Chapter Text
As the sun rose on the horizon and a new day started in the Wizarding World, there was a whirlwind of activity going on inside Number 12 Grimmauld Place. Half a dozen house elves scurried through the hallways of the ancient townhouse, making the place as clean as possible. Some of them hung from the giant chandelier in the main entryway, polishing every crystal until it shone brightly in the light. Others removed cobwebs from the ceiling with magical dusters, scrubbing the wooden floors until they gleamed as if they were brand new.
While all of this was going on, Druella Black, née Rosier – the lady of the house – kept an eye on the proceedings with her hawk-like gaze. The beautiful witch in her early forties stood at the centre of the storm, her arms clasped in front of her as she made sure not a single spot was left unclean under her watch.
Finally, after a couple of hours of intense cleaning, the house elves were done with their assigned task. When they finished, the centuries-old Number 12 Grimmauld Place gleamed like a newly built building. Druella’s head house elf stood in front of her, bowing low at the waist as he delivered her his report.
“The entire house be clean now, Mistress Black,” Bernard announced in his usual gruff voice. “As you ordered, we replaced all the old curtains, polished all the silver china, and also mowed the entire front lawn. Is there be anything else Mistress wants us to do now?”
Druella thought for a second before nodding in satisfaction at Bernard’s words. “Good work, elf,” she answered in a clipped tone. “You can return to your post in the kitchen now.”
Bernard bowed lower in response before vanishing with a loud crack.
Alone now, Druella let out a tired sigh, her proud shoulders slumping a little. The older witch couldn’t help but feel tired from all the stress that she was going through at the moment. There was so much pressure on her shoulders to make sure everything went smoothly today. Her family’s entire future depended on it.
In the end, Druella shook her head, discarding her thoughts. There was no time for her to feel bad for herself. She needed to stay focused.
So, squaring her shoulders, Druella glanced to her right, checking the clock on the wall near the fireplace. Her dark grey eyes widened as she realized it was already ten in the morning.
Druella cursed. She couldn’t believe she had lost track of the time. Her guests could be arriving any second now.
“Bellatrix, Andromeda, Narcissa!” Druella called out loudly, making her way towards the bottom of the landing of the main staircase. “What are you girls still doing up in your rooms?! Our guests could be arriving at any second. Come down immediately!”
Druella waited, tapping her feet impatiently on the wooden floor. Finally, after a few minutes, she heard the sound of a door opening on the third floor. Soon, the sharp click of heels sounded against the floor as her daughters began to come down the stairs.
Narcissa, Andromeda, and Bellatrix – the three Black sisters came gliding down the staircase, one after the other. The youngest sister took the lead, followed by the middle sister, and finally by the eldest one.
Druella smiled proudly as she gazed at her beautiful daughters, arrayed in front of her. All three of them were her pride and joy, her legacy.
“Merlin, you girls all look so beautiful,” Druella said to her daughters in a soft voice as she admired them. They all looked like true visions of beauty, dressed in their best outfits.
These dresses weren’t the sort of modest robes that most Pureblood witches wore in the Wizarding World. Instead, Druella’s daughters were dressed in quite enticing outfits, the sort of dresses that highlighted how gorgeous their bodies were, pulling people’s gaze towards them.
Druella’s youngest daughter, Narcissa. The eighteen-year old witch was wearing a long black gown that shimmered all over. It showed off all her best attributes in Druella’s mind – her tall, statuesque figure with long legs that seemed to go on forever; her big, bountiful breasts, along with all the delicious curves of her body.
Druella’s eyes then moved to her second-oldest daughter. Nineteen-year old Andromeda was glowing today, looking resplendent in her long silver dress. Her middle daughter also had a great rack like her youngest daughter, Narcissa. Andromeda’s tits were pushed up by the cut of her tight dress. Druella gave Andy a proud smile, causing the young witch to blush in embarrassment and duck her head.
Finally, Druella moved her gaze to the twenty-two-year-old Bellatrix. Her eldest child was dressed in a beautiful red strapless dress that hugged her youthful body, giving ample view of her cleavage. Druella thought that the bold outfit suited her eldest daughter’s wild personality perfectly. It barely went down to her knees, showing the creamy skin of her legs. Finally, to complement the overall outfit, Bella’s dark brown hair was styled in beautiful ringlets of curls that framed her long face.
Druella nodded in satisfaction as she finished examining her daughters’ appearance. As expected, they had not only met her expectations but passed them with flying colours.
