The next day, Dora took me to the Order meeting. This time it was at the Weasley family's house. I was particularly happy about not having to revisit Grimmauld Place, but felt sick to my stomach about seeing the members as this would be the first time since the identity revelation.

I wasn't allowed to join the meeting as usual, but this time I didn't mind. I needed to ask about creating a Pensieve. I went to Mad-Eye Moody to find out how, but when I asked he just laughed.

"You can use a regular bowl or basin," he said. "Anything that contains liquid will contain the memory. However, you'll need to brew a potion in order to enter it. The recipe is, I believe, in Advanced Potion Making. Surely you have a copy at home?"

"I don't have my school supplies yet, but maybe Andromeda does ... " I said, feeling slightly humiliated. "Does it take long to brew it?"

"A few hours. It won't go away unless you get rid of it, though, so it's worth it, I'd say."

"Oh. All right. I'll try to find a recipe," I told him, feeling disappointed. Now I had to stay for the meeting, and I had nothing to do and nowhere to go.

I walked over to Dora. "What now?" I asked.

"Maybe I can convince you to let them stay this time."

"Fat chance," I groaned. "They might think I'll slip secrets to the Dark Side."

"Lyra, this is the Order of the Phoenix we're dealing with. They know you the same way they did when you met them. You've grown up away from the Dark Side. Your parentage doesn't matter to them."

I sighed. "I hope you're right."

Suddenly two people flew into the kitchen: Mrs. Weasley and Ginny. Mrs. Weasley looked surprised and began to speak, completely flustered. "Oh, Tonks, you're here! Excuse me, I need to get some food ready before everyone else arrives. Oh, it's Lindsey!"

"Oh ... " I said. "It's Lyra now."

"Oh, that's right. I'm so sorry about everything that happened recently. I read about it; they said some terrible things about you."

"Yeah, well ... " My throat had gone dry; I didn't say much else. As I stood there, Mrs. Weasley took me by surprise and pulled me into a hug.

"It's all right," she said afterward. "The Order knows you."

Dora's words. Maybe this wouldn't be as bad as I was making it out to be. They trusted Dora and, after all, the two of us had grown up in the same house, raised by the same people. However, the Order was one thing. Returning to school would be different.

"Would you like something to eat?" said a new voice softly. I turned to see Ginny holding a tray of food.

"Oh," I said, taking a bit. "Thanks."

Ginny smiled at me. I couldn't help but smile back. She had always been nice to me. It was good to know someone at Hogwarts wouldn't think I was a freak when the time to return came around.

"I'm really sorry about Sirius," Ginny said.

I looked away. "So am I." I didn't want to think about this. When I tried to push it out of my head and bring in a new thought, I remembered the Pensieve.

"Ginny, you don't happen to have a copy of Advanced Potion Making, do you?" I asked.

"No, I'm sorry. We may have a copy somewhere around the house."

"Advanced Potion Making, you said?" Mrs. Weasley, who had overheard, asked. "We have a few copies. What do you need it for?"

"I need to brew a Pensieve potion so I can ... view a memory," I admitted.

"Oh! You're in luck. I happen to have some in my Pensieve ... "

"You made a Pensieve, Mum?" asked Ginny. "When?"

"Just two days ago. I thought ... well, with this war going on ... I wanted to get them out of my head so I could have some peace of mind. I also wanted to keep my best memories safe and I thought the Order could use it, but I realized it was a bad idea in case Death Eaters attacked and found the secrets, so I removed them all. I was going to get rid of it, but now that you're here, I'll get you some, Lyra. Wait there a moment."

Ginny looked at me quizzically. "Mum's been really out of it since You-Know-Who revealed himself. She's afraid of a Death Eater attack on our home more than anything."

Mrs. Weasley hurried into the room before the conversation could go any farther. In her hand was a flask filled with clear silver liquid.

"Here you go. It's not much, but it's enough to hold a few memories."

