#d:narcissa

[blackswan-andromeda]

Love me

The Christmas Ball was a cherished tradition among the Pureblood families, held at a different house every year until it cycled back again. Each family tried to outdo the last in beauty and elegance, transforming their homes into works of Christmas art. The Black manor had been cleaned and decorated, and its daughters had occupied themselves with the long process of cleaning and decorating themselves. Andromeda Black was the first to be ready, dressed in silver silk. She walked the corridor that separated the sisters' rooms, leaving a wrapped package in front of Bellatrix's door (she didn't like to disturb Bella before these functions, it never seemed to end prettily) before moving on to Narcissa's. 

"Cissy?" Andromeda knocked on her sister's bedroom door, the candlelight in the corridor flickering against the garnets wrapped around her neck. "Come in, Andie." She pushed the door open, her heels clicking against the floor. Narcissa was beautiful in her deep emerald green, her fair skin and light hair a perfect contrast to the color. "You look beautiful, Cissy," she said with a smile, catching Narcissa's eye in the mirror. Narcissa was in the midst of brushing her hair, which was gleaming like gold in the light. "Here," Andie said, holding out a package wrapped in silver paper and tied with a green ribbon bow. "Why don't we trade?" 

"Andie! You shouldn't have." But Narcissa was smiling as she took the package, handing Andie the brush. Andromeda moved it over her sister's hair gently. "Shouldn't have? It's Christmas. Of course I should have." She set the brush down and gathered her sister's hair back, gently twisting and curling until it was all swept up perfectly. Narcissa, meanwhile, removed the paper and opened the box, letting out a little gasp. "Andie, It's lovely!" It was a silver hair piece, styled to look like a swan with its wings outstretched. Its eyes were two flecks of emerald. "I thought you might like it." 

Narcissa handed the silver hairpiece back to her sister, and Andromeda settled it into place. "There." She said with a smile, wrapping her arms around Narcissa's shoulders, their heads side by side as she smiled at her sister in the mirror. "Merry Christmas, Cissy." 

[blackswan-andromeda]

Comfort me

Thunder rolled across the sky, followed by sizzling bolts of lightning that lit the velvety-black sky. In a room much too big for a child her size, Andromeda Black slept soundly, her dark hair fanned against her pillow. The pale green coverlet was pulled up snug to her chin, her small hands curled around its edge. She didn't so much as flinch when the heavy door squeaked open. "Andie?" A pale blonde girl, even smaller than the sleeping one, peered around the door's edge. Her eyes were wide, her feet bare, her little hands shaking. "Andie?" But the other girl was still too deep in sleep to wake. 

Another roll of thunder surged, and the blonde girl darted across the room, her feet light on the wood floor. "Andie!" She shook her sister's shoulder until the girl opened her eyes. "Cissy? What's wrong?" Propping herself up on her elbow, Andromeda peered at Narcissa with sleepy eyes. Narcissa didn't reply, simply stared up at Andie with big eyes. "You're scared of the storm," Andromeda said, finally. Narcissa nodded, and Andromeda smiled. "Come on," she said, lifting the coverlet. Narcissa smiled and scrambled up into her sister's bed to lay facing the other girl. Andromeda yawned and settled back onto her pillow. 

More thunder stormed, and Narcissa gasped, her little fingers curling together tightly. "It's alright, Cissy," Andromeda said. She reached out and took her sister's hand, her eyes blinking more and more slowly, longing to go back to sleep. "It's just Merlin, you know." "Really?" "Mmhmm. In his enchanted tree, which is so tall it's top is in the clouds. He gets bored, sometimes, but he can't get down. So he uses his magic to make light and noise, hoping that Nimue will see and let him down." 

Narcissa seemed to mull this over a minute, and the silence was enough to allow Andromeda to slip back into the first stages of sleep. 

"Andie?" "Hmm..." "Does Merlin..." "Hush, Cissy," Andromeda said, though she smiled as she said it. She gave her sister's hand a squeeze, and opened one eye to look at her. "Go to sleep now, alright? There's nothing to be scared of." The younger girl nodded and closed her eyes, flinching only slightly at then next roll of thunder. But the storm was moving off, and she too soon fell asleep. 

[blackswan-andromeda]

Haunt me

She lost track of Bellatrix. Bella had always been the most restless of the three of them, moving through their world like a comet. A blazing shooting star, bright and beautiful and dangerous. Bella shot by her and into the night so quickly that Andromeda hadn't even had the opportunity to blink. 

But Narcissa was like the stationary stars. Fixed and beautiful and so far away. It didn't matter how long or how far or how quickly Andie ran, she would never catch either of them. 

She could at least look after Cissy. Even now. 

Dying hadn't been painful. The memories had been, but the dying had not. Living had been pain upon pain, diluted by the brilliantly bright moments of happiness. But life had taken everything from Andromeda Tonks: her sisters, her husband, her daughter. Family after family torn to shreds, as if to avenge the tearing she'd done to marry Ted. 

No. Compared to life, dying had been easy. 

But she hadn't died. Not...entirely.There was still something left for her to do.

She found her sister in the old Malfoy manor, sitting wrapped in a shawl Andie recognized from long ago. Her hair was purest snowy white, now, her beautiful face lined with age and creased with old worries, but still as lovely as a new spring day. 

It took a moment for her eyes to find Andie, but when they did, they went wide as saucers. "Hello, Cissy," Andromeda said gently. "Did you miss me?" 

She knelt down in front of her sister's chair, knowing she must've looked as she had just before she'd been disowned. Narcissa's eyes had filled with tears, and Andie longed to reach up and brush them away. She knew that such a motion would only chill her sister. "I missed you," she said instead. "Every day." 

"Andie..."

"I'm sorry, Narcissa," Andromeda said, now. She could feel the moment coming, could see it in her sister's face. "I never told you, before, but I am. I loved Ted, I loved my daughter. I still do. But I never should have hurt you." 

In her memory, they ran hand in hand through grassy fields. Bellatrix and Andromeda and Narcissa, hair blowing in the wind. Free as birds, as wild as wolves, and as beautiful as the stars. 

"I'm frightened, Andie," Narcissa said. Her hands had begun to shake. "Don't be, darling. It doesn't hurt. Not a bit." "Draco. Where is Draco? He should be here." Andromeda did reach out, then, hoping the cold of her touch would calm instead of hurt. "He's with his wife and his son," she said. "I looked in on them before I came here. I've been looking out for all of you, you know. Even before I died. You did a good job, sweet Cissy. A marvelous job. And they will miss you quite dearly. But we can't wait, you know." 

Their birth years had been so close. So, too, would be the years of their deaths. 

"Come with me this time, Cissa," Andie whispered, listening as the breath began to come more dearly. "We won't have to haunt each other, anymore." 

That brought a smile to her sister's face, and Andromeda laughed with the relief of it. 

Narcissa's last breath came with the striking of the hallway clock, but she and Andie were gone before the last one tolled. Draco would find her there, not long after, would be comforted by his wife and child as he mourned her. But he would be comforted, too, by the smallest of smiles on his mother's lips. 

Scorpius never told his father, but he could've sworn that he'd heard two girls laughing as they'd gone up the mansion stairs.  He could've sworn that he'd seen a whirl of brown and blonde hair like leaves in autumn from the corner of his eye.