XXXII.

It was difficult not knowing what was going on with Draco, but her son did at least write to her twice over the next month— once to complain about Professor Slughorn and his not being invited into his 'Slug Club', and another to complain about Harry Potter's 'unfair' placement as the Gryffindor Quidditch Captain. It seemed so normal on the outside, but he made a point to keep repeating how 'fine' he was for Narcissa to know that he was not fine at all. Still, his letters always ended with him promising he was going to do well in school this year, which Narcissa assumed was his promise that he was going to figure out some way to do what Voldemort had instructed.

The world continued to fall to shit around them. Random people like the Knight Bus conductor were getting arrested even though there was zero evidence linking him or other sporadic arrests to Death Eater activity. The Ministry was panicking though, trying to act as though they were actually doing something. Some woman named Abbott was found dead on Ministry property not too long after however, and everything spiraled some more.

Bellatrix did not update her much on what was going on behind the scenes, but Narcissa did know for certain now that the Dark Lord had Mr. Ollivander, as Bellatrix had been on some endless rant when she came back one day about how 'vermin don't need wands' and it was 'a waste of bloody time to cater to a rat'. Narcissa doubted that was the only reason the Dark Lord had a wand-maker, but she didn't allow herself to linger on the thought, because in the end she honestly did not care. The only person in the Dark Lord's clutches that she cared about was her son, and worrying about him took up the majority of her time.

Narcissa had worked out a system where she stayed at home during the week and went to Cassandra's during the weekends. Bellatrix wasn't fond of the plan at first, but then again neither was Cassandra, who wanted her over her house for half the week, as she felt like just getting weekends slighted her. Narcissa had made the mistake of laying out said plan to both of them simultaneously, and the shouting match that followed made Narcissa wonder how she could have ever had a threesome fantasy with the two of them, because the animosity hung so thickly in the air that Narcissa could practically choke on it.

Finally, the plan was settled and agreed upon, with Cassandra agreeing to her weekend deal so long as she had Narcissa and Draco over for the entire Christmas break, which seemed fair as it wasn't like Bellatrix cared much for the holidays anyway. Bellatrix told them both that she hoped they choked on their boring domesticity and, well, that was about the worst of it, which Narcissa was thankful for.

Their 'boring domesticity' was actually something Narcissa found she very much looked forward to on the weekends though, as it was the calmer waters she needed every now and then while she weathered her sister's raging storm. Not that Narcissa did not revel being trapped in Bellatrix's whirlwind though; she had a way with getting her completely out of her head, and the weeks always flew by without her getting caught up and drowning in her anxiety over Draco. Granted it mostly consisted of pushing the boundaries of their sexual fetishes to even more ridiculous extremes, but extreme was what Narcissa needed to not think. If she didn't think, she wasn't scared, and if she wasn't scared then she wasn't panicking.

It also made her time with Cassandra feel like some kind of vivid dream when she got there as well, as it was both emotional and sexual whiplash. Because it felt like a surreal and pleasant fantasy that Narcissa allowed herself to get completely caught up in it, which furthered her desire to not have multiple breakdowns over her son while he was away at school, as Narcissa knew not a single one of them would do her or him any good. It was… a very strange coping mechanism, she would admit that, but it worked — not only for herself, but for Cassandra, who seemed to forget that she was fighting a 'losing battle' whenever they were wrapped up in a haze of simplicity and romance — and if it was keeping them both sane then that was what mattered.

"No! You were supposed to stay in bed!" Narcissa protested once she saw her girlfriend enter the kitchen. Narcissa had snuck out on purpose to try to surprise her with breakfast in bed like she had promised, although her attempt could have gone… better. Cassandra, whose over-sized shirt and messy bun made her look stupidly attractive despite the casual attire, always far outstripped Narcissa's morning look which was a little annoying, seeing as she usually made a point to sleep in skimpy nightgowns. Cassandra had always been effortlessly attractive though, which made Narcissa jealous yet also managed to turn her on at the same time.

It was an odd combination, to be honest, and it usually resulted in quite a lot of staring.

"Why, were ya gonna come back and ravage me?" Cassandra teased, lightly scrunching up her shirt as she ran her nails over her hip, scratching at the faint red lines that were pressed into her skin from the bunched up blankets that she slept on. Narcissa's staring continued, although not at the woman's face, who's nose wrinkled as she looked at what was on the plate in front of Narcissa. "What is that s'posed to be?"

"Eggs," Narcissa responded defiantly, trying not to look as embarrassed as she felt by her absolute failure. She pulled herself out of her staring match with Cassandra's body and subconsciously ran her fingers through her tousled hair, hoping that if she looked attractive enough it would offset how horrible she was at domestic chores and she wouldn't get made fun of too badly. Cassandra couldn't help herself though and chuckled, causing Narcissa to put her arms down in a huff and protest, "Don't laugh!"

