fic: artemisia absinthium, the black sisters, pg-13
Title: Artemisia absinthium (here on AO3)
Rating: PG-13
Characters: Bellatrix Black, Andromeda Black, Narcissa Black, Rodolphus Lestrange, Lucius Malfoy
Pairings: Bellatrix/Rodolphus, Lucius/Narcissa
Word Count: 2939
Summary: "Oh, those Black sisters, people would say. There's something a little wild about them." 1971. Bellatrix's plans to liven up a party reveal unexpected truths.
When one is in love, one always begins by deceiving one's self, and one always ends by deceiving others.
That is what the world calls a romance.
Oscar Wilde
"Andie's looking thinner," Narcissa said to her other sister, carefully examining the various earrings scattered on her dresser. "And not in a good way, either. She looks old and weary."
Bellatrix shrugged and flopped down on the divan. "Maybe it's Selwyn again. I've been telling her to ditch him; he's such a bore."
Narcissa wrinkled her nose. "Maybe she needs to decide what she's doing with her life. If you ask me, she should have taken the job at the Minister's office and been done with it. Merlin knows she could have any job with all those O's."
"There are a lot of reasons I didn't take that job, Cissy," Andromeda said tightly from the doorway, running a hand through her long, dark hair. Narcissa suddenly became very intent on looking through the jewelry. "For one, they'd only want me to be a representative of the family's opinions, not of my own."
Bellatrix's eyes narrowed. "Is there anything wrong with that?"
"No," Andromeda said tiredly. "Of course not. It's just not what I want to do right now. Cissy, can you zip me up? You look lovely."
Narcissa finally selected pearls and turned to help her sister with the dress robes. "We all look wonderful," she said triumphantly.
Bellatrix snorted and lit a cigarette with the tip of her wand. "I hate parties. It's so wasteful. Everyone knows we're wealthy and powerful already, and if not, well, there are better reminders than floating champagne glasses and string quartets. Have a drag, Andie." She held the cigarette--now embellished with a crimson ring of lipstick--out to her sister.
"Mother always says that ladies don't smoke," Narcissa said pointedly.
Andromeda took it anyway. "Then it's a good thing I'm not a lady," she and Bellatrix chorused. Andromeda could feel a real smile tugging at the corners of her mouth as she passed the cigarette back. She had missed times like these.
Narcissa huffed with disapproval. "Well, it'll be a nice party. At least you'll see Rodolphus, Bella, right?"
"Yes," Bellatrix said indifferently, glancing at her engagement ring. "He's always good for a shag and a laugh, at least. Everyone else is such a stuffed-up prude. If I have to hear Great-Aunt Melania talk one more time about how the Ministry is deteriorating, I swear, I'll kill myself."
"Kill her, more like," Andromeda said with a wan smile. "Cheer up, Cissy, I promise we're not trying to ruin your enjoyment. The three of us always end up having fun together, don't we?"
"And I have some ideas about that," Bellatrix said, stubbing out the cigarette. It left a perfectly round burn in the grey velvet of the divan. Some house elf was going to have a panic attack. "Oh, speaking of..." Bellatrix turned and focused her dark eyes accusingly on Narcissa. "I've heard that Malfoy has joined that admiration society of sixth and seventh year boys that trail after you, panting and drooling."
Narcissa gave her sisters a perfectly composed smile and finished applying lipstick. "Lucius? Oh, he's too conscious of his wealth and relative importance to pant and drool."
"You know how I feel about him," Bellatrix said grimy.
"How we feel about him," Andromeda corrected her.
"I do," Narcissa said deliberately, taking one last look in the mirror as they stood up to leave. The trill of voices and polite laughter was floating up the stairs. "And I will keep that under consideration, I assure you."