“Bella, Andi, ‘Cissa...... Girls, I’m so proud of you,” Druella started, her voice becoming a little emotional as she addressed the three sisters together. “My sweethearts, you have blossomed into such beautiful young women. It feels like it was only yesterday when you were playing near my skirts. But look at you now... I can’t believe you’ve grown up so much. A real credit to our esteemed house, all of you are.”
As Druella finished, Narcissa let out an embarrassed cry, trying to hide the blush rising on her face. “Mama, stop. You don’t have to say all those things. You’re embarrassing us.”
Andromeda nodded in agreement at her sister’s words, her face even redder than before. “Yes, Mummy. Please stop.”
Unlike her younger sisters, Bellatrix, however, just shook her head in amusement. She held her head high proudly, placing her hands on her waist.
“Cissy, Andy, both of you are such babies, honestly,” Bella scoffed at her younger siblings, shaking her head at them. “Mother’s only telling the truth, dear sisters. We’re the daughters of Late Cygnus Black, Granddaughters of Lord Arcturus Black. Our family is the most powerful family in the Wizarding World. And if that isn’t enough, we’re also the most beautiful, most eligible girls in the entire country. We should take pride in that fact and not hide from it.”
Narcissa let out a squawk in response to Bellatrix’s words. “What are you talking about, Bella? I’m not hiding from anything. Of course, I’m proud to be a daughter of the House of Black. When did I say otherwise? You always put words in my mouth, sister!” she replied, getting in her older sister’s face.
Bellatrix’s eyes narrowed at the disrespectful tone coming from her younger sister. Suddenly, her wand jumped into her hand from her sleeve. She slowly raised it up, pointing the tip in Narcissa’s direction. “You might want to lower the tone of your voice, dear sister,” she threatened the blonde not-so-subtly. “I don’t think I appreciate you raising your voice at me.”
Narcissa, however, didn’t back off. She lifted her chin stubbornly and took a step closer to Bellatrix, pulling out her own wand. “No, I won’t lower my tone, Bella. In fact, I’ll speak as loud as I want. So, you should get this into your head, sister, that I won’t let you bully me anymore. So, what are you going to do now, huh?”
Druella watched the argument between her oldest and youngest daughter in silence, feeling a sense of worry rising inside of her. She knew Bella and Cissa didn’t get along all that well with each other, but this was ridiculous, really. Any second, their guests could come through the Floo Network, and if they did, they would find two of her daughters at each other’s throats. That wasn’t the sort of impression that Druella wanted to give her guests.
Finally, Druella realized she needed to stop this. She opened her mouth, ready to interject before a fight broke out between her daughters, but luckily, Andromeda intervened before her.
“Mama, what time do you think Grandfather would arrive?” Her sensible daughter asked suddenly, cutting off the argument between her sisters.
Narcissa and Bellatrix both abandoned their argument as they heard the question from their sister and turned to face their mother in curiosity.
Druella let out a silent sigh of relief. “He could be here any second, sweetheart,” She answered Andromeda, flashing her a grateful smile before giving her other two daughters a harsh look. “Now, are you two done acting like complete idiots or not?”
Narcissa immediately ducked her head at the rebuke coming from Druella. Bellatrix, however, just grinned shamelessly back at her.
“Oh, we were just having some fun, mother. Obviously, Cissa and I weren’t going to fight each other. Right, dear sister?” she finished, throwing an arm around Narcissa’s shoulder.
The blonde girl hissed in response and threw her arm off.
Bellatrix just chuckled, however, instead of getting angry.
Druella closed her eyes at her daughter’s antics. “Merlin, save me from foolish daughters.” Finally, she shook her head, adopting a serious expression. “Alright, enough is enough, girls. No more fooling around. Your grandfather, and cousins Sirius and Regulus, could be arriving any minute now. Until they come, I want you to stay in the spare room beside the kitchen. Don’t come out from there until I call for you.”
Her daughters nodded in agreement. Before they went to the spare room, however, Narcissa brought up a question to her in a soft voice.
“Mama, which one of us do you think Cousin Sirius would choose for his wife?”
Cissa’s question caused an uncomfortable silence to descend on the room until Bellatrix broke it with a loud snort.
“What kind of question even is that, Cissa? Of course, Cousin Sirius would choose me. Is there even a doubt about that? After all, I’m the most talented, most intelligent, and the most beautiful girl in the family, right?”
Bellatrix’s words had the desired effect that she’d intended. Narcissa let out a cute little growl and turned to face her older sister. “Shut up, Bella. You’re not the most beautiful girl in the family. That’s me, and everyone knows that.”
