A Midwinter's Nightmare
She could do this – in and out within a minute. There was nothing to it, really; she'd sneak in, find the blasted thing, and get out before Lucius even managed to drag his lazy ass off the armchair downstairs. He wouldn't even know she was in there.
Despite this self-reassurance that everything would be okay, Narcissa's heart raced as she slipped into her husband's dark study. The dying embers in the large, stone fireplace offered very little light to see by, and she had to wait a few seconds to allow her eyes adjust to the darkness. Never in all her years living at the manor had she felt so scared to be in her own home. The wall-to-ceiling bookshelves and leather armchairs around her filled the room with their looming shadows. Who knew what kinds of monsters could be lurking in the darkness ready to grab her? Narcissa shuddered and hurried over to Lucius' large oak desk, taking care to avoid walking close to anything someone –or something – could hide under.
Narcissa pulled open the top draw, half surprised that it was not locked. Lucius was a careful man; he would not usually leave work files and documents unattended for people to rummage through. Lucius was also a cunning man, however, and Narcissa had guessed that he would hide what she was looking for in the most obvious place. Not wanting to waste time, she carefully lifted each folded piece of parchment up and brushed aside folders labelled with curious names. Every so often, she thought she heard a noise and would flick her eyes up to the door just to be sure nobody was there. Despite the deathly silence, she found it difficult to remember to make sure the papers remained in their original order – she did not fancy tipping her husband off to her investigation.
It had to be in the desk somewhere; it just had to be. Moving on to the next drawer down, she flipped through its tidy contents. Her palms were becoming unusually sweaty as she navigated through the draw. New ink bottles with stoppers sealed in silver; self-inking stamps marked 'foreclosed'; steel letter openers and restaurant receipts – where was it?
"Looking for this?" a smooth voice interrupted from the darkness.
"Merlin's beard!" Narcissa whipped around. Her heart dropped like a stone to the pit of her stomach and her veins filled with ice. Drat, drat, drat.
The room was suddenly bathed in warm lamp light, highlighting Lucius' smirking face. He was holding a quill in the air, high enough so that she could see it.
Narcissa felt the heat rise to her cheeks and folded her arms tightly across her chest. Lucius must have taken this as confirmation that he was right, for his smirk only grew more prominent. Slowly, he began to walk closer to her, waving the quill in front of him so that she had a clear view of it. Narcissa felt herself leaning towards it, her hand twitching anxiously by her side, yet she resisted the temptation to snatch it from his fingertips.
"You know, it really is beautiful, isn't it?" he whispered, holding the feather out and pretending to examine it carefully, "all these different hues of blue, yellow and green. What a marvellous plume the bird must have had." Then, cradling the delicate feather to his cheek, his voice grew smoother, "and soft, too."
"Give it to me." Despite trying to remain calm, Narcissa's hand shot forward to grab at the quill.
"Ah, ah, ah," Lucius tsked, moving back a step and wagging his finger at Narcissa. "Not for you. I don't blame you though for wanting it – in fact, I can see why Salazar himself deemed it worthy enough for his use. Runs smooth, no ink required – I've had quite the fun this week trying to test out whatever powers he placed upon it."
Narcissa gritted her teeth, narrowing her blue eyes at Lucius as he continued to taunt her with the fine item. Ordinarily, Narcissa would not have given a second thought as to what type of quill she possessed; after all, they were the simplest of writing tools and she had more in her own office than she knew what to do with. However, this particular quill was different.
The quill, also known as 'Peacock's Envy' for its stunning thickness and colouring, was an ancient quill from the Middle Ages. A lone craftsmen had made a deal with the one and only Salazar Slytherin to craft him a quill, complete with special magic granting the user great power, in return for peace from the troublesome Muggles in the village. Over the centuries, the quill was passed on through the most noble of wizarding families, each of whom tried to discover this special power. However, instead of being passed through the Black line, as Narcissa fondly remembered her father informing her that it should have been when she was little, the Malfoy family had laid claim to it.
Since then, Narcissa had forgotten about any resulting Malfoy-Black rivalry, married Lucius and became a Malfoy herself. It was only now that Abraxas Malfoy had recently died and Lucius had inherited the quill that tensions had risen once more.
