So I know that I said that the next fic in this series would be Teddy's, but that turned out to be way more complicated than I was anticipating, so its being delayed for now until I can iron out the timeline and sort out what goes in Teddy's story, and what goes in Victoire's story (which is going to be its companion piece). So instead: have a Narcissa fic!
I'm not going to lie, I've been kind of looking forward to this one ever since I came up with the series idea because Narcissa is a fascinating character. I didn't manage to include everything I wanted but I'm pretty happy with how it turned out.
I decided to experiment with something new for the main scene thread so it's just dialogue and Narcissa is basically just recapping things we mostly already know under veritaserum. It's up to you to decide how much of what she's saying is stream of consciousness vs carefully chosen to give off the right impression. I'm really interested to see how well it works out in practice since in my word document everything the interviewer is saying is highlighted so I can easily find it and that's not the case here.
Trigger Warning: There are references to character deaths both canon and not and there are also mentions of miscarriages (its merely stated that a character has experienced them). If you have read previous works in the series then there is also a brief reference to a still birth but if you have not then you will not notice the reference. There are also references to canonical child deaths and mentions of (canonical) child soldiers commiting murder.
. . .
"If you attack my son again, I shall ensure that it is the last thing you ever do"
. . .
"You are Narcissa Violetta Malfoy née Black?"
"Yes."
"Born 6th of May 1955?"
"Yes."
"And you understand why you are here?"
"To testify about the events of the Battle of Hogwarts and my own part in both it and the war as a whole. You will also be using my testimony to cross reference with others to discern whether they are lying and to gain a better picture of the whole."
"Good. And you freely consented to drinking the Veritaserum?"
"I did."
"Then we shall begin. Where were you when the Battle of Hogwarts started?"
"I was outside the wards, with my husband, my sister, and my brothers-in-law. The Dark Lord had decided, from what seemed to be out of the blue, that Hogwarts had to be made an example of. Later I discovered that Alecto Carrow had summoned him using the Dark Mark and in doing so confirmed to him that Harry Potter was on the grounds. He had decided that with the exception of the Carrow siblings and Severus Snape, everyone within the castle had rebelled and needed to be made an example of. The teachers attempting to evacuate the school before he had made his announcement and the reinforcement and raising of wards only confirmed this for him. He summoned all those to his side that were not already there and any and every ally that was available. He wanted to make sure there was no opportunity for Mr Potter to escape him once again. He sent my son in against the wishes of myself and my husband, and I gave Draco my wand so that he was not defenceless. I later discovered that my son had been helping the rebellion within Hogwarts walls from the beginning, but at the time I feared he was being sent to his death, something that I would have done anything to prevent."
"I see. And after the fighting started?"
"My husband and I were both wandless, and as such, could not be included in the fighting. Instead, we remained behind with the Dark Lord whilst the bulk of his forces attacked. That was when Severus Snape approached us, having apparently fled the castle when the evacuation started. The Dark Lord asked to speak to him privately, I'm told he took Severus to the Shrieking Shack. Myself, my husband, Richard Avery, Jonah Selwyn, Egbert Travers, and Vanessa Hogarth were told to go to the Forbidden Forest and secure an area for the innermost circle of Death Eaters to gather whilst the others rallied the rest of the Dark Lord's forces during what we were told would be a temporary lull in the fighting. Despite being wandless, my husband and I obeyed. The consequences of disobeying would have been dire and not something we wanted to risk."
"What happened during the hour-long truce the self-styled Dark Lord Voldemort, born Tom Marvolo Riddle, called in order to persuade Harry Potter to come to him?"
"The inner circle gathered. My sister came to me and told me how she had killed our niece, as the Dark Lord had demanded of her some nine or ten months previous. We were informed that Severus Snape had been killed by Order members during the retreat – later I discovered that this was a lie and that it had been the Dark Lord that had killed him, for reasons that still are not clear to me, despite knowing now that he was a spy and a traitor to the Dark Lord since before he had regained power – information that I do not believe the Dark Lord had at that time.
"Not including Severus Snape, or the three former Death Eaters that had turned on the Dark Lord and not yet been killed, seven of those who bore the Dark Mark and who should have come to the forest did not return, my son among them. I, and I believe my husband too, became more anxious with every minute that passed without my son returning. We feared that he had been captured or worse, killed. None of those that returned had any information for me either way, which meant I had no way of knowing if he was injured, or even alive and I will admit that I became quite frantic. My husband was also worried, but unlike myself had some incomprehensible measure of faith that Draco would be absolutely fine.
"I do not think that he had any inkling of the fact that Draco had switched sides at all, although I myself had several strong suspicions that he was not as supportive of the Dark Lord as he portrayed himself and as others believed, and that he instead had hidden doubts about the Dark Lord's cause. I believed that he simply obeyed out of obligation to us and that whilst he did not necessarily agree with or believe in the entirety of the Dark Lord's cause, that he would toe the line and keep his head down in order to protect himself and us. I know now that I was wrong, that he had picked his side and that he was no longer willing to be satisfied with subterfuge in the battle that we all believed would decide things one way or another, although I'm sure the possibility of the Dark Lord failing did not cross the minds of many, if indeed any, of those in the clearing. That was when Mr Potter arrived, practically at the deadline."
. . .
"She would have been nice-looking if she hadn't been wearing a look that suggested there was a nasty smell under her nose"
. . .
Narcissa fiddled with the sleeves of her dress robes anxiously.
"Cissy, stop that!" Her mother scolded her. "You need to make a good impression. Not act like a scared little girl."
"What if he doesn't like me?"
Her mother's gaze softened. "He will, don't worry."
"But what if he doesn't?"
"Then he's an idiot and he'll either have to learn to appreciate a wonderful girl like you or have to live with the fact that he could have had you as his wife if he hadn't managed to screw it up like an idiot."
