Symphony | Andromeda Black

Toujours Pur

This cover is beautiful and it was made by sarsasstic, who is part of a great account called underdoggos. Please show some love. This book is part of a series about the Black sisters, and this one definitely should be read first. It is if you like the main book, with the other two, Rhapsody and Melody, being insights into Bellatrix and Narcissa's lives once the three sisters went their separate ways. I hope you enjoy!

The tapestry had been in the drawing room of Grimmauld Place for as long as Andromeda could remember. Granted, she was only six years old, so that wasn't very long. But her older sister Bellatrix was nine, and as far as Andromeda was concerned, she knew everything. The entire family was on it, each member's picture and birthdate magically added when they were born, deathdate added when they died. She had spent a lot of time running her fingers over the little golden lines over the years, but currently the three Black sisters were crowded around the ornate cradle in the middle of the room.

The adults were all in the drawing room, except their aunt Walburga, who was still confined in bed upstairs, as she had been since the baby was born. This meant the children had been banished to the parlour. They had ostensibly come to see the new baby, but none of the adults seemed to have much interest in him and Andromeda was seriously disappointed in Sirius so far. He just lay in his cradle, blinking up at them. He didn't do anything, not even when she had poked him. The youngest sister, Narcissa, had thrown him her toy rabbit in hopes he might play with it, but he just stared up at them bemusedly.

"He's so boring," Bellatrix complained. "I wish he would do something."

Andromeda hopefully nudged the toy rabbit towards him, but Mr Flopsy lay unloved and unwanted. Narcissa tried to jump up to see him, but Bellatrix elbowed her out of the way.

"Stop blocking my view, Cissy. You won't see, you're too little."

"I'm not little! I'm four!"

"Exactly," Bellatrix said smugly, and she made a face at the baby. "Can you hear me, baby?"

Sirius gurgled.

Bellatrix reached inside the cradle and pinched him with her sharp nails. He began to wail.

"Bella!" Andromeda's eyes flashed to the drawing room door.

"What? He's finally doing something, at least."

"The adults might hear!"

"I'm not scared of them," Bellatrix said dismissively, but she quickly withdrew her hand from the cradle. They waited for a moment but there were no voices, no opening door, and absolutely no break in the low murmur of conversation from the drawing room.

Bellatrix's shoulders relaxed. Even though she pretended she wasn't, Andromeda knew she was still scared of their father. Cygnus Black could give you a caning so bad you couldn't sit down for a week.

"I'm bored of the baby anyway," Bellatrix turned away from him as his wails turned to little gasps. Andromeda gently patted his wet cheek, then took out Mr Flopsy because she knew Narcissa wouldn't be able to sleep without him. Mr Flopsy had been given to Narcissa by a kind nurse when she was two years old and had to go to hospital for a bad fever. It was the only toy any of them owned.

"Is baby Sirius on the tapestry, Bella?" Narcissa asked, taking her rabbit from Andromeda and holding him tightly.

"Of course he is," her big sister sat on the leather chair and crossed her legs.

Andromeda craned her neck to look at the tapestry. It was elaborate and long, golden lines stretching out and matching letters making dates. Each person had a little picture that stared. She didn't often like looking at her scowling ancestors, especially the ruined face of Great Grandfather Black, who had been attacked by a dragon and scarred. He gave her chills. One night her mother had laughed at her when she tearfully proclaimed she couldn't sleep because she was terrified Great Grandfather Black was watching her from her wardrobe. Even though that had been a couple of years ago and Andromeda was quite grown up now, she still carefully avoided looking at his scarred face.