Blackbird

chapter 23

Andromeda would be forever grateful to Slughorn. All right, perhaps that was an exaggeration, but most teachers highly discouraged bathroom breaks during class time. Slughorn though, had always been fond of her. It was one of the perks of being committed to her studies, and one of the only Slytherin's who wasn't a prat.

She always preferred the bathroom at this hour, as she didn't have to deal with the gaggle of girls who stared at her and whispered. People had seen her with Rabastan enough to know something was up, though thankfully, mercifully, their engagement was still somehow a secret. There was no telling how long that would last though, or what would happen should the truth finally break out.

She let out a long sigh as she entered the empty bathroom, only to discover it wasn't empty. There was a girl standing by the mirrors.

"Sorry, I—"the girl whirled around, and her sentence trailed off.

"Narcissa?" Andromeda smiled as she stepped forward. She'd been looking for alone time, but alone time with her baby sister was a close second.

Narcissa however, continued to stare at her with wide eyes, her lips pressed so tightly they trembled. Andromeda recognized that look. As it was one she herself had worn on several occasions. It was the look of someone who wanted desperately to hide something, and was terrified of failing.

"What are you doing here?" Meda asked slowly, hoping this would ease her sister's tension.

"Just... just freshening up." Narcissa's eyes remained transfixed on Andromeda until she reached the mirror next to Narcissa, at which point her gaze promptly flitted away.

Andromeda gave her sister another smile, though this one was much more forced. Clearly, something was up. For one thing, her sister hardly ever needed freshening up as badly as she did now. Her hair was pulled back into a ponytail— something she never did— and it was frizzy. Frizzy. Her eyes had that sunken, dark look of someone who wasn't sleeping well. And her lips were pulled down in a way Andromeda had never seen, almost like her sister was too tired to really smile.

Of course, she knew why her sister was tired. It was the same reason Meda found herself stiffing yawns and resisting the urge to close her eyes in class; she was sneaking out with her boyfriend. Though Narcissa's secret romance seemed to be taking more of a physical toll on her than Andromeda's.

Meda sighed, turning to the sink as she splashed water on her face. She'd never had to think about what to say to her sister. The words had just come. But that was price of secrets. It created a distance, a barrier, that only the truth itself could overcome.

She turned off the water, taking another deep breath. That was it then. She had to get her sister to open up about her relationship with Rodolphus. It was the only way she could help her.

So... I've been hearing rumors about you." She didn't look at her sister yet, but she saw Narcissa stiffen out of the corner of her eye. That wasn't exactly the reaction she was looking for, but maybe this next part would loosen her up.

"Rumors that you've been seeing someone." She made sure her voice had just the right amount of flirtation it in, exactly the way Narcissa had taught her, but her sister only tensed up further.

"Who told you that?"

Andromeda put her finger to her lips, smiling softly. "Wasn't it you that told me a good sister never reveals her sources?"

Narcissa only shook her head and looked away. "I'm not seeing anyone."

Something shifted inside, Meda, but she ignored it as she rolled her eyes. "Please, there's no way a girl like you could stay single for that long."

Narcissa's gaze whipped back up to her. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"It's just that..." Narcissa was glaring at her. Narcissa never glared at her. Andromeda felt herself flushing. "It's you. You know, you aren't exactly the single type."

"Because you know so much about it," Narcissa muttered, her voice like venom.

Andromeda's face was beet red now. "I just meant that you're a beautiful girl," Narcissa shot her another glare, "and charming, and romantic, and any guy would be a fool not to date you."

Narcissa started to smile, but it was darker, and didn't reach her eyes. "Some of us are free to play the field, Andromeda."

She'd never said her name like that, like it was an insult in and of itself. Andromeda almost flinched. This wasn't going at all how she'd expected, but why? Why wouldn't Narcissa open up to her?

She sighed. "Are you sure there's not—"

"How many times do I have to tell you?" Narcissa cut her off. "I'm not seeing anyone."

"All right,"Andromeda said, as calmly as she could considering the situation. Narcissa turned away with a huff.

Andromeda took a deep breath. "But if it you were. You know you can tell me. No matter who it was."

Narcissa began washing her hands, not looking up."I know.

"And I mean that. Anyone. I'd be happy for you." Actually, happy isn't the word she would use to describe her sister being with Rodolphus, even before she'd overheard him talking with those Slytherin boys about turning Teresa inside out. Unfortunately, there weren't many fish in the pureblood sea. But as long as he didn't hurt her sister, there wasn't much else Meda could ask for.

"You can trust..." Her hand brushed over her sister's shoulder, but Narcissa flinched like Meda had punched her instead. Narcissa turned off the water, hastily grabbing her pack. "I have to go."

"Wait I—"Andromeda started, but it was too late. Her sister was already gone.

Andromeda placed her hands on either side of the sink, breathing deeply. To say that had gone worse than she'd expected wasn't even covering it. She'd failed, again, to reach her sister. It was like she was losing her entirely, even though that idea felt as foreign to her as muggle children flying on broomsticks to school, or Ted remembering which fork his salad fork was.

There was something else that bothered her too. Something Narcissa had done had reminded her of Bellatrix, a frightening notion in and of itself. Not long-ago Bellatrix had flinched when Andromeda had come close to touching her arm, and now Narcissa had done the same. It was like they didn't want her to touch them, like they were afraid they'd be infected.

Her grip on the sink became painful. What if they knew? Knew about her and Ted? It would certainly explain their strange behavior. Except, there was no way they'd keep something like that a secret for long. Bellatrix hadn't last time.

There was something going with both of them. No, all three of them. She had a secret too. They each had one, one they weren't willing to share, and it was driving all of them apart.

And she had no idea how to fix it.

Her sigh was internal this time, the kind that filled your entire body, as she turned away from the bathroom window. It was Friday, which meant she had bigger concerns than Narcissa's secret love life.