Author's Note: According to Harry Potter Wiki, Cygnus Black died in 1992. Since Draco was born in 1980, he would have been either eleven or twelve at the time of his grandfather's death. I decided to have Cygnus die during the summer between Draco's first and second year at Hogwarts so that Draco would be able to attend the funeral.
If Draco had not known that it was supposed to be funeral, he would have thought that he was at another social event in which only the social elite were allowed to attend.
Everyone was dressed in their finest clothing and jewelry, and there was lots of smiling and laughing as the various "moaners" engaged in casual social chit chat, which was of course above the sophistication level of the common and the inferior.
"Why isn't anyone crying or at least looking sad?" Draco asked his mother. "Isn't this supposed to be grandfather's funeral?"
"Yes, this is your grandfather's funeral," Narcissa confirmed. Neither her face nor her voice betrayed anything.
"Are you sad that your father is dead?" Draco pressed.
"He was my father," Narcissa said simply.
"Did you love your father?" Draco demanded to know.
"Leave your mother alone, Draco," Lucius snapped. "She doesn't need all these questions from you today."
"Yes, Father," Draco quickly replied. "I'm sorry for bothering you like that, Mother."
"It's all right, Draco," Narcissa returned. "I can understand why you would ask me such questions, but being a proper Pureblood like you are, you have to remember that we cannot allow ourselves to show any emotion to anyone. Others, even other Purebloods, will have no problem with taking advantage of any vulnerability that we show."
Draco nodded his head in understanding. After a moment of silence, though, he couldn't help but speak again.
"I would cry if it was one of your funerals."
For the first time that day, Narcissa finally showed some emotion. She gave her son a slight smile as she reached out and gently touched him on his shoulder.
Lucius, meanwhile, was torn between lecturing his son on how Malfoy men never cried and being touched by Draco's bold display of affection.
"Draco," came Pansy Parkinson's voice at that moment, "come get some food with me before Gregory and Vincent eat everything."
Draco looked at his parents. Lucius and Narcissa looked at each other. After talking quickly with their eyes (Draco really wished he could figure out how they were able to do that so effectively), Lucius turned back to his son and motioned that it would be all right for him to go with his schoolmate.
"Oh, I'm sorry, Mr. Malfoy, Mrs. Malfoy," Pansy spoke. "Please forgive me for my rudeness in not giving you two a proper greeting before I asked Draco to join me. How are you both doing? I hope that I wasn't interrupting anything."
"You weren't," Lucius said simply. He then waved both her and Draco away.
With that, Pansy took Draco's hand and lead him toward the large table, which was nearly groaning under the weight of all the food and drinks on it.
It could never be said that Druella Black did not know how to throw a party worthy of the social elite.
And just as Pansy had warned, Gregory Goyle and Vincent Crabbe were indeed by the table, stuffing their faces with goofy smiles on their faces.
Gregory and Vincent both gave Draco and Pansy slight nods in greeting before quickly directing their attention back to all the food.
Draco and Pansy looked at each other, and the two could not help but grin at each other. This was such typical behavior for the two huge boys.
"Your caskets are going to be filled with food when two die, aren't they?" Pansy said teasingly.
Gregory and Vincent just grinned at her, their mouths full of food.
Lucius, meanwhile, had directed his attention back to his wife.
"How are you doing, Narcissa?" he asked gently as he grabbed for her hand.
Personally, Lucius found it hard to really feel anything. He had neither liked nor disliked Cygnus Black.
Still, though, Cygnus had been Narcissa's father, even though the man for the most part had done nothing but ignore his youngest daughter for her entire life.
Narcissa didn't say anything for several moments. "Well, I can't say that I will really miss him all that much," she then finally said. "We never were close. I have no resentful feelings towards him, though. He was just there."
Lucius nodded his head in understanding.
"Lucius, Narcissa," a man's voice spoke at that moment, "I am so sorry for this horrible loss of yours."
"Nott," Lucius greeted tonelessly. He wanted to say something further to this man he neither respected nor liked, but Nott's son Theodore (who Lucius absolutely adored and considered to be like a second son) was close behind his father.
"Mr. Malfoy, Mrs. Malfoy," Theodore said softly, "I would like to offer my condolences."
