Hey everyone! This story was brought to you by the following prompts on the following forums:
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry:
Folklore: Snow White and Rose Red: Task 1 - Write about two canonical sisters.
Herbology Club: (relationships) siblings
Treasure Hunting: Quiver of Arrows (action) falling
Tell a Joke Day: Blonde Jokes - Write about a character with blonde hair.
Record Collection: What is it about meant? (restriction) females only.
Elizabeth's Empire: (AU) Fairytale
Bex's Basement: Cranky's Drop Tower - Write about falling (Bonus)
Angel's Archives: Hierophant Green (theme) freedom
Marvel Appreciation: Agents of Shield (genre) adventure
Days of the Year: 22nd September Business Women's Day (restriction) females only
Friendship Week: Bellatrix&Andromeda&Narcissa
August Auction: Day 1, Auction 2 (character) Narcissa Malfoy
Monthly Challenges for All:
Link Maker: Same fandom (Harry Potter) 5,069 words
Firework Factory: Easy (Once Upon a Time) 5,069 words
Ilvermonry School of Witchcraft and Wizardry:
Defense Against the Dark Arts: Task 2 - Write about someone who wants to cause harm to someone else.
Warning for character death, and Hansel and Gretel/Fairytale!AU. Also a slight bit out of character too. Word count is 5,069 words. I hope you all enjoy The Dangers of a Candy House.
Once upon a time, there were two little girls who were very close to each other in everything from age to friendships. They were sisters and were the best of friends. No one could meet anyone closer than Andromeda and Narcissa Black.
The two had an older sister named Bellatrix and she was as different from the two younger girls than anyone could be. While they were light and carefree, their elder sister was dark and full of anger. She was usually put in charge of her younger sisters when they went out.
It was of no surprise when the next time Bellatrix went out she was told her by her mother to take her younger sisters with her. She argued and she cursed and she stomped around angrily but still, in the end, she gave in and took the two younger sisters with her.
"Now I want you two to play nicely in the woods here while I go and meet up with my friends," Bellatrix said, looking behind them to make sure that her mother had gone back into the house. "I'll come and find you when it's time to go home, alright?"
"But mother said you were to watch after us," Narcissa, the youngest sister, said, blinking up at her older sister in confusion. "Doesn't that mean that we're supposed to go with you?"
Narcissa was about five years old. She was taller than most five-year-olds of the day. She was always dressed delicately and impeccably. Usually in lavish dresses but today she was in wearing a pair of slacks and a blouse in matching baby blue. Her blonde curls framed her face and made her look as innocent as an angel that one would place on top of a Christmas tree.
"Cissa is a right," the middle sister, Andromeda, said. She was the one that could away with trying to stand up to Bellatrix. At one point all three of the sisters used to be close and Bellatrix must have remembered this because she usually gave Andromeda what she wanted. "Mother says it's too dangerous to play in the woods."
Andromeda looked much like her older sister. So much so that one would almost say that the two were twins. Her dark hair was a lighter shade of brown than Bellatrix's. Her grey eyes weren't as dark as her older sister's eyes were either. Everything about Andromeda screamed light and easy to approach.
"What mother doesn't know won't hurt us," Bellatrix said offhandedly. "Plus don't you two want to go and explore? Wasn't that what you were saying yesterday when Mother had you cooped up all day?"
"But we wanted to explore all three of us," Narcissa said, trying her best pleading look that usually got her anything her heart desired.
"But I promised Rodolphus that I would spend some time with him," Bellatrix said, looking towards the street sign up ahead. Sure enough, Rodolphus leaning against it waiting impatiently for her. "I promise we'll explore the woods together some other time."
"But Bella," Narcissa said, pouting up at her older sister hoping that would work.
"No buts, Cissa," Bellatrix said, folding her arms over her chest. "You and Dromeda go play and I'll come and find you in a bit."
The two girls stood dejectedly in the road watching as their older sister walked off with her boyfriend. Bellatrix was always talking about when they were older with boyfriends themselves they'd understand what was going on. Neither of the younger siblings believed in this though.
