~Chapter 38- The Tale of the Three Sisters~

I stood at Hogsmeade station, ready to leave for Christmas break. The weather was awful - freezing rain, wind, and cold, but I wasn't getting on the train yet; I was waiting for Theodore.

I saw him approaching, carrying a single trunk. When he was next to me, I said, "What took so long? I want to get on the train; it's freezing!"

"Then let's get on."

I noticed he sounded kind of glum, but I didn't say anything until we were on the train in a compartment at the back. After we put our luggage on the racks, I sat down and said, "Is something wrong?"

He sighed. "No ... not really."

"Are you sure?"

"Well, I'd rather not go home for break. I really wanted to stay at Hogwarts, but my dad forced me to come home."

"Oh. I get it. You don't want to go home because your father will - "

" - Want to discuss Death Eater business with me, yeah," he finished.

"I'm sorry."

He shrugged. "It's not much of a Christmas. We don't celebrate anything, ever. It's always about the Dark Lord."

"So ... you call him the Dark Lord?" I asked cautiously.

"Oh. Yeah, but I don't really think about it. It's what my father says, so it's what I say. What do you call him?"

"I used to call him the Dark Lord, but I was told not to. But then Sirius - " I broke off for a second; thinking of Sirius was always painful. "Sirius told me just to call him Voldemort."

He nodded, looking thoughtful, just as the witch with the food trolley came. "Anything from the trolley?" she asked.

"Yes," I said standing up and reaching into my robe pocket for money, but Theodore stood up and said, "I'll buy it."

"No, it's fine. I'll buy it."

"I'll buy, we'll share."

I shrugged.

By the time the trolley witch left, we were stocked up on Licorice Wands, Cauldron Cakes, Chocolate Frogs, Pumpkin Pasties, and Every Flavor Beans. As I ripped open a frog, Theodore said, "Are you doing anything over break?"

"Not much besides regular family celebrations." But that was a lie. Since I was just talking to him, I decided I could be honest. I quickly checked to make sure no one was listening before I told him quietly, "There is somewhere I've wanted to go in order to - "

Our compartment door slid open and Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle came in. Malfoy looked smug as he turned to Nott and said, "Listen, I need to talk to you. When you get home, ask your father if - "

But he stopped as Goyle tapped him on the shoulder and pointed at me. Malfoy turned, surprised, and was dumbfounded to see me sitting there. He glared at me and snapped, "What are you doing in here, Tonks? Trying to spy on Nott? Don't you know you need an Invisibility Cloak like Potter in order to spy without being seen?"

Crabbe and Goyle laughed, but Theodore said, "Malfoy, leave her alone. And whatever you want me to ask my father, I won't ... unless you tell me what you're up to."

"Up to? I'm not up to anything."

"Don't lie. You're always sneaking out of the common room with that look of false determination on your face, Draco. So whatever the deal is, tell me, or my father won't ever get your message."

"Sneaking out? You've been sneaking out, Nott. Nearly every night you return to the dormitory when it's far past midnight. What are you doing, seeing someone?"

Theodore turned slightly red, causing Malfoy to turn to me. A look of shocked understanding crossed his face as his head swung back and forth between the two of us.

"You're not ... the two of you ... "

"Way to go, Malfoy; you get an 'O' for your wonderful observation skills. Now leave our compartment," I said.

Malfoy turned to Theodore, raging. "There's no way, you blood traitor! She's a Gryffindor!"

"I'm quite aware of that, Draco," Theodore said coolly. "Now, if you hadn't been sneaking out so much you would have known. But you can leave. If this message for my father is urgent, you can send him an owl."

Malfoy was so furious that he simply glared at us and left the compartment, slamming the door behind him. I noticed Crabbe sneaking out furtively, concealing something under his robes. He had stolen our Cauldron Cakes.

I rolled my eyes and was about to point this out to Theodore, but I stayed quiet when I saw how cross he was as he muttered curses under his breath about Malfoy.

"Is it really that big of a deal?" I asked carefully.

