Andromeda and Sirius started.
"Cissy, no," Andromeda hissed, her eyes wide with fear. "It's too dangerous. I will be there. I will stay with her, I will keep her safe, don't do this - "
Narcissa ignored her. Titling her chin up, she dared Dumbledore, "If your word is meaningful, what do you have to lose?"
Dumbledore studied her for a moment. Then he knelt beside Bellatrix on the cave floor and held out a hand. "Sirius, if you would be so kind?"
"I'll do it," Andromeda said before Sirius could respond. Narcissa raised an eyebrow at the furious look on Andromeda's face. "If Narcissa is stupid enough to insist on this, I'll be the one to set the terms. No offense, Sirius, but the exact wording is important - "
Sirius nodded grimly. "I don't want to be a part of this."
Narcissa took Dumbledore's hand. Bellatrix sat still and tense, with Narcissa's arm wrapped around her. She whined.
Andromeda let out a slow breath. "Albus Dumbledore, do you agree to protect Bellatrix Lestrange from harm to the best of your ability - " A slight pause. " - while she is in your care?"
"I do," Dumbledore said.
Andromeda's hand shook slightly as a jet of red fire shot from her wand and wrapped around their joined hands.
"I want a promise that you will protect Draco," Narcissa said. "I know he will be pulled into this war, and I don't know if Lucius and I can keep him safe."
Andromeda hesitated. "Albus Dumbledore, do you agree to protect Draco Malfoy to the best of your ability?"
"I do."
Another fiery rope wrapped around their hands.
"I need assurances from you as well, Narcissa," Dumbledore said. "That you will not reveal Order secrets."
Andromeda said, "Do you, Narcissa Malfoy, agree not to willingly reveal Order secrets to the Death Eaters?"
Narcissa's hand tightened around Dumbledore's, wondering what her chances of survival would be if the Dark Lord discovered she knew information and did not tell him. If he discovered her deception, the Vow would not kill her as she had not willingly revealed it to him. Perhaps he would understand and try to find a way to work the situation to his advantage. She hoped he would not take out any displeasure on Draco.
"I do," she said, deciding that the assurance of protect for Draco outweighed her other concerns.
The last rope coiled around their hands. They burned gold and then vanished, sinking into their skin.
Andromeda's voice shook. "It's done."
Narcissa loosened her hold on Bellatrix slightly. Tried not to question the wisdom of what she had just done. She dropped a kiss to the top of Bellatrix's head. Looking to Dumbledore, she asked, "Where are you taking Bellatrix?"
"Somewhere safe," Dumbledore said. "I will give Bellatrix time to adjust before she meets the rest of the Order. I imagine you must be getting home to Lucius."
"If you're moving her now, I want to go with her," Narcissa said, a sense of urgency filling her. Or perhaps panic. "I want to see that she is safe for myself."
Dumbledore regarded her. "If you are gone too long your husband will become suspicious."
"I'll handle Lucius."
Andromeda placed a hand on Narcissa's shoulder. "No, Narcissa, he's right."
She gently took hold of Narcissa's arms and pulled her to her feet. Narcissa's knees ached in protest. She had not noticed the toll the cave floor took on her body.
"I will go with Bellatrix," Andromeda said, glancing at Dumbledore, her expression one of hesitation as though she expected to be overruled, but there was a hard glint in her eyes that promised a fight.
Dumbledore did not object. "I will be more than happy for you to accompany us. Perhaps it will help Bellatrix to ease into her new surroundings."
Narcissa did not feel reassured in the slightest. "And how can I trust that you won't simply abandon Bellatrix when it becomes convenient for you?"
Andromeda bristled. "I'm not the one who throws away their family for convenience."
"That's your lot," Sirius said, and Narcissa glared at him.
"I don't recall asking your opinion."
"Enough," Dumbledore said firmly. "If this is to work, you must behave civilly. It will take cooperation if you hope for Bellatrix to recover." Turning to Narcissa, he said, "You have my Vow that she will be safe. I will bring you to her soon."
Narcissa frowned, not willing to concede but unable to see another option. He was right: she had his Vow. What could she do to ensure Bellatrix's protection that Albus Dumbledore, whose very life now depended on her safety, could not? Not that the thought made her feel any better about leaving Bellatrix, not now that she had finally found her again.
"I'm not ready," she whispered, looking down at Bellatrix who gazed back up at her. Her grey eyes showed recognition now, of her at least. Tears trickled down Narcissa's cheeks.
