DISCLAIMER: The ideas are mine. The characters and everything that is in the Harry Potter Universe belong to J.K.

This story deals with many difficult topics, including graphic descriptions of abuse and emotional trauma.

It was April. The Easter holiday. School-age children all over Britain would be taking the Hogwarts Express back to school the following morning, after a much-welcomed break from their studies. Bellatrix Black didn't want to be at the Lestrange's mansion on her last day home, but her mother left her no other choice. Her family had arranged the marriage between Bella and the eldest of the Lestrange boys several years earlier, and the wedding was scheduled to occur as soon as the two of them graduated from Hogwarts. Bella had been invited to spend the day at Lestrange Manor, and now that she was sixteen years of age, her mother thought it improper for her to decline.

The girl protested vehemently against the idea, but none of her objections made the slightest difference against Druella's unbending will.

It was not like she didn't know what that wedding meant. The Blacks and the Lestranges were two of the noblest, most ancient wizard Houses in Europe, and yet, there had never been an alliance between them. There had been attempts in the past, multiple times, without success. Most recently, her aunt Walburga was meant to have married Rufus Lestrange, but when he passed away from dragon pox fever, it was decided she would marry her cousin Orion instead, in order to preserve the family name. The Lestranges, however, took offence. Rufus' older brother (Rodolphus' father) was already a widower by then and, according to the Lestranges, Walburga should have kept her commitment to their House, and married him in his brother's place. The thought made sense. Bella had no idea why the family decided to challenge the Lestranges in that matter. She was sure it could not have been her aunt's decision, she had such respect for the family and their traditions… Whatever the reason, in angered the Lestranges and that feud had lasted for many years. There had been no rest from the hostilities until Bella's betrothal to Rodolphus was announced.

That wasn't all. The world was changing. The Lestranges seemed to be in a particularly favourable position in the new Order. They had powerful connections, the kind of connections that the Black lacked, in spite of their long and respectable line. For Cygnus, and for the rest of their family, marrying a daughter of the Black clan into such a well-connected pure-blood family was a most desirable outcome. Everyone was looking forward to it.

Everyone, that is, except for Bellatrix. Rodolphus Lestrange was little more than a stranger to her. They were both fifth-year students at Hogwarts, and they were both Slytherins, but that was as far as the similarities went. Rodolphus was far from a brilliant student, and Bella was at the top of her class. His younger brother, Rabastan had been practising to try out for the Slytherin Quidditch next year, when their seeker graduated, but Rodolphus had never shown any interest in the sport. As a matter of fact, he didn't seem to be interested in anything at all. He certainly had never shown any interest in getting to know Bella.

Not that she minded very much. Their betrothal had been arranged by their families and her thoughts on the boy didn't count for very much. It was the way it was supposed to be, she assumed, and she was willing to perform her duty, as generations of Black women had done before her. It was not like she was interested in any other boy. Prior to that year, Bella had never been interested in boys at all. Sometimes she pretended to be, when the other girls in her dorm were talking about it, but she was a late bloomer in that regard. Her best friends in the world were her sisters, and they were both younger than she was. They never talked about such things.

It was only very recently that things had started to change. She started looking at boys differently. She never used to notice how tall the Hufflepuff Captain was, or the way Kyle Bloom's hair fell over his eyes when they were handling Fanged Geraniums in the greenhouses. But even after she started looking at boys that way, it was never Rodolphus she was looking at. She wondered if that would ever change. Perhaps she would grow to care for him when they were married. Or perhaps, she considered, thinking about her parents, caring about each other was never meant to be part of such an arrangement.

Narcissa wasn't thrilled about Bella being away at the Lestrange's place either. The idea of her sister being alone with that boy made her nervous. Rodolphus was a bully and a bore. He seemed to enjoy intimidating younger students, and Cissy had watched as he made it his life's mission to terrify little Timothy Meadowes. Timothy was a boy in her year. He was a sweet and gentle boy, and he often partnered up with Cissy for their assignments in Herbology class. His blood was as pure as Rodolphus', but his family was not as ancient, and he didn't have any other brothers or cousins who could protect him from the older boy. Cissy had helped him to clean himself up one time when Rodolphus and his friends had flushed Timothy's head for no other reason than that they could. She came to despise Lestrange, and she hated the idea of him being betrothed to her eldest sister.

