The Harry Potter universe and its characters are the sole property of J. K. Rowling. By using them below, I am in no way claiming them as my own.


Narcissa stared into the cold glass, watching her reflection with shielded eyes. One pale hand moved up towards her face, partitioning off a section of hair so she might brush it more carefully. She paused, admiring the colour, a deep contrast against her skin. Her hair was a rich dark brown, so dark it almost appeared black, but it shone like silver in the light. Her fingers ran through the strands, the smooth hair caressing her hand. Narcissa was deliberately taking her time in preparing her hair, wishing to delay the journey she would be making that day.

With a wistful smile, she placed the silver brush down against the ebony vanity. Her fingers trailed against the wood, following the patina, and she thought about her childhood between these four walls. Like a reflection in the mirror, she watched a younger self play-fighting with her cousin, Sirius, on the bed behind her. They had fashioned make-shift wands out of elm twigs, recreating famous duels they had read about in Regulus' books. Her bed had been ruined in the end, an accidental release of magic ripping open the pillows to coat the entire room with feathers. Their game had quickly changed, as they pretended to have been caught in a blizzard, searching in a far-off land for exotic, magical relics. She smiled to herself and then sighed. She was no longer a child, at least in her parents' eyes, even if she felt too young for what was coming. Her graduation from Hogwarts was only months prior, and she'd been enjoying her part-time work in Diagon Alley. Flourish could be a hard boss, sometimes, but Blotts was always there to cheer her up.

As if on cue with her thoughts, her mother, Druella, burst into the bedroom. She was already dressed in her travelling gear, a black damask coat wrapped around her favourite dress. Her mother was wearing her most expensive jewellery, wishing to make a good impression on their upcoming hosts.

'Narcissa!' Her mother chastised, flinging her arms up into the air with disbelief. 'You should have been downstairs hours ago! We're going to be late!'

Druella rushed over to her daughter and reached over her shoulder for the brush, quickly grabbing her hair and pulling it back. The force of the gesture made Narcissa wince, but she said nothing, letting her mother fuss over her hairstyle for what could be the last time. Druella's hands were surprisingly adept at hairdressing, making a quick start on a plaited up-do. The Black family was historic, a legacy to be proud of, but they were not as wealthy as they once had been. Servant numbers had been ever dwindling since Narcissa was a child, and her mother had been forced into tasks that were historically beneath her. While her parents would never admit it, Druella's abilities in presenting her daughters was practically an art-form, while her father Cygnus could make a mean roast dinner.

Narcissa sighed again, her head being tugged in different directions. She avoided her mother's wary gaze in the mirror.

'I want you to make a good impression for me today,' Druella said, breaking the silence. She reached past her daughter's shoulder once more for some hair pins. Narcissa pouted.

'I don't want to make a good impression, mother. I don't want to marry him.'

Exasperated, Druella was forceful with the securing of the braid. A hair-pin jabbed Narcissa's scalp and she winced.

'Your father and I made every effort to secure you the best match we could. The Malfoy family is a noble bloodline.' Her mother's hands moved down to rest on her shoulders, and she leant forward to place her face adjacent to Narcissa's in the reflection. 'You should be proud to link our houses, and provide a fresh heir to the Malfoy bloodline.'

'But I don't love him,' Narcissa finally sobbed, her cool demeanour broken. She had done her best to keep up appearances in the lower levels of the house, but had spent the last week crying into her pillow while her family slept. It felt like her life were being ripped away from her, all her own opinions and wishes meaningless in the 'grand scheme' her parents had planned.

'Darling, you don't even know him.' Druella corrected, straightening. She reached forward for another pin and secured a second braid against her head. 'Lucius Malfoy is a lovely boy, very accomplished. Very ambitious. Abraxus tells me he has a bright future ahead of him. Don't you want to be part of something great?'

Her mother's hand lingered against her head, the fingers stroking the smooth plaits.

'You know, I had an arranged marriage to your father.' Druella meant the comment to be comforting, but it stung Narcissa's heart. Her parents' marriage was amicable but loveless, not something she had ever wanted for herself. As she had grown older with her cousins, she had dreamt of a whirlwind romance. A love so deep and strong that it might crush her. She wanted to be wanted, not forced on someone else as part of a long-planned betrothal. When Narcissa had found out that her favourite cousin, Sirius, would also be subjected to an arranged marriage, she had felt a sort of affinity for him, even if the idea of him with another witch had made her heart ache. She had watched his exploits at Hogwarts without ill feeling, knowing that they were only temporary flings to Sirius, but a forced marriage... in her world, that was anything but temporary. Her heart had leapt for joy when she learnt of his escape, both from the arranged marriage and his overbearing mother, but he had not come for her. It had been easy to go-along with the family and estrange him completely after that, her bitterness fuelling the desire for him to be completely written out of their history.