Unlike his father, Theodore actually sounded sincere. But then again, the young boy understood loss a lot better than Nott Sr. ever could.
"Thank you, Theo," Narcissa smiled.
Nott turned to his son. "I saw your friends over by the table. Why don't you go join them so that I can have some adult conversation with Lucius and Narcissa here?"
Lucius had to struggle to not strangle the other man. Theodore, who fortunately took after his mother in both brains and character, could show his father a thing or two about the real meaning of adult conversation.
Theodore, though, just nodded his head at his father before walking off, even though he was frowning slightly.
Nott, meanwhile, directed his attention back to the two Malfoys, a huge, false smile on his face.
"I know that today is probably hard for the both of you," Nott spoke, "but it will get better in time. It did for me after my wife died."
"Don't you dare go there," Lucius snarled. "You were not sad at all when Flora died. To you, she was nothing more than an inconvenience. Her funeral would have been pathetic if Narcissa had not been the one to plan everything out."
From the corner of his eye, Lucius noticed that Narcissa was looking just as murderous as he was currently feeling. Lucius had cared deeply about Flora, but Flora had been one of Narcissa's best friends.
Narcissa's other two best friends, Georgina Goyle and Nicola Crabbe, had offered their condolences earlier that day; and Lucius had not doubted their sincerity for a moment.
Nott, meanwhile, took a few steps back from the two Malfoys, clearly frightened by Lucius's outburst and by the angry expressions on both Lucius's and Narcissa's faces.
"Now, Lucius, let's leave what happened in the past there, and let's focus instead on the present and the future," Nott smiled nervously. "Like, for instance, what do you plan on doing about that stupid Muggle Protection Act that Blood Traitor Arthur Weasley is trying to get pass into law?"
"We are at a funeral for Narcissa's father, Nott," Lucius hissed.
"But don't you care about what this act could mean for Pureblood wizards like us?"
"Of course I care," Lucius growled, "but today is not about such grievances. Today is about the loss of a Pureblood like ourselves. Today is about Narcissa. Besides, why do I always have to be one who acts on our behalf? Are you not able to formulate any plans of your own?"
Nott shifted uncomfortably for a moment. Then, he forced another smile on his face.
"You're right, Lucius. Today isn't about any stupid Blood Traitor. Please excuse me. I see some colleagues I haven't had a chance to catch up with in some time."
With that, Nott quickly took off.
"I hate that man," Narcissa hissed. "I'm so glad that Theo isn't anything like him. Flora did a wonderful job with Theo in the short time that she had with him."
Narcissa's voice choked with emotion as she spoke, and she looked to be on the verge of tears.
Lucius gently rubbed his wife on her back and pulled her close to him.
"Are you going to be all right?" he asked her in concern.
Narcissa nodded her head. "I just need a few moments to get myself back together. Is anyone looking?"
"No, your mother has done a wonderful job of making herself the center-of-attention," Lucius replied in disgust.
"That's so typical of her," Narcissa snarled.
Theodore, meanwhile, had made his way over to Draco, Pansy, Gregory, and Vincent.
"Hi, Theo," Draco greeted.
Theodore just nodded his head, a look of disgust on his face as he watched Gregory and Vincent continue to stuff their faces with food.
"This is a funeral, you two idiots," Theodore growled. "The least that you both can do is eat like gentlemen."
"Just forget it, Theo," Pansy spoke. "We all know that they're both hopeless causes. I was just telling Draco about the new dress that my mother had brought just for this occasion. She had been waiting for quite a while for a perfect reason to go shopping."
"This is a funeral, Pansy, not a fashion show," Theodore hissed. "I don't care about your mother's new dress."
"Oh, I forgot how sensitive you are about funerals, Theo," Pansy sneered. "Please forgive me."
"Pansy," Draco admonished, "Theo's one of us. Don't talk to him like that."
Pansy turned to Draco and gave him one of her sweetest smiles. "You're right, Draco. I'm sorry. It was wrong of me to speak like that."
She then turned to Theodore. "I'm sorry as well, Theo. Please forgive me. It's just that my mother takes a lot of pride in her appearance, and she likes to be appreciated."
"I understand," Theodore mumbled, even though he still looked upset.
Draco looked over Pansy's shoulder. "I think your mother has just been outdone, Pansy."