Be that as it may, Bella was the strongest, most intelligent witch her age. Surely, there was nothing Rodolphus could do to her. She was not as helpless as little Timothy. And it was only for one night. Everything would be fine.

The next morning, she couldn't wait to be with her sister again. They would meet at the train station. The Lestranges were taking her there. As soon as they got out of the large fireplace people used to floo into Platform nine and three quarters, she looked around, to check if Bella was already there.

Andromeda had other things on her mind, and she was gone before Cissy could even see where she went, with Sirius on her heels. He had to wait until September before he could go to school with them, but Andy had promised to give him a peek at the Hogwarts Express before it left. Cissy didn't expect to see her again anytime soon. Andy had a lot of friends from Hufflepuff and Gryffindor. She was probably going to socialise them during the trip.

As it turned out, Bella was standing by one of the rear wagons next to a stout old man. Rodolphus and Rabastan were there also, and Cissy concluded that the man must be their father. Even from that distance, Bertrand Lestrange looked scary to her and she didn't like the way he had his hand on Bella's shoulder.

Bellatrix looked ill. Maybe it wasn't something anyone could spot at first sight, but Cissy and her sister had always had a special connection, a bond beyond simple friendship. She knew there was something wrong.

Bella was beautiful, arguably the most beautiful of the three Black sisters. Her hair was long and it cascaded down her back in dark curls; she was tall and lean, and there was something in her air and manner of walking that set her apart. She was a true daughter of the nobility and her straight, proud posture would make that obvious to anyone oblivious enough not to know her last name.

That day, however, something was not quite right. Her shoulders were hunched, her hair was unkempt and there were dark rings around her eyes as if she had not been able to conceal sleep all night. As soon as her eyes met those of her sister, Bella wheeled the cart with her trunk faster, putting as much distance as she could between herself and her soon-to-be-father-in-law. Narcissa hugged her, and the way Bella embraced her left no doubt that something was seriously wrong.

The two girls made haste to get aboard the train. They got into the first empty compartment they found, and Bella closed the door.

"Where's Andy?"

Her voice was hesitant and hoarse. It gave Cissy the chills. Bellatrix looked crestfallen and seedy. It was truly heartbreaking.

"I don't know… She was going to show Sirius what the train is like on the inside…" Cissy said, but then she considered that the train was about to leave, and Sirius was probably back on the platform with his father. "Maybe she went to find her friends. Those boys were talking to her… Hufflepuff boys, I think… Do you want me to get her?"

"No," Bella answered quickly, grabbing Cissy's hand in hers as if she was afraid to be left alone. She sank back on her seat, avoiding the window. Like something on the Platform scared her. Like she was eager to get away.

Cissy gave her sister's hand a little squeeze. She did not understand what was going on, and before she could think of anything to say, the train started picking up steam. Bella let go of her hand.

They were quiet like that for a while. As soon as they were clear from the platform, however, Cissy noticed the tears falling from Bella's eyes.

"Bella? Bella, what happened? What's wrong?" she asked urgently, but there was no response.

Bellatrix was falling apart.

She was crying. Sobbing and trembling in a strange mix of pain, relief and despair. Her entire body was shaking. Locks of her long, dark hair fell over her eyes, and she did not even bother to wipe away the tears. There was too much. Far too much. She had no choice but to let them come.

"Did they do something to you? What did they do, Bella?"

She was sobbing uncontrollably now.

"What did they do?"

Bella shook her head 'no'.

"Bella? Bella, please talk to me, you're scaring me." Cissy pleaded.

It was that, the fear in the voice of her baby sister, which made Bella regain some of her control. She shook her head 'no' again, breathing deeply and trying to stop crying. She shook her head 'no' again.