Not only did Lucius have the audacity to show her that he inherited the quill (rather than just the handsome sum and Malfoy Manor signed off in his name), but now he would not give it to her, its rightful owner. It was the principle of the matter, really; he always shared with Narcissa, always doted upon her and met her every need. Yet this last week, he had been as stubborn as a mule and taken to hiding the quill.
"I suppose though, it is more of a colour befitting a lady's use," Lucius continued, slumping his shoulders and looking down.
Narcissa looked on hopefully as Lucius closed in the distance between them again, holding out the quill to her. Perhaps the week of fighting was now over, and he realised how childish he was being? Blinking slowly, Lucius looked up and smiled at her endearingly. Leaning in so that his soft, blond hair tickled her shoulder, he allowed the quill to brush her open palm as he whispered in her ear.
"Oh Narcissa…"
Narcissa felt her stomach flip over as her own expression softened. Her fingers tingled in anticipation – the quill was so close, she could feel the win coming as Lucius' resolve melted.
"You'll never own this quill…" Stepping back abruptly, Lucius snatched the quill out of her awaiting grasp. As Narcissa blinked and tried to comprehend what had happened, Lucius continued on to the doorway, throwing a smile to her. "Better luck next time," he laughed, before retreating out of sight.
Narcissa stamped her foot and clutched her fists by her side. Shouting after him, "Lucius, you are an ass!" the overwhelming need to throw something immediately washed over her, only increasing as Lucius' cheeky response echoed back to her: "Now, that's not very ladylike."
That was it. If Lucius wanted to play a game, to use deceit to get his way, then so would she – and she'd win.
"Twilly!" Narcissa called, sinking down into Lucius' desk chair.
Within a second, a small house-elf appeared, blinking slowly. Looking up at her master, the little elf squeaked and bowed promptly, dirty pillowcase brushing against the floor.
"Fetch me a drink – and hurry up about it."
The elf disappeared and came back minutes late, proffering a crystal goblet filled with deep red liquid. Narcissa sighed as the elf sloshed the liquid in her tiny, trembling arms as she placed it upon the desk. Taking the drink from the creature before it could do any damage to Lucius' desk – not that she cared either way right now – Narcissa ordered Twilly to clean up the non-existent spills on the floor so that she could concentrate on her plan.
How could she convince Lucius to give her the quill? She had thought about the possibility of turning him into some creature and refusing to lift the spell until he gave in, but that seemed elementary. No, it had to be something that would really get under Lucius' skin…
Sipping the wine slowly, she watched as the elf frantically scurried around searching the carpet for wine droplets. Really, no wonder Lucius hated the creature – though Lucius never liked any of their help, he could not stand Twilly and her clumsiness. He'd dread to think of having to have the elf as his own assistant…
Sitting up, Narcissa smiled. That was it; she had an idea.
"Twilly, I need you to fetch me something…"
Bright, white sunlight filled the room as the large curtains were drawn. Outside the large glass windows, birds chirped happily as they enthusiastically greeted their mates. It was the very definition of a glorious morning.
Narcissa sat up and stretched. What a sleep – she hadn't realised how much she missed lying next to Lucius this last week. Smiling as she saw that the glass by his bed was empty, knowing he couldn't resist his routine midnight drink of water, she leaned over and kissed Lucius on the cheek. Then, as he stirred, she quickly left for the breakfast table, ordering Twilly to stay in the room and wait for Lucius to properly awake.
Narcissa was sipping her tea when Lucius, fully dressed and somewhat disgruntled, finally made his way down to breakfast. As he usually did, he sat at his place and opened his copy of The Daily Prophet. He did not look up at her, but Narcissa did not expect him to.
Twilly trailed in after Lucius, waddling around the table with various breakfast treats. Narcissa smiled, knowing it wouldn't be long now for the magic to begin. Sure enough, after Twilly shuffled past Lucius' chair to ensure he had enough toast, Lucius looked up.
Narcissa watched as Lucius scowled and rolled his eyes at the elf, but not a second later, his eyes snapped up once more. A dreamy quality flitted over the cool grey of his eyes, lost momentarily as Lucius blinked slowly. His nose twitched as he sniffed the air as simultaneously a smile graced his lips. Then, as Narcissa took another sip of tea to hide her amusement, Lucius tried to draw his eyes away from the elf back to his paper.
"Something the matter, dear?" Narcissa asked politely after Lucius' fifth attempt at tearing his gaze away from the elf.
