Author's Note:
Congratulations to the Toujours Pur Series Discord's Fan of the Month for August, Helena! September's FOTM challenge will creativity-oriented and will be posted on August 5th (giving you 3 weeks to complete it), so if any of you guys haven't joined yet, please do! We have 25+ members now and along with monthly competitions, will soon be doing live readings of the series once my wife actually gets to figuring out a time that works for everyone, haha. Please don't be shy; we're very active, have self-assignable roles, bots, an official Server Dom (lol), and have been having a lot of fun! Come join us in our dumpster fire. You can find the link on my AO3 version of the fic or PM me for an invite.
XXV.
"Mother! Mum! What the hell was he talking about— what did he mean, both of your children…?" Draco asked desperately, no doubt hoping he had just misunderstood the Dark Lord, as he could not fathom Narcissa hiding such a large secret from him. The problem was, Narcissa was in no fit state to respond; she had finally lost control of her emotions, and she was drowning in a certain type of despair she knew all too well now.
Her child, her child…
"Shut up about your bloody sister!" Bellatrix shouted at Draco, rendering him mute almost immediately, although his eyes had gone wide at the confirmation that there had, in fact, been another kid in the family that he had not known about. "This is not the fucking time! Get downstairs and bring your mother a Calming Draught; there are a few in the potions cabinet that I made last week— Go!"
Because Narcissa was beginning to wheeze, unable to breathe properly anymore as her panic consumed her whole. She had tried, she had tried so hard to keep it together for Draco, but she had not expected him to be Marked so soon. She had not expected him to have been given an impossible mission. She had not expected her son to be used as a punishment for Lucius' failure, and Narcissa's inability to fathom any of that caused the reality of it to crush her whole as her vision blurred and her head swam.
Draco was back in a flash, and the contents of the vial was poured down her throat by Bellatrix. The effects were rather instantaneous and Narcissa felt herself relax to the point of utter madness, because logically she knew she should not feel this way. As this was not the first time Bellatrix had forced her to take it, the effects were not unfamiliar, yet Narcissa hated them all the same. Last time though, she had merely been freaking out about her wedding. This was far, far worse, and a part of Narcissa longed for the simplicity of the past, as the things she used to find devastating were so silly and insignificant compared to the horror her life now held.
Draco was kneeling in front of her, concern etched into his brow at the state of his mother. His sleeve was still rolled up, the Dark Mark still burned black against his pale skin. His own fear about what he was being asked to do however took a backseat to his concern over his mother's breakdown and he tried to assure her, "Mother, I'll be okay— I can do this. Dumbledore is an old fool; sentimental and stupid. Too bloody trusting for his own good. If the Dark Lord thinks I can do it, then he must know for sure that Dumbledore would never expect a student to do something like this. I will bring glory and honor to our family, I swear."
Narcissa's heart broke. Her brave boy— so beautiful, so utterly foolish. He had no idea that he was chosen because he could not do what was asked of him, and Narcissa did not have it within her to disillusion him, as Draco's desire to prove himself might be the only thing that could give him a prayer of making it out of this alive.
Still, it was not enough. "You will teach him," Narcissa told her sister calmly, the effect of the potion suffocating the urgency she would have normally felt should she be experiencing the correct emotions.
Bellatrix looked wary, her hand clasped firmly around Narcissa's. "Cissy, the Dark Lord said—"
"He said that Draco was to carry out his mission without your help. He said nothing about giving him guidance in other areas. You will teach him, Bellatrix. Promise me."
Bellatrix wet her dry lips, her own expression masked in anxiety at treading a very dangerous technicality. She clearly did not wish to incite the Dark Lord's ire, as he had made it very clear what she would be risking should she disobey him.
"Bella. I am not asking."
"…Of course I'll teach him," Bellatrix softly relented, knowing she had no choice. She had always been a slave to her sister's desires, and they both knew it. She could not say no to her. "Whatever you want, Cissy; you know that."