"Are you sure you don't want me to go get Andy?"

"No," Bella said urgently, trying to wipe away her tears without much success, "no, cissy, please don't go away, please stay with me."

Cissy nodded quietly. She wasn't going anywhere.

"I'm sorry, Cissy, it's nothing."

"If it was nothing, you wouldn't be like this. Talk to me."

The older girl went on shaking her head and taking deep breaths, trying to calm down again. She was never going to tell anyone about what had happened, much less her baby sister. She couldn't do that to her. She wouldn't.

"Bella…" Cissy insisted.

Bella just shook her head no again.

"You don't want to talk about it right now?" Cissy ventured.

She shook her head again.

Cissy bit her lower lip.

"Could we just…" Bella started, in a rough, hunted voice, "could you just stay here with me?"

Cissy nodded again. She reached out to touch Bellatrix' forearm but the older girl recoiled. The movement displaced her long sleeves, exposing a purple bruise right where Cissy had tried to touch her.

"Bella!" Cissy sounded alarmed.

The girls looked each other in the eye for a moment. And Bella broke down again.

"Bella please tell me, what did that boy do to you?"

"It wasn't just Rodolphus," she replied.

And she told Cissy everything.

Once she started, she could not stop. Something about her sister seeing the bruise on her arm had dropped all of her defences. She was completely vulnerable, completely exposed.

She told Cissy about how dull the entire day at the Lestrange property had been.

Rodolphus had given her a tour of the property. He had shown her the main library and the drawing-room; the large parlour, the balcony and an ample corridor at the top of the main staircase decorated with large paintings of important historical events. Then he had taken her to the kitchen – an impressive place, twice as large as what they had at her home and the house-elf offered her freshly baked cookies, which Bellatrix was happy to accept.

When Rodolphus took her to see the indoor winter garden, a door stood ajar. She barely caught a glimpse of the small boy hiding on the other side before it snapped shut.

"Rabastan," Rodolphus explained. "He isn't usually this shy."

Bella had seen Rabastan at school. He was also a Slytherin, in Cissy's year.

"Rabastan loves the gardens," Rodolphus continued, playing with the leaves of a plant nearby. "I think he misses our mother. I remember she used to spend a lot of time tending to the plants. This garden was her favourite place."

Bella could understand that. If she lived in that old house, that garden would have been her favourite spot as well. Lestrange manor was exactly what she expected. It was a tall and old stone building, the kind of building that was built to make one feel small. The works of art decorating the walls were precious – treasures accumulated over generations of Lestranges, but many of the rooms needed airing, and the house was too quiet. It lacked life.

Rodolphus, on the other hand, was a welcome surprise. Bellatrix was seeing a completely new side of him that day. At school, he often seemed selfish and self-absorbed. She would never have guessed he cared so deeply about his little brother, and she had never thought about his mother. She asked him about her, but he did not remember much. Her name was Lyra Lestrange. She was not a Black, but she was Bellatrix' second cousin on her father's side, which was not particularly surprising. There were ties of blood and loyalty binding together all of the oldest pureblood families. Ties like the ones her own marriage was supposed to help form.

That afternoon was the first time Bella entertained the notion that Rodolphus and herself might come to develop genuine affection for each other, in time. She supposed she had always hoped that might be the case, although she had never dared to share those thoughts with anybody, not even her sisters. Deep in her heart, she knew it didn't matter. She would abide by her parent's decision no matter what. They were a respectable, wealthy pure-blood family, and she was a Black. The surname came with its witchcrafts.

Later that they, she had dinner with Rodolphus' extended family.

In many ways, the Lestranges were similar to the Blacks, and the dinner didn't feel that much different from her own family reunions, except that almost everything at the table was French. Bella was placed Between Rodolphus' aunt and his father. The woman explained to Bella everything she knew about the intricacies of preparing beef bourguignon and the wealth of ingredients it contained. It was fortunate that she kept such a lively conversation because her brother, at the head of the table, on the other side of Bella was entirely the opposite of her.

