Things were tense around Malfoy Manor for a while, which was to be expected. Rabastan had not showed his face, at least, which pleased Lyra. He must have known that if he dared show his face, she'd follow through with the threats she'd made the last time she'd seen him. 

Lucius hadn't spoken to her in days. He wouldn't even look at her, and she wasn't sure how she could ever find a way to make him do so. She could make him understand, she hoped. He needed time to cool down, just like every time they'd fought over the years. Then again, this fight was different. 

The Death Eaters didn't comment on anything, no matter how much they hung around the house. She didn't know why. Perhaps they thought it would be unwise to mention it to her, as they were all terrified of Bellatrix and she was still her sister. Or maybe they were afraid Lucius would once again be in the Dark Lord's favor before long. 

It was the first time in the while the Manor had been completely empty. No Death Eaters, no family members. Nothing. Only Lyra on her own as there was supposedly some big mission everyone else had to go to. She supposed they must finally have gotten to the point where they'd take over the Ministry. The thought made her sick. 

Lyra found herself standing in front of one of the mirrors in the parlor. Her skin was waxy and pale, as she had barely stepped outside in a while. The bruises around her neck had only gotten worse, with horrid shades of blue, purple and black in the shape of a handprint. She barely touched it before wincing. At least she could almost speak normally now, though her voice was still slightly raspy. 

"Lyra, what happened? Are you all right?" a high, feminine voice asked from behind her. Lyra recognized Narcissa's voice immediately. She rushed towards her, seeing her for the first time in the past few days. 

Lyra was a bit touched by her concern as she forced a smile, pulling her collar up in attempt to cover up the bruises, though it was clearly unsuccessful. "I'm fine, Cissy. It's nothing... Just a stupid mistake."

"It looks like a hand," Narcissa said, shocked. She grabbed Lyra's collar, forcing it down to see the full extent of it. She tensed, touching it but quickly recoiling as she saw her sister wince in pain. "Lyra, what happened?"

"Nothing-"

"Don't lie to me," the older blonde said firmly, her face filled with concern. She had never seen those kinds of marks on Lyra before. The only time she had ever been so bruised was the time she'd had the Cruciatus Curse cast on her, but then it hadn't been in such a visible place. "Did Lucius do this to you?"

"No, no, of course not," the younger sister defended her husband, though she wasn't sure if he'd care enough to appreciate it. Honestly, Lyra was a bit surprised she was willing to believe Lucius could do something like this. "Lucius may not be perfect but he'd never do something like this."

Narcissa tensed even more if it was even possible as she made the connection. People usually did severely underestimate just how smart she truly was. "I'm going to ask you a question and you're going to be honest with me. Please. Did Rabastan do this to you?"

Lyra swallowed harshly, once again wanting to lie. But she had decided to stop lying so much (unless it would possibly kill her or anybody she cared about), and though she knew the pained look in her eyes told the truth, she had to say it. "Yes. I ended it. He obviously didn't take it very well."

"I'm so sorry," Narcissa said softly, grabbing her little sister's hand and rubbing her knuckles comfortingly. Lyra had spent so many years trying to hide her emotions from her, not having trusted her properly for so long. But she could see her failing a bit at that moment, tears almost appearing in her eyes. "You didn't deserve that."

"Yeah, I did," Lyra said, self-disgust evident in her voice. "I deserved it because I was stupid and let someone get hurt, like I always do. I should have known better but I always make these dumbs, wrong decisions when I try to do something right-"

Narcissa's comforting eyes suddenly turned hard, reminding Lyra much of their late mother whenever she colded them. "Lyra Cassiopeia Malfoy, don't you dare say you deserved that. Yes, you cheated. Yes, you've made some wrong decisions in your life. But you are not stupid. You are not a bad person. You have such a big heart, and it may lead you astray once in a while, but it does not make you deserving of horrible things."

Lyra sniffled. She wasn't used to showing this sort of emotion in front of her family. The only people she had regularly showed the sadness to the last few years were Sirius and Remus, both of whom were out of reach. It felt strange to tear up in front of her sister, but she wiped the tears from her eyes in hope that they wouldn't fall. "You don't have to do this, Cissy."

"Yes, I do," the Flint woman said, no longer sounding as stern, only caring. "No matter some of our more difficult history, you are still my sister and I love you. We're family forever. And I am there for you through thick and thin. I know I've... messed up in the past, but I want to make up for it."

Lyra knew the exact thing she was referring to, revealing one of her biggest secrets and creating the series of events that made her end up where she was. If she didn't, perhaps things would have been very different. "You can't make up for that. It was a long time ago, it's too late to do anything about it."

"Maybe I can't do anything about that exact situation," she said slowly, trying to come up with something to say to make her realize. "But I can do something else. I can kick Rabastan Lestrange's ass for hurting you. Her deserves it."

