Chapter Text
And no one here's to blame,
but what about your quiet treason
Narcissa flung herself into her oldest sister’s arms. “Why didn’t you write me back?” she said, her face buried in Andromeda’s shoulder. Narcissa was as tall as her sister now, but she still felt comforted at the familiarity of Andromeda holding her closely.
“And pass up the opportunity to watch you play Quidditch?” Andromeda said. “I’m proud of you, Cissy. You, Reg, and Sirius are making the Black family look good.”
“Hiya, Andy,” Regulus joined them, pieces of his windswept hair falling out of his braid. “What’re you doing here?”
“Coming back to coach the Slytherin Quidditch team so you don’t lose the House Cup next year.”
“Ha-ha,” Regulus said.
Narcissa was worried Andromeda might ask Regulus to join them, or worse, Sirius, who was across the field with his team and seemed not to have spotted them yet. “I’m going to change!” she said. “Regulus, don’t you need to get ready for the Slytherin party? Someone needs to make sure Bea doesn’t drown herself, and you’re the most responsible.”
Narcissa hurried toward the changing rooms to swap her maroon robes for black ones, checking her long hair in the mirror. She liked the way she looked after a Quidditch match; it was when she felt the most alive, the most like a version of herself she liked. She wondered if Artemis ever noticed the difference.
Andy waited for her outside the changing rooms; as Andromeda guided them along the grounds in the direction of Hogsmeade, they passed the Gryffindor team, who were celebrating loudly as they walked back up toward the castle, someone having supplied something stronger than butterbeer. Sirius looked over at them, still clad in maroon robes, as they passed by and gave Andromeda a little wave. Andromeda waved back.
“So how’s school been?” Andromeda asked her as the cheers of the Gryffindor team faded into silence. The only sound remaining was the crunch of their feet over the gravel pathway. Narcissa tried to ignore the sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach, tried not to think about why Sirius hadn’t seemed surprised to see Andy at all.
“Fine,” Narcissa said. “now that OWLS are done. They weren’t too horrible. ”
“I’m sure you did well. You were always the best little scholar in our family.”
“Besides Sirius. He barely has to study.”
“Bellatrix was the same way,” Andromeda sighed. “Although too much genius makes you crazy, apparently.”
Narcissa observed her sister’s face, which looked much like Narcissa’s had just a few months prior, pre-magical alterations. Andromeda had the trademark Black long dark hair and ice-blue eyes; now her nose was stronger than Narcissa’s. Her eyes, though, had more creases around them than Cissy had seen before, and she had giant shadows that made it look like she’d been sleeping badly for weeks.
Andromeda filled her in on Dori’s first steps, her first words (“clock” and “yoghurt”), and how, the day she and Ted discovered their daughter was a Metamorphmagus, they briefly thought Dori had been kidnapped and been replaced with a Weasley.
Narcissa had assumed they were just taking a walk along the grounds, so she was confused when Andromeda pulled her away from the road that led to The Three Broomsticks and up a tree-covered hill toward an old decrepit shack instead. “Where are we going?” she asked.
“Somewhere with a little bit of privacy,” Andromeda said quietly.
“No places with indoor plumbing good enough for you?”
“We can’t risk being overheard, Narcissa.” Andromeda gave her a serious look before drawing her wand and muttering disillusion twice and a silencing charm for good measure. Both girls took on the color and texture of their surroundings, mostly trees. Andromeda then led Narcissa inside the old shack. The walls were covered in long scratches that could only have been made by some angry, rabid animal. Drops of blood splattered across one of the windows.
“What is this place?” Narcissa said, wrinkling her nose.
“Heard about it from a friend,” Andromeda said. “They guaranteed no one else would be here.”
“There’s no one else in a lot of places besides the Shrieking Shack. It’s a bit macabre in here, no?” Narcissa gripped her own wand tightly in her pocket, feeling a little spooked.
“Listen,” Andromeda said. “We’ll talk quickly and then we can go to Scrivenshafts. Do you want some new quills?” Narcissa didn’t deign to respond to that.
