Unexpected News by the Black Goddess
Narcissa awoke feeling ill. Six weeks had passed since her last beating. She had been battered and bruised for nearly two weeks, but she had never felt like this. She rolled over uncomfortably, gradually becoming aware that she was alone in the bed. As consciousness returned, along with a growing feeling of nausea, she remembered that Lucius had gone on a business trip the night before, leaving her to go school-shopping with Draco, something she was looking forward to. The nausea seemed to be subsiding, and she sat up. This was a mistake. She raced to the toilet and was sick. When she was finished, she flushed the toilet and went to rinse her mouth out. As she opened the cabinet to get out her toothbrush, her hand bumped the opened box of sanitary towels, knocking it into the sink. She picked them up, and then froze. Putting them carefully back into the cupboard she closed it quietly and went into her bedroom. Reaching for the diary under her bed she began to flick through it, a growing feeling of horror inside her. She shut it with a snap, her worst fears confirmed. She hadn't had a period for three months, she had been feeling ill in the mornings for several weeks now, though this was the first time she had been sick. Narcissa felt a tremble of fear course through her body as she realised she was most probably pregnant. Why hadn't she been more careful? Lucius had always been certain about children - he only wanted one. He didn't care if it was a boy or a girl, but he only wanted one child. Narcissa had been one of four children herself, and would have liked another child but Lucius had been firm. She shook at the thought of what he would do to her. Numbly she got up to finishing getting dressed, her mind working frantically, trying to decide what to do. As she fastened the last button, she realised that she really did want this baby. She fought down the feelings of panic at what Lucius would say. The first thing to do, she told herself firmly, was to find out for sure if she was pregnant. Any other decisions could wait. Everything could wait until Draco was back at school. She didn't want to risk him hearing the row if she really was pregnant. He was going back in two days, so she could leave it until then to tell Lucius. Narcissa checked herself in the mirror and then went downstairs.
"Hello Mother" said Draco cheerfully, looking up from his cereal to smile at her. "Are you nearly ready to go?" He looked excited at the prospect of going shopping. Narcissa grinned at him.
"Ready when you are" she said cheerfully. He grinned back and began to wolf down his cereal.
"Won't be a minute!" he said, slightly breathlessly, and tore off upstairs. Narcissa smiled at his retreating back and began to tidy the breakfast things to make life easier for the house-elves. She had to stop however, as the smell of the food made her feel ill. She groaned to herself and went into the parlour to fetch her bag.
"OK, we can go!" gasped Draco. His face was slightly flushed as a result of running up and down all the stairs, and Narcissa privately thought he looked better like that.
"Just let me check I've got everything" she said, laughing at her son's impatience. She checked she had Draco's school list and enough money to buy everything on it, plus a little extra to get them some lunch and a good-bye present for Draco.
"OK, let's go!" she said. Draco headed quickly for the fireplace and the jar of Floo powder. Opening it he offered it to her. She grinned at him as she took some.
"Diagon Alley" she said clearly and stepped into the fire. The nausea was worse when you were already feeling ill. Narcissa hoped she wouldn't be sick. Thankfully, it was only a short trip. Draco arrived shortly after she did, giving Narcissa time to get her stomach under control. They spent a lovely day in London, admiring the racing brooms and having lunch in the Leaky Cauldron. Narcissa noticed her son fell silent at one point in the meal, his eyes fixed on something to her right.
"What is it?" she said, curiously. He didn't seem to hear her, so she glanced right to see what he was staring at. He was looking at a party of people who had just come in. There was a dark-haired boy among the gang of red-haired children, and it was this boy Draco was staring at.
"Draco" she said, looking quickly back at her son. "Are you OK?"
"Yes" he said, taking his gaze off the boy with an effort. "Harry Potter." he explained. Narcissa had heard many rants about Harry Potter during Draco's years at Hogwarts and quickly changed the subject. The rest of the meal passed cheerfully. Narcissa had quite recovered from her sickness that morning and ate a good deal, though not nearly as much as Draco who was just beginning to grow and had begun eating every morsel of food he could find.
That afternoon they visited "Wizard Conflicts of the Past", a museum about wars in the wizarding world which covered everything from the goblin uprisings to the struggle against Voldemort. Narcissa took advantage of Draco's interest in the different types of goblin axes to sneak away.