"What do you want to do?" Narcissa asked, putting her hands into her pockets. A thing her mother detested the most but that she usually did when she was out with her sisters.
"We could go explore the woods like we wanted to do," Andromeda suggested. She was planning on making the most of their day outside. Even if they couldn't spend the entire time with their older sister.
"But mother said not to go into…"
"Like Bellatrix said 'What mother doesn't know won't hurt us'," Andromeda said, smiling and holding her hand out to her younger sister. "I think I'm quite old enough to take care of the two of us, don't you?"
Narcissa pondered this question for a bit. They could prove to their mother that they weren't too young to be out by themselves. Then they'd have more freedom to wander around as they saw fit. They wouldn't have to wait and hope that Bellatrix would be available to take them out with her. Or for that fact, they wouldn't have to sit around the house bored if she wasn't willing to take them with her.
"Okay," Narcissa said, smiling as she followed after Andromeda. "What are we going to look for today?"
"I don't know," Andromeda said, "Maybe we'll find an exciting adventure in the forest?"
The two sisters, even though they weren't used to going into the forest by themselves and had only done so on two prior occasions, walked into the leafy covering of the woods. It was like a different world in the woods. The trees were much taller than they were in the parks and gardens that surrounded the girls' home. The bark was dense and looked like it would splinter if they touched it. A gloom fell over the woods. A gloom that the girls hadn't expected when they step foot into the dense tree cover forest.
"Meda," Narcissa said, looking with big blue-grey eyes, "this place has a scary feeling to it. It didn't feel like that the last time we were here."
The last time they were in these woods their father had been traveling along with them. They were going to the next town over and the fastest way there was through the woods. They'd seemed much lighter back then. Then again everything is brighter when you're traveling with your family.
"I heard there is a woods witch that lives in the forest now," Andromeda said. "She's supposed to be very powerful and scary. This boy in my class said that she cast a curse on him and also tried to lure him into her house."
"She did?" Narcissa asked, eye wide as saucers.
"But that wasn't the most interesting thing of the story."
"It wasn't?"
"It wasn't."
"What was?"
"The most interesting thing of the story was what the house was made of," Andromeda said as though she was telling one of the fairytales she usually told during bedtime. "It was made of the most peculiar thing. Something that one wouldn't expect to find still standing outside after amounts of rain we've been having."
"What was it made of?" Narcissa asked in awe.
"It was made of candy, and gingerbread," Andromeda said, smiling as she saw the interest in Narcissa's eyes. It was obviously masked by fear but the interest was still there and Andromeda planned to use this to her advantage. "I hear that she hasn't left these woods."
"She hasn't?"
"Nope. She still lives in these woods somewhere and she's planning her revenge on the children who get away from her."
"Revenge for what?"
"I don't know. Maybe we can try and find this house and ask her?"
"I don't think that's a good idea, Andromeda," Narcissa said, looking in fear as though the owner of the house was going to jump out of the woods and carry them off. "What if something bad happens and we can't get home?"
"Nothing bad is going to happen," Andromeda said, smiling kindly at her sister. "It's only a story and probably not even a true one."
"But how do you know it's not true? That boy in your class…"
"You know cousin Sirius likes to scare people. That's why I'm trying to find out if this house exists or not. To prove to people that Sirius is only making this up."
Narcissa looked deep in thought. She and Andromeda were close with their cousins Sirius and Regulus. Being close in age and all that. She believed anything that Sirius said was true but if Andromeda was questioning it...That left things so up in the air. She believed her sister to be telling the truth too.
"I guess it would be nice to find out if Sirius was just making this house and its owner up," Narcissa said, feeling like she was being watched. A shiver ran down her spine and held her arms close around her hoping that would warm her up a bit. Or at least make her feel like her skin wasn't crawling from the feeling of eyes on her. "Which way do we?"
"This way," Andromeda said, pointing towards where the path was bumpy and the farther it went it got darker and darker.
"Are you sure?"
"No. But if what Sirius said was true a woods witch would live in a dark place. Don't you think so?"