***
Andromeda ducked behind a pillar on the patio, closing her eyes and briefly letting relief wash over her. Adrian Selwyn still thought she was replenishing their drinks, and she wondered how long of a reprieve she had. You need to tell him that you actually loathe him, Bella had said. But it wasn't really an option right now; she needed the cover he provided. Otherwise she had no idea what she would do about sneaking off to Ted's flat. If she squeezed her eyes tighter, she could picture it: the chipped kitchen tile, the smell of coffee, Ted's shirts lying in a pile on the floor. Bella and Cissy must know she was hiding something at this point. But perhaps not. Perhaps their inherent self-absorption was helping her, just this once.
"There you are," Bellatrix said, emerging out of nowhere and causing Andromeda to jump. She was grinning maniacally, eyes bright, and humming to herself. "Go find Cissy and bring her to the library in fifteen minutes. Rodolphus has a wonderful idea. I Confounded Selwyn, so he's out of your hair for now. You can thank me later"
She wasn't in the mood for Bella's harebrained party schemes today, but if there was one thing assignations with Ted had taught her, it was that maintaining an air of normalcy was important. Andromeda arranged her face into a grateful smile. "All right, but Cissy is currently fending off the admiration society."
"Get rid of them. If she insists, she can bring Malfoy, I suppose."
***
Narcissa was standing in the center of a boisterous crowd of Slytherins. These were the moments she relished; when jealousy and admiration were directed at her as herself, not her as one of that sacred triumvirate, the Black sisters. She ran her fingers lightly over her pearl necklace and turned back to the discussion at hand, which was unsurprisingly about the recent attacks on Muggles and Muggleborns.
"While the goal is excellent, I think operating outside the government is problematic," Preston Parkinson was saying. "Now, working within the Ministry is the right approach, if we want to exclude them from magical life."
Rabastan shrugged. "If you want to spend your days after Hogwarts bowing and scraping and pandering to Bagnold, be my guest. I plan to consider the more... direct options."
Narcissa sniffed and tried not to roll her eyes at his lack of subtlety. She could tell that Lucius Malfoy had was watching her surreptitiously; she lifted her chin and met his light grey eyes directly. He didn't look away; instead, the corner of his mouth turned upwards in a smirk and he lifted his drink slightly in a mocking toast. She concealed a smile in her champagne glass. It had to be the draft from the open doors to the garden that was giving her gooseflesh.
"Excuse me. I'm sorry," Andromeda had pushed to the center of the group. "Oh, hello, Lavinia. Hello Leonidas, Rab. We'll catch up later--I need to borrow my sister for a second. Also you, Lucius. Bella wants to talk to both you."
A ripple of laughter spread through the group. "Are you in trouble again, Narcissa?" Lavinia Borgin asked.
"More likely she is in trouble. Please, enjoy yourselves, and stay away from Professor Slughorn... I think he's drunkenly about to fall over and squash someone." Narcissa fluttered her fingers at the group in farewell and followed Andromeda out through a side door, Lucius trailing behind.
"What's this about?" he finally asked.
"Bella likes to liven up parties," Andromeda sighed, leading them up a flight of stairs towards the Black family library. "It's a longstanding tradition. Last time she poured Amortentia into the punch and watched. I don't know why she invited you, but consider it an honor."
"I'm thrilled," he said drily. Narcissa felt his hand brush lightly against hers and smiled to herself. They navigated through the shadowy rows of shelves until they reached Bella and Rodolphus.
Rodolphus precariously balanced on a ladder, peering at the books with an irritated air. "I know I put it somewhere here about a month ago, Bella. It's called--"
"I found it," Bellatrix called out, brandishing a dusty tome Narcissa was sure was larger than Hogwarts, A History. She pulled out her wand and tapped it twice. It wasn't a book at all; rather, a box shaped like a book. She reached in and pulled out a dusty green bottle.
Andromeda's eyes widened. "Bella, is that--"
"Absinthe, yes." Rodolphus smiled predatorily. "The choice drink of veela, artists, and lunatics. I think it will liven up our evening, don't you?" He rubbed the dark scruff on his chin pensively and then pulled sugar cubes and a slotted spoon out of his waistcoat pocket. "Of course, Andromeda, if you're scared--"
"I'm not scared," she snapped. "I just think it's dangerous and that Cissy certainly shouldn't have any."
