A/N: Thanks so much for reading! I'll have the last chapter and the epilogue up next Wednesday!
"Narcissa? Are you alright?"
A gentle hand was tapping her cheek and Narcissa looked up into the face of Remus Lupin.
Narcissa rubbed the side of her head and felt a hard lump there. "What happened?"
"You were Stunned. It's all right, we got one them and the rest scattered."
Narcissa sat up. "Is Marlene here?"
"Yes, she's with Frank and Alice and a few of the others, they're fighting Death Eaters. We're a bit outnumbered I'm afraid."
Narcissa stood up and drew her wand. "Where are they, do you know?"
Remus gestured towards the centre of the village. "Over there, I think."
Without another word to Remus, Narcissa pelted towards a knot of people near the village square, more than half of them in masks and hooded robes.
Marlene was face-to-face with one of them, dodging and swerving and shooting hex after hex. One of the masked figures raised his wand and pointed it at her chest.
"Stupefy!" Narcissa bellowed, her shout muffled by the hood. The masked figure slumped to the ground.
Marlene gave her a sideways glance. "Thanks," she said, and Narcissa could tell by her voice that she didn't know who she was. She sounded much warmer, much kinder, as though she was talking to a friend.
Before Narcissa could open her mouth to say anything in reply another Death Eater drew his wand and pointed it at her. The force of Narcissa's Shield Charm knocked him sideways.
"Incarcerous," she muttered. Ropes shot out of her wand and with a twisting motion she wrapped them around the Death Eater.
Marlene glanced at her again. "That you Dorcas?"
Narcissa was about to lower her hood when there was screaming from somewhere above them. A woman was leaning out of her first-floor window as her house went up in flames around her.
"We've got to help her," said Marlene, running towards the house. Narcissa followed after her, wand out.
"Aguamenti!" shouted Marlene. Narcissa did the same and jets of water shot out of their wands, but they barely touched the flames, which kept raging, spreading through the house.
"It's no good," said Marlene. "I have to go in there."
Narcissa looked at her, and she seemed so much smaller somehow, so fragile, so breakable. The thought of her going into that burning house made Narcissa sick inside. "What? No."
Marlene's face was flushed with the heat of the flames that reflected in her eyes, wide and scared, but her mouth was set and tight the way it got whenever she'd made up her mind about something. "What's the alternative? I can't just let her die."
Narcissa looked from Marlene's eyes into the blazing cottage and up at the woman's desperate face. When she'd joined the Order she'd pictured herself working undercover, spying on her family and her Ministry colleagues, staying behind the scenes. Letting other people do the dangerous work, like she'd been taught her whole life.
Looking out for number one, in other words. Just like Marlene had said.
But she didn't have to be that person anymore.
"I'm going in with you," she said. Marlene gave her a quizzical look, and Narcissa wondered if she recognized her voice, but she didn't say anything.
Narcissa stepped across the threshold with Marlene, sweat breaking out all over her body, scalp stinging from the heat of the flames. Marlene was choking and retching from the smoke.
"Here," said Narcissa, and she performed a charm on them both to protect their heads.
Marlene rested with her hand against a doorframe, catching her breath, and Narcissa looked around for a staircase.
Marlene siezed the back of her robes and pulled away just as a beam fell from the ceiling. They had minutes, if that.
They crawled up the staircase, following the sound of the woman's screams, and found her in a first floor bedroom. She took one look at them, at their strange, bubble-like heads, and screamed harder, purple in the face, but she didn't push them away when they each took an arm and draped it over their shoulders.
Half-carrying, half-dragging her, they made for the staircase, but it was covered in flames.
Narcissa stood there for what felt like hours, staring at the fire, watching as it burned though the Axminster. Fascinating thing, really, fire. But it was going to hurt a lot when it burned her.
The woman screamed. Narcissa's head whipped up and saw Marlene's mouth move, but couldn't hear her through the bubble surrounding her head. Marlene gestured towards the bedroom, but Narcissa didn't understand. She shook her head.
Marlene tapped her wand to herself to make the bubble vanish and Narcissa did the same.
"We're going to have to jump," said Marlene.
"Are you mad?"
Marlene let out an exasperated noise. "We're witches, I think we can manage it. Let's go."
They dragged the woman to the bedroom window and Narcissa looked out, the cool air like a miracle on her burning skin. They were twelve, maybe fourteen feet up. Narcissa raised her wand and muttered the incantation for a Cushioning Charm, praying it worked, or they'd be spending a lot of time in St. Mungo's and the Order would be two members down.