Narcissa ducked her head a bit to hide her smile. Her mother always knew how to make her feel better. She was old enough to realise that a lot of the other pureblood ladies disapproved of her mother, and that lots of them were not happy that her parents had married, even now, ten years afterwards. But Narcissa didn't care - in fact, she was sure that she has the best mother in the world. She didn't think any of the other pureblood ladies encouraged their children when they were nervous. And she knew that Julia Travers' mother didn't do her hair for her or tell her stories before bed or fuss over her dress robes before important meetings. Julia Travers' mother didn't even go with her to meet Amadeus Selwyn when they got betrothed. And Amanda Goyle's mother didn't go with her when she went to meet Logan Rosier either. The other pureblood girls could be as sniffy and snooty as they liked about her parent's marriage. Narcissa is a Black and she has parents that love her and support her and tell her so. So there!
"Now remember," Her mother said, "Lucius Malfoy is the heir to the Malfoy Family, so be polite, but do not forget that you are a Black. Our family's position is at least as high as theirs, and we are larger, older, and have more allies than they do. Do not let him treat you like you are below him. Marriages are built on respect - and that goes both ways. Give him only as much respect as he gives you, and demand that he respect you in turn as is your due."
"Yes, Mum. I mean Mother."
Druella Black smiled at her daughter. "Good. Now are you ready?"
Narcissa swallowed loudly. "I think so."
Her mother nodded. "I will be right here if you need me."
Narcissa smiled. "Thank you." She said softly.
Her mother sent her one last encouraging look and opened the door, ushering her into the front parlour, where Lucius Malfoy stood in all of his eleven-year-old glory. He was almost a whole head taller than her and his hair was a pale blonde colour so light that it was almost white. His robes were black and embroidered with green and silver, cut in the same manner as Logan Rosier's were the last time she had seen him, and they were lined with a silky looking material that probably cost more than the making of the robes themselves. His face was a bit pointed and he was wearing a nasty sneer that Narcissa recognised from when Madam Parkinson made a sneering comment about unwed mothers the last time the afternoon tea was held in their house, and her mother's lips had gone tight, and Aunt Walburga and Aunt Lucretia had both graced the witch with identical condescending looks. All in all, Narcissa was not overly impressed with her possible future husband.
But her mother had told her to make a good impression. "Narcissa Black," She said, offering her hand to him, "A pleasure, I'm sure."
Instead of taking her hand in his to either bow over or kiss, as he should, he looked down his nose at her and took a subtle but deliberate step back. "Lucius Malfoy, heir to the House of Malfoy, and the pleasure's all yours." he said superciliously.
Narcissa curled her lip the way she'd seen Bella do when she was particularly displeased - something that Bella had learned from Aunt Walburga. "All mine? I'm not sure what they teach you in House Malfoy, but in House Black we learn manners. And that means behaving politely and properly when faced with a member of a fellow House, rather than like an ill-bred mudblood that never learnt the difference between a Lady and a lady."
"Ill-bred?" Lucius Malfoy sputtered. "How dare you! I'm a Malfoy - I can trace my lineage back nearly a thousand years. How dare you call me an ill-bred mudblood!"
"I didn't call you ill-bred, I said that you were behaving like you were, which my sister would say is far worse. And I don't know why you're squawking about how far back you can trace your ancestry when I can trace mine back at least as far." Narcissa turned her face away from him with a 'hmph', but didn't dare turn her body away, as that was rude, and her grandmother would be furious to hear that she'd even considered doing such a thing. She was sure that her grandmother would be more furious at how awfully the Malfoy heir was behaving, but she didn't want to get scolded, so she restrained herself to sniffing rather loudly in disapproval.
"I don't know why you're behaving like you're so superior. You're just a stupid little child that hasn't learnt that you're not a grown up yet!"
Narcissa whipped her head around to glare at him. "I am not! I'm eight, you're not that much older than me, and at least I'm smart enough to know that acting like you are superior means nothing if you behave like a spoilt brat!"
"Oh, eight, are you?" He sneered. "My apologies, I mistook you for a five-year old with your immature tactics. And I'm going to Hogwarts this September, and I have my own wand - which makes me miles more grown up than you are!"
Narcissa raised an eyebrow at him, glad that Bella had finally given in to her and Andy's begging and taught them how, internally seething at how rude he was. "Oh, you have your own wand, do you. Do you know how to use it yet or are you still at the 'waving it around to see how cool it looks' stage?" She asked viciously.
Lucius Malfoy turned bright pink all the way up to his hairline, making him look ridiculous if you asked Narcissa's opinion. "You don't know anything, you stupid little girl! You're just jealous because I have a wand and a Hogwarts letter and my parents didn't cause a scandal with two teenage pregnancies and then had to get married in a hurry so that they didn't have two children out of wedlock!"
Narcissa's mouth opened in taken-aback shock at the sheer audacity.
"Lucius!" The woman behind him hissed. "Don't be so rude."
"But Mother-"
"I may not have a Hogwarts letter or a wand yet, but at least I don't have any squibs for siblings and know better than to insult my host in front of them. My parents taught me manners, you clearly never learnt."
Malfoy gasped in offense then pushed his way past her out of the parlour, deliberately bumping her as he went instead of going around her like any proper pureblood.
"I am so sorry, Druella, I don't know what could have got into him. He's normally so much more well-behaved and polite. I'll have words with him." Lady Malfoy said to Narcissa's mother whilst Narcissa was busy brushing over her dress robes and making sure Lucius Malfoy hadn't damaged or dirtied them in any way.
"It's quite alright, Christiana. I know how children can be, and Bellatrix was quite the diva the summer before going to Hogwarts. I'm sure things will go better next time." Druella Black reassured her, with a smile that Narcissa recognised as the fake one she used whenever Grandmother Irma started one of her speeches about how she hoped Mother and Father were raising them right and to learn from their mistakes since she is sure that no proper pureblood witch would ever intentionally get pregnant outside of marriage, and she does hope that at least father's children will learn how to use contraceptives appropriately. Whatever contraceptives even are.
