A/N: Narcissa wants to change her appearance.

Submission for:

Musical Chairs Competition III: Round 3 - (character) Narcissa Black

I Dare You Challenge!: character or characters are a child/children; specifically before their first year of Hogwarts

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.


The young eight-year-old sat before her dresser mirror, her eyes running over her limp, dull, blonde hair and her odd blue eyes. Unlike her sisters, who had inherited their father and his family's dark, voluminous hair and mysterious dark eyes, Narcissa had gotten her mother's fairer complexion and features, something Bellatrix would always remind her of.

But that would change today. She picked up the small vial she had gotten one of the house-elves to steal for her. Inside, a black syrupy liquid rolled lazily about as she tilted it from side to side. Her hair was finally going to be dark like her sisters', and while this wouldn't be a permanent solution, she would finally get to know how it felt to truly be Black.

She pulled the cork out of the vial and held it over her head, waiting impatiently for the first drop to touch her scalp.

"Narcissa! What are you doing?"

Before the young girl could even think, her mother had swatted the vial from her hands. It landed with a crash on the wooden floor behind her, pieces of broken glass caught in the sticky black goo.

Narcissa looked at her mother's surprised yet stern face, her eyes commanding her daughter to explain herself. She let her face fall into her hands, ashamed to look into those eyes. "I just wanted my hair to be black like Bellatrix and Andromeda's," she said through small sobs.

Her mother's expression softened as she took her crying daughter into her arms. "You are my darling flower, Narcissa. I don't want you to be like Bellatrix or Andromeda. I love you just the way you are, with your lovely blonde hair and sparkling blue eyes."

Narcissa wiped away the tears in her eyes. "Really?" she said with a sniffle.

"Really," her mother said, hugging her once more.