When Narcissa awoke the next morning, she was flooded with a cascade of emotions: anxiety over the start of her O.W.L. exams, anger over what Andromeda had told her the day before, grief over the fact that she would likely never see her sister again, and angst over what would come of the soon-to-be tarnished reputation of the Black family name. She felt as if she was going to vomit, and her heart was pounding so hard that Narcissa swore it was going to burst right out of her chest. She hauled herself out of bed and found the strength to shower and dress, but she really couldn't stomach the idea of eating breakfast, so she used the opportunity to get in some last-minute studying before her Transfiguration and Potions O.W.L.s that morning and afternoon respectively. Though to be honest, after about twenty minutes, Narcissa figured if she didn't know the material by now, she was never going to learn it.
Narcissa grabbed her bag and went to the Great Hall for breakfast. She looked around the room and noticed Andromeda sitting alone at the Slytherin table. She deserves it, Narcissa thought. She couldn't find Victoria Greengrass or Violet Carrow; she figured Victoria might have been studying in the library since Transfiguration wasn't her strongest subject, and Violet could've still been in her dormitory studying for finals since she was only a fourth year. Narcissa dragged herself over to Lucius, Philip, Xavier, and Evan, barely looking Andromeda in the eye as she passed her. Lucius squeezed Narcissa's wrist in acknowledgement, but didn't say anything to her as he listened to Xavier talk about the growing popularity of Lord Voldemort amongst the various pure-blood families. Narcissa caught Xavier's eye, and she couldn't help but feel a bit sorry for what she knew was coming for him. While Xavier Nott might not have been her favorite person, he was a decent pure-blood wizard to marry. And seeing him right now made the flames of Narcissa's rage burn inside of her all over again.
"Well, we're going to go back to the common room and get some last-minute studying in before our Charms final. Are you coming, Malfoy?" asked Evan.
Lucius looked over at Narcissa and then back to Evan. "You all go ahead without me. I'll meet you at Flitwick's classroom." Evan, Xavier, and Philip left the Great Hall. Narcissa was picking at her breakfast, the eggs and bacon being pushed around her plate instead of being consumed, and Lucius didn't fail to notice. "Cissy, you should eat a good breakfast. It will help you do better on your O.W.L.s."
"I'm not really hungry," she commented. "I just can't stomach the thought of it."
Lucius knew Narcissa didn't mean her exams. She was such a powerful, confident witch. With the exception of her Charms and her Ancient Runes scores sometimes being a little rusty, she would often run circles around him in the grades department. And the fact that she was both a Black daughter and Lucius Malfoy's girlfriend made her the envy of every Slytherin witch. Her status as a Black witch and the probable future Mrs. Malfoy were two positions she took extreme pride in, and she loved to let everyone at Hogwarts know it. While he knew she was nervous about the exams—every Hogwarts student often was—he knew the actual cause of her low mood. He glanced down toward the other end of the table, where Andromeda was gathering her supplies while many of their fellow Slytherins were giving her the stink eye or muttering "blood traitor" under their breaths. Narcissa had told Victoria what she had discovered, and with Victoria being the gossip she was, everyone in Slytherin House knew by that morning. "I told you not to worry about her anymore."
"It's easier said than done. She's my sister," said Narcissa. "It's hard for you to understand because you're an only child."
Lucius indeed had difficulty understanding sibling relationships. Since Eleanor had given birth to a boy first, his parents had had no desire to have more than one child, and quite frankly, Lucius never wanted siblings. If he was being truly honest, having a sibling was one of his worst nightmares, and Narcissa's situation confirmed why he enjoyed being the sole Malfoy heir. The sound of McGonagall's voice interrupted his thoughts. "Good morning, everyone. I would like to remind all fifth year students to wait in the entrance hall while we prepare the Great Hall for O.W.L.s. All other students should be in the library or their House dormitory if they are not in an examination. Good luck."
Lucius and Narcissa filed out of the Great Hall with the other students. Lucius grabbed her hand and said, "I have to get to Professor Flitwick's classroom. You're going to do great. Show everyone here what a powerful witch you are."
"You do the same, Malfoy." She smiled at him and squeezed his hand. She leaned up to kiss him. "I love you," she whispered softly.
"I love you too." Lucius turned and began his trek to the Charms classroom.
Once the Great Hall was set up for the written exam, Narcissa found a seat toward the front, and Victoria came up beside her. "Merlin, wish me luck on this one."
"You'll do fine, Vicky."
"I'm guessing it'll be my job to give you moral support during our Charms O.W.L. tomorrow?"
Narcissa groaned in frustration. "Thankfully, I've improved since our first year."
McGonagall entered the room and gave the instructions before she started the allotted time period for the written portion of the O.W.L. It took all of the focus Narcissa could muster to concentrate on the material instead of agonizing about her upcoming family drama. She didn't need her future destroyed over her sister's poor choice in wizards. Once time was up for the written exam, Narcissa did her best not to let her mind wander to Andromeda as she waited her turn for the practical portion. Instead, she went over various Transfiguration spells in her head and also thought of happy memories such as Slug Club Christmas parties and conversations in the gardens of Malfoy Manor and trips to Hogsmeade with Vicky, Lucius, and Atticus. McGonagall entered the Great Hall and called, "Narcissa Black."
Narcissa stood and followed her professor to the location of the practical exam. When she arrived, Dumbledore was seated there as well. As McGonagall described what Narcissa was to do for this portion of the exam, which included the use of the Vanishing Spell, Narcissa couldn't help but want to use it on either Andromeda or herself. She hadn't decided who. Once Narcissa performed everything as instructed, McGonagall nodded and said, "You are free to go, Ms. Black."
Now that Narcissa was free to go, her first stop was the loo, where she began to promptly vomit from all of the stress in her life. And the worst was yet to come.
After a few days of O.W.L.s and anxiety-induced nausea, Lucius finally convinced Narcissa to allow him to escort her to the Hospital Wing for a dose of Draught of Peace. As Narcissa consumed the turquoise liquid, she could feel the tension leave her body. Her shoulders relaxed, her stomach settled, and she finally calmed in the storm of uncertainty encompassing her life. Madam Pomfrey allowed Lucius into the room after the potion began to take effect, and he sat down next to her on the bed. He grabbed her hand, and she laid her head on his shoulder. "I know it takes ninety minutes to brew Draught of Peace, but Madam Pomfrey usually has some ready for students during final examinations."
"She also insisted on performing the Pregnancy Test Charm on me even though I told her I could absolutely positively not be pregnant since we have not been intimate and don't plan to be until our wedding night. She said 'better to be safe than sorry since I could be using Occlumency.'"
"At least she's thorough," admitted Lucius. "But you will be a wonderful mother someday, whenever that time comes."
"Right now, I think I want to focus on passing my O.W.L.s and graduating. Then, I have to marry you. Then, we can discuss children. Though to be honest with you, I don't know if I'll be a good mother."
"Why would you think otherwise?"
"Because I'm the youngest, so I never had any younger siblings to mother. To be honest, I'm not even great at caring for plants, let alone a human being."
"You get decent marks in Herbology."
"But no matter what my O.W.L. is, I don't plan on taking N.E.W.T. level Herbology courses."
"But you also like a challenge, and N.E.W.T. level Herbology would provide that challenge."
"So does courting you. What's your point?" she asked in mock sarcasm.
"My point is that you're stronger than you think you are and let on. No matter what life throws at you, at us, we'll get through it. Together."