Narcissa 'hmphed' and crossed her arms, looking away from where Lucius Malfoy had stormed off and his had mother followed.
"I'm sorry, Narcissa," Mum- Mother said, "I thought that would go better. Are you okay?"
Narcissa looked up at her mother. "I don't like him!" She nodded her head decisively.
Her mother covered her mouth with her hand to hide a smile and giggled quietly.
Narcissa just 'hmphed' again. She pitied whoever the poor witch was that ended up marrying Lucius Malfoy. He was awful. She just had to get through the next seven years of meet-ups and then she could find someone else to marry and she would never have to speak to him again if she didn't want to. Maybe she'd ask Bella and Andy to tell him off for her. She was sure they'd be happy to once they find out about the awful things he had said about her and Mother and Father.
. . .
"He says that you saved his life."
"I'm not certain that those are the words I would have chosen."
"What happened?"
"The Dark Lord expressed disappointment and disbelief that Harry Potter would not come to him during the armistice. Mr Potter contradicted him, loudly, and took off the invisibility cloak that he had worn to make his way to the clearing. Many of the others in the clearing gasped or even laughed when they saw him. Rubeus Hagrid, the former Groundskeeper and Care of Magical Creatures Professor, shouted at him – Thorfinn Rowle and two others, the identities of whom I don't remember although both are almost certainly on the list that I provided last week and I am sure that Mr Hagrid will remember them, had brought him with them to the clearing – I'm not sure if it was as some sort of show of power or because they wanted someone to torment – but he was tied to a tree on the edge of the clearing. Mr Potter did not say anything, he simply looked at the Dark Lord and stood there in silence.
"The Dark Lord said something to him then – I think he called him 'the boy who lived' but I don't really remember. Mr Potter did not move, and the Dark Lord cast the Killing Curse. Mr Potter fell to the ground, apparently dead, and the Dark Lord collapsed at the same moment. Several people rushed towards him to provide aid – my sister included. He refused all assistance and only my sister remained at his side as he rose. He asked if Mr Potter was dead, and I cannot speak for the others, but I did not dare move. He used a spell to select me and told me to go and examine Mr Potter. To tell him whether he was dead.
"I cannot recall now most of what I was thinking at the time, just that he looked very small on the ground and that I wouldn't know what I would do if Draco were in his position. I checked his eyes, his heart, his breathing. I knew he was alive almost as soon as I touched him, but I also knew that I couldn't reveal that, not if I wanted to protect Draco.
"I remember someone saying within my hearing once, that there is nothing a Black will not turn their back on, no ally they will not betray, if it meant protecting their family. At the time I thought it was a rather melodramatic way of saying that we were loyal to the people we cared for. Now I know that what they meant was that I would put my family ahead of anything and everything. That I will choose my son above everybody else."
. . .
"There is nothing I wouldn't do anymore!"
. . .
"Bella, will you please stop fussing."
Bellatrix paused from where she was plumping a pillow for Narcissa to put her feet on.
"I'm not fussing."
Narcissa closed her eyes and leaned back further into Lucius' arms. "You've spent the last hour fussing." She opened her eyes to give her older sister an exasperated look. "First you asked whether I wanted tea, or perhaps a snack, and I said 'no', but you decided to make Mipsy fetch me some anyway. Then you insisted that Lucius and I move to this sofa rather than the other because it's larger and we would be more comfortable. Then you decided I needed a heat pack for my back, so you conjured one for me and spent twenty minutes trying to place it just right. Then you decided that soothing music should be playing and spent twenty minutes choosing the right song, and then you decided that instead of just having my feet up on the sofa, I should have them propped up on pillows. And so you started fluffing them. By hand." She smiled at Bellatrix in amusement.
"Alright fine! Maybe I'm fussing a little."
Narcissa hummed slightly in disagreement and she felt Lucius stifle a snort.
"I just think that as the mother of my first nephew, you should take a bit more care of yourself."
Narcissa softened. Bellatrix still bore the scars of what happened with Rigel, scars that Narcissa doubted would ever truly fade. And between Regulus' disappearance, Uncle Orion's untimely death, and Narcissa's three previous miscarriages in the first trimester, it was understandable that her sister was worried about her.
"I have Great-Aunt Dorea waiting just a floo call away if I need an emergency Healer and Healer Smethwyck on call for the moment that I feel the slightest bit of pain, or even if I just think something is off. Lucius is with me at practically all hours of the day at this point, and in the rare times he's not I have both Mipsy and Dobby hovering and ready to obey my every whim and Christiana checking on me every thirty seconds. I'm only three and a half weeks out from my due date, and at the last check-up - the day before yesterday – Healer Smethwyck said that everything was fine, and that little Draco looked perfectly healthy."
"Little Corona." Lucius corrected her.
Narcissa tilted her head back to give him a stern look. "I'm telling you, this little one is a boy, I just know it."
Lucius shook his head at her and smiled slightly, "No, no, we're having a girl - I'm certain of it. The Malfoy instinct never lies, four generations of fathers have correctly predicted the gender of their children. Our baby is going to be a girl."
"Four generations of Malfoys may have been correct, but this fifth generation will not be. A mother always knows, dear, and I know that the little one is going to be Draco."
Lucius hummed into her hair. "We'll see."
Bellatrix just stared at them in disgust. "You two are revolting. No one else is like this."
Rodolphus - apparently finally fed up with his wife's hovering - got up from where he was sitting in the corner armchair and gently guided his wife to sit on the sofa with her mother.
Druella Black, for her part, didn't say a word and just continued sipping the lemon balm and raspberry leaf tea that Narcissa had been craving for the last month, and that Bellatrix insisted was one of the most disgusting things she had ever put in her mouth. Narcissa had her doubts about the last part but kept it to herself. She knew that if it weren't for the baby then she wouldn't want to drink the tea either.
