oh fair sister[narcissa]

[bella]

&& i'm wearing a crown of thorns for a damn good reason...

She sat before the tired looking fire with that dull sort of expression gracing her dark features. Bellatrix Black knew it was past midnight. She'd not hesitated to ask her fair sister to join her for a night's talk anyway. There were things she had to ask about. There were necessary points to discuss. Was Cissa going out with Lucius yet? Were they to be engaged any day soon? Bella had to know not for the foolish gossip related reasons of most teenage girls, but for political reasons that could help their family's place in society.

Bellatrix had become a little bit obsessed with the current politics of Hogwarts. Not a day went by where she wasn't dreadfully focused on which move would better push her forward into the Dark Lord's highest of graces. It was a goal. Bellatrix held not many goals to her name. This particular aspiration, however, had quickly become her, body and soul. She was the Dark Lord's loyal servant and nothing more as far as she was concerned.

She'd had many dark deeds to fulfill in the past and she's achieved her highest marks on each little task. She was beginning to feel like some piece of dark royalty. That pompous air of the Slytherin multiplied ten-fold with her new stature.

Bellatrix also wanted to talk with her sister of other matters. See, most of her encounters with Narcissa were centered around petty arguments. This was far from an argument, but had turned out to bring them closer. The fall of their sister, Andromeda. Ever since Andromeda had chosen against going into league with the Dark Lord, Bellatrix had refused to be near her. It was almost as bad as their horrid cousin. Sirius had chosen Gryffindor thus leading to his exile from the Black Manor.

Bellatrix Black had a high regard for social stature and she knew hers was rising to the top fast. Now all she had to do was sit back with a smug stare and never mess up. So, she embraced one of her few nights without running amok on the streets of Hogsmeade in search for some dark wizard or some-such. Tonight she sat back in one of those dark leather chair and lit up a cigarette for old time's sake. It was fun to pretend she was fifteen and cared about nothing again. Oh, the far simpler times they were. Where on earth was Narcissa!

[lindseylouwho]

Life was ever complicated. It was impossible to please everyone in all factors of life. And at times, it seemed positively fruitless to attempt it. But Narcissa had refused to give up trying. She would certainly do her best to satisfy her family; they were the one constant aspect of her life. As for her friends, she had long since given up in trying to keep them happy. Their happiness simply didn’t matter to her. In the long run, they weren’t worth it. Her pleasure however was what she cared most about. As long as she found gratification, the world would continue to turn.

Reluctantly, Narcissa had agreed to meet with her eldest sister that evening. There were at least a dozen other things she could think of doing that would have been more pleasurable. Even so, she ultimately decided to grant dear Bellatrix this one thing. It would be the last year that they accompanied each other through the hallways of Hogwarts. One more year and she would be free of her sister’s critical gaze. How enticing the mere thought was! As much as she adored Bellatrix, there were many times in which the idea of wringing her neck popped into Narcissa’s mind. It took a great deal of self-constraint to keep from bringing those thoughts to reality.

The clock struck midnight. A girlish giggle fell from the blonde’s lips. Turning to face her suitor, she blew him a kiss as she continued down the hallway. It was late night excursions like these that truly excited her. She enjoyed a bit of adventure every now and then. And after all of the studying and structure she put into her day-to-day life, didn’t she deserve a release? A bit of fun wouldn’t hurt her, or her family’s name. No one would ever know anyhow.

Approaching the Slytherin common room, she sighed exasperatedly. Leaning against the cold stone walls, her lips curled into a smile. Was this love? Were the butterflies that filled her stomach a symptom of the feelings that toppled up inside of her? Or was it simply lust? Had her mother been there, she would have said that it was a schoolgirl crush and nothing more. But it had to have been more than that, didn’t it? Though she didn’t show it, her heart grew aflutter every time he glanced her way. Oh, how was she supposed to tell what this feeling was?

Entering the room, she saw her raven-haired sister sitting upon the couch. Gliding over towards her, a smirk danced across Narcissa’s pale face. “Have I kept you waiting long, Bella?” Her voice rang out, echoing against the walls of the empty common room. Taking a seat beside her sister, she couldn’t help but grin. She knew that she couldn’t confide in Bellatrix. There was no point in discussing the factors of love and affection with such a cold woman. She would simply brush it off, that much Narcissa was sure of. “What did you want to discuss with me?”