The garden was so beautiful in the springtime. Narcissa breathed in the smell of all the flowers, a small smile breaking out on her perfect face. She was standing on the green lawn outside the Malfoy Manor, patches of flowers bursting with red, pink, purple, and yellow flowers on either side of her. Up ahead down the path was the rose garden, a secluded little area with perfectly taken care of bright red roses and a few old benches meant for the enjoyment of those who discovered the garden. It was there where Narcissa found her feet leading her, and soon she was settled on one of the old white benches.

"You look like you belong here."

Narcissa snapped out of the peace when she heard the voice of her betrothed, soon-to-be fiancé. Her smile melted away.

"What do you want from me, Malfoy?"

Lucius Malfoy gave a feeble chuckle. "That'll be your name soon as well, sweetheart."

"Yes, sadly." The engagement was not her idea. By some cruel twist of fate, Malfoy had asked her father for her hand in marriage after the idea had been bounced around by the elder Malfoy's and Black's as a good idea. Narcissa had no say in the matter, of course. And she was finding it especially difficult to act like a lady about the situation, though her mother kept reminding her to put on a happy face.

Lucius sighed. "Come on, Cissy, we used to get along great. You know we can have a lot of fun together. Can't you just let go of the best?"

She gave him a steely look. "I never took you for stupid, Lucius." She stood up, holding her long, cream-colored silk skirt properly.

He grabbed her arm. "Give me a minute, please?"

Before Narcissa could grasp what he was doing, he was down on one knee in the middle of the rose garden, hands holding a pure silver box.

"Narcissa Black, it may take you years to forgive me and to understand what I did, but I will win you back. I picked this ring out for you, for our future, with the hope that you will accept the most beautiful ring for the even more beautiful girl and be my fiancé and soon my bride."

There was no denying that Lucius had good taste. The ring was beautiful; goblin made white-gold for the band, with a huge square diamond in the middle surrounded by tiny sunstones – much more valuable then diamonds and a thousand times brighter, flashing and sparkling somehow every color under the rainbow.

Narcissa let her fiancé slide the ring onto her finger in silence. Not because she loved him, not because his Manor impressed or because he was a gentleman.

She was Narcissa Black. And that was what Blacks did.

"Well, you've started to grow up well." Lucius Malfoy, long-time family friend and renown school heartbreaker, sat down next to Narcissa in the compartment that all of their friends where sharing on their way back to Hogwarts to Narcissa's sixth year of schooling.

She had grown up well – there was no doubt about that. She was tall with impossibly long legs and a tiny little waist and just enough curves. Her face was delicate; beautiful; with high cheekbones and big blue eyes that were like pools of water on her pale face. Her hair was long and almost white gold, currently styled in loose waves around her face.

She chuckled at his comment. "Okay, Lucy, I've heard way better pick up lines come out of your mouth then that. Don't I deserve better?"

"Aren't you cheeky, little miss black." He chuckled and leaned back to close his eyes. Narcissa noticed that though he was still as handsome as he has always been, he looked a bit tired; both mentally and physically. Strange, considering that it had just been summer break. "But you know, it wasn't a pick up line. Ask anybody and they'll tell you that you're the prettiest girl in Hogwarts, if not wizarding England." He murmured, his eyes still shut.

Narcissa felt herself blush. It wasn't like other people never told her she was beautiful, but it was different coming out of his mouth somehow. She wasn't stupid – she knew Lucius was charming to everyone, but she was still only 16 and that young naïveté still ran through her blood. She'd had a few boyfriends in the past, but she had lost interest in them pretty quickly. It seemed she liked to daydream about the men that were unattainable for one reason or another. And Malfoy, with his reputation, was unattainable. He would give her an even worse reputation then his and she would be just another one of her sluts.

As a Black, Narcissa had learned long ago how to separate what she wanted from how she acted.

"Such a lovely ring you got for my daughter, Mr. Malfoy. I am most confident that this well be a very happy union." Narcissa's mother, Druella, smiled at her soon to be son-in-law over the top of her teacup. It was the following day, and the Blacks had invited the Malfoy's over for a celebratory tea. And, of course – there was an engagement party to plan and a wedding to start thinking about.