Bertrand Lestrange was a frightening man. He was tall and broad, particularly in the shoulders and he had a stern expression on his brow. Twice over the course of the day, Bella spotted him watching her from the windows of the Manor, while Rodolphus showed her the property. It was an unsettling feeling, being under his gaze. They were at the dinner table for more than an hour, but he hardly said a word. She noticed the way he studied his guests, and the disapproving look he cast on Rabastan when the boy accidentally placed his elbow inside the béchamel sauce bow.

After dinner, Bellatrix claimed to be indisposed and asked for permission to retire to her bedroom. All she really wanted was to be by herself for a while. She doubted she would be able to sleep in any strange house, let alone a dismal place such as that haunted manor. She changed into her nightgown, but while the girl brushed her hair the door was opened, by someone who didn't bother to knock or announce his presence.

The portly figure of Rodolphus' father stood at her door. And Bella's tears fell free when she remembered it. It was a disgusting mental picture that wouldn't go away, the old man there, his unshaven grizzly beard, his expensive robes exuding the smell of that filthy pipe.

"He was in your room after you retired to bed?" Narcissa's voice had an unmistakable tone of indignation. Even their father would never visit their rooms after they had gone to bed. "That's not the way of a gentleman."

"No," Bella said. "It's not."

She couldn't bring herself to repeat the exact words of her future father-in-law, though she remembered every second of the previous night. There are rules at the Lestrange's manor, he had said. The father had to approve the bride of his son. In every aspect.

"I am sorry, Mr Lestrange," she remembered saying, and she was sure her voice was shaking then. Her entire body felt tense. "I have to say goodnight. I am not feeling well."

"What is the problem little thing?"

"It's—It's—" she was distracted by the coarseness of his finger on the side of her face. "It's a girl problem, sir," she said quickly.

"Oh, really?" he asked in a low voice. Then he pulled the girl towards him with one arm and shoved his right hand into her undergarments. Bella screamed. She felt the abrasive touch of his calloused fingers all over her. She felt it like an invasion, touching her where she had never been touched before.

She stood, frozen when he pulled his hand away from her, lifting it to his face and then to the light.

"No woman problem after all," he concluded.

Bellatrix looked away when she told her sister that. She was so ashamed. She tried to explain, but the words would not come to her.

"He told Rodolphus this was the first lesson of his married life," the girl said, covering her face, "Rodolphus was standing there the whole time. He said that we… that women lie about these things all the time. But I didn't… I did… I just wanted him to stay away."

Cissy held her sister's hand and gave it a little squeeze. She could see Bella was embarrassed about having been caught in a lie, on top of everything else that she was feeling. She was embarrassed about having even touched on such a private topic with an older man, and Cissy understood that. She wanted Bella to know she understood that. Bella held on to her sister's hand.

Up until that point, she had not realized Rodolphus was watching the whole thing.

"You are a pretty thing in these clothes," the old man pointed at her nightgown. "What do you look like without them?"

And just like that, he ripped her nightgown out of her body.

Bella screamed. He laughed.

She used her arms to cover her chest as well as she could, tripping over her own feet as she walked backwards, trying to stay away from the old man, but it was no use. She tried to reach out for her wand, but he disarmed her. She tried to defend herself, but he barely even felt her strikes. He pushed her onto the bed and used a spell to force her to open her arms and stay quiet while he looked at her.

It was the most terrifying thing that had ever happened to her. She had never felt so vulnerable, so invaded as when he stood above her, looking at her, examining every inch of her body. She struggled to cover herself up, but the spell held her limbs in place as if invisible ropes had tied her to the bed. He touched her, and she felt like she was going to pass out.

He never used his wand to silence her. It was as if he enjoyed the sound of her screams.

It was just touching and looking, Bellatrix thought, it was not a big deal, she insisted, trying more than anything to believe her own words.

