"I said no!" Lucius thundered, slamming his fist down on the table.

Narcissa whirled around, her face pinched with anger. "This is not your decision to make. We can't keep shielding Draco from the truth, Lucius. He isn't a child any longer, he's a grown man with a wife and son of his own. The situation has changed now, and there is no point in our keeping the truth from him to save him from danger when he's already being endangered."

Lucius scowled at his wife. "You're the one in danger, not Draco. We need not tell him anything. All we need to do is to keep you safe."

"You both do realise that I'm still standing here, right?" drawled Draco coolly, rolling his eyes. "We've been talking in circles for the last hour. I just want to know the truth."

"Stay out of this," Lucius snapped. "Don't interrupt your elders."

"Don't patronise him," Narcissa shot back, cutting off Draco's response. "He is old enough to speak for himself."

Draco sighed. "And yet neither of you is letting me get a word in edgeways."

Hermione raised her hands for silence, annoyed that she had to mediate between the three Malfoys yet again. "Lucius, Narcissa, this arguing is not helping. We don't want to force you to do anything, but we do need to have all the facts in order to keep everyone safe. Draco is capable of hearing the truth. Please, just trust us with the information."

Narcissa took in a deep breath and steeled herself. Putting her wand to her temple, she slowly pulled out a silvery strand of memory and dropped it into a vial she conjured in her other hand.

Lucius strode across the room, his robes flying around him. "Narcissa Black, I forbid you."

"You forbid me?!" Narcissa turned on Lucius, her eyes shimmering with rage. "I'd like to see you try. Petrificus Totalus!"

His face frozen in a mask of fury, Lucius dropped to the floor as Narcissa's spell hit him straight in the chest. Ignoring her livid husband, Narcissa threw the vial to Draco, who caught it easily.

"There is a Pensieve in my bedroom, in the fourth drawer of the cupboard on the left. You and Hermione go have a look, I will stay here and have a few words with your father," Narcissa ordered them haughtily, dismissing them with a flutter of her hand. "Go, before I change my mind, and don't come back until you've seen what I have to show you."

Hermione slipped her hand in Draco's and gently pulled him from the room. "Let's go," she whispered. "We had better give your parents some privacy."

"I can't believe mother just Petrified Lucius," Draco muttered in awe, as they climbed up to Narcissa and Lucius' bedroom. "I've wanted to do that since I was sixteen."

They entered the elder Malfoys' bedroom, shutting the door securely behind them. Hermione looked around the elegantly furnished room, taking in the many changes that had slowly built their way in since Lucius' return. The room, that had resembled that of a wealthy spinster when she had first moved in to the Manor, now obviously belonged to a couple. Pictures of Lucius and Narcissa through the years were littered around the room, along with a stack of books that was prominently placed on what had to be Lucius' bedside table. Hermione wished she had longer to carefully examine every inch of this momentary insight into the enigmatic couple's private life, but Draco had slumped onto his parents' bed with an air of nervous detachment, and she knew it was best not to prolong his anxiety.

Opening Narcissa's cupboard, Hermione had a brief glimpse of row after row of silk dress robes –and two curiously drab sets of shabby grey ones– hanging neatly next to their matching cloaks. One half of the cupboard was devoted entirely to shoes, some of them so exquisite that they were almost works of art. Forcing herself to focus, Hermione pulled open the fourth drawer and found it devoid of any personal affects other than the Pensieve.

Pulling it out, she turned back to Draco. "Ready?"

"As I'll ever be," Draco nodded weakly, as he got to his feet and emptied the vial into the Pensieve. "Shall we?"

After a split second of hesitation, Hermione put her face to the silvery wisps rippling through the Pensieve and felt her surroundings dissolve and re-form. Seconds later, Draco appeared beside her, looking around their new environment with a spark of surprised recognition in his eyes.

"Where are we?" Hermione whispered, as she scrutinised the beautiful parlour they were standing in; the room was a vision in rose walls and wispy gold drapes. Three young girls were scattered around on the plush gold lounges, two of them occupied with embroidering while the third read from a potions textbook.

Draco leaned closer. "We're at my grandmother's house. Mother and Aunt Andromeda are the ones sewing, and that's Bellatrix reading the book."

Hermione peered closer at the teenaged Bellatrix in shock. "She looks so different."

"Less insane," Draco agreed, as he looked at the stunning brunette with loathing.

Druella Black swept into the room majestically, almost breathtaking in her dark aristocratic beauty. "We are to go to Malfoy Manor tonight."

Andromeda stiffened, her fingers slipping over her sewing. "Are Abraxas and Lucius–?"

