A Rose By Any Other Name
Chapter One: Blood and Chocolate
Narcissa stared into her coffee cup with such fervor that passerby who didn't know her would assume she was but a coffee-shop philosopher studying its psycho-therapeutic value. She had never been an intellectual, simply a seductive beauty who wove many into the tangle of her devious charm. In fact, it was only matched by her husband-ah, so perhaps she could keep him from her mind no longer. She had wanted so badly to defeat her set perspective. She continued to study her drink, ignoring all activity outside the small world of the Leaky Cauldron.
Finally, she paused long enough to turn to one side and dig in her purse, sitting as a squat leopard skin in the empty chair beside her. Her scarlet talons dug through enough makeup to pamper and make over every girl that she'd bullied at school, and her delicate fingers found a pen at the bottom, but she kept digging still farther. At last she rummaged around until their tips met her beloved red lipstick. The tigress is back in the game, boys! she thought contentedly to herself, suppressing a sly smile. She re-applied it again, and then immediately forgot and ruined it, staining the outer rim of the cup as she took a sip and placed it back on the wood of the tabletop to focus herself on the probable candidates for her coveted affection that came this way.
A tall, lean young man was first to enter the store, and her newfound horizon. Handsome, probably about twenty-three--a little young, but cute, he'll do-oh, look at that smile, and those pretty blue eyes.it almost seemed out of character to even privately flatter someone such as this. Then he turned to look at her, and he too was instantaneously drawn to her. Of course he was, she remembered, and grinned. He mistakenly took it to be directed at himself and returned it as fast as humanly possible. Ooh, he walks like he practices in front of the mirror! she noted, and reeled him in close to her heart with a girlish Cruella chuckle, as if the world was truly her oyster since his presence graced it. "Something funny?" He asked confusedly, suddenly diverting his attention to his own appearance, searching fervently for tea stains on his blue t-shirt with some Muggle rock band on it that undoubtedly the entire world but her had heard of and owned compacts by. She tossed her hair silkily, the dirty blond curls tracing thin lines of stray strands over her bare shoulders, and tapped her trademark claw fingernails on the table innocently, fingering the neck of her halter top.
He raised an eyebrow tediously and turned. No! She cursed under her breath, just loudly for the word to do its soothing justice to her personal disgust at her failure. But it was no good. He merely found his way calmly to the door, as if nothing had at all passed between them. She resumed herself to staring into her coffee.
Wait-it couldn't be. But she recognized the halted gait of the next contestant, striding pointedly up the cobblestone and entering the shop on the obvious intent of heading straight for his dream breakfast of imported booze. Sevvie?
Chapter Two: Memory Alley
Narcissa took off her sunglasses, hoping against hope that maybe her concealer would cover the bruise on her eye. She looked him over-yep, same old Severus. His hair was longer, and it seemed to be about the same shade of raven. She wondered if his eyes were as deep as they used to be, sitting and listening to her whine like her best friend. He tossed his cloak over the back of his barstool and took a seat rather artfully. Now she remembered, how she'd never bonded with girls because they were so afraid of everything. Sevvie had always been her best friend-she laughed inside. He'd never minded when she shortened his name. Lucius had never let her call him Lucy to his face.
Up at the bar, oblivious to this trip down memory lane, Severus was focused on his job. Dumbledore had seemed to finally give him a shot at the Defense position. He smiled as he thought about how he'd nearly knocked stupid Lockhart off balance a few years ago, how a mere glance from his eyes could send someone into convulsions. Perhaps this could be put to use, he remembered the headmaster saying, with the familiar twinkle in his eye. He had a new respect for the man, all of a sudden.
Narcissa wondered how to approach him-"Hey, buddy!" just didn't cut it in this case. After all, she hadn't seen him for ten years. She started to put her sunglasses back on-she didn't want him to see her like this, after all that had happened-but she didn't know if he'd recognize her without seeing her trusting, Slytherin-green eyes. Finally she just decided to go for it. "Um.hello." She said just loud enough as not to call attention to herself. "Wha-" He said, turning around, snatched out of his happy place. "Wait.Cissa?" He said teasingly. She took the sunglasses off again. "Nice guess." "I'd have recognized that blonde ambition and perfect-size-6 figure anywhere." He said, then he paused. "What happened to you?" He added gently, moving his cup to her table and sitting down across from her, just like old times when they were alone. She sniffed convincingly and blinked, even though it hurt. "Nevermind." "He hit you." "No." "Yes, yes, he did. Lucius hit you." "Fine. Yes, he did." She stopped the conversation. She didn't like the unhappy reunion it was heading toward. "He hit me. So what? I'll bet it happens to the best of us." "You're right. But never to you." He said quickly, regretting the biting sting of his words. "I'm sorry." "For what? It's life." "What are you going to do now? You're running away from him. You're not scared of him, are you?" She shook her head. "I am. I'll admit it. That's why-" He stopped. "What?" "Nothing. It's not important." She searched his face but as usual found nothing.
She sighed. This was getting ugly. "How have you been?" "No different, I suppose." She suppressed a smile. "Severus, what I am going to do, really? I don't have anywhere to go-I mean, I can't go home. He hates me. He hates everything about me." "I'll bet he's kicking himself right now." "You're wrong." "What about your son?" "He's safe.for now, at least." He looked down into his beer. "Well.I mean, I'm not used to it, but you could stay with me, for the time being. And you can come with me to work in a couple of weeks." She grinned. "You know you're my best friend, right?" His expression darkened. "Don't say that too soon."