"What are you-we can't jump, there's nothing there!" shouted the woman, voice high and hysterical.
"Just trust us," said Marlene. She climbed to the window ledge. "Watch."
Before Narcissa could shout out she'd jumped out the window, landing on the pavement as softly as if there'd been a pile of sawdust there, and Narcissa remembered Andromeda and the abandoned barn all those years ago.
She turned to the woman. "Just close your eyes and jump. It'll be alright."
The woman stared at her, then back towards the doorway where the flames were creeping along the floor like cats ready to pounce. She took a breath and jumped.
Narcissa waited until the woman had been pulled to safety, a knot of people surrounding her, and closed her eyes.
She heard Andy's voice in her head, imagined Marlene waiting for her at the bottom, and arms and legs shaking, she climbed onto the window ledge.
Something fell from the ceiling and hit her face and chest, but she didn't know what. She thought it would hurt if it was fire, but she didn't feel anything at all. She threw herself off the ledge.
An invisible cushion surrounded her like a bed and she sank back into it, spent and shaking, but she knew as soon as she'd closed her eyes something was wrong. Her skin was being scraped raw, every nerve burning in pain and she opened her mouth and screamed and screamed.
Someone knelt down beside her and pulled back her hood.
"Oh my God. Narcissa." Marlene sounded like she was crying and Narcissa wondered if she'd been burned too.
"It's going to be ok," said Marlene, voice shaking. "I'm going to send for help." She lifted her wand in the air and muttered something and through her screaming and her blurry eyes Narcissa could've sworn a silver swan shot out of it. Its light surrounded her, soothed her, filled her with hope, but after a moment it went away, and Narcissa didn't understand where it'd gone.
A woman knelt beside her, was it Dorcas Meadowes? Narcissa clenched her jaw shut to keep from screaming out loud but some deep sound she couldn't stop was coming from her throat and she hoped Dorcas was going to Stun her, or even kill her, because she had to be dying.
"Let me," said Marlene.
She was lifted onto Marlene's lap as something cool, something miraculous, spread across her face. Marlene ripped open her robes and with the gentlest touch she rubbed something across her chest and its coolness spread over her skin until the pain stopped. Narcissa was so spent, so relieved, that before she could stop herself she'd collapsed into Marlene's lap.
Gentle hands lifted her and Narcissa pressed her face against Marlene's neck as Marlene held her and stroked her hair, crying with her, as though Narcissa's pain had been her own. There was something on her face, some thick paste, but Marlene didn't seem to care. She cradled Narcissa's head with one hand and laid the other on her bare chest. Narcissa felt the high-pitched keening escaping Marlene's throat.
"It's alright," said Narcissa against her neck. "I'm okay."
"I thought-I thought you were dying…" Marlene was wailing now, and Narcissa would've smiled if the skin on her face weren't so sore and tight.
"I'm going to take you home with me," said Marlene, stroking her hair. "I'm going to take care of you."
Narcissa nuzzled her neck with her face, leaving a glob of paste there. "I know you will."
"I should've known it was you," said Marlene, half-crying, half-laughing. "Who else wears knee-high leather boots to fight Death Eaters?"
Narcissa let out a shaky laugh. "Your patronus," she said. "I thought it was an otter?"
"It was," said Marlene. "But it changed a few years ago. I don't really know why."
"Can I see it?"
"Okay," said Marlene, sounding worried, as though Narcissa wasn't in her right mind. Marlene raised her wand and a silver swan shot out of the end, soaring in the air around them.
Narcissa's arm was so weak she could barely hold her wand, but she drew it from the pocket of her robes. She didn't need to bring up a memory. Seeing Marlene's swan was enough.
"Expecto Patronum."
The two swans circled each other in mid-air and then rested their heads together, as though each had found a missing part of itself.
Marlene stroked her cheek and buried her face in her hair.
Fast footfalls were pounding against the pavement and Narcissa looked up into the face of Bella, face twisted in some half-crazed smile, hair flying all around her with some strange electricity.
"I knew it, I knew you were with them."
She raised her wand.
Narcissa stared at her. "Bella, please."
Bella stopped short and stared at her, breathing hard. "How could you do this?"
Marlene stood up before Narcissa could pull her back. "Don't you touch her!" she shouted into her face.
Bella looked taken aback only a moment, and then a smile played on her lips. "I wouldn't be so quick to defend her," she said. "Considering someone in her own family helped plan the hit on yours. A shame it didn't work."
Marlene's mouth opened in shock and Bella smiled wider. "Didn't Cissy tell you? Or did she not let you in on that?"
