Disclaimer: Still not JK Rowling, so I don't own anything you recognize.
The party was huge. There were people all across the big icy room, people swimming outside in the pool, and people skating. Couples had disapeared into the privacy of the shadows. A group of kids was playing drinking games with butterbeer on the table where Narcissa had sat earlier. When the corwds had begun arriving, Narcissa lost her sister and Malfoy, and found the girls she was supposed to come with. She had a good time with them, too, drinking, dancing, flirting, laughing. She hadn't laughed in so long, it felt like. The term had been… complicated; school was harder, everyone was growing up, and she had spotted her sister hidding in an empty classroom with a mudblood, kissing him. She shuddered at the memory and pushed it to the side.
"Another drink, Cissy?" Robert, a boy in her year, offered her a glass of champagne. "I've never seen you drink this much."
She gazed at him cooly. It was a little bit irritating, having all these people call her perfect and be amazed that she wasn't some sheltered angel. Well, maybe that was the image she put out. Wasn't she always thrilled with herself that very few people knew how much she actually got out, and did things she wasn't supposed to? Wasn't she thrilled that nearly everyone fell for her innocent charm?
She grabbed the glass from his hand and downed it. He smiled drunkenly, and almost toppled over as he attempted to walk closer to her but slipped in what must have been a puddle of champagne. Narcissa couldn't help but giggle at him. He was usually so composed at school.
As it grew later, the party grew slowly wilder. Garbage, scattered cups, and broken glass was scattered around the floor. There was a group of kids skinny dipping out on the pool, and on the skating rink about fifteen people were loudly, and terribly, singing.
Narcissa sat with a boy she had just met, Brett Serpus, on a pair of comfortable chairs facing the pool. A heated blanket covered the pair of them, and Narcissa found she wasn't cold at all. She was sipping on some drink of cranberry juice and firewhiskey that Brett had made for her.
He was gazing intensly at her. "Has anyone ever told you that you are incredibly beautiful?" he took her hand in his.
"Yes." She said promptly, modesty forgotten. "All the time. Its kind of annoying, you know, because sometimes nobody looks at anything else except my looks. I didn't create my looks – my parents did. I want to be appreciated for something I did." She explained it all in a rush of words. She didn't even really consider what she was saying. All she knew was that her drink was delicious, and the boy sitting beside her was rather cute.
"Well I think that you're not only beautiful, but also incredibly smart." He decided. "What's your favorite thing to do?"
She dreamily thought about it. "Well I like clothes. Actually I love them. But I also love painting… althought my mother doesn't approve so I don't do it much." She ran her hands through her hair and twirled a lock around it. She liked this feeling. Being drunk. She stopped trying to make all her actions so perfect.
Brett leaned closer to her, and gently brought her face to hers and gave her a long, slow kiss, that sent shivers all the way to her toes. It was fantastic. Hungrily, she reached out for him, pulled his body closer, and he answered by pulling her into his lap. He moved her hair off her shoulder and her neck, and began planting slow, tickling kisses there; he moved back to her mouth and deepened the kiss, making her heat up deliciously.
After a while, he pulled out away from her and leaned his forehead against hers. "Do you want to go inside?"
Narcissa considered it for half a second. "Yea." She admitted, giggling. It was really late, she could tell by the fact that the party was no longer raging; people had left, or retired, and a few of the craziest were still drinking and laughing in a corner.
He got up, and like a real gentleman, helped her up. They walked inside, through the big party room, and up a staircase. Narcissa was beyond lost; she followed Brett like a lost puppy, clinging to his arm. Once they were in a dark hallway, he pushed her up against a wall and kissed her again, hungrier and more searching then before.
"Hey!" None other then the host of the party himself came strolling down the hallway, a look of disgust on his handsome. "Narcissa, what are you doing?"
She giggled again. "Kissing… him." She jabbed her finger into Brett's chest.
"Get lost." Malfoy snapped at him. "Seriously, you can do it yourself or I can do it for you."
Brett backed away from Narcissa. "Hey!" she pouted indignatly. "Why?"
To avoid answering her question, Malfoy took her arm and marched her down the hall, away from Brett. "Narcissa, if you did anything with manwhore Brett Serpus, not only would your sister have my head for not looking out for you, but you would regret it the minute you woke up beside him, naked."
"I'm not that kind of girl!" she protested, stamping her foot. "I wouldn't wake up – naked…"
He tried to hide a smile at her drunk antics. "Yea, sure, that's what you think, but if you were actually in a bed with Serpus, that's what he would expect from you."