Narcissa shrugged. She watched as Andromeda pulled out her red flashlight not turning it on yet to save the battery.
Andromeda motioned Narcissa forward with trepidation. If they got lost in the woods no one would know they were out there. But in her mind, it was worth the risk of getting lost.
Unbeknownst to at least Andromeda, the woods witch wasn't that far away watching the girls as they discussed her and her house. She cackled gleefully as she thought of the lovely meal these would make for her. All she had to do was get them to find her house.
Pointing a finger in the direction of the house she made the trees a little less dense around the path that would lead to her house. The lighting around that area a bit lighter than the rest of the forest.
"Let's go down this path," the little blonde girl with the curls said, pointing down the path that would lead right to the wood witch's house. "It's much lighter over here."
"But what if this isn't the way?" the dark-haired girl asked, looking between the direction she wanted to head and the area that witch was trying to drive them toward. "What if it only seems like the path because it's much lighter?"
Just go down the path, you little fool, thought the woods witch bitterly watching as the girls continued to discuss the decision. This was why she didn't have or like children. They always wanted to go their own way and didn't listen to directions.
"It feels like the right path," the younger of the two said, folding her arms across her chest as though that would make it final.
The older one let out a breath. "Fine," she said, handing over something the woods witch couldn't make out. "But make sure to mark the path so we don't get lost. We want to be able to make it back here at least."
"Okay," the young one said, taking the thing her sister handed her.
As the girls started won the path, the woods witch found that the item was a pouch of string. The young girl attached the string to the lowest tree branch and then started to follow her sister. The woods witch cackled in glee as she used her powers to travel to her house. She'd be there and ready when these two young travelers crossed her door.
The girls had been traveling down the path for some time when they finally came to a place where the forest was lighter than ever. This was surprising to both girls as the forest was supposed to get darker the further into it you went. At least that was what they'd been told most of their lives.
"This is strange," Narcissa pointed out, gaining her sister's attention and pointing around them. "It's so light here."
"I know," Andromeda said, concern coloring her voice as she looked around. She caught sight of something peeking through the thin covering of trees up ahead. It looked like a window of a house but she couldn't be certain. "Let's go see what's over there." She pointed towards the window peeking out of the trees not knowing that she was about to prove her cousin Sirius right about his story.
Walking towards the trees, the two sisters could slowly start to see the outline of a house through the leafy surrounding of the trees. They could almost make out the color of it.
"Are we almost through the trees yet?" asked Narcissa, pushing at the leafy branches of the trees as they pressed their way through.
"Almost," Andromeda said, hoping she was right. She could make out more features of the house and was beginning to think that trying to prove Sirius wrong was a bad idea. It looked like the same features that Sirius had said the house he found had.
As they broke through the trees they could see the most magnificent and terrifying house that they'd ever seen. Magnificent because it truly was made of only candy and gingerbread. Terrifying because that meant that Sirius had been telling the truth about this woods witch that was supposed to live there.
"Maybe we should go back?" Narcissa suggested. "We found the house and can prove that it's real. We don't need any more than that. Right?"
Andromeda was about to agree when someone came from around the corner of the house. She looked at Narcissa to gauge her reaction to the new arrival. Narcissa had a knack for telling people's true intentions and the younger girl looked shaky.
"Hello, children," the woman said kindly, tucking a strand of her strawberry blonde hair behind her ear. "I thought I hear someone out there. Are you two lost?"
"No, ma'am," Andromeda said, walking over to Narcissa and taking her hand. "We were just on our way home from exploring the woods."
"Exploring the woods? I used to do that a lot as a young girl myself."
"Yeah," Narcissa said, smiling in a friendly way although she still looked afraid. "We were trying to find…"
"A couple of special rocks for our rock collection," Andromeda finished, trying to steer Narcissa away from the delicious looking house.
"Perhaps the two of you would enjoy a nice drink of water or something to eat before you head back through the woods?" the woman asked, seeming to take more of an interest in their answer than the answer should have been worth. "I wouldn't want to send the two of you off into those woods again hungry."
"That's nice of you…"Narcissa said, feeling Andromeda's hand tighten on her own.