Narcissa knew what she was doing. Bella was taunting her, tormenting her, so that the last thing she'd hear before she died was how the woman she loved had betrayed her.
Narcissa fumbled for her wand, but she was too weak to hold it.
Bella was standing over Marlene, wand pointed at her chest, but her hand was trembling and her mouth couldn't seem to move. Seconds passed, and still Bella didn't do it.
A rough voice shouted, and the three of them turned to see the Death Eaters scattering as Dumbledore shot a spell with such force it made the ground underneath them shake. Bella put her mask back on and ran with them, vanishing into the air with a crack.
Narcissa slumped back on the ground, face in her hands, knowing Marlene was gone, she was alone.
A hand stroked her back. "Narcissa?"
Narcissa looked up but Marlene's face was too blurry to see her eyes.
"It's okay-"
Narcissa put her face back in her hands. "No, it's not. You see what my family is, you see what they're like."
Marlene knelt down beside her. "You're not your family, Narcissa."
"Look at them. My own sister, look what she's like."
Marlene put a hand to her face. "Look at me," she said softly. Narcissa raised her head.
"Look at everything you've done here tonight. You saved someone's life and almost died doing it. Look at your sister. She and Ted have been a big help to us. You are not your family."
Narcissa wiped her eyes and saw that Marlene's face was as full of emotion as it had been the night they'd made love. She buried her head in her shoulder.
"Everything's going to be alright," said Marlene. "I'm going to take you home with me."
Narcissa's panic surged through her, as though she'd been numb and had finally regained her feeling. She raised her head. "You can't."
"What do you mean?"
"Bella saw us together. They're going to go after you again. I can't let that happen."
Marlene's eyes widened and Narcissa knew she realized how serious the situation was.
"You have to go into hiding, do you understand?"
"But the Order-we can't lose any more members."
"They're going to come after you, I know it."
"We'll be careful, I promise. We'll put extra protection round our house."
Narcissa opened her mouth to argue, but she saw how determined Marlene was, and closed it again. Her family were all skilled fighters, her father was an Auror. Perhaps they'd be alright.
"Is there someplace safe I can take you?" said Marlene.
There was really only one answer to that, because there was really only one place left to go. And Narcissa had no idea if they'd even want her there.
"Ted and Andromeda's," she said.
Marlene lifted her up by the arms. "Can you stand?"
Narcissa's legs were so weak they almost collapsed beneath her. She shook her head.
"It's alright, I've got you." She put her arms around Narcissa's waist and held her close, and together they spun into the air.
Marlene rapped hard on the knocker and Andy stood in the doorway in a blue silk dressing-gown, looking just like Bella in the dim light.
"Marlene, what-oh my God." Her eyes moved over Narcissa's face, over her ripped robes and blistered, paste-covered skin. "Cissy? What's happened?"
"I'll explain in a bit," said Marlene. "Right now we need to get her to bed."
Andy took Narcissa's other arm and draped it over her shoulder and they half-carried Narcissa up the stairs, to the same bedroom she'd slept in when she'd stayed with them years before. Andromeda pulled back the duvet and the sheets and Marlene lifted her onto the bed.
Maybe it was falling onto the bed, she didn' know, but she was shaking and so dizzy she couldn't see straight and the room was getting dim. Or maybe there just wasn't much light, it was so strange this room, nothing like her one at home. She remembered her mother singing to her.
Jinny the witch flew over the house, to fetch a stick to lather the mouse
"Narcissa!"
Marlene sounded scared and Narcissa didn't know why.
"She needs liquids," Andy's voice was saying.
A soft hand stroked her face. "Everything's going to be alright," said the soft voice, and Narcissa knew it would be.
Cold metal touched her lips and a salty liquid trickled into her mouth.
"It's a fluid-replenishing solution," said Andy. "It should start working right away."
The liquid flowed through her, and her shaking stopped. The room became brighter and clearer and she could see Marlene's face looking down at her, but her eyes were so heavy she could barely keep them open.
"She's going to need a lot of rest," said Andy. "But she'll make a full recovery."
Marlene bent over her and whispered into her hair. "You were amazing tonight."
"So were you," Narcissa breathed back.
She sank back into her pillows and fell asleep.
Narcissa woke up screaming. Marlene was trapped in the burning house, surrounded by hooded figures and they were closing in on her and she couldn't get out.
"Cissy!" Andromeda was shaking her and Narcissa saw that it was light outside.
"Marlene-where's Marlene-"
Andromeda sat down beside her. "She's fine, Cissy. You've had a nightmare, that's all." She stroked Narcissa's hair. "She told me what happened. That was a brave thing you did."
