POV: Narcissa

Bella nudged me awake in the morning. "Cissy, get up. I'm taking you to the train station today. Get up, will you," she hissed. Yesterday, I had been excited about going. I knew that Bella wasn't coming back, but I had thought Andromeda might have changed her mind and gone to Hogwarts anyway. I would be alone on the train, and the rumors would be awful. Even though I was popular at school, it didn't save me from the dreadful gossip. At least I have Lucius, I thought.

"I'm going, Bella. Why aren't mother and father taking me?"

"They're too upset over Andromeda. Just get ready." Even in Bella's voice, I could hear the pain. For the following year, my parents would be distant and stay up in my father's office for most of the time. I wanted to kill Andromeda for what she had done to this family. Nothing would ever be right again. I showered, pick out an outfit, and did my hair and make-up. "Ready?" I nodded and followed her downstairs to the fireplace. As usual, we went by Floo Powder to the train station.

I gave Bella a quick hug and boarded the train. A girl in her last year came up to me. I didn't know her name, but I knew her as one of Andromeda's friends. She seemed to be looking around for her. "Is Andromeda with you?" the girl asked hopefully.

My throat felt tight, and I did all I could to stop from crying. "N-no," I said, turning around briskly.

The girl grabbed my shoulder lightly. "Do you know where she is?" The girl had a friendly face; just like Andromeda's. Her hair fell down to her hips, and was a light red shade that was perfectly straight. She had on green eye-shadow and light pink lipstick. It was something Andromeda would have worn. This girl was prettier, though. She almost didn't look real she was so pretty.

"S-she's not here."

The girl frowned. I could tell she was getting slightly frustrated. "Not here meaning?"

"Not here on the train, not at our manor, maybe not even in the country."

"Damn, I told her just to lie to your parents. Is she okay. I mean, you still are talking to her, right?"

I sighed, I was starting to not like this girl. She didn't seem to understand the importance of pure-blood wizarding. I would have guessed she was in Hufflepuff if it wasn't for her green Slytherin robes. "Why would I be talking to her? She fucked with a mud-blood, and now she's marrying him. Are you mental, or something? That's a reason to disown someone! She's a freaking blood-traitor!" I didn't know where this anger was coming from. I must have been raising my voice because people were starting to poke their heads out of their compartments.

The girl seemed to lower her voice considerably. "Look, I'm sorry to have upset you. It's just that she - Andromeda - carried for you. She left you this note." The girl reached into her robes and handed me a small envelope.

I took it, but I wasn't sure what to do with it. Options were running through my mind. Give it back to her, don't read it, burn it, throw it out the train window, or just throw it away. But I didn't do any of those things. I slipped the letter into my robes, and went off to an empty compartment without saying goodbye. I knew I was supposed to be meeting up with Lucius, but I locked the compartment door, and ripped open the letter.

Dear Cissy,

This letter is meant for you, and only you. Bellatrix, Mother, Father, and Lucius are not allowed to read this letter. I know that you'll respect me, even though you're mad at me. How do I know you're mad at me? You go along with our cruel families ways. That's right, cruel. Mother and Father are all for killing innocent muggle-borns, and muggles, for that matter. Muggles and muggle-borns can't help the way they are born. I really hope you take into account what I'm about to tell you.

Bella and our parents are crazy. For power, for money, for success. It's healthy to some extent, but they've crossed the line. I don't want you to go along with just because Bella is. You don't have to be her follower. You, Cissy, have the power to change our family. You're a really nice girl; you see beyond what most people don't. I'm not asking you to leave Mother, Father, Bellatrix, or Lucius. I just want you to consider standing up for what you know is right.

I'm really going to miss you, Cissy. Remember, I'll always love you no matter how mad you are at me.

Love you so very much,

Andromeda

There were a few tear drops on the bottom of the page. I felt hot, sweaty, and dizzy. I pressed my face to the cool train window. It had a calming effect, and I took a deep breath. I wasn't sure if I should write to her or not. There was a knock on my compartment door, distracting me from my thoughts. I got up shakily, and unlocked the door. Luckily, it was Lucius and a few of his friends. "Hey, Cissa," Lucius said, kissing me softly. "Are you okay? You're really pale. Here, sit down." I sat down rigidly. I wasn't sure why I was making such a big deal out of one stupid letter. It was probably because I knew what Andromeda said was right; my family was sick in the head. I was too, but not to their extent. I could try to talk them out of mud-blood hatred, but I didn't really want to do that. I hated how well Andromeda knew me. "Cissa, lovecakes, what happened?"

I took a deep breath. I didn't want to lie to Lucius; I never had before. But there were too many people around. Rookwood, MacNair, Yaxely, and Snape were there. "I need to tell you alone," I said, gesturing to the other guys.

Lucius cleared his throat. "Could you guys please excuse us for a moment. I believe there's an empty compartment just down the hall. We'll join you in a minute." We waited a minute before Lucius started talking again. "Okay, tell me what happened." I took a deep breath, and told him everything that had happened with my sister and the letter I had just received from her. "It'll be okay, Cissa. Just don't write back to her. That will only rip your family apart more."

The rest of the train ride was silent. I held back my tears; a Black was not to cry in public. Once off the train, I could hear people gossiping about Andromeda. "Did you hear about the middle Black girl?" "Yeah, that's right. Pregnant." ". . . ran away with a mud-blood." "She's a filthy blood traitor."

I hated it. I hated it all. That's when I became the cold girl most people known me as. I shut down when anyone tried to talk to me about Andromeda; I ran away; I hexed people. I wasn't the popular, beautiful Narcissa Black anymore. I was the "cold-hearted, beautiful bitch." Beauty no longer mattered much to me, though. I still kept up a striking appearance; a facade. What I really wanted to do was cut off all my hair, not care about my clothing, and stop wearing make-up. I longed to go back to a time when Andromeda was still in the family; back to a time when Andromeda's face was still stitched into the Black tapestry at my aunt's house, and not blasted away.

I wondered how different I would have been if Andromeda had never fallen in love with that stupid, dumbass mud-blood.

When I returned for my 5th year of school, I was no longer depressed. My mother had given me a potion to get rid of my sadness, and I was no longer called the cold-hearted bitch. I was back to being as popular as I could be.

I still look back to my fourth year, though, and regret everything that happened that summer. I often wished that I could have been tougher, more like Bella, but she struggled too; just not openly. Her frustration went to murdering people and servitude to the Dark Lord.

I really did hate Andromeda, her husband, and her horrible child. I regretted ever becoming close to her.

Okay, I think this is the end of my story. Let me know what you thought of it all!