Andromeda finally sat down on a mattress with stuffing spilling out of large gashes, and gestured for Narcissa to sit beside her. Narcissa remained standing, and Andromeda sighed. “Look,” she said, twisting the gold band on her ring finger. “I didn’t get your letters until recently. I was away from home for a while for… work.”
“Work,” Narcissa repeated doubtfully.
“Exactly,” Andromeda nodded. “A big Healer’s conference. So I just got back last week, and I wanted to check on you. You had a vision?”
“Two,” Narcissa admitted, and with a sigh, she sat down on the mattress next to her older sister. “The first one I told you about in my letter. It was awful, Andy. I told you, I saw what happened to Sirius on Christmas Eve and then it came true just a few hours later. But it happened again a few weeks ago when I was at the Ministry. I was feeling off, then I fainted near the courtrooms, all the way on the lowest level in the Ministry, and I think I had a vision of... You know Lucius Malfoy? I’m almost positive it was him being dragged off to the Wizenmagot. As far as I know, that didn’t happen, though. He actually took me up to his office after and just carried on with his day.”
Andromeda was silent for a moment, then she let out a big sigh. “It wouldn’t surprise me if some day that came true, Cissy,” she said. “Not because of your vision, but because his family is under investigation for some Dark Magic. Be careful about who you associate with.”
Narcissa rolled her eyes. “Apparently he sleeps around; that’s the biggest gossip I got about him. And that’s not the point, Andromeda,” she said. “What about the visions? I’ve been losing sleep over this for months. I think Aunt Batty had them too, and look how our family treated her.” Here Narcissa reached beneath her robes and pulled out the gold locket and chain. “She left me this. Don’t you think that means something?”
“I have no idea if it means anything, Narcissa, but listen, being a seer could be useful, especially if you’re seeing something happening to our family. I wonder if you’re able to stop what you see in your visions from coming true. Last time I spoke with Mum, she told me she was going to Nice this summer to clean out Aunt Batty’s old home and get everything organized. You might want to go with her, see if you can find anything about Aunt Batty. I don’t know, maybe she kept a diary or something.”
Narcissa thought about it. The south of France for the summer didn’t sound too bad for a summer holiday. “Are you going?”
“No, I can’t. I’m busy with work.”
“Right.”
Andromeda shifted so she was looking directly at Cissy. “But getting out of London for the summer might be a good idea,” she pressed. “Have you spoken with our family at all?”
“Um, I’m trying not to,” Narcissa said.
“But Christmas sounded insane,” Andromeda continued. “What did Mum and Dad say after Sirius was gone?”
“Nothing, really,” she said. “You know how they are. They just stayed locked up in Uncle Orion’s office all day, probably plotting world domination.” She rolled her eyes.
“And your friends? Evan, Theo… How are they?”
“Fine, I guess. Why?” Narcissa narrowed her eyes at Andromeda.
“Just checking in,” Andromeda said. “Your letters made it sound like you were having a bit of a tough year beyond, you know, the visions. And you dyed your hair. It looks great, by the way, but a drastic hair change? Kind of a cry for help.”
Narcissa felt a flicker of irritation. She was able to refrain from making a barbed comment about Andromeda’s child being a literal Metamorphagus by reminding herself that Andromeda had come all this way to see her, and while she found Andromeda’s critical analysis of her appearance to be missing the point, Andy was her sister, the non-crazy one at that, and Andy had always been there for her. She had been the only person Narcissa had even considered telling about her visions, and now she was finally here, in the flesh, living and breathing and smelling like amber, the way she always had since she was a teenager. Who knew when this would happen again? So Narcissa continued. “Evan and his girlfriend Lulu — remember her? — they are, like, hardcore Voldemort supporters at this point. They talked about dropping out to ‘serve,’ which Theo and I both tried to tell them is a terrible idea. And they’ve actually been spending time with Bella, apparently, and it’s caused drama in our friend group. Dorcas won’t speak to any of us. Theo and I are trying to keep out of it, but it’s harder than it seems. I know you were able to escape it all, but I need to finish at Hogwarts, Andromeda. I can’t leave yet, so I feel like I just have to be on Mum and Dad’s side on everything even if I don’t always want to be.”