"You don't know the gender then?" Rodolphus asked, having apparently taken his wife's word for the fact that they would be having a nephew.
"No, not for certain." Narcissa looked up at her husband. "We wanted it to be a surprise, and Healer Smethwyck said that she couldn't get a clear result for the gender anyway, so it all worked out."
"And it will be a surprise. A surprise daughter." Lucius insisted.
Narcissa tutted at him. "Agree to disagree then."
Lucius opened his mouth to argue the point again but before he could Narcissa cut him off, lurching forward with a gasp.
"What is it?"
"What's wrong?"
"Narcissa?"
"Cissy!"
Narcissa sat up straight, took a deep breath, and very calmly and evenly said: "I'm almost certain that my water just broke. Someone should floo the Healer. Now."
. . .
"I asked Mr Potter if Draco was alive. If he was in the castle. I do not know what I would have done if the answer to either of those questions was 'no'. I like to think I would have helped him anyway. Certainly, my cousin had died fighting to protect him so perhaps I would have done the same. Perhaps I would have turned on the Dark Lord then and there, wandless as I was. I do not know. Mr Potter told me that my son was alive and in the castle. That was the only thing that mattered to me at the time. I knew that the best chance I had of getting to him was as a member of a conquering army. So, I lied. I told the Dark Lord and everyone present that he was dead. People started celebrating and yelling in triumph that the boy who lived was dead. I only remember feeling sick to my stomach that people that I had once considered friends were celebrating the death of a boy no older than my son.
"I am a mother first. I had stopped caring whether the Dark Lord won the moment he first threatened my son, the only thing I cared about was making sure that Draco survived the war. I suppose it is true that I did not hesitate to turn my back on those that I had considered my friends and allies. I did not tell my husband that I had lied, nor that Draco was in the castle. Although I did say that this was our opportunity to find him, should the Dark Lord do a display of victory…
"I am sorry, I have diverged from what I was supposed to be telling you. Where was I?"
"You said that Harry Potter was dead, and the Death Eaters started celebrating."
"Right, yes. Thank you. The Dark Lord himself was screeching in triumph and then, I think to prove that he had won against Mr Potter, he cast the Cruciatus Curse on what he believed to be Mr Potter's dead body. I was terrified that Mr Potter would react and that my deception would be realised, but he did not. When the Dark Lord was satisfied with the humiliation he had heaped upon what he believed to be his deceased former foe, he forced Mr Hagrid to pick him up and carry him back to the castle, I believe more people laughed at this, but I was just focussed on getting to the castle and getting to my son, something which Lucius, for all that he was somewhat pleased by the fact that Mr Potter was dead, was in agreement with me over. For the two of us, the most important thing was getting to Draco. On the way back to the castle we encountered centaurs. Mr Hagrid began to yell at them but broke down before he could finish. I believe much of the herd was stood there in order to watch us pass. Some of the Death Eaters, foolishly, in my opinion, insulted and jeered at the centaurs as we passed.
"We reached the edge of the forest, and the Dark Lord announced to everyone that Harry Potter was dead and added a lie about cowardice besides. He said that he had brought his body as proof that their hero was gone and that their battle was lost. He said that any who continued to resist would be slaughtered alongside their entire family and I confess that the only thing on my mind once I had heard that was the fate of my late Great-Aunt Dorea. The Dark Lord had attempted to assassinate her husband, Charlus Potter, in late 1980 – he was the then head of the DMLE. She was present, along with her son, daughter-in-law, and three-year old grandson. I do not know how he imagined it would go – if he really thought that she would just stand aside and let him murder her husband. I know he certainly wasn't expecting her to fight back. I do not know the details, I just know that he went to their house to get rid of the head of the DMLE because he believed that Charlus Potter was getting in the way, and he left their house having slaughtered everyone inside it. I was terrified that if he knew I had lied that the same fate would befall Draco. I kept quiet. He said that if the castle defenders knelt before him then they would be spared."
. . .
"She no longer cared whether Voldemort won"
. . .
The dry grass crunched under her feet as Narcissa approached the gravestone. Draco hovered anxiously behind her.
Dora Tonks Lupin
Beloved daughter. Dear wife. Adoring mother.
2 June 1973 - 2 May 1998
It takes both sunshine and rain to make a rainbow.
"Hello, niece." Narcissa conjured a bouquet of white Dahlias and Rhododendrons - the traditional flowers to be laid on the tomb of a Black. "I'm told you were quite the witch. Certainly, I don't know anyone outside of my cousin that ever managed to get to Bella like that. I'm sorry that we never had the chance to meet properly. Although I don't know that any meeting would have gone well. I heard you have a son. I'm sorry that he will grow up without you. I'm sure that he will make you proud. Especially if Mr Potter has anything to say about it."
Draco touched her shoulder, lightly. "Hello, Tonks," He repeats his mother's greeting. "Hello Professor Lupin," He adds to the grave beside hers. "We won. And I don't think we could have done it without you. I hope this knowledge gives you peace. And thank you, for everything that you taught me, the both of you." He turns back to Narcissa. "Mother-"
"Hello, Cissy. I wasn't expecting to see you here." Narcissa and Draco both whipped around, wands pointed at the speaker and spells on their lips before they realised that there was no threat.
Andromeda Tonks huffed out half a laugh. "Apologies, guess that's on me. I know how I get when people sneak up on me, I should have realised that the two of you would be the same." She said, a wry smile playing about her lips. "War." She added as some form of explanation.
"Madam Tonks," Draco stepped forward, "I'm terribly sorry for your loss, I didn't know Tonks, uh - I mean your daughter – well, but she helped me out a lot. I was one of the Fleur de Lis? With Marcus Flint?"
"I know. Harry told me. He seemed somehow both surprised and utterly nonplussed. And, of course, you're also my nephew." Andromeda nodded towards Narcissa, who still hadn't moved except to lower her wand. "New wand, Cissy?"
