Narcissa settles into the carriage, a smile on her face. She wraps her shawl around herself, resting her head against the side of the carriage. Caught up in her happiness of the night, it takes her a long minute before seeing the scowl on her sister's face. She looks over at Bellatrix and raises an eyebrow, straightening in her seat.
"You're a little slut, aren't you?"
Narcissa freezes, taken aback by the sharpness in Bellatrix's voice. "What?" Her voice sounded weak even to herself, pathetic and shocked.
"Look at you," Bellatrix sneers menacingly. "Rumpled like a cheap whore. You even reek of him. Lucius Malfoy's cheap little skank. How proud you must be of yourself."
Narcissa's eyes widen in shock and hurt, unable to respond. Her face freezes and she feels all the happiness drain away from her body. She finds herself instantly going cold, her face going emotionless as the hurt builds inside of her.
"You think no one would notice your little absence tonight? Or that bite mark on your neck? What a little disgrace you are, tramping around in front of the entire elite, reeking of sex. A pathetic display. I suppose the Malfoy can't account for taste if they do decide to marry you off to their prissy little son. Or perhaps they're covering for Lucius's predilections. I always thought he fancied Rodolphus, and that's a little secret that a pureblood family like the Malfoys would do just about anything to protect. And you've got a masculine look about you, after all. I suppose if Lucius squinted, he wouldn't be able to tell the difference and he can just pretend that you're Rods."
The lump in Narcissa's throat only grows. Bellatrix could use words as a weapon, but that wasn't Narcissa's way. She feels herself shrinking inside of herself, all of her confidence shriveling up. "Why…?" Narcissa squeaks, the word manages to find its way out, but the rest of the question dies before she can ask it.
Bellatrix leans forward, her face dark and threatening. She reaches out and grabs Narcissa's face, pulling her in close. Narcissa tries to pull back, but Bellatrix grips her tightly. "I won't let you ruin this for me. I won't let you take what's mine."
Narcissa's eyes widen in alarm. "I don't… I don't understand. I don't want to take anything from you!"
"Oh you just can't help it, can you?" Bellatrix says, her expression contorting to a twisted, mocking sadness. "You just have to be little Miss Perfect, don't you? So naive and innocent but it's all just an act. But you twirl your little curls and bat your blue eyes and you just can't help it."
"You're hurting me!" Her voice shakes.
"I could hurt you a lot more." Bellatrix grins, sliding her wand out from a fold of her dress and pressing it against Narcissa's throat. Bellatrix had a dark, almost evil look in her eyes. It was a look Narcissa was unfamiliar with, and it terrified her. Her breath nearly stops and she winces as Bellatrix presses the wand harder against her throat. Bellatrix wouldn't hurt her… She was her sister. And Bellatrix was underaged, she couldn't use magic. She'd get her wand taken away. But one look back into Bellatrix's dead eyes and all illusions of safety left Narcissa's mind.
"I don't know what I've done," Narcissa whispers, tears in her eyes.
Bellatrix snorts but pulls away. Narcissa's chin throbs when Bellatrix's hand drops and she worries for a moment that it will bruise. "You're a stupid little girl, aren't you?" Bellatrix snorts. "A stupid, stupid little girl."
Narcissa turns her head and buries it against the carriage door, away from Bellatrix's burning, angry eyes. She wouldn't cry. Not here. Not like this. She wouldn't give her sister the satisfaction.
The ride back was slow and torturous, but Bellatrix didn't say a single word more. She just glared out the window, her body tight and threatening. Narcissa could feel herself trembling, but nothing she did could still her body. She flinches when Bellatrix stands up as they reach the Manor, but Bellatrix was done with her for the night and only moves to get out of the carriage. She was gone by the time Narcissa was able to pick herself up and make her way out of the carriage. She shakes as she walks into her home, the night suddenly seeming much, much colder than it had hours before.
Her mother was waiting for her when she enters the house, but Narcissa didn't have the strength to continue anymore. She runs past her mother and up to her room, flinging herself down on her bed. Her body spasms with sobs, letting her flood of frustration wreck through her. She stops immediately, however, when she hears a knock on the door. "Narcissa?"
Cleaning her face as quickly as she can, Narcissa gets off her bed and goes to the door, cracking it open. "Did everything go alright tonight?" her mother's delicate voice comes from the small opening. She stood against the door, wearing a long pale dress, her face stoic.
"Wonderfully," Narcissa squeaks, saying as little as she possibly can. "Mr. Malfoy is going to speak to father as soon as he can."
"That's good, Narcissa," Druella says soothingly. "I'll inform your father."
Narcissa nods.
"But, my darling… Why are you so sad? What happened?"
Narcissa shakes her head, trying to find her voice. "Nothing, mama. It all went wonderfully. It was a perfect night. Dazzling…"
"Narcissa?"
"It really was wonderful," Narcissa repeats, opening the door a bit more. "Really, mama. I love Lucius so much it hurts sometimes. It's just… there are things in this world that I don't understand and no matter what I do, I can't seem to… be perfect."
