Chapter 2 – The arrival
"Why, oh why did I let Bellatrix challenge me to that game?" Sirius asked as he had a hard time to keep himself on his feet when he and Andromeda poured in through the gates of Hogwarts along with all the other students.
"You blame her?" Andromeda asked him in disbelief. "Who brought the drink?" But she was not without pity and when her cousin swayed like he was about to fall on his bottom, she quickly wrapped an arm around his waist to keep him up. He gratefully put his hand on her shoulder.
"Gosh, I feel like I am going to collapse," he moaned as they ascended the stairs towards the great hall where the sorting ceremony was supposed to take place.
"You better not let the headmaster see you," said Andromeda nervously.
"You were always a caring angel, Andromeda."
She smiled acidly. "Actually I was more thinking about me. If Dumbledore finds out that I allowed you to drink on the train, I will lose my badge so fast my head will spin."
"Ah, yes, I remember. You were made prefect," he mumbled.
Andromeda nodded and suddenly felt ashamed for having neglected her duties. She had been so pleased when she received the badge earlier in the summer and her parents had been so proud. She did not intend to throw the honour away.
"Who is it beside you?" asked Sirius.
Andromeda cringed slightly. "Doran Parkinson."
Sirius chuckled. "Ah, the upstart's brat. Your parents were not happy with that, were they?"
"Neither was I," Andromeda admitted darkly. "I don't understand why Dumbledore chose him. He is an absolute jerk. Who are the Gryffindor prefects then? Not you I hope?"
He laughed throatily. "No, I don't think any headmaster in his right mind would even consider giving me the badge. No, he has chosen Remus to baby-sit us. You know, my friend?"
She nodded. Of course she knew who Remus Lupin was. You were not likely to forget a boy who turned into a werewolf once a month. Sirius had accidentally let the secret slip during last year and he had made her swear on the life of her sisters not to tell anyone. Her aunt Walburga would probably faint if she found out that such a freak had been chosen as prefect before her very own son. Yet another nail in Sirius' coffin.
"And who else then?"
"Lily Evans," he answered. "I don't know if you have met her. She is the girl my friend James is lusting after. Red hair, green eyes?"
"Yes, I think I know who she is." Andromeda remembered a pretty girl with eyes like emeralds and fantastic grades. She frowned slightly. "Do they... I mean at Gryffindor... Do they give badges to..." She stopped as she felt his eyes upon her. Suddenly, he had become rigid with tension.
"What?" he snapped. "Do they give badges to the likes of her?" Yes, actually they do, Andromeda. In Gryffindor, even filthy mudbloods can rise to the level of prefect. They can even be made head boy or head girl, as absurd as it might seem to you."
"I didn't mean it like that," Andromeda started, blushing fiercely. "I didn't mean to insult your friends..."
"No, you didn't and that's the problem," Said Sirius coldly and twisted away from her. Suddenly, he seemed to have sobered considerably. "You don't even consider it an insult. It's just the way of the world, isn't it?"
Andromeda firmly shook her head. "You know I am not like that," she said quietly.
"Do I?" he gave her a look of distaste. "Sometimes I just don't know, Andromeda. Sometimes I think you are just like that, just like them."
He turned on his heel and walked away from her to find his friends.
The sorting ceremony had begun. Every trembling, blushing new student had to step up on the podium, sit on the chair and put on the sorting hat that would dictate which house they would belong to during their years at the school. The hat was usually swift and ruthless in its decisions. "Ravenclaw!" "Slytherin!" "Hufflepuff!" "Gryffindor!" was echoing in the great hall.
Narcissa was quietly walking along the Slytherin table. She glanced with pity towards the students who were waiting for their turn She remembered her own first day at Hogwarts three years previously and how desperately nervous she had been when she had placed the sorting hat on her blonde head. She had been scared that she wouldn't get to stay with her sisters or that she would have to suffer the shame of being sorted into Gryffindor, like Sirius.
