Château de Aurilles,
Annecy, France,
1958
"It's beautiful, isn't it?"
Three girls sit on the grass, in the massive garden located in the Northwestern part of the estate.
"It is. It belongs to the family of Nypmhalidae and it's called...," seven year old Andromeda explains to her younger sister Narcissa who listens in rapt attention.
Bellatrix Black is only half listening to her sisters, her gaze fixated on the little insect. It flutters on the lawn, it's crimson wings starkly contrasting the vivid green.
It's fascinating to watch, Bella muses.
"It's wing is broken," little Cissy observes out loud.
Its forewing is indeed broken, the wafer thin appendage twitching uselessly as the insect tries to take flight. A blade of grass has punctured the yellow stripe running along the border of the wing, further disabling the butterfly.
"Do you think it's in pain?"
"It must be. It's wing is broken."
"Let's take it to Father. Perhaps he can heal it."
Easily the gentlest of them all, six year old Narcissa slips one tiny finger into the grass and dislodges the blade and with a deftness often absent among younger children, she scoops the butterfly into her palms.
"He can," Andromeda agrees. Their father Cygnus is rather adept at healing charms. The three of them peer at the insect now cradled safely in Cissy's hands.
It still flails pathetically, unable to fly and unlike her sisters, Bellatrix cannot find it in herself to sympathise with the creature. She strokes the delicate wing and her fingers tighten their hold on it.
Poor weak little thing.
She tears the wing off completely.
Narcissa screams and drops her hands. "Why did you do that?"
Andromeda's hands fly to her mouth and she looks at her older sister for the very first time in undisguised horror.
"It was beautiful," Bella says to her youngest sister who has tears in her eyes, her little face red. "But it's a shame it was weak and there is no beauty in weakness, Cissy. Remember that."
****
Black Manor,
London, England,
1960
Bellatrix traces the familiar route from her bedroom to her Uncle Orion's study with a sense of growing anticipation.
Her mother Druella gives her a disapproving glance from the corner of her eye as she passes through the living room and rounds the corridor that leads to the study. Torches along the wall flicker in the passageway; their flame casting long shadows that play tricks on the mind, especially after dark.
Bellatrix knows that she should be in bed but when Kreacher came in and announced that her Uncle had sent for her, she simply had to go.
YOU ARE READING
My Godfather
FanfictionIn 1992, Pettigrew was captured and Sirius was declared innocent. The first thing he did after his acquittal was offer Harry a home. The moment his godson accepted his invitation, he swore to himself that he would do right by the boy and always prot...