"Everything you know."
Bellatrix's brow knit, and even Draco's eyes widened, knowing exactly what that entailed, but Narcissa did not care anymore if Draco was too young; he needed to know how to fight, but more importantly, he now needed to know how to kill. "Everything?" Bellatrix asked, needing to make sure that Narcissa knew what she was asking, but she did. Of course she did.
"Everything."
Bellatrix nodded her understanding, and Narcissa exhaled a long breath before she looked back at her son. There was something else they needed to talk about now, and despite how much Narcissa hated feeling like this, she also knew it would be better to broach this subject while she could not properly feel or relive it.
"I told you two years ago that instead of giving me the Mark, the Dark Lord asked something else of me. I did not tell you what it was then as I feared how you would react, but perhaps it is time you knew."
"Cissy—" Bellatrix hissed in warning, but Narcissa just shook her head as she placed her free hand over the one her sister was clasping.
"No. He is old enough now; he deserves the truth," she told her sister calmly, and Draco inhaled a sharp breath, beginning to put the pieces together himself before his mother even spoke. "You know your aunt is very sick, just as I am. We both take potions now to manage our illnesses, but that was not always the case."
"No, I have a fucking right to decide what he does and does not know about me," Bellatrix snarled. "And whether you like it or not, you were not the only parent— I forbid this."
Draco looked immensely confused, as he no doubt thought Bellatrix was referring to Lucius, and he probably wondered how Bellatrix could forbid something on his behalf. But Narcissa just looked at her sister sadly before she gently leaned in, placing a soft kiss atop her sister's temple. "You are not weak," she breathed into her hair, knowing Bellatrix did not wish Draco to know that she had been an addict. "Even with your past, you are still the fiercest, most terrifying force I have ever known. You will still be respected. Please, Bellatrix; she was his sister."
Bellatrix's lips formed into a tight line and she said nothing, knowing she was not going to sway Narcissa's desire to tell the truth. Her silence was enough permission for Narcissa, and her gaze shifted back to her son. "The potions Bellatrix had before were not as good as the ones Severus makes for her now. They did not work completely and your aunt's desire to no longer feel as though she was going mad caused her to abuse them so that she would never feel that way. It made her worse though, and eventually Bellatrix had to be locked up in St. Mungo's."
Bellatrix exhaled a hard breath through her nose, her jaw locked. She would not look at either of them, and thankfully Draco had enough sense to not even glance at her. He instead kept staring at his mother, wondering how the sister he never knew fit into all of this.
"The Dark Lord offered to mend her mind should I give him something in return. As I was very sick myself back then, I felt as though I was unable to live without Bellatrix, and agreed to give him whatever he wanted," Narcissa told him, her voice still strangely even. "What he wanted was my first-born child."
Draco looked horrified. "Why?" he asked, unable to fathom why the Dark Lord would want such a thing.
"From what I was told, pure, untainted souls are very valuable. I quite literally sold my first born in order to save my sister," Narcissa told him, unable to water down the horrible truth because of how detached it all felt while she was under the effects of the Calming Draught. "At the time, I hadn't realized what that truly meant. I was fifteen. Your sister was not born until I was twenty-one."
"So, she's… she's dead?" Draco asked softly, as though he was hoping for a different answer. Narcissa's gaze shifted to Bellatrix, who was the one who spoke.
"Yes. Your mother was unable to emotionally handle both the reality and the repercussions of her deal once the thing was born, so I completed the deal for her," she answered, her voice devoid of all emotion; not because Bellatrix was trying to be detached from it all, but because she had never felt a connection with her own daughter. "I brought the child to the Dark Lord and I watched Him siphon the life from her. If I had not, Narcissa would have ran with that girl, and she would have been fucking slaughtered. I was not going to let that happen."