"Yes!" he exclaimed. "He's doing something he shouldn't be and he wants me to deliver a message to my father! He won't tell me what's going on! I hate this; it's always like this! This is what it's like to live your life among the Dark Side - everyone keeps secrets from you. Then all of a sudden some catastrophe happens and you had no idea it was coming!"

Though I was stupefied by his words, I said, "And you think Malfoy ... is going to cause a ... er, catastrophe?"

"I don't know," he answered, smacking his hand against the compartment seat. "I just...don't know."

There was nothing else I could say, so I sat in silence and nibbled on a Licorice Wand as he calmed down. Once he got to this point, things went a lot smoother. We were able to talk normally until we got to Kings Cross.

The weather was still nasty when I stood up and retrieved my trunk from the luggage rack. Theodore swished his wand to dispose of our sweet wrappers. Turning to me, he said, "Well ... I'll see you after break."

"Yeah, I'll see you in ... two weeks or so."

"I'll miss you," he said, giving me a sad smile.

"I'll miss you too. Good luck ... you know, with your father and all." I brought myself closer and kissed him; he returned it with a bit more enthusiasm than was expecting, and I could fully feel how much he was going to miss this time apart, how much he was dreading having to return home and visit his father. Once apart, we said goodbye again and left the compartment. He went out the first door we approached but I kept going, partially because I wanted to stay out of the bad weather for as long as possible, and partially because I didn't want Dora to see me with him. I hadn't exactly told her about him yet.

I went out the compartment door when I saw Dora through the rain-covered window. She still had that limp brown hair. She greeted me as happily as she could, but it wasn't much. I could tell she was ready to get out of the bad weather.

"So ... how are we getting home?" I asked, shivering in the cold.

"Side-Along Apparition," she muttered, latching her arm to mine. "Hold on ... "

I wasn't prepared for this. I had never Apparated before as had been hoping for more of a warning, but before I knew it, I felt myself being smashed into what felt like endless darkness. My lungs felt constricted and I couldn't breathe. Not soon enough, we hit the ground in front of the house.

"That was awful, Dora!" I exclaimed. "I wasn't ready for that!"

"I'm sorry," she said blankly and unsympathetically as she turned the doorknob to enter the house. Inside, we hung up our coats as Ted and Andromeda greeted me.

"Lyra!" Andromeda exclaimed, hurrying out from the kitchen as usual. "Great to have you home. Your presents are in your room like always."

"Thank you. It's nice to see you, too," I told her as she pulled me into her motherly hug. Then, turning to Dora, I said, "Hey, are you staying here or are you leaving?"

"I'm leaving for a bit, then I'll be back. But first I want to give you your gift. It's in my old bedroom. Go upstairs; I'll bring it to you."

I went to my bedroom. It was the same as always: light blue paint, Gryffindor banners. On top of everything was a thin layer of dust, which vanished with the wave of my wand. I moved my presents out of the way and flopped on my bed, tearing into them. There were the usual white chocolate truffles from Andromeda-she always made my personal favorite-and another sweater from Mrs. Weasley, just like last year. With a pang I realized that Sirius wouldn't be giving me a gift this year. I thought of last Christmas when things had been different. Sirius had been alive and I had still been under my false name. It seemed like a universe away now.

Dora entered my room, looking glum as always, but on top of that there was another emotion - smugness, maybe? She handed me my gift, but it wasn't just any gift box, it was a cardboard box with holes cut into it. She had tied a pink bow to the top.

"What's this?" I asked.

"Your present from me. Open it."

I tugged at the bow until it came lose. Then I opened the box, not sure of what I would find. Inside was what looked like a giant pink cotton ball. I reached to take it out, but pulled my hand back when the cotton thing moved.

"What is it?"

"A Pygmy Puff. I bought it at Weasley's Wizard Wheezes, the Weasley twins' joke shop in Diagon Alley. I thought you might like a pet since you've never had one."

"Oh. Well, thanks!" I gently lifted the Pygmy Puff from the box and asked, "Does it have a name?"

"No. You get to name it."

"I like it. Thanks, Dora."

I gave her a hug and gently set my new pet down on my bed. I stroked its soft back, thinking I liked the name Drooble (after Drooble's Best Blowing Gum) when Dora said, "Wait, there's more."

