Disclaimer: I do not own any part of the Harry Potter series.

Culturing

Narcissa looked at her sisters with varying degrees of disapproval. While Andromeda sat cross legged with her hair pulled back into a soft braid, she was still wearing her night clothes. But at least Meda had made half the effort. Bellatrix, as always, looked as though she could have cared less about what her youngest sister thought. Her hair was unkempt as though she'd just been woken up, sleep still clouding her eyes. In Bella's defense, however, Narcissa had just bounded into her sisters' rooms early in the morning deciding to play dress up.

"You two look dreadful," she scolded them, already adopting her best imitation of their mother's high-society voice.

"You sound dreadful," Bella mumbled.

Andromeda snorted out a laugh.

Narcissa chose to ignore Bellatrix's unerring ability to be rude but rather addressed Meda.

"I hope you realize, Andromeda, that I will not stand for that sort of thing in company other than your barbarian of a sister," Narcissa sniffed, sipping the tea she had ordered the house elf to prepare.

"I am nota barbarian," Bellatrix retorted. She promptly shoved a handful of cookies into her mouth. Grinning from ear to ear, she corrected Narcissa through a mouth full of crumbs, "I am a mongrel."

Andromeda roared with laughter as she took a cup of tea and slurped it loudly.

Narcissa shot her a look and snapped, "And you're just purposefully annoying."

"Really?" Andromeda mused, "I was going for more of a Bellatrix."

Narcissa managed to grab the small table just before Bella lunged at Meda, her leg hitting the side in the process. After Bella had been mollified by Meda's threats to pour hot tea on her head, the two returned to merely sitting in boredom across from Narcissa.

"We will address the issue," Narcissa began again as though nothing had happened (she had long ago realized that giving her sisters the attention they wanted only made them worse), "that we were first confronted with. Bellatrix, Andromeda, neither of you are in the proper attire for such a social gathering."

"Cissy," Bella groaned, "Why, in the name of Merlin, do you want to pretend we're having a high society tea-party when mother makes us practice practically every other day?!"

Narcissa drew up her chin and said pointedly, "Well, since Mother has clearly failed to teach you manners, it is my duty as your sister to do so."

Andromeda gaped in disbelief. Bellatrix got up from the floor and jumped on Narcissa's bed, burying her face in the pillows. Narcissa almost screamed in frustration.

"I'm trying to help you!" she whined, abandoning her mother's lofty aristocratic way of speaking. "The least you two can do is play along."

"Wait," Andromeda began slowly, winking at Bella, "You mean we only need to pretend that we care?"

Narcissa sighed, "Yes."

"But, Cissy," Bella said with an innocent smile, "How is that possibly different from any other time we're with you?"
Narcissa stood up with her fists clenched. She could tolerate her sisters being rude, obnoxious, and uncontrollable; after all, they couldn't help it if they hadn't simply been born precious as she had. But they were not going to ruin her tea party.

"Meda and Bella. Go change into acceptable dress robes. Now," she demanded, hands on her hips.

"Or what?" Bellatrix laughed wildly, throwing a pillow at her.

Narcissa ducked the pillow and retorted, "Because if you don't… I'll tell mother that you pushed me down the stairs and that you, Meda, merely stood by and laughed, encouraging Bella the whole time."

Bella considered this for a moment before exclaiming suddenly, "Wait a minute; I've never even done that to you! And threatening is not the same as doing, Narcissa," she added as a quick after thought.

Smirking, Narcissa replied simply, "Mother will believe anything if I cry enough."

Andromeda stood and walked over to where Bellatrix lie, pulling her off the bed. "Come on," she grumbled, "What Cissy wants, Cissy gets."

Narcissa was mildly concerned by the impish grin that replaced the scowl on Andromeda's face as Bella whispered something quickly in her ear. But then she disregarded the exchange in light of Meda's obvious flattering of her persuasion skills.

To highlight those talents further Narcissa added, "And do something to fix your hair, Bellatrix."

"Like what?" Andromeda laughed, "Cut it all off?"

Narcissa was not surprised when Bellatrix yanked Meda's braid ferociously. Andromeda then let out a very unladylike screech followed by a phrase she had undoubtedly heard Bellatrix say first.

Narcissa waited, somewhat impatiently, for her sisters to return, hopefully in the proper attire this time. She didn't care if they teased her, or quite literally stamped their feet over the issue. Narcissa had been born cultured. She thrived off of the formalities, the dressing up, the social status, having to say exactly the right thing to exactly the right person at exactly the right time… They were all merely the responsibilities of being superior.