Narcissa swallowed, but she could not feel what she should in that moment as she realized she never heard the whole story. But how could she have, when she had villainized Bellatrix the moment she ripped Aquila from her arms? Then, when things were better, Bellatrix had demanded she no longer bring up the child; not because she felt guilty about what she had done, but because the emotional pain that Narcissa had wrought her was not something she wanted to be reminded of again, and so Narcissa had never asked.
"You watched…?"
Bellatrix would not look at her. "It was a vessel; nothing more. It was born to die, and it served its purpose. If you are looking for guilt, you won't find any. What I did allowed you to have him, who I know you value more than fucking anything, so I'd appreciate not being made out to be the bad guy when it comes to that child. I'm fucking tired of it."
"I'm not blaming you," Narcissa assured her. She knew she could not anymore; no matter how much a lingering part of her still wanted to, logically she knew it was not fair to Bellatrix. It had not been her decision, it had not been her deal. Bellatrix had done the best she could to cushion the blow, and it was not her fault that it hadn't been enough. "I know Aquila's death was my own doing—"
"You really should not have bloody named her."
"She deserves to be acknowledged, Bella. That was why I had a grave made for her. She may not have lived more than an hour, but she was still here. She still mattered. I still loved her, and I still miss her. Sometimes, I wonder what she would be like if she were still here; what she would look like, what things she would enjoy…"
"Cissy, stop."
Draco was staring at them both, the look of horror on his face unable to be wiped away. It probably made it worse that Narcissa did not sound properly distressed about it due to the potion, but she was. Oh, she very much was. She wondered what kind of big sister Aquila would have been to Draco, she wondered if they would get along or be competitive; she wondered what would make her laugh, who she would be.
Narcissa looked at her sister with that awfully void expression as she placed her palm on Bellatrix's cheek. "I think she would have looked like you."
"Okay, that's enough," Bellatrix told her, taking the woman's hand off of her. "This conversation is going to fuck your mother up more once she can properly feel it, so it ends now," she told Draco as she rose to her feet. "You are still an only child; it changes nothing. You have more important things to focus on now anyway."
"We have a little over two months until you leave for school and you are nowhere near ready; Occlumency is now a fucking requirement, so stop sucking at it. You take far too long to block me out and that's unacceptable; everyone else in this family can do it, so there's no reason you should not. And no, this is not disloyalty; it is precaution," Bellatrix assured him, as no doubt the last thing she ever wanted to be labeled as was disloyal. "There are things in this family that must stay hidden, even from our Master. It is what keeps us all alive. Besides, you need to be able to employ this defense against Dumbledore, should he get suspicious of you and go looking for answers."
"Legilimency is too much of a violation of our precious human rights," Draco mocked, finding Dumbledore's compassion to be a weakness. "He would never—"
"You don't fucking know what he would 'never'. Dumbledore is an accomplished Legilimens and that is well known— you are beginning to look foolish, so keep your mouth shut. I am still speaking," Bellatrix reminded him, causing Draco to glower but do as directed. "As for the Unforgivables, you will learn the Imperius Curse first— if used correctly, it could be an invaluable help for you. We have little time however, which will make this difficult considering I feel as though I am going to have dedicate every fucking minute you're here to doing this with you, and I cannot train you while your mother is like this. She needs to be watched; especially after the potion wears off."
"I'm fine," Narcissa assured them, but she was not fine and they all knew it. Draco shifted his eyes to his mother, looking terribly torn. Finally though, his eyes landed back on his aunt, knowing they only had one choice.
"She has this friend—" he revealed and Bellatrix scoffed.
"That foul-mouthed cunt who's in love with her? Yes, I'm aware."
Draco's gaze shifted to his mother, and Narcissa knew she should be panicking yet she could not feel it. Still, she begged her son with her eyes not to say anything, and Draco seemed to understand what her look meant as he stayed silent.
