Title: She's Leaving Home
Characters: Andromeda and Narcissa and Bellatrix
Request: "I would looooooove to see anything dark-ish with the Black Sisters (especially Narcissa and Andromeda... and Druella! I love Ella and Cygnus), preferably gen and not too bloody or smutty, buuuuut I love angsty stuff and... Well yeah" as a Christmas gift for flyingharmony on LiveJournal.
Rating: G
Word Count: 800

)O(

It would have been easier for Andromeda to leave if Narcissa hadn't caught her.

She – Andromeda – had planned everything, had packed her one small bag, had waited until the household was in bed, and she crept downstairs without making a noise. She had thought, when she reached the door of the manor, that she would not have any difficulty. That everything had gone as planned.

But then she heard Narcissa's voice behind her.

"Andi? Where are you going?"

Andromeda whipped around and saw Narcissa standing at the foot of the stairs, clutching the banister and looking ghostly. Her skin was pale – even paler than usual – and her eyes were wide.

"I'm leaving, Cissy," Andromeda told her. No point in lying now – Ted would be waiting for her, and she couldn't fabricate a lie that would send Narcissa back to bed. Not a convincing one.

Narcissa's eyes widened and she flew forward, grabbing at Andromeda. "You can't!"

"Let go of me!" Andromeda tried to shake her off, but she clung onto her with surprising strength.

"Please don't leave," Narcissa begged, clutching Andromeda's hands and dress.

Andromeda wrenched away from Narcissa. She could have spat on her – how dareher sister act like a child just to try to pull on her heartstrings enough to make her stay? Didn't Narcissa have any sense of shame? Didn't she realize that she ought to be acting with proper dignity?

"Oh, grow up, Narcissa!" she hissed, but even saying that hurt her. She didn't want to upset her little sister – she hadn't wanted to have to see her at all. She wanted to leave and have everything be painless…

But that had been far too much to hope for.

"What's this about, then?"

Andromeda and Narcissa both shuddered as Bellatrix stepped into the kitchen, for her voice was lower, harsher and more dangerous than they had ever heard their sister speak in before. Bellatrix had always been so caring and careful with her little sisters – especially Narcissa – that it was quite horrifying to hear her sounding so threatening.

"I came down for a drink," she breathed, "and I hear Narcissa sobbing not to leave… what's that about, then, Andi?"

"Nothing," Andromeda snapped, but what was the use in it? It was obvious – horribly obvious, irreparably obvious – what she was doing. Even if Narcissa hadn't been standing right there with her face stained with tears, Andromeda wouldn't have been able to offer any reason for going outside at this hour of the night.

"Nothing? Really?" Bellatrix leaned forward and grabbed Andromeda by her arm. "Are you going to try to tell me that you aren't trying to run away? Do you think I won't be able to work it out?"

"Let go of me!" Andromeda tried to pull out of Bellatrix's grasp, but unlike Narcissa, who had clung to Andromeda with delicate fearfulness, more like a child clutching the skirts of its mother, Bellatrix held fast.

"Where are you going to go, Andromeda?" she snarled. "Where will you go when you run away from us? Where do you think you're going?"

Andromeda squeezed her lips shut. She couldn't tell her sisters about Ted – if she told her sisters, then they would tell her parents, and that would be the end of it all… her parents would search Ted out and it would all be over…

"She's going off with her Mudblood friend," Narcissa spoke up at last. "She's going to run away with him – aren't you, Andi?"

"Shut up!" Andromeda burst out, and Bellatrix took the anger for a confession. Not wrongly.

"Oh, you little–" Bellatrix raised one hand as though to slap Andromeda, and Andromeda winced away. But no blow came. Bellatrix lowered her hand and released Andromeda's wrist as quickly as if she had been burned.

"Get out, then!" she hissed. "None of us want this house to be besmirchedby- but a Blood traitor!"

"I'm not a–"

"Get out!" Bellatrix screamed. Tears were coming to her eyes and Andromeda glanced behind her hastily. Surely her screaming would attract their parents' attention, and what would she do then?

"Bella, no, I want her to stay!" Narcissa whispered, voice full of desperation, but Bellatrix paid no attention to her youngest sister.

"Get out, Blood traitor," she snarled at Andromeda. "And never come back. I don't want to ever see you again, if you'd rather be with your Mudblood than with us!"

Andromeda could have cried. Bellatrix's anger hurt more than anything else could have. It cut her straight to her core.

But she couldn't say anything. Even if she had known whatto say, her voice didn't feel like it worked.

So she turned and fled and didn't look behind her until she was so far away that she couldn't justify going back.

)O(

Fin