Hurrying from the building she headed quickly to "Cathy's Cure-alls". Once she was inside, she headed straight for the pregnancy tests. Snatching one up, she headed purposefully for the till - and bumped heavily into a small dark boy.
"I'm sorry!" said Narcissa apologetically. "I wasn't looking where I was going"
"It's OK" said the boy, looking up at her. "I wasn't either." Narcissa's eyes caught sight of the scar on his head and she froze. She had run right into Harry Potter, her son's worst enemy and the person most wanted by the Dark Lord. She knew he had seen the pregnancy test, and just hoped he wouldn't tell Draco or anyone else that he had seen her buy it.
"No harm done then" she said cheerfully. "Could you excuse me please? I'm in a bit of a hurry."
"Sorry" said Harry, moving quickly out of her way. Narcissa smiled at him as she hurried to an empty checkout.
"Where've you been?" asked Draco in a hurt voice when she found him again.
"Just to the toilet. I would have told you, but you looked so focused I didn't want to disturb you."
"Oh." said Draco. He didn't question her any further, but Narcissa wasn't sure whether he believed her or not.
The rest of the day passed happily, and Narcissa went to bed that night treasuring the memories of a happy day.
The next morning she was sick again. After cleaning her teeth, she did the pregnancy test. As she waited for her pregnancy to be confirmed she dressed in a comfortable yet elegant robe, suitable for Lucius's return later that day. The test was positive, which did not surprise Narcissa in the least. She disposed of it carefully in her bathroom before going downstairs. She decided not to think of what would happen when she told Lucius of her pregnancy, but to concentrate on the feeling of joy she had at knowing she was having a baby. She passed a quiet day with Draco, enjoying the last of his company before he went back to school. She got butterflies in her stomach every time she thought of Lucius's return.
It was about half past six when Lucius returned. Narcissa greeted him happily, asking all the right questions about his business trip. Draco was also very pleasant, and his behaviour pleased his father. After the topic of Lucius's business trip had been exhausted, the conversation turned to Draco's new term at Hogwarts and Lucius's hopes for his son.
"Would you like to accompany us into the drawing room?" asked Lucius, as was his custom the night before his son went away. Draco consented - Narcissa though wryly that he couldn't really do anything else - and the evening passed without conflict. In one way Narcissa was thankful for the friendly atmosphere as it gave her time to think, but in another way she wished that something would happen to take her mind off what she would have to tell Lucius the following day. It was all very well resolving to be pleased about a pregnancy, she thought glumly, but when you knew it wasn't going to be seen as good news it was hard to stick to that. She began to wonder what Draco would think of the new baby. Narcissa hoped he'd like the idea. She always thought he must be lonely being an only child, but then again, this baby would be sixteen years younger than he was - hardly company. What if Draco hated the thought of being replaced? As her thoughts got more and more gloomy, Narcissa was glad when Lucius announced that they should go to bed now so as to be ready for the early start in the morning. Narcissa rose thankfully and gave her son a hug.
"Goodnight Draco" she said, feeling her husband's disapproving eyes on her. "Sleep well"
"Goodnight Mother" said Draco politely, hugging her tightly, but in a way that looked merely polite. He gave her the customary kiss on her left cheek before leaving the room.
"You coddle him" said Lucius in a tone halfway between exasperation and amusement. "He is almost an adult now - old enough to stand on his own feet."
"I do miss him when he's at school though" said Narcissa apologetically.
"Never mind. Soon we'll be busy enough."
After seeing Draco onto the train the next morning, Narcissa began trying to work up the courage to tell Lucius her news. However, he had arranged a small get-together of some of his old school friends that night, and Narcissa didn't get the chance to tell him her news. In fact, it took her several weeks to fit her announcement into their schedule. That year had been busier than others - their social gatherings had increased, and when they were not entertaining Lucius was away. By the beginning of October, Narcissa felt terrible. With her pregnancy almost four months along, she really needed to tell Lucius. She knew he would not be happy, but she also knew that if she put it off longer, he'd either guess or be angry with her for keeping it from him - and quite possibly both. That night over dinner, she plucked up her courage.
"Wine, Narcissa?" asked Lucius.
"No thank you." said Narcissa pleasantly. This was the first time she had dared refuse alcohol, she had been too afraid of making Lucius suspicious and angry to do what she had been told was best for her baby.
