AN: Welcome to my first FanFiction. Send me reviews so I what to improve on next time. I don't own any of JK Rowling's characters or plots, only mine. (Some lines taken from HBP Chapter 2)
Narcissa sat on her bed as she waited for her husband to return home from a long day at work in the Ministry. Her eyes were glistening with the tears of joy and remembrance of lost ones who she wished could be here in her moment of happiness. It had been a year of pain for Narcissa and now that the year was drawing to a close she was finally feeling happy again.
She checked the clock on her wall and noted the time. Six o'clock. She wondered where her husband could be. True he was usually late home, but today marked the start of the Christmas holidays and he had promised Narcissa that he would take two weeks off from work and spend his time with her and only her.
"Dobby, come here please." Narcissa heard the skuttle of feet and soon her house elf was standing in front of her.
"What does Mistress want?"
"Could you make sure that Lucius comes directly here when he returns home, please?"
"Dobby will do as Mistress pleases. Is there anything else Mistress requires?"
"No, that will do Dobby, you can go back to cooking now."
"Yes Mistress." The house elf bowed low and exited the room. Narcissa did not have to wait much longer before she heard the creak of the front door opening and the exchanging of voices that signalled her husband coming home. She heard him ascend the stairs and walk closer, eventually into the room.
"Good Evening Lucius, welcome home." Her voice caught slightly and silent tears streamed down her face as he busily took off his coat and shoes and replaced them with slippers.
"Good Evening Narcissa, why did you call me in here?" Lucius finished changing and looked up at her. "Cissy, what's wrong?" Lucius sat down, next to Narcissa and enveloped her in his arms. His hands rubbed her back in comfort. Narcissa pulled away from him, a large smile appearing on her face.
"I'm pregnant Lucius. I went to Saint Mungo's today to confirm it. I'm three months along now." Lucius' worried face became one of joy and happiness.
"Why didn't you tell me sooner, Cissy? Why did you wait so long to confirm it?"
"I didn't want to get our hopes up, like all the other times."
"Oh, Cissy, let's forget about that. This is the best news I have heard all year." Lucius stood up with a grin on his face and grabbed Narcissa around the waist. He picked her up and twirled her around the room.
Narcissa thought back to the happiest memory of her married life, it was the best Christmas she had ever had. Lucius and her had spent every day together, save for visiting Lucius' parents on Boxing Day. That was seventeen and a half years ago. Now she was getting ready to meet the only man she could trust now, with the sister who had no maternal bone in her body following her, just so she could protect her only child. The only child she could have. The only child her body would allow her.
After the first six months of her marriage, Narcissa was beginning to get to wonder if she would ever have children. She knew it would take a while to get pregnant, but six months of trying seemed to be too long. After all, her older sister got pregnant within the first month of marriage. At month seven, Narcissa found herself pregnant, but by month eight she wasn't. She cried herself to sleep most nights and usually lay in bed during the day. At times she wanted her older sister to be there, to comfort her like when they were children. Lucius felt powerless and often stayed late at work, sometimes not coming home at all, spending the night at his parent's house.
It took a good three months before Narcissa was ready to leave the house and another month after that before she was ready to try for another child. Again it took another 6 months before she was pregnant. This one lasted long enough to determine the sex. Narcissa went into another deep depression when she lost her little girl. She turned to Firewhiskey to solve her problems. Her father and oldest sister came to visit her and tried to talk to her, but all they got was an empty bottle thrown at them. Lucius tried harder this time to comfort his young wife, he came home early, he forced her to eat, he risked her violent outbursts, then one night when the Firewhiskey in the house had run out and he had had enough of the drinking, he forbade Dobby to get more.
It took Narcissa longer to recover this time. The alcohol and the loss of a second pregnancy had taken its toll. Narcissa seemed less jubilant, like the bright-eyed girl she used to be, and became more hardened. She no longer shared her feelings with Lucius. Eventually they tried again. At the very start of their fourth year of marriage Narcissa was diagnosed with a hysterical pregnancy. It destroyed Lucius to know that Narcissa wanted a child so badly, that her body would pretend that she was. He tried to compensate by buying her expensive clothes and jewellery. It made her happy on the outside, but the look in her eyes caused Lucius to feel the pain that she felt.
1979. Another year ripe with loss. Narcissa's father and uncle died. Then her young cousin, Regulus died. Narcissa cried for most of that year. Towards the end of the year Narcissa decided she would try again for a child. She told herself it would be their last attempt. When Christmas rolled around and the baby was still safe and nothing had seemed to go wrong. Narcissa knew that this time, she would be able to have a child.
Narcissa Apparated to a dilapidated muggle village and started for the street known as Spinner's End.
"Cissy-Narcissa-listen to me-" Bellatrix caught Narcissa as she tripped over. Narcissa wrenched her arm away.
"Go back, Bella!"
"You must listen to me!"
"I've listened already. I've made my decision. Leave me alone!" Narcissa finally reached the top of a hill. She stood looking across the road at the rows of dilapidated brick houses, with her sister standing next to her. Her thoughts overwhelmed her.
On the 4th of June 1980, Narcissa grew restless and decided to leave the house for lunch. She hadn't left the house in weeks, her friends and family insisted they visit her at home. She took the Floo Powder network to Diagon Alley and sat down at Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour. Narcissa chose to sit outside, enjoying the sun's radiance and watch the people who walked by and making up stories about them in her head. With her first spoonful, Narcissa felt a slight jolt from her abdomen.
"Do you like the ice cream, baby?" She asked her large stomach. "It won't be long now. You can taste ice cream very soon."