"What's going on?" asked a small voice, a voice Narcissa didn't recognize. A pink-haired girl in bright blue pyjamas was standing in the doorway, eyes wide and frightened.
Andy stood up and put an arm around the girl's shoulders. "Nymphadora, there's someone you should meet. Do you remember I told you about your aunt Cissy?"
The girl nodded.
"Well, that's her, in the bed."
The girl just stared at her with her mouth open, and Narcissa realized what an impression she must've made, face covered in paste and screaming.
"She's barking, mum," the girl whispered.
Andy knelt down in front of her. "I'm going to tell you a story," she said. "Last night, your aunt Cissy and her friend saw a woman trapped in a burning house. And do you know what they did?"
"What?"
"They went inside the house, and they rescued her. And that's why your auntie has that paste all over her face, she was burned. And it was scary for her, so she had a bad dream about it."
The girl's eyes widened in comprehension. "Oh." She stared at Narcissa again, leaning forwards with one foot held out in front of her as though she wanted to move closer. She glanced back at Andy, who smiled, and bounced towards the bed, sitting on the end with her legs kicking the mattress. She pulled a ginger newt of her pocket and took a bite.
"That was wicked," she said. Before Narcissa could thank her, a stream of words flowed out of her mouth. "You're very brave. Do you have a racing broom? Do you like turtles? Do you have any pets?"
Narcissa wasn't sure which question to answer first, so she "I have an owl," she said. "Her name is Thea."
"That's a nice name, I like owls," she said through a mouthful of biscuit. Narcissa felt a bit of it hit her face. "I don't have one yet but I found this goldfish once, his name's Bob."
"Can I see him?"
"No, he's dead. I gave him too much food. I think I'd like to get a cat next, only I'd get a friendly one, my friend Charlie has a cat and he's dead grumpy, scratched me in the face once just because I tried to pick him up by the tail, wasn't that nasty?"
"I suppose it was."
"But I reckon I'd be grumpy too if I had all those boys running round my house. Charlie has four brothers, did you know? Two of them are twins. I can't even tell them apart. This one time they almost set fire to the house even though they're only babies."
Andy ruffled Dora's head. "Why don't we let Aunt Cissy rest awhile, then you can show her your beetle collection."
The girl wiped her chocolately hands on her pyjamas and followed Andy out of the room, tripping over the rug on the way out.
Narcissa smiled a little as she sank back into her pillows, but she kept seeing Marlene in the burning house, and couldn't get back to sleep. She got her wand off the nightstand and held it out in front of her.
"Expecto Patronum," she muttered. The silver swan shot out the end. "Communica." The swan paused and looked at her, waiting for her to speak.
"I just wanted to see that you made it home alright. Please be careful." She paused, the words on the edge of her tongue. I love you. But she wanted to tell her in person, to hear her say it back.
She nodded to the bird, and it soared out of the window.
Her legs were still weak and shaky, like she'd just gotten over some illness, but she paced the room, arms crossed, knowing if Marlene was safe she only had minutes to wait.
Too much time had passed. Narcissa was about to go outside to Disapparate when a silver bird flew through the window and spoke in Marlene's beautiful Scottish lilt.
"We're all safe, don't worry. I'm staying with mum and dad and they've put extra protection round our house. We're being very careful. Get some rest now daffodil."
The swan vanished, and Narcissa wished it were one of those Muggle records that she could play over and over again.
She heard her voice in her mind as she fell asleep.
Narcissa had barely been able to sleep the next few days. All she could see when she closed her eyes was Marlene in that burning house. But now she was having a different dream, a much nicer dream, and Marlene was standing by a moonlit window in a filmy nightgown so sheer Narcissa could see right through it, and when she turned and saw Narcissa watching her, she crawled across the bed towards her and pulled it off...
The alarm clock went off, and Narcissa pounded it down with her fist and sank back into her pillows, trying to fall asleep again and finish the dream.
There was a knock at the door and she heard Andy's voice. "Better hurry up Cissy, or you'll be late."
Narcissa sank back into the pillows and closed her eyes on last time, before resigning herself to the inevitable and getting out of bed. After she'd had a quick bath and dried her hair she dabbed some perfume on her neck and threw her Ministry robes over herself.
Ted was putting a bowl of hot porridge on the table with one hand while pouring orange juice for Dora with the other. "Careful," he said to her. Dora promptly knocked the glass over, spilling juice all over the table.
Dora looked up at Narcissa, her face solemn. "I'm dead clumsy."
