Chapter Twenty-Five: Summer Solstice
The Summer Solstice is a time for renewing vows of love, peace, prosperity and abundance. Old Magics are especially strong.
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Narcissa had been pleasantly surprised by Percival Weasley's obviously thought out speech. She acknowledged that what he was trying to say, however much it displeased her, was unfortunately correct. She and her family had suffered greatly following the fall of the Dark Lord. She and Lucius had managed to avoid Azkaban, but they had paid through their noses for the privilege of continuing to occupy their ancestral home. Their fortune in stocks, bonds and ready cash was in ruins, and other than for the property, which was entailed magically to their descendants and therefore held in trust for the Malfoy bloodline, they had lost almost everything. Thank goodness, thought Narcissa, that the Potter brat had inherited the Black home, or that too would have been taken away by the hungry Ministry to pay for all the damages caused by the war. Everything that had been owned by Bella and the Lestranges was gone, as was almost everything that had once belonged to proud families like the Yaxleys, the Averyes and the Notts. Many, many purebloods had been reduced to the level of paupers. They had their land, their homes, but they had no money to pay for upkeep.
Indeed, things had become so bad for so many that this summer solstice, she had decided with her sister Andromeda and old Augusta Longbottom to perform special rites for prosperity and abundance. It was unacceptable that children from old families were unable to afford a Hogwarts' education. The school could, after all, only take in so many charity cases; the rest would then be denied entrance because usually the charity cases were half bloods and Muggle-borns. They were the ones that needed some form of education. Purebloods could, or so the argument went, be educated at home.
Thus, Narcissa realised that having Percival come to her now was a blessing in disguise. He would be able to help the pureblood cause. He would understand the need for children to be educated at Hogwarts. He would want for the purebloods to not be reduced to abject poverty. No good would come if they were lorded over by Muggle-borns and half bloods; that would only help to strengthen the position of people who favoured the Dark Lord's political message.
Taking a deep sigh, Narcissa finally spoke. 'Cousin—,' she sighed and went on, 'you're right. More than you know. I'm ashamed to say that Lucius and I were too proud to make the first move. You humble me with your willingness to put the future of the magical population of Britain above your own pride and position. I thank you graciously for attending this evening. I know my husband will be as willing to renew our connections as I am.'
Percy smiled in relief. He had been hoping for this, but no one understood better than he did how arrogance affected rational behaviour. It had taken him a long time to swallow his pride and make up with his family, even when he had realised, almost as soon as he had left his family home, what an error he had made. It had, indeed, taken the war and the destruction of all he cared about before he had returned to fight for his family. He could never forgive himself for the loss of Fred. If only he had come home earlier, if only he had made up sooner, then perhaps he could have avoided his brother's death, or at least, spent more time with the scallywag before he was taken forever from their midst. But the past was the past. It was the future that now mattered, the future he had sworn to Fred that he would protect. He had told Fred, when he had gone to visit his tomb one afternoon, that he would do all he could to ensure that children would grow up to a world of laughter, where jokes, pranks and mirth had space to exist.
Patting Narcissa's hand that lay on his arm, he said gently, 'Thank you, cousin. It is good to be united in our effort to see in a better and brighter world for our children. I knew I could rely on you to perceive the longer view. I apologise that my mother and younger siblings are still not as aware of what needs to be done. Dad agrees, and would have been here, but he did not want to abandon mum. She is still not fully back to normal. The war did things to her that are still taking time to heal.'
Narcissa nodded her head. Just as gently as Percy, she asked, 'Dark magic residue?'
Percy sighed. 'Yes, the Darkness is very strong in Mum, Ron and Ginny. George is over the worst, I think, but Mum, Ron and Ginny will take time to come to grips with the change to their magic. It's hard when you don't really believe it's happened.'
Narcissa inclined her head in agreement. She could never forget how the first kill Bella had made had altered her beyond recognition. Bella, too, had refused to understand the power of Dark magic over her. She had exulted in her alteration. Her sister's jovial and warm laughter had turned cackling and shrewish. Her smile that had once been loving and gracious had turned sultry and cruel. Indeed, every aspect of Bella had been transformed after her first kill, and the more she had used the Unforgiveables, the more she had descended into the madness of Dark Magic.
Percy glanced over at his brother Bill. He could see that the conversation Severus, Bill and Lucius were having was coming to an end as well. Bill looked relaxed and Severus' eyes were twinkling, despite his usual stoic expression. 'Perhaps we should join the others?' enquired Percy politely.
Narcissa turned to look at her husband, and their eyes met. A silent communication later, Narcissa nodded. 'Yes, I think that would be a good idea.' Then, turning to look directly at Percy, she said cautiously, 'I think it would be good if you called me Cissy. It is what family usually calls me.'
Percy grinned. In that instance, there was no mistaking the resemblance he shared with Bill or indeed the twins. 'Then, you must call me Percy. Everyone does. The only one who has ever called me Percival is mum, and that's when I'm in big trouble.'
Narcissa laughed. She liked the relaxed charm and intelligence of Percy Weasley. She had not expected anything worth liking; she had thought it would be purely a political and social relationship. Now, she thought, with time, that he could grow to be something more than a mere acquaintance.
Lucius Malfoy was not usually taken aback. He was known for his ability to anticipate the twists and turns of the political climate. To have the Weasleys make such a public acknowledgement of their desire to mend the long standing family vendetta had come as a complete surprise. The Weasleys were on the winning side, after all: they didn't need the Malfoys, but the Malfoys needed them. However, listening to William explain why he and his brother had attended the traditional solstice gathering was the biggest revelation. It was clear that the young men had given a lot of thought to the position of the purebloods. They wanted to change the world, and they realised that further antagonising and persecuting those who had been on the losing side was detrimental to the world they wished to create. It was bold, it was insightful, and it was much more magnanimous than Lucius had ever expected these Gryffindors to be. This was not a politically motivated stunt; this was genuine altruism. It moved the Slytherin more than he was willing to admit. These were allies who truly cared about the future of Magical Britain. These were men who, like him, were willing to do whatever it took to ensure a prosperous future for their children and families. He himself had joined the Dark Lord for the very same reason. Riddle, Voldemort, had promised a secure future for purebloods. Lucius had believed the megalomaniac because he had not seen a better option. Dumbledore had been quick to ignore and turn away all Slytherins because he felt they were tainted by association with Dark Magic. The Ministry had and still was a corrupt, foul and totally useless institution. In this dismal situation, Voldemort seemed like the best bet. He had a vision, a plan. It was more than anyone else had.