"What?" I asked, looking away from the Pygmy Puff and at her face again. That smug look had returned.

"Just a few minutes ago, this arrived at the front door by owl. It's addressed to you. Any idea what it could be?"

She showed me a box with two small bows tied to it, red and green. It had my name on it, and below the address it said 'from Theodore.'

"Who's Theodore?" Dora asked, raising an eyebrow.

I felt myself going red. "He's no one! I'll just take that if you don't mind!"

I reached for the present, but she pulled it away and said, "Does Lyra finally have a boyfriend?"

"No! Now Dora, give me the box!"

She took my answer as a yes and, still keeping the box away from my grasp, said, "Tell me about him."

"Shut up! Why does it matter to you? Just give me my present and leave me alone, Dora! Whoever Theodore is, well ... that's my business, so give that to me and you can be on your way back to your flat."

"I've got time," she said plainly. "I'm in no hurry. So tell me, Lyra. Who is he? How did you meet him?"

"He's just a friend," I insisted.

"I've never seen you turn so red over a friend."

"Well, he's not my boyfriend."

"Then who is he? He's obviously someone important to you."

I knew I had to give in. With anyone else, I could probably get them off my back. But not Dora. There was no way she would leave until I told her everything she wanted to know. Besides, the smile on her face - something I hadn't seen for awhile - made me continue. For once, she seemed like her old self.

I sighed and said, "Okay. Theodore and I ... well, we used to hate each other ... "

"Yeah? What else? How long have you been going out with him?"

"Er ... since October."

"So what year is he in? What house? What does he look like? How does - "

"Dora, slow down! He's in my year and he's ... he's ... " I stopped, now fumbling with the packaging on the box. Underneath the wrapping was a small card. I opened it, forgetting to answer Dora's question. Beside me she sat, waiting eagerly yet patiently, curious about what was in the box.

A note was written in the card.

Lyra,

Here's your gift. Hope you like it. I thought it kind of represented us. You'll see what I mean when you open it, if you haven't done so yet. Have a good break. Merry Christmas.

Theodore

Tucking the note inside the box, I dug deeper and found another box - a tiny white one. I opened it with care, still keeping it inside the larger box. I wasn't sure if I wanted Dora to see the gift yet.

I took off the lid and gasped. It was a necklace - a silver chain with a crystal - clear gem at the end. But when I lifted it out of the little box, I saw it flicker with tints of red and green.

"Oh, I get it," I said. "Red and green."

"What's that?" Dora asked.

Possibly because I was merely talking with Dora, my almost-sister, or possibly because the sparkly necklace and my gratitude that Theodore had gone through the trouble to get it for me had me mesmerized, I said, "Well ... the thing is ... he's a Slytherin."

She didn't speak at first. When she did, she asked, "You're dating a Slytherin?"

"Well ... yeah."

"Hmmm." She shrugged. "What's his last name?"

I froze. Dora, being in the Order, would know all about his father-or would at least be able to recognize the name of a known Death Eater.

"Nott," I said. "His name is Theodore Nott."

Sure enough, she squinted at me and said, "Nott, huh? Did you know there's a Death Eater named Nott?"

"Yes," I said, standing up quickly so that the necklace left the box and dangled from my hand, flashing red and green. "And I don't care, Dora. You don't know him like I do; nobody does. He's a child of the Dark Side just like me, only he's worse off because he lives with a Death Eater. But I don't you need to tell me his father's a Death Eater, because I already know. If you bother me about it, I'll remind you that your mother's sister is a Death Eater."

"I wasn't going to say a word," she said calmly. "That's pretty," she added, changing the subject.

She was pointing at the necklace. "Oh. Yeah," I said. "It's clear but it shines red and green ... here, help me put it on."

I pulled my hair back as Dora fastened the necklace around my neck. She said, "You know, this looks real. It was probably very expensive."

"I hope not," I said. "I didn't want him to spend a fortune on me."

"You're lucky," she said with a sigh. "He must really care about you."