In response, Bellatrix’s lips curled upwards in glee. “Oh, so you admit that you’re only beauty and not brains, Cissa.”
Narcissa spluttered. “Th-that’s not what I meant. Stop putting words in my mouth, Bella,” she cried, launching herself at her sister.
Bellatrix let out a cackle in response, dodging Narcissa’s attacks easily. She quickly fled from the hallway, heading towards the room Druella had asked them to stay in, followed closely by Narcissa.
As the two sisters vanished deeper into the house, Druella let out another tired sigh. She felt a little better when her most well-behaved daughter, Andromeda, placed her hand on her shoulder.
“Don’t worry, mother. I’ll keep an eye on both of them.” Andy promised her before heading after her sisters.
Druella smiled after her second daughter, staring at her gratefully. She just hoped Andromeda would be able to keep her sisters calm in the next room over until their guests arrived.
Narcissa’s POV :
For the next twenty minutes, Narcissa and her sisters remained in their assigned room – the one beside the main kitchen - keeping quiet and not making any loud noises. Even Bellatrix – a girl who couldn’t stay quiet for more than a few minutes – managed to keep her trap shut during that entire time as she walked back and forth on the Egyptian carpet, lost in her own thoughts.
Finally, after waiting for an eternity, the three sisters heard the telltale sound of the Floo Network activating. They all looked at each other in anticipation, having heard the familiar whoosh noise that appeared whenever a person stepped out of the fireplace.
Narcissa, Andromeda, and Bellatrix shared a look before they all scrambled to their feet, rushing towards the door connected to the kitchen. They all knew that was where their mother would lead their guests to. So, the three sisters pushed each other, doing everything in their power to be the person who got to place their ear against the door.
In the end, Bellatrix’s vicious streak earned her the victory among the three siblings. The dark-haired girl kneeled in front of the wooden door, her ear pressed against the small keyhole, so that she could eavesdrop on the conversation going on in the kitchen.
Narcissa and Andromeda stood behind their sister, nursing their defeat with a sour look on their faces. In the end, however, they didn’t hold any grudge against their older sister. Narcissa and Andromeda were both far more interested in finding out what was going on in the next room.
So, filled with curiosity, Narcissa gently tapped Bellatrix on the shoulder. “So, what’s going on, Bella? Can you hear anything?”
Bellatrix, however, simply pushed her hand away. “Shh! Keep quiet, Cissa! I can barely hear anything as it is because of Grandfather’s soft voice. So, don’t distract me.”
Narcissa scowled at her eldest sister’s attitude. “Well, if you can’t hear them clearly, then step aside, Bella. I bet I can hear better than you.”
Beside her, Andromeda tried to play the mediator among the sisters. “It’s okay, Cissa. Let Bella try for a moment. You can take a turn after her.”
“Yes, at least let me try, Cissa,” Bella hissed, throwing Narcissa a nasty look over her shoulder. “Now, please, keep quiet for a few seconds and don’t buzz over my head while I try to figure out what Grandfather is saying to Mother right now.”
Narcissa desperately wanted to give a retort to Bellatrix’s cutting words, but she kept quiet, noticing the pleading look in Andy’s eyes. Finally, after a few seconds, she let out a loud groan. “Ugh, this is so stupid. Why can’t you just use some magic, Bella? There must be a spell or a charm that lets you eavesdrop on other people.”
Bella didn’t glance back at her as she gave a response. “Merlin’s Beard! I had no idea you were so smart, Cissy. Heavens, why didn’t I think of that myself?! Oh, maybe it’s because Grandfather would sense the magic if I use a spell to eavesdrop on him, you idiot girl. His magical senses are much sharper than yours or mine, and he wouldn’t miss a spell like that.”
Narcissa coughed, trying not to blush in embarrassment. “Oh, I didn’t know that,” she mumbled in a low voice.
Bella snorted at her sister’s ignorance. Even Andromeda let out a small chuckle in amusement.
Narcissa could feel the tips of her ears starting to become hot from embarrassment. She decided it was better to stay quiet for a while before she embarrassed herself any further.
So, for the next few minutes, there was no other sound in the room as Bellatrix focused all her senses on listening to the conversation going on in the next room.
Finally, after a stretch of suspenseful silence, Bellatrix let out a small gasp, clapping a hand over her mouth.
Her reaction took Narcissa and Andromeda completely by surprise. The two sisters exchanged troubled glances; neither of them had ever seen their older sister react like that before. They looked at Bellatrix questioningly, but the older girl said nothing, her eyes wide with shock.
