Narcissa

The Three Sisters

From the moment of her birth, Narcissa Black had never known the warmth of affection from her parents. Her father had cursed the very air when he learned she was a girl, yet another female in a lineage that craved sons. Her mother, too, saw her as nothing more than a disappointment, the unfulfilled hope of an heir. For a long time, their interactions were laced with cold indifference and scant attention, yet there was one thing they repeated often: that she was beautiful, exceptionally so.
And indeed, she was. Narcissa was a child with long, dark lashes that framed large, intense blue eyes. She had an aristocratically upturned nose and her mother's fine, shimmering blonde hair.

"I believe she will be so beautiful when she grows up that men will be lining up to marry her" Cygnus Black would say, appraising her with a calculating gaze. "She will marry a pureblood, noble wizard, choosing the best among them", asserted her mother, Druella Rosier, her voice firm with the conviction of her daughter's inevitable future. "It's not hard to imagine what she'll be like in a few years. She's bound to break many hearts."
These phrases were echoed so often that Narcissa grew up believing in her ordained destiny. It was all already written: she would grow even more beautiful, marry a well-to-do pureblood, and bear many pureblood children. Her children would all be boys, without a doubt.

"What are you thinking about with that focused expression?"
Narcissa barely managed to hear Andromeda's question over the cacophony of chatter, laughter, and sounds that swirled around the train platform. "About having children," she replied.
"You're only eleven!" exclaimed Andromeda.
"I've never liked babies," said Bellatrix, the eldest of the three sisters, joining the conversation. "They do nothing but cry and spit up all day. I hope I never have any children."
"I don't know yet", murmured Andromeda. "I don't know what I want to do with my life yet. But in the end, won't we do as we're destined to? We'll do what we're meant to do..."
"I am destined for great things!" Bellatrix declared with a determined glint in her eyes.

Andromeda decided to change the subject and turned to her younger sister: "Today you'll see Hogwarts for the first time, Cissy. Are you excited?"
"Excited? Not at all", replied Narcissa in a haughty tone, trying to rise above the other voices. She had fallen a few steps behind Andromeda and Bellatrix, her heavy trunk slowing her down. Bellatrix turned and gave Narcissa a sidelong glance. "What on earth have you stuffed in there? Did you pack your entire wardrobe?" And knowing Narcissa's vanity and attachment to her fine clothes, it couldn't have been otherwise. With a flick of her wand, she levitated Narcissa's trunk into the air, allowing it to float alongside her. The youngest Black sister resumed her brisk pace towards the Hogwarts Express, which was already teeming with students leaning out the windows or queuing at the doors. She soon noticed with a hint of satisfaction that people were giving her sisters curious looks, ranging from admiration to open disdain. "We have all eyes on us," she observed with delight, lifting her chin proudly.
"They're afraid of me," said Bellatrix. For her first day of school, she was wearing a mauve dress that accentuated her dark beauty, and Narcissa couldn't help but think that Bella indeed had the power to intimidate anyone with just a stare.
For her first day of school, Narcissa had meticulously prepared her appearance, wanting only to be admired like a precious jewel. She knew that Bellatrix's magnetic charisma and Andromeda's haughty demeanor could overshadow her own splendor, but she was more determined than ever to become as popular as they were. "I hope everyone will show me the same respect they already do to you two," she confessed, voicing her thoughts.
"Of course they will. You're a Black, and that's enough," Bellatrix declared. "Together, the three of us are untouchable."
Narcissa smiled proudly, her heart fluttering. Arriving in front of the Hogwarts Express, she smoothed down her dress and watched her sisters board the train. For a moment, she looked at both of them from below and felt that this was the most important moment. Somehow, she knew that her life was beginning now. She took a deep breath and climbed onto the train that would take her to school.