I wasn't sure how to respond to that, but I knew what she was thinking. I really didn't want to bring the topic up again, but I had to ask. "No luck with Remus, I take it?"

She sat down on my bed, looking glum again. "No. I think I'll have to give up."

I felt really bad for Dora. Normally she was the one constantly out on dates, not me. It seemed we had switched places for the first time ever.

Then again, it wasn't like anything was normal these days.

Dora left later that evening but planned on returning for Christmas day. So now I sat in a chair in the living room, staring at the fire and thinking of what I was going to do next. Andromeda sat quietly, reading a book. Finally I broke the silence, about to tell her about my plan. My mouth was dry, but I managed to say, "Andromeda, there's something I want to do."

She looked up from her book dreamily and asked, "What's that?"

"Well, you see ... I want answers. I want to know more about Bellatrix. You've told me a lot, but it's not enough. I want to know why she joined the Death Eaters and what happened after you were disowned. I'm sorry if I'm insulting you ... "

"No, no, you're fine. But what are you going to do to get this?"

"I ... I want to go to Narcissa's."

She was immobilized for a few second, looking like a statue. When she spoke, it was to say, "I - I really don't think that's a good idea, Lyra. It may sound easy, but going to the Malfoy Manor is risky. I hate to say this, but Narcissa won't want to see you and she would be less than happy to tell you stories."

"I'm aware of that. But I've been thinking about this a lot lately and I really want to find out what I can. I've thought of a few ways that I could make this work ... "

"But why, Lyra? Why? What will finding out these things solve? Is it for your own personal gain? How will it help you?"

"It's not ... for personal gain or anything ... well, I suppose it is, in a way ... I just want to know ... because of everything ... Sirius ... and you ... and even me. I guess that's what it's about. I want to know who she is so I will know who I am.

"But Lyra ... don't you know who you are?"

"In ways, yes, but in other ways, well ... it's just not fair! I want more than just to know, I want to understand ... or try to, at least. I want to know who she is and who my father is and why things happened because ... well, because they're my parents! Doesn't every child have the right to know them?"

"This is about Sirius again, isn't it?" Andromeda asked softly.

"Partially," I said tearfully, but I wasn't going to cry this time. "I want to know why she killed him."

"She went insane, Lyra. That's all there is to know. You-Know-Who brainwashed her into everything she is now."

"But I want to know why!"

"Okay. All right. I guess I understand you to an extent. If you think you can do it, you can go to the Malfoy Manor. But please, please be careful."

"I will, Andromeda. I promise."

Right after I had made up my mind, I knew it was insane. I walked up to the iron gates of the Malfoy Manor, knowing that this was by far the most far-fetched idea ever. I felt like I was doing a Death Eater deed in my hooded cloak with my wand ready, and I was about to turn back when I saw someone approaching the gates.

As the figure came closer, I saw that it was Draco. He looked nervous - maybe even frightened - as he approached me in my hood. Did he think I was a Death Eater?

"Who is it?" Malfoy asked with forced calm.

I had my response ready. I pulled out my wand and, pointing it at him, said, "Take me to your mother, Draco, or be prepared to be cursed."

His eyes widened. "Tonks?"

"If you call me that one more time, I swear I'll - "

"What do you want to see my mother for?"

"That's none of your business. Just take me to her, all right? If you don't, I think you know what I can do."

"If you're talking about that curse of yours, go ahead - I'm sure there are plenty of cells in Azkaban for you - "

"I'm warning you!" I said sharply, but my confidence was ebbing by the second.

He looked pleased at that moment, as if he was looking forward to seeing how Narcissa would take this. "Follow me," he said.

I followed, mainly because I couldn't turn back now. He led me inside the giant house, down the hall, and into a large living room that was far more welcoming than I was expecting. It was much like the Gryffindor common room, except the chairs and couches were a creamy brown color. There was a bright fireplace on one side of the room and in one of the chairs sat Narcissa.

She looked up; her eyes widened in bewilderment. "Draco, who's this?"

"Take off your hood," Draco snapped at me. Reluctantly I pulled it back, deciding that there was no longer a reason to hide. Narcissa's eyes grew even wider.