Bella and Meda should have accepted those duties. Bellatrix was coincidentally the worst at social acceptability when she should have been the best. After all, she was highly proficient at being superior. With Andromeda, Narcissa supposed, there was at least room for improvement. Meda's ineptness did not come from deep-rooted personality as Bella's did, but rather, a lack of enthusiasm.

But, put to a challenge, Narcissa was forced to realize as Bella entered the room, Bellatrix was overenthusiastic. She was dressed in one of Druella's very best ball gowns, and she must have ordered a house elf to do her hair because Bellatrix never could have managed the elaborate twists of hair piled stylishly on her head. Twirling a strand of black pearls around her neck lazily, Bellatrix strutted over to Narcissa.

"I hope I'm not late," she said, her voice laced with something suggesting that no gathering would start until she had arrived.

Narcissa approved, but doled out disapproval nonetheless, "You are horribly overdressed, Bella."

"Really?" Bellatrix spoke cruelly, "I think, rather, that you are underdressed."

"Oh!" Narcissa gasped, "Wait until Andromeda arrives, and you will again be the vulgar one."

But for once, Meda had managed to out do Bella. Smirking as she walked through the door way, she flounced over to where her older sister stood glaring. Narcissa clapped her hand to her face in disbelief as Andromeda twirled around smugly in the elaborate folds of snow white material embellished with stitching of green and silver.

"Andy," Narcissa finally sighed in aggravation, "Why are you wearing a wedding dress to a tea party?"
"Never mind that," Bella snapped, "Why are you wearing my dress at all?"

Andromeda stopped her ostentatious spinning as she faced Bellatrix with a light laugh. "What makes you think it's your dress?"

Bella raised a dangerous eyebrow and replied coolly, "Because, Meda, I am the eldest female of this generation of Blacks. That particular dress, as you very well know, has been worn by the eldest bride for ages. Thus, it is mine."

Narcissa stared at her sisters wearily; she knew exactly what was coming next.

"Oh," Andromeda replied with mock confusion, "Are you suggesting that somebody will ever be foolish enough to marry you?"

Bellatrix opened her mouth to retort but Narcissa cut in irritably, "With your manners I'd be surprised if men came near either of you."

Bella, who had never appreciated being interrupted, addressed Narcissa with a harsh "shut up" before turning her attack on Andromeda. "What do you mean, foolish enough to marry me? I've got a lot better chance than you."

"Better chance than me?" Andromeda demanded.

Narcissa found their argument rather pointless as it was obvious that she was the most eligible of the three. But, since her sisters looked so much a like, she had a feeling they'd gang up on the pretty blond angel. They always did.

"I hope you realize," Andromeda continued, "that because we do look so similar, the contest comes down not to our looks, but to our personalities. In which case, I'd like to agree with Cissy; your social skills are horrible."

"We look nothing alike, Andromeda!" Bella retorted, always in denial.

This time Narcissa joined Andromeda in raised eyebrow.

"I suppose you look more like Cissy, then?" she shot sarcastically.

Bella wrinkled her nose and said, "No need to be insulting."

Narcissa huffed in anger. "You're just jealous that mother thinks I'm the prettiest."

Bellatrix snorted, "Yeah, I've always cared about what mother thought; that must be it."

Andromeda rolled her eyes and tossed her hair back. "Admit defeat, Bella. We could be twins if we wanted to."

"Only, I don't want to and no; I'll never admit defeat," Bella laughed, raising her dark eyebrows. "Besides, even if we do have certain similarities, I am clearly more striking."

"If by 'more striking' you mean you're more apt to hitting people, then yes, Bella; you are more striking."

Bellatrix illustrated Andromeda's point nicely by throwing a punch into her shoulder. But Andromeda was not one to let Bella win that easily. With a growl of anger, Meda shoved Bella, causing her to stumble backwards, almost upsetting the table of tea for about the tenth time, to Narcissa's counting.

"BELLA, MEDA!" she shouted in outrage. "If you don't care about ruining my tea, at least worry about your dresses. Mother will be furious if something happens to them; especially you, Meda."

Looking surly, Bellatrix flopped down on Narcissa's bed, crossing her arms firmly over her chest. Andromeda sighed loudly as she sat behind Narcissa; she then began to braid Cissy's hair roughly, ignoring the fact that it had been perfectly straight and stylish.

"Now, let's try this again," Narcissa breathed, rearranging her own dress robes. If anything, she was determined to get her way. She was going to have a societal gathering and her sisters weregoing to cooperate. She again adopted her mother's voice, "I have heard that the minister is about to pass a bill allowing mudbloods to keep their blood status anonymous when entering Hogwarts. As the self-proclaimed authority on these matters and the only one of us currently attending the school, please shed some light on the matter, Bella."

