"Pathetic," was all Abraxas Malfoy could say when he saw what had become of his son.
Lucius had been lying on his bed for weeks. He had not left the bed with the exception of using the bathroom to relief himself. Abraxas understood what it was like to lose someone you loved. Lucius was going through a mourning phase do to the sudden passing of his wife, so he left him to his grief. He allowed Lucius time to heal without bothering him and now his time was up.
"Get up now!" Abraxas said sharply.
Lucius merely glanced at his father then looked back at the ceiling, which enraged Abraxas. Never had anyone dare disrespect him in such a manner. The boy was devastated, yes. What had happened was tragic, but he had to get over it and continue with his life. Most importantly find a new bride to produce an heir.
"Leave me, I want to die." Lucius said.
"You are not my son. My boy would never let himself turn into this." Abraxas said.
Lucius did not respond. He closed his eyes and rolled to his side. Abraxas grabbed his arm, roughly pulled him off the bed, and he fell on the floor. Lucius' head hit the nightstand next to his bed causing a photo of him and Camellia at their wedding day to fall. Lucius pushed himself off the floor and quickly picked up the photo, not caring that his hands were bleeding from the shard glass that had broken. He shook the photo to remove the glass. He's eyes watered as he stared at Camellia. She was so beautiful in her wedding dress, smiling at him with love in her eyes as she accepted his kiss. It was the happiest day of his life. He was marrying the woman he loved.
"Camellia," Lucius whispered.
Abraxas waved his wand, whispering a charm to clean up the mess and heal his wounds. "She's dead, son. She-"
"No, she is not!" Lucius said, "She is just angry at me. When she cools down, she will be back!"
Abraxas was shocked at what he was witnessing and what Lucius was claiming. His poor son had gone mad. Lucius actually though Camellia was still alive and will return to him.
"Camellia is dead." Abraxas said gently. "We buried her already."
It tore Abraxas' heart apart to see his son like this. He was tough on him growing up, but only because he needed it. Lucius was a weak and a spoiled brat. He gave him harsh criticism, yes, but it was to ensure he would not get too arrogant and become conceited and did what he always feared he would. Ruin himself.
Looking at him, Abraxas saw that Lucius did not ruin himself. A woman had.
"We did not. It was a hoax, father. She and Bellatrix planned it all. They faked her death and brought her back to life as Narcissa her twin - as if Camellia has a twin."
"Camellia does have a twin, Narcissa, her sister."
Lucius stared at his father, mouth agape. "What? What are you saying? Camellia does not have a twin sister. I would have known."
"What are you talking about? You know Narcissa and you have seen her. You played with her when you were a boy and she was at the wedding." Abraxas summon one of the House elves and ordered him to bring him the albums with photos of Lucius' childhood. Abraxas opened the album and turned it to a particular page. He placed it in front of Lucius to see. "This is you and Camellia," he pointed to moving avatars of a younger version of them, "and this is Narcissa." He pointed to a girl, which was identical to Camellia, on the other side of the garden.
Lucius seized the album from his father and studied the photo. It was the one taken on the day he first met Camellia, minutes before she bit him. Young Lucius was standing a few feet away from her, looking at the porcelain doll she was holding. While the other girl, Narcissa, was playing with Bellatrix. Narcissa was far enough that Lucius would not have been able to spot her.
"There really were two of them?" Lucius said in disbelief.
"Yes, if that's not proof enough, there are more photographs."
In hearing this, Lucius hastily turned the page and found himself and Camellia together again. Narcissa was there as well, toward the back with her other sisters.
"How?"
"I suppose you never noticed. They are identical and wore the same dresses."
%
Lucius watched Narcissa from a distance. She was running her fingertips over the spines of the books while walking past the numerous shelves in Flourish & Blotts. She seemed engross in searching for something, possibly an interesting title, something to entertain her boredom. When nothing grabbed her attention she placed her hand down and started for the exit. Lucius followed few steps behind her.
