Chapter 4- Letters: An Impulse

To

Miss Narcissa Black

12, Grimmauld Place

London

29th December, 1974

Dearest,

How well I remember the first time I saw you. Your silvery blond hair swept across your ears, in an attempt to almost protect your angelic face; your bright blue eyes , holding the entire ocean in their depths- my love, I was enchanted.

Though I had no idea who you were or what you were doing there, I tell you, my mind and heart were irrevocably lost to you and I left reluctantly yet feeling blessed to have beheld beauty in its ultimate form. I went home, a different person.

After that day, my days were blurred. I tossed and turned, bound in the fetters of a tortured sleep where there was no you. But when I heard I was to marry you, my dearest, it was as if my very spirit had been let loose.

I pictured your face several times, each feature highlighted vividly in my mind, knowing that there would be nothing more lovely. But I was wrong. Your smile was far lovelier than anything I had ever seen; and I saw it first that night, when we were engaged.

As you entered, surrounded by your family, your eyes seemed to pull me to you. Yet I could not move. The moment I had been waiting for had arrived and I was seized with a sudden fear of spoiling it. Then you came towards me, in all your regal splendour, with a sweet, demure expression on your face; and my heart started to beat faster than I had ever known it to beat before and the gaze of your gentle eyes seemed to calm my fears instantly.

Later, as I sat beside you, I found myself strangely tongue-tied. But though we exchanged not one word the whole meal, I felt happy and contented inside.

Then when it was time to leave, I found my voice and said goodbye to you, my darling. I said your name. My heart raced inside as my mouth formed the word.

Oh, how I await the opportunity to say it again.

I wind up this epistle now, my precious one. Duty awaits and I must go but I shall always remember and you must too, that I am forever

devotedly yours

Lucius

From

Mr Lucius Malfoy

Malfoy Manor,

Wiltshire

Narcissa folded the letter with gentle, well-kept fingers and on a sudden impulse, placed it to her cheek. This was the first letter she had ever received which was solely and entirely for her; and it was without a doubt, the most beautiful letter she had ever read. Well, she mused, as she placed her elbow on the polished table. She had never actually read a letter before.

The only letters she had ever received were from Hogwarts and she had never been never allowed to even read them, only listen as they would be read out to her. When she was at school, she had never received any letters from her family, much to the surprise of all her friends.

Actually, none of her 'friends' had ever been very intimate and she had never written or kept in touch with them over the passing years. The simple reason being that she was not allowed to.

Now she wondered why she never dared to disobey her parents and do something rebellious for a change. But then she realized that inside, she had always been afraid of punishment, and after seeing the last of her sister Andromeda, of being disowned. As a result, she remained perfectly obedient and unswervingly loyal to her family and its honour, hardly realizing that she was sacrificing her freedom in the process.

Also, as a result of her obedience, she had never been allowed to leave the house without permission (and certainly not alone) ever since she had graduated from Hogwarts. She never did, well almost never, if one didn't count the time she had gone to seek protection from Bella and had come face to face with- him. At that time, she had thrown caution to the winds and had thankfully escaped detection and punishment.

But now she did not care.

The man she was going to marry, seemed to be a kind, considerate man and she felt sure, judging by his letter, that he would never harm her in any possible way, either physically or emotionally. He even loved her. She traced the word dearest with her finger, smiling tenderly.

Then she sat up straight, her jaw firm and resolute. Rising from her table, she acted quickly. She lifted her wand and placed a Deafening charm on the closed door. Then she knelt by her bed and dragged out a heavy, horsehair trunk that was concealed under. A wave of nostalgia overcome her as she flung its lid open. She felt suddenly possessed by an urge to curl up in the trunk and relive all her happiest memories, which had taken place in Hogwarts where she had been free from her oppressive family and among people her own age. Controlling herself, she pulled out a bottle of ink, an unused quill and a roll of ancient parchment.

She raised her wand and sent her old school trunk straight back under her bed and Levitating the objects, she returned to her table, a satisfied smile on her face. She had done it! Her heart was thumping in excitement as she sat down and spread the parchment in front of her. She had taken the first step by opening the trunk her family had ordered her to get rid of.

She remembered, how close to tears she had come when she had heard Father tell Mother to have it destroyed. Luckily, Mother had forgotten about it and since Father had never reminded her, Narcissa had managed to keep the trunk, but was forced to hide it.

Anyway, it was time she left the past behind where it belonged and focused on the future. She unscrewed the cap of the ink bottle and dipped her quill inside. Holding it above the parchment, she was gripped with a sudden realization that she had never written a letter before. But not wanting to change her mind, and instinctively realizing that this was a man to whom she could pour out all her feelings, she placed the tip of the quill on the parchment and began to write.

Minutes later, she dropped her quill and reread her letter. It was not good, but it was frank. Satisfied, she addressed it, and tied it swiftly to the leg of Father's owl which she had lured to her room, then undid the catch on the window and watched as the owl drifted out into the night.