Lyra chuckled a bit through her tears at the image of Cissy trying to beat someone up. "No need. I just want him as far away from me as possible. And I want Lucius to speak to me again, so it's not like... this. It's awful. I just want it all to be over."

Narcissa pursed her lips, seemingly unable to respond. They both stayed silent for a few moments, neither of them knowing exactly what to say. The older of the sisters stepped closer to her, as if to get ready to hug her, if she couldn't do something else. 

But they were, of course, interrupted. Someone slammed the door to the room open (another person who did not bother being polite and knocking when entering someone else's home). It was Bellatrix, her large curls all over the place, her eyes mad and her grin wide. Narcissa and Lyra exchanged worried glances, knowing this couldn't be good.

"My dearest baby sisters," Bellatrix greeted them, opening her arms wide as if to present herself with some grandeur. She cackled to herself at nothing at all. "I come bearing great news. The Ministry has fallen and we have invaded a stronghold of the Order of the Phoenix."

Lyra immediately wanted to ask if anybody had been killed, because there were people she'd rather have survive on both sides of the war. But she held her tongue, not wanting to act suspiciously. 

"Unfortunately, we were not successful in capturing the Potter boy," Bellatrix spat the last name as if it was poison, though watching her youngest sister carefully as she spoke it, searching for some sort of reaction. She did know the history she had with the Potters. "He escaped, but that brings me to the fun part of this."

Narcissa furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. "What fun part?"

"We've got to find him, and so we've got some people to interrogate," the dark-haired woman spoke as if Christmas had come early and her presents were already the best she had ever gotten. "I got a list of people they want me to speak to. I'd like you two to go with me. At least to the first place."

"And why is that?" Lyra asked, already knowing that it couldn't be a good reason. Neither her or Narcissa were Death Eaters, and she hadn't been on a mission concerning them since she was seventeen and was forced into it. She shuddered a bit at the memory. It reminded her of Rabastan. She didn't like to be reminded of him. 

Bellatrix grinned wickedly. "You'll see."

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Lyra recognized the house they were approaching immediately, and she was quickly terrified of what the night was going to bring. Luckily, Bellatrix had taken some time to break through the new security measures around the house. Lyra hoped they had noticed what was going on and had fled. She truly hoped so. 

Narcissa was only confused, and Lyra tried to pretend she was, as well. She wasn't supposed to know who's house it was. As far as Bellatrix and Narcissa knew, she hadn't had contact with its residents in a long time, if ever. 

"Finally," Bellatrix sighed as she managed to break the final protection spell that kept them away from the house. She looked quite peeved that it had taken her so long, she was now far behind schedule. Lyra had caught a glimpse of her list of people to interrogate. While she hadn't seen the names, she could see it was long. She wondered how she was going to get through all of them in one night. 

"Who's house is this?" Narcissa asked, scrunching her nose up in disapproval at the rather quaint house in front of them. She was sure the ground floor (of several) of Flint Manor was twice as big. 

"That's the best part, Cissy," Bellatrix exclaimed brightly with a wicked grin, wrapping her arms around each of her blonde sisters' shoulders. "This ugly, little house here belongs to the Mudblood Edward and blood traitor extraordinaire Andromeda Tonks, parents of known member of the Order, Nymphadora, who again is the wife of a werewolf. What filth."

Lyra clenched her jaw as she realized the lights were on inside the house. Ted and Andromeda hadn't noticed them outside yet. She hoped this wasn't one of the days Remus and Nymphadora had decided to visit. That would make things even worse. "I'm not sure this is a good idea, Bella."

"Don't worry, Lyra, this will all be in good fun." The dark-haired woman spun around for a moment in pure joy and excitement as she pulled her wand from her pockets. Lyra wasn't sure if she had seen her sister look so happy in years. 

Bellatrix skipped to the front door. Narcissa looked frozen in place, as she hadn't expected to see Andromeda again, ever. She definitely hadn't thought she'd see her that night. Lyra wanted to turn around and leave because she didn't want to see what was coming. But she knew she had to stay. If Ted and Andy were in danger, she could be the only one able to protect them. 

The oldest sister didn't bother with knocking, of course. She just threw the front door open, as she had already unlocked it as she disabled their security systems. Lyra and Narcissa hesitantly followed her through the door. 

"Oh, Andy!" Bellatrix called out. They could hear how excited she was from her voice. Lyra could feel her heart beating wildly in her chest. She hoped they had gotten away and left the lights on as some sort of red herring. 

The Death Eater led them through the very first door, which Lyra knew led into the kitchen. She wasn't supposed to know that, of course, so she didn't dare say another word. She was focusing very hard on keeping her breathing steady. 

As they walked in, Lyra was quite disappointed to see both Ted and Andromeda in there, though both of them had their wands raised and pointed at the three of them. Well, mostly at Bellatrix and Narcissa. They had faith Lyra wouldn't hurt them at least, but the others were more likely. 

