Author's Note: Hello, all! Firstly (as always) I'd like to thank everyone who reviewed the last chapter; and I'd also like to thank everyone who silent alerted the story. It means the world. =D I hope you'll continue to enjoy the story.

Now... onto next matter. It's been almost 2 MONTHS since my last update! =O

*blushes*

I've rewritten a good amount of this story (chapters not posted, obviously), which is partly why it's taken forever for an update. But also SCHOOL got in the way. *glares* And I didn't want to bog down my main beta since she's also in school, so... yes. My friend, Inkfire (Az), offered to beta a few chapters, knowing my situation. So I'd really like to thank her for that; she's such a doll. x3

Hmm, okay... I think that's it. Enjoy it! (Btw, I know the story's been lagging lately. =\ It'll get more interesting with the next chapter.)

Chapter Eight: Calm Before The Calm

Bella brushed by me, purposefully knocking me with her shoulder. She was seething mad and the glare never left her face. She left the room quickly. My father looked at his remaining two daughters, his eyebrows up. Then he, too, turned away from the room. Moments later, I heard Bella scream at him not to touch her.

I felt a hand on my arm and I jumped. My breath caught in my throat and I turned to the side to see Andy standing next to me. "Are you alright?" she asked gently. When I nodded, she leaned over to kiss my red cheek anyway. When we were younger, she was always the one who'd kiss my cuts or bruises when our mother wasn't around. "Bella is pregnant." It was more a statement than a question, but I nodded again. "I don't know why she didn't tell me, but she told you…. I'm her best friend; why would she hide something like that from me?"

The words stung, even though I knew this was the truth. Still, it hurt that she had said it so bluntly. But she also seemed a tad jealous, which made me slightly happy. I knew something about Bella before she did…. I smiled.

"Come on," Andy said, reaching down to grab my hand. She began to drag me out of my room. "I want to listen."

We hurried down the short hallway and peered carefully around the corner, down the stairs. Bella and Daddy were just reaching the foyer. We waited until they were out of sight and then slowly descended the stairs. Andy led the way, her sweaty hand gripping mine the entire time. When we reached the foyer, I heard the door to my father's study close. Elegantly and swiftly (like we had perfected over the years), we ran across to my father's study and waited right by the door. We faced each other, our heads bent down together.

"Would you please explain yourself?" my father asked.

There was a moment of silence. "I'm sorry I hit your princess," Bella replied, referring to me. "But she made me highly upset. She deserved it."

My father let out a sigh. "And why, pray tell, did your sister make you upset?" He was playing her game.

"Because." It was short and laced with rebellion. This answer was sufficient for Bellatrix, not for my father.

"What did she say to make you angry?" There was a pause, but Bella didn't answer. "If I'm not mistaken, Bellatrix, I could have sworn I heard Narcissa say, 'The baby, Bella'." There was a long moment of silence. "Bellatrix. Answer me now and honestly: are you pregnant?"

There was no noise for a while and then I heard a book being tossed across the room. I glanced at my other sister, but she was concentrating on trying to hear anything.

"Damn it, Bellatrix!" my father suddenly shouted. I winced. "This is a shame on our family and the Black name! How could you do this? You—" He suddenly stopped speaking. It was quiet a very long time (at least, I thought it was.) When my father spoke again, his voice was calm and reasonable. "Is Rodolphus the father?" There was a mumbled response and then, "Good. Very good."

My father liked Rodolphus. He was the first boyfriend that my father actually approved of and it was a wonder that Bella was still with him (merely for the simple fact that my father approved of Rodolphus.) Rodolphus was my favorite of her boyfriends. He treated my eldest sister well and was constantly turning up with little gifts for reasons like "it's Friday" or "just because". It was sweet and I sometimes thought Bella grew sick of the sweetness, but I always noticed her trying to suppress the fond smile that appeared on her face whenever he was around.