"Oh yes, Lucius wrote me and told me he would be returning," answered Bellatrix absently, her dark eyes still trained on her textbook.

Narcissa's breath hitched almost inaudibly as she bent her head over her embroidery silks, pretending to look through them convincingly. She bit down on her lip to school her face into looking impassive, even as her cheeks suffused with colour. Andromeda gave her scarlet cheeks a derisive look and speared the silk in her hands violently with the needle.

"Why would Lucius write you Bella?" Andromeda asked nastily, as she re-threaded her needle.

Bellatrix threw her a scathing glance over the top of her textbook. "He knew that I would be very interested in his venture," she sneered. "What is it to you anyways? If Lucius has his eye on someone, it's Cissy."

Andromeda's hands shook with rage, yanking the needle and snagging the silk. "Don't speak of things you don't know!" Andromeda snapped.

"Pathetic," Bella drawled, contemptuously. "Pathetic how my own sisters are fighting over a man when there is so much to do in the world, so much to learn, so much power to gain. What does it matter who you're with, as long as their blood is pure? There are things in this world that are bigger than your petty ideas of marriage and children."

Druella irritably clapped her hands once. "Enough! May I remind you two that you are both ladies?" she hissed, her voice wintry and her eyes flashing with ire. "Ladies do not raise their voices, and ladies most certainly do not display their emotions in the vulgar manner that you both exhibited. Andy, it is Lucius' business whom he writes and whom he woos, and until such a time that he is your declared beau, you have no place to antagonise your sisters for their associations with him."

Bellatrix and Andromeda looked appropriately rebuked. "Sorry Mother," they apologised quietly.

"You may wear your hair up for the festivities at the Malfoy Manor tonight, Cissy," Druella smiled kindly, her sharp eyes trained on Narcissa's bowed head and still-flaming cheeks.

Narcissa's head snapped up, her beautiful hair rippling around her shoulders. "Really Mama? You mean it?"

Druella tenderly stroked her youngest daughter's gleaming head. "Of course, and you may wear my garnets with your new claret velvet."

"Oh thank you Mama!" Narcissa gushed eagerly, squeezing her hands.

Andromeda watched from the corner, her beautiful face set in a scowl. "Cissy is only fourteen Mother, surely it's not appropriate."

"Nonsense Andy," Druella chided coolly. "You should know better than to question your elders. Besides, she will be fifteen in a few weeks."

"Cissy has a wandering eye," Andromeda insisted. "She already puts on airs as if she were of age."

Narcissa flinched at the rebuke. "Andy, please, I didn't mean to overstep–"

"Do not be ridiculous Cissy, Andy is the one who oversteps by crossing her mother," Druella replied, in clipped tones.

Andromeda scowled and stalked across the room, giving Narcissa a sharp pinch and a scornful look as she passed. Narcissa rubbed her arm miserably as she watched her sister's retreating back, blinking away tears. Just as she reached the door, Andromeda turned back, a cruel look on her beautiful face.

"Did Lucius even tell you that he was returning Cissy? Or do you plan on slinging the Black name through mud by panting after a man that couldn't care less?"

The parlour dissolved into pastel wisps and another memory formed around them. They were no longer inside the parlour, but under a starry night sky. The air was now thick with floating fairies and shimmering fairy dust. Hermione could hear the distant sounds of the revels from inside the Malfoy Manor as she and Draco followed the small figure swathed in claret velvet that elegantly treaded towards the back gardens, bypassing the ornate marble fountain and benches for the grimy roots of the sprawling oak that still lived untouched in the now-minimalistic manicured gardens. Leaning against the bark was a sixteen year old Lucius Malfoy, looking aristocratic with his expensive dark robes and pale hair tied back with a black silk ribbon.

He straightened up as Narcissa approached him. "Narcissa, you came."

"Of course I did Lucius," Narcissa swept up towards him regally and held out a small hand for him to kiss. "How could I ignore your request?"

"I wasn't sure you would slip away," said Lucius, in detached formal tones. "Did anyone see you? It would be most improper if anyone were to find out you met me without a chaperone."

Narcissa shook her head; her hair swept up in an elegant French twist and embedded with garnet pins. "I was careful."

"You've grown up this summer." Lucius commented. "You look beautiful tonight."

"No more so than any of my sisters," Narcissa replied breathlessly.

Lucius stepped forward and took her hands in his. "You've always stood out to me."

Narcissa looked up at him flirtatiously through her lashes. "More so than Andy?"