"That's not like you" said Lucius, pouring some wine into his own glass. "You normally enjoy wine. Is something the matter?"
"I'm pregnant" said Narcissa quietly, putting a mouthful of chicken into her mouth and chewing quickly. Lucius turned slowly to look at her.
"Did I hear you correctly?" he asked, his voice sounding conversational, but with an edge to it that warned Narcissa he was taking this badly. She swallowed her mouthful and replied calmly
"Yes you did. I'm having a baby."
"When is it due?" asked Lucius, still in that conversational tone of voice. Narcissa ate another mouthful before replying.
"In April. I'm about four months along." she said manner-of-factly.
"And how long have you known about this?"
"Since the day before Draco returned to school" replied Narcissa nervously.
"And why did you not see fit to inform me before this?"
"There hasn't really been time. I wanted to make sure that we could talk about this without having to worry about anything else."
"Really? I do not think there is anything to discuss. We do not want any more children. You were supposed to see that no more appeared."
"I'm sorry" said Narcissa tentatively, watching her husband carefully. Lucius was eating his food in tiny, measured bites. She continued to eat her meal, but had no idea of what she was eating. All her attention was focused on her husband, trying to work out what would happen next.
"You will have to have an abortion." Lucius announced after a short pause. "Now is definitely not the time for another child."
"I would like to keep this baby" said Narcissa softly.
"We'll make a doctors appointment for you tomorrow" continued Lucius, speaking straight over her. "The sooner we're rid of this the better."
"I want to keep this baby" said Narcissa more loudly.
"Don't be silly" snapped Lucius, putting his knife and fork down on his plate. "You know we only planned to have one child. This one is not wanted. We have no need to have a second child, and now is most certainly not the time to have one even if it was wanted. The Dark Lord's plans require careful attention and great loyalty from all of his followers, and I will be needing your support. A child will get in the way, and could ruin everything. You will go to the doctors tomorrow and have a termination."
"I want this child!" repeated Narcissa, frustration rising in her. "I don't care if it's an inconvenient time to have a baby, this child is going to be born in April."
"Do you think to question me Narcissa?" said Lucius dangerously. Narcissa knew what was coming. He could not beat her with no excuse, but raising her voice slightly and questioning his decision was all the excuse that he needed.
"Yes" she said softly. "I am carrying your child Lucius. A child who is as much an heir to the Malfoy tradition as Draco is, a child who is part of me and part of you. I do not want to kill my baby."
"You should have thought of that before you got yourself pregnant" said Lucius threateningly. He began to move around the table towards her. Narcissa trembled but stood her ground. "You made a mistake, and now you'll have to pay for it." he hissed. He reached out to seize her by the shoulders.
"Don't touch me." said Narcissa quietly, her voice quaking with fear.
"You are my wife and I will do what I want with you."
"I'm a person, not a possession! I have a mind of my own."
"Then why don't you use it?" yelled Lucius, losing his temper completely. "Your incompetence saddles us with a child we don't want, and your pathetic emotionalism means that we have to keep the damn thing." He slapped her across the face. "You've been nothing but a disappointment to me Narcissa!"
"Stop it." snapped Narcissa. "Don't touch me again. I mean it!" she yelled as he lifted his hand. "If you touch me ever again you'll regret it!"
"Oh will I?" snarled Lucius. He lunged at Narcissa and proceeded to give her the worst beating of her life before storming out of the house, leaving Narcissa lying in a heap on the floor.
When she was sure he was gone, Narcissa began to pull herself to her feet. Blood spattered her robes where her nose had bled, her eyes were so swollen she could barely see and her right arm was broken. Her whole body felt bruised. She was too numb even to cry. Slowly she made her way up the stairs, wincing at the pain from cracked ribs, praying that her baby would be all right and that she would have the strength to do what she had to. When she reached her bedroom, she pulled a small case from under the bed and began to put essentials into it. She packed quickly, knowing that if she had not left before Lucius returned she wouldn't be able to leave. When her bag held all her essentials and personal objects, Narcissa fastened it. She knew she was in no condition to Apparate, so she walked carefully down the stairs and out of the door.
What will Narcissa do now? Review please! Next part coming soon, and thanks to everyone who reviewed the first part. You know who you are!