Narcissa received these jolts every few minutes. There seemed to be a rhythm and they were getting painful each time. Narcissa tried to calm herself. Something seemed wrong, the baby wasn't due for a few more weeks. Narcissa stood up, initially so she could find a bathroom, but as soon as she stood up her water had broke. This was it. Narcissa was in labour.
She found someone in the street to Apparate her to St Mungo's. She cried for Lucius. Lucius was by her side in an instant. Seven hours in and Narcissa still wasn't fully dilated. Her sister and aunt arrived to see if they could alleviate Lucius from his post. Narcissa didn't know if it was the pain that made her speak like she did or the pent up anger and hurt, but something made her speak to them as if they weren't related to her at all.
"GET OUT!"
"Cissy dear, we're only here to help. Lucius can't stay here the whole time. He needs some rest and food. He needs to tie up some loose ends at the Ministry," her aunt Walburga calmly said.
"IF YOU WANT TO HELP LUCIUS, WHY DON'T YOU GET HIM FOOD? WHILE YOU'RE AT IT GET ME SOME. BECAUSE IF YOU DIDN'T REALISE I ALSO HAVEN'T EATEN FOR SEVEN HOURS."
"Cis, calm down," Bellatrix said.
"I ESPECIALLY DON'T WANT YOU HERE BELLA. YOU'RE NOT MATERNAL IN THE SLIGHTEST. YOU'VE NEVER TRIED TO HELP ME. NOT ONE LITTLE BIT. IF YOU'RE GOING TO START NOW, I SUGGEST YOU DO IT BY GETTING ANDROMEDA HERE!"
"Cis, you know we don't talk to her anymore. She married that awful mudblood."
"I DON'T REALLY CARE AT THE MOMENT BELLA. ANDROMEDA WAS THE ONLY ONE WHO COULD CALM ME DOWN AND COMFORT ME. DAD TRIED, I KNOW HE DID. BUT YOU. YOU'RE THE OLDEST. YOU SHOULD HAVE KNOWN BETTER THAN TO ONLY WORRY ABOUT DAD WHEN MUM DIED. YOU HAD TWO YOUNGER SISTERS WHO NEEDED THEIR OLDER SISTER TO TELL THEM THEY WOULD BE ALRIGHT. TO TELL THEM THAT EVEN THOUGH MUMMY WASN'T COMING BACK, THEY WOULD STILL HAVE DADDY AND THEIR BELLA."
"Cissy, you were six. You hardly remember her."
"DON'T TELL ME WHAT I DO AND DON'T REMEMBER. I REMEMBER HER PERFECTLY. SPARKLING BLUE EYES, LIKE MINE. DARK BROWN CURLY HAIR, LIKE YOU AND ANDROMEDA. AND A PERFECTLY SHAPED FACE. SHE WAS BEAUTIFUL AND KIND. SHE LOVED US SO MUCH. IF SHE WERE HERE, SHE WOULD GET ANDROMEDA FOR ME. SHE WOULD ALSO BRING NYMPHADORA ALONG TOO!"
"Who's Nymphadora?"
"NYMPHADORA TONKS, TO BE PRECISE, IS OUR NIECE, BELLA. YOU DON'T READ THE PAPERS TO CHECK IF OUR FAMILY IS OKAY, BUT I DO. HER BIRTH WAS ANNOUNCED SEVEN YEARS AGO. WE HAVE A SEVEN YEAR OLD NIECE, BELLA. A SEVEN YEAR OLD NIECE WHO WON'T GET TO KNOW HER OWN COUSIN BECAUSE OUR FAMILY ARE STUBBORN BLOOD PURISTS!"
Walburga and Bellatrix gasped. Narcissa had just blasphemed in front the most formidable family members she had. She wouldn't be surprised if she would be blast off the family tree that instant. Bellatrix huffed out of the room. Walburga remained.
"Narcissa, you've always been a little different. The blue eyes and blonde hair for a start, now this! If you weren't so naive and in the middle of child birth, I would blast you from the family tree this instant. Now I am willing to forget this, as long as you don't say anything of the sort again. I only hope your sister can forget what you said as easily as me." Walburga turned and walked out of the room.
Lucius was as pale as a ghost. He wasn't exactly sure what he was meant to do, so he stayed and comforted Narcissa during the last few hours of childbirth. By the early hours of the 5th of June 1980, Narcissa had given birth to beautiful baby boy. He had grey eyes like Lucius, so Narcissa decided that should be his middle name. As for his first name, Narcissa had been researching constellation and star names and her family tree so she could choose something different for her baby. It was settled that he be named Draco.
"May you be as strong and powerful as a dragon, my beautiful son," Lucius cooed.
"Lucius? Can you promise me something?"
"Anything Cissy."
"Promise me that we will keep him safe. Promise me that whatever happens, that you will never leave us, that you will always be around to protect our son and that he will never fall into You Know Who's service. It took us this long to have one child Lucius. I couldn't bear to ever lose him."
"I promise Cissy."
Narcissa sighed as she walked along the cobbled lane. She knew deep down that when she asked Lucius to make this promise that it would be broken easily. She was thankful that Lucius had lied to the Ministry and said he was acting under the Imperius Curse. No one could argue with that defence. She hadn't counted on Lord Voldemort returning to power. Or Lucius returning to service and landing himself in Azkaban. She was only calmed with the thought that Lucius was safe from Lord Voldemort in there. She definitely didn't count on Lord Voldemort punishing Lucius' mistake, by using Draco as a pawn in his grand plan. Tears formed at Narcissa's eyes as she finally reached the house she was looking for. She knocked on the door. It opened a crack.
"Narcissa!" said a man who opened the door further. "What a pleasant surprise!"
"Severus," she said in a strained whisper. "May I speak to you? It's urgent."
"But of course."