"Mine was lost in the Battle of Hogwarts…" Narcissa trailed off. "Andy. I really wasn't expecting to see you here."
"You weren't expecting to see me at my daughter and son-in-law's graves?"
"You don't normally come on Wednesdays. And I didn't think you'd want to see me."
Andromeda breathed in deeply and Draco took a step back so that his mother could have this conversation without his interference. He had a feeling this had been a long time coming.
"Cissy, my whole family is dead. The only people that I have left are Teddy and Harry. I haven't spoken to you in years, and I didn't trust myself to reach out to you when both of us have lost so much, so recently."
"I thought you would hate me."
"You're still my little sister, Cissy. I may never have liked your husband, but you're a widow now, same as me. It would be petty of me to hold a grudge over a dead man and our mutual older sister that we both know went crazy a long time ago."
Narcissa started to cry. "Losing Rigel changed her, and losing Regulus meant she would never recover. I thought I had her back for a while, that summer afterwards. But as soon as October came around, she slipped away again, and I couldn't find a way to pull her back. She and the Lestranges, Evan, the Crouch boy. Their grief and madness all fed into each other. And the Dark Lord encouraged it all."
Andromeda stepped forward. "I don't know that either of us could have saved her, but that doesn't make everything that followed your fault."
"You lost your daughter!" Narcissa hiccupped.
"And my husband. And my son-in-law. But you are not to blame for the actions of others."
"I could have stopped them!"
"Maybe. But maybe they would have killed you too. And then where would we be. I'm tired of resenting you. I'm tired of this silence between us that meant you never got to meet Dora. I'm tired of maybes and tired of fighting. Merlin blast it, Cissy, I'm just so fucking tired!"
"Swearing is unbecoming." Narcissa sniffed.
"So is crying in public." Andromeda retorted. "We're grown women, Narcissa, and Mother and Father are dead and years in the ground. The only reason I could even go to their funerals is Black tradition, and Great-Aunt 'Peia insisting. And I know that you know that."
"I missed you."
"Oh, Cissy!" Andromeda closed the final gap between them and hugged her little sister. "I missed you too!"
They spent a long while in silence, hugging each other and hiding tears in the other's shoulders. Andromeda was the first to speak. "This doesn't solve anything, and it doesn't mean I forgive you and it certainly doesn't erase the last thirty-odd years. But I want to try."
"I want that too." Narcissa whispered into her shoulder, and pretended that it was wet because it rained, and not because she was crying, even though the graveyard is bone dry. She stepped back and wiped her eyes. "Let's try this again. Andy, this is a pleasant surprise. It's been too long. Have you met my son, Draco?" She beckoned him forward to meet his aunt properly. This time will go better than the last. It has to.
"Hello Draco, I'm Andromeda - your mother and I are sisters. I'm glad to meet you."
. . .
"The defenders left the Entrance Hall and Professor McGonagall reacted much the same way I think I would have reacted had I been in her position and Draco in Mr Potter's. Many people shouted their denials and grief at his death, and I spent the whole time searching for Draco amongst the crowd and was unable to find him. I did not pay attention to what happened next, I could not find Draco and nothing else mattered to me in that moment. I just remember that the Dark Lord repeatedly attempted to silence the defenders and failed, and that Neville Longbottom attempted to attack the Dark Lord and was defiant and rude to him. He said that…
"He said that he would join the Dark Lord when hell froze over. The Dark Lord attempted to make an example out of Mr Longbottom and failed. Reinforcements came from out of nowhere it seemed, and the Death Eater ranks were suddenly under attack, despite all of the Dark Lord's allies having been gathered during the march to the castle. Mr Longbottom did something with the sword of Gryffindor then. I remember seeing it flash but being too preoccupied in attempting to make it to the ranks of the defenders to look for Draco. I know my husband was close on my heels, partially to protect me and partially because he was becoming more desperate to find our son too. I am told that Mr Potter vanished at this point, probably under that remarkable invisibility cloak of his. I remember seeing Kreacher – the House Elf of my late cousins, I believe he serves Mr Potter now – and him shouting something about Regulus, that I now know must have been related to his sacrifice. I did not even attempt to get involved in the fighting that had broken out, I simply screamed for Draco. My husband was right beside me doing much the same. I spotted him right before Mrs Weasley challenged my sister, and in my distraction lost sight of him again. People backed away into the walls. People from both sides.
"My husband and I were caught in the crowd and we too ended up by the walls of the Great Hall. I remember searching the walls frantically for my son before hearing my sister laugh. I looked at her just in time to see Mrs Weasley's curse hit her in the heart. The Dark Lord screamed, he blasted back his opponents, Professors McGonagall and Slughorn and Interim Minister Kingsley Shacklebolt, I believe, and I heard Mr Potter shout 'Protego'. Before he pulled off his cloak, I knew that this moment was the one in which my deception had been discovered. That if the Dark Lord survived what happened next, then I would be his next target. Or perhaps his second, if he decided to kill Draco first to punish me. Mr Potter pulled off his invisibility cloak and the defenders began to yell and cheer. My husband looked at me in disbelief, and I remember that I refused to be cowed for my actions. Mr Potter said that he wanted nobody else to attempt to help him and he and Voldemort began to speak to each other, and at that point I caught sight of Draco again, in the far corner – he was pleased Mr Potter had survived, I could tell. He didn't know my part in his circumstances yet, and so when he saw me and saw me looking at him, he looked at me defiantly. A silent statement that he didn't regret his actions if you will. I didn't care. He was alive and that was all that mattered to me. I knew then that it didn't matter if Mr Potter won or lost, the Dark Lord would die before leaving the castle. I knew that I would kill him myself with my bare hands if necessary. Draco had chosen his side. That meant he had chosen a side for me too. And that I would kill any of my former allies to protect him from their vengeance.