"Always," Lucius brushed his lips against her trembling fingers. "It has been a long summer away from your playful exuberance."

"I'm not a child anymore," Narcissa objected, with a pugnacious tilt of her chin.

Lucius raised an amused eyebrow.

"You will find that I have learnt new games to play," Narcissa surveyed him coolly.

"I know better than to trifle with a teenage witch," Lucius drawled, amusement evident in his voice.

Narcissa disengaged her hands from his. "Then you should know better than to try angering one."

"Teenage witches can be utterly callous with the hearts of trusting males," Lucius agreed.

"In order to be utterly callous, they must first have their hearts," argued Narcissa, with a disdainful glance.

Lucius threw his head back and laughed. "You were right, you have learnt new games Cissy."

"If you're quite done mocking me Luke, there is a party I must get back to," Narcissa turned away imperiously.

"Please stay," Lucius whispered.

Narcissa halted, but didn't turn back. "Apologise first."

"Of course Madam," said Lucius easily. "I do apologise."

"What is it you wished to speak with me about after an entire summer where you were too busy to pick up a quill and reply to my owls?" Narcissa finally turned around and regarded him evenly.

Lucius gave her an insolent bow. "My apologies Madam, I wished to speak with my old friend Cissy, not the young Lady Narcissa."

"Enough, Luke!" Narcissa rolled her eyes. "Where have you been all summer? Three months I have spent waiting to hear from you, and then only to hear of your return from Bella."

"Father took me to meet an old friend of his," Lucius' eyes darkened.

Narcissa looked alarmed. "Not…?"

"The one and only," drawled Lucius, his shoulders betraying his terseness. "Though no one –not even father– would presume to call him by his assumed name. He will soon be known by everyone as the Dark Lord."

"Are you to join his followers?" Narcissa asked in hushed tones.

Lucius gave another mocking bow. "The Dark Lord's newest follower at your service Madam."

"Hush Luke, this is no teasing matter," Narcissa wrung her hands together, looking distraught. "You haven't even graduated yet!"

"You will find that age is of no consequence to him," Lucius informed her arrogantly. "He recruits based on capabilities."

Narcissa crushed his hands in hers. "Luke, you must refuse. This isn't business you want to get yourself mixed up in. Leave it to Abraxas and papa," she whispered urgently.

Lucius gave her a bittersweet smile. "You will find, my dear child, that Malfoys are not given many choices."

"Is he as ruthless as they say?" Narcissa cast her eyes downwards to hide the tears that seemed to have sprung unwanted.

"Worse." Lucius bit out tersely.

Narcissa squared her shoulders and nodded stiffly. "Have you had your initiation?"

Lucius considered her for a second before replying. "Tonight."

"Will you have to–?" Narcissa faltered.

"Undoubtedly, my dear," said Lucius, impassively. "Which is why I requested your presence."

Narcissa flashed him a coquettish smile. "Am I to be your first kill?"

"Offering yourself up as a sacrificial lamb?" Lucius questioned, with a short, dry laugh.

"I will be whatever you need," Narcissa drew herself up to her full height and met his gaze head on.

Lucius stepped forward and cradled her face in his hands. "Your blood is a little too pure to be my first kill my dear," he whispered huskily against her earlobes. "But there is something you could do for me, something that will help as surely as a talisman against the horrors I will face tonight."

"You have only to request," Narcissa trembled at his touch.

"Would you allow me to kiss you?" Lucius whispered in velvety tones.

Narcissa nodded, and tilted her face towards his, waiting.

Lucius ran the pad of his thumb across her lip. "So vulnerable," he murmured silkily. "So utterly beautiful." He lowered his head and captured her lips with his, kissing gently at first and then crushing her to him in passion. Narcissa hesitated slightly before she wrapped her arms around his neck and drew him closer.

"I will never forget this," said Narcissa softly, as they broke apart breathing heavily.

"Nor I," Lucius assured her, his voice deep and husky. "I will forever cherish the memory of your innocence. Of you on the cusp of womanhood, with your hair up, and dressed in your velvet gown. Tonight, I am still untainted and worthy of someone as pure as you, and I will hope you will remember me as so. Come morning, I will be little more than vile."

Narcissa put a finger to his lips. "Never. You will always be worthy of me, and I will wait for the day you are free to make your own choice. Till then, you must do as you are bid."

"One day Cissy, I will be powerful enough to make my own decisions. Promise me that you will never let me forget who I truly am, just in case I lose my way," Lucius pleaded.

"I promise," said Narcissa, as she pulled out one of her garnet hairpins and tucked it into his breast pocket.