"I'll get that for you," said Narcissa, smiling. She cleared the spilled juice away with a flick of her wand.
"Thanks," said Ted, who despite all the chaos looked as mellow and easygoing as ever. "I'd better get going, but I'll see you later."
He kissed Dora and Andy and hurried out the door.
"You'd better get going too," said Andy, with a glance at the clock. Narcissa nodded and took a few quick bites of porridge before going out into the front garden to Disapparate. This would be her first day back at work after the holidays and she wanted to be a few minutes early.
Rookwood was waiting for her in the entrance room, as he always was. She thought his eyes were shrewd, calculating, but maybe that was just nerves, making her see things that weren't there. This would be her first time spying on the Ministry, a task made all the more overwhelming by the sheer size and grandeur and inpenetrability of the place, and she wasn't sure how she was going to do it.
"I thought we'd experiment with the Time-Turners today," he said.
"Right," said Narcissa, hoping it wasn't too complicated. It was too early in the morning for her to wrap her head around time travel.
And just at that moment, another version of herself appeared out of thin air, clutching the time-turner.
"Ah," said Rookwood, sounding amused. "looks like we've decided to try them out today."
Narcissa looked herself over, mouth open. She'd seen a lot of strange things in the Department of Mysteries, but this had to be the limit. Her future self's hair was an absolute disaster-hadn't she bothered to look in a mirror? Her future self looked a bit miffed and raised an eyebrow at her. They stared at each other for what felt like an hour before Rookwood gave her the time-turner.
"That was about 10 minutes. I think that might be the limit to what they can safely handle. Here," he said, handing her a time-turner. "I would like you to go back ten minutes. Three turns should do it."
Narcissa turned it three times and sure enough, there was her other self-her past self? It was too early for this. Rookwood was speaking again, the same words as before.
Her past self was looking her up and down and looking entirely too judgemental. Narcissa raised an eyebrow before she realized how ridiculous the whole thing was.
After what felt like an hour, her other self took the time-turner and vanished.
"Excellent," said Rookwood, beaming. "It worked beautifully. Shall we take a break, then?"
Narcissa nodded, and she and Rookwood made their way to the tea room off the Atrium and when they'd poured themselves a cup they sat down at one of the tables. Narcissa sat there tapping her fingers gainst her cup, no clue what to say. When she was little she'd imagined spies crawling into tight spaces or crouching behind doors and listening in on conversations, but she'd come to find that spying was mostly trying to get information out of ordinary conversations without sounding like a prat and giving everything away.
"So, I heard that Caradoc Dearborn resigned," said Narcissa.
"Yes, I hear he has a bad case of scrofungula," said Rookwood.
"Do you suppose that's really true? Do you think..." Narcissa glanced around the tea room and lowered her voice. "Do you think he might've disappeared?"
"It's certainly possible. It seems like people are disappearing right and left." He gave her a shrewd look as he sipped his tea. "A very astute observation, Miss Black. Perhaps you ought to join the Order."
Narcissa raised and eyebrow and tried to act as though she had no idea what he'd just said. "The Order?"
"The Order of the Phoenix. But surely you know about it?"
Narcissa had the strangest feeling he knew more than he was letting on. "No. I've never heard of it. Are they connected with the Ministry?"
Rookwood let out a small laugh. "Goodness no. They don't trust any organization that operates outside their control. Although I hear the Order have spies inside the Ministry."
"Really?" said Narcissa, raising her cup to her lips and taking a long drink so he wouldn't see her face. "And is it true the Death Eaters have spies inside the Ministry?"
"So I've heard," said Rookwood, and Narcissa could've sworn she sensed something in him, some wariness that hadn't been there before, but perhaps she'd imagined it because a dark look crossed his face. "Terrible things they're doing," he said, scowling. He took one last long drink of tea before setting down his cup. "Well, shall we get back to it, then?"
Narcissa nodded and followed him back to the Department of Mysteries, wondering how she'd ever get anything out of him.
They were nearly done for the day, when Rookwood went to another room to talk with one of their colleagues. Making sure she was alone, she took one of the Time-Turners and slipped it into the pocket of her robes. She'd lose her job if anyone found out about it, but she had the strangest feeling she was going to need it.
Dora hugged her legs the moment she walked into the cottage that evening.
"Cissy!" she squealed.
Narcissa smiled and ruffled her hair but Dora didn't let go, and she shrieked with glee as Narcissa hobbled across the room with her.
"For Circe's sake, Nymphadora, let your aunt have some personal space," said Andy, smiling.