"Lyra?"

"Um ... yeah. I came here to - "

"How did you get here?" she was suddenly outraged. She narrowed her eyes at me and stood up with her hands on her hips. "You have no business here."

"Yes, actually - "

"This house belongs to my family and I will send you away personally!"

"Well, I'm family!" I exclaimed, bringing my wand up.

"Put that away or you'll wish you had gone through the veil with Sirius too! Unless you can explain to me a good reason for coming here, you would be better off leaving!"

"DON'T TALK ABOUT SIRIUS!"

I ran at her, my anger reaching a climax. One more word and she would be Cruciated. I pointed my wand at her, not bothering to try to control myself this time.

She let out a laugh, but I could tell she was nervous. Up close, I noticed how different she looked from both her sisters. She was paler, smaller, and more frail-looking. Her blonde hair and pale blue eyes contrasted greatly with Bellatrix's dark features. Still, she had traits of the Black family which seemed more prominent when I noticed that underneath everything was a trace of something else - insanity, maybe? It appeared that she had been through trauma of some sort. Not surprising considering the people in her life.

I glared up at her and said, "I came here for a reason. Throw me out if you will, but I'll put up a fight. I'm willing to discuss this calmly if you are."

With a frail hand, she lowered my wand, said, "Draco, why don't you leave? Apparently I have some things to discuss with my niece," and motioned for me to sit down. Draco, looking stunned, turned around to leave, but only after giving me the most venomous look of hatred he could.

Once the door closed, she sat down and, wearily and impatiently, said, "What do you want?"

"I want you to tell me a story."

She laughed, this time without a hint of nervousness. There was more madness in it this time. "A story? What do you want a story for?"

I sighed. "Let me rephrase myself. I want you to tell me what Andromeda can't - about Bellatrix."

She squinted at me again. "And why would you care?"

"Why would I care? Why would I care? I care because she's my mother and I want to know! I've already been through this, so please - just listen to me! Imagine if it had been you who got locked up and Draco was raised by - by Bellatrix, or some other family member! Do you think he would want to know who his parents were?"

"Don't you dare bring Draco into this!"

"I won't if you tell me what I want!"

"Fine! Fine! What is it you want me to tell?"

"Everything. I want to know about Bellatrix - how it was for you, growing up with her, how and why she joined the Death Eaters, and anything else. Andromeda can't tell me anything that happened after she was disowned - "

"Like she deserved."

" - but I knew you could."

"Fine then. But make this quick. If the Dark Lord ever finds out about this ... well, what do you want me to tell you?"

"Let's start at the beginning - your childhoods. Just tell me what you can."

"Right. Well ... Lyra, did you ever hear the stories from The Tales of Beedle the Bard when you were younger?" Her tone, surprisingly, had become gentler. The bright look in her blue eyes indicated that she was reminiscing on the past already; maybe she was going to enjoy this more than she meant to.

"Yes. But it's been a really long - "

"So I take it that you're familiar with The Tale of the Three Brothers?"

"Yes. That was ... always my favorite," I admitted, thinking about the bedtime stories Ted, Andromeda, and even Dora used to read to me.

"Well, our father used to read those to us all the time. He often compared Bella and I - and, well ... Andromeda to the brothers in the tale. He often retold it as three sisters instead of brothers, and made it so the three of us were the characters.

"Bella was the oldest and was therefore compared to the oldest brother. In the story, as you know, the oldest brother gets the Elder Wand. Bella loved the thought of that. The idea of power, which an unbeatable wand could obviously give someone, was exactly what she dreamed of. Can you see where this is going?"

"Well ... " I began, "I guess ... joining the Death Eaters could give her power."

"Exactly. As far as the other one - you know who I mean - Andromeda ... well, she was the middle. In the story, the second brother was the arrogant one. Andromeda was by far the arrogant family member. But she always had this fear that she would lose everyone she loved - which is why she preferred the brother who received the Resurrection Stone."

"It makes perfect sense!" I exclaimed. "So by arrogant you mean she betrayed the family? Which means she did lose everyone she loved - but not to death."

