Chapter 4

When my alarm went off the next morning Bellatrix was sitting in a chair beside my bedside table. She was soundlessly looking through my things. A habit I thought she would have grown out of by now. I did not give her the satisfaction of a frightened reaction.

"Good morning, Bella," I shifted into a sitting position on my bed, keeping my covers up to my chest.

"You never told me you got an owl from Mother on her trip with Father." She flipped over a picture of our parents smiling next to a pyramid.

A business trip my father claimed, my mother called it an opportunity to extend our family's reach and I called it a holiday. For my sisters and I, it was being babysat for two weeks by our two house elves, Pippy and Zippy. I say babysat because I could not pick up a quill or walk to the bathroom without one of them peering around the corner. This was particularly hard on Bella because she could not leave the house for her meetings without being harassed by one of the house elves. Not that my parents were very approving of anything Bella did.

She put a crease in the photograph folding it in half and throwing it back into my drawer like it was a scrap of rubbish.

"Did you sleep well, Andromeda? Any nightmares?" her eyes were cold, and her teeth were gritted. "I'm not screaming at you right now because I do not want any more embarrassment. My voice may sound kind, but I do not feel nice."

"I felt sick. It must have been something I ate - "

"Liar." She hissed.

"I did not like it, Bella,"

"They laughed at you, Andromeda, they laughed, and I had to join in. Dragging Cissy up – "

"Am I the only person who saw that psycho nearly light the common room on fire?" I balled my bed covers in my fist. "It was a waste of magic."

Bellatrix looked taken back. "Well, well looks like my sister has found her voice. It's a shame you have nothing useful to say. I always knew you were quite stupid. It's always the quiet ones."

I rolled my eyes. Ignoring how much that hurt. Bellatrix had called me stupid a hundred times over the years but somehow it hurt the most now.

"I offered to give you a part of my world," Bella continued. "And you threw it back in my face because of fear."

"We're not Gryffindors," I said boldly. "And honestly, you did not give us anything. You decided you wanted us to come so you would not be the only girl there. So that you would belong and get closer to this Riddle character."

"We are ambitious." Bellatrix spat. "Slytherins are ambitious. You may be content with lying down on your back and playing babymaker for your entire existence, but I am not. I want to use my pureblood gifts. And not be told no because I am a witch. I want my mother and father to be proud of what I have done for the family. And not treat me like any other pureblood witch."

"Bella," I said gently trying to cool my temper. "You have Lestrange. You will marry him. You can't give that up. You will be disowned."

Bellatrix took in a deep breath. "There is still time to change that. I do not even like Lestrange – speak of this to no one. I don't think his own mother even likes him."

"But marrying Lestrange is how you make Mother and Father proud. We can't choose our husbands it is our families, our blood that chooses it for us." I grabbed her hand. "Bella, you are difficult. Please don't make me give up on you."

For a second, I thought her eyes softened but then they met mine again. They were hooded and hard, full of anger.

"Forget about Lestrange that's not why I'm here. I need you to write an apology letter to Lord Voldemort." She said quickly. "It will help make things right. I cannot allow you to burn bridges. Especially on Cissy's behalf."

"He doesn't even know who we are." I pulled myself out of bed. My uniform I was still wearing from last night was crinkled. "And I don't know why he would care about school girls."

"He knows who we all are." She was following me around the dormitory like an eager dog as I gathered my things. "And he does not tolerate disrespect even with something as small as this. I could be punished. I promised him my sisters and I did not deliver."

I tried to shut the bathroom door only to have Bella kick it back. "Are you listening?" she snapped.

"I am." I sighed. "I am just getting ready for class. I need to get ready and eat breakfast."

"How about this," Bella stood beside me as I washed my teeth. "I will write the letter for you. You copy it and send it off. You and Cissy need training clearly to have what I have naturally. We can arrange that too."

I didn't want to hear this. "I have to go to class, Bella." I rinsed my mouth and pushed passed her, narrowly missing her grabbing my arm. "It's urgent," I added, lying. "Big test. And I have to plan Slughorn's first event."

"You must send our Lord an invitation," She was still behind me. I did not bother changing my robes I just grabbed my bag and kept walking.

"I am not pissing off Dumblebee for you," I was out the door, hurrying to the portrait.

"Try not to embarrass me today," I could hear Bella stop. I glanced back at her as the portrait opened. She was standing in the middle of the common room staring at the fireplace Voldemort had appeared in last night. I felt relief because I knew that the fault in Bellatrix's eyes was with me and not with Narcissa.