Dora let go and Narcissa went upstairs to change out of her Ministry robes and let her hair down. When she turned around Andy was standing in the doorway.
"She loves you, you know," she said, but she wasn't smiling and Narcissa knew something was wrong.
"I wish you'd been here all these years, Cissy," Andy went on. "She would've loved to have had you in her life."
Narcissa had known, deep down, that Andy couldn't have been happy with her, for just vanishing from their lives all those years; she wasn't happy with herself. But just the same, her words stung. Narcissa crossed her arms and sat down on the bed.
"Don't you think I know that? Not a day goes by I don't think about it."
"Then why-"
Narcissa couldn't keep her voice from rising. "Because I didn't have a choice, that's why. Don't you know what they tried to do to Marlene's family? What was I supposed to do, just let them try to kill her?"
Andy didn't say anything to this, just sighed and leaned against the doorframe. Narcissa remembered something Bella had said, something horrifying. She was quiet a long time, playing with the folds of her robes.
"There's something I need to tell you."
Something in her voice must have told Andy how serious this was, because she sat down on the bed next to her. "What is it?"
"Bella told me someone from our family helped Death Eaters to go after the McKinnons."
"Oh my God," muttered Andy. "Was mother involved?"
"I don't know."
They sat in the silence of their shared horror. It was so quiet they could hear the wind in the eaves and another sound, a faint knocking. Andy stood up and pulled back the curtains.
"It's father."
Narcissa stood up. "Are you serious? What's he doing here?"
"I don't know."
Andy hurried out of the room, Narcissa following behind her, and she watched as Andy pulled the door open and stood and stared at their father, her hands at her sides.
Her father stared back at her and cleared his throat. "I owe you an apology, Andromeda," he said. "Seven year's worth, really. I do hope you can forgive me."
Andy didn't say anything to this, but she beckoned him inside. "Won't you come in," she said, and Narcissa couldn't believe how well she was handling the whole thing. She wasn't sure she'd be so forgiving, even though she was guilty of the same thing, really.
Her father took a few tentative steps into the room, taking off his hat and looking all around him, trying to catch a glimpse of his grandaughter, she supposed.
Nymphadora stood on the stairs, clutching the banister. Ted strode forward and extended his hand.
"Edward Tonks," he said.
Her father hesistated only a second, hand at his side, then he brought it up and shook Ted's hand.
"Pleased to meet you," he said, with such warmth in his voice Narcissa knew he meant it.
Andy took Dora's hand and led her to her grandfather. She looked up at him with wide-eyes and didn't smile.
"This is your grandfather, Nymphadora. My father."
"Hello," said Dora, but she still looked scared, and Narcissa understood how confusing it must have been, to finally meet her own grandfather after all that time.
"Hello, Nymphadora," said her father, and his eyes were bright. Dora stepped back and clung to Andy's waist.
"Well," said Andy, after a rather awkward pause. "Can I get you anything? Tea, coffee, a drink?"
"Actually, I need to speak with Cissy," he said, in a voice so serious Narcissa wanted to run from the room and cover her ears.
But not knowing was worse.
"What is it?" she said, heart pounding.
"It seems Bella told your mother about you. How you...joined the Order. And how you were with the McKinnon girl. She's...very upset."
Narcissa knew this was a massive understatement. Her mother was in a white-hot rage, stamping her picture from the family tapestry just like she'd done to Andy.
Her father cleared his throat. "She'd already made arrangements for the wedding. It was supposed to be the day after tomorrow."
Narcissa stood silently, every muscle tense, waiting for the ultimatum she knew was coming.
"She says she'll take you back. But only if you give up the Order and come home."
And marry Lucius, she supposed.
Narcissa opened her mouth. "I-" She didn't know how to finish. Then she remembered Marlene.
"Did she say anything about the McKinnons?"
"Not exactly," said her father. "But…well you know how she is. It's probably best if you come home."
Narcissa didn't know what to say.
Dora burst into tears.
"Oh sweetheart, it's alright," said Andy, wrapping her up in a hug.
Ted picked her up and held her in front of him. "Tell you what," he said. "Why don't we go upstairs and I'll read you Babbity-Rabbity?"
"Will you do the voices?" said Dora in a small voice.
"Of course," said Ted. He set her down and they went upstairs, hand in hand.
Her father played his hat in his hands. "Well," he said. "I supposed I'd better get home."
"Why not stay?" said Andy. "Surely you don't want to go home, with mother in such a state?"
Her father looked away from them, thinking. "Perhaps I will sometime," he said finally. "But I think not tonight."
He put his hat back on his head and looked at Narcissa closely. "Are you coming, Cissy?" he said.
