Different: The Story of the Black Sisters

Different: The Story of the Black Sisters

Chapter Two:

Desdemona's Last Wish

It was a cold gray night in December, one of the coldest the mansion had experienced for several years now. In fact, the castle had normally been bright and cheery; three young girls lived in that house, at the ages of ten, eight, and six.

Bellatrix had wandered down the spiral staircase in the mansion to get a glass of water. 'It's only near midnight,' she thought as she cautiously walked down the stairs, 'The house-elves should be awake for another hour...'

As Bellatrix headed to the kitchen, she heard voices in the living room...

"This is your whole fault, Flavian!" shrieked Desdemona.

"You're going to regret this later! You'll regret you even confronted me at all when you're dead!" growled Flavian.

"I'm the source of the children! I'm the reason..."

"You most certainly are the reason that we have three of them that are girls no less! Disgracing my family name! You know, I was the favorite back then! And then they married me to you! And it all went downhill from there, didn't it? Three girls in a row! Damn, Desdemona, you daughter of a bludger! Crucio!"

Bellatrix snuck a peak at her feuding parents peaking over the kitchen table.

"Protego!" yelled Desdemona, shielding the curse as it bounced back to her husband. "Ha! I can tell that hurt you!" she said in triumph.

"You will do as I say, I have all the power!" he shouted, Bellatrix could see him sweating.

She shivered...why was her father sweating? Bellatrix was freezing! She could even see her own breath as she breathed.

"You evil, evil man! How dare you insult me like that!"

"I will insult you every which way I please! I'm not the one whose name means of the devil and of misery! Crucio!"

He caught her by surprise this time, and she fell, crumbling on the living room floor. She panted and shivered and got up.

"Stop it this instant!" she screamed, tears streaming down her face. "What's wrong with you...you've never hurt me like this before..."

"That's because I used to love you! Crucio!"

Her mother collapsed onto the floor again, holding her stomach. "Can't feel..." she whispered, "I thought you loved me..."

"I never loved you, you pure-blood scum! Are you ready to die?" he said, an evil grin appearing on his face.

"Wait! Wait! Aren't I allowed to give you my will and last wishes?"

"You have no will to speak of...all your belongings are mine now. But you are allowed a last wish, so think good and hard about it. Take your sweet time!" he uttered sarcastically.

"Alright...alright..." she started, panting and shivering...her own sweat was freezing on her forehead.

"Well?" he demanded, wand at the ready to commit the murder.

"My last wish...my last wish...my last wish is for my three daughters to be married to noble and ancient pure-blood families in England. And however you have to do it...whether to Lestranges or Malfoys...do it...and make sure it gets done!"

"Avada Kedavra!" shouted Flavian, anger rising in his eyes.

Bellatrix wanted to scream...to do anything and get her father locked up in Azkaban...but that would be betrayal...and there was nothing worse than betrayal in a pure-blood family.

He sat there, holding Desdemona's corpse as if watching it fade to black. "Gods, what have I done! What have I done! What a monster I am! Damn me...damn me...damn me..."

Bellatrix swiftly ran up the stairs. She was going to wake the girls.

"Andie...Cissy! Wake up! Wake up!" she whispered, opening their doors and taking them each to her room.

"What is going on, Trixie?" replied Andie groggily, falling back upon Bellatrix's pillows.

"I'm tired..." said Cissy, rubbing her eyes and curling up next to her sister.

"I've called this meeting on purpose," said Bellatrix, locking the door against her father.

"Well, out with the news then..."

"Mum is dead."

"What?" they both said together.

"Bellatrix...you can't tell us that...that..." sputtered Andie.

"I saw dad kill her."

Narcissa started to cry. "I don't believe you! You lie!"

"I'm serious, guys. I was in the kitchen...they were fighting over us...fighting that we are all girls...and no boys..."

"That's silly, Trixie! Really, that's rubbish!" exclaimed Andie.

"Do you want to go downstairs and see our mother's rotting corpse?"

"No..."

"Then believe me...I saw her die!"

Andie's soft brown eyes grew big and filled with tears. Narcissa was cuddled up on Andie's stomach, crying her heart out. Bellatrix felt her own eyes fill with tears as the three sisters cuddled.

"We are going to get through this. We are! We're Blacks! We're strong! We can do this..."

"You're going to Hogwarts next year, you aren't going to have to fend for yourself against a murderous father!" raged Andromeda.

"No...but hell, Andie, you know what mum's last wish was?"

"Gods...tell me..."

"She wants us all to get arranged marriages to pure-blood men. Do you understand me, Andie? We have to get married to pure-blood men! You have to promise me that you will!"

"I can't! What if I fall madly in love with a mudblood?"

"Then you face it and move on, Andie! Put your hand on top of mine! And you, too, Cissy..."

The three girls piled their hands on top of each other.

"We, the black sisters, Bellatrix Desdemona Black, Andromeda Desdemona Black, and Narcissa Desdemona Black make a decree and a promise. Now, repeat after me...Andie..."

"I, Andromeda Desdemona Black make a promise to marry a pure-blood man, whether I love him or not."

Andromeda cautiously repeated the words.

"Now, Narcissa..."

"No! I can't do it! I can't do it!" she pouted.

"You're going to do it, Narcissa! You have to do it for yourself and for us! Now, repeat after me..."

"Repeat after me..." she repeated.

"I, Narcissa Desdemona Black..."

"I, Narcissa Desdemona Black..."

"Make a promise to marry a pure-blood man..."

"Make a promise to marry a pure-blood man..."

"Whether I love him or not."

"Whether I love him or not," she finished repeating.

"Now, for the decree of the Black family. We, the only three sisters of The Noble and most Ancient House of Black: Toujours Pur; say this decree in honor of our most brilliant mother who has passed away on this, the 22^nd day of December. We promise to uphold our oaths to pure-blood men, so help us God."

****

Flavian Black woke up the next morning on the rug, next to his dead wife. He was going mad, he knew it...he couldn't take care of these three girls. He couldn't face himself. When he opened his eyes, he saw a dozen house-elves crowded around him.

"Grumpy, don't be ridiculous, he killed her because he is going mad!" exclaimed the head elf.

"Kareem...Kareem...what have you seen?" the house-elves chanted to their leader.

"Kareem has been having visions...Kareem has seen Young Mistress Bellatrix down here and watch..." squeaked Kareem.

"Kareem...do you lie to us?" squeaked one of the female house-elves.

"Kareem knows all...Kareem knows all..." he said.

"Get away from me, the lot of you!" yelled Flavian.

"Uh-oh...murderer is awake..." said one of the house-elves in a high, falsetto voice.

They all broke out into lecturing him. "You bad! Bad Flavian!" and, "Why did you kill your only love, the one that brought you the three girls?" and, "Doom on you! Doom on you!"

"Damn the lot of you!" he raged. "It's none of your damn business what's happened and none of you have enough human intelligence to figure anything out! Leave me alone...bury her in the backyard...leave me alone...never to tell..."

The house-elves were in shock. They gathered around Desdemona and together, they picked her up. Flavian apparated out of the house to work...leaving his three daughters to fend for themselves.