though she had been seeing so little of them. Narcissa was not sticking to them like she used to, and Bellatrix was not as overbearing as she used to. In fact, she was more distant and distracted than Andromeda had ever seen her. Even her presence at Hogwarts was less exuberant than the school had grown accustomed to. Students still hurried away and fled her gaze when they crossed her path in the corridors, but she had not been given detention even once since the year had begun. Andromeda first thought it was an improvement. Now she worried about what it could mean. What was it that diverted her attention so completely?

'Go on then,' said Joy, taking Andromeda's silence for a positive. 'I'm going back to the dorm. I didn't feel like doing homework anyway.'

Andromeda gave an apologetic look. 'I'm sorry, Joy, it's just…'

'It's okay,' Joy cut in before leaving, not meeting her eyes as she did so.

Andromeda watched her go with an uneasy knot in her throat before mentally shrugging it off and walking over to Bellatrix.

Amongst the group surrounding her was Valentine Pyrites, who had grown significantly friendlier with her since she had decided to engage him on the first day back from the summer vacations. Previously, although her classmate, he would spend little time with the eldest sister, and would only join her court occasionally, if only to ensure his place in society. Rita Skeeter was also there, still pretending to be a pure-blood, but Andromeda knew her mother was a muggle. So did Bellatrix. She had, in fact, used that knowledge more than once to get Rita to do her bidding, namely, start or stop ostentatious rumours. Rita proved remarkably effective at that. A smile grew on Andromeda's face when she noticed another person in the group: Liantris Greengrass. He smiled back when he saw her walking towards them and waved a hand.

'Andromeda!' he called. 'Do join us, love, your absence was being felt.'

'Touching, Liantris,' answered Andromeda, rolling her eyes. She then turned her attention to Narcissa. 'Why aren't you squeaking and giggling like the other kids?' she asked.

As expected, Narcissa face contorted into a dissatisfied frown. 'Because I'm not a kid,' she groaned. 'And I'm better than that.'

'Shouldn't you be more excited?' asked Liantris. 'You're allowed to be, you know.'

Narcissa shrugged. 'We're just going to Hogsmeade,' she said. 'Wizards go there all the time. And I'd be ridiculous to just stand around the board for hours.'

Andromeda stopped herself from noting how excited Narcissa had been at the idea of going to Hogsmeade not that long ago. Her sister was standing so straight it was not only unnatural, but nearly funny. Instead, she lowered her gaze towards Bellatrix, hoping to catch her eye, but her unusually silent sister appeared transfixed by the eerily still watery world shimmering behind the Common Room's glass.

'Bellatrix?' called Andromeda.

Bellatrix did not bother to look at her. 'Yes?'

'Are you all right?'

Before she could answer, Sophie was pushing through the crowd and towards her.

'A letter for you,' she said.

Bellatrix accepted it in silence and rose from her seat, eyes locked onto the piece of parchment.

'Who is it from?' asked Rita.

Bellatrix ignored her and started walking away, until Narcissa spoke.

'Bella, where are you off to?'

'Don't you all have stuff to do?' spat Bellatrix. She then stopped, looked at the group of exited third years for a few seconds, then back at Narcissa, and added. 'By the way, Cissy, that Ravenclaw girl trailing around with you, she's a mudblood. I don't want to see her anywhere near you anymore.'

With that said, she walked away, trailed closely by an apologetic-looking Sophie.

Andromeda turned to look at Narcissa and saw her little sister shivering with anger. They exchanged a glance but before Andromeda could say anything, Narcissa had stomped away. Andromeda continued to watch as she gathered her friends with one single commanding word, and left the Common Room in strides, like a Queen followed by her court.

'What a temper in your family,' noted Liantris with a whistle.

Andromeda ignored him, distracted by the peculiar sight of one Rita Skeeter, chuckling on her own over a little notebook on which she was frantically scribbling something with a colourful little quill.