"By this point Mr Potter and the Dark Lord were circling each other and speaking about love and power and the late Professor Dumbledore. That was the point at which Mr Potter revealed that Severus, - that is, Professor Snape - was a traitor to the Dark Lord and had been for the last seventeen years. Mr Potter began speaking of Professor Dumbledore's plans and the Dark Lord started talking about the Elder Wand, which I had believed to be nothing more than a children's story. Mr Potter began discussing wand lore, and it was only at that point that I realised that it was Draco's wand that he was wielding. I knew what he was about to say before he said it and I do believe that if I had had a wand at that moment, I would have attacked him to prevent him from revealing that Draco had become the master of the wand whose allegiance the Dark Lord desired above all others. Of course, then Mr Potter revealed that he had stolen the wand's allegiance from my son, and I breathed for the first time since he revealed that Draco had once been the Master of the Elder Wand."
. . .
"[She was] running through the crowd, not even attempting to fight, screaming for [her] son"
. . .
Dear Mother,
You will be pleased to hear that I have been sorted into Slytherin. It is only to be expected from a Malfoy of course. Especially with the Black blood that runs in my veins. The hat (and I am rather upset that no one ever bothered to tell me that I would be sorted by a ratty old hat – I understand it might be tradition but really shouldn't families like ours be above such petty things?) barely even touched my head before it sorted me – clearly it did not need any time whatsoever to know where I belong. Theo, Blaise, Vinnie, and Greg also got sorted into Slytherin, which means I'll be sharing a dormitory with them for the next seven years – sadly enough we have a sixth roommate: a half-blood by the name of Oliver Rivers, although Blaise and Theo seem rather certain that he'll be moving into the girls dormitory by the end of third year at the latest – why some people do not bother to make such arrangements before coming to Hogwarts baffles me. Blaise and Madam Zabini discussed the matter months ago and informed the school immediately so that arrangements could be made for Blaise to stay in the boy's dormitory. As for the girls: Pansy and Daphne both got sorted into Slytherin, along with a Millicent Bulstrode (oddly I recognise her surname but not her – was there perhaps a bloodtraitor in the family in the last couple of generations?) and a Tracey Davis who I do not recognise at all (probably a half-blood at best).
As for the rest of the sortings: Susan Bones, Ernest MacMillan, and the Smith cousins, Zacharias and Sally, were all predictably enough sorted into Hufflepuff, along with Hannah Abbot (yes, I think she is that Abbot). Lavender Brown went to Gryffindor, which is only surprising to those who haven't met the airheaded idiot. The other Gryffindors were Ronald Weasley, Neville Longbottom, Harry Potter of all people (although I suppose in hindsight this is hardly surprising given his parentage), and surprisingly enough, Parvati Patil. The other Patil twin, Padma Patil went to Ravenclaw as everyone expected, and the two were blubbering when they left the Great Hall – something pathetic about not wanting to sleep in separate dormitories. Anthony Goldstein and Terry Boot also ended up in Ravenclaw, as did Morag MacDougal, disappointingly enough (I was sure she would end up in Slytherin). And of course the predictable mix of no-names, half-bloods, and muggleborns to all the rest of the Houses (really, why those sort are still allowed I do not understand).
I met Potter on the train and he had absolutely appalling manners, not to mention terrible taste in friends. I suspect we will not be spending any time together unless forced – and good riddance to him too. Aside from that one incident on the train the journey went without incident. I am sure that I will begin to miss you and father terribly before long, especially if the teachers prove to be as awful as they seemed at the feast – although Uncle Severus at least will be bearable.
I hope to hear back from you soon and that you are not missing me too terribly.
Your loyal and loving son,
Draco x
P. S. – could you send me something to snack on in the common room? The food here is just not up to standard.
. . .
"That was when the Dark Lord fully lost control, I think. He attempted to kill Mr Potter once again, and Mr Potter retaliated. I do not think I need to give the details of that particular exchange of spells, as everyone in the hall at that moment witnessed it. The Dark Lord died, and everyone started screaming and cheering, most of the watchers were pleased, those that weren't took the opportunity to escape, I think. Everyone broke away from the walls and most of them tried to get to Mr Potter – I headed straight for my son. He met me halfway and tried to start explaining himself, he started to say that he didn't care if I disapproved of his actions because he had done what he felt was necessary, but I didn't care and simply hugged him. I stopped my husband from saying anything, unsure of his position on the matter, and told my son that I didn't care what he'd done or which side he'd chosen, I was simply happy to see him alive. I later found out that he was only one of a whole group that had been secretly helping Dumbledore's Army, the Order of the Phoenix, and others allied with them over the last year. He had been putting his Occlumency lessons to good use to prevent the Dark Lord from finding out. I cannot imagine how he must have felt during that time. I found out not long afterwards that three members of his own group had died in the battle and others were badly injured, two of whom will never fully recover. I did not care what might happen to myself in the aftermath. I simply stayed close to my son - I was unwilling to let him out of my sight, or even arm's reach, to say the least. The rest is, I think, rather self-explanatory."
"Thank you, Mrs Malfoy. There are a few points that I'd like to clarify before we speak about the rest of the war and the information that you have given us about Death Eaters, willing collaborators, and those under the Imperius."
"Of course. May I have a glass of water before we continue?"
"Please, help yourself."
"Thank you."
…
"Are you ready to continue?"
"I am."
"You mentioned the 'innermost circle of Death Eaters'. Am I correct in thinking that these are the marked Death Eaters that pre-dated the events of the 31st of October 1981 and who Tom Riddle summoned to his side in June 1995?"
"You are. The circle had also expanded to include newer recruits to replace those that had died or defected in the First War and loyal allies who were unmarked before he returned during the Second. Augustus Rookwood, for example, did not take the mark until after he was broken out of Azkaban. It was considered too much of a risk and an identifier for a spy so deep in the Ministry to take. However, I know for a fact that Peter Pettigrew did receive the mark before the events of Halloween in 1981. I believe it was the information that led to the success of both the McKinnon Massacre and the Bones Bloodbath that bought him the mark, although I could not tell you for certain as I was unaware of the identity of the spy in the Order of the Phoenix until after the events of the Triwizard Tournament."
