The Manor was silent, still save for a single candle that flickered in a draft. In her study, Narcissa sat upright in her chair, watching the flame whip back and forth as if it was the most interesting thing she had ever seen.

She missed her children. They hadn't even been gone a month, and already she wanted them back where she could see them.

The flame sputtered, and extinguished, shrouding the room in black. Narcissa did not move. Did not blink. She continued to stare at the unlit candle with her unwavering blue eyes.

Something flickered in the corner of her eye, and she shifted her gaze to look at it-

-and nearly fell out of her chair.

Grinning at her through the window was her eldest sister. Icy fear slid down her spine as she took in the feral smirk. Bellatrix tapped a single finger against the glass, and waved.

Fishing her wand out from between the cushion and the arm of her chair, Narcissa made the curtains slide over her sister's face. This was the last thing she wanted to deal with today.

There was a shattering sound a moment later, and Narcissa glared as her sister flew in on a broomstick.

"Fix that," she snapped.

There was a heavy sigh, but the glass from the broken window flew up and repaired itself a moment later.

"You do realize that we have a front door?" asked Narcissa without looking up. She heard the broom drop to the ground.

Bellatrix's voice was laced with irritation, "I tried that already, no one answered."

"Generally that means the person you are trying to reach is not available."

Bellatrix stooped down to peer into her eyes. "Have you been drinking?"

Narcissa scowled, "Not that it's any of your business, but no. I have not."

Her sister let out a breath of relief, "Good. I'd hate to think you'd devel0ped bad habits while I was away."

"My habits are fine."

There was a prickle at her scalp, and she realized too late that Bellatrix was using Occlumency.

"So Lucius has turned to the bottle, then?" she sounded oddly pleased, and Narcissa's exhale came as a hiss. She forced her mind to go blank.

"It's none of your business."

"Oh, baby sister. Everything you do is my business. I love you."

"Wonderful." The words came out as a drawl.

"Oh, stop that. You know it's true."

Bellatrix conjured a red, overstuffed armchair, and pushed it up against Narcissa's chair. With a flick of her wrist she re-lit the candle. "Well, if it comes down to it, you can always live with me at Thestral's Catch. Rod's going to be staying with his brother in the city, so it's very peaceful."

Narcissa thought of the old hunting lodge where her sister lived, and snorted, "I don't think it's come to that yet."

Bellatrix shrugged, unoffended, "Well, the offer stands. For you and the children. I would love to get to know them."

Narcissa peered over at her, examining the toll that years of imprisonment had taken from Bellatrix's beauty. Her hair was still thick, but it was shot through with streaks of grey. Her skin was sallow. It clung too tightly to her skull, and deep circles were carved beneath each eye. Fine lines were etched at the corners of her eyes and mouth. She looked like she was recovering from a long illness. And yet something about her was off.

Narcissa had seen Azkaban prisoners before. Her uncle had been imprisoned for 5 years for Muggle torture, and he had returned a snarling, shaking mess.

Bellatrix was remarkably stable. Her eyes, though tired, were clear as they looked up at her.

"I won't let them come to any harm, Cissy," she whispered. Her voice was probably the most changed thing about her. It used to be almost musical, now it sounded as if it had been raked across razor wire.

Narcissa shifted slightly, so that she was facing her. "I don't think you should make any promises you can't keep."

"I'm not!"

She closed her eyes slowly. "If the Dark Lord asked you to kill one of my children right now you would do it in a heartbeat." She opened her eyes, and blinked in surprise at the hurt that flashed across Bellatrix's face.

"How could you say that?" she whispered.

"How could I say that?" something hot flared to life within Narcissa. "You've already threatened my daughter's life-"

"I thought I was helping," Bellatrix shrugged. She shifted so that she could prop her feet up on the arm of her chair.

"You…" Narcissa took a deep breath, "You cut my child in an attempt to make her a half-blood! You performed blood magic! Do you not see how insane that was?"

She was met with a blank expression. "She was healed instantly Cissy. It's not a big deal."

Silence enveloped the room as the two sisters stared at each other.

"Not a big deal?" Narcissa's voice came out as a shrill whisper. She knocked her sister's feet down, "Bellatrix, I'm not an idiot. I know what happened!"

Nothing twitched on Bellatrix's face. Her gaze remained steady. "What are you talking about?"

For a moment, Narcissa considered cursing her sister. Her fingers twitched around her wand, and she ran her thumb along a groove in the polished wood. "You know exactly what I'm talking about."

"I don't think I do."

"You were in her head, Bellatrix!" Before she could register what was happening, she was on her feet. "Do you know what it's like to wonder why your three year old is having horrific nightmares every time she closes her eyes? To explain to a six year old that she's cold all of the time? You can't really say it's because she has a psychic link to someone who is constantly surrounded by Dementors!" She swallowed hard. "I watched her shatter every window in the house once because she felt angry, and she spent the entire evening crying because she didn't know why. But I knew why, and so do you."

Bellatrix stared at her. Then her gaze wavered, and she looked back down at her nails. "It was an accident."

It came so low, that Narcissa almost missed it. "What?"

Bellatrix sighed, her eyes rolling up to meet her sister's. "It. Was. An. Accident! Merlin, Cissy, do you really think I meant for that to happen?" She made a disgusted face, "Do you really think that low of me?"

"Yes."

Hurt flashed in her eyes, and then disappeared behind an impassive mask. "That's a shame. You're going to have to get over that."

She did not like the sound of that. "Why?"

"Well," she smirked at her, straightening up, "The Dark Lord has decided that I am going to train your precious daughter. Apparently he thinks very highly of her, wants her to have the best," she winked, and Narcissa felt her stomach drop.

"Congratulations. Is that all?"

"I have been in Azkaban for more than a decade, Cissy. Aren't you a little happy to find out that I'm free?" There was a tinge of hurt in her voice.

Narcissa sighed. Against her better judgement she crouched in front of the chair, and took one of Bellatrix's hands in her own. It was too thin, and she could feel the bones beneath her sister's skin. It occurred to her how easy it would be to twist and crush those bones, making it impossible for her sister to ever hold a wand again. She had to swallow down the bile that rose with that thought.

"Of course I am, Bella. I never wanted you to go there. We were supposed to raise our children together- to have them be as close as we were when we were girls."

"It didn't quite work out like that."

She shook her head, "No. You took a different path. And as much as I love you, I can't help but resent that."

Bellatrix slowly pulled her hand free. "Lucius made the same choice as I did. Is he privy to these little speeches? Perhaps that's why he's decided to drink so muc-"

"Leave now."

All gentleness has slipped from Narcissa's voice. She stood stiffly, and flicked her wand. The windows banged open, letting in the wind.

"Fine," Bellatrix snapped, getting to her feet. "I'll go. But keep in mind that I am the one who is going to teach that girl how to keep herself alive in the service of the Dark Lord. A little gratitude would be nice."

Forcing as much sarcasm as she could into the words, Narcissa hissed "Thank you."

Bellatrix sneered at her, retrieved the broom, and left.

She allowed the windows to flap in the frigid night air. On shaky legs, she walked to the desk and pulled open the drawer. She pulled out two pieces of parchment and her quill. Her hands shook so badly that when she unstoppered her ink she spilled half the bottle over her desk. Ignoring the plink of ink dripping onto the floor, she penned two identical messages:

Stay at Hogwarts for Easter.