The memory changed, plunging Hermione and Draco into a dark Hogwarts corridor, which Draco hastily whispered was near the Slytherin common rooms. Narcissa's slim figure, swathed in her school robes, walked carefully in front of them. The only light in the corridor came from the narrow beam from the wand she held aloft.

"Cissy? What are you doing out in the corridors after hours?" Lucius stepped out of the shadows, a silver Head Boy badge glinting on his chest.

Narcissa jumped, but composed herself quickly. "Patrols."

"Are you lying to me, my dear?" Lucius drawled, as he placed a finger on Narcissa's chin and tilted her face up to look at his own.

"What makes you think that?" Narcissa replied, too quickly.

Lucius chuckled softly. "For one, fifth years –even the prefects– are not allowed to be out so late. For another, you look about as guilty as the time your father caught us loitering in the hallway after dark."

Narcissa straightened and looked at Lucius square in the eyes. "So what if I am lying? Perhaps I have business late at night. You cannot talk, even the Head Boy should not be out at this hour. Why must there be a separate set of rules for you than for me?"

"Peace Cissy," said Lucius softly, as he moved his hands away from her chin. "Tell me, does your business have anything to do with a boy?"

"Feeling some previously latent brotherly emotion?" Narcissa asked, her voice cold and her eyes hard.

Lucius gave her a lazy smile. "My dear, I feel a lot of things when it comes to you, but brotherly is not one of them."

Narcissa stepped forward, wand raised. "Could've fooled me," she hissed angrily. "Ever since summer you have been keeping secrets from me. I'm starting to think that the only reason you called me out that night was because you couldn't find a willing witch to kiss on such short notice. If you truly cared about me, you would not treat me with such neglect."

Lucius blanched. "I do it to protect you, not to neglect you."

"I don't need your protection," Narcissa sneered, as she turned away from him and walked back towards the direction she came from.

"Not going to conduct your business any more?" Lucius questioned, as he quickly caught up with Narcissa's retreating back.

Narcissa graced him with a withering stare. "I don't see how it is any of your concern."

"Do you want to know what I think?" Lucius fell into step with Narcissa easily.

"It is of no import to me what goes on inside your head," Narcissa replied grandly, as she quickened her pace.

In a flash Lucius had grabbed Narcissa's arm and pushed her against the corridor wall. He placed one arm against Narcissa's fair head, blocking her path. "I think," whispered Lucius silkily, his lips against Narcissa's jaw line. "I think that you heard about the meeting tonight, and you were coming to see if I was returning to the common room safely."

Narcissa's eyes narrowed. "Interesting observation," she remarked coolly. "Do you always think that everyone else's actions revolve around you?"

"Most of the times," Lucius chuckled huskily against her earlobe, causing her to shiver.

Next to Hermione, Draco shifted uncomfortably. "I don't think I want to see this," he whined. "It was bad enough watching my parents make out. The way he's acting with her is entirely inappropriate; I'm surprised that my grandparents hadn't already forced them into a wandpoint wedding. I'm even more surprised my mother isn't putting him in his place."

"Grow up," Hermione swatted him lightly on the arm, as they turned their attention back onto the young couple.

"–don't understand why you must do his dirty work for him and try recruit people from school," Narcissa was saying hotly.

Lucius gave an impatient sigh. "My dear, we are quite alone in a corridor and this is what you choose to discuss? The whims of a mad man?"

Narcissa's fingers were on his lips the second the words left his mouth. "Hush!" she admonished, horror-struck. "Don't you know how dangerous it is to say inflammatory things like that? What if someone had overheard us?"

"Then we would be in a world of trouble for a host of different reasons," Lucius stated calmly.

"How can you be so casual about this Luke?" demanded Narcissa anxiously, as she looked up and down the deserted hallway.

Lucius trailed his lips from her temple to her cheekbone. "Maybe because I have other things on my mind? Such as the stunning witch I have found myself alone with–" he broke off as he found Narcissa's wand pointed at his throat, her eyes cool and unrelenting. Lucius visibly swallowed and backed away from her.

"I will not be distracted so easily Luke," Narcissa spat, seething. "I will never be the sort of witch that will keep quiet while the men do as they see fit. You are putting yourself in danger by conducting his affairs within these walls. Your NEWTs are only weeks away, can't it wait till after you have graduated?"

"I have no choice Cissy," Lucius looked as though he were in physical pain. "You know as well as I do that father doesn't keep well. If I do not replace him, he will work my father to an early grave. I need to be as good as father is, and then some. Losing father would destroy mother, and I cannot be responsible for that."