"How did you manage to burn parts of it, yet other parts are completely undercooked? That's talent, Cissa. They're like… runny an' crispy at the same time."

Narcissa's cheeks flared. "I tried to cook them with my wand— that's what you're supposed to do, right?"

"You're supposed to heat the pan with your wand, not the actual eggs themselves— have you really never seen your house elf cook?" Cassandra asked, still having a hell of a time trying to stifle her laughter. Narcissa was starting to look miserable though because no, she hadn't— she just always had food in the morning and never really considered how it came into being. She was beginning to feel very stupid though and Cassandra could see that, so she crossed the space between them, slipping her arms around the blonde from behind and resting her chin on her shoulder.

"Sorry— don't mean to laugh. You're just cute when ya pout," she told her, placing a gentle kiss on her lover's cheek, which was still tinged pink with embarrassment. Narcissa's pout deepened. "I appreciate that you tried, really. It means a lot." Cassandra looked down at the plate again though, her nose wrinkling. "You weren't really gonna give that to me though, right?"

"No," Narcissa responded exasperatedly, leaning back into the other woman. She liked how she fit into her arms; unlike Bellatrix (unless she was wearing those damned heeled boots she loved so much), Cassandra was actually taller than her by at least two inches, and being the naturally smaller one was a nice change. Narcissa hadn't had that with a woman since she was… well, about fourteen, come to think of it; that's when she shot up and surpassed both her sisters in height. "I already asked your house elf to make a proper breakfast— I just kept this to prove why I shouldn't ever be the one to do it. I just wanted you to know that I tried. I want you to know that I keep my promises."

"I know you do, babe— ya don't gotta prove anything to me," Cassandra assured her, softly kissing the base of the blonde's neck. Narcissa bit down on her bottom lip, her hands slipping over the ones that were gently bunching up her nightgown.

"'Babe' now, is it?" she lightly teased as she rolled her neck, allowing the woman more room to work. Cassandra's tongue traced the shell of her ear and Narcissa shuddered, enjoying the tease.

"Too much?" the younger woman husked in her ear, and Narcissa shook her head.

"No… I kind of like it actually," she breathed, allowing the term of endearment to wash over her. "It sounds sexy when you say it."

"Oh yeah?"

"Mm," Narcissa murmured as she turned around in the other woman's arms, her gaze purposeful as she backed Cassandra against the counter before she connected their lips in a fierce kiss. She grasped the younger woman's face in her hand as she broke the connection, allowing her lips to drag over Cassandra's before lightly nipping at them. "Say it again," she demanded breathlessly, and Cassandra, who always loved when Narcissa got bossy, became bloody weak at her tone as she complied without hesitation.

"Babe…" she practically whimpered, the word coming out more as a plea, and Narcissa smiled wickedly against her skin, allowing her lips to drag further down until they wrapped around the younger woman's jugular, her hand still holding tight to Cassandra's jaw as she made quick work of getting her wet and desperate. They hadn't had sex at all yesterday because she was, admittedly, still a little sore from Bellatrix, and Narcissa did not want to leave without at least giving Cassandra something, since she clearly could not manage breakfast.

Narcissa hissed softly in Cassandra's ear as she slid her free hand down the other woman's shirt, her fingers just briefly passing over her knickers. She didn't put any pressure where Cassandra needed her to though, and instead husked in her ear, "Beg me."

"Please," Cassandra gasped, her chest already flushed and her nipples practically wearing a hole in the fabric that covered her. She widened her stance in invitation, but Narcissa just continued to very lightly brush against her knickers, not giving her near enough. "Please, fuck— babe, come on…"

Narcissa grinned, feeling Cassandra's hips strain toward her. "I'm enjoying this continued use of the word 'babe'," she told her, her other hand gently tracing her lover's lips with the pads of her fingers.

"Good— now reward me," Cassandra panted, knowing exactly what she was doing. Narcissa chuckled, gently nudging the woman's head up with her nose before she wrapped her lips around the base of Cassandra's neck again, making the woman at her mercy hiss in pleasure while Narcissa's hand slipped beneath the waistband of her knickers. Cassandra was sticky with desire already and Narcissa spread her wetness over her clit as she softly stimulated her, continuing to kiss her lover's neck, her jaw, before her tongue traced the shell of Cassandra's ear.

"Cissa," she breathed, her hand tangling in a mess of blonde hair as she held Narcissa close to her. But that was about as far as they got as a very loud crack startled them both and they sprung apart as the house elf cheerfully announced:

"Breakfast is ready for the Missus'!"

"Jesus bloody—" Cassandra began to swear before she realized it wasn't the elf's fault and dismissed it with an admittedly terse, "—Thanks." Narcissa giggled as she backed away from her, teasingly placing each of her fingers in her mouth as she gently flicked her tongue over the pads of her fingers, tasting her lover's desperation.