"'Cissy' will make her own decisions," Narcissa said coldly. "I want to try absinthe. Lucius?"
He shrugged nonchalantly. "Of course."
"Good," Bella smirked. "Andie, if you're going to be a wet blanket, leave. If you don't, I'm going assume you'll have your fair share."
Andromeda frowned and crossed her arms mulishly but didn't move towards the door. With a flourish, Rodolphus uncorked the bottle and poured a sizable amount into the large glass goblet in the middle of the table. He balanced the sugar on top of the spoon and turned to Bellatrix.
"The honors?"
"Aguamenti," she murmured, and they all watched, transfixed, as a jet of ice water shot out of her wand, dissolving the sugar and turning the drink a milky, opaque green. Bellatrix lifted the goblet up--for a moment, it almost looked like she was performing some ritual--and took a gulp. "Cheers," she grinned, passing it to Narcissa.
***
It took three rounds to empty the goblet. Andromeda wasn't sure how it happened, but somehow they made it back to the center of the party. She was in the middle of jewel box. The music and noise, loud and erratic, surrounded her, entering with every breath. She could feel fire in her veins. The dress robes around her were rainbow bright. She was floating, she was dancing, and she was anchored to the ground by clinging onto her sisters for dear life.
"It's marvelous," Narcissa whispered, her pupils large and black in her blue eyes. Andromeda just nodded. Her lips felt swollen and her eyes were wet. Bellatrix was laughing merrily, head thrown back. They clung on to each other and spun, around and around, the noise and color speeding up. Oh, those Black sisters, people would say. There's something a little wild about them. I should just marry Adrian, she realized suddenly. She would marry anyone at all to not lose this, to stay forever in this circle of hands linked together. Andromeda could see Rodolphus approaching in her peripheral vision and they pulled apart; she staggered away alone.
She took a deep breath and felt panic rushing into her chest. No, I can't marry him.
***
"Be careful," Lucius said. She was suddenly dizzy. Narcissa stumbled and clutched his arms, and then felt the steady, slow pain of his fingers gripping her wrist. Her head cleared immediately and the elaborate hallway stopped whirling around her. They were close enough for her to smell his cologne and soap, to count each pale eyelash. She took a shaky breath and smiled, widely. Lucius smiled back, for once, unchallenging and genuine. Two Hogsmeade dates, she reminded herself. Two butterbeers does not a romance make. He was still holding on to her wrist.
"Narcissa," he said hoarsely. "You are absolutely beautiful. You are... unlike any girl I've ever met."
"You're just saying that," Narcissa murmured. Because of the absinthe. Because you think I'm easy and susceptible to flattery. But she was different. She had planned everything carefully; there was no simpering or giggling. She was observant, understated, and clever. She had made herself his indispensable ally in Slytherin's world of whispers and backstabbing, and if you could succeed in Slytherin, you could succeed just about anywhere.
Lucius dropped her hand. "I never 'just say' things, Narcissa," he said stiffly. The slight unsteadiness was the only hint absinthe had left, and she could tell by the color in his pale face that he was suddenly embarrassed. "I apologize. We can go back to the party."
Maybe I'm braver than you are, Narcissa realized, and she pulled him back towards her and kissed him.
***
Bellatrix lit a cigarette, watching Rodolphus hunt for his clothes in the shadowy parlor. "Your shirt's under the couch, I think. The waistcoat is torn."
"I never liked it anyway," he said easily, Summoning his robes from across the room. She tossed him her silver cigarette case. But are you in love? Narcissa had asked incredulously. What did that mean, anyway? Most people just bullshitted about love. If Narcissa was really in love with Malfoy, she would eat her hat. Bellatrix fumbled around for her lipstick. She liked Rodolphus. He understood how she thought. He knew that she wasn't going to spend her days managing committees for St. Mungo's when there was real work to be done for the Cause. He accepted that she was a more talented duelist than he would ever be, without the snide comments the others made. They complemented each other, and that was more than most people could ask for.
"Let's go," she said abruptly, pulling on her dress robes.