"Ah, there you are..." Bellatrix cackled, pleased as she kept her wand pointed at them, especially at Ted, who she had a very personal hatred for. "Oh, look... The disowned Black and the Mudblood. How disgustingly sweet. I'm going to vomit."

"Hello, Bella," Andromeda greeted, her voice cold. Lyra was once again reminded that the two of them looked scarily alike, just as Lyra and Narcissa did. "And Cissy and Lyra, of course. Did you feel the need drag them along on your business? Couldn't do it alone?"

"Oh, shut up, Andromeda!" Bellatrix snapped, as she had clearly hit a nerve. Andromeda looked slightly pleased, even though she was obviously terrified. Andromeda may not have seen her in years, but they had grown up together. She knew all the right buttons to push. 

"You can still leave. Neither of them have their wands up and we could quickly disarm them," Ted said, looking tense. He hadn't ever met Bellatrix and Narcissa, but he had heard about them. He knew just how deranged the eldest could be. "Two against one hardly seems fair."

"This is a conversation between your superiors, you filthy Mudblood," Bellatrix snapped, pointing her wand vigorously at him, making Andromeda tighten the grip on her own. "Though I'd hardly say your wife's much of a pureblood anymore. Blood traitor fits better, I think. In more ways than one."

"Bella, we're here for a reason," Narcissa reminded her oldest sister softly, refusing to meet Andromeda's gaze as the brunette stared at her. "You don't have much time. You should start questioning them. Don't make it personal."

"Oh, I hope it does turn personal," Bellatrix hummed dreamily, as if it was the best thing that could happen. "But, nevertheless, you're right, Cissy. I have some questions to ask. Like... where is that filthy half-blood daughter of yours? And her half-breed husband? Congratulations on that union, by the way."

"I have no filthy daughter or half-breed son-in-law," Andromeda snapped, using a quick glance to tell Ted to stay quiet, though he was obviously getting quite angry. "My daughter, the respected auror, is spending time with her husband, the former professor, as they are newlyweds. Is that not allowed anymore?"

"Oh, that was quite disrespectful, Andy," the Death Eater tutted, a smirk on her face. She turned to Lyra with eyebrows raised. "What do you think, Lyra? Did you find those words disrespectful?"

"Not disrespectful enough," Lyra answered sternly, knowing that she was only looking for an excuse to use an Unforgivable Curse on either of them. If she could avoid that happening, then she would. 

Bellatrix was obviously disappointed, but kept her wand pointed right at Ted. "Fine. Then we'll do what we actually came here for. We are in search of Harry Potter. You, and your disgusting daughter, are believed to know something about his whereabouts. Where is he?"

"Well, first of all, we do not know," Andromeda answered once again, knowing that if Ted said another word, Bellatrix would not hesitate to curse him. "And if we did, then you and I both know that we would never tell you."

Bellatrix grinned wickedly. "Oh, I do believe that was disrespectful enough. Petrificus Totalus!" Ted was suddenly frozen in place, only eyes darted back and forth in fear, wondering what was about to happen next. But then she turned her wand to his wife instead. "Crucio!"

And suddenly, it was as if Lyra was twenty-five years younger. She was twelve years old again, watching Bellatrix try on her wedding dress. And then suddenly, Andromeda was screaming in intense pain on the ground, blood and bruises appearing out of nowhere. 

It looked scarily the same. Lyra felt Narcissa grip onto her hand, as she had done all those years ago, though no longer to protect her. No, now it was because they both obviously remembered it and needed the comfort. 

The screams echoed throughout the entire house, and even the closest neighbors, miles away, must have been able to hear it. Ted couldn't move or speak due to the curse cast on him, but his eyes were darting back and forth desperately, wanting someone to end it. 

And Lyra did want to. She wanted to do what she hadn't been able to do when she was a kid, both for Andromeda and for Sirius when the same happened to him. She wanted to stop the curse once and for all. 

But she wasn't able to. She stood frozen in place as terrifyingly awful memories sprung to her head. The screams sounded like Andromeda's from all those years ago, but also like Sirius's, like her old professor who she had once tortured. They sounded like her own, caused by Bellatrix too. 

Before she had been able to unfreeze, Bellatrix had stopped the torture for the time being, looking quite pleased with herself as Andromeda spat blood from her mouth, glaring heatedly at her older sister. "What about now, Andy? Do you feel more like talking now?"

Andromeda only kept glaring from where she was lying on the floor. "Screw you, Bella."

The dark-haired woman did not seem bothered by this at all, only seeming amused, laughing to herself. She wet her lips as she glanced towards Ted this time. "Oh, Andy... Unfortunately, we did grow up together. And I very much remember how caring you always thought you were. Mother definitely did, probably why you were her favorite for so long. Well, until... you know. Perhaps it works better if I have a little chat with your pet Mudblood instead."