"Guess breakfast is ready," she responded innocently, making Cassandra's mouth drop open at the insinuation.

"You're really gonna bloody leave me like this?"

Narcissa playfully smirked as she leaned against the opposite counter, her hands tucked behind her back. "Why not? You'll come so much harder if I tease you first. I could make this last all day…"

Cassandra's chest was still heaving, her lips parted in desire. They looked redder; fuller. "Are you actually tryin' to kill me? 'Cause my life insurance policy doesn't go to you, ya know."

Narcissa's smirk just widened and she shrugged innocently. She really liked how Cassandra looked when she was desperate, but she loved even more the feeling of power it gave her. "What, you think you couldn't handle it? That's disappointing."

Cassandra snorted at her attempt to goad her. "You think you're real cute, huh?"

"No, but I know you think I'm cute, and that's why you're going to do exactly what I want," Narcissa playfully told her as she moved toward the threshold of the door, holding out her hand invitingly. She wiggled her fingers, her smirk widening. "Come on— breakfast is getting cold."

Cassandra looked torn between being both frustrated yet incredibly turned on by this little game, and Narcissa heard her mutter something that suspiciously sounded like 'spoiled' under her breath before she complied with the blonde's request. They had never really done anything like this though, and Narcissa wanted to try something new with her; besides, there was something so much… lighter when it came to sex with Cassandra, they could be moaning one minute and laughing the next, and it just made everything feel easy and fun.

Narcissa had an enjoyable time during breakfast practically making love to a strawberry with her mouth as she ate it in the most provocative way possible, and collapsed in a fit of laughter when Cassandra conjured a literal wall between them so she could finish her breakfast in peace. After they had eaten, Narcissa pulled her into the parlor and told her she wanted to dance for her, which caused Cassandra to exhale a groan like she knew this was going to be the absolute death of her sanity, but she allowed Narcissa to do what she wanted anyway until Narcissa was half-naked and on top of her, and Cassandra's willpower lasted exactly… one hour and twenty two minutes since they had first begun this little game.

"Fuck, fuck— oh, that's cheating, you bitch…" Narcissa gasped out when Cassandra had apparently given up on trying to hold out and slid her hand in her lover's underwear, two of her fingers going straight inside of her. Cassandra just laughed at her name calling though as she didn't give Narcissa the courtesy of a buildup, and started roughly finger fucking her while she was atop her lap.

"You're bloody soaked— guess I'm not the only one who gets off on you bein' an absolute cunt tease…"

"Shit— you… oh my God," Narcissa panted, unable to really comprehend an actual thought as she dug her nails into the other woman's back. But it stopped as soon as it began, and when Cassandra took her fingers from her Narcissa groaned helplessly, pitching forward so that she rested her forehead against the other woman's as she attempted to breathe.

"How's it feel?" Cassandra goaded as she brought her fingers to her lips to clean them off, but Narcissa wouldn't let her. She took her lover's face in her hand and kissed her desperately, and that was about the end of their little games. They ended up a tangled mess on the floor of the parlor, Cassandra clawing up the blonde's back as Narcissa brought her to a screaming, trembling orgasm. They were both sweating, their hair mussed and skin flushed as Cassandra topped her then, looking as though she planned to go down on her, but suddenly the fireplace erupted in a bright green light.

"What the fuck?" Cassandra gaped, so in shock that she didn't move for her wand or to even cover herself. She just stared at the woman who came out of it like she was seeing a ghost, and for good reason. Narcissa turned to look at what was going on and she screamed, pushing herself up off the floor as she found her wand on the coffee table, pointing it at the intruder in warning.

"Your relationship isn't based on sex, my arse," the woman, who looked exactly like Narcissa snarled, causing the real Narcissa to exhale, putting down her wand. Just one sentence, and she knew who it was. Her expression darkened. "You're such a fucking liar, Cissy."

"I never said we didn't have— no, fuck you, what the hell is this?! Did you— did you drink Polyjuice Potion to… what the fuck, Bella! That's my face!" she shouted, feeling incredibly violated by this. Even if it was just to fuck with her, this was going too far.

Narcissa didn't even think to ask why Bellatrix had just dropped in unexpectedly either — although she probably should have — as she couldn't move past the fact that she looked exactly fucking like her. It was freaking her out, honestly; Narcissa had never had a real experience with Polyjuice Potion before and it was… extremely strange to witness. Bellatrix looked the same as her, down to the last mole.

"Oh, it's more than just your face, lover."

Wow, that sounded really weird in her own voice. Cassandra was looking at Bellatrix like she didn't know whether to be horrified or oddly turned on by essentially two Narcissas. She still did not move to get dressed or even to cover herself though, which Bellatrix noticed as she snapped, "Are you seriously just gonna stand there naked?"