"However, we were instructed that no one else is to know what transpired here tonight," Bellatrix reminded him, and Draco paled a little at how easily he had almost suggested something treasonous. However, that had been Bellatrix's point. "Do you see now, why it's important you learn Occlumency? Everyone in this family, at some point or another, will disobey our Lord for her. It must be in our fucking blood or something, I don't know. But considering I cannot do two things at once, and Cissy is in no fit state to watch me teach you every horrible fucking thing I know, this is what we are left with and believe me, I hate it more than you can possibly know."
Bellatrix was looking at Narcissa when she said that last part and Narcissa's heart clenched in her chest, realizing how much Bellatrix was willing to sacrifice to keep her promise to her. They would have no time with each other anymore; every second of her spare time for the next two months was going to be dedicated to instructing Draco, and because of that she was willing to allow something she was deeply uncomfortable with just so Narcissa would not be alone while she was busy.
Bellatrix's eyes shifted to Draco then. "Get her over here. Now— I don't care what bloody time it is; we don't have the luxury of taking the night off."
Draco nodded his understanding and quickly left, heading to the parlor so he could call Cassandra through the fireplace in the other room. Narcissa was silent, unable to feel everything that should be consuming her in that moment, and Bellatrix sunk to her knees in front of her sister, grasping her hands in her own.
"Don't ever fucking act like everything I bloody do isn't for you again, do you understand me? This is treading a dangerous line, Cissy, but I will do it for you. I do everything for you, because I love you more than anything on this fucking earth. You are my priority."
Narcissa nodded mutely, understanding what Bellatrix was risking. Despite her willingness to die in Draco's place should she need to, she knew Bellatrix was far less willing for that to happen, yet she was disobeying the Dark Lord anyway.
"Does she know Occlumency?" Bellatrix asked her, and Narcissa shrugged as she did not know. She doubted it, honestly. It wasn't as though it was something taught to them in school. "When you are able to, you must teach her. I know you are not great at Legilimency, but this is important; get better, Cissy, because the woman is close enough to this war through both you and her husband for us to leave her mind undefended. No one is to know about this, and she cannot be our weak link."
Narcissa swallowed but nodded, understanding the importance of her task. It did not take long until Draco was returning to the study with Cassandra in tow, who looked deeply concerned that she had been urgently summoned at such a late hour. Bellatrix stood when she entered the room and both women stared at one another, the tension in the room palpable.
"I don't like you," Bellatrix told her in way of greeting. "But she does, and that is the only reason you are here." Cassandra did not care about Bellatrix's words though as she took one look at her girlfriend, practically running to her as she came to rest next her on the settee, her brow creased in concern as she looked at Narcissa's expression.
"The fuck's wrong with her?" Cassandra demanded as her fingers mapped the curvature of the blonde's jaw, shooting a blameful look at Bellatrix, who looked like she was about to set fire to the entire house just to burn down the evidence that Cassandra had touched something she loved as though she loved it too. "What did you do?"
"Calming Draught," Draco answered for his aunt, and Cassandra's breath left her as she realized whatever happened must have been bad if they had to drug her in that way.
"Shit. What's happened?"
Bellatrix nodded her head to Draco, her jaw still tight. "Show her."
Draco swallowed but did as instructed and rolled up his sleeve, showing Cassandra the Mark that was now etched in his skin. The redhead went pale, her hand squeezing tight to Narcissa's thigh. "But you're just— you're just a fuckin' kid. Oh, Draco…" she breathed in horror, looking like she wanted nothing more than to wrap Draco up in her arms and protect him from this, which Narcissa loved her for. Unlike Bellatrix, Cassandra always understood the horror this life entailed.
"I'm sixteen," Draco corrected her, trying to stand tall and accept his fate. And Bellatrix, despite how much Narcissa hated to watch this unfold, at least put her hand on her nephew's shoulder in solidarity; resolving to mentor him, despite barely even liking him. For her. Everything Bellatrix did, it was always for her. "The Dark Lord saw potential in me and I'm going to prove myself, I'm going to be the man of the house now, and I'm going to make my father proud— but my mother, she's afraid. Aunt Bellatrix needs time to teach me things, she needs to get me ready before I leave for school again, but we can't leave my Mum alone right now; you need to take care of her for a while, Mrs. Goyle. You will, right?"
