You and Lucius Malfoy are to be married as soon as you graduate from Hogwarts. It's a great match for you. He's a sensible man, and you've met him before. Your father and I have spoken to Abraxas and Cassandra Malfoy, and we have all agreed that you should come home for the weekend and speak to Lucius about it. He's already been told of this arrangement, and seems to be ready to do his duty. I hope that you will feel the same.

Don't worry about getting permission, your headmaster has already agreed to it. You're to use the Floo Network and come home on Friday evening.

I hope you won't take this the wrong way, sweetheart, but I'm afraid that you're going to have to break up with your boyfriend before you get home. You understand why, don't you? You've had your fun, now it's time you shouldered your family responsibilities.

Take care, and see you on Friday.

Love,

Mum

Narcissa read the letter twice, a sinking feeling in her stomach. Was this really happening? She'd known on some level that her marriage would be arranged, but she had never imagined that it would happen so quickly. She was only sixteen years old, she wasn't ready to be married! And what about Eugene? He'd been her boyfriend for five months… she wasn't willing to break up with him at all, no matter what her family said! Tears came to her eyes at the thought of having to talk to him about this. Before she knew it, she'd buried her head in her arms and had started to cry.

"Cissy? Cissy, what's the matter?"

Julia Redgrave, Narcissa's best friend, walked over and put an arm around her shoulders, alarmed at her tears. Narcissa rarely showed emotions in public, especially not tearful emotions. To see her crying that way in the Common Room was a sure sign that something was seriously wrong.

Wordlessly, Narcissa handed Julia the letter her mother had sent her before resting her head on her arms again and attempting to regain her composure. It was impossible. The mere thought of what was written on that bit of parchment brought tears to Narcissa's eyes again. How could she break up with Eugene? The two of them had been getting so serious with each other it had scared her, but she felt ready to take it to the next level, even though she knew that her parents would never forgive her for it.

"Oh… Cissy, I'm so sorry…" said Julia, putting down the letter and hugging her. "It's hard, I can understand that, but you knew it was bound to happen sooner or later, didn't you? I mean, he's a Pure-Blood, yes, but his family's standing isn't as good as ours."

"I can't break up with him, Julia… I think I'm falling in love w-with him."

Julia tightened her hug on her friend, feeling her pain. She didn't know what she would do if she were in Narcissa's place. "Dry your eyes, sweetie, he's coming."

But Narcissa, far from stopping, doubled her sobs upon seeing Eugene walking towards them. The smile on his face turned to a frown when he saw his girlfriend crying.

"Sweetheart?" he asked, pulling her out of Julia's arms and hugging her himself. "What's the matter?"

Narcissa's sobs were so great now that she couldn't utter a word, so Julia spoke for her, "Her parents have arranged a marriage between her and Lucius Malfoy. They're to be married right after graduation."

The look on Eugene's face was hard to read. He was clearly upset by the news, but didn't look angry, or even sad. Gently, he stroked Narcissa's long blond hair and led her out of the Common Room so that they could be alone.

"Narcissa," he said quietly. "Stop crying. You know I never like to see you that way."

She tried to do as he asked, but it was some time before she'd calmed herself down enough to look at him.

"When we started going out, we knew it wouldn't last. I know you wanted it to, but we both knew it was a matter of time before something like this happened."

"Gene… you can't be seriously telling me that th-this doesn't bother you…"

"Of course it does, I wish we could stay together as well, but I'm assuming that you're crying like this because your parents told you that you and I have to break up now. I mean, I guess it would have worked had my family been richer or something, but if your family's already made a deal with the Malfoys, there's nothing either of us can do. It's set in stone."

"I don't care. They can't make us –."

"But they already have. We can't be together now that we know you're going to get married. How can we? It would be like forcing you to cheat on your fiancé."

"I barely know him! We're not engaged! We're not. What they say doesn't matter."

"Cissy, come on. Are you willing to disobey your parents' orders? Are you willing to stay with me, even though it'll mean being estranged from your family? I don't think so, and I wouldn't let you do that if you were." He let her go, "I think it would be best if we just ended it now."

"No, Gene, please…"

"Would you rather we stayed together until your wedding day? It would be much harder for both of us if we were to do that. Besides, I don't want to be with anyone who's already promised to another man."

"Eugene!"