"Why, it bother ya?" Cassandra asked without an ounce of shame, although not like she had anything to even be ashamed of. Her body was… well, much better than Narcissa's at any rate. Even Bellatrix was staring, and Cassandra smirked as she casually leaned back against the wall, getting some twisted sense of victory out of realizing that despite herself, Bellatrix found her body objectively attractive. That look was back in her eyes; that one that Narcissa didn't like because it made her feel like her girlfriend was going out of her mind whenever she was confronted by Bellatrix and all of the devastating reality that she brought to their relationship. "My house, innit?"

God, both of them were going to be the death of her.

"Bella, stop staring at my girlfriend's tits and look at me— why the fuck are you wearing my face?!" Narcissa shouted, striding up to her to roughly grab her arm. Bellatrix turned away from Cassandra, scowling. "You have gone way too far this time—"

"Oh, fuck off— you're the one who leaves me alone every bloody weekend; if you can't fuck me then I'm gonna damn well get whores to, and I need someone else's face to do that. You don't want it to be yours? Stop leaving your goddamn hair brushes around," Bellatrix snapped which, okay that was— well, not exactly what Narcissa was expecting — at all, actually — honestly, she couldn't go two days? And what was worse was that Polyjuice Potion takes a month to brew, which meant Bellatrix had been planning this insanity for a while. Narcissa didn't have a chance to yell at her though, as Bellatrix continued, "And we're both fucking lucky I look like this right now, because your house was just bloody raided again!"

Narcissa paled, letting go of her. Even Cassandra looked concerned as she breathed, "Shit— what happened?"

"That fucking blood-traitor Weasley came to the house with two Aurors to do another search— apparently they were acting on a 'confidential tip'," Bellatrix snarled, then directly looked at Cassandra.

"The fuck you lookin' at me for?" Cassandra snapped, offended that she would even think that. "Listen, I'm not gonna pretend that you gettin' arrested again wouldn't make mine and Cissa's lives easier, but I already told ya once that if you're found there then she's fucked too. I wouldn't do that to 'er. Besides, they even say that they were looking for you, or was it just another random toss?"

"I don't fucking know— I was too busy trying to act all indignant like Cissy would, all 'how dare you' with finger-wagging and whatnot, which was a fun façade to try to uphold as the whore I bought slunk out of the house—"

Narcissa looked horrified. She could have had the woman go out the back or something? "Bella!"

Bellatrix ignored her. "Think they said something about a dark object, but we don't have shit in that house anymore besides me, so what the fuck were they looking for?"

Narcissa exhaled a breath she hadn't realized she was holding. "I don't know— I don't care, honestly, I'm just glad you're alright," she told her, suddenly realizing that she needed to prioritize better. Yeah, her sister was wearing her face to fuck other women and that was screwed up, but it just saved her life. Damnit, she thought the raids were over— with Lucius in prison, Narcissa didn't think they would suspect her family anymore. Were they looking at her now, or worse— Draco? Did they know Bellatrix was hiding there, yet were unable to prove it yet? Narcissa was starting to grow deeply worried, and anxiety masked over her features.

"What are we going to do?" she asked softly, realizing that raid might be one of many. "Bella, if you're caught there…"

"Yeah, I fucking know," Bellatrix snapped, of the same mindset as well as the same face. "But I don't have enough Polyjuice Potion to keep playing you permanently and even if I did, there can't be two of you at your house."

"Don't they got an Auror with like a magic eye or whatever too?" Cassandra intervened. "What if he comes to the next raid an' that thing can see through your disguise?"

"Seriously— put some fucking clothes on!" Bellatrix shouted, fed up with having this conversation while the other woman was naked. Narcissa's nudeness was barely a blip on her radar since Bellatrix saw it all the time, but apparently Cassandra's was starting to grate on her nerves.

Cassandra rolled her eyes, but grabbed her over-sized shirt from off the floor and pulled it over her head. "Bloody prude, ain't ya?" she muttered, apparently not seeing the big deal. Cassandra's level of comfort with her own nudity had always been surprisingly great though; Narcissa wished she had that much confidence.

Narcissa grabbed her own nightgown from off the floor though, slipping back into it herself because in all fairness, this probably wasn't one of those conversations people should be having while stark naked. It also probably wasn't very kind to keep parading their affair in front of her sister's face, even though she had been the one to show up unannounced.

"I'm not a fucking prude; you're just the last goddamn person I want to see naked."

