Chapter 10: Discovery

Lucius watched with mild amusement as his wife flitted around between rooms, nervously adjusting the dining set and fussing over the lunch she had been preparing all morning. Any less-than-cheery thoughts Narcissa had about her son announcing his visit at such late notice were smothered by the happiness she felt. It had been so long since she had seen Draco and his fiancée. Of course, it was natural for them to want to spend time alone, but she still felt a little neglected. Lucius coped fine without a child in the house, but Narcissa's life had been devoted to being a wife and mother, yet these days she was barely fulfilling one of those roles.

Her thoughts wandered to her sister in the room upstairs. Bellatrix had been told to remain in her room all day and not make the slightest sound. Narcissa knew that the warning was unnecessary as getting out of bed was the last thing on Bellatrix's mind. She hadn't touched her breakfast and struggled to sit upright. Being the stubborn witch she was, she claimed it was only a temporary ailment and refused any more help from Narcissa. The worry had been eating away at the younger woman incessantly but she tried to push it from her mind for the day. It would be incredibly dangerous for Draco to suspect anything odd.

Narcissa had hurried back into the dining room to perform one last check of the plates and silverware, when there was a sharp knock on the heavy front doors. She almost dropped the plate she had picked up and her breath caught in her throat. It was wrong to be so nervous, but her head had been so full of concerns lately that the slightest change in routine sent her emotions into overdrive. She fussed over her hair and smoothed her dress while her husband greeted the pair at the door.

"...and I'm sure Narcissa is around... ah, the dining room," Lucius drawled, leading his son and future daughter-in-law into the room.

Narcissa smiled graciously but her hands still shook slightly as she greeted the guests.

"Mother, it's a pleasure to see you." Draco beamed as he pecked his mother on the cheek. Narcissa was surprised by the effect Astoria seemed to have on her son, as he was much happier and more affectionate now. "Astoria, too, was so looking forward to seeing you both."

"Is that so?" Narcissa asked coolly but with a slight smile. She was determined to stay as collected and guarded as she was in the past. It would be far too suspicious for Narcissa Malfoy to suddenly become sentimental and flamboyant.

"Oh, yes!" cried Astoria. "I just think it's so important to keep up the contact between families! Actually..." she trailed off, looking at Draco expectantly, who coughed and reddened slightly.

"Something you need to say, Draco?" Lucius smirked as he drew out a chair to sit on.

"Ah, yes. I wasn't expecting to bring it up so early." He glared at his fiancée. "Mother, we came across my - ah, Andromeda yesterday."

Narcissa's breath caught in her throat. Stay neutral, she thought. Draco continued.

"She told us you had been in correspondence with her lately, and urged us to come and visit you. I was rather surprised."

Lucius chuckled at his wife's obvious discomfort as she visibly struggled to formulate a reply. "Draco, Astoria, do take a seat. Narcissa can bring us the first course. I'm sure we'll have a good deal to discuss while we eat."

Narcissa gave her husband a grateful look as she disappeared into the kitchen, wringing her hands.

"So it's true then, Father?" asked Draco. "Andromeda was right. She must have been lonely."

"Apparently so. Lonely enough to send an owl to the blood traitor," he sighed. "The Malfoy name is barely holding onto its last shreds of respectability."

"I think it's a good idea," Astoria announced. "She may be a blood traitor, but she is widowed, childless and lonely now. I don't believe it would cause any harm to give her back one family member. Things do change, Mr Malfoy."

"The woman is friends," he scoffed, "with the Weasleys."

"As a matter of fact," Draco interrupted, "we met her in the Weasley joke shop."

"Joke shop! That is precisely my point."

"It's a lovely store," insisted Astoria.

Lucius looked affronted to have been challenged twice by Draco's fiancée. The nerve of young people today, he mused, but was saved from responding by Narcissa entering with silver trays floating beside her.

"Oh, that smells delightful!" the younger woman exclaimed.

"Thank you." Narcissa smiled as she lowered the trays onto the table with a flick of her wand. She took her seat next to her husband and opposite Astoria. The four of them began to politely serve themselves and no one spoke for a few moments.

Astoria swallowed her first mouthful before starting off the conversation. "Mrs Malfoy, please excuse my forwardness, but I simply adore your dress. That fabric looks divine. I must ask where you purchased it! Lately it's been such a struggle to find quality clothes, and I've been searching through so many boutiques, everything is so generic these days..."

Narcissa stifled a smile as she listened to Astoria's excited speech. Maybe, she thought, this will be much easier than I expected.

The family sat in comfortable silence once they had all finished their meal. Draco stretched and sighed contentedly in his seat.

"If you'll excuse me, I'd like to use the bathroom," he said, and rose to leave the room. Narcissa fidgeted in her seat. She could hear him walking towards the stairs. On today of all days, could he not have chosen to use the downstairs bathrooms? They were much closer after all. Was his childhood bathroom really so important to him? There couldn't be too many warm memories associated with it. She was interrupted from her thoughts by a cough from her husband and reluctantly joined the conversation. She crossed her fingers under the table and desperately hoped that her sister was asleep.

x

Bellatrix was sitting up in her bed, slumped against the headboard and in a foul mood. She hadn't slept all night and was becoming increasingly weak as she struggled to keep any food down. The situation, in her mind, was still not dire enough to ask for help from her sister but nevertheless, she was secretly worried. Bellatrix Black did not lie in bed and waste away, hiding from the world. Her active mind was willing her to get up and run away, to escape the Manor and leave a path of destruction wherever she chose to go.

A surge of determination compelled her to reach out and grab the plate of bread and jam from the tray at her bedside. She tore into a slice viciously and managed to swallow the lump of food before her arm began to shake uncontrollably. Her breaths came faster as she tried to steady it but the plate slipped out of her sweaty grasp and went crashing loudly to the floor with an awful, shattering bang.

x

Out in the hallway, Draco froze. He was absolutely certain that the noise he had just heard came from breaking crockery, and was equally certain that it had come from a room on the landing rather than the dining room downstairs. It can't be, he thought. There's no one else upstairs, not even a house elf! He stared suspiciously at the door immediately next to him. There was only silence now, but something had to have caused the sound. What was more suspicious was this particular room. Only one person had ever occupied this room, and that was his rather terrifying and now missing aunt, Bellatrix Lestrange. He shuddered at the thought. The witch had never caused any direct harm to him, she wouldn't have dared. That didn't stop him fearing her.

He shook his head to clear his thoughts. Memories of her may linger here, but she hadn't set foot in the room for years now and never would again. Draco placed his hand on the doorknob and opened the door cautiously.

The room was very dark, and he blinked as he struggled to see. Heavy curtains were drawn over the window but there was a dim source of light by the other wall that was slowly becoming brighter as his eyes adjusted. He could make out a bed, and then a tray next to it... the light reflected on white shards of a broken plate scattered on the floor. It must have slipped off the tray, he decided, stooping to collect the pieces. As he stood once more, he noticed the swell in the blankets on the bed. The swell moved ever-so-slightly up and down as he stared at it, leaning closer. His heart rate increased rapidly as he took hold of the blankets, and then he pulled them down swiftly.

Draco leapt backwards as though he had been shocked, and let out a strangled cry, as his dear old Auntie Bella stared back at him with a mixture of terror and rage in her deep, dark eyes.

Ugh, sorry this is short, but at least I actually updated! I've had this chapter sitting around for a while waiting to be finished, but I don't know if it's any good. Only a few chapters more for this story but I'm struggling a little to find the motivation. You know what helps? Your lovely reviews! Keep reviewing and I might just finish this before I disappear off to Europe and the UK for a few months. xo