Andromeda reached out and squeezed her hand. “I wish you got to finish your time at Hogwarts without a war going on. Your friends who want so badly to serve Voldemort don’t even understand what they’re signing up for. Power and exclusivity look glamorous from a distance, but close-up, it’s just a bunch of people who’ve lost their souls. Please take care of yourself and hold onto Theo. I wish I could say I think the war will be over soon, but I don’t believe that’s true. You guys will need each other in the years to come. And remember, you always have me and Ted. As a matter of fact, try to keep me updated as much as possible, even if I can’t always respond.”
When their conversation was finally over, the Black sisters exited the Shrieking Shack, Narcissa glad to leave its dusty interior behind. They spent the remainder of the quiet afternoon walking around Hogsmeade until the sun set, Andromeda reminiscing on her own Hogwarts days. Narcissa filled her in on their Quidditch season, up until that point relatively successful, and about Selena Swiftspell, a pop-music witch Artemis had introduced her to who was touring that summer. She even told Andromeda she’d been dating someone, although she refused to name names; she wasn’t ready for that secret to be out in the world. Andromeda filled her in on the latest in Muggle music and a good novel she’d read recently. They avoided any talk of dark magic or Andromeda’s “work trip,” of dark marks or their family. They simply enjoyed their time together, giggling at silly pictures of Dori, lingering over elegant pieces of stationery, spending their time in contented silence. Narcissa was sorry to see her sister go. They embraced each other hard before Andromeda bid her farewell at the Hogwarts gate.
“Remember, keep me updated,” Andromeda said with a wave, and then she apparated; with a pop, it was like she had never been there at all.
Summer holiday was beginning in twenty-four hours, and the Slytherin common room was looking sparse. Gone were the ink wells and chess sets, the library books and odd pieces of parchment left behind by exhausted witches and wizards. The sunlight reflecting off the surrounding lake reflected little bubbles across the dungeon walls. Their dorm rooms were mostly packed; Dorcas’ stuff was still laying about, but Narcissa figured Dorcas would wait until she and Lulu were out of the room to finish gathering her things. Narcissa was looking forward to one last lie-in in her four-poster, a hearty Hogwarts breakfast, and an afternoon spent out on the grounds with Theo, Lulu, and Evan. Alas, it was not meant to be.
Throughout breakfast in the Great Hall, there seemed to be a few more glances toward the Slytherin table than usual; however, partly because the other House had increasing issues with Slytherin all year, and partly because she was focused more on Theo’s story of how he’d accidentally transformed his quill into a raven that quoted poetry during his exam and had no idea how he’d done it, Narcissa didn’t pay any mind to it. After they’d happily cleaned their plates, Narcissa and her friends burst out of the stately front doors and onto the Hogwarts grounds, feeling the freedom of summer close. There was not a cloud in the sky; Scotland was gently welcoming them to summer. Narcissa even thought she spotted a butterfly, although it could have just been magic.
They were making their way down to the lake when Narcissa saw Artemis and a few others sitting underneath a willow tree. “Let’s say hi,” she nudged Theo, who cottoned on and agreed. Artemis was sitting with two of her fourth year Ravenclaw friends, Gladys Gludgeon and Septimus Vector, and they were pouring over a copy of the Daily Prophet.
“Hiya, Cissy! Theo, Ev, Lulu, how are you?”
Evan plopped down on the lawn next to Artemis and kicked back, head laying on his arms; they had become pals over the course of the Quidditch season.
“What’s going on in that gossip rag,” Lulu asked by way of greeting to the Ravenclaws; they both looked up at her in surprise.
“Lulu,” Narcissa said under her breath. Lulu didn’t always realize how rude she came across.
“We were just reading that juicy exposée everyone’s been talking about all morning,” Artemis said, looking over at Lulu. “So I suppose it is a bit gossipy. Someone at the Prophet seems to have a bone to pick with some of the older magical families.”
“Let me see that?” Narcissa asked the Ravenclaws. The girl with the long brown braid down her back, Gladys, reluctantly handed it over to her. An image of a silvery, ancient Gringotts vault slowly opening played out on repeat across the top of the page. Narcissa quickly scanned below it, looking for any mention of her family’s name but finding Lulu’s family instead.