"I only have one memory," I said. "Thanks, Mrs. Weasley."

"Oh, it's no problem. I have to get back to the kitchen now. You're welcome to borrow a bowl from the kitchen and view your memory while Tonks is at the meeting."

Well, she still didn't want me to listen to the Order, but at least she was nice enough to help me with the Pensieve.

"You can take that to my room," Ginny offered. "That way you can see it while the meeting is taking place."

"Thank you," I replied as she led me up the stairs and into her room.

"I'll leave you to it," she told me, closing the door behind her. I took a few moments to look around before I set the bowl on her desk, just below a poster of Gwenog Jones. I took the flask of potions from my pocket and emptied the contents into the basin. The memory it.

I fell. I was hurtling toward the ground through a swirl of gray and scarlet; I hit the bottom without feeling any impact. In front of me was the Hogwarts Express. A group of five people stood in front of me: two adults and three little girls.

"Don't leave, Bella!" the one with the light brown hair exclaimed, tears falling down her face. She had to be a nine-year-old Andromeda.

"It's okay, Andy. I'll be home for Christmas," another girl said. She had black hair and was carrying a school trunk.

"But that's four months from now!" Andromeda cried.

"It's all right. We can write to each other," Bellatrix said.

Andromeda sniffed, and another voice said, "Bellatrix, write to us as soon as you can. We want to know what house you're in, though I know it will be Slytherin."

"All right, Mum."

"And stay away from blood scum," the woman said.

"Druella, if she's in Slytherin, that won't be a problem," said a new voice, a man's.

Druella Black nodded and said, "Well, off you go, Bellatrix."

"See you!" Bellatrix said. "I'll miss all of you."

She hugged Andromeda. "Don't worry. In two years, we'll both be at Hogwarts together."

Andromeda let out a sob and said, "Two years is a long time!"

"You'll make it," Bellatrix said, pulling away and bending down to hug her youngest sister. "Be good, Cissy. Listen to Andy. She's the only sister you'll have to play with now."

"But I don't want to listen to her! She's bossy! You're the nice sister," Narcissa protested.

"Andy won't boss you around, will you?" Bellatrix said, giving Andromeda a warning look.

"Of course not," she said. "I'll play with her. But do you promise to take over when you get back?"

Bellatrix laughed. "Yes."

"And you promise to write?"

"Yes."

"And you promise you won't forget about us?"

"Yes."

The train whistled.

"I have to go," Bellatrix said. "I'll see you later."

"Good luck," Druella said.

"Thanks. Have fun. I'll miss you! I love you!"

And with that, she boarded the train, leaving her parents and two weeping sisters behind.

The scene before me swirled silvery-gray again; I was now standing in the same position, but the setting before me was different. I was now in a room in a manor with black couches and chairs and a Christmas tree. There were many shelves full of dark-looking objects. A fire crackled in a fireplace and I noticed a tapestry on the wall: The Black Family Tree.

Andromeda and Narcissa sat on a couch together. In a chair was their father. Suddenly the door opened and two people came in: Druella and Bellatrix.

"Bella!" Andromeda shouted, jumping up and running to hug her older sister.

"Augh," Bellatrix said. "Let me breathe, Andy! At least let me take my cloak off."

She pulled off a winter cloak, hat, and scarf and hung it on a rack on the wall. Then she sat down on a chair and reclined.

"It's good to be home. I haven't seen everyone in forever."

"We've missed you, Bella!" Andromeda said. "Cissy and I have been having fun, but it's not the same without you!"

"I've missed you, too, but school's been great as well. I've made some friends. There's Evan ... Rodolphus ... "

"Yes," Druella said sharply. "What are their last names again?"

"Rosier and Lestrange," she said. "They're pureblood, if that's what you want to know," she added with a not-so-slight hint of annoyance.

"Rosier ... " their father said. "It sounds familiar."

"Cygnus!" Druella said furiously. "It's my maiden name!"

