A/N: I told you I'd post again soon. And I deliver. Long chapter. Longest I've posted as of yet. Many bad words. Teenage girls and their bad mouths...tsk tsk. Anyways, reviews are very much appreciated, so if you read, please do so. Now, on to chapter 6!

Chapter 6:

The short flight to his aunt's and uncle's house seemed to take ages. When they finally arrived, Bellatrix told him to go inside while she put away her broom. Not too quick to forget their earlier conversation, Sirius followed her instructions and went in. The moment he entered the sitting room, he was greeted by a deafening scream from the kitchen. Suddenly, his cousin, Andromeda, stormed through the door on the far right. She was followed closely by her sister, Narcissa. Both girls were pink in the face and clearly infuriated with one another.

"Just go away, Narcissa!"

"Oh, you'd love that, wouldn't you?"

"Actually, nothing would make me happier."

"You two are still fighting?"

Narcissa and Andromeda fell silent as Bellatrix entered the room. She sat down sideways in one of the large, plush chairs, letting her long, graceful legs hang over the side. Her sisters looked at her in anticipation. She asked lazily, "What is it about this time?"

"She stole my bracelet," Narcissa said. "You remember the one mother and father bought me for my birthday last year. She stole it because she lost hers."

"This is my bracelet," Andromeda said. "We all got one just like it. The only difference is the initials on the back. I could be wrong, but I'm fairly certain your initials aren't A.E.B., Narcissa."

Narcissa looked slightly taken aback for a moment, but she recovered quickly and retorted, "She probably changed those."

"I couldn't have changed them if I tried!"

Narcissa didn't acknowledge her. She looked at Bellatrix expectantly, who sighed and said, "Cissy, she couldn't have. First of all, she's not of age…or bright enough to concoct it herself. Secondly, there is a charm on the bracelet to keep the initials set, so even if she were to think of that, she wouldn't be nearly skilled enough to change them. Why don't you have the elf look for it?"

Narcissa didn't seem satisfied with that answer, but she rolled her eyes and, turning on her heel, went into the kitchen, calling loudly for the house elf. Andromeda also turned on her heel and walked swiftly up the stairs. Sirius started after her, but before he could get past her chair, Bellatrix stopped him.

"Where do you think you're going?" she asked, looking up at him. "You heard your mother. You are not to speak to Andromeda."

"So, what am I supposed to do?" Sirius said. He wanted to get as far away from Bellatrix as possible as soon as he could.

"You can go upstairs and sit in your room. Do whatever you want in there, I couldn't care less."

"I'm guessing this isn't up for debate."

"Well, you certainly catch on quickly, don't you?" Bella said. Sirius turned and climbed up the stairs. He rounded the top corner, sat against the banister and looked around. The house hadn't changed a bit since he was a little boy. The ceilings were high and sloped, the floors were made of a dark wood and were always clean and polished, and the walls were lined with a silk the color of moss.

In the center of the wall opposite the staircase was a large, marble fireplace. Hanging above it was an enormous family portrait, which he suddenly realized he had never taken the time to observe properly. He looked at his cousin's door at the end of the hallway. He needed to give her some time to cool off before he went to see her. Bella always brought out the worst in Andy, and he had no desire whatsoever to see her at her worst. He turned his attention to the portrait, which was remaining unusually quiescent.

His uncle sat at the upper right: tall, lean, and dark with heavily-lidded eyes the color of slate, a strong jaw, and a prominent brow. His aunt was sitting beside him, to his left: she was slender and pale and remarkably beautiful; she had long, blonde hair, full lips, and a pair of wide eyes that could put sapphires to shame. Before the two of them, in a straight row, sat the child-versions of his three cousins.

Directly in front of her father sat Bellatrix. She must have been about seven-years-old at the time. Even then, she bore a striking resemblance to her father. Her long dark hair fell evenly over her shoulders and down the front of her royal blue robes.

Sitting in the center, in stylish robes of pale pink, was Narcissa. She looked about three, but she hadn't changed a bit since. Her blonde hair was shoulder-length and so pale it was almost white. She looked as much like her mother as Bella did her father.

That meant Andromeda was to the far left, in front of her mother. She couldn't have been more than five, and she couldn't have looked more different. Her hair was honey-blonde and fell in wispy little ringlets around her face and shoulders, both of which were adorned with subtle, sparse freckles, and she had a broad smile on her face. The only thing about his cousin that hadn't changed was her bold blue eyes.

It was, perhaps, the oddest thing Sirius had ever seen. This portrait didn't behave like other portraits he was familiar with. Its inhabitants never spoke with each other, much less the residents of the house. The only communication between his aunt and uncle was the happy looks and loving glances they exchanged with one another and their children. The two younger girls, however, passed a stuffed unicorn between them. Andromeda held it for a while, and then passed it on to Narcissa. When Narcissa was finished playing with it, she would give it back to Andromeda. All the while, Bellatrix sat back and watched them, smiling contentedly and looking amused. Sirius couldn't remember a time when his cousins got along, and the thought of such a thing was disturbing to consider.

He stood up and shook off his present train of thought. He headed towards Andromeda's room. Normally, he would do what Bella said, but she seemed a bit preoccupied. She hadn't threatened him or smiled that little smile of hers that always meant pain for the recipient. Obviously, she had something else on her mind, and she wasn't paying any attention to him.