"What?" Pansy sputtered as she spun around. She quickly caught sight of what exactly Draco had meant by his statement. "Who invited her? Surely someone as dignified and as respected as your grandmother, Draco, would never invite someone like her to such a grand event."
Theodore looked angrily at Pansy in response to her choice of words, but she was too busy with her ranting to notice.
"She will never be one of us, no matter how hard she tries," Pansy continued. "She is of new wealth, not of ancient and noble prestige like we are."
"That has never seemed to bother you before when it comes to her son Blaise," Draco remarked with some amusement.
And indeed it was Blaise Zabini's beautiful mother who was the current target of Pansy's dislike, despite the fact that she was a Pureblood. But then again, Rosalind Zabini's wealth had not been passed to her by her parents. No, her wealth had come to her through much different means than the usual and more socially acceptable ancestral inheritance.
At that moment, Blaise caught sight of his fellow Housemates. He turned to his mother and spoke a few words to her.
Rosalind looked at Draco and the others with him for a few moments before turning back to her son.
A moment later, Blaise was making his way towards them.
"Oh, no," Narcissa groaned.
Lucius turned to look in the direction that was clearly upsetting his wife.
Iris Parkinson and Rosalind Zabini. Dressed as if they were attending a holiday ball instead of a funeral. No surprise there.
"I hope Mother doesn't notice them," Narcissa sighed.
"She already has," Lucius spoke.
Narcissa turned to look, and she noticed that her mother was leaving the room.
"I doubt she's going to change into a new dress," Narcissa hissed. "That would be too obvious. No, she's probably going to get that necklace that Father brought her for her last birthday, so that she will be able to make a big show out of her great and terrible grief."
"Doesn't my mother look beautiful today?" Blaise grinned at his fellow Housemates.
"Not as beautiful as my mother," Pansy said haughtily.
"Stop it, both of you," Draco spoke. "My mother is clearly the most beautiful woman in this room."
"My mother was beautiful both on the outside and in the inside," Theodore said softly, the sadness in his voice clear.
Gregory and Vincent, meanwhile, just continued to stuff their faces with food, not paying any attention to the conversations going on around them.
"You were right, Narcissa," Lucius remarked as they both watched Druella Black reenter the room in grand style, an expensive necklace around her neck that had not been there just a few moments ago.
Druella took a moment to look towards both Iris Parkinson and Rosalind Zabini before rejoining the group of wizards and witches that had been gathered around her.
"Why does she always have to make everything about her?" Narcissa snarled as she watched her mother point elegantly to her necklace.
Everyone gathered around Druella quickly stepped closer to get a better look.
Lucius began to gently rub Narcissa's back once more, a look of sympathy and understanding on his face.
"Wow, look at that necklace that your grandmother is wearing, Draco," Pansy exclaimed. "Where did she get it from? Mother is going to want one just like that."
Draco briefly glanced at Blaise, but the other boy did not appear to have anything witty to say. It was clear by the look on Blaise's face that despite all the fine things that his mother had, even she didn't a necklace as fine as the one that Druella Black was currently wearing.
The expressions on Iris Parkinson's and Rosalind Zabini's faces were telling similar stories, and both women looked down at the floor for several moments before they were able to compose themselves.
Draco, meanwhile, directed his attention back to Pansy. "If you're impressed by that, Pansy," he grinned smugly, "then you really should see the jewelry that my father has gotten my mother over the years."
"Who cares about any of that?" Theodore snapped. "Has everyone forgotten that this is supposed to be a funeral?"
"You're right, Theo," Draco returned, a somewhat sheepish expression on his face.
"Did you have a close relationship with your grandfather, Draco?" Pansy asked.
"Not really," Draco replied. "He never really paid much attention to me, not like my grandmother. She always spoils me whenever I see her. Oh, I see that she's about to make a speech. I should go rejoin my father and mother. I'll see you all later."
With that, Draco made his way through the crowd and back to his parents.
Narcissa smiled slightly at her son when she caught sight of him, but Draco could not help but notice that her lips were very tightly pinched, as if she was upset by something.
Lucius just nodded his head at Draco. He also looked upset by something.
