December 1972
Narcissa sat at the dining room table in Malfoy Manor with her parents, Lucius, and Lucius's aging parents. There were no pretenses about why they were here; Lucius had made his intentions quite clear in advance.
"Mr. and Mrs. Black, may I take your daughter on a walk through the gardens?" Lucius smoothly asked.
"Not unchaperoned," her father resolutely replied, clearly suspicious of Lucius's intent.
"Dobby," Mr. Malfoy suddenly said, and a young elf appeared. "Follow these two. Don't let them get away from you until they are once again in our presence. No kissing, no hugging, no improper contact. Is that understood?"
"Yes, Master, Dobby will make sure Master Lucius and his friend get in no trouble," the elf enthusiastically told Mr. Malfoy.
"Excellent," Mr. Malfoy dryly responded to the young elf's enthusiasm. "You two may go."
Lucius rose a little stiffly, clearly unhappy that they were being sent with an elf to chaperone them. He took Narcissa's hand and led her out of the dining room, with the house elf scampering behind them, trying to bat apart their clasped hands.
He led her out onto the veranda. It was a beautiful, unseasonably warm night, and the sky was clear, giving it the look of a million diamonds against black velvet. They stood at the railing, staring into the blackness that had overcome the Malfoy gardens.
"Do you know why I brought you out here?" He asked.
"I have a guess," Narcissa responded.
"I love you, Narcissa," he softly told her.
"I love you, too, Lucius," she quietly replied, waiting, but not being too hopeful of what would come next.
"I wanted to propose to you out here under the moon and stars, but the decisions are going to be made in the dining room. It's ultimately their decision- not ours," Lucius explained.
"If they don't come to an agreement-"
"Then we must respect their decision," he said with finality. "I won't be responsible for dishonoring the Black's youngest daughter. Besides, what good would it do for both of us to be disowned?"
She looked away from him. He put his hand under her chin and guided her face back up to look her in the eye. "They love us. They'll decide in our favor."
She looked into his gray eyes. "I hope so. My father has been incredibly protective recently. Too much so…"
"Too protective to let you have a proper marriage, though? I think not. In a few minutes, they'll happily emerge and tell us that we are to be married," he assured her.
"I hope so," she softly responded.
"Shall we walk through the gardens?" he asked.
"That sounds lovely," she replied.
They set off on the paths through the gardens. "We could do the maze. That would pass the time," he suggested.
"Let's do that during daylight sometime," she declined. She stopped, staring at the trickling water on the three-tiered stone fountain. "I love that fountain," she wistfully told him.
"Soon that will be yours, as will the rest of this. Maybe, provided all goes well, you can visit us on Christmas Eve day, and we'll do the maze, then," Lucius suggested.
"That would be lovely," she longingly told him.
They worked their way through the gardens, with no destination in mind, and no real purpose other than to calm their nerves. They didn't speak, but him holding her hand was more comfort than a thousand words could have been. They were in love, and their parents were bound to respect that. Soon, they would be married.
"I think I see our parents back on the verandah. Let's head back," Lucius led her back, walking quite a bit faster than they had on the way out.
He led her up the steps, and they stood in front of their parents. "Mother, Father, Mr. and Mrs. Black, do you have news?" Lucius asked smoothly.
"Mr. and Mrs. Black would like to speak to their daughter," Mr. Malfoy told them.
Narcissa looked from Lucius to her parents. She didn't understand why they could need to speak to her; it should have all been so simple. Lucius relinquished his grip on her hand, and she walked to her parents, full of dread.
"Let's step inside, Narcissa," her mother quietly instructed.
Once inside, her father, who had been remaining unusually silent finally spoke. "They insist you make an Unbreakable Vow of Fidelity." There was a sound of disgust in his voice.
"What did you say?" Narcissa quietly asked.
"I said a great many things, but your mother felt that it was best to leave the final decision of whether or not you made one to you," her father admitted.
"Narcissa, I want you to think about what you're doing," her mother told her. "You're giving away any chance of divorce, any chance of a different relationship. You are staking your life on that your loyalty will never waver, and he offers you nothing in return except that he will marry you."
"You are a beautiful young woman, who any number of men would feel honored to marry," her father reminded her.
"Can I talk to Lucius?" she asked, feeling like her world was crashing down around her.
"Of course, my dear," her mother replied.
She walked out to the verandah. "Lucius, can I speak with you a moment?" she cautiously asked.
"Mother, Father, leave us," he commanded them. "What troubles you, my dear?" he asked after his parents had left.
"Your parents want me to make an Unbreakable Vow of Fidelity," she quietly explained.
"This troubles you," he led her.
"Yes, just, why shouldn't our marriage be founded on love instead of fear?" she asked of him.
"But it is founded on love. The vow is just a tradition to show that commitment," he replied.
"Then would you make one in return?" she asked.
"Wizards don't. I can't imagine what the Dark Lord would say if I made an Unbreakable Vow to show my love for you. He would take that as weakness, and it would end my career. No, a wizard can't do that, but for a witch it shows purity and commitment," Lucius explained.
"But Lucius, why isn't my word of my purity and commitment enough? Besides, not that I would fall into the arms of another man, but supposing I did, would you prefer that I die?" she incredulously asked.
"No, but Narcissa, as you said, you won't. Making the vow simply ensures that no one can ever speculate that you did. Look at the nasty rumors that people spread about Bellatrix. I'm sure they're untrue, but because she didn't make the vow, there isn't an ironclad way to deny those rumors. No one could ever accuse you of such indiscretions, if you made one. It would protect you from such humiliations," Lucius warmly told her.
Narcisa didn't have an argument against him. There were rumors about Bella's conduct, and there could be no doubt that Annie had been dishonorable. Surely, any wizard would have misgivings about marrying Narcissa now. Her parents just didn't see it, because they loved her enough to have an inflated view of their daughters."You're right," she conceded.
"Is that a 'yes?' You'll make the vow and we can be married?" he asked.
She nodded, having misgivings, but knowing it was the only way for her to marry Lucius and fearing that she would never meet a man, even close to as fine, who would have her without the vow.
"Excellent, let me speak with our parents. Stay out here," he commanded her.
After a few moments, Lucius came back with both of their sets of parents. "It seems our parents have come to an agreement," he smiled. Lucius knelt down and put a ring on her finger. "A token of our engagement."
"Thank you, Lucius!" He stood, and she threw her arms around his neck. "I love you," she whispered into his ear.
"I love you, too, and I can't wait to make you my wife," he quietly responded.
Their families parted far too early for either Narcissa or Lucius's taste that night, but even so, it was a truly extraordinary night for the two young lovers.