"The thing is," I cleared my throat. "I can try but I do not have any control over who gets invited. Only Slughorn can invite people from outside the castle. Bring it up with him."

Bella looked at me. "Perhaps you do deserve a second chance. Only because you are my sister. And I see so much of myself in you." She smiled admiring me. "On the outside."

"We'll see." I gave her the fakest, sweetest smile. The smile dropped the moment I was in the dungeon corridor. It was important that I kept the peace with Bellatrix. Because I of all people knew how nasty she could be.

I decided to take my breakfast outside, sitting at the foot of one of the trees overlooking the Black Lake and the students enjoying the last of the sunshine. Before I started nibbling on my toast I performed a cleaning charm on myself – a touch of lavender. I still felt icky. I winced in the sun.

I heard a scream over at the shore of the Black Lake. I jolted almost dropping my toast. I peered around the tree at the half-dressed wizards and witches in muggle beach wear. A common sight. I was waiting for the day one of them would be dragged away by one of the Merpeople or the giant squid. A boy lifted a girl onto his shoulders nearly crippling under the weight. I could picture Mother's reaction to what I was seeing – or Narcissa's and possibly Bella's – the signature Black look. Wrinkled nose, u-shaped mouth, and eyes turned to the sky. Like we had caught a whiff of a particularly bad scent.

A familiar mop of dark blonde hair caught my interest. I reached into my bag without thinking taking out my looking glasses. Holding them up to my eyes, I got a view full of Ted Tonks. Shirtless, grinning and sitting in knee-deep water. He was chatting with one of the girls from yesterday. Flexing his muscles as he leaned back. And then he stopped. He was looking right at me and waving. Positively beaming.

I threw my looking glasses to the ground. Expecting a wave of embarrassment or at least annoyance to wash over me but it did not come. Instead, I smiled. There was just something about Tonks, his smile through my looking glasses, just the pure joy in it. I shook my head.

"Spectacular eyesight, Tonks." I moved more behind the tree. My knee was somehow in the middle of my plate of toast.

The next Care of Magical Creatures class was timetabled to be at the edge of the Forbidden Forest. It was just passed the hut occupied by a gruff caretaker that was more beard and giant than wizard. He made me more nervous than Filch. He loved defending Gryffindors from Bella. As a result, he found a snake or two in his large teacups.

"Andromeda, wait up!"

I scowled. It was Bellatrix again.

I pretended not to hear her even as her footsteps turned into a charge behind me. She gave me a hard shove in the back when she reached me. I caught my balance on one of the standing stones just in time. I swallowed looking down at the long hill in front of me. It would have been quite a tumble.

"Are you deaf?" Bellatrix rounded me so she was blocking my view of the hill and everything else. She was incessantly waving a piece of parchment.

"Yes," I retorted, swiping the paper from her. I already knew it was a written apology for Tom Riddle. If anything, I expected to have this shoved under my nose sooner. Bella had plenty of time on her hands not attending classes hence why she was repeating her final year. "I will deal with it later. You could have owled it. I have class now."

"Sister," she linked arms with me trying to turn me back in the direction of the castle. "You are confusing an un-urgent matter with an urgent one. I believe we should find Cissy and have some much-deserved sister bonding time."

"Where you teach us to use unforgivables?" I was only half serious. "Or that fire trick?"

"It can be arranged." Bellatrix beamed as I tried to squirm out of her vice-like grip. "Isn't power addictive?" she paused her eyes moving behind me. "Look somewhere else, Hufflepuff. I swear to Merlin they get cockier every year at this blasted school."

I turned. It was Tonks again. I cringed. This was not going to end well. I stared at him my eyes begging him to move on. This was his opportunity to not be late for class.

"Go ahead, guys," Tonks said to his friends. But it was unnecessary they were already disappearing over the brow of the hill. "I just wanted to ask Andromeda about the homework."

I reached into my pocket, wrapping my fingers around my wand. The end immediately heated up in anticipation.

Bellatrix gripped onto me tighter. She whispered. "Don't be frightened. I will fix this."

In the small moment before she reached for her wand in her robe pocket, my hand slithered into her pocket effortlessly swapping her wand with mine.

"Hufflepuffs need to learn their place," she smirked.

Tonks moved closer, now standing in front of her. His body language was at ease, his face neutral and unaware of the danger he was in.

She drew my wand pointing it at Tonks. I held my breath. She flicked it. Nothing.

"What are you doing?" Tonks said confused and still standing in front of my wand.

"Reducto," she growled. A single red spark came from the end of my wand and fell to the ground. Alarm came over Bella's face and she finally properly looked at the wand. "This is not my wand." She said her voice high. Then she turned so fast on me that her neck made a loud crack. "This is your wand."