"I'm sorry, Narcissa, but this relationship is over." He walked away, not looking back at her and trying to tune out the sound of her sobbing. He'd always hated to see her cry – it broke his heart, but there was nothing to be done. He'd known of Narcissa's family obligations ever since he'd started liking her: Severus Snape had told him what would probably happen, because it had already happened with Narcissa's elder sister Bellatrix. She had recently gotten married in a publicized ceremony to someone named Rodolphus Lestrange, a boy he'd met only briefly when he'd been in second year.

He walked until he could no longer hear her crying. He was in pain, and wanted to cry as well, but he knew it had all been for the best.

"You need to stop being mad at your parents, Cissy. They're only doing what they think is best for you. And you see how Eugene reacted, at least he has a sensible head on his shoulders. He had fun with you, but he –."

"Stop it, Julia, just stop it!" cried Narcissa as she got ready to go home for the weekend. "You don't know what this is like for me."

"I understand that it's hard," said Julia, tying the back of Narcissa's deep purple cotton robes. "You really cared about Eugene, and you feel that he abandoned you when you needed him the most. But what was he supposed to do? Was he supposed to stay with you and fall in love with you when you're going to be married to someone else? That's not really fair to him, Narcissa, and you're cruel for thinking that it would have been good for you. It's much better this way. And, who knows? Maybe you and Malfoy will be happy together. Don't you remember how handsome he was?"

"That doesn't mean anything. Just because he's a handsome man doesn't mean he'll make a good husband."

"That's true, but it could be worse. I mean, you could have been promised to Blake Goyle."

Narcissa shrugged, "It doesn't matter anymore." She sounded resigned, depressed. She picked up her book bag, which she'd be needing while she was home, and walked over to Professor Slughorn's office. Her trunk was already there, and Slughorn was apparently waiting for her.

"Ah, Miss Black. Are you looking forward to going home this weekend?"

"Not really, Professor…"

She waited for Slughorn to send her bags over to her house, then stepped into the green flames, landing in the fireplace of her own living room in Black Villa. Her parents were there, along with, surprisingly, her sister Bellatrix and her brother-in-law Rodolphus. She also recognized Lucius Malfoy, who was sitting in an armchair on his own, and two other people who could only be his parents.

"There you are, Narcissa. We were beginning to wonder whether we shouldn't be sending you a reminder," said her father, Cygnus Black.

"I'm sorry, Father," said Narcissa, brushing powder from her clothes. "I got stuck in the library."

Her father nodded, "You'll remember Lucius from when he was at Hogwarts, I presume?" he asked.

"Yes, Sir," she answered. "Hello, Lucius."

"Narcissa," said Lucius curtly. He was a very handsome man of about twenty-one years old. He had semi-long blond hair, which he'd tied back with a black velvet ribbon, and piercing grey eyes, which gave him the impression of being on the hunt. He wore luxurious robes of dark green material that looked like a cross between silk and velvet, a statement that he came from a wealthy family.

"And these are Lucius's parents, Abraxas and Cassandra Malfoy."

Narcissa gave a graceful bow, "How do you do?" she asked, shaking their hands.

"Sit down, child," said her father, indicating an empty armchair next to Lucius.

She did so, a little unnerved that her parents hadn't even said hello to her, even though she hadn't seen them since that September.

"I trust you broke up with that boyfriend of yours?" asked her mother.

Narcissa could only give a small nod.

"Pardon?"

"Yes, madam. On Monday." She managed to keep her voice steady, but her pale hands shook on her lap. Neither of her parents noticed, and Narcissa wondered what could have prompted them to act the way they were. They'd never treated her like this before. She looked at Bella, who was staring at the floor guiltily.

You told them, she mouthed at her sister.

Bella nodded once

Great, she thought. I'm going to have to agree to this marriage if I ever want them to be happy with me again. She attempted to smile as her father explained how they had come to their decision. Black and Malfoy family traditions decreed that women had to be married before the age of nineteen while men had to be married by the age of twenty-five, which Narcissa knew, as the reasoning was applied to all of the Pure-Blood traditionalist families of good standing in Britain. Her father also said that he and Abraxas Malfoy had been speaking to each other about an eventual marriage between their children for about a year, and had finally agreed, finding it to be a very advantageous union.

"It seems to be inevitable," said Mr. Malfoy, looking at his son sternly.

Lucius smiled and nodded, "I couldn't agree more." He extended his hand towards Narcissa who took it after a moment's thought. His hand felt alien in hers, but she forced herself not to move, noticing that her parents visibly relaxed.

"Good!" exclaimed Narcissa's father. "We were thinking that you and Narcissa could spend a week together during the Christmas holidays, probably between Christmas and New Year's, and get to know each other better."

