The Sisters Black

A tragedy.

Hey! It's been a while since I've been active, but I updated my Marauders series on ao3 yesterday and I'm really proud of the new chapter (I think it's one of the best things I've ever written, actually); and since it's the first chapter from Narcissa's POV it works well enough as a standalone piece of writing, so I figured I'd cross-post it here, too :)

The only context you need is 1) it starts as a flashback, but present-day is Christmas Eve 1972, 2) Narcissa found out about Andromeda's relationship with Ted Tonks during August 1972, which caused a falling-out between the two of them, and 3) Narcissa still kept that relationship secret from the rest of the family. Also, there's a teensy bit of mildly violent child abuse at the end. You have been warned.

(Also also, it's long. If I could put more than one 'keep reading' cut, I would. You have once again been warned.)

•••

Narcissa Druella Black, aged four and one quarter, pearl of her mother’s eye and diamond of her family tree, had never liked the house in London. 

It certainly wasn’t as nice as her house, which was much larger, and prettier, and had an outside with lots of grass and trees and flowers, instead of dirty-looking bricks and Muggles. Her house was sunny, and warm, and filled with sparkly things—but the London house was dark, and cold, and the whole thing always smelled a bit like an attic. Except for today. Today it also smelled a bit like blood.

Cissy shuddered. She hated blood.

She wanted to leave, but that was against the rules, and anyway, Andy was holding her hand. Andy was nine, and very good at following the rules. She never would have let Cissy leave. Bella might have—but then she would have told. And then she would have laughed while Cissy got in trouble. 

They were in the drawing room on the first floor now, and they were waiting for something. Cissy couldn’t remember what. She hoped it wasn’t anything to do with the blood smell.