Revised: Monday 21st June, 2010
Chapter 2: A Day Of Rest
The young man had at first glanced at her with terrifying pair of grey eyes. But the thing with Narcissa was that she did not scare easily, luckily for her. If he was trying to intimidate her then she was determined not to let it work.
He bowed to her as he came close and she curtseyed gracefully, holding her ground.
"May the honour student grace me with this dance?" he asked her.
"Why, of course," She said. She could hardly say no.
He looked at her, masking his shock. So far he had found the new comers from Hogwarts both too comely and too flirty for his liking to be true ladies.
That by no means suggested that he was against flirtatious women. But they were best as whores in back streets pubs. Not in a true lady as they should be. And never would they be the mistress of his house.
But of course this lady had let herself down already today.
"Nice recovery by the way." He said to her.
"My lord, whatever do you mean?" she asked as the dance begun, thoroughly confused.
"Today at the ceremony. You do not mean to tell me you were listening when they called your name?" he asked half playfully, and half scornfully. She chose to ignore the latter.
"I am afraid that is just my second nature," she said to him, "When Dumbledore speaks I turn off. I cannot stand him." she said to him.
Smart as well as beautiful, he thought to himself. He could only angry with her for what she had said, for he had done the same when he had been at school and he was not one to call the pot black when he was the cauldron.
"And do you have any reason for your dislike of the 'greatest wizard' our time," his voice that time was so mocking it was impossible to ignore it.
"Only everything he believes in. We are very different, him and I. We have different ideas about the world," she said to him.
"I can see that."
She smiled at him. It was not seductive, but both sweet and innocent. And for the first time that night he grew hot under the collar. With all the other girls he had figure them out in a moment of dancing with them. But this Miss Black was new and fresh. And he liked a challenge. The chase made the capture fun and rewarding.
"Well done by the way, my honour student," he said to her.
"I thank you my lord," She replied properly.
A silence fell over them but it was not awkward. Nor was it comfortable. Again there was only one word to describe him. Intense.
She could feel his hands on her body. She had never felt like this. Yes she had danced with men before. But they had been her relative's or they had been her friends. And suddenly this was a man… a great lord of their world. And she was in his arms.
His eyes felt as if they were boring in to her. As if they were going just through her. As if he could see into her very...
But it didn't frighten her in the way he thought it would. He was clearly used to a reaction from women but as if she was going to give him the satisfaction. She remained tall and proud as they danced together, almost as if she was his equal. And he admired her for that. Not many women had her courage.
"I thank you Miss Black," he said as the song came to an end far too soon for his liking. "For the best dance of the evening."
"Surely that is with Caroline?" she asked. He was puzzled why she was asking. She was not throwing herself at her feet and yet he didn't think she disliked him. Her opinion of him was hidden. He found that made him feel rather uneasy.
He smirked, gave a small chuckle and walked away.
She was smart, funny and a complete mystery to him. He was going to have to see her again.
Narcissa awoke the next day in her own bed. That was a nice sensation. She did miss her own room when she had been at school. She was the sort of girl who loved her privacy and time alone so to share a room with four others girls for nine months a year got tiresome for her at times. She was sure to miss the other girls, but just not yet.
She was in the honey moon stage of being home.
She didn't get up straight away. There was no need for her too. She had no classes, it was the start of summer and she was just enjoying listening to the birds outside of her window.
From the sun that beamed in through the curtain she felt sure it was going to be a brilliant day.
Maybe a nice day to go out for a ride she thought to herself. It was a tradition she had held for all the summers when she had been at Hogwarts that the first day back she spent riding in the meadows that surrounded their home.
How funny it was that her life had been shaped by her traditions and her culture. She had met so many girls at Hogwarts, girls of the new world who did what they wanted when they wanted and yet them, the daughters of old men, were still as backward in their ways as they had been a century ago.
But that was how she liked it. To her, they had it the right way so why should they have to fix it? She liked the idea of when you went to your husband you were pure and that until then you were under your fathers command. She knew Bella had not agreed. But she had been given a gift that Narcissa had not and that was that she was self assured, unlike Narcissa who was so dependent on that security at times.
She was safe guarded by their father and she was grateful for it.
