The party in the Slytherin common room was going full blast, but Narcissa Black was not in the mood. All her friends had migrated to corners and were wrapped around their boyfriends (or other boys; this was Slytherin house after all), and Lucius, her own boyfriend, had disappeared off with the usual Death Eater crowd. Narcissa didn't like to be around him when he was drunk, anyway - he could get violent.
Narcissa made her way outside, wanting some peace and quiet. It was way past curfew, but she didn't care if the teachers found her. What was the worst that could happen? Detention? Not exactly the end of the world. Besides, with a Slytherin party going on, the teachers would be far more preoccupied with people who were actually causing trouble. Narcissa's midnight stroll, especially since she was alone, was unlikely to bother them in the slightest.
However, as she went through the giant oak double doors which led out into the grounds, she saw that someone else had had the same idea as her. She tried to ignore them, but unfortunately it seemed to be someone she knew, as they called her over. Great. Narcissa was not in the mood for company.
As she neared the figure, she realised who it was. Rodolphus Lestrange. Even better. It wasn't somebody who she could pretend not to know, and on top of that she couldn't really be rude to him, as he was engaged to her sister.
"Don't fancy the party, then?" he enquired, as Narcissa drew near enough to hear him.
"Not really," she admitted.
"You don't find the sight of fourth-years eating each other's faces very attractive either?" he asked with a smile. It was true; the common room was full of couples snogging unreservedly.
"It's revolting," she said, wrinkling her nose. "All my friends are either the ones doing that, or have gone to bed. And I don't even know where Lucius is. I'm not sure I want to." She wasn't sure why she was being so honest.
Rodolphus gave a knowing laugh. "Same with me and Bella. I don't think I've even seen her tonight."
Oh, that was why. Of all people, Rodolphus knew what it was like to be ignored. Narcissa had never really given much thought to how similar their situations were before.
"I - I haven't seen her, either," Narcissa lied hurriedly. She in fact had seen Bellatrix. Dragging some good-looking but seemingly innocent boy into a broom cupboard, presumably intending to have her wicked way with him. The idea of being the one to inform Rodolphus of this didn't exactly fill Narcissa with joy.
Rodolphus sighed. "I barely see her nowadays, except in lessons and in -" he lowered his voice and checked to make sure that nobody was listening "- Death Eater meetings. But she's not exactly focusing on me then, is she?" he said bitterly. He sighed. "At least Lucius isn't in love with someone else," he said, looking at Narcissa.
Narcissa snorted. "No. Only himself. And his work. Anything that doesn't involve me."
Rodolphus laughed sympathetically. "I'm sorry," he said.
"Besides," she continued, "Bella isn't in love. I know her better than you do. She's not capable of loving anyone; not like you mean, anyway."
There was a pause. "Go on," Rodolphus prompted.
"Well," Narcissa began tentatively - Bellatrix hadn't even told her this, but she knew her sister, and it was clear to her what she felt. "What she feels for the Dark Lord isn't love; it's an obsession. She's always been drawn to power, since she was a small child. She wants power; she wants recognition. She wants everything the Dark Lord has. And she thinks that obsessing over him, having him as her idol, will get her that."
Rodolphus looked at her, intrigued. "I never thought about it like that," he said after a while. "You really understand her, Cissy."
Narcissa shrugged. "Of course I do. She's my sister. I've lived with her for all my life. I know her better than anyone. Except..." But she couldn't say Andromeda's name. Andromeda had only recently abandoned the family, and it still hurt to think about it. Narcissa felt a stab of pain whenever she saw Andromeda at school, with that Mudblood, avoiding Narcissa's eyes. "But she doesn't count," she said quickly, knowing that Rodolphus knew who she meant.
"I wish I understood her like that," he said enviously. "I wish I understood what goes on in her head. I wish she would let me in."
Narcissa looked at him pitifully. "She doesn't let anyone in, Rodolphus," she said, almost sadly.
They sat for a minute in companionable silence.
"So, any insight on Lucius?" she enquired finally. "Why is he so up himself?"
Rodolphus laughed again. "Because he's a sixteen-year-old boy, of course. They're all like that. He'll grow out of it."
"Really?" she asked sceptically. "I somehow don't ever see Lucius changing. He thinks I'm worthless."
Rodolphus regarded her, remembering how much younger she really was than him. Only fourteen. "He'll grow up eventually. You'll see. And I'm sure he doesn't think you're worthless."
"Yes, he does," Narcissa argued. "He ignores me all the time. Unless he wants me for something. He just uses me as a decoration, a pretty little thing to have on his arm if he wants to look important. It's as if I don't even exist, unless he has some sort of purpose for me." Narcissa fell silent, suddenly feeling awful as she realised how similarly Bella treated Rodolphus. She hoped she hadn't upset him.
She hadn't. Rodolphus just smiled sadly. "I don't think you're worthless, Cissy," he said after a while. "It's been nice talking to you, getting things off my chest a little. You're a good friend."
"Thanks," she said, smiling weakly. "You are, too. We'll have to do this again sometime." She laughed humourlessly. "I'm sure we'll need to."
Rodolphus chuckled. "If I know Bella at all, we'll need to."
Narcissa sighed, surveying the moonlit grounds. She had no idea how much time had passed since she left the castle, but in that time, she felt a lot better. Rodolphus thought she was worth something. Maybe one day, Lucius would grow up, stop seeing her as an ornament and think so too.
A/N: Even Death Eaters need a heart-to-heart every now and again, no? This was my first time writing Cissy - how do you think I did?
This is for the Diversity Competition, where the prompt was to write a friendship fic set in the Marauder era. I don't like writing the Marauders themselves, so I decided to go down this route. It's also an idea I've had for a while, so it worked quite well.
Disclaimer: Unfortunately for me, I still don't own Harry Potter.