"I see. And can you confirm their identities for me? As well as which of them, if any, were ever under the Imperius or otherwise unwilling."
"I cannot state to their personal thoughts, but I can tell you that no one that took the Mark did so under duress, with perhaps the exception of my son – depending on how we are defining duress. Pressure from family members is one thing, trying to make up for the mistakes of your father and prove he is worth keeping alive instead of being killed in punishment is another. The mark was considered a badge of honour. Only the most skilled and loyal received it. There were many tests that had to be passed in order to do so for any witch or wizard over the age of seventeen, and those under it had to prove that they believed in the cause. I believe the usual initiation rite was to kill someone on command – usually a muggle, although I believe for Evan Rosier the person in question was a squib from the Travers line, and for one of the Selwyn cousins – although I do not recall which – it was an elderly muggleborn that had retreated to the muggle world in the late 1960s. Recruits with multiple older family members with the mark usually had more difficult kills to prove that they were as loyal as their family members."
"Thank you. And you speak as though you were not one of them?"
"No. I never took the mark, something that you have already checked. My husband took the mark after his father recommended him and I supported him, but I never took the mark myself. I did not like the idea of giving my loyalty wholly to someone that was neither my husband nor my family and successfully argued with my father-in-law that as the future mother of his grandchildren and Lady of his House, it was inappropriate for me to risk my life in such a manner and that I would be far more effective as behind the scenes support. He thankfully agreed with me and I was never put under the same kind of pressure to take the mark or scrutiny that others faced."
"I see. What were your personal thoughts on 'the cause'? Did you ever have any doubts about what Tom Riddle and the Death Eaters were fighting for? Or was your son the only reason that you switched sides?"
. . .
"I've listened already. I've made my decision"
. . .
The teacup landed back on the saucer with a tiny clink. Narcissa did not glance at the door where her teenage grandson was hovering and instead pretended that she hadn't noticed him. She leaned back in her seat and raised the book that she had been enjoying before she had noticed his presence. For his sake, she hoped that he wasn't familiar with the works of Lisbet Carnelian - the cover and title were both fairly innocuous, but he probably wouldn't appreciate knowing that his grandmother read erotic literature in her spare time. Draco certainly hadn't.
"...Nan?" Just when Narcissa was ready to actually return to her book instead of waiting him out, Scorpius spoke.
She looked up at him and feigned surprise. "Scorpius, darling. What can I do for you? You don't normally bother with your Nan on days like this."
Indeed, the glass walls of the solarium ensured that the sunlight outside warmed the room to a comfortable temperature, despite the fact that this deep in the winter stepping outside would cloud your breath as you exhaled. It was precisely the kind of day that Scorpius normally spent flying, either by himself or with whichever of his friends were available.
"I- are you busy? You look busy. I'll just-"
"Scorpius Hyperion." Scorpius stopped in his tracks. "You came here for a reason. Sit."
He sat.
Narcissa turned over one of the spare cups she kept on the tea tray for just such an occasion and poured him tea.
While he blew on it to cool it down and tentatively took a sip, she laid a bookmark in Bedknobs and Breadsticks and put it to one side. She could continue reading later.
Scorpius made a face after tasting the tea and Narcissa politely ignored his lapse in manners and took a biscuit from the plate in the middle of the table.
They sat in silence for a while.
Narcissa patiently waited for him to start talking as she slowly ate the biscuit and sipped at her tea.
"I don't want an arranged marriage!" He finally blurted out.
Narcissa raised an eyebrow.
"I know you and Grandfather Lucius were happy before the war. And that Mum and Dad love each other. But I- I don't want to marry someone because of a family alliance I-" He broke off.
When Narcissa had determined that he wasn't going to continue she hummed. "Well to start with, neither me, nor your parents, nor your maternal grandparents, have any intention of arranging a marriage. Indeed, you would have known long ago who we would like you to marry if that were the case. And your father's marriage was not arranged either."
Scorpius frowned, "But he-"
Narcissa looked at him sharply. "Do not interrupt."
"Sorry, Nan." He mumbled into his lap.
She sighed and leaned forward to tap his chin up slightly. "Your father was arranged to marry your mother. But the arrangement was broken off when they were teenagers, during the war. Your grandparents weren't keen on being so closely tied with one side over another. They wished to remain more neutral to all appearances. It wasn't until years afterwards that your parents started dating and discovered that they had a genuine romantic interest in each other, and they had other relationships in that time. By the time they got engaged, both your grandparents, and myself, had long given up any ideas we had about any kind of marriage alliance and were instead political allies who occasionally had tea. We didn't even know about the relationship until very shortly before your father proposed."
"Oh." Scorpius said, subdued. "I didn't know that. I heard from Aunt Daphne that Mum and Dad had been arranged to be married as children and just assumed."
"It was a logical assumption to make. Now can I ask what brought this on?" She absently swept his hair back from his face and straightened his overrobes over the shoulder of his jumper.
Scorpius bit his lip in uncertainty before he groaned. "What do you do when you like someone – I mean like like someone – that you know that your parents would disapprove of. And you know that their parents would disapprove of you. And they're your friend. And you don't know if they like you back."
Narcissa hummed at the jumble of words, lifting the teapot and waiting for him to hold his cup out so that she could pour him more tea, giving her an opportunity to mull over how she wanted to respond.
"Well, I think that's very Black of you, darling. I'm afraid you get that from me, we Blacks have never had the best luck when it comes to love, and your father could tell you the same."
"But you loved Grandfather Lucius! And mum and dad are so happy together."
"You're right." Narcissa said quietly, "I did love your grandfather. But I hated him the first time we met."
"What?" Scorpius gaped at her.