I set her wand on one of the lower-standing stones. "You must have reached into my pocket." I held her eyes. Believe me. "I just pulled your wand out of your pocket." I turned to Tonks. "Leave."

He nodded. He walked passed me, far too close. Our shoulders brushed.

"Clearly you can handle it." Tonks murmured lowly.

I couldn't be sure if that was praise or not. I was just acting on instinct after all.

Bella glared at me. She made a show of opening her wand hand and letting my wand fall into the grass.

I swallowed. "Mistakes happen." I quickly grabbed my wand narrowly missing Bella's foot as she tried to stamp on it.

"I do not make mistakes,"

"I have class now, Bellatrix,"

Bella angrily stomped away, scooping up her wand as she went. I watched her make her way back to the bridge. Her annoyance was radiating so loudly it made the students loitering at the bridge entrance part to avoid her.

I turned to walk down the hill to class. Finally letting my face drop to a frown full of dread. Why couldn't I be like every other Slytherin? Why did I have to overthink everything?

I looked up. Tonks was standing halfway down the hill. Waiting for me patiently, pulling at his tie.

"I knew in my gut that you were special. You have a heart!" He called out to me.

I gave him a cold look in response, walking quickly around him. He matched my speed. My heart suddenly started to hammer.

I stopped, waving my hands in exasperation. "Why are you still here? Have you not done enough?"

"Done enough?" Tonks repeated. "I was trying to help you. You looked so uncomfortable with that… weirdo."

"That is my sister," I hissed jabbing my index finger into his chest.

"Really?" Tonks looked surprised.

"Are you blind? Bella and I could be mistaken for twins."

"I didn't really notice. I was more concerned about you." He stuck his hands in his pockets.

I shot him another look. "Don't make me sick, Tonks. We're already late for class," I pushed on, starting to walk again.

"Wait." He said earnestly. I stopped but did not turn to look at him. "I was worried you were in trouble. The type of trouble you mentioned before. I saw her push you."

"And you somehow thought intervening as a muggle-born would help?" I said slowly. I should not have been entertaining this. There was no logic to any of this.

"I wanted to give you an out," he explained. "Shockingly, I don't ask myself 'is this an appropriate thing for a muggle-born to do?' or 'will this set off the hypersensitive Slytherins?' before every step I take."

I glowered at him. He was picking apart the logic that made up my very being. The last question was exactly what I asked myself subconsciously with every action.

"Not everyone has the same concerns as you," Tonks said, holding up his hands in surrender.

"You could have gotten yourself seriously hurt," I said angrily. "Bella is ruthless. That bruise you got is just a taster if you keep choosing to insert yourself into my life."

Tonks smiled, "It takes two to tango, Andromeda."

"What's that supposed to mean?" I said irritated.

"It means I'm not the only one showing interest." Tonks teased walking backwards, away from me. "I saw you spying on me this morning."

I curled my hands into fists trying to control myself. I bit my lip, telling myself not to say anything, not to follow him. But I had to follow him. I had to dispute. "I was not spying!"

"Sure," he said mockingly. "We have class now, don't we?"

"I was not! Tonks, listen to me." I implored jogging to catch up with him. "I sit there every day –"

"With binoculars?"

"Excuse me? Speak English."

He made circles with his hands and put them over my eyes. I swatted his hands away. "I always carry my looking glasses."

"Quite the accessory."

I tried to storm angrily passed him but only made it two steps before I exploded, "They are jewel encrusted!"

I barely recognised my voice. I wanted to pull my hair out. Tonks had not only made me forget about class, but he had made me a whole eight minutes late.

I marched down the hill right into our class taking place in the shade of the trees. I hurriedly tied my hair back using my wand. My cheeks were on fire. I exhaled heavily before I realised what I had walked in on. Everyone was in doubles gathered around different trees and chatting. Pair work. My eyes darted between pairings trying to find an uneven number.

"Looks like we're together," Tonks was beside me now, hands in his pockets again.

"I work alone," I said automatically.

"Ah," Kettleburn shuffled over to us swinging his walking stick. A large clipboard was floating in front of his face hiding his expression, most likely bored. "Miss Black and Mr Tonks you've finally decided to join us. No time for excuses. We are sketching bowtruckles and discussing their identifying features in pairs. Team up and find one. No Accios please, the poor creatures have suffered enough."

"Of course, and thank you, Professor," Tonks excitedly moved passed Kettleburn to the nearest tree. "Don't stand there sulking. Come on, Andromeda. I know where to find the big ones."