Bonding with Bella and Druella
I was three when I first met my so called father. Cygnus Black looked at me with disdain swimming in his eyes.
Andromeda was born and this time it was ensured that she was the daughter of Cygnus Black, never mind the fact that he did not even reach the age of maturity at the time of her birth.
Druella had both me and Bellatrix in the playpen as she was attending to Andromeda.
He dismissed Bellatrix who was leaning towards him. But as he took Andromeda in his arms his entire demeanour softened.
Druella looked at him placidly and turned towards me and secretly winked at me.
Age three was the first stage of magical core development and I surprisingly for the others and unsurprisingly for me had a large core which was developing fast. Apparently, my brain especially, had rapid development.
Bellatrix as of now was a needy demanding child who already had tendencies of being a psychopath much like what Dumbledore pointed out Tom Riddle for being.
Even now Bellatrix hated to share attention and tried to sabotage those others around me and also me which amused me to no end as her childish attempts were cute but if you see it in a psychological aspect, it was worrying. Being a Black gave her a lot of leeway. Blacks weren’t known for their sanity and they had a very skewed moral compass.
Druella and I were thick as thieves. She understood on a basic level that I was not a normal child but then again so wasn’t Bellatrix, like I said being a Black was very beneficial in that aspect. It took me a year to warm up to her but it is hard not to love a person who loves you with their entire being endlessly.
And my twin being Bellatrix, it was easier to love me. I won’t say Druella was the epitome of a good mother but Bellatrix was a difficult child. I really do wonder what happened in the original series. I centered her, Druella I mean. I had her looks and Black features too. I was the proof she hadn't made a mistake.
I think originally she would have worn down, becoming cold and aloof. After Cygnus left, Druella put us all to bed.
I stumbled out of my small bed and tumbled into her room. I found her singing a lullaby to the sleeping Andromeda in the cot. I was too big for cots as it was concluded after I reached my first magical maturity.
“Oh, hello sweetheart, you should have been in bed, shouldn't you?” She greeted me with a warm smile.
“Mmhmm, cannot sleep.” I replied as she scooped me up in her arms. Turning away from her and facing towards the cot I leaned and stroked baby Andromeda’s chubby cheeks. She scrunched her nose cutely and as I started playing with her tiny hand she grasped my finger in a firm grasp.
Druella let out a tinkling laugh at my dopey look. I was so besotted with that baby. But I had always loved babies in general and wanted loads of kids in my past life which I never got to chance to. So I think I can be excused.
“My, aren’t you the precious older sister?” Druella said with a soft smile. “She should have been your sibling and not your half sister.” She murmured.
i don’t think I was supposed to hear that, or even understand it.
Pausing I turned back to her. Grabbing her cheeks I smooshed her face and replied, “My sister.”
“Her mother is mine so my sister.” I enunciated firmly or as well I could being three.
Her eyes widened and they shone a wet sheen.
“Oh I must have done something right to have a babe as precious as you. You haven’t had any more visions, have you love?” She asked as if fearing the worst.
The visions as we called them started soon as I turned three, infact the first one I had was the day I turned three.
I felt like I was lucid dreaming since I had it in my sleep. It was of me entering a grand room, a ball of some sorts perhaps? I didn't look much older but the magic overflowing around me felt as if I had reached my second stage of maturity that means around seven years of age.
I saw myself and my sisters along with mother and Cygnus Black were introduced and we descended down the spiraling grand staircase. My inner Cinderella was squealing in delight, I am sure.
Magic seemed to flow here, strong powerful magic intermixing ceaselessly. Mage sense was an actual thing. Not everybody was capable of it. It was like sound colour synaesthesia. But the only difference was that it seemed mage sense encompassed the sound colour synaesthesia. The easiest way to describe it was that some people’s magic could be seen as colours, some heard and a few rare ones both. I would find out more later but that was primarily what I glimpsed in the vision.
I saw us greeting nameless faces, it all passed in a blur until rich red eyes met mine. And then it all ended. Everything faded away as if leached of colour.
That was the same day, the day I turned three, that my soulmark appeared.
I snapped out of my musings as I was placed back into my room. As soon as Druella closed the door a riot of curly hairs peeked out under my bed. Rolling, coming to a stop around me she stood up and stared solemnly at me.
I was endlessly amused, “Oh Bella-Belle that is not ladylike at all.”
“Mira went to see the baby.” Bellatrix spoke softly, ignoring my earlier words which never failed to bring a reaction in her.
“She is our sister.” I replied as I looked at her carefully trying to decipher her.
“Mira loves her?” Bellatrix asked.
“Of course I do.” I answered back instantly.
Bellatrix’s lower lip wobbled, “Mira doesn’t want Bella as her sister anymore?”
All thoughts forgotten I lurched forward and grabbed Bella in a hug, surprising her, “Oh Bella you will always be my twin, my sister I will always love you no matter what. Why did you even think that?” And that was the truth, it didn’t matter if she turned out to be same as that fictional character, I will always love her.
I tended to forget that Bella was a child here, not at fault. She didn’t commit any heinous crime. I still acted wary at times that had to hurt. And children read the atmosphere quicker than adults. I wonder if Druella was subconsciously picking up on that. For priding myself of being nonjudgemental this wasn’t the appropriate behaviour. What a hypocrite I am, look at Bella being surprised by a hug initiated by me.
“Because that’s what everyone does. They forget Bella! The Head Lady is cruel and the Head Lord always stays silent. You don’t like Bella anymore too! You focus all your attention on that baby. Mother liked you more. And Father doesn’t pay attention to Bella, he hates her! Everybody hates Bella no matter what Bella does! Bella is your twin sister, they said something must be wrong because we don’t stay together. Magical twins are sacred, they are close.”
She sobbed harshly on my shoulder. ”Bella hates them. Wants to hurt them badly. They say you are not a Black. Bella wants to hear them scream and see that pretty red juice flow out. You are a Black! The Blackiest of them all, you are Bella’s twin!”
Black madness is a thing. Bellatrix is affected. To think of it, the Black madness appeared in this generation with a vengeance. Look at Bellatrix, Sirius’ fit of madness when he went after revenge against Pettrigrew, Regulus foolhardy behaviour of going off on his own on dying.
I didn’t know how I would handle it in the future, but for now I merely held her close as she sobbed her little heart out on me, drenching my shoulder with snot and tears. I murmured assurances of my love and support trying to assuage her fears holding her tightly.
I wasn’t a good twin up till now but now I will do my best, regardless if she turns out to be that Bella, I would accept all of her and only try to mitigate the damage.
As she looked at me with a flushed face, appearing like the poster child of a crying baby, I wiped her tears delicately by the tips of my fingers.
“Do you know why Mira calls you Bella-Belle?” I asked her gently.
She shook her head in a meek negative. I disliked my vivacious sister being reduced to this. And it was mostly my fault.
I had to rectify that and soon.
“Belle means a beautiful girl, especially the most beautiful at a particular event. I use it in the context that means you are the belle of my life.”
And as I look back on it I realise how much of it was the truth. She was with me in those hazy suffocating memories of being in the womb, my partner, my aid in this life. Druella didn’t really need me, I mean yes she did but not in the way Bella did. The pure way of a child. She was my baby sister. My center before Andy arrived.
And as she smiled a big watery smile I vowed to protect this smile, to remember that at the core Bellatrix Black would always remain my Bella-Belle. She smiled with her entire soul, it showed in her eyes. There was a reason magical eyes were of such varied and unique colours especially in the pure blood families. Her eyes glowed violet in sync with her emotions and unknowingly my own glimmered back, a lilac silver.