Lucius looked at her, mouth parted to respond, but found his eyes trailing back to the elf as she poured him some tea. "Have you ever seen such beautiful eyes? The gold weaved within those pale yellow orbs, and the delicate hands that could do so much more than hold a tea tray…"
"Lucius?"
Lucius blinked and shook his head, evidently remembering she had just asked him a question.
"No- no, I'm fi-" Lucius began before suddenly standing up and pointing an accusatory finger at her. "You, you are doing this! Make it stop!"
"I don't know what you could possibly mean," Narcissa smiled coyly.
Lucius' face was red and his brow furrowed, yet still his eyes continued to wander back wherever the elf was walking, filled with lust. "Oh yes you do! For some reason I cannot stop staring at that beautiful… bloody, I mean bloody, creature, and you're somehow responsible!"
"Should I be worried?" Narcissa smiled, and then slowly put her teacup down. "Yes, if you must know, I am the reason you can't stop ogling the help. You see, thanks to a little potion I found – a very useful version of Amortentia, I must say – you will not be able to help but feel affection and love for Twilly… and, judging by your snug pants, a little physical attraction…" Narcissa smirked as Lucius looked down, horrified, before sitting back in his seat, "I do, however, know how to make it stop, and can help you if you just give me a certain quill…"
"Never," Lucius shook his head, "I won't give in to bribery like this. I will manage it myself."
Lucius folded his arms upon the table, glaring at Narcissa. Twilly walked past him again, though giving him a wider birth as she realised what was happening, as Lucius tried to ignore her. He managed to keep his eyes focused upon Narcissa, yet, within seconds, he was looking back at Twilly with lust and squirming uncomfortably in the chair.
"Oh Lucius, when will you learn? Sentiment is a chemical defect found on the losing side. The fact that you are now beyond sentiment and in love with this creature, well, I'm sure I'll win that quill in no time," Narcissa shook her head sympathetically.
Lucius continued to try and glare at Narcissa, his knuckles turning white as he gripped the tablecloth.
Narcissa shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly, rising from her chair. "Suit yourself. Oh, and Lucius? Don't forget I invited the Parkinsons over for tea this afternoon; they are looking forward to seeing you. Make sure you're not late," Narcissa smiled as she left the room, catching Lucius' shocked and disgruntled expression.
"Twilly, pour Mrs Parkinson another cup," Narcissa ordered.
She turned and flashed a polite smile at Eldonna, hoping that a fresh cup would give the woman's enormous mouth something to do other than talk. Really, that woman could talk the ears off a three-headed dog if given the chance.
Still, her smile wasn't completely forced; no, Narcissa had a genuine reason to be happy. Glancing quickly over at Lucius, she chuckled to herself at his obvious discomfort. Lucius was staring at the floor, intent on not looking up. Whenever Twilly would pass him, he would flinch and grit his teeth. He couldn't even bring himself to make eye contact with Perseus, who, like his wife, did not understand that his chosen topic of conversation had been well and truly worn out.
"Really, Narcissa, I cannot say how much my Pansy adores your Draco. I'm sure they will look absolutely marvellous together at the Yule Ball!" Eldonna cried, breathing heavily around the biscuit she was eating.
Narcissa nodded, barely disguising the need to roll her eyes. As Eldonna reached for another biscuit with her fuschia-pink talons, Narcissa took the opportunity to focus on her plan. Calling for Twilly's attention, she ordered the elf to serve Lucius.
"Lucius, dear, you've been awfully quiet. Have a cake," Narcissa offered, gesturing to the over-filled tray Twilly was carrying. Turning to Eldonna and Perseus, she shook her head in mock-sympathy, "My poor husband hasn't been feeling well lately."
"Oh dear! Whatever is the matter, Lucius?" Eldonna asked, mercifully pausing before popping a slice into her mouth.
"Oh, he's just not himself lately. I'm sure he'll be fine soon," Narcissa cut in, still smiling.
Eldonna shrugged her shoulders and immediately went back to whatever she was talking about, admonishing her husband for not joining in. Narcissa winked at Lucius, who was ignoring the insistent elf as she held the silver tray in front of him.
Lucius' left foot was tapping against the floor and his fingers were drumming against the low coffee table. Twilly continued standing there awkwardly, unsure what to do. As she went to serve Perseus, Narcissa shook her head, indicating she could not leave.
