Author's Note: One of the things that I absolutely love about Narcissa is that she is badass and strong without being all dramatic and in-your-face about it. She doesn't go around killing all enemies in sight, and she doesn't have the whole "I am woman, hear me roar" attitude. Don't get me wrong, I love women who can handle themselves in a fight, but I don't like the idea that a woman has to be physically tough or good in battle in order to be considered a strong woman. I see Narcissa as having a quieter, less hostile strength that comes from the inside. She isn't a loud, dramatic person, but she can be strong-willed and determined when necessary. This is a little drabble that is a tribute to Narcissa's subtle strength. As always, constructive reviews are loved.
Not much was known about Narcissa Malfoy. To most people, all they really knew about her was that she was the wife to Lucius Malfoy and the mother to Draco Malfoy.
Narcissa Malfoy was not one that sought to draw attention to herself, unlike her husband and her son. That's not to say that people didn't notice Narcissa Malfoy, because they did. No one could fail to miss Narcissa Malfoy's coldness and arrogance (even though she would describe herself as confident, thank you very much).
But Narcissa Malfoy didn't seek to be the center-of-attention, unlike her husband and her son. Narcissa Malfoy, of course, found her husband's and her son's loud, dramatic personalities to be quite endearing. People described Lucius and Draco Malfoy as being arrogant, but Narcissa Malfoy saw them as being strong and confident. And she would tell anyone who took the time the listen that Lucius was the most charismatic person she had ever met and that Draco was perfectly adorable. It should be known that Draco Malfoy was very glad that his mother liked to stay at the manor and not go around telling people just how adorable he really was. Lucius Malfoy, on the other hand, quite enjoyed his wife's praises.
But to get back to the original point, not much was known about Narcissa Malfoy. She had no problem with expressing her belief in blood purity, and she had no problem with displaying her pride in herself and in her family; but when compared to her husband and her son, she preferred to be more silent.
And if anyone would have ever taken the time to listen to Lucius Malfoy, they would have known that Narcissa Malfoy was wonderful at being subtle, a trait that Lucius Malfoy greatly valued in a person as so many people (including an increasing number of Slytherins, much to Lucius Malfoy's alarm and shame) lacked subtlety.
There was no doubt that Narcissa Malfoy had almost everyone fooled. To most people, she was nothing more than just another Pureblood woman.
How wrong those people were.
What most people didn't realize was the depth of Narcissa Malfoy's love and devotion for her husband and her son. She wouldn't allow anyone to speak a bad word about them without giving that person a snide, cold comment in return.
And Narcissa Malfoy wouldn't allow anyone, not even the Dark Lord himself, get away with hurting her husband her son.
The Dark Lord had never really noticed Narcissa Malfoy, as she preferred to stay in the shadows of her more dramatic husband and son.
But being the true Slytherin that she was, Narcissa Malfoy operated the best from the shadows. Her husband, in fact, often referred to her in private as his secret weapon.
No, the Dark Lord made the tragic mistake of overlooking Narcissa Malfoy. He thought her weak and insignificant. To him, she was nothing more than Lucius Malfoy's wife and Draco Malfoy's mother.
How wrong the Dark Lord was. How tragically wrong the Dark Lord was.
Narcissa Malfoy would do whatever it took to keep her husband and her son safe from harm.
Narcissa Malfoy would even lie straight to the Dark Lord's face.