The Tale of Three Sisters

Chapter 1: Propositions

"He's not going to approve at all! I thought you cut things off after graduation. It's been three years!"

"And?" Three years. Three years of scuttling about the ministry, finding hiding spots between shifts. Three years of lying to father about why she wasn't interested in finding a suitable, pureblood match. Three years of trying her best to break up with Teddy...but then he'd give her that doofy smile and tell her she was the prettiest, smartest girl he'd ever known. He was the only one she could talk to about her family issues, and the only one who sat with her to grieve after her mother passed away.

"That's ample time to let him down gently...seems you've done the opposite." Cissa giggled at her own joke. Andromeda could only glare. The youngest eventually smuggled her smile away.

"If it were you, and Lucius was muggle-born—"

"He's not. And I know my rank." Cissa replied sharply.

"Are you going to rat me out then?" Andromeda waited for her response. Narcissa looked over her shoulder as if she were still afraid of someone hearing. She grew somber and finally replied.

"Course not. I have a friend in prenatal at St. Mungo's. She owes me. We can sneak out this afternoon while Bella has her meeting with Rodolphus."

"Right..." Andromeda trailed off.

"It's going to be alright, An'. Whatever it is, we're going to fix it. You're going to be fine." Her sister wrapped her in a tight hug, knowing the half-truth of her words.

Bellatrix Black

Bellatrix sat at the small tea table in the den and kicked up her pointed boots. She tore a wrapper off a hard candy, strip by strip, and imagined it screaming. She hated these ridiculous prenuptial meetings with her father and Rodolphus Lestrange, or Rodufus, as she preferred to call him. She didn't understand why she had to marry the least attractive, disgusting male out of their immediate circle of influence, no matter how rich his family or how involved they were with this rising Dark Lord. She preferred to be a free agent, but she supposed three hundred years of Lestrange family relics under her name would be worth the paperwork.

The house elf scurried into the room, carrying the tray with a steaming kettle and halted when she saw Bella.

"Miss Bella...would you please take your feet of the table?" It said. Bellatrix made a cross-eyed expression and mocked the house elf's words.

"Why should I?" She asked, plopping another candy into her mouth. The house elf turned red in the face, and its little cheeks puffed up.

"Because your father and Mr. Lestrange are on their way!" It exclaimed. "Miss Bella knows how the master hates being kept waiting."

"Sounds like your problem." Bellatrix took her feet down and watched in amusement as the elf scrambled to place everything on the table in time for her father's arrival. The witch picked up her cup and stared at the pink liquid.

"Is this more of Cissa's hibiscus crap?" She asked.

"Yes, the master requested it." The elf said, straightening sugar cubes.

When the elf turned away, Bellatrix poured the liquid from her cup onto the floor and placed the cup it back in its saucer. The two men walked in. Bellatrix fluffed her curled dark locks and did her best to look innocent and unaware. The elder man glared at the elf.

"You haven't finished setting the table?" He demanded of the elf. "And you spilled all over the floor!"

"M-master, Dotty didn't..." The elf turned around and saw the spot, immediately jumping to point at Bellatrix. "You did this!"