Narcissa Black tucked a stray blonde hair into place as she examined her elaborate coiffure in the gilded floor-length mirror in the corner of her bedroom. She fidgeted with the diamond necklace, making it lie just so, complementing the rich indigo gown she wore. Despite its plunging neckline, Narcissa, at fifteen years old, had little to reveal so far. She arranged the fabric self-consciously, attempting to make up for what nature had yet to bestow upon her. Mother always reminded her to be appropriately attired for any event, and if she were to meet her fiance alone for the first time tonight, she knew she would have to look accordingly.
She was so preoccupied with her appearance that she jumped when her sister appeared in the doorway behind her, as suddenly as if she had Apparated. "Cissy," Bellatrix admonished when she caught sight of her younger sister, "Are you still fussing over that outfit? Lucius will be here any moment."
Narcissa blushed at having been caught. "I just want to look my best," she defended, her nose turned up slightly as she again adjusted the bodice of her gown. "I can hardly be faulted for taking pride in my appearance."
"No, but you can be faulted for being late," her sister teased. "You look beautiful. Just -" At that moment, both girls heard their mother's voice from downstairs, and then a deeper male one answering her. "There he is," Bellatrix announced unnecessarily, looking at Narcissa expectantly.
"Oh no," Narcissa murmured nervously. Knowing what a bad impression it would make to leave her betrothed waiting, she smoothed out her dress robes one more time before passing her sister in the hallway and descending with exaggerated grace down the stairs.
In the parlor, brushing soot off his fine emerald green robes, was Lucius Malfoy. The conversation he was carrying with her mother faltered as Narcissa reached the foot of the stairs and both of them turned to her. She glanced at her mother first, meeting her black eyes with her own. Only after receiving her approving nod did she shift her attention to Lucius. He looked so regal with his platinum blonde hair framing his face, draping his shoulders like a golden cloak. He bowed as she entered and greeted her with a drawling, "Narcissa. You look exquisite."
"Thank you," she replied, smiling as he took her hand to kiss it. His lips brushed the back of her hand, lingering for a second before withdrawing. It took her a moment to collect her thoughts so that she could respond in kind. "You look very well yourself."
She turned her gaze back to the spot where her mother had just been, but found her suddenly gone. She was on her own.
"I have quite the evening planned for us," Lucius informed her. "Shall we go?" he asked, taking her arm and leading her toward the fireplace.
"Where are we going?" she asked. When her father had brought her into his office several days earlier and informed her that Lucius had asked for permission to take her on an outing, their first outing alone with each other, he hadn't given her the details of their plans. He had only told her the time Lucius was expected to pick her up, and impressed upon her the importance of behaving properly, for the good of both of families. The union of Malfoy and Black, after all, would serve to strengthen the bonds between the families, and honor their sacred pureblood heritage by continuing the line. Narcissa felt this was an extremely important goal, one that meant everything to her parents, and to her as well.
"Carrow Manor," Lucius said loudly and clearly as he cast a handful of Floo Powder into the flames, turning them emerald. She didn't know if he was answering her question or merely getting them to their destination. He bowed to let her go first, and she stepped into the fire, feeling a strange tingling sensation, and then the uncomfortable yet familiar dizzy feeling of swirling past hundreds of fireplaces, before stepping out onto the luxurious rug of the foyer of Carrow Manor, immediately noticing the sounds of a crowd of people laughing and chattering in the distance. The room they had entered, however, was empty, except for one person.
Although Alecto and Amycus Carrow were in Slytherin, Narcissa's House at Hogwarts, she had never gotten to know either of them very well. They had both been in Lucius's year in school. The three of them had graduated just last year, and seeing as she had only been a fourth year at the time, neither of the Carrow twins had ever really spoken to her. This was why she was so surprised when Amycus approached her and Lucius as they stood in the foyer, bowing to Lucius and greeting him cordially. "I wondered when you'd arrive, Lucius," he said. "Everyone else is here for the meeting. We'll be ready to start briefly," he explained, before noticing Narcissa standing by her fiance's side.
Smiling suavely, he took her hand into his own. "Ah, and here is the lovely Narcissa Black, of course," he said as he brushed his lips to the back of it briefly. "Pleasure to see you again, my dear. I hope you have a lovely time this evening."
'Meeting?' she wanted to ask. Why would Lucius bring her to a meeting on their first evening alone together? She had expected something more intimate, something that would allow her to get to know this mysterious, handsome man who would someday be her husband. She knew her father must have known about whatever Lucius had planned for the evening, so she supposed that it was okay. Still, she wanted to know what this meeting was for, but she had no time to do more than nod and smile politely at Amycus before the older raven-haired wizard turned around and led them into the adjacent hall. Lucius looped his arm with hers and guided her toward the source of the voices she could hear beyond the foyer.
Carrow Manor was essentially a castle, resided in by members of the Carrow family over the course of several generations. The wide stone passageways they traveled on the way to their destination reminded her a bit of the halls of Hogwarts, with their elaborate tapestries and portraits hanging on the walls. Torches lit the way down the otherwise dark corridor. Just as Narcissa began to think that Carrow Manor seemed quite bleak, they turned a corner and entered into a grand ballroom, with striking large windows that surrounded the entire room. She gathered that Carrow Manor must be somewhere on the coast, as she watched the sea meet up against the rocks in the distance. A set of double doors led out onto a large balcony, which people were stepping onto, to get fresh air and discuss things in a quieter setting. Inside, the volume was overwhelming as a group of what must be one hundred people chatted cheerfully amongst themselves, dressed in elegant dress robes as house elves clothed in rags weaved in and out of the crowd, trying earnestly to serve the hors d'oeuvres that had been prepared for the gathering while avoiding getting trodden on.
Narcissa took in the size of the party. Surely no sort of meeting she could think of would involve so many participants. This looked like one of the many grand balls she had attended in her lifetime. She didn't have long to wonder what the meaning of the situation was, because she had barely taken in the sight before Lucius was leading her by the arm to another door on the other side of the ballroom.
"Lucius, where are we going?" she asked, absolutely bewildered, as they walked down another dimly lit corridor, then down a flight of stairs. She could feel the air getting colder as they walked and a musty smell filled the air, and she surmised that they must be entering some sort of dungeon. She was becoming more and more uneasy as time went on. "Amycus said we're going to a meeting. For what?"
Lucius's footfalls faltered for a moment as he turned on the steps to face her. "We're going to be wed after you graduate, Narcissa," he told her, meeting her eyes with his icy blue ones. "That is still three years from now, but we will one day begin building a life together. I am a part of an... organization, one that upholds the beliefs that both of us were raised with. I expect that, as my wife, you will be active in this organization, as well."
"What organization?" she asked, feeling a little better as some of her questions were answered, but still uncertain.
"This meeting will explain a great deal to you," he promised. "But Narcissa, I need you to keep silent. Save any questions you may have for later," he told her. "Can you do that?" He grasped her hand in his as he gazed at her with intensity, as if looking into her soul.
The warmth of his skin against hers reassured her, and she found herself nodding slightly.
"Good," he drawled with a smile, leading her once again down the steps, deeper underground.