The first of my three fics, written for opaque-girl's 'The Originality In Your Favorite Pairing' Challenge. My first scenario is: "Lucius is bethroned to Andromeda but his
affections lie with another Black girl - one who is too much like him…"

Author's notes: Well, when I participated for the challenge, I was supposed to write two fics – one for Draco/Hermione and one for Lucius/Narcissa, since these are my favorite pairings. But then opaque-girl gave me two opportunities for the Lucius/Narcissa one and I just couldn't resist.

Well, that little romantic part of mine really enjoyed writing this one, so I hope it turned out fine.

By the way, the song used is Juliet by Sonata Arctica.

The light and the clarity
A welcome change for the life in the darkness
Sea of my sanity
Lost in the vanity
All I ever wanted, to be lost in you
My burden, the hatred

Cissy was sitting on a bench in the garden of the Black Manor; it was almost midnight and everyone was asleep already. The wind passed through the trees and she trembled slightly. It was the end of August and the nights were a bit cold, but it didn't matter.

Something moved behind her and she looked around, frightened, but as soon she recognized the voice, she relaxed. "My little Cissa." The soft, familiar whisper behind her seemed to surround her from everywhere. Narcissa smiled as she felt his arms wrapping around her and his lips touching her neck.

"Lucius," she breathed.

Before she could say anything else – even a 'Hello' – he captured her lips with his own.

She gladly welcomed his embrace and kissed him back; her lips almost frantically pressing against his. It had been so long since she was with him – really with him. But still, she couldn't risk everything they had by letting him stay here tonight.

"You oughtn't to be here," Narcissa whispered as soon as they broke the kiss. "We'll get caught… Mother already knows that someone's entering the Manor through the defensive spells, but she thinks it's just some animal from the forest… And if she sees us, Lucius, I'll never be allowed to see you again…"

"We won't get caught," Lucius said quietly, taking her in his warm embrace and pressing her against his body until she felt comfortable. "And even if she does, she's not enough to make me stop meeting you, Cissa," he added while stroking her hair gently. "Nothing can stop me."

"Except for your impending marriage to Andromeda," Narcissa said with a note of sad humor in her voice. Lucius kissed her passionately once again and she thought that he was almost angry at her for mentioning that at all.

"It doesn't matter!" he exclaimed fiercely, cupping her cheeks with his hands and locking his silver eyes with her blue ones. "I won't even touch her! And even if they do make me marry her… I won't stay away from you. I'll find you and I'll be with you again!"

Cissy sighed and rested her head on his chest. He was barely seventeen and she was still sixteen-year-old. They were almost children. They didn't deserve such a burden. Their classmates were having dates and didn't think about their future at all. But Narcissa wasn't that lucky. She was afraid, so afraid that their parents were going to take her away from Lucius and make him marry Andromeda.

"Soon they'll find a suitor for you, wouldn't they?" Lucius whispered crestfallenly, returning to the topic with obvious unease. "Now that your sister is engaged to me and all. I suppose that since you're the only one left…."

"I guess so," she murmured. She couldn't understand him. He didn't want to talk about it, and just a minute later he was bringing her back to the same thoughts. What was he thinking? That he was the only one upset for marrying the wrong person? Didn't he know that she loved him too? "But I won't forget you," she hurried to add when she saw that Lucius was trying to hide his expression with his hair that had fallen all over her face. "I…"

"Don't say it," the boy warned her. "Don't. We'll find a way to… what was that?"

They both fell silent and didn't make a move. Lucius' hands froze around her body as he stared at Narcissa, a bit surprised, but then he saw it too. Suddenly, a dim light had appeared on one of the windows of the Black Manor.

"Go!" Narcissa whispered hastily, almost dragging him to the trees behind them. "They shouldn't find you here! Go!"

She ran the doors of the Manor and sneaked into her room as Lucius disappeared in the darkness of the forest.

o.O.o

"Have you slept at all last night, Cissy? You look dreadful."

"I'm absolutely fine, Andromeda," Narcissa answered icily. Her sister's eyes widened. Narcissa was naturally a really nice girl, especially when it came to her sisters. She liked them enough to be kind to them even when she was in her worst mood.

Are… are you okay, Cissy?" Andromeda asked, seeming worried, and reached to her sister, placing her hand over her. Narcissa worried curtly and sighed. She couldn't talk to Andy anymore without feeling a bit sick.

"Yes, I am," was all she actually said.

"Cissy…" Andromeda lowered her voice. "I'm sorry. I know how you feel. You know I don't want to…"

"I said I'm fine, Andromeda. Mother, am I free to go to my room now? I'm not feeling well." She didn't look at her father on purpose, because she knew that if her eyes met his, he would convince her to rethink and stay and even maybe say sorry to her sister.

Druella allowed her to go and the girl left the kitchen, almost running up the stairs to her room.

