Chapter 3: Three Sisters and Two Brothers

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"Cissy, did you take my hairpins? They're not on my vanity! I swear I left them right here!"

"No, of course not. I have my own. Have either of you seen my heels from Diagon Alley?"

"No. Keep better track of your things, I swear."

"Why are you even wearing heels? You complain about them every time."

"Not everyone's as tall as you, Andromeda!"

"Being tall is overrated."

"Says the only girl in the entire family who's as tall as Father."

"Yes. As if I didn't stand out enough, I'm also a giraffe in a ball gown. Thank you, Bellatrix, for that."

The three sisters were scrambling around the lake house, trying to ready themselves for their father's birthday party at Grimmauld Place. Narcissa hadn't seen him since the Christmas holiday. The entire family would be there, as well as many other high-class Purebloods. As with most of these gatherings, the Black sisters always drew attention, and any wrong move would earn them severe punishments from their family.

She had to be perfect.

It's a difficult mindset to live in, Narcissa thought as she applied powder to her face, concealing any freckles or blemishes that her mother could criticize. A copious amount of blush and red lipstick brought color back to her facial features. Her hair had already been set in soft curls resting on her shoulders, with a silver pin holding a thin twist out of her face.

She sat on a small cushioned stool in front of her mirror, carefully crafting the version of herself that her mother liked best: the elegant, refined Narcissa. Her fingernails were painted with a clear coat, and simple silver earrings hung from her ears. Only her necklace remained from earlier, the one part of her appearance that never changed and never would.

Under her breath, she hummed a lovely French tune that she'd mastered on both the piano and the violin. Her parents urged her to learn music from an early age, and she was the most advanced in instrumentals out of the three sisters. Women of high status learn instruments. When entertaining guests for your husband, music is always an option that will prove your worthiness as a wife. That was a Grandmother Crabbe saying.

As a wife.

Her hand shook and eyeliner streaked across her face.

"Oh!" Narcissa cried, staring in horror at her reflection. She leaned forward, trying to assess the damage. She didn't have time to start over.

A crash from downstairs started her even more, and the blonde hurried down the stairs to find two boys in her living room, brushing the soot off of their clothes.

They were both younger than Narcissa by a few years. The older one wore a pair of black ripped jeans and a t-shirt with the word QUEEN written in artistic lettering. His facial features were perfectly angular, like they were carved out of stone, a characteristic gene of the Black family. He swept his long hair out of his attractive gray eyes and grinned as he brushed off his pants, the ghost of a laugh always haunting him.

The younger one had tripped and fallen onto the carpet. He wore a simple white shirt and jeans. His gaze was softer than his brother's, with dark curls that tumbled into his light blue eyes. Only one other person in the entire family completely shared that particular hue, and it was Narcissa herself.

"What are you two doing here?" She demanded, bending over to help the younger boy up. "You should be at Grimmauld Place!"

"Ah, Mum might have an aneurysm any minute now, so we reckoned it might be safer to be here for a while," Sirius said casually. He walked across the room to get himself something to eat, but he stopped in front of the mirror to examine his already-immaculate hair. He then imitated a high voice. "THIS HOUSE IS FILTHIER THAN A MUDBLOOD! HOW CAN WE HOST A PARTY THERE? WHY CAN'T THAT STUPID ELF GET DINNER READY IN TIME? THIS IS SHAMEFUL! REGULUS, COMB YOUR HAIR! IF MY MOTHER SEES THE TWO OF YOU LIKE THAT, WE'LL ALL BE IN DISGRACE! SIRIUS, YOU SHOULD BURN THAT MUGGLE SHIRT! IT'S DISGUSTING! YOU ARE THE HEIR TO THE MOST NOBLE AND ANCIENT HOUSE OF BLACK! BLAAAAAAAH!"

"We decided to just get changed over here and go back with you three," Regulus said, his voice quiet yet amused. He was only thirteen, the youngest cousin in the family. "That okay?"

Narcissa smiled and pulled him into a hug. "Of course it is."

"Narcissa, love, not to worry you, but you've got makeup smudged all over your face and you're still wearing a dressing robe," Sirius said as he buttered bread at the kitchen table. "We've got a deadline in twenty minutes and it's sure as hell not a pajama party. Just saying."

"Oh sweet Merlin, I forgot!"

She scurried back upstairs and washed off her makeup, then reapplied it all in record time.  Quickly, she slipped out of her robe and into her dress, a gray off-the-shoulder frock that cinched at the waist and brushed her knees.

"Cissy? Could I borrow a comb? I just broke mine. That's the third this month, and- oh." Bellatrix, who had been leaning on the doorframe, smiled softly at her sister. "You look like a dream."

