Summary- It was the summer it all began; their first romance, their friendship. But it was also the summer it would all end. AU.
August 15, 1975
It wasn't a particularly nice day, especially for August. The weather seemed to match my mood, the rain falling like tears my tears down the window. I knew I ought to go visit her today; today being the day it was . . . it had been five years to the day since my life had changed forever.
June 12, 1970
Narcissa sat quietly looking out the window of the Hogwarts Express, listening to her sister Andromeda ramble on about the upcoming summer. It was the end of her fourth year, of course she was excited about it ending, but Narcissa couldn't say that she was nearly as excited about the summer as her sister was. Being home only meant more fussing would be made over her by her mother. She knew she meant well, but it could get rather irritating after a whole two months.
"Cissy," she heard her sister say. Narcissa turned to face her sister and saw the annoyed look on her face. "Did you hear a word I just said?"
Narcissa gave her sister an apologetic shrug and Andromeda sighed. "As I was saying," she started. "Mama and Papa wrote me a letter a few days ago saying they were having a small 'homecoming' sort party for us and some of the other kids who just finished term. Not too many people, Mama doesn't want to overwhelm you . . ." Of course she doesn't, Narcissa thought bitterly as Andie continued talking. ". . . only people like the Lestranges, you know Rabastan and Rodolphus, Aunt Walburga and Uncle Orion will be coming with Sirius and Regulus, and I'm pretty sure something was mentioned about the Malfoy's coming as well. It should be fairly exciting! Well besides the fact that Sirius and Regulus will be huge pains, but it's easy enough to ignore them."
"Are those the only people who are coming?" Narcissa asked.
Andie shook her head. "Mama said possibly the Parkinson's and two other families whom she didn't name. Like I said, she wants it to be small because . . ."
"She doesn't want to overwhelm me," Narcissa finished with a hint of irritation in her voice. "Yes, I know."
Andromeda gave her sister a sympathetic smile and reached across to the other seat to grab her hand. "You know she's only worried about you, Cissy," she explained.
Narcissa nodded and let out frustrated sigh. "I just wish she wouldn't be quite so worried all the time," she whispered. "It get obnoxious. And I've been fine for a long time."
"She doesn't want to lose you."
She offered Andie a sad smile to let her know she understood. The two girls sat in silence for the rest of the ride home.
June 13, 1970
"Cissy!"
Narcissa stopped what she was doing at her vanity table and glanced at the door in the mirror. When the person didn't call her again and the door didn't open, she continued to apply her make-up until she heard the same voice, this time shouting at another.
"Andromeda," the voice was calm at first and coming from outside her door. "TELL ME WHERE YOU PUT IT! NOW! Or I swear I'll . . ."
"You'll what Bella?" Andromeda challenged. "Curse me into oblivion? You've already tried that one. Hmm, oh, how about hex me into the next century? Oh, no, wait you've already tried that one too. And you can't very well use the Cruciatis Curse in front of Mama, or she very well will hex you into the next century."
Narcissa heard a scoff and then a frustrated sigh from the other side of the door. No more sounds came for a few seconds and then she heard a slap and a squeal.
"CISSY!"
This time the door burst open and a very angry looking Bellatrix stormed into the room dragging a tearful Andromeda by the upper arm. She marched right up to where Narcissa was sitting and ended up so close that the latter had to scoot her chair back a bit just to look at her sister's face.
"Where did she put the locket Rodolphus gave me?" she asked in an extremely urgent voice. "If I'm not wearing it tonight he'll certainly question it and then think the worst! I may not like it all that much but I don't want him to think I got rid of it therefore making him believe I don't care the least about him."
Narcissa stifled a giggle at her sister's clearly distressed appearance. This only made Bellatrix more outraged.
"NARCISSA! I SWEAR IF SHE IS THE REASON WHY RODOLPHUS BREAKS OFF OUR ENGAGEMENT, THEREFORE RESULTING IN ME STAYING HERE THE REST OF MY LIFE WITH HER," she pointed out the door at this comment to where their mother was downstairs. "I WILL KILL HER!"
At this Narcissa actually laughed. "Bella," she started calmly. "She honestly didn't touch it, none of us have! Did you even bother to check under your bed? That's where it was the last time too."
Bellatrix scoffed at her sister and stormed out of the room, leaving Andromeda behind. The two girls looked and each other and began to count down from five on their fingers. Five. Four. Three. Two. One. As soon as the last finger went down Bellatrix stormed back into the room with the locket in her hand.
"Who put it there!"