"Yes. Daddy always knew she would be trouble. He tried to fix her up with the Rosier boy for marriage before she could run off with someone else. He failed, of course."

"Evan Rosier? Bellatrix's friend?"

"Yes. Andromeda refused because, well ... our mother's maiden name was Rosier and she figured she was related to him."

"Or maybe she just loved Ted," I stated flatly. "I bet that didn't matter to your parents, did it?"

"Not at all," Narcissa said. "They didn't care; most pureblood families are inbred anyway."

"Like the Blacks," I said. "But anyway ... that left the third brother to you."

"Yes. I was the third brother - or sister - the one who got the Invisibility Cloak. I never really related to this brother, but since I was the youngest and he was the last one left, I was always thought of as him. I liked the thought of the Invisibility Cloak, though, mainly because it was supposed to be beautiful."

"So the three of you were like the brothers in the story. What does that have to do with anything?" I asked.

"It has to do with everything, and I'll tell you why. First, do you remember ever playing games when you were younger-you know, the type of games where you pretend to be a certain character?"

"No," I said. "Dora and I never played anything like that together. She's seven years older than me, so she was already at Hogwarts when - "

She waved her hand impatiently. "That doesn't matter. My point is, the three of us played these games a lot, and mostly we pretended to be the three brothers, only female. We were playing this one day in the garden when our dad came out. He saw Bella, pretending that a stick was the Elder Wand, casting fake curses everywhere. She pretended to cast a Killing Curse on me, but only because Andromeda wanted her to. Andromeda was weird about that-she always wanted people to die in the games. Bella thought it was her way of overcoming her fear of losing loved ones. Anyway, our father saw and accused Andromeda of wanting to kill me. That's when he said she would be trouble later on - he thought she didn't care about the family."

"But that's stupid!" I exclaimed. "It's not true! Andromeda had the right idea - "

Narcissa waved her hand again and went on. "Then he praised Bella because of her ‘wand work.' She was his favorite daughter and he said someday she would make him proud. This was before she began Hogwarts, but even then he could tell she would grow up to be talented. Did you know she was top in her year?"

"Yes," I said. "I went to the trophy room."

I thoughtful look appeared on Narcissa's face. "This means a lot to you, doesn't it, Lyra?"

"Yes," I said quietly. "So, um ... thanks for telling me."

"Well, I guess I ... um, you're welcome. But there was something else you wanted to know, wasn't there? About why Bella joined the Death Eaters?"

"Yeah."

"It was partially because of our parents. They wanted it more than anything else, and she wanted to make them proud, especially since she knew Andromeda wouldn't. Another reason was Rodolphus. She was - though it may not seem like it - deeply in love with him. He was fixed on joining the Death Eaters, and she knew that joining was the only way to stay with him. To our parents, it was like killing two birds with one stone. She was joining and marrying a pureblood."

"I guess I get it. But then ... you said she was in love with Rodolphus, but it doesn't seem like it. Does that mean she ... doesn't love him anymore?"

A sad look appeared on her face. She said, "Well, I wouldn't exactly say that. But I think she treats him more like a friend or companion now. Azkaban changed her in many ways. When she escaped, all she cared about was the Dark Lord. I think she ... I think ... " She struggled with her words before saying, "I think she's in love with him now."

I felt sick to my stomach right then. Bellatrix was in love with Voldemort?

"But he ... Vold - the Dark Lord ... can he even love?" I inquired.

"Well, I highly doubt it. But it's not exactly him she loves ... it's his ways. She loves serving him so much that she's come to love the man she serves. She sees him - the Dark Lord himself - as a physical representation of our ways, or at least that's what I predict. I don't get it."

"N - neither do I."

I stared at the floor for a few moments, but eventually I said, "I should leave now. This - this went differently than I had expected. Thanks for sharing everything."

"Y - you're welcome. I guess."

I nodded to her without any more words and left. That had definitely not been what I thought I would hear. I still felt sick thinking about Narcissa's words. All had gone well until that last bit, which probably made all the difference.

How could Bellatrix Lestrange, my mother, possibly be in love with the most evil man ever to walk the earth?