Bella was eleven when she had her first boyfriend. She met him on the train going to Hogwarts and they started dating a week later. They lasted for three days. Bella broke up with him because he tried to hold her hand. Her second boyfriend wasn't really a boyfriend at all; it was more of an infatuation. He'd been a second year whilst she was a first and they met, again, on the Hogwarts Express. This time it was coming home. He had kissed her hand on the platform and they had written over the summer. She walked around in a daze, claiming she was "in love". But, when Bella went to a ball that summer, she met Augustus Rookwood. She vowed not to date him until they knew each other. When they had turned fourteen, that's when they began to date. And shortly after my mother passed away, she began to cheat on him with Rodolphus (which, at first, didn't go well in my father's eyes.) Later we found out that Augustus had been very controlling over Bella and he'd even hit her (more than once). (She had lost her virginity to Rookwood, but wouldn't tell us if it was forced or not. Only my mother knew the truth.) She had turned to Rodolphus for comfort (and eventually, help) because he knew the situation and had been trying to help Bella. That was the Knight In Shining Armor moment for my father.

But Bella hadn't dated Rodolphus right away. That's when she began to drink and sleep around. It wasn't until six months after she'd turned eighteen that she slept with Rodolphus and then they started dating.

"No!" I heard Bella scream, bringing me from my thoughts. "Father, no! That's not fair! I… no!"

I looked over at Andy, who shook her head. Apparently, she hadn't heard the reason why Bella was so upset.

"I had this all planned out!" Bella continued to screech. "And then that stupid whore of a sister... she's the one you should be worried about, Father! Your perfect angel... Oh, you make me so angry! I'm not marrying Rodolphus!"

I froze when my sister mentioned me. Would she tell him about last night? Of course she would! I had essentially told our father about her pregnancy; she'd scoop up any dirt on me and throw it in his face, just to deter the pressure away from herself. I bit my lip.

"Bellatrix!" my father boomed. I could feel the vibrations of his voice through the floor. I looked up nervously at Andy, who reached out to take my hand. She gave it a squeeze. "You are marrying Rodolphus! He is the father of your child! This is the right thing to do. A child needs both a mother and a father. You will marry him!"

"Father—"

"This is not up for discussion, Bellatrix! You and I will be having dinner in town with Rodolphus so you can't cause a scene. Does he know about the baby?" Another pause, but I knew Bella was muttering her responses. "No? You'll tell him tonight… I can't believe you haven't told him… how far along are you?… Two months? Oh, Merlin, Bellatrix…"

It was quiet in my father's study again; at least, we couldn't hear any conversation. Then I heard Bella's heels clicking along the hardwood floor. Andy and I backed away from the door, but didn't leave. The door opened; Bella looked defeated. She glared at me and then she turned to Andy with tears in her eyes. It was the first time in two years I'd seen Bella cry – and it was all because of me.

Andy rushed up to Bella and took her in her arms. She smoothed my sister's unruly hair down and kissed her head. "It's okay, sweetie," she said softly. Andy then turned her face to look at our father. I peered past them to see my father sitting on his desk, writing.

"Papa," Andy called out as she attempted to comfort Bella. My father looked up. "Please reconsider. Bella's too young. She—"

"She's twenty, Andromeda," he said tightly. "It's about time she settles down. And I am not discussing this with you or Narcissa. This is between Bellatrix and me... and Rodolphus."

"You won't even let her speak!" Andy shot at him. A flash of anger waved over his face and Bella's shoulders shook. Andy turned her attention back to our older sister. She kissed Bella's head again. "It's okay… come on, sweetie. Let's go lie down, huh? It's just you and me now, Bells."

Bella sniffed and lifted her gaze up. She nodded and turned around. As she walked from the hallway with Andy, she gave me another dark look over her shoulder. She mouthed the word "bitch" and chills slithered down my spine. I stood motionless in the hallway, my attention turned back to my father. He was back to scribbling something down with a quill. When he finished, he sealed up the letter and stood up. He spotted me and paused for a second.

"Narcissa," he said cheerfully as he stepped around his desk. He walked out to me in the hallway and caught my elbow. "Come walk with me, will you?"

And, for perhaps the first time in my life, I disobeyed my father. I ripped my elbow from him and turned in the opposite direction. I ran through the house, bounded up the stairs and headed down to my room.