Narcissa could feel her heart racing inside her chest as she wondered what in the world was happening in the kitchen between her mother and Grandfather that had shocked their sister like that. Unfortunately, Bellatrix was no help at all. She remained quiet, stumbling away from the door she had been kneeling beside only seconds earlier.
Seconds dragged by with no explanation, and Narcissa felt as if she was going crazy with curiosity. Then she heard the familiar whoosh of the Floo Network activating again.
“This is stupid,” she said to herself, finally.
Unable to contain her curiosity any longer, Narcissa pulled open the kitchen door, barging inside with no warning whatsoever.
Contrary to what she’d expected, Narcissa was met with only her mother, sitting down with her shoulders slumped in a chair. There was no one else in the kitchen besides Druella Black. The blonde-haired girl had expected to be met with her grandfather, and maybe even cousins Sirius and Regulus, but none of them were there.
“What happened, Mama? Why do you look so disappointed?” Narcissa asked her mother in a soft voice, stepping closer towards her. “And where’s Grandfather, and Cousin Sirius and Regulus? Surely, they haven’t left already?”
Druella Black looked up, and Narcissa gasped as she noticed the stunned look in her mother’s eyes. The older witch looked as if all her hopes had been crushed to dust.
“What’s happened, mother? Why do you look like that?” Narcissa asked her mother worriedly, rushing to her side.
In response, Druella only shook her head. “It’s all gone wrong, Cissa. Completely wrong.”
Narcissa blinked, confused by the words. “What do you mean, Mother? I don’t understand,” she asked, rubbing a hand on her mother’s tense shoulders.
Druella Black sighed, rubbing both her hands over her face. She then slowly looked up, meeting Narcissa and her sisters’ eyes.
“I’m sorry, girls. But none of you will be marrying your Cousin Sirius or even Regulus.”
Narcissa blinked, taken aback by surprise for a few seconds. Luckily, Andromeda managed to ask the question on her mind.
“Why, Mama?” Her older sister asked in a soft voice.
“Because your cousin is dead, Andromeda. The entire main branch of the Black Family died last night.”
The kitchen of Number 12 Grimmauld Place was filled with a terrible silence as Narcissa and her sisters heard the shocking news.
Suddenly, Andromeda let out a shocked gasp, covering her mouth with her hand. Meanwhile, Bellatrix simply tutted under her breath, having overcome her shocked state from earlier. “So, it’s true, then? I was hoping I had misheard that part earlier. But apparently not.”
For her part, Narcissa was left in a complete state of shock. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Cousin Sirius and his entire family are dead. How did that even happen?
Once again, while Narcissa was still reeling from the shock, her older sister Andromeda asked their mother the question that was on her mind.
“What happened, Mama? How did Cousin Sirius and everyone else die?”
In response, their mother shook her head dejectedly. “It was all a stupid accident, really. Apparently, your Uncle Orion had taken the entire family on a trip to an animal reserve in Africa. Things were going well there, but unfortunately, they came across a half-grown Nundu in the jungle. It poisoned them with its breath before they could even try to do anything.”
Narcissa blinked, struggling to believe what she was hearing. “They were killed by a juvenile Nundu?” she asked incredulously. “Merlin’s beard! Why on earth would they step into its habitat at all? Did they not know how dangerous those creatures are?”
Druella threw her hands up in frustration at her daughter’s question. “I was thinking exactly the same thing, daughter. But honestly, who knows, Cissa?” she replied, shaking her head sadly. “I only know what your grandfather told me, and even he doesn’t have the entire story yet. But if you ask me, this incident.....it has Orion written all over it. That man has always had an unhealthy obsession with dangerous animals, going back as far as I can remember. I wouldn’t be surprised if he took his entire family to the Nundu’s territory, knowing full well the creature would be there.” Her lips tightened bitterly. “And now everything is ruined. Completely ruined.”
As Druella finished speaking, Bellatrix let out a small chuckle. “What are you even talking about, Mother?” she said, shaking her head patronizingly. “How would things be ruined by this? In fact, isn’t this just perfect?! With the main branch of the family gone now, won’t we inherit the entire Black family fortune? Also, we now no longer have to marry Sirius or Regulus.”
Narcissa’s head jerked up suddenly as she heard those words from her eldest sister. Beside her, Andromeda was having a similar reaction. Both sisters’ eyes had widened in shock, having not made that connection so far. Suddenly, Narcissa felt like she was going to hyperventilate as she realized that now, she might inherit a much larger part of the vast Black family fortune than before.
