July
"It's really not a good idea" said Daphne, sipping her cup of tea politely. "Think about all she has been through, I don't think it's a clever idea to show up on her doorstep so soon after."
Narcissa gazed out the window in despair. It had been exactly two months since the battle of Hogwarts, Voldemort's downfall and the death of her older sister, Bellatrix, but all was still fresh in her mind. "Yes, it is quite soon after…" she glanced at her friend, slightly jealous at how easy it was for her.
Lady Daphne of the Caladebra Estate had lost no family in the past war, for she and her family had wisely gone abroad before the Dark Lord fully rose to power. Now she was back, sipping tea and talking to Naricssa in the Malfoy Manor with no look of sadness or distress in her eyes.
"Why didn't we do the same?" thought Naricssa, "If we had left the country, none of us would be in this mess. " She thought it would have been easy, what a mistake that was. Easy leaving the battle, taking her family with her and not getting further involved. However, she should have realised how deep in the Dark Lord's business they had dived. She should have realised how hard they would have been on Lucius, as he had been a death eater, and also on Draco, for he had claimed the dark mark too. They were at the ministry right now, trying to clear their names to the new minister…but it was not what was really bothering Naricssa presently.
"Well, I must be off Cissa, got to do a spot of shopping before Barnaby comes home, you know how he hates an empty food cupboard" Narcissa saw Daphne smile fondly at the thought of her fussy husband, and rose from the table. "Thank you for the tea, oh, and my advice on going to see your sister, especially now, is I wouldn't."
She smiled at Narcissa, a smile that didn't reach the eyes. "Yes thank you, Daphne, for the advice, I will keep that in mind". It was a hurried goodbye as Narcissa was looking forward to being alone to think.
After Daphne had disapperated, Narcissa closed the front door and collapsed onto the sofa in front of the fireplace, staring at the pictures that sat above. They were very stiff and proper looking photos, once Narcissa had been proud to look at them, but she wasn't so sure anymore. There was Draco standing up behind his parents, and Narcissa sitting in front with her hand on her husband's arm. All three of them had their heads held high. A stiff family photo but a family all the same….something that her sister now lacked. Narcissa put her head in her hands, torn on what to do. She felt she had to do something, reach out to her sister in some way. She could not bear to think what it was like to lose her husband, and then a child on top of that…Narcissa stood, wiping her eyes. She went up to her room, touched up her makeup and grabbed her cloak. She knew what to do, even though the thought of it terrified her.
She arrived in the small village of Broadchalke a few minutes later on a road beside some watercress beds. The loud crack from her apparation had caused the ducks that had been sitting on the beds to fly off on panic. She paused for a moment, still in shock on what she was about to do. A summer breeze blew her thin hair around her face, and an unnatural chill went through her as she began to walk in the direction of the house. No one was around, even though it was a beautiful summers day, this village had always been a sleepy one though. Her heart beat rapidly increased as she reached the bright red door. She had remembered the address of the house after all this time, saving it in the back of her mind, like a treasured mental note. Just in case, one day…she would knock on this door. And she did so.
No one answered for good five minutes and Narcissa's hopes sank. She had been counting on this day to change everything. Sighing, she turned and began to make her way back to the watercress beds.
"Narcissa?" she heard a familiar voice say. She turned and saw a sight that made her breath stop. Her older sister Andromeda stood in the doorway dressed in a summer dressing gown with a mug in her hand. "What are you doing here?"
Narcissa couldn't speak; she had spent so long trying to think of what to say when this moment happened, but now no words came out. "I just wanted to….i need to…"
"Oh no" Andromeda forced a laugh, swinging her cup around, "I get it, you don't even know why you're here do you? Narcissa, you had your chance to make things right, years ago. It's too late now, you can't come crawling back to find your other sister and try to follow her around!" Andromeda was shouting now, red patches appeared on her cheeks. "Goodbye Narcissa, I'm not interested" Andromeda turned and grabbed the door handle intending to slam the door.
"No…" Narcissa ran back to the door, "No please Andromeda! Please listen to what I have to say, please, its…Its important" she put her arm out and pushed against the door to prevent it from closing.
"If it was so important, why has it taken you this long to come here?"
"I haven't been able to find the courage to face you and find the right words to say, Andi-"
"Don't call me that."
"Andromeda, please, I came to just see you, to make everything that's gone wrong between us right again, Bella has gone, and so many others, we have to, well, we have to stick together, Andi please, I can't imagine what you're going through right now…but we have to talk, there is so much to be said."
Andromeda seemed to slump against the door, losing her energy of arguing. Narcissa sensed weakness and pushed further. "Look, I know you need to talk to someone, Andi, and I think…I know you miss me as much as I miss you."
Her older sister pushed her brown hair out of her face and shook her head. She took a deep breath, looked at the sky. She seemed to be preventing the rim of tears in her eyes from falling. She opened the door and Narcissa stood up straight, and sighed. "Ok, alright, come in, Teddy-" she stopped and Narcissa saw a single tear roll down her cheek. Andromeda brushed it away quickly. "Teddy is asleep, I just put him down"
Narcissa followed her sister through a small but cosy kitchen and into the sitting room that was filled with sofas and cushions, with an enormous fireplace that took up the wall. She noticed Andromeda wiping her eyes more and more, and decided to start the conversation. "Andi, you…you can cry in front of me. it's alright…I don't mind"
Andromeda still didn't turn around, she straightened out the cushions instead and Narcissa continued to stand awkwardly.
"I can't! I don't want to anymore, I've spent the last two months crying, Narcissa. I've got to keep going for Teddy's sake. I have to be up all the time to feed him and make sure he's alright, make sure he's safe."
Narcissa walked forward and put her hand on Andromeda's arm. "Andi, I'm sorry. That's what I really came here for; I owe you an apology for how I have behaved all this time. Bellatrix just…she is so manipulative…"
"You have your own mind Narcissa!" Andromeda pulled away from her and finally faced her. Her face was prematurely lined and her eyes were puffy. "You could have made your own decisions. Instead you followed our sister to a life of darkness. You don't understand what it's been like for me. Ever since the day I left our family in 'disgrace' I've been…happy yes, I left for Ted, when he was killed, I lived for Nymphadora, and when her and Remus were killed….i began to think…" she began to sob more, "I began to ask what the point of living was. It is so hard being on my own now, after I was surrounded by so many" Andromeda looked at Narcissa, a look of pain, loss, despair, and possible forgiveness.
Narcissa burst into tears, the guilt flowing through her like poison. She had wondered all this time how her sister had been, always in the back of her mind, but now here was the proof of how much it the separation from her family had cost her. The deaths of her new family had brought her back to square one. Narcissa threw her arms around her sister. They sobbed for a moment clinging onto each other. Narcissa took a deep breath, steadying herself; she made a promise to her sister and to herself. "I'm going to be here for you," she said determined, "I'm going to help you with Teddy and I'll be here, I promise"
She left an hour later, after a cup of tea and a long catch up. She felt alive in an odd way, like doing good made her feel good. She was looking forward to spending time with the sister who was sane, who didn't find pleasure in pain, but who needed her. The summer wind blew, Narcissa no longer shivered.