"How so, Father?" asked Narcissa in what she hoped was a convincing voice. Christmas was the following week.

Lucius's mother answered her, "We have a little house in a seaside village on the eastern coast. We think it would be good if you could both stay in that house for the week and be together. That way, the marriage will be less of a shock for you both. What do you think?"

Narcissa was having a difficult time swallowing, "Sounds… lovely," she said in a strangled voice.

"I'm sure it'll be great," said Lucius, squeezing her hand.

The rest of the evening passed in the same manner, with the two of them nearly blindly agreeing to whatever their parents were saying. Narcissa had the feeling that Lucius was going through the same thing she was, for his father looked at him the same way her parents were looking at her.

"You know, an arranged marriage isn't really so bad," said Bella later that night when the Malfoys had left after dinner.

"Yes, because you and Rodolphus get along so well." Narcissa's voice was sarcastic. She saw perfectly well that neither of them were happy about being together, but she'd never heard her sister complain.

"We do, actually. We haven't fought since we've gotten married."

That's because the two of you don't speak to each other for more than three minutes a day.

"Maybe, but I want a marriage based on love, not duty."

"You'll have plenty of time to get to know him. Take what's going to happen after Christmas, for example. I wish Rodolphus and I had had that chance, maybe it would have made the marriage more interesting."

"You're contradicting yourself," said Narcissa.

"I'm not saying that being married doesn't have its perks. For example, I don't have to do what Mother and Father want me to do, I get to make my own choices."

"You joined the Death Eaters. You think that was a good choice?"

"Of course!" exclaimed Bella. "It was a great choice! The Dark Lord is full of ideas, and he's such a smart man. He really knows what he's doing. You should join as well. Lucius is a Death Eater too, you know."

Narcissa knew. Severus had told her about it at the beginning of the year, right after he'd been initiated. He had seemed awestruck at the organization he'd witnessed there, and at how confident Lucius had been. "Let me worry about one thing at a time. I'll get married first, then see…"

"You really don't want to do this, don't you?"

"Do I have a choice? Mother and Father won't speak to me unless I do it thanks to you showing them the letter I wrote you in confidence."

"You were upset, I didn't know how to comfort you and thought that Mother could."

"Well, they're obviously furious with me for not being completely overjoyed, aren't they? Of course I was upset, I'd just broken up with my boyfriend." She sighed, sitting on her bed and resting her head on her knee, "I don't know what to do."

Bella brushed a lock of hair back from her face, "Do what they ask of you and you won't have any problems. The world doesn't revolve around love. You'll have a comfortable life with a self-reliable husband, and you'll be free to do whatever you want."

"Except fall in love…"

Snow crunched under Narcissa's boots as she and Lucius made their way towards the small stone cottage where they would spend the rest of their winter holidays. It was a pretty place, and Narcissa would have enjoyed being there had she not been completely freezing, despite the Warming Charm Lucius had put on her after they'd Apparated just outside the village. They had spent only a few hours together since the previous week. It had gone better than Narcissa had hoped, with both of them making obvious efforts to be good-natured about the whole affair, even though Narcissa had cried herself to sleep every night since then.

Christmas had come and gone, and Lucius had picked her up ten minutes before, sending their bags to the cottage before they'd set off.

The cottage itself, which faced west, was nestled behind screens of fir trees that surrounded it, which sheltered it from the worst of the bitterly cold winds. It was a charming cottage, looking like a Christmas card one would send to relatives who lived in the tropics and had never seen snow in their lives. Two stories high, it was made of grey stones, its windows large enough to allow a generous amount of light to filter inside the house on sunny days.

"I hope it's warmer inside," said Narcissa as they stepped into the yard.

"I wouldn't bet on it." Lucius grabbed her hand to keep her from falling, as the small lane was slippery. "They couldn't have thought about sending us here in the summer?"

Narcissa kept quiet, recognizing bitterness in Lucius's tone.

He doesn't want to be with me at all, she realized, feeling a little sad. Was that what he'd felt like when he'd seen her at her house?

"They could have sent us someplace warmer, though. I wonder why they didn't."

"Because they want us to keep each other warm, that's why."

Narcissa looked at him, her heart stalling for a second. He can't be saying what I think he's saying… Their parents couldn't really expect them to sleep together before the wedding, could they? "Are you serious?" she asked him.

Lucius merely nodded, using his wand to open the door.