Andromeda shook her head at her sister's accusations. "Bella," she calmly began, looking her in the eye. "None of us would even dare take one step into your room. We all know we would die if we did. It probably fell off your nightstand again, therefore resulting in it getting kicked under the bed eventually."
Bellatrix gave her least favourite sister the 'look of doom' and then exited her youngest sister's room, fuming. Andromeda then turned and looked at Narcissa.
"Well," she sighed. "That went well I think. At least she didn't set the house on fire like last time."
Narcissa giggled and stood up, having finished her make-up while Andromeda was explaining to their oldest sister how her locket wound up under her bed. Andromeda looked at her sister and nodded approvingly. Half of her long, curly blonde hair was pulled back into a bun with the curls spilling out of it and the rest fell in long ringlets down her back. Her knee length dress was light blue chiffon with light frills on the short sleeves and a white sash tying around her waist
"You looked very pretty, Cissy," she complimented. "Very appropriate for this evening." Narcissa smiled and muttered a polite 'thank you'.
At that moment, the doorbell gonged throughout the house. Andromeda smiled at her sister and grabbed her hand encouragingly. "I'm going to go see who's here," she told her. "I'll see you in a few minutes."
With that, Andromeda left the room to greet the guests with their mother. As soon as she could be sure that Andie wouldn't come back, Narcissa untied the sash around her waist and untied the back of her dress a bit. She looked over her shoulder at her reflection in the mirror and saw bruises running down her spine in a perfect line. Tying her dress back up and fixing the sash around her slim waist once again, she vowed that she wouldn't let her mother notice the bruises, not this time, even if it ended up being the last thing she did. Quickly, she checked her legs and arms over for any more visible bruises, covering any she found with a bit of make-up.
"Narcissa?"
Narcissa jumped at the sound of her mother's voice outside her door and quickly cover one last bruise. "Yes, Mama?" she called through the door.
Slowly, the door opened and her mother walked into the room. "Are you coming downstairs, darling?" she asked. "You don't want to miss the party. Grandfather Pollux is here."
At the mention of her paternal grandfather's name, Narcissa's eyes instantly widened and a smile grew on her lips. Instantly, she began to run out the door to meet her beloved Grandfather. She heard her mother laugh behind her. "I knew that would get you out of your room," she called after her youngest daughter.
As soon as she was at the second floor balcony looking over the grand foyer, Narcissa instantly spotted Grandfather Pollux in his usual green and silver robes. He looked up and saw her and she immediately turned and ran down the stairs into his arms.
Grandfather Pollux chuckled at his youngest granddaughter's enthusiasm. "I missed you too," he chuckled. He pulled her out of his arms and held her in front of him. "You still haven't grown much." He shook his head. "You really must be the runt of the litter," he teased.
"Grandfather!" she laughed, not at all offended by his teasing.
He laughed with her and then regarded her with sad eyes. "My little girl is going into her Fifth Year at Hogwarts," he said. "Why do you keep growing?"
Narcissa giggled. The two of them sat in conversation like this for a few more minutes.
"Now," Grandfather started. "I think it's time for you to go greet a few of your friends."
Sighing, Narcissa nodded and stood up from the seat her and her Grandfather had moved to a few minutes into the conversation. At that time, Andromeda decided to waltz over to her and lightly pull one of her ringlets.
"Come," she whispered in her sister's ear. "There's someone here who I think should meet my little sister."
She led Narcissa into the gardens of the Black Manor. Sitting around the fountain were a few kids she recognized from Andie's year: Rabastan Lestrange, Melina Parkinson and Gregory Yaxley among a few she recognized from the year above her and some in her year, one being her best friend Tabea Lestrange. She stopped a few paces away from Rabastan and a muscular boy with long blonde hair.
"Lucius," Andie tapped the blonde boy on the shoulder. "You had asked where my little sister was . . ." He nodded, not sure where she was going with this conversation. "You have probably seen her around the school, but I have brought her down to formally introduce her to you. Cissy," she pulled Narcissa out from behind her. "This is Lucius Malfoy; he is in the year above you, entering Sixth this fall. And Lucius, this is my little sister Narcissa." She watched as the two shook hands shyly. "Now, I think you two should get better acquainted. I believe you have a lot in common."
With that she took Rabastan's hand and pulled him along the side of the fountain where their other friends were chatting. Narcissa watched after her and then turned back to Lucius. He looked at her with a confused expression on his face. Just as confused, Narcissa shrugged her shoulders in reply.
"Who knows," she said. "That's Andie for you."
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