Ever the loyal daughter, Anastasia Black is focused on pleasing her parents and holding the together the crumbling relationship between her brothers. At first, she does not think the scarred and quiet Remus Lupin will put a rut into these plans. Tha...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Narcissa Black finished her letter and bottled her ink. She had heard what happened at her cousins' house over break. In her opinion, the situation had been rather inevitable. Sirius had always been a rebel.
She glanced at her younger cousins sitting on the couch in a conversation with the younger Nott boy. She didn't know his name. At least he was a pureblood.
She had seen the faint bruises on Anastasia's jaw, and how Regulus had a nosebleed at least once a week. When surrounded by it, one knew how to detect the signs of the cruciatus curse.
Her parents had never put her under it, after seeing what happened to Bellatrix. Her other sister's (she didn't even dare think her name) betrayal had solidified it. They had to keep one daughter present, one daughter sane for the family's sake.
They had succeeded. she was to marry Lucius Malfoy the month after she graduated. It would be a big celebration, with all the notable, pureblood wizarding families attending. Then she was expected to birth heir after heir. Her life had been planned out from the day she was born, and she didn't exactly have a problem with it. Lucius was rich, powerful, and kind enough to her that she wasn't repulsed by the idea of marrying him.
She couldn't see her cousin doing the same. While Anastasia certainly had the looks and heritage to secure a decent husband, she was such a pushover that Narcissa didn't find it possible. She would collapse under the pressure of a traditional pureblood husband.
She watched the girl laugh at something the Nott boy said. Perhaps she could marry him- they at least seemed to get along. That was already a better start than most arranged couples had.
Narcissa tapped Anastasia on the shoulder. "Could I have a word, Ana?"
As inconspicuously as she could, Ana stood up and sat in the corner with the blonde. Narcissa was excellent at reading people. She would be able to tell something was up if Ana's act wasn't good enough. Bellatrix had often called her a seer- even though it was far from the truth.
"Would you tell me what happened over break?" She didn't even attempt to sugarcoat it.
"I'm sure you've heard the bulk of it from your mother. Sirius ran away and my parents disowned him."
"I meant, what happened to you and Regulus. I can tell that they cursed you."
Ana pursed her lips. Narcissa was a mouthy woman. whatever she told her would spread around the family at rapid fire speed. "They didn't curse us," she lied.
"Then how did you get that bruise on your jaw?" She wasn't going to back down. The blonde leaned in closer. "And why does Regulus look as if he's going to pass out?"