But when he was finished, he told Rodolphus to get closer. And Rodolphus did a lot more than his father.

"She's yours, son. Make sure the Blacks can't go back on their promise this time," he said.

And Rodolphus did make sure of that. He took something away from Bella that she could never have back. But she couldn't tell her sister that. Remembering it was shameful enough. Saying it out loud was unbearable.

"Bella…" Cissy started, but the look on her sister's face made her stop at once. Bella shook her head violently, biting her lip and looking away.

She remembered everything. She remembered the panic, the doubts, the repeated screams of 'no', 'stop', and 'don't' that came out of her mouth. She remembered the way he punched her in the stomach when she tried to fight back, the way he held her down, the way he overpowered her. She remembered every unfamiliar touch, every gesture, every scent that was inside that room. Her body was still sore in the places where he touched her. In many ways, she could still feel him against her. The pain and the shame of it all… It was too much.

Cissy threw her arms around her big sister, pulling her closer for an embrace. Bella was sobbing desperately, but this time there were also tears in Cissy's bright blue eyes. She wanted, more than anything to protect Bella, to make her pain go away.

"It hurt so much," Bella said, quietly, and Cissy held her tighter.

"Bella, do you want me to talk to Father?"

"No!" she said, pulling away from her sister's arms and sitting up as straight as she could, "Cissy, you can't!"

"He can't make you marry Rodolphus now, not after this! He simply can't!"

"You don't understand, that is what they wanted! I have to… They took… I am not…" she couldn't finish a single sentence, her heart was racing so fast. "No, Cissy, you can't tell, him, you can't tell anyone! Promise me, promise me you will never tell anyone about this! I don't want anybody to know that I am—That I am—"

"I promise," Cissy said quickly, realizing how much it pained Bella to finish that thought. "I won't tell anybody, Bella, I promise."

They were quiet for a while. Bella rubbed her eyes, trying to wipe her tears away.

"I am sorry, Cissy," she said quietly.

"Bella, this is not your fault… It's his fault, that hideous boy and his entire family…"

"I am sorry I told you. You are just thirteen years old, I didn't want to… I had no right… I couldn't stop myself, I am sorry. I don't know what is happening to me."

She felt genuinely guilty about that. She was the eldest daughter. It was her duty to protect her younger sister, not to bring her into her mess.

"I am glad you told me," Cissy said quietly, holding her big sister in her arms and kissing her forehead softly. Bella had always taken care of her when she needed. She wanted to do the same. She was not a baby anymore and she wanted her sister to know that.

Bella sighed. She hated that her little sister had seen her like that. She had never felt so dirty… So… weak… So used… But she couldn't bring herself to walk away from her sister's embrace. It had been the worst night of her life, and it was the first time since she first set foot in that dreadful manor that she felt loved.

Cissy hated the Lestranges with more power than she ever thought she had inside her. She hated that spoiled boy for not defending her sister, she hated the way they had hurt her. And she hated her parents for putting Bella in that situation.

Bella's story gave Cissy a lot to think about. It made her think about things that had never even crossed her mind before. She understood precisely what Rodolphus had done to Bella, even if her sister had never used all the words. She understood why Bella was scared to tell their parents, and she was terrified that her fears might be proven right. That they would still make her marry the Lestrange boy, even if they knew everything that had just happened. She was terrified that they would think this was even more reason for them to get married soon.

Cissy was aware her mother was thinking about arranging her own marriage to Rabastan. The thought of being alone in that house, much like Bella had been, frightened her to her very soul.

They spent most of the afternoon in silence, each girl immersed in her own thoughts. But at some point, before they arrived at Hogsmeade station, Cissy pointed out they should probably change into their uniforms.

Bella looked up until their eyes met. When she spoke, there was embarrassment in her voice.

"I think I need some help," she said, with barely a sound, looking down again.

"Okay," Cissy agreed, and she locked the door of the compartment before helping Bella get out of her clothes.