"Why don't we withdraw to the study for some firewhiskey and cigars, gentleman, and let the ladies get around to discussing the party planning?" Narcissa's father, Cygnus Black, suggested. All the men, which included Cygnus, Lucius, and the elder Mr. Malfoy.

Narcissa rolled her eyes at her father's well-planned escape mechanism. Cygnus was an intelligent man, and he knew that he didn't want to be in the room when the party planning began. Narcissa almost wished she could also escape, but, well – she was the bride. It wasn't that she didn't like weddings, but first of all, she highly doubted that she would be allowed even the slightest bit of opinion. Also, it wasn't the wedding she wanted to plan. Once upon a time, perhaps; but not anymore.

"Well, first, of course, we need to have an engagement ball to announce the union of our two families to the wizarding community. It should be soon, yes? Within the next few weeks." Mrs. Malfoy stated. She was a plain woman, with steely grey eyes, a rail-thin shape, and thin, wispy hair that was always held back from her face in a tight bun.

"Surely. As I am sure you know, it is customary for the engagement party to be held by the brides family, so I think Black Manor should be fitting."

"We cannot possibly follow every tradition about weddings there is, my dear, there are simply far too many. Malfoy Manor would be just as suitable, if not more so. We have beautiful outdoor space such as our gardens, and a newly renovated patio. Perfect for a garden party."

"With all due respect, Adelie, this is an important English tradition. You…ah… may not know these traditions so well, seeing as you are French." It was a dig at Mrs. Malfoy's heritage and she knew it.

Narcissa decided to step in before the claws came out any further. "Mother, Mrs. Malfoy, if I may give my input," she paused, so they could stop glaring at each other and turn to her. "It is my engagement party, and my wedding, and I would kindly request that the engagement party be held here. Bellatrix's was held here, and I wish mine to be as well." Druella smirked. "However, since we are discussing location already, I would like my wedding to be held at Malfoy manor. I adore the flower gardens, and I believe it would be a perfect place for a spring wedding." Narcissa was exceptionally talented at manipulating people to get what she wanted; but she knew she would have to pull out something brilliant since her mother had taught her almost everything she knew. "And the gardens are where Lucius proposed, so there is… how would you say it… sentimental as well."

"I think that sounds suitable." Mrs. Malfoy agreed, obviously feeling slightly victorious over having won the wedding. Druella nodded in agreement, though a bit less enthusiastically.

"Yes, alright my dear, if that is what you wish. However, at this moment there is no time to be discussing the wedding as we first must plan the engagement party. We will need a theme, and of course a photographer, and a menu and a guest list…"

It was then that Narcissa zoned out. She didn't particularly care what kind of food was served, or what wine there was, as long as her friends could come and she could wear what she wanted.

They started off as friends. Narcissa, though usually a bright student, was finding NEWT level classes difficult, especially herbology. She was simply terrible with any kind of plants, especially the terrifying sort that lived in Hogwarts greenhouses. After a couple of weeks of stressing about it, on top of dealing with her course work from Potions, Charms, Transfiguration, and Astronomy, she decided it was time to give up.

"I officially hate Herbology. I'm going to Slughorn and asking if I can stop taking it." Narcissa plopped down in the Slytherin common room next to her usual group of friends, leaning her head down on the shoulder of her very best friend in the world, Cailean Yaxley. They had been best friends since they were three years old and had shared absolutely everything since then.

Cailean sympathetically patted Narcissa's head. "Don't be a drama queen, love. You can do everything you want to. You just hate dirt."

Lucius chuckled. Narcissa had noticed that now that they were sixth years, it seemed like they spent a lot more time with the seventh years. According to Cailean, it was an upperclassmen thing. Either way, it meant that Narcissa, Cailean, and their other good friends Natalia Rowle and Daxton Nott had been spending a lot of time with Lucius, Evan Rosier (who was also one of Narcissa's cousins), Naomi Zabini and Ian Crabbe. Narcissa had gotten to know Naomi a little better, and she was quite fond of her, but Ian was always quietly in the background.