"Yeah, really doubt that," Cassandra snorted, apparently content on pissing Bellatrix off further as she leaned against the wall again, irritably flicking her nails. Her anxiety ticks were getting worse which made Narcissa want to kick Bellatrix straight out of the house considering her sister's mere presence seemed to remind Cassandra that things weren't as perfect as Narcissa tried to make her believe, but she also knew she couldn't considering this was a huge problem that needed a solution. Narcissa hated watching Cassandra try to gain some control over this though as she goaded Bellatrix with, "I got eyes, genius; you think I'm fit as fuck an' you hate that 'cause you hate me, but that sounds like a you problem. This is still my bloody house, so maybe if ya didn't want to see me naked you shouldn't fuckin' pop in uninvited."

"This was an emergency, you arrogant slut!"

"Stop! Both of you— Jesus," Narcissa begged, not wanting them to get into another never-ending argument. "Cass, stop goading her and Bella— I mean, to be fair, this is her house. Although," her eyes shifted to her girlfriend, narrowing, "usually the polite thing to do when guests are over is cover oneself."

"She ain't a guest— at best she's a bloody pest you can't get rid of; although I will admit she's a much better sight than usual right now," Cassandra mentioned, her eyes purposefully and slowly dragging over Bellatrix's form that was very much not her own.

Bellatrix scoffed in disgust, which only seemed to amuse Cassandra more and, oh God, she was getting off on this, wasn't she? Narcissa pinched the bridge of her nose. While she understood Cassandra did not feel like she had the upper hand with quite a lot of things that had to do with Bellatrix, that did not mean she had to exploit how uncomfortable she made her sexually just to gain some semblance of control over a situation where she felt like she had none.

"Cissy, tell your whore that if she wants to get off on the thought of two of you, I can punch her in the fucking face and make her see double."

"Bella, come on— first of all, we all know you can't, and second, the more pissed off you get the worse you're making it. She's only doing this to bother you. Which is childish, by the way," Narcissa lectured, her gaze shifting to Cassandra who rolled her eyes, but stopped pushing it and kept her mouth shut. Narcissa understood why she was doing it, but God, it was only making things worse. "Please, I know, I know you both don't like one another and I know it is entirely my fault, but we really need to figure out what we're going to do about these raids so please, please shelve your issues for the time being. That's literally all I'm asking for right now."

Cassandra looked immensely irritated all of a sudden, kicking her foot up to place it on the wall behind her as she exhaled a frustrated sigh, wringing out her hands like she couldn't stand whatever she was feeling right then. Narcissa furrowed her brow, but she didn't have to wait long for an explanation. "I have a solution, but I already fuckin' hate it because catering to her means catering to you," Cassandra responded, her blameful gaze shifting to Bellatrix, "an' frankly I wish you'd just go drown in a gutter somewhere."

"What exactly are you proposing?" Narcissa asked, holding up her hand and cutting off Bellatrix who was no doubt about to say something mean. She wanted to hear this though.

"Everyone bloody knows we're datin' now anyway, so having 'you' over here constantly wouldn't be anythin' out of the ordinary. I'd rather it be the real you, but if they find a way to see past the potion she's fucked, you're fucked… an' I don't want that. 'Sides, as far as I know my house ain't on anyone's radar. Not like I'm related to anyone who's broken out."

"Are you fucking suggesting I be your roommate?" Bellatrix asked, flabbergasted. Narcissa was just as shocked, honestly; this sounded like a recipe for disaster, especially since just being in Bellatrix's presence lately had been making Cassandra look like she was going to topple into the deep end.

"Temporarily," Cassandra stressed. "If they think they got somethin' on Cissa they'll be back, an' probably soon. Once they do and they see she's got nothin' to hide then you can get back outta my life where you belong. Believe me, I don't want this either, but this is the only bloody thing I can think of that saves her arse, an' that is the only reason I'm entertaining it."

"I don't know…" Narcissa responded warily. While it was a good plan on paper, Narcissa was honestly terrified about what it would do to Cassandra's sanity. If they got into it, and they would, Bellatrix would no doubt try to invalidate Cassandra's relationship with her and considering that was exactly what the woman was terrified of — that her relationship with Narcissa would always come second — it could very well break her. Narcissa had been trying to get Cassandra to concentrate on just them and forget about Bellatrix, but that would be hard to continue if the woman was actually living in her house.

"How bloody long is 'temporarily' though? Like I said, I don't have a lot of Polyjuice Potion— I made a decent batch so each dose can last me about six hours, but I maybe have enough for two weeks, tops. Also, just to be clear, this sounds fucking miserable."

"Just use it during the day then and stay away from my sodding windows at night— that gives you a month. Why am I the only one comin' up with solutions, here? Use your bloody head."

"Fuck off—"

Yeah, this was going to go horribly.

"—Don't fucking think for one second I don't know your endgame; if I'm stuck here, looking like her, then you're free to go over to her house and bang the hell out of her while I'm left with jack shit cause Narcissa can't be bloody seen with her double!"