Narcissa awoke feeling ill. Six weeks had passed since her last beating. She had been battered and bruised for nearly two weeks, but she had never felt like this. She rolled over uncomfortably, gradually becoming aware that she was alone in the bed. As consciousness returned, along with a growing feeling of nausea, she remembered that Lucius had gone on a business trip the night before, leaving her to go school-shopping with Draco, something she was looking forward to. The nausea seemed to be subsiding, and she sat up. This was a mistake. She raced to the toilet and was sick. When she was finished, she flushed the toilet and went to rinse her mouth out. As she opened the cabinet to get out her toothbrush, her hand bumped the opened box of sanitary towels, knocking it into the sink. She picked them up, and then froze. Putting them carefully back into the cupboard she closed it quietly and went into her bedroom. Reaching for the diary under her bed she began to flick through it, a growing feeling of horror inside her. She shut it with a snap, her worst fears confirmed. She hadn't had a period for three months, she had been feeling ill in the mornings for several weeks now, though this was the first time she had been sick. Narcissa felt a tremble of fear course through her body as she realised she was most probably pregnant. Why hadn't she been more careful? Lucius had always been certain about children - he only wanted one. He didn't care if it was a boy or a girl, but he only wanted one child. Narcissa had been one of four children herself, and would have liked another child but Lucius had been firm. She shook at the thought of what he would do to her. Numbly she got up to finishing getting dressed, her mind working frantically, trying to decide what to do. As she fastened the last button, she realised that she really did want this baby. She fought down the feelings of panic at what Lucius would say. The first thing to do, she told herself firmly, was to find out for sure if she was pregnant. Any other decisions could wait. Everything could wait until Draco was back at school. She didn't want to risk him hearing the row if she really was pregnant. He was going back in two days, so she could leave it until then to tell Lucius. Narcissa checked herself in the mirror and then went downstairs.
"Hello Mother" said Draco cheerfully, looking up from his cereal to smile at her. "Are you nearly ready to go?" He looked excited at the prospect of going shopping. Narcissa grinned at him.
"Ready when you are" she said cheerfully. He grinned back and began to wolf down his cereal.
"Won't be a minute!" he said, slightly breathlessly, and tore off upstairs. Narcissa smiled at his retreating back and began to tidy the breakfast things to make life easier for the house-elves. She had to stop however, as the smell of the food made her feel ill. She groaned to herself and went into the parlour to fetch her bag.
"OK, we can go!" gasped Draco. His face was slightly flushed as a result of running up and down all the stairs, and Narcissa privately thought he looked better like that.
"Just let me check I've got everything" she said, laughing at her son's impatience. She checked she had Draco's school list and enough money to buy everything on it, plus a little extra to get them some lunch and a good-bye present for Draco.
"OK, let's go!" she said. Draco headed quickly for the fireplace and the jar of Floo powder. Opening it he offered it to her. She grinned at him as she took some.
"Diagon Alley" she said clearly and stepped into the fire. The nausea was worse when you were already feeling ill. Narcissa hoped she wouldn't be sick. Thankfully, it was only a short trip. Draco arrived shortly after she did, giving Narcissa time to get her stomach under control. They spent a lovely day in London, admiring the racing brooms and having lunch in the Leaky Cauldron. Narcissa noticed her son fell silent at one point in the meal, his eyes fixed on something to her right.
"What is it?" she said, curiously. He didn't seem to hear her, so she glanced right to see what he was staring at. He was looking at a party of people who had just come in. There was a dark-haired boy among the gang of red-haired children, and it was this boy Draco was staring at.
"Draco" she said, looking quickly back at her son. "Are you OK?"
"Yes" he said, taking his gaze off the boy with an effort. "Harry Potter." he explained. Narcissa had heard many rants about Harry Potter during Draco's years at Hogwarts and quickly changed the subject. The rest of the meal passed cheerfully. Narcissa had quite recovered from her sickness that morning and ate a good deal, though not nearly as much as Draco who was just beginning to grow and had begun eating every morsel of food he could find.
That afternoon they visited "Wizard Conflicts of the Past", a museum about wars in the wizarding world which covered everything from the goblin uprisings to the struggle against Voldemort. Narcissa took advantage of Draco's interest in the different types of goblin axes to sneak away.
