The Tale of Three Sisters

Chapter 2: Risks

Every generation of the Malfoy family will be blessed with one legitimate, male heir.

She thought the ink was smudged, or maybe she didn't understand the interpretation, but the more she thought she realized that Lucius did not have any siblings, and neither did his father, and neither did his grandfather. In fact, she didn't know any women who had been born into the family. All at once, she came to a horrifying realization that this was not by convenient accident.

The door to her room opened, and Andromeda rushed in.

"Oh! I thought you went downstairs for breakfast. You aren't even dressed yet." She said quickly and stuffed a wad of parchment into her pocket.

Normally, Cissa would question her sister on what she was doing in her bedroom and why she was hiding things in her pockets, but she was still too stunned by the document in front of her to respond.

"What's that, are you alright?" An' asked, coming to peak over her shoulder.

"Um—" Narcissa rolled it up quickly and retied the ribbon. "Nothing it's just, something I have to read for alchemy. It's pretty difficult you know, lots of old texts." She stuffed the document in her vanity drawer.

"Oh, they didn't offer that my year. It's a pretty rare elective."

The two stared at each other with completely different thoughts on their minds.

"Do you need something?" Cissa asked.

"Um, no. But you should get ready for the party. Aren't you decorating? Guests will be arriving a few hours." Narcissa nodded and tried to distract herself by worrying about her sister.

"How do you feel today? Still queasy?"

"Only always. I think this one's going to be a spitfire." Andromeda placed a protective hand over her stomach. Narcissa's countenance fell. She looked back to the series of jewels and pretty knickknacks scattered across the desk. Some were gifts. Some she bought herself. Some she found unattended in the Slytherin common room.

"I overheard you and Bella talking last night. I'm sorry." She said. Andromeda's face darkened.

"It can't be helped." Her voice cracked. "You know she's too stubborn to listen to any of us."

"Maybe one day, things will go back to the way they were." Narcissa hoped.

"Maybe." Andromeda's voice had quieted to a whisper, but then she saw something and grinned.

"Did you take this from my room?" She picked up a souvenir postcard Ted brought her after his family trip to Rome. It came from one of the many chapels of the Vatican City, gold embossed. It featured three women with gold halos being chased by two men with swords.

"I found it in your wastebasket, I thought you didn't want it." Narcissa lied, but she could tell by An's tone that she wasn't angry.

"You're right. I didn't. You know how I hate clutter." An' smiled and flipped the card over. It gave the description of three sisters, now saints, who died protecting their faith: Menodora, Metrodora, and Nymphadora. The third name was circled in green ink.

"Did you mark this one?" An' asked. Narcissa's voice caught.

"I thought it would make a pretty girl's name one day..."

"That's a mouthful. If you have a girl, she's going to hate it."

Narcissa stared back at her sister and wished for lots of things. She wished they could go back in time and stop mother from going out to London so late. She wished Bella and Andromeda had stayed better friends or would at least give up their feud and speak civilly. She wished witches in pureblood families had more rights than they did. And she wished she didn't have to sign a centuries-old document to marry the man she loved. But even though all of her family members were named after stars, there were not enough to grant all those wishes.