I slipped quietly into my room. I leaned my back against the door and took a deep, shaky breath. Then I marched to my bathroom, where my closet was conveniently located. I slid the doors open and filtered through my clothes. I found a breezy skirt and a simple, but elegant tank top. I quickly changed and strapped a pair of heels to my feet. I was fixing my make-up when I heard a knock at my door. I paused, but remained silent. I went back to my work when there came a second knock.

I gritted my teeth, but still remained silent.

"Cissy?" Andromeda called out from inside my room.

I stepped from the bathroom, giving my intruder a nasty look. "Get out," I demanded, glaring at Andy.

"Cissy, I want to talk with you," she said softly.

I rolled my eyes. "Get out, Andromeda," I hissed. I retreated into my bathroom, resuming my work.

"Please," she begged, up to the doorway.

"You can talk," I said, glancing her way, "but it doesn't mean I'll listen or respond."

She was quiet; I knew she was weighing her options. She leaned against the doorframe; she was going to talk. She knew I would listen… and eventually reply, too, even if it were days from now.

"Bella is really upset," she began slowly. "She... she didn't want to have the child, Cissy. She had an appointment next week with the Healers at St. Mungo's to terminate the pregnancy. But, now Papa knows—"

Because of me, I silently reminded myself as I curled my lashes. I tried to ignore the sinking of my heart when Andy mentioned the termination of our sister's pregnancy.

"—And he's forcing her to marry." Andy sighed. "She does love Rodolphus, but she doesn't want to be married… not yet. She doesn't want to be tied down—"

"Andromeda," I said icily, angrily throwing all of my things into a drawer. I turned to her. "Does this story have a point?" I honestly didn't understand why she was telling me all of this. Was she blaming me? I knew Bella did, that was very clear.

Andy looked up at me steadily. She took a breath. "I'm trying to explain to you why your sister is so upset," she replied just as coldly. "Do you not care?"

I rolled my eyes. I leaned on one leg, my hand on my hip. "Of course I care," I snapped. "She's my sister; I'll always care about her no matter what. I'm sorry that Daddy overheard what I said, okay? It's not like I knew he was out there! I thought he was still downstairs with Lucius and his father. And I… I didn't want the baby to get hurt!" I shook my head. "Bella didn't tell me anything – only that she was pregnant and Rodolphus was the father. Nothing more. I didn't know about the… the procedure to get rid of it…." I let my voice trail off.

Andy was quiet as she took in my words. Then she nodded and stood straight. She offered me a small smile that I didn't return. "Where are you going?" she asked. No matter how much I thought Andy didn't pay attention to me, she actually did; she was very observant.

I shrugged. "I'm going to see if Daddy will let me go to Diagon Alley. By myself," I added firmly. "I'll just tell him that I'm meeting Olivia." Olivia Parkinson was my best friend. I had dated her older brother, Tristan, for a little while before my mother was killed. (Well, it wasn't exactly dating. I wasn't allowed to date that young, but we were both fond of each other and had supervised time together.)

From what I understood, he still fancied me. I didn't like him anymore; I associated him with a time in my life that was horrible and I could never go back to him. Plus, he had had a steady girlfriend for the past year and they seemed very much in love (whatever love was.) After him, I'd had sporadic relationships that didn't last long (much like Bella), but I only ever snogged those boys. For a brief time (two months), I had dated Rabastan Lestrange, at the beginning of my fifth year. But, it had been awkward dating the brother of my sister's boyfriend, so we both decided to call it off. After that, I didn't date anyone else. I just snogged several boys that were in my year or older than me

Andromeda walked up to me and kissed my forehead. Then she wrapped her arms around me in a hug that I couldn't refuse. "I love you, Cissy," she said. "Be careful, alright? Don't be gone too long."

I nodded against her, squeezing her firmly. "I love you, too." I pulled back from her.

"Tell Bella I love her, please. And I'm sorry." I forced a smile and when Andromeda nodded, I quietly slipped by her and walked from my room.

My father permitted me go to Diagon Alley by myself, but I was to be home before nightfall. He almost forced a house elf on me before I left, but I managed to sweet-talk my way out of that. He'd given me more galleons than I had asked to shop with and then I disappeared, using the Floo network. I landed right inside the Leaky Cauldron and then headed through the back. I tapped the bricks in the right order and it formed a doorway. I smiled and stepped through, onto the bustling street that was Diagon Alley.

