"I'll pack for you" Rodolphus said in monotone, without glancing at his new wife. Bellatrix didn't reply. Instead, she searched the house to have a last look at her childhood.

She entered the living room, where the family tree was sprawled across the walls. The name 'Bellatrix Black' had been replaced with 'Bellatrix Lestrange'

I may have to get used to that. Bellatrix thought sadly. She looked at her sisters Narcissa and Andromeda on both sides of her family tree picture. But instead of a pretty face looking very similar to Bellatrix's, there was a huge burn mark where Andromeda's face should have been. Bellatrix thought back to the summer six years ago when she found her dear sister's letter…

It was halfway through the summer holidays, and Bellatrix was relaxing in her room, working on her History of Magic homework.

Question one: Did wand legislation contribute to goblin riots of the eighteenth century? Why or why not?

"Hey Bella?" Andromeda's voice came from across the hall. Bellatrix walked into Andromeda's room, where she was also working on homework. Before Bellatrix could say anything, however, she noticed snowy owl outside Andromeda's window.

"Dromeda, whose that from?" Bellatrix said curiously. "I thought you said the Parkinson family or whoever it is you talk to were on vacation…" Bellatrix took a closer look at the scraggly handwriting on the letter. Her eyes and smile widened.

"That's a BOY'S handwriting! Who are you writing to?" Bellatrix grabbed the letter from the owl and it flew off.

"N-No one!" Andromeda's eyes filled with a mixture of panic and embarrassment.

"Someone fancies you!" Bellatrix ran into her room with the letter. Andromeda chased after her, but Bellatrix was too quick. She locked the door, and tore open the letter.

Dear Dromeda,

I'm glad to hear your summer holidays are going alright. I've got loads of homework too. I'm going on vacation to Egypt tomorrow. I won't be taking my owl, but I'll write you as much as I can. And I know your family won't approve of us, but they'll come around. Well, I ought to get to packing, my mum's afraid I'll leave something if I pack of with magic. I'll be sure to get you something in Egypt.

With love,

Ted Tonks

"Bella, please give it back!" Andromeda was pounding on the door.

Ted Tonks? The mudblood Hufflepuff? It took Bellatrix a minute to take it all in. When she finally did. Bellatrix opened the door for Andromeda. Bellatrix's expression was calm, while Andromeda's showed panic.

"Bella, please, don't be mad-" Andromeda was cut off by Bellatrix's sudden explosion.

"MAD? YOU'VE BEEN WRITING TO THIS… THIS FILTH FOR MONTHS! AND YOU'RE ASKING ME NOT TO BE MAD?"

"Girls, girls! What is going on?" The girls' mother ran up the stairs.

Bellatrix threw the letter at her sister. "ASK HER!" She stormed back to her room and slammed the door. She heard a moment's pause, (which she figured was her mother reading the letter) then her mother exploded, similar to the way Bellatrix did…

Inside the burn mark, there was what at first appeared to be an ink stained piece of parchment. After pulling it out, Bellatrix saw it was a letter smeared with ash. Bellatrix could only make out a few words of the letter;

Dear Walburga,

Andromeda with mudblood. I owl morning. Here letter blood traitor

Druella

Bellatrix pictured her furious, blood purity obsessed aunt with this letter in her hand, lashing spells at Andromeda's family tree portrait, then shoving in the letter as a reminder of why Andromeda had been kicked out of the family.

It was just last week when her mother belted out a Howler to Andromeda, after receiving a letter saying she had married Ted Tonks.

YOU FILTHY BLOOD TRAITOR! YOU ARE BANNED FROM THIS HOUSE! YOU WILL NEVER COME BACK HERE AGAIN! NEVER!

The memory of her mother's screams echoed in the back of her mind.

Perhaps I should have kept my bloody mouth shut. Pure blood marriages aren't even that wonderful, look at what I ended up with… At least she fell in love…

Bellatrix shook off the pity for her sister. But she had a strange emotion filling her mind. A mixture of anger and jealousy. Angry at the fact that Andromeda had betrayed the whole family, but also very envious. At least she had the chance to fall in love.

"Bellatrix?" Rodolphus came into the living room. "All set to leave?"

Bellatrix took a final look at her aunt house. Odds are I won't be back here again for a while. She thought. Bellatrix nodded to Rodolphus, grabbed his hand, and they disapparated into ten years of fighting and tears.