"I'm not going back to the party. I'll be roped into being Rabastan's wingman again and I'd rather just fuck you."
Bellatrix smiled, a flash of white teeth in the dim room, and pulled out her small silver knife. "Not the party. There's a Muggle village a few miles away. Let's go have some real fun."
***
Andromda splashed water on her face again, but the unnaturally bright flush in her cheeks wouldn't subside. She pressed her forehead against the mirror. Once, she remembered, Ted had found a sparrow with two broken wings. He had spent days nursing it back to health, with little Muggle splints and diluted Dittany. Adrian Selwyn would never do that. Malfoy and Lestrange would probably step on the thing for fun. If you want to know what a man's like, take a good look at how he treats his inferiors, not his equals, Uncle Alphard had always told her.
She slowly walked out of the bathroom. As she had expected, Adrian was waiting outside, arms folded, tan face curled in a sneer. "Well, if it isn't Miss Andromeda Black. Congratulations for making me look like an idiot all evening. Though I suppose I should be thanking your crazy sisters as well."
"It was wrong of me," she said shakily. "But I need to tell you... that, well, we shouldn't see each other anymore."
His hands were in fists. "There's someone else, right? Who is it?"
She lifted her chin and gave him the icy expression Bella had coined. "I'm not saying anything else."
"You little slut," he snarled, advancing towards her. "You've been leading me on for over a month, you realize? I'll teach you h--"
She raised her wand. "Impedimenta."
***
When Narcissa came back, Andromeda was curled up in her bed, knees to her chest, as she had been for an hour. The hush that had filled the house signaled that the last guests had said their goodbyes, and a careful listener could hear the slushing noises of the elves starting to mop. Outside, the wind had started to howl, causing tree branches to tap against the glass panes. "Lumos," Narcissa whispered, pointing at the old brass lamp. "Hi. I was worried you were already asleep."
"Hi," Andromeda sniffed and wiped her eyes. "You're back late. I don't know where Bella went went, but she's here and washing up right now."
"I don't want to know where Bella went." Narcissa was at her most beautiful with all the makeup and jewelry gone, Andromeda thought. The flickering light enhanced her sharp features and the gold tendrils of hair curling around her face. They sat in the warm bed in companionable silence until Bella came in, bringing with her the coppery smell of blood, but perhaps they only imagined that.
"Do something about your neck, Cissy," Bellatrix smirked. Even without makeup, her lips were crimson. "Mother's going to kill you if she sees that."
"I'll put a charm on it tomorrow," she said, blushing.
Andromeda sat up straight. "Did you and Lucius-?"
"No, we did not," Narcissa snapped. "I'm still your good little sister."
"Calm down," Bellatrix laughed harshly. Something about her seemed wilder than usual; she spun around the room humming and jumped on the bed. "I hope Malfoy was satisfactory. Are you quite all right, Andie?"
"I broke up with Adrian," she said quietly, pulling at a stray thread on the blankets. "I had to do it, but I'm- I'm so unhappy." She had written ten inky, smudged, crumpled letters to Ted, scattered around her desk. She had finally sent the shortest one. I'm sorry. I love you. It was inevitable.
Narcissa smiled. "I'm glad you did. He was horrid. You have absolutely no reason to be unhappy." She touched her lips briefly, eyes taking on a faraway, happy look. Bellatrix started to say something and stopped abruptly, shaking her head.
"It's Hobson's choice," Andromeda said finally. She yanked the thread out of the blanket, watching the elaborate embroidery unravel. "You've heard the story of Hobson, right? He had a stable of winged horses, and he told people they could either pick the one nearest to the door or none at all."
"That's not a choice, though," Narcissa commented, dreamy expression gone.
"Exactly."
They sat in silence for a long moment, understanding, or maybe not understanding at all. Bella climbed under the covers and pulled them up to her chin. "There's going to be a war soon," she whispered gleefully. She looked feverish with excitement in a way that made Andromeda's skin crawl. "A real one. It's going to change everything, you know?"
"Not us," Narcissa said fiercely.