"But our parents are expecting us home soon," Andromeda said, tugging Narcissa towards the tree line.
"We wouldn't want to get anyone in trouble with their parents," the woman said, a strange smile crossing her face. "But perhaps a little cup of water for the road wouldn't hurt?"
Andromeda could see that they weren't going to get out of that situation any faster than they were at the moment. This woman seemed hell-bent on making them go into the house with her for some reason. She could feel Narcissa trembling slightly now.
"Why don't we wait here and you can go and get the water?" Andromeda suggested, hoping that the woman wouldn't fight her on this matter. She'd been taught not to go into a stranger's house. Especially one that might or might not be a dangerous witch that went after children.
"Why don't you wait near my fence and I'll run in and bring you the water?" the woman countered, folding her arms across her chest. She didn't seem angry which was a good thing. Most adults sounded angry when you didn't do what they wanted you to do.
"Alright," Andromeda said, shushing Narcissa as she protested. "We'll just wait here by the fence and once we've had our water we'll be on our way."
"Yes," the woman answered, nodding.
Narcissa watched as the woman walked into the house. She couldn't help the cold feeling that she had gotten once she spotted the woman. It was even colder than the feeling she'd gotten once they entered the woods. She looked and spotted Andromeda playing with a piece of the gingerbread fence.
"What are you doing, Meda?" she asked, watching as her sister pulled a piece of the fence away. "I don't think that's a good idea."
"It's not like anyone is going to notice if a piece goes missing," Andromeda said, pocketing the piece of gingerbread fence. "That way we can warn people to avoid this place."
"But what if she does?" Narcissa said, pointing towards where the door was just opening once more and the woman was walking out. "She'll probably be upset and go and tell Mother and Father."
"Then let's pray that she doesn't notice," Andromeda said, turning towards the approaching woman with a smile on her face.
"Here you are, dearies," the woman said, holding out two cups of not water but the most delicious smelling lemonade that either girl had ever received. "I figured the two of you'd like lemonade better than water. I liked lemonade better than water when I was a girl myself."
"Thank you, ma'am," Andromeda said, taking the cup and elbowing Narcissa.
Narcissa took her cup a little more timidly. Something was definitely off here and she could sense it. "Thank you, ma'am," she said, eying the cup suspiciously. The woman had offered them water and then changed her mind and given them something else. There had to be something more behind that decision than a love of lemonade when she was a child.
"Drink up, dearies," the woman said, smiling in an eager way. "We don't want you to be late getting home, now do we?"
"No, ma'am," Andromeda, taking a tentative sip of the lemonade. It was the best tasting lemonade that she'd ever had in her life. It was ten times better than their mother's secret recipe that no one knew how to make except for their mother.
Narcissa was less enthusiastic about taking a sip of the lemonade. Something felt very wrong about this. Like they shouldn't have taken the offer of a drink from this woman, to begin with.
"Is there something wrong, dearie?" the woman asked, leaning against the fence and looking into the blue-grey stare of the girl. "It's my own special recipe and I'd be very disappointed if you didn't try some."
"There's nothing wrong," Narcissa said, taking a sip. The sweet-tasting liquid coated her tongue and made her want to take another sip. "This is very good! Thank you, ma'am."
Andromeda was the first to realize that something was very wrong. She started to feel drowsy halfway through her cup of lemonade. This wasn't how lemonade was supposed to make one feel. She knew that much for sure.
"Is something the matter, dearie?" the woman asked, leaning closer to the fence a wicked smile crossing her face.
"I don't feel so good," Andromeda murmured, hearing the sound of a thud to her left. She tried to whirl without falling but failed. She landed next to her sister Narcissa as her eyes became heavier and heavier.
"Feeling a little sleepy, are we?" the woman asked, walking out of the gate and kneeling over Narcissa. "Why don't you come in and stay awhile?"
Andromeda watched in horror as her younger sister was picked up and brought into the house by the woman. She tried to get back up but her eyes were drifting close. She couldn't keep them open for one minute longer.