Andromeda stroked her hair, something she had done when they were children and Narcissa had sought her comfort. She felt torn by the gesture now, comforted and angered and saddened.
"I know," Andromeda whispered. "But we have to do what is best. If you stay any longer the Death Eaters will get suspicious and - Cissy, your life depends on acting like everything is normal. If you give yourself away - "
Andromeda's eyes swam with fear and tears. Narcissa felt a pang of regret. Not for Andromeda, but for Lucius and Draco. If she gave herself away, the Vow would kill her and where would that leave Draco and Lucius? Andromeda, however, had no business pretending to care what happened to her.
She shrugged off Andromeda's touch. "Fine. I'll go. But I expect an owl by tonight, Dumbledore, telling me when I can see my sister again - "
"I shall send an owl around two in the morning. I trust Lucius will be asleep by then."
Narcissa nodded. "Of course. I will stay up to receive it."
"Very well." Dumbledore turned to Sirius and Andromeda. "We should get moving. The sooner Bellatrix is safely away from here, the better."
Narcissa knelt in front of Bellatrix, placed her hands on either side of her head and kissed the top of it, eyes closed against her tears. "I'll be back for you, I promise," she whispered.
Bellatrix whined.
"I promise," she repeated, heart breaking. She forced herself to step back and then, with one last look at Bellatrix, Apparated away.
Narcissa wandered through the gardens of Malfoy Manor, trying to delay her return to the house as much as possible. She knew Lucius had seen her, had caught him watching her from one of the windows, and she suspected he would be joining her any minute. She wasn't sure what to tell him. She couldn't tell "Death Eaters", which meant she was limited in what she could reveal to him, regardless of whether he would agree to keep them secret or not. As much as it pained her to admit it, she was not sure she trusted him to help her keep these secrets even if she could reveal them. Which meant she was alone in this.
But perhaps she could tell him about Bellatrix.
She sat on a marble bench and watched the water fountain in the middle of the gardens. The bench was not particularly comfortable, but it was ostentatious and flaunted wealth: a trademark of the Malfoy family. She could not say that her family did not do the same, but they had been, perhaps, more reserved. There certainly hadn't been any peacocks wandering the gardens of Black Manor, but Narcissa would take the vanity of exotic birds over walls lined with the severed heads of house elves any day.
As she watched one of the peacocks strut past, she heard the crunching of footsteps on gravel approaching. Lucius sat next to her and brushed a lock of hair behind her ear.
"What did Dumbledore want?" he asked.
"He found - " A warning tug on the back of her mind, a rising dread, a sudden fatigue. Her vision blurred. Exhausted, she leaned against Lucius.
Bellatrix's continued existence, it seemed, was currently an Order secret.
Tears pricked at her eyes. She had suspected that might be the case, but she had hoped that she would not be completely alone in this.
"Narcissa?" Lucius asked, a hint of alarm in his voice.
"I'm fine," Narcissa murmured, lacing her fingers through his. "Just...lost in thought. It was an exhausting meeting."
"What did he want?"
Narcissa scoffed. "He wanted to discuss my family." True enough. The magic of the Vow did not tug at her.
Lucius scowled. "What about our family?"
"Just wanting to discuss Draco's future."
Lucius tensed.
"He wanted us to consider Draco's well being in the coming war." Not true, but it was something that she had worried about herself. If Dumbledore were to try to divide their family or turn them, Draco would be the easiest and most effective method of attack. "I believe he was trying to turn us. Undermine the Dark Lord's support."
Lucius scowled. "And what did you tell him?"
"No, of course," Narcissa said, outraged at the question. Bristling more at the hint of doubt in his voice.
"You were gone a long time for a simple no," Lucius said.
Narcissa drew away and glared at him. "I thought it prudent to hear him out, see what he might reveal. Create a sense that I might be willing to turn in case the Dark Lord wished to take advantage of Dumbledore's foolishness."
"He has Severus for that."
"And he might want me as well. If he does not wish me to pursue it, then I won't. If he does, the groundwork has been laid." Narcissa shoved his shoulder. "I do not appreciate your doubt. I thought you knew me better, Lucius. I thought you trusted me."
Lucius had a the decency to look ashamed. "I'm sorry, my love. I'm...a little tense. And you were saying just yesterday how worried for Draco you are."
Narcissa jumped to her feet. "So you so easily believe me a traitor?"
