Chapter 7

"Ah come in, Bellatrix. Andromeda."

Hayley Bell, our new Head Girl, smiled at us both and gestured to us to take the empty corner seats, "We were just about to discuss the evening corridor patrols for the first term."

"Meda and I will be together. I'll tell her everything she needs to know," Bella responded instantly. I flashed her a grateful smile, but Aristeus cut in, shaking his head.

"I don't think so," he said smoothly, "You're together so much as it is. I think I'll take care of young Meda and you can escort Lucius, Bella. Or go with one of the other Prefects. Whichever you prefer."

"It's Bellatrix and my sister's Andromeda," Bella growled, at exactly the same time as I spat, "Forget it, Selwyn! I'm not patrolling with you!"

"Oh yes you are!"

"Oh no, I'm not!" I snarled. "Bastard," I added, hissing the last word under my breath. Hayley whipped her head round.

"Yes you will, Andromeda. You might be a Black, but I still don't want you talking to my colleague like that. I'll thank you not to do it again. Besides, he's right. You spend too much time with your sisters as it is. You'll patrol with Aristeus every Wednesday and Saturday until after Christmas and then we'll take another look at the situation, okay?"

Bella was about to protest, but I sighed. I might have inherited the Black temper, but Mama had also taught me the art of diplomacy. I wasn't quite as good at it as Cissy, but I knew enough to know to subside now. Perhaps if I talked to Hayley alone, she'd give me my way in a way she wouldn't do in public. Besides, I had enough decency to realise that the poor girl would be nervous on her first day as Head Girl and, though she diced dangerously close to being a Blood Traitor at times, she was a Pureblood. I wanted to make things easier for her.

I laid a hand on Bella's arm, "ça-va, ma soeur, ça-va."

Bella threw Hayley and Aristeus a poisonous look, but she did fall silent thereafter.

We turned to discussing passwords for the Prefect Bathrooms and the Common Rooms – all Prefects knew each other's passwords in case of an emergency – and then Aristeus exchanged a look with Hayley and shrugged his shoulders.

"All right, that's it. You may go. Make sure you patrol the corridors from time to time and Andromeda, you'll take the First Year girls to their dormitories tonight, while Lucius deals with the boys. Do you think you can manage that?"

"Of course," I said silkily, "Bella did a perfectly adequate job two years ago, did she not? Whatever you may think, it is not beneath the Black Sisters to do Hogwarts proud."

Before he could respond, Bella rose to her feet, drawing herself up like the Princess she was, "Well, if this waste of our time is over, then I'm going to find Cissy. Coming, Meda?"

"You go. I want to talk to Hayley first."

Bella threw me a dubious look – Hayley was too much of a Blood Traitor for us to generally bother associating with her – but said nothing, only turning on her heel and vanishing from sight. Aristeus soon followed and, as soon as he'd gone, I ducked back into the compartment, "Hayley?"

Our new Head Girl looked up from where she was gathering her papers into her arms, "Yes, Andromeda?"

"Can I have a word?"

"Sure, fire away."

I swallowed. I knew what I wanted from Hayley, but somehow, even though no one in their right mind ever denied a Black anything, I sensed that acting the spoilt Princess wouldn't cut it with her. Forcing myself to humble my pride, I took a deep breath.

"Can I please not patrol with Aristeus? You know how much I hate him. We'll strangle each other within a week and what kind of example would that set to the rest of the school? Even if you won't let me patrol with my sister, can I not patrol with you or one of the other Sixth or Seventh Years? Please?"

"I know, Andromeda. I know it'll be hard for you two to work together. I'm not too keen on the idea of pairing you with Aristeus myself, if I'm honest, but you can't spend all your time with Bellatrix and I've tried every other possible combination of patrols. There isn't one that's feasible. The different House timetables simply aren't compatible. But you know they change at Christmas. If you can hold out that long, then we'll see what we can do in the New Year. I promise."

Hayley genuinely sounded regretful. I longed to flare up at her, as any other thwarted Black might do, but then reminded myself that I had sworn not to act the spoilt brat in front of her. Biting the inside of my cheek hard to keep myself in check, I gave a stiff nod and turned for the compartment door.

"Andromeda?" Hayley called after me. I turned.

"I'm sorry. Truly."

For a few moments, I merely gazed at her steadily. Then I inclined my head.

"I know you are," I said quietly.

Then I turned and left, leaving her staring after me.

That evening, after the Feast, I rose to my feet.

"First Years, over here. First Years."

My voice was steely. There was not a single one of them who dared refuse me. Silently, they rose to their feet and fell into step behind me. At the same time, Bella rose and came to stand at my right hand. Cissy followed suit, standing up and crossing to my left. Lucius Malfoy began to rise, but at a two-fold frosty glare from both Bella and me, he fell back into his seat.

I felt another's eyes on me and turned. Aristeus Selwyn was watching me rule the Slytherin table. I glared at him, daring him to stop me as I prepared to process out of the Hall with my sisters at my side.

He didn't. He just chuckled lowly and watched us leave the Hall with an amused look in his eyes.

Upon reaching the entrance to the Common Room, I clapped my hands sharply to get the First Year's attention.

"Right, I'm only going to say this once, so listen up or lose out. This stone snake is the entrance to our Common Room. The password changes every month, so make sure you know what it is. I won't be telling you in the corridor. This month's is "Wolfsbane Syrup". When you get in there, the boys' dormitories are down the back corridor to the left and the girls are down the same corridor to the right. Got it?"

"Got it!" They chorused.

"Good. Now get out of my sight. You've not proved yourselves worthy of my company yet."

Still smarting from the humiliations of the train ride, I spoke a little more harshly than I usually did to the younger years. They recoiled in shock. I snorted. They called themselves Slytherins? They'd have to get used to a lot worse than me.

Glancing at Cissy and Bella, I swept past the First Years into the Common Room with my sisters at my side.

Come Wednesday evening, I pushed aside my books as the clock ticked on towards seven-thirty.

"Right, I'd better get going. Risto will be waiting. Wish me luck."

"Try not to kill him," Cara replied, with a twinkle in her eye.

"As I said, wish me luck."

"Just don't go," Cressie laughed, "He can do it without you. After all, aren't you always saying you're too good for him? Prove it. Don't go."

I laughed ruefully, "I wish that was a possibility. But Risto's Head Boy. Given how much we hate one another, I can't give him an excuse either to report me or to lord it over me for being more dedicated to the role than I am. If I'm still alive and they haven't sent me to Azkaban for murder, I'll see you in an hour."

So saying, I headed for the exit of the Common Room. Aristeus was already waiting for me outside.

"I see you've learnt to read a clock," he teased. I glowered at him.

"Right, Selwyn. This is how we're going to do this. I'm going to walk on one side of the corridor, you're going to walk on the other and you're not going to talk to me unless you absolutely have to. Then we might just get through this alive."

Aristeus opened his mouth to protest, but I didn't give him a chance to, stalking off down the passageway without another word. After all, I didn't have to listen to him. I was a Black. In Society, I outranked him and I wasn't going to let him forget it.

The night passed in stony silence.