The Black family was the richest family in the Wizarding World, with dozens of vaults filled with millions of galleons in Gringotts Bank. If that wasn’t enough, they also had hundreds of properties scattered all over the world, both commercial and rental.
Narcissa had never expected to see most of that wealth in her life, considering she was a daughter of the lesser branch of the Black family. Her father, Cygnus, was the younger son of Lord Arcturus Black, the head of the entire Black family. As the younger son, he was entitled to a small portion of the family wealth, while the majority belonged to the heir, Orion, and his children.
Since childhood, Narcissa and her sisters had grown up in relative wealth, but it was nothing compared to what Cousins Sirius and Regulus had enjoyed from the very beginning.
They were like a couple of princes in the Wizarding World.
A part of Narcissa had always envied them for their power and status, secretly coveting it for herself. It was one of the reasons why she hadn’t refused her mother when she was told that one of her sisters—or she herself—would be marrying their cousin Sirius.
Narcissa immediately understood what her mother was trying to accomplish with such an arrangement. If she—or one of her sisters—managed to capture Cousin Sirius’s eye, then that person would become the next Lady Black. She would have access to the entire Black family fortune and would be able to take care of the rest of the family as well.
Narcissa had applauded her mother’s plan when she had first heard it. It was a perfect scheme that took care of both her and her sisters, leaving none behind.
Still, that was back then. Now, however, things had changed completely. With Orion and his children dead now, there were no more Black family members left to inherit the fortune. As a result, Narcissa no longer had to marry her cousin Sirius. It was all her and her sisters now.
Unfortunately, before Narcissa could get lost in the daydreams of immeasurable wealth, expensive dresses, and fine jewellery, her mother dashed all those hopes with a sledgehammer.
Druella Black slammed her fist on the kitchen table. “You’ll inherit nothing, you stupid girl!” she screamed at Bellatrix, shooting out of her chair with a sudden movement. Narcissa and her sisters jumped in surprise at the sudden outburst from their mother. Meanwhile, Druella continued. “Do you ever pay any attention to anything?” she asked Bella, coming closer to her. “Or, is there only air inside your empty head?”
Bellatrix sputtered, her pretty face getting angry at the insult to her intelligence. She opened her mouth, trying to say something, but their mother didn’t give her a chance to answer as she barrelled on. “Why do you think I was trying so hard to hitch one of you girls to Orion’s boy? Hmm? It’s because the Black Family Charter forbids the daughters from inheriting any of the family wealth,” she explained. “That was one of the reasons I never killed that moron Orion and his entire line myself—doing so would have only made the next male in line the heir and wouldn’t have helped us since your father was dead.”
Narcissa was left speechless by her mother’s explanation. All of her daydreams about vast wealth and fortune were over now, lying in tatters around her.
While Narcissa was trying not to cry about the loss of her potential fortune, Bellatrix was shaking her head in confusion. The dark-haired girl wasn’t going to admit defeat so easily yet. “B-but mother, there are no more Black male heirs left. Sirius and Regulus were the only men left in the family tree apart from Uncle Orion and Grandfather Arcturus. So, how would it even work?”
In response to Bella’s question, Druella waved her hand in the air dismissively. “That doesn’t matter, girl. I’m sure Arcturus would manage to find someone who is closely related to us and has enough Black blood in him. We Purebloods intermarry enough with each other that I’m sure there would be someone out there who’s suitable enough.”
Narcissa, Andromeda, and Bellatrix shared a look as they realized the predicament they were in. Finally, Andromeda raised the question on all of their minds.
“So, what are we going to do now, Mama?”
Druella Black turned to face them with a fierce look in her eyes. “You’re going to do exactly what we’d planned earlier, my daughter’s,” she told Narcissa and her sisters, meeting their eyes meaningfully. “All of you would present yourself to the next Heir and try to get close to him by any means possible. All of you would try to seduce him to the best of your abilities. Hopefully, one of you will finally succeed in the end, and then that person will take care of the rest of the family.”
Narcissa, Andromeda, and Bellatrix stood straight at their mother’s command. “Yes, Mama. We’ll do as told.”
Narcissa let a sigh of relief as their mother nodded in satisfaction before finally turning away. Before leaving, she told her and her sisters to prepare their suitcases for travel, as they would be departing for the main Family manor where they would present themselves to the next person in line for the lordship.
As she headed towards her room to prepare for their departure, Narcissa wondered who the next Heir of the Black Family would be.