The inside of the cottage was cozy. The first floor was divided into three rooms, with the living room and dining room taking up most of the space. An enormous fireplace took up part of the south wall, with a full bookshelf taking up the rest of it. A couch and a small coffee table, along with an armchair stood in the center of the room, and a small dining table sat next to the window. There was also a medium-sized kitchen with a small table in it that could fit three people and a small restroom.

"Are you mad at me?" asked Narcissa as they put down whatever they'd been carrying.

"Why would I be mad at you?"

"Because you had another life before all this happened and you don't want to give it up, same as me. And you blame me for what's happening."

"I take it you have absolutely no desire to marry me."

"You don't either. I feel like you're on a babysitting job and you have to take care of me to humor our parents."

Lucius said nothing for a bit, looking around the cottage. When he went upstairs, he frowned. There was only one bedroom with a bed barely big enough to fit two people. The other two rooms were a large bathroom and what appeared to be a small office. On the desk, he saw a picture of his parents and grandparents waving at him.

Tell me I'm supposed to sleep with a sixteen-year old girl, he thought dejectedly. Not that she's not pretty, but she's sixteen. It's not even legal…

He walked back down the stairs, seeing that Narcissa was standing where he'd left her, looking at a painting on the wall. It represented a deer drinking from a stream in the woods in an extremely lifelike fashion, although the picture wasn't moving the way wizarding photographs did.

"My grandmother painted that when she and my grandfather spent their first summer here," said Lucius. He'd never been in the cottage before, but his father had told him a few stories about what the cottage had been used for.

"Their marriage was arranged too, I suppose?"

"Yes, except that, as far as I know, they knew about it from the time they were six or seven, so they got used to the idea rather quickly. They died within three days of each other – apparently she died of grief after losing him."

"They were in love…"

"So it would seem. In any case, I don't feel like I'm babysitting you, but it does feel awkward because you and I are expected to sleep together. There's only one bed upstairs, and I wouldn't recommend sleeping on the couch. From the stories I've heard, it becomes very uncomfortable depending on the situation in which it's used."

Narcissa shook her head, but didn't argue with him. She didn't put it past their parents to have made certain of the fact that they would have to spend their entire time together. "So, what are we supposed to do?"

"Share the bedroom upstairs. Our bags are already up there."

Seeing that neither of them had a choice, she followed him upstairs, nearly laughing when she saw the bed, "We're supposed to fit in that how?"

"Interlocked."

"No."

"We might as well do it now. Like our parents said, it'll be less of a shock that way."

"I'm not shagging you."

"Then you can sleep on the uncomfortable couch. All I know is that we're not getting out of here until you and I have mutually agreed to get married."

"We have mutually agreed to get married!"

"I doubt we were convincing. If we had been, we wouldn't have been sent here to work it out."

"Work what out? We don't even know each other, Malfoy, we don't have anything to work out. Our parents just want to be pains."

"Our parents want what's best for us. They think it'll be a good union and that's all there is to it. We might as well show them that they're not wrong."

"You don't want to marry for love?" she asked him.

"I think that love will come eventually." He took her hand and pulled her close, "Close your eyes."

"No, Lucius. I just broke up with someone I really cared about."

"So did I." Leaning over, he caught her lips with his in a light kiss. It was soft, and his hold on her was gentle, giving her the option to walk away if she wanted.

"What do you want from me?" she asked in a broken voice.

"I want you to marry me. We'll have a lifetime to get to know each other and try to be happy."

"But it's not something you really want." She pulled away from him, walking down to the kitchen to get a glass of water. How could her parents have done this to her?

Lucius followed her, "No, Narcissa, it's not really something I want. I was about to introduce my parents to a woman I was hoping to marry sometime in the future. She was a Pure-Blood, and rich. Someone I'd been dating for the past year or so. But as it so happens, my parents told me of the arranged marriage with you, and on the day I went to tell my girlfriend about it, I found her in bed with a Muggle. So, I'm sorry you had to break up with your boyfriend over this, really, I am, but at least he didn't cheat on you." He left, going into the living room and sitting on the couch, running his hand over his face.

Narcissa stayed in the kitchen, rooted to the spot. She hadn't even thought about what Lucius might be going through.

And here I was complaining about what happened to me.

She started making some form of dinner, cooking them a couple of steaks and potatoes. She wasn't a great cook, but her mother had always insisted that she learn how to make herself a meal in case she was ever stuck somewhere without elves. Her father had thought that it was ridiculous, but now she was happy that she could keep her mind off her current situation by making something to eat.

"Where did you learn how to cook?" asked Lucius after a while, having wandered back in.

