“No! No! NO! I can’t believe you, how could you do this? How dare you! Have you no self respect, no respect for our family and what we stand for?”
The girl who was shouting had long, sleek, shiny and utterly straight black hair and brilliant coal-like eyes to match. Her skin was soft and white as snow; she had a slim frame, which was at this time shaking violently with anger. She shook her head in disbelief and her hair shimmered in the dim light from the single torch in the abandoned classroom.
“No, you obviously don’t, because you have gone against everything our family believes in…You are a disgrace!”
The dark haired girl paused, giving time for the tension and animosity in the room to rise again.
“You disgust me, you are no better than that filthy Mudblood that you claim to love, well I hope you do love him and that he loves you back…because from now on he is the closest thing to family that you have…Come on, Cissy.”
The girl with the dark hair motioned to a young girl with bright blonde hair; they couldn’t have looked less like sisters if they tried. The two girls turned and walked towards the door, a third girl started forward. This third girl looked remarkably like the dark haired girl, but the third girl’s hair was wavy and lighter in colour.
“Bella, please!” the third girl gasped desperately, tears in her eyes; she reached out and grabbed the sleeve of the dark haired girl’s robe.
“Please Bella…I’m your sister!” With this the dark haired girl spun round, yanking her sleeve from the crying girl’s grip. She leant forward so that she was staring right into the other girls’ eyes and with venom that a King Cobra would have been proud of, spat out…
“You are no sister of mine.”
Andromeda’s eyes snapped open and she glanced around her; relieved to find herself safely tucked up in bed. This relief, however, did nothing to calm her heavy breathing or slow her rapidly beating heart, nor could it wipe away the thin layer of cold sweat that covered her body, signs of the dream that had haunted her since her marriage to Ted. Andromeda was really beginning to get sick of it.
Still trembling slightly, she pushed herself into a sitting position. Looking to the side she saw her husband Ted laying there, fast asleep, his mouth slightly open. Her pet name for him was Teddy Bear, and really it really did suit him. He had a tubby belly and mop of fluffy blonde hair. Andromeda smiled; she had defiantly made the right choice.
Glancing at the clock on the wall Andromeda sighed slightly. It was about half past five in the morning, and since she knew that there was no way that she would be able to go back to sleep, she decided that she might as well get up and have a head start on the day. Swinging her legs out from under the sheets Andromeda quietly slipped out of bed so as not to wake her sleeping husband, grabbing her wand from the bedside table as she did so. She slid her feet into her worn but very comfy slippers, then, upon reaching the door she unhooked her dressing gown, pulling it on over her knee length nightdress and tucked her wand into one of the pockets. She slipped out onto the darkened landing, knotting the tie on her dressing gown as she did so.
Andromeda was about to head down the stairs when she stopped and looked back up the hall to a door further down. She slowly tiptoed her way over to it and gently eased it open. Poking her head round she saw a little girl curled up, sleeping peacefully underneath a pink and purple spotted duvet. Andromeda crept across the room, avoiding various toys scattered across the floor; the messiness that the little girl had obviously inherited from her father was defiantly evident in her bedroom. Andromeda reached the girl’s bed and knelt down; luckily the girl was a heavy sleeper (another trait inherited from her father) and so did not wake. Andromeda reached out and brushed a strand of hair from the girl’s face and tucked it behind her ear. The girl’s nose twitched in her sleep and Andromeda had to put a hand over her mouth to stop herself giggling.
Andromeda’s daughter Nymphadora was nearly four now. She had a pale heart shaped face and her hair was…well, when Andromeda had put Dora to bed it had been mousy brown and curly, but now it was long, straight and bright blonde. Andromeda’s breath was caught in her throat as images of the young blonde girl from her nightmare flashed through her mind, Andromeda closed her eyes and shook her head. No, don’t think about that, don’t think about her, don’t think about either of them.
