There was only one month left of school. Everyone was beginning to get frustrated, desperately wanting to go home to their parents and the family holidays that would surely come along with going home. However, Andromeda Black was not looking forward to going home. Her sisters didn't know, particularly her older sister, but she agreed with Sirius. Of course, Andromeda was a lot smarter than he appeared to have been with running away from home with no money left to his name. She would wait until she turned eighteen, get her money and she would find her own way to live without the insane ideologies her parents were always trying to push on them.

Andromeda could stand her sisters. Bellatrix was more difficult than Narcissa, no doubt. Bellatrix was becoming somewhat of a fanatic of the dark arts, and Andromeda could see this. Bellatrix had just had her seventeenth birthday, and she was fast becoming more involved with this man who called himself a Lord and intended to rid their world of every mudblood, half blood and blood traitor.

With exams only days away, Andromeda found herself heading towards the library with a large pile of books. Hardly being able to see where she was going, Andromeda almost fell into someone. It just so happened to be her cousin Sirius.
"Oh... Hey Andy." He said rather gruffly, looking a mixture of both worried she would curse him and too tired to even care.
"Hi Sirius," She smiled, "You look rough. Everything ok?"
"Yeah well mum and dad aren't making it easy on me to leave." He said simply, his hands in his pockets momentarily before he realised how his cousin was struggling, "here, give me some of those."
"Thank you. I was just getting to the library. I heard about your... situation." She said with a slight frown on her face as she handed him some of her books.
"You did?" he said, clearing his throat and walking with her towards the library as they shared the burden of books.
"Bellatrix told me." She said calmly and without making eye contact.
"Oh?" he asked, suddenly feeling hot under the collar though he wasn't sure if it was from the mention of his cousin who he hadn't seen since their fight, or if it was from the things he still was desperate to tell her.
"She wasn't very happy about it..." Andromeda tried.
"What do you mean?" he asked curiously as they started the descent the library.
"Well... I mean, you two had your differences no doubt, but you got on like a house on fire to be honest. Everyone could see it."

Sirius remained quiet to which Andromeda continued, "It doesn't matter. The damage is done right?" she said. Realising she must've sounded a little rude, her voice lowered to a whisper as they entered the library, "I can't wait to get out either. You're very brave. Leaving without any of your money or..." she drifted off as they reached a secluded table and noticed her cousin's expression. Something made her guess he had stopped listening after she had spoken of her older sister, "She'll get over it."

"She said something to me," he said suddenly as he put the books down on the table, "she said... well... Last time we spoke she was pretty angry I had gone and got myself disowned and she said..." he trailed off, unsure as to whether he should tell Andromeda. He paused before deciding to tell her, "I'd regret leaving her."

Andromeda stayed quiet after also placing her books down. She chewed on her lower lip, again looking as if she shouldn't be telling Sirius any of this. Walking towards the library desk with her cousin to ask to get a book from the restricted section, she continued, "Well," she said as she was given the slip and was told where to find the book, "Don't tell her I told you. Please..." she started again, this time looking worried, "She'd kill me if I told you."
"What is it?" he asked impatiently.
"Well look... she really does... Did I don't know. She did-" Andromeda cut off suddenly and grabbed her cousin's arm to pull him back.

"What?" he hissed. Andromeda gestured around a corner and mouthed, 'Bellatrix'. Sirius took a look around the corner to see his cousin. She was wearing her Slytherin jumper and her hair was open and messy. Sirius could only see but his cousin looked exhausted, and her lip was cut which he wasn't sure whether was to do with her chewing at it so rigorously or something else. Opposite her Rodolphus Lestrange was sat her. He was wearing a simple black jumper but he looked as exhausted. Beside Bellatrix, Sirius noticed what must have been Lucius Malfoy, as he could only see a lot of white blonde hair. The boy was asleep on the table. The castle may have been huge, but that was no reason to have not seen his cousin in so long.

"I've not seen her in weeks." He said honestly, still watching her from a distance.
"No one has." Andromeda said slightly worriedly.
Sirius said nothing and only looked at his younger cousin confusedly, she continued, "She's been away. So have Lucius and Rodolphus, the two boys she is always with. No one knows where they've been, but our parents have written in to excuse her from classes. I really don't know how she's getting 'outstanding's' in all of her work still. I know she's exhausted. They're keeping very much to themselves, the three of them are never without one another. And it's not like I can find out what she does in her spare time, Bellatrix is one of the only people to have her own dorm room on the top floor in the common room."

Sirius, who was by now looking very confused, shrugged his shoulders, "I don't really care anymore Andy. I'm sorry. I hope you find out what is going on with your sister but she doesn't want to know me, so there's nothing I can pretend is worth my time."
Andromeda frowned, "Of course you care. I know you love her just as much as I do. We were raised together. I mean for Merlin's sake Sirius, our mothers lived together when you two were born."
"Yeah well..." Sirius shrugged once more. It pained him to see the expression on his younger cousin's face and he sighed, "I'm sorry. Look after yourself Andy."
"Yeah." She murmured, not watching her cousin walk away but looking over at her sister, who was reading a book and writing rolls of parchment.