"Mother thought it would be best, just in case. Bella never learned, so I hope she and Rodolphus never get into trouble without elves around." She looked at him, "I'm sorry about your girlfriend."

"Thank you. I guess it's stuff that happens all the time… How did your boyfriend take it?"

"He suggested the breakup as soon as he found out about the arrangement." She shrugged and piled the food onto their plates while Lucius got cutlery from one of the drawers next to the sink.

They ate at the small table, watching the sunset through the window. They didn't say much to each other, other than an occasional comment or two. Both of them were thinking of what that night would bring, a little fearful of what would transpire between them.

"I'm not ready for this," she told him quietly once the dishes were done and they were heading to their room.

"Neither am I, but what choice do we have?"

"No, I mean… I've never, you know…" she blushed and looked away.

"Oh. Right. I figured you hadn't."

"But I'll stay with you tonight, if you want me to."

"Well, I don't suppose we can avoid it."

The week passed by relatively quickly. Deciding to be as civil to each other as possible, they began to talk about everything. Narcissa found out that Lucius had once broken forty-seven bones in his body when he'd fallen off a broomstick during a Quidditch training session, and Lucius realized that Narcissa could challenge his mind, something he'd always craved with any partner he'd been with.

They shared the same bed at night, never doing more than holding each other so as not to fall to the floor. They became used to it, but everything still felt unreal to them. Even though their efforts seemed to be paying off, neither of them felt ready to be married.

"You know, I used to fancy you a little," she told him the evening before they were due to go back home.

Lucius looked at her, his spoon frozen halfway to his mouth, "Did you now?" he asked with a small smile.

"Well, everyone did. I think it was a rite of passage in Slytherin, to fancy you for a period of time."

Smile fading, Lucius stirred his soup, "I guess that changed."

"You left Hogwarts four years ago." Narcissa glanced out the window at the falling snow, "I never thought we'd end up engaged. If I'd known… I dunno, maybe I wouldn't have bothered getting a boyfriend."

"It's good that you did. At least you have some experience with being with someone."

"It doesn't stop me from being scared. I don't really know what to do."

"That's easy," he said. "We'll go home tomorrow and tell everyone that we've decided to be married. We'll act happy about it, and our families will be happy for us, because they'll get what they want."

She looked at him, "And what about our happiness?"

"It'll come in time," he said.

"What if it doesn't?"

"It will." He put his spoon down and looked at her, "Why do you keep thinking that it won't?"

"Because that's a possibility, isn't it? I see my sister and her husband, and I'm not even sure they've ever shared a bed. She says that they're happy, but I've never seen them talk to each other."

"But we're not them."

"I can't help but be afraid that we won't make each other happy. How can we?"

"I don't know, to be honest. But I have to believe that it will happen eventually."

"So, that's it? We're going to get married for our families, and not for ourselves? We won't have the option to marry for love?"

"Do you want to try to fall in love with me before we get married? I don't know how you're going to achieve that, but if you manage it, please clue me in so that I can do the same thing." He sounded sarcastic, and his eyes had narrowed.

"Not with that attitude, you won't."

Narcissa saw anger flashing across Lucius's features. But he didn't voice it. Instead, he took a deep breath and looked at her, "We should go to bed. We have a long day of convincing ahead of us tomorrow." He got to his feet and pulled out his wand to clear the table. "Let's go."

Scared, she followed him. She didn't know what he was about to go, but she didn't want to find out. "I'll take a shower before going to bed," she whispered.

He nodded and watched her going to the bathroom and lock the door behind her. He went into the room he'd shared with her and stripped off his clothes until he was in his black boxer shorts. A brief thought about masturbating crossed his mind, but he decided against it, not wanting to explain it to Narcissa later on.

Could he make her happy when she seemed so determined to be upset about their engagement? He wanted to try, but he couldn't even think about how he would make that happen. He still felt miserable over his own failed relationship.

Would it have been better if they had ended it amicably? He didn't know.

Getting into bed, he closed his eyes for a moment, taking another deep and calming breath and pulling the covers up to his waist.

Narcissa came in ten minutes later. She looked very young and definitely scared. Without a word, she climbed into bed with him, forced to lean against him so that she wouldn't fall over the edge. He put his arm around her and held her close, extinguishing the light with his wand.

"You know, we really should get this over with," he said quietly.

"I really don't want to."

"I know. I don't either. But it would be a gesture of good faith, I think. Our parents would be happy, and they'd probably treat us a lot better."

She was about to say that she didn't care whether or not her parents treated her better when she felt his hand creeping down towards her breast. She tensed.

