Chapter 3: Talk and Tears

Narcissa was in the middle of her runes lesson, she was inking onto her piece of paper large and complex runes that had difficult strokes and dots. In more detail, she was right in the middle of a stroke that had to be pulled down quickly and then twisted sideways to go back up again. She was sitting beside her new 'friends': Melody Crouch, Leta Lestrange and Emily Bullstrode. Horace Slughorn (her head of house) knocked on the door and at a questioning nod of the runes master, Professor Slughorn said:

"I am sorry to interrupt your lesson but the head master would like to see Narcissa"

Narcissa totally screwed up her rune as she looked up.

"Ok, miss Black, you are excused from the lesson" replied the runes master with a curt nod.

Narcissa hurriedly walked down the corridors, her emerald and black robe swaying gently; she was wandering all through this, what on Earth had she done to cause the Head Master himself to concern with. She reached the seventh floor and tapped the Gargoyle on its head,
"Password or Appointment?" asked the Gargoyle.

"Appointment" replied Narcissa.

"And your name is?"

"Narcissa Black"

The Gargoyle started to rotate and revealed the other side of itself to be swirling loops of stairs up; Narcissa stepped on them and they started to spin upwards. When they finally stopped, she was in front of a large oak door.

She knocked shyly and Armando Dippet (the headmaster) cried: "You may enter"

Narcissa gently pushed on the handle and swung the door open to reveal an office; she had never seen the head masters office before. The walls were covered with loads of detailed paintings of men and women -which she suspected may have ben previous headmasters-. The room had delicate tables full of intricate silver objects and machines. Right in the middle of the room, there was a huge desk and behind it sat Armando Dippet.

"Please take a seat" he said conjuring a chair with his wand.

Once she had sat, he began to speak.

"As you may know, we keep records of students, their behaviour, academic achievements, social life, and so on; do you understand me?"

"Yes professor"

"Now yours has caused me concern in the past couple of weeks, you have exchanged all your friend for very different ones, you have suddenly started behaving differently; what exactly has prompted all this change, Narcissa?"

Narcissa considered, she couldn't tell him the truth, she could imagine how that would go down:

"Oh yes Head Master, my sister -who everyone hates and thinks is a blood traitor- left these orders, I actually hate Voldermort and despise purebloods and hate my other sister Bellatrix who is Head Girl"

She chuckled at the thought of telling him the truth, instead she said this:

"Well Sir, I have decided to become more responsible, and get the company of those with a higher blood status and have tried to behave like someone worthy of the Noble Name of Black. I have also tried to show my support for The Dark Lord and really hope to follow in my sister Bellatrix's footsteps"

"I am happy that you want to be like your sister and Head Girl and am very glad that you support he-who-must-not-be-named because times are changing and I think that soon he will gain control of the school. I shouldn't be telling you this but I have a feeling that soon this will be an only pureblood school" replied Dippet

Narcissa tried to look excited and keen despite the tears welling deep in her eyes.

"And your academic scores have grown, have they not?" asked the Head Master.

Yet again she imagined telling him the truth:

"Since my family is terrible I at least want to be the brains of the family"

She chuckled once again and instead said:

"I have been putting in a little more effort into my education" said Narcissa

"I am glad to hear that, well I think that is all, you may leave now"

Narcissa walked out the door with a huge sigh of relief, this pretence thing was much more trouble then what she had previously thought it to be; she passed Bellatrix in the corridor. Bellatrix (to Narcissa's horror) was in the middle of the crucio spell on a muggle born first year.

"Haha this shall teach you not to breed more filthy mudbloods like you" Bellatrix was yelling.

The poor first year was trembling and crying on the ground as Bellatrix gleefully cackled at his shrieks of agony and pain. Narcissa wanted to stop her sister, grab her by the throat and force her to lift the curse; but of course she couldn't. She had to play the role of a person who enjoyed seeing Mudbloods being tortured, so, despite hating it with all her heart, she passed Bellatrix without doing anything to stop her.

As she entered the library, tears trickled down her cheek, wetting her pale face. Narcissa didn't want this life, she wanted a nice family, she didn't want to have to pretend, she didn't want to be a death-eater, she didn't want to marry Lucious, she didn't want Voldermort in control, and most importantly she wanted Andromeda really badly. She pulled her wand out and dried her face with a spell.

She needed to do this for her own safety and for her sister, what if Andromeda was dea-. NO NO NO NO, she could not think about that prospect, she couldn't lose hope; she found her face wet again. For the second time, she dried her face; she promised herself that she would think happy thoughts and not have to use that spell a third time.

She distracted herself with her homework, writing paragraphs about the effects of Dragon Blood consumption. Trying to divert herself, she read pages upon pages of books about Dragon Blood, reading endless facts that she knew she would forget by the morning.

"Hiiii" came the sly voice of Lucious Malfoy.

Narcissa sighed, she really wasn't in the mood for Lucious flirting with her.

"Hi Lucious"

"Wanna go to the Christmas ball with me?" asked Lucious

Despite her insides protesting, she said: "of course"

"Good. Did you hear that Angela Carrow asked out a muggle?! Idiot to ask out scum if you ask me. I gotta do my duties, bye."

He slid his jumper up to reveal his dark-mark as he left. Narcissa groaned, she had totally forgotten about the Christmas Ball, she didn't like dancing, especially going to the ball with Lucious.

Narcissa looked different from her family, most of them had cascading brown curls and black eyes; Narcissa had an elegant pale complexion with blonde hair that was darker brown at the roots and bleachy blue eyes. Only Narcissa's mother knew what Andromeda looked like because 4 minutes after birth she had started her Metamorphosis. But Andromeda could make herself pretty or ugly at choice. On pretty days she would grow honey blonde beach waves in her hair and radiant blonde highlights matched with big, sky blue eyes. If she wasn't going in public, she would change her hair into a simple scruffy black bun and have tired brown eyes.

Oh Damn. Narcissa was crying again and for the third time that day, she had to use the spell to dry her face.