Chapter 2
Part I: Narcissa
Narcissa is sitting in a compartment with her sisters and Rita Skeeter, Bellatrix's best friend. Andromeda had bought some candy from the trolley, and the four of them were happily enjoying the sweets when a young girl opened the compartment door.
"Hi! I'm sorry, can I sit here? Everywhere else is full," she asks. Narcissa stares at her. She has short, brown hair, but in the sun, some strands have a hint of blonde. Her hair seemed messy at first, but after a further look, she could tell that it was just the way her hair grew, and her hair was brushed neatly. She was wearing her robes already; however, she wasn't wearing a house tie, so she must be a first-year.
No, you can't. Go find another place," Bellatrix snaps.
"Bella, do you really have to be so rude? Come on in; there's still plenty of space between me and my sister. I'm Andromeda, but call me Andy. What's your name?"
"I'm Alice. Are you sure it's okay? I can find another compartment if you want me to."
"Yes, darling, of course it's okay. Excuse my sister, Bellatrix. Would you like a chocolate frog?"
Andromeda has always been so kind. To be fair, Bellatrix was kind, but only to her, Rita, and Andromeda. Andromeda was kind to everyone she met. Narcissa thinks that has something to do with the way they were raised. Their parents weren't particularly kind, and Bellatrix is a little like them, whereas Andromeda tries so hard to be the exact opposite. Narcissa knows how much her sisters, especially Bellatrix, had to go through just to shield her from their parents' terrors.
Alice sits next to her and Andromeda and opens her chocolate frog.
"Jocunda Sykes! She was the one I was missing! Now my collection is complete!" Alice laughs.
Narcissa is amazed by how simply happy this girl is. She must have had such a great life and amazing parents to be able to live this joyous life without fearing for one second that she didn't deserve it or that she would be punished for feeling that way. Narcissa has a hard time believing that this girl and her would be in the same Hogwarts House, let alone be friends. The two of them are so different; how could this ever work out?
Part II: Alice
Alice looks at the three sisters. They all look so different. The girls with the black hair looked similar, but Bellatrix has piercing black eyes, while Andy has softer brown ones. Their eyes represent them from the inside, just like her own eyes do.
Alice has a condition called heterochromia, where her eyes are two different colors. Her left eye was brown, and her right eye was green. It was a subtle difference, only visible when making intense eye contact. Not even Frank noticed it until she told him when they were five.
Her parents both believe that her condition shows who she truly is on the inside. The two colors represent the two energies she has within herself. The chaotic one and the calm, sincere one Growing up, she was always very chaotic; she was all over the place, and so were her toys. She discovered she had magic when she accidentally set the dining table on fire because she had too much energy and had to let it out. Over time, she developed a more calm side and was able to see things in a different way. She was able to pull herself together and have sincere conversations at a young age. Her energies lived inside her and stayed balanced.
She looks at Narcissa. She is so different from her sisters, but she has united both of their personalities within herself. Narcissa's bright blue eyes have a softness to them, but they are watchful, like she is always on the run from something, a trait Bellatrix also has.
"So is this your first year as well?" Narcissa's voice draws her back into reality, away from her thoughts.
"Yes, I'm so excited. I can't wait! What house do you think you're going to be in?"
"Uhm, I don't know. Probably Slytherin, like the rest of my family. I wouldn't want to disgrace them." Narcissa looks at her sisters, who give her a look back, which basically means "You better not say anything stupid".
Oh. A Slytherin. Alice has only heard bad things about them. All Slytherins have become dark and cruel wizards. Is Narcissa like that? Is her family evil? Surely Bellatrix belonged in Slytherin, but Andy did not seem like a Slytherin. From what Alice heard about the Hogwarts Houses, Andy would belong more to Hufflepuff.
Alice decided not to tell the girls about her hopes of being a Gryffindor, just in case they would try to hurt her. She changed the subject.
"So, who are you?" She looks in the direction of the older blonde with the cat-like-shaped glasses. She looks a bit taller than the rest and wore Slytherin robes, just like the older two sisters. Alice notices a pin on Rita's robes. It was a flag, but Alice couldn't make out which one. It was red and orange, then there was a white stripe, and then pink and purple. It wasn't a family crest, that's for sure.
"Hey. I'm Rita Skeeter. I'm a journalist, and I write for the school paper."
"That sounds so cool. How do the three girls know you?"
"Well, I'm Bella's, uh, best friend, and the other two came as a package deal. I just recently met Cissy in person, but Bella has told me lots about her."
Cissy. That's such a cute nickname. Alice thinks of herself. She would have never come up with it or even thought of it, but it has a nice ring to it. She will keep that in mind, just in case she and Narcissa get closer. She doubts that, though. They are so different; how could this ever work out?