Hurrying from the building she headed quickly to "Cathy's Cure-alls". Once she was inside, she headed straight for the pregnancy tests. Snatching one up, she headed purposefully for the till - and bumped heavily into a small dark boy.
"I'm sorry!" said Narcissa apologetically. "I wasn't looking where I was going"
"It's OK" said the boy, looking up at her. "I wasn't either." Narcissa's eyes caught sight of the scar on his head and she froze. She had run right into Harry Potter, her son's worst enemy and the person most wanted by the Dark Lord. She knew he had seen the pregnancy test, and just hoped he wouldn't tell Draco or anyone else that he had seen her buy it.
"No harm done then" she said cheerfully. "Could you excuse me please? I'm in a bit of a hurry."
"Sorry" said Harry, moving quickly out of her way. Narcissa smiled at him as she hurried to an empty checkout.
"Where've you been?" asked Draco in a hurt voice when she found him again.
"Just to the toilet. I would have told you, but you looked so focused I didn't want to disturb you."
"Oh." said Draco. He didn't question her any further, but Narcissa wasn't sure whether he believed her or not.
The rest of the day passed happily, and Narcissa went to bed that night treasuring the memories of a happy day.
The next morning she was sick again. After cleaning her teeth, she did the pregnancy test. As she waited for her pregnancy to be confirmed she dressed in a comfortable yet elegant robe, suitable for Lucius's return later that day. The test was positive, which did not surprise Narcissa in the least. She disposed of it carefully in her bathroom before going downstairs. She decided not to think of what would happen when she told Lucius of her pregnancy, but to concentrate on the feeling of joy she had at knowing she was having a baby. She passed a quiet day with Draco, enjoying the last of his company before he went back to school. She got butterflies in her stomach every time she thought of Lucius's return.
It was about half past six when Lucius returned. Narcissa greeted him happily, asking all the right questions about his business trip. Draco was also very pleasant, and his behaviour pleased his father. After the topic of Lucius's business trip had been exhausted, the conversation turned to Draco's new term at Hogwarts and Lucius's hopes for his son.
"Would you like to accompany us into the drawing room?" asked Lucius, as was his custom the night before his son went away. Draco consented - Narcissa though wryly that he couldn't really do anything else - and the evening passed without conflict. In one way Narcissa was thankful for the friendly atmosphere as it gave her time to think, but in another way she wished that something would happen to take her mind off what she would have to tell Lucius the following day. It was all very well resolving to be pleased about a pregnancy, she thought glumly, but when you knew it wasn't going to be seen as good news it was hard to stick to that. She began to wonder what Draco would think of the new baby. Narcissa hoped he'd like the idea. She always thought he must be lonely being an only child, but then again, this baby would be sixteen years younger than he was - hardly company. What if Draco hated the thought of being replaced? As her thoughts got more and more gloomy, Narcissa was glad when Lucius announced that they should go to bed now so as to be ready for the early start in the morning. Narcissa rose thankfully and gave her son a hug.
"Goodnight Draco" she said, feeling her husband's disapproving eyes on her. "Sleep well"
"Goodnight Mother" said Draco politely, hugging her tightly, but in a way that looked merely polite. He gave her the customary kiss on her left cheek before leaving the room.
"You coddle him" said Lucius in a tone halfway between exasperation and amusement. "He is almost an adult now - old enough to stand on his own feet."
"I do miss him when he's at school though" said Narcissa apologetically.
"Never mind. Soon we'll be busy enough."
After seeing Draco onto the train the next morning, Narcissa began trying to work up the courage to tell Lucius her news. However, he had arranged a small get-together of some of his old school friends that night, and Narcissa didn't get the chance to tell him her news. In fact, it took her several weeks to fit her announcement into their schedule. That year had been busier than others - their social gatherings had increased, and when they were not entertaining Lucius was away. By the beginning of October, Narcissa felt terrible. With her pregnancy almost four months along, she really needed to tell Lucius. She knew he would not be happy, but she also knew that if she put it off longer, he'd either guess or be angry with her for keeping it from him - and quite possibly both. That night over dinner, she plucked up her courage.
"Wine, Narcissa?" asked Lucius.
"No thank you." said Narcissa pleasantly. This was the first time she had dared refuse alcohol, she had been too afraid of making Lucius suspicious and angry to do what she had been told was best for her baby.