"Not us," Andromeda echoed, and she blinked away the tears that threatened to spill.
Rating: PG-13
Characters: Bellatrix Black, Andromeda Black, Narcissa Black, Rodolphus Lestrange, Lucius Malfoy
Pairings: Bellatrix/Rodolphus, Lucius/Narcissa
Word Count: 2939
Summary: "Oh, those Black sisters, people would say. There's something a little wild about them." 1971. Bellatrix's plans to liven up a party reveal unexpected truths.
When one is in love, one always begins by deceiving one's self, and one always ends by deceiving others.
That is what the world calls a romance.
Oscar Wilde
"Andie's looking thinner," Narcissa said to her other sister, carefully examining the various earrings scattered on her dresser. "And not in a good way, either. She looks old and weary."
Bellatrix shrugged and flopped down on the divan. "Maybe it's Selwyn again. I've been telling her to ditch him; he's such a bore."
Narcissa wrinkled her nose. "Maybe she needs to decide what she's doing with her life. If you ask me, she should have taken the job at the Minister's office and been done with it. Merlin knows she could have any job with all those O's."
"There are a lot of reasons I didn't take that job, Cissy," Andromeda said tightly from the doorway, running a hand through her long, dark hair. Narcissa suddenly became very intent on looking through the jewelry. "For one, they'd only want me to be a representative of the family's opinions, not of my own."
Bellatrix's eyes narrowed. "Is there anything wrong with that?"
"No," Andromeda said tiredly. "Of course not. It's just not what I want to do right now. Cissy, can you zip me up? You look lovely."
Narcissa finally selected pearls and turned to help her sister with the dress robes. "We all look wonderful," she said triumphantly.
Bellatrix snorted and lit a cigarette with the tip of her wand. "I hate parties. It's so wasteful. Everyone knows we're wealthy and powerful already, and if not, well, there are better reminders than floating champagne glasses and string quartets. Have a drag, Andie." She held the cigarette--now embellished with a crimson ring of lipstick--out to her sister.
"Mother always says that ladies don't smoke," Narcissa said pointedly.
Andromeda took it anyway. "Then it's a good thing I'm not a lady," she and Bellatrix chorused. Andromeda could feel a real smile tugging at the corners of her mouth as she passed the cigarette back. She had missed times like these.
Narcissa huffed with disapproval. "Well, it'll be a nice party. At least you'll see Rodolphus, Bella, right?"
"Yes," Bellatrix said indifferently, glancing at her engagement ring. "He's always good for a shag and a laugh, at least. Everyone else is such a stuffed-up prude. If I have to hear Great-Aunt Melania talk one more time about how the Ministry is deteriorating, I swear, I'll kill myself."
"Kill her, more like," Andromeda said with a wan smile. "Cheer up, Cissy, I promise we're not trying to ruin your enjoyment. The three of us always end up having fun together, don't we?"
"And I have some ideas about that," Bellatrix said, stubbing out the cigarette. It left a perfectly round burn in the grey velvet of the divan. Some house elf was going to have a panic attack. "Oh, speaking of..." Bellatrix turned and focused her dark eyes accusingly on Narcissa. "I've heard that Malfoy has joined that admiration society of sixth and seventh year boys that trail after you, panting and drooling."
Narcissa gave her sisters a perfectly composed smile and finished applying lipstick. "Lucius? Oh, he's too conscious of his wealth and relative importance to pant and drool."
"You know how I feel about him," Bellatrix said grimy.
"How we feel about him," Andromeda corrected her.
"I do," Narcissa said deliberately, taking one last look in the mirror as they stood up to leave. The trill of voices and polite laughter was floating up the stairs. "And I will keep that under consideration, I assure you."
***
Andromeda ducked behind a pillar on the patio, closing her eyes and briefly letting relief wash over her. Adrian Selwyn still thought she was replenishing their drinks, and she wondered how long of a reprieve she had. You need to tell him that you actually loathe him, Bella had said. But it wasn't really an option right now; she needed the cover he provided. Otherwise she had no idea what she would do about sneaking off to Ted's flat. If she squeezed her eyes tighter, she could picture it: the chipped kitchen tile, the smell of coffee, Ted's shirts lying in a pile on the floor. Bella and Cissy must know she was hiding something at this point. But perhaps not. Perhaps their inherent self-absorption was helping her, just this once.
