As Narcissa walked around the busy Wizarding village, she couldn't help but feel a sense of excitement build up inside of her. Even though it had only been a little less than three months since she had seen Lucius in-person, somehow it felt much longer. She looked around the village and found Lucius standing in front of Tomes and Scrolls. She smiled and ran over to him, and he wrapped his arms around her once she was close enough to him. "Lucius," Narcissa said and sighed in contentment, "it's been too long."
"Likewise," said Lucius. He kissed her temple and said, "I miss not seeing you every day."
"Soon, we'll get to spend the rest of our lives seeing each other every day. We'll become sick of looking at each other."
"I will never tire of spending time with you," said Lucius. They began walking down the street while holding hands, contemplating where to go first. "So how have your classes been?"
"Difficult," Narcissa answered. "You took N.E.W.T. level Charms, Potions, Transfiguration, and Defense Against the Dark Arts, and you also took N.E.W.T. Ancient Runes and History of Magic. I don't know how you balanced seven classes and being a Prefect; I only have five courses."
"But you're also Head Girl, and you're planning a wedding, so I'd say we're even." The couples meandered in and out of various shops, though Narcissa enjoyed shopping more than Lucius ever had other than for Dark artifacts and Quidditch supplies. At lunchtime, they wandered into The Three Broomsticks and found a secluded table in the corner.
Madam Rosmerta came over to them and said, "Mr. Malfoy, Ms. Black, what can I get you?"
"A glass of Swott Malt Whisky and steak and ale pie," Lucius ordered.
"I'll just have a glass of Pumpkin Juice and some fish and chips. Thank you," said Narcissa.
They handed back their menus, and Lucius turned to Narcissa. "I'm surprised you didn't order a glass of wine, Cissy. You enjoy both the champagne and the elf-made wine here."
Narcissa sighed. "My Healer advised me to avoid alcohol."
When Narcissa mentioned her Healer, Lucius was suddenly reminded of their potential struggles that he had been burying in the back of his mind for the past few months. He took Narcissa's hand and asked, "Have you…have you had any since the last time we saw each other?"
"No," Narcissa whispered softly. "I had one briefly last week, but I would hardly count two days a regular cycle. It doesn't help that Mother is constantly breathing down my neck about both the wedding and my…issues." Lucius nodded, but didn't say anything more. He had the feeling Narcissa didn't want to discuss what she felt was her failure right now. "Enough about me; we promised to plan our wedding some during our Hogsmeade dates."
"I finally convinced Mother to let us write our own vows. Have you decided on who your bride's maids will be?"
"Vicky has already accepted. I'm going to ask Bella over Christmas holiday." Lucius grumbled a little, and Narcissa said, "Lucius, she's my sister."
"I know," he muttered. "You should just see how much she kisses arse to the Dark Lord. Ever since I joined, he's assigned me to lead most missions, yet she acts like she's in charge."
"How about you? Have you decided on groomsmen?"
"Yes, Rosier and Crabbe will be my groomsmen. But first, we need to set a date."
Madam Rosmerta brought their meals, and the couple began to eat. "I was hoping for a summer wedding. If we want to marry outside in the gardens to keep Malfoy family tradition alive, we wouldn't want it to be too warm or too cool," said Narcissa.
"June would be quite soon after your graduation, and August might be too warm," said Lucius. "Perhaps we could choose a date in mid-July, right after my birthday. Then we can use the latter half of the summer to enjoy our honeymoon and our time as newlyweds." He winked, and she chuckled and winked back at him.
"Not only do we need to pick a wedding date, but we also need to decide on a honeymoon destination," said Narcissa.
"There are several places throughout the world where my family owns property. The Hamptons in the States, the French Riviera, the lush wine region of Tuscany…"
"Lucius," Narcissa interrupted and grabbed his hand, "those choices sound like wonderful options, but we've already established we want our marriage to be unique to us. Mother and Father honeymooned in Paris, Bella and Rod honeymooned in Tuscany, and your parents honeymooned in…?"
"Santorini," Lucius answered.