"No, Lucius. I'm not ready."

"Neither am I. That's why it's perfect."

He kissed her and pulled up her nightgown, not paying attention to her whispered pleas as he trailed his fingers down her naked thigh.

"I'll make it quick," he said.

"No, Lucius, please. I beg you not to…" she began to cry, and that, more than anything, was what stopped him.

He moved away so quickly that he nearly fell off the bed. Narcissa sat up, hugging her knees to her chest.

"I'm sorry…" he said. He got off the bed and went to the door, apologizing again. "I'm sorry…"

Narcissa spent the night alone, huddled up against the wall. Her fear had been great, but somewhere in the back of her mind was the knowledge that he had stopped himself.

The following morning, neither of them said a word to each other. Lucius couldn't think of what to say that would atone for his behavior, and Narcissa was terrified of making him angry.

They got back to Malfoy Manor to find both their families gathered in the living room, obviously waiting for them. Unable to face them, Narcissa ran up to her room and slammed the door, completely ignoring her father.

"What happened?" asked Abraxas.

"I… nothing. I made a mistake."

"Did you sleep together?" Cygnus's voice was practical.

"We didn't have sex, no."

"You were supposed to," said his father, a touch of exasperation in his voice.

"I nearly raped her!" thundered Lucius. "I knew what it was you wanted us to do, and I nearly forced her last night! She really didn't want to."

"Silly girl," said Cygnus. He looked at his wife, "Go talk to her. She's your daughter."

"It was my fault. She clearly wasn't ready for that level of intimacy with me, and she told me several times." Lucius shook his head, "I will marry her, and I'll be happy to do it. But you all need to give us some time. She's only sixteen years old and we won't get married for another year and a half, at least."

"What are you saying?"

"I'm saying that Narcissa and I have time to get to know each other better, and you need to let us do this at our own pace, because forcing it the way you tried to isn't going to make it easier for us."

"This isn't about making anything easy," snapped Abraxas. "It's about doing your duty."

"And we will. But whether we shag now or on our wedding night isn't going to change anything." He looked at Narcissa's mother, "I'll go talk to her, if you don't mind." He walked away from his father, who was looking mutinous and went up to Narcissa's room. Even with the closed door, he could hear her sobs.

He opened the door and walked in without knocking.

"Narcissa."

She looked up from where she'd flung herself on her bed, "Oh, for Merlin's sake, get out!"

He held up a hand, "Listen, I came here to apologize to you. I should have never tried to force you the way I did last night. I'm sorry."

"You should be. Is that the way they raised you?"

Lucius winced. Actually, it had been, but he didn't want to mention that. "It will never happen again, I promise." He took a few steps forward and sat on the edge of her bed. "I've just assured our parents that we will get married, but we'll do it at our own pace. If you don't want to talk to me until after you're done at Hogwarts, that's fine."

She looked at him, but didn't say anything.

"And if you still want to see your boyfriend, I'll be okay with that too."

This time, she gave a watery smile, "I can't do that," she whispered.

"Why not?"

"For one thing, Eugene will never be with me if I'm engaged to you. For another, I wouldn't do that." She sniffled, "It wouldn't be fair to you."

He pulled a handkerchief out of his pocket and handed it to her, "I guess that nothing about this situation is fair. I am sorry, Narcissa."

Narcissa wiped at her eyes, "It's not your fault, I guess. You… you were just reacting to the situation."

"No. That was me making what could have potentially been the biggest mistake of my life. I promise to never raise our children that way." He got to his feet, "Come downstairs with me?"

She nodded and took his hand. Together, they went back down to the living room just in time to see Lucius's parents getting ready to leave.

"Are you coming?" they asked him.

He nodded, looking at Narcissa, "Write to me to let me know when your next Hogsmeade weekend is, okay? I'll meet you there."

"Okay," she said, folding his handkerchief and handing it back to him.

"Keep it. You can give it back to me the day before we get married."

She smiled, "Okay," she said again.

He leaned over and kissed her lips gently, putting his hand on her face, "I'll see you soon."

"See you soon." She kissed his cheek softly, "Be safe."

Surprised, he smiled, "I will be." He bid Narcissa's parents goodbye, then left.

Narcissa stood by the door, watching until he Disapparated. Only when he was gone did she look at the handkerchief in her hand. The initials L.M. were embroidered on it in dark green.

She smiled.

The End

A/N - This was going to go in a very different direction when I started writing it, but I considerably mellowed it down. I hope you guys enjoy it!