Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

[August Summer Thread] Fun In The Sun

Prompts:

…A Day in the House! – (setting) a bedroom/dormitory

…A Day at the Farm! – Pigs - Pigs like to snuggle close to each other and sleep nose-to-nose. Prompt: Write a fic that includes cuddling or snuggling.

…A Day at the Festival! – Metallica - Enter Sandman: (dialogue) "Take my hand."

A.N. TW for mentions of torture and parental neglect. There are no specified ages for the Black sisters (except for Narcissa, who's eight), so you can imagine their age difference however way you want :)

Word count: 2494

it was a big, big world (but we thought we were bigger)

The nightmares were starting to wake the rest of the family up.

At first, they'd been relatively tame – little gasps and whimpers, fidgeting and knocking over a glass of water in the darkness. No one had minded those.

But then, the gasps had become screams, the whimpers had turned into sobs, and little Cissy had begun full body-slamming herself into the wall – into the wall that divided her room from Andromeda's.

At this point, Cissy waking both her sisters up with her screaming was a relatively regular occurrence; they were used to it. It was just that Bellatrix often buried her head in her pillow and went right back to sleep, while Andromeda was left to either stare up at her ceiling (she was a light sleeper, and when woken up, could never return to her slumber) or go to her little sister and try to comfort her. The former often led to no results, while the latter was a task in and of itself – Cissy was usually entrenched in the pits of her nightmares, and it always took more than a simple call of her name and the shaking of her shoulders to wake her up. (She had a mean punch too, for an eight-year-old, and it always caught Andromeda off guard in these situations.)

Her state of sleep (along with the rest of the family's) had gotten so bad, that last week – finally! – their mother had taken her to Saint Mungo's, to see what could be done about it.

"Your daughter has night terrors." Healer Rookwood had said, and when asked what the difference between that and 'nightmares' were, he'd replied, "Nightmares are bad dreams you wake up from and can remember." Since Cissy always woke up screaming, never remembered what she'd dreamt, and was impossible to comfort, her problem was classified as 'night terrors'.

"Well, how do we fix her?" Mother had demanded, while Cissy cowered in her chair, holding onto Andromeda's hand in a death grip.

"With patience," Healer Rookwood had replied. "Patience and care."

He'd also prescribed a milder, kiddie version of Dreamless Sleep for Cissy, but had been very stern in telling mother that she should only be given it two times a week – two spoonfuls per dose – and even that, only during times when she absolutely could not be calmed down. "Dreamless Sleep is a very addictive potion." Rookwood had said. "For a child as young as Narcissa, becoming dependent on it can be very dangerous."

Mother had nodded her head and listened, though she'd had that look in her eyes that told Andromeda she wasn't putting any stock into the healer's words. It would be in one ear, and out the other.

Per usual, when it came to discerning mother's moods, Andromeda was proven right as soon as they left Saint Mungo's. Mother ordered the house elf to buy a stock of Dreamless Sleep and took them back home, scoffing all the way at the thought of curing Cissy with 'patience'.

"Patience!" She had scoffed later to Auntie Walburga. "Patience. If I intended on fixing her with patience, I would not have taken her to the hospital, now would I have?" And when the house elf had come to tell her that the apothecary was all out of children's Dreamless Sleep, she'd merely waved him off and said, "Then get the adult version."

Needless to say, Cissy's problem had not gotten any better. Mother had given her the adult version of Dreamless Sleep once or twice, but after that had knocked her out clean for 24 hours – both times! – it had been decided (by father) that consuming it was far too dangerous for Narcissa. Neither he, nor mother had attempted to go buy the correct potion, however, and so they were back to square one: Cissy knocking herself into the walls and waking everyone up with her screaming. The only thing that did change was their parents' bedroom, when – last week – father proclaimed the midnight ruckus to be intolerable, and that he needed a good night's sleep in order to function properly at work. Bellatrix could sleep through an earthquake at the worst of times (and would pass right back out even if she did wake up), so Andromeda was left to deal with the sleepless nights – and her sister.

That particular night, she'd barely squeezed in two hours of sleep when Narcissa's screaming roused her; a kind of wailing that never failed to chill Andromeda's blood, no matter how many times she heard it. Not for the first time – as she swung her feet out from under her covers and onto the floor – she wondered what her sister dreamt of. Cissy never remembered any of her terrors and so could never describe them, even if she wanted to, but Andromeda thought that they must be especially scary, seeing the way she reacted and cried all night.