"Right," Cygnus Black said. "So, er ... how're things going, Bellatrix?"

She began to tell about her school life, and the scene changed again ...

I was now standing in the same room with Andromeda, Narcissa, and Cygnus. A tiny owl flew up and pecked rapidly and impatiently on the window.

"Bloody owl," Cygnus said. "He'll puncture the glass in that window."

Andromeda, however, looked excited. "Dad, it's a letter from Bella!" She went over to the window and took the envelope from the owl. "Come on, Cissy, let's read it."

I noticed the two looked slightly older and somehow knew it was a year later. Andromeda was only a year away from starting Hogwarts.

"Anything new?" Cygnus asked.

"No," Andromeda said. "She said she got detention for hexing some girl in a corridor." Andromeda looked somewhat disappointed. "This letter's actually really short. Oh, well. Here, Cissy. Show Mum."

"Why can't you do it?!" she asked.

"I'm older, I shouldn't have to!" Andromeda said.

"Fine!" Narcissa muttered. She walked off, muttering something about wanting Andromeda to fall off a cliff into a pit of Hungarian Horntails.

The scene changed again, and I was in a compartment on the Hogwarts Express. Bellatrix sat across from a nervous-looking Andromeda, who was obviously just starting Hogwarts.

"Bella, what if I'm not in Slytherin? Mum and Dad might disown me."

"They would never disown you, Andy," Bellatrix said. "You're their daughter."

"But there are people on the family tree that got burned off! What if I become like them?"

"You won't. Trust me, Andy. You'll be in Slytherin. Our whole family is."

"Okay," Andromeda said. She turned and looked out the window. Sighing, she said, "Cissy wasn't sad to see me leave."

"I'm sure she was. She just didn't show it."

"Yeah, right. She was hugging you and crying all over you when you stepped onto the train, but when I hugged her she didn't care. She likes you better." She sighed. "I guess I was kind of bossy to her all the time. I wish I could take it back."

"Don't worry," Bellatrix said. "She'll miss you before long. With just Mum and Dad around, she'll get lonely."

Andromeda sighed again, and Bellatrix gasped. "There they are!" She stood up and opened the door to her compartment. Two boys walked in. I recognized one of them as a thirteen-year-old Rodolphus.

"Bella!" Rodolphus said. "Did you have a good summer? You never wrote to me!"

"Sorry, I forgot," Bellatrix said without a trace of regret in her voice. "Sit down."

Rodolphus sat by Bellatrix, and the other, who I assumed was Evan Rosier, sat by Andromeda.

"Who's this?" he asked. "She's obviously a first year."

He looked at Andromeda, who was polishing her new wand on her robe. She looked up at him nervously.

"That's Andy, my sister. She's starting Hogwarts this year," Bellatrix explained.

"Oh. Bella said she had two little sisters," Rodolphus said. "Speaking of siblings, there's Rabastan."

The compartment door opened again and a rather thickset boy came in.

"Rodolphus, there's no where else to sit," he said.

"Fine," Rodolphus said, scooting over and making room for his brother, but when Rabastan sat down, the three were squished up against each other.

"There's not enough room," Bellatrix said, her face smashed against the window. "Someone has to leave."

"Make her do it," Rabastan said, pointing to Andromeda. "She's just a first year."

A fearful look appeared on Andromeda's face once again, causing Bellatrix to snarl at Rabastan, "Why don't you leave, you great lump!"

"Sure, defend the first year!" Rabastan said. "Go on, midget. Get out."

Bellatrix looked at Andromeda apologetically. "Sorry, Andy. You'll have to leave."

The scene changed. I was now in the Hogwarts Great Hall. I was behind Bellatrix at the Slytherin table with Rodolphus, Rabastan, and Evan. Andromeda was in line with the first years, about to be sorted. She looked even more terrified than she had on the train.