"My darling…" Druella pulls Narcissa into her arms, holding onto her tightly. "You are perfect, my sweet child. Absolutely perfect. The most perfect thing I could ever make." She strokes Narcissa's hair delicately. Narcissa settles against her mother, comforted by her touch. "You're every bit of me, my darling beautiful girl. Every good bit. Your sisters… They have too much of their father in them. But you, my darling girl, you're mine. All mine. Every good bit of me and none of the bad." She kisses the top of Narcissa's head. "Come, my sweet child. Let me get you ready for bed."
Narcissa lets herself be led back into the room, settling into the ease of letting her mother take care of her. Despite her gossamer and stoic disposition, Druella Black had always had a bit of a nervous disposition to her. She always had a pleasant smile on her face and a dutiful nod to her head, but her hands would always tremble in her lap, clenched tightly together. Even now as she undressed Narcissa from her soft blue dress, her hands trembled slightly. She sits Narcissa down on her bed and brushes out her curls carefully with a comb.
"Love is a sacred thing, Narcissa," Druella says quietly. She had an odd look to her tonight, forlorn and nervous. Her voice sounded distant, as if she was submerged while talking. "It's a rare thing when you find it. This boy of yours… You truly love him?"
"With all my heart," Narcissa says, calming with the combination of her mother's soothing combing and the topic of Lucius. "He's everything I've ever imagined a man could be, and so much more. He's handsome and makes me laugh and cares about me. He loves me, mama. Really loves me. He's protective and strong and… Oh, mama, I love everything about him."
Druella smiles. "I was in love once," she admits softly, her voice quiet as if divulging a dark secret. "Deeply in love. He was so handsome and caring, and I…"
"Father was?" Narcissa asks innocently. Druella's hands stop in the middle of her combing.
"Sometimes love doesn't work out the way it should," Druella continues. "Sometimes things get in the way. Sometimes… We don't have control over our lives."
"What do you mean, mama?" Narcissa asks. Her voice was respectful and quiet, knowing that her mother was telling her some deep-seeded secret.
"When I was a girl like you," Druella continues, "it was more the custom of arranged marriages for pureblooded families. Even more than it is now. It was expected. My marriage to your father was arranged before I even knew what marriage was. When I was young and foolish, I met a boy and… He was handsome, with the most devastating blue eyes. We used to sit by the great lake at Hogwarts, arms all tangled up. He loved to watch me practice my charms. I would make little charmed birds out of his homework papers and they would fly around our heads, diving and soaring like real birds. I was desperately in love with him. But then… I graduated Hogwarts and my family delved into my betrothal with your father. I never got to see the boy from Hogwarts again. Well… I never saw him until years into my marriage with your father. Your sisters had already been born and Bellatrix was a nightmare as a child. I was exhausted and stressed. Marriage was not what I expected. Your father… Cygnus was not what I expected. But I saw that boy again, and he was a man. He was still so handsome- his blue eyes… And all those feelings came back in droves and I realized that I loved him, that I always loved him… And we talked. And we.. talked. We used to meet at the Leaky Cauldron, for months we did and it was the only respite I found in my life during that time. We would spend hours together discussing the way things used to be and how they had changed. And I felt like myself again. That young girl again, the person I always thought I was. And it was so good, so natural and easy to love him again. To feel love again. But then… I became pregnant with you and everything changed. I had a decision to make. I had your father, my life, your sisters, my home, everything I had built in my time away from Hogwarts, and on the other hand, I had this man that I loved, the one that made me feel like myself. And I thought I was willing to give it all up to be with him. But then all of a sudden, there was you… When you were born, you were the most beautiful, perfect, wonderful thing I had ever seen. You had the whitest hair I had ever seen, and your blue eyes… You were beautiful. I loved you instantly, with my whole heart. More than anything in this entire world. More than anyone. And I decided that I couldn't go through with it anymore… I couldn't leave. I had to give you the best life I could. The most perfect life. I vowed it with my entire heart. I would give you everything."
"Mama… I don't understand."
"Hold him tight, Narcissa. If you love this boy, don't lose him. I'll do everything I can with your father. You'll have everything, my sweet child. Everything I couldn't have. You'll have love, Narcissa. I promise you that. You'll have love."
Narcissa turns and wraps her arms tightly around her mother. She didn't understand everything her mother had said, but she knew that she loved her mother. She loved her terribly. She wanted to curl up in her arms and stay there forever, where it was safe and things made sense. She yawns, feeling exhausted after the rush of emotions of the day. Druella lays back with her in her bed, kissing her forehead and pulling the blankets up around her. She moves to get off the bed, but Narcissa reaches out and takes her arm. "Stay?" she asks softly.
Druella smiles but lays down beside her, taking Narcissa in her arms and kissing her forehead.
"I love you, mama," Narcissa says as her eyes grow heavy, flickering shut.
"I love you, too," Druella says in return. "My perfect, beautiful daughter."