Chapter Text
She was dreaming. Dreaming of better days, days when the sun would finally shine for her and lead her to the right way. These days would not come soon. She had accepted that but she had never believed that they could get any darker. Yet there she was. Her eyelids opened and her brown eyes looked at the bed's roof. Immediately she heard voices coming from the next room. She was back.
She wasn't the only sister who was back though. Apart from Narcissa who had also returned along with her Bellatrix was here as well. She was the one who was yelling in the room. Andromeda stood up and walked towards the wall separating the two bedrooms. Carefully she placed her ear on the cold wall trying to understand clearly what they were arguing about. Such a Muggle method but this house could detect any spell that was being used and alarm her mother. And Druella Black wasn't the type of person who would allow spying on one another.
"I've never loved you Rodolfus and you know that better than everyone!"
"That's a lie and you know it! Last year you were head over heels when our engagement was announced!"
Andromeda listened her sister laughing sarcastically. This laughter of hers could easily match the laughter of a mad person. "You think I was excited for you? Ha! Don't flatter yourself!"
"So you were because of him! YOU WERE WITH HIM!"
"DON'T SHOUT BECAUSE I CAN SHOUT AS WELL. You hypocrite! You think I don't know about ALECTO CARROW!"
Something made from glass broke and then Andromeda heards someone running.
"Don't touch me!"
"Why not? I'm sure your love will come rescue you."
She hadn't managed to walk away from the wall when her bedrooms door opened and Bellatrix entered shouting and locking the door behind her. She looked at her younger sister standing next to the wall.
"At least someone else now knows as well." She said to herself and went to sit down on the bed.
Andromeda wandered her glance around the room in an attempt to find something to discuss about. Even though small talk was never a thing in this house. "You had written to me that you weren't going to come back." She eventually said.
Bella pushed her black curly hair behind her neck and looked at her sister with red eyes. "And I meant it. I'm not the same person I was when I left."
Andromeda tried to hide her smirk. Of course she wasn't. The Bella she knew wasn't crying, she wasn't screaming like a mad woman. She was the most intelligent, trustworthy, powerful person she knew. Yes that crying woman with a smirk and all this anger inside her, sitting in front of her was not the sister she once knew. "I can tell. But I don't know if I should be happy or scared."
"You're being ridiculous! Why would you be scared of me? You're my sister!"
Andromeda wanted to believe her but a voice inside her kept telling her to remain careful. "And Rodolfus is your husband."
Bellatrix this time stood up from the bed her expression serious and strict at the same time. "You are my family. I'm not going against my family."
The younger girl smiled. "Not even for the love of your life? To prove your dedication to him?"
Bellatrix didn't reply.
~~
She was arguing again, along with their uncle this time, Alphard. Fighting because of beliefs. She had made it easy to understand that her time away should not only worry her husband, about ruining their reputation and marriage but also everyone else in the family as well. Unfortunately the only one who seemed to get this worry apart from Andromeda was Sirius. How could this boy be so young and understanding better than everyone?
"You like him. That's why you're always taking his side." The boy said earning a threatening look not only from Bellatrix but also from the rest of the table apart from Alphard and Andromeda. The man actually nodded in approval at his saying.
"Take whichever side you want. I'm just warning you that one day he'll be so powerful that all of you, who ever doubted him, will pay for it." And with those words she dropped the table the towel that was resting protectively on her lap and stood up.
"I'm not going against my family." She had said to her around a month ago. After that month that was all that she had been doing. Arguing about blood theories whenever she had time. The worst of all everytime she was talking about this her face was lightened with a scary glimpse of madness. And when she was talking about her "lord" -as she was calling him- you could sense her dedication towards him. If this was what love was, this obsession, then no. Andromeda didn't want it.
She turned her glance at her younger cousin. The boy was looking towards his mother frowned. She knew what that meant. "I was wandering if I could take Sirius with me in the walk I'm going."
Walburga was about to object but before she even started Sirius spoke for himself. "Let's take Regulus with us as well."
Andromeda was surprised but why not. She nodded in agreement. In less than an hour they had been in the park near the house.
"So how is it Hogwarts?"
The girl rolled her eyes. "I've told you thousands of times Sirius..."
"Tell me again." Andromeda tried to think of something. Something that could tell him apart from just how beautiful the castle was. But she concluded that she knew nothing else than that. For who would she talk about? Rita? Her only friend? Or Arthur or Molly or Gideon and Fabian, or Kingsley. All these were her cousins. She had not made lots of encounters. She didn't like many people in school. But then again... Two blue eyes appeared in her mind. She heard something like a laugh coming from distance. That felt like ages ago.
"Well, you'll meet some people who will change your life completely. Even without realising you'll find yourself being drawn to them. Sometimes you'll have to fight this urge some others everything will be really simple. I hope for you it'll be the second."
"I guess I'll find out soon. I got my letter." Sirius said with enjoyment in his eyes. Andromeda smiled at him and then looked at Regulus.
"Don't be sad, in a year it'll be your turn as well!"
The boy shook his head. "No... You see I have to be eleven first and I'm turning eleven only after the beginning of the school year."
At those words Sirius frowned. She wasn't able to understand what was this. Sirius should be excited leaving his house. Regulus wouldn't have a problem apart from he fact that he would be alone. "There are always owls with which you can communicate."
"Right." Regulus said and started walking towards a wooden bench.
"When it's not me it's him. That's the reason I wanted him to come with us. If I had left alone he would be responsible in my mother's eyes." Sirius explained to his cousin who was staring at Regulus confused. Now everything was making sense.
"And why is that?"
"Because I think that I'm more like Alphard and less like her or father. The same goes for Regulus, even though he hides it really well."ย
Alphard was not a blood supremacist.