A teacher stood up and read off the names. After a boy was sorted into Hufflepuff, Andromeda Black was called to the stool.

She walked up and placed the hat on her head, trembling slightly as the hat, almost as worn as it had been when I had been Sorted, looked into her head to decide her fate. At the Slytherin table, Bellatrix stared intently at her sister.

"Slytherin!" the hat shouted. Andromeda looked slightly relieved as she joined Bellatrix. Upon her arrival, Bellatrix said, "Congratulations! Mum and Dad will be so proud!"

Still trembling but looking more and more relieved, Andromeda nodded and slowly sank back to watch the rest of the sorting.

The scene changed again. Now I was back in the Black's manor. Outside it was dark. Andromeda, Narcissa, Cygnus, and Druella were sitting on the black couches. Based on the Christmas tree (which was decorated in black lights and skull ornaments this time) I assumed it was the holiday break again.

The door to the room opened and Bellatrix walked in with Rodolphus. The two were laughing as they removed their winter cloaks and hung them on the rack.

"You're late," Druella snapped.

"Sorry, Mum. Lost track of time."

"That's no excuse," she said.

"I said I was sorry! It's only half an hour late!" Bellatrix exclaimed. "I just lost track of time! Why does it matter to you, anyway? Don't say you were worried something happened to me, because I know you don't care."

Druella opened her mouth to argue, but Bellatrix grabbed Rodolphus's hand and hastily walked with him out of the room, turning around once to give her mother a punishable hand gesture. Druella followed her out, ready to fight back. Narcissa, who appeared to be about ten years old, turned to Andromeda.

"Andy," she said.

"Yes?"

"Will you play Gobstones with me?"

Andromeda was quiet for a second. Then she said, "You haven't wanted to do anything with me in ages."

"I know," Narcissa sighed. "But ever since Bella started seeing him, she hasn't had any time for us."

"Yeah. Let's go."

The scene changed once more, and I was in a large decorated hall. Banners hung from the walls and several candles floated in pale bubbles floating at the ceiling. It would have been beautiful if not for all the black and green.

I was standing behind Andromeda, who appeared to be about thirteen. She was in a pale blue dress with her hair held up in a matching ribbon. Next to her was Narcissa, who looked as if she was in her first year at Hogwarts. She was in a light pink dress with her long blonde hair brushed down to her waist.

"You ask her," Andromeda said.

"No, you," Narcissa replied.

"I don't want to; she'll get mad."

"She'll get mad at me, too!"

"No, she won't, you're the youngest. She can't blow up at you."

"She might."

"Cissy, please!"

As they talked, they approached Bellatrix, who was wearing a dark purple dress and was dancing slowly with Rodolphus. Her black hair was as shiny and beautiful as ever. She looked no older than fifteen.

"Bella," Narcissa said quietly. "Andy wants to know if you're going to the garden with us."

Bellatrix scowled. "The garden?"

"Yes," Narcissa said. "You know, since we go there every year at this ball. She ... she says it's a tradition!" Her voice became nervous as her oldest sister glared at her.

Bellatrix snorted. "Who cares about that tradition? All we do it pick flowers and carve our name into that stupid tree. It's for kids, and I'm practically an adult."

"But we do it every year," Andromeda said. "It's our own tradition as the Black sisters at the Pureblood Ball! And since our family is hosting this year, we should definitely carry out the tradition!"

"Andy, no," Bellatrix said.

"But ... "

"I said, no!"

Bellatrix stared her straight in the eyes. Andromeda stared back, but finally said, "Come on, Cissy. We'll do it ourselves."

And she walked her younger sister to a garden outside the hall. I followed. It was dark outside, but the path was lit with eerie green glowing lights.

They sat under a huge tree. Andromeda sighed. "Well, Cissy ... it looks like we'll have to continue the tradition ourselves."

"I wish Bella would come," Narcissa said, pouting. "It's just not the same."

"I know. But she's growing up. Let's carve our names into the tree."

