Disclaimer: I do not own any part of the Harry Potter series.


Mothering

Hugging the warm comforter to her body, Narcissa savored the last minutes of sleep. A gentle smile of contentment softened her features as her chest rose and fell quietly. She stirred slightly, as she heard voices in the adjourning room. Opening her eyes, she stretched happily, sinking into the depths of the covers. She listened to the sounds from the other room as two people attempted to whisper so as not to wake her, but she knew those two voices better than any others.

Her husband and sister were talking, and for a change, not exchanging snarky jibes but normal conversation. Narcissa wondered what time it was, even though her sleeping schedule was anything but structured now. She pulled herself up into a sitting position, to gaze out the bay window. The night was dark and black but for the stars that glittered in the skies. Rolling her eyes, she tried to pull herself out of the temptation of a comfortable sleep. Leave it to Bella to drop by in the middle of the night after almost two weeks of no contact.

"It means dragon," she heard Lucius explain, pride flooding his voice.

Narcissa's assumptions to her sister's response were not disappointed, "Well then, Lucius, I can only hope he doesn't take after you if he is to live up to his name."

At the return of their usual banter, a third voice cried out above the hushed bickering. The sound of her newborn son crying was the only motivation Narcissa needed to hop out of bed. Slipping on a robe over her nightgown, she heard her husband's gentle attempts to soothe the awoken baby. She stood in the doorway with a smile on her face as she saw her husband and sister leaning over the bars of the crib to stare down at her Draco.

"Of course, Narcissa will do her best to spoil him. You must not coddle him, though," Bellatrix instructed, "When he is old enough, coming from such a family, he will be a wonderful addition to our Cause."

Lucius laughed at the staunchness of his sister-in-laws words. "Bella, by the time my son is old enough to talk, we will have triumphed. Draco will only have to sit upon the thrown in his rightful place a wizard of the purest blood."

Narcissa smiled at the thought, reminded once again of the benefits of sharing her husband and sister with the Dark Lord.

"Yes. As always, Lucius, your confidence is inspiring," Bella sneered.

"This sarcasm is coming from you? You of all people, doubting the success of our Cause?" Lucius asked, mockingly.

Bellatrix's gave him a death glare. "Never. I merely suggest that if you really looked at the vermin invading our world, you would realize that we still have a few more bridges to burn until we reach our eternal glory."

Narcissa laughed in spite of herself; her sister was so full of dark propaganda.

Her presence finally recognized, Lucius walked over to his wife and kissed her softly.

"I hope we didn't wake you," he murmured, brushing a strand of blond hair from her face.

Teasingly, Narcissa tucked a strand of Lucius's own blond hair behind his ear, giving his lips a kiss in return.

Still standing over the crib, Bella shot Narcissa a toothy grin.

"Yes, dear, but aren't you just a vision of loveliness," she mocked, casting Narcissa doe-eyes.
"Oh, shut up, Bella," Narcissa laughed. She would have thrown a pillow at her sister but for Bella's close proximity to Draco. "Just because you and Rod don't have time for tenderly affections doesn't give you the right to insult those of us who do."

"No, but it certainly adds to the argument," Bella retorted, sticking her tongue out at her little sister.

"Yeah, the argument of Narcissa being a better wife than you since she has successfully produced an heir while you seem to be working on producing an heir for everyone but your husband," Lucius stated smugly.

"Ha ha, very funny, Lucius. Want to have any more children?" Bella threatened, pointing her wand at her brother-in-laws pants.

Lucius smirked back before kissing Narcissa on the head. "Since your sister is being just as charming as ever, it pains me, Narcissa, to say that I must leave you now."

Narcissa frowned into his face. "It's still early, though."

"Yes, but I would hate to rob you and your sister of your," he sneered at Bella, "girl talk."

Narcissa kissed him goodbye before she determined the likelihood of Bellatrix ever engaging in 'girl talk' to be nonexistent. As soon as Lucius had left, Narcissa pranced over to the crib, almost childlike, and carefully scooped up her son.

"Isn't he just beautiful," Narcissa sighed, kissing her baby's stomach until he squirmed with laughter.

"As blond as can be," Bellatrix laughed.

Narcissa ran her fingers over the fluffy white tufts of hair on the baby's head. "But with such parents, how could it be any different?"

"Yeah, you wouldn't know he's part Black," Bellatrix teased.

Narcissa frowned disapprovingly. "Just you wait, Mrs. Lestrange, my Draco will be more of a Black than you yourself."

Bellatrix laughed harder yet. "No, no, no… he will be a Malfoy. Such a Malfoy."

Narcissa smiled at the thought, because, well, the Blacks certainly weren't without their… peculiarities.