It didn't take long for her to understand why Bella needed help. She helped her sister remove her shirt slowly because she seemed to feel pain with the slightest movement of her right arm, and when the shirt finally came off, she realized Bella was full of bruises.

Cissy's jaw dropped.

There were dark purple patches on Bella's arms and her stomach. Her back was full of scratches. There was one particularly large bruise on her lower stomach that made it difficult for her to bend over to put on her skirt and her socks.

"Ouch," Bella let out a little moan when Cissy accidentally bumped her arm against one of the sore spots on Bella's side.

"I'm sorry," she said quickly, "here, hold my shoulder." She guided Bella's hand to her shoulders while she lowered her sister's pants all the way to the floor of the compartment and helped her put on the skirt of her uniform.

Hurt as she was, she kept trying to cover herself up, pulling her shirt down and placing her free hand in front of the space between her thighs despite the fact that there was only her and her sister in the compartment.

She sat down again while Cissy tied her shoes.

By the time the train parked, they were ready, and they went out together, to look for one of the stagecoaches to take them to the castle. Andromeda was waiting for them outside.

She realized there was something wrong with Bella the minute she laid eyes on her sister.

"What-?"

Cissy shook her head, warning Andy not to continue.

"But—"

"Not now, Andy. Let's get a coach."

Had they been coming back from summer break they would probably have to share their coach with a fourth student, but there weren't so many kids who chose to go home that Easter, and there was plenty of threstral propelled coaches so they could have one all for themselves. As soon as they were inside, heading to the school, Andromeda spoke again.

"What happened, Bella?"

"Nothing," Bella replied, looking out the window.

Andy looked at Cissy inquiringly.

Cissy looked at Bella.

"Let go, Andy, okay? Where were you anyway?" Bella asked angrily.

Andy didn't answer. The two sisters were at odds with one another, they had been at odds for months now. Bellatrix didn't approve Andy's choice of friends, and Andy didn't approve what she saw as Bella's subservience when it came to the whims of their family. Bella had seen Andromeda kissing a boy that came from a muggle family, and she threatened to tell their parents all about it.

Bellatrix knew Andromeda had probably spent the afternoon with her friends, and it hurt her deeply that Andy had not been there for her when she needed her.

It was a little unfair to blame Andy for that… Cissy was sure that, had she known what had happened, Andy would have done anything in her power to help their elder sister… But Bella had the right to be a little unfair. She had been through so much… The first thing Bella did when they got on the train was to ask after Andromeda. In spite of all of their arguments, all of their disagreements, Bella asked for Andy. And Andy had not been there.

Cissy gave Andy a meaningful look, warning her not to push the matter any further. This was not the time to be stubborn. This was not about her. Blissfully, her sister understood.

"Okay," Andy conceded. "We don't have to talk about it if you don't want to."

She was perceptive enough however not to walk away from her sisters when the stagecoach stopped.

When they went into the Great Hall, Bella sat between her two sisters. The problem was that Rodolphus saw fit to sit right across from her at the Slytherin table.

Cissy closed her fingers around her wand in her pocket, wishing for the first time that she knew some non-verbal spells so she could hex that monstrous boy.

"Good evening, Black," Rodolphus greeted her, with a large smile. "I hope you enjoyed your stay at our manor last evening. You didn't even say goodbye before boarding the train. My father was… displeased."

Bella's jaw clenched, and she felt a hard ball forming in her throat.

"Get away from her, Rodolphus," Cissy said angrily, pointing her wand at him.

"Or what?" he laughed, picking up his own wand. "What could a second-year kid possibly do to harm me?"

"Do not threaten my sister," Bella said, standing up.

Andromeda stood up also.

"Lower your wand, now, Lestrange."

"I am not afraid of a dirty blood traitor, Black."

"What is happening here?" Professor Horace Slughorn said, rushing to the focus of the ado. "Lower your wands, lower your wands, duels are not permitted in the Great Hall, certainly not at mealtimes…"

The four of them lowered their wands. They had begun to attract looks from the other tables as well.