"Oh, for fuck's sake," Cassandra growled, pushing herself off the wall. "Is that all you care about?! Look, you wanna make this fair, you wanna make it even? Then neither of us will see her while you're here— I don't ruddy care. What I care about is her getting out of this in one piece, an' if you gave half a shit like you bloody claim to, you would too!"

"Wait, hold on—" Narcissa protested, not liking that plan either, but Bellatrix found that to be a suitable option and relented with:

"Fine. Then all three of us are miserable— sounds like a party." She side-eyed her sister a little distastefully. "Besides, can't say I wouldn't be happy to see her not get her way for once. I'm tired of the rest of us being fucking unhappy while she gets whatever she bloody wants. It's bullshit."

Cassandra clicked her tongue in annoyance. "Agreed."

"Whoa," Narcissa intervened, feeling very ganged up on all of a sudden. Okay, yes, she probably deserved it, but still. Not to make everything all about her (except, despite her justifications, that was exactly what it was), but she needed them, both of them, to be able to emotionally deal with her terror over Draco. Without them, she was going to drown in it, not to mention if she wasn't actively around to remind Cassandra why a relationship with her was worth it, she might very well come to the conclusion that it actually wasn't, and that possibility terrified Narcissa. "Come on, we can just… I don't know, work out some sort of system—"

"No, the mental one's right— we break our sodding backs for you an' you just sit there lookin' pretty. I love ya, Cissa, but if we're suffering then you are too. It's not gonna be just us anymore."

Narcissa fell silent, her chest feeling a little hollow. She had a very bad feeling about this, both for Cassandra's sake and for her own. Bellatrix would be unhappy, sure, but she doubted this would break her— her and Cassandra though were on the verge of spiraling for, granted, two very different reasons, and Narcissa didn't know how she was going to keep her girlfriend from drowning when she doubted she could even keep her own head above water.

God, how was she supposed to spend a month alone? It wasn't even like she had any other friends or people she could see— they were it, and Narcissa… Narcissa didn't know if she was going to be able to handle that. She was emotionally very raw right now, her fear for Draco practically suffocating the life out of her, and this sounded like a recipe for disaster for all three of them. Still, in the end, Narcissa knew they had to consider the bigger picture. If this kept both her and Bellatrix safe, then they were all going to have to just suck it up and just deal with it. Narcissa just prayed that no lasting damage would come from this, as at this point that was all she could hope for.

Unfortunately, Bellatrix was right though— it was, honestly, a miserable situation for the three of them.

"Did you know she's a fucking vegetarian?" Bellatrix yelled at her through the fireplace not twenty four hours later. Apparently 'not seeing her' only referred to in person, which Narcissa was thankful for, as she didn't think she could go a month without any contact from either of them. Still, it had only been one day and already Narcissa felt very alone in her big, empty house. "What the fuck am I supposed to eat?!"

"Vegetables?" Narcissa asked, as though that should have been a logical conclusion that her sister could have reached on her own. Bellatrix exhaled an exasperated groan like her diet was the goddamn staple of her existence and having to temporarily change it was the worst possible thing someone could have asked of her.

"I'm going to fucking die here."

"Stop being dramatic, you're fine," Narcissa chastised. She looked at her sister through the flames, who did not look like her sister at all and scrunched up her nose. "This is so weird. I hate talking to you when you look like me— can you call me back tonight when you're, I don't know, more you?"

"Cissy, I have grievances," Bellatrix snarled. "This cannot wait."

Narcissa rolled her eyes. "If you need to call me and complain every time Cassandra does something you do not like, we'll always be glued to this fireplace." Not that Narcissa was complaining though, not really; she missed them both already, and if this was all she could get then she was glad for it. Still, that didn't mean she wanted to hear her sister bitch about her girlfriend the entire time either.

"She stuck me in a room with frills, Narcissa," Bellatrix growled dangerously, and Narcissa had a very difficult time trying to stifle her laughter. "She's doing this on purpose!"

"Well you're making it easy for her," Narcissa pointed out, having to briefly cover her mouth to hide that she was still smirking. She really shouldn't be finding Cassandra's torture of her funny, but Narcissa knew exactly what room Cassandra threw her into and to say it clashed with Bellatrix's personality would be an understatement. Still, she tried to explain, "Cass has always felt… very helpless when it came to you. She's finally found something that makes her feel powerful, and you're just handing that to her because you can't control your anger. She breathes and you get pissed off; that gives her the upper hand more than you realize. If you keep giving her what she wants, she's going to continue to screw with you. You're doing this to yourself."

"Cissy, I… fucking hate her," Bellatrix seethed, her chest heaving with the force of her emotion. "It's not me doing this to myself— you're doing this to me. If you weren't so fucking useless on your own and didn't have to lick her cunt fifteen bloody years ago just to feel like you were worth a damn—"

"Hey!" Narcissa snapped, beginning to grow upset herself. "Maybe if you hadn't have left me to make your warped fucking declarations to the man you love—"

"Stop saying that!"

