Narcissa Black held her head high as she climbed the polished, stone steps that led to the entrance of Andra Castle’s mansion, her mind still dazed from her fight with Bellatrix.

Bellatrix -- Oh, how she hated her sister at the moment! She knew that, deep down, she admired – even respected – the way Bellatrix carried herself, the way she dealt with people and let them know the difference between their position, and her own - a difference very great, of course. Or, at least, that was how Bellatrix made it sound. But that was not the point! The point was, Narcissa Black could not just let anyone run her life.

And Bellatrix was so... domineering.

– Not to mention, the apple of their mother’s eye.

As for Andra Castle, Narcissa hated that girl with a passion. She was a Castle, and no Black could get along with a Castle, that fact was too well-known. The enmity was decades old, both families locked in an unsaid fight to get crowned the most noble, most ancient, most thoroughly-pureblooded line of witches and wizards the World of Magic had ever seen.

People who did not side with any family usually laughed at the fight.

– Narcissa wanted to behead them.

But, back to Andra, for now. Yes, they were best friends. – At least, they were, for the world. Though Narcisaa doubted there was any person on the face of earth who was not fully and completely aware that it was just a hollow, fake, put-on sort of friendship whose real aim was to humiliate each other.

And speaking of humiliation – this was the real reason why Narcissa was here, despite of all Bellatrix’s reasoning. If Andra had not really bought her dress yet, she could twist the seemingly innocent piece of information into gossip and spread it around.

“You know that Andra Castle? The new hostess for the Castles’ annual ball? She’s clueless – I took pity on, and bought a dress for, her, a day or two before the ball, because she forgot.”

Ahh, how nice that would sound.

Running a finger through her platinum up-do, Narcissa stopped at the door of the Castle Mansion and knocked. Once. Twice. The grand-sounding noise seemed to echo past her, and behind the doorway.

Seconds later, a house-elf was peeping out.