And now for something a little different.
Chapter Seven
"Cissy?"
"Mhm?" The blonde rolled over on her stomach, covering her naked body with satin sheets. She kissed the raven haired witch on her forehead before nestling herself against the woman's chest.
"Let me see them again." She caressed from the top of Narcissa's crown down to her chin in one slow movement. Perspiration cooled the heated bodies as they lay tangled together.
"Bella dear, you've already tired me out." The younger traced the protrusions of the Death Eater's spine, coming to rest on her tailbone.
"I don't think I can wait until morning…"
The blonde released her grasp and turned over, reaching for a mosaic jewellery box. It was oval in shape and shaded a mix of emerald green and onyx. The box itself was beautifully crafted, a gift given to Narcissa by her mother and easily could fit in the palm of one's hand.
Bellatrix cupped the woman's cheek.
"No Cissy. Without them. Just one look, I need this." She kissed her firmly, lavender perfume flooded her nostrils.
"You know what you're like Bella."
"I won't hurt you, not this time. You know I don't want to."
"I know." Narcissa hushed, kissing her back, inhaling a faint scent of peppermint.
It was the rare occasions such as this that Narcissa saw the vulnerable side of her sister. Azkaban had raped her of all her happiness. The Dementors were merciless but Bellatrix had held on while many of the Dark Lord's followers died at their hands. She could no longer remember life how it once was before she was incarcerated, confined to a cell that polluted her mind and distorted time. She was not who Narcissa had remembered. She had missed her eldest sister for over a decade. Because of the Malfoy name, Narcissa had been permitted to visit her once a year. Every time she did they did not speak - simply taste, simply see.
They both stared into each other's eyes. They had become familiar with the practice and the blonde inhaled deeply before opening her mind.
Bellatrix walked the length of the darkened corridor, easily navigating herself through the complex maze. Her sister, skilled in Occlumency, had a unique gift of protecting her mind against trespassers. The dark witch knew every room, every memory, every fantasy and every fear of Narcissa. Some she had shared, some she had created and some she had destroyed. Bellatrix paced the labyrinth's familiar path, stopping at the door she was searching for. For a while she leaned against the frame, watching the memory replay over and over again before stepping through the door.
O~O~O
The sun's rays were pleasant, carrying the spring's breeze across the courtyard. Wild flowers and grasses had already sprouted out of the dirt and muddy puddles harboured in the uneven earth.
"Cissy, Bella! Come outside!" a childish voice called.
"Dromeda, you know what mother said about getting our dresses ruined." A young Bellatrix stepped out onto the veranda, holding back an excited Narcissa. Her curls were tamed by a green ribbon, fastening her thick locks into a high ponytail.
"Come on Cissy! Don't you want to learn how to fly?" Andromeda coaxed. The middle child resembled Bellatrix physically, many people mistaking them as twins.
Narcissa nodded excitedly before looking up at the sister she was holding onto.
"Bella, please play with us!"
"We were having fun inside before, weren't we Cissy? You will learn how to fly at school next year."
"Ha! She'll probably get sorted into Gryffindor. She's far too sweet." Andromeda teased.
Bellatrix shot her sister a dark look and placed a protective hand on Narcissa's shoulder.
"Says the blood traitor."
Andromeda put a finger to her lips, looking around for her parents.
"Bella!" She hissed, nervous that her sister may tell the family of the friends she has made at Hogwarts. Similarities between Andromeda and Bellatrix stopped at the physical level. Andromeda was compassionate towards students in other Houses and pitied Muggle-borns. She had not bloomed as her eldest sister had done in potions and the dark arts. Despite the attempts to tutor her sister, Andromeda had progressed more into a disappointment after Bellatrix saw her kissing a half blood Hugglepuff. She never told her parents but the information was constantly used as blackmail against her.
"Coming Cissy? I'll give you some peppermints."
"Bel-la," the youngest pouted "you ate all YOUR peppermints already."
This was true; their mother had treated them to a bag each this morning. Bellatrix greedily ate them while Narcissa put hers somewhere away from prying eyes. She enjoyed savouring the hard candy, often they lasted for a few days. Narcissa knew how much her eldest sister loved the freshness on her tongue. Sometimes they'd have competitions as to who could keep them in their mouth for longest. The blonde usually won. Bellatrix would often take Andromeda's candy when she finished her own bag but never Narcissa's.
"Come on Bella, just one game of Quidditch, please? Cissy can use my old broom, it's totally safe."