The hat had taken some time musing and she had barely dared to breathe. Every muscle in her body had been tense. When the hat finally cried "Slytherin!" she had almost fainted with relief. She had been allowed to join her sisters who had happily embraced her and welcomed her. "You had no reason to worry," Bellatrix had assured her. "We all share the same blood."
Narcissa moved to stand next to a boy who was sitting alone by the wall. He was skinny with oily black hair and a strangely crooked nose. She gently touched his arm. "Hallo," she whispered.
He turned towards her in surprise and even though he didn't smile, there was a sparkle in his dark eyes that told her he was glad to see her. "Hi."
"How was your summer?" she asked him.
His face hardened. "Not very good. What about yours?"
"Oh, just fine. But I am glad to be back."
"I am glad you are back." His mouth twitched in a way that could almost pass for a smile.
Narcissa and Severus Snape had a strange friendship that had started the year before. He was a year older than her even though they were both in Slytherin. He had always been a lone wolf and considered a bizarre and dorky kind of boy, even by his fellow Slytherins. Narcissa had first met him by the creek when someone had used a confundus spell on him that had made him unable to walk anywhere except in circles. Cruelly, whoever it was had just left him standing there, dazed and confused while he could do nothing but spin. Narcissa had used her wand to free him, seething with anger. He had been humiliated and not very grateful, but a few days later he had sought her out to thank her.
Since then, they would meet sometimes whenever no one else was around and talk to each other about problems and other concerns. Narcissa had always been shy and found it difficult to show her true self, but she found it surprisingly easy to open up to Severus. He was quiet and listened to what she had to say.
She felt a surge of happiness running through her body as she remembered that there was something she needed to tell him. She recalled her mother's face the day before she left and her gentle smile. "Nothing is for sure yet, darling, we are only planning. But it seems like your dearest wishes are about to come true."
She hadn't even told her sisters yet, even though they might suspect something. But she wanted to tell him first. It just felt so important.
Andromeda and Bellatrix were sitting together at the back of the room watching the sorting ceremony. Out of the corner of her eye, Andromeda noticed Narcissa talking to the skinny, long nosed boy. She frowned and elbowed Bellatrix. "Is it Severus Snape that Narcissa is with?"
Bellatrix glanced at her little sister and scowled. "Yes, that half breed. I don't really think Dumbledore should let those people inside Slytherin." She shook her head. "And now father tells me that the ministry is discussing the possibility of letting muggleborn inside our house. Father said he will have us transferred to Beauxbaton if that should ever happen."
Andromeda didn't answer. Uncomfortably, she remembered her argument with Sirius. She spotted him sitting at the Gryffindor table with his friends, but he never even looked in her direction. Her eyes roamed back to Narcissa and Snape. "It seems like she enjoys spending time with him. You don't suppose there is anything going on between them?"
Bellatrix looked at her like she was a raving lunatic. "Are you mad? Our little sister is not completely without judgement."
"I hope not," said Andromeda. "I have never liked that guy. And Sirius has always told me that he is a complete idiot."
"Sirius might be right for once," Bellatrix decided. "But what can you expect from that kind of breeding? Look at him, that greasy hair and his bad teeth. His breath would probably poison you. No, Andromeda, Narcissa is not that crazy. Nor is she blind."
Andromeda shrugged and turned her attention back to the sorting ceremony. A young boy had just been placed in Slytherin and along with Bellatrix, she joined the others in welcoming him to the house with a warm applaud.
"Hallo, girls," a voice suddenly said.
They both looked up and found their cousin Regulus Black standing behind them, as always with a twitchy, nervous smile painted over his lips. Regulus was thirteen with his brother's glossy black hair and grey eyes. He was far skinnier than Sirius had ever been though and his robes seemed to be hanging over his narrow shoulders.
"I heard you were made prefect," he told Andromeda. "Congratulations!"
"Thank you," Andromeda smiled. She had always felt sorry for him since he always seemed so insecure. "You can't wait to get your own chance in two years, can you?"
