Blackbird

Chapter 57

She hit the ground with a thud, knocking the wind out of her lungs. For a minute she could only lie there, stunned. Apparating twice in such a short time had taken its toll, and she needed a moment to breathe.

Except, the moment she did, she remembered Ted. The pleading look in his eye. Their last kiss, the desperation, devotion, and despair had all warped themselves together. The way he screamed out her name.

Her tears began to fall fresh, but she wiped them away. Somewhere around here was Lorie, she hoped. She couldn't imagine them taking her elsewhere. The Lestrange manor was large and expansive, with plenty of places for them to hide a muggleborn from her parents and any ministry official that came sniffing around.

After one more steadying breath, she rose to her feet and approached the large Black gate that led to her home. It was so strange to call it that, after all the misfortune that had befallen her there, but that was still what it was. A part of her belonged there, and maybe it was time to accept that.

The cobbled path that led to her home was lined with fountains, flowers, and elaborate statues. As a child, she had loved to play here, but now the statues and the flowers felt cold and foreboding, like hostile strangers.

The gargoyles that guarded her door followed her movements. They would spring into life should anyone unwanted approach the house, but Andromeda was not unwanted, not yet.

As she reached the giant black door she felt a chill wash over her, but she also felt a fire race through her as she pulled the door open.

The creak rang through the silent hallway, and for a moment, she feared she had revealed herself. But the hall remained silent. That was not uncommon. When they were not expecting company, her family often retreated to their own private corners of the manor.

Still, it was best not to linger in the light, which is why she quickly moved to a shadowy corner. Her manor was too big for her to search for Bella aimlessly, but she hadn't gotten Outstanding in almost all her OWLs for nothing.

"Reveal humans," she whispered. A faint light appeared on the end of her wand, as she rotated slightly, it grew brighter. It was leading her toward the basement. Of course, their basement was essentially only used by Star. The rest of her family would never venture down there.

Ignoring the beat her heart skipped, she made her way slowly down the staircase. The already cool manor draft seemed to drop dramatically as she descended, and soon she was shivering. Though that could have been from nerves. Her wand grew brighter, and soon, she heard voices.

"Nox," she whispered hurriedly, and her wand went out. Doing her best to control her shivers, she quietly made her way down the staircase and into the hallway below. The voices came from a room at the end of the hall, where Star kept many of her cleaning supplies if Meda was not mistaken. She inched forward as closely as she dared, stopping when she could make out what the faint voices were saying.

"—never should have brought her back in the first place." She was surprised to recognize Rabastan's voice. He sounded agitated, and that was putting it mildly.

"If you had managed to nab Andromeda when you had her," Rodolphus' chilling drawl sent shivers down her spine. "I wouldn't have had to."

"Guess manhandling women isn't my strong suit." Rabastan retorted. "I'll leave that to you." She'd never heard Rabastan talk to his brother like that before, with a voice like acid. She had a feeling she knew what Rabastan was referring to.

"You'd do well to follow my example. Can't have a weak thing like Andromeda ruling over you."

Rodolphus's comment confirmed her suspicions. She found herself making a mental note