Narcissa Black walked silently through the gates to the Malfoy manor. They didn't stop her, nor had they for years. She stopped and paused to look up at the sky. The moon was phenomenal, a milky pearl that hung too brilliant for any finery. The navy velvet depths were dotted with stars and no clouds marred the air. She couldn't help but smile. Of course they looked all the prettier because she was at Lucius's house.

Narcissa still lived with her parents since she had graduated five years ago. How lonely Hogwarts had gotten when Lucius had graduated. But she made it a point to visit him almost every day, as often as she could. Her long royal blue dress dragged on the ground as she continued walking. The distance, she had always thought, was really rather silly. But of course, Narcissa hated anything that kept her away from Lucius any more than she had to. She walked up the last measure, and as she neared the house she saw a figure she knew better than any other come out of the doorway. He briskly walked, he almost seemed to hop, down the steps to her.

"Darling, did you really walk all the way up here by your lonesome?" He kissed her softly on the cheek in greeting, "You should have let us know you were here, I would have escorted you up!"

Narcissa laughed. How perfectly Lucius of him. Always acting like a lofty sort of guard dog to the most fragile and valuable treasure on earth.

"Lucius, are you really telling me there are so many hidden dangers just from the gates to the door?" He didn't answer right away. He seemed to have been distracted by something in Narcissa's eyes. He gazed deeper, a most un-Malfoy-ish smile inadvertently plastered across his face.

"…Lucius?" she interrupted.

"Ah, yes?" he seemed to snap out of his trance, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, you just… look so beautiful tonight." Narcissa smiled wryly as she took his hand and they began to walk up towards the house.

"Thank you. I'm really getting worried about Andromeda. She keeps sneaking off at the strangest hours. She's always been a bit… odd, and I know Bella thinks she's a lost cause but I worry that she may be on her last straw here. If she loses any more of her pride she might as well be a blood-traitor! Bella, of course, already thinks she is one, but I think she can still turn her act around! I think she's got a new man in her life. I know those hours well that she is absent, weren't those the hours I used to always miss when we first began? I mean, she's a terrible disappointment but she is my sister and- Lucius, where on earth are we going?" As Narcissa had babbled on she hadn't even noticed where Lucius had been leading her through the main hall and through several smaller hallways. Lucius put a finger to his lips.

Narcissa allowed herself to be led silently, puzzled. Lucius was usually much less goony, he was typically the image of refinement. What was going on? Her hand had always felt rather small in his, but she didn't mind it. He finally stopped outside of an innocuous door which, she knew, led to one of the many gardens. He straightened up and turned to face her.

"Narcissa, do you remember where this is?" Narcissa searched her memory. What was significant about the place? As her brow furrowed, Lucius opened the door to the outside. Narcissa gasped. How could she have forgotten? Their first kiss had been by this fountain. Fourth year at a Christmas party nearing dusk they had escaped to be alone, as friends. And then it just sort of… happened.

She blinked back to reality and realized that the garden was not exactly the same. She stepped outside. The stone fountain still shimmered in the moonlight casting diamonds everywhere. But the hedges that surrounded the area were covered in white roses that overflowed into the pathway, and soft light was cast by thousands of candles adorning the Grecian statues on the fountain. The little nook of a garden looked almost surreal as the flagged stone seemed to glow in the moonlight.

Her breath was taken away. Lucius followed her outside and took her by the hand to sit down by the fountain. They sat facing each other, hand in hand. "Oh Lucius…" she began, but couldn't finish. Embarrassed, she felt herself begin to tear up. He quickly wiped her tears away as though they had never been there.

"Cissa," he began, "We've been together for years. And the more I thought on that, the more I realized I never wanted those years to end." Narcisssa began to weep, for she knew what was coming. "I know that- that there are dangers in this world and there are dangers that you and I in the coming time must face. You know of what I speak. But I feel- I mean, I know that I'm so willing to face them if I've got you beside me. Narcissa… I don't want us to ever be apart. And if you let me, I will make sure that that never happens. I will be loyal to you. I will never ever hurt you. I will spend the rest of my life trying to make you and, maybe even someday our children, happy. There is nothing about you that I don't love. I know I'm far from perfect. But when I'm with you, I feel like I can be. I feel like we can be. Narcissa, I want to spend the rest of my life with you."

She could have sworn she saw a tear slide down his cheek, but it could have been a trick of the moonlight. He got up from the bench, never letting go of her hand, to kneel. Across the stars behind his head came the words in bright white lettering: Will you marry me?

They stopped for a moment. Each wanted to remember this moment forever. Her face wet with tears, Narcissa held his hand tight.

"Yes."

They both rose in a moment when there seemed to be no time. And when their lips met it didn't matter if they heard bells or if the heard symphonies; if they saw fireworks or if they saw stars. All that mattered was that they saw each other. All that mattered was that they saw perfection. And for that moment, and for that night, nothing could change that. Not far-off wars, prisons, allegiances, or Dark Lords. Not attacks, imprisonments, fealties or fear. And though these would come, they would not change what happened that night. Nor could they change the promises that were made.

The promises that would be kept.