She picked up a rock and began to chip away at the tree bark. Beneath the spot she carved I saw writing from the previous year, which read:

Bellatrix Black, 1965

Andromeda Black, 1965

Narcissa Black, 1965

The two carved their names with the year, then sighed and lay back in the grass.

"Bella's really changing," Andromeda said. "She's obsessed with him. She spends every waking moment with him! She never has time for us! And when she's not with him, she's reading articles in the Prophet about that evil wizard who's doing all that terrible stuff, and she likes it! She thinks it's good, the things they're doing. I'm afraid she'll join them when she's older!"

"I miss the old Bella," Narcissa agreed. "But Mum and Dad want her to join the Death Eaters."

Andromeda shivered. "Death Eaters. How could Bella want to be part of something that sounds so awful?"

And the scene changed again. I was back in the Black Manor. Andromeda was standing in a dimly-lit hallway in front of me. She took a deep breath and walked down the hall. She turned and faced a door on her left and opened it slowly, as if she was expecting a monster to be in there, waiting to eat her.

But it wasn't a monster, it was Bellatrix. She was sitting on a bed and, er ... looked kind of busy with Rodolphus. As soon as the door opened, she pulled away and faced her sister, looking furious. Maybe she was equivalent to a monster in that outraged state.

"What are you doing in here?" she roared.

"Dad sent me to ... "

"Do you ever knock?"

"I was just coming to tell you ... "

"Andy, get out!"

"But Dad ... "

"I said, GET OUT!"

Andromeda, who was probably thirteen or fourteen, began crying as if she was five. "I was just sent ... "

"I DON'T CARE! GET OUT!"

"Bella ... "

Bellatrix whipped her wand out of her robe pocket and pointed it at her frightened sister.

"THIS IS MY ROOM AND IF YOU DON'T LEAVE, I'LL HEX YOU!"

"You can't use magic out of ... "

"Watch me," Bellatrix snarled. "Do you think I really care about school anymore? Once I graduate I'll be joining those Death Eaters anyway and it won't matter whether I finished school or not so you had better get out for your own sake because I'll be cursing you and I won't care if I'm expelled from school!" As she talked, she drew closer to Andromeda and moved her wand toward her throat. When it was close enough to touch the pale skin of Andromeda's neck, the younger one let out a sob and turned to ran down the hall.

And the scene changed. Bellatrix was in the Black Manor again. This time she looked much older, in her early twenties. Rodolphus was with her again. I noticed a ring on her finger - she was married to him.

The two sat down on a couch opposite of her younger sisters, who were also much older (they were definitely out of Hogwarts). Bellatrix had a serious look on her face as she stared at her parents.

"The time has come," she said. "We're joining the Death Eaters. It's the right thing to do - we need to purify the race. Mudbloods and other blood scum should be destroyed, just as we've been taught. Tonight we're going to be initiated."

"Yes," Druella said. "I always knew you would make the right decision, Bellatrix. I'm proud of you. You married a pureblood just as we expected and you've chosen your path for the future. I only hope our other daughters will make the same choice." She looked at Andromeda and Narcissa sitting on the couch. Narcissa stared back at her mother intently, but Andromeda looked slightly uncomfortable.

A new scene: Bellatrix was sitting on a bench in a garden when Andromeda walked over to her. She looked extremely nervous. Bellatrix looked up at her and said, "What is it? Are you all right?"

Andromeda sighed. "Bella ... I need to talk to you."

"Go on," Bellatrix replied, making room for her sister on the bench.

"Bella ... if I don't join the Death Eaters, what will Mum and Dad think? They're so proud of you, but I just ... I just don't think it's the right thing for me."

"Andy, you don't have to join. After all, Mum and Dad aren't Death Eaters themselves. They can't get mad at you if you don't join. But as for me, well ... " She pulled back her sleeve and ran her finger beside the Mark that had recently been burned into her skin. She wouldn't touch it, though it seemed as if she wanted to. "I believe the Dark Lord has the right idea."