"Is everything alright, girls?" he asked the Black sisters. He was very fond of the girls, and Bella, in particular, was his favourite.

They did not answer, though.

"Perhaps you should find someplace else to sit, Rodolphus," the potions master suggested. He wasn't sure exactly what was going on, but if he had to guess, he would bet money Rodolphus was the one instigating the situation.

"Fine," Lestrange said. "We'll be married soon anyway, Black, then your sisters won't be able to keep you away from me."

"Detention!" Slughorn roared, "detention, that's what you deserve! You will scrub the floor of the infirmary three times a week for a month! Without magic! Poppy was just complaining she needed some help with the cleaning… Now, off you go. Go sit over there and stop making trouble. Don't make me take points out of my own house so soon after the Easter break.

When both the professor and Lestrange had gone away, the girls sat down again. "Bella, don't you want to eat something? We didn't have anything on the train…"

"I'm not hungry…" Bella said quietly, "I want to get away from here."

"I'll take you," Cissy offered.

Bella hesitated. She didn't want to be alone, but she knew her sister was probably hungry…

"You can go," Andromeda said, her eyes on the far side of the table, the place where Lestrange was sitting "I'll take something up for Cissy later."

"Thank you," Cissy said quietly, and she and Bella made their way to the dungeons before anyone else could stop them.

Bellatrix went straight to the shower. She was happy to have a chance to use the shower before anybody arrived, and she spent a long time under the water, scrubbing herself as well as she could, washing her hair and her face multiple times. She wanted so badly to feel clean…

She fell asleep almost as soon as she laid down on her bed. She was exhausted.

Cissy remained in the common room for a long time, waiting for Andromeda to come down. When she arrived, they sat in a removed corner of the room, a place where they could speak in private.

"I know Rodolphus did something to her," Andromeda said, gravely.

Cissy watched her sister for a moment. She was not sure Andy really knew what had happened to Bella, but it wasn't her secret to tell.

"You don't have to be afraid, you know?" Andromeda insisted, handing Cissy a mug of hot chocolate, "you don't have to let that happen to you."

"What do you mean?"

"If our parents were not so blind with pride, if they weren't so eager to marry her off to a Lestrange, Bella would never have gone to their house and nothing would ever have happened," she said angrily. "I will not let that happen to me. I will not let them thrust their beliefs upon me, forcing me to marry someone I could never love. And you don't have to let them do that to you either."

It was difficult to challenge Andromeda's words, particularly now, when Cissy was so angry at her parents. She had been questioning herself about those things all afternoon, but she couldn't help feeling like Andromeda was using what had happened to advance her own rebellion towards their family. She couldn't stand that.

"You're a Black, Andromeda. I am a Black. Bella always said that had to come first."

"Yes, and look what happened to her."

"What are you saying? Are you saying this was her fault?"

Andromeda stared Cissy in the eyes for a moment.

"No," she said, finally. "Of course not."

The two girls fell silent for a long time. It was Andromeda who broke the silence when she stood up to go to bed.

"Everything will be fine, Cissy. You'll see."

How little she knew.

Author's Note: I started this story a long time ago. I uploaded the first chapter in an old account (it was called Vulnerability), but I lost my password and could never access that account again to continue the story. I decided to start again and continue it here.

It always seemed to me like Bellatrix couldn't simply be crazy. There had to be a reason for her to become what she came to be, what we know her to be from the books. This story is my idea of the first events that triggered her descent into madness. I have another story, "Never let me go" that also deals with the upbringing of the Black sisters and runs somewhat in parallel with the events that will be described here.

It is a difficult story to write and I am doing a lot of research to get the details right. I have re-uploaded this chapter today (December 19) with a few modifications after it was Beta Read. Chapter 2 is also available today.

I would love to receive some feedback. Please review and let me know what you think.

This story has been Beta-Read by davros fan and TheOnlyCeeCeeJ. I would like to thank you both for taking the time to help me with this story, and davros in particular for the insight into the characterization of Rodolphus.

Live Long and Prosper