Mother and father had placed a permanent silencing charm on her door, which was enough to stop the noise from reaching their room and even Bella's, sometimes, but they'd failed to consider the wall that Andromeda shared with her younger sister. Nowadays, they thought she was overreacting when she complained about Cissy's screaming, but it seemed like they'd forgotten how bad it was in the short time they'd spent in their new room away from the family wing.

As she padded her way into her younger sister's room, Andromeda couldn't help but glance over at Bellatrix's closed door, with a resentment-imbued frown etched across her face. Bella loved to doll Cissy up during the day; loved to pinch her cheeks and lord her superiority as older sister over the both of them. But when it came to the night terrors, the last person you could expect help from was Bellatrix. If she loved Cissy as much as she claimed she did, then why didn't she wake up once to comfort her? Andromeda and Narcissa weren't even that close, but Andromeda always got up anyway – because that's what good sisters did.

Opening Cissy's door, Andromeda couldn't help but remember the day their father had laid her little sister in her arms, telling her that "You must always take care of Narcissa, do you understand? She is your responsibility, like you are Bella's." And Andromeda had solemnly nodded, pleased to be entrusted with such a precious task. Perhaps, she mused now, that was why Bella never woke up to comfort Cissy – because Cissy was Andromeda's to protect and take care of. ("But what about mother and father? Why do they not care?" She couldn't help but think.)

"Narcissa," Andromeda called out softly, as she crept into the room. "Narcissa?"

No reply, other than the screaming. She hadn't expected one.

"Cissy?" She placed a gentle hand onto her sister's shoulder, shaking her in the way she'd determined wouldn't startle her. "Cissy, wake up."

Narcissa thrashed on the bed, duvet and sheets twisted among her small arms and legs. Her eyes were closed, but her face was warped into an expression of agony – she seemed like she was experiencing the worst kind of torture, the kind where you rarely ever came out of it sane. But what did eight-year-old Narcissa know of torture? She was the baby of the family, had always been coddled by their parents (at least when it came to sheltering her from the cruelties of the world), so how could she even know that the pain she seemed to be experiencing in her dreams even existed?

"Cissy. Cissy?" Andromeda whispered, sitting down next to her sister's prone form (careful, also, to stay out of arm's reach, so she couldn't get hit.)

Narcissa whimpered as she ran her fingers through her blonde hair, twisting her head in this direction and that – to get away from what, Andromeda didn't know. But she continued caressing her sister's mane of hair, so different from her own, and certainly disparate from Bella's.

"You have to wake up, Cissy." She murmured. "It's just a nightmare. I promise."

And Narcissa, miraculously, seemed to hear her, for she settled down just a bit, her screams dying down to the occasional cry and whimper. She still wasn't waking up, but she never did – not immediately. It always took Andromeda at least twenty minutes to coax her out of whatever terror she was having, and another ten minutes after that to wake her up – to give her some water to drink (or hot cocoa, if she was feeling particularly scared) and then tuck her back in bed.

As blind tears fell down Narcissa's puffy cheeks, Andromeda leaned up to brush them away, cooing, "It's alright, Cissy. Whatever you're dreaming about, I promise you'll be alright. I'm here. I'll protect you."

And Cissy, after some minutes had passed and her whimpers had died down, finally opened her eyes, as confused as she always looked after she'd woken up from a night terror. Then, she saw Andromeda, and guilt immediately seemed to strike her. Tears filled her eyes again as she said, "Andy. I'm sorry–"

But Andromeda shushed her firmly and shook her head. "It's okay, Cissy. I'm not mad."

Narcissa's eyes darted to the door, which Andromeda had shut upon entering her room. "But I woke you up again. And mother and father–"

"Mother and father wanted to come comfort you themselves, but I caught them on the way and I said I wanted to do it myself." Andromeda lied. Just because their parents didn't seem to care whether Narcissa was alright or not, didn't mean her little sister had to know about it. Let her think that Druella and Cygnus Black really were worried, that Andromeda had fought them for the privilege of coming here and comforting her. If that made Cissy feel a little bit better, then a little white lie was a small price to pay, wasn't it?

"Really?" Narcissa sniffled. "And you're not… upset? That I woke you up? Even though I promised I wouldn't again?"

"I'm not upset, Cissy. I was awake, anyway. I was going to go get myself some water." Andromeda reassured her. "Besides, you remember what Healer Rookwood said. It's going to take time and patience for you to get better."