"I will when you start owning it!" Narcissa exclaimed furiously. "Despite what you probably believe, I will never fault you for falling in love with someone else, even if it is him. It'd be pretty damn hypocritical of me if I did. But don't you sit there and pretend like you're the victim in all of this. You left me and I broke. I was not well back then, Bella, and the sick part of me latched onto Cassandra and tried to suck her dry like I had done with everyone else because I didn't know any different. It's how I survived. But things are different now—"

Bellatrix snorted sardonically.

"Okay, fine, I know I still use people— I'm not disillusioned to that fact. I use her, I use you, I used Lucius when he was still here… but I'm trying to at least give something back to those I keep sucking dry, and that's why I've practically been your sex slave, because I know that's what you want. Do you know how badly I wish we had something more romantic than that? But I know that's never been what you prefer—"

"You don't know what the fuck I prefer," Bellatrix snapped, suddenly sounding upset. Narcissa's brow creased, not having expected that.

"Do you… do you want something more romantic with me?" Narcissa asked softly, her heart clenching in her chest. She wanted that more than anything, to be honest, but she never thought her sister's desires aligned with her own. Bellatrix exhaled an exasperated breath, rolling her eyes.

"What, like long walks on the beach and flowers and junk? Of course I bloody don't, but I know that's what you fucking do for her, isn't it?"

Narcissa exhaled a small sigh. So much for her dream. "Yes, that is what I do for her, because she appreciates it. If you did too, I would do the same for you." Her brow creased, looking at the mirror image of herself through the flames. It was still so disorienting, so Narcissa just tried to picture her sister's face in her mind's eye. "Just tell me what you want and it's yours. If I'm not giving you what you need, Bella, tell me how to do better."

Bellatrix was silent for a long time, upset creasing the space between her brow. She would not look at her. "I just… I want you to fucking look at me and see someone who's enough for you," Bellatrix admitted softly, causing Narcissa's eyes to brim with upset as she watched her sister slam more walls between them. Her tone turned icy. "But you never will, so it doesn't matter. At least I can take comfort in the fact that she will never be enough for you either, but it doesn't make it better, Cissy. In fact, it's pretty fucking far from it."

"Bella…"

But Bellatrix did not stick around to hear her excuses. She cut her off and said she had to go take another dose of the potion and Narcissa was left alone to reflect upon that accusation until she realized that Bellatrix was right. Perhaps no one ever would be enough for her. What Narcissa wanted in her life would never be able to come from one person, as that much light could never inhabit that much darkness, and she needed both of those things so very desperately.

Although, perhaps calling Cassandra a light was a bit of a stretch right now. She was, arguably, much more so than Bellatrix, but this roommate situation was bringing out a side of her that Narcissa had never seen before. It wasn't a darkness that was terrifying and all-consuming like her sister's, but it certainly had left it's mark on Cassandra's soul all the same as her fear over her and Bellatrix's relationship began to take hold of her, and she lashed out by trying to assert some sort of strange dominance over Bellatrix.

"You're looking very pleased with yourself and I'm a little afraid to ask why," Narcissa mentioned during one of her fireplace conversations with her girlfriend. She had become more and more dependent on contact from them in this way, as the longer she was away from both, the more Narcissa's loneliness began to consume her. The amount of times she had already broken down over Draco was rather substantial, so she desperately held onto these distractions when she was able to, needing to get caught up in something other than her own misery and fear for once.

"I haven't done anythin'."

Narcissa narrowed her eyes, taking notice that the other woman wouldn't meet her gaze when she said that. This whole feud was both terribly childish and absolutely terrifying for a myriad of different reasons, but it at least provided a decent distraction from Narcissa's unpleasant reality and, for about fifteen seconds, she didn't think about how terrified she was for her son. "Cassie, I love and adore you very much, but I have to say, the color this has brought out in you hasn't been the most flattering."

Cassandra scoffed. "Oh, please. If you can love a scathing cunt like that, then what I may or may not be doin' shouldn't even bloody register to you."

"I'm not saying I love you any less for this cruel streak you've adopted, I'm just concerned what it's doing to you, honestly," Narcissa responded softly, gently leaning her head against the face of the mantle as she looked at the woman within the flames. She hated the look in Cassandra's eyes now; there was a darkness there that never used to be, and Narcissa was terrified that the longer this went on, the worse it was going to get. "Please don't let your bitterness consume you. I promise, I appreciate what you're doing very much and I will make it up to you once this is all over. Do you still want to go away somewhere? I could take you to Greece, or…"

From Cassandra's end of the connection came a fit of screaming rage.

