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Thyself in Me (Middle Sister Remix)
Remix Author: vivien
Original Story: Thyself in Me by Branwyn
Summary: Andromeda's life as the middle sister of the Black family
Rating: G
Fandom: Harry Potter
Whenever Andromeda Black was alone, she would sigh in relief. It was only in these times, these quiet moments, that she felt safe enough in her own home to let her guard down ever so slightly. She wondered often whether she was a changeling, or if her existence was a result of some kind of curse on her family, for that was the only way she could fathom her otherness when compared to them.
Bellatrix was her nemesis, her constant threat, although their parents didn't quite realize how far their enmity went. Her earliest memories of her older sister consisted of physical threats, and later, magical ones that she had quickly learned to deflect in any way possible. Every ounce of her energy went into protecting herself, and to a lesser extent, her younger sister Narcissa, when she was home. She thanked whatever gods would listen that she no longer dwelled there often. Guilt for abandoning Narcissa to the whims of their sister bothered Andromeda, but not enough to stay for very long.
Even with the threat Bellatrix presented to her, she never feared her. She recognized her for what she was, a vicious and cowardly thug in black silks and feminine frippery. Andromeda would have hated her if it hadn't taken so much energy. Instead she felt nothing but contempt for her, and on her more forgiving days, pity.
Her younger sister, Narcissa, however, stirred different emotions deep in Andromeda's conflicted soul. Narcissa was a fragile, sweet girl. At least, she could have been, were it not for the taint of Black blood flowing through her veins. Andromeda wished that Narcissa had followed her to Hogwarts, her haven of sanity, but knew that Narcissa was not as strong willed as she. Still, she tried to sway her younger sister, whispering secret persuasions into her ear in an attempt to sway her while Andromeda was still tolerated in her family home.
As it was, she was barely welcome at all, by her last two years of school. Her father maintained a stony silence in her presence, and her mother took out her fear and hatred of her eldest daughter on her second born whenever possible. And of course, there was always Bellatrix, plotting against her and watching her constantly, sabotaging her with spells and curses whenever it pleased her. She was more of a spider than a sister. Sometimes during the holidays it got so bad that Andromeda fled, sometimes to a friend's home, but more often to Cousin Sirius's house. Between the two of them, they were able protect each other from their own families.
There came a time when there would be no more summer holidays. She had only a few months left attached to this house that was never a home. She had only a few months left to persuade her listless younger sister to save herself. She knew her efforts would be fruitless, but as their world descended into whispers of a growing Darkness, she had to try.
Narcissa was a plain girl, wan and washed out. Andromeda felt strongly for her, knowing that even Bellatrix had a vitality to make up for the lack of classic beauty in her determined face. Andromeda knew that her own good looks stood as another mark of her otherness, and she was thankful for whatever genetic tricks had been played on her parents through her. She knew about Narcissa and her mirrors, and she wondered what her sister saw when she gazed at herself for hours upon hours.
A silent packing of bags marked her seventeenth birthday. She slipped out of the house during the pre-dawn hours, purposefully avoiding any farewell confrontations. She cast one glance back at her home before fleeing to the arranged meeting place where Sirius would be waiting for her to assist her in beginning her new life. She saw the pale white face of her little sister watching her blankly from her bedroom window. Andromeda waved to her, tears pricking in her eyes. Narcissa remained motionless.
When Andromeda met Ted, she discovered what family meant. It was such a foreign concept for her that it took quite some time to get used to being accepted and loved unconditionally. Once more she felt the otherness that had been a part of her forever. Ted loved that part, too, and after awhile she fully understood what she'd been deprived of her entire life. Rage towards her family would have consumed her, had it not been for her husband. The fact was that this Muggle man, one of the most despised types of humanity her family could imagine, was the first person who showed her what being a human was all about.
After their marriage, Andromeda's ties to her family were severed, as she knew they would be. Still when she learned of her sister's engagement, she tried to make contact. She vividly imagined how easily her little sister would be overwhelmed by the charismatic evil of Lucius Malfoy. Narcissa wouldn't stand a chance. When she never heard back from her, Andromeda spent hours in Ted's arms, crying for the sister she'd failed, crying for the ghost of the family she'd never had.
The last time she saw Narcissa was in passing in Diagon Alley. Andromeda and her sweet little daughter, Nymphadora, had stopped for an ice cream at Fortescue's. They were enjoying their melting treats when Andromeda saw a woman pass by, pale yet luminous. The woman wore an expression of resolve and vigor, and she carried the bundle of blankets and pink flesh in her arms as if it was the most precious, fragile treasure in the world. Andromeda didn't recognize her at first, and Narcissa passed her by without stopping. When she realized she'd seen Narcissa, Andromeda shivered with a chill that was not from the ice cream. She had always been frightened for meek, little Narcissa, but her sister had apparently come into her own. This should have comforted Andromeda, but it did not. She had seen more than a little of Bellatrix in her sister's plain face. She wondered of Narcissa saw that in herself when she looked in her mirrors, and whether she was proud of it now.
The End