Narcissa crossed over and placed a palm across Lucius' cheek. "I know that, Luke, I'm sorry. It just hurts me to see you this way, and it worries me when I hear papa say that being his follower is a lifetime service."

"It is," said Lucius simply.

"But how can you give your life up like that?" exclaimed Narcissa, looking aghast.

Lucius sighed. "He already has many enemies. It is my hope that he will be brought down by Dumbledore before he gains much more power. He isn't immortal, after all."

"That's absurd!" Narcissa burst, wringing her hands. "How can you risk your whole life over a pipe dream? What if it takes years and years before he is beaten? Your parents could be long gone by then."

"Then I will have to serve him for years and years," Lucius replied, a note of quiet resignation in his voice. "Even after the initial reasons are long gone."

The corridor melted away and the walls of Hogwarts were replaced by the opulent tapestries of the old Malfoy Manor, from before Narcissa's intensive remodel. Hermione shuddered as her mind teemed with memories of her brief, less than pleasant visit there. Draco placed an arm securely around her shaking shoulders and apologetically held her flush against his tall frame.

"Lucius!"

Narcissa strode into sight in a flurry of sapphire and emerald coloured robes. Her beautiful face was twisted in an expression of pain and anguish as she threw open a set of doors with her wand while looking down on a piece of parchment that she held tightly in her slim fingers. Her cloak caught on an ornate candelabrum, but she was unrelenting and her stride continued unbroken. After a quick look at each other, Draco and Hermione followed her.

"Lucius!"

The candelabrum fell over, still flaming, and Narcissa now walked a blazing trail towards her husband despite the potent sting of expensive smoke.

"Lucius!"

A heavy mahogany door opened, and Lucius himself stepped out, looking stricken. He swore softly and put out the flames behind his wife, his usually cold silver eyes flashing with panic and concern. "Cissy? What's wrong?"

"What's wrong?!" Narcissa pushed her husband with one be-ringed hand, and advanced towards him as he stumbled back. "You have thrown not only our lives, but the life of our only child in danger, and you stand there asking me what's wrong?!" She waved the offending piece of parchment in his face and threw it at him. "Dead! Rosier dead! Mulciber dead! Crouch captured! Karkaroff captured! And he named Severus as a Death Eater at his trial! Every single one that supported your Dark Lord is either dead or in Azkaban. Are you happy now? Are you satisfied? Your Dark Lord, defeated by a mere boy, the son of that muggle-born, Lily Evans. That very same girl who you said was beneath you. Her son killed your Dark Lord, and you stand there asking me what's wrong?!"

Lucius paled. "Cissy, these are bad times–"

"Bad times?!" Narcissa thundered. "You call this– this– massacre a bad time?! The Ministry is rounding up every single supporter they can find."

"Narcissa, calm yourself. We will co-operate with the Ministry investigation and make sure we come out of this safe," Lucius tried to placate his wife.

"And what happens when he rises again? We will either be taken by them or by him."

"If he rises again," Lucius clarified.

"Mark my words Lucius, he will rise. We have not seen the end of this mess, and you know better than me that your Mark hasn't faded completely. You always said you never wanted to turn into your father, and today you have succeeded. You are far worse than he ever was," Narcissa spat and turned on her heel. Lucius grabbed her wrist beseechingly and turned her to face him.

"Cissy, if he rises, we will have no choice but to support him again, you know that as well as I. However, for the moment, our money can buy us our safety with the Ministry. If he rises again, I will ensure that he understands that we only pretended not to be supporters in order to be out of Azkaban and actually helpful to him if he needed us," pleaded Lucius, gently squeezing her hands in his own.

"Lucius, this matter isn't for us to get mixed up in. I don't want us to end up like my poor cousin. Poor Reg. He came to me several times, you know, shaking like a leaf. He couldn't stomach the dark side, and you and me, we can't either. It is for people like Bella and Rodolphus, not us, or Merlin forbid, poor Draco."

"Draco is of no use to the Dark Lord in the cradle Cissy," Lucius reassured.

"He won't always be in a cradle, that's the pity. One day he will be a talented young boy and an expected successor to your position."

"If that day ever comes, I promise you, I will stop at nothing to get him out safely," Lucius swore. "We had to take this gamble Cissy, the Malfoys and the Blacks do not have the luxury of staying neutral in this war. We never will."

Narcissa regarded her husband with something akin to disgust in her eyes. "Can you honestly tell me that is all this is? Can you promise me that the lure of Dark power doesn't entice you at all?"

