I am The Dark Lady (ABANDONED)

A Different Sister Talk

Trigger Warning : extremely brief mention of stabbing

To see London - Islington to be exact- warm and sunny without the harsh and stifling humidity was a rarity these days. Especially in late March. The abnormality of the weather saw a 23°C (Around 72°F if you are American) day. Days like these were such a rarity, in fact, that both Muggles and Wizards/Witches alike took full advantage of the days where the sun burst forth from the clouds, coating the sea of people beneath them in a warm glow and donned their lights clothing. Bella was no different and was dressed in a button up, sleeveless red blouse and brown trousers accompanied with a matching jacket laying leisurely over her bent elbow and ankle boots as she strolled down Blackstock Road in Islington. She ignored the heavy police presence on the corner from a 'muggle stabbing' ( The victim was a wizard that she knew Slewyn had trouble with over the past couple of months) and stepped into a quant cafe called 'Cinnamon Cafe'. Her hand subconsciously trailed to her still flat stomach, now three months pregnant, for a brief second before she snatched it away and scanned the cafe's patrons.

She spotted the dark auburn hair she was looking for straight away.

Andi placed herself away from every window in a sort of blind spot, reading a newspaper- it looked like the Times, it was the Prophet in disguise- and sipping what looks to be a latte. Bella sighed in relief and walked over to her, placing her jacket on the back of the wooden chair. Andi barely looked up until the elder sat down.

'No Narcissa?' She asked, folding the paper in half and picking up her mug. Since their reunion of sorts, they had never spent a day alone together. Narcissa was always around to act as a sort of buffer but today, Narcissa didn't even know where Bellatrix was, since Bella never did answer the question and instead walked away. Bella's lips tightened for a second as she shook her head and looked away. Andromeda's eyebrow raised when the table shook as Bella's knee bounced anxiously and she chewed on her bottom lip.

Bella glanced around the busy cafe. 'Why here?' She asked, casually.

"It's busy enough so no one would hear us talking plus it does very nice vegan pancakes."

"Since when are you vegan?" Bella asked.

Andromeda waved the waitress over. 'Since I tasted the vegan pancakes' She laughed. "Hi can I order the vegan pancakes and another chai latte please. Bella?"

Bella quickly scanned the menu. 'I'm not too hungry, just a tea please. Milk and Three sugars' She had a rather nasty bout of morning sickness this morning and was just coming out of it. Eating anything will just result in it coming back up later. Andromeda's annoying eyebrow went up again as the waitress went away. Bella ignored her as she tapped the knife against the tabletop.

"Never thought I'd see you back in Islington" She challenged with a slight smirk. Take that eyebrow. Andromeda pursed her lips. "Was rather surprised when I read the address you wanted to meet at"

"Yes well I discovered this cafe a good few years before..." She shivered and straightened up. "I left. Couldn't let it go. Besides you'll never see mother or father at this end"

Bella hummed and the sisters sat in tense silence when the waitress came over and deposited their order cheerily on the table. Andi thanked her while Bella got to work stirring her tea. She stared across the cafe out the closest window as muggles sauntered past unremarkably. Andromeda was watching her carefully when the waitress placed Andi's food on the table and Bella wrinkled her nose at the smell and tried to hide a retch in her throat.

The nausea had come back instantly.

"Oh Bella it's just vegan pancakes" Andi chuckled but her eyes searched for an answer. Bella shrugged and cupped the mug with her hands. When the waitress finally walked away, Andromeda's voice dropped. "It's dangerous to be seen together Bella." She muttered. "Who knows who could be lurking around. Why did you want to meet in a public setting?"