"Well maybe I should be that type of girl." She said haughtily. "Maybe I shouldn't be some perfect ladylike girl anymore."
He laughed. "It's part of your charm, Cissy, nobody says it like a bad thing. Please, just ignore Yaxley and anything he says. And a beautiful girl like you should not loose her virginity to a man like Serpus. Now, lets find you a bed."
Narcissa went to the first door she saw and threw it open. "I want to sleep in here!" she announced. The room was huge, and beautiful. A plush cream rug met her feet as she took in the green walls, the huge bed, the modern feel of the room. She ran at the bed and threw herself on it.
"This is my room, Cissy…" he began, but she looked at him with her best doe eyes and he conceeded. "Alright, I'll find somewhere else to sleep."
She shook her head and patted the bed. "This bed is huge, we can both fit. Please?" she asked pleadingly. "Your house is scary and I don't want to sleep alone." She moved back the covers, kicked off her boots and tights, and crawled under the covers, suddenly exhausted.
He was too tired and drunk to protest any further. The lights in the room went out, and he crawled in beside her. Narcissa sighed contently. "Goodnight, Lucius." She said sleepily.
"Goodnight, Narcissa."
Somebody's warm, strong arms were wrapped around her. Eyes still shit, Narcissa wriggled against them, and felt someone shift behind her. Her eyes flew open. Lucius Mafloy's blonde hair fell slightly in her face as she tried to shift out of his arms without waking up. Her head pounded at the slight moment and her mouth felt like a dirty sock. She needed some water.
"Goodmorning." Lucius said sleepily. Suddenly, a realization come over him and his arms flew off Narcissa like he had been electrocuted. "Sorry." He said sheepishly. He looked kind of adorable, with his usually perfect hair a mess and his grey eyes half-open.
"Don't worry about it." She gave him a small smile. "Do you have some water?"
He nodded. "Dobby!" he called. The elf materialized in front of them with a loud crack. Before he had the chance to say anything, Malfoy launched into intructions. "First, I want you to bring us two glasses of water and two vials of hangover potion. Then, I want you and the other elves to start kicking people out. Start immediately, be as rude as you want to, but be nice to those you recognize as my good friends. No get out of here."
"Yes, Little Master." The elf bowed low and was gone.
"Cissy…" He began. "It's okay if I ca,, you that, right?"
She nodded.
"Okay, well, Cissy, I'm sorry I dragged you away from Serpus last night… but I felt obliged to take care of you, being Bella's little sister and all."
She looked at him with those big blu eyes of hers. "Thank you. It would have gotten out of hand and I would have regretted it." She said formally. Neither of them said anything for a second, but then she burst out "Is that all you think of me? Bella's little sister? Is that all anyone thinks of me."
"Oh, Cissy." He spoke softly. "Nobody thinks of you just as Bella's little sister. I don't think of you like that atall. I consider you – dare I say – a friend?"
She beamed at him widely and he was dazzled. Her true smile was a million times prettier then the fake one she usually showed. "Lucius Malfoy, I thought you were supposed to be cold and rude, but that was really nice. You're my friend too."
He chuckled. "I guess you just bring out the nice in me."
A slightly awkward silence filled the room, until Dobby broke it by bringing them ice-cold water and hangover potion, which they both downed quickly. Narcissa felt a million times better immediately.
"You should smile like that, and be happy like you were last night, more often." Lucius told.
"I smile, and I'm happy, all the time." She protested.
He shook his head. "No, you're not. Whenever you and Jasmine are together you act like you're the greatest people in the world, and everyone else is scum under your feet. You never smile properly when you're with her, only when you want to get something from someone. You don't hang out and laugh with other girls your age, because Jasmine thinks it beneath both of you. I know you, I've been around you and your whole family your whole life, and I know that you're a happy person, and I know you aren't a self-obsessed bitch like she is."
Narcissa thought about what he said. It struck close to home. "Sometimes," she whispered softly, "I just want to smile and laugh and have a good time, like last night. But with Jasmine everything is calculated so we seem most perfect. Being perfect is so hard. I know I said last night that I was tired of being little miss perfect to everyone, but I know its my fault that they see me like that."
He laughed and ruffled her hair. "You are wise beyond your years, my friend. Few people can take critism and not argue against it, but take it and analyse themselves."
"Thanks? I think." She giggled, suddenly quite happy. Something about Lucious made her a bit giddy. Or maybe it was leftover alcohol from the night before.
