Lucius Malfoy had only pleased his father once in his life. As expected, he had chosen a wife. Of course she would say had planned the entire affair like a military campaign and that was precisely how he presented it to his father, because, of course, he would have to approve first - chain of command and all. All the advantages were clearly delineated and the disadvantages were considered as well. He quite literally could do no better.
Narcissa Black was the perfect woman. She was a wealthy, intelligent pureblood from a well-respected family, who was close to his own age, young and healthy and – of great importance to his father – obedient. All he'd had to do was ask and she had changed her hair for him. A fact which he was sure to point out when he showed his father her photo.
He'd been gazing at that photo for what seemed like ages, turning his wineglass thoughtfully, frowning. Meanwhile, Lucius resisted the urge to fidget. He forced himself to stand perfectly still while he waited – a talent he had acquired at a very young age when he had learned the consequences of displaying such signs of weakness as fear or nervousness. Now, he appeared perfectly calm on the outside even though he was quivering like a Christmas pudding on the inside.
Abraxus looked up at last, his gaze cold and hard as stone. "What about her sisters?" he inquired, tilting his head, something like a challenge in his tone. "One of them is a muggle-lover and the other is dreadfully erratic. And that's to say nothing of the rest of her family. One must consider these things, Lucius."
Bugger. He hadn't expected his father to know about her sisters' proclivities. But he should have. She was a Black, after all. Her family was important. And Abraxus Malfoy knew everything about anything important. "I have considered that, Sir…" he said, his voice quiet but unwavering. "But she hardly associates with Andromeda at all, and Bellatrix… while she may be a bit unpredictable in some ways, she always remains unfailingly loyal to her family and their ideals."
"Does she now?" Abraxus murmured, raising an eyebrow as he sipped at his wine, considering. He still thought it a bit of a risky proposition, but his son had a point. An ill-grown tree could always be pruned. And however unruly her sisters maybe, Narcissa, it woud seem, was not. He had to admit – only to himself, of course – that she seemed quite perfect.
He looked up at the boy, taking note of his carefully patient expression, his slightly-too-rigid posture, and the spark of hope that he couldn't quite keep from his gaze. Abraxus was not one to give in to his son's desires simply for the sake of his happiness, but he could find no real reason to argue further. After all, the sooner he could get the boy married off, the less he would have to worry about it.
"All right," he muttered, making his way – with some effort – to his feet and shuffling across the room to refill his glass. "Go on and ask the girl. But for heaven's sake, if you do it with an audience, make bloody sure she says 'yes.'"
Narcissa eyed her reflection in the mirror for a long moment, finally reaching for her favorite lipstick and putting it on. She was supposed to meet Lucius tonight, and she did want to look her best. She smoothed her hair back from her face, eyeing the new blonde streaks with a smile. Given her gifts, they weren't difficult to maintain, it was true, but she'd never been so constant in a color before.
"I suppose you're going out?" came a voice from behind her and she turned as her sister strolled into the room, something of a sneer twisting her lips.
"Why yes, I am, Bellatrix." Cissy responded, reaching for her favorite silver earrings. "I would think you'd be happy that I'm being more sociable."
Bella flopped down on the edge of the bed, kicking her feet idly as she spoke. "I would be, if it were for any other reason. I don't like that man, Cissy." She reached out and drew a hand through her sister's hair. "I don't like that he wants to change you. You're perfect the way you are and he should understand that he's been terribly blessed when you deign to see him."
Cissy leaned into her sister's affectionate touch, even as she shook her head. "But I like seeing him, and the change was small enough." She dismissed her sister's concern with a wave of her hand.
Bella frowned. "It is now, Cissy, but it may not always be. I don't trust him and I don't think this is good for you."
Cissy brushed aside her sister's worry as she stood up and leaned over, pressing a kiss against her forehead. "Don't worry. I'm happy, and I want you to be happy for me too."
Bella sighed. "I'll try." She hoped this was just a phase.
Cissy ruffled her sister's hair and all but skipped out the door.
They had had a wonderful dinner – she'd ordered her favorite dish, and though he hadn't been overly talkative, it had still been pleasant. Now they were walking in the gardens and she thought that she had never been happier. She glanced up at him and felt a smile curve her lips. He was just…perfect. She'd been trying to find something wrong with him to please Bella, and she'd not found anything. "You've been very quiet." She murmured.
It had seemed so simple it was merely a strategy. Now that he'd put the plan into action and found himself standing here in the precise spot he had chosen for it's romantic ambience at the time he had deemed most appropriate, about to propose to the perfect woman… Well, it all seemed, if not more complicated, then at least more significant.
"Well, I… I wanted to ask you something," he said quietly, his hand trembling as he reached into his pocket and dug out the little black box and, after a bit of fumbling, opened it. "Narcissa… Darling… Will you marry me?"
She drew in a sharp, shuddering breath, feeling as though the world had stopped for a moment, as if every living thing held its breath. She looked up at him, studying him, looking deeply into his eyes, and considered how wonderful it would be to look into those eyes for the rest of her life. "I would be delighted to." She whispered, hardly believing that this moment had come. She hesitated for a moment and then let her smile blossom. "I love you so." She hadn't said that yet and she was glad that she had waited.
Lucius breathed a quiet sigh of relief, smiling brightly in return as he placed the ring – a family heirloom of course; his father was far too stingy to help him buy her a new one – on her finger. "Thank you," he whispered. "I… I love you too."
It was the first lie he had ever told her.
It would not be the last.
A/N: Hi, folks! I hope you enjoyed the first chapter of our tale. There are a couple of things we thought you should know. Firstly, this is a collaborative work between myself and the illustrious squidmagician. You should totally check her out. Secondly, in case you're wondering about the title, "unio serpentes" is Latin for "the union of the snakes," which is a line from a fantastic song - Soren Grey by ThouShaltNot. It's even kind of appropriate aside from just inspiring the title, so you should totally give it a listen.
We'll be back soon with Chapter 2, but in the meantime, if you'd like to keep up with things come follow us on Tumblr (.com). If you think of this story as a DVD, then our Tumblr is like the special features. So obviously, you wanna see it, right? Right.