"Narcissa!" Lucius's booming voice echoed in the stone halls of the Manor and Narcissa knew something was wrong even before reaching the landing.
"What is the matter?" she asked, alarmed by his haunted expression.
"Pack a bag. You and Draco must leave at once." The wizard rushed past her and towards the master bedroom.
"Lucius, wait—"
"Dobby, Ziggy!" The moment he called, both house-elves materialised by the foot of the bed. "Gather a few clothes for your mistress and the baby. There's not a moment to lose."
"Lucius, stop." The witch grabbed his arm to force him to stand still and turn to face her. "What happened?"
"What is the meaning of all this ruckus?" Abraxas Malfoy burst into the room, looking from his daughter-in-law to his son.
Lucius seemed to deflate at the sight of his father, all his manic activity turned to dread. As if unable to sustain his own weigh, the young man fell to the armchair by the window.
"He's dead," he said simply. "The Dark Lord is dead."
Narcissa gasped and turned a horrified gaze towards Abraxas, who seemed to be struggling to keep his tone even:
"Are you certain?"
"Yes," Lucius raised his gaze to meet his father's, only to lower his eyes again. "It's over. Merlin, everything is over. They have started making arrests."
"Where is my sister?" Narcissa sat on the bed, her head spinning.
"Bellatrix has ran. She and Lestrange think they can find him. They think they can bring him back."
"Can they?" she asked faintly.
"Even the Dark Lord can't cheat death. He's gone and we have lost. We gambled and we lost." Lucius buried his face in his hands, his long hair falling like curtains on either side of his face.
"Foolish, headstrong child." The older Malfoy was shaking with rage, finally unable to contain his anger any longer. "Did I not tell you you'd be the ruin of us all?"
"Be quiet, you old fool," Narcissa snarled, jumping to her feet. "You did not complain when my husband's achievements were filling the family coffers. Now hold your tongue." She knelt in front of Lucius, gently prying his hands away from his face. The dark circles around his bloodshot eyes accentuated his paleness and it was the first time Narcissa had ever seen him scared. He had always been her rock and for the first time ever, he seemed lost. It shook her more than the news of Voldemort's death.
"I'm sorry," he croaked.
"Don't ever apologise to me," she replied, cupping his face with her hands and kissing him softly on the lips. He was her rock, but she could be steady too.
"Pardon me for interrupting such a tender moment," Abraxas mocked, "but am I right in expecting Aurors at my doorstep at any moment?"
That seemed to renew Lucius sense of panic and the younger Malfoy jumped to his feet. "We don't have very long," he said. "Narcissa, you have to go. We have family in Germany. You must take Draco and go tonight. You can't be here when they arrive."
"I am not leaving." She shook her arm out of his grip, straightening her back. Lucius was a tall man, but she made up in poise what she lacked in height.
"After all that happened, they will be out for blood." There was steel in Lucius's tone, which in her opinion was a great improvement on fear. "It won't matter that you were not involved. I want you out of the country tonight."
"I will not go," she repeated mutinously.
"Narcissa, this is not an argument."
"You're quite right, it is not. This is my home. This is my family. I am not running."
"Merlin knows what you've ever done to deserve that kind of loyalty, Lucius," his father interjected. "Let that hang on your conscience when you're rotting in a cell. Did I not warn you against following that power-hungry half-blood?"
"He is— he was the Slytherin heir."
"He was the bastard by-blow of a country whore and a Muggle."
Narcissa could feel the urge to scream at the old man burning the back of her throat, but she forced herself to keep her tone civil. "Abraxas, you can fix this."
He looked at her with grave eyes that reminded her too much of Lucius's. "You give me too much credit, daughter. Even I can't clean up this mess."
"You can try," she insisted.
"When a man lives his life on a tightrope, he ought to have an open mind about breaking his neck."
"Would you have your heir thrown in Azkaban when you can lift a hand to stop it?"
"Oh, I'm afraid it would take far more than lifting a hand, child."
"Think of your grandson. Would you have him grow up without a father?" It was her trump card and she knew it. The old man doted on Draco like he had never doted on any of his own children.
"I make no promises," Abraxas conceded, moving towards the door. He turned back before stepping out, coldly eyeing his son. "Say nothing. Admit to nothing. Give them nothing. You've done enough. I don't know whether I can untangle this mess, but I don't need you digging yourself in any deeper."
Narcissa waited until she could not longer hear the old man's footsteps before moving towards her husband. She put her arms around him and he pulled her tighter against him, hiding his face on her neck. For several moments neither spoke, but Lucius finally stepped back.
"We should go down," he said, his voice low but steady. Narcissa nodded, not trusting herself to speak. Hers had been a sheltered life and she couldn't remember a time when she had been truly scared before. Not even when meeting him who was called the darkest wizard of their time.
For her, fear was an abstract concept, but she felt it now in all its concrete reality, and it was like having a weight pressing on her chest and a hand squeezing her lungs. She feared Azkaban, of course, with its soulless caretakers who fed on everything that glowed inside a person. But mostly she feared losing Lucius and her son, the two brightest stars in her sky. They were her whole world and she could not envision a life in which they had no place.
She kept her fear inside her, where it belonged, and held her head high. She was a Black and a Malfoy, and she didn't forget it, fear or no fear. When the Aurors started Apparating outside the Manor, she squared her shoulders, laced her fingers with her husband's, and waited.
Decided to write a quick one shot to take a break from my current WIP. I love Narcissa and I think it's a pity we see so little of her in the series. Let me know what you think! ~ Kel