Author's notes: After like half an hour of calculating al the dates, years and everything else (and a few consultations with the Black family tree) I ended up with the conclusion that Narcissa was indeed pregnant when her father passed away. And since I've always liked Cygnus, I tried to make it as good as possible.

21 – Slytherins have a hard time giving up on things.

"Come on, Cissa."

"No."

"Narcissa."

"If you're cold, Lucius, you can always get back inside." Her voice was unbelievably icy; she had almost never spoken to him like that before. "I'm not going to leave now."

"Cissa, please." Lucius said, almost desperate, running the fingers of his hand through his hair. He didn't know what to do in such a situation. He had never seen the death of someone he loved so much. "You can't stand here out in the cold. It's not good for you…. It's not good for the baby." He added quietly. Usually, it was the only thing that could convince her to do something, but now, even that didn't work.

"I don't care." She sobbed; her face once again pressing to the cold stone before her. Lucius kneeled next to her, unsure what to do. She was taking this the worst way possible. He looked at her sisters; Bellatrix and Andromeda were standing at the door of the Manor and had a quiet conversation. This was strange enough, because any other day they wouldn't be caught dead talking to each other, but it was nothing compared to Cissy's nervous breakdown.

He tried to pull her up, but Narcissa was just laying on the tomb, refusing to let go of it; her hair falling all over her face, her whole body trembling, for she was dressed only in a black corseted dress and it was the darkest, coldest winter they've seen from years.

"Cissa, please." Lucius repeated, stroking her long platinum hair and taking her into his embrace. She squeezed her eyes shut and trembled once again. Lucius hoped that his hold was warm enough to protect her from the storm just as much as him . "You can't bring him back."

That seemed to be too much for her. Cissa started crying even more than before; she wrapped her arms tightly around him, as if she was afraid that she would fall again in the hole she was in the last few days. Her father had passed away just a week ago and Lucius had never seen his wife so crestfallen before.

"I'm just g-glad he saw me getting m-married." She whispered, still trembling and her tears still falling down her face. "H-he was so b-blissful to see a-all of his daughters h-happy. I just loved him s-so much, Lucius, you can't even imagine…. He was the greatest m-man ever born… I can't let him go, Lucius… I can't…"

Lucius sat on the ground, already without caring about the snow or how cold it was, still holding her and stroking her hair, whispering words of comfort as the snow kept falling over them, taking away Narcissa's whispered words.

"How is she?" Lucius asked quietly as he walked to Bellatrix's room. The house was unusually quiet; there were no house elves roaming around, no shouting from the black sisters' mother who always commanded them for something, no sound from Cygnus' printing machine at the other end of the hallway. The Black Manor seemed almost inhabited. "Anything new?"

The woman shook her head. Even her expression was tired and desperate now; usually she always managed to look bored and unimpressed.

"Nothing." She murmured. "I tried many things… But I can't make her get better if she doesn't want to."

"Do you think… There's any possibility…" he was too afraid to even mention it. Bellatrix's face contorted into an expression of pure anger. She approached him and grabbed the collar of his shirt.

"She's not going to die. Don't even think about it. Don't even dare to think about it, Malfoy." She hissed. Lucius nodded hastily. It was an easy thing to do, not thinking about such a possibility. He didn't want to make the thought even pierce through his mind.

He was stuck in the Black manor for three days already, due to the winter storm raging outside. He could just Apparate to his house if it was for that, but it was impossible to take Narcissa right now. She had a terrible fever.

It started out as a mere cold. It was logical for her to have a cold; she had stayed out in the snow, kneeling on the marble of her father's grave for hours. She was probably also in shock; that was why she didn't eat or drink anything. She didn't even talk. She was just staying in her old room, where she had lived in her childhood and school years, and stared through the window. But later, it started getting worse.

Her eyes started sparkling unhealthily, her face got even paler than before. Narcissa started getting tired faster – she spoke even more rarely than before, her voice quieter and her whole behavior seemed like if she was always distracted from something. The other two women, who had already given birth, said it was because of the pregnancy, but soon it became clear that it wasn't. And when Lucius had already convinced her to take her to St. Mungo's, she seemed too weak already – or at least, too weak to be taken outside and surely too fragile to Apparate.

And now, Lucius was entering her room for the millionth time, like it would change a thing. He sat on the corner of her bed, looking around the room he had been in so many times through the years. The place was so familiar that it seemed almost like the room was his own – he knew every small detail from it. The giant fireplace, taking half of the front wall, and the wooden door next to it. The family portrait – of Narcissa, her parents and her sisters – right on top of the fireplace, always illuminated by the sun through the windows on the opposite wall, the lighted fire or the candles on the chandelier. The silky baldachin and the four-poster bed under it. The nightstand right to the bed that always held Narcissa's most appreciated possessions. It was all more like a world of her own he was sometimes allowed to enter.

Right now, Cissa was sleeping in her bed, covered with many blankets. She was murmuring something Lucius couldn't catch.

"Cissa?" he said softly, touching her cheek. "Can you hear me?"

She opened her eyes and searched for him, trying to focus. She stared at his hair and smiled tiredly.

"Dad?" Narcissa whispered. Her voice was croaky; she had barely talked for the last few days. And still, she sounded really strange – really young also. Her voice was as high and clear as always, but now she sounded like a little girl. "Is that you?"

That was what truly scared Lucius. Was she just having hallucinations from the fever or something like that…. Or was it something worse? What if Bellatrix was wrong and things were actually much graver than the seemed?

Then, after a few moments, Lucius remembered that Cygnus had the same hair color as him. His eyes started stinging a bit. It was probably easy to confuse him for her father.

"No… it's me, Cissa." He managed to say.

"Oh, Lucius." she reached for his hand and held it tightly in hers. "You're always here to help me and… I know I'm barely able to do anything the last days. I don't even know why you're still here for me when I don't even bother pay attention to anything anymore. I love you."

"I love you too, Cissa. But please try to fight with that… weakness." Lucius said. He was still concerned; what she said didn't sound really related. No matter how gently he tried to sound, he realized that his tone was a bit judging. "I was – and still am – really scared for you."

"Why?" Narcissa frowned and sat up in the bed, reaching for the glass of water he had brought with him in the room in case she wakes up. "For how long I've been unconscious?"

"Three days." Lucius murmured. He was so relieved that she was better now that he couldn't be mad at her for scaring him so bad.

Narcissa's eyes widened in shock.

"Three days? Merlin, Lucius, I'm so sorry. You must be feeling horrible, being stuck here with these two hysterical women I have for sisters. Let's go now…" she tried to stand up, but Lucius gently pushed her back.

"No." he said firmly. "Not yet. You're still too weak. Stay where you are."

"Will you stay here, please?" Narcissa asked quietly. I don't want to… get like that again."

"Of course I'll stay." Lucius said and sat on the bed as she fell asleep once again. Looking at the snow still falling outside unceasingly, Lucius wondered if she would ever be able to truly get over the loss she had experienced.