Time of Your Life
Time of Your Life
By Mina
Chapter
Four: What May Have Been
A/N: In this author's note, I feel that I need to
"thank" several people. 1st off, muchas gracias to all my
teachers, for finally working me so much that I started falling asleep in class,
therefore lowering my immune system's… er… immunity, getting me sick, and
letting me go home. I'd like to thank Dillon for being a stubborn little
prick, I'd like to thank my math teacher for having a nice long class today,
and I'd like to thank my friend Maria, who probably got me sick AGAIN, since I
always get sick right after she does. Of course, the preceding comments were
said with sarcasm. . I'd like to thank Taranda Borgin (ff.net:Borgin), my beta,
and I'd like to thank Andy (ff.net: Sirius) for giving me a cameo, and
Steph (ff.net: Labyrinth
Dumbledore), for being a
great friend, and participating in my crazy RPG's. And, the biggest thanks
goes out to all those who reviewed: THANK
YOU!
That out of the way, I'll proceed with the story. Warning, this is written
under the influence of antibiotics, sleep-deprivation, and a rather strange
obsession with Seamus Finnigan, who has no part in this whatsoever. Now, on with
the damned ficcy!
"Six whole hours
And five long days
For all your lies to come undone
And those three small words
Were way too late
Cause you can't see that I'm the one"
--Three Small Words, Josie and the Pussycats.
"Yesterday… all my troubles seemed so far away
Now it looks as though they're here to stay
Oh I believe in yesterday.
Suddenly, I'm not half the man I used to be
There's a shadow hanging over me
Oh yesterday came suddenly"
--Yesterday, The Beatles
---------*]
Date: December 20th, 1979
Location: Small pub in London
Time: 10:25 PM
The man was tall and thin, looking about twenty-five or so. He had light
brown hair, cropped close to his head. He was in military uniform, just back
from a long trip to Ireland. Those damned people were crazy, he thought to
himself as the bartender poured him another pint. I got this horrid habit from
them, he decided as he chugged down another glass.
He looked back at the gold band on his hand and shook his head
uncertainly. He wasn't actually married, not yet. Just engaged, and to a woman
he loved. Or thought he loved, up until today.
It was the usual kind of fight, things being thrown, yelling, and endless
bickering. And so he ended up in this shabby pub, with a small knapsack
containing a few spare shirts and a pair of pants. That bitch didn't even have
the decency to give me a toothbrush, he mused as he wiped the foam off his upper
lip.
He told her that he loved her, and that she was his everything, and that
no woman was more important in his life. Of course, she said that he was too
late, and that it was hopeless, and that she didn't need him anymore.
"Wife kick you out?" the bartender asked cautiously. The man shook
his head and chuckled glumly.
"Fiancé. Well, she wasn't worth it. A good-for-nothing…" The
bartender shook his head. He didn't look too convinced, but he poured the man
another pint, and went back to servicing his other customers.
And the man mourned quietly, shuffling the wedding band from hand to
hand, and every now and then, letting a tear slip by.
---------*]
Date: December 25th, 1979
Location: Malfoy Mansion, uncharted
Time: 10:03 PM
"Never!" hissed Narcissa, backing away from Lucius. Lucius growled,
and grabbed her hand harshly.
"You are my wife now. You shall do as I say, else you will be punished.
This isn't finishing school, m'dear," he said with an evil glint in his
icy eyes.
Narcissa's bottom lip quivered slightly, and she looked ready to cry.
However, she stuck her chin out defiantly and marched out of the room.
"Where are you going now?" Lucius called after her. His voice was
dripping with amusement and sarcasm. "I suppose you have another lover, then?
My, my…"
"I'm going now, and you can't stop me!" Narcissa slammed
several doors loudly as she gathered her cloak and threw on some plain robes,
which resembled a Muggle dress.
"Go ahead. I won't try. You'll be back, and I'll be waiting."
Lucius and Narcissa had been married for one week, and needless to say,
it was not a happy marriage. Neither was it a willing one… Arranged marriages
were very common amongst the powerful, aristocratic Pureblood families. It was
almost a tradition, and one that was not to be forgotten anytime soon.
Narcissa grabbed her purse and threw a pinch of Floo Powder into the
fire. "London!" she yelled as she stepped inside.
Lucius smirked at the place where Narcissa just stood, and stroked his
chin thoughtfully. She has an insolent streak, he mused. I like that. I think
I'll keep her around, if only because she interests me. Yes, she is quite amusing.