'What's with her?' Andromeda asked Liantris.

'If I'm not mistaken, she was the one to tell Bellatrix that the Ravenclaw girl trailing around your sister was muggle-born. She must feel very proud of herself, right now. Did you know she records every little detail about every single student in a small notepad of hers? It must be what she is doing right now, actually. This kind of situation is like Christmas for her. Family drama, secretive letters… frankly, I understand her glee.'

'There is no "family drama" happening,' said Andromeda.

Liantris chuckled. 'Whatever you say, darling.'

Andromeda rolled her eyes, but then remembered something.

'Speaking of family, your sister forgot that flask on the desk, in Potions, last week,' she said, handing over the object as she spoke.

Liantris did not bother to take his hands out of his pockets. 'What do you want me to do with this? You see Maggie more than I do.'

'We only meet in Potions class.'

'And I only see her during the holidays. Her fault for being sorted into Ravenclaw. What a weird idea.'

'I'm fairly certain she did not do it on purpose,' laughed Andromeda.

'I wouldn't be so sure,' answered Liantris in a low voice. 'In any case, Meda, have you grown tired of your friends?'

Andromeda raised an eyebrow. 'What are you talking about?'

Liantris locked eyes with her and she could see by the slight frown of his brows that he was not joking around. 'Joy tells me you've been pushing her away.'

Andromeda rolled her eyes. 'Has she been whining to everyone?'

'And I noticed you don't talk with Curtis Delaney anymore.'

'That's not true.'

'I'm Head Boy. Which means I know everything about every prefect. You two are supposed to be friends, but he gives you dirty looks behind your back and you pretend not to notice when he's around,' Andromeda did not reply to that. 'So what is it?'

Andromeda looked at him, her face a mask of indifference. 'You're being nosy, and they're being paranoid.'

Liantris frowned. 'You can't push your friends away just because you have your sisters. They won't always be there, you know. Bellatrix is leaving Hogwarts at the end of the year, I remind you. And in any case, it seems to me like she has been ignoring everyone since the year has started. Including you. Only Sophie seems to be able to get to her.'

Andromeda did not reply but the murderous nature of the stare she placed upon him told it all. There was a lot she wanted to say to him in that moment, mean words more than anything, but instead, she took a deep breath, and controlled her expression. Without a word, she turned swiftly on her heel and walked away towards the dormitories.

Liantris was wrong, Bellatrix may have been more distant than usual, but not with her. And Sophie was certainly not the only person able to get to her. Andromeda was going to prove it now. She was going to get some answers and make things right again. They were the Black family, after all. They were – they had to be – perfect.

With these thoughts in mind she stopped in front of the seventh-year girl dormitories and was surprised to hear her sister's voice resounding through the door.

'… Not the point!' she was shouting.

Andromeda held her breath and stuck her ear to the door.

'… Barely know any of them, Bella…' replied the voice of Sophie.

'Your boyfriend is among them!'

'But he doesn't say anything!'

'It doesn't matter. I know what they're up to.'

'No, you don't. Lestrange barely says anything in his letters either.'

'That's why we'll be meeting in person.'

'But Bella… he could be dangerous… they…'

'Oh, don't be such a prick!' snapped Bellatrix. 'Actually, you're not even invited.'

'What?'

'Rodolphus said I could come. Nothing about you.'

'But Bella!'

'You didn't even want to.'

Silence followed. Andromeda waited, holding her breath, until she heard stomping footsteps approaching the door and she took several steps backwards just in time to dodge an angry Sophie. The girl barely spared her a glance before walking away. Andromeda watched her curiously for a couple of seconds before turning back to the dormitory. Her heart hammering in her chest and her mind working full speed she stepped inside only to see Bellatrix sitting lazily on her bed, reading carefully the letter she had been handed over earlier. She did not appear to notice Andromeda's arrival.

Andromeda frowned. Her eyes fell on the envelope and even from a distance she thought she could distinguish the stylised "L" that made the Lestrange coat of arms.