"There you are," Bellatrix said, emerging out of nowhere and causing Andromeda to jump. She was grinning maniacally, eyes bright, and humming to herself. "Go find Cissy and bring her to the library in fifteen minutes. Rodolphus has a wonderful idea. I Confounded Selwyn, so he's out of your hair for now. You can thank me later"
She wasn't in the mood for Bella's harebrained party schemes today, but if there was one thing assignations with Ted had taught her, it was that maintaining an air of normalcy was important. Andromeda arranged her face into a grateful smile. "All right, but Cissy is currently fending off the admiration society."
"Get rid of them. If she insists, she can bring Malfoy, I suppose."
***
Narcissa was standing in the center of a boisterous crowd of Slytherins. These were the moments she relished; when jealousy and admiration were directed at her as herself, not her as one of that sacred triumvirate, the Black sisters. She ran her fingers lightly over her pearl necklace and turned back to the discussion at hand, which was unsurprisingly about the recent attacks on Muggles and Muggleborns.
"While the goal is excellent, I think operating outside the government is problematic," Preston Parkinson was saying. "Now, working within the Ministry is the right approach, if we want to exclude them from magical life."
Rabastan shrugged. "If you want to spend your days after Hogwarts bowing and scraping and pandering to Bagnold, be my guest. I plan to consider the more... direct options."
Narcissa sniffed and tried not to roll her eyes at his lack of subtlety. She could tell that Lucius Malfoy had was watching her surreptitiously; she lifted her chin and met his light grey eyes directly. He didn't look away; instead, the corner of his mouth turned upwards in a smirk and he lifted his drink slightly in a mocking toast. She concealed a smile in her champagne glass. It had to be the draft from the open doors to the garden that was giving her gooseflesh.
"Excuse me. I'm sorry," Andromeda had pushed to the center of the group. "Oh, hello, Lavinia. Hello Leonidas, Rab. We'll catch up later--I need to borrow my sister for a second. Also you, Lucius. Bella wants to talk to both you."
A ripple of laughter spread through the group. "Are you in trouble again, Narcissa?" Lavinia Borgin asked.
"More likely she is in trouble. Please, enjoy yourselves, and stay away from Professor Slughorn... I think he's drunkenly about to fall over and squash someone." Narcissa fluttered her fingers at the group in farewell and followed Andromeda out through a side door, Lucius trailing behind.
"What's this about?" he finally asked.
"Bella likes to liven up parties," Andromeda sighed, leading them up a flight of stairs towards the Black family library. "It's a longstanding tradition. Last time she poured Amortentia into the punch and watched. I don't know why she invited you, but consider it an honor."
"I'm thrilled," he said drily. Narcissa felt his hand brush lightly against hers and smiled to herself. They navigated through the shadowy rows of shelves until they reached Bella and Rodolphus.
Rodolphus precariously balanced on a ladder, peering at the books with an irritated air. "I know I put it somewhere here about a month ago, Bella. It's called--"
"I found it," Bellatrix called out, brandishing a dusty tome Narcissa was sure was larger than Hogwarts, A History. She pulled out her wand and tapped it twice. It wasn't a book at all; rather, a box shaped like a book. She reached in and pulled out a dusty green bottle.
Andromeda's eyes widened. "Bella, is that--"
"Absinthe, yes." Rodolphus smiled predatorily. "The choice drink of veela, artists, and lunatics. I think it will liven up our evening, don't you?" He rubbed the dark scruff on his chin pensively and then pulled sugar cubes and a slotted spoon out of his waistcoat pocket. "Of course, Andromeda, if you're scared--"
"I'm not scared," she snapped. "I just think it's dangerous and that Cissy certainly shouldn't have any."
"'Cissy' will make her own decisions," Narcissa said coldly. "I want to try absinthe. Lucius?"
