Erin sat at Three Broomsticks with Andromeda Tonks.

The two of them had been staring at each other for the past minute, not really knowing what to say.

"You look like her now I think about it," said the woman and the girl knew who 'her' was.

"You don't," answered Erin and Andromeda furrowed her eyebrows. "No, I'm sorry it's just. . . If that girl on the photo is truly my mum, then she looks completely different now. It took me a while to notice that some similarities still remain on her face."

"Like what?" Andromeda took a sip of her butterbeer and let out a hum at the delicious taste.

Erin shrugged. "Don't know. I guess her nose and lips, looks like yours, too."

The woman nodded. "That's what people always pointed out. Our eyes were different, though. Who would've thought that different eye colour could make such a difference?"

"I wouldn't."

"Exactly."

"So. . ." Erin trailed, breaking the silence. "Where do we start?"

***

A set of identical twins was standing on a platform nine and three quarters.

Celeste Polaris Black was the taller one, only by a half of centimeter, but she made sure to tease her sister about it. Just like the rest of her family, she was wearing expensive robes. Her mother made sure everyone in Hogwarts would know how rich they are.

Her big green eyes shone bright at the sight of Hogwarts Express as it was the first time she saw it.

The older twin, Andromeda Cassiopeia Black, was standing next to her sister, smiling so hard that she felt her face hurt but that didn't make her stop. Beside her, holding her hand, was a little blonde girl named Narcissa, who was just seven years old at the time. Therefore, she couldn't go to Hogwarts for another four years.

"Please, Andy," Narcissa whispered, looking up at her big sister with puppy eyes. "Hide me into your trunk, nobody has to now—"

"Mother," called nine-years-old Bellatrix. "Narcissa's trying to run away again."

"Don't act like you didn't try exactly this on me just yesterday, Bella," said Celeste, messing with her sister's already messy wild black locks. "Issa's just going after your footsteps."

"She's just a copycat."

Narcissa stuck out her tongue.

"Alright, stop it, you two," said Druella. She looked at her oldest daughters. "Celeste, Andromeda, I hope I do not have to repeat what you, me and your father talked about last night."

It was Druella's speech that she repeated every year; warned them about Muggleborns — Mudbloods how she called them, told them to socialize only with Slytherins (or Ravenclaws) that believed in Pureblood supremacy and commanded them to be best everything.

Too many things at once. Celeste had no idea how it took her six years before breaking all the rules.

***

From first year to fifth, Celeste was the daughter Druella and Cygnus wanted her to be. She did everything like her parents wanted; she was on the top of Potions, History of Magic and Charms, she hated anyone who wasn't a Pureblood and who didn't believe in Toujours Pur.

No matter how many people Celeste and Andromeda befriended, the two of them remained the best of friends. It seemed to everyone that they were attached to hip because, truly, if you saw Celeste somewhere, there was no way that Andromeda was further than forty feet away.

The girls were quite popular and they would be even if the surname Black wasn't next to their name.

It was because of their beauty. The girls who gone to Hogwarts the same time as Andromeda and Celeste remember that the sisters were their lesbian awakening. The girls and boys loved them and got all red in the face when Andy or Celese smiled at them.

They were gorgeous and they knew it.

While Celeste made her parents proud with academical achievments, Andromeda excelled in quidditch. You should see her in the pitch as a captian. From fifth and seventh year, every other day yelling at everyone for three hours straight. If you asked people that were in the team, they would most likely tell you she was strict and annoying but they'd admit she was the best captain and keeper the Slytherin quidditch team could ever dream of and without her, Slytherin wouldn't win the cup.

That doesn't mean Andromeda wasn't great in classes, no. Just like her sister, she excelled in Potions, but also in Astronomy and Herbology (in which Celeste wasn't really skilled).

Then, sixth year came and the sisters suddenly grew a bit apart.

Andromeda noticed that Celeste started to sneak out at night. She decided she'll try to ignore it because she knew that if her sister wanted to tell her something, she would. But after a few months, Andy got annoyed by it because she knew Celeste had a secret before her and she didn't like it.

