For anyone who saw this earlier, I'm sorry about the formatting issues. I didn't realize the site had done that to me. To the guest who flamed me about it, thank you for pointing out the problem so I could fix it, but couldn't you have told me nicely?
When Cissy woke on the morning after her wedding, early as usual, the first thing she noticed was her new husband's left arm draped across her waist, and his body pressed against her back. She smiled tightly. Lucius Malfoy was far from being the perfect companion and confidante of her girlhood dreams, but she had always admired his aristocratic good looks and his quiet strength. What more could a well-bred girl of eighteen be expected to want?
As the light grew in the Malfoy heir's bedroom, a soft glow was reflected from the white satin dress robe draped over a chair. Cissy thought back to the hours she had worn that robe, only the day before, and the varied reactions of her family when she had first appeared in it. She remembered Bella's grin and Cousin Reggie's shy support. She rolled her eyes again over Cousin Siri's air of boredom and disdain. She smiled at the thought of her parents' proud smiles, and how close Lucius had come to breaking his dignified façade.
It was a beautiful wedding, she decided. Father and Mother both said so, and Lord and Lady Malfoy seemed to enjoy it as well. Even Aunt Walburga looked pleased - as well she should. Lord Malfoy was even more wealthy than the Blacks, and the family was one of the most respected in Pureblood society, both Light and Dark.
After Dromeda's scandalous marriage to a Muggleborn last year, Cissy had known she must be all the more careful in choosing her own husband. Almost anything was better than being disowned as her sister had been, and as Cousin Siri soon would be unless he mended his ways. On the other hand, she wanted nothing to do with violent Supremacists like Father and Uncle Orion, let alone fanatical Death Eaters like Bella's husband Rodolphus and his brother Rastaban.
Lucius believed in Pureblood Supremacy, but as far as Cissy knew he preferred to advance the cause peacefully, through politics and other comparatively Light methods. She supposed she could live with that.
Quietly, trying not to wake her husband, Cissy slipped out of bed, glided to the window, and looked out into the mist-filled garden. "Lovely!" she breathed. The sun was just beginning to rise, flooding the mist with color. For a few moments, she was content to stand there gazing, but soon the urge to go out overcame her, and she dressed herself quickly. About to leave the room, she glanced back at her sleeping husband, wondering if he would wake while she was gone, and if he would mind. Perhaps not. She would only stay for a little while, after all.
At that moment, Cissy noticed a dark shadow on the arm that rested atop the covers. Curious, she edged closer to see what it was. To her horror, she recognized the skull-and-serpent symbol of the Dark Lord, the symbol she knew only the highest-ranking Death Eaters wore. She choked back a sob. This could not be happening to her. Not now. Not after all her careful planning, all the time she had spent evaluating every suitor, weighing the horror of marrying a Dark wizard against the terror of being disowned for marrying a Light one. Lucius was supposed to be the perfect balance between them! A Death Eater from the inner circle? How could she have missed it?
Desperate to be alone, Cissy stumbled out of the room, closed the door as quietly as she could, and Apparated to the garden. Once there, she collapsed among the flowers and cried as she had not cried since her favorite sister was lost to her - through a marriage as foolish in its own way as the one in which Cissy now found herself trapped.
An hour later, Cissy pulled herself together and used her wand to remove all evidence that she had been crying. It was time to face Lucius. She would just have to take this one day at a time, and try not to seem worthy of the Dark Lord's notice.
If there are scenes in Narcissa's life that you would like to see, just ask! Otherwise, I plan on sticking mostly to book- and movie-verse scenes, with a few pure-speculation ones thrown in, like this one. Enjoy!