Happily making castles out of JKR's sand.
Such Lies that My Husband Told Me
As Told by Narcissa Malfoy neé Black
Unlike most arranged marriages, our marriage was most wanted by both me and my husband. I am not, however, blind nor am I stupid. I am Slytherin and more importantly, I am a Black. Being raised in a household where double talk, subterfuge and backstabbing comes as easily as breathing and using magic had its advantages, and I use them to the fullest. I was fully aware what I was doing when I requested my Grandfather Arcturus, patriarch and Head of the Most Noble and Ancient House of Black to make additional changes to the marriage contract between myself and then fiancé.
Despite what my wayward cousin thinks, being Slytherin does not mean being evil. Being Slytherin means seeing the biggest picture possible, then using cunning to turn events in your favor and being ambitious enough to see it through. My grandfather asked no questions but understood my motives and made sure my requested safeguards were added. It also helped that the lawyers that represented my love were as arrogant as he and thought that such safeguards were not needed, but added them anyway to 'humor' me.
So I married him, my love, my Lucius, hoping that I would never need for those clauses to kick in. He did say, while taking our marriage bonds, that his love for me and for any future children that we would have would supersede any and all ambition that he had for himself. That any ambitions he had would be those shared between the two of us. He promised that he would keep me and any future children safe from any and all things that I deemed a threat to us and our family name.
Such lies that my husband told me.
We were barely three years into marriage when I felt the marriage bonds untie and slip into nothingness. To add to my heartbreak, our son was not yet even six months old. Lucius had done what I thought when I married him was unthinkable - he loved something or someone more than me and our son. As I wondered which of the many clauses I insisted on including in my marriage contract he had broken, I cried bitter tears. However, as my sister would often say, (a phrase I think she picked up from her now husband, Ted Tonks) joy comes in the morning and although at the time, I did not know what that joy could be. I knew I could not cry forever and slowly, my tears and sadness was replaced by my steely resolve and my anger. I then promised myself that Lucius would regret angering a witch from the House of Black. As I watched my little dragon sleep, I reminded myself I had my heir's future to secure.
Lucius, the dunderhead (I blame excess exposure to Severus for using that term), did not even acknowledge the severing of our bond. This of course, made me angrier. The least he could have done was beg for my mercy. But since he did not and has not asked for mercy, I most certainly am not going to grant it when he does. So I am doing what Blacks does best – I am waiting and while I am waiting, I am plotting. Upon the stars and the dragon's shield I promise my due revenge.
Information is power and I am very powerful indeed. What Lucius do not know is that the very ground that Malfoy Manor sits on recognizes me as lord, lady, master and mistress. I can set the wards surrounding the property against him if I saw fit, as the loyalty of everything that responds to the Malfoy name responds to me and treats Lucius as a disposed heir. The portraits of generations of Malfoy ancestors accepts the authority that I hold. The portraits of the Malfoy wives are especially helpful – they, with the help of the house elves, spy on Lucius when he has 'private' meetings in his study and the portraits of the wives monitors the Floo calls.
Such lies my husband told me.
It was from the information that my network had gathered that I learned what had nullified our marriage bonds. It was worse than I thought- Lucius did not love something or someone more than me and our son. It was personal ambition - AMBITION! that separated me from Lucius. Ambition to be more, to get more and to fulfill those goals, he now served a so called Lord Voldemort. I remembered the name being whispered in my home during my childhood and again whispered among the upperclassmen of Slytherins during my time at Hogwarts. None of what I heard was good and while my father seems to agree with everything the man says, Uncle Orion (who is, in my opinion, the saner of the two), does not like the man or his methods for enforcing his ideologies. In the past, I have found my uncle's instincts on people invaluable and therefore I decided that if Lucius insisted to serve this man that my son and I were not going to get sucked into the madness that was sure to come. Although my eldest sister Bellatrix may have forgotten the numerous lessons in our home, I did not. I am and forever shall be, a daughter of the Most Noble and Ancient House of Black and we bow to no one.
It was with a heavy heart that I took the Floo to the London seat of the Black family and when I entered my uncle's office, I walked into his ready embrace. His brief embrace comforted me and strengthened my resolve to take actions to ensure the safety of myself and my son. Malfoy Manor was no longer safe as long Lucius was there and to throw him out and set the wards against him would tip my hand. Uncle Orion presented me with two options - to either go into hiding or to take a risk, stay at the Manor and spy on my former husband. My thirst for revenge choose the latter option.
So here I stand, Slytherin mask in place and not giving Lucius any reason to doubt him. I play the role he expects me to, one of the perfect pureblood wife, docile, simpering and supportive. While he plans to help the self-title lord take over the wizarding world, I plan to usurp their plans and my revenge will be sweet and he will have to hold no one but himself to blame, as he should.
Such lies my husband told me.