Andromeda was nervously pacing in her sister's room, from the window to the door, again and again, trying to focus on something that could grab her attention for enough time so she would dare to start speaking. Alas, there was nothing that could distract her right now.

"I have to tell you something." She repeated. Suddenly her lungs seemed unable to handle how dense the air in the room seemed to be; she was desperately trying to draw breath in and her too tight corset didn't help her with anything.

"I already heard that." Bella pointed out, lazily stretching on her bed. "What is it, Andi? You've been very secretive over the last few weeks. Am I finally honoured to hear what's bothering you?" she sounded almost concerned and that stung Andromeda more than anything. Only if Bellatrix knew, she would never speak to her again. And yet, she had to tell her. She had never been able to keep her own secrets most of all things.

"Yes." She said at least and carefully sat on the chair near the desk. "I… there's… I wanted to…"

She couldn't voice it; she simply couldn't. Bellatrix would hate her, actually even more than that – she would be utterly disgusted.

Andromeda had one very simple life philosophy – whenever you do something you shouldn't be doing, you either stop it as soon as you can, or get caught. There's no other option.

Maybe she had to stop meeting Ted. This whole thing had always been ridiculous, of course. She had never thought that it may work. She had to rest with Evan Rosier. He was coming from a respectable, pureblood family. Her parents thought that it would be good if she was to be married to him. Maybe they had been right the whole time. It would be easier for everyone if she had left all of this behind her.

But it was too late now. She couldn't just forget Ted; not after all that had happened. She just couldn't, and not only because she would hurt him – she was used to hurt people when she needed to.

It was because he made her feel alive like nobody else did. He had shown her things that she would never be able to see if it wasn't for him – that there were actually real people out of her inner friends's circle – or, basically, out of her Slytherin clique. He had shown her the world as she had never seen it before and every second, every little moment she had passed with him was too priceless for her. She knew that she wouldn't be able to go back to her life from the time before she met him. It would be too painful. And Andromeda Black wasn't used to do things she didn't like. So she had to admit everything.

"You have seen Ted Tonks, I suppose." she started speaking again, trying to sound as well as she could. Her voice was shaking slightly. Bellatrix nodded slowly, confused.

"That Hufflepuff guy from your year back at school, no?" she asked, trying to remember him. "Yes, I know him. What about him?"

"Well… two years ago… when I was in my sixth year in Hogwarts… we…" her voice slowly died. Bellatrix stood up from where she was lying and approached her sister.

"Have you…" she was apparently trying to find words that wouldn't sound that crude, but she failed and voiced her question the way it was originally meant to be. "Did you sleep with him?"

"Yes, but…"

"Well, I don't see what you're concerned for." Bellatrix shrugged. Her sister's eyes widened.

"But you do realise that he's a Mug… Mudblood, right?" Andromeda asked despite the shame she felt when she used the word when it came to Ted.

"Yes, but it's still no big deal." Bella answered. "I mean, there's nothing that wrong about it – it was just one time after all. Your future husband won't start asking questions; you know Evan as well as me; he's too stupid for that. Just forget it and everything's going to be all right." As she was speaking, Bellatrix took out a cigarette, burned it with her wand and slowly inhaled. Andromeda scowled.

"I thought you've quit smoking."

"You can freely blame Rodolphus for that." Bellatrix said airily. "I didn't smoke before he started doing it in front of me. It seemed as a good idea by the time and now I can't help it."

"But Mother said that it's unhealthy." Dromeda insisted, subconsciously trying to distract herself from her own problem.

"And since when I'm listening to Mother and what she's saying, Andi?" Bellatrix asked mockingly. "Anyway, as for your problem – I told you, don't take it too much in. I actually don't see why it's still bothering you. It happened two years ago."

"That's the problem." Andromeda said. It was now or never. If she waited just a second more, she would stop and never tell Bellatrix anything about all of that. "I mean… not that it happened two years ago but… that it's still happening."

Her voice was already a quiet, fearful whisper as Bellatrix's eyes widened in shock.

"When was the last time you met him?" she asked with mild interest, though Dromeda could spot the hidden anger, buried somewhere deep behind her sister's dark eyes. She winced, but did not dare to lie; Bellatrix had that specific look she had when she was trying to invade someone's mind without asking. Andromeda was often forgetting what a gifted Legillimens she was.

"The other day." she answered honestly as she saw no point in lying. Her sister would see the truth in her mind anyway.

"Well, then it should be stopped right now." Bellatrix said firmly. "There's no other way, Andi. You're being ridiculous and you know it. You can't do that anymore. Actually, I am quite surprised that you allowed yourself such a thing for so long time. You should end this as soon as possible."

"But Bella… I love him." Andromeda said, already letting herself to be convinced by Bellatrix, as she would do almost any other time. Then she reminded herself why they were having this conversation at all. He is important to you. Don't listen to her. Maybe she'll be able to understand if you explain it to her. "Is it so bad that he's a Muggle-born? Why must it make any difference if…"

"'Why must it make any difference'? Andromeda, what had happened to you? Only last night you told me that you don't like that Molly is going around with Arthur Weasley because he's a blood traitor. Of course there is difference!" Bellatrix exclaimed, apparently taking Andromeda's words as personal offense. "You can't stain your blood with filth like that. Look what happened to Sirius! He has to live with aunt Dorea now, he got disowned and the only gold he actually owns is something that Alphard gave to him! Do you want such a life for yourself too!" without waiting for an answer, she continued. "And what if Mother hears about this?"