"Ya know I will," Cassandra told him softly as she took Narcissa's hand in her own, looking at Draco like she couldn't bear him trying to act like a man already. It was too much, Narcissa knew that it was, and finally a tear slid down the contour of her cheek, the calmness inside her beginning to gently fade as she started to feel a little of her reality again.
"Shit. It's wearing off already," Bellatrix realized, knowing the intensity of one's natural emotions could shorten the potion's effects. "I know you have your own idiot spawn to look after, so take her with you," she directed Cassandra. "I will come for her when I am able. Until her mental state has leveled back out, she will spend the days with you, and her nights with me; this is not negotiable. You may, however, have her for tonight— I need to begin Draco's training and it will no doubt run long, and then I have— I have something to fucking do," she admitted, although sounded a little loathed to do so. Still, she had responsibilities with Voldemort, and the second war was just beginning. Narcissa wondered when Bellatrix planned to sleep.
But perhaps the simple answer was that she did not.
"She is not to sleep in your bed," Bellatrix ordered as an afterthought, as though she actually had a right to dictate that, and Cassandra looked at her like she had to be bloody joking.
"Oh, fuck off, you possessive nutter; I will not leave her to sleep alone tonight, are you fuckin' serious? Get your bloody priorities straight!"
"You think I don't know that you'll try to use this to your advantage?" Bellatrix spat, so terribly insecure that it broke Narcissa's heart. Her relationships with the two women were so wildly different from one another, and Narcissa needed them both. She wished she could explain that to Bellatrix, but she knew it would make everything so much worse if she tried. "I don't want her sleeping alone either, but if you so much as touch her—"
"I don't get off on people's sorrow, you mental bitch; I'm not you."
Draco looked completely overwhelmed by the animosity between the two women, and for good reason: he knew the truth about his mother and Cassandra's relationship but as far as he was aware, Bellatrix did not. It seemed, however, that she had an inkling after all, and Draco was not expecting the backlash that it was causing. He especially did not expect the blatantly disrespectful way that Cassandra spoke to Bellatrix either, and he stared at his friend's mother like he was both terrified for her, yet impressed by her.
Narcissa could relate.
"Stop— stop fighting," Narcissa begged, the potion's effects continuing to slip away as she began to cry again. She could not deal with that on top of everything. "Please, I can't— not right now, I can't…"
Bellatrix looked infuriated that she couldn't keep lashing out at Cassandra, but she controlled herself for her sister's sake. "Just take her," she ground out. "She's going to be inconsolable soon, and it'll be harder to move her. Go." She hesitated then, her gaze connecting with Cassandra's as Bellatrix, for one short moment, pushed her feelings of animosity to the side as she told her, "Take care of her; I assume you know how she can get. I'm trusting you— don't fuck it up."
"She's been my best mate for twenty-five years," Cassandra reminded her as she helped Narcissa to her feet, wrapping her arms around her as though she was afraid she would fall down. She didn't though; Narcissa might be starting to feel again, may be crying again, but she was still very detached from everything. "I love 'er. I know ya hate that, but I take care of the people I love. She'll be safe with me. She's always been safe with me."
Bellatrix did not look happy about that declaration by any means, but she did at least nod her understanding. She no doubt wished Lucius was here in Cassandra's stead, but this was what she had to work with, so it would have to do for now. She had always needed someone else to take over Narcissa's care when she was unable to.
But that was the problem. When Narcissa was able to feel again, able to think clearly again, she realized with such blinding clarity that she was being horribly selfish. Her poor son was a Death Eater now, had been given an impossible mission that would either end his life or cause him to wind up in prison like his father, and yet everyone's main fucking concern was her and her well-being? Narcissa knew she did not take the news well — she had tried so very hard but she had already lost one child, and was terrified out of her mind to lose another — but she should have had better control of her emotions. She should have been able to keep it together for Draco; he should be the one that everyone was catering to, not her. She couldn't be here, she couldn't—
"I need to see him, I need to help him…!"