Narcissa looked back at him but couldn't move, couldn't open her mouth, as though her indecision had paralyzed her.
"There's something I need to do first," she said finally.
She Summoned her traveling cloak and draped it over her shoulders with one hand while she fumbled with the doorknob with the other.
"Where are you going, in such a hurry?" said Andy, following her to the door.
"I'm going to see Regulus," said Narcissa, and without another word she stepped outside and vanished.
Regulus had told her he'd been staying with Severus, at his mother's house in a place called Spinner's End in Cokeworth. She'd always supposed Severus wasn't all that well-off, with his poorly-cut hair and and Black Country accent and lack of manners, but nothing could've prepared her for the sight of those falling-apart, soot-streaked and graffitied houses, empty windows staring out like dead eyes, shards of broken glass scattered across the pavement. She hurried along the street until she found the house number Severus had given her. She stepped up to it an knocked.
No one seemed to have heard her. Narcissa could hear raised voices and pressed her ear to the door to listen.
"...not working hard enough!"
"How am I supposed to learn with you yelling in my face all the time?"
"...because nothing else gets through to you. Do you have any idea what kind of danger you're in, knowing what you know?"
"Yeah, I know, but I still don't see why you're being so bloody miserable about it."
There was a long pause.
"Because I happen to care about you," said Severus, with such intensity Narcissa's face flushed.
There was another long silence, and Narcissa knew, somehow, that Regulus was kissing him. She waited awhile before knocking.
A hand yanked back the curtains and Severus looked at her, like a ghost in an abandoned house. The door opened.
"Inside, quickly," he said.
"Cissy," said Regulus, and he wrapped her in a hug and clapped her on the back as though he thought he'd never see her again. Narcissa didn't understand the urgency, but she hugged him back just as tightly.
"Listen," he said as they pulled away, looking more serious than she'd ever seen him. "There's something I need to tell you, but you cannot tell anyone. Promise?"
A memory came to her, of Regulus spiking Bella's drink with laxative potion and making her promise she wouldn't tell anyone, but this Regulus was much older, much more serious.
"I promise."
Regulus glanced around, peeked out the curtains and turned to face her, one hand in the pocket of his robes. He pulled out a heavy locket with a serpentine S carved on it.
"What's this?" said Narcissa, running her fingers along it. She could have sworn it vibrated with a strange pulse.
"It's a Horcrux," said Regulus. "The most evil kind of Dark Magic. It conceals part of the Dark Lord's soul."
Narcissa snatched her hand away from it in horror. "So he can't be killed as long as this exists?"
"Exactly."
"Oh my God," she muttered. "He's invincible.
"Not quite," said Regulus, with a fierce look. "I intend to destroy it, we just have to figure out how."
"How did you find out about this?"
Regulus scowled. "Kreacher," he said. "The Dark Lord used him to help hide it in a cave. He would've died if I hadn't sent him home."
"You were there?"
Regulus swallowed hard, and Narcissa knew he was seeing something he didn't want to remember. "Yes," he said quietly. "It was awful...there was this lake filled with Inferi...if Sev hadn't found me..."
Regulus put a hand to Severus's arm and Severus flinched, but he didn't move away. The two of them locked eyes and Narcissa knew something had passed between them, something huge, something that had changed them both.
Narcissa's head was so full of what she'd just heard she almost forgot what she'd come there to ask him.
"Have you heard anything about the McKinnons?"
Regulus and Severus exchanged glances.
"What? What is it?"
"They mean to take out all of them," said Severus.
Narcissa fought to think through her panic. "But they haven't got them yet?"
"No."
Narcissa lifted her wand out of her pocket and sent the silver swan flying into the night, then paced the tiny sitting room, stopping to look out the window for any sign of silver.
Regulus had just put a hand to her shoulder when the swan appeared.
"We are safe, don't worry. We're going into hiding with the Longbottoms. Don't send any owls, they may be intercepted. I'll see you soon daffodil."
Narcissa let out all the breath she'd been holding, then bid goodnight to Severus and Regulus, legs weak.
She spun into the air, but she didn't go back to Ted and Andy. She'd tried so damn hard, tried everything she could to break free, but there was no fighting the fate that had been written in the stars for her.
Narcissa had locked herself in her room all day, sleeping, and didn't get up until her mother knocked on the door.
"Are you well?"
Narcissa just stared at her. She was one day away from a marriage her mother knew perfectly well she didn't want, to a man she didn't really know anymore, and her mother was asking if she was well. Narcissa didn't know if her mother was really that thick, or if she was being obtuse on purpose.
