Chapter Fifty-One

If it weren't for Lucius's arm around her, Narcissa was certain she would've lost her balance. She kept her focus on Andromeda and did her best not to lose the composure she'd so painstakingly kept in place for the Aurors. She'd been rather proud of herself, but now, it was incredibly tempting to crumble.

I don't know if I can lie to her.

Narcissa's heart pounded so quickly and viciously she was certain she would become ill. She glanced to Seraphina, wondering whether the Malfoy matriarch shared her husband's views on Andromeda's dishonor, and when Seraphina only smiled and inclined her head politely, the tight knot constricting Narcissa's chest eased a bit.

Narcissa returned her focus to her sister. Andromeda's mouth was set in a tight, cautious line, and her stomach protruded somewhat, which led Narcissa to wonder how far along her sister was in pregnancy. Andromeda's posture was tense, and though her eyes were reddened, she no longer appeared to be despairing over the news.

"Would you care for tea, Andromeda?" asked Seraphina.

"No, thank you," Andromeda said quietly.

Seraphina nodded. "Shall we let them talk in peace?" She started for the door and gestured the Aurors out with her as she stepped into the corridor and closed the door behind them.

Narcissa exchanged glances with Lucius, who had gone pale. He opened his mouth to speak, but Andromeda spoke first.

"You stay."

Lucius's shoulders stiffened. Narcissa slipped out from under his arm, gave his hand a reassuring squeeze and led him to the chaise, where they sat across from Andromeda, who perched uncertainly at the edge of the armchair by the dormant hearth.

Silence filled the room. As she watched Andromeda fidget with her shirt sleeve, Narcissa wondered whether a silence between the two of them had ever felt so oppressive.

"How have you been?"

Narcissa was so startled by Lucius's voice being the first to enter the air that she dizzied herself turning to look at him. His expression was blank.

"Today notwithstanding, I mean," he continued.

"Fair," said Andromeda with a light shrug. "My condolences on... your father." She sighed and closed her eyes.

Narcissa's mouth went dry. The brief attempt to divert the conversation from the problem at hand had failed far more quickly than she'd anticipated.

"I want the truth." Andromeda opened her eyes and held her sister's gaze, and Narcissa tried her hardest not to falter. "I want to know who killed him."

"Andi, we don't—"

"I don't believe you, Cissy. But I don't think you understand." Andromeda pulled in a long breath. "If either of you had anything to do with this or if you know who did, I'll make sure Ted keeps the Aurors from sniffing in that direction."

Narcissa blinked. She's not serious. She can't be.

"I know what he was capable of." As Andromeda continued, her eyes and the set of her jaw grew hard. "If he... If he had it coming, I'm not going to let the person who stopped him be punished for it."

Lucius's grip on Narcissa's hand tightened, and she ran her thumb slowly along his knuckles, hoping to reassure him. Still, she kept her eyes on Andromeda's, searching them for any sign of deception.

When did I stop being able to trust you?

She pushed the thought from her mind and held her silence. She needed more of a sign than a squeeze of the hand to tell her how to handle this. She truly had no desire to lie to her sister, but she would not expose what Lucius had done without his permission.

She counted at least three beats of her heart between each tick of the grandfather clock in the corner.

"What say does your husband have in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement?" Lucius's voice was smooth, betraying no emotion as he spoke.

"He's an Auror. He hasn't been there terribly long, but if he says he's investigated a particular person and cleared them, then the others will listen."

Narcissa glanced from her fiancé to her sister and back, watching as the two of them stared unblinkingly at one another.

Thank the gods Bella isn't here, she thought with an inward sigh. Surely Bellatrix would return sooner rather than later, after being dismissed so quickly by Narcissa and undoubtedly learning what had become of their father from the Aurors, but for the moment, Narcissa found it necessary to compartmentalize her problems in order to best them.

"I did it."

At Lucius's words, Narcissa's stomach rolled. She had no idea whether she would ever truly become used to the idea that Lucius had killed her father. Now, each time she heard the words or allowed herself to think on the idea for too long, she felt ill. She couldn't explain the feeling; she had no reason to miss Cygnus or to mourn him, apart from childhood memories so long-gone she doubted her father had even recalled them before his death. Perhaps, she reasoned, it was the idea that she had been complicit in the crime that she could not reconcile. Lucius had been right to act in her defense, but should Narcissa not have acted on her own behalf in a way that had allowed Cygnus to repent, instead of telling him enough of her father's crimes to make Lucius feel as though this were the only solution? No matter how terrible a man Cygnus had been, should his daughter not have tried to find another solution?
Narcissa shoved her doubts to the farthest corners of her mind and watched as understanding flickered over her sister's features.

She expected a long-winded moralizing statement, but instead, Andromeda simply asked, "Why?"

"I couldn't stand the thought of him hurting Narcissa any longer." Lucius gave a rigid shrug.

Silence settled over the room like a blanket Narcissa feared might suffocate them all, if it lay still for too long.

"One of us had to do something to help her," said Lucius at last, his eyes boring into Andromeda.

Narcissa's grip tightened on Lucius's hand. She knew he still faulted Andromeda for leaving with Ted and abandoning her to deal with their parents alone, but this was far from the time to irritate the only person who might be able to help them hide their trail.

Andromeda watched Lucius, and her eyes flashed angrily. With a sigh, she looked to Narcissa.

"If it's what you want," she said, "I will make sure Ted leads the Aurors away from all of you."

Narcissa released Lucius's hand and stood. Her steps were cautious as she made her way over to her sister. She leaned down and embraced Andromeda tightly, and after a moment, she felt the tension that had shot through Andromeda at the touch ease.

"Thank you," Narcissa said softly.

"I'm glad to help you," Andromeda muttered.

Narcissa pulled back and returned to her seat, and she took Lucius's hand between both of her own.

"I don't know exactly where this means the Ministry will take their investigation," Andromeda admitted. "I don't want it pinned on anyone who wasn't involved."

"Nor do I," said Lucius with a shake of his head.

"What about Mother?" asked Narcissa. "What is she going to do? We know Father wasn't her soulmate, but she had to feel something for him, didn't she? Won't she want to push the Ministry until they give her an answer and punish someone? I don't know if we can just lead them down a cold trail."

"I'm sure Father had a lot of enemies," said Andromeda. She drummed her fingers against the arm of her chair and watched the motion, evidently deep in thought. "I suppose if the consensus is that it could've been any one of a number of people, they won't be able to keep pushing."

"That helps a bit," said Lucius with a sigh.

"People have known what kind of man Cygnus Black was for a very long time," said Andromeda. "He's used the Dark Arts to his advantage since before we were all born, and he never hesitated to use them against people who upset him or people he couldn't control. I don't think he'll be missed by many."

Though Narcissa knew her sister was right, the words still pressed her to the back of her seat as she recoiled from them. No one would want to be remembered that way.

"I feel like I should regret this," Andromeda went on, "but I… I think I'll sleep a little better at night, now. Honestly, I'm surprised it took so long."

"I dare you to say that again."

The voice from the doorway was low and deadly.

Narcissa turned in her seat to see Bellatrix standing on the threshold, her wand raised and directed at Andromeda's heart.

"Bella," Andromeda began slowly, "put it—"

With one flick of her wrist, Bellatrix deployed a burst of red energy from her wand. The spell hit Andromeda with enough force to knock her chair backward and send her crashing to the floor behind it.