'Is that from Rodolphus Lestrange?' she asked, surprised even at herself that her tone was blank, and not accusatory.

Bellatrix jumped on her bed and Andromeda saw her hand reach for her wand. When the elder's black eyes found her sister's, she froze, though only for a second, before throwing her a murderous look.

'Don't you dare sneak up on me again!'

'You've been exchanging letters?' Andromeda continued, unperturbed.

'Get out of here!' yelled Bellatrix suddenly.

But Andromeda was used to her sister's sudden mood swings and fiery temperament and though she was scared, indeed, and goosebumps erupted along her arms, she stood her ground.

'Why are you so secretive?' she persisted. 'Why did Sophie say he could be dangerous?'

Bellatrix picked up a pillow and threw it at Andromeda's face. She dodged it steadily.

'JUST ANSWER ME!' she shouted in turn.

'DON'T YOU EVER EAVESDROP ON ME AGAIN!' barked Bellatrix.

'THEN TELL ME WHAT'S GOING ON!'

'IT'S NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS!'

Andromeda froze and did not reply. Now up on her feet and angrily gesticulating, Bellatrix seemed to notice her sister's sudden stillness and gazed at her suspiciously.

'What?' she spat.

I've been agonising over not having told you about a stupid, little conversation I had with a mudblood once, feeling guilty because I thought we always told each other everything, but here you have been, hiding something from me since the party at Liantris' house, and you don't even pretend to feel the tiniest bit of remorse about it!, thought Andromeda angrily.

Instead, once her breathing had calmed and the flush on her face had died, she shrugged nonchalantly.

'Nothing,' she said, her tone empty. 'I'm sorry for eavesdropping.'

Bellatrix frowned even harder, clenching her teeth. 'Andromeda…' she started threateningly, but Andromeda had already left.

She closed the door behind her and stormed through the corridor. She never stopped inside the Common Room and ignored the few faceless voices that tried to catch her attention. She went past the sliding wall and continued to walk, letting her feet guide her.

Her mind was a tempest behind the wall she had created for herself. But that beyond was hidden away, and for now, she felt empty. She had no idea where she was going, she was just running away. The stone walls all looked the same, and she focused only on what was right in front of her, barely blinking. Her heart beat madly in her heart, and the blood hammered at her temples. The headache was nearly unbearable; she ignored it.

At some point, she found herself bawling her eyes out under a tree, outside on the grounds. In the distance, a bird chirped. Andromeda looked up, hoping to catch a glimpse of it. Instead, her eyes found a black crow, soaring between the tall trees. A deafeningly loud croak covered the tiny chirp. Andromeda put a fist in her mouth to muffle the sounds and cried harder.

oooOOOooo

Andromeda heard the door open and froze in her bed. A ray of green light from the corridors broke through the darkness. Little pieces of dust, like fairies, danced inside the beam. For a few long seconds, they were the only moving things in the overbearing quiet of the night. Yet when the intruder finally took a step forward, Andromeda wished the stillness had remained. Her chest constricted and she closed her eyes. She would recognise the sound of those footsteps anywhere.

She sensed her presence above her before she felt her weight on the bed, at her back. She was trying hard to breathe as would a sleeper, but her entire body was strained and tense. When a cold finger carefully caressed her hair, she shivered.

'I know you're awake,' came the low, hushed voice of Bellatrix.

Andromeda hesitated, made to turn around, then changed her mind. She opened her eyes but otherwise remained still.

'What do you want?' she whispered in turn, her voice devoid of emotion.

'I want us to make up,' answered Bellatrix, her voice surprisingly soft. 'I was in a bad mood, earlier.'

A knot formed in Andromeda's throat. She remained silent. Behind her, she heard Bellatrix sigh, and before she could do anything, her sister leaned over her, planting her face inches from Andromeda who found herself trapped under her weight. Their eyes met and Andromeda refused to look away. Bellatrix's dark irises had a green glow to them, from the corridor's light. They were searching.