"Cissa, shh, stop— stop," Cassandra begged, keeping a tight hold on the other woman's body. They were lying in Cassandra's bed, the covers around their shoulders as the younger woman just held Narcissa in her arms as the Calming Draught wore off, and she cried as she told Cassandra the whole story— every last horrible bit of it.
But now that it was over, the more Narcissa realized that she couldn't just hide away in Cassandra's house. She might be distraught, but she didn't need a babysitter; what she needed was to help her son, and she couldn't do that here.
"Bellatrix is helpin' him now," Cassandra reminded her softly, gently placing her lips on the blonde's temple, trying to get her to relax again. "An' as much as I hate the cunt, I'll admit she could do a damn good job of it. She's bloody scary— in general, I mean; I still think she's a fuckin' prat, but at least she's good at somethin', I s'pose. But you… you just need to rest, yeah? S'been a long day. You can see 'im in the mornin'."
"How am I supposed to rest?" Narcissa breathed sadly, feeling so entirely overwhelmed by all of this. Her whole body sagged in defeat though, as she knew Cassandra was right— who Draco needed right now was Bellatrix, not… not her. "He's my baby, Cass; he's my only child…"
"I know," Cassandra breathed sympathetically, gently brushing the hair from her lover's eyes. At the mention of Draco being her only child though, and having heard that she now had one less secret from her son, Cassandra had to ask, "You didn't… tell 'im that Bellatrix was Aquila's other parent, did you?"
"God no," Narcissa responded, as though the very idea was unfathomable. Not that she didn't want to be more honest with her son because she did, but she didn't know how to spin it so that it didn't sound as sick as it no doubt was. Narcissa's brow creased, upset etching in the lines of her face. "I wish it didn't happen this way— Draco deserved to learn about her in… I don't know. I don't think there was a better way, really, but just a different way. He probably has so many questions, but because of everything that's happened it's just been pushed aside. It's not fair to him, and it's not fair to Aquila's memory."
"I'm sure he'll come to ya when he's ready," Cassandra softly assured her. "But right now… let 'im process. It's a lot. All of this is a lot for a boy."
Another tear slid down Narcissa's cheek, but it was gently wiped away by the woman who held her in her arms. She shouldn't even be here, and yet… "I'm so tired of everything being about me," Narcissa softly sobbed. "I didn't mean to— but look at what's happened. I thought I was better, I thought I was a better mother than this, but I always suck people into my vortex whether I want to or not. It's terrible. I'm terrible."
"You're not," Cassandra told her, not allowing Narcissa to wallow in self-pity. "You're allowed to feel your emotions, Cissa, an' we're allowed to react to them in the way we choose. Maybe it's us, in the end, who're causin' you to be the center of the bloody universe. But it's our choice. We love you. I…" Cassandra swallowed hard, realizing she could no longer keep it inside anymore, "I love you, not just as a friend, but… but as so much bloody more than that, an' there's nowhere else I'd rather you be than here right now, 'cause all I've ever wanted in my soddin' life was to have you in my arms."
Narcissa inhaled a sharp breath at that, her watery eyes catching the gaze of the woman beside her. She had known, of course; she could see it when Cassandra looked at her, felt it when she touched her, but to hear it out loud was… so much more solidifying than anything else, and Narcissa did not know what to say because she might be starting to feel that way as well, but she was not close to saying it yet. She was too goddamn terrified to.
Cassandra seemed to realize that though and gave her a small, comforting smile. "I don't want ya to say it back," she told her softly, her fingers brushing an errant strand of hair away from Narcissa's eyes. "I probably shouldn't have said it anyway. Shit timin', me… but that's how I always am, I reckon. Doesn't matter. I didn't say it 'cause I needed to hear it back; I said it 'cause I want you to know that you ain't some type of burden for me, an' that I've always known who you are. The good, the bad, the selfish… an' s'okay. I'm here, no matter what, an'… an' I love you. I'm so fuckin' in love with you I don't even know what to do with myself most days."