He blushed slightly. "I don't know if I will be chosen. Sometimes it seems like Dumbledore doesn't care about the pureness of your blood when he is making his choices."
"That is his problem," Bellatrix assured him. "Anyone who knows you are a Black should know that you are fit to wear the badge."
"Have you talked to Sirius?" Andromeda asked him.
"No. Why?"
"I thought he might have told you..." Andromeda's cheeks reddened. "We had a little argument when we arrived to the castle. I am afraid he took offence by some things I said."
Regulus' eyes found Sirius in the crowd where he was sitting with his friends from Gryffindor. His eyes narrowed into slits. "I am sure you have nothing to worry about, Andromeda. He is in no position to accuse you. He is the one who is doing his best to offend and embarrass our family."
Regulus had always suffered from some kind of inferiority complex in comparison to his older, more charismatic brother. But unlike Sirius, he had never tried to rebel. He seemed to take pride in being as unlike his brother as he could. He was an ambitious student, a dutiful son and extremely aware of the greatness of his family. More than anything, he seemed to want to forget that Sirius was his brother.
Bellatrix had always thought Regulus an annoying little twat, but of two evils, she would always take his side in his conflicts with his brother. Now, she patted his shoulder. "You are not responsible for what he does, Reg."
"I know, but it still isn't very pleasant to see your brother socialising with such filth." He glared at the three boys Sirius was sitting with. They were all laughing at some internal joke. "Mother and father have forbidden him from being with them and he just doesn't care."
Bellatrix said something comforting again, but Andromeda turned away. She didn't want to listen.
"Merlin, I feel like I could sleep for a month," sighed Narcissa as she crawled down under the covers of her bed in the girls' dormitory in the Slytherin student house. Naturally, her sheets were decorated in green and silver, like everything else around them.
"I just hope you aren't going to start sobbing again," Andromeda teased her. "That happened sometime before, if I remember correctly.
Narcissa blushed. "Shut up," she said and Andromeda giggled. She liked to remind her little sister of the first night she had spent at Hogwarts three years ago. When they had put the candles out, she had broken down and started crying, lonely and homesick. Andromeda and Bellatrix had been surprised to see their controlled sister in such a state, but they had done their best to comfort her. In the end, they had all slept together in one of the beds, with their arms tightly around each other.
In truth, the three sisters had found it much easier than many other students to adjust to their life at the boarding school. They did not have a close enough relationship with their parents to miss them very much and they didn't see much of them even when they were at home during the holidays. Actually, they felt much more at home at Hogwarts than they did at their parents' huge house outside London.
"Aren't you going to sleep, Bella?" asked Andromeda.
Bellatrix was standing by the window again, looking out. She distantly shook her head. "No, I am not really tired yet."
Andromeda did not seem convinced, but she did not want to start another argument and besides, she was much too tired. She put her head down on the pillow and fell asleep abruptly.
Bellatrix was dressed in a silky green dressing gown with the sash tightly tied around her slim waist. She was leaning her head against the window frame, while she thoughtfully wrapped a stray of her silky, black hair around one of her slender fingers. A frown was painted over her forehead.
She did not like to wait. She was not the sort of woman who waited for anyone. Her birth and rank meant that people would automatically move out of their way for her. If they didn't do it freely, she would push them. Still in this case, she had no other choice but to wait and it was starting to drive her mad.
Bellatrix would leave Hogwarts in a year. Her grades were not brilliant, but that made no difference to her. She didn't need good grades to achieve her goals. All she needed was her looks and her wit and her courage. She had plans, she had ideas. She wanted power, she wanted success, she wanted admiration. And yet, she knew that there was only one way she could achieve it through.
She had to make a good marriage.
She sighed. The problem with being a member of one of the few remaining pureblood families in Britain was that your selection of potential spouses was extremely limited and you could be sure that no matter who you married, you would be related to each other in one way or another. Some girls would have to settle with ugly, stinking and penniless men just because they had the right origins. Others betrayed their blood and married mudbloods and half-breeds, simply because they had wealth and looks.