Narcissa suddenly stopped and turned around with disinterest. "I thought you were only going watch me from afar?"
Lucius straightened himself, ignoring what she had said. "Narcissa." He greeted her charmingly.
She gave an unladylike yawned. "What do you want?"
"What a coincidence meeting you here."
"I saw you following me from my house. What do you want?"
"Did I?" He questioned her, clearing his throat he continued. "It seems we have gotten off on a wrong start. Having just met at the funeral -"
"Just met? How could say we just met?"
"Pardon me?"
Narcissa looked at him as if he possessed the intelligence equivalent to a dimwitted child. "We have known each other for years."
Lucius did not know what to say to that. It still baffled him that there was two of them and he never noticed. Was he that unobservant? He wanted to blame them for the misunderstanding and never correcting him.
Narcissa's brows knitted together and straighten in realization. It was as if she found him out before he could explain himself. "You don't remember me do you?" Angry, she attempted leave but Lucius grabbed her arm and forced her to remind where she was. There was a need inside him to have her close, feel her touch. Perhaps the reason was because she resembled Camellia. Physically that is. Where Camellia was a timid wallflower, Narcissa was anything but. From what little he had seen of Narcissa, it was clear that she was the exact opposite of Camellia.
"Let go of me." Narcissa said.
"Not until you answer my questions." Lucius said and then decided to try a different tactic. He made himself appear non-threatening and loosen his grip on her arm. "Please, I have questions only you can answer."
Narcissa was annoyed but agreed. They found a table near the back of the shop that offered them privacy.
"If you are here about Cissy, you can forget it. She is mine."
Now that she brought the subject of Cissy up, Lucius withheld the questions he had for her to focus on retrieving the doll. "Cissy belonged to Camellia. Since she is gone, Cissy is now my possession. Return her to me."
Narcissa looked directly at Lucius' eyes, something Camellia rarely did. Camellia always avoided his gaze and looked at his month or the ground.
"Why do you want Cissy?" she asked, "You seem eager to have her." she looked him up and down, "Do you have some sort of inappropriate attachments to her?"
"What do you mean?" Lucius asked, suspicious of her wording and suggestive tone.
"I think a knowledgeable gentleman such as yourself know what I am asking."
"I assure you I do not." He honestly didn't understand what she was implying.
"Do you have a sexually fetish for my doll?"
Her accusation shocked him enough to unseat him. "What!"
"Do. You. Have. A. Sexually. Fetish. For. My. Doll?" she said slowly as if he hadn't heard her the first time.
Lucius stared down at her, while she still sat regally on her seat. Their difference in height did not intimidate her.
"What you are claiming is absurd."
"And yet you did not deny it?"
"I am denying it."
Narcissa stood up. "After forty-five counts." She said in a tone that indicated he had performed a great feat.
"You were counting how long it took me to answer you?"
"Yes, and I am disturbed by what those forty-five counts have revealed to me."
"What have they revealed to you?" Lucius wanted to know. He did not appreciated the way she was appraising him and making faults assumptions.
"Enough," she said as she closed the distance between them. "You have tainted my poor doll but I will forgive you. We shall never speak of this again. With Camellia's death behind us let us part. We are strangers." with that she strolled off.
Lucius stood in his spot. He was dumbfounded. He didn't have enough time to recover, let alone defend himself. Narcissa had knocked his breath away with her powerful personality and quick wit. He would let her win this round for it was dutifully deserved. Next time he would not allow her to treat him as such. He would be ready.
%
While Narcissa was in her bedroom, she took out an old photograph of herself and Camellia. It was taken when they were sixteen. They were standing side-by-side and smiling at the camera.
"Narcissa?"
Narcissa placed the photograph down and turned around to face Bellatrix. "Yes?"
"Mother wants you."
"You came to tell me this yourself and not a House elf?"
"I was going to pass your room on my way out anyways. I thought I would come see how you are doing. I heard you had a run in with Malfoy. I expect you put him in his place."
"He was speechless." Narcissa said, walking pass her sister and out the door.