Bellatrix looked out over the backyard. It had been a terribly long winter and she ached to feel the grass against her legs and the warmth of the sun on her skin.
"Okay, one game. But you have to show Cissy the basics."
The younger girls squealed in delight and ran off to get the brooms. Bellatrix took off her new shoes and placed them beside the door. She knew that if they got dirty her father would punish her.
The sisters returned and the two eldest showed Narcissa how to summon the broomstick and techniques to steer. After a few touch-and-go laps the three mounted their brooms together and began their game. Bellatrix had insisted Narcissa be on her team, leaving Andromeda to be goal keeper and shooter by herself.
The eldest sister couldn't stop giggling along with the fair haired girl. Golden shoulder length hair flowed gracefully in the breeze and her laughter was contagious as she quickly learned some shooting techniques of her own, surprising both sisters.
Andromeda was fiercely competitive when it came to sports and didn't care much for the newbie's fast learning curve. The quaffle was in her possession and as she threw it towards the two trees that served as a goal it clipped Narcissa's broom, sending her into the wet earth. The front of her dress was covered in mud. She looked up at the hovering girls; the expression on her sisters' faces said it all. Tears welled in her eyes, she knew once their mother found out she would send her to their father's study.
"Dromeda! Look what you did!" Bellatrix was wild. She knew something like this was bound to happen.
"It's her fault! She didn't catch the stupid ball!"
"Well, maybe YOU didn't throw it properly." Bellatrix levelled with her doppelgänger before colliding brooms.
"Bella!" The middle child managed to balance herself before her sister struck at her again.
"Come on Andromeda, why don't you join Cissy in the mud? Then father can finally see that your exterior mirrors your insides. Filth!"
Andromeda's face drained of colour. She knew that her sister would not keep what happened back at school to herself forever. If she wanted to see the boy again, her parents were not to find out before the year resumed.
"Whatever, Bella. If you're so smart, sort it out yourself!" She zoomed off, leaving her sisters.
"Bella…" tears tracked Narcissa's cheeks.
She flew down to Narcissa and dismounted her broom. The mud with thick between her toes. They were always forced to wear correct attire everywhere they went but this, Bellatrix had never felt the ground on her bare feet before and she loved every second of it. To her, it felt like freedom. It felt like rebellion.
"Shh, Cissy. It'll be okay. Quickly, give me your dress."
The blonde looked at her quizzically but Bellatrix did not have the patience. She knew that Andromeda wouldn't tell their parents but they were bound to find out eventually. The eldest sister unlaced the ribbons that secured the dress and slipped it over Narcissa's head.
"And the shoes, Cissy. Come now."
Narcissa did as she was told and took off her shoes. They were filthy.
"You can wipe them down inside. Make sure no one sees you in the bathroom, not even the elves. If they say a word I'll cut out their tongues!"
Bellatrix took off her own dress and clothed her sister. The outfit was slightly too big but it would have to do. She fixed the blonde's hair with her own ribbon and ushered her to go inside.
"No one must see you."
"Bella, what are you going to do?"
"Just go inside Cissy!" The dress was tight around her chest and hips but she managed to just squeeze it over her developing body. Bellatrix's mind was racing, she had never done something so against her parents before. For her entire childhood she was claustrophobic under the thumb of an authoritarian patriarch and now she felt that she had finally found a way to escape her constraints.
When the blonde had gone back into the house, Bellatrix sat down on the ground, clenching wet earth in her hands. She put a dirty handprint on her arm and then her face before rolling in the mud. She felt invigorated as the little yellow dress was stained a rich chocolate brown. She laughed as twigs caught in her curls and bits of dirt ground in her teeth. She had never felt so empowered.
O~O~O
Bellatrix stepped out of the door. Her lips curled into a smile as she remembered that moment where she first felt the freedom to be her own person. It was like a natural high as she walked down the corridor passing doors as she went. She knew this would break her but she needed to remember how the day ended. She had viewed this memory over a dozen times but had only seen the end twice.
The doorframe had seen better days. She touched the indentations in the wood, remembering when she would leave prematurely in fits of rage. Tonight she promised herself that she wouldn't hurt Narcissa. She would stay until the end. Bellatrix wasted no time; she knew no fear as she stepped through the door.
O~O~O
Howls echoed throughout the house. A cracking noise was heard followed by more screams.
