"An older sister is a friend and defender – a listener, conspirator, a counselor and a sharer of delights. And sorrows too." – Pam Brown

A/N: This is my first time writing a story in present tense. It was a little weird for me, but I thought it suited the mood. The tense also switches, which is another first for me, but, again, it went with the story.

Enjoy :)

Disclaimer: JK Rowling is a goddess and the Creator of all things Harry Potter.

And Sorrows Too

She isn't sure whether she should be here or not. Clutching the gate in front of her, she tries to imagine what will happen if she knocks on the door that she's staring at right now. But she just can't picture it, and so the only thing to do is to walk straight up to the cottage before her, and leave the rest up to fate.

Her mind whirrs as she taps gently on the door. Will she be welcome here? Or will she be yelled at, shrieked at, ordered never to come again? Or –

The door opens just a crack.

Her breath catches. She throws off her hood, revealing her pale face, her light blue eyes, and her long, streaming blond hair. The desperate dash to Spinner's End, two distant years ago, flashes briefly through her mind, but she quickly dismisses it, wanting to focus on the task at hand.

"Andy." The nickname still falls easily from her lips, as though it's been a day instead of twenty-seven years since she's last said it.

The door opens to its fullest extent, and she sees the wide brown eyes, and the light brown hair, and the soft, gentle face that she's missed so much.

"Cissy," her sister whispers.

"May – may I come in?"

"Of – of course."

Trembling slightly, Narcissa steps into the small entrance hall. She glances around, taking in the small, cozy sitting room, the comfortable-looking sofa and armchairs, the merrily crackling fire. It's different from her own opulent manor, but it's nice, in a different way.

She hears the door click shut behind her, and then her sister is standing in front of her, searching her face. They stand there, silently, for a long moment. Finally, Andromeda asks, in a carefully neutral tone, "Why are you here?"

Narcissa licks her lips nervously. "I…." She swallows. "I heard about…your husband…and – and Nymphadora."

Her older sister looks away abruptly. Narcissa sees her eyes becoming red and glassy, but Andy doesn't cry. Andy never cries. She's strong. She has to be, shunned by her own flesh and blood for nearly three decades.

But it's obvious she's in pain.

"I'm sorry," Narcissa whispers. For her sister's grief. For her husband and daughter's passing. For not being there for her when their deaths were still fresh. For ostracizing her. For deeming her a blood-traitor and a disgrace. For not being a true sister. "For everything."

Andy takes a deep breath and nods. She looks back up at her, and Narcissa understands that she hasn't been completely forgiven yet – but that's okay. There's too much to forgive at one time.

Silence falls. Then –

"Dora was killed by her, you know," Andy says suddenly, in a rough tone. "Bella – Bellat–"

Her voice breaks off uncertainly. Narcissa understands: she's not sure whether to call their older sister Bellatrix or Bella. Because Bella was the sister they knew, not Bellatrix. Bellatrix was the great Death Eater, the Dark Lord's deputy – terrible, cruel, and insane.

"Bellatrix," Narcissa concedes, and Andy nods again. "And yes, I know."

She was standing in the clearing in the Forbidden Forest. The Dark Lord had just called for an hour of cease-fire, and she could hear his forces making its way through the trees, shouting and hollering. She looked at Lucius, standing beside her, his mouth set in a thin line. She squeezed his hand gently, knowing that, like she, he was hoping that their son was among the approaching Death Eaters.

The army finally came into view, a sea of black filtering through the trees. She went on her tiptoes, craning her neck. Two giants followed them, bellowing and shoving trees aside, and the half-giant, Hagrid, was being tied to a trunk by five men, but she didn't register any of it. She was busy scanning the mass of Death Eaters, trying to find Draco's white-blond head in the crowd.

Then Bella skipped up to her, smiling more widely than she had ever seen. "Cissy," she whispered. "I've done it. Our family is pure once more!"

"What?" Narcissa stilled. "What do you mean?"

"I've killed her." Bella's eyes were wide and shining. "I've pruned our family tree! I've killed the half-blood scum, the blood traitor's spawn!" She threw her head back and laughed.

Narcissa flinched and recoiled. Bella had just killed their sister's only child, and she was laughing. Did she feel no remorse?

She knew the answer to that.

This woman was not her sister anymore.

A wail jerks her out of her thoughts. Andy, who she realizes was watching her concernedly, turns to the staircase.

She shakes her head, trying to clear the memory away and bring herself back into the present. "Is that your grandson?" she asks.

