Narcissa Black Malfoy had always done what was expected of her. She
had been joyfully placed in the Slytherin House, gotten a reasonable amount
of OWLs and NEWTs, though, not too many, of course. She had married a rich,
pureblooded man, and bore him a pureblooded heir. She dutifully supported
Lucius when he became a death-eater, and had quietly done everything she
could to dutifully support the Great Lord, before and after his fall and
during and after his return. She still did. She didn't want to change
anything she had ever done, but never in her life had she been truly happy.
Now, as she picked up today's copy of the Daily Prophet, she was forced to remember why. There was a picture of a rather concerned Arthur Weasley above a secondary article on the front page. She threw the paper down, not even bothering to read the rest of the headlines. Today of all days, why did she have to be reminded of Molly Weasley and how happy that dratted woman was?
She and Molly Weasley were the same age. So were their husbands. Both couples had started dating at about the same time. Both had sons the same age as the renowned Harry Potter. There were many, many more details of their lives that were astonishingly parallel. Which was what, since school, had sickened Narcissa all the more.
Molly and her friends sat behind Narcissa every year in Transfiguration. For seven years, she had to listen to every detail of Molly's crush and later relationship with Arthur Weasley. It wasn't that Narcissa didn't have her own crush and later relationship with Lucius; but he was always somehow colder than Molly's conversations made Arthur out to be.
She really despised the man. Arthur Weasley was the opposite of her own husband in every way. He was poor, inarticulate, unrefined and worst of all muggle-loving. He was quite possibly the worst pureblood wizard in the world, and to top it off, it didn't bother him in the least!
There was nothing she desired in Arthur Weasley, at least, not in the man himself. And yet, he was kind and loving, and he made Molly a very happy woman, not that she always showed it, shrewish as she could be. They were obviously very much in love with each other. There was only one way a couple could have seven children in ten years. That was one thing Narcissa was very glad she didn't have, but she almost wished for the spontaneity it required. Lucius was always so meticulous.
Narcissa had everything she had ever been expected to have, so why wasn't she as happy as a woman who had next to nothing?
Now, as she picked up today's copy of the Daily Prophet, she was forced to remember why. There was a picture of a rather concerned Arthur Weasley above a secondary article on the front page. She threw the paper down, not even bothering to read the rest of the headlines. Today of all days, why did she have to be reminded of Molly Weasley and how happy that dratted woman was?
She and Molly Weasley were the same age. So were their husbands. Both couples had started dating at about the same time. Both had sons the same age as the renowned Harry Potter. There were many, many more details of their lives that were astonishingly parallel. Which was what, since school, had sickened Narcissa all the more.
Molly and her friends sat behind Narcissa every year in Transfiguration. For seven years, she had to listen to every detail of Molly's crush and later relationship with Arthur Weasley. It wasn't that Narcissa didn't have her own crush and later relationship with Lucius; but he was always somehow colder than Molly's conversations made Arthur out to be.
She really despised the man. Arthur Weasley was the opposite of her own husband in every way. He was poor, inarticulate, unrefined and worst of all muggle-loving. He was quite possibly the worst pureblood wizard in the world, and to top it off, it didn't bother him in the least!
There was nothing she desired in Arthur Weasley, at least, not in the man himself. And yet, he was kind and loving, and he made Molly a very happy woman, not that she always showed it, shrewish as she could be. They were obviously very much in love with each other. There was only one way a couple could have seven children in ten years. That was one thing Narcissa was very glad she didn't have, but she almost wished for the spontaneity it required. Lucius was always so meticulous.
Narcissa had everything she had ever been expected to have, so why wasn't she as happy as a woman who had next to nothing?