Disclaimer: JKR owns all the shnizz, apart from the song, which is Enrique's

Here, Tonight

"I can be your hero, baby

I can kiss away the pain..."

Cold bit at Narcissa. The chill in the air was that of death, and of pain, and of tears. Azkaban had lost it's dementors - but it had not lost it's despair. The guard spent a little too long frisking her for her liking.

"Just use accio, can't you?"

"No miss, we ain't allowed to use magic unless theres a riot of some sort."

Narcissa scoffed at this as soon as she saw the poor, dejected souls within their cells. A riot - most of them were too near death to even think of such a thing.

"In here, Mrs Malfoy. You've got an hour, and then I'll be coming...to.."

"I know - I was told before."

She shot a last look of disgust at the guards podgy back, before turning to face her husband.

"My god...Lucius..."

A wave of nausea washed over her. Her husbands one strong, fine featured face was caved in, hollow eye sockets. His skin looked as though it was stretched across to much bone - papery and flaking. His cheeks no longer gleamed, a creamy vanilla white. They were grey with lack of nourishment or sunlight. His clothing hung off him in ragged folds, the once expensive suit torn. Covered in grime. Then the worst thing. His hair - all that long, silvery spun moonlight - it was falling out. It hung in matted clumps at his shoulders, and patches of his crumbling scalp poked through. He was like a living corpse, death was eating away at him. He retained dignity though, standing to take his wife in his arms, half smiling - although his sunken eyes showed pain and fear. She knew he would hide it. Always proud - always strong.

"You look half starved, my darling. Don't they feed you in here?"

"It's not a hotel, darling. I can hardly ring for room service"

His voice was hollow too. Cracked with premature age and with a tremor of hurt running underneath it. It was the voice of a Lucius without his power, without his nobility.

"You never could tell a joke, Lucius."

"How's Draco?"

"Coping well, under the circumstances. His schoolworks slipping though.."

"Hm. You spoil him"

"He retains good potions marks, darling."

"Severus Snape still treating him like a favourite? That man hasn't got an ounce of spine in him"

"I was thinking of sending Draco to a different school, love. Away from Dumbledore, and Severus. They're bad influences on him."

"I said that years and years ago. He needs a good, proper education in the Dark Arts. Not the useless bollocks they teach at that establishment - but theres nowhere else for him to go. And Hogwarts is a family tradition, after all."

Narcissa laughed at Lucius' violent scowl. There was something that never changed - his furious sticking to tradition, even though he often hated it. And his murderous scowl that frightened everyone - apart from Her. Formalities were over. There always had to be room for formalities, though. Otherwise you didn't know where you were. It was their way. In silence they stood, for several minutes, drinking in one anothers prescence. She hated to see him so broken. He hated to see her so afraid.

"I've Missed you. Terribly. I...I can't..."

Narcissas voice quavered and broke off, as tears began to drip from her pale blue eyes and down the bridge of her pointed nose.

"Oh darling. Don't cry. Please, don't cry"

He pulled her closer into his body, and he held her. Kissed the top of her head - The scent of her hair. He had missed it more than he realised. It was soft and sweet, like flowers on a summer morning.

"They can't do this to me. They can't take you away."

"They're going to. You were at the trial - they execute Death Eater scum...like me"

"Not scum. Never scum. It's the muggle loving blood traitors that ought to be executed."

She hiccoughed, and choked back a fresh flood of tears. Her voice was a quiet hysteria - always quiet with Narcissa. Always an unbroken serenity in her voice, which soothed Lucius' severity. It broke now - lines of fear ran through it. Splintering inside her throat to come out, panicked, and sprinkled with emotion. But still hushed.

"Why can't you get out?"

"No way to do it...I'm too wea...."

She held a elegant finger to his lips, blue eyes blazing

"Don't you DARE. That's never the truth. You're Lucius Malfoy - never anything but strong, even in the face of adversary"

"Even in the face of death?"

"Especially in the face of death, my darling."

"I love you, Narcissa...."

Their lips collided. He felt her tears, clammy against his papery dry skin. Squeezed hands. Tounges wrestled. They tasted fear in one anothers mouths. Pulled apart, after what seemed like forever. A look. All noise evaporated from around them. The walls of the cell seemed to melt as dazzeling blue eyes met fierce grey. Foreheads touched.

"I adore you, my darling. I adore you..."

It was said, but not. By one or the other - they were the same person in those finall moments. One being - locked together for all eternity. And she screamed - that he heard. Her heart breaking as they were pulled apart. The aching howl followed him the whole way. And then...then there was nothing.

"I will stand by you forever.

You can take my breath away...."

Fin.