"Yes, Santorini," Narcissa repeated. "I was hoping we could go somewhere nobody else in our families has honeymooned before."
"Where were you thinking?" Lucius asked and took a sip of his drink.
"I was thinking Ireland."
"Ireland?"
"What's wrong with Ireland?"
"Nothing. It's just that Ireland isn't very posh, nor is it far."
"Does it matter how far we travel for our honeymoon? The important aspect will be to enjoy our first holiday together as husband and wife."
"I suppose that's true," Lucius said and sighed. "Despite having lived in Britain my entire life, I've never been to Ireland. Usually, my family went on holiday to the States, France, or Italy where Mother and Father have estates."
"The country has stunning architecture, natural beauty, plentiful history, and excellent shopping. Plus, there is a Wizarding village in the heart of Dublin; it's hidden from the Muggles, of course."
"I didn't know you've been there."
"Father surprised the family with a trip to Ireland in honor of Mother and Father's tenth anniversary in 1958," said Narcissa. "I was three, And…and Bella was seven," Narcissa trailed off slightly, a small catch in her throat. "Anyway, it was an amazing trip, but we haven't been back since then, partially because of both me and Bella."
"What happened?"
"We were at the National Gallery of Ireland, and for us, the figures in the paintings moved. A few of the portraits are of wizards; of course, Muggles don't know that fact. Anyway, Bella got into an argument with one of the paintings and caused it to burst into flames, and I accidentally shattered one of the sculptures while I was viewing it. Mind you, I was a wee witch, and I had little control over my magic, but still. Merlin were Mother and Father embarrassed. Merlin knows how the Muggles saw it; thankfully, Father had a few connections with the Ministry, so he was able to help pay for them repair the damage. But I've always wanted to go back. And this time, I will have better control of my magic."
"The good old days of accidental magic," said Lucius, fondly remembering a few times he had accidentally caused a few light bulbs in the crystal chandelier in the drawing room to shatter when he was young. The couple spent the rest of the meal settling on a wedding date and deciding on other aspects, and Lucius paid after the meal once they were finished. They spent the remainder of the afternoon browsing the shops, Lucius spending entirely too much money on Quidditch gear, and Narcissa purchasing too much jewelry—not that either one of them cared.
When the students were called to gather together for the return to Hogwarts, Narcissa turned to Lucius in disappointment. "I have to go. It will look horrendous if the Head Girl does not return on time. I will write to Mother and Father and tell them that we finalized our wedding date and have discussed a possible honeymoon destination. Since we're marrying at your father's Manor, we don't have to worry about the date being booked by someone else."
"Soon, it will be our Manor. I heard Mother and Father in conversation the other day. I believe they plan on moving to Tuscany and letting us live in the Manor after we marry. It's not official yet, though, so I haven't let them know I overheard them."
"I promise I won't tell them or anyone else." Narcissa kissed Lucius and said, "Have a good evening."
"You too." Lucius squeezed her hand before he Apparated home.
When Narcissa arrived back to Hogwarts, she was exhausted, but elated. She had spent a marvelous day with her fiancé, and they had been able to plan their future together without dealing with opinions on what should be included in the wedding ceremony, recommendations on where they should spend their honeymoon, and questions about what was going to happen once they were married—also known as another reminder that producing an heir was to be their sole focus. She changed for bed and sat down at the desk in the dormitory to write a letter that her owl, Talia, could deliver to Cygnus and Druella. After she found some parchment and a quill, she began to pen a letter to her parents.
Dear Mother and Father,
Lucius and I have finalised our wedding date. He is going to discuss it with his parents since we plan to marry in the gardens of the Manor, but we hope to make it 19 July. We decided our colours will be purple and green; we each chose one. We were thinking about traveling to Ireland for our honeymoon, but we haven't made a final decision yet. Evan Rosier and Atticus Crabbe will be Lucius's groomsmen, and Victoria Greengrass will be one of my bride's maids. I plan on asking Bella to be my Matron of Honour over Christmas holiday. I will see you then.
All my love,
Cissy