"See? I just want you to smile more often, smile like that. You won't even have to worry about getting people to do things for you, because I know for that smile, wizards will move mountains for you."
She felt a little bit embarassed at the compliment, but took it anyway. "I should probably get going, though." She told him, reaching over to give him a little hug. "Sorry for taking over your bed." She stood up and gathered up her stuff that she had so unceremoniously dropped on the ground last night. When she reached the door, she hesitated and turned back to look at him for a second, sitting regally on his kingly bed, his grey eyes boring staring at her. "And, thanks."
"It was no problem. But could you do me a favour? Don't mention to Bellatrix that we slept in the same bed… she's quite protective of you."
She nodded. "I promise, it's our little secret." She gave him a last smile and left the room, intending on finding her way back down to the big fireplace and flooing home.
She finally managed to find her way through the maze of hallways with the help of a house elf, who also got her jacket for her and helped her put it on. The wealth of the Malfoys was unparalleled, even by ancient wizarding families like her own, and their manor was simply enourmus. She stepped in the fireplace and braced herself for the oncoming motion sickness, and before she knew it she was flying through fireplaces and finally tumbled out of the small one in her room, ashy and uncomfortable but grateful she made it home all in one piece. It was christmas eve now, and there would be a million things to do before her cousins and relatives came for christmas eve dinner.
*
"Wear this." Druella Black strode into her daughter's room and placed an elegent dress on hed bed. "To dinner tonight."
Narcissa turned away from her vanity and stared at her mother. Never before had her mother told her what to wear, not since she was five years. Narcissa prided herself on the fact that she could always throw together a beautiful outfit and look right for whatever occasion it was. After a brief nap in the morning, she had been running all over the house, hepling her mother manage the house elves and tell them what rooms to arrange better, who would be staying where, how the table should be set… and so on. The whole house smelled deliciously like Christmas, and her stomach was groaning in hunger already. "Why?" she asked simply.
Druella sighed. "Your grandmother kept hounding me about how those dress robes you wore to tea last week where too inappropriate. She seems to think that your virtue should be kept under lock and key particularly carefully. Maybe she has given up on Bella and Andy."
"Grandmother will never give up on anyone." Narcissa eyed the dress. It wasn't too bad – the top was long sleeved, high, but tight, in a dark, forest green velvet, amd at her waist the skirt flew out in thinstrips of flowy, lighter green silk, almost to her knees. "What time is it?"
"It's a quarter past four, darling, please do hurry up and get dressed, everyone will be arriving shortly." She swept put pf the room , her blue dress trailing behind her.
Less then an hour later, the Black family was seated in the formal dinning room, dressed in their Christmas best. Narcissa sat in between Andromeda and Bellatrix, and across from her cousin Sirius. Regulus, her other cousin, was there as well; so were their parents, and Grandmother. The formal dinning room was dark and sombre, and unwelcoming. They hardly ever ate in here. Of course, it was Grandmother's favorite room. She was dressed in a sombre black dress, an expensive shawl dangling from her shoulders.
Her father stood up at the head of the table and lifted his goblet. "Merry Christmas, everyone! Now, let the feast begin." He took a deep sip from his goblet and sat back down. Instantly the house elves hurried in, carriers platters apon platters of food that they placed all down the table, resulting in a mouth-watering mixture of smells. Conversation broke out among the family, but for a while Narcissa didn't say anything, and just enjoyed the food. She loved christmas dinner and always ate double of what she normally ate, if not more.
"Bellatrix, could Mr. Lestrange not make it to dinner tonight?" Grandmother asked.
"No, he had other… arrangments." Bellatrix smiled almost evilly. It was those types of smiles and expressions that made shivers run down Narcissa's back. "And I wasn't allowed to miss family dinner." She threw a dirty look down the table at her father.
"You know that once you marry, you will most likely be spending Christmas with your new family, so forgive us if we wish to spend these last precious years with you." Druella said kindly. Bella didn't answer.
Sirius aimed a light kick in Narcissa's direction and she rolled her eyes at him, smiling slightly. Sirius didn't get along too well with his family, mostly because he was a Gryffindor and had some very un-Black views (he was similar to Andromeda in this way, but at least she was a Ravenclaw). Narcissa always had a soft spot in her heart for him. He was three years younger then her and in the days when Bellatrix and Andromeda where off at school and left their sister by herself she as played lots with Sirius. Everything had been so much easier as children… when their biggest problems were if they were going to play Wizards and Muggles, or Princesses.
"Nacissa, is there something going on between you and Lucius? I saw you guys at his party and you seemed rather comfortable." Bellatri diverted tha attention away from her with a comment she knew would rouse the conversation.
Narcissa blushed lightly, wondering what her sister would say if she found out that they had slept in the same bed all night. Her family, on the other hand, took her blush as indication that Bellatrix was speaking the truth and all looked questioningly at her.
"Lucius? Lucius Malfoy?" Grandmother asked.
"Yes, Grandmother, but Bellatrix isn't telling the truth. There is nothing going on between us, we are simply on good terms lately. He has a girlfriend."
"That vile Parkinson girl is just a distraction. I can tell when Lucius likes something, I know him well."
"Malfoy! That would certainly be a good match. They are a good family, Narcissa, very good. You know firsthand how many splendid properties they own."
"Please, I'm not interested in Malfoy and he is not interested in me. I like him only as a friend, and that itself is new as we have not always gotten along in the past." Narcissa said firmly, like a Black only could.
"Good." Andromeda spoke up. "I never liked Malfoy, he's such an arrogant prat."
It was the completely wrong thing to say. All the elders of the family turned to look at her. The Malfoy name was prominent and not one that should be spoken against.
"Young lady, mind your manners." Druella adomished.
"Druella, it is no wonder that Andromeda is so loose with her ideals and opions if she try to influence her so gently." Grandmother jumped in, never one to back down from confrontation. "Andromeda Black, the Mafloys are an extremely respectable family and the young man is neither arrogant nor a prar, but rather a gentleman. If Narcissa had indeed attracted his attention then it is a good thing for her. You should hope to make such a good match with someone."
Andromeda laughed sarcastically. "Oh, yes, I forgot, he is rich and his bloodline is perfect, that makes up for everything else he does."
Their father slammed his fist on the table and the dishes all jumped. "You will NOT speak like that to your grandmother, and you will not speak like that at the dinner table. I can not prevent you from speaking your mind about such matters but I can stop you from doing so in MY house. Do you understand me?"
Andromeda didn't reply. The expression on her face was murderous. There was a long silence around the table as they all tried to recollect their thoughts, and Druella came out with the first thing she could think of to smooth over the conversation. "Darling, it has been arranged for Evan Rosier to be your escort to the Christmas Ball tomorrow. Isn't that lovely?"
Grandmother nodded. "Rosier is an extremely polite young gentleman. I do hope you enjoy your company tomorrow night, and perhaps there will be a dinner date sometime in the future."
"I will NOT be going to the Christmas ball with Rosier. All of you are completely crazy if you actually think that's going to happen. Completely nuts."
"Andromeda, shut up, you're spoiling Christmas dinner. Why won't you go with Rosier? There is nothing wrong with him." Bellatrix added angrily.
"I am not going with Rosier!" she jumped up, her eyes flashing angrily.
"Andy, sit down." Narcissa said quietly. Her sister ignored her completely.
"Give me one good reason you won't go with Rosier." Cygnus Black said venomously. "And it better not be that you don't like him."
"I'm not going with Rosier because he is an evil, selfish, spoiled, self-righteous ass…" she trailed off. "And because I am engaged!" She glared at them all as she yelled out the last sentence, daring them to say something. Narcissa had a bad feeling about this. A terrible feeling about this.
"Darling, engaged? Why haven't you told us? Who is the lucky man?" Druella asked in a falsely cheery voice. Nobody else believed for a second that they would be happy about Andromeda's choice in husband, but Druella was a mother, a mother who was desperate to not loose her child. A mother who was praying to every god out there that her child had not done something terribly stupid.
"I am engaged to to Ted Tonks, and yes, he is a muggleborn, and yes he is a Hufflepuff, and nothing you will say to me will change the fact that I love him and I am going to marry him and spend the rest of my life with him."
Narcissa had never quite seen bravery like this. Her sister was going her best to put on a cold, defiant mask, but she could see her hands shaking. Andromeda's eyes jolted around the table from family member to family member as she saw them take in the life-changing news. An awful stillness has settled on all of them, all of them except for Sirius who gave Andy a big smile but wisely chose not to speak.
Finally, Cygnus Black rose to his feet and his furious eyes landed on his oldest child. "Get out of my house. You are no longer a member of this family. GET OUT OF MY HOUSE!"
A/N: well, there it is. I found this scene hard to write, but I hope I made it realistic for all of you readers. Please review, I love hearing your feedback : )