"You cannot play with fire without getting your fingers scorched," objected Lucius, his face falling. "Who wouldn't be seduced by power, Cissy? Nevertheless, I promise you, if there is a choice between power and the safety of my family, my family will always come first. I'm not so far gone that I forget the things that matter to me the most."

"You're losing who you used to be Luke," Narcissa warned, only slightly mollified. "It was you who wished me to remind you of who you truly are if that happened. Rethink your actions and choices before it becomes too late."

The memory swirled around Hermione and Draco once more, and they found themselves following Narcissa through a stretch of carpeted hallways. They waited as Narcissa knocked on a heavy Mahogany door. A second later, Lucius pulled it open.

"Do you have to be so cruel Lucius?" Narcissa asked, without preamble. "Draco is only four, and has no siblings. So what if he befriends muggle boys, as long as he knows not to speak to them about magic? Why are you putting ideas of blood superiority in his head?"

Lucius' face fell. "I have to raise him to be cruel; he's too young to save his mind from being plundered. Narcissa, let us not have our arrogance become our undoing. We hope that he will grow up to be exceptionally accomplished and talented, but we cannot assume it. If he never masters Occlumency, his life will be in danger and all our gambling will be for nothing."

"Oh Lucius, I just don't know what to think. If we raise him to be cruel, into the ideal that one would expect from us, what if he grows up into someone like Bella?" Narcissa drew a shaky breath as tears fell over her sculpted cheekbones.

"He is still our son Cissy, let's give him some credit. I know deep down that he will not lose his path, and that when it matters, he will realise that what we've raised him to become is not what he's meant to be. We cannot risk the Dark Lord idly browsing through our son's mind to find that his upbringing is the opposite of the ideals we are supposed to live by. We both know that he is still not dead and that there is every chance he could yet rise again. As for your sister, what if she were to ever get released and spend time with Draco, only to discover that he were different to how she would expect him to be raised? She would sell him out to the Dark Lord in a flash–"

"You don't think Bella would do that! To her own nephew and godson?!" Narcissa interjected.

Lucius looked at his wife squarely in the eyes. "You are deluding yourself if you have any doubts to the contrary Cissy. Bellatrix's interests lay with service to the Dark Lord, not with her family. Must I remind you about Andromeda?"

"But he's our son Lucius!" Narcissa argued, wringing her hands together nervously. Hermione realised in horror that her cuticles had been picked at until they had swollen and bled.

"Yes Cissy," Lucius said gently. "He is our son. He isn't a conspirator, he is a four year old boy. Four year old boys are not known for their abilities to be paragons of secrets and deceptions." Lucius quietly pulled his wife close to him and let her cry into the broad expanse of his chest as he stroked her hair comfortingly. "Don't cry my dear, the Dark Lord may never rise again and we can stop living the lies we are forced to."

The tenderly embracing couple disappeared, and they re-appeared in the study once again, albeit looking older and worn.

Lucius was now sitting at his desk, with his head in his hands. Narcissa had one comforting hand placed on his arm but the other clutched at the folds of her silk robes, betraying her tension. Next to them, Severus Snape materialised, pacing anxiously while twirling his wand between his fingers.

"How in Merlin's name was I meant to know that the bloody girl would allow all this to happen?" Lucius moaned.

"You gave a little girl a dark object and expected it to be consequence free?" Snape enquired silkily.

"I expected Arthur Weasley's daughter to be cleverer than that. I expected her to take the bloody diary straight to Dumbledore so that he would know what he was up against," Lucius insisted. Narcissa gently rubbed her hand on his shoulder, and looked beseechingly at Snape as Lucius groaned with his head in his palms.

"I will try help you in whatever way I can, but the Chamber of Secrets being reopened is not a small matter. This is not something that can be hushed up easily, and I'm afraid no matter what your intentions were, that monster is wreaking havoc in the school. Two muggle-borns have already been petrified and every day we expect more bodies to end up in the hospital wing," Snape informed.

"Is Draco safe?" Narcissa enquired quietly.

Snape nodded. "Lucius' letter, telling him to keep his head down and leave the monster to do its work has been effective. To my knowledge, young Draco has left the Chamber well alone."

Narcissa exhaled and nodded briefly. "The most important thing is to find out what exactly is going on. We don't even know if Miss Weasley still has possession of the diary, or if the magic allows the Chamber to be reopened without a student being responsible."

"Well we need to determine what exactly is taking place. In my reading, Horcruxes only interact with their environment in this way if they have help from a human source. It could be Miss Weasley herself, or another student that chanced upon the diary. You took a risk Lucius, and this time your gamble has gone awry, but once we can see our hand it will no longer be the case," Snape reassured them quietly.