"No, Narcissa, I didn't mean that - I'm just worried about you and Draco too, and I don't have Bellatrix to rely on to watch out for you anymore, and I - "
At the mention of her sister, Narcissa started crying again, all the stress of the day catching up with her. Lucius stood and held up his hands placatingly, but Narcissa did not want to hear his excuses anymore. Dumbledore using Bellatrix against her was one thing, but Lucius using her was another. "Don't you dare use Bellatrix to manipulate me," she snarled, jabbing her finger into Lucius's chest.
Lucius's eyes widened. "No, I didn't mean that, my darling, I - "
"I will do anything it takes to protect this family because I am loyal, so don't you dare suggest that I would turn traitor at the drop of a fucking wand to a man I have no reason to trust. You think I would put you - put Draco - in that kind of danger by betraying the Dark Lord? You think me so disloyal?"
"No, not disloyal," Lucius said hurriedly, trying to take hold of her hands in his, but she slapped them away, "I think you are so concerned for keeping us safe that sometimes I worry - wrongly, obviously - that you might make an - an unwise choice - "
Narcissa stepped back. "Guest room. Tonight. Every night until I say."
"Wait, no, Narcissa, darling, please - "
She turned on her heel and stormed back in to the manor. The door flew open before her. She strode up the stairs and down the halls, her footsteps muffled by the thick carpet covering most of the stone floors, until she reached the heavy wooden door to their room. She flung it open, grabbed Lucius's night clothes, his toothbrush and toothpaste and a spare set of clothes, crossed to another wing of the manor and threw his belongings onto a bed in a random guest room. Lucius stood at the bottom of the entrance steps, shifting nervously as she passed by the top of the stairs.
"Your things are in a guest bedroom."
"Which - "
"You figure it out," Narcissa snapped. Lucius flinched. When she returned to their room, she locked and enchanted the door against him.
It took him only a few minutes to knock on the door timidly. "Narcissa, my love, please, can we talk about this? I promise you I did not mean - "
"Then perhaps, Lucius, it would be best for you to take some time and learn how to not shove your foot in our mouth," Narcissa snarled. "I'm going to take a bath. You had better be gone by the time I come out."
She drew herself a warm bath, complete with her favorite scented soaps, and stretched out, enjoying the feeling of the hot water soothing the aches and pains in her body from the long and arduous hike. She scooped up a handful of bubbles and blew on them gently, smiling when they went flying. When she had been young enough still to need help bathing, Andromeda and Bellatrix would help Pinky. As Pinky washed her, Bellatrix and Andromeda would often take handfuls of bubbles and blow them at her. She had shrieked with laughter, only encouraging her sisters more. Draco had enjoyed the game as a child too.
Her smile faded. Right now Bellatrix would be at a new location, and she had only Dumbledore's word that she would be allowed to see Bellatrix. She had not thought to include that assurance in their Vow, her first concern being ensuring the safety of both Bellatrix and Draco. She could only hope that Dumbledore would keep his word. It was still surreal to her that Bellatrix was alive. She had been living in the Forbidden Forest for...how long? Had Dumbledore said? Had it been since she left? Why had she gone to the Forest in the first place, why hadn't she contacted Narcissa, why had she allowed this to happen?
Narcissa buried her face in her hands. Damn you, Bella, you complete and utter idiot.
But she couldn't stay angry for long. Bellatrix is alive . The thought rang through her head, all through her body, bringing a torrent of emotions: anger, sadness, regret for all the things that Bellatrix had missed - but above all elation. While Bellatrix had missed many things and had miscalculated horribly in whatever her plan had been forcing her into this awful position, she had a chance not to miss anything else. Narcissa had a chance to get her sister back, the last true remaining member of her family.
She laughed through her tears. Bellatrix is alive.
Narcissa wished she could tell someone, anyone, but she was alone - no , she thought suddenly, realization striking, I'm not. There was someone she could tell.
"Pinky," she said, excitement thrumming through her.
The house elf popped into the bathroom. "Mistress is calling?"
"Yes, Pinky, listen," Narcissa said breathlessly, leaning forward against the rim of the tub, "I have to tell you something, you can not repeat it to anyone without my explicit permission, do you understand?"
"Yes, yes, of course, Mistress Pinky would never - "
"Not even Lucius or Draco." Though Draco was not a Death Eater, Narcissa refused to put the burden of keeping this secret on him. Could not take the risk, either, that the Dark Lord would discover Draco's deception.
Pinky shook her head, her big ears flapping. She looked distressed as she squeaked, "Of course not, Pinky is a good house elf, Pinky would never - "
Narcissa felt a twinge of guilt. "Of course not, Pinky. I would never accuse you of disobedience. But my life depends on this information being kept secret."