'You're still angry?' She asked, though it did not sound like a question.

Andromeda took her time to answer. 'No,' she said finally. 'Are you?'

Bellatrix smiled. 'I told you I came to make up.'

Andromeda kept her lips tight.

'Don't be like this, Andy.'

'Like what?'

Bellatrix glared at her and for a second, Andromeda was scared. Then, her older sister looked away, mumbled something, and kicked her shoes from her feet. Not asking for Andromeda's opinion, she snuggled onto the bed and under the covers. Andromeda let her do. She knew she did not have a say.

'Yes, we do send each other letters,' revealed Bellatrix once she was settled, her eyes back on Andromeda who remained deathly still, though she would not look away. 'We have been since school started.'

'Do you like him?' asked Andromeda suddenly.

Bellatrix rolled her eyes and tsked, annoyed. 'Don't be ridiculous' she replied.

Andromeda did not think that was much of an answer but neither did she think wise to insist.

'Why did Sophie say he was dangerous?' she asked instead, her voice barely loud enough for a whisper.

Bellatrix did not waver. 'She doesn't like him very much,' she said casually. 'She is afraid because his father taught him magic that's not taught at Hogwarts.'

'What kind of magic?'

For the first time, Bellatrix seemed to hesitate. 'It's nothing bad, Andromeda,' she said finally, a tinge of annoyance in her voice. 'I don't understand why you're so concerned about this!'

Somewhere in the room, someone squirmed in their sleep. Andromeda glared at her sister. 'Because I don't want you to go mingle with some predatory older boy whom we've never met before,' she growled.

Bellatrix frowned. 'That is not your concern,' she said forcefully, though quietly. 'First of all, I know what I'm doing. Second of all, he is a Lestrange.'

'We've never met him before,' insisted Andromeda. 'And we've met everyone who matters.'

'He studied at Durmstrang!'

Andromeda fell silent.

Bellatrix looked at her triumphantly before continuing. 'Anyway, if anyone's being played, it's him.' Andromeda raised an eyebrow. Bellatrix's smile softened and she passed her long fingers through Andromeda's light brown mane. 'I'm making connections and I'm learning things,' she said gently. 'Next year, I won't be at Hogwarts anymore. I need to secure things now, you understand?'

Andromeda nodded slowly and sighed, closing her eyes. She felt exhausted, all of a sudden. Every limb of her body felt immensely heavy. She felt something break in her mind, and realised that maybe, she had been the one in the wrong, all along. Meekly, she brought her chin to her chest, away from her sister's stare. 'I'm sorry,' she whispered in a brittle voice.

Bellatrix passed an arm around her shoulder and held her into a hug. 'It's okay,' she said. 'Let's not be angry anymore.'

Andromeda nodded again, weakly. 'I don't know why I reacted like that…'

Bellatrix tightened her grip and continued to caress her hair gently. 'It's okay,' she said. 'It happens.'

Andromeda closed her eyes once more and nuzzled closer to her sister. She felt warmer now and slowly, she let her body relax.

Of course Bellatrix was right. Of course she, Andromeda, had been looking into things that were not her business. She should be grateful Bellatrix had come to her at all. Feeling her eyes water despite the closeness of her lids, she tried to think of something else.

'Are you staying?' she asked.

She felt Bellatrix shrug. 'Yes.'

'Thank you.'

'You know I don't like the dark,' replied her sister, and Andromeda could hear the smile in her voice.

Suddenly, she felt her heart swell. Bella was scared of the dark. Bella was scared of blood. Bella was scared of many things, but no one knew besides her family because she let no one know, because she never let her fears slow her down. Andromeda swore to herself, like she had done so often in the past, that she would strive to be more like Bella: brave and strong and unstoppable.

'Thank you,' she repeated, before finally letting sleep guide her back to the realm of dreams.