Willing change: revised edition

1

Bellatrix paced back and forth as her sister shifted awkwardly, arms crossed and an uneasy look on her face. The tension in the room made her shoulders feel as if they were made of lead. Her nose scrunched a bit before she quietly broke the silence.

"Bella, maybe it was wrong."

Bellatrix stopped abruptly, her finger tapping on her wand before she looked at her sister. Her eyes were wild, anger and confusion swirling in them.

"Prophecies are never wrong cissy."

Narcissa was hurt by the soft, defeated tone in her sister's voice. She hadn't seen her like this since their father forced Bella to marry that brute Rodolphus.

" What did it say? Let me hear it bella."

Bellatrix shook her head before walking over to the table with her sister. She looked at her for reassurance and let out a sigh when Narcissa lightly rubbed her back. She picked the orb up and readied herself to hear that damned Prophecy.

"Muddied blood will combine with pure. The dark lord's second and girl of gold. The two bonded will end the suffering. The dark lord will come to an end."

Narcissa looked at her sister and held her arms. She pushed her unruly curls out of her face only for them to fall back.

"Bella look at me."

Bellatrix glanced up, raking her curls back with her nails. 

"Yes, cissy?"

Bellatrix prepared for the same fate as Andromeda but instead to her surprise she was squeezed in a tight hug.

Narcissa clung tight to her sister as tears filled her eyes. She buried her face into the shorter woman's shoulder.

"Bella I won't lose you over a mudblood. Not after we lost Andy because she married Ted. You have no idea how much I want to go and see her and see our niece. I won't do what our parents did."

Bella gritted her teeth and broke free from her sister's embrace. Her sister looked at her with worry in her eyes. Bellatrix snarled and cackled.

"The dark lord will live and win. I will not dirty my hand by even touching that filth!"

Narcissa gave her a stern look, at the same time trying to hold back tears.

"Bellatrix we don't have time to be prejudice. With this prophecy and what Sirius has written us about."

Bellatrix threw her hands up and gave a huffing chuckle.

"What Cissy? What could possibly be worse than this?"

Narcissa stood firm.

"No one said that it was more important than your unfortunate prophecy, Bella. But it is time to stop the prejudice act in it's tracks. He found her. She should be arriving at Grimmauld place any day. She's been living as a muggle orphan."

Bellatrix tensed up and sucked her teeth. She had a white knuckled grip on her wand as she paced.

"Great. Just fantastic. A Black. A Black that thinks she's a muggle. Is she even pure!?"

"From what we know, yes but why should that matter? She's family."

"No she's no-"

She was stopped swiftly by Narcissa's broken voice.

"Is Sirius not your cousin? Is Andy not your sister? They are Blacks."

Bellatrix shook as she snarled at her sister.

"Don't you ever use Andromeda against me."

"Then look at what you're doing! This girl is your cousin, instead of being a family that she didn't have she's coming into hate and venom. And this poor girl you're meant to find. To be with… Just being cast aside before she's even given a chance before you ever even meet her. You need to look at yourself Bellatrix.

She turned on her heels and rushed up the stairs to her room, leaving Narcissa in the study, drying her eyes.

grimmauld place

Hermione sat at the kitchen table with the rest of the order watching Tonks do her pig nose trick. She laughed and ate as she enjoyed time with her friends.

After dinner she wandered through the place, studying the rooms. As she turned to leave the room she was in she spotted the huge family tree on the wall. Crookshanks pushed past her legs, walking up to the wall and letting out a low meow.  She walked closer looking at the pictures and names. As her cat stood on his heind legs patting at one of the pictures she skimmed over them.

She saw Sirius, and Narcissa Malloy with her husband Lucius next to her. When she looked at the picture before Narcissa's, her brow crumpled in confusion. Tonks stood behind her, watching. She crossed her arms and spoke up.

"That's where my moms photo used to be. My grandfather burnt it out because she married my father."

Hermione looked back at Tonks and back at the wall. She raised her brow.

"Is the whole black family this odd?"

"No, some are good. Like sirius."

Hermione smiled at this but it changed as tonks put her finger up. Hermione watched her ready herself to speak. Tonks placed her finger on the photo before her mothers.

"This is my aunt. The eldest of the black sisters. Whatever you three do, stay away from her."

She rubbed the back of her neck and stretched. 

"Alright I'm hitting the sack, night Mione."

She patted Hermione on the shoulder and left her in the room alone. Hermione looked at the photo and an uneasy feeling crept into her stomach. She couldn't place the feeling but she shook it off and made her way to her room, leaving Crookshanks mewing in the room.

When she entered the room Harry and Ron were already in bed. Harry sat reading the daily prophet and Ron already snoring. Harry looked at her and grinned.

"You see what they're calling you in the papers?"

Without her answering he showed her the front page that read 'Hermione Granger: The Golden Girl.' He laughed as Hermione groaned laying in her bed.

"Golden girl…there's nothing special about me…" 

With this Harry put the paper down and looked at her.

"Hermione, you are smart, resourceful and strong. Me and Ron would be dead without you." 

A small smile found itself on the young witches face, Harry smiled back and laid back in his bed. Hermione closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep.