Lucius was practically falling asleep in his meeting at the ministry. All these committees he had to sit on where so dull. He wondered who actually cared about vampire rights and why he had to sit on the committee for it anyway. Still, it paid the bills and it was a position his family had held for centuries, so he knew he could not escape it.
His mind drifted back to his future wife. He wondered what she was doing at that moment. Probably had her nose in a book, hoping the information would soak into her brain and that would pass off in her exams. He smiled, thinking of those times he had sat in the common room, pretending he cared about his friends pathetic little problems, the whole time staring at Narcissa. And she thought she had been invisible to him. How little she knew.
Abraxas refused to ask Cygnus for Lucius to marry Narcissa sooner. Lucius was becoming very impatient. He needed a way to make her his sooner, but how? He'd been considering this issue for two months now, and nothing. He wondered if he should ask the Dark Lord for help, but was unsure because Bellatrix was now in the picture.
He knew Voldemort had seen Bellatrix during a recent Hogsmede weekend. Perhaps he should have asked to see Narcissa, but he just could not bear the thought of seeing her again, with things as awkward as they were. Lucius, desperate to make this woman his wife as quickly as he could, and Narcissa, very unsure of where she stood with him. He had to tell her how he felt. But how? When they could only go to dinner together in public? If he were to call on her, he knew that they would be chaperoned by that awful mother of hers. Unless...
The Dark Lord were present.
As soon as the committee was over, Lucius was gone from the building. Normally at this point he would have invited the minister out for drinks, but not today. As soon as he got to the Dark Lord's house, he mounted the stairs and walked up to the office as quickly as was appropriate for a Malfoy to walk. From a young age, he had been drilled on what a Malfoy should and should not deign to do. He knew when he did marry Narcissa, she would grow into the perfect Malfoy wife. His heart pounded as he thought of their wedding night, so many ideas were running around his head about how he could show her how her life was going to be.
As he knocked on the door, he cleared his mind of these thoughts. They were not for the Dark Lord to see. He opened the door when invited to, and as he shut it he realised that the Dark Lord was sitting with his head in his hands. Lucius wasn't quite sure where to look.
"My Lord," he murmured.
Voldemort looked up, and Lucius was aware of how tired he looked. "Lucius," Voldemort said quietly. "Sit."
Lucius did as asked. In all the years he had known Voldemort, he had never seen him look this bad. He wasn't sure if he should ask or not, but then Voldemort never minded normally when Lucius asked questions most could not. "My Lord," he said tentatively. "Are you alright?"
Voldemort glanced at him sharply before he relaxed slightly. "Lucius. Do you remember my way of helping myself through a difficult time?"
Lucius considered, but he didn't really need to. "I do, my Lord... And you can't do so at present?"
"Indeed, not until we are married." Voldemort looked very tense again. "In the summer, and it is not even Christmas yet."
"I do not understand why you are waiting, my Lord. I am sure Bellatrix..." Lucius trailed off. He didn't want to go there.
"Her father," Voldemort said, grimacing. "Don't want to upset him."
Lucius nodded. "I am sure he just wants what is best for his daughters... Although, I..." He stopped himself again.
"What is your complaint with him?" Voldemort asked, frowning slightly.
"He has told my father that I cannot marry Narcissa until after her seventh year."
Voldemort chuckled. "And I thought I have problems." He paused. "Have you tried to be with anyone else?"
Lucius shook his head glumly. "I cannot stomach the idea... Narcissa is perfect for me..."
"First name terms now, Malfoy?" Voldemort laughed again. "I think Bella would cut me up if I tried to go with any other woman."
"I heartily agree, my Lord," Lucius responded, trying not to think about Bellatrix in a deep rage. "My Lord... I am not waiting two years to marry Narcissa. I was wondering if you could help me."
x—x
Narcissa had been back at school for what seemed like forever. She was studying as hard as ever but still the magic would not show itself. Her only hope was that she could scrape a pass, the disappointment from her family would be unbearable, not to mention how stupid she would look when Lucius found out.
Sitting in the common room, she was reading about charms, when Andromeda came up to her and dropped a letter onto her lap.
"Stupid owl got confused," was all she said, before walking off out of the common room.
Narcissa sat up, watching as Andromeda left. It was a very rare thing to see her in the Slytherin common room nowadays, Narcissa could only wander where she went off to. Picking up the letter, she noticed it wasn't from home. As she turned it over, she could see the Malfoy seal on the back of it. Lucius! she thought, feeling excited, wondering what he was going to have written in it.
Her hands shaking slightly, she opened it.
Dear Miss Black,
I hope you have settled back into school well enough and that your studies are proceeding to your liking.
I am writing to inform you that I have received an invitation to holiday with Marcalie Rookwood and her family for the Christmas period and therefore I will not be in the country to visit you.
I hope that you enjoy the rest of the term and that you enjoy your Christmas break.
Yours,
L. Malfoy
Narcissa could not believe what she was reading. Lucius and Marcalie. She felt like her heart was going to break into two at any moment, so the whole thing had been fake and he didn't care for her one little bit. She was still shaking, only now it was with anger at his lack of respect for her. They were going to be married and he was off with some little slag who slept with anything that could breathe?
She knew that when Bellatrix found out about this, she was going to be enraged too. She hated Lucius, and this was going to make her hate him even more. Bellatrix may not care for her sisters, but she cared for her families reputation. Narcissa knew what she had to do.
Launching herself from her chair, she stood up and headed upstairs to the great hall. Bellatrix was on her way out and had seen her, but made no effort to try and speak to her. Narcissa dawdled, knowing Bellatrix could be very difficult to speak to when the mood was on her. And it looked like it most certainly was. Narcissa sighed, knowing she had to, and caught up with Bellatrix.
"What do you want?" Bellatrix snarled. "I told you not to disturb me in school."
Narcissa could have cried. "I'm sorry, Bellatrix, I just... I got a letter from Lucius today..."
Bellatrix hardly seemed to be listening. "Good for you," she said, her voice very cold.
"He says that I won't be able to see him over Christmas because he'll be away on holiday with Marcalie Rookwood." Saying it out loud was too much, it was too late – the tears were spilling down her cheeks. She was relieved when Bellatrix grabbed her arm and dragged her into the dormitory.
"That little slag," Bellatrix snarled, sitting down on Narcissa's bed. "Cissy, what would you like to do to her?"
"Kill her," Narcissa snapped back, feeling angry again. "I want to rip her limb from limb."
"And Lucius?"
"I want him to pay me the respect I deserve."
Bellatrix laughed softly. "You're my sister. You'll get that respect, have no doubt about it."
Narcissa looked up, frowning slightly. "How will you do that?"
Bellatrix seemed to ponder for a moment, before she smiled, clearly her decision made. "Remember the important man I went to stay with?" Narcissa nodded curiously. "That was the Dark Lord." Narcissa was completely shocked and surprised. "And we're getting married. But that is a complete secret, and you'll be disowned if you tell anyone, and should it get out, I will see to it that Lucius is no longer yours."
Narcissa nodded, but her mind was reeling. Bellatrix was going to marry the Dark Lord? "I promise, Bellatrix, I really do!"
"Alright," Bellatrix replied. "I'll have this problem dealt with. Write back to Lucius and pretend that you are merely saddened by this, nothing more, nothing less. Be indifferent. Tell him that a boy in the year above you is coming to stay over Christmas anyway. That's the way to deal with Lucius. And then next time you see him, it is vital that you are cool, and aloof with him."
"But I want to see him!" Narcissa replied indignantly, scared Bellatrix might be saying all this because of her hatred for Lucius.
Bellatrix sighed lightly. "And you will. In fact, Lucius Malfoy will be at your beck and call from then on." She smiled, and patted her sister reassuringly on the back. "I shall go and write to my betrothed for now. I shall see you later. Do cheer up, sister, you will make your eyes blood shot."
Narcissa lay back on her bed, staring at the ceiling. She wasn't sure which of today's revelations had surprised her the most, Lucius's or Bellatrix's. She knew that Bellatrix was ambitious, and she realised it made sense. Bellatrix had been seen with the Dark Lord a few times, and she had disappeared with him at her birthday party.
She turned to her bedside table and picked up some parchment and her quill, ready to write Lucius a letter back which matched his own standards.
x—x
Dear Lucius.
I am, of course, saddened to hear this, but you must not worry as one of the boys in Bellatrix's year is going to come and stay with me this Christmas after all. I do have an inclination that he has a soft spot for me, he is always very kind. He even sent me some flowers and chocolates last week. You won't mind at all if I go out with him, after all, I don't mind that you're going away on holiday with a woman.
I except I shall see you over the summer at the very least.
Narcissa Black
Lucius crushed the letter in his hand. What was she playing at? How dare she encourage that sort of thing from another man?
Fuming, he went straight to the Dark Lord. Sure, Narcissa thought that he was going away with that ridiculous girl, Marcalie Rookwood. Marcalie had invited him, as she normally did. It wasn't his fault she found him so attractive. In response to this invitation, as usual, Lucius had said no. Narcissa needed to think that he had said yes and was going so that she would go to Bellatrix, who would then go to the Dark Lord. Voldemort was happy to go along with it, just as long as Bellatrix never found out.
In his rage, he forgot to knock on the Dark Lord's door. Luckily for him, Voldemort seemed to be expecting him. In fact, the Dark Lord was... laughing.
"Ahh, Lucius," Voldemort said, smirking. "You wish has come true." He held up a letter, which Lucius assumed was from Bellatrix. "And my Bellatrix is brilliant, as expected." Lucius didn't say anything. He couldn't think of anything nice to say about her. "I have written to their father. I have said I am concerned, since my loyalties lie with them, that you are going to stray at that the wedding will not take place."
Lucius nodded. "Thank you, my Lord."
"This will make you unpopular with Cygnus," Voldemort warned.
"It is worth it, my Lord," Lucius responded lightly.
"Good," Voldemort said, and then quite suddenly his expression changed to a darker one. Lucius knew about this, it happened often, but still he felt slightly unnerved by it. "And now, Lucius, you owe me."
Lucius swallowed, bowing his head. "My Lord, I am-"
"I do not wish to hear it," Voldemort said coldly, cutting in. "I have no need of you now, but there will come a time when I will need sensitive information from you. Be warned." Lucius did not dare look up. "You are dismissed."
Lucius bowed, his hands shaking slightly. As he left the room, he realised that although Voldemort could easily make someone think that they were friends, the Dark Lord did not have any. That was one of his greatest talents and even Lucius, the highest by far, had fallen for it so many times. He did not doubt that this charming Dark Lord was going to go far.
x—x
Dear Lucius,
The Dark Lord has requested that you and Narcissa should marry this summer. Whilst I am not completely happy with this, I trust that you will be a kind husband and that you will treat her well. I admit that I will feel content once you are married but you must remember Narcissa is my daughter and I wish for her to be happy.
My only must is that she completes her education at Hogwarts.
Cygnus Black.
x—x
Lucius could have jumped for joy. If he wasn't a Malfoy, he felt sure he would have. All he had to do now was to get Narcissa to forgive him, to show her that he had to hurt her so that they could be together. He hoped that the thing she had written about the boy sending her presents had just been a way of getting back at him. Narcissa seemed so pure, he hardly thought that she would be the type to lead someone on like that. Unlike Bellatrix.
He scowled, she was going to be unbearable now that she thought she had manipulated him.