Chapter One: Blood and Chocolate
Narcissa stared into her coffee cup with such fervor that passerby who didn't know her would assume she was but a coffee-shop philosopher studying its psycho-therapeutic value. She had never been an intellectual, simply a seductive beauty who wove many into the tangle of her devious charm. In fact, it was only matched by her husband-ah, so perhaps she could keep him from her mind no longer. She had wanted so badly to defeat her set perspective. She continued to study her drink, ignoring all activity outside the small world of the Leaky Cauldron.
Finally, she paused long enough to turn to one side and dig in her purse, sitting as a squat leopard skin in the empty chair beside her. Her scarlet talons dug through enough makeup to pamper and make over every girl that she'd bullied at school, and her delicate fingers found a pen at the bottom, but she kept digging still farther. At last she rummaged around until their tips met her beloved red lipstick. The tigress is back in the game, boys! she thought contentedly to herself, suppressing a sly smile. She re-applied it again, and then immediately forgot and ruined it, staining the outer rim of the cup as she took a sip and placed it back on the wood of the tabletop to focus herself on the probable candidates for her coveted affection that came this way.
A tall, lean young man was first to enter the store, and her newfound horizon. Handsome, probably about twenty-three--a little young, but cute, he'll do-oh, look at that smile, and those pretty blue eyes.it almost seemed out of character to even privately flatter someone such as this. Then he turned to look at her, and he too was instantaneously drawn to her. Of course he was, she remembered, and grinned. He mistakenly took it to be directed at himself and returned it as fast as humanly possible. Ooh, he walks like he practices in front of the mirror! she noted, and reeled him in close to her heart with a girlish Cruella chuckle, as if the world was truly her oyster since his presence graced it. "Something funny?" He asked confusedly, suddenly diverting his attention to his own appearance, searching fervently for tea stains on his blue t-shirt with some Muggle rock band on it that undoubtedly the entire world but her had heard of and owned compacts by. She tossed her hair silkily, the dirty blond curls tracing thin lines of stray strands over her bare shoulders, and tapped her trademark claw fingernails on the table innocently, fingering the neck of her halter top.
He raised an eyebrow tediously and turned. No! She cursed under her breath, just loudly for the word to do its soothing justice to her personal disgust at her failure. But it was no good. He merely found his way calmly to the door, as if nothing had at all passed between them. She resumed herself to staring into her coffee.
Wait-it couldn't be. But she recognized the halted gait of the next contestant, striding pointedly up the cobblestone and entering the shop on the obvious intent of heading straight for his dream breakfast of imported booze. Sevvie?
Chapter Two: Memory Alley
Narcissa took off her sunglasses, hoping against hope that maybe her concealer would cover the bruise on her eye. She looked him over-yep, same old Severus. His hair was longer, and it seemed to be about the same shade of raven. She wondered if his eyes were as deep as they used to be, sitting and listening to her whine like her best friend. He tossed his cloak over the back of his barstool and took a seat rather artfully. Now she remembered, how she'd never bonded with girls because they were so afraid of everything. Sevvie had always been her best friend-she laughed inside. He'd never minded when she shortened his name. Lucius had never let her call him Lucy to his face.
Up at the bar, oblivious to this trip down memory lane, Severus was focused on his job. Dumbledore had seemed to finally give him a shot at the Defense position. He smiled as he thought about how he'd nearly knocked stupid Lockhart off balance a few years ago, how a mere glance from his eyes could send someone into convulsions. Perhaps this could be put to use, he remembered the headmaster saying, with the familiar twinkle in his eye. He had a new respect for the man, all of a sudden.
Narcissa wondered how to approach him-"Hey, buddy!" just didn't cut it in this case. After all, she hadn't seen him for ten years. She started to put her sunglasses back on-she didn't want him to see her like this, after all that had happened-but she didn't know if he'd recognize her without seeing her trusting, Slytherin-green eyes. Finally she just decided to go for it. "Um.hello." She said just loud enough as not to call attention to herself. "Wha-" He said, turning around, snatched out of his happy place. "Wait.Cissa?" He said teasingly. She took the sunglasses off again. "Nice guess." "I'd have recognized that blonde ambition and perfect-size-6 figure anywhere." He said, then he paused. "What happened to you?" He added gently, moving his cup to her table and sitting down across from her, just like old times when they were alone. She sniffed convincingly and blinked, even though it hurt. "Nevermind." "He hit you." "No." "Yes, yes, he did. Lucius hit you." "Fine. Yes, he did." She stopped the conversation. She didn't like the unhappy reunion it was heading toward. "He hit me. So what? I'll bet it happens to the best of us." "You're right. But never to you." He said quickly, regretting the biting sting of his words. "I'm sorry." "For what? It's life." "What are you going to do now? You're running away from him. You're not scared of him, are you?" She shook her head. "I am. I'll admit it. That's why-" He stopped. "What?" "Nothing. It's not important." She searched his face but as usual found nothing.
She sighed. This was getting ugly. "How have you been?" "No different, I suppose." She suppressed a smile. "Severus, what I am going to do, really? I don't have anywhere to go-I mean, I can't go home. He hates me. He hates everything about me." "I'll bet he's kicking himself right now." "You're wrong." "What about your son?" "He's safe.for now, at least." He looked down into his beer. "Well.I mean, I'm not used to it, but you could stay with me, for the time being. And you can come with me to work in a couple of weeks." She grinned. "You know you're my best friend, right?" His expression darkened. "Don't say that too soon."