It had been a long day for Sirius. He knew no one would be in the prefect bathrooms. None of the prefects would be using it this late but him and he desperately needed a hot bath to soothe his aching muscles of reading all day and studying for finals.

Little did he know, his cousin Bellatrix –also a prefect had exactly the same idea. She hardly flinched when he walked in, her eyes were shut and she was relaxing back against the marble in the huge tub, "get out." She said simply and firmly. Had it been anyone else, Sirius knew they would have run away immediately.

The massive taps were still on and pouring out beautiful shades of lavender, warm reds, calming blues and tropical greens, filling the room with beautiful scents. She had obviously enchanted a harp, which was playing soothingly from somewhere Sirius couldn't say.
"Now that's no way to talk to your cousin." He said calmly, leaning against the door and locking it behind him.
Bellatrix's eyes opened, although for a moment she didn't turn her head to look at him. She sat up after a second and tilted her head slightly towards her cousin, "I'm sorry. I don't consider traitors family." She said simply, her voice far from sorry.
Sirius chuckled, walking towards her, "You forgot to lock the door."
"I can see that." She said flatly.
He paused a moment, his hands still in his pockets, "mind if I join you?"
"Can I stop you?" she asked, her expression never changing.
"You know me too well."

She said nothing as he unbuttoned his shirt and caught a glimpse of his well toned body once more. She didn't want to watch him undress the rest of the way and so she lay her head back once more and shut her eyes again, her soaking wet hair submerged once more into the hot water. No sooner had she shut her eyes than she felt the water move as he got in and sat opposite her.
"Enjoying your freedom?" she said coldly without moving or opening her eyes.
"Very much," he said with a slight smile, "I see however, that you have not been taking my absence well."
Bellatrix raised an eyebrow and looked at her cousin opposite her in the water, "and what gave you that impression?"
"Andromeda was telling me you've had to leave school for a few weeks and that you're only just back." He said honestly.
"And did she say why I left?" Bellatrix asked, tilting her head slightly and sitting up properly, making the tops of her breasts visible.
"One could only guess. Even she didn't know why but I do."
"It's a shame your ego clouds your rational mind." She said, licking her lower lip. She couldn't help but grin, "You truly believe I've not been in school because of... you?"
"Well..." he said as his smile faltered, "I did until you said that."
Bellatrix rolled her eyes but couldn't help a laugh, "No." She said simply.
"Well... Then where have you been?" he said suddenly also sitting up. He wouldn't tell her, but he could see the exhaustion on her face and he was worried.
Bellatrix pursed her lips a little and shrugged, "Why do you care?"
"I don't." Sirius said suddenly, folding his arms for a moment.
"Well then." Bellatrix said calmly, sitting back and closing her eyes once more.
They said nothing for a few moments, sitting in silence, the only noise the large taps sounding like waterfalls.

After but another ten minutes Bellatrix ran her hands through her hair, soaking it once more before she stood. Sirius as always couldn't help but salivate at her body. She was beautiful there was no doubt about it. She was very slender, a flat stomach, long, lean legs and well toned arms. Her breasts were perfect; not too big but just the right size and very perky. Not to mention she had an ass most guys couldn't keep their eyes off. She grabbed her towel, drying herself off, not facing her cousin as she pulled on a robe over her body.

"Close your mouth." She said simply, not having to see her cousin to know his eyes were on her. Sirius realised that in fact his mouth really was open and he immediately shut it and looked away, pretending as if he didn't know what she was talking about.
She was about to walk out when he leant against the side of the tub, bringing his arms up to the side and asked her with a grin on his face, "You going to stay mad at me forever Bells?"

She said nothing for a moment before she turned and walked back towards him. She leant down on the marble ledge of the bath keeping her voice calm the entire time, "You do understand why I am angry don't you? You know I'm angry because you've left me with no choice now. Now I have to do everything you were supposed to do. You and I, we are the eldest in the family, Sirius. Now I'm on my own. I have to marry a pureblood man I'll probably hate –I won't get a say to who it is. I'll have to have a child I don't want, and raise it to be just like me. I'll have double the burden on me because you've given it to me. You've left me with a future I do not want. I don't want to get married, I don't want children. I don't want any of the things my mother has, but thanks to you, all I have left in my life is to turn into her. So yes, I think I will stay 'mad' at you forever." She paused to stand, watching her cousin's speechless and shocked expression, the grin completely wiped from his face before she added with a slight smile, "But don't worry cousin. I'll be damned if you think for one second I'll let that happen to me. I'm working on it. And as I've told you before, you will regret the day you left our family and made me do this to myself. But of course, that freedom will come with a price. One day we will be forced to fight until the death, you and I. And my darling," she said, pressing her hand to his cheek almost lovingly, "I will win."

Without so much as a backward glance at her cousin's expression, she turned around and left the bathroom, leaving him in complete silence and feeling worse than ever.