"But what if I never get better?" Narcissa whispered, her voice scratchy and hoarse.

"You will. I promise you that you will. Have I ever lied to you?"

Her little sister shook her head. "No."

"No," Andromeda nodded. She reached over to Cissy's bedside table and poured her a glass of water, offering it up with steady hands. "Here. Drink."

Narcissa took the glass shakily and sipped, seeming to be grateful for the water regardless. She was always parched after she woke up.

"Do you want hot cocoa, too?" Andromeda offered. "I can go get you some."

"No," the younger Black shook her head. "Just… Can you stay here? For a little bit?"

"Mhm," Andromeda nodded. "Scoot over, so I can lay down."

Narcissa did so, and soon, they were both tucked under the covers, staring up at the ceiling in the darkness.

"Andy?" Narcissa spoke up after a while.

"Yeah?"

"I'm scared."

Andromeda frowned, turning to face her. "Of what?"

She didn't answer, only biting her lower lip, an expression of fear flashing across her face.

"Cissy? What are you scared of?"

"I…" Narcissa's eyebrows creased. Then she sighed anxiously, "Do you know father's friend?"

Andromeda blinked. "Which one?"

"The one who always comes over with Uncle Orion and Uncle Abraxas."

Uncle Orion being their Aunt Walburga's husband (and Cousin Sirius and Cousin Regulus' father), and Uncle Abraxas being Cissy's future father-in-law (his son, Lucius, being her betrothed).

"Oh," Andromeda echoed. "You mean the one father calls Tom?"

Cissy gave her a tiny nod.

"What about him?"

"The last time they were here… over Yule… they brought a man over."

Andromeda, who was getting more and more confused by the second, once again repeated her sister's words. "A man?"

"A… muggle." Cissy whispered, shivering.

"A muggle!?" The elder sister cried, before quieting as she was shushed. "What do you mean they brought over a muggle? How do you know it was a muggle? Where did you even see him?"

Cissy sniffled. "I saw them dragging him to father's study while everyone was busy lighting the Yule log. I got curious, so I followed them."

"And?"

"And… Tom–" her breath hitched. "Tom used the cruciatus curse on him. Only, there was a silencing charm up, so no one could hear him screaming. But I saw him. And I saw father laughing, with Uncle Orion and Uncle Abraxas."

Andromeda drew back to stare at her sister, horrified. "Cissy… how– how do you know what the cruciatus curse is?"

Narcissa wiped a stray tear away miserably. "Bella told me. She said it was an 'unforgivable curse'. That whoever cast it would go to Azkaban for the rest of their lives."

Wrapping her arms around her little sister, Andromeda could feel her shaking form acutely. "Here," she murmured. "Take my hand."

Cissy sniffled again, burying her face in Andromeda's curly hair. "I asked Bella what would happen if someone cast the curse on a muggle."

Almost afraid of the answer, the older Black asked, "And? What did she say?"

"Nothing. She said nothing would happen, or nothing should happen. Because muggles deserve it."

"Merlin, Cissy!" Andromeda hugged her even tighter to her chest. "Why didn't you tell me this sooner? Is that why you've been having terrors?"

"I think so." Narcissa mumbled. "I can't remember them, you know that."

"I know, I know." Andromeda soothed. "It's alright. You don't have to remember anything. I'll stay here with you, in your bed. No one will hurt you that way."

"Thank you, Andy," Cissy looked up at her with such a miserably grateful expression that Andromeda's heart positively ached at seeing it.

Holding her little sister close to her chest, running her hands through Cissy's blonde hair, Andromeda knew she'd never see her as vulnerable as this again. Cissy had always been mother's perfect, poised daughter; the child she liked to brag about to the ladies she invited over for tea. Cissy was the family's pride and joy – except, of course, when she was screaming in the middle of the night, scared because of something their father (albeit unknowingly) had subjected her to. Then, nobody could be bothered to help her. Nobody but Andromeda, who swore that there was no better place than her sister's arms, no better feeling than being needed by the one person she'd sworn to protect from the start.

"I'll always be here for you, Cissy." She said out-loud, hugging her sister – if possible – even closer to her.

Narcissa looked up, her gray eyes shining with love and gratitude; with sincerity that was ever so rare in the Black family. "You promise?" she asked.

Andromeda nodded, and – feeling as though she were swearing an Unbreakable vow – squeezed her sister's hand.

"I promise."