Chapter 7 – The Cissy Doll

Narcissa stood by her bedroom door in her soft cotton nightdress. She heard her Mother-in-law's bedroom door shut, after saying goodnight to Lucius. At last, thought Narcissa, now she was free to roam the house with out bumping into her. Narcissa yawned, she felt too sleepy though. She turned around headed toward the four-poster bed; Narcissa felt she had had a very productive day. She had got Draco in the bath without TOO much fuss and she had stood up to both Lucius AND Claudia. Well such hard work deserved a good night's sleep. She collapsed across the cool cotton sheets and the feather soft pillows. She closed her eyes and sank her feet amongst the duvet and pulled it up over her shoulders.

The door opened, Narcissa looked up, her eyes open. Lucius had entered the room and wore a sour expression.

"I don't know what demon possessed your tongue tonight my dear" he said.

Narcissa laid her head back on the pillow

"I hate being insulted. I am not a mudblood and therefore should not be called one" she said simply shaking her head

"Hush" he said softly "I understand"

This took Narcissa by surprise, 'I understand' was the last thing she expected him to say. Narcissa turned on her side away from Lucius and smiled. She felt the bed lower slightly as Lucius lay down on it fully dressed. He pulled the duvet down off her shoulder slightly. He stroked her smooth skin tenderly. She shivered when she felt the strange sensation of his lips upon her shoulder. Without thinking she pulled her self away. She had still not fully forgiven Lucius for the other day. In fact she still had not forgiven him for all the times he had scared or hurt her. It was just too much. But Lucius did not strike her; he just turned on his back and faced the ceiling. Narcissa turned her body to his direction and looked at him. He really was very handsome; cold, arrogant and calculating, this was true. But there was something in his shape face, the colour of his hair and the expressions in his eyes. Something there on his face which, could make Narcissa weak at the knees…any woman, weak at the knees in fact. It was a sort of unnatural magnetism.

Narcissa sighed; she lay her head down on the pillow and went softly to sleep.

When Narcissa woke up Lucius had gone, probably to work. Narcissa felt the warm sunlight shine through the large French windows. She smiled and hugged her cool sheets. She felt a familiar happy feeling, as if she were feeling the effects of a cheering charm. Narcissa pulled off her duvet and swung her legs off the side of the bed. She felt the soft carpet under her feet. Her nightgown swung by her ankles. She walked over to her dressing table; there rested a china bowl of rose water to wash with, next to it was a soft fluffy towel. The house elves left that in her room every morning. Narcissa washed the sleep out of her eyes and dried her face with the towel. She was just about to pick up her silver gilt hairbrush when her door opened slowly. Narcissa looked, there her pyjama-clad son was peering his sleepy head around the door. Narcissa smiled at him, his hair messy and unbrushed. He grinned happily. Narcissa crouched down and held out her arms welcomingly. Draco ran to her open arms and threw his own little arms around her neck. She hugged him tightly, then picked him up and took him to her window seat and sat with him on her lap, the sunlight kissing them both. Narcissa parted slightly and looked at her son happily. She kissed his cheek.

"Did you sleep well Dragon?" she asked grooming his messy hair with her hand

"I had a funny dream about Grandmamma" he chuckled "She was dressed like a clown"

Narcissa could not help but laugh. Claudia in a clown outfit would be quite a sight indeed. Draco sat quietly on her lap and looked around the room. His eyes fixed on a shelf on the opposite wall. "What's that Mummy?" he pointed across the room.

Narcissa followed his gaze. He was pointing at a porcelain doll. The doll had long golden ringlets down her back. Her eyes were piercing blue; her skin was pale and rosy. She wore a frilly pink dress with white lace gloves, matching stockings and shiny black shoes. She sat stiffly upon the shelf.

"That Draco is 'Cissy,'" she said putting her face down next to his

"But isn't that your name Mummy? Daddy calls you that"

"Yes he does sometimes, other times he calls me Narcissa, or 'Cissa"

"So why is she called 'Cissy' too?"