"That'll teach you to not fear me," she heard the woman's voice say. But it wasn't the woman's voice. It sounded much older and eviler than the woman that had offered them refreshment. This must be someone who lived with that woman. But how could she have gotten here that fast? Andromeda hadn't seen anyone else around for miles in any direction.
Andromeda felt someone picking her up as her eyes drifted shut. She wants to fight but she can't. She's never been so afraid in her entire life and that includes the time that she accidentally broke her Auntie Walburga's vase. She feels herself being carried into a room before she slips into a deep sleep.
Bellatrix sighed as she looked around the clearing that she'd left her younger sisters in. They should have known to be back here by now. It was getting dark and their parents would angry if the girls weren't home by dinner time.
"Andromeda!" she called, looking through the tree line for any hint of her responsible younger sister. "Narcissa!"
She waited for a bit and called out to them again. Maybe she should have taken the girls with her and Rodolphus. Sure they wouldn't have been able to do what they wanted but her sisters would at least have been in eyesight
"Cissa, Meda, this isn't funny!" she cried out looking around for any sign that they were hiding in the underbrush of the bushes that framed the outskirts of the forest. "You come out here right now or I'm telling mother and father what you've been up to!"
Not that she could properly tell her parents what her younger siblings had been up to today at all. She hadn't been with them. She'd been selfish and spent the day with Rodolphus and their friends. She wishes that she'd have spent the day with her sisters. Something akin to fear crawls along her insides and she wants to find her sisters as quickly as possible.
"If I was Andromeda and Narcissa where would I be?" she asked herself aloud. She looked down and noticed a set of footprints that looked close enough to Narcissa's size heading into the forest in the direction of…"You didn't go that way, did you?"
She followed the footsteps to the edge of the forest and frowned as they continued through the tree line. "You did," she said with a sigh. "Why did you have to go this way?"
Gathering her courage she walked into the forest. She would find her sisters and bring them home safely. Even if it was the last thing she did. She knew perfectly well where this path headed, having been there a few months back with her cousin Sirius. She'd hoped never to have to return to these woods or that house ever again. But if that woman had her sisters she had no choice in the matter. She would save them. She had to.
Narcissa awoke in a strange room with bars in the opening where the door should be. She looked around trying to get her bearings on where she was. The last thing she remembered was taking a sip of the lemonade and not wanting to stop.
"Cissa?" Andromeda's voice called from across the room.
"Andromeda," Narcissa said, walking towards her sister who was sitting on the bed looking dazed. She must have just woke up too.
"Are you alright?"
"I think so. Are you alright?"
Andromeda nodded and looked around her once more. Then a look of dawning came on her face. She looked around her once more with a frightened expression on her face.
"I don't think so," Andromeda said, patting the bed next to her. "I think that lady must have been the witch that Sirius told us about. My class that is. She kidnapped us."
"But...I want to go home, Meda," Narcissa said, sniffling as she rubbed at her eyes to keep the tears that were pricking them from falling. "I don't like this place."
"That's so sad to hear, dearie," the voice of their kidnapper said, opening the door she motioned to the girls.
"I want to go home!" Narcissa said again, stamping her foot and trying her best tantrum sounding voice that usually got her what she wanted. "I want to go home now!"
"I've got other plans," the woman said, putting down a tray of goodies on a table that the girls hadn't noticed was in the room. "Eat up, ladies! We need to get a little meat on these bones." She backed out the door and closed it, locking before she walked away.
"What does that mean, Andromeda?" Narcissa asked, looking at the pile of tasty treats that were sitting on the table in front of them. A lot of her favorites were among the plate. Her mouth watered as she spotted the chocolate chip cookies that looked just like her mother made. She reached out a hand to pick one up.
"Don't," Andromeda said, stopping her sister before the cookie could leave the plate. "You don't know if those are safe to eat or not. Plus remember what happened with the lemonade. We don't want a repeat of that, do we?"
Narcissa shook her head. She didn't want to go back to sleep again. Not after what that lady had said. She started to pace back and forth trying to figure out a way out of this room at least. It was then that she heard the distant knock at the door. Who would willingly knock on this lady's door? She was crazy!
