The original plans I had for my last year at Hogwarts had been thwarted by my fiance - but perhaps that was alright. While I couldn't exactly say I loved the man, I did care for him to a certain degree, and I was, of course, a lady. No matter what the circumstances, a lady was always loyal to her family. I returned to the school with full confidence in myself. It showed when I walked down the corridors. Boys - perhaps even some girls - stared at me. Maybe they wondered what had happened to me over the summer, or perhaps they just liked what they saw.
I preferred to think the latter, but ultimately, I kept them all at a distance, except those I considered strictly my friends.
I was the only Black sister in the castle now, and it felt good to have the limelight. I returned to Slug Club, and even if I took a fellow, masculine Slytherin as a date to a party, I was more than happy to flaunt my engagement ring. Perhaps I liked teasing them (the disappointment on their faces was always amusing), but never was I disloyal to my soon-to-be husband.
We wrote each other frequently, as a matter of fact. There was no talk about Death Eaters or the Dark Lord. That was reserved for when we met face-to-face. The displeasure of the subject I held had numbed a bit since we first discussed it. I understood that what was done was done, and even if Lucius wanted to leave, the Dark Lord would not simply allow him. We both simply had to play the cards we were dealt now.
He'd come to the school on one occasion, though his reasons for seeing Headmaster Dumbledore weren't entirely clear. Of course, all I knew was that it pertained to business with the Ministry - political matters that I had no interest or knowledge in. He at least made some time for me during his visit, and we walked alongside the lake during dinner. I was fine going to bed hungry. I got to rendezvous with him for about half an hour, and it was perfect, even if it meant I had to miss out on the evening feast.
I had teased him for the fact that his hair was getting longer, and that if he kept it up, no one would be able to tell us apart, because of how pretty we were.
"Is that so?" he grinned, but before I could give him an answer, he had scooped me up into his arms. "Are you calling me pretty?" I giggled uncontrollably, even screamed a little, as he playfully swung me towards the lake, though he never let me go. It wasn't very often I got to see his sense of humor, but when I did, I felt nothing but happiness. I felt so alive.
My preparations for the N.E.W.T.s were hard work, and the year itself seemed as long as the other six put together, but eventually, it was all over. The day after I graduated, there may have been some tears, but this was the start of a new beginning for me. At the train station, my mother and father were there, and we returned to a quiet home. The absence of my siblings was a bit eerie, but at the same time, relaxation came easier for me. Even still, it was my turn to start packing my bags, though my parents were in no hurry to rush me out. In fact, I could tell mother was reluctant to let me go. I always felt she loved me most of all, because I so closely resembled her, but there was no real proof of this. I was happy with the illusion.
After about a week of steady packing, Lucius had come to steal me away. We were to marry at the beginning of September, just a month after I had turned eighteen. We had discussed through numerous conversations where our honeymoon would be, and we ultimately decided on Venice. I, for one, had never been to Italy before. Aside from Hogwarts, I hadn't even traveled so far from home before. Mother shared with me some memories from her honeymoon, Apparently, father had taken her to Paris when she was pregnant with Bellatrix. "Before then," she told me, "love wasn't a concept, but when we cruised the Seine River and had dinner right there on the water, I fell in love with your father then."
Deep inside, I knew she hoped Lucius and I wouldn't be just an arrangement.
Nonetheless, the honeymoon was incredibly exciting to look forward to. I even wanted the ceremony to be over and done with as soon as possible just so I could see the city that floated on water.
Father had bought me the gown, which I took almost a week to decide on, and another two weeks to get fitted. On top of that, he took care of all of the finances for the wedding and reception. My mother always said that every bride needed to look like a princess, but I felt like a goddess walking down that aisle. I liked standing out as it was; this time, knowing that I truly was the center of attention was like feeding a cat an excessive amount of canned tuna. I was spoiled, but it sure as hell couldn't have been good for me.
Abraxas Malfoy took care of the rest of the expenses, like getting the permission for us to Apparate wherever we needed during our honeymoon. We stayed at the Hotel Cipriani, the most luxurious and expensive one that we could find. It would be our only honeymoon, so we figured, why not go all the way?
We saw everything there was to see in ten days.
On the first day, we visited the haunting ruins of Pompeii and the catacombs. I vaguely knew of the history behind Pompeii and its destruction, but it was a whole different feeling, actually being there, seeing the abandoned homes that had been wiped out from the eruption. The human casts that remained were especially creepy to look at, and it had been one of the quieter tours we took during our trip.
For the next, two days, we did a tour of the Vatican and the Colosseum. We had our share of cathedral ceilings, beautiful art, as well as dilapidated stone.
There was also a food and wine festival within Venice, which we had immense fun in being a part of. I had never eaten so much in a day. We rode the gondolas anywhere that was within short distance, though there was enough walking for us to exhaust our bodies. Still, at the end of every day, we laughed and kissed, and the sex was incredible when we weren't completely spent.
After all, Venice wasn't sometimes called The City of Love for nothing.
I never wanted to go back to Wiltshire. As far as I was concerned, I was in Paradise. However, good things couldn't last forever. When we returned to Malfoy Manor, we were thankfully surprised to have the mansion to ourselves, save for the two, house elves that served the family.
"Master Malfoy" murmured one of them, his saggy, bulbous eyes not quite able to look up at him. Fear was plain as day, but there was something else, too. Something I wouldn't take long to discover. "I have terrible news."
Lucius initially held a look of annoyance towards the elf, but slight concern soon took his face. "What is it?"
"Your mother, sir," the house elf replied in a cracking voice, as if he dreaded punishment for being the messenger. "She died two nights ago."