"You swore you won't tell anyone about that!" Andromeda cried, mortified. "And Bella, you just said that Mother's opinion is not so important!"

"I was talking about smoking, Andi!" Bellatrix shouted back; her eyes almost black with rage. "Smoking is much, much better than marrying a Mudblood!"

"Stop using that word, Bella…"

"But that's what he is and you know it!" Bellatrix shrieked. "Nothing but a Mudblood like every other one of them. And you were always so disgusted to even get close to them, Andi, what happened now?"

"I was like that because of you, Bella." Andromeda whispered carefully. "Because you told me how disgusting and awful they were; you told me that they're nothing but a Muggles that had found their ways to steal magic. I am no child anymore. Magic can't get stolen."

"You obviously fail to understand how important…"

"Bella, look at it this way." Dromeda cut her off in the middle of her sentence. "You can either accept that and leave me be or go to Mother and tell her all about it. I don't care which one it would be, but… Bella… I thought that…"

"I'm sorry, Andi." Bellatrix said and there could be found some actual regret in her voice, Andromeda noticed. "But I have no choice. You left me no choice. They should know about this. They'll learn about it one way or another. And when the do, I don't want them to know that I kept such a secret…"

So that was it. She was going to go and tell Druella everything right now. Andromeda felt foolish and way too naïve for thinking that she can trust her older sister at all. Maybe she should just run away from home like Sirius. It would be much less painful to everybody.

"You swore that you'll keep it a secret." She murmured desperately. "You promised that whatever secret I have, I can come and tell you all about it, and nobody would know. You haven't forgotten that, have you?"

Bellatrix froze at the door.

"Yes." She whispered at last, and even her voice seemed softer. A ray of hope raised its head in Andromeda's soul. "Yes, I remember. But we were kids, Andi. And I thought that whatever secret you have, I'd be able to bear it."

"What's so unbearable about loving somebody, Bella?"

"It's not about love." Bellatrix said and finally looked back at her sister with a hard, pointed gaze. "This has nothing to do with love."

"If you loved me, you wouldn't do something like that." Andromeda muttered and stared at the floor. She heard a soft sigh coming from Bellatrix. "It has everything to do with love, Bella, and you know it."

"I do love you, Andi." Bella said after almost a minute of silence. "You know perfectly well that I do. But there are things that go beyond love. I'm sorry."

Andromeda started crying. She didn't realise that there were tears streaming down her cheeks until they fell on the floor. Bellatrix looked at her with equal parts compassion and repulsion.

"B-But Bella…" She sobbed. "You're… You can't… I've always been there for you, no matter what… You're my sister…"

"Not anymore." Bellatrix's voice had lost any emotion and had that tone of cold indifference you feel when you see a beggar on the street but you can do nothing to help. Andromeda looked up. Her sister's eyes met hers. She was looking at her as if she was a stranger. "I'm sorry, but I'm doing it for your own good. Maybe Mother will make you change your mind. But I can't be a sister to a blood traitor."

Andromeda didn't answer.

"I'm doing this exactly because I love you." Bellatrix added. She sounded like she was trying to convince herself in it, thought. "It would be better for all of us if you change your mind, but if you don't do it… you can't be a Black anymore, Andi. You know that."

"You're being childish, Bella." Andromeda muttered. "I am who I am, no matter what I do."

Bellatrix just shook her head and left the room. Andromeda ran to her room, trying to pack everything she had in one trunk before her sister would have the time to say the entire story to their mother.

"Andi?" It was Narcissa's sleepy voice. Andromeda turned back and saw her sister leaning on the doorframe and brushing her hair with her fingers, trying to stay focused. "What's going on? Where are you going?"

"I'm in hurry right now, Cissy." Andromeda answered. She liked how sure of herself she sounded and liked it even more when she saw the younger girl relaxing a bit. "I'll send you an owl in the morning."

"But…"

"Goodbye, Cissy." Dromeda raised her voice to interrupt her sister. "And… good luck. Don't get too angry at Bella. She thinks that it's right to do what she's doing."

"Where are you going, Andi?" Narcissa cried, already scared. Andromeda sighed.

"Look, Cissy… there are moments when each of us has to find her way, you know that, right? We can't be together forever here. I have found my way. I don't want Mother and Father to see me going; if they do, things will get ugly and I am really trying to avoid that. So, look after yourself, and look after Bella. Don't do anything stupid. I'll explain you later. All right?"

Narcissa nodded slowly.

"Does it have something to do with Ted?" she asked quietly. Andromeda nodded with unease.

"Yes. But it will be fine. I promise."

"Andi, you can't leave me." Cissy spoke in quiet yet hurried manner. "If I mean something to you at all… if you love me, Andi, you can't…"

"It's all about love, Cissy." Andromeda said and kissed her little sister's forehead with a soft smile. "But there are kinds of love which come with sacrificing almost everything – that does not mean that I'll stop loving you. I'm sure you'll understand soon." She stood up and started walking down the stairs. "Goodbye, Cissy."

"Goodbye, Andi. I'll wait for your owl." The girl answered quietly. She was actually taking it very well.

Maybe she couldn't realise that she wouldn't see her sister in a long, long time.

But Andromeda wasn't realising something also.

As she left the Black Manor, she didn't know that this was the last time she was seeing her home.

Author's notes: Well, a little something I had an inspiration for. I would like to hear any opinion, so reviews are always welcome. :)