Andy looks at her again and nods. "Yes. Teddy." Her gaze flicks back to the stairs, and she frowns as the cries continue. "I should really…" She glances back at her little sister. "Would you like to meet him?"

"Yes, please." Narcissa's blue eyes shine a little brighter.

Andy gives her a swift smile, and it warms her, just like it did when they were children. There was a long time when she thought she'd never see that smile again.

She follows her sister up the stairs and into a dark bedroom. Andy draws her wand and flicks it carelessly, dimly lighting the room as she hurries past a bed to the cradle by the window. Narcissa follows more slowly, watching her sister pick up the screaming baby with bright blue hair, murmuring softly to him.

After several minutes, the baby's cries are still as shrill as ever, and Andy looks a little frazzled. "I don't know what's wrong…he's usually very well behaved…"

"Let me try."

The sisters lock eyes as Narcissa reaches out her arms. Finally, Andy gives a nod and hands over the child.

Immediately, the baby's wails stop abruptly, and he stares up at his great-aunt with wide, inquisitive eyes. Narcissa smiles and shifts him in her arms. She bounces him gently, taking in his comforting weight. He gurgles happily at her, his hair turning a soft pale pink.

Beaming, she looks up at Andy, who is watching them intently, a smile growing on her face as well. "I never knew you were so good with babies," her sister whispers.

Narcissa looks down again at her great-nephew as he tugs on one of her long blond curls. He pauses, then turns his hair the exact same shade, giggling. She laughs along with him, feeling happier than she has in a long time.

A peaceful hush falls as she studies the baby's round face. A pang goes through her when she realizes how much he resembles his late mother. Looking up at her sister, she murmurs, "He looks like Nymphadora."

Andy stares at her in surprise. "When did you ever see Nymphadora?"

Narcissa shifts her weight uncomfortably. "I – I went to the Ministry with Lucius once, and a group of Aurors were passing by, and she was there. Lucius pointed her out to me." She pauses briefly. "She was very beautiful. I – I'm sorry I didn't get to know her better."

Andy looks away, still looking stunned. "I – Thank you." She hesitates a little, before glancing up at her sister again and asking, "How is Draco? I – I've never seen him before."

"I know," Narcissa murmurs, looking back at Teddy, who has drifted back to sleep. She thinks about her son, and as usual, a stab of grief and guilt goes through her as she pictures the expression he's been wearing for the past six months – one of confusion, pain, remorse, misery, and fear, all at once. It's all her fault…

She looks back up, registering her sister's worried look as she feels tears sparking in her eyes. "He's recovering," she whispers hoarsely. "He's still a child. He shouldn't have had to go through all that…suffering. He's too young."

"You shouldn't blame yourself, Cissy," Andy says gently, and it's Narcissa's turn to look surprised. She can't believe that her sister still knows her so well, after nearly thirty years.

Swallowing, she replies, "I'm his mother. I should have protected him better. It's my job. I failed…" She shakes her head, warding off the sobs that threaten to leave her.

"I should go now," she chokes out, passing the sleeping Teddy back to her sister.

After setting down the baby, Andy simply looks at her. Her wide, warm eyes are filled with sympathy and – could it be? – love.

And everything stops.

It's the same expression that comforted her when she had been refused a pet pony when she was three, when she had stabbed her own finger with a needle while learning to sew when she was six, when Bellatrix left for Hogwarts for the first time when she was seven, when she watched Andy leaving two years later, when Lucius Malfoy had brushed her off the first time she tried talking to him when she was thirteen.

Each time she had fallen, Andy had raised her up again with that gentle look of hers, and everything would be all right once more.

She never thought she'd see it again.

But she sees it now – the bright, kind gaze that soothes her like a balm, that calms her like a cup of tea, that warms her like a toasty fire, that tells her that she is loved.

And she knows that everything will be all right.

A/N: I really believe that Narcissa and Andromeda made up after everything had calmed down. I have a sister, so I know how strong the sisterly bonds are. I'm pretty sure that's why Narcissa put up with Bellatrix for so long. I imagine that it was Bellatrix's influence that kept Narcissa away from her other sister – Bellatrix, insane as she was with her pure-blood mania and her obsession with Voldemort, was probably an exception to the sisterly bond thing. But Narcissa definitely isn't, as shown by her love for her husband and son. But she already had a sister in Bellatrix, at least before she went completely crazy, so I guess she didn't need Andromeda as much, especially with hearing Bellatrix's strictures all the time. Once the war ended, I think they both needed a sister.

Anyway. Enough rambling.

Tell me what you think!

I love you all :)

~ Irasi