Tattle-Tale or Tell-All? The Old Blood’s Dark Secrets
For centuries, the Sacred Twenty-Eight have cloaked themselves in tradition, powerful magic, and wealth, and as of late, it appears that “collusion” should be added to those descriptors. These families have been publicly championing a thorough magical education for all, but what have they been doing in secret? Sources have reported to The Prophet that behind closed doors, some of these aristocratic houses are entangled in forbidden practices outlawed by the Ministry outlawed centuries ago.
Records leaked by an anonymous source at Gringotts reveal several transfers of dark objects, cursed heirlooms, and gold from the Malfoys, the Wilkes, and the Lestranges to one specific vault — that of former Hogwarts golden boy Tom Riddle, who these days is rumored to be going by the moniker “The Dark Lord.” What he is doing with these objects can not be said for sure; however, reputable sources suggest that they may be linked to disappearances of those with muggle blood in their families. Another source who spoke under the condition of strict anonymity reported frequent gatherings of neighbors at late hours at Abraxos Malfoy’s Manor, regularly followed by the sounds of screams late into the evening hours. To read more, continue on Page 6.
“‘Screams late into the evening hours’?” said Lulu with derision, reading over Narcissa’s shoulder. “This is just typical slandering of powerful families by jealous nobodies under the guise of journalism.”
Everyone looked at her blankly.
“What?” she said defensively. “If the Malfoys were torturing people, as this clearly insinuates, they’d obviously use a silencing charm. They’re not idiots.”
“Maybe,” said the Ravenclaw boy, Septimus, matter-of-factly. “Their political associations aren’t exactly a secret, though.”
“So it’s a crime to be a supporter of a politician now?” Lulu snapped. “Being involved in politics justifies your name being dragged through the mud?”
They all looked on warily as Lulu wound herself up. Narcissa risked a glance at Artemis, who watched Lulu with eyes narrowed.
“Obviously that’s not what he’s saying,” Gladys jumped in. “But no one can pretend muggleborns and half-bloods aren’t targets of magical violence. It’s not right.” Theo shifted in the grass and Evan sat up, both on high alert.
“Aw, it’s not fair,” Lulu continued in a mocking voice before stating, coldly. “Some people will always have more power than others; that’s how life works.” Narcissa inwardly willed Gladys to shut up.
“But that power should be used to lift others up, not oppress,” Gladys continued. “It’s not—” but she was cut off as, at that moment, Lulu lifted her wand, pointed it directly at Gladys, and said “Eleventus” in a girlish, cheerful voice. A quick, isolated gust of wind swirled around Gladys like a tornado and trapped her, lifting her high into the air.
“Lulu, stop!” Artemis cried out, but Lulu ignored her.
Septimus lunged for Lulu with his wand, and Evan blocked him with a shield charm. “You don’t want to do that, mate,” Evan said.
“What’s the problem?” Lulu said, looking directly at Gladys, who dangled upside down in a funnel of wind, eyes wide in terror. “I’m powerful, and I’m using that power to lift you up, like you wanted.”
“Lulu!” Both Artemis and Theo were shouting at her to stop.
Narcissa said nothing, watching this play out with a sick feeling in her stomach. She was a coward, and she knew it. What Lulu was doing was not okay. She needed to speak up, to say something, anything. She opened her mouth, but nothing came out.
Finally, Lulu let a stunned, sobbing Gladys fall to the ground and stood tall over her. “Be careful how you talk to me,” she said, looking down at the shaking figure on the ground. Then she turned and stalked off toward the lake, Evan throwing a worried glance at Narcissa before running after her.
Artemis and Septimus knelt on the soft grass next to Gladys, Theo and Narcissa lingering hesitantly a few feet behind them. They got Gladys up to her feet, and Theo jumped in to place one of Gladys’ arms over his shoulder to help Septimus walk her up to the hospital wing. Artemis watched them hobble up toward the school for a moment before turning to look at Narcissa. She was silent, and Narcissa realized she was waiting for her to speak first.