Bellatrix stood back and waited for the door to open before pushing her way into the house. She glared at the woods witch as the woman stared in open-mouthed horror.
"How can I help you de…"
"Don't how can I help you, dearie, me," Bellatrix shouted, looking around for any sign that her sisters were here. This was after all where their trail ended. "You know how you can help me and don't deny that you do."
"I am not aware of what you are speaking about," the woman said, backing Bellatrix towards the door or at least trying to. "Now if you don't mind I'm about to start my dinner."
Bellatrix's eyes landed on something familiar. It was a light pink bow. The one that Narcissa had been wearing in her hair when she left the house earlier that day. That just confirmed what Bellatrix already knew. Her sisters were here and she was going to save them.
"That's my sister's bow," Bellatrix said, pointing at the pink hair accessory on the floor. "How did it end up in your house?"
"I don't kn…"
Bellatrix could hear the faint sound of voices talking somewhere off in the house. She couldn't hear whose voices they were but the fact that there were voices showed that at least someone was trapped in this house.
Stalking towards the sounds she ignored the pleas of the woman to just stay in the front room. She knew well enough from having been taken here herself that this woman liked to trap young people and make them for dinner.
Andromeda's ears perked up as she heard a voice heading towards them. One that recognized for sure as her sister Bellatrix's voice.
"Bellatrix!" she shouted as loud as she could. "Bellatrix, we're in here!"
"Andromeda!" Bellatrix's voice called out. It sounded like she was close by and soon Andromeda could see her running past the cell door.
"Bellatrix, over here!" she called. She watched as Bellatrix did a double-take and then came running back in their direction. "Can you get us out of here?"
"I'll try," Bellatrix said, taking her hairpins out of her hair. She wasn't one of those girls who inherently knew how to pick locks but she'd learned from both her cousin Sirius and her boyfriend Rodolphus. "I think I've almost...got it," she said as the lock opened and she pulled the door open to free her sisters. "Come on, we've got to get out of here!"
The three girls raced through the house trying to find a way out. Any way would do. It was then that Bellatrix remembered that the easiest way out was through the kitchen. She motioned for her sisters to follow her.
They were nearing the stove when they noticed the witch blocking their way. This couldn't be the end of the line for the Black sisters. Not in this place. Not as this witch's supper.
"Move out of the way," Bellatrix said, watching the woman as she approached. "I don't want to hurt anyone but so help me I will."
"Don't you want to stay for supper, dearie?" the woman asked as she moved forward yet again. She reached her hands out as she did so.
The girls saw the woman's motion right away and moved out of the way. However, neither they nor the witch noticed that they'd been standing in front of the oven. The open oven which was already alight. When the girls moved out of the way the witch had no way to stop her forward motion and went flying right into the stove which magically slammed shut.
"Let's go!" Bellatrix said, grabbing both Andromeda's and Narcissa's hands and dragging them out of the house. The screams of the witch following behind them.
None of the girls stopped running until they were within sight of their house. They didn't want to take the risk that the witch would come after them. That for a fact the witch had lived and was plotting vengeance on them.
When they finally reached the front lawn of their house, they slowed to a stop. Each girl was red in the face and puffing for breath. As they each took their time catch their breath they replayed the events of the past few minutes. Those were the scariest moments of any of the three girls' lives.
"We don't breathe a word of this to mother or father," Bellatrix said, locking eyes with the younger two. "Do you hear me?"
Both girls nodded in agreement. None of them truly wanted to think about the events of the day or what had led up to them. But as they walked through the door of the house they couldn't quite help but think that this wasn't over yet.
As the fire slowly died down in the oven, the witch slowly stepped out. Unharmed by the flame because of a magic enchantment that she'd put on herself. She glared at her open door and promised vengeance on the little girls that had gotten away and the bratty older sister that had helped them.
But for that, she'd need certain help from a rather crafty spinner of gold. She knew just where to find him too.
I hope you all enjoyed The Dangers of a Candy House as much as I enjoyed writing it.