Cissy felt guilty after a few minutes of reconsidering everything. It wasn't fair. She shouldn't act like that; they all knew that it wasn't Andromeda's fault. She didn't want to get married – especially to Lucius – but she was too afraid to tell everyone that her relationship with Ted was serious.

Well, if Andy was braver and able to admit it, maybe Mother would give you to Lucius instead of her. The traitorous thought made its way into Narcissa's mind as she was lying on her bed, staring at the family portrait on top of the fireplace. You always get the worst of everything. Bella and Andy do whatever they want. Where's Bella now? Out with Rod. Andy is here, but she'll go out with her friends soon. Only you aren't allowed to be with who you want to be.

It's not fair!

Stop it, she thought firmly. It was nobody's fault. Nobody's except her mother's…

Narcissa spent the whole day roaming around the house and avoiding everyone she could – even Bellatrix and Andromeda. She couldn't look anybody in the eyes without almost bursting into tears or feeling guilty for hating them. And in the moment, she really hated everybody. She felt like everyone was cruel to her and was subconsciously convincing herself that they were doing everything to ruin her life.

On the next day, she had to return to Hogwarts. She knew it. But still, she couldn't get over the thought that she had to pretend she's happy just because of her friends every day in school. She had to….

"Cissa!"

Narcissa stopped where she stood and carefully made the three steps to the window of her room. It was nearly midnight. She hesitated before she looked out of the window.

Cissy barely stopped herself from gasping in shock. Lucius was standing in the garden, grinning stupidly at her in that disarming way of his.

"Lucius!" she hissed. "What are you doing here? You know we can't…"

"Quiet, Cissa. Look what I can do…" he murmured a spell and a few steps appeared out of thin air between the window of her room and the ground. "Come on! Don't be scared. Come here!"

"Give me a minute." she whispered and stormed back to the room, opening her wardrobe and searching for a dress. She couldn't get out in the garden in her nightgown! The first acceptable thing she found was a long emerald dress with a corset Narcissa could barely deal with, but she managed to. Then, slowly and soundlessly, she left her room.

"Lucius, what are you doing?" she asked in despair as soon as her feet reached the ground. "We can't do this anymore! Tomorrow we'll be back to Hogwarts and you have to spend more time with your fiancée, it would be inappropriate if you ignore her to be with…"

Lucius silenced her with a kiss; his arms wrapping around her in a too familiar way she wasn't supposed to get used to. She knew that this was wrong. She knew that they shouldn't be doing this at all – not just now, but anytime. The time for that was over. And yet… maybe just once more…

"Cissy? Is that you?"

Narcissa pulled away from Lucius; her heart beating rapidly as she tried to recognize the voice. It was her father, no doubt. And she had no chance of running away and back into her room. He had seen them. She left Lucius in the shadows of the house where the moonlight couldn't reach him, and approached Cygnus.

"Yes, it's me. I'm sorry, Dad. I'm going to bed any minute, I just needed to..." when she was just trying to find an excuse of being outside in the middle of the night, her father spoke again.

"Is there someone else here, Cissy? I thought I heard you talking." She tried to disagree, but Cygnus's eyes focused on something behind her. "Oh… I see…" he murmured.

"Dad, I can explain… He…"

"No, it's all right, Cissy. Do go to bed, please, you should be at school tomorrow." Surprisingly, her father didn't sound angry or upset. "I'll just have a quick word with Master Malfoy, if you don't mind, of course."

"No, sir," Lucius whispered. Like he had a choice, Narcissa thought as she returned back to her room.

Well, now they were done.

o.O.o

"Cissy, excellent news!" Andromeda sang cheerfully as they ran to Platform 9 ¾ - they were late again, of course – along with their parents. Narcissa scowled while she was trying to hold her trunk in one hand and the cage with her owl Persephone in the other one.

"What is it?" she asked darkly. She was trying to be nice, but it didn't really work. That didn't ruin Andy's motivation to tell her more about it.

"Well, I'm free!" she exclaimed happily. "Err, you know. The engagement to Malfoy. Dad said that it's over. He's not my fiancé anymore."

"But… but why?" Narcissa asked, still hardly accepting what her sister was saying to her. There was no point in such a thing. The two families were more than content with such a relation.

"Because… well, I don't really know. Dad said it has something to do with you, but I don't care anyway. I'm just happy that it's over."

"Wait… you mean that… it's… Lucius is… you are…" Cissy didn't seem able to form a normal sentence. She still couldn't quite get Andromeda's words. She was free? Did that mean that Lucius is free too? And why would Dad do something like that for all the three of them?

An almost unnoticeable smile was curling Andromeda's lips. She seemed happy in all the possible ways right now – happy that she was able to do whatever she wanted to and happy that her sister had the same freedom now.

"Guess who is waiting for you on the Platform today."