"We should have sought help as soon as we first heard about them," Lucius slammed a fist down on the mahogany table. "Reg sent Cissy a letter when he discovered the locket, but we never even dreamt there was more than one –until the Dark Lord gave me his diary."

Snape inclined his head. "What's done is done."

The study twisted and moulded itself into Lucius and Narcissa's bedroom. For a second, both Hermione and Draco thought that they were back out of the Pensieve, until they noticed the two figures under the silken bed sheets and the relative darkness. Standing near the bed was a figure so small that they both initially missed it, until Hermione squinted at it in the dim candle-light and recognised Dobby.

"Master Lucius, sir!" Dobby squeaked, as he tentatively shook Lucius awake. "Master you must wake!"

Lucius stirred and bolted upright at the sight of the elf, rousing Narcissa in the process. "What is it elf?" he barked.

Dobby twisted his ears through his fingers. "Master Lucius, there is people outside for you. They is asking for you and Mistress to come out sir. Dobby is telling them you is sleeping, but they is insisting."

Narcissa looked at Lucius fearfully as he threw the covers off and plucked a dark dressing gown from the bedside table. Just as he pushed his arms through, a knock loud enough to border on rude sounded at the door and it was thrown open as Mad-Eye limped inside. Behind him, Hermione recognised a much younger Kingsley, who looked awkwardly hesitant at the imposition.

"Malfoy," Mad-Eye sneered at Lucius. "Take your wife and wait outside with our Aurors."

He pulled out a piece of crumpled parchment from his robes and thrust it at Lucius, who smoothed it out and read it, his face contorting into rage. "What is the meaning of this?" Lucius hissed, his voice dangerously low.

Mad-Eye surveyed him coolly. "It's a search warrant, Malfoy. I would've thought you learned to read at Hogwarts, or were you too busy kissing the hem of your master's robes?"

"I know what a search warrant is," Lucius snarled viciously. "What is the meaning of conducting a raid at this hour?"

"Take it up with our superiors," Mad-Eye growled unhelpfully. "You know the rules, out."

Narcissa leapt off the bed and put a restraining hand on her livid husband. "Let us just co-operate with this madness," she sneered at Mad-Eye. "Just because they seem to have forgotten their manners doesn't mean we need to stoop to their level." She threw Mad-Eye a scathing look and swept past him imperially.

"I will be taking this up with Fudge himself," Lucius spat, as he followed his wife.

Draco stalked outside just behind his father, with Hermione hot on his heels. Even though it was just a memory, Draco looked as though he wanted nothing more than to strangle someone for the indignity they were putting his family through. His face twisted into a grimace as he saw his mother shivering slightly, her arms crossed firmly in front of her partially sheer nightgown. To Hermione's shock, Tonks –who looked as though she had barely graduated from Hogwarts– and an Auror she didn't recognise stood outside, the latter leering openly at a seething Narcissa.

Lucius clenched his fists. "My wife requires her peignoir."

The Auror surveyed him with a condescending smirk. "The rules state that you may not return to your bedroom under the pretence of retrieving anything. It is not the Ministry's fault that your wife is unsuitably dressed." He deliberately raked a particularly brazen gaze over her body and gave an enraged Lucius a lewd wink.

"You have our wands, along with your own, Transfigure her something," Lucius forced out through gritted teeth.

"I do not take orders from the likes of you Malfoy," the Auror stated evenly, looking at Lucius as though he was a particularly fat Flobberworm.

Tonks rolled her eyes. "There is no need for a scene–"

"Stay out of this Tonks," the Auror snapped, his derisive gaze never wavering from Lucius' steely one.

Narcissa visibly perked up at the mention of Tonks' name. She stared at Tonks with intense scrutiny, possibly trying to discern a family resemblance. Tonks caught her eye, and with an apologetic smile Transfigured an ornate doily off the table next to her into a thick crocheted cloak. She firmly ignored her partner's glare as she walked up to Narcissa and handed it to her.

"How much longer will this inconvenience take?" demanded Lucius arrogantly, as Narcissa gratefully wrapped the cloak around her exposed shoulders and inclined her head in thanks.

Tonks gave him another apologetic smile, this one cooler than the previous. "We shouldn't hold you up for too much longer. Our other colleagues are dispersed around your house to finish the process quickly."

Just as Tonks turned to resume her position, Narcissa wrapped her slim fingers around her wrist. "How is your mother…?" she asked quietly.