---------*]
Narcissa ran through the snowy flurries, the drops of semi-melted slush
getting stuck in her curly blonde hair. She looked surprisingly like her husband
– tall, blonde, with striking features. However, she had a much softer, more
submissive air about her. Her whole life, she was trained (almost like a dog)
to do what she was told, and she was sick and tired of it.
Love was not something that one could play foolish games with, and it
seemed as though it would never truly come her way. Narcissa did not love her
parents. They were selfish, self-centered, and didn't care about how Narcissa
truly felt. To them, she was just another trophy to show off. As a young girl,
they would dress her up in robes of silk and curl her hair, just to
display her as a little doll that was perfect in every fashion.
She did not love Lucius Malfoy. It was far from that. She despised him, loathed
him, but she did not fear him. She was supposed to, really, but something about
the man made her want to burst out in peals of laughter. Narcissa thought that
he looked like a pompous, overdressed pig, reminding her of Napoleon in "Animal Farm", a Muggle book she once read.
But now was not the time for thinking; she was running through the London
alleys, snow-covered and windy, and she was cold. A thin cloak (though wool)
couldn't keep out the wetness and cold of winter, and the skimpy robes beneath
did nothing to help her situation. A Warmth Charm would have fixed her situation
immediately, but it wasn't safe; Muggles would think it strange to see a young
woman running through the streets of London, the snow melting within a five-foot
radius of her.
She saw the light of a pub, merry yells and shouts coming from inside.
Narcissa heard a clip of a well-known Irish drinking tune, and grimaced. It
certainly wasn't the sort of place that she wanted to be seen in… But they
were Muggles, and inferior to her in all ways. What could they possibly do to a
fully trained witch, especially one that once took a course in self-defense?
She ran forward to the pub door, slowly pushing it open and glancing
inside cautiously. Then, averting all her self-preservation instincts, she
stepped inside, an expression of pure apathy painted on her face.
---------*]
Date: December 25th, 1979
Location: Previously mentioned pub
Time: 10:34 PM
It was the man's 5th pint, and he was getting quite drunk by now.
Half the pub heard of his misfortunes, and, most of them being as drunk just as he was, they
proceeded to tell about how their "oul' bitch kicked 'em out", too, and
how she came begging to have them back. Even through his fogged up, drunken
stupor, Thomas knew that the chances of Anna beginning for him were minimal, if
existent at all.
Soft footsteps sounded from the entrance of the pub, and Thomas twisted
around to see the most beautiful woman he ever laid eyes on walk into the dingy
bar.
She wore a face that was indifferent to all the catcalls and offers of
drinks that she was receiving. Her clothes were also slightly strange, but
Thomas figured that it was some new style; besides, this woman looked like a
model that just stepped off a runway in Paris.
She had waist-length blonde hair, which curled about her face in a sort
of cascade of silk. Her eyes were a peculiar grey-blue shade, with a tint of
green on the sides, and she had pale skin, as though she was kept hidden inside
for years, away from the healthy glow of the sun. Still, she was almost perfect
in Thomas's eyes. Maybe it was
just the alcohol, but there seemed to be some compelling aura around the woman,
something irresistible, yet elusive.
"I'm Narcissa," she said, turning to Thomas. He had the sudden urge
to turn around and see if she was talking to some handsome man behind him. No,
it was him alright.
"Thomas Granger," he said cordially, and shook her hand. She caught a
glimpse of the wedding band, and smiled lightly.
"Having a guys' night out, to take a break from the wife, I
assume?" she asked nonchalantly, ordering a plain lemonade from the bartender,
who seemed hardly affected by her charm.
"No… Recently had a fight with my fiancé," Thomas murmured,
staring at the band and letting the dim electric light shine off the metal
surface and create sunspots on the ceiling.
"I'm sorry," Narcissa muttered, taking a sip of her lemonade. She,
too, had a gold ring on her finger, which Thomas had failed to notice before.
"Are you married, too?" he asked, surprised that one so young and as
pretty as her would be settled down already.
"Yes… Just a week, actually." She quickly added, "It was more of
an arranged-marriage type of deal. Our parents were good friends, and always
assumed that their children would marry. So we did. Personally, I find my
husband a loathsome man; all he ever cares about is his work and his own
personal benefit." Her piercing eyes stared into his face intently.
"My f- Anna, she said the same about me. She said that I had no right
to desert her for my work, and that I should have never joined the army, and
stuck to medical school."