Andromeda swallowed hard. "Did ... did that hurt?"

"Hurt? Of course it did, Andy. But it's nothing compared to the future duties I'll be doing as a Death Eater."

"What if you get caught? You'll be locked in Azkaban forever," Andromeda said.

"I won't get caught, Andy," Bellatrix said soothingly. "I know my stuff."

Andromeda nodded and looked down at her palms. "There's more. Bella, I need your advice." Even though her sister had taken such a horrible path, Andromeda still apparently trusted her.

"What is it?" Bellatrix responded.

Her sister didn't answer, but fiddled with her hands instead. She looked rather sick. Finally she took a deep breath and said, "I haven't told Mum and Dad about this, but I've finally met someone, and I really think he's right for me."

"Andy, that's great!" Bellatrix exclaimed with enthusiasm, looking into her sister's uncertain face. "Who is he?"

"He's ... well ... I mean, he's ... you see, the thing is ... "

"Spit it out."

"His name's Ted."

"Yes."

"But you see, I can't tell Mum and Dad because, well ... I wanted to come to you first, to ask you how to tell them, because I thought you would understand me best. See, Ted is ... he's a ... a Muggle-born."

Bellatrix froze instantaneously. She turned and glared at her sister. "A Muggle-born?" she spat. "Andy, what are you thinking?"

"I'm thinking that ... that it shouldn't matter!" Andromeda protested, leaping up from the bench. "As long as we love each other, why does it matter how pure our blood is?"

"It matters because ... because that's just the way it is!" Bellatrix roared, standing up to face Andromeda again. "If you go off and marry him, you'll be blasted from the family tree for good!"

"What if I don't care? The Black family tree is nothing but a stupid tapestry!"

"It's more than a tapestry! Don't you get it? You'll be disowned! No one in our family will ever talk to you again if you go the way our dear old cousin did!"

"Sirius had the right idea," Andromeda said, close to tears now. "He didn't like our family's ways, so he left! And maybe that's how I feel! Bella, I'll be honest with you: I've never really agreed with the pureblood obsession! I've never felt like a true Black!"

"Maybe you're not," she said. "Maybe you should go and marry this Mudblood. If you care about him more than your family, then go ahead! No one's stopping you!"

"Maybe I will! It's not like anyone in our family ever cared about me! All that matters to Mum and Dad is that we marry purebloods; they don't actually care about us! They just want to make sure the family tree stays pure! I don't need them, nor do I need any of our relatives. I'll have Ted. I'll have you and Cissy. It's good enough for me."

"Me? Me and Cissy?" Bellatrix spat. "You sound pretty sure about this."

"Bella, please tell me you won't disown me because of ... of who I love," Andromeda said quietly.

"Disown you? Of course I'll disown you! Think of what my image will look like with the Death Eaters if they find out one of my sisters is a blood traitor!"

"You've been brainwashed," Andromeda said, tears now falling down her face. "You-Know-Who made you think exactly what he wanted you to. Now you care more about that than your family."

"And what does if matter if I do?" Bellatrix asked. "Andy, if you want to marry this Mudblood, fine. But if you ever want me to speak to you again, you should find a respectable pureblood to marry. The choice is yours. Choose quickly."

Andromeda stared back at her sister in disbelief. "I ... "

"I get it," Bellatrix said. "You've chosen him over your family. You've chosen him over me." She turned around to leave.

"Bella, wait! You wouldn't ... your own sister? Bella!"

Bellatrix turned around. "You are no sister of mine, Andromeda." And with those final words, she turned around and left, leaving Andromeda - who had sunk to her knees and begun to weep noisily with her head in her hands - behind her forever.

And now I was swirling upward through silver-gray ... a moment later and I was sitting in front of Ginny's desk, the memory swirling in the Pensieve in front of me.