"That's not like you" said Lucius, pouring some wine into his own glass. "You normally enjoy wine. Is something the matter?"
"I'm pregnant" said Narcissa quietly, putting a mouthful of chicken into her mouth and chewing quickly. Lucius turned slowly to look at her.
"Did I hear you correctly?" he asked, his voice sounding conversational, but with an edge to it that warned Narcissa he was taking this badly. She swallowed her mouthful and replied calmly
"Yes you did. I'm having a baby."
"When is it due?" asked Lucius, still in that conversational tone of voice. Narcissa ate another mouthful before replying.
"In April. I'm about four months along." she said manner-of-factly.
"And how long have you known about this?"
"Since the day before Draco returned to school" replied Narcissa nervously.
"And why did you not see fit to inform me before this?"
"There hasn't really been time. I wanted to make sure that we could talk about this without having to worry about anything else."
"Really? I do not think there is anything to discuss. We do not want any more children. You were supposed to see that no more appeared."
"I'm sorry" said Narcissa tentatively, watching her husband carefully. Lucius was eating his food in tiny, measured bites. She continued to eat her meal, but had no idea of what she was eating. All her attention was focused on her husband, trying to work out what would happen next.
"You will have to have an abortion." Lucius announced after a short pause. "Now is definitely not the time for another child."
"I would like to keep this baby" said Narcissa softly.
"We'll make a doctors appointment for you tomorrow" continued Lucius, speaking straight over her. "The sooner we're rid of this the better."
"I want to keep this baby" said Narcissa more loudly.
"Don't be silly" snapped Lucius, putting his knife and fork down on his plate. "You know we only planned to have one child. This one is not wanted. We have no need to have a second child, and now is most certainly not the time to have one even if it was wanted. The Dark Lord's plans require careful attention and great loyalty from all of his followers, and I will be needing your support. A child will get in the way, and could ruin everything. You will go to the doctors tomorrow and have a termination."
"I want this child!" repeated Narcissa, frustration rising in her. "I don't care if it's an inconvenient time to have a baby, this child is going to be born in April."
"Do you think to question me Narcissa?" said Lucius dangerously. Narcissa knew what was coming. He could not beat her with no excuse, but raising her voice slightly and questioning his decision was all the excuse that he needed.
"Yes" she said softly. "I am carrying your child Lucius. A child who is as much an heir to the Malfoy tradition as Draco is, a child who is part of me and part of you. I do not want to kill my baby."
"You should have thought of that before you got yourself pregnant" said Lucius threateningly. He began to move around the table towards her. Narcissa trembled but stood her ground. "You made a mistake, and now you'll have to pay for it." he hissed. He reached out to seize her by the shoulders.
"Don't touch me." said Narcissa quietly, her voice quaking with fear.
"You are my wife and I will do what I want with you."
"I'm a person, not a possession! I have a mind of my own."
"Then why don't you use it?" yelled Lucius, losing his temper completely. "Your incompetence saddles us with a child we don't want, and your pathetic emotionalism means that we have to keep the damn thing." He slapped her across the face. "You've been nothing but a disappointment to me Narcissa!"
"Stop it." snapped Narcissa. "Don't touch me again. I mean it!" she yelled as he lifted his hand. "If you touch me ever again you'll regret it!"
"Oh will I?" snarled Lucius. He lunged at Narcissa and proceeded to give her the worst beating of her life before storming out of the house, leaving Narcissa lying in a heap on the floor.
When she was sure he was gone, Narcissa began to pull herself to her feet. Blood spattered her robes where her nose had bled, her eyes were so swollen she could barely see and her right arm was broken. Her whole body felt bruised. She was too numb even to cry. Slowly she made her way up the stairs, wincing at the pain from cracked ribs, praying that her baby would be all right and that she would have the strength to do what she had to. When she reached her bedroom, she pulled a small case from under the bed and began to put essentials into it. She packed quickly, knowing that if she had not left before Lucius returned she wouldn't be able to leave. When her bag held all her essentials and personal objects, Narcissa fastened it. She knew she was in no condition to Apparate, so she walked carefully down the stairs and out of the door.
What will Narcissa do now? Review please! Next part coming soon, and thanks to everyone who reviewed the first part. You know who you are!