Part III: Andromeda
Andromeda looks at Alice while she is having a conversation about journalism with Rita. She wonders how a young girl could be so carefree and free without having one worry in mind. She doesn't have the worry of hanging out with only one type of person, the purebloods, so her parents don't hurt her. She has heard of the Fortescues having a younger daughter named Alice. She has also heard that the Fortescues were some of the kindest and most loving people to exist. No wonder Alice turned out to be such a sweetheart.
To be fair, her parents weren't loving, and Andromeda could say for herself that her personality wasn't that bad either. She was mostly quiet and didn't show how hurt or mad she was. Always keeping her cool and trying to see the positive in everything. The only thing she drew the line at was her parents being disgusting blood purists. She would hang out with whoever she wanted, no matter what Hogwarts House, blood status, or family line. In her eyes, everyone was the same.
"So Alice, I assume you're a Fortescue. I heard about the Fortescues having a daughter your age called Alice.
"Yes, I am. My best friend is Frank Longbottom, but I couldn't find him."
"Oh, you're close with the Longbottoms, I see."
Andromeda could hear Bellatrix whisper Blood traitors under her breath and shot her a nasty look. Andromeda knows her sister has a very blood-purist opinion but doesn't seem to care about her best friend Rita Skeeter being half-blood. Maybe she didn't know, but that was so unlikely.
Andromeda smiles at Alice. "That's lovely to hear! I'm glad you already have friends; people at Hogwarts tend to be a bit cliquey." She pronounced cliquey in such a way that Bellatrix knew what she meant by it.
"Anyways, Alice. If you need anything, don't hesitate to come to me and ask. I'm not sure if you know her, but if Molly Prewett rings a bell, you can go to her too. She's my best friend; she will always be there to help."
"Thank you so much, Andy," Alice replies.
The train comes to a halt, and the five girls get up and grab their belongings.
Now, Cissy, go find Hagrid; you can't miss him. Alice, you can go with Cissy if you want. We will be waiting for you!"
"Bye Andy!" the two eleven-year-olds reply in unison.
Part IV: Narcissa
She and Alice get off the boats and make their way into the Great Hall. This year's group of first-year students is led by Minerva McGonagall. As they walk through the Great Hall, she grabs Alice's sleeve. Alice turns to her.
"Hey, Alice. Can we promise that no matter what the outcome of the sorting, we can still be friends? I want friends outside of my sisters' circle."
"Yes, of course, Narcissa. Just don't hate me if I'm not a Slytherin," Alice reassured her.
"Then don't hate me if I am. And call me Cissy; Narcissa sounds so formal."
"Black, Narcissa," Minerva McGonagall calls out. Narcissa walks up to the Sorting Hat and sits on the wooden chair.
"Oh, a black," she hears the hat whisper in her ear, "you are different from the rest of your family. Very much like your middle sister. You have the potential to be in Ravenclaw; however, my decision is SLYTHERIN."
Narcissa gets up and walks towards her sisters. She turns back to see Alice staring at her, a hurt expression on her face. She doesn't want to hurt Alice. She can't explain it, but from the moment she met her on the train, it felt like her soul could go home to Alice. She couldn't ruin what they had over a Hogwarts House.
"That's a girl Cissy! I was sure you could make it." She hears Bellatrix's voice from afar, even though she is standing right next to her. The world goes blurry for a few seconds, but then everything is back to normal. She feels a weight on her left arm and turns to see that Andromeda has put her hand on her arm.
Cissy, are you okay? You look pale."
"Yeah, don't worry; I'm just dizzy from the heat."
Narcissa hears Alice's name being called out and immediately straightens up to hear the result.
GRYFFINDOR," the Sorting Hat, roared across the hall.
That was the moment Narcissa felt something inside her break and tear her apart. She doesn't know what's happening, but she tries to remember their promise.
"I won't hate you if you're a Slytherin if you don't hate me if I'm not a Slytherin."
"I won't hate you if you're a Slytherin if you don't hate me if I'm not a Slytherin."
"I won't hate you if you're a Slytherin if you don't hate me if I'm not a Slytherin."
"I won't hate you if you're a Slytherin if you don't hate me if I'm not a Slytherin."
"I won't hate you if you're a Slytherin if you don't hate me if I'm not a Slytherin."
"I won't hate you if you're a Slytherin if you don't hate me if I'm not a Slytherin."
"I won't hate you if you're a Slytherin if you don't hate me if I'm not a Slytherin."
"I won't hate you if you're a Slytherin if you don't hate me if I'm not a Slytherin."
Alice doesn't hate her because she doesn't hate Alice. They were going to be okay; Narcissa was sure of it.