Black's House for Little Witches

33

A/N: Did this take a month to write? Yes. Will the next chapter also take a month to write? Probably. Shoutouts to everyone still reading. <3
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Hermione woke with a strangled groan as she stretched her limbs out. Her fist bumped into someone, and she quickly jerked it back.
"Easy, ma colombe. It's only me," Narcissa murmured from beside her. "How are you feeling now?"

"Better," Hermione croaked, nuzzling against the woman's side. Whatever illness had come over her in the night seemed to have gone away, thankfully. She was still a little tired, though.

That quickly changed with Narcissa's following statement.
"Good, good. Hopefully you'll be up for a lesson today, then," the woman started. "I do believe Bella wanted to test your dueling skills today."

Hermione nearly fell out of bed to turn and look at the woman. "Really?" Since she'd started her stay with the Blacks, she hadn't learned much of anything in regards to dueling or Defense Against the Dark Arts. It wasn't entirely an issue; she'd learned so much more about potions and charms than she had at school. But, it was nice to completely change things up for once.

Narcissa nodded with an amused glint in her eyes. "Really. Assuming, of course, that you're feeling up to it."

"I am!" Hermione scrambled out of bed, nearly landing on her head. "I am. I am. I am."

She made to charge out of her room as Narcissa laughed at her. "Hermione, darling, you might want to change your clothes, yes?"

Hermione froze and stiffened slightly. Heat rose in her cheeks. She wasn't feeling very Little anymore, and yet she was still in her onesie and pullup. Yes, she would need to change.

Narcissa chuckled softly as she got up, in a much more graceful manner than Hermione had. "Get dressed," she said as she approached the door. She gently cupped Hermione's jaw and kissed her temple. "There's plenty of time. We haven't even had breakfast."

Hermione whined and stamped her foot against the floor. "Not enough time."

Narcissa shook her head and clicked her tongue in disapproval. "None of that, love. There is plenty of time." She pointed towards the wardrobe. "Get dressed. We'll have breakfast, and then Bella will start her lesson later this morning." She lightly kissed Hermione's temple again, and then left her alone.

As Hermione changed, embarrassment crept over her once more. She still wasn't used to seeing things like a pullup in her more adult mindset. She supposed the shock would lessen with time. Maybe Andromeda would have some insight into these feelings.

That thought made Hermione pause again. Memories of the previous day flooded her brain.

She called Bella 'Grande Sœur'. And then during the night she called Narcissa 'Sœur'. She hadn't intended to. It had just slipped out. Narcissa had assured her she wasn't in trouble for it, but they'd also made clear the terms weren't just nicknames. She would need to speak to Andy before anything else. She had to make sure Andromeda wasn't mad at her.

Andromeda was not in the observatory or the main parlor when Hermione made her way downstairs. Hermione decided to check the garden, which turned out to be the correct choice. Andromeda laid on the grass underneath the maple tree in the yard as Zenith stretched out beside her. She had a large, hardcover book in front of her, and she was scribbling something into a notebook. Her scrawling paused, and she looked up at the sound of Hermione's footsteps.

"Good morning," she greeted. "Cissy said you didn't feel so good in the night. Are you better?"

"Oh, yes. I am, thank you," Hermione replied. "Has that ever happened to you?" That was a stupid question. Of course Andromeda probably had gotten sick in the night.