"You forget yourself Narcissa," Lucius interrupted sharply, before Tonks could respond. "We do not consort with filth and blood-traitors."

Narcissa immediately reformed her features into a grimace which looked as though she had suddenly smelt something truly terrible. "Indeed," she drawled arrogantly, a cold glint in her eyes as she addressed Tonks. "Let's hope that you don't take after your mother in poor life choices, but then again, you are the daughter of a muggle and a blood-traitor. Pity."

Tonks gave them a glare that would've sent lesser witches and wizards scuttling for cover before she disdainfully turned her back on the supercilious couple.

Lucius drew Narcissa to the side and discreetly took her hands in his own. "I'm really sorr–" he began in a silky whisper.

Narcissa swatted his hands away. "Don't you speak with me Lucius, these indignities are no one's fault but your own. Some days you go so far with your love for the Dark arts that I wonder how much of it is to save your own skin," she hissed, her voice glittering with malice. "If you had the sense to keep our name free of dishonour and not flaunt your Dark skills about, we wouldn't be subjected to these raids."

"I apologise," said Lucius coolly, his face settling into an icy mask. "I must also see fit to remind you that unless you want to hear from your mother, you must keep a calm tongue in your head. How could you so openly speak with Andy's daughter?! Do you know what will become of us if word gets out that we are sympathetic to blood-traitors?"

"She's my niece," Narcissa whispered back, matching his frosty tones.

"What are you both whispering about over there?" the Auror disrupted their conversation as he traipsed over. "You may not discuss anything amongst yourselves."

Narcissa graced the Auror with a haughty sneer, but capitulated and broke away from her bristling husband.

The elegant living room dissolved and their surroundings transformed, taking shape into the site of so many of Hermione's nightmares. To her horror, not only was it the very room in which she had been tortured, it was a memory from that very night. Next to her, Draco went absolutely still as he saw his seventeen-year-old self look down upon his future wife's writhing form helplessly, as his aunt tortured her mercilessly.

"What was mother playing at showing us this memory?" Draco spat, surveying his younger self with loathing.

"It must be important," Hermione argued, trying to retain objectivity.

In one corner, almost unseen by the others, Lucius and Narcissa were in hushed conference. Even after walking up right next to them, Draco and Hermione had difficulty making out their sentences over the volume of the younger Hermione's screams of agony.

"They have the sword," Lucius was saying urgently. "We need to make sure the final battle happens here and now, before they lose the sword to Bella. That is the best chance we can give Potter."

Narcissa looked past him to where the younger Hermione was being tortured, the elder witch's eyes filled with pain. "You truly think the Horcruxes are all destroyed? The girl is in such rough shape. If our timing is off and they are not yet prepared, we'll be leading these children to their deaths because they'll be too distracted about their friend."

"Surely they must be, Dumbledore destroyed one, Regulus destroyed one and Potter destroyed one in his second year. Without doubt, Dumbledore has left them information to destroy the remaining. They've certainly had the time," Lucius argued back, glancing over at Hermione's screaming form nervously. "Our wards can trap everyone else out, leaving just us, Bellatrix, Severus and Potter. We can subdue Bellatrix and help Potter take him down."

"But Draco isn't sure if it's Potter," Narcissa replied anxiously. "We need to make the girl confess that it's him before Bella kills her."

"We have the advantage of being able to control the wards here Cissy," Lucius repeated frantically. "Anywhere else, they may be outnumbered. Even with the girl being injured, they have us on their side to help them. We should call him now."

A sharp crack of Apparition distracted them from their conversation. All activity in the room briefly stopped, as even Bellatrix looked around her in panic.

"What was that?" shouted Lucius, breaking away from Narcissa. "Did you hear that? What was that noise in the cellar?"

The memory flickered, and Draco and Hermione found themselves thrown back to Lucius and Narcissa's bedroom. They looked at each other in shock as they took in the implications of the memories they had just witnessed: Lucius and Narcissa had both been blood traitors the entire second war…

A/n: Hello readers! This chapter is without a doubt my favourite one of the entire story. I'd like to request you all to please review this one, even if you don't normally review the others, as I would love to hear your thoughts on this. I was very excited to write Lucius and Narcissa through the years, and I hope you all think that I've done justice to this couple.

Thanks to all the people that reviewed my last chapter. The next one will resume focus on Dramione, the other pairings and, of course, more plot development!

I have added a link to the Spanish translation of this story on my profile page, but here it is again:
s/8417666/1/Known_Unknowns
Any native readers out there, please do check it out, as JennyHale has done a fantastic job on it.