"Oh, you thought it was love at first sight?" Narcissa didn't wait to see his nod before she continued, "He was a spoilt, proud, supercilious little boy that had clearly spent far too much time listening to the gossip of pureblood ladies. He insulted me multiple times and pushed past me to get away. I think the meeting lasted maybe five minutes in total?"
"Wow. I – I thought he was smooth."
"He was. Politically. He was hopeless when it came to women. And of course, aside from my own troubles with love, my sister got disowned for who she fell in love with, and I'm almost certain that my cousin – Sirius, not Regulus – fell in love with someone who died in the First War at the hands of a relative." Narcissa sighed, "My point, is that we've never been the luckiest when it comes to love in our family – a handful take all the luck for themselves, and I think in your generation, Teddy took it."
Scorpius grumbled a little under his breath.
"And as for the rest of what you said – did you know that I disliked your mother when I first found out that your father was dating her? I thought she was fickle."
"You did? But you love Mum! You're always drinking tea together and gossiping and judging all the robes of Wixen in the Society Pages!"
Narcissa smiled and sipped her tea. "Yes. That's true. Now." She placed her teacup back down and took his hand. Scorpius squirmed a little, clearly feeling like he was too old for his grandmother to hold his hand, but he didn't make a face or say anything, so she took it as a win. "Draco won't care who it is that you've fallen in love with. You're his son, and he loves you, and he wants you to be happy. No matter what form it takes. He learnt the lessons that my parents failed at, and that the Second War hammered in to those that listened – he won't hate you or disown you for how you feel about someone, and even if he disapproves, he won't say anything unless he thinks it'll cause you harm. Politics is less important than the happiness and safety of family – in that respect I taught him well."
Scorpius hesitated a moment. "Okay, but what if its someone who he really disapproves of?"
Narcissa smiled placidly at him and poured herself more tea.
"They're a Weasley cousin!" He finally blurted out. "And you know how much Dad hates the Weasleys!"
Narcissa sighed. "Your father does not hate the Weasleys. He dislikes some of them. But they are civil with each other now, they're not children and are perfectly capable of being polite. And he's fine with Harry and Ginny, and I don't think he has any problem with the two eldest brothers either."
Scorpius looked down and then took a quick gulp of tea to avoid having to come up with an answer.
Narcissa waited for him to put the cup back down before she reached for his hand again.
"Scorpius. Look at me."
He determinedly kept his eyes fixed on his teacup, so she tilted his chin up so that he was looking her in the eye.
"It doesn't matter who it is. Or what their family is like. You should follow your heart. I will support you no matter what, and even if you don't believe that your father will, at least believe that I will make sure he says nothing about it. Trust that I will make sure that it all works out."
Scorpius bit his lip. "You promise?"
"I promise. I put my family and their happiness first. No matter what."
He nodded, and she leaned forward to kiss him on the forehead. "Off you go now, it's a beautiful day for flying."
He ducked his head. "Yes, Nan. Thank you, Nan." He hastily drained his teacup and put it back on the tray, only hesitating a moment to kiss her on the cheek before running off.
Narcissa smiled wryly, before picking her book back up. Some things simply do not change.
. . .
Narcissa Violetta Black Malfoy
A mother that changed the world | Toujours pur
6 May 1955 – 16 August 2085
Dans cette vie nous sommes soit des rois ou des pions
. . .
Scorpius definitely accidentally figured out that his Nan was reading an erotic novel a little bit later and was sufficiently emotionally scarred by the discovery. Incidentally, I deliberately wrote that last section so that he could be referring to any Weasley cousin, since I know that he's shipped with Albus, Rose, and Lily to different degrees, but personally I only really ship him with one of the three even though I've read some very good fics shipping him with a different one of them.
It's only briefly referred to in the story and basically glossed over, but Lucius Malfoy was given the option of life in Azkaban or the Dementor's Kiss at the conclusion of the post-war trials after some of his worse actions came to light (I'm not saying I'm referring to the diary/basilisk incident, but giving any cursed object to an eleven year old girl is not cool and one that is specifically a weapon to the best of his knowedge? - the DMLE are not impressed) and he chose the Kiss, which means that by the time the Narcissa/Andromeda reunion takes place, he's already dead, which is why Scorpius has never met his paternal grandfather.
Speaking of Lucius Malfoy, he was a brat of a child, just like his son, and this is a hill that I am quite happy to die on. I'm convinced he was terrible at charming girls and that little Narcissa took one look at him and decided she didn't want it. And then he went and grew up and got pretty and she had to reconsider a bit and then he was head over heels in love with her so she decided she may as well.
We're never told of any other Malfoys in canon, so via pureblood ladies gossip (and they absolutely have afternoon tea and gossip to each other about everyone who's not in the room and maybe they aren't as careful about not saying things where nosy kids can hear them as they should be) we can find out that Lucius Malfoy is the second of four, one of only two non-squibs, and his magical sister is younger than him. We can also find out that the pureblood ladies were very unimpressed by Cygnus Black getting his girlfriend pregnant while they were still in Hogwarts twice, and that his mother wasn't any more pleased.
Speaking of Narcissa's mother, I headcanon that she was very loving (especially given that she was so young when she had kids) and that she is who Narcissa chose to model her behaviour after, which is why she dotes on Draco so much and why he in turn is also prepared to do anything for his child.
The last line of Narcissa's epithet: "Dans cette vie nous sommes soit des rois ou des pions" is most of a french quote commonly attributed to Napoleon. The whole quote means "in this life we are either kings or pawns, emperors or fools", I simply left out the part about emperors and fools. I thought it was rather fitting for a woman whose every significant action in canon is some kind of manipulation, whether apparently intentional or not, and who ends up toppling a self-styled king that treats his followers as pawns through a single action or non-action depending on your perspective.
Finally, you can find me on tumblr under the same name if you want to come and scream at me, see some of my meta on relationships in the magical world, or just want to chat.