Ficlet: Pawns
Title: Pawns
Summary: A crisis in the Black family precipitates a shift in the family dynamics.
Characters: Narcissa, Bellatrix, Sirius, and Regulus
Word count: 800
Notes: An extremely belated birthday ficlet for remeciel, whose special day was December 26. The ficlet was inspired by a drawing of two of the Black sisters that she gave me. (Thank you, R!) Go look!
Pawns
The grown-ups are fighting downstairs.
Not arguing, which they do often, not screaming, not making cutting comments in low, modulated voices. They are at war, doing all of the above and more.
It makes Cissy anxious.
There is a brittle crash, as if someone has thrown a teacup, followed by the sounds of a woman crying.
"Crazy Aunt Burgie," Cissy says uncertainly with a little laugh, but Bella frowns. "Not Walburga," she says slowly, leaning at the door to hear better. "Not this time."
They are in Sirius' bedroom. Sirius is sitting on the windowsill with a book, ignoring them. Bella is pale and tight-lipped, pacing by the door, listening. Reggie is sitting on the bed across the chessboard from Cissy, and together they are charming the chess pieces so that they are wearing the robes of the four Hogwarts houses. Cissy thinks this is educational for Reggie, who just began at Hogwarts earlier that autumn. For his sake, she is charming the black pieces with Slytherin and Gryffindor colors, while the whites are going to be Ravenclaw blue and Hufflepuff yellow.
Andy is downstairs with the grownups. Cissy hopes she is not the one crying. She can hear Uncle Orion yelling so loudly that his words are clear, even to them: “You don’t understand! This isn’t about you! This is about the family!”
“Fuck, fuck, fuck,” Bella says, tapping her wand on her palm. Sirius’ face is hidden behind his book, but his leg is jiggling nervously. Reggie is looking at her expectantly.
“What’s happening, Cissy?” he asks quietly.
She doesn’t know, not exactly. It has something to do with Andy and her boyfriend, from what she can hear. The voices of the adults drift upward: “sending a message…” and then “he has a job at the Ministry, Father, the Ministry…” and then “we all know who he is…” and then “but Cygnus…” and then, all at once, “not disobedience…” and “don’t be naive” and “the family will not be drawn into this…”
From the windowsill where he is curled, Sirius laughs bitterly. “Our parents think they are above politics.”
Bella glances at him scornfully. “Andromeda thinks she is, too.”
Cissy doesn’t understand these answers, but she knows Reggie better than either of them do. “It’s about Andy’s boyfriend,” she says kindly. “He’s not appropriate.” Reggie nods, perturbed. Like Cissy, he tries hard to do appropriate things. They have abandoned the chess pieces to listen along with Bella.
The shouting is getting louder. Andromeda sounds like she is pleading. “No one knows, Father!”
Father’s voice is like a lion’s roar. “Everyone will know if you marry him! You can't keep that kind of secret!”
Then, to Cissy’s surprise, there is a long silence. It is broken by the sound of light, quick footsteps in the hall, and then the click of the front door closing.
“Fuck,” Bella says again. She sounds devastated.
“Good,” Sirius says. He sounds triumphant.
Cissy feels the bed sink, and Bella is sitting next to her, her head in her hands. Bella is invincible, and Cissy does not like seeing her like this.
“There, there,” Cissy says helplessly, stoking Bella’s back. “It’s just an argument.”
Bella glances sideways at her and glares at her from beneath her fringe. She stands up abruptly and begins pacing.
Sirius snorts. “And they made you Head Girl, Cissy,” he says sarcastically. “Amazing what the Black name can do.”
“Yes, it is,” Bella says coldly. She is now glaring at Sirius instead of her, which relieves Cissy. Reggie is fussing with the chess pieces, avoiding the tension in the room.
“Come here, Cissy,” Bella says sweetly. Oddly, Bella is still looking at Sirius, not at her.
Cissy slides off the bed and walks toward her sister. Bella leans in, her breath very light and sweet on Cissy’s cheek.
“Do you remember when I used to take Andy to meetings at the Hog’s Head on Thursdays? The meetings with Rodolphus Lestrange?” Bella asks. Cissy can smell Bella’s perfume. It's overwhelming.
She nods, breath held. She thinks she knows what Bella is going to ask.
“Andy never went back after the first time,” Sirius says sharply. Cissy knows that’s not true, but never mind; Sirius always thinks he knows more that he does.
“Would you like to come with me next week?” Bella asks.
Cissy nods eagerly. She’s going to leave school in June. She’s no longer a child, though Bella and Andy both think she is. She is old enough.
“Good,” Bella says with a warm laugh. She squeezes Cissy’s hand.
“Fuck,” Sirius says quietly from behind his book.
“Mind your language, Sirius,” Cissy says primly. Regulus giggles, and Sirius ignores her.
“Clean up the chess board, we should go downstairs now,” Bella says to her, now briskly authoritative and invincible and smiling again. “And tell Regulus the Houses don’t work like that.”
“I know,” Reggie says petulantly, and he and Cissy silently charm the pieces black and white again before putting them away.
Sirius thinks she is naive, but Cissy knows better. They are all pawns, even Bellatrix and Sirius, who think they control the game. She has no doubts about her decision.
She takes little Regulus by the hand--he still allows her to--and follows Bella downstairs.