Druella had also noticed that her daughter did not take the comment as she had desired.

'Now, pull yourself together and bring your things downstairs. I don't want anyone else to see these foolish tears.'

Narcissa bowed her head, defeated. Druella moved to leave the room, but paused on the threshold. She looked back at her daughter, watching as Narcissa stared into her own reflection with a resigned fear. She could feel her daughter slipping through her fingers. 'Darling,' she called, a sudden twinge of guilt in her chest. Narcissa turned, cool eyes focusing on her mother. The look of betrayal caused Druella's reassurance to stick in her throat and Narcissa's frown deepened. 'We'll be leaving in ten minutes.'


Her parents had taken pride of place in the best Black carriage, an ornate, gilded affair pulled by four dark horses. Cygnus, her father, had dressed to impress very much like his wife. It was expected that she would join them at the front of their convoy, but Narcissa had pleaded to ride with her sisters. They had been dressed in every possible finery, with the hope that the Malfoys connections might also secure good matches for them, but there was not enough room in the best carriage. Andromeda and Bellatrix had been consigned to the second-best, a plain, antique relic on loan from a distant relative. The box was matte black with silver handles and lacked the glamour of the main carriage, but had been dressed up with interwoven strips of black and green silk, to symbolically represent the union between the Black and Malfoy families.

As Narcissa was already sold, she saw no harm in sitting with her sisters, hoping they might be sympathetic to her plight. In a final act of tenderness, her mother had acquiesced.

The interior of their carriage was plain, upholstered in a faded gold brocade. Narcissa had sat against the direction of travel, not wishing to face her future head-on. While she may have resigned herself to her fate, at least in her own mind she didn't have to be happy with it. Andromeda and Bellatrix sat opposite, both of them groggy from the early start. Andromeda was dressed in a pale pink dress with lacy champagne trim, much to Druella's disgust. Her mother had wanted them to be unanimous in wearing black, the house colour. She had also provided the most resistance to the journey, after Narcissa, having desired to stay at home alone with her books. Andromeda saw no enjoyment in travelling out into the sticks to visit her sister's prospective family-in-law, and had stared longingly out the carriage window in silence.

Receiving no reassurance from Andromeda, Narcissa had hoped that Bellatrix might soothe her worries. They were closer in age than their younger sister and were sometimes mistaken for one another, despite the huge difference in personality and priorities. This was yet another time where they clashed in opinion, with Bellatrix supporting their parent's intentions whole-heartedly.

'You need to stop being so melodramatic,' she moaned, rolling her eyes at Narcissa. 'It's not like you've never met him. He was only a couple of years above you at Hogwarts.'

'Yes, but I never spoke to him.' Narcissa turned her gaze to the passing countryside outside the window. The light now filtering between the trees was grey, the forecast for their arrival at Malfoy Manor stormy. Her mother had been unwilling to delay the journey at the risk of a few light showers. 'He had the worst reputation.'

Andromeda glanced back at her two sisters with a mischievous smile, breaking her silence. 'What was it they used to call him? Lucius of the Luscious Locks?'

Bellatrix and Andromeda smirked at one another, but Narcissa scowled.

'I don't want to marry a man for his hair.'

'He comes from a respected pure bloodline...' Bellatrix began to lecture.

'I don't think she wants to marry him for his blood either, sister,' Andromeda interrupted. Bellatrix narrowed her eyes and glanced between her two sisters.

'The both of you need to get your heads on straight. Marrying purebloods is what we're going to do.' She turned her focus onto Narcissa. 'You've made a good match, Cissy, and if you ruin it for mother then she'll never forgive you. Do you want to be thrown out of this family?'

Narcissa said nothing, her eyes falling to stare at the palms of her hands.

'Cissy,' Bellatrix leant forward, her hands grasping Narcissa's. 'Do you want to turn your back on your heritage and be ostracised for all eternity?' Her grip tightened. 'Do you want to live like a pauper on the streets?' Her fingernails began to cut into Narcissa's skin.

'Bella, you're hurting me.' Her sister's grip didn't falter. 'No,' she finally admitted. Bellatrix released her hold.

'Exactly. Don't do anything to mess this up. You'll see Lucius and you'll marry him and that's that.'

'But what about love?' Andromeda interceded, her fingers fiddling with the lace of her shawl.

'Love isn't important,' Bellatrix sat back against the seat of the carriage and folded her arms with a sigh. 'You're both giving me a headache.'