When she rose it was ten and her mother and her father were done eating their breakfast before she even got to the table. She had two slices of toast and a cup of tea before she changed.
Her hair which had been free to flow yesterday was now tied in a tight bun so that it was not going to blow in her face when she was out. She changed in to one of her riding gowns and headed down to the stables.
She had got her horse when she had been a young girl and had rather unimaginably called her 'Snowy' after her pure white colour. She was her best friend when she was home and when she was at school she missed her. There was something about the freedom she gave her that no one else and no other animal could provide for her.
First of all though, she lavished the horse in affection making up for the months she had been away. She brushed her coat gently and spent a good hour with her before they went out riding. It was good for the young women to get back in saddle.
Riding was without a doubt one of her favourite past times along with reading.
She was shocked how much of that day she ended up spending out with Snowy. She had thought she was going to get back sooner but she had got enchanted by the pretty country lanes that she had trended so many times before that she hadn't wanted to go home. Besides, when she was out in the saddle she felt as if she was home.
But as she saw the sun begin to set she knew she was going to have to some time so at five she trotted back up the fields to the manor she had called home for so many years.
After the days hard exercise there was only one thing on her mind and that was a shower. She was soon washed, her hair again immaculate and she put on a summer dress that was going to keep her cool for the rest of the day. The only down side to her beautiful her riding gowns was that she got so hot in them at times. She hated that aspect of riding.
"Cissy?" she heard a knock on her door as she finished changing.
"Yes, yes papa, come in, don't worry, I am deceit!" she said and turned to see his face.
"Have you been abed all day, my love?" he laughed at her coming in with a cheerful smile on his face.
"Not at all, papa I went on a nice long ride and it was delightful," she beamed at him.
"Well you should have told me, I would have kept company dearest," he said to her gently, disappointed at being left behind that day when she had been taken part in a pleasurable activity that they both enjoyed.
"I am sorry, papa but I was looking forward to the time alone so that I might unwind a little. We can go riding together over the summer. These past few days have been very hectic and I felt so overcrowded. It was so lovely to get away for the day by myself, but I am ready to be sociable again I think," she said to him with a smile.
"Well, that is a good thing as me and your mother want you to join us outside for dinner! It is just the three of us but it will be nice. We want to know very thing you have been doing of late!"
She smiled and took hold of the arm that he offered her. Tea with her parents was not high on the list of things she wanted to do but she had been away for a good few months and it was good to get it over with.
Her mama and papa proved to be the most attentive of listeners that day as she told them of her trips in to Hogsmeade, of her revision, the Quidditch games she had attended and the parties they had had in the common room.
"So all in all you had a good last term?" asked her mother.
"Yes I did. One of the best spent there I think, it was wonderful," she confided in them.
"Well that is good, but you know your life is going to change dramatically now, don't you? There are going to be no more long lazy Hogwarts days," her mother said to her.
"Yes, mama, of course I know that. I am not completely stupid you know? Well I proved that yesterday." She said rather taken aback for a moment so she had no time to hide the annoyance in her voice before she turned softer. "I know and I am ready, mama," she said to her as she looked out over their lands…
Sometimes her mother could be so insensitive. But she was used to that, it was after all nothing new. Her eyes were wondering so as to look anywhere but at the elder women.
Had her mother brought up all this now to remind her if the fact she was soon to be married? What she didn't know was whom too and she was happy with that for now. She hadn't wanted to be reminded of that fact that day. Narcissa sighed. There were a lot of gentlemen who had been looking for wives at the ball last night but there had been one who had made such an impression on her as to make her think of him during that day.
Lucius Malfoy.
He had been the most observant person she had ever met she had decided after that one single conversation she had shared with him in all of her life. After all, no one but she and Izzy knew she had been day dreaming. Or maybe everyone else had noticed but had been courteous not to both saying anything to her.
She smirked. He was handsome she thought to herself. And the right sort of man, the kind of man her father would seriously consider. But he was with Caroline. Surely a girl such a she could not truly make him happy?
"I assure you mama. I am ready for everything that life has to through at me." She said as she sipped her tea in the light of the setting sun.
She had and her day of rest. Tomorrow the work begun.
An: sorry it is so short. The next chapter is longer.
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