Summary: A crisis in the Black family precipitates a shift in the family dynamics.
Characters: Narcissa, Bellatrix, Sirius, and Regulus
Word count: 800
Notes: An extremely belated birthday ficlet for remeciel, whose special day was December 26. The ficlet was inspired by a drawing of two of the Black sisters that she gave me. (Thank you, R!) Go look!
Pawns
The grown-ups are fighting downstairs.
Not arguing, which they do often, not screaming, not making cutting comments in low, modulated voices. They are at war, doing all of the above and more.
It makes Cissy anxious.
There is a brittle crash, as if someone has thrown a teacup, followed by the sounds of a woman crying.
"Crazy Aunt Burgie," Cissy says uncertainly with a little laugh, but Bella frowns. "Not Walburga," she says slowly, leaning at the door to hear better. "Not this time."
They are in Sirius' bedroom. Sirius is sitting on the windowsill with a book, ignoring them. Bella is pale and tight-lipped, pacing by the door, listening. Reggie is sitting on the bed across the chessboard from Cissy, and together they are charming the chess pieces so that they are wearing the robes of the four Hogwarts houses. Cissy thinks this is educational for Reggie, who just began at Hogwarts earlier that autumn. For his sake, she is charming the black pieces with Slytherin and Gryffindor colors, while the whites are going to be Ravenclaw blue and Hufflepuff yellow.
Andy is downstairs with the grownups. Cissy hopes she is not the one crying. She can hear Uncle Orion yelling so loudly that his words are clear, even to them: “You don’t understand! This isn’t about you! This is about the family!”
“Fuck, fuck, fuck,” Bella says, tapping her wand on her palm. Sirius’ face is hidden behind his book, but his leg is jiggling nervously. Reggie is looking at her expectantly.
“What’s happening, Cissy?” he asks quietly.
She doesn’t know, not exactly. It has something to do with Andy and her boyfriend, from what she can hear. The voices of the adults drift upward: “sending a message…” and then “he has a job at the Ministry, Father, the Ministry…” and then “we all know who he is…” and then “but Cygnus…” and then, all at once, “not disobedience…” and “don’t be naive” and “the family will not be drawn into this…”
From the windowsill where he is curled, Sirius laughs bitterly. “Our parents think they are above politics.”
Bella glances at him scornfully. “Andromeda thinks she is, too.”
Cissy doesn’t understand these answers, but she knows Reggie better than either of them do. “It’s about Andy’s boyfriend,” she says kindly. “He’s not appropriate.” Reggie nods, perturbed. Like Cissy, he tries hard to do appropriate things. They have abandoned the chess pieces to listen along with Bella.
The shouting is getting louder. Andromeda sounds like she is pleading. “No one knows, Father!”
Father’s voice is like a lion’s roar. “Everyone will know if you marry him! You can't keep that kind of secret!”
Then, to Cissy’s surprise, there is a long silence. It is broken by the sound of light, quick footsteps in the hall, and then the click of the front door closing.
“Fuck,” Bella says again. She sounds devastated.
“Good,” Sirius says. He sounds triumphant.
Cissy feels the bed sink, and Bella is sitting next to her, her head in her hands. Bella is invincible, and Cissy does not like seeing her like this.
“There, there,” Cissy says helplessly, stoking Bella’s back. “It’s just an argument.”
Bella glances sideways at her and glares at her from beneath her fringe. She stands up abruptly and begins pacing.
Sirius snorts. “And they made you Head Girl, Cissy,” he says sarcastically. “Amazing what the Black name can do.”
“Yes, it is,” Bella says coldly. She is now glaring at Sirius instead of her, which relieves Cissy. Reggie is fussing with the chess pieces, avoiding the tension in the room.
“Come here, Cissy,” Bella says sweetly. Oddly, Bella is still looking at Sirius, not at her.
Cissy slides off the bed and walks toward her sister. Bella leans in, her breath very light and sweet on Cissy’s cheek.
“Do you remember when I used to take Andy to meetings at the Hog’s Head on Thursdays? The meetings with Rodolphus Lestrange?” Bella asks. Cissy can smell Bella’s perfume. It's overwhelming.
She nods, breath held. She thinks she knows what Bella is going to ask.
“Andy never went back after the first time,” Sirius says sharply. Cissy knows that’s not true, but never mind; Sirius always thinks he knows more that he does.
“Would you like to come with me next week?” Bella asks.
Cissy nods eagerly. She’s going to leave school in June. She’s no longer a child, though Bella and Andy both think she is. She is old enough.
“Good,” Bella says with a warm laugh. She squeezes Cissy’s hand.
“Fuck,” Sirius says quietly from behind his book.
“Mind your language, Sirius,” Cissy says primly. Regulus giggles, and Sirius ignores her.
“Clean up the chess board, we should go downstairs now,” Bella says to her, now briskly authoritative and invincible and smiling again. “And tell Regulus the Houses don’t work like that.”
“I know,” Reggie says petulantly, and he and Cissy silently charm the pieces black and white again before putting them away.
Sirius thinks she is naive, but Cissy knows better. They are all pawns, even Bellatrix and Sirius, who think they control the game. She has no doubts about her decision.
She takes little Regulus by the hand--he still allows her to--and follows Bella downstairs.