"I'm fine," she said, lips tight.
"Wonderful. I've got your dress here, you'd better try it on in case we need to make any last-minute alterations."
Narcissa sighed and stood up, facing the tall mirror in the corner of her room.
"Breath in, Cissy, so I can do these last buttons up."
Narcissa sucked in her breath and tucked in her stomach until her the dress smoothed over her waist, turning her into something slender and magnificent and enviable. Like a statue, a prize, something for the Malfoys to add to their collection.
"There," said her mother, straightening up and looking into the mirror with her.
Someone in a white dress stared back at her, but she didn't know who it was. She touched her arms to make sure she was real.
She heard a voice from a long time ago. Marlene.
Just let it out, Narcissa, I know you think it's funny.
Narcissa remembered the way Marlene had flung the Snargaluff pod at the girl who'd insulted her and almost smiled.
You're not half as dignified as you like to think you are.
Marlene had always seen what no one else did.
I knew there was more to you than what everyone said.
What the hell was she thinking?
"I'm sorry," she said, turning to face her mother. "I can't do this."
Her mother's forehead creased. "Cissy-what?"
But Narcissa paid no attention to her as she undid the buttons on the back of her dress and flung it off.
Her mother looked scandalised. "Cissy, listen to me-"
"No," said Narcissa, pulling her plain black robes over herself. She Summoned a few things from her room and didn't look back.
But she had no idea how she was going to save Marlene.
Narcissa was standing at a desk in the Time Room, drawing little stars and spirals all over her parchment, not really paying attention to anything Rookwood was saying.
"Are you alright, Miss Black?" said Rookwood.
Narcissa's head shot up. "Yes, I'm fine."
Rookwood gave her a warm sort of look. "Come, Miss Black, there's no need to hide anything from me." He looked at her closely. "I have many connection in the Ministry, you know. I could help you."
Narcissa would always wonder, years later, what made her do it. Maybe it was that his eyes were so earnest and open, with no trace of guile, no sign that he was hiding anything. Maybe it was just because she was desperate.
"It's the McKinnons. The Death Eaters are after them. I know some of them, they'll stop at nothing."
Rookwood stood up straighter, forehead furrowed in concern. "If you tell me where I can help them. I can have a detachment of Aurors sent to their house."
Narcissa looked at him, thinking. There was something about him that had never sat right with her, and yet he seemed so sincere. And what choice did she have? The Order were badly outnumbered.
"They're with the Longbottoms. In Upper Flagley."
"Right," said Rookwood. "I'll notify the Aurors straightaway." He looked at her again. "Why don't you take the rest of the day off? You look like thunder."
Narcissa nodded and swept out of the room, up to the Atrium and into the little alley beside the Ministry, but she didn't go home. She ran up the deserted street and pounded on Snape's door. A woman answered the door, a woman she didn't know, but she looked just like Severus.
"Is Severus at home?"
The woman must've seen her panic, because she looked startled and concerned. "Yes," she said. "It'll just be a moment."
Narcissa waited just inside the door as the woman went upstairs, shifting on her feet and wringing her hands.
"Severus," she said the moment he'd come downstairs. "Have you heard anything?"
"No," said Severus. "I know they're planning something, but I don't know the particulars."
"I've told my colleague Rookwood," said Narcissa. "He said he'd send a detachment of Aurors."
"You told Rookwood?" said Severus, eyes wide, and Narcissa knew there was something terribly, horrifically wrong.
"What? What is it?"
"Rookwood's a Death Eater."
Narcissa collapsed on the floor.
Someone shook her shoulder, and she looked up at Severus's face.
"Narcissa, listen to me," he said, and his low voice calmed her, made her head clearer. "You must alert the Order. I'll see if I can hold them off."
He extended a hand and helped her up, but the moment she got to her feet Severus grimaced and clapped his hand to his arm.
"Quickly," he said, and without another word he ran out the door.
Arm so stiff she could hardly move it, Narcissa closed her eyes and summoned every bit of strength she had left, trying to think of something, anything, happy enough to conjure a Patronus. Her head was a mess of thoughts, coloured images swirling around in her eyes, images of Marlene screaming.
"Help me," she said, feeling stupid, because there was no one there.
Then she heard her voice.
I love you Narcissa. I love you so much.
The silver swan shot out of her wand and flew around her, just as it had when Marlene had saved her life, and its glow was like a talisman.
"Communica," she said, and the swan stopped and waited for her.
"They are coming. Get out if you can. I am on my way."
She pulled out her Time-Turner. Just in case.