Any minute now…
Finally, as Narcissa predicted, Lucius could bear the elf's presence no more. Looking up, he snatched a sandwich from the tray and placed it upon his lap, still refusing to meet the elf's eyes. Unfortunately for him, this tiny action proved his downfall.
As Narcissa nodded along to Eldonna's monologue, she saw Lucius' eyes snap up towards the elf. He sat there for a moment, overlooking Perseus' curious stare, just watching the elf as though it were a delicious meal. Then, as quickly as it came, Lucius shook his head and tried to compose his face. Carefully taking the tray out of Twilly's hand and making sure that his skin did not make contact with the elf's hand, he subtly shifted in his chair and placed it upon his lap.
Perseus was now ogling him, his head tilted to the side as though he was trying to figure out Lucius' odd behaviour. Eldonna, on the other hand, continued talking, leaving Narcissa to disguise her laughter in a cough.
"Narcissa, can I please talk to you for a moment?" Lucius asked through gritted teeth.
Standing up, he swapped his cloak, which he had had draped over the chair's arm, and replaced the tray. Narcissa stood up, uttering a quick apology to Eldonna.
Eldonna did not bat an eyelid and grabbed at another cake. As Narcissa left the room, she could hear the woman whispering rather loudly to her husband about the room's 'too modern' decorations.
Narcissa closed the door behind her as she entered the hall and stood smiling at Lucius. Blinking innocently, she waited for him to speak.
"Narcissa, I… uh, I…" Lucius began, stumbling over his words for the first time in his life. Licking his lips, he tried again. "Narcissa, I need you to- I want you to-"
"Look Lucius, it is very rude of me to leave our company like that. Tell me why we are here or let us return to our guests… I've ordered Twilly to brew more tea." Narcissa sighed heavily, turning her back to Lucius as her smile threatened to show again.
"Alright, alright. Narcissa, I'm sorry. You can have the quill, just get this damn curse off me… please."
"I'm sorry, what did you say? I couldn't hear you. Really, Lucius, you shouldn't mumble."
"I said you can have the quill!" Lucius said, the tips of his ears turning red.
Narcissa turned back to him, working to compose her face. Holding out her hand, she tapped her foot as she waited for Lucius to give her the quill. Scowling, Lucius complied.
Never did a quill look as beautiful to Narcissa as the Peacock's Envy did now. Narcissa wrapped her delicate fingers around it and brought it to her face, much like Lucius did the previous evening.
"You're right, it is soft," she purred, smiling at Lucius. Seeing that his face was beginning to turn the same shade as his ears, she sauntered over to him and placed a quick kiss to his lips. "Now, let's go show these dreadful people the door so that we can get you that antidote. Shall we?" Narcissa gripped his hand and, head held high, lead him back into the dining room.
A/N: I don't own anything you recognise from the world of Harry Potter or Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream.
A huge thank you to the amazing Sable Supernova for beta'ing this piece and getting rid of SPaG and bad flow! :D
This was of course written for the Quidditch League round 9, where Chaser 1s had to adapt Shakespeare's 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' to the Harry Potter world. I must say Shakespeare's work isn't my best subject, and I sort of struggled to get the gist of this play with so many different characters and sub plots.
I do hope I did it justice, however, where I've chosen the Oberon/ Titania sub plot. That is, in the play, Oberon gets his servant, Puck, to put a love potion on his wife, Titania, as she sleeps. Titania ends up falling in love with the first person she sees, who happens to be the detestable Bottom who has the head of an ass (hence the insults Narcissa hurls at Lucius in this). Oberon does this because Titania won't give up her beautiful servant. She does in the end just so her husband will stop the potion's effects and she can stop loving Bottom. This is where it got confusing to me... How did she love him yet know he was detestable enough to want to stop? Meh. As such, I changed the sex in this in that Narcissa is Oberon (because let's face it, I really believe she is more cunning than Lucius and will always get her way) and Lucius is Titania. Bottom is the house elf (really, imagine a worse thing for Lucius to fall in love with) and I wrote this in that Lucius knows he hates elves but can't help the inner part of him being drawn to Twilly (Bottom and to some extent, Puck). The quill of course is the Indian boy they fight over.
Anywho, all that confusion aside, my prompts for this round were:
(word) feather
(word) deceit
(quote) 'Sentiment is a chemical defect found on the losing side' BBC Sherlock
Please let me know what you think! -Tigger x