Bellatrix had high demands; she knew that she was worth the best. To others who shared her traits, it had been nearly impossible to find someone who would satisfy their needs. They had preferred to stay unmarried rather than stooping to a man who was beneath them.
But miraculously, Bellatrix had managed to find one man who embodied all of her ideals.
Lucius Malfoy.
He had everything she had ever desired: Pure blood, extreme wealth, striking good looks, charm and intelligence. He was almost too good to be true. Ever since she had met him at a family celebration at the age of fourteen, she had decided that he would be her husband. His opinions didn't matter. She knew that she was good enough for him and she intended to have him. Nothing could stay in her way.
Lucius was three years older than her and he had lost his parents a few years previously. He was now living on his own in his great manor. Her beauty and discreet flirtations finally seemed to have paid off during last year when he had started courting her. He had visited her in London during the summer and invited her over to his own house. But there was still something missing. He still hadn't asked the question she wanted to hear; the question that would make her relax and smile in triumph.
Betrothals were usually handled by parents in their society, but since Lucius was an orphan he took care of those things on his own. She knew that he expected a lot from a wife, but she was certain that she could fulfil his requirements. She was a young, beautiful and talented witch. And she knew what her duty and position would demand from her.
She just didn't understand why he was hesitating. Sometimes it almost drove her mad. Sometimes she really wanted to take Andromeda up on her advice and send an owl to him and pop the question herself. But she knew that she couldn't. She was brought up in a traditional world where women were, at least ostensibly, expected to be modest and subtle and wait for men to speak first. She didn't like it, but she reluctantly accepted it. She couldn't fight, so she manipulated her way to power instead.
Sighing, she turned away from the window. No, no bird would arrive this night either. She was making herself ridiculous and she hated that. She couldn't stand being laughed at and particularly not by her sisters.
She glanced at them, sleeping soundly in their beds. Andromeda had a slight wrinkle over her forehead; she was probably still upset about her argument with her favourite cousin. Bellatrix didn't know why she bothered.
There were times; not many, but a few, when Bellatrix was jealous of her younger, plainer sister. It must be so nice to be so carefree and wilful. Andromeda always felt what she wanted to feel, not what anyone told her. It had to be such a blessing not having to feel the pressure of tradition upon your shoulders. Andromeda seemed to be under some kind of illusion that she could do whatever she wanted with her life. Anyone who tried to marry her off would not have an easy time. But then again, Andromeda's plain looks and open-minded nature would probably scare off any suitor who was stupid enough to approach her.
Bellatrix's eyes roamed over to Narcissa's sleeping form in the other bed. Her golden hair was spread out over the pillow and she had a soft little smile painted over her lips. She looked like one of those angels the foolish muggles worshipped. Narcissa was certainly not like Andromeda. She was the kind of girl who would always do her duty to her family and honour her parents in any way she could. No matter who they would match her with, she would probably give her consent, humbly and subtly.
But of course, they all knew that her heart was taken. It had been for all of her life. And there was only one man who could hold on to it. Bellatrix cringed at the thought. "He is not good enough for you," she silently told her little sister.
The lunch hour had just begun. The corridors were crowded as everyone was pouring out from their classes, tired and hungry after a long morning. Andromeda also longed to get back to the Slytherin house and devour some pork pie that would make Bellatrix shudder. But first, there was something she needed to do.
She had not found any time to speak to Sirius ever since she came back to Hogwarts. As usual, the first days of the new semester had been stressful and confused as the new students tried to get to know the long, winding stairs and their student houses and everyone tried to memorize their new schedules.
Andromeda had decided that she couldn't postpone her meeting with her cousin anymore. She had to speak to him and she was determined to find him before the lunch hour was over. They could not let that silly argument stand in the way of their friendship.
A Gryffindor had told her that he had seen Sirius heading down towards the lake to have his lunch. She thanked him and hurried out through the doors into the gardens. Even at distance, she could make out her cousin, sitting on the bank with his back leaned against a tree and his long legs stretched out in front of him. But she stopped awkwardly as she realized that he wasn't alone.