Narcissa's eyes had filled with tears, her heart squeezing tightly in her chest as she pressed her lips to Cassandra's, the mentally ill part of her desperate to drown in the woman's feelings for her so that she did not have to face her devastating reality. Cassandra seemed to know what she was trying to do though and broke the kiss, gently untangled herself from her as she breathed, "Stop. My love for you ain't gonna fix what's broken in your life, Cissa, an' I didn't say all that to fuck you; that's not what ya need right now. Just stay here with me, yeah? Sleep. Please. I'll help you deal with all this in the mornin'."
Narcissa looked deeply ashamed of herself for being called out like that, but she also knew she needed it. She didn't want to use Cassandra; she would never be able to forgive herself. "I don't deserve you," Narcissa breathed, not used to someone guiding her toward a healthier coping mechanism. Bellatrix and Lucius, they tried, but in the end, they always ended up drowning in her abyss anyhow, because it was all they had ever known. "But thank you for thinking I do anyway."
Despite the comfort that Cassandra brought her, Narcissa did not sleep that night. All that night and the entirety of the next day all Narcissa could think about was her son and how she could save him from his fate. Bellatrix training Draco did not seem to be enough, and the fear that gripped Narcissa's chest was all-consuming and suffocating, and when Bellatrix finally brought her home the next evening, Narcissa, who was practically delirious from her lack of sleep, started pacing madly inside her home.
"Cissy— Jesus, you haven't taken your meds today, have you? I fucking forget to tell her to bring them with you… hey, stop."
"No, stop— don't touch me!" Narcissa shrieked, feeling like she would shatter should anyone apply just the smallest amount of pressure. "I have to do something, I have to—"
"You are doing something; you're letting me teach him. That's enough…"
"It's not!" Narcissa cried, her eyes wild and her breathing uneven. She had been turning it over in her mind all day, and although she knew it was risky, only one solution was coming to mind. "You can only teach him for two months, Bella— and then he's at school, alone, and I can't… I can't have him be alone. He needs help, I need him to help Draco, because he's there… he'll be there."
"He? He who?" Bellatrix asked, before what Narcissa was suggesting seemed to click in her mind, as there was only one person who would be at that school. "No. Cissy, no. He's not trustworthy!"
"Lucius trusted him!" Narcissa exclaimed, needing that to be enough. Lucius and Severus were good friends, and Severus was Draco's Head of House; he knew him, he cared for him, and as one of the Dark Lord's trusted, despite Bellatrix's reservations on the matter, made it likely that he could do something about this. Perhaps he could even reverse the Dark Lord's decision to use Draco. "And he makes your medication, in case you've forgotten— if he wasn't bloody trustworthy, he could have easily poisoned you. He's so sodding good at potions neither of us would have known the difference. He is trustworthy, Bella. He has to be, because I don't have any other option!"
"I'm your other option, Narcissa— me!"
"The Dark Lord has forbidden you from helping him!" Narcissa reminded her, feeling frantic. "Teaching him isn't enough! I'm sorry, but it's just not fucking enough; I have to— I have to go. I need to try."
"No, Cissy— Narcissa, wait!" Bellatrix pleaded, but Narcissa would not listen. She had already disapparated, her sister following shortly behind her as Bellatrix tried in vain to stop her from doing something so terribly reckless.
Reckless or not though, it did not matter. Narcissa might be endlessly selfish, she might have a tendency to drown in her own emotions and suck everyone else into her vortex, but at the end of the day she was still able to eventually put that all aside and be a mother, and a mother protects their young— even when it's dangerous, even when there's no hope, because she loved Draco more than her own life, and so that, in the end, was the very thing Narcissa willingly risked, as there had never been any other option.
TBC…