"Thank you," Narcissa said, spinning around and giggling as her chiffon skirt flowed out around her. "My comb's in the bathroom if you want it."

"You know what? I don't care. I've been dealing with my hair for eons, anyway." Bellatrix stood in front of Narcissa's full-length mirror and considered herself. She wore a long black dress with a neckline lower than her opinion of Muggles and a slit higher than her family's status. Her dark hair tumbled around her sharp face and burgundy lipstick coated her pursed lips. "Yes, I think it's good."

"You look ready to go to war," Andromeda commented as she walked in. Her olive green dress was simpler than her sisters' dresses, with its puffed sleeves and tea-length skirt. She'd piled her long chestnut hair into a bun and kept her makeup mostly neutral.

"And you look like a woodland fairy," Bellatrix shot back playfully. "Pretty, though. Are we attracting anyone tonight, Andi? Maybe Amycus Carrow, or one of the Rosier boys?"

Andromeda clamped her hands over her ears. "No, gross!"

"Suit yourself." Bellatrix walked over to the drawer, opened it, and picked out a silver dagger. It was elaborately encrusted with diamonds and emeralds. She held it up, letting everyone admire how the light reflected off of the gems, before sitting to strap it to her upper thigh.

Narcissa raised her eyebrows and played with her necklace nervously. "Bella, what's the weapon for? It's a birthday party, not a crime scene."

"Just in case any boys try anything," she said loftily, spreading her skirt back over her legs to cover the dagger. "It's happened before. I don't know why they mess with me anymore. Want one? I have a few spares. That way, if Lucius Malfoy gets any ideas, you can kill him first and ask questions later."

The blonde paled ever so slightly at the mention of her almost-fiance, but was grinning by the end of the sentence. "No. I'll just give you a holler, and you can take care of him."

"Because that's what sisters are for!" Andromeda laughed and rubbed Narcissa's shoulders comfortingly. "You nervous, honey?"

Narcissa stiffened. She considered lying, but these were her sisters. They knew her better than anyone else on the planet.

"A bit," she admitted. "I haven't seen him for years, since Hogwarts. That was when we were all still in school, remember? I was a first year, and he was Head Boy. Isn't that strange?"

Andromeda plopped down on the bed, ignoring the fact that her dress wrinkled easily. If there wasn't a spell for that, then she'd change. "Maybe back then, but not as much anymore. Mother and Father are six years apart, after all."

"But they're miserable," Narcissa said softly. She clasped her hands in her lap as she sat on the corner of the mattress. "No matter who I marry, I don't want to end up like that. They hate each other."

"You won't." Bellatrix twisted a few unruly curls around her finger, then laid down on her back next to Andromeda on the bed. "Mother's pure evil and Father's uninterested. You're not either of those things, Cissy. You're the best of us all, and if anyone can make this work, it's you. And as I said, if mop-head himself gets any ideas, I'll take care of him and you won't have to worry about marriage anymore."

Before she could contain her amusement in a more ladylike fashion, Narcissa snorted. The other two burst into laughter, and after an embarrassing moment, she flopped down next to them and joined in. For a few minutes, nothing but uncontrollable giggling filled her ears, and everything felt right with the world.

A voice from downstairs startled all three of them.

"LADIES! TIME'S A WASTING!"

Bellatrix rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. "I can kind of see why Aunt Walburga hates him."

"Well, he's only fifteen. Plus, whether she likes it or not, he's the heir to the family name," Narcissa giggled, leading the way downstairs. She left so quickly that she missed the dark look that crossed Bellatrix's face, but Andromeda didn't.

"What's up, Bella?"

"It's just revolting," Bellatrix said, leaning closer to the mirror to examine her already-perfect eyeliner, "that you and I are both older than that obnoxious idiot, yet he gets to inherit the family name and fortune."

"That's how's it's always been, Bella. Try not to let it bother you. You'll only be miserable in the end. Life's too short to be miserable" Andromeda gave her a comforting smile and a shrug, then took off down the stairs, humming a song she'd heard in that Muggle cafe. She smiled, remembering how Ted the waiter danced to it while wiping down counters. The riddle he'd given her on the receipt was proving to be trickier than expected, but she was determined to crack it. There had to be a reason he gave it to her. 

Bellatrix stood alone in the bedroom for a moment, mulling her sister's words over, before following.

chapter 3! let me know what you thought!

i can't choose a favorite sister. i keep going back and forth, but ughhhhh, I LOVE THE BLACK BROTHERS!!!

please vote and comment, that always makes my day :)