“I’m sorry,” Narcissa whispered, ashamed. “Lulu…”
“Lulu’s crazy,” Artemis said loudly, cutting her off, and Narcissa's heart nearly stopped as she realized Artemis was angry with her. “But you… you not doing anything to stop her is even crazier.”
“I know, I should have done something. I just panicked,” Narcissa said, almost pleading.
“We’ve never talked about your family being Voldemort supporters before,” Artemis said after a moment. “I guess that was stupid of me. I never asked because I wanted to believe that you weren’t like them, and I was afraid to know the truth.”
“I’m not like them,” Narcissa said. She could feel her heart thudding in her chest.
“I’m a Slytherin too, Narcissa. I know what most Slytherins believe in, and I understand the pressure to conform. For all the time we’ve known each other, I thought you were better than that, the blood-purity bullshit.”
Tears prickled in the back of Naricssa’s eyes, and they both were silent, Artemis scrutinizing Narcissa’s face like she was trying to solve a puzzle, trying to make sense of the answer she was finding.
“Artemis,” Narcissa said suddenly. “What Lulu did was not okay, but—”
“But what you did was nothing, and that’s also not okay,” Artemis interrupted. “Seeing you step aside to let your friend essentially torture another student over a newspaper article makes you complicit too. Do you understand that? You’re okay with that?”
There was none of the usual affection with which Artemis usually looked at her in Artemis’ apple green eyes. Instead, there was something akin to disgust. Narcissa could see that whatever magic had happened between them over the past three months was disappearing before her very eyes, and her shields, which had been lowered lately, letting Artemis in, snapped back up.
She was reminded of the conversation that had taken place in the Slytherin common room a few months ago, when she had tried to minimize the war, and Lulu had told her off for it. She could hear Lulu’s voice in her head. “You’re not listening, Cissy. The war is going to happen whether or not you deny it... You think what goes on here isn’t connected to what goes on out there? Be careful how you speak, or someone might grow suspicious you’re more like Dorcas, or your imbecile cousin Sirius, than we thought.”
She had replied, at the time, “I’m not.”
Lulu had given her an ultimatum then, and Artemis was giving her one now. She had another choice to make, and while her heart said Artemis, the practical side of her won out. The war had permeated every aspect of her life, which was filled with people more similar to Lulu than to Artemis. It was simply easier to acquiesce with their side, their views in the war, than to fight the current. Narcissa wanted to reason with Artemis, to explain, but instead, she simply shrugged. “I guess you didn’t know me that well,” she said, and turned her back on Artemis. She walked down to the lake, where she saw Lulu and Evan in the distance. Evan was taking off his socks and shoes to run around in the shallow water, mind already onto the next topic.
As she walked away, Narcissa wanted more than anything to look behind her, to have Artemis beg for her, to tell her not to go, to give her a second chance, but her pride was won out in the end, and she didn't look back.
That night, Narcissa shut the curtains to her four-poster bed and laid back on her bed. Her mind felt as though she was in freefall through a meaningless void, as though she was tumbling from the top of a very tall cliff, no end in sight. Artemis had brought a semblance of balance, of peace, some goodness into Narcissa’s life at a time where it felt otherwise tumultuous, and now that was gone. She was staring down the barrel of a summer of isolation; she was no closer to figuring out her visions; she was mourning a loss she hadn’t seen coming. She couldn’t stop picturing the coldness and betrayal in Artemis’ eyes as Narcissa had turned away from her earlier, and she finally, at last, let the tears fall, felt them run down the sides of her face and onto her pillow, doing nothing to stop them.
The next morning, on the way to the train, Lulu and Evan were summoned to the Headmaster’s office. They didn’t make it to the station in time for the train, so Narcissa and Theo rode the Hogwarts Express without them. It was a far cry from previous years when it had been the five of them, Dorcas included, reminiscing about the school year, full of excitement for their summer travel and time off from studying.
As the train picked up speed out of Hogsmeade Station, smoke billowing above it, Narcissa leaned her head against the glass, mourning what she knew she was leaving behind, what she would later consider the last of the golden years before the war really began in earnest, when there was still a notion that she could remain neutral in it all. Theo reached over and squeezed her hand, and they stayed like that until they reached Platform 9 and ¾, and their last golden year at Hogwarts came to an end.