"Where were you last night?" It was morning of december in their sixth year when Andromeda decided to ask one day at breakfast.

Celeste choked on her pumpkin juice, coughed and then wiped her mouth. She avoided an eye contact with her sister as she cut her pancake.

"I got hungry so I went to the kitchens."

Andromeda nodded. "So you've been sneaking out almost every night slightly before midnight for the past three months just to get something to eat? Tell me," she leaned on her hands, staring at Celeste, "how stupid do you think I am?"

Celeste finally lifted up her eyes from her food to look at Andy.

"I am not lying to you, if that's what you think."

"Of course, that's what I think when that's exactly what are you doing."

"I am telling you the bloody truth, Andromeda."

"You're not," hissed quietly the older sister. "Have you forgotten that I've known you for seventeen years so I can tell exactly when you're lying?" She watched Celeste gulp nervously. "You've been sneaking off to see someone, haven't you?"

"I have not."

"Yes, you have," said Andromeda. "So who is it?"

Celeste glared at her twin, tired and irritated by the interrogation.

"I will not tell you!"

Andy didn't take that as an answer. "Why? Is it a girl?"

"No, it's not. Salazar, Andy-"

"Do I know him?"

Celeste knew that if she said the truth, that Andromeda doesn't know him, she would know it's not a Slytherin.

"Yes, you do know him," sighed Celeste. "But he's really shy, I don't think it's a good idea for you to know who it is, let alone our parents."

"Okay." Andy was somewhat happy with the answer. "Fine, that's fine, but do you promise me you will tell me who he is one day?"

"Who is 'he'?" asked Bellatrix who just arrived to the Slytherin table.

"Merlin, Bella, don't you have children to bully?"

***

For the next year, everything was fine.

Andromeda, or anyone else, didn't know who Celeste's mystery boyfriend was and the girl was very happy with the way it was.

Druella and Cygnus knew she was seeing someone but they asked her only three questions:

"Is he a Slytherin?"

"Is he a Pureblood?"

"Is he a Toujours Pur believer?"

To all of these questions Celeste said, "Yes, he is." Because, can you imagine what would happen if to the question two and three she'd answer, "No, he isn't." ?

However, there was an important question her parents never asked. And that was, "Is he treating you well?"

It took Celeste almost a year to realize that it didn't matter.

Whenever the Blacks were hosting a ball, Druella and Cygnus kept an eye on their second oldest daughter just to check who she was talking to.

When they and Andromeda saw her laughing with Charles Zabini, they thought they found out who Celeste's mystery boyfriend was.

Andy looked at her sister with a jealousy in her eyes at that moment because she knew that her parents would never look at her and Ted Tonks the same way they looked at Celeste and Charles.

What she didn't know was that she wasn't the only daughter of Druella and Cygnus that decided to turn her back against Pureblood supremacy.

***

Twenty-fourth of December nineteen-sixty-eight was the day that Celeste, her sisters and Druella and Cygnus will most likely never forget.

Andromeda was getting ready for Christmas dinner, braiding her hair at that moment, when her sister stormed into their shared bedroom. The older twin could feel the nowhere ending panic right when Celeste ran inside with tears in her eyes.

Celeste immediately rached for the trunk from under her bed and put it on it. She then opened her wardrobe and threw all of her clothes, even the ones she didn't wear for years, and put them in the trunk, not caring that she couldn't fit them all in.

Andromeda quickly stood up from the chair in front of her mirror.

"What are you doing? What happened?"

Celeste briefly turned her head to face her sister before getting back to pack all her stuff.

"She knows and she'll tell them," she mumbled fastly. Andromeda had a hard time understanding her but somehow, she managed to figure out what Celeste was saying. "They're not going to let me stay here, not after what I had done."

Andromeda put her hand on Celeste's shoulder but she moved out of her reach and opened her nighttable.

"Who is 'she' and 'they'?" The older asked but the younger kept silent. "Celeste, can you stop for a second-"

"No, I can't, Andromeda!" Celeste shouted. "I need to get out of here before they find out that I'm a traitor."