Rolling her eyes, Bellatrix replied in a bored drawl, "The mudbloods that plague the school do not concern me. Besides, their blood status hardly needs specification. If you can't pinpoint your inferiors straight off, you clearly aren't superior enough."

Narcissa nodded, though she wasn't exactly sure what Bella meant. Then again, she rarely understood exactly what Bellatrix meant.

"And how are your prospects, Andromeda?" Narcissa inquired thoughtfully.

"I find it crude to boast, so I will only say that they are much better than my eldest sister's," Meda said with a paradoxical air of delicacy.

Sitting on the mattress, Bellatrix glared daggers at Andromeda who bore a silly simper.

"You might be familiar with my sister," Andromeda continued on, ignoring Bella's growing level of irritation. Narcissa closed her eyes waiting for the final line to be crossed. "You know; that loud-mouthed cow who has as much chance of finding a husband without use of force as the Chudley Cannons have of winning-"

But Andromeda was cut off, literally, as Bella sprung from the bed, tackling her sister to the ground. There was a flurry of ancient wedding dress and the sound of squabbling siblings as Bella clawed at Meda's face as Meda pulled Bella's hair. Narcissa flinched occasionally as a flailing arm or leg threatened to hit her. As she stared at the scene with only mild interest, Narcissa realized that she was far too used to her sisters' behavior, or lack thereof.

Finally, Bella managed to twist Andromeda's arm behind her back as she snarled, "Give me back my dress!"

"Bella, since when have you cared about dresses? Particularly frumpy old wedding gowns?" Andromeda sighed wearily, wincing slightly as her arm was jerked tighter.

"Because it's mine!" came the childish response.

Narcissa had tolerated enough. So did what had always worked; she cried.

"Bella, Meda, please stop!" she sobbed, fake tears falling down her face.

And, immediately, they did.

"What's the matter, Cissy?" Andromeda asked gently, pulling herself from Bella's death grip.

"As if you didn't know," Narcissa sniffed dramatically, turning away from her sisters.

There was an awkward silence that was finally broken by Bellatrix as she teased gently, "Come off it, Cissy. We aren't that bad; look, we dressed up and behaved for you… sort of…"

"Oh, shut up, Bella! You're the worst; you never want to play with me-"

Narcissa was promptly cut off, though, as Bellatrix scooped up her little sister under the arms. Spinning her around, Bella said, "Now, that's not true at all, Cissy. And you know it."

Narcissa couldn't help but giggle wildly as Bella spun around faster and faster until the room was a blur with the occasional sight of a grinning Andromeda. When Bella finally stumbled to a stop, Narcissa tripped over her own feet and fell to the floor in a most unladylike fashion. Her sisters were clearly a negative influence.

Bella, clasping her dizzy head, staggered for a few steps until she ran into Meda. As she prevented her sister from slipping to the floor, Andromeda pulled Bella's hair out of its elaborate up-do so that her ebony curls fell much more naturally around her face.

"You can have the dress," Andromeda finally said, a small smile lighting her face. "It'd be worth it just to see you in all white."

Bellatrix made an odd noise in the back of her throat before replying, "Just see if I don't make my own modifications."

"Oh, Narcissa would never approve," Meda teased.

But Cissy shrugged, "I don't really care how Bella chooses to embarrass herself, so long as the Maid of Honor's dress is attractive. In any case, if Bella's wedding is a complete flop, it will only make my wedding that much better."

Andromeda scoffed. "I hope you don't think that you will be Bella's Maid of Honor, Cissy. Your arrogance is really getting out of hand, isn't it? Besides, even if Bella's wedding fails to live up to society's expectations, you'll still have to compete with the prestige of my wedding."

Narcissa scowled for a minute before refuting, "But you won't be wearing Mother's wedding dress, will you? That honor will go to her favorite, which is me, in case you forgot."

Andromeda rolled her eyes; Bellatrix mumbled something about what a great honor wearing a Rosier family heirloom was compared to that of the Black family.

"I guess that means I'll have a dress made all for myself," Meda finally said, smugly.

Narcissa had no reply to this as she truthfully loved the idea of designing a gown specifically for herself. So instead she snatched up a cup of now cold tea and sipped it peevishly. "Well," she said haughtily. "If anything, I'll have one thing over both of your weddings."

Andromeda exchanged a smile with Bellatrix who noted, "Yeah, the best bridesmaids ever."

Narcissa shook her head delicately. She thought of the morning's failed culture lesson as she explained, "I won't have to watch either of you bungle your way down the aisle."

Author's Note:Well if that wasn't a plot-less mess of Black Sisters, but what can I say? I missed Bella-Meda banter. I am literally trapped inside my house thanks to snow so there is no excuse for not updating on Valentine's Day with a chapter appropriate for the holiday. As always, thank you for reading/reviewing!