He shrugged nonchalantly. "Of course."
"Good," Bella smirked. "Andie, if you're going to be a wet blanket, leave. If you don't, I'm going assume you'll have your fair share."
Andromeda frowned and crossed her arms mulishly but didn't move towards the door. With a flourish, Rodolphus uncorked the bottle and poured a sizable amount into the large glass goblet in the middle of the table. He balanced the sugar on top of the spoon and turned to Bellatrix.
"The honors?"
"Aguamenti," she murmured, and they all watched, transfixed, as a jet of ice water shot out of her wand, dissolving the sugar and turning the drink a milky, opaque green. Bellatrix lifted the goblet up--for a moment, it almost looked like she was performing some ritual--and took a gulp. "Cheers," she grinned, passing it to Narcissa.
***
It took three rounds to empty the goblet. Andromeda wasn't sure how it happened, but somehow they made it back to the center of the party. She was in the middle of jewel box. The music and noise, loud and erratic, surrounded her, entering with every breath. She could feel fire in her veins. The dress robes around her were rainbow bright. She was floating, she was dancing, and she was anchored to the ground by clinging onto her sisters for dear life.
"It's marvelous," Narcissa whispered, her pupils large and black in her blue eyes. Andromeda just nodded. Her lips felt swollen and her eyes were wet. Bellatrix was laughing merrily, head thrown back. They clung on to each other and spun, around and around, the noise and color speeding up. Oh, those Black sisters, people would say. There's something a little wild about them. I should just marry Adrian, she realized suddenly. She would marry anyone at all to not lose this, to stay forever in this circle of hands linked together. Andromeda could see Rodolphus approaching in her peripheral vision and they pulled apart; she staggered away alone.
She took a deep breath and felt panic rushing into her chest. No, I can't marry him.
***
"Be careful," Lucius said. She was suddenly dizzy. Narcissa stumbled and clutched his arms, and then felt the steady, slow pain of his fingers gripping her wrist. Her head cleared immediately and the elaborate hallway stopped whirling around her. They were close enough for her to smell his cologne and soap, to count each pale eyelash. She took a shaky breath and smiled, widely. Lucius smiled back, for once, unchallenging and genuine. Two Hogsmeade dates, she reminded herself. Two butterbeers does not a romance make. He was still holding on to her wrist.
"Narcissa," he said hoarsely. "You are absolutely beautiful. You are... unlike any girl I've ever met."
"You're just saying that," Narcissa murmured. Because of the absinthe. Because you think I'm easy and susceptible to flattery. But she was different. She had planned everything carefully; there was no simpering or giggling. She was observant, understated, and clever. She had made herself his indispensable ally in Slytherin's world of whispers and backstabbing, and if you could succeed in Slytherin, you could succeed just about anywhere.
Lucius dropped her hand. "I never 'just say' things, Narcissa," he said stiffly. The slight unsteadiness was the only hint absinthe had left, and she could tell by the color in his pale face that he was suddenly embarrassed. "I apologize. We can go back to the party."
Maybe I'm braver than you are, Narcissa realized, and she pulled him back towards her and kissed him.
***
Bellatrix lit a cigarette, watching Rodolphus hunt for his clothes in the shadowy parlor. "Your shirt's under the couch, I think. The waistcoat is torn."
"I never liked it anyway," he said easily, Summoning his robes from across the room. She tossed him her silver cigarette case. But are you in love? Narcissa had asked incredulously. What did that mean, anyway? Most people just bullshitted about love. If Narcissa was really in love with Malfoy, she would eat her hat. Bellatrix fumbled around for her lipstick. She liked Rodolphus. He understood how she thought. He knew that she wasn't going to spend her days managing committees for St. Mungo's when there was real work to be done for the Cause. He accepted that she was a more talented duelist than he would ever be, without the snide comments the others made. They complemented each other, and that was more than most people could ask for.
"Let's go," she said abruptly, pulling on her dress robes.
"I'm not going back to the party. I'll be roped into being Rabastan's wingman again and I'd rather just fuck you."