"What are you talking about?"

"Use your fucking brain!" She was crying harder now, more tears were streaming down her cheeks and Andy wasn't sure what to do at the moment as the first time she truly comforted someone was ten years later when Ted Tonks's, her husband, parents died. "I've been sneaking around with a Muggleborn!"

Andromeda's eyes widened. She couldn't bring any sound to come out of her mouth.

Ten seconds later, there was a knock on the door and their house-elf announced the dinner is ready.

Celeste breathed heavily and put her and against her mouth to silence any sobs because she knew the elf is still near the door.

"Look," said Andromeda, "you don't have to go downstairs to see them. I'll tell them you're sick."

Celeste shook her head, not even realizing her sister is not calling her a blood-traitor or anything. "No, I'll confess."

She got out of the room, spotting Bellatrix and Narcissa. The dark haired girl sent her an evil smirk before dissapearing downstairs.

Andromeda tried to be positive about the situation. "Maybe she won't tell anything."

"She will, you know she will."

Druella, Cygnus, Narcissa and Bellatrix were already seated at the table when the girls arrived to the dining room.

"What happened to you, Celeste, are you alright?" asked Narcissa at the sight of her red eyes. It was safe to say that she had no idea of what was going to happen.

Celeste forced a smile as she sat down beside her. "I'm alright, Issa, I just hit my head," she lied, her sight falling on Bellatrix across the table, who snorted.

"That explains why you shagged a Mudblood."

Celeste's 'smile' quickly dropped as everyone, minus Andy, around the table looked at her with nothing but disgust in their eyes.

"What is your sister talking about, Celeste?" Cygnus asked. From the corner of her eye, Andromeda could see Bellatrix scrunching her nose at the word 'sister'.

"Haven't you heard, daddy?" Bellatrix asked in a disgustingly sweet tone. "Your perfect daughter has been in a relationship with a Muggleborn Elias Mckinnon for over a year now. Not only she's been holding his hand, but they were kissing and tried to make an ugly halfbreed child."

"Tell me it's not true, Celeste," said Cygnus in a quiet voice. Many would say he was calm while saying that but Celeste knew him well enough to recognize the deadly venom in his voice. When she stayed quiet, Cygnus yelled, "Tell me it's not true!"

She cried. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to, I- I don't know why I did it. Please, can we forget about this? I swear I'll stop talking to him, I'll do anything!"

Andromeda didn't understand why she was begging for his forgivness when she wanted to get out. It was a sudden change of plans.

"You're filthy!" spat Druella. "You're filthier than Mudbloods. Get out of this house!"

"Mama, please," Celeste begged.

It was then when her father yelled out the Cruciatus Curse and Celeste felt thousands of knives stabbing her.

Menstruation cramps may be worse than a heart attack but nothing will ever compare to the pain of Cruciatus Curse.

It continued for minutes but for Celeste, it felt like days.

Andromeda started crying too, begging Cygnus to stop but him and Druella threatened her to disown her as well. Narcissa was quietly sitting at the table, holding onto Andy's hand, telling herself that this is right, that Celeste deserved to be punished while Bellatrix was laughing like mad.

Cygnus made Celeste stand up and walk towards the door with his wand pointed at her back.

He opened the door and pushed her outside to the old December breeze.

"If you'll ever come back here or try to talk to any of us, I'll make sure you'll be dead in a snap of a finger."

"And that," said Andromeda, holding back her tears, "was the last time I properly talked to her and didn't see her since she left Hogwarts. I tried to find her but I figured out she changed her name and appearance. I forgot the name 'Elias McKinnon'. I believe it would've been much easier if I remembered it."

There was a rumour during the first wizarding war that Bellatrix killed her. I wasn't in a contact with her or anyone from my family, only Sirius so I wasn't sure. But I wouldn't be surprised if she did. In fact, for many years I believed that Celeste was dead." Andromeda looked at Erin.

"Until now."