Lyra's eyes widened. Ted didn't know what the curse was like, he had never had it cast on him before and she was sure if was worse the first time. "Bella, I don't think-"

"Crucio!"

The worst part was that Ted couldn't scream or even move, but the pain was definitely present in his eyes. Andromeda did the screaming for him, though dragging herself across the floor to sit at her husband's side, stroking the side of his face as he laid on the floor, unable to move despite the pain.

"Bella, Bella, stop!" Lyra suddenly yelled, reaching out to grab her arm, making it so she was no longer pointing the wand at their brother-in-law. Once the wand was no longer on him, Andromeda's screams ceased and she only sobbed into his chest. 

Bellatrix found herself pointing her wand at the youngest of the four sisters, though only in immediate anger. She couldn't believe she'd stop the torture of someone she considered filth, mud. "What are you doing, Lyra?"

"Look, I know you've got a personal vendetta against them, I get it, we all do," Lyra blurted out quickly. She quickly remembered how good of a liar she could be. It was strange, as she had been so honest lately. "But you've got eight more families to interrogate tonight and you've already spent an hour just taking down the security systems. You don't have time for this."

Bellatrix let out an exasperated breath, panting slightly. She glared at Ted and Andromeda, because she knew that Lyra was right. She had many people to torture that night, and they were only supposed to be the first, not the only ones. 

"Fine, I guess we'll just have to make quick work of them then. Finally time to get rid of that filth on our otherwise spotless family tree," Bellatrix said wickedly, wanting some sort of satisfaction from that night. She used her free hand to wave slightly. "Bye, bye, Mudblood."

"No, no!" Lyra exclaimed, as she saw her open her mouth, realizing that she was actually about to kill Ted. She hadn't been able to stop her from torturing Andromeda, and she had stopped her too late with Ted. Neither of them were going to die on her watch, at least. 

"What is it now?" the oldest snapped once again, glancing at Narcissa in disbelief over Lyra, but she only stayed quiet. 

"You can't kill them yet," Lyra added on the last part to not seem suspicious. "We need to be able to come back in case Potter contacts them or their daughter. With both of them alive, it opens more lines of communications to monitor. And it's not like they can run off, they don't know where we have people in this area. They don't know where they can go."

Bellatrix looked so angry at these facts, though they did make sense in her head, her hand was clutching her wand so tightly her fingers were turning white. "Fine. Not today. Later. I've got places to be, but I'll be back, Andy. Lyra, Cissy, I don't need you for the rest of the night. If you want to do some torturing of your own, have a good time."

In her fit of anger, Bellatrix stalked out immediately, slamming the front door behind her so it must have flown of its hinges. She was surprisingly strong for her stature, which only made her much more terrifying. 

And Lyra, for the first time in her thirty-seven years in the world, realized that she hated Bellatrix. No matter what things she had done, Lyra had always known there was some love for her inside her, something that redeemed her. That was love had all but faded completely. 

She had made far too many excuses for her. She had watched her torture their sister, Andromeda, twice now, along with her husband and basically threatening their daughter. She had recruited Regulus into the Death Eaters at a very young age, leading to his death. She wouldn't be surprised if she had been one of the reasons Draco was indocterined as well. She had tried to recruit Lyra herself when she was young, and she would have been forced to accept if Lucius hadn't asked her to marry him. 

But Lucius wouldn't have had to propose for her to be protected if Bellatrix hadn't tortured Lyra at barely eighteen, forcing her to leave the love of her life or they'd both die. She had killed and tortured many people throughout her tenure as a Death Eater. Then she had killed Sirius, something that had broken her heart so much she still found it difficult to come to terms with. 

And if Lyra could have performed the Cruciatus Curse on Bellatrix, she would have. But, unfortunately, she was a high-ranking Death Eater, and any retalation would come back and bite Draco in the ass. Her son did not need to be punished more for his parents' mistakes. 

Narcissa was staring at Ted and Andromeda, tears in her eyes, but she did not say a word to them. She grabbed Lyra's arm quickly, deciding to leave them alone. She had no plans to torture them, but she wasn't going to talk to them either. She just wanted to forget they existed all over again. 

Lyra allowed herself to be dragged along, but turned her head around once more and looked into Andromeda's teary eyes apologetically, mouthing I'm sorry. Andromeda only shook her head and continued to sob as she waited for the curse that was paralyzing him to be lifted.

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A/N: Hope you guys enjoyed! I just wanted to let you know that I just published my Lucinda spin-off, because I just couldn't wait. I love her so much, and I hope you guys will understand her a lot better. Check it out on my profile, it's called "Memorial", if you're interested in knowing more about her <3 (I assure you I have some surprises in store when it comes to her relationships with people).