Title: Only Escape
Rating: T
Pairing(s)/Character(s): Rodolphus/Narcissa
Warnings: None
Disclaimer: Don't own 'em - not making any money off 'em. Dern it.
Word Count: 1,212
Summary: Narcissa goes to Rodolphus.
Notes:
Greek Mythology Category Competition: The Moirai - Write a fic chronicling the life and death of a character
Pokemon Trading Card Collection Challenge: Drapion - Silver – (creature) Blast-Ended Skrewt
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft & Wizardry: Defense Against the Darks Arts - Task 1 - Write about being freed from something or escaping from something. Prompt - (dialogue) "You don't really appreciate the fresh air and blue sky until you haven't seen it for a while."
Last Ship Sailing Competition: Word: shimmering, Word: loud, Spell: Lumos, Dialogue: "Have you heard the news?", Color: Tan. Bonus Prompts - Item: lipstick, Dialogue: "Just relax.", Color: Pastel pink, Emotion: calm
Narcissa tried to be good in everything she did. She tried to be a good daughter in a strict Pure-blood family. She tried to be a good sister to the warmer Andromeda and the more fanatical Bellatrix. She tried to be a good friend to Severus. She tried to be a good wife to Lucius. And she tried to be a good mother to Draco.
In some ways she failed, and in other ways, she succeeded. She helped Draco survive the war, even made sure he wouldn't be punished for the things he did do. She stood up for Severus posthumously and sang the man's praises; she was even helped by Harry Potter, and together, they made sure Severus got rewarded an Order of Merlin, First Class for his efforts. She became closer to Andromeda and helped with the newest addition to the Black family—little Teddy Lupin.
She failed the worse when it came to being a wife to Lucius. Although Draco and Narcissa escaped retribution, Lucius didn't. The Imperio defense didn't work this time, and he was sent to Azkaban. The only reason he didn't get the Dementor's kiss was because there were no longer any Dementors under the control of the Ministry.
And she didn't even care that her husband was locked away for the rest of her life. In fact, the only person she thought about was Rodolphus. Bellatrix was dead, but Rodolphus had run away, and he still hadn't been caught.
They had a brief affair after Narcissa's and Lucius's marriage contract was formed, and Narcissa had been the one to break it off as she wanted to be faithful to Lucius, even if she wasn't certain of her future husband's fidelity.
And then Narcissa had to stomach the idea of Rodolphus becoming her brother-in-law and had to force a smile, pretending to be happy when all she wanted to do was spew bile all over the floor.
And now, with Lucius locked up and Bellatrix dead, all she could think about was reconnecting with the man. But first, she needed to be free. When she finally saw Rodolphus again, she didn't want to be a married woman.
And that was why she was in Azkaban. The click of her heels as she walked through the dingy corridor sounded loud, but she ignored it, completely focused on her task.
When she got to his cell, she grimaced at the sight of him, his clothes no longer pristine and his once shimmering blond hair now matted because of all of the dirt in it.
Lucius seemed startled even if his body barely twitched. His facial expression showed his surprise, though.
"Just relax," Narcissa murmured. "I'm not going to be here long. I think you know why I'm here."
"A divorce, huh?" Lucius rasped. "You're going to find him, aren't you?"
Narcissa raised a perfectly sculpted eyebrow, not all that surprised that he knew about Rodolphus. "I plan to. I think I finally deserve some happiness, and freedom from this marriage will give me it. I think it's the very least of what you owe me, don't you?"
Lucius nodded. The guard walked into the cell with the papers and monotonously said, "Lumos," so Lucius could see. With no fight whatsoever, the blond signed the papers held before him, dissolving their union in a way that almost seemed too easy to Narcissa.
When Narcissa exited Azkaban, she breathed in the fresh air. "You don't really appreciate the fresh air and blue sky until you haven't seen it for a while," she murmured to herself. She had been in the building for barely an hour, and still, she was relieved to be in the fresh air. Even without the Dementors, the place felt suffocating.
And it was not only the fresh air she was enjoying; it was also the feeling of freedom she suddenly felt. She could now do whatever she wanted, and no one would be able to tell her no.
Next on her list of things to-do was finding Rodolphus. Now, where could he be?
It didn't take Narcissa long to figure out his location. He would want something private, and she remembered a Lestrange property he once took her to during the early days of their illicit affair. It was in a wooded area, and there were very few people that knew about it. Not even the Ministry was aware of its existence, and that made it the best hiding place for a criminal.
She didn't tell Draco where she was going, but thankfully, he was so caught up in Astoria that he didn't think to extensively question his mother about her sudden shiftiness.
Before she left the Manor, she put on a touch of her pastel pink lipstick. It wasn't much, but she remembered how much Rodolphus used to love the color on her. She hoped it still rang true for him.
She had to Apparate more than once, but she arrived just outside of some wards. Narcissa grinned; if there were wards, than someone was using the property And that meant that her hunch had been correct.
She took a step but stopped at the sight of a Blast-Ended Skrewt. They were easy enough to handle, and she confidently raised a wand.
She didn't have the chance to utter the spell before a man appeared before her. He looked ordinary in his tan robes, but she still found her breath catching.
"Rodolphus," she murmured, momentarily forgetting about the creature. Thankfully, it didn't attack her.
Rodolphus smirked. "Lucky for you, this creature is trained to only be used for security reasons. Otherwise, your distraction would have caused you to get hurt."
Narcissa blushed. "Lucky for me," she agreed.
"What are you doing here?" Rodolphus asked calmly, as if he already knew the answer. And who knew? Maybe he did.
Narcissa took a deep breath. "Have you heard the news? I'm a free woman. Divorced and able to pursue whatever and whoever I want."
Rodolphus smirked. "And what do you want?"
Narcissa felt no fear when she uttered one word. "You."
Rodolphus moved faster than she blinked her eyes, pulling her close to his body and devouring her lips, swallowing her gasp with his mouth.
He pulled her pass the wards, into his little house, onto his couch, and made love to her for endless hours.
She never wanted it to stop.
Every good thing must come to an end, though. That was a fact that Narcissa learned at a young age.
She thought she had covered her tracks, but she must have let something slip. Maybe Lucius told someone in revenge for her daring to demand a divorce from him—it wasn't something she would put pass the man—but after way too short of a time, Aurors descended upon them. Rodolphus was wanted for his war crimes, and now Narcissa was wanted for knowing Rodolphus's location without telling the proper authorities.
They swallowed and looked at each other. There was nowhere to run, no way for them to escape.
Rodolphus gave her hand a squeeze. Neither of them wanted to be separated again.
Maybe they could be together in death, free from laws and expectations.
If death was their only escape, they would take it.