Disclaimer: I do not own these characters or anything in their magical world. These characters and their world belong to the talented J.K. Rowling and Warner Bros.
“Time for your medicine,” came the sing-song voice of Andromeda, through the fog in Bella’s head.
“You don’t have to sound so cheerful about it,” Bella muttered as she rolled over, which she could now do with minimal pain.
Andromeda chuckled. “You never did like to take medicine.”
“Are you making fun of me?”
“Only a little,” Andromeda teased, as she sat on the side of the bed and pushed a small vial into her sister’s hand.
With a slight glare, Bella swallowed the contents of the vial, and accepted a second from her sister. It was true; she always had hated drinking potions. She found that her distaste for it had increased since she could no longer see what she was taking. But in this case, she knew that Andromeda would never harm her.
“How are you feeling?” Andromeda asked as she took the vials, and sat them out of the way.
“It doesn’t hurt as much.”
“Well, that’s good. Are you ready for some food? I can make you something, whatever you like.”
“No thanks, I’m really not hungry.”
Bella felt Andromeda’s fingers running through her hair.
“Are you sure? I know you’ve been through a lot, but you have to eat sometime.”
“Not yet,” Bella replied.
“Well, at least, let me comb this out,” she said, tugging at Bella’s hair. “It really is a disaster.”
“It’s not like I would know,” Bella muttered bitterly. “I can’t see it.”
“I’m sorry. I wasn’t thinking.”
“No, I’m sorry,” Bella replied in a tired voice. “You’ve gone out of your way to take care of me. You’re risking a lot just having me here. I’m really grateful to you. And the best way to show gratitude does not involve being a bitch.”
“It’s okay. You have every right to be angry. I would be.”
Bella nodded, without really acknowledging her sister. It would be different if this happened to Andromeda. Andromeda was a good person. She didn’t deserve to suffer the way Bella did. She hadn’t tortured innocent people under the orders of a mad man. If this happened to Andromeda, she would have every right to be angry. Bella knew that she didn’t have that right. She was getting what she deserved for years of cruelty.
“You can comb it if you want,” she told Andromeda, anxious to change the topic of conversation. She pulled herself into a sitting position so that her hair would be accessible. A few seconds later, she felt a comb tugging at the massive knots on her head.
“Tell me if I’m pulling too hard.”
“Don’t worry, I will.”
“This reminds me of when we were kids,” Andromeda continued. “We used to spend entire days styling each other’s hair. Remember when Cissy found that spell to make our hair color change every fifteen seconds, and it changed to really bright greens, reds, and yellows?”
Bella giggled. “Of course, I remember. We all went to dinner that night with flashing hair. Mother was so furious. She thought it was permanent. I thought she was going to disown us all on the spot.”
“Her face turned a really interesting shade of red.”
“I remember, Cissy looked so scared, I thought she was going to start crying.”
“We were just lucky that Aunt Elladora was there that night and she knew the spell,” Andromeda told her. “I don’t know what would have happened if she hadn’t calmed mother.”
“I miss Cissy,” Bella said softly.
“I’m really sorry that I never got to say goodbye to her. I haven’t spoken to her since we were kids. We all used to be so close; and I had to read about her death in the Daily Prophet.”
“She never stopped loving you, you know. She knew she could never contact you. Lucius would have been furious. But I can assure you that she never forgot you, and neither did I.”
“I wish things had of been different.”
“Me too.”
“I wish that she hadn’t felt so alone. I wish she hadn’t felt that she had to do that to herself. I wish that I could have been there for her.”
“You wish for a lot, Andy.”
“What do you wish for?”
“I wish I could go back to when I was seventeen years old, and do it all over again. I wouldn’t marry Rodolphus. I wouldn’t turn my back on you. I don’t think I would even become a Death Eater. Then we could have both taken care of Cissy, and she would have never felt alone and helpless. I wish that she was still here with us.”
“Sounds like you wish for a lot, too.”
“I guess I do.”
“Too bad, neither of us can have our wishes.”
“That’s usually the way it works.”
“Can you tell me what my daughter said to you?” Andromeda asked abruptly.
Bella was caught of guard by the sudden change of topic, which was probably the whole idea. Andromeda wanted to throw her off so she would blurt out the truth. She used to do that all the time when they were kids, but it didn’t work then either. Bella quickly recovered from her surprise.
“She just reminded me that you were taking a very big chance by allowing me to stay here.”
“Please, don’t let my daughter, or my husband, bully you into leaving. I really want you to stay here. I couldn’t be there for Cissy, but I got a second chance with you. I don’t want to waste it.”
“You know that no one bullies me into anything.”
“Then I hope you choose to stay.”
“I’m a major liability to you.”
“You’re my sister.”
Bella knew that she couldn’t tell her about her plans to leave. Andromeda would be heartbroken. She really wanted her there and, to be honest, she wanted to stay. But it didn’t matter. It wasn’t safe for her to be there. Andromeda refused to see the danger, but Bella saw in clearly. At least, she could see something.
“Can I ask you something?” she said to change the subject.
“Of course.”
“Why did you let me keep my wand? I assumed you would take it while I was unconscious.”
“I thought you would want it.”
“Weren’t you afraid that I would hurt you or your family?”
“I’m not afraid of you, Bella. You’re my sister, and I trust you.”
“You have no idea how much that means to me.”
The tugging on her hair ceased, and Bella heard the comb fall to the floor. She was pulled into Andromeda’s tight embrace. Returning the hug, she rested her head on her sister’s chest. For the first time in a very long time, she felt loved.