"Really? What were you studying?" Narcissa asked in interest. She did
not know much about Muggle culture, but she was eager to learn. This man seemed
interesting enough, if not overall a kind and nice guy. She couldn't
comprehend how his wife was unhappy with him.
"Dentistry. It was my field of expertise, so you can put it," Thomas
muttered and ordered himself another glass of beer.
"No," Narcissa simply said and pushed the beer away. "No more
alcohol for you."
"Really?" he muttered tiredly, his eyes dull and lacking their usual
luster.
"No more alcohol," she repeated.
"Where do you live?" Thomas asked suddenly.
"Far."
"Would you like to… go to a hotel or something?" Thomas was
appalled with himself. Why was he so blatantly hitting on a married woman? No
matter, she'd reject him, and he could go on drinking-
"Okay," she answered softly. Narcissa looked at him trustingly, and
stood up. She followed him out of the pub and into the hotel a few blocks down.
The snow stopped falling so violently, and the two slowly trekked towards their
room after getting the key at the front desk.
Their footprints left deep dents in the newly fallen snow, and no one
knew that, at that moment, they were about to change the flow of history, and
alter some people's lives forever.
---------*]
Narcissa and Thomas spent that night doing what was expected of them –
the author will leave the readers to decide for themselves. The next morning,
the two went their own ways.
Narcissa went back to Lucius, and he, of course, forgave her. They did
not exactly live happily ever after – but it was as happy as could be
expected.
Thomas went back to Anna, and they made up. Anna never found out about
Thomas's night out, and he never felt the need to tell her. They were married
two weeks later, as planned. Thomas and Narcissa never saw each other again,
though, once, a mysterious letter found itself in Thomas's briefcase. The
loopy handwriting at the bottom proclaimed "Narcissa Malfoy". But the
contents of the letter are yet to be revealed to us.
Maybe one – no, two – things happened that were out of the ordinary.
About nine months after that fateful night, Narcissa had a baby – a son, and
she named him Draco. The boy had Narcissa's hair, and Narcissa's father's
eyes. But there was something about him that was un-Malfoy, and not resembling
Narcissa.
He had a strong chin, narrow shoulders, and a gaunt walk that only one
person Narcissa knew of had – Thomas, the Muggle. Draco was, undoubtedly, her
son. But Lucius was certainly not the father. Narcissa had the sense never to
tell her husband of it, obviously. She loved her son, and she would not let
Lucius kill him. No, it was better to live with this secret than to ever hurt
her child, or the man that fathered him.
Anna and Thomas had a daughter – Hermione Granger. She looked much like
her mother in many ways, but she had her father's eyes and hair, as well as
his love for books. When she was eleven, a letter came from Hogwarts School of
Witchcraft and Wizardry, and Hermione attended. The rest of the story is known
to us – her best friends were Harry Potter and Ron Weasley, and her most hated
enemy was Draco Malfoy.
And so it went on, until the fateful day that Mr. and Mrs. Granger had to
take some money out of the bank…
---------*]
Dear Thomas,
You probably don't remember me. This is Narcissa Malfoy, the woman that
you met on December 25th, two years ago, in a pub in London.
Last August, I had a baby – a son, and his name is Draco. He is not my
husband's son, but yours. There is a portrait enclosed; see how he looks like
you? He has your face shape and figure, though he does slightly resemble my
husband. That is fortunate for both of us.
I don't want child support, and I don't want you to try to contact
me. My husband knows nothing, and I'd prefer to keep it that way. I love my
son dearly, and I would rather have him believe that Lucius, my husband, is,
indeed, his father.
I just thought that you should know. Don't wonder how this letter got
into your things, I have my ways. But, please – don't try to contact
me. You'll regret it, for my husband is a very vengeful man.
I hope that you and your fiancé patched up your differences, and that
you live a happy and satisfied life.
Sincerely,
Narcissa Malfoy
Narcissa Malfoy
P.S. Perhaps we shall meet again someday, to discuss this
face-to-face.
---------*]
A/N
#2: *cringes* Yes, I realize that this ruins all chances of D/H. Well, I said
that I didn't want much romance! I hope that everybody is satisfied with the
way this is going, and I hope that it explains things somewhat. I realize that
I'm messing with canon, but somehow this version seemed more realistic than
"Narcissa has a baby girl with Thomas, which she gives back to him, and then
has Draco", which was my original plan. Whatever. Bye, then! R/R, tell me what
you think!
-Mina