"Narcissa," Severus drawled, squirming slightly in her seat, "Just where has Draco gotten to? I promised to take him into Hogsmeade this afternoon."
Narcissa took an overly long sip of her tea before deigning to grace her houseguest with the proper attention due to her station as the godmother of her child.
"I have sent him to the Notts for the afternoon." Narcissa confessed. "Young Theodore is fallen ill with the Thresthal Pox and Ambrosia thought a bit of company would do the boy some good."
Clearly peeved at having not been informed of such a change in plans, yet unable to leave without a proper excuse, the younger woman fiddled restlessly with her teaspoon before glancing pointedly at the antique clock decorating the wall of the formal parlour.
"Perhaps I ought to make a stop at the Notts and bring poor Theodore a soothing salve for his marks." The swollen-faced woman suggested. "Do you recall how Draco nearly scratched himself bloody when he had the pox?"
"I think that would be quite unnecessary." Narcissa decided, refusing her reluctant houseguest permission to leave. "Theodore is a young man capable of resisting the urge to scratch, he will not behave as Draco did when he was small."
"Be that as it may," Severus lectured, "There is no need for the poor boy to go untreated."
"You need not fuss so fretfully, Severus." Narcissa dismissed, refilling her own cup even as she ignored the empty cup of her guests. "For Margaret has been to see me and has assured me that Theodore is being treated quite capably by a small team of Healers."
Lending to her credence as a spy, Severus's only tell of surprise at the mention of said midwife was a brief hitch in her breathing. An incident which, had one not known better, might have innocently been attributed to a successfully stifled sneeze.
"I was not aware that you and Margaret had rekindled your relationship." The coy woman stated suggestively.
Narcissa scowled at the remark, and forced herself to retain her even temperament. It would not due, after all, for her begin a confrontation before all the information she required had been given. As it was, her private arsenal was already shamefully underpowered.
"I am a woman long married." Narcissa replied coolly. "It is only natural that the employment of a midwife might become a necessity with time."
While the heavy suggestion of a pregnancy would normally make any woman giddy with excitement, especially so the baby-hungry Severus, the fact that the supposed pregnancy lie within Narciss dampered any joyous feelings either of them might have shared in confidence. For while Merlin had decided to bestow upon her the blessing of Draco, the fact still remained that the caprices of life had stolen three babies in the womb before him as well as given her a stillborn daughter not even two years after the birth of her much coveted son.
"When might you expect your bundle of joy?" Severus questioned, her voice thick with false enthusiasm.
"I might have expected her in November." Narissa admitted, fingers flickering across the womb that had once been full of a constantly-kicking daughter.
"Narcissa, I am so very sorry." Severus expressed, uncomfortable with heavy emotion but expressing it nonetheless. "I would that such a thing never happened to you."
Compassion had compelled the darker-haired woman to reach across the table and squeeze her hand, and Narcissa (despite herself) resentfully accepted the offer of sympathy by allowing such an intimate touch to occur. But, when such an act caused her to look up into her guests face and see the cheeks of such so swollen, all anger returned and she could not help but spew the venom she had been withholding.
"I would that it never happen to you either." Narcissa growled, digging her manicured nails into her younger counterparts ink-stained palm.
Severus winced as the nails began to draw small droplets of blood but held her ground, steadfastly maintaining her innocence in a manner most grating to Narcissa.
"I am afraid you have misspoken in your grief." The perturbed professor gently rebuked, struggling to free her assaulted hand. "For I am an unmarried woman and by no means-"
Severus actually yelped as Narcissa's manicured claws pressed in ever sharper, and jolted to her feet to better free herself from such unexpected malice. Now standing before her with a wounded expression, and her dripping palm wrapped carelessly in a pristine cloth napkin, Severus only now seemed as properly concerned as she should have been at the inception of the impromptu meeting.
"Whatever do you mean treating me in such a manner?!" Severus demanded, her offense being rapidly replaced with irritation.
"I mean to stop you from acting like such a brainless twit?!" Narcissa retorted, also rising to her feet. "How dare you sit in my home while you lie to my face!?"
"How you go on." Severus accused, not nearly as composed as she had once been.
"Did I not just tell you that Margaret has been to see me?" Narcissa growled. "Did it not occur to you that I now know more than you wish I might."
Severus paled at the unceremonious announcement, and subsequently sank slowly into the chair she had not too long ago vacated.
"I...have not the slightest idea of what Margaret might have told you." She confessed, her voice strong but wavering. "And I have not the energy to make such a discovery. I find I am suddenly ill and need to return home for a rest." She rose again to her feet. "Do make my apologies to Draco, will you?"
"You will go nowhere until I have the full truth from you." Narcissa hissed, fully prepared to use every weapon in her repertoire to stay the spy. "For I have just heard alarming news from Margaret and I demand to know which parts of it are true and which are merely an exaggeration."
"We both know Margaret is not a woman to exaggeration." Severus scolded, her face still devoid of color. "Whatever she had told you is what she believes to be the truth."
Narcissa felt herself color angrily at the news, the confirmation of a pregnancy in an unwed mother provoking of a jealousy so profound it was nearly deadly in its intentions. For not only had the trollop somehow managed to seduce the cousin she had once adored as a child, so to had she managed to conceive a pureblood child. The injustice was almost more than she could bare. That she, a woman who could trace her ancestry back to the Middle Ages, could not manage to produce anymore than one child without great difficulty, while Severus (a cursed half-blood) managed to do so without trying was the very height of unfairness.
"Then you are carrying the Black heir." Narcissa announced.
"It is as you say." Severus confessed, pressing a hand against her stomach protectively.
Narcissa might have wept from jealousy, let alone rage, but held strong and resolved not to hold the seemingly healthy pregnancy against the younger Slytherin. She could be angry at the lies, yes, but not for the pregnancy itself. That was beyond childish, after all, and Narcissa was no child.
"Narcissa, for the love I bare your son, please, you cannot tell a soul of this."
"Do you honestly think I would sacrifice the wellbeing of a child to get back at you for lying to me?" She demanded, bristling at the unspoken accusations.
Severus just closed her eyes, utter exhaustion splayed across her face.
"I do not know what to expect of anyone anymore."