He raised his hand and knocked quietly on Andromeda's door.

"Go away!" her voice called impatiently from inside.

"Come on, Andy," Sirius whispered through the keyhole. The door opened quickly, and Andromeda pulled him inside. She shut the door behind her and hugged him tightly.

"When did you get here?" she asked as she let him go.

"About fifteen minutes ago, but you were too busy to notice me," he said, sitting down on her wide bed. "You're a thief now, I see."

"I'm a thief…and a cow…and a slut, apparently."

"Wow, and all this happened over the summer?"

"You bet. I have really gone downhill, little cousin. Next thing you know I'll be hanging around with Mudbloods and Muggles," Andromeda said vaguely, seating herself on the corner of her desk.

Of all of his relatives, she was definitely one of his favorites. Not because she wasn't warped (she was as twisted as the rest of them), but because she was different. She was reasonable, outspoken, and the only other person in his immediate family that found the pure blood hierarchy a bunch of hogwash.

If nothing else, the fact that she was the only person who had ever stood up to Bella was enough to earn his respect. It had also earned her a scar across the length of her back. He remembered seeing it before it had healed. The gash was a little over an inch deep; the area where the cut crossed her spine had left the bones exposed. Apparently this effect had been produced by cutting centimeters of skin for about half a minute at a time. Bellatrix must have been beside herself with delight. And, of course, it was easy to lie about how Andy got it. Bella said she fell out of a tree. Her parents blindly believed her. Since then, Andromeda had learned to pick her battles with Bellatrix. Narcissa, however, was fair game and quite easy game as well.

Someone rapped sharply on the door. Both of them jumped. Andy gestured for Sirius to hide in her closet. As soon as he had closed the closet door behind him, the door to her room unlocked and swung open. Enter Bella, looking peeved.

"Didn't you hear me knocking?" he heard Bella ask. He cracked the door open a bit so that he could see the two of them.

Andy shrugged. "Sorry, I'm a little too dull to realize what I was hearing. I'll try to remember for next time, but I wouldn't count on it if I were you."

"You are so lucky I have more important things to do than deal with you right now."

"Like snog your boyfriend?"

"You really have a death wish, don't you?

"I want you to kill me more than you realize, Bella."

"I'll make you regret saying that."

"Oh, would you, Bella? Really and truly?"

"Anything for you, my dear little sister. And in return, you're going to watch that little runt down the hall we call a cousin. Oh, and you're not allowed to speak to him."

Andy jumped off her desk. "Why the hell not?"

"His mother thinks you're a bad influence on the boy. I can't say I blame her, seeing as you are a thieving whore."

"I'm not about to sit and stare at someone I can't even speak to. Get Cissy to do it."

"Narcissa is at her friend's house for the night."

"By friend you mean Malfoy, I assume. And I'm the whore of the family? No. No way in hell, Bella, I'm not doing shit."

"Well, that's a shame," Bellatrix said, and for the first time that night, her trademark smile made its way across her face. She reached into her robe and pulled out a glittering golden bracelet with the initials N.D.B. carved into the back side of a diamond studded gold plate. "Wouldn't it be wonderful for you if this were to miraculously reappear?" Andy stared blankly at the bracelet for a moment before sighing in defeat. "That's a good girl. He's down the hall, first spare room. You know where I'll be if you need me. Don't need me." She turned sharply and left, slamming the door behind her.

Sirius emerged from the closet and slowly approached Andy, who was staring at her door as though she had never detested anything more in her life.

"You knew Bella had that bracelet, didn't you?" he asked. She nodded silently and sat down on her bed. "They treat you like shit."

"Watch your mouth."

"Andy, come on, my mouth is not the issue here!" Sirius said incredulously.

Andy sighed and said, "I know."

"So do something about it."

"What would you have me do, Sirius? Please tell me. I'm all ears."

"Leave!"

She fidgeted for a moment with the corner of her pale satin comforter. "I can't just leave, Sirius. I have nowhere to go. I have no money of my own. I'm just not ready to do that. And besides, like it or not, they are my family. I can't just leave them."

"Why not? I would."

She smiled sadly at him. "I wouldn't expect you to understand. You're too young."

"If it counts for anything, I'd pick you over Bella any day," he said, playing with the model of the planets on her desk.

"You say that now, but give it a few years and you'll be seeing Bella as perfection made human," she said, toying with the clasp of her bracelet. "Just like everyone else."

He sent Saturn on a whirlwind trip around the sun as he turned to her indignantly. "Will not!"

Andromeda smiled. "Will too."

"Will not."

"Will too."

"Will not, will not, will not!"

"Will too, will too, will—" She was interrupted by a dull thud! from the wall that separated her room from Bellatrix's. She looked at it curiously. "They usually charm the room so that no one can hear what's going on inside," she said quietly. There was another thud! and the sound of shattering glass. "Pity. I always liked that vase."

"Andy?"

"Okay," she turned to Sirius and said, "You hungry?"

"Starving," he lied. He knew Andromeda's way to get him out from anywhere was to offer him food, and it usually worked quite well. At the moment, however, his appetite was far gone.

"On to the kitchen, then," she said. He followed her downstairs, neither of them making a sound. They went through the large sitting room, past a cloak that was now lying on the floor in front of the house entrance, and into the door Andy had stormed out of when he had arrived.