"We have no choice. The world is a cruel place."-Mikasa Ackerman

She's always known her family was cursed with madness. The Black Madness that everyone would whisper behind her back with sneers and fear. Gripping her wand in the hope of comfort to ignore the trickle of whispers that float in her head, pleading her to attempt carnage and mass murder. "Bellatrix are you okay?" her baby cousin inquired with concern thick in his voice and eyes.

"Bella?" Lilac whispered sea-green eyes filled with concern while her body was alert with annoyance at Sirius for bugging her once again.

Bellatrix gave a tense smile as the whispers in her head grew louder when she noticed Lilac. "I'm perfectly fine, itsy bitsy cousin," she teased naturally unaware Lilac tensed inside at the familiar teasing that book Bellatrix once cackled before throwing the killing curse at her cousin, Sirius Black.

Sirius gave a frown, "I told you not to tease me like that, Bella." He huffed with embarrassment, his ears turning a light pink. "Bella, it's the Madness, ain't it?" Sirius leaned forward, whispering the question underneath his breath with eyes promptly alert with concern and weariness. "I can recognize the signs." He informed with a quiver of sadness attached to his voice.

"No, Sirius!" Bella denied giving her baby cousin a harsh shove.

"Bella!" Lilac barked with startlement as she rushed over to help the hurt Sirius up. "Oh, you're hurt." She mumbled as she took out her wand and cast a healing charm to a small gash on his arm.

Bella moved forward to help them appalled with her actions, only to pause when she noticed the slightest flinch coming from both Sirius and Lilac. "I'm sorry, she whispered with shame before she turned around and bolted in the other direction.

Bellatrix needed to get in contact with her Uncle Orion, in hopes another incident like this one does not happen.

Lily did not know when it started, the complicated feelings she had developed for her twin. The overwhelming guilt and shame which trickled like lava in her veins, making her tremble in the bathroom during the night alone. "I wish Lilac was my sister, Lily." Marlene McKinnon hummed happily as she folded her new blanket.

"Yeah, it must be nice to have a sweet and caring sister." Mary McDonald grumbled, a pretty girl with a shy air around her. "My brothers are both utter brats and don't even get me started on my sister."

Lily gave a tight smile, "Lilac's, wonderful." She mumbled softly.

Dorcas assessed Lily with sharp misty-gray eyes, "What's wrong, Lilian?" She whispers softly, known to call people by their full name. Lily looks around the room with a tremble of shame, praying her sister was out of the hearing zone. "Lilac went to have tea with the sorting hat," Dorcas informed with both confusion and subtle disbelief.

"Sometimes I feel so angry and tired of Lilac," Lily confessed with a tiny voice full of shame. "I'm so tired of her being perfect and everyone compares us."

"Oh, Lily," Dorcas whispered softly with sympathy as she leaned over and gripped Lily's hand. "I don't doubt Lilac does this on purpose. Sometimes having an older sibling can be challenging to the younger sibling because they're always standing in the shadow that the bigger sibling leaves behind." Dorcas spoke while Mary gave a nod of agreement.

"Lilac is always putting you first, Lily." Alice Lovelace broke her silence as she gave a fierce answer to Lily." She gave a huff of slight annoyance for which Lilac was her friend. "I understand feeling a little jealous which is normal between siblings but to feel angry and tired of your sibling for simply trying her best is horrible. Siblings are supposed to encourage each other. Your sister does that for you doesn't she?" She ended with a level of shrewdness.

Lily looked away and refused to answer, "Lay off, Lovelace." Marlene growled as she ended up squashing Lily's other side in an attempt to comfort.

"Don't get angry because I'm simply telling the truth," Alice spoke as she leaped from her bed, frown firmly fixed on her chubby face. "Be lucky I'm not telling Lilac about this because I know this would hurt her." she snapped before stomping out of the girl's dorm.

Grimm Manor was notorious for its sprawling beauty haven been built two-hundred years ago prior by a French architect for the Lady Black of the second branch. Now, however, much to Orion's appalling horror, it had a frantic rundown appearance. The ground was a mottle dying brown as weeds grew in an unchecking manner where flowers of extravagance were once beheld. What curled his stomach was the taste of death magic so vile it left a linger of rot behind. Orion now was fearful of what his brother-in-law has done and how to prevent further mistakes. "Orion, why have you decided to grace us with your presence?" This sneered Cygnus as he opened the door due to the magical alarms that went off.

"What have you done, Cygnus!" roared Orion as he brutally passed Cygnus and stormed swiftly into the living room.

The living room smelled of rotten flesh and stale piss. The furniture was in various stages of decay and Orion did not want to know what was crawling in the pentagram. "For the love of Morgana, what the hell is going on here!" Orion thundered both livid and disgusted by his second branch relatives.

"Calm down brother, it's just a pregnant muggle." Sneered Druella as she calmly took a sip of her tea unfazed by the torturous screams of the woman in the pentagram.

"That's a human being!" Orion bellowed in horror as he made his way to the burning woman who had blood gushing from between her legs.

"It's filth!" Cygnus spat as he threw a shield up preventing Orion from getting ahold of the suffering woman. "Filth who shall give us a son!"

Orion turned with a glare glinting in his storming eyes, ebony hair-raising with his irritation and swirling ritual magic. "Bellatrix Black is the heir to the second branch. Our family magic has blessed her." He uttered fiercely as he brought up his wand and magically blasted through the shield, throwing Cygnus into the wall. "Utter fools, the both of you," Orion whispered in disgust as crouched down near the pentagram and gripped ahold of the dying woman's hand. "This is the forbidden magic you've done. The 'utero foetum' spell is against the law of nature and both you and this woman's child will suffer." He spoke solemnly as he turned to the woman with a gentle stare, "What is your name, child?"

"Hope Smith." She whimpered sky-blue eyes full of pain and confusion, stare intently at Orion. "Please save my baby. DON'T LET HIM DIE!" She begged with all her strength before her eyes rolled back and her stomach burst, allowing two infants to slither out of the womb. The mother was dead before the babies even hit the floor in terrifying confusion.