Narcissa inspects herself in the mirror, making sure she had gotten each of the bruises. There had been more of them then she thought, and she chided herself to remind Lucius to be more careful with her skin. That, or have him heal them himself. She smiles as her finger slides down her breastbone to the small heart-shaped bruise she had carefully hidden below her shirt. She had to admit it to herself, though, that she quite enjoyed the bit of roughness he had shown her. She liked the feel of his teeth on her skin and the way his hands worked along her body.
She had kissed boys before, but she couldn't recollect a single spark in any of those kisses. What she had had with Lucius the night before… that was a bonfire.
Grinning and unencumbered, Narcissa brushes her long hair. She was tempted to sing to herself, that's how giddy she felt. But she had to put in an appearance at breakfast or her sisters would get suspicious. She quickly gets dressed and heads down to the Great Hall, slipping into the seat beside Andromeda.
"Have any new visions about my handsome husband?" Narcissa asks, unable to keep her curiosity to herself now that she has a fixation.
Andromeda grins at invitation, especially when Narcissa usually avoids conversations about her prophecies of the future. "I'll ask Madame Giavanni if I can use her crystal ball today in class," she says enthusiastically. "Until then, drink this tea and I'll read your leaves for you." She grabs a tea cup and pours Narcissa some tea, shoving it into her hands. "Drink faster, drink faster," she complains and Narcissa sips daintily on her tea.
Narcissa rolls her eyes but finishes the tea faster, giving it to her sister. She was just as eager to hear her future as Andromeda was to tell it.
"Hmm, let me see," Andromeda says, taking the cup. She swirls it three times in her hand before draining the extra tea from the cup. "Let's see, let's see…" She studies the remains meticulously, her face scratched in a more studious manner than Narcissa usually sees of her. "Oh, there it is." She grins slowly. She nods to Narcissa, showing her the cup. "Do you see that symbol, the one right there? It's a peacock."
"A peacock?" Narcissa laughs. "What does a peacock mean?"
"It means," Andromeda says with a mischievous grin, "great fortune in your future. And…"
"And what?" Narcissa demands.
"A happy marriage." She grins proudly. "In fact, with the placement of the peacock, I would say that this happy marriage is the cause of all your great wealth."
Narcissa can't keep the smile from spreading across her face. "A happy marriage?" she repeats. "And he's wealthy?" Her mind goes immediately to Lucius. His family was notoriously wealthy. That couldn't mean… Oh, she shouldn't jump to conclusions like this. Looking to the future was a dangerous game and she wouldn't get too entangled in it.
"There's more, of course, but I don't quite understand this one. There's a grasshopper, right there." She points at more leaves that look like formless blobs to Narcissa. "That means that someone close to you will become a soldier. I haven't any idea what that could possibly mean. There hasn't been a war in forever. Perhaps, an auror, then, or something? I'm not certain. But what's really strange is that the grasshopper is surrounded by the serpent symbol. It's nearly suffocating it, Cissa. The serpent means bad luck." She frowns. "Well, I don't know. Be cautious of any close friends becoming aurors or joining a war somewhere, I suppose."
"Not the most direct form of divination, is it?" Narcissa asks, baffled by the second prediction.
"No, sadly not," Andromeda sighs. "But I'll look into it more in class. Perhaps Madame Giavanni will have more insight. At the very least, it'll help us narrow down what to look for in the ball."
Narcissa nods. "Well forget all that serpent nonsense," she says, grabbing Andromeda's hand. "You said I'm going to have a happy marriage."
"Of course you are!" Andromeda says, kissing her forehead. "Some wonderful, handsome boy is going to sweep you off your feet and whisk you away to a mansion where you'll live in splendor for the rest of your life and have a beautiful son and a wonderful life."
Narcissa laughs. "You forget, Andi. I'm going to have a huge family. Lots of babies. And they'll all call you auntie."
This brings a laugh from Andromeda, delighted by Narcissa's unusually giddy nature this morning. "I've got to go now, little Cissa," she says, grabbing a piece of toast and taking a large bite out of it. "I'm meeting up with someone for a project."
"A boy?" Narcissa questions playfully but this brings a flush across Andromeda's face and a wicked smile.
"Perhaps."
"Andi! Who?"
"Mmm, I'm afraid it's a secret," Andromeda grins. "At least for now. Until it gets to be something more serious. We've only kissed. And he read me poetry. Oh, Cissa, he's got such a lovely voice for poetry." She sinks back onto the bench beside Narcissa, tossing down the piece of toast back onto her plate. "He says he's been in love with me all year since my presentation on Flobberworms, but you know how boys are, they'll say just about anything. But he's devastatingly handsome, Cissa. Well, I doubt you'd think so. He doesn't look like those wizards on your little romance novels you think you keep secret from me, but he's got these soft brown eyes that just warm you up and melt you, like carmel on hot chocolate, and oh, he's wonderful, Cissa."
"I don't read romance novels!" Narcissa says, flushing.
"Of course you do," Andromeda says, rolling her eyes. "But if you want me to pretend you don't so you can keep up your little ruse, I will. Point is, you'll love him when you meet him."
"And when will I get to meet him?" Narcissa takes a moment to compose her features. She had been having a hard time keeping her emotions restrained today and was certain anyone who glanced at her face this morning would know every intimate detail about how she was feeling. A side effect of Lucius Malfoy, she was certain.
"When I'm sure about him," Andromeda says with a deep sigh. "Well, I'm off. I don't want to keep him waiting." She flounces up and kisses the top of Narcissa's head. "I'll look into all that husband and soldier stuff," she promises before rushing off in an energetic blur.
Narcissa shakes her head as Andromeda leaves. Andromeda had a habit of falling head-over-heels for boys only to become outrageously angry with them over nothing. Narcissa recalled the last boy that Andromeda dated (she couldn't even so much as recall his name). Andromeda had been madly in love with him up until he had made some comment at dinner. It was nothing, honestly. If Narcissa recalled correctly, he had simply said that he wasn't a fan of the Ministry's recent pro-muggle policies, but Andromeda had flipped out about it. Fought with him for hours before they broke up. Honestly, Andromeda was baffling to Narcissa.
Even still, Andromeda seemed particularly taken with this new boy. She was practically swaying as she ran from the table. Narcissa smiles to herself. Despite knowing that it probably wouldn't last, it was good seeing her sister so happy and enthusiastic.
Narcissa's mind turns optimistically to the leaf reading. She wasn't one to take stock in prophecies and divination. It was a foolish pursuit in her opinion. Narcissa knew that continuing down a path with Lucius Malfoy was a risky endeavor. If she were to continue, she would have to keep her wits about herself. And that meant she couldn't buy into the little prophecies and visions her sister proclaimed for her. She would go about this the right way. Slowly. With both feet on the ground and her head unclouded with the mysteries of the future.
Narcissa's eyes trickle down the table to the entrance of the room where Lucius has just barely made his way inside, catching the tail end of breakfast. His hair is wet and hangs in a damp ponytail behind his back. He must have just gotten out of the shower, she supposed. Narcissa gives a bit of a sideways smile, thinking of her scent slipping off of him and swirling down the water drained. She couldn't wait until tonight where she could envelope him once again in her scent, subtly claiming him as hers. Hers, hers, hers.
Begrudgingly, Narcissa tears her eyes away from him. If he were to look at her, even in passing, she would lose all composure. She'd give up the game in an instant, and she was far from ready to face Bellatrix's wrath. She'd have to wait until the evening to be caught up in Lucius again. She could manage that. She had gone through her life perfectly fine without Lucius before now, she wouldn't allow herself to be distracted now.
But god did he look handsome fresh from the shower.