Narcissa stood outside of her father's study, the door was slightly ajar and she watched her sister's punishment through horrified eyes. Muddy footprints led to their father's desk. He was a private man, his hair was blonde like Narcissa's and his eyes crazed like Bellatrix's would later become. His eldest child stood before him, chin raised, her orbs piercing his. Never had she challenged him like she did this day. He had used a cane across Bellatrix's knuckles but when she caught it he turned to magic to punish her.
Cygnus was a cruel father. He was disgraced and disappointed that he had three daughters and no sons to carry on the Black name. Above all, his expectations were too high for Bellatrix to reach. She had exceeded so far in her education, well beyond her peers, but she would never be good enough. The first born was always supposed to be a male in the Black bloodline but their mother had not done the honourable duty of discarding the child. Instead, she insisted that they keep her and Cygnus grew resentful. As years went on, they had two more girls and he came to terms that they would never have an heir. He loved Bellatrix, he just loathed that she was not the son he wanted.
Bellatrix's body contorted on the ground and her eyes rolled into the back of her head. Narcissa let out a faint gasp. She had seen her father do this to Muggles. They quickly begged for death and she worried that her sister would do the same.
A tender hand guided Narcissa away from the study door before closing it. Her mother stood above her, forcing her tears not to break their banks.
"Let this be a lesson to you too, Narcissa. You are better than this. You are a Black and you will begin acting like one. Do you understand?"
"Yes, Mama."
"Good. Run along now, if your father caught you snooping around…"
The blonde didn't need any further encouragement and turned to go upstairs to her room.
"Narcissa? That dress…it's Bellatrix's isn't it."
She hesitated before nodding her head and ran upstairs.
Her room was modestly decorated, everything neurotically in its place. She had been taught to keep her space clean as her father would sometimes make a surprise inspection. Narcissa had left the door open so that she would see Bellatrix.
After a short time, her mother appeared, assisting her firstborn up the stairs and assisting her to her room. Bellatrix could barely carry herself under her own weight and her feet dragged across the ground. When Narcissa saw her retreat back downstairs she grabbed her mosaic jewellery box and tiptoed into the adjacent room.
"Bella?"
Her sister was unresponsive; she was lying in her bed, naked face down in her pillows. Her mother had removed the muddy dress but her hair was still littered with natural debris.
"Bella, it's me, Cissy."
Narcissa crept towards the bed. She had never seen the girl so pale. The eldest sister made a muffled reply in her pillow and Narcissa took this as a sign that she was welcome.
"Bella? Can you look at me please? I brought you some peppermints."
She was scared at what she would see as Bellatrix raised her head. Her eyes were bloodshot and her cheeks were puffy from crying. Her face had suffered some bruising but nothing more than their father's usual beatings. She looked exhausted.
"What did he do to you?" she cried. Hugging her sister tightly. Bellatrix allowed the comfort and wrapped her arms around Narcissa.
"It's all my fault, Bella. I'm sorry I put you in this mess."
Bellatrix inhaled the lavender scented skin, holding her sister close. She was furious but not at her. She could never been angry at her Narcissa. She couldn't believe Andromeda had abandoned them and not received any punishment. Her fingernails dug into her sister's shoulder blades, her voice too hoarse to express words.
"I'm sorry Bella. I'm sorry."
Bellatrix's nails dug deeper. She couldn't express her condolences for Narcissa. The anger and frustration consumed her as she remembered the moment when her father substituted the cane for the cruciatus curse. It was she who was truly sorry.
"I love you Bella. I'm sorry." She repeated like a mantra, kissing her swollen face.
Narcissa fumbled for the jewellery box, crying aloud as Bellatrix broke through and warm blood trickled down her ivory skin. The blonde took out a peppermint and placed it in her sister's mouth. The reaction was almost instantaneous. Bellatrix rolled the hard candy over her tongue and eased her grip before lying back on the bed.
"Bella?" came a sob "Do you still love me Bella?"
The dark haired girl reached out, letting the girl nestle against her exposed breasts.
"I will always love you Cissy."
O~O~O
Bellatrix exited the door and passed by the memories where Narcissa had reached into her jewellery box for her. It had become ritual. It calmed her. It allowed her to hold onto what little sanity she had while in Azkaban. She didn't know if it was peppermint itself or if it was a trigger from her forgotten childhood but when Narcissa gave her one it was if her mind became clear. It brought her back to the day she swapped dresses with her sister after a game of Quidditch and rolled in the mud. The one moment she remembered that she truly felt alive. All thanks to her Narcissa.