Pinky's already bulbous eyes widened further. "Pinky will guard Mistresses secrets with my life!"
Narcissa swallowed. The words were on the tip of her tongue, unnatural and surreal. " Bellatrix is alive ," she whispered.
Pinky squeaked and slapped her hands over her mouth. She lowered them, trembling, a moment later. "Mistress Bella is alive?"
"Yes," Narcissa said. "I don't know how but - " Something tugged at the back of her mind, a sense of unease and suspicion. Pinky seemed to relax a little which confused Narcissa. She pushed the thought out of her mind.
"Where is Mistress Bella now?" Pinky asked.
"I don't know," Narcissa said truthfully. "Albus Dumbledore has taken her somewhere."
And Narcissa told Pinky all that had happened that day. Pinky listened and made sympathetic noises in the right places and patted Narcissa's hand in others. As Narcissa spoke, Pinky climbed up onto the side of the tub, grabbed a wash cloth and some soap and began to bathe her as she had done as a child and again when Narcissa was heavily pregnant with Draco.
Narcissa started crying again. She was exhausted, her eyes scratchy, her head pounding. Pinky snapped her fingers and a glass of water appeared in her hand. Without a word, she placed it in Narcissa's hands and encouraged her to drink.
Narcissa felt a little better after she did.
Still something bothered her. "Why didn't Bellatrix contact me? What happened to keep her away?"
"I'm sure Miss Bella had her reasons," Pinky said delicately. Something about the way she spoke raised Narcissa's suspicion. It didn't feel as though Pinky were lying to her, but it didn't feel quite truthful either. That doesn't make any sense, Narcissa scolded herself, house elves can't lie to their masters, the only person who could have commanded Pinky to lie to me would be Bellatrix and she would never -
Narcissa's temple throbbed. She rubbed it, closing her eyes. It must be exhaustion making her imagine things, she decided. Leaning back, she closed her eyes and allowed Pinky to wash her hair, obediently turning her head at Pinky's direction. The feeling of thin fingers scratching at her scalp was soothing, as was the ability to talk about what had happened that day.
Overcome with emotion, Narcissa whispered, "Thank you, Pinky."
Pinky froze. "Mistress need not be thanking Pinky. Pinky is a good house elf."
"I know." Narcissa reached her hand behind her and took hold of Pinky's thin delicate hand. She gave it a gentle squeeze. A lump lodged itself in her throat. "You've...you've always been..." Tears stung at Narcissa's eyes again. "I couldn't ask for a better..."
Then she was crying again.
"There, there, Miss Cissy," Pinky soothed, stroking her hair. The childhood name only made Narcissa sob harder. "It'll be alright. Miss Bella is okay."
Pinky finished scrubbing Narcissa's back and then took Narcissa's hand gently between her own. "Pinky thinks Miss Cissy needs some sleep."
Narcissa allowed Pinky to gently tug her to her feet and out of the bathtub. Pinky handed Narcissa her favorite fluffy towel, and as Narcissa dried herself off and headed into the bedroom, she emptied the tub.
Thankfully, Lucius had left (it had to be over an hour later), and she pulled on some pajamas and crawled into bed. Pinky appeared silently beside the bed and pulled the covers over Narcissa.
"Master Lucius is calling Pinky," she said.
"Lucius can do whatever it is on his own," Narcissa grumbled, snuggling further into the covers as Pinky moved to close the balcony curtains. "Stay here with me."
"Of course, Miss Cissy."
Narcissa wasn't sure how long she dozed, watched over by Pinky who would stroke her hair when she jerked awake, suddenly fearful that the day had been a dream. Eventually Pinky put a warming charm on Narcissa's sheets, keeping her cozy and calm enough to succumb to her exhaustion.
Pinky woke her a little after midnight with a meal that Narcissa ate at her insistence. When two in the morning rolled around, Narcissa got up from bed, pulled her sleeping gown tight around her and went out to the balcony. The night was warm with a gentle breeze. Scanning the sky for any sign of an owl, she felt anxiety building in the pit of her stomach. Minutes dragged on. Something swooped low over the garden, and Narcissa leaned forward eagerly. When the owl perched on the balcony railing, she snatched the letter from its beak and ripped it open.
Relief filled her. Dumbledore would meet with her again in a week outside Hogsmeade. Presumably to take her to the location Bellatrix was being kept. She would need to come up with some plan so that Lucius would not be suspicious of her absence. Perhaps she simply desired a day out...