Andromeda stood up, her breathing still uneven, and regretfully tore her eyes from her daughters sleeping face. She turned and went back through the door, onto the landing and down the stairs. She found herself in the downstairs hall. There were four doors leading from it, including the front door. She headed through the door to the left and found herself in the kitchen. Another door in this room led to the dining room, however it was easier for them to use the smaller wooden table in the kitchen for meals.
Andromeda pulled her wand out of her pocket and with a graceful flick turned on the lamps, casting a gloomy light over the room. She proceeded to sink into one of the wooden chairs and rested her arms on the table, but before she could even think about getting comfortable there was a tapping at the window.
Andromeda turned at the sound of the familiar noise; she stood up and crossed over, pulled back the curtains and opened the window for the tawny owl waiting there. Clutched in the owl’s beak was a copy of The Daily Prophet. Andromeda reached out for the pot on the windowsill, took out a few Knuts, placed them in the pouch tied to the owl’s leg and took the newspaper from the owl’s beak. The owl promptly flew off.
Andromeda settled back down at the table and opened up the newspaper. She glanced at the front page and instantly regretted it as nausea filled her stomach. The story was about a Muggleborn wizard being murdered, correction another Muggleborn wizard being murdered. It was the third this week.
Andromeda quickly flicked past the front page and skim read the rest of the paper. There weren’t any stories that caught her attention until she got further in. Near the back of the newspaper there was an article that made her stop with shock.
It was the picture that had made her stop; Two figures, a man and a woman. The picture was in black and white but Andromeda knew that both figures had white blonde hair; the man with his cold grey eyes had a triumphant smirk on his face. Andromeda snorted, Some people never change. The woman had a radiant smile. She looked beautiful, and Andromeda didn’t want to guess how much her dress had cost.
She looked at the headline. “MALFOY MARRIES BLACK SISTER” . She scanned the story that went with the picture, and found not much that she couldn’t have predicted: a lavish ceremony, the best entertainment available, superb food and drink, all sorts of important people had been invited. Not me though, not her own sister. Doubtless Bella was there though and the rest of the family. I wonder if Sirius went? If he did I doubt he enjoyed it, he probably just went for the free food. Andromeda smiled at the thought of her favourite cousin scoffing his face whilst the rest of the family looked on in disapproval.
Andromeda returned her gaze to the picture, specifically to the young woman. Looking at the picture more closely she noticed that the woman was wearing a sparkling tiara. Andromeda recognised it instantly, having admired it in so many wedding photographs of the Black family over the years.
The Black tiara was a family heirloom given to every Black daughter to wear on her wedding day. Andromeda smiled at the amount of times that she, as a young girl, had dreamt of wearing that tiara on her own wedding day. She had thought then that she would marry some rich Pureblood man (probably her third cousin) in a lavish ceremony and live in the lap of luxury for the rest of her life. Of course she hadn’t worn it on her actual wedding day. Just because she had decided to marry a Muggleborn wizard.
Andromeda reached out and stroked the black and white version of the tiara wistfully. That was when she noticed it. She moved her hand from the photo and leant closer. It couldn’t be, but it was. Her sister was waving to her in the photo…No, don’t be silly Andromeda, she’s probably waving at someone standing behind the photographer. But Cissy was staring right at her. Andromeda shook her head; it was probably just a lack of sleep playing tricks with her mind.
But as Andromeda continued to watch, she saw Cissy’s lips move; Andromeda could barely believe it. She leant so close to the photo that her nose was just inches from it. Yes Cissy was talking, she was saying, three words…no, no that wasn’t possible, it couldn’t be. Andromeda had to watch it three more times to be sure. Finally Andromeda leant back in her chair. As a tear escaped her eye and slid down her cheek, she stared straight into Cissy’s eyes and whispered,
“I miss you too”.
The Other Black Girl by Leanerlaura
Story Notes:
Thankyou very much to Alex (welshdevondragon) for being my Beta for this story, and no, I am obviously not the almighty J.K. Rowling.