I walked slowly and stopped to look at several items in windows. The sun was shining as I walked and while I heard some passer-bys complain about the heat, I enjoyed it. I wished there was a park somewhere off the street where I could lie out in the sun for the rest of the time before I headed home. Getting back to reality with a sigh, I decided that I might as well get started on school shopping. My first stop was Twilfitt & Tatting's to get my robes for school.

The bell chimed above me, and someone instantly popped out from the backroom, a grin plastered on the worker's face. It was Maria Twilfitt, the woman owner of the shop.

"Ms. Black!" she said brightly; she knew me from even before I attended Hogwarts.

"Hello," I said politely, stopping in front of her. "I'm here for some new school robes."

She laughed, but when she saw my serious face, she quickly contained her mannerisms. "School just barely ended, dear," she reminded me gently. "Surely you want to wait a bit—" she looked me up and down at this point— "to see if you finally grow into yourself." She smiled.

I did look awkward. I was lanky – much too lanky – but no one ever seemed to really say much about my weight. I forced a smile. "I doubt I will," I said. "Besides, I'm not sure when I'll have time to come again. If I come when the other students are getting their robes, you may not have time for me, which would mean I would have to go to Madame Malkin's. Granted, she'll be able to get them done much more quickly, but the handiwork..." I let my sentence hang in the air. I blinked innocently at her.

Maria Twilfitt smiled and tucked a piece of her curly brown hair behind her ear. "Very true, love," she said in a quiet voice. "Step up on the block and I'll be right with you."
I nodded and did as she said.

An hour later, I left Twilfitt and Tatting's with two new sets of robes. I smiled smugly as I left. I walked along the street and stopped in front of the Quidditch supply store. The newest, fastest broom was in the window – the RocketStar 1000. I imagined myself playing Quidditch, picturing myself as each position before I realized that the idea alone was ridiculous. Shaking the thoughts from my head, I went on my way. I was passing Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour when I heard someone call out to me.

I turned and saw Olivia Parkinson sitting outside of the ice cream shop, waving at me. Her brother was sitting at the table as well. I sauntered over to their table and smiled.

"Hey," I said casually.

Olivia stood up and quickly hugged me. "How are you, sweetie?" she asked me. She gestured to a seat and I took it.

I nodded and smiled. "Great," I replied. "How are you both?"

Tristan nodded and Olivia answered me. "We're great, too." She grinned. "We're just doing some last-minute shopping before we head to Greece for a month. I'll miss your birthday." She frowned.

I shrugged. "Don't worry about it," I said with an easy smile. "I'm sure we won't be doing anything much."

Olivia frowned. "That's why I'm upset." But then she smiled and her eyes sparkled. "But I'll be home a few days after. We can do something then. I have to be home for our debutante ball – can you believe we're coming out this year?"

I laughed. "I know. I wonder where the time went," I agreed. "Are you excited?"

Olivia nodded and then blushed. It wasn't a secret to our close group of friends that Olivia fancied Alexander Nott. However, Alexander was betrothed to a seventeen-year-old girl that attended Beauxbatons in France. Their relationship, though, was very open – Alexander and his girlfriend were both allowed to see other people before their wedding next summer.

"You'll have a wonderful time," I assured her, reaching out to place my hand over hers. I smiled, hoping to cheer her up. She smiled.

"Did you find an escort, Narcissa?" Tristan asked suddenly and I turned to look at him.

I hadn't, no, but I didn't have to tell Tristan that. I smiled easily and nodded. "Yes, I did. A colleague of my father, his son is escorting me," I lied. If he asked who it was, I'd make up a name and he hopefully wouldn't have a clue about whom I was talking.

He looked sour, but nodded. Then he offered me a smile. I turned my attention back to Olivia, ignoring him. "I should probably get moving," I said. I stood up, as did she, and we embraced in a hug. "Have a wonderful time in Greece."

"Thank you. I'll be sure to owl you on your birthday," Olivia promised. Then I headed off down Diagon Alley.