"You know who happens to be excellent at Herbology?" Naomi spoke up. She was a beautiful witch, without a doubt the most beautiful at Hogwarts. Although Narcissa was often called such a name, it was clearly Naomi that took the prize. She was eerily, frighteningly beautiful, with her mane of perfectly glossy dark hair, her wicked green eyes lined with thick lashes, and her high cheekbones giving away to plump, teasing lips. As if that wasn't enough, she was tall and endlessly slim, with a large bust. It took a while to get used to her beauty, and Narcissa wouldn't have been surprised if she had some Veela blood in her. "Lucius. He inherits it from his mother. He has this amazing green thumb somehow. Give the poor girl a hand, Lucius."

"It would be my pleasure, if you would kindly accept it." Lucius told her. She hated when he talked to her like that, almost mockingly polite. He acted like such an over-the-top gentleman.

She was in no position to refuse. "Oh, please. I'd be ever so grateful." She said, mocking him right back, pretending to be the damsel in distress that he apparently thought she was. She had to give him some credit though, because he laughed and winked at her, seeming to catch the joke.

"I will need a favour in return, though. Slughorn tells me that you are a master at Charms, and that I could probably learn a lot from you. My charm skills, however, do need some improvement."

Narcissa nodded, more then a bit proud. Coming from a pureblood family where boys where always held in a higher regard, she was happy that didn't fit the bimbo stereotype. "I'd love to. We can take turns; a bit of Herbology, a bit of Charms, and in the end we'll both be a bit better off."

And that's how Narcissa and Lucius' intimate friendship began, over plants and charms, in the library and empty classrooms.

"Narcissa Black. You are in deep trouble!" Naomi burst through Narcissa's door, spinning like the ballerina she was, Cailean following behind her with a bemused look on her face. "Hello, we are your best friends? Future bridesmaids? And we have to find out from Witch Weekly that you are engaged?" Naomi dramatically flopped down on Narcissa's huge bed, falling through the thin white four-poster curtains surrounding it. Narcissa groaned from her seat at her vanity, where she was getting ready.

"Please don't tell me my engagement is actually in Witch Weekly..."

Cailean opened the copy in her hands and read aloud: "'Stay alert, folks, we've received breaking news of what could be the wedding of this generation. Word is, the Black and Malfoy families are uniting through the young Lucius Malfoy, already a strong voice at the Ministry of Magic, and the beautiful Narcissa Black, who has only returned this past year from a lengthy visit to Paris. We're sure there will be an official announcement of the engagement any day now; so if any of you out there are on the outs with the Blacks or the Malfoys, make sure to get back in their good books because this will surely be a party you don't want to miss.'"

"Dear Merlin," Narcissa put her head in her hands. "I haven't even started thinking about the wedding yet and already the expectations for it are out the window."

"More importantly," Cailean said gently, "why are we hearing about it from a magazine instead of you?"

"Well, I told you guys that our fathers had discussed the possibility of us becoming betrothed."

"Yes, but I have been potentially betrothed to about 3 different men, and it has yet to end in engagement." Cailean said.

"I'll forgive you if you show me the ring…" Naomi giggled, hopping over to see it. Narcissa obligingly stuck out her hand. "Oh, Narcissa…. He did good. You did good. Lucius Malfoy? You've wanted to marry him since you were sixteen."

"Naomi, this wedding is the last thing I would ever want. Ever. I might have wanted it once upon a time, but now I am marrying a guy that dropped me after a year and a half without even telling me. Now he thinks he can just walk back into my life, just like that, and be forgiven? I don't think so. Don't you see? Now he'll always think that he has all the power over me, and I'm sick of men always thinking that." All her frustrations came out in the company of her two best friends, and tears came to her eyes.

She could see in Cailean's eyes that she understood, and the warm hug her oldest friend gave her confirmed that. "I'm sorry, Cissy, but this wedding is going to happen; you agreed to the proposal. Now you have to set aside a little bit of your pride and make the best of it."

Naomi's approach to comforting her friend was different. "Think of the wedding! You can have anything you want! And we're going to get you the best dress."

Narcissa was happy to have her friends there to comfort her. She was a girl, and a girly one at that, so the prospect of finding a wedding dress was somewhat entertaining. "You guys have to help me, though. I want this wedding done my way and you know that my mother and Lucius' will stand in the way of that." She filled them in on the rest of the details they had decided on.

So Narcissa started to feel a little bit better, surrounded by her friends and plotting to make her wedding at least the best party of the decade.