Suddenly and uninvited, the cautioning words her mother had told her the night before she returned towards Hogwarts came back to her. She could still see her troubled, uncomfortable face. "I know you have always been close to your cousin, Sirius, darling. But unfortunately, he has been keeping some very bad company lately and they seem to have corrupted him. Your aunt and uncle are very worried. I must ask you not to spend any time with him when they are around. Hopefully, he will soon realize his mistake and choose some more suitable friends to socialize with."
Andromeda swallowed. For a moment, she considered walking away. She could talk to Sirius some other time, when the timing was better. But before she could turn around, she realized that she had been spotted. One of the boys raised his hand to greet her, and then he roughly punched her cousin's shoulder.
"Oi, wake up! One of your adorable cousins from Slytherin is approaching us!"
Andromeda smiled in embarrassment as every head by the stream suddenly turned in her direction. She didn't dislike James Potter as much as Bellatrix did, but she had to admit he was somewhat annoying. The world didn't seem to appeal to him unless he was at the centre of everyone's attention. He was quite like Sirius, but he did not have the redeeming quality of being her cousin.
Sirius sat up and peered at her. She could not read the look on his face. "Andromeda," he said neutrally. He nodded at his companions. "You know my good friends, don't you?" There was a hint of sarcasm in his voice.
"Hallo, Andromeda," said Remus Lupin and smiled. He was a pale, wan-looking boy with plain brown hair. She liked him better than Potter, but anyone who knew what he was would be uncomfortable in his presence. Or perhaps it was only because her family considered werewolves freaks that should be put out of their misery?
She smiled at him and to Peter Pettigrew, who was the fourth member of the Marauders, as they liked to call themselves. He was a small boy with anxious, uncertain eyes who always somehow seemed like a tail to the others.
"What do you want?" Sirius asked her flatly.
As if you didn't know. "I needed to talk to you," she said honestly.
"Talk."
She blushed slightly. "Could we go somewhere else? It's... private."
Sirius leaned back against the tree again, demonstratively placing his arms behind his head. "Whatever you have to say, I am sure you can say it in front of them. I am not moving."
Andromeda glared and silently cursed him. He seemed determined to give her punishment for their little argument. Maybe she deserved it. But in any case, she wasn't going to let him scare her away. "Very well," she said with dignity, not looking away. "I wanted to apologize for what I said, or for what you think I said the other day. I never meant to offend you or anyone else."
"Oh come on, what did you say?" laughed James. "That he is a complete twat? I would hardly call that offensive. That is just plain old truth."
Remus and Peter laughed like hyenas and Andromeda managed a stiff smile. Sirius watched her through narrow eyes and a conversation was silently taking place between them. "What would Bellatrix say if she knew you are humbling yourself in front of me?"
"Bellatrix has nothing to do with this," Andromeda said firmly. "And no one else either for that matter."
Sirius kept watching her for another moment. "All right," he said, smiling his usual smile. "Who could resist a pray from my sweet cousin?"
He manoeuvred himself back on his feet and pulled her into a rough hug. Andromeda yelped in surprise, but it felt good to know that he wasn't angry with her anymore. The others cheered loudly behind them.
"Hey, Andromeda, why don't you join us?" asked Remus, gesturing at the blanket they had spread out."
"Yes, there is plenty of room, despite Sirius' fat backside," James agreed.
Andromeda hesitated. She could feel Sirius' eyes watching her cautiously. Suddenly she felt like she was walking a very fine line. She swallowed. "No, thank you," she said in a voice she hoped sounded normal. "I need to get my lunch and study. I have potions after lunch. I am absolutely miserable at that subject."
Her eyes found Sirius. His face was calm and flat. "Talk to you later then?" he asked.
"Yes that would be fine."
She quickly said goodbye and started heading back for the castle. But as she heard them laughing and joking behind her, she couldn't help feeling very uncomfortable.