"Oh God," Narcissa groaned, a sense of foreboding invading the pit of her stomach. Her sister strode into the parlor then, stark arse naked and wet in Narcissa's body. She had a pile of what looked to be body wash containers in her hand before she started throwing them at Cassandra.

Well, not at at Cassandra. If she hit her that might fall under the 'physical harm' part of her Unbreakable Vow, so she was more throwing them near her than anything else.

"What is this flowery shit?!" Bellatrix screamed, having kicked herself into another rage at the most minor of inconveniences. She was like a toddler in that way though. "Where is the stuff I was using before?!"

"Yeah, think I developed an allergy to my husband's shit— had to toss 'em all. Sorry," Cassandra responded with an impressively straight face. Bellatrix's eyes darkened in rage.

"Bella, I know it's my body and that's probably why you don't care, but please put some clothes on!" Narcissa pleaded, finding it very weird that her sister was naked in front of Cassandra. Although, to be fair, it wasn't like this hadn't happened the other way around, and Cassandra's body had been her own at the time.

"Fuck off, Narcissa, look at what you're subjecting me to!"

"It's just soap, for God's sake…"

"You know what?" Bellatrix growled, pointing at Cassandra dangerously. Narcissa found she did not like the way her arm jiggled at all when Bellatrix did that, and resolved to work out more during her period of isolation. She wasn't in her twenties anymore, and it was unfortunately beginning to show on both her own body and the one Bellatrix was essentially borrowing. "You wanna play? That's fine; I'll make you regret you ever started this game in the first place, and that's a fucking promise." Bellatrix stalked out of the parlor then, presumably to finish bathing, and Cassandra just rolled her eyes in response, unperturbed.

Narcissa shot her girlfriend a chastising look. "Is everything you're doing to her this petty?" Honestly, by the self-satisfied look on the woman's face, Narcissa was expecting something much worse. But then again, it seemed she didn't have to do anything worse, as Bellatrix threw a fit regardless. She really did make it far too easy for Cassandra.

"Hey, s'not my fault she loses her bleedin' mind over the smallest shit. Seriously, I could move somethin' she was usin' two inches to the left an' she'd have a fuckin' meltdown. It's hilarious." And she did, honestly, look like she was getting some sort of sick kick out of it. Apparently, Cassandra very much enjoyed feeling powerful, even if it was over some stupid shit like this.

"I think… I think this situation is just making her feel very out of control right now, and what little control she does have you keep snatching from her. That's why she's so upset. I can understand your desire not to have meat in the house for her or for anyone, but Jesus, just let her smell how she wants to smell! Is this really worth it?"

"This is absolutely worth it," Cassandra told her without an ounce of shame for what she was putting Bellatrix through. "You know how out of control I've felt ever since she came back? She smacked a fuckin' Bludger right into the life I wanted, an' I tried to let it go, I really did, but I feel like I'm losin' my goddamn mind because I know, I know this is never gonna fuckin' end— an' minor inconveniences might not be enough to pay her back for that, but it's a start."

Oh God. This was exactly what Narcissa was afraid of.

"Cass, please, if you keep doing this it's not going to lead anywhere good for any of us."

"I've done enough favors for you, Cissa. Stop askin' for more," Cassandra bit back, and Narcissa fell silent as her stomach twisted into knots. Perhaps she should have known it would always get to this place; Cassandra's patience and her sanity could only last so long as Narcissa seemed to always rip both of those things from her lovers, and while she seemed unwilling to shift the blame to Narcissa where it no doubt belonged, she still felt the need to take it out on someone, and that someone was Bellatrix.

Narcissa just hoped they both were able to survive the rest of this situation without killing each other or their respective relationships, as while Narcissa understood this was a necessary precaution, she did not wish to lose either of them over it. She loved both of them far too much to ever fathom letting either go, but perhaps in the end, that was the problem.

TBC…

Author's Note:
The next part of this story is an 18k one shot called "What She Deserves" that is told from Bellatrix's POV. It will be posted on Saturday in place of Chapter 33, but of course is optional to read should you wish to stay in Narcissa's POV and get the whiplash of the fucking century, lol. Either be on the lookout on my profile or subscribe to author alerts to get notified of when it's posted.

Also, due to me starting school in September and no longer having as much time as I would like, updates will be decreasing to once a week after the one shot. "What She Deserves" will be posted on Saturday, and then Chapter 33 will be posted the following Saturday, September 5th, because that's always been an easier day for me to do things than Wednesday. Updates will increase back to twice a week if one of these three things happen: 1) COVID ruins lives once more, shit gets shut down, and I get to stop going to my restaurant job and thus have way more free time again, lol. 2) I go fucking HAM on this shit just randomly and get too far ahead, or 3) I actually finish the fic, in which case why continue endlessly hoarding, lol. But for now, this seems better for my sanity.