"Because many years ago when Mummy was a little girl my Mummy gave me that doll. She bought one for my sisters Bellatrix and me and…well she bought one for Bellatrix and I. Bellatrix is your Auntie Draco. So when our Mummy gave us the dolls she said that they looked like we did. I had long blonde hair, like my doll and Bellatrix and long black hair like her doll. So we called them the Cissy and Bella dolls."

"Where is Auntie Bellatix?"

" No Bellatrix sweetie, not 'Bellatix' and she is in…she's in a far away country called Azkaban"

"Is the Bella doll there?" he asked

Narcissa thought about it, where was the Bella doll. Narcissa doubted very much that it was in Azkaban with her, did she leave it in the Lestrange Mansion. Were any of Bellatrix or Rudolphus' belongings still at Lestrange Mansion at all? Or had they all been sold off or auctioned. She could ask her, all it needed was a quick trip to Azkaban and ask to see her. She had wanted to go dozens of times before but Lucius had put his foot down saying it looked suspicious. The last time she had seen Bellatrix she had been in chained up in the Wizenmagot hearing…a horrible memory, but she still possessed the beauty she had always had, glittery black eyes and wild black hair. Narcissa was not sure she wanted to see her beloved sister rotting away in Azkaban.

"Mummy, where is the Bella doll?" asked Draco more urgently

"I don't know Draco I truly don't know…perhaps I could find her"

"Really?" Draco said his eyes lighting up. How could Narcissa refuse such an excited face?

"Yes…Mummy will do her best to try and find her"

Narcissa dressed Draco into his day clothes, brushed his hair and washed his face. She let him play with his toys for a while before breakfast. Narcissa did not see Claudia.

She then dressed herself in a soft blue floral dress; she tied her hair back with a thin ribbon. She then fetched her son and took him down to breakfast.

When Narcissa entered the dining room, she found Claudia sitting at the breakfast table finishing her own breakfast, her nostrils flared as she saw Narcissa enter.

"When the hostess enters late to her own breakfast there is definitely something wrong with her" she said

"And when a guest insults the hostess then there is definitely something wrong with the guest" Narcissa mumbled loudly under her breath, Claudia seemed to hear this

"You watch your tongue Narcissa Black! You are more of a guest than I am here. You would do well to remember that this house was mine before it was yours. If my husband were alive I would still be living here and you would be the very unwelcome guest."

Draco crawled onto his chair and Narcissa placed the serviette around his neck, she snapped her fingers and his breakfast appeared.

"What are your plans for today Claudia?" Narcissa still refused to call her Mrs Malfoy, just as Claudia refused to call Narcissa by her married name.

"I shall take a walk amongst the gardens, then I shall take myself to the library and read. I do not know what else"

"Ah well I'll be out all day so do you mind keeping an eye on Draco?" Narcissa snapped her fingers for her own breakfast

"My convictions of you not owning house-elves is steadily being proven Narcissa"

"No…I can leave him with the house-elves but I thought human interaction would be nicer…oh well I can ask my friend to…or perhaps not" she muttered. She was about to suggest asking Frankie to baby-sat Draco, as she had done on countless occasions, just as Narcissa had baby-sat Blaise innumerable times "Oh well, I could take him to the crèche but Lucius so disapproves…its full of half bloods and blood traitors."

"Where are you going that you cannot take your son with you?" Claudia asked suspiciously. Narcissa raised an eyebrow.

"I shall leave Draco in the house-elves' care… it is no problem at all…but I just thought as he is your Grandson"

"Narcissa Black I never baby-sat my own children let alone somebody elses"

'Hypocrite' thought Narcissa. When Narcissa was first betrothed to Lucius it had been her that had lectured her on the importance of a pureblood wife was mostly for bearing and nurturing children. Huh.

Narcissa locked her bedroom door. She took a handful of floo powder and threw it into her fireplace. The flames turned green. She stood in the pleasantly warm fire and with another handful of floo powder she said clearly…

"Azkaban Prison!"