Bellatrix smiled, a flash of white teeth in the dim room, and pulled out her small silver knife. "Not the party. There's a Muggle village a few miles away. Let's go have some real fun."
***
Andromda splashed water on her face again, but the unnaturally bright flush in her cheeks wouldn't subside. She pressed her forehead against the mirror. Once, she remembered, Ted had found a sparrow with two broken wings. He had spent days nursing it back to health, with little Muggle splints and diluted Dittany. Adrian Selwyn would never do that. Malfoy and Lestrange would probably step on the thing for fun. If you want to know what a man's like, take a good look at how he treats his inferiors, not his equals, Uncle Alphard had always told her.
She slowly walked out of the bathroom. As she had expected, Adrian was waiting outside, arms folded, tan face curled in a sneer. "Well, if it isn't Miss Andromeda Black. Congratulations for making me look like an idiot all evening. Though I suppose I should be thanking your crazy sisters as well."
"It was wrong of me," she said shakily. "But I need to tell you... that, well, we shouldn't see each other anymore."
His hands were in fists. "There's someone else, right? Who is it?"
She lifted her chin and gave him the icy expression Bella had coined. "I'm not saying anything else."
"You little slut," he snarled, advancing towards her. "You've been leading me on for over a month, you realize? I'll teach you h--"
She raised her wand. "Impedimenta."
***
When Narcissa came back, Andromeda was curled up in her bed, knees to her chest, as she had been for an hour. The hush that had filled the house signaled that the last guests had said their goodbyes, and a careful listener could hear the slushing noises of the elves starting to mop. Outside, the wind had started to howl, causing tree branches to tap against the glass panes. "Lumos," Narcissa whispered, pointing at the old brass lamp. "Hi. I was worried you were already asleep."
"Hi," Andromeda sniffed and wiped her eyes. "You're back late. I don't know where Bella went went, but she's here and washing up right now."
"I don't want to know where Bella went." Narcissa was at her most beautiful with all the makeup and jewelry gone, Andromeda thought. The flickering light enhanced her sharp features and the gold tendrils of hair curling around her face. They sat in the warm bed in companionable silence until Bella came in, bringing with her the coppery smell of blood, but perhaps they only imagined that.
"Do something about your neck, Cissy," Bellatrix smirked. Even without makeup, her lips were crimson. "Mother's going to kill you if she sees that."
"I'll put a charm on it tomorrow," she said, blushing.
Andromeda sat up straight. "Did you and Lucius-?"
"No, we did not," Narcissa snapped. "I'm still your good little sister."
"Calm down," Bellatrix laughed harshly. Something about her seemed wilder than usual; she spun around the room humming and jumped on the bed. "I hope Malfoy was satisfactory. Are you quite all right, Andie?"
"I broke up with Adrian," she said quietly, pulling at a stray thread on the blankets. "I had to do it, but I'm- I'm so unhappy." She had written ten inky, smudged, crumpled letters to Ted, scattered around her desk. She had finally sent the shortest one. I'm sorry. I love you. It was inevitable.
Narcissa smiled. "I'm glad you did. He was horrid. You have absolutely no reason to be unhappy." She touched her lips briefly, eyes taking on a faraway, happy look. Bellatrix started to say something and stopped abruptly, shaking her head.
"It's Hobson's choice," Andromeda said finally. She yanked the thread out of the blanket, watching the elaborate embroidery unravel. "You've heard the story of Hobson, right? He had a stable of winged horses, and he told people they could either pick the one nearest to the door or none at all."
"That's not a choice, though," Narcissa commented, dreamy expression gone.
"Exactly."
They sat in silence for a long moment, understanding, or maybe not understanding at all. Bella climbed under the covers and pulled them up to her chin. "There's going to be a war soon," she whispered gleefully. She looked feverish with excitement in a way that made Andromeda's skin crawl. "A real one. It's going to change everything, you know?"
"Not us," Narcissa said fiercely.
"Not us," Andromeda echoed, and she blinked away the tears that threatened to spill.