☆ | 1964 | you held me the whole way through, when I couldn't say the words like you |

The living room lamp flickered, the fireplace casting dark imposing shadows that reflected the morose sobriety of the Black family. But the atmosphere of the living room was anything but.

"No sweetheart." Andromeda laughs gently, "say it again, it's a t h, say it like th."

You grumble in response, your small hands picking in frustration at the thick book with cardboard pages. But you say it again, you try the word once more and giggle in triumph when your older sister praises you as you say it correctly.

"Well done, baby." Andromeda mutters, her fingers swooping through your soft curls with a gentle affection that your mother rarely held for any of the girls.

Andromeda was everyone's source of comfort, of love, of maternal affection despite simply being the eldest sister, but druella Black wasn't known for her maternal tendencies, so you could hardly expect it from your actual mother, could you?

"You baby her too much." Bellatrix scoffs as she stomps into the room and flops down on the sofa, her face the picture of 12 year old petulance.

"Shush, Bella, she's cute." Narcissa smiles, batting bellatrix away.

Naricissa kneeled infront of the sofa where you sat on andromeda's lap, her perfect fingers gently poking at her little sisters face and grey eyes lightening in wonder as you giggle and gurgle in response.

"And she's three. She needs babying." Andromeda replies, smiling as she had to reach forwards to untangle your chubby pink digits from narcissa's jumper. Though when she glances at bellatrix -slumped in the plush, cream armchair that seemed to swallow her whole, a grumpy look on her sharp features, and hair so unruly she didn't even think the gods would be able to get a brush though it- she raises a brow fondly. "And apparently so do you, where are your socks, Bella?"

"Don't need em, socks are boring."

She wiggles her toes and jabs them in narcissa's face, who squeals and bats her older sister away.

"Ew! You're so gross!"

Andromeda rolls her eyes fondly and focuses back on your sweet figure who had turned around with a gentle confused expression that outdated all of the Blacks with their stoicism and morose looks. You were clearly confused on how to react in this situation, looking to the eldest for help.

"S'okay, ignore the weird sisters." She mutters, leaning down to press a kiss to your warm head.

Everything was calm and happy in the Black household for once. No one was screaming, no curses were being thrown, no expectations being held. Just four sisters together for once. And andromeda was horrendously glad that their parents weren't home to ruin their dear solace with disproving glances and century old expectations.