"I would like to thank all of you for coming today," Druella Black began to speak after she had gotten everyone's attention (including even Gregory Goyle's and Vincent's Crabbe's attention, whose mothers had made sure that their sons would stop eating for at least this portion of the funeral). "Today is truly a sad day for my entire family. Words alone cannot express how deep our sorrow runs. However, the support we have received from all of you has helped to ease my pain, and I have no doubt that your support has also helped to ease the pain of my son-in-law Lucius, my daughter Narcissa, and my grandson Draco. Lucius, Narcissa, Draco, where are you three? Oh, there you are. Come up here and join me, please."
Everyone respectfully moved aside, their heads now bowed, so that the three Malfoys would have a clear path to Druella Black.
"Thank you, thank you," Druella smiled at them. "Oh, family truly is everything. As much as I am grieving over the loss of my beloved Cygnus, the sight of my family here cannot help but bring me joy. Lucius here, as everyone knows, is a prominent member of our society and so influential at the Ministry. It is because of him that we have not yet been overrun by Muggles and Muggle lovers. Thank you for everything that you do for us, Lucius, dear."
Lucius just nodded his head at his mother-in-law as everyone clapped for him, his face not betraying anything.
"Yes, yes, Lucius truly is wonderful," Druella beamed. "That's why it was the happiest day in my life when he married my Narcissa, who is everything a proper Pureblood woman ought to be. We can all learn something of value from her on how to conduct ourselves both in private and in public."
Just as had been the case with her husband, Narcissa's face didn't betray anything as everyone clapped for her.
"And it would be improper of me to fail to say something about Draco here," Druella continued. "He's about to start his second year at Hogwarts, and I know that both Lucius and Narcissa could not be prouder of him. We are all hoping that he will the Seeker for the Slytherin Quidditch Team this year, so that he can bring glory back to the Slytherin House and show everyone else why we take such great pride in the Black family motto 'Toujours Pur.'"
"Toujours Pur," everyone in the room echoed.
Druella smiled before continuing. "My Cygnus may be gone now, but his spirit and his pure blood will live on through my beloved grandson."
Draco beamed at his grandmother's words. Lucius's and Narcissa's faces, meanwhile, were still as expressionless as ever.
Druella then proceeded to once again thank everyone for coming and for showing their support for her and her entire family during their great and terrible time of grief.
Then, one by one, everyone approached Druella, Lucius, Narcissa, and Draco to express their deepest sympathies.
Afterwards, all the guests slowly started to make their departures. Draco politely excused himself to say quick goodbyes to his friends. Walden Macnair approached Lucius, and the two wizards also politely excused themselves.
"I believe we can all safely say that today's event was a success," Druella remarked happily to her daughter. "There's no way that anyone will be able to say a bad word about me. I have to admit that I was a little nervous about my speech, but-"
Narcissa looked at her mother angrily. "An event? An event? It was a funeral, Mother, not an event."
"Now, Cissy, I know that you're almost as upset as I am over Cygnus's death," Druella spoke in a condescending tone of voice, "but that does not give you an excuse to speak to me with that tone of voice. This is exactly the reason why I didn't ask you if you wanted to make a little speech as well. You would have said something to shame Cygnus's memory."
"Your speech had nothing to do with Father," Narcissa snapped. "It was all about making yourself look good."
"Oh, you little-" Druella began.
"Don't you dare go any further with whatever it was that you were about to say," Lucius growled at that moment at his wife's mother, having finished his conversation with Macnair. "I thought that I had made it clear to you in the past that I won't tolerate you speaking to Narcissa in this type of manner."
"But, Lucius-" Druella whined, instantly cowed.
Lucius held up a hand to indicate that he didn't want to hear anything further from her.
"Let's go find Draco," Lucius said to his wife, gently taking her hand.
Neither of the two Malfoys spared Druella a second glance as they left her side.
Draco, seeing the expressions on his parents' faces, quickly excused himself from his fellow Housemates.
"See you at Hogwarts, Draco," Pansy said softly.
"See you at Hogwarts, Pansy," Draco said softly back in return as he stepped in line with his parents.
As they began to walk, Draco looked at his father and mother several times. He really wanted to ask them what was wrong, but he quickly decided that would be a very foolish thing for him to do.
Draco didn't really feel like losing his head over whatever it was that was upsetting his parents this much, especially considering that he had just come from a funeral.
He didn't want his own funeral to be anytime soon.