"So Malfoy like, in fact, that he will make your husband seem tolerable."

Narcissa gave her sister a look. "Just because I'm holding my child does not mean I will hesitate to hex you."

That comment seemed to fill her older sister with a silly sort of affection.

"I am glad that you have not been completely swallowed by Malfoy pretenses and forgotten your Black dignity."

"I'm afraid you'll have to impart that to him, though, Bella, as you are the expert on such matters," Narcissa noted wisely.

As Narcissa watched Bella gaze warily at the tiny life form and wondered if her sister's boggart had changed much since their childhood.

"Do you want to hold him?"

Bella looked back at her sister as if she had three heads.

"Come on, just do it before I change my mind," Narcissa warned, handing the boy carefully to her sister. "Support his head, Bella."

Bellatrix was rigid, holding the child, but attempted to relax as Narcissa scrutinized her.

"Draco…" she murmured. "Such a little dragon."

Narcissa grinned as Draco reached up to wrap his fingers around a tendril of shiny dark hair.

Bellatrix laughed herself as he pulled on her hair gently, "Oh, Draco… don't you wish you had such nice Black features?"

Narcissa cleared her throat.

"But you will be a handsome devil, won't you? If you inherited your mother's genes… such pure blood, little Draco," Bella said softly.

Draco squirmed and as Bellatrix tried to adjust her hold on the baby, he started to cry. Narcissa almost laughed at the wide-eyed, helpless expression on her sister's face as Bellatrix held out the crying child at arms length, like it was something poisonous. Leave it to Bella, Queen of the Death Eaters, to be set uneasy by a tiny infant.

"Aw, come here Draco," Narcissa cooed, pulling the child to her chest, "Don't be afraid of Auntie Bella. She won't hurt you, she'll protect you; you'll see. She and Daddy, they're going to clean this world up, just for you."

A sort of pride, masking her previous embarrassment, glimmered in Bellatrix's eyes as Narcissa placed her now abated son back in his crib.

"How was it?" Bella asked. She might have been asking about the weather if Narcissa hadn't known better.

"Oh, well, it was child birth," Narcissa laughed. Then, realizing her sister had never and probably would never have such an experience, added, "It wasn't too bad… I mean, it was pretty terrible, but what I expected."

Bellatrix apparently found this very amusing.
Narcissa arched an eyebrow and folded her arms over her chest.

"I'm not as weak as you think I am, Bella."

At this, Bellatrix sobered up completely and replied solemnly, "Cissy, I don't think you're weak."

The two stared at each other for a minute, considering the roles they both assumed so gladly, so differently. They were doing completely different things. But for the same exact reasons. They were just trying to hold onto the world they knew, one way or another.

"I'm so proud of you," Bella muttered, always awkward when it came to doling out compliments.

Narcissa sighed into her sister's shoulder, pulling away suddenly to grab her by the wrists. "Where were you? Lucius wouldn't tell me anything, and of course he was so grave about it… Merlin, Bella, I thought you might have been…"

Bellatrix stared at Narcissa, confusion creeping into her smile. "Killed? I was only gone for a week or so. I would have thought that childbirth might have kept your mind occupied."

"Bella. That's not what I meant," Narcissa said, an unwarranted annoyance filling her. Suddenly, she was saying things that had nagged her for years, "It's just… well. Why do you have to do this? Why can't you be like every other dutiful pureblood wife and just have children?"

Bellatrix gave Narcissa a blank look, before chuckling quietly, "Because, Cissy. I'm not the dutiful pureblood wife. I'm a Death Eater. Even if I wanted children, and believe me I do not, I wouldn't have time to watch over them. Don't even say it, Narcissa, because I would never leave the Cause to raise some mere mortal's spawn."

"And what, pray tell, is their besides mortals to delight you?"

It had been a joke, but Bella replied seriously, "Everything."

Narcissa didn't press the issue, because she knew her sister would continue to avoid the matter of children to a fault.

Suddenly, Bellatrix let out a small moan, from shock or delight Narcissa couldn't tell. A jerk of her left arm confirmed Narcissa's suspicions.

"I have to go," Bella said, kissing her sisters forehead, "Raise him well, Cissy, he will be a fine addition to our world."

Narcissa smiled, though she was paying little attention to the words of her sister. Her little Draco was her world.

Bellatrix disapperated, as ever without the attention to manners, off to her duty. Narcissa gazed down at her sleeping son, content in her own.


Author's Note: I'm so sorry it took forever to update! Everything in my life decided to go crazy at the same time and I was sadly seperated from my writing time. So, I thank you patient readers, especially those of you who review because it really gives